Chapter 79
"Whether this is a side effect or somebody's trick... we'll know after we check."
At Hong Man-gi's cold response, the snake-like eyes of Hygiene Inspection Team Leader Bae Seok-hun narrowed.
He snorted and flicked his hand.
"Somebody's trick? Hah! The evidence is everywhere, yet you're already making excuses. What are you waiting for? Search everything!"
"Yes, Team Leader!"
At Bae Seok-hun's order, the agents in black suits rushed into the kitchen.
They moved roughly, like detectives raiding a crime scene.
Carefully cleaned dishes crashed onto the floor.
Fresh ingredients were thrown out of the refrigerator and scattered everywhere.
"H, hey! Not there! The broth is still cooking!"
Lee Yu-han tried to stop them with a distressed expression.
One of the agents violently shoved him away.
[Crash!]
Lee Yu-han fell onto the floor.
Poming screamed.
"Kyaaaaaak! Hey! Are you crazy?! Do you know how hard our Chef worked preparing those ingredients?! Get away! I said get away!"
Poming flew over their heads, swinging her tiny fists.
The agents ignored her and continued destroying the kitchen.
Hong Man-gi tightly clenched his fists.
He wanted nothing more than to grab them by the neck and throw them out.
But if he used violence now, he would only create exactly the picture they wanted.
Then,
"Team Leader! Over here!"
An agent searching the back of the food storage room shouted.
Bae Seok-hun approached slowly.
The agent pointed toward a box of vegetables delivered that morning.
Their regular supplier had suffered some unexpected problem, forcing them to order from a new company.
The box bore the logo "Fresh Distribution."
"Bingo."
Bae Seok-hun reached inside and pulled out a handful of grayish mushrooms.
At first glance, they resembled ordinary oyster mushrooms.
Looking more closely, tiny black spots spread like fog across their caps.
He waved the mushrooms in front of Hong Man-gi and smiled unpleasantly.
"Owner, do you know what these are?"
Hong Man-gi remained silent.
He had never seen them before.
"Looks like you don't. Well, what would someone who started as F-rank know?"
Bae Seok-hun smirked.
"These are called Black Mist Mushrooms. They look almost identical to edible mushrooms, but when eaten, they disrupt the body's mana circuits and cause forced mana backflow."
His smile deepened.
"An extremely vicious poisonous mushroom."
Bae Seok-hun clicked his tongue and threw the mushroom onto the floor.
[Splat.]
"An ordinary person would only suffer stomach pain. But if a Hunter eats one?"
He pointed toward the customer still screaming while being restrained by Kang Jae-min.
"You get that."
"Kuaaaagh! Kill! I'll kill you all!"
The customer still foamed at the mouth and struggled violently.
Kang Jae-min was covered in sweat as he desperately held him down.
"Using a dangerous ingredient like this goes beyond ordinary hygiene violations."
Bae Seok-hun spoke coldly.
"Hunter Act, Article Four, Clause Two, Handling and Distribution of Mana-Hazardous Materials."
He looked at Hong Man-gi.
"This is grounds for revoking your Hunter license, Mr. Hong Man-gi."
The words sounded like a death sentence.
Revocation of his Hunter license.
It was a threat to take away everything Hong Man-gi had built.
Lee Yu-han, who had gotten back up from the floor, could no longer hold himself back.
"What?! Revoke his license? How does that make any sense?!"
Lee Yu-han stepped in front of Bae Seok-hun.
"We only received the ingredients delivered like always! How were we supposed to know it was poisonous? Even if something dangerous accidentally slipped in, shouldn't this be a temporary business suspension at worst? Revoking his Hunter license? What kind of law allows that?!"
His voice trembled with anger.
Lee Yu-han knew better than anyone how hard Hong Man-gi had worked to reach this point.
He knew how honestly Hong Man-gi had always cooked.
He could not accept this absurd situation.
Bae Seok-hun looked at the angry Lee Yu-han as though staring at an insect.
Then he laughed.
"Law? You're asking about the law? Sounds like someone doesn't know the Enforcement Decree of the Hunter Special Act."
He pulled a crumpled notebook from his pocket and tapped it.
"'If a Hunter privately uses their ability on civilians, or causes another person severe mana-related injury during profit-making activity connected to Hunter work, their qualification may be immediately suspended or revoked.'"
He looked around.
"This restaurant is operated under a Hunter's name, isn't it? And now we have a victim."
His smile widened.
"Not just any injury, mana rampage."
Bae Seok-hun leaned close to Lee Yu-han's face.
"You didn't know? You think that's an excuse? A restaurant owner failing to properly inspect ingredients can be considered negligence of duty and even reckless intent."
Lee Yu-han bit his lip, unable to answer immediately.
It was a completely malicious and forced interpretation.
But with Bae Seok-hun hiding behind the authority of the law, Lee Yu-han could not immediately find a counterargument.
"All right, get this on camera! The owner admitted to using poisonous ingredients!"
At Bae Seok-hun's signal, reporters began flashing their cameras again.
"Full Moon Restaurant Exposed for Shocking Use of Poisonous Ingredients!"
"Disaster Caused by Negligence of Former F-rank Owner!"
Reporters rushed to create sensational headlines.
Outside, customers who had been pushed from the restaurant began murmuring anxiously.
"My god... poisonous mushrooms? I ate there earlier!"
