Chapter 67

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Translator: MJK

Chapter: 67

Chapter Title: Gorani-Style Crash Course

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Seoul, Gangnam—Chef's Atelier Cooking School.

"Alright, today we're making Frutti di Mare pasta, an Italian delight blending fresh seafood and vegetables."

Half the students had no clue what that fancy name meant, but they nodded along pretending to understand.

That's when Kang-hyun quietly raised his hand.

"What kind of pasta is that?"

"Oh, it's a type of seafood pasta. Tomato sauce-based..."

"So, can I just make it my own way?"

The instructor hesitated for a moment but soon smiled and replied.

"Of course! Creative cooking is always welcome!"

I-hana couldn't help but chuckle at his bold, innocent question.

'He's the type who doesn't care about reading the room at all.'

Kang-hyun pulled ingredients from his cooler.

Plump tomatoes, onions, and the like.

'He always brings his own veggies like this.'

I-hana found it intriguing.

Everyone else had hauled in pricey stuff like foie gras or truffles, but this guy brought the basics—vegetables, straight from the source.

Did that mean he was that confident in his ingredients?

'What's that?'

I-hana's eyes locked onto a small glass bottle he'd set out.

It had a faint blue tint, filled with a deep amber liquid.

That must be his secret weapon for today's dish.

Tak-tak-tak—

Kang-hyun deftly prepped the veggies, stir-fried them with the seafood.

And for the finale, he swirled in a loop of that liquid from the blue bottle.

A nutty, fragrant aroma exploded, filling the entire classroom in seconds.

"Is that... sesame oil? Whoa... this is no joke."

I-hana, cooking next to him, let out an unintended gasp of admiration.

'Oops.'

Her voice had come out louder than expected, leaving her embarrassed, when Kang-hyun approached with a grin.

"Want to try some?"

"Huh? Oh, no, I'm good."

Before she knew it, he'd scooped half his dish into a small bowl and held it out.

"The kids loved those cookies you gave me last time. This is my thanks."

She couldn't ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠refuse.

The smell had already hooked her.

"Well, just one bite then..."

I-hana cautiously took a forkful.

"...!"

Her eyes widened.

Chewy noodles, fresh seafood flavors.

All wrapped in a harmonious fresh tomato sauce.

'Whoa, this is insanely good!'

But what surprised her most was the warm, clear energy that spread through her body as it went down.

The chronic muscle aches and fatigue from overtraining melted away like spring snow.

And the ingredients' natural flavors were so rich.

Produce could taste like this?

'Could it be...?'

For a split second, she thought of GoraniMan12.

Everyone on the Tower Market reviews had raved about those crops.

The tastes matched the descriptions perfectly.

I-hana subtly checked Kang-hyun's mana again, trying not to be obvious.

'...No.'

Still, not a trace.

'Right, no way GoraniMan's mana would be this undetectable. I'm overthinking it.'

She shook off the thought and dug back in.

One bite, two.

The more she ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠ate, the more she marveled.

She even set down her fork to mop up the last drop of sauce with bread.

'This is the best... ever!'

It was so good, tears pricked at her eyes.

Better than any high-end restaurant meal in years—this single plate was perfection.

But she couldn't help recalling what Branch Chief Jayden had said a few days ago.

'GoraniMan—we're bringing him into the guild, no matter how dirty we have to get.'

She hoped this wholesome-looking guy wasn't him.

I-hana could only pray.

Phantom Guild Asia Branch, Branch Chief's Office.

Jayden Smith nervously chewed his nails.

'Damn it.'

Every route to approach GoraniMan12 was blocked.

Viper had turned him down, and the Tower Market queue was impenetrable.

If the straight path wouldn't work, he'd have to get his hands dirty.

"There... is a way."

Decision made, Jayden flashed a sleazy grin.

He barked an order at his subordinate.

"That Gorani video on Hun-Tube. Run a sound analysis to pinpoint the areas where it usually hangs out. Then, how about we install low-frequency mana disruptors around there?"

"Pardon? Chief, that's illegal..."

"Shut it. You wanna quibble over legal now?"

Jayden's plan was simple.

Blast constant low frequencies—the thing Gorani hated most—24/7, stressing it out to hell.

Then its owner, the real GoraniMan, would have to show up to check on it.

"No way that puny Gorani smashes our disruptors, right?"

Confidence dripped from his voice.

These were Phantom Guild's latest tech marvels.

AOE mental weapons pumping out low frequencies strong enough to rattle A-rank monsters' minds.

No wild animal like that could resist.

Perfect bait to lure out GoraniMan.

Fairy, U-Hwa-Ryeong.

Shin Seung-ah had reached out for a rare in-person meet.

A polite invite to treat him to dinner as thanks.

"Hunter Yu Jin-hyuk insisted I pass this on."

She handed over a framed autograph.

[Wishing you health and happiness always. - Yu Jin-hyuk]

Last time, he'd casually mentioned his sister was a huge fan.

She'd remembered that offhand comment and arranged this personally.

So-ye would lose her mind with joy.

"And this too."

"What's this?"

"A small token from our chairman."

Shin Seung-ah offered a small wooden box.

Inside: a tiny pot of soil and a single seed.

"It was in the chairman's personal collection. Even our guild tried growing it a few times—no sprout."

At a glance, it didn't look special.

Just a fruit tree seed; effect seemed to be "grows tasty fruit," nothing more.

"Analysis says no big effects, but with your rep for growing crops... the chairman wanted you to have it. He even offered to deliver personally, but..."

"Meeting the chairman would be too much."

"I understand."

Shin Seung-ah nodded with a smile.

"I hope the meal was to your taste."

"Of course. But what's the real reason you called me here today?"

"Sharp as ever."

Her expression shifted to business mode behind her glasses.

"Phantom Guild's been acting suspicious lately. Word is, they're desperate to find GoraniMan12. Heard about it?"

"Something like that."

"Phantom's infamous for shaking up the domestic market. Backed by massive foreign capital, no dirty tricks off-limits. Especially Branch Chief Jayden Smith—he'll stoop to illegal means for his goals."

"So you're worried about me...?"

"No, honestly? I'm worried Phantom might self-destruct. Why worry about GoraniMan?"

She chuckled.

"No guild in Korea dares make such a rude recruitment pitch to GoraniMan. But these clueless Phantom idiots are crossing the line first. We can't just sit idle. So, here's my proposal."

She slid over a thick binder.

The special mana-infused paper used only by MK's contract team.

"If you review our MK Sphere offer first, we promise top-tier terms."

"Appreciate it, but I'm not joining anyone."

At his firm refusal, Shin Seung-ah gave a wry smile.

"Figured as much... Phantom's in for a world of hurt, then."

Her tone suggested less concern for him, more schadenfreude watching Phantom's folly.

As she stood to leave, she added one last thing.

"Jayden has no qualms exploiting weaknesses to get what he wants. He can't harm GoraniMan directly, but he could stir up trouble around you—make things annoying."

Weaknesses, huh.

"Thanks for the heads-up. I'll keep it in mind."

Nothing specific came to mind, but he filed it away.

A few days later, strolling the back mountain with Gorani, I spotted something odd.

A small mechanical device, cleverly camouflaged on a tree.

'Low-frequency mana disruptor.'

I recognized it instantly.

Phantom Guild's handiwork.

No way this pricey gear just sat here in the boonies.

They must've scattered them randomly across the Gyeonggi area since they couldn't pinpoint me.

"Money to burn, huh."

Each one, made from such rare materials, had to cost at least 200 million won.

"But... looks like you're the target, Gorani."

I checked the frequency band.

Custom-tuned to hit specific monsters or animals hard.

Back at the Bureau, we'd used them sparingly to capture unruly beasts alive.

"Kiiing?"

Gorani didn't even register the unpleasant low hum, just flapping its ears lazily.

"Gorani. Smash anything like this you see."

"Kii-ut?"

It tilted its head, like it hadn't quite gotten it.

"Like this."

I infused a bit of internal energy into my finger and flicked the disruptor.

Pa-crack!

The high-tech gadget crumbled.

"Got it?"

"Kii-yoooooot!"

Now Gorani's eyes sparkled with newfound glee.

Always "be careful," but "smash them"? Pure delight in that innocent face.

Excited, it started hopping around.

"Might as well show 'em how strong you ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠really are."

I pointed to the one intact, blinking part under the wreckage: the core unit.

The comms hub linking to Phantom's ops room, exchanging all data.

"You can wreck this too."

"Kii-yot!"

Gorani got it perfectly.

It inhaled deeply, channeling massive power into one spot.

And then...

"Pwaaaaaaaaack—!"

That devilish roar surged straight through the core—right into Phantom Guild's main server.

Phantom Guild Asia Branch, Ops Room.

Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwang!!!

"Gahhh!"

"Th-the server's exploding!"

Every monitor sparked and blew at once.

Their billions-worth cutting-edge control system turned to scrap in a blink.

Staff writhed amid flames and smoke, ears ringing like they might burst.

Jayden was in there too.

"What the hell happened?!"

Right before the boom, the last sound ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠from the speakers echoed in his ears like hell's refrain.

'Pwaaaaaaaaack—!'

"What is this? Why won't it stop ringing?!"

He clamped his ears, rolling on the floor.

But the sound wasn't outside—it pierced his skull directly.

A shrill scream drilling his brain like an awl.

Even his high-rank hunter mentality couldn't endure the agony.

And so, Phantom Guild's scheme went up in smoke.