How the Rank 0 Chef Survives 019: The Birth of the Tteokbokki Legion

The once-peaceful mercenary guild turned into a battlefield in an instant. A tense standoff on the brink of explosion. Everyone instinctively knew that the slightest movement would spark an irreversible fight.

Everyone in the guild drew their weapons and surrounded Molrangkau. But it wasn't an attack—it was closer to wary caution, like prey desperately resisting a top predator. You could tell from how they sweated profusely, their hands trembling on their weapons.

In that brutal atmosphere, only Hura failed to grasp the situation.

"Wh-what? What's going on all of a sudden?"

Hura looked back and forth between Molrangkau and the wary crowd in panic.

"Hey, say something. There must be some misunderstanding."

But Molrangkau just clenched her fists with a troubled expression, unable to respond.

Damn! I forgot to disguise myself!

"Chef! Get over here!"

The axe-wielding leader called out urgently to Hura.

"Why?"

"That's the Red Witch, Molrangkau!"

"Red Witch..."

It was a nickname he'd heard from Minare.

"A total monster of a criminal."

"Psycho bitch!"

"The demon who wiped out the Vils Duchy!"

"The rose that bloomed in hell!"

They rattled off Molrangkau's infamous titles one by one, then stared at her in stunned silence.

"...She's filthily pretty, though."

"Yeah..."

The leader, the axe-man, bellowed at them.

"Snap out of it! There's no way she's that pretty, you idiots! It's charm magic!"

Molrangkau hung her head low.

I was so careful... What an idiot.

"Th-there's some misunderstanding here. She's my friend!"

Even amid the chaos, Molrangkau gazed quietly at Hura defending her.

Friend...

Everyone else was condemning her, but he alone was shouting in her defense.

If I'd had a friend like Hura, maybe I could've kept going to school too.

His back looked especially broad as he stood up for her.

"Hura, you're the one who's mistaken! Hurry over here!"

"No, you're mistaken! You're the ones misunderstanding!"

The suffocating standoff dragged on. No one could move comfortably.

"But seriously, what's the point of forming a battle line like this?"

"Huh?"

In the midst of it, they started whispering among themselves.

"No, think about it. If she were really the Red Witch, she'd have wiped us out with a flick of her wrist by now."

"Right. Our attacks wouldn't even scratch her."

"This is inside the village, and inside the guild hall. Even for her, blowing this place up would bring serious backlash."

"...Boss. Have you ever seen the Red Witch care about that?"

"Yeah, she blew up the entire Vils Duchy."

"...I don't know! But it's better than sitting here waiting to die!"

Hura turned to Molrangkau.

"Molrangkau, what's all this about?"

"......"

But Molrangkau just bit her lip in silence.

She looked at Hura staring at her. For him shouting on her behalf, for traveling with her friend, she had to change too. She couldn't just stand there like an idiot.

But how?

Molrangkau racked her brain desperately.

"Wait, why would the Red Witch even be in Genesis Village to begin with?!"

"How should I know!"

"Maybe... she's a fake? There are plenty of imposters pretending to be famous rankers."

"What? How do we check?"

"Beats me! You're the boss—figure it out!"

"You little..."

Molrangkau's eyes lit up as she overheard them.

That's it!

Molrangkau spoke up.

"I'm not Molrangkau!"

"What? If you're not Molrangkau, then who—mmph."

Molrangkau quickly covered Hura's mouth and whispered.

"Shh. Shut up, idiot. Use your brain."

Hura's eyes widened, but he nodded obediently.

With Hura silenced, Molrangkau shouted at the armed crowd.

"I'm Mulrangkau! A fake Molrangkau."

"Wh-what?"

"Say that again?"

Confusion swept through them.

"Yeah, I'm not Molrangkau—I'm Mulrangkau. I'm just a huge fan who dressed up to look like her."

Whispers rippled.

"That demon has fans?"

"Even criminals get fan clubs if they're hot."

"True. If a cosplay looks that good..."

"Her fandom's pretty big, yeah."

The leader, axe-man, asked.

"That for real?"

"Totally. Dressing like Molrangkau scares off idiots like you—no one messes with me. It's like camouflage. Why would the real Molrangkau be in a newbie village like this? Let alone a mercenary guild. What does she lack that she'd join one?"

People nodded.

"Makes sense."

"Yeah."

"She's famous for never partying up."

"If it was really her, we'd be logged out by now."

The axe-man lowered his axe.

"Stand down."

"Phew—scared me."

"Tell me about it."

Everyone sighed in relief, wiped sweat, and lowered weapons.

"Warn us next time."

"Sorry. But you get it now, right? Think about it the other way—if I'm with you, who'd dare attack?"

"Hmm..."

Axe-man stroked his chin thoughtfully, then nodded slowly.

"True enough. Mage?"

"Yep."

"Perfect. How many circles?"

"2nd circle."

"Can you fake it?"

"Of course."

"You're in."

Molrangkau—no, Mulrangkau—shook hands with axe-man. Then she winked at Hura, who stared blankly.

* * *

The caravan we escorted wasn't large—just two wagons. So the escort numbered fewer than ten.

Thanks to their consideration, I sat on a wagon roof, enjoying the scenery comfortably. My jobs were making tteokbokki at mealtimes and handing out simple snacks en route.

"I grilled some rice cakes. Eat them on the way."

"Ooh, thanks, Hura!"

"Hura grilled them!"

"Waaah!"

They were thrilled just with that. I had Geum Taeyang distribute, so I didn't even need to climb down.

"...It's like a cult."

Mulrangkau, sitting beside me, muttered. She got the roof spot for two reasons. First, mages were notoriously low-stamina. Second—

"Ambush!"

The youngest, RollingRolling, yelled from atop another wagon while scanning around.

Soon, bandits burst from the forest.

"Uahaha! Hand over everything and you can go!"

They charged from both sides with raspy laughs.

That was my cue.

"Ahh! Molrangkau! You gonna blow up the whole forest?!"

The bandits' attention snapped to me.

"What? Molrangkau?!"

Talking to a crowd boosted this weird skill's proficiency nicely.

Mulrangkau stood dramatically on the wagon for all to see and began casting fire magic.

"Ufufu, perfect firewood just arrived."

"M-Molrangkau here?! Retreat! Run!"

The bandits panicked and fled.

"Uwaaa! It's the Red Witch!"

"Take this! Fire Arrow!"

A few 1st-circle Fire Arrows to their backs, and they vanished at top speed.

"Mulrangkau, great acting!"

"You're getting more Molrangkau-like—love it!"

"No big deal."

She waved off the praise humbly.

"Hehe, this is fun."

She plopped down with a mischievous grin.

"...What the hell have you been up to that they're so scared?"

"How should I know? I'm just Mulrangkau."

She shrugged shamelessly.

"Hey, Red Witch."

"What, tteokbokki chef."

"You some hidden class?"

"...Nope."

She averted her eyes.

"Totally hidden class. You're inheriting some legacy, right?"

"H-how'd you know?"

"We went to Minare's Villa, remember? The dungeon you torched. Met Minare's soul there."

"What? For real?"

"Yeah. Heard you're carrying on an ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠old legacy."

Mulrangkau stared at me intently.

"...And you? The emperor's soul met you, so you're no ordinary job either."

"Similar."

"Hidden class too?"

"Kinda."

"Then why so weak?"

"...Dunno."

* * *

Genesis Village. The famous newbie hub was now verging on "Sunrise Village."

"Tteokbokki here! Addictive stuff you can't stop eating!"

"The legendary tteokbokki so good it brings tears—1 silver!"

"This is the original! Don't get scammed—come here!"

Hura's lingering influence was massive. His charmed tteokbokki mobs roamed yelling about it, drawing sharp merchants to meet the demand.

Soon, tteokbokki shops sprouted like mushrooms, sparking a village-wide craze.

"...This ain't it."

"Gah! Too spicy—forcing tears!"

"Original my ass! Not the taste!"

"Damn! Why mint choco flavor?!"

"Hura-nim, how could you leave us!"

But to those remembering Hura's tear-soaked tteokbokki, these were pale imitations. Pricier, worse taste, smaller portions.

The mobs' high expectations crashed, their rage boiling over.

"No respect for tteokbokki!"

"They've never tasted tear-soaked bliss—just greedy cash-grabs."

"Daring to impersonate him!"

The mobs' fury coalesced, ready to erupt. The spark? The Hura Disrespect Incident.

One mob bought tteokbokki from a cart where Hura once sold.

"1 silver~"

"1 silver? Used to be 5 copper..."

The owner sighed.

"Sigh... Can't profit at 1 silver~ Cups, toothpicks, ingredients, fees. Know how pricey?"

"...Here's 1 silver."

SeniorTreadmillMachine frowned at the smaller portion.

"Hura-nim filled cups generously."

As he went to eat, he dropped it.

"Hot!"

Hura used double cups for safety; they skimped with one.

"Hey, owner! Double cups like Hura-nim! Burned my hand!"

The owner picked his ear casually.

"Sigh. Can't do two—environmental fees~ Your fault for dropping. No freebies~"

"...Here's 1 silver."

Why worry about eco-fees in a game? But he paid for another.

Munching charred bits, he muttered.

"Not the taste. Hura-nim's was way better."

The owner snapped.

"Enough with Hura! Tteokbokki's all the same! What makes that kid special? Green newbie! Brat thinks he knows cooking? Just dumped seasonings! Kids today can't taste real food. Tch."

"Pardon?"

"Back in my day, we followed elders first! Not this saucy show-off!"

"...You just insulted Hura-nim?!"

The tale spread ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠like wildfire among the mobs, evolving them into the Tteokbokki Legion.

Ahead of the "Great Incident," they gathered on a low hill near Genesis Village.

"Have you tasted tear-soaked tteokbokki? Hura-nim's precious memory. What do those who mock it deserve?"

"Death! Death! Death!"

They slammed spears on the ground.

"If no profit, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠no business. What do lying crooks deserve?"

"Death! Death! Death!"

"Hura-nim packed cups tight with extra heart. But those conscienceless thugs shrink cups, double price, skimp portions. Where to send such scum?"

"Hell! Hell! Hell!"

"They jacked Hura-nim's 5-copper price to 1 silver—coincidence? No! Unfair trade, collusion! Government's busy—we judge these criminals!"

"Waaah!!"

Mostly newbies, they weren't rich—gathered with cheap spears.

"Rise, Tteokbokki Cult! Show them justice!"

"Waaah!!"

The legion—white clothes splattered red—stood for their justice. Sitting, a bamboo mountain; standing, a white one. Someone's poetic witness.

Thus ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠began the Tteokbokki Cult.