Allies and Achievements
Pao and Lucy were freaking out, their asses on fire. Their sleeping owner, Han Ji-woo, had suddenly withered away like a mummy. It was a side effect of the death countdown plummeting as he razed the Orc Village to the ground. But with no way to know that, Pao and Lucy were in a total panic, terrified their master might die.
"Master! You can't die!"
Nyaa!
Startled Lucy hunted down lenok even faster than before, and Pao's hands flew as he sliced them into sashimi. Lucy didn't just hunt—she pounded the cleaned fillets with extra speed too. Pao mixed the pounded fish with water and fed it straight to Han Ji-woo. As they repeated the process over and over, a system message suddenly popped up in front of Pao.
Path of the Cooking Master
You've repeated the same dish fifty times.
Cooking Buff
When consuming food you've cooked, the nutritional value increases 20x, and absorption speed increases 20x as well. Additionally, it restores 20% of stamina and health. This recovery effect can stack.
"Ooooh!"
Pao shouted in delight at unexpectedly acquiring the Cooking Buff skill. Now, even the same dish would pack way more nutrition and absorb faster, which had to crank up Han Ji-woo's death countdown big time! Of course, Pao didn't have the brains to figure that out—he was just thrilled something new had popped up. He figured it had to help his master recover somehow. Clueless about how massive an impact this skill would have on Han Ji-woo right now, Pao kept slicing away at the sashimi.
"Oh! Achievement unlocked!"
On Dungeon Floor 6 underground, British guy Josh McConnell burst out of the lake, his ripped upper body on full display as he yelled. His chiseled face, wavy blond hair, and blue eyes drew women's stares no matter what he did.
As expected, women nearby reacted first, swarming him.
"Whoa~ Congrats, Josh!"
"Seol Ara just gave you advice, and you already evolved it?"
Amid the women showering praise, one shy girl piped up.
"Um... how'd you evolve it, oppa?"
Her name was Lisa Simpson. The 17-year-old girl Seol Ara had helped with bathroom troubles early on. Born to an American dad and Filipina mom, her mixed features blended East and West perfectly.
Josh flashed Lisa a wink and struck a dramatic pose, arms wide.
"It was insane. Here's what happened..."
Josh's original skill was Instant Acceleration. It boosted agility by 10 points for 10 minutes on himself or a target. He couldn't frontline against monsters, but it helped ranged dealers or saved lives in crises by a hair. He'd even used it on himself once when claws nearly slit his throat, dodging just in time. At only 5 mana cost—and with his 50 mana—it was super efficient. He'd tried everything to evolve it, but no dice.
Then Seol Ara's advice led him to something ridiculous: casting Instant Acceleration on lake fish. Pointless, right? The fish got unwanted speed boosts, swimming faster. When mana dipped, he'd rest till it hit 5, then hit another fish. After two hours...
Speed Isn't Everything!
Fish burdened with unnecessary agility feel fatigued. Twenty fish now yearn to return to normal speed.
Instant Acceleration → Fast and Slow
Evolution path locked: Buffs & Debuffs
Mana stat +10 as evolution reward.
Fast and Slow
Boost or reduce target's agility by 15 points. Lasts 20 minutes. Costs 10 mana.
Josh explained the whole story to the curious crowd. Ishihara Yui loved it most.
"Hey, your skill's perfect for me. Hit me first in every fight, got it?"
Josh and Yui were both 25. His cool vibe meshed well with her hot-tempered, foul-mouthed style, building a solid friendship.
"Depends on how you perform."
"Wanna die?"
Yui balled her fist at his joke. Meanwhile, leader Mitchell Hoff and armorer Irene Luker whispered.
"Josh might join the pioneers soon."
Mitchell nodded. "He's qualified."
Then Jonathan Yombi's excited yell cut through.
"Whoaaa! Check this out, everyone!"
Eyes turned to him.
"Bountiful harvest!"
Jonathan's joyful hand pointed to watermelon and potato fields that had ballooned in size, plus a golden rice paddy. Pao's crops had grown and been shared. Dennis Cobitt, the 70-year-old priest with holy recovery and a pioneer, nodded sagely.
"Han Ji-woo's miracle again."
"Right? We can chill here ten days easy! But no share message?"
"Maybe 'cause it's just expansion."
Everyone crowded in happily. Mitchell started calculating stay time. Then...
"What in the world are you doing? Planning to settle down here?"
Ferrofero appeared before the group.
"Here comes the damn cat!"
"What now?!"
Amid the growls, Yui spat venom.
"If you're here to screw us over, piss off, baka neko."
"Who're you calling idiot? Hmph! You lot need no mercy!"
A quest popped up.
Don't Dawdle!
Goal: Descend to the next floor within 1 hour.
🎁 Reward: Survival
"...!"
"Wh-what the hell?!"
"Sudden quest? This fair? Total BS!"
Ferrofero smirked at the panic.
"Forgot? I can issue quests per floor—once each!"
He'd done it on Floor 2 for lenok. This was round two.
"Ignore if you want. But I won't be responsible for what follows!"
Eyes locked on the reward.
"Survival as reward... means death if ignored?"
"Shit."
The group fumed in unison. Even Seol Ara. She thought, How do I screw over that cat? Scanning for ideas...
Huh?
One guy acted totally detached: 27-year-old Czech Andra Marshall. He'd spent the day testing his skill on goblins—couldn't use mental disruption on humans. Quiet type, so Seol Ara hadn't noticed till now. He was so focused, he missed Ferrofero entirely.
"Time's ticking while you slack!"
A timer appeared.
-00:59:17
-00:59:16
-00:59:15
"No law allows this!"
"Too meddlesome!"
Protests fell on deaf ears. Seol Ara stepped up, offering something.
"Kitty. Look at this."
Five new fish species from the lake. Ferrofero's eyes bulged.
"Y-you're giving these to me?"
Seol Ara smiled sweetly. "Two hours each."
"No way!"
"Take it or leave."
"Th-thirty minutes! Per fish?"
"Thief cat wanna hear it?"
"F-forty! No more!"
"Fine, one hour. That's my limit."
"Grrrng!"
Ferrofero agonized, then snatched the fish. Timer extended.
-05:58:31
"Humans are sly!"
Ferrofero vanished. The group mobbed Seol Ara with awe.
"Ara, you're amazing. Trading in that mess?"
"Totally. Ice cold, sharp mind."
Not all praise, though.
"Why only five? Shoulda offered twenty."
Yui griped.
"He'd only take the five new ones anyway."
"Why?"
"Hasn't traded since tasting lenok. Bored of repeats."
"...Smart."
Yui nodded. Then...
"Kek! Kack! Grrrk! Gruk!"
A pained groan. Eyes turned—a goblin self-destructing. Claws through throat, gut ripped, heart stabbed. Blood gushed; it flopped dead. Andra, splattered in gore, smiled at the group.
"Everyone. My skill evolved to hypnosis."
He pointed at the corpse. "Told it to off itself. Cool, right?"
Mad glint in his eyes. The horrific scene left everyone speechless.
"Great Tribe Unification! Achieved! Quiiiik!"
The Orc Lord had finally united all orc tribes. 300 orcs merged as one.
Clap clap clap!
Han Ji-woo applauded the Orc Lord's feat, done in hours.
"Congrats~"
"Thanks to you. Quiiik!"
Amid the festive vibe, Osgeelro Haiban looked sour.
"Damn filthy scum. Did they flush their sense of aesthetics down the shitter?"
He gagged at the Orc Village buildings. Han Ji-woo soothed him.
"Hang in there. We've got 300 allies now. Means we can chill here, plot the breakout."
"Allies? Dwarves don't ally with lowly trash!"
Offensive to orcs, but the Orc Lord ignored it. He saw Han Ji-woo as savior, so his friend Osgeelro got respect too. Han Ji-woo could've killed him but spared him. Orc logic: might makes right—losers submit. He'd lost, so instinctual loyalty brewed. Not orc himself, Han suppressed it. But now, with unification thanks to Han... it burst.
"Han Ji-woo."
"Yeah?"
Thud. He knelt, head bowed.
"You spared my life. Made my dream real. You qualify as my master."
"...What?"
"I, Orc Lord. From today, serve Han Ji-woo as master."
300 orcs knelt too, pledging loyalty.
You've tamed the Orc Lord.
The Orc Lord is now your pet.
The unexpected sight and message sent chills down Han Ji-woo's spine. Then, above the kneeling Orc Lord's head:
Please name it.