Chapter 52: Chapter 52

Translated by: ShawnSuh

Edited by: SootyOwl

While the rest of the world around them was in chaos over the appearance and death of the flock of griffins, Ho Sung and the champion traveled from Frankfurt to Munich.

‘We flew all the way from Korea to Frankfurt just to eat a couple of sausages. And now, here we are flying out to Munich for some pork hocks…’ Ho Sung thought. Although he had planned the trip himself, he couldn’t help but be dumbfounded by the impracticality of it. Nevertheless, his hands had been tied from the get-go as the trip was focused on expanding the champion’s culinary experience. In addition, Ho Sung’s knowledge of popular restaurants were extremely limited outside of Korea, which inevitably had them traveling far distances within Germany.

After a fifty-five-minute-long flight and a brief cab ride, the two arrived in Munich and at yet another restaurant.

—

“Apparently, this restaurant earned a Michelin star,” Ho Sung said, pointing toward the restaurant. A Michelin star was a rating given to notable restaurants by a magazine issued by the French tire manufacturer, Michelin. As the magazine rose to international prominence, earning a Michelin star became a tremendous honor for restaurants across the globe, and the restaurant to which Ho Sung had brought the champion was one of those honored to have earned a Michelin star. Standing in front of the restaurant, Min Sung scanned the exterior and the sign of the restaurant, which was called ‘No.1 Schweinshaxe.’

Being mostly green, the restaurant didn’t have much to brag about in terms of appearance. However, the simplicity gave the place a luxurious and exotic feel, and it reminded the champion right off the bat that he was in another country.

“Sir? You might wanna see this before we go inside,” Ho Sung said as he walked to the left. When Min Sung followed him, the champion saw the rows of the Schweinshaxe being roasted to golden-brown perfection in a rotisserie oven on the other side of the window.

Being one of the most popular dishes during Oktoberfest and in bierhäuser, the Schweinshaxe had an appearance similar to that of a rotisserie chicken. However, upon closer inspection, Min Sung noticed that the two looked inherently different. The meat, for one, looked incredibly tender. Needless to say, the enticing appearance of the roasted pork hocks made the champion forget all about the sausages he had eaten just a few hours ago.

“Let’s go inside,” Min Sung said, walking into the restaurant without hesitation. After being led to a table, Ho Sung helped him with the ordering process.

“All right! Since we’re at a restaurant that specializes in Schweinshaxe, I think it’s fair to start with just that. Also, I was told that Schweinshaxe can get a little greasy on its own, so I think some sauerkraut will be a nice companion. What do you think?”

“So be it.”

After placing an order, Ho Sung looked toward the champion, bowed politely and said, “Well, enjoy your meal, sir, and let me know when you’re finished.”

Nodding affirmatively, Min Sung sent Ho Sung away and looked around the restaurant, which looked undoubtedly European. With warm lighting, arched windows and wooden tables, chairs, and floors, the restaurant had the perfect atmosphere for an authentic German culinary experience. Looking around at the other customers who were eating the dish, Min Sung rubbed his neck, feeling slightly thirsty. At that point, he looked at the menu and decided to order himself a beer.

‘I can’t leave without trying beer when I’m in Germany.’

Soon, the waiter brought him a stein of beer. Taking a picture of it, Min Sung sent it to Ho Sung and asked for an explanation. Of course, it didn’t take long at all to hear back from him.

According to Ho Sung, Min Sung’s beer fell under the category of Hefeweizen, which was one of the most iconic and popular German beer types. Having no experience with beer, Min Sung looked down at the liquid filling the stein.

‘An original German beer… Let’s see what it’s like.’

Taking the cold stein filled with beer, Min Sung brought it up to his mouth.

‘Gluck- Gluck-‘

His Adam’s apple moved up and down as he swallowed, and soon, there was only half of a stein of beer left. Wiping the foam off his mouth with his hand, Min Sung furrowed his brow, deeply impressed.

“Ah…!”

‘So, this is what beer is like! Unbelievable!’

Though it was effervescent like soda, the experience of drinking beer was nothing like that of drinking soda. From the depth of flavor to the crisp, refreshing feel and the added bonus of the alcohol, the experience was inherently different. Then, while Min Sung was staring at the stein with fascination, the Schweinshaxe made its way to the table. At which point, he looked away from the stein and toward the dish that had brought the restaurant a Michelin star. Taking a fork and a knife, he sliced a piece of the pork hock and brought it up to his mouth. Although hard and extremely salty on the outside, the meat within was extremely tender, juicy, and perfectly seasoned. After that, taking some of the unseasoned potatoes that came with the dish, Min Sung brought the meat up to his mouth once again. The rich, satisfying mouthfeel of the potato, the extremely salty skin of the hock, and the succulent meat inside it created a combination of flavors that was unique and gratifying. Nodding with satisfaction, Min Sung thought, ‘This restaurant definitely deserved the Michelin Star.’

—

It was well into the night when Min Sung walked out of the restaurant. The dimly-lit streets under the pitch-black sky were both exotic and beautiful. Looking around at the people walking past him, Min Sung called Ho Sung.

‘The person you’re trying to reach is unavailable…’

‘What’s this guy up to now?’ Min Sung thought, annoyed, furrowing his brow. Then, just as Min Sung started looking around after putting his phone in his pocket, he saw Ho Sung running toward him in the distance.

“S-sir! Help! Heeeeelp!” Ho Sung shouted, running away from what appeared to be a chicken several times larger than an adult.

“What the hell kind of chicken is this!?” Ho Sung shouted loudly, teary-eyed.

“Bah-gawk!” the chicken let out, chasing after Ho Sung fiercely.

[Lv300 Mutant Chicken]

Looking toward Ho Sung and the chicken, Min Sung furrowed his brow again.

“Help!” Ho Sung cried out desperately as he got closer to the champion. However, the champion gave him a cold, heartless reply as he walked away toward a cab, “Why should I?”

Having eaten and drunk everything he had wanted in Germany, Min Sung felt like he could finally sleep in peace on the flight back to Korea. At that moment, he was struck by a certain thought and stopped in his tracks.

‘Maybe…’

Looking toward Ho Sung, who was still being chased by the giant mutant chicken, he murmured, nodding, “I should get myself some fried chicken when I get back.”

Since airplane food had turned out to be a major disappointment, saving room in his stomach for fried chicken didn’t sound like such a bad idea. As the champion walked toward Ho Sung, the man’s desperate cry for help echoed through the streets of Munich like they would in a cave.

“Heeeeeeeelp!!”

—

In a Korea-bound plane, Ho Sung was curled up in the fetal position in his first-class seat, deathly pale, the memory of being chased by the giant mutant chicken still vivid in his mind.

“Shit, I thought I was gonna die back there…”

Should the German hunters force have not arrived in time, Ho Sung would have been eaten alive by the mutant chicken.

‘This is some crappy-ass world I’m living in,’ Ho Sung thought, glancing toward the champion, who was sound asleep.

‘I wonder what’s inside of his head? Men are supposed to be simple creatures. Yet, this guy… I just can’t figure him out. He practically left me to get eaten alive back there until the German hunters arrived. And now, here we are. Flying first-class. What am I supposed to make of this?’

“Sigh…” Ho Sung let out heavily, clenching his eyes tightly.

‘I swear I’m gonna die early if I keep this up… Oh, wait. He probably got me a first-class ticket just to make it convenient for him. That way, he won’t have to go far if he wants something from me.’

While he was sighing repeatedly, Ho Sung remembered his clan all of a sudden.

‘I wonder how the boys are doing?’ he thought, worrying about the state in which his clan might be. Before he knew it, his eyes started to grow heavy, and soon, he fell asleep, but…

“Ah!’

… only to jerk out of sleep after dreaming of the giant mutant chicken. Sitting up, Ho Sung, with sunken eyes, breathed heavily.

—

Late dawn.

The man in the black robe was led to a VIP room within a hotel restaurant. Upon entering the room with a round table decorated with a red tablecloth, the man in the black robe was greeted by the harmless-looking man, who smiled at him subtly, in wheelchair and glasses.

“You’re here,” the man in the wheelchair said, and the man in the black robe gave him a quick nod as a response before taking a seat. At which point, the man in the wheelchair stared intently at him and said, “I think it’s time we bring our ace in.”

“That’s a lot sooner than I’d expected.”

Hearing that, the man in the wheelchair stared into the air and said with a bitter smile, “Things will get… ugly.”

“It’s too late for regrets,” the man in the black robe said.

“Yes, you’re right,” the man in the wheelchair replied, smiling.

“Got anything else for me?”

At that point, the man in the wheelchair smiled once again and said, “Why, yes,” adding, “How about some breakfast?”