All Eyes on Them
Even before its grand opening, the Yongyong Beef Restaurant was already the talk of the town.
From the moment a snapshot of the interior under construction surfaced online, the public's excitement flared out of control.
Yongyong Pork Belly was already one of the hottest restaurants in the country. While they had steadily expanded their franchise, every single kitchen depended on charcoal personally ignited by Yongyong’s flame. Because of that bottleneck, rapid expansion was impossible, and patrons still queued around the block just hoping for an open table.
When rumors broke that an all-new beef restaurant was opening under the same brand, people lost their minds. If pork cooked over dragon-kindled coals tasted that sublime, what would high-grade beef taste like? Everyone had been wondering the very same thing.
Practically everyone in my contacts reached out. Seo Seung-yeon, Instructor Sang-yeop, Association Liaison Seo Woong—the messages poured in without end. News of the opening even went viral internationally. Yongyong Pork Belly had already garnered a cult following overseas after a global food YouTuber with over twenty million subscribers gave it a glowing, rave review.
"Is Hancheol not joining us?" I asked, looking across the table.
I had extended an invitation to him first. When he originally signed with us, he’d mentioned craving pork belly and confessed a particular weakness for good beef. Yet he had declined.
"I deeply appreciate the thought, Guild Leader, but right now I need to dedicate every second to rehabilitation. I will gladly take a seat at the table once I've cleared a gate by your side."
To be honest, I personally thought taking a quick break to feast on premium beef would have helped his recovery even more. But his choice stemmed from conviction rather than cold logic. He was making a statement—refusing to grant himself any slack or distraction until he returned to peak condition.
Because he was so determined to stay focused, I had asked twice and then let the matter drop.
...He wasn't expecting me to ask a third time out of politeness, was he?
Well, what was done was done. He had said no twice, so I took him at his word.
In any case, the tasting took place at the original Yongyong Pork Belly restaurant on a Monday, when the shop was closed to the public.
"Yongyong!" Uncle called out.
"Krr!"
Yongyong trotted over and blew a focused burst of breath, igniting two sets of lump charcoal. To an outsider, lighting charcoal with dragon breath might seem like a mere gimmick, but the difference in flavor was astonishing.
"Alright, here it goes," Uncle announced, laying cuts of beef onto two separate grills.
Being beef, the slices sizzled and cooked in no time. Each grill held cuts from a different premium supplier; the goal of today's test was to decide which vendor would become the exclusive supplier for the new branch.
"Try a piece from each," Uncle urged.
I picked up a slice from the left grill first. The meat melted like butter the second it hit my tongue. I had tasted high-grade beef before, but the superior marbling and dragon-fire sear took it to another level entirely.
"Wow."
"This is truly incredible," Lee Shinhee murmured, her eyes widening in genuine wonder. For someone who rarely showed outward excitement, that was high praise.
A flood of rich marbling and deep savory juices coated the palate.
"Right? Pretty good, isn't it?" Uncle grinned. "Now try the other one. There's a subtle difference."
I picked up a piece from the right grill and slipped it into my mouth. It possessed that same melt-in-your-mouth tenderness, brimming with rich moisture and aroma, but there was an unmistakable nuance that was hard to pin down in words.
"Oh?"
"This one is wonderful too," Shinhee observed thoughtfully. "It feels slightly... cleaner? More refined on the finish."
"Bullseye, Shinhee. That's exactly it. A cleaner, lighter finish. Honestly, they're both so exceptional that I can't make up my mind."
Both were undeniably world-class cuts. The difference between them was wafer-thin. To be perfectly honest, I wasn't refined enough to judge which was objectively superior. Having grown up eating whatever cheap food was available, my palate was hardly that of a gourmet. I had only started experiencing fine dining after awakening as a hunter, so delicate culinary nuances usually escaped me. Uncle, on the other hand, had run barbecue joints for years.
"Hmm..."
"This really is tough," Minjae muttered, chewing slowly as he weighed the two flavors.
"Krrr!"
Suddenly, Yongyong chimed in. The young dragon lowered his snout and edged eagerly toward the grill on the right—the cleaner, more savory cut.
Both Uncle and I blinked in surprise.
"What's gotten into him?"
"Yeah, since when does he care?" I asked. "He always prefers raw meat, doesn't he?"
Whenever we grilled meat around him, Yongyong usually ignored cooked food entirely and begged for raw cuts. This was the first time he had shown interest in the cooked stuff. I picked up a freshly seared piece with my tongs and held it out. Yongyong snapped it up and rumbled with delight.
"Krr! Kr-rr!"
He nudged my arm with his snout, practically begging for seconds. Hurriedly, I tossed a few more slices onto the right grill.
With that, the debate was settled.
"Looks like we're going with the right one," I said with a chuckle.
"No argument here," Uncle agreed. "If Yongyong picked it, that's that."
"I suppose a dragon would have far sharper senses than ours," Minjae noted.
As I tilted my head at the thought, Chunbae’s voice echoed in my mind.
"Indeed. Dragons possess extraordinarily delicate senses of taste. They are not categorized as transcendent beings for nothing, Master. In truth, many are renowned epicures."
The last dragon I ran into was happily ripping through live orcs and hunters, I thought back.
"No creature remains fastidious when starved, especially a mother nursing an unhatched brood."
I relayed Chunbae’s explanation aloud, and Uncle nodded in full agreement.
"Is that so? Then we're definitely locking this supplier down. Normal folks might not notice, but to true gourmets, that slight edge makes all the difference."
Uncle tossed a generous slab over to Yongyong before grabbing another seared slice from the right grill for himself.
"Huh. Why does it taste even better now?"
"Right? Did knowing the dragon chose it change my brain? Because I feel the same way," Minjae said, laughing.
It was the placebo effect in full swing—paintings always looked more profound once you learned they were done by a celebrated master.
"Still, this works out nicely," I remarked.
"How so?" Uncle asked.
"Whenever we dragged Yongyong to the pork belly place to light fires, he always looked bored out of his mind. Here, he'll actually enjoy it since he gets treated to grilled beef on the spot."
Yongyong gave an emphatic nod, as if confirming every word.
"Krr!"
Between our astonishing growth rate, back-to-back high-profile accomplishments, and the recent signing of Guardian Kim Hancheol, public fascination with the Dinosaur Guild had reached a fever pitch. Even though Hancheol was still deep in physical therapy, media outlets ran wild with coverage.
Domestic hunter-focused broadcasts were virtually swallowed whole by Dinosaur Guild segments. Nor was the craze confined to South Korea; international channels mirrored the enthusiasm. Veteran active-duty rankers and retired pioneers alike churned out reaction streams and deep dives, realizing that breaking down our raid logs drew astronomical viewership.
"Do you see this clip right here?" an analyst on screen pointed out with a laser pointer. "Watch his footwork. His Agility stat must be at least..."
Viewers hungered for expert breakdowns. And with word spreading that the international Guild Conference was right around the corner, the debates grew even more heated.
Domestically, sentiment leaned overwhelmingly in my favor. That was only natural—I was their homegrown hunter, and I had produced an undeniable track record. On foreign forums, however, the opinions split down the middle.
None of those foreign commenters were downplaying my strength; it was simply a tactical debate between two peak prospects.
Whatever people thought, I had proven unprecedented growth and results on the world stage. Nobody doubted my potential anymore, and everyone understood it was only a matter of time before I stood among the global Vanguard.
Yet not everyone was glued to the upcoming duel between me and Liu Zhen.
A surprising chunk of the public couldn't care less about hunter politics; they were simply smitten with Yongyong.
My phone vibrated while I was heading toward the training grounds. The caller ID flashed Seo Seung-yeon's name.
"Han Hye?"
"Yes, Seung-yeon."
"The date and venue for the Guild Conference are officially locked in. It's set for one month from now."
"That's sooner than expected," I said. "Last time we spoke, you thought it would take about three months."
"Coordinating the schedules of so many elite vanguard guilds forced them to move things up. It had already been delayed multiple times anyway. In any case, we've registered Dinosaur Guild to attend alongside Dawn Light."
The Guild Conference was an international convention where the primary vanguard guilds of each nation gathered. Originally conceived as an alliance summit to coordinate defenses against catastrophic gate crises, it boasted a long-standing tradition.
Pioneers from across the globe would convene to present newly discovered gate phenomena, share raid methodologies, and foster mutual growth. While that founding spirit remained, modern summits felt far more like high-stakes geopolitical arenas where nations only disclosed information when strategically advantageous.
Vanguard guilds typically bring along promising young guilds slated to become the next generation of pioneers.
Dawn Light had chosen us as their accompanying delegation. Realistically, there were no other viable candidates in Korea anyway. By next month, Kim Hancheol would likely be fit enough to travel with us as well.
"There's just one minor catch."
"What is it?"
"The conference is being hosted in China. The exact city hasn't been disclosed yet, but it's on their home turf."
"Hmm. Will that be an issue?"
"Hard to say. A public sparring exhibition between you and Liu Zhen is practically guaranteed at this point, and their higher-ups aren't above pulling underhanded tricks to guarantee a win."
I couldn't quite picture what underhanded tricks they might try on an open stage, but I understood her concern.
"Dawn Light will keep an eye on things from our end, so try not to stress too much."
"Thank you, Seung-yeon."
After hanging up, I pushed the diplomatic posturing out of my mind. From what I remembered, Liu Zhen had recently crossed the Level 40 threshold.
One month.
That was more than enough time. We had spent the last few weeks focusing entirely on combat-heavy gates, but now it was time to dive back into power-leveling.