How the Rank 0 Chef Survives 078: Her Round Pupils Right Before My Eyes
Her round pupils were right there in front of me. Enlarged massively, close enough to feel her breath. Black eyes sparkling like obsidian embedded in stone. I felt myself getting sucked into those night-sky depths.
Strands of hair spilled from under her hat, tickling my face. A fresh citrus scent wafted over me.
Suddenly, she came to mind. The huge wizard's hat perched on her head. The curly red locks cascading out from under it. The ruby-red eyes nestled beneath. The airheaded girl who'd bawled like a baby after eating kimchi stew.
...Who turned out to be ridiculously strong, way more than I'd thought.
The girl who'd left a long letter saying she was heading north. The one person I'd met in the game who I could call a friend of the opposite sex. She overlapped with the girl before me, like holding a translucent photo up to the light.
"...Molrangkau?"
Her face slowly brightened. Like a flower blooming in full splendor. She broke into a dazzling smile.
"Yeah! It's me!"
"...You?"
"Me!"
"It's really you?"
"Really me!"
"It is you!"
"Told ya!"
"It was you all along!"
"I said it was! See? I knew you'd recognize me!"
Then she suddenly threw her arms around me.
"...Huh?"
My brain froze for a second. Only the fresh citrus scent from her hair swirled dizzily around me.
I stood there, mouth agape, unable to move for a few seconds. Finally grabbing hold of myself, I patted her back lightly.
"Uh, hey..."
"Oh."
Molrangkau jumped back just like before.
"S-Sorry! I was just so happy to see you! I didn't mean to, it just happened..."
"I-It's fine. I've done that too."
"R-Really?"
"Haha, yeah! Friends do that when they reunite after a long time, right?"
"Totally! W-We haven't seen each other in forever."
"Exactly."
"Hahaha."
"Hohoho."
"......"
"......"
"Sh-Should I help you up?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah. Could you just help me sit up?"
Molrangkau grabbed my arm and tugged, helping me rise. We compromised on just sitting up instead of standing fully, and thankfully, I managed it without issue this time.
We leaned back against a massive tree, sitting side by side.
"......"
"......"
An awkward silence followed. I couldn't quite meet her eyes after what just happened.
I stole a glance at Molrangkau beside me. She was doing the same, fidgeting with her hands restlessly.
Meeting someone from the game in real life. It felt surreal. Novel, even.
As I peeked at her, she glanced my way too—and our eyes met. We both jolted and whipped our heads away in unison, like we'd rehearsed it.
"Ahem."
"Ehem. Hm."
Say something. I cleared my throat, pretending nothing was wrong, and opened the conversation.
"Uh, so... Molrangkau."
"...Yeah."
Calling her game character name in real life felt weird. What do I say? What do I say? What do I say?
I blurted out the first thing that came to mind.
"You're... a girl, huh?"
...Not that.
Molrangkau's reaction was explosive.
"...Huh? Duh, of course I'm a girl! Did you think I was a guy?"
"No, that's not it. Fantasy World has so much customization freedom that gender swaps are common, so I just..."
"...Oh, really?"
She sounded like she'd never heard of it before. Then she mumbled on, like she was making excuses.
"I... I only changed my eye and hair color to red. Nothing else."
"Yeah... I figured."
I nodded. Honestly, her beauty was still hard to believe. She could pass for an actress.
"...You figured? Then why didn't you recognize me?"
Molrangkau shot me a sharp glare.
"Well, even just changing your hair and eye color totally shifts your vibe, you know?"
"......"
"And with that hat pulled so low, how was I supposed to spot you right away?"
"Hat? Oh."
She patted the top of her head and started panicking. She'd only just noticed it was gone.
"Want me to grab it? It's up ahead."
I reached out, picked up the fallen hat, dusted off the dirt and leaves, and handed it to her.
She snatched it and jammed it back on her head in a flash.
"...Why the hat?"
"Oh, just... my hair gets flat."
"Doesn't look like it."
"Truth is... I'm not totally used to it yet..."
She seemed uneasy somehow. Her voice got quieter, her body shrinking in.
"Ah... I see."
She must have some personal reason she didn't want to talk about. I decided not to pry.
I just muttered without thinking.
"You look prettier without it."
"...Huh?"
Molrangkau stared at me with wide eyes. I was pretty shocked by my own words too.
"I mean, uh. What I said was... such a pretty face, why hide it?"
"......"
Awkward silence descended again.
Scratch-scratch-
Embarrassed, I doodled on the ground with a twig. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Molrangkau slyly take off her hat again.
I glanced at her hatless. Damn.
...I couldn't help but chuckle in disbelief. That Mansu guy. Always had sky-high standards for no reason.
Even looking again, her beauty was breathtaking. Staring in the mirror every day would never get boring.
In the game, I'd just accepted it, but facing this unreal beauty in reality? It went beyond surprise into the realm of wonder.
"......"
Come to think of it, I didn't know her real name.
I called out to her as she fiddled with her hair.
"Molrangkau."
"Yeah?"
"What's your real name?"
I asked again as she stared blankly at me.
"Not the game name. Your actual name."
"...Seo Jihyun."
"I'm Hura."
"I know, dummy."
"......"
Not a dummy.
"Um, Hura."
"Yeah?"
This time Jihyun spoke first. She hesitated, lips twitching for a long while.
"......"
What could she want to say?
I kept doodling on the ground and waited patiently.
A few minutes passed before Jihyun finally asked.
"Sh-Should we... exchange numbers?"
"......"
I stared at her. She'd built up all that tension just for this?
I thought she was gonna ask to borrow money or something.
"N-No good?"
Jihyun fidgeted with her hands, asking again. Looking up at me with those pitiful, sparkling eyes—like the Cat in Boots.
"Jeez. Making a big deal out of nothing. What a tough question."
"...Huh?"
"Hand it over."
"Wh-What?"
"Your phone. I'll give you my number."
Her face lit up instantly. She frantically dug through her pockets.
"Ah! Wait, hold on! Just wait a sec!"
"...Like I'm gonna run off?"
I punched my number into the phone she handed me and gave it back.
"...Hehe."
She beamed at the screen. That smile made my chest ache a little for some reason.
"...Tch."
She was so thrilled over something so small—it made me feel kinda guilty.
Jihyun's beaming dummy smile suddenly hardened.
"Hold up."
"What?"
"You didn't give me a fake one, right?"
"...Why would I?"
"Beats me."
Jihyun tapped away on her phone.
"Calling you?"
"Go ahead."
Ring-ring-
The connection tone sounded, and my phone buzzed in my pocket. I pulled it out and answered.
"......"
"H-Hello?"
"I'm not your honey."
"......"
"......"
"Wanna die?"
"No."
"I'll let it slide this once."
"Thanks."
...This conversation felt oddly familiar, like we'd had it before.
I hung up and said,
"Confirmed it's real now?"
"Yeah..."
"Alright, let's get up. It's getting dark."
I said that and tried to stand.
Or rather, tried to.
"Urk."
My legs buckled as I tried to rise, and I faceplanted forward.
"......"
"......"
"What're you doing?"
"...Hey ants, how's it going?"
"......"
"Observing ants. They just happened to pass by."
"Out of nowhere?"
"Not very natural, huh?"
"Not at all."
"Pity."
With Jihyun's help, I finally stood up successfully. I called to her.
"Hey, Jihyun."
"Yeah."
"My friend Jihyun, who just swapped numbers with me."
"...Yeah."
"Mind doing a friend a favor?"
"What?"
"Carry me."
"......"
As Hura's video spread, the identity of the turban-wearing sunglasses guy became a hot topic. Debates raged everywhere.
They split into two main camps: Was he another unofficial ranker, or a ranker hiding their identity?
But high rankers in the top 100 had their own guesses about who he was. In fact, anyone in the know recognized him the moment they saw the video.
He was Rank 10 high ranker, the Mad Archer Baek Bal Baek Jung.
He'd disguised himself well with the turban, sunglasses, and weird outfit, but he couldn't fool their sharp eyes.
As Blood Axe Thrower's respawn time approached, people started gathering in Nimal Village.
Not just the small fry swarming for a shot at the rankings' tail end—real heavyweights began trickling in too.
From top 200 rankers up to high rankers below Rank 10. The genuine articles.
And Rank 11 high ranker Napaladin was no exception.
Napaladin slammed her shield against a rocky mountain, venting her frustration.
"Argh! I shelled out 5,000 gold for that intel, and for what?!"
She was on the verge of madness. Leaping mad, even.
Her 5,000 gold had gone to waste—Baek Bal Baek Jung's face was now public knowledge.
Most casual players wouldn't know, but anyone who mattered had figured it out.
"Argh! 5,000 gold could've bought so many bowls of jjajangmyeon!"
Bam! Bam!
Rumble-!
The poor mountain, battered by Napaladin's shield, finally collapsed with a thunderous roar.
It crumbled over her with a deafening crash, but Napaladin didn't care. Dust billowed through the debris, but her face emerged unscratched.
She just clicked her tongue in annoyance.
"Tch. Anyway, what the hell is this Hura chef guy?"
Napaladin muttered while replaying the video. She'd analyzed it a dozen times, but learned zilch about his abilities. Or how strong he really was.
The only guess she could make: high chance of a hidden class.
"...Damn hidden class freaks."
She'd fought plenty of hidden class users. One thing was sure—they all had bullshit powers.
Her takeaway: Avoid fighting hidden class weirdos unless you had to.
"Gotta steer clear of this Hura chef at all costs."
Especially since he'd commanded "that" Mad Archer Baek Bal Baek Jung like a subordinate.
The guy who'd vanished for ages, lurking undetected in obscurity, living like he'd never return to the world—suddenly a chef's lackey?
"...Better assume he's around Rank 5 to be safe."
Napaladin swallowed hard. A true Rank 5-level powerhouse would put him on par with that terrifying Red Witch, Molrangkau.
Even she, the strongest paladin, couldn't guarantee survival in Molrangkau's flames.
The other rankers gunning for Baek Bal Baek Jung thought the same. None dared touch Hura recklessly.
Mess up, and they might lose their hard-earned ranks to some random chef.
Having watched Hura's brutal smackdown firsthand, they vowed not to piss him off.
He seemed to cherish his subordinates fiercely, so they planned to strike when Hura wasn't around.