The Regressed SSS-Rank Supporter Who Turned Dark - Chapter 80

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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#Episode 80
Moon Sung-mo.
According to whispers in culinary circles, a prodigy who had trained at a renowned sushi restaurant in Japan and earned recognition for his exceptional skill.
He had also received favorable reviews on Tabelog, Japan’s premier restaurant ranking site, and was known as a promising young chef with a bright future ahead.
This chef, who was expected to effortlessly achieve a Michelin two-star rating once he opened his own establishment, mysteriously vanished from Ginza, the epicenter of sushi culture, one day.
After that, he opened a members-only sushi restaurant called Sushi Kensin in Cheongdam-dong.
…That was all Eun-sung knew about Moon Sung-mo.
Before I traveled back in time, the loss of my parents had consumed me with vengeance, leaving no room for culinary appreciation.
I had reinvested most of the money I earned as a Hunter into purchasing equipment and spent my days fighting.
‘I’ve been surprised quite a few times today.’
Eun-sung chuckled softly to himself.
First buying the Primordial Dragon Scale and the Jade Orb at the department store, and now discovering that the sushi chef who had come with his family was an Ether user.
“I’ll bring you some warm tea first.”
A server who had been waiting in the back brought out the tea.
“If there are any ingredients you dislike or cannot eat, please feel free to let me know. If you need any alcohol, I’d be happy to make a recommendation.”
As the course began, appetizers were served.
“I’ve steamed wild abalone for you. Please try it with the viscera sauce and wasabi on the side. Today’s wasabi is from Shizuoka—it has a wonderful aroma and subtle sweetness, so feel free to use generously.”
Eun-sung ate the abalone while carefully observing Moon Sung-mo’s knife work.
‘Subtle, but he’s making minute adjustments to the Ether with each ingredient. Remarkable. I never imagined Ether could be manipulated with such precision.’
Eun-sung felt genuine admiration.
He had never even considered using Ether in such a manner.
“My goodness, this is delicious.”
“It really is.”
“I’ve never tasted anything like this before.”
Park Yeon-gyeong, Cha Eun-ha, and Ra Si-hyun marveled continuously at Moon Sung-mo’s dishes.
“Could I trouble you for a beer?”
“Right away, sir.”
Even Cha Geun-woo, who had been reluctant about coming to such an upscale establishment due to his frugal nature, ordered a beer with an expression of pleasant surprise.
‘At least five-star rank or higher.’
Watching Moon Sung-mo’s finesse with fine Ether control, Eun-sung made a rough assessment of his level.
‘Either an unregistered Awakened or a Hunter operating under a false identity.’
Since I had no intention of interfering with someone living quietly devoted to their craft, I decided to say nothing to Moon Sung-mo.
In the world of Hunters, the playing field was small enough that destined encounters would find their way regardless.
After the meal concluded.
“Thank you for visiting. I hope to see you again soon.”
Moon Sung-mo walked Eun-sung’s group to the entrance and bowed deeply at a ninety-degree angle.
‘That was genuinely delicious. I should come back often.’
Suspicions aside, Eun-sung was genuinely captivated by Moon Sung-mo’s culinary mastery.
Though a single meal costing a million won was rather exorbitant….
– A swordsman, I see.
The spirit of the Red Moon card whispered.
‘A swordsman? How would you know that?’
– From the way he handles his knife to his stride. He’s nothing like an ordinary chef. That man possesses considerable skill.
‘Is that so…?’
– If your blade resembles crude military swordsmanship, his likely showcases restrained sharpness—a refined technique.
‘How can you tell without even seeing him directly?’
– You see only what you understand.
‘That doesn’t make sense… wait, actually, maybe it does.’
Eun-sung started to argue but found himself agreeing with the Red Moon card’s assessment.
After all, other Hunters had failed to recognize the value of the Primal Dragon Wall and the Jade Orb, selling them off as mere antiques.
Screech!
The moment Eun-sung’s group departed, a black Rolls-Royce pulled up in front of the restaurant.
“Are you Chef Moon Sung-mo?”
A burly man stepped out of the vehicle and called out to Moon Sung-mo, who was about to enter the shop.
“Yes, I am Moon Sung-mo, but…”
“We’re from the Incheon Alliance. If you don’t mind, could we have a word?”
Flinch!
Eun-sung’s shoulders tensed.
‘The Incheon Alliance?’
My eyes sharpened with intensity.
Why would members of the Incheon Alliance crawl all the way to Cheongdam-dong?
‘Helkiyan.’
– Yes, Master.
‘Investigate if you can. Retreat immediately if you risk exposure.’
– Understood.
Helkiyan transformed into a Sushi Kensin employee and slipped through the back entrance of the restaurant.
* * *
After spending a rare pleasant evening with family, Eun-sung returned home and browsed HunterLink to gauge public sentiment among Hunters.
“Nothing’s changed.”
There was nothing particularly different.
Forum users continued debating the identity of Supernova, the mysterious 10-star Hunter.
The next hottest topic was, unsurprisingly, the Golden Sun Gate incident that had occurred in South Korea.
However, contrary to real-world sentiment, HunterLink users’ reactions were surprisingly lukewarm.
[Anonymous] Isn’t this commonplace in China?
[Anonymous] In South America, it was everyday life even before the Transition.
[Anonymous] I thought Korea was still safe, but I guess not.
HunterLink was a global community of Hunters, so many users were accustomed to human trafficking by criminal organizations.
Most Koreans weren’t fully aware, but even before the Transition, the world wasn’t so beautiful.
The Middle East went without saying—Africa, South America, Eastern Europe, and beyond.
Drugs, human trafficking, and murder across the globe had long ceased to be noteworthy.
It was simply more pronounced because South Korea was a country with unusually good public order.
‘True enough.’
Eun-sung nodded, recalling the situations in other countries.
Eastern European nations like Serbia, Bulgaria, and Romania had cases where the mafia outright controlled the government—hardly uncommon occurrences.
“Hmm.”
My gaze alternated between the community post and the calendar.
‘I need to boost Supernova’s credibility a bit more. And there’s not much time left.’
I began typing into the anonymous forum about the impending catastrophe.
Not as Eun-sung, but as Supernova—a mysterious 10-star Hunter.
[Post registered.]
The content was as follows:
[Approaching Catastrophe 2]
-33.86, 151.20
Large-scale Gate phenomenon expected to occur in the near future.
Extreme cold.
Everything freezes.
Strongly recommend evacuation from the area.
From what I remembered, a massive Gate phenomenon would occur in Sydney around this time, claiming hundreds of thousands of lives.
The primary cause of death: freezing.
Temperatures plummeted to minus thirty degrees, and the entire city froze solid.
After that day, Sydney became a city of the frozen dead.
A place no one could approach.
[Comment posted.]
[Comment posted.]
[Comment posted.]
…
[Comment posted.]
Countless comments flooded in immediately after posting, but I simply ignored them all.
“…Those who can survive will survive.”
A bitter murmur escaped my lips.
This was the best I could do.
The choice belonged to HunterLink users, the Australian government, and the residents of Sydney.
Knock, knock.
Helkiyan, wearing my appearance, opened the door with a knock.
“I’m back, Master.”
“What was it?”
“Nothing significant. It was a proposal to hire me as a dedicated sushi chef at Paragon City.”
“They’re treating you like royalty.”
I scoffed.
They wanted to bring in a sushi master like Moon Sung-mo and use him as a personal chef.
“What is he, Kim Jong-il?”
Eun-sung recalled how North Korea’s second dictator, Kim Jong-il, had kept Fujimoto Kenji as his personal chef.
It was something he’d heard during security briefings back when he was an officer candidate.
“What was Chef Moon Sung-mo’s response? Naturally….”
“Yes, he refused.”
“That was the end of it?”
“They asked if he could at least come and cook in the form of a business trip if full-time employment was difficult, but he refused that as well.”
“Of course he did. He would’ve rejected it even if it were Baek Do-hyuk’s grandfather instead of Baek Do-hyuk.”
Eun-sung let out a cold laugh as if he understood perfectly.
Chef Moon Sung-mo was South Korea’s finest sushi artisan, so his connections must be extraordinary.
Just thinking about what kind of people frequented Sushi Kensin made the answer obvious.
“Did the Incheon Alliance just back off? Surely not?”
“Of course they didn’t just withdraw. They applied pressure—warnings about being careful on the streets at night, threats about destroying the establishment, that sort of thing.”
“Chef Moon probably didn’t even blink.”
“Correct.”
“From what you’ve told me, it’s almost certain they didn’t realize Chef Moon is an ether user. It seems they approached him purely for his culinary skills.”
“That’s my assessment as well.”
“Good work.”
“What do you intend to do?”
“What can I do?”
Eun-sung spoke as if the mere thought exhausted him.
“Getting entangled with the Incheon Alliance would only complicate things for me. My position is already precarious as it is, so there’s no need to get involved. It’s not even my concern.”
“A wise decision, sir.”
“Still, I’ll keep an eye on things from time to time just in case. I’m curious about Chef Moon too, and eventually I’ll clash with Baek Do-hyuk anyway. When that time comes… I might need Chef Moon’s talents.”
A meaningful smile crossed Eun-sung’s lips.
* * *
The next morning.
Eun-sung, who had woken early and stopped by the swimming pool, finished breakfast at the residential complex’s dining hall and returned home.
“…Huh?”
Eun-sung’s footsteps halted.
An awkward conversation drifted from the living room.
“Your Admiral Cha really raised one impressive son. I’m envious.”
“You’re too kind, Minister. Haha.”
The moment Eun-sung instinctively stepped backward to close the front door.
“Welcome home.”
Lim Captain appeared from behind, blocking Eun-sung’s escape route.
“Captain Lim…?”
“As of today, I’m Major Lim.”
Lim Captain—no, Major Lim—flashed a grin.
“Come in. The Minister is waiting for you.”
“…Sigh.”
“You’ve kept me waiting for nearly an hour. You weren’t answering your phone.”
A glimmer of reproach flickered in Lim Captain’s eyes.
“I-I wasn’t deliberately ignoring it.”
Eun-sung felt wronged.
I’d simply left my phone behind….
And even if he was a minister, who shows up at the crack of dawn like this?
“Surely you weren’t planning to stand up Minister An after he came all this way in person?”
“There’s no reason why not, is there?”
That was when Lim Captain’s face twisted sharply.
“What are you doing? Come greet our guest properly.”
My father, Cha Geun-woo, suddenly poked his head out and spoke.
“…Yes.”
I reluctantly answered.
‘Just you wait.’
I trembled inwardly with indignation.
How petty—leveraging his connection with my father like that.
‘This man is someone you can’t let your guard down around. A cunning operator through and through.’
My wariness toward Minister An deepened considerably.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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