Chapter 83
The Ironback Boar raised its head and prepared to ram him again.
Kang Jae-min slid beneath its jaw.
Then he fired an uppercut directly into its vulnerable throat.
[Crack!]
The boar's head snapped backward.
"It's over!"
Kang Jae-min leaped into the air, spun, and brought his heel down onto the top of the boar's head.
[Boom!]
The massive body crashed to the ground hard enough to shake the earth.
Its legs twitched several times.
It had been a clean hunt.
"Phew... see that? I brought it down without damaging the meat."
Kang Jae-min proudly dusted off his hands.
Hong Man-gi slowly approached and examined the boar.
"Hmm, not bad. It drained well too. This should be A-rank barbecue material."
He took a large knife from his pocket.
His expression immediately became that of a chef.
Right there in the forest, Hong Man-gi skillfully began breaking down the boar.
"Yu-han, bring the cooler. We need to separate everything by cut. Jae-min, keep watch."
"Yes!"
An improvised butchering show began in the middle of the forest.
They had been forced out of their restaurant and pushed into a dungeon.
Yet somehow, they looked even more energetic.
Almost like hunters enjoying a picnic.
At the same time, inside the Hunter Association's Inspection Department.
Cha Mu-jin sat behind his desk.
[Beep.]
His phone vibrated briefly.
He slowly picked it up.
[Operation: Hound / Target confirmed entering Bichi Forest / PK team Black Hound deployed / Encirclement forming]
A cold smile appeared on Cha Mu-jin's lips.
"Just as expected."
He tapped his fingers against the desk.
"Self-sufficiency... romantic, but far too reckless. Still, I'll admit it's exactly the kind of decision you'd make."
This operation was no simple warning.
'Black Hound....'
They were notorious hunters who would kill anyone for money, whether Hunter or civilian.
Deploying them meant that Cha Mu-jin had decided to remove Hong Man-gi completely.
Accidental deaths inside dungeons were common.
Monster attacks.
Triggered traps.
Disappearances.
There was rarely evidence left behind, and no one to hold responsible.
"I'll acknowledge the skill it took to return alive from an extremely high-grade dungeon. But...."
Cha Mu-jin looked at the map of Bichi Forest displayed on his monitor.
Red dots slowly closed in around Hong Man-gi's party.
"Human malice is far more cunning and deadly than monsters."
He typed a short reply.
[Begin. No witnesses needed.]
"Please... show me an ending that doesn't disappoint me, Gourmet Alchemist."
Cha Mu-jin leaned back deeply in his chair and closed his eyes.
Meanwhile,
"Jae-min! Not there! If you hit that spot, you'll crush the entire loin!"
Hong Man-gi's angry shout echoed through the forest.
[Bam!]
"Ah, my mistake! Sorry!"
Kang Jae-min barely avoided another monster's charge.
The A-rank knuckles on his fists, Big Monkey's Nuclear Fist, emitted a red flash.
Before them, a herd of Hard-Horned Deer charged forward.
Their horns were as hard as steel, but the meat around their hindquarters was incredibly tender, making it excellent for yukhoe.
"Don't touch the hindquarters. That's going into yukhoe bibimbap."
Hong Man-gi continued giving cold instructions with his arms crossed.
"Yu-han, circle left! Block their escape route!"
"Yes, Hunter! Leave it to me!"
Lee Yu-han held the Shadow Fang Dagger in a reverse grip and quickly disappeared into the bushes.
[Whoosh! Slash!]
When Lee Yu-han disrupted the rear of the herd, one confused deer turned toward Kang Jae-min.
"That's right, come here!"
Kang Jae-min did not miss the opportunity.
Following Hong Man-gi's instructions, he avoided the hindquarters entirely and struck precisely at the deer's neck.
[Boom!]
One blow.
"Nice."
Hong Man-gi gave a short compliment and approached.
He skillfully inspected the deer.
"No bruising, and the blood vessels were handled cleanly. Jae-min, you could open a butcher shop at this point."
"That was a compliment, right?"
"Of course."
Kang Jae-min collapsed to the ground, dripping with sweat.
Hong Man-gi did not give him a chance to rest.
"Yu-han, collect some of those Dew Mushrooms over there too. They'll make the broth for doenjang stew amazing."
"Yes! You mean those blue mushrooms between the rocks?"
"Yeah. They're poisonous, so wear gloves. Don't cut the roots. Pull them out whole. If the poison sacs burst, we can't use them."
"Understood!"
Lee Yu-han excitedly ran toward the rocks.
Bichi Forest was truly a paradise of ingredients.
The Association had blocked their supply routes, but it had turned into a blessing in disguise.
The ingredients here were far fresher and richer in mana than anything sold in the market.
The only downside was that Hong Man-gi now needed to develop dishes around these unfamiliar ingredients.
But at his current level, that was hardly a problem.
"Oh, would you look at that. A Golden Honeybee hive."
Hong Man-gi spotted an enormous beehive hanging high in a tree.
His eyes sparkled.
"Aaaagh! Captain, those bees have stingers the size of fingers! Let's leave that one alone!"
Kang Jae-min desperately tried to stop him.
But Hong Man-gi was already climbing the tree.
"Relax. We just need some smoke."
A short while later, they had secured an entire piece of honeycomb dripping with sweet golden honey.
Their collection continued.
