Chapter 85

Chapter 85

A bizarre scene filled the clearing of Bichi Forest.

Members of the infamous PK team Black Hound had put down their weapons and were sweating heavily as they carried boars and skinned deer.

All their former viciousness was gone.

Only exhaustion from hard labor and instinctive fear of Hong Man-gi remained.

"Hey, you! Pluck those boar hairs more carefully. If you leave stubble behind, it'll ruin the texture. Got it?"

"Y, yes! Understood!"

At Lee Yu-han's criticism, a huge man quickly bowed his head.

In front of them, the ingredients Hong Man-gi's party had hunted and gathered were piled up like a mountain.

Five Ironback Boars with flesh as hard as stone.

Three Hard-Horned Deer with beautiful shining antlers.

Baskets filled with Dew Mushrooms.

And even honeycombs from Golden Honeybees.

Kang Jae-min looked at the mountain of ingredients and scratched his head.

"Captain, this is way too much."

He pointed at the pile.

"Some of it won't even fit inside our inventories. And taking all this back into the city is going to be annoying with the Association watching us."

Hong Man-gi frowned.

"But we can't waste perfectly good ingredients or let them spoil."

Kang Jae-min's eyes suddenly brightened.

"Then why don't we use them here?"

"Here?"

"Yeah. Think of it as field testing while we reorganize the restaurant."

He pointed toward the dungeon gate.

"Hunters come out of there exhausted and starving. We cook the ingredients here and sell directly to them."

Hong Man-gi blinked.

"An outdoor restaurant...."

"More like a pop-up store."

Kang Jae-min grinned.

"Farm-to-table. Well, dungeon-to-table."

He counted on his fingers.

"The Association can block suppliers, but they can't stop us from hunting and cooking inside a dungeon. We use up the ingredients, earn money, and advertise the restaurant at the same time."

Lee Yu-han's eyes lit up.

"Like a late-night diner right in front of the dungeon!"

Hong Man-gi slowly smiled.

"Jae-min. You actually use your head sometimes."

Kang Jae-min put a hand over his chest.

"Captain, I'll have you know my scheming ability is top-class even among B-rank Hunters."

"All right. We'll set it up immediately."

Hong Man-gi turned toward Lee Yu-han.

"Yu-han. Take two of the Black Hound guys and go back to the restaurant. Bring burners, pots, bowls, tables, chairs, everything we need."

He thought for a moment.

"And bring the orange tent from our food cart days. It should still be in storage."

Lee Yu-han saluted.

"Yes, Hunter!"

He immediately pointed toward two Black Hound members.

"You two, follow me. You're carrying everything."

The men could only nod miserably.

Hong Man-gi looked toward the remaining group.

"Jae-min and I will finish preparing the meat."

Then he looked upward.

"I should summon Poming too. We need to decide the menu."

Hong Man-gi gestured into the air.

[Puwaaaang!]

Light burst out.

Poming appeared.

"Chef! Did you call Poming? Sniff, sniff... huh? What's this delicious smell? The entire forest smells like meat!"

The moment she appeared, Poming flew around while sniffing enthusiastically.

"Poming, we're going to run the restaurant here."

"What? Here? In the forest?"

"Yeah. The Bichi Forest Pop-Up Store. What do you think?"

Poming blinked for a second.

Then she screamed with delight.

"Kyaaaah! I love it! A restaurant in the forest! That's so romantic! It's exactly the kind of idea a fairy would have!"

"Romance is fine, but we need the menu first."

Hong Man-gi pointed toward the piled ingredients.

"We have boar, deer, mushrooms, and honey."

Poming held her chin and seriously scanned the ingredients.

"Hmm... these are excellent ingredients. Especially that Ironback Boar, the ratio of fat to lean meat is beautiful. And the deer is extremely fresh."

She spun around in the air.

"Chef! With ingredients this good, we don't need anything complicated."

Poming raised one tiny finger.

"We need direct, powerful flavors that preserve the ingredients while filling hungry Hunters in one shot!"

"Direct flavors...."

"Yes! Hunters coming straight out of a dungeon are hungry and exhausted!"

Poming pointed toward the boar.

"First, Bichi Forest Herb-Smoked Barbecue!"

Her voice became excited.

"We marinate the Ironback Boar with wild herbs growing here, something like rosemary and thyme, then smoke it over charcoal. Crispy outside, juicy inside!"

She pointed toward the Golden Honeybee honey.

"And right at the end, glaze it with Golden Honeybee honey. Sweet, salty, smoky, simple and powerful!"

Kang Jae-min nodded enthusiastically.

"That aroma alone would drag Hunters over here."

"Exactly!"

Poming moved toward the deer.

"Second, Hard-Horned Deer Yukhoe Bibimbap!"

She continued.

"The deer meat is lean and clean, so slice it thin for yukhoe. Mix it with fresh wild greens and Dew Mushrooms, then add a spicy-sweet gochujang sauce with just a little honey!"

Lee Yu-han was absent, but Hong Man-gi could already imagine him mixing the huge bowl.

"Hunters do run on rice."

Hong Man-gi nodded with satisfaction.

Poming raised another finger.

"And we can't forget soup! The third dish is Dew Mushroom Doenjang Hot Pot!"

Poming puffed out her chest.

"Dew Mushrooms have detoxifying effects and make broth refreshing. Use a rich stock made from boar bones, dissolve doenjang into it, then add lots of mushrooms and green onions."

She smiled.

"One sip of that spicy, savory broth and all the dungeon chill will disappear!"

Hong Man-gi nodded.

"Barbecue, yukhoe bibimbap, and doenjang hot pot. That's a complete meal."

He looked at Kang Jae-min.

"Good. That's our menu. Jae-min, finish preparing the meat. We need time to season it before smoking."

"Understood! Leave the meat to me!"

A while later,

Lee Yu-han returned driving a truck.

The truck bed was packed with the tent, tables, chairs, and various cooking tools from the Full Moon Restaurant.

"Hunter! I brought everything! I even bought two more gas cylinders on the way!"

"Good work, Yu-han. Let's set it up immediately."

They chose a wide clearing in front of the dungeon entrance.

Normally, Hunters used the area to inspect their equipment, smoke cigarettes, or rest.

Now, a familiar orange tent began rising there.

The Black Hound members groaned as they erected the tent and carried tables.

Their rough faces were filled with the misery of men wondering what they were doing with their lives.

But one sharp look from Hong Man-gi was enough to make them work without complaint.

"Hey! Get those tables lined up properly! Customers need room to walk!"

Kang Jae-min shouted like a construction foreman.

One hour later,

the once-empty clearing contained a surprisingly proper outdoor restaurant.

A hastily made wooden sign stood in front of the tent.

[Full Moon Restaurant, Bichi Forest Branch]

[Today Only, Special Price! Direct From the Source!]

[Menu: Boar Barbecue / Deer Yukhoe Bibimbap / Mushroom Doenjang Hot Pot]

[Hunters Welcome / Takeout Available / Finish Your Meal, Guaranteed Fatigue Recovery]

"All right. Let's light the fire."

Hong Man-gi changed into his chef's uniform and stood before the large grill set up in front of the tent.

The charcoal began glowing red.

He placed massive pieces of prepared boar meat onto the grill.

[Siiiiizzle!]

The moment the meat touched the hot grate, white smoke rose with a powerful sound.

Hong Man-gi transformed Full Moon into the shape of a kitchen knife.

He finely chopped herbs and sprinkled them over the meat.

Then he picked up a brush and coated the surface with a special sauce made from Golden Honeybee honey, soy sauce, and garlic.

[Fwoosh!]

Fat and sauce dripped onto the charcoal.

Flames surged upward.

The damp, slightly fishy smell unique to Bichi Forest disappeared completely.

In its place spread the rich aroma of charcoal-seared meat, fragrant herbs, and sweet-salty sauce.

It was an irresistible scent that directly attacked the instincts of the hungry.

"Wow... that smell is insane...."

Lee Yu-han swallowed.

Kang Jae-min's nose twitched.

"That's cheating, Chef. Nobody who smells this is going to walk past us."

Hong Man-gi silently flipped the meat.

Juices bubbled across the golden-brown surface.

Beside him, Lee Yu-han filled a large metal bowl with freshly cooked rice, fresh yukhoe, and colorful wild greens.

The nutty fragrance of sesame oil mixed with the barbecue aroma and made everyone even hungrier.

A huge pot of doenjang hot pot bubbled nearby.

The savory smell of doenjang combined with the umami of mushrooms.

Simply smelling it seemed enough to warm the stomach.

Everything was ready.

Now they only needed customers.

[Whiiirrr.]

The dungeon gate rippled with blue light.

"Let's go get a bowl of gukbap."

"Hey, didn't that leg zombie bite you? Get treated first."

More than ten Hunters walked out through the gate.

They had just finished clearing a C-rank dungeon.

Their armor was dented.

Their weapons were chipped.

Their faces were filled with exhaustion and hunger.

The moment the first Hunter stepped outside,

"...Huh?"

The tank leading the group stopped and sniffed the air.

"Hey, do you guys smell that?"

"What smell? Blood?"

"No... this is... meat."

The healer behind him widened her eyes.

"Huh? You're right! And it smells amazing! Charcoal ribs? No, barbecue?"

The party leader frowned.

"What the hell? Why does it smell like barbecue here? Are we trapped in some illusion magic?"

Despite complaining, even his nose was already reacting.

His stomach growled loudly.

"Look over there! What's that?"

The archer pointed toward the clearing.