How the Rank 0 Chef Survives - Chapter 124: The Unmasked Shadow
In a forest clearing, a short distance from the ramshackle kitchen built on the snowy ground, three people and one ghost were diligently washing dishes.
"Teacher, please rest. Dishwashing is more than enough for Besta-nim and me."
Besta couldn't summon flames herself, but she could manipulate the ones Molrangkau called forth. So she was using Molrangkau's fire to wash the pots even more meticulously and skillfully than Molrangkau could.
"No. It's not hard or anything. Sitting idle just makes me bored."
Seo Eunmi was handling the task of organizing their washed dishes and carrying them back to the kitchen.
"Hmm... Well, if you insist, I'll take a short break."
The response she wanted came from an unexpected source. Dahyun, who had been doing the same job as Seo Eunmi, said that and stood up from her seat.
"...I wasn't talking to you?"
"It felt like it applied to me too."
Zzap—
The two glared at each other for a moment, then whipped their heads away in unison.
"Hmph."
"Heng."
Dahyun clasped her hands behind her back and sauntered off somewhere.
"Ahem~ Shall we take a little walk then~?"
Molrangkau shot one more sharp glance at Dahyun's retreating figure before throwing herself back into the dishes. Seo Eunmi just watched her from afar with a silent smile. To think she'd come to like someone else—it was gratifying. Is this what parental love feels like?
"Heave-ho."
Seo Eunmi gathered an armful of washed pots and headed to the kitchen.
While Seo Eunmi was away, Besta watched Dahyun's back while washing dishes. Seeing her peek into the forest where Hura had gone, she spoke to Molrangkau.
"Molrangkau."
"What."
"Is that girl really the rival you mentioned?"
Molrangkau's hands paused for a moment at the question. But she soon resumed washing and answered.
"...Yes."
Besta nodded as if she'd expected that.
"Hmm... I don't know the details, but Hura and that girl seem pretty close."
"......"
"And she seems pretty proactive with a lot of charm too."
"...How would you know that, Besta-nim? You just met her today."
"Hey now. Do you know how many thousands of years I've lived? At my age, you can tell at a glance."
"......"
"Hmmm... That kind of personality appeals more to the opposite sex. Men are weak to that sort of thing."
"......"
"At this rate... even I can't say. They might actually end up together?"
Besta glanced slyly at Molrangkau as she said it. The hands that had been washing dishes diligently had stopped at some point.
'Jackpot.'
Besta's eyes sparkled.
"...Then."
Molrangkau muttered with her head lowered.
"Then... what should I do?"
Molrangkau looked up and asked. A quiet flame burned in her eyes. Confirming it, Besta grinned.
"How about attending a lecture?"
"...A lecture?"
"Yes. It'll be quite helpful."
"...Got it."
Besta smirked and flashed a thumbs-up to Geum Taeyang, who was watching from afar. Geum Taeyang grinned back and nodded. The two knowledgeable romance experts exchanged sly smiles.
Thud—
A tree branch suddenly dropped in front of us. We stared at it blankly for a moment.
"......"
"......"
Silence hung in the air. My eyes met Ichaera's.
"......"
"......"
And we bolted at the same time.
Thud thud—
The noisy footsteps shattered the forest's silence. Up above, a shadow darted nimbly from tree to tree.
"Summon."
I pulled out the Magic Ladle as I chased him, aiming at the shadow.
"Extend!"
Whoosh—
"Shrink! Extend! Shrink! Extend!"
Whoosh—Whoosh whoosh—
But the shadow dodged nimbly, running across the treetops like flat ground.
"Tch! Shrink! Cooking Throw!"
In a hurry, I grabbed some random dish from my inventory, hooked it on the ladle, and fired. But the shadow dodged that too with agility. The dense forest made it hard to land a hit.
Crack—
Ichaera, who had run ahead, shoulder-checked the trees in the shadow's path, toppling them. Yet the shadow leaped over the falling trees, weaving through effortlessly.
"No way! If we lose him, it's over!"
"I know!"
We had to catch him somehow! Ichaera and I chased the shadow desperately.
"Ah, no. He's too fast!"
"Damn it."
But regrettably, the distance between us and him kept growing. Racking my brain yielded no ideas—just futile spinning.
What to do? What to do?
That was when it happened.
Bang—
A clear gunshot rang through the forest.
Flutter—
Startled birds flew up, and the shadow thudded to the ground.
"Grab him!"
His leg must have been hit—he was limping, trying to flee. We charged at him desperately. Ichaera arrived first. She threw herself forward and tackled him roughly.
Thump—
"Got him! Stay still!"
"Summon."
I bashed the wriggling guy's head with the Moonlight Frying Pan that bloomed in my hand.
"Take this, you punk!"
Clang—
A clear, ringing sound echoed through the forest.
Moonlight Frying Pan effect: Target stunned with 100% probability.
The guy went limp.
"Now! Tie him up!"
"Yes!"
"Tie him super tight!"
"Don't worry!"
Ichaera and I kept bashing his head with the frying pan while binding him tight. Only after trussing his limbs like a roast suckling pig could we finally breathe a sigh of relief.
"You punk! You punk!"
Not satisfied, Ichaera tied the bound guy even tighter to a large tree.
"......"
...Yeah. Better safe than sorry.
I finally turned toward where the gunshot had come from.
"Huh?"
An unexpected person was there.
"...Dahyun-ssi?"
Dahyun-ssi was holding a long sniper rifle and smiling brightly.
"Good thing I came to check."
Click—
She pressed a button, and the long barrel shrank into a pistol. A eerie pale blue glow emanated from it—clearly no ordinary weapon.
"What's that? Feels kinda familiar."
"Sera-unnie made it for me. Pretty, right?"
"Ooh... Yeah."
It had a cold vibe—cool, for sure. Maybe I should ask her to make me one too...
I stared blankly for a moment before snapping back.
"Ah, thanks, Dahyun-ssi. We almost had big trouble."
"Heh. No big deal."
She said that, but her shoulders squared proudly and her chin lifted high.
"Dahyun-ssi, you're a gunner?"
"Yep. Turns out it suits me. Cool, huh?"
She blew imaginary smoke from the barrel like a wild west outlaw.
"Whoa~ Totally badass. You flipped the stage upside down."
"Customer-nim. Be more natural, please."
"Blowing smoke like that? Pro smoker move, huh? Haha!"
"......"
Ah, not quite.
Then Ichaera, who had spiderwebbed the shadow to the tree, trotted over.
"Thank you! Really, thank you! We almost got in big trouble!"
"...No biggie."
Dahyun-ssi casually holstered the pistol on her belt with a flourish.
"Ooh. Like a trick shot."
"Enough, customer-nim."
"Amazing! Like a western gunslinger!"
"Stop it."
"Ah, yes ma'am."
Dahyun-ssi let out an exaggerated whoosh and extended her hand to Ichaera.
"I'm DahyunDahyunDahyun."
Ichaera shook it.
"Ah, I'm Gwisinigo Kalori."
A chuckle escaped me.
"...Pfft."
Dahyun-ssi shot me a glare.
"What? Why laugh?"
"DahyunDahyunDahyun? Not the best naming sense."
"Ah! Don't laugh, customer-nim! I didn't name it!"
"Pfft. Sure, sure~"
"Ugh, seriously!"
Dahyun-ssi pulled the pistol from her pocket and pressed a button.
Whirr—
The barrel extended to bat-length. She smacked her palm with it and eyed me sideways.
"Customer-nim. Wanna get hit?"
"Huh? It does that too?"
"Of course. It can get even pointier—wanna see?"
"N-no thanks."
"Why? You're an unofficial ranker; this should be a tickle."
"I'm ticklish."
Then Ichaera, who had been staring at Dahyun-ssi, suddenly yelped like she'd been struck by lightning.
"Wha—?!"
"What, what?!"
Startled, Dahyun-ssi looked at her. Ichaera stared wide-eyed at Dahyun-ssi.
"C-could you be... Lee Dahyun-sunbae-nim?"
"Huh? You know me?"
"Whoa! It really is Dahyun-sunbae-nim!"
Ichaera clapped in awe and bowed deeply.
"Hello! I'm Ichaera, 13th Tteokbokki Association Chair!"
...What situation is this?
"To meet the legendary 10th Tteokbokki Association Chair! It's an honor!"
"Ho ho... Wh-what are you talking about..."
It was a truly peculiar sight. Ichaera's eyes sparkled as she chirped and clung to Dahyun-ssi like a baby bird, while Dahyun-ssi backed away carefully, avoiding her gaze. She kept sneaking glances at me, clearly not wanting to reveal some dark history.
"Oh...?"
Well, that made it too fun to pass up.
"Chaera-ssi. Do you know everything Dahyun-ssi did?"
"Of course! I know all of Lee Dahyun Association Chair-nim's achievements."
Dahyun-ssi sweated bullets and waved her hands.
"Ch-chair? I don't know anything about that."
"No way! Uniting the Tteokbokki Radical Reformists and Fundamentalists—everyone in the Tteokbokki Association knows Lee Dahyun Association Chair-nim's feat! You're in the Hall of Fame!"
"Ch-Chaera-ssi, okay, come here for a sec—"
"And the star of 'Dahyun's Snacks' is none other than—"
"Aaaah! Ichaera! You're hurt! Why didn't you say anything?!"
"Huh? I'm not hurt any—"
"Let's heal you! Over here! Come on!"
Dahyun-ssi frantically covered Ichaera's mouth and dragged her far away.
I watched with a smirk, then approached the shadow who had overheard our talk.
"...Tch."
Ichaera, huh. No suspicion at all, she said. You were being watched?
"...Tied up tight."
So meticulously bound, even an elephant couldn't escape. She was thorough at her job. Guess she didn't win the chair position with rock-paper-scissors.
The shadow tied tightly to the large tree was dressed head to toe in black. No wonder I called him a shadow.
"Well, shall we check your identity?"
"......"
"Alright, identity check time~."
Ding~ Da da dan~ Didi dan~ Ding boom clap boom clap da ri ra da ran~
I hummed a tune and grabbed the black mask.
Suddenly, a voice.
"Stop."
"Hm?"
I tilted my head, still gripping the mask, and looked down at him.
"What. You can talk?"
"I said stop. If you remove it, you'll regret it—"
Smack!
"Ack!"
"Where's this bravado coming from? Situation awareness? Want another frying pan to the back of the head?"
"...D-don't remove it. You'll really regret it."
"Oh? Still not getting it."
"Eek!"
He flinched as I raised my hand threateningly.
"...Hm?"
I sensed something off.
"You."
"Yes?"
"Your voice sounds familiar."
"...No way."
As soon as I pointed it out, he lowered his voice drastically. Suspicious.
"You know me, don't you?"
I widened my eyes and leaned in close.
"Huh? You know me. Right?"
"N-no, I don't."
He averted his trembling eyes. That confirmed it. He definitely knew me. Maybe someone I knew.
"Really? Let's check then."
I grinned and gripped the mask tight.
"Ah, no! Don't!"
"Actions speak louder than words."
I yanked the mask off.
"Nooooooo!!"
Long black hair cascaded out. And through it emerged a somewhat familiar face.
"......"
"......"
"Ah, hi Hura-nim? Long time no see."
"Hi my ass. You're Geugeon Jejang U-san Imnida-man."
She smiled happily at me.
"You remember me!"
"Of course. But in this situation, you probably wish I didn't."
Her face fell instantly.
"Y-yeah, I said you'd regret it."
"Who?"
She hung her head.
"...Me."
I crossed my arms and stared at her.
"A-are you... going to kill me?"
She looked up at me, on the verge of tears. I gave her a reassuring smile.
"Heh heh heh... No. Why would I?"
Then I thought for a moment and smirked, curling one lip.
"Luckily, you seem useful."
"...Might as well just kill me."
"Just your imagination."
"Please kill me."
"No thanks."