Chapter 4
Translated by: ShawnSuh
Edited by: SootyOwl
Sensing a presence, Min Sung looked up at the person approaching him. It was Ho Sung Lee, the head of the Diamond Clan, who had directed the champion to the restaurant.
With a clear look of ill-intent, Ho Song grasped the champion’s table with both of his hands and threw it into the air, catching Min Sung off guard.
“... !?”
‘Shing!’
While the food was still in the air, Ho Sung unsheathed his longsword, laughing evilly. At that moment, moving at an incredible speed, Min Sung retrieved every bit of his food, catching every drop of his stew with a stone pot in his left hand and every piece of the stir-fried pork with a plate in his right. The food that had once scattered in the air returned to its rightful place. After putting the pot and the plate on the table, Min Sung’s gaze fixed on the seaweed soup with sea urchin, which was still in the air. Taking a bowl, he reached his hand out, snatched the soup and its content, and placed the bowl on the table, even retrieving every bit of the side dishes with his hands while he was at it. In a split second, the table was restored to its original state before it had been thrown into the air as if nothing had happened, complete with the still-steaming, freshly cooked dishes.
Shocked by what he had just seen, Ho Sung froze in place, blinking awkwardly.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Min Sung said in a serene tone, glaring fiercely and piercingly at Ho Sung. At that moment, with a thunderous roar, the entire place started to quake.
—
‘What the hell...?’ Ho Sung thought, flabbergasted. Initially, his plan had been to provoke and drag Min Sung out of the restaurant. After all, the champion was merely a level 50. However, after witnessing the champion’s incredible speed and experiencing his terrifying aura, Ho Sung found himself at a complete loss, breaking out in cold sweats, unable to breathe.
“Leave. Do NOT get between me and my meal,” Min Sung said. Having acted against that rule, Ho Sung found himself fearing for his life. In the end, drenched in sweat, the head of the clan trudged out of the restaurant as if hypnotized. Only then, did the quaking start to subside. Looking back at the restaurant, Ho Sung brushed his hair up, his hand still shaking. Staring down at his hand soaked in sweat, he wiped it in a daze.
“Boss?”
“We saw the whole place shaking. That’s weird... Was it an earthquake or something? Wait a minute, did you already take care of him!?”
Still flabbergasted by his experience at the restaurant, the head of the clan stood as if unable to hear a thing. It wasn’t until a certain clan member called out to him loudly that Ho Sung looked up at his ten, near-level 100 members.
“Boss!”
“He... He really was about to start eating.”
“...?”
“...?”
The faces of the clan members turned confused in unison.
“... A man’s gotta eat even if it’s his last day. Am I right?” Ho Sung said awkwardly and with a stiff expression on his face. Although dumbfounded by what he had said, the clansmen looked at each other and started to laugh.
“Haha.”
“Hahaha.”
“Hahahaha!”
“Yeah, that’s right. It’s just a meal. No need to be THAT heartless. Haha.”
“Besides, it’ll be his last supper.”
“Hehe. You’re so thoughtful, boss.”
“Seriously! Even until recently, he was so ruthless.”
Smiling awkwardly, Ho Sung looked at his clansmen and nodded. At that moment, a certain clansman asked, “Why are you sweating so much, though?” After he pointed it out, the rest of the group stared at Ho Sung curiously.
Swallowing nervously, the head of the clan looked toward the restaurant and said, “Is he really... level 50?”
“Eh?”
“What are you talking about?”
“He is level 50. You just saw it.”
Still looking nervous and tense, Ho Sung said, “Yeah, that I did. He was level 50, alright. Fifty...” and immersed himself in thought. Then, with a look of determination, he clenched his teeth and said to himself, ‘Yeah...! He’s only level 50. I’m sure the earthquake back there was some useless skill that boosts morale. He’s nothing! A nobody!’
“Get ready. We’ll ambush him as soon as he comes out,” the head of the clan said. At his command, the clan members looked toward the restaurant with evil smiles on their faces.
—
With his eyes closed, Min Sung inhaled slowly. As the aroma of the freshly cooked rice wafted gently, he smiled, opened his eyes unhurriedly, and started the meal he had been waiting for all these years. Picking up the chopsticks, the champion picked up a lump of white rice. He couldn’t believe that he was actually eating rice again. ‘Am I dreaming?’ he asked himself while thinking he didn’t ever want to wake up if he was. Then, he brought the lump of rice up to his mouth. The freshly cooked rice was soft, sweet, and it practically melted in his mouth. With a satisfied smile spreading across his face, Min Sung picked up a piece of stir-fried pork and put it in his mouth without a delay. The sweet, crunchy onions complimented the spicy, savory, and perfectly cooked pork, exploding with flavor. Then, before the flavors subsided, Min Sung brought up a spoonful of the seaweed soup with sea urchin. The pleasant, chewy texture of the seaweed and the aroma of the fresh, briny sea urchin made for yet another heavenly experience.
“Ah...!”
As the aroma of the soup faded away like the wind, the champion was reminded of just how much of a blessing it was to be alive. The flavors were to die for, and Min Sung simply couldn’t think of anything better. Then, as a seasoned cucumber plate came into view, he reached for the dish, picked up a piece of cucumber with his chopsticks and brought it up to his mouth. Fresh and fragrant, the cucumber was quite refreshing. Because it had been freshly seasoned, the cucumber was firm and crunchy on the outside, yet soft on the inside.
‘I can tell that everything’s really fresh,’ Min Sung thought as he went back for some more rice, picking up a bigger lump that time. Then, after putting pieces of the stir-fried pork into his mouth, the champion picked up a spoonful of the soybean paste stew with tofu squares and vegetables, which had soaked up the savory broth, mixed them with the rice, and put a spoonful of it into his mouth, finishing it off with a sip of the seaweed soup.
‘Slurp!’
Along with the seaweed, the refreshing broth was the perfect palate cleanser, preventing his tongue from growing weary by washing the intense flavors away. Although he wanted to engorge himself with the dishes before him, Min Sung controlled himself, remembering that he could always come back for more.
‘I don’t have to live like a beast anymore.’
With that, the champion continued his meal in a composed, unhurried, and stylish manner.
—
“Sir?”
“Yes! Coming!” the owner of the restaurant responded as he ran out of the kitchen, clasping his hands together politely, looking deathly pale while shaking out of control.
“I loved every bite. Dare I say, it’s the best Korean food I’ve had in my life,” Min Sung said. Caught off guard by the champion’s unexpected compliment, the owner rolled his eyes and nodded with a cowardly smile on his face shortly after.
“I... I... I’m just glad that you enjoyed the food...”
“How much do I owe you?”
“That’ll be fifteen thousand won,” the owner said, looking cautiously at the champion. Out of the thirty-five thousand won he had made from selling his loot, Min Sung handed the owner a ten thousand won bill and a five thousand won bill.
“Thank you.”
“Oh, no! The pleasure’s mine! You take care now, hunter, sir.”
With that, Min Sung opened the sliding door and exited the restaurant. When he walked outside, he saw the bright, moonlit sky, which was incomparably more beautiful than that of the Demonic Realm. Staring at it, he asked himself, ‘When was the last time I looked up at the moon after stuffing myself with delicious food?’ It had been a luxury in a world filled with war, bloodshed, and unrelenting darkness. However, Earth was a completely different place from the Demonic Realm, and the fact that he was no longer there still felt surreal. Unfortunately, his reminiscence was disrupted by a voice that came out of nowhere.
“So, how was your last meal?”
When Min Sung looked in the direction of the voice, he saw a group of eleven hunters armed to the teeth. By that point, it was obvious that they were targeting the champion. With a cynical look on his face, Min Sung furrowed his brow and asked, “My last meal?”
“That’s right. Your very last meal. You see, this is where you’re gonna be buried. Right here.”
“You’re gonna kill me?” Min Sung asked, chuckling quietly.
“But, I’m not a heartless man. I’ll let you live if you hand over everything you have. I mean it.”
Feeling full and sleepy, Min Sung looked at the group of hunters with dull eyes, thinking, ‘I guess these guys are no different from the monsters in the Demonic Realm,’ and added in a low, ominous voice, “You’ll all be dead soon.”
“Pff!?”
“Pffff!”
“Puahahahahaha!”
“Ahahahahaha!”
... The hunters burst out laughing.
“You? A level 50?! Hurt us?! Ahahahahaha!”
“Hahahaha! Ah, you’re killing me. Seriously, that’s cute.”
“Hahahahahaha!”
Looking at them with disinterest, Min Sung said quietly, “Do your worst.”
“Pfff! ‘Do your worst.’” (f)reewebnovel
“You’ve got guts for a newbie, I’ll give you that.”
At that, looking at them with cold, piercing eyes, the champion approached them and said, “Well?”
Unfazed, Ho Sung lit the cigarette in his mouth and said to his clansmen, “Show that arrogant pig who’s in charge around here.” At his command, the clansmen got in position to attack the champion, and a brown-haired hunter standing closest to Min Sung charged toward him. As the hunter swung his sword, the champion dodged by jolting his head away from the blade slightly, grabbed the hunter’s arm, and twisted it.
‘Snap!’ freewe(b)novel
With a dull sound, the hunter’s arm bent in an awkward direction, and blood gushed out as the broken bone ripped through it. Then, came a piercing scream.
“Aghhhhhh!”
After the wounded hunter dropped his sword, Min Sung picked it up and swung it horizontally at the group of hunters charging at him. With a thunderous roar, the hunters fell lifelessly, cut in half at the waist, leaving Ho Sung as the only survivor.
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