Chapter 71
Cha Mu-jin's hand pressed down on Hong Man-gi's shoulder.
The strength behind it carried more than simple physical pressure. A cold, chilling energy seeped through as well.
Even after reaching B-rank and obtaining Full Moon, Hong Man-gi instinctively understood the gap between them.
If he recklessly tried to use force against this man, he would only become a frog trapped before a snake.
"Impressive."
Hong Man-gi muttered sarcastically.
Cha Mu-jin's hand slowly slipped away from his shoulder.
Then, as though nothing had happened, he returned to his original seat.
"Ah, there's no need to be so tense, Hunter Hong Man-gi."
Cha Mu-jin had already returned to his calm and polite attitude.
"You could say that was simply... a brief greeting."
It had been far too deadly to call a joke.
Hong Man-gi swallowed dryly without lowering his guard.
Poming was still trembling inside his arms, while Lee Yu-han watched them from the kitchen entrance with a pale face.
Cha Mu-jin continued.
"I'll get straight to the point."
His voice carried the dry tone of official business.
"First, although I'm late, I should congratulate you. Winning the final round of 'Blue and White Cooking King' became quite the topic even within the Association. An F-rank Hunter becoming the best chef in South Korea. Doesn't it sound like something from a movie?"
He spoke calmly, almost as though reading a newspaper article.
Yet hidden behind the words was a sharp question.
Just what exactly are you?
Hong Man-gi answered briefly.
"I was lucky."
"Luck."
Cha Mu-jin repeated the word before slowly nodding.
"That may be true. Perhaps returning alive from the S-rank dungeon, the Forge of Chaos, was also luck. Perhaps obtaining a legendary weapon inside it was also simply good fortune."
"...?!"
Hong Man-gi's heart pounded violently.
The fact that he had entered the Forge of Chaos was something he had never reported to the Association.
It was top secret.
Even more so was the fact that Cha Gang-il's spirit had accompanied him.
Yet this man knew.
'Was he watching me? Or....'
Hong Man-gi thought for a moment before cautiously speaking.
"How...?"
"The Inspection Department sees, hears, and knows far more than you imagine, Hunter Hong Man-gi."
"Just how much more do you know?"
Cha Mu-jin casually brushed aside Hong Man-gi's question.
"We also know about your dangerous transaction with Belloc of Gluttony in the Shadow Market, and how you obtained the materials needed to complete Cha Gang-il's final recipe. We've been watching your entire journey with great interest."
'Hmm....'
Hong Man-gi was left speechless.
Every action he had taken had apparently happened within the palm of some enormous invisible hand.
He had already known the Hunter Association's Inspection Department possessed an incredible information network.
It simply had never mattered much to a low-ranking Hunter like him, so he had never paid attention.
He had not imagined it was this extensive.
The Inspection Department was a gigantic invisible eye watching and controlling every shadow of the Hunter world.
Hong Man-gi released a long sigh.
There was no point lying or making excuses.
"So, did you come here to arrest me? Illegal material trading, entering an unreported dungeon, I'm sure you have more than enough charges."
Hong Man-gi asked calmly.
At this point, there was no use worrying.
But Cha Mu-jin's reaction was unexpected.
He shook his head.
"Arrest you? If that were my intention, I wouldn't have come here so quietly. It would be a waste to dispose of such an interesting 'sample' so easily."
Sample.
'Does he see me as an object instead of a person?'
Hong Man-gi gave a faint laugh.
Cha Mu-jin continued.
"I came to confirm your value, Hunter Hong Man-gi. That strange power you possess, absorbing the abilities of the dead and creating miracles through cooking. I need to personally confirm whether it is real, and just how extraordinary it truly is."
His gaze moved toward Hong Man-gi's hands and then toward the kitchen where he cooked.
"You must be tired after returning from an S-rank dungeon, but could I taste a dish personally prepared by the 'Gourmet Alchemist'?"
His words were polite, but contained a cold pressure that left little room for refusal.
Hong Man-gi quickly thought through Cha Mu-jin's intention.
'The Inspection Department....'
Its role was to find and punish people who disturbed the Association's rules.
Yet Cha Mu-jin's current behavior clearly went beyond that.
He was treating Hong Man-gi not as a judge would treat a criminal, but as an evaluator studying something valuable.
Like an appraiser examining a rare treasure.
'He's testing me. Maybe he's trying to decide whether my ability is a threat to the Association, or whether I have value they can use.'
'Or maybe he has some private scheme of his own and wants to use me for it. Personally. Otherwise....'
Hong Man-gi stared directly into Cha Mu-jin's eyes.
'Hmm....'
Those cold eyes revealed nothing.
Hong Man-gi spoke.
"Sure. But you'll have to pay."
It was the best resistance he could offer in the current situation.
He had no idea what this man's true intentions were.
Cha Mu-jin smiled with satisfaction.
"Of course. Nothing in this world is free."
Hong Man-gi stood and headed toward the kitchen.
Cha Mu-jin's sharp gaze followed his back like a blade.
Lee Yu-han stood frozen near the kitchen entrance.
Hong Man-gi patted his shoulder a few times and entered the kitchen.
'What should I make...?'
Poming, still frightened, was dismissed from her summon.
'What should I cook?'
One of the flashy secret dishes he had shown on "Blue and White Cooking King"?
No.
Something like that probably would not work on this man.
Cha Mu-jin was not simply trying to taste something delicious.
He wanted to feel something else.
'Hmm....'
