Chapter 7

7

Chapter 7: Servant

Picking up the flyer that had fallen to the ground, he noticed a flow of magic when he examined it closely. It was clear that a charm had been cast.

The problem lay elsewhere. To get a clearer understanding, he headed to the spicy soup restaurant.

The number of customers was low, which was incomprehensible considering the advertising effect.

He opened the door and entered. The Demon King sat down and ordered two servings of spicy soup. It was a large amount for one person, but he couldn't have ordered just one serving.

"Here's your spicy soup."

The bubbling spicy soup was brought out. Visually, it was satisfactory. The colors of the enoki mushrooms, water dropwort, and green chili peppers blended well with the red broth.

He ladled some of the broth with his spoon.

Slurp...

"Phew..."

The Demon King's expression changed instantly. The fishy smell was unbearable. That wasn't all.

Too salty!

Salt can enhance good flavors and mask bad ones, but only when used in moderation. The excessive use of salt made the food almost inedible.

Clang!

He slammed his spoon down roughly. This was a desecration of food.

Putting down his spoon, he headed to the kitchen. There, he witnessed a shocking scene.

Expired ingredients were clearly visible.

First, the eyes of the dead fish were opaque. They were clearly brought in to cut costs, despite being past their prime.

Buzz...

Flies clung to the fish. Most of the scales had fallen off, and the flesh was mushy. It was absolutely not something meant for human consumption.

That wasn't all.

Black dust was clumped in the corners. The ventilation was poor, and the air was thick with smoke. Behind the old refrigerator, a cockroach was visible.

"..."

If he could see this much, there must be even more unseen pests. Shocked by the scene, he was at a loss for words when he heard a conversation from the restroom.

"Hey! This is the owner of Gangjeong Spicy Soup. I need more fish."

The Demon King listened closely.

"Hehehe... Suddenly, there are a lot of customers, and the stock is gone. Life is full of surprises. What's the price these days?"

It seemed the restaurant owner was on the phone with a supplier.

"What? Over 40,000 won per box? Who are you trying to rip off? Do you have anything cheaper? Yeah, yeah. I heard the ones from Fukushima are cheaper. Let's go with those. Send them as soon as possible."

Even with both ears, he couldn't believe what he was hearing. Not long ago, there was an accident at a Japanese nuclear power plant, and the fish caught off the coast of Fukushima had a high probability of being contaminated with radiation. Yet, the owner was willing to buy them just to cut costs...

Grinding his teeth...

Rage boiled within him. Making the food taste bad might not be a sin, but the owner had clearly crossed a line.

Bang!

He roughly opened the restroom door. The owner, who was on the phone, looked at him with surprise. Ignoring the owner's reaction, the Demon King took action.

"Ugh..."

He grabbed the owner by the collar and dragged him to the dining area.

"Wait... What are you doing?"

The sudden commotion drew the attention of the other customers. The Demon King then released his grip.

"Are you the owner here?"

"Yes, but..."

His voice was trembling, indicating he knew he was in the wrong.

"Look at this."

The Demon King pointed to the food. The bubbling spicy soup looked appetizing.

"Can't you feel anything?"

"It's just spicy soup. Is there a problem?"

Pretending not to know. The Demon King unleashed a torrent of harsh words.

"Did you get the fish from a sewer? The fishy smell is so strong it could destroy brain cells. This isn't a spicy soup; it's a high-efficiency weapon of mass destruction."

"What?"

"And why is the food so salty? Are you experimenting to see how much salt it takes to kill a person?"

It was a perfect verbal assault. Despite this, the customers' reactions were not negative. They seemed to agree with the Demon King.

"Hehehe..."

"It's not wrong."

"You speak your mind well."

Most of the customers had come based on the flyer. But when they tasted the food, it was terrible. They were eating the rice but had no intention of coming back.

Shaking...

The owner's cheeks trembled. Although the Demon King was speaking the truth, it didn't sit well with him. With a red face, he shouted.

"Hey! Who do you think you are, telling me what to do?"

The Demon King took out the flyer he had made and threw it in the owner's face.

"I made this. And you made me a liar."

The flyer was a result of the Demon King's efforts. The advertisement was so enticing that it made one's mouth water. It made people feel they couldn't go without having a meal of spicy soup.

However, the actual food served to the customers was nothing but waste. To the Demon King, it was a despicable act of deception and a blow to his pride.

The owner finally realized who the Demon King was.

"Ah, so you're the advertiser. You should be grateful for the business. Who do you think you are, coming in here and telling me what to do? I'm the vice president of the local merchants' association. If you lose business, you'll starve and come to your senses."

It was a humiliating attitude, and he even threatened the Demon King.

"Haha..."

If the Demon King had his followers here, they would have restrained him. When extremely angry, the Demon King often bursts into laughter, followed by disaster.

"Is that so?"

The owner had tampered with the food, crossing a line and hurting the Demon King's pride. Now, the only thing left was appropriate revenge.

The Demon King took out his wallet, pulled out two 10,000 won bills, and threw them on the floor.

"This is for the trashy spicy soup."

It was a waste of time to even speak to him. The Demon King had already decided to condemn him. Action was more dignified than empty words.

Clang.

He left. The commotion had passed, and the remaining customers, realizing the situation, also left. They didn't want to waste their time on such terrible food.

"Get some salt. Why did such a dirty person come and cause trouble?"

The owner had his part-time worker sprinkle salt in front of the store.

He wouldn't forget today's incident. He planned to use his influence to sabotage the Demon King Company.

"Dare to call my spicy soup trash? Hmph, we'll see. Demon King Company? Do you think you can do business here?"

****

The Demon King surveyed the neighborhood for a while and reached a conclusion.

The spicy soup restaurant will fail.

It was a foregone conclusion. The only question was when.

In any business, the most basic principle is 'repeat customers.' The restaurant had completely failed at this. Once a customer visited, they would never return.

However, that wasn't enough.

The Demon King wanted the owner to truly fall. He wanted to see him crumble to the ground.

And now.

It was time to use a new ability to make his wish come true.

'Come forth, my servant!'