Everyone had thought that no matter how strong Kael was, he still needed rest. Drug him, grab him, and leave—simple and foolproof.
But something went wrong.
Inside the room, Kael was already awake. Not only that, he had dragged the Dark Cooking Society operatives inside with him.
No one outside knew what happened after that.
Kael did.
The moment he pulled them in, he snapped their necks.
They were members of the Dark Cooking Society, here specifically for him. Killing them carried no psychological burden whatsoever.
After dealing with the disposable pawns, Kael tossed the bodies into his storage space, planning to dump them somewhere later when he had the chance.
So to the outside world, nothing had happened.
They waited.
And waited.
Kael's room remained dead silent.
"Move. Retreat."
After a while, Shan gave the order, her expression dark.
"But Lady Shan, we still haven't heard back from them—"
"You still don't get it?" Shan cut in coldly. "They've either been subdued or they're already dead."
With that, she turned and left without another word. Seeing their leader go, the rest didn't dare linger and immediately followed.
The Light Culinary World members nearby exchanged looks.
They had planned to swoop in with timely assistance—but it was like arriving with firewood only to find the storm already over, the sun out, and the cold gone.
"Well… forget it," one of them said. "Whatever happened, those Dark Cooking Society people were dragged inside. Leave a few people to keep watch. The rest of us head back."
They left a small guard behind and dispersed.
The next morning, Kael ate a simple meal, checked out, and left.
His next objective was the Ever-Soul Knife. Once he had that, the remaining maps would be easy to obtain, making the hunt for the other Legendary Kitchenware far more efficient.
After Kael departed, members of the Light Culinary World rushed into the room he had stayed in.
And froze.
Not a single person was there.
"What's going on? Where did they go?" the person in charge demanded. "Didn't you keep eyes on this place all night?"
Several people had been dragged in yesterday. There was no way they had all disappeared.
They searched the entire room. Then the entire inn.
The watchers were just as baffled. Kael hadn't left carrying anything suspicious. He stayed in his room all night and calmly checked out in the morning. He barely had any luggage.
There was no way he could've walked out with several grown men.
Yet after turning the place upside down, they found nothing.
It was as if those people had evaporated.
In the end, the they left in confusion.
Not long after, Dark Cooking Society members disguised as guests searched the area as well.
Same result.
The missing operatives were gone without a trace.
Helpless, they reported back to Shan.
"You're telling me… four people just vanished? Alive, dead—nothing?"
Even knowing her subordinates wouldn't dare lie, Shan still felt like she was being played. The situation was simply too absurd.
Four adults. Not one or two.
Gone.
"Yes," the subordinate said bitterly. "Neither we nor the Light Culinary World folks found any clues."
He hesitated, a chill crawling up his spine. If he weren't in front of Shan right now, he'd probably be praying to every god he knew.
"…Forget it," Shan said after a pause. "Stop searching. Our priority is the Legendary Kitchenware. Increase surveillance on him. I'll handle the rest."
She narrowed her eyes.
"I'll use my specialty."
The honey trap.
From that moment on, Kael was watched closely. All they needed was the right "chance encounter."
A day later, Kael arrived in a new town. As he wandered around, a cry for help suddenly came from a nearby alley.
Turning the corner, he saw a stunning woman with an excellent figure surrounded by several burly men.
Kael didn't move.
He had already noticed something was off.
Earlier, he had caught several lingering scents in this exact spot. Now it was obvious—they belonged to these people.
Kael's sense of smell was terrifyingly sharp.
If this woman were truly being harassed, why had they stayed here the whole time? Why only start screaming once he arrived?
It was sloppy.
He also noticed that every one of the men was wearing gloves or bandages, deliberately covering one hand.
The reason was obvious.
They were hiding the Dark Cooking Society mark.
Sometimes Kael genuinely wondered what these people were thinking, branding themselves so blatantly.
As for the woman—he could tell at a glance she wasn't simple. Despite being "cornered," she was easily the most dangerous person present.
Shan wasn't weak.
In the original story, she frequently ran into Rēn—her natural nemesis. She couldn't beat him, and her honey trap didn't work either, which drove her furious.
But that was only in comparison to Rēn.
Rēn himself was absurdly strong—running across rooftops like a ninja was nothing to him.
The moment Shan saw Kael, she immediately cried out for help. The men around her played their parts perfectly, glaring at her viciously.
"Go on," Kael said calmly. "Keep going. Pretend I wasn't here."
The words hit like a hammer.
Shan and the surrounding Dark Cooking Society members froze.
This… wasn't the script.
The plan was supposed to be simple: Kael plays the hero, saves the beauty, emotions spark, and everything flows naturally from there.
Once she got close, taking the Garuda Knife would be easy.
But now?
He was just standing there. Watching.
And telling them to continue.
Shan almost wanted to crack Kael's skull open and see what was wrong with him.
She had brought this many people precisely because she knew how strong he was. Against anyone else, meddling wouldn't even be an option.
But Kael?
For him, dealing with these people should've been effortless.
Yet he showed zero intention of helping.
Way beyond the script.
Everyone stood there, stunned.
"Your preparation's lacking," Kael said with a faint smile. "I just didn't follow your plan, and you're already stuck?"
A real professional would've changed tactics on the spot—dragged Shan away and retreated.
"You knew we were acting?" Shan demanded.
"Of course," Kael replied. "You've been standing here for a while. No noise until I arrived. Then suddenly you're screaming for help. Isn't it obvious?"
He looked straight at her.
"I'm holding the Garuda Knife. Anyone who'd approach me like this can only be from the Dark Cooking Society. And you—if I'm not mistaken—you're Shan."
Her heart sank.
Kael continued calmly, "Important missions like Legendary Kitchenware wouldn't be handled by nobodies."
"…Get him!" Shan shouted.
The order wasn't to seize the knife—it was to buy time.
She turned and ran.
Shan was smart. Kael walking out of Mt. Qingzhao unscathed and the disappearance of those assassins told her everything she needed to know.
She wasn't foolish enough to fight him head-on.
If there was even a sliver of risk, she wouldn't gamble.
The men rushed Kael with vicious expressions.
"A smart woman," Kael muttered.
Cold, venomous—but undeniably capable.
Which was precisely why she couldn't be allowed to live.
With no bystanders around, Kael ended it instantly.
In less than a second, the men were dead, their bodies swept into his Storage Space.
Shan hadn't even made it far before everything behind her went silent.
She didn't dare look back.
She only knew one thing—nothing good had happened.
"Why don't you stop running?" a voice whispered beside her.
Shan reacted on instinct, drawing her blade and slashing.
Empty air.
She spun around.
Kael stood behind her.
"Still calm enough to draw your weapon," he said. "Impressive."
Then his tone turned cold.
"But that's enough. Go keep them company."
Kael didn't waste time on speeches. Shan had already chosen her path.
What happened to the plot afterward was irrelevant.
In the world of Chuuka Ichiban, Kael had never cared about sticking to the script.
He only did what benefited him.
And right now, killing Shan did.
Shan never imagined she'd die like this—cut down without hesitation, no chance to beg, no chance to scheme.
For a fleeting moment, she even thought the Dark Cooking Society could learn something from him. They sometimes talked too much before killing their enemies.
The thought vanished along with her life.Kael stored her body as well. She didn't have the Seven-Star Knives on her, but that no longer mattered.
He already possessed Legendary Kitchenware.
With everything resolved, Kael left as if nothing had happened.
Those monitoring him never noticed a thing.
Shan and her people vanished from the world—without a trace.
______________
1 bonus Chapter Every 100 Powerstones
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