Chapter 20: Chapter 20

Translated by: ShawnSuh

Edited by: SootyOwl

When the two arrived at the restaurant, it started drizzling. Although it had been quite nice out while they had been on their way, it wasn’t long before the rain clouds covered the sky.

“I’ll get the umbrella,” Ho Sung said, getting out of the car and taking a luxurious-looking umbrella out of the trunk before opening the back door. Taking the umbrella from the driver, Min Sung got out of the car and looked intently at the restaurant’s sign. A smile appeared on his face.

[Grandma’s 24-hour Spicy Beef Soup (made with all-Korean beef)]

‘Actually, the weather is just right,’ he thought, and told Ho Sung, “Go get washed up.”

“Enjoy your meal, sir,” Ho Sung replied, leaving the driver who was bowing at a ninety-degree angle behind, Min Sung walked toward the restaurant, closed the umbrella and walked into the restaurant. After putting the umbrella into an umbrella holder, he sat at a table by the window. Because it was early in the morning, there were no other customers aside from the champion. Then, a chubby, unfriendly-looking man came out of the storage room and walked over to Min Sung’s table.

“Welcome. What would you like?” the man asked, sounding just as unfriendly as he looked. Although there were a number of items on the menu, Min Sung decided to try the very item the restaurant was known for.

“I’ll take a spicy beef soup.”

“Comin’ up,” the man replied. As he went into the kitchen, Min Sung looked around the restaurant, which seemed like it had been renovated recently. Typically, most restaurants known for their spicy beef soup tended to be old, run-down establishments. However, that restaurant was the main location of its franchise, so it was clean and well-maintained. Then, when he looked at the wall, he saw what appeared to be a photo of when the restaurant had first opened. In the photo, the restaurant looked more like a typical hole-in-the-wall known for their spicy beef soup: tiny, and run down. The restaurant’s long history and tradition made Min Sung look forward to his meal all the more.

“Here it is,” the server said. Along with a few simple side dishes such as radish kimchi, some pickled onions, and a sauce, a big bowl of spicy beef soup and white rice made their way to the champion’s table. Priced at eight-thousand won, the spicy beef soup was significantly more expensive than the noodle soup. The high-quality beef had to be the major contributing factor for its price.

(TL’s Note: In Korea, beef from locally-bred cows is significantly more expensive than its imported counterpart.)

Picking up a spoon, Min Sung looked down at the red soup. Underneath the layer of fat, was a bed of bean sprouts, fernbrake, chunks of soft radish, green onions, and shitake mushrooms, topped off with the star ingredient: the Korean beef. Then, noticing a description on the table explaining the difference between the spicy beef soup and its ordinary counterpart, Min Sung turned his attention to it.

According to it, it was a common misconception that there was no difference between spicy beef soup and ordinary beef soup. First, their seasonings were completely different. Ordinary beef soup was typically seasoned with salt or soy sauce, and because of that, the flavors tended to be nowhere near as strong as a stew. On the contrary, the spicy beef soup had considerably heavier seasoning, the red chili powder being one of them. Second, the spicy beef soup was typically accompanied with an alcoholic beverage, whereas ordinary beef soup was a popular hangover dish. After reading through the informative contrast, the champion, with a subtle smile on his face, thought, ‘Learning something new every day.’

With that, he turned his eyes toward the window and at the raindrops falling from the sky. The weather was enhancing the ambiance, further bringing out his appetite. Reminding himself that the ambiance was very much part of the experience, Min Sung savored it and put the entire bowl of rice into the soup. When the mound of rice started to sink into the red broth like a sinking ship, the champion started breaking it apart with his spoon without hesitation, mixing it into the broth. Seeing that the rice grains had soaked up the broth, he picked up a big spoonful of the soup and the ingredients within it.

Then, just as he opened his mouth and was about to bring the spoon up to it, the Lich Doll crawled out of his pocket, climbed on to the tabletop, and sat next to the bowl of hot soup. Ignoring the doll, Min Sung put the spoonful of food into his mouth. It was piping hot, and the intense spice lingered in his mouth, dancing on his tongue.

“Hot, hot!” he said, breathing out steam. Nevertheless, he picked up yet another spoonful. The mouthwatering sight of the spicy beef soup reminded him that there was nothing like a bowl of hot soup and rice to a hungry soul. In no time, the intense hunger he had felt after waking up was no longer. With another spoonful of rice doused in the spicy broth and with chunks of fresh ingredients in his mouth, he chewed while steam smoked out every time he opened his mouth. The crunch of the bean sprouts was complemented by the soft texture of the fernbrake, creating an ecstatic harmony in his mouth. Meanwhile, seeing how its master was preoccupied with eating, the Lich Doll crawled back into Min Sung’s jean’s pocket. The champion was completely riveted by the bowl of hot and spicy soup in front of him, thinking, ‘So, this is the fruit of the restaurant’s long tradition. From now on, I’ll never take food for granted, especially Korean food.’ After all, food was one of the only companions that never left one’s side until death.

Then, instead of putting a steaming-hot spoonful of soup into his mouth, that time, Min Sung blew on the food to cool it down. The stone pot in which the soup came kept the soup from getting cold, and its effectiveness was truly magical, enough to reduce the demonic spells to child’s play by comparison. The rice, the chunks of beef and the vegetables in the soup kept bringing out the champion’s appetite, and soon enough, not a single grain of rice was left in the soup.

Raising his hand, Min Sung said, “I need another bowl of rice,” and the server, who had been watching the TV, rose from his seat, went into the kitchen, and brought out another bowl of rice. As soon as the rice made its way to his table, Min Sung mixed it into his soup without delay. There was a saying that one ought to eat like a king in the morning. With a busy day ahead of him, two bowls of rice weren’t going to slow him down. In fact, they would provide him with enough energy to go about his day.

Licking his lips, which were flushing ever so slightly from the spiciness of the soup, he resumed his meal without a moment to spare. The spiciness of the chili, the sweetness of the fresh vegetables, and the rich broth were more than enough to lift his spirits. Although he had already eaten an entire bowl of rice, he was hungry for more. After mixing the second bowl of rice into the soup, which was slightly colder by that point, Min Sung ate even faster, leaving only about a third of the broth. Then, picking the bowl up with both of his hands, he drank what was left of the rich, spicy broth, and placed the bowl down. After that, he wiped his mouth and poured himself a cup of water.

“Whew!” he let out with satisfaction while feeling the cold water washing down his throat.

‘There’s nothing like a cup of ice-cold water after a meal.’

Meanwhile, having watched the champion eat, the waiter said to himself with a smile, “He’s got quite the appetite, that one.”

—

While Mean Sung was enjoying his breakfast, Ho Sung, the head of the Diamond Clan, was enjoying himself at a sauna in a bathhouse. Savoring the pleasant heat, Ho Sung immersed himself in thought and opened his inventory. At which point, he moaned inadvertently. Having been a level 101 for quite some time, he was now at level 135 just from being around the champion.

Thanks to the explosive rate at which he was growing, Ho Sung had been able to enhance his stats and skills. Yet, there was a significant tradeoff to this seemingly positive development. Not only had he been fearing for his life and eating no better than a dog, but he had also been obligated to do the champion’s chores. On top of that, the champion was anything but ordinary. He was a miscellaneous type, a human whose power reached into the realm of gods. Despite the seemingly massive benefit of leveling up at a frightening rate, Ho Sung felt like nothing could make his life better. Having to be next to a man who had the power to take his life at the drop of a hat was, to say the least, distressing. Feeling the back of his neck stiffening up from the stress, Ho Sung threw his head back and sighed, thinking, ‘OK, let’s be positive here. I can turn this into an opportunity.’

So far, the only way to earn the champion’s favor was by recommending good restaurants. Then, he sprung up, walked out of the sauna, put his hands together like a monk and said, “Help me, Buddha,” ignoring the child playing in a tub nearby giving him a strange look.

—

After his bath, Ho Sung furrowed his brow when he looked up at the sky. It was still raining out. Though not a heavy rain, the idea of walking in the rain after a bath was simply not a desirable one. Then, finding a conveniently placed umbrella holder next to him, he picked an umbrella at random and exited the bathhouse.

“Now that I’ve taken a bath, I better start thinking about recruiting more people,” he said as he was walking toward his car. At that moment, taken aback by what he saw, he stopped in his tracks. Before he knew it, he was surrounded by twelve hunters, who were all bald and covered in dragon tattoos. One of them glared intently at Ho Sung with an evil smile on his face.

“Head of the Diamond Clan, I assume? You’re coming with us. Or, we can make this more difficult than it has to be.”

Looking around at the gangsters, Ho Sung gritted his teeth and glared piercingly at the man who appeared to be their leader.

‘Lv100 Man Sik Choi: The Head of the Dark Horse Clan’

‘Damn it…’ Ho Sung thought. The Dark Horse Clan was a rival clan of the Diamond Clan. Although they hadn’t been around as long as the Diamond Clan, the Dark Horse had been growing steadily in power.

‘… Son of a bitch. I’m cornered,’ Ho Sung said to himself. There was but one possible explanation for the Dark Horse Clan ambushing him: to take over a nightclub called Rock Star, which belonged to Ho Sung. Having learned that the head of the Diamond Clan was vulnerable and away from his clansmen, the Dark Horse Clan seemed to have decided to come for Ho Sung directly. With a bitter taste in his mouth, Ho Sung looked around, swallowing anxiously. The twelve hunters were all close to level 100. Though Ho Sung was over thirty levels above them, he simply didn’t stand a chance against a dozen level 100 hunters.

“So? Are we doing this the easy way?” the clan head asked with a repulsive smile, but Ho Sung remained quiet, biting down his lower lip.

“Take him.”

At their leader’s command, a handful of the hunters came and grabbed Ho Sung violently. At that moment, shaking them off, Ho Sung opened his inventory in order to pull out his weapon. However, he was far too unprepared and, in no time, he was surrounded by a dozen hunters attacking him from all directions. In the end, unable to move fast enough due to a skill that slowed down his movements significantly, Ho Sung fell to the ground after being beaten to near death.

“We could’ve done this the easy way, you know,” the head of the Dark Horse Clan said snickering. Looking at his followers, he added, “Take him away.”

At his command, the hunters dragged Ho Sung into a van and drove off.