Chapter 96

Chapter 96

Choi Mu-young stared at Song Hwa-rin with a frightened expression.

'Master...'

Her eyes were clear.

Her voice was calm.

These were not the eyes of the Mad Tyrant who had once been so consumed by madness that she could barely distinguish ally from enemy.

The cold, powerful ruler who had founded and led the White Lotus Guild had returned.

"...Haa..."

Song Hwa-rin raised her chin and looked down at him.

"I'll say it one more time. My mind is fine. No, it's clearer than it has ever been."

She raised a hand and pointed at Hong Man-gi.

"Thanks to Hong Man-gi, I broke free from the damn Curse of Starvation. My tongue can taste again, my stomach can feel full, and the hunger that was eating away at my mind is gone."

Her eyes sharpened.

"This decision isn't some emotional impulse. I'm making it with the clearest mind I've had in years."

"So I'm not repeating myself. Don't stop me."

Choi Mu-young clenched his jaw.

"But, Master..."

An AX-rank dungeon was fundamentally different.

This was not merely a risky expedition.

It was a gamble involving the survival of the White Lotus Guild itself.

"That place isn't meant for humans. I respected Deputy Guild Master Kang as much as anyone, but he's already dead. We cannot send you to your death just to recover one person's remains!"

Song Hwa-rin's gaze became cold.

"No."

Her lips trembled slightly.

"This really is the last time I'm saying it."

"If you keep talking, you will die."

Savage S-rank mana erupted from her.

The faces of the White Lotus Guild members turned pale.

They knew their master better than anyone.

Song Hwa-rin did not make empty threats.

Choi Mu-young ground his teeth.

Then, after a long moment, the strength left his shoulders.

No one could stop an S-rank Hunter who had made up her mind.

Especially not Song Hwa-rin.

"...Understood."

He bowed.

"We'll prepare the helicopter. I'll also gather our elite raid team."

"The helicopter is enough."

"What?"

"I don't need the raid team. They'll only become baggage."

Song Hwa-rin spoke coldly.

"That dungeon's cold isn't something numbers can overcome. You stay here and protect the guild."

She paused.

"And keep an eye on the hyenas spreading rumors around us. That's more useful than following me."

Choi Mu-young reluctantly lowered his head.

"...Understood."

The executives quietly followed him out.

Once they had left, Song Hwa-rin withdrew her killing intent.

Then she turned toward Hong Man-gi.

This time, her eyes were no longer those of an intimidating S-rank Hunter.

They were pleading.

"Hong Man-gi."

"Yes."

"I'm asking you one more time."

Song Hwa-rin lowered her head.

"Come with me. Please."

Her voice trembled.

"I can't find him by myself... and I can't hear his voice either."

She looked around the restaurant as if searching for Kang Min-hyuk's spirit.

"Help me."

"Help me... bring my man back somewhere warm."

Her voice carried guilt, desperation, and unwavering resolve.

Hong Man-gi bit his lip.

Then his hand closed around Full Moon at his waist.

The mysterious weapon that moved between the form of a pitch-black blade and a brass bowl.

'A vessel that holds spirits...'

It was Cha Kang-il's legacy.

At the same time, it was the crystallization of everything Hong Man-gi believed about cooking.

A weapon meant to comfort wounded spirits and hold their stories.

Perhaps Kang Min-hyuk's spirit had come to Hong Man-gi because Full Moon had guided him.

Perhaps Song Hwa-rin asking for his help was also part of that fate.

Hong Man-gi nodded.

"Of course."

"My Full Moon is a blade that cooks the world and a vessel that holds spirits."

Hong Man-gi smiled toward the place where Kang Min-hyuk's spirit had stood.

"Serving the warmest meal in the world to someone trapped in such a cold place... that's my job."

"This too is part of my fate. I won't run from it."

Tears gathered in Song Hwa-rin's eyes again.

She tightly bit her lip and nodded.

"Thank you... seriously, thank you."

A short while later.

Preparations moved quickly.

"Yu-han, pack every portable burner and insulated container we have in the kitchen. Take the largest stockpot too."

"Yes! Understood!"

Lee Yu-han ran into storage without complaint.

He was no longer the F-rank porter he had once been.

He was now the Full Moon Restaurant's senior assistant chef, as well as a proper D-rank Hunter.

"Jae-min, check your weapons. This time isn't a joke. We're going into an AX-rank dungeon."

Kang Jae-min's playful expression disappeared.

He tightened the straps around his equipment and checked Big Monkey's Nuclear Fist.

"Understood. I'll make sure I'm ready."

Hong Man-gi also began preparing food.

They were going to a place where Kang Min-hyuk had remained frozen for years.

But the food was not only for the dead.

For the living companions who would have to endure the murderous cold of an AX-rank dungeon, something capable of heating their bodies from the inside was absolutely necessary.

'When it's cold, nothing beats spicy fish cake broth.'

Hong Man-gi closed the stockpot lid.

Inside was a hot flame in the form of food.

Something meant to warm Kang Min-hyuk's frozen body and heart.

And something meant to protect the lives of the companions walking willingly into danger.

Soon, the helicopter prepared by the White Lotus Guild arrived.

Hong Man-gi went first.

Behind him came Song Hwa-rin, Lee Yu-han, and Kang Jae-min.

Hong Man-gi, Cook and Supporter.

Lee Yu-han, Porter, Assistant Chef, and Supporter.

Kang Jae-min, Damage Dealer.

Song Hwa-rin, S-rank Damage Dealer.

It was a bizarre party composition unlike anything anyone had seen before.

Song Hwa-rin climbed aboard and looked back.

"Get in."

[Whup, whup, whup...]

The helicopter rose into the night sky.

Their destination,

the AX-rank dungeon, Hellish Snowfield.

As time passed, the temperature steadily dropped.

Frost began creeping across the helicopter windows.

"Ugh... it's already this cold inside?"

Lee Yu-han pulled his coat tighter around himself.

Kang Jae-min threw another blanket over him.

Across from them, Song Hwa-rin sat with her eyes closed.

The White Lotus Sword rested across her knees.

She gripped it so tightly that her knuckles had turned white.

The place she was returning to was the nightmare of her past.

The place where she had lost half her guild.

The place where she believed she had lost the man she loved.

Fear, anticipation, guilt, and longing weighed down her shoulders.

Hong Man-gi quietly watched her.

Then his eyes moved toward the empty seat beside Song Hwa-rin.

It was not truly empty.

Kang Min-hyuk's spirit sat there.

His throat was still torn.

His body was still covered in frost.

Yet strangely, the pain had disappeared from his expression.

He simply stared out through the window at the endless snowstorm.

At the frozen hell where he had remained trapped for three years.

Then he turned toward Song Hwa-rin's face.

His lips silently moved.

[Thank you... Hwa-rin.]

For the first time, he smiled peacefully.

Warmly.

As though spring had already arrived simply because she was sitting beside him.

Hong Man-gi's chest tightened.

'Don't worry.'

'I'll make sure we bring you back warm.'

He touched the small insulated container holding the broth he had hurriedly prepared before departure.

'As soon as we arrive, I need to start a fire.'

The helicopter cut through the blizzard.

Outside was endless cold.

But inside their hearts burned flames made of love, friendship, and promises.

Some time later,

[RUMBLE...]

The helicopter landed in front of the AX-rank dungeon, Hellish Snowfield.

[Pshhh!]

The door opened.

A wind sharp enough to cut bone rushed inside.

"Agh! Fuck, it's freezing!"

Kang Jae-min shouted the moment he stepped outside.

He was wearing a high-grade cold-resistant suit, yet frost instantly formed across the surface.

Even his B-rank body stung from the cold.

"Keep your mouth closed and control your breathing. If you inhale too quickly, your lungs could freeze."

Hong Man-gi pushed Lee Yu-han forward.

Despite being a D-rank Hunter, Yu-han's lips had already turned blue.

Frost clung to his eyelashes.

Song Hwa-rin stepped down last.

And then came their welcome.

[GRRRRR...]

[KIEEEEEK!]

[CRAAAACK!]

Ice Golems.

Snowfield Wolves.

Frost Gargoyles.

Dozens, then hundreds of monsters appeared through the snowstorm.

Kang Jae-min tightened the knuckles over his fists and gave a strained smile.

"Damn... isn't this welcoming party a little too grand?"

Lee Yu-han gripped his dagger.

Then,

"Wait."

Song Hwa-rin stepped forward.

"Nobody move."

She stared into the storm.

"You stepping in would only waste time."
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