Chapter 21
Chapter 21
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 21
Chapter Title: My Hand is Faster Than Light
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Bongcheon-dong's Foul-Mouthed Granny's Sundae Guk.
That place was the only spot where even I, obsessed with efficiency, could feel a touch of human warmth.
It wasn't just because the prices were cheap and the portions generous.
I could taste the granny's heartfelt care in every bite.
"Sang-hyuk-ssi. Is this the right place?"
"Yes. This alley is cor... "
My expression froze solid.
The shop was gone.
A massive gray fence had enclosed the spot like a construction site.
"Oh my... Looks like they detected anomalies in the mana waves here recently too."
"It was fine just last week..."
"Shall we go somewhere else today? There's a nice upscale Korean restaurant nearby that I know."
I started to nod at Manager Park's words but stopped myself.
"I smell something."
"Pardon?"
A faint aroma of boiling broth wafted through the slightly open car window.
"Seems like they're still open."
I unbuckled my seatbelt and got out of the car.
"Manager Park, park the car and come slowly."
I circled the shop.
And spotted a narrow gap just wide enough for one person to squeeze through.
'Doing a safety inspection while boiling broth? That doesn't add up.'
The moment I slipped through the fence gap, a grim scene unfolded before me.
The shop's glass windows were scrawled with menacing red spray paint: 'Demolition' and 'No Entry.' Chairs lay scattered everywhere.
"How many times do I gotta tell you this is a no-smoking zone! The broth's gonna reek of cigarettes, you rotten bastards!"
Granny's furious shriek echoed from inside.
I peered in with a furrowed brow.
No customers in sight.
Instead, only thugs lounging on the tables with their feet up.
'B-Rank, and C-Rank.'
I could tell by their presence. They were hunters too.
The one who seemed like the boss, with a snake tattoo around his neck, exhaled a long plume of cigarette smoke toward the ceiling.
"Haa... Granny, you sure talk a lot."
The man stubbed out his cigarette on the floor.
"Your knees hurt anyway, so why not just rest at home? Sell the shop, and you'll pocket a nice sum. Why so stubborn, old lady?"
"Who asked for your money!? It's my shop in my house—what business is it of yours!"
Granny snapped back, and the man chuckled like it was amusing.
"I've told you a million times, this area's a danger zone! Mana waves are unstable—it's risky for civilians!"
I clenched my fist tight.
I didn't know the full situation, but it was clear they were treating Granny like an idiot.
"Get out! I ain't serving food to the likes of you—get out!"
Granny grabbed a broom to chase them off.
But a regular old lady couldn't fend off burly adults—awakened ones at that.
The thug waved her off irritably, and Granny toppled backward powerlessly.
"Ah, shit. Kicking up dust."
"Aigoo...!"
Just as Granny was about to hit the shop floor, I dashed in and caught her gently.
"Are you okay?"
Granny looked up at me in surprise.
"Young man...?"
She remembered me, a regular.
Tears welled up in her eyes.
How heartbroken and exhausted must she have been for her lips to tremble like that?
I carefully seated Granny in a chair and glared at the snake-tattooed man.
"What are you punks doing? Stop causing trouble in the shop and get out."
They hesitated at my sudden appearance.
But soon flashed sleazy grins.
"What, you her grandkid or somethin'?"
"We're closed today—scram."
Snake Tattoo waved me off like I was a fly.
I shot back without holding back.
"If you're here for a safety inspection, do it quick and leave. Did the city hall give you the right to chase away customers?"
"Ha... Listen to this punk."
Snake Tattoo leader stood and headed toward the kitchen.
He approached the boiling pot.
"Fine. Grandkid says do the inspection quick. Whoa...!"
The bastard flicked his cigarette butt toward the pot.
The glowing red stub arced through the air, diving straight into Granny's lovingly simmered broth.
'You crazy fuck!'
In slowed time, I snatched the cigarette butt and crushed it out on the bastard's shoe.
"Aigoo!! My broth!!"
Granny's heartbroken wail filled the shop.
She thought the butt had gone into the broth.
The thug boss didn't even notice his shoe was ruined and shrugged.
"Aigoo~ Sorry about that. Mana waves are unstable—my hand's shaking like crazy. There, inspection done. Told ya it's unstable here. Heh heh."
Snap.
Something inside me broke.
Broth simmered from pig bones for over 24 hours, skimmed of fat, infused with Granny's care and sweat.
And this prick tosses a nicotine lump into that sacred brew?
'You're not getting away with this.'
Killing intent surged in an instant.
Crack their bones clean and deliver them to the hospital as after-service?
With Swiftness, I could handle them without a trace.
It wouldn't even take 3 seconds.
I was seriously considering it when someone stepped in front of me.
"Yes, yes. Boss, care to repeat that one more time? Something about mana waves?"
It was Manager Park.
She shoved her smartphone camera right in Snake Tattoo's face.
"Who the hell's this chick?"
"I got the whole thing on video when you tossed that butt earlier. Get out now, or I'm calling the cops for obstructing business!"
With the camera in their faces, even the thugs looked a bit rattled.
They knew getting their faces on SNS in this day and age was bad news, so they slunk away.
"Tch. Talk about bad luck—every nutjob in town shows up. Hey, let's bounce."
Even as Snake Tattoo left, he couldn't resist one last curse.
"Granny, you'd best pack up and go while you can. I'm saying this out of worry for you! You wanna be here when a gate pops?!"
"Bro's got a heart too soft for this gig."
The punks cackled as they exited the shop.
Granny slumped in daze, staring up at the broth pot.
"What am I to do... What am I to do..."
She wiped her tears with her apron, sniffling.
I silently ladled out two bowls of guk and set them on the table.
"Granny, don't worry. I caught the cigarette butt so it didn't go in—I tossed it."
"Hic..."
"For real."
I put on a bright face and slurped down a full bowl of gukbap.
In the corner of the shop, signed photos and certifications from hunters lay scattered.
This place had long been fueling the stomachs of poor hunters.
"Manager Park, dig in. It's really good here."
"Ah, yes! I'll have some!"
By the time we finished eating, Granny had pulled herself together and checked the broth.
She stubbornly refused payment, so I left bills on the counter and bolted.
In the car, I said to Manager Park,
"Manager Park."
"Yes."
"About what just happened... Could you look into it for me?"
Her gloomy eyes lit up at my words.
"Of course! I'll dig into it properly. Investigating stuff like this is my specialty!"
I couldn't just rely on Manager Park alone.
This shop had fed me for over three years during my delivery days.
I pulled out my smartphone and dialed a recently saved number.
Ring...
The call connected before even one ring.
[Aigoo, hyungnim! What's up?]
It was Kim Min-jun's voice.
"Hey, Min-jun. How've you been?"
[Doing great! Thanks again for treating us last time. Next one's on us...]
"Nonsense. I always buy the meals. Uh... Anyway, could you check something for me?"
[Pardon...?]
"You don't know anyone in intel, do you?"
After I explained everything, arrogant laughter came through the receiver from Kim Min-jun.
[Hyungnim, it's me, Kim Min-jun. You didn't know my dad's the White Tiger Guild master? Just give me an ID, and the guild database is free pass. Free pass.]
That's right.
The White Tiger Trio weren't strutting around with shoulder pads for nothing.
In common terms, second-gen heirs?
Se-mo was the youngest son of an entrepreneur and an A-Rank awakener; Kim Min-jun was the eldest son of the White Tiger Guild head.
Connections—you can never have too many. The only loss is funeral or wedding gifts.
[Viper... Viper... Found it, hyungnim!]
Clack, clack-clack.
Keyboard sounds followed, then Kim Min-jun let out an exclamation.
[Ah, Viper Guild. These guys are more dangerous than they seem. The guild master's got priors for assault and fraud... Back in the day, they just made punks like this hunters.]
Min-jun's voice dropped low.
[Something smells off... They call it a guild, but they're basically real estate sharks. Tied up with construction firms too.]
"Construction firms?"
[These bastards have almost no gate raid records. No monster-hunting income—all their revenue's from land flips and building deals.]
"What's their scam?"
[They cry unstable gate waves to slash land prices. Won't sell? They fence it off to kill the business...]
"...Thanks, Min-jun. I'll take you to another good spot next time."
I hung up, and Manager Park burst into the house panting.
"Sang-hyuk-ssi!"
Her expression was grim.
"I looked into it... The situation's really bad."
"They say it's legally fine?"
Manager Park's eyes widened at my words.
"How did you know?"
"Just a hunch..."
Manager Park clenched her fist in frustration.
"Talked to the city hall guy, and Viper Guild's report matches the on-site mana readings exactly. That shop's in a legit danger zone."
"Manager Park, you know I've been smashing a bunch of artificially created gates lately?"
"Pardon?"
I showed Manager Park a news article from ten years ago.
"Back then, the shantytown residents refused to relocate to the end. And right on cue, a dungeon break hit, wiping out the whole place. The land got scooped up dirt cheap and turned into apartments... by the construction firm partnering with Viper Guild."
Ways to artificially open gates definitely existed.
They just hadn't been revealed to the world yet.
"Same deal here—a gate's popping up right near the land they wanna buy."
"But Sang-hyuk-ssi, without solid proof..."
Manager Park was right.
No evidence, no action from the Hunter Strike Force.
Unless there was some evidence.
"Would this be enough justification for the Strike Force to deploy?"
I pulled a bag of white powder from my pocket and placed it on the table.
It was drugs.
"Wh-what is this?"
"Something they 'dropped' on their way out of the shop."
Manager Park's eyes bulged.
"They... dropped it?"
Of course.
Did she think I'd rifled through their pockets or something?
If so, by all means, bring witnesses or proof.