The Flames of Harten Beckon
The vast continent of the fantasy world. Among its regions lay the north, blanketed entirely in pristine white snow. The north had always been a frigid land, never particularly popular. But now, a certain flow toward the north was gradually taking shape. Faint threads tangled here and there, thickening into heavy yarn. People from every corner of the continent began trickling northward, one by one. Those small streams converged into one massive current. And at the end of that current stood Harten.
Yet the path to Harten was far from smooth. The north's brutal cold and fierce blizzards battered all who dared approach. Especially at the continent's edge, near the polar extremes, the journey was treacherous—not just the terrain, but the monsters lurking nearby were extraordinarily powerful. Harten had always been a place even seasoned experts hesitated to visit. But in this moment...
That perilous road only ignited people's thirst for challenge. Tell them not to go, and they want it more. Block their path, and they push harder. Desire sharpens and rampages when met with just the right obstacles.
Sparks flew from their eyes.
"These damn wolf bastards!"
"Cut it out already, you freaking blizzard!"
"Why the hell are you blocking us?!"
"You just want all the tasty stuff for yourselves!"
"Is it that good?!"
Grinding their teeth, the people pressed on toward Harten. Even after game overs, they stubbornly respawned and marched back. When faced with trials, the mind naturally imagines the rewards waiting beyond. Climbing a towering peak, one can't help but dream of something extraordinary at the summit. In this case, that reward was a certain dish.
With bloodshot eyes, they stared at the dazzling sign blazing in Harten's skies.
'I'm gonna eat it no matter what!'
Those lacking strength formed parties to pierce the raging blizzards and monster ambushes. In Yuten Village, recruitment for Harten-bound parties was booming.
"Tank wanted! Got mage and healer! Just you join and we're good!"
"Healer needed! Priests welcome too!"
Challenges were even breaking out. YouTubers raced to upload videos of braving the harsh snow paths to Harten for a taste of the ramen.
"Huff—huff—everyone! I did it!"
"So, as a reward, shall we try the homemade spicy ramen?"
Slurp—
"Gah—hot!"
"Wahhh—it's so good. You all have to come try it."
Word of mouth spread like wildfire, customers bringing in more customers.
"Dude, you gotta come try this for real."
"Skip it now, regret it forever."
"I begged the chef and got to meet him. Name was somethin' like Guillaume Elizabeth, 78-year-old mountain hermit nomad or whatever."
Amid this gathering tide, some groups stood out sharply—like the eye of a storm moving through. A massive force was advancing north. Flags snapped high in the wind. On a white field, two blood-red tteokbokki skewers pierced by a toothpick. With disciplined steps behind those banners marched a huge army. White-clad figures splashed with red sauce gripped spears of bone in their hands.
"It's the Tteokbokki Cult!"
"Where they headed?"
"North! North!"
And far, far away in another place, yet another flag fluttered skyward. A simple shovel illustration adorned it.
"Shovel haha! Clear the path!"
"Shovel hahahaha!"
Strutting arrogantly, shoulders bearing shovels, they marched on.
"It's the Sapjaru-dan!"
"Mommy! What's that?!"
"Da-eun! Get behind Mommy quick!"
The seeds Hura had scattered everywhere were finally blooming on the sixth day of business. Sure, a few unintended wildflowers had mixed in, but that didn't matter. What counted was that the massive current had formed just as he'd planned. Now the real crowds were pouring in. Hundreds, thousands flocking to a backwater village with barely a hundred souls. How many would actually brave the northern storms to reach Harten? For Harten Village, it was an unprecedented population surge. The gentle upward curve had shot straight vertical.
And here, two people were just now hopping aboard that flow in their own unique way. This was the town hall of Genesis Village, the newbie hub. In Pangwol, places were all called villages regardless of population. Even packed ones had mayors and town halls—just named villages while functioning as cities. Like Genesis Village here.
Dahyun and Seo Eunmi were currently at Genesis Village's town hall. The reason? To use the official teleport service.
"Both of you for the Harten teleport, right?"
"Yes."
"Yes."
Teleports required hordes of mages, vast mana, and extensive prep—a massive spell, meaning exorbitantly expensive. The farther the distance, the exponentially pricier. No wonder folks hired mercenary escorts instead. But Seo Eunmi paid without a second thought.
'For my hospital patients, this is nothing.'
If it could restore their lost smiles, it was a bargain, she thought. Dahyun, meanwhile, used a one-time [Free Teleport Voucher]. As a Fantasy Games employee, she knew perks normal players didn't—like snagging these vouchers from obscure quests in Genesis Village.
"Then please have a seat and wait till called."
"Yes."
"Yes."
They sat obediently as instructed. Dahyun glanced at Seo Eunmi.
'She's teleporting to Harten too? That's no joke money-wise...'
The voucher quests weren't too tricky, but few knew them, so unlikely she'd have one. Plus, that wide-eyed gawking screamed total newbie.
'Hasn't even job-changed yet.'
As a former fairy tutor, Dahyun itched to explain the basics. She held back and called softly.
"Um..."
"Yes?"
"If I may ask... what's taking you to Harten?"
"Oh, heard there's a great restaurant."
Seo Eunmi smiled brightly. She was thrilled at finally meeting Hura, the man Seo Ji-hyun raved about in her imagination.
'Wonder what he's like?'
Even more excited to taste the cooking Ji-hyun sang praises for.
'What'll it taste like?'
Dahyun nodded knowingly. It was the expected answer.
"Ah, got it."
No surprise—Pangwol was abuzz with the mystery chef who'd comet-like appeared in Harten. Not as huge as Hura's old videos, but decent hype.
'Kinda overshadowed, honestly.'
All eyes were on the clash between Rank 8 and Hura. Dahyun had jumped at that headline too.
'What? Customer-nim's selling in Harten, and now a fight outta nowhere?'
Digging around, she'd pieced it together. First rumor: Rank 8 hunting Hura. It sparked in ranker communities and spread like wildfire. Second: Rank 8 calling in his fan club, the Sapjaru-dan, after scouring Nimal Village fruitlessly and realizing Hura had bolted elsewhere. That one ignited fast too. Now everyone watched the Sapjaru-dan. Word of their southern stirrings hit just hours ago. Rank 8 vs. unofficial ranker Hura—countdown ticking. Eyes glued to the Sapjaru-dan.
"Hm..."
Dahyun mused. They'd probably sniffed out Harten. Hence northbound. The two hot topics weren't separate. Soon everyone would connect the dots. Boom.
'This'll be fun!'
Dahyun grinned. "And you?"
"Huh? Oh?"
Snapped from thoughts, Dahyun startled at Seo Eunmi's sudden question.
"What's taking you there?"
"Oh, similar reason."
"Oh my, what a coincidence. Shall we introduce ourselves?"
"Sure."
"What's your name?"
"I'm DahyunDahyunDahyun. Just Dahyun's fine."
"I'm GentleEunmi. Eunmi's good."
They shook hands warmly.
"But Eunmi-ssi, you seem like a total newbie—is that right?"
"Yes."
"Then how you planning to get back from Harten? Super rough place."
"Oh, got a friend there. She'll help."
"Nice, that's a relief."
Seo Eunmi beamed expectantly. "Kinda exciting. Feels like a trip."
"Haha, that's Pangwol's charm."
"Can't wait to see what it tastes like. My friend raved about it."
"Haha, yeah?"
Dahyun swelled with pride at being Hura's close pal. She shrugged casually. "Hey, secret—but I'm actually friends with that chef in real life."
"No way!"
"Hehe, yup. Pretty tight."
Eunmi's mouth formed an O of awe at Dahyun's smug shrug.
"Whoa, small world. I know him through a friend too. She's super close with the chef."
"Huh? For real?"
Dahyun's eyes widened at the surprise.
"You know his name then?"
"Um... yeah."
Eunmi looked uneasy. "But she said keep it secret. He's hiding his identity."
"Yeah, makes sense."
Dahyun tapped her lips thoughtfully. "How about we say just the first letter at the same time?"
"Um... that should be fine."
"On three?"
"Yes."
"One, two, three!"
"Hoo!"
Dahyun's eyes bugged out. "What! You really know?!"
"Um... yeah?"
"What's that super-close friend's name?"
"Uh... she said not to say."
"Girl or guy? That you can spill."
"Um... girl."
"...She in Harten now?"
"Yeah, with him."
"...No way."
Dahyun felt a chill but shook it off. Nah, probably another friend.
"Wait, is the friend's name Mol—"
"Harten teleports ready! GentleEunmi-ssi, DahyunDahyunDahyun-ssi! This way!"
"Ah, yes."
They hurried up at the clerk's call.
* * *
Day six dawned. D-day. Early morning prep time. Molrangkau muttered while plating kimchi side dishes.
"Thought the ramen's spice would kill kimchi sales. But they're scarfing it."
Nod.
"That's Koreans for ya."
"...Ain't I Korean?"
"You are. Spice-weak Korean."
"Pfft. You can't handle spice either."
"Better than you."
"Nyah nyah, liar liar pants on fire~"
"...You really met my sis, huh?"
"What're you on about."
Molrangkau dodged, plating sides. "So, what's next for you? Want me to ask Vesta again?"
"For what?"
"Your quest."
"Nah, fine. Tons coming today."
She eyed me sharply. "You said that yesterday too? More came than before, sure, but 3k by tomorrow? Dream on."
"Don't worry. Real crowds start today."
"Ugh, hope you ain't jinxing."
She sighed, plating on. But today was the day. For real. Ichaera said tomorrow at earliest, day after latest on Wednesday—spot on.
"Molrangkau."
"What."
"Lights on. Time to open."
Whoosh—
With a flick of her hand, the massive fiery sign lit the sky.
[3 Silver]
[Limited Time Sale]
[D-2]
Business open. Come on, you moths to the flame.
* * *
Pop—Pop-pop—
Yuten Village square bustled with respawners.
"Died again. One more fail and ramen's off the menu."
"Last shot! Let's goooo!"
"Party up! Been inside the Ice Wall before!"
Into the noisy square marched a group.
"Huh?"
Step—Step—
Their disciplined tread and intimidating white robes with bone spears parted the crowd. High above, the white flag snapped—two red tteokbokki on a toothpick.
"Tteokbokki Cult!"
Tteokbokki Cult. Entering Yuten Village.