Chapter 78
Evening at the Full Moon Restaurant was both a battlefield and a festival.
The sizzling sound of oil.
The clattering of dishes.
The loud laughter of customers.
All of it filled the restaurant.
Outside, a long waiting line still stretched down the street.
Yet nobody complained or became irritated.
The atmosphere inside remained warm and lively.
"All right! Careful, it's hot! Spicy Cream Jeyuk Rice Bowl coming out!"
Kang Jae-min moved around the dining room while shouting in his naturally friendly voice.
Completely recovered from his injury, he seemed determined to make up for all the time he had spent resting.
He moved nearly twice as fast as before.
Balancing a tray lightly on one hand, he slipped between tables with the agility expected from a B-rank Hunter whose fighting style depended on powerful physical ability.
"One more Yu-han Special Ramen over here! Oh, and owner! The smoky flavor on today's jeyuk bowl is incredible!"
A regular customer, a D-rank Hunter, raised his thumb.
Kang Jae-min winked.
"Of course! Our Captain's wrist technique is a work of art today. And most importantly, it tastes even better because the great Kang Jae-min is serving it."
"Nah, I don't think that's the reason."
"Hahaha!"
Even while joking with customers, Kang Jae-min continuously scanned the entire dining room.
Did any table need water?
Were any side dishes running low?
His combat instincts had perfectly transformed into serving instincts.
Inside the kitchen, Hong Man-gi, Lee Yu-han, and Poming showed flawless teamwork.
"Yu-han, table three's risotto, the cheese is melted. It needs to go out now!"
"Yes, Hunter! Taking it immediately! I'll start plating the Black Sesame Teriyaki Pork Belly for table five!"
Lee Yu-han had improved enough that he could understand Hong Man-gi's next movement simply from his eyes.
He silently supported Hong Man-gi with speed and precision.
Above them flew the tiny supervisor, Poming.
"Mr. Kang Jae-min! A spoon fell at table two! Are your ears just decoration? Didn't you hear the clang?"
"I heard you! I'm going! Seriously, this little thing nags worse than a mother-in-law."
"What did you say?! Poming isn't a mother-in-law, Poming is a gourmet fairy! And the customer at table four splashed kkakdugi broth! Napkin! Hurry!"
Kang Jae-min complained but still hurried around following every order.
By now, their arguments had become one of the signature attractions of the Full Moon Restaurant.
Customers laughed whenever they saw it.
The restaurant grew even more cheerful.
Hong Man-gi turned the wok and watched everything with satisfaction.
'This is nice.'
The chilling warning Cha Mu-jin had left behind seemed almost meaningless now.
The restaurant had regained stability.
No.
With Kang Jae-min returning and Lee Yu-han continuing to grow, it had become even stronger than before.
'If this life could continue... I wouldn't need anything more.'
Hong Man-gi placed grilled green onion over freshly stir-fried pork and smiled faintly.
Then,
"Ugh... ugh...."
A man sitting at table six suddenly groaned and grabbed the table.
He was a muscular man who looked like a C-rank Hunter.
"Sir? Are you okay?"
Kang Jae-min noticed something wrong and approached.
"K... kuaagh...!"
Instead of answering, the man raised his head and screamed in pain.
"...!"
Kang Jae-min's eyes widened.
The man's eyes were bright red, as though every tiny blood vessel had burst.
Veins bulged across his neck and face like writhing worms.
"Wh... what is this? What's wrong with you?"
Foam gathered around the man's mouth.
More importantly, uncontrolled mana rose around him like a dark red heat haze.
Hong Man-gi looked over from the kitchen.
"Was the food too hot? Or maybe he can't handle spicy food. Jae-min, give him some cold water."
"Yes. He should've eaten more slowly."
Kang Jae-min grabbed a water pitcher and approached with his usual friendly smile.
"Sir, are you okay? Drink some water and breathe slowly. Maybe you ate too quickly."
The man did not even attempt to take the glass.
Instead, he gripped the tablecloth hard enough to tear it.
"K... ugh...!"
"Sir?"
Kang Jae-min leaned closer to check his face.
Then,
"...Huh?"
His expression immediately hardened.
"Chef."
Kang Jae-min's voice dropped.
"What's wrong?"
"This... isn't indigestion."
"What?"
Hong Man-gi stopped cooking and stepped out of the kitchen.
Kang Jae-min spoke quickly.
"Look at his eyes. Every blood vessel burst. And look at the veins on his neck and face."
He stepped back cautiously.
"I can feel a mana reaction. And it's extremely unstable."
Hong Man-gi's eyes sharpened.
'Mana rampage...?'
It was a phenomenon caused when the mana circuits inside the body became tangled or collided with impure external mana.
Once the condition progressed, the victim lost reason and transformed into something like a monster that destroyed everything nearby.
"Uaaaaaaagh!"
