The Most Obvious Question Nobody Thought to Ask

The blacksmiths who had been missing the obvious began murmuring again.

"Come to think of it..."

"Who's it for? Some noble?"

"Isn't it that Admiral Brangsong?"

"Oh, Brangsong? Is there anything he's known to like?"

"Brangsong likes sabers, doesn't he? Maybe we craft him a saber? Enchant it and set a few gems in it."

"Armor might be better. He probably already has a saber."

In an instant, the room filled with the din of blacksmiths talking over one another. Amid the commotion, Kim Ji-san and Park Seong-chan exchanged a glance.

"Don't tell me..."

"You thinking what I'm thinking?"

They were both thinking the same thing: Kim Tae-hyun.

Of course, it was entirely possible this was for Admiral Brangsong, just as the others were saying. But what if it ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was for Tae-hyun? That would be a jackpot. Unlike every other blacksmith in this room, they actually knew the man. If Tae-hyun was the one doing the judging, first place was practically guaranteed.

"But wait — what does that guy actually like?"

"...!"

They both realized, at exactly the same moment, that they had absolutely no idea.

Woo Jeong-sik, who had been eavesdropping on the others nearby, drifted back over and cut into the conversation.

"You think it's for Kim Tae-san?"

"It's not confirmed or anything..."

"Just that it could be."

Woo Jeong-sik scratched his head, mulling it over.

"Not Brangsong? I figured it was Brangsong..."

"Kim Tae-san did contribute a lot, didn't he?"

"That's true."

"And more importantly — if Kim Tae-san is the recipient, aren't we at a massive advantage?"

"Then it absolutely has to be Kim Tae-san!"

Convinced in an instant. Whether the recipient turned out to be Brangsong or Tae-hyun, Woo Jeong-sik didn't really care. What mattered was winning and collecting the king's reward.

While Ji-san and Jeong-sik chattered excitedly, Park Seong-chan was quietly thinking to himself.

But just because he knows our faces doesn't mean he'll take our side, does it?

Whatever else he didn't know about Tae-hyun, one thing was crystal clear: the man was cold as steel. Someone like that wasn't going to play favorites just because of a passing acquaintance. If anything, he was more likely to squeeze them for more.

Still...

Better not say anything.

Seong-chan quietly kept his mouth shut. The other two were already too far gone, happily painting rosy pictures of a glorious future.

Similar scenes were playing out all across the palace.

"Listen well, cooks gathered here today. On this joyous occasion..."

"Listen well, musicians gathered here today. To grace this event with..."

A quest to make the best use of one's professional skills and take first place. Naturally, no one was about to let that slip by. The moment the quest was announced, every player started working their brain at full capacity.

Some tried to figure out how to win solo by leveraging whatever materials and recipes they already had on hand — but the ones who truly stood out were those moving as a guild.

Numbers had always been king.

"Everyone heard the quest?"

"Yes!"

The Punglimhwasan Guild was a guild built around blacksmiths as its core. It was a famous name in blacksmithing circles, with alliance ties to several other major guilds. Guild Master Steven looked at his members with a serious expression.

"This quest — we're taking it. Don't let those other blacksmith bastards beat us."

"Yes sir!"

The blacksmiths snapped to attention in unison. A well-drilled guild. That kind of coordination was exactly what made Punglimhwasan what it was.

"Baldwin — circulate and find out what the other blacksmiths are planning. Bueno — set up a temporary forge. You can do that, right?"

There was a skill that let blacksmiths conjure a temporary forge on the spot. It consumed a painful amount of materials and gold — borderline donjiral, really — but Punglimhwasan had more than enough resources to pull it off.

Win first place here and get noticed by the king.

As long as they were operating within the Atali Kingdom, catching the king's eye was everything. It was practically ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a golden ticket to special privileges on a royal scale. And if things went really well — if they landed the position of the king's exclusive blacksmith —

It would be nothing short of rewriting the history of blacksmithing in Fantasy Online 2.

"Understood!"

"Good. Move fast."

What Steven intended to craft was a ring. He was a Ranker-tier blacksmith who could make virtually anything well, but rings were what he made best of all.

I'll pour everything I have into one ring.

Skill, materials, and soul — a ring with all three. He'd show them something that no half-baked saber or suit of armor could even begin to compare to.

Steven's eyes blazed.

Unlike Punglimhwasan, which ran on blacksmiths, the guild built around cooks was thinking along entirely different lines.

The king of the Atali Kingdom was in exceptionally high spirits. The Caterand Pirates, who had plagued his navy for years, were gone. To celebrate, he had organized a grand occasion.

Blacksmiths tended to carry their crafting materials with them at all times. Ores, magic stones, reagents — that sort of thing didn't spoil if left sitting around. Cooks, however, were a different story. Some ingredients kept fine, and there were cooking skills to preserve perishables, but the best results always came from working with fresh ingredients sourced on the day. Old, preserved stock couldn't compare.

And to get fresh ingredients while cooking in the royal palace, the nearest market was the only option.

"There's no need to compete head-to-head with everyone else. The best victory is the one where you never have to fight."

Chao, the guild master of the Restaurant Guild, had called his members together and said exactly that. The Restaurant Guild had two defining characteristics: most of its members played as cooks, and most of its members were Chinese. As if to prove a point about population, the guild's headcount dwarfed every other guild in the vicinity.

Chao spread his arms wide and bellowed at his members.

"Head to the market right now! Go there and buy up every single fresh ingredient in sight! Leave nothing for anyone else — not so much as a bread roll!"

"Yes sir!"

None of the other cooks had imagined anyone would pull a tactic this blunt. Cleaning out the entire market?

But the Restaurant Guild could pull it off. They had the gold — plenty of it sitting in the guild vault — and the numbers to do it fast.

The guild flooded into the market like a tide.

Once you bought out the entire stock in one sweep, restocking took time. Time the other cooks simply wouldn't have before the quest deadline hit.

That was exactly what Chao was counting on. It wasn't that he doubted his own cooking ability. But Chao preferred certainty. Making sure the other cooks couldn't cook was a far more reliable path to victory than trying to out-cook them.

"Mwahahahaha! Go ahead and squirm all you like!"

All across the royal palace, the ambitions and schemes of players began to stir and coil.

"...Come again?"

"His Majesty summoned all of these people for your sake, Tae-hyun. Aren't you pleased?"

"I mean, pleased, sure, but..."

Tae-hyun answered in a slightly dazed voice. A palace attendant had just come over to explain what was happening.

"So all of those people are crafting items — for me?"

"That is correct."

"And then I get to choose?"

"That is correct."

A grin crept across his face before he could stop it.

He tried to hold it back. He really did.

Now this is a real reward.

When he'd swept away the Caterand Pirates, he hadn't expected compensation on anywhere near this scale. The king was operating at a completely different level — fittingly so.

"Tae-hyun, are you prepared to have an audience with His ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Majesty?"

"Sure."

"Then please follow me."

Tae-hyun followed the attendant through the palace's lavish corridors toward a grand building. The presence of ferociously imposing royal guards made it obvious the king was inside.

Notification windows cascading down just from walking down a hallway. It was easy to understand why players put themselves through so much trouble to get close to noble and royal NPCs. The rewards were beyond imagination — privileges fit for a VIP.

With a low, heavy groan, a set of enormous crimson doors swung open, revealing a vast hall beyond. Not a single player in sight — only NPCs. Nobles and palace ministers stood in rows to either side, and at the far end, seated on a golden throne, was the king.

He was young, with a long beard and a face radiating authority that could not be faked.

Damiano II, was it?

He carried himself with a gravity befitting the king of the Atali Kingdom — an intimidating presence, plain and simple.

Any other player would have been hit by an Intimidate aura the moment they walked through those doors. But thanks to his title, Tae-hyun stood before the throne completely unaffected.

Damiano II spoke in a voice heavy with authority.

"Brangsong — is this the adventurer who cleansed the pirates from Katerand Island?"

"He is, Your Majesty."

Brangsong bowed his head from beside the throne. Damiano II's face broke into a broad smile.

"How commendable! That an adventurer would root out the pirates who had been a thorn in our kingdom's side for so long. Brangsong — has this man been properly rewarded?"

"Not yet, Your Majesty."

"That simply won't do. Adventurer!" The king's warm gaze fell on Tae-hyun. "Today we celebrate this joyous occasion, and many have gathered in your honor — yet somehow it still feels lacking. Is there a reward you yourself desire? Speak freely, without reservation."

"...!"

Tae-hyun blinked at Damiano II's words.

What did he just say?

Name whatever reward I want?

Whatever he wanted. There was only one thing on Tae-hyun's mind right now.

The Authority of Archisus.

Tracking down the Authority of Archisus was his single most pressing objective. Which meant...

"Your Majesty!"

"Oh! You've decided already, adventurer?"

Damiano II answered with a benevolent smile — ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the kind of smile that made it seem like he'd grant any request in the world. Emboldened by that smile, Tae-hyun spoke.

"Your Majesty — would it be possible for you to grant me access to the royal treasury?"

"The royal treasury?"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Damiano II looked mildly surprised, as if he hadn't expected that at all.

"Is that truly what you want? Nothing else?"

"Yes, Your Majesty. That would be enough."

"Access to the royal treasury, you say..."

Thump. Thump.

Tae-hyun glanced at the king's face. Going by his expression, it looked like permission was imminent.

"I'm afraid I cannot allow that."

"...?!"

Tae-hyun nearly stumbled.

Is this king messing with me?

A surge of irritation — but Tae-hyun was no fool. His heart might flare up, but his head stayed ice-cold. He always turned a situation over from every angle before acting. If he so much as showed a flash of anger toward the king right now, a gruesome death was guaranteed.