Chapter 21. There Is No Restaurant for Weapons (3)
Yukgap paced anxiously in front of the restaurant.
Before long, the elderly woman appeared in the distance, pulling a handcart piled high with cardboard.
She’s here.
Yukgap hurriedly picked up the cardboard he had prepared and walked toward her.
Then he awkwardly greeted her first.
“H-Hello.”
“Thank you as always.”
The old woman accepted the cardboard with a grateful smile.
Yukgap quickly stopped her.
“E-Excuse me.”
“What is it?”
At her question, Yukgap nervously began reciting the lie he had prepared.
“T-Today was my late m-mother’s birthday.”
He had figured she would refuse again if he simply offered her food, so he had come up with what he thought was a convincing excuse.
He had even practiced it in front of a mirror.
Then why was he stumbling over every word now?
“So, out of habit, I made the chicken soup my mother used to like. But I ended up making too much... and if you don’t mind... I’m not forcing you or anything... I mean...!”
Unable to continue, Yukgap suddenly held out a lunch container.
Then he bowed his head.
“I’d be grateful if you ate it.”
It was an embarrassingly awkward request.
Still, perhaps his desperation got through to her.
The old woman accepted the container.
“Food for your mother’s birthday?”
“Yes.”
“Are you sure it’s all right for someone like me to eat something that precious?”
The old woman smiled shyly.
Fortunately, she seemed willing to accept his food.
“Please eat it. I think my mother would be happy too.”
“You must have been a good son. Thank you. I’ll enjoy it.”
The woman leaned against her cart.
The moment she opened the lid, warm steam and a comforting aroma rose from inside.
Yukgap had worried Victoria’s mysterious interference might have ruined it, but surprisingly, the chicken soup looked perfectly normal.
“Oh my. It smells wonderful.”
The elderly woman inhaled the aroma and immediately smiled.
Yukgap gave an embarrassed laugh.
“I hope it suits your taste.”
“I’m sure it will. A good son made it.”
Then she took a sip.
The mild flavor of finely sliced chicken mixed with the savory richness drawn from the other ingredients, warming her tongue.
The ingredients had softened completely, making the soup easy to drink almost like a beverage.
After tasting it, the elderly woman suddenly spoke to Yukgap.
“I was a little too harsh with you last time, wasn’t I? I know you meant well. I’m sorry.”
Apparently, she had been thinking about what happened the day before.
Yukgap hurriedly shook his head.
“No! I’m the one who should apologize for sticking my nose where it didn’t belong!”
“When you live this long, sometimes pride is all you have left. No matter how poor or hungry I become, I still want to keep my dignity. That’s why I pull this cart around. At least this way I’m earning money honestly with my own body.”
Then she spoke gently, as though trying to reassure him.
“I’m proud of the life I’ve lived. So don’t worry too much about me.”
She smiled.
The wrinkles on her thin cheeks deepened.
There was something proud and powerful in that smile, something Yukgap could hardly understand.
Time and misfortune had failed to break that one thing.
“Still, this chicken soup really is delicious. Even someone with weak teeth could eat this easily.”
“Really?”
“You put your heart into it. You made this while thinking about your mother, didn’t you?”
“Yes. Although I can’t serve it to her right now.”
“Any parent would be happy to receive food like this from their child. You’re a good son.”
Yukgap lowered his eyes sadly.
Happy...
For some reason, that word felt especially uncomfortable today.
“Do you really think so?”
Yukgap stared up at the empty sky and continued in a heavy voice.
“Honestly, I miss my mother... but I’m also scared. I’ve done a lot of things I’m not proud of before coming here.”
He could not even remember how many people he had killed.
Children.
Men.
Women.
The elderly.
Whenever an order came down, he would rush over and drive his dagger into them.
He had never felt guilt.
To him, slaughter had once been everyday life.
It had been the very reason he existed.
Could someone like him really stand before his parents?
Did he even have the right?
“Now that I’m finally starting to act like a person... I almost feel guilty about that too.”
“Don’t worry about that.”
The elderly woman calmly comforted him.
Her voice was warm and gentle, like someone soothing a frightened child.
“Even the most terrible person in the world still looks like a newborn baby in their mother’s eyes. I don’t know what kind of mistakes you made, but don’t worry too much. A mother can never completely let go of her child, no matter what that child becomes.”
“I hope that’s true.”
Would his mother accept him even after learning what he had become?
He could not be sure.
But for now, he wanted to believe those words.
“Besides, you’ve grown into a young man who makes food this delicious. Any parent would be proud. So stop worrying so much.”
The old woman continued drinking the chicken soup with a satisfied smile.
She clearly liked it.
“I’m glad it suits your taste.”
The old woman smiled happily as she finished the soup.
“Hehe. It’s been such a long time since I had something this delicious... AAAAAARGH!”
Suddenly, a monstrous roar burst from her mouth.
Yukgap jumped in alarm.
“M-Ma’am!”
“P-Power! I’m overflowing with powerrrrr!”
The old woman twisted her body around and roared.
Her body began swelling.
Rock-hard muscles erupted beneath her skin.
At the same time, her bent back straightened, her shoulders broadened, and even her skeleton began changing.
Before long, she had transformed into a massive muscular figure nearly two meters tall.
It looked as though her entire body had been rebuilt into a completely different existence.
“What the hell happened?”
Yukgap stared blankly.
The elderly woman, who had unexpectedly gained a new body, looked down at her newly hardened physique and chuckled.
“Hehehe. Sometimes a devoted child’s heart can move even the heavens. Perhaps your filial devotion created a miracle.”
Victoria came running over as though she had been waiting for this exact moment.
She saw the transformed old woman and cheered.
“Great! The effect is even better than I expected!”
Yukgap immediately turned on her.
“Victoria, what did you do to the chicken soup?”
Victoria explained as though it were nothing.
“Nothing major. I added stem cells that restructure bones and muscles into the protein in the chicken soup. Once someone eats it, their body changes from the cellular level. Aging doesn’t just reverse. Their entire body gets rebuilt, giving them huge muscles and strong bones!”
“...That’s possible?”
Yukgap could only stare.
Victoria answered confidently.
“Nothing is impossible in alchemy. There are only fields where success has not yet been achieved!”
Yukgap had suspected she had done something to the chicken soup.
But he had never imagined this.
The elderly woman clenched her fist and admired the power inside her body.
“I don’t fully understand it, but I can feel tremendous strength swirling through me. It’s been a long time. I thought I left this feeling behind on the battlefield in Afghanistan.”
She had not merely regained her youth.
Her body had been reconstructed at the cellular level.
Her bones, muscles, and entire physique had transformed.
She was no longer a frail old woman struggling to pull a handcart while collecting cardboard.
She looked more like a gray predator that had been granted a new body.
“Ma’am?”
“Young man, thank you. Thanks to you, I think I’ll be able to enjoy an exciting old age.”
“You’re accepting this way too easily!”
“When you get old, you naturally become detached from worldly matters. This is no different.”
Wasn’t she adapting a little too quickly?
Ignoring Yukgap’s confusion, the old woman effortlessly lifted her cart full of cardboard onto one shoulder.
Then she winked at him.
“I’m off to enjoy my new body and my new life!”
With that, she leapt into the air and landed on the roof of a nearby building in a single jump.
Yukgap could only stare in disbelief.
“What the hell just happened...?”
“Yukgap, hurry! It’s starting!”
Victoria called him over.
A wrestling match was beginning on television.
[A new challenger appears to compete for the WWE throne! She will prove that age is nothing but a number! The brutal challenger from the Land of the Morning Calm... introducing Granny King!]
The moment the announcer finished speaking, a muscular elderly woman jumped into the ring.
The audience immediately erupted.
[Granny King! Granny King! Granny King!]
Amid the roaring crowd, the old woman slowly raised both arms.
Time had still left wrinkles across her body.
But the rock-hard muscles bulging everywhere made her strength obvious to everyone.
[Before challenging the WWE Champion, would you like to say a few words to the audience?]
The announcer handed her a microphone.
She practically snatched it away and spoke in a deep, calm voice.
[Ever since I regained this overflowing strength and health, I’ve challenged countless strong opponents. But every single one of them was too weak to entertain me.]
She raised one arm.
Her enormous muscles stood out clearly.
[So I sincerely hope this place can finally entertain me. My muscles are thirsty for blood.]
The crowd exploded with cheers at her overwhelming declaration.
The announcer stared at her in admiration.
[Incredible! What a powerful statement! Then let the battle for the WWE throne begiiiiin!]
The reigning champion entered the ring.
Granny King glared at him and immediately launched herself forward with her entire body weight.
With her newly reinforced muscles and bones, she looked like a gray cannonball.
“Whoa! Look! Granny King just hit the champion with a chokeslam!”
Victoria watched the match excitedly.
Yukgap, however, could only stare in disbelief.
“I don’t think this was the ending I was hoping for.”
Meanwhile, the match became even more intense.
[Granny King attacks like a dagger! The champion can’t recover!]
The old woman, who had regained youth through Victoria’s chicken soup, dominated the ring with more excitement than anyone.
There was no trace of the frail figure who had once struggled to pull a cart while collecting cardboard.
“Well... I guess I’m glad she’s healthy.”
As long as she was happy, maybe that was enough.
With that thought, Yukgap quietly held onto one small hope.
“I hope my mother is just as healthy somewhere.”
