Chapter 86
An orange food cart tent stood in the forest, completely out of place with its surroundings.
In front of it, a man wearing a white chef's uniform grilled an enormous piece of meat.
The rising smoke drifted toward the Hunters as though beckoning them closer.
"A... food cart?"
"There's a food cart outside a dungeon?"
"That's new."
Almost hypnotized, they walked toward the tent.
The closer they came, the stronger and clearer the aromas became.
Rich meat fat.
Fragrant herbs.
Savory doenjang.
For people suffering extreme hunger after a dungeon raid, the smell was more powerful than any mind-control magic.
"Welcome! This is the Full Moon Restaurant, Bichi Forest Branch!"
Kang Jae-min greeted them in a booming voice.
"Perfect timing, we have open seats! How about freshly grilled boar barbecue with a cold beer? It'll wipe away your dungeon fatigue!"
Their eyes widened.
"F, Full Moon Restaurant? The famous one?"
"They're doing business here?"
The Hunters looked confused, but they could not take their eyes off the sizzling meat on the grill.
The tank swallowed heavily.
"Um... are you really selling that?"
Hong Man-gi turned around while slicing meat.
A confident smile rested on his face.
"Of course. We caught it just a little while ago, so it's extremely fresh. Would you like to try some?"
He placed one slice on a plate and held it out.
Juice dripped from the glossy cut surface.
The tank could no longer resist.
He grabbed the meat and put it into his mouth.
"Kugh...!"
His eyes opened wide.
"Holy... shit... that's insane...."
He screamed toward his companions.
"Hey! Everybody sit down! We're eating here!"
"Owner! Five servings of barbecue! No, make it ten!"
"Yukhoe bibimbap too! And hot pot!"
Orders exploded from every direction.
Their cheers became the best possible advertisement, stopping other Hunters as they emerged from the dungeon.
"What's that smell?"
"Hey, look! People are eating over there!"
"Wow, that smells amazing. Let's get some too!"
In no time, the area around the tent was packed with Hunters.
Cha Mu-jin had tried to starve Hong Man-gi by cutting off his supply routes.
Instead, he had accidentally created a huge outdoor restaurant at the dungeon entrance.
Hong Man-gi watched the arriving customers and swung Full Moon even more energetically.
Self-sufficiency.
It was a complete success.
Meanwhile,
inside the team leader's office of the Hunter Association Inspection Department,
the room was filled with suffocating silence and darkness.
Cha Mu-jin stared at a terminal on his desk.
The screen displayed the final message sent by the PK team Black Hound, who had been dispatched into Bichi Forest.
[Operation Failed. Target Could Not Be Secured. All Members Subdued. Currently... Being Forced Into Gathering and Hunting Labor.]
"Ha... forced labor...."
A short, dry laugh escaped Cha Mu-jin.
Was he angry?
No.
He was simply dumbfounded.
A five-man team of B-rank Hunters specialized in murder and kidnapping had lost to a chef and a few inexperienced Hunters.
Worse,
they were apparently picking mushrooms and driving boars around the forest.
"I cut off his ingredients because I thought he'd starve, and he turned an entire dungeon into his restaurant?"
Cha Mu-jin slowly stood.
He walked toward the window and looked at his reflection in the glass.
The face of the man who always maintained absolute calm was now badly twisted.
"A variable... yes. He's a variable."
Cha Mu-jin's eyes darkened.
"He's not a piece dancing on the board I created. He's a disaster that overturns the entire board."
Simple harassment would no longer work.
Assassins had failed.
Economic pressure had failed.
Every trap only seemed to make Hong Man-gi stronger.
Then there was only one option.
He needed overwhelming force.
Something capable of crushing Hong Man-gi completely in the field where he was most confident.
Cha Mu-jin slowly turned around.
A subordinate waiting in the darkness stood there with a tense expression.
"Assistant Manager Park."
"Yes, Team Leader."
"Prepare the car. We're going to White Lotus."
Assistant Manager Park's face immediately went pale.
"Wh, White Lotus? Don't tell me... you're going to meet Guild Master Song Hwa-rin?"
"That's right."
Cha Mu-jin picked up a stack of documents from the desk.
A red stamp covered the file on top.
[S-Class / High-Risk Individual / Do Not Approach]
Assistant Manager Park hurriedly stepped in front of him.
"Team Leader! That's too dangerous! And she... she's completely uncontrollable! You know what condition she's in! Last month she went on that fucking rampage just because she didn't like her meal...."
His voice trembled with fear.
Song Hwa-rin.
Master of the White Lotus Guild, one of South Korea's three great guilds.
Even among existing S-rank Hunters, she possessed overwhelming power and stood near the very top.
But an even more terrifying title followed her name.
'The Mad Tyrant.'
"I know. I know very well that she's no longer in her right mind."
Cha Mu-jin answered indifferently.
"That's exactly why I need her."
He smiled faintly.
"A rational blade watches its master's expression. A blade that has gone mad cuts apart everything in front of it."
Assistant Manager Park swallowed.
"B, but Team Leader! If she goes berserk, Hong Man-gi won't be the only one affected! The entire surrounding area could be destroyed!"
His voice rose.
"There could be civilian casualties!"
"It doesn't matter."
There was not the slightest hesitation in Cha Mu-jin's eyes.
"If that's the risk required to eliminate the uncertainty called Hong Man-gi, then it's worth accepting."
