Previously, Lancer had wondered why he'd managed to complete the first stage of his mission in just over a month, ultimately attributing it to the effect of his E-ranked Luck. After all, normal Investigators couldn't possibly encounter that many Ghouls in such a short period. He'd originally thought he could hunt a few more recently, but unfortunately, Ghouls weren't idiots. News of Kamishiro Rize's "extermination" had spread wildly among them, causing any Ghoul with even basic intel to cautiously avoid Lancer's usual patrol routes.
Of course, a few unlucky fools still happened upon him while roaming around, and thanks to them, Lancer finally discovered exactly how many "points" he could gain from exterminating Ghouls:
[ORDINARY GHOUL EXTERMINATED.]
PARTICIPATION 100%
[+10 POINTS.]
However, seeing the exact points rewarded, the phrase "participation" caught his attention. Regrettably, since all his kills thus far had been at "100%," he couldn't yet determine precisely what that meant.
But during this period, the "lead" he'd been searching for finally appeared.
To conceal his identity as an Investigator, he'd stopped carrying his suitcase when appearing around Kamii University, relying instead on a handgun. Without his trusty spear, Lancer's combat power was reduced severalfold, but this risky approach eventually bore fruit.
First, a purple-haired man had appeared near Kaneki Ken. Then, for several days afterward, Kaneki inexplicably stopped working at Anteiku. Lancer immediately sensed something wrong and promptly left the café at his usual time, ensuring no suspicion was aroused.
Fortunately, just as he reached the apartment building where Kaneki lived, Kaneki himself came walking out.
Carefully hiding in the shadow of a nearby building, Lancer drew on the lessons he'd learned after being caught trailing Kamishiro Rize. Kaneki, completely oblivious to being followed, unknowingly led Lancer straight to a certain establishment on the outskirts of the city.
This is… the Ghoul Restaurant of the 20th Ward?
According to CCG intel, powerful Ghouls had special gathering places in various districts, known as "Ghoul Restaurants." If Jason's followers were considered roving bandits, then these establishments were warlords.
The restaurant in front of him wasn't small, but no matter how he looked at it, it certainly didn't seem big enough to have an arena inside, completely unlike the Ghoul Restaurants described in his intel. Could this just be a transit point, and the two of them had secretly transferred somewhere else?
Just as he was pondering this, the long-absent notification suddenly appeared:
[MISSION | GHOUL RESTAURANT]
[OBJECTIVE]:
① ELIMINATE THE GOURMET.
② KILL AT LEAST 10 GHOULS.
③ DESTROY THE GHOUL RESTAURANT.
[REWARDS]:
① PASSIVE SKILL—GOURMET.
② +150 POINTS.
③ PASSIVE SKILL—DESTROYER.
[TIME LIMIT: 72:00:00]
Seeing the text visible only to himself, Lancer breathed a sigh of relief but also felt an intense anxiety rise within him.
The mission's appearance confirmed his suspicion: the Ghoul Restaurant had to be nearby. But now the problem was, what exactly was he supposed to do?
Without a doubt, he couldn't possibly solo this place. Conservatively, dozens of Ghouls must be inside; unfamiliar territory and overwhelming numbers equaled suicide. The only feasible way to wipe them out was to request backup. But—
Kaneki Ken was already down there. Wouldn't doing that disrupt the entire plo—
SLAP—!!
Clapping his palms together violently, the sharp pain snapped Lancer's eyes wide open.
What "plot"? Ever since I arrived, things have already spiraled completely out of control! Who knows how many innocent people have been killed by Ghouls while I hesitated over irrelevant bullshit. Kaneki Ken's existence might be special, but that's no reason to sit by and do nothing.
"Hey! Mado-san, uh—sorry, I still haven't found leads on the Tsukiyama Family, but I've located the 20th Ward's Ghoul Restaurant. The address is…"
...
Click—!
On the other end of the phone, Mado Kureo hung up without hesitation, immediately picking up the Quinque case at his side.
"Assemble! Everyone assemble! All Investigators still in the branch, take your Quinques and meet in the main conference room within five minutes!"
Mado Kureo's roar startled a passing Rank 3 Investigator, but seeing Mado's grim expression, he quickly saluted and sprinted away.
Everyone who'd worked in the 20th Ward knew of Investigator Mado's eccentric personality. Since he was behaving so unusually, something huge must have happened.
"Ghoul Restaurant…heheh…ahaha!! Finally found it!! Those damned Ghouls… Kahahaha!!"
Covering his face with both hands, revealing only his feverish eyes, Mado Kureo's appearance bordered on insanity.
His intense loathing for Ghouls stemmed from the hatred born when the One-Eyed Owl killed his wife. With no outlet, his hatred had warped his heart completely, spreading indiscriminately toward all Ghouls. Now, knowing the Ghoul Restaurant's location, he practically envisioned the carnage he'd leave, his twisted excitement barely contained.
"Huu~… huu~… huu~…"
Thankfully, despite his immense inner delight, he hadn't completely forgotten his priorities. Taking several deep breaths, he briefly restored his twisted features to normal before hurriedly walking toward the conference room.
When he reached it, the large room was already nearly packed. Many were still catching their breath. Clearly, Mado's earlier frenzied order had alerted everyone that something was terribly wrong.
"Everyone! I'll skip the pointless nonsense. According to information extracted by Rank 2 Investigator Lancer from those two Ghouls he captured previously, we've located the 20th Ward's 'Ghoul Restaurant'—"
"!!!"
Just one sentence from Mado instantly widened everyone's eyes in shock. Every Investigator despised Ghoul Restaurants bitterly, but the locations had always remained elusive. And now they'd found one?
"So, Investigator Lancer wasn't just acting on his weird desires when he captured those two Ghouls after all…"
"Yeah, Investigator Lancer might look straightforward, but he's actually a pretty decent guy…"
"Actually, I believed in Investigator Lancer from the start…"
Mado didn't immediately stop their murmuring. When he'd first heard about the Restaurant, his own reaction hadn't been much better. Mentioning Lancer's previous incident served partly to repair his reputation. After all, Lancer was someone he thought highly of; whether or not it was true, at least now there'd be room for explanation.
"Ahem! Everyone! We're moving out immediately! Investigators currently stationed elsewhere in the city will follow us as reinforcements. Our goal this time is to catch these damned monsters completely off guard!"
"Yes, sir!!"
Aside from one Rank 2 Investigator and several Rank 3 Investigators remaining behind to guard the branch, more than twenty Rank 3 Investigators, nearly ten Rank 2 Investigators, three Rank 1 Investigators, and Mado Kureo himself all moved out. Clearly, their objective was nothing less than the complete annihilation of the Ghoul Restaurant!
Moreover, the meticulous Mado Kureo not only notified all available Investigators in the vicinity to reinforce them after their arrival but also specially requested backup from headquarters. Undoubtedly, what Mado Kureo wanted wasn't just victory—it was a perfect victory!
---
T/N: uhh this is different from the 7th ward ghoul restaurant so yeah also i didnt wanna destroy my awesome formatting so heres the effects of Gourmet and Destroyer!!!
Gourmet (Consuming delicious food provides attribute bonuses based on the food's quality)
Destroyer (Increases strength by 10% and terrain-destruction efficiency by 15% when equipped with heavy weapons).」
bonus chaps
100 stones -> 1 chapter
200 stones -> 2 chapters
300 stones -> 3 chapters
and so on
discord.gg/wisetl
patreon.com/wisetl