A Bowl Worth Halting a War For

Their appearance was far from that of chefs; they looked more like armed robbers or a band of bandits. No, not even bandits—they looked like an entire order of knights!

"I... I see."

"What guild are you from that you'd dress in such a crazy way..."

"Hey! You're saying your inner thoughts out loud!"

"Ah, oops. That's not like me."

Production classes were usually far from aggressive. Yet, Tae-hyun's party's appearance was so intimidating that it forced harsh words out of even these gentle souls!

"You're really not going to attack us, right?"

"Of course not. You have nothing to worry about."

At the party's reassurance, the chefs finally let out a sigh of relief. They had paid a hefty sum of gold to set up shop here, and the last thing they wanted was to get attacked.

Clank, clank—

"???"

"Hey, what is that?"

The steel walls on the sides slid down with a sharp clatter, revealing massive cauldrons installed inside. This was on a completely different level from the other chefs, who were busy lighting fires and prepping their hearths!

On top of that, Tae-hyun was someone who received additional buffs related to fire.

Whoosh!

The chefs gasped in shock as a wild, roaring flame erupted beneath the cauldrons. As experienced cooks themselves, they knew exactly how incredible that heat intensity was.

"Hey! Let's set up too!"

"Is the popcorn ready?!"

The Power Warrior guild members threw off their cloaks, revealing their guild emblem. The surrounding chefs recoiled in horror at the sight of it.

"Power Warrior?!"

"Those crazy bastards finally made it all the way here!"

Tae-hyun tilted his head in confusion. He could understand people reacting that way to him, but why were they so disgusted by the Power Warrior guild?

"They're the ones who deliberately set up shop right next to you and undercut your prices!"

"They play dirty by using higher-quality ingredients and selling them for dirt cheap!"

"...?"

—??

Yong-yong and Heuk-heuk tilted their heads. Uh... isn't that just the basics of business?

"Can't you guys just use high-quality ingredients and sell them cheap too?"

"Ah, but then we'd barely make any profit! We have a reputation and a high wage to maintain!"

Unlike the Power Warrior guild members, who would rejoice and say, "Wow, we made a huge profit!" even if they only earned 1 silver, these high-level chefs had their pride. They couldn't afford to sweat over a hot stove just to make a single silver!

At that, the Power Warrior chefs clicked their tongues.

"Tsk, tsk. Look at them..."

"Cooking is about conveying your sincere feelings. You shouldn't be so greedy!"

I don't think you guys are in any position to say that, Tae-hyun thought to himself.

The Power Warrior guild members basically relied on a high-volume, low-margin strategy. Since they couldn't compete in terms of skill level or mastery, they chose to crush the competition by using better ingredients and selling at a lower price! It was a ruthless tactic to drive out rivals and dominate the market, not because they actually believed "cooking is about sincerity!"

After all, these were the same guys who, while cooking, would have conversations like: "Hey, do we really have to use high-grade pork? Can't we just throw in some beans? Beans are basically meat anyway." "We have to. The shop next door is using mid-grade pork."

But the chefs' shock was only just beginning. None of them had realized yet that Tae-hyun was standing right among them.

"Da-bi, can you help me?"

"Yes!"

Lee Da-bi grabbed Towang-i with one hand and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠began pulling out ingredients with the other. Although not to the extreme extent of Tae-hyun, Da-bi was also someone who had acquired a wide variety of miscellaneous skills. As a merchant class who dealt with all kinds of items, it was only natural! She had raised various skills like cooking, tailoring, leatherworking, and jewelcrafting to at least the Intermediate level.

"Who's that? Is she Power Warrior's secret weapon?"

"I've never seen her before..."

At the moment, Tae-hyun was without his usual companions and had changed his appearance. Standing alone with Lee Da-bi, he didn't draw much attention.

"Tae-hyun, wouldn't it be better to show your face?"

The players coming to buy food around here cared about brand names. They would think things like, Oh, that's so-and-so, I should buy from them, or Wait, is that a Power Warrior guild member? Their popcorn is delicious! Tae-hyun, on the other hand, possessed an absolute monopoly on reputation. Whether they liked him or hated him, if word got out that Tae-hyun was selling food, countless players would flock over, thinking, Whoa, Kim Tae-hyun is cooking?! I have to try some!

"Hmm... Right. I should do that."

Tae-hyun deactivated his mask. In that instant, sharp gasps echoed from all around.

"It's... it's Kim Tae-hyun!"

"What?! Where is Kim Tae-hyun?!"

A player who had stepped away from the battle to grab a quick bite recoiled in sheer terror. Seeing how he dropped the food he was holding, he was undoubtedly a member of the Guild Alliance.

"Excuse me!"

"Kim Tae-hyun has come to slaughter us all... Wait, why is he over there?"

Seeing Tae-hyun holding cooking utensils inside the carriage, the Guild Alliance member wore an expression of utter bewilderment.

While Akiersus's Authority Cooking allowed him to whip up a dish even out of roadside pebbles, using high-quality ingredients granted additional bonuses.

Chop, chop, chop—

There's no point in attempting high-difficulty, time-consuming dishes. It'll only slow me down.

Tae-hyun had already decided on his strategy to level up his cooking skill: mass production! While hunting down elegant, new recipes one by one was a viable method, it didn't suit him. He couldn't afford to waste too much energy on that.

Of course, mass-producing simple, well-known recipes yielded very little ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠skill experience. But Tae-hyun planned to overcome this limitation with two simple solutions.

I'll just make an absurdly massive amount using high-grade ingredients!

He had a mountain of monster meat stockpiled from his journeys. While the prime cuts had been set aside to make monster essences, he still had an astronomical amount of regular meat left over.

—Master. Are you trying to open a barbecue restaurant?

—Master. Even for you, this is a bit...

Even Towang-i, who was spitting out the ingredients, wore a look of utter disbelief. These were meats harvested from all over the world—the Idergo Cult, the Sadiq Church, the Salavian Order, the Demon Realm, glaciers, volcanoes, and countless other regions!

He mixed all kinds of meat cuts indiscriminately. Then, he boiled the bones and meat thoroughly using Sadik's Flame before seasoning the broth with the highest-grade salt. Once the broth was ready, all he had to do was scoop the noodles and meat into bowls and serve! The process was simple, but the effects of the dish were terrifying.

A terrifying divine dish! Thanks to the various skills Tae-hyun possessed, astronomical effects were attached to it. Furthermore, Akiersus's Authority Cooking was a skill that granted additional random effects!

It's rising at a painfully slow crawl!

The skill level of his Advanced Akiersus's Authority Cooking was 9, and its experience bar sat at 41%. Since it had been at 40% before he started, it had risen by exactly 1%.

But honestly, this is faster than expected.

Normally, once a skill reached the Advanced rank, gaining even 1% experience became an agonizing ordeal, no matter what you did. It was only because Tae-hyun had leveled up his Engineering and Blacksmithing Skill in such bizarre ways that his perception of skill leveling was warped...

"One bowl, please."

"Is that really Kim Tae-hyun?"

"Hey. I don't think we should be fighting over the fortress right now..."

The players murmured among themselves as they ordered the noodles. Seriously, why are we even doing a territory war? For the cost of that, we might as well buy a bowl of hot noodles!

But since it's just noodles, won't the effects be too weak?

It's a low-difficulty dish, so the buffs probably won't be that great.

In truth, they had only ordered because they saw Kim Tae-hyun while taking a break, but Kim Tae-hyun wasn't even a chef by class. If they wanted recovery or buffs, wouldn't it have been better to get them from a dedicated chef?

Slurp—

"!!"

"!!!!!"

Flash!

Along with a flavor that struck their throats like a physical blow, a barrage of system messages slapped them in the face! As dozens of buffs flooded their status screens all at once, the players stumbled back in sheer bewilderment.

"W-What is this?"

"These noodles are insane...!"

"What on earth did he use as ingredients?! The *Identify Ingredients* skill isn't even working?!"

The neighboring chefs murmured in astonishment. Driven by curiosity, they had bought a bowl to try as well. The skill effects were one thing, but what kind of ingredients could possibly bypass their identification skills entirely?!

Buzz, buzz—

Suddenly, a bizarre phenomenon unfolded. All the chefs in the vicinity closed up shop and lined up in front of Tae-hyun to eat his noodles.

"Hey, aren't you guys going to sell? We need to buy food..."

"Does selling food matter right now? Hold on, I need to figure out this dish. If I eat a few more bowls, I might be able to identify the ingredients."

"We have to figure out the recipe! The recipe!"

The chefs buzzed with excitement, debating fiercely among themselves. Just what ingredients did he use, and how did he prepare them?

"Is that Sadik's Flame? Did he use that to get the smoky flavor?"

"Using Sadiq's power is a bit much, but is there any other way?"

Seizing the opportunity, the Power Warrior guild members shouted enthusiastically.

"Alright! Anyone need snacks or drinks to keep your mouth busy while waiting in line for noodles? We have ice-cold cola right here!"

"Popcorn! Cola! Grab some and watch the fight while you wait!"

Man, we're going to hit the jackpot today! Not only chefs but other production classes gathered, and even players who had paused their siege warfare to take a break joined the queue...

"???"

"Hey, what's going on? Why are there so few people left?"

"...The enemy's numbers have dwindled too, sir."

Suddenly, only the players actively participating in the siege were left utterly bewildered. Players from both the Auston Kingdom and the Erangs Kingdom were abandoning the battlefield one by one to go eat!

"I mean..."

"Is... is this a good thing?"

"At this rate, the siege is basically over..."

If the battle fizzled out like this, it would count as a victory for the defenders! From the Guild Alliance's perspective, it was absurd, but they had essentially received Tae-hyun's help.

"Wait a minute. Where did our party leader go?"

"He said he went to get some noodles..."

"That crazy bastard! Call him back this instant!"

"Leader Smith! The enemies are right over there."

"As expected of Leader Smith!"

Smith's Royal Guard shouted in excitement. Smith nodded calmly and spoke.

"Let us strike while the enemies are locked in combat."

"Oh...! Is this what they call tactics?!"

"Incredible! With a strategy like this, we can defeat any number of enemies!"

Just as Tae-hyun's fanatical followers believed everything he said blindly, Smith's Royal Guard was similarly unhinged. However, their skills were undeniable. They consisted of the guild's rankers, high-level players, national team prospects, and the knight orders Smith commanded. They were a formidable force, powerful enough to smash straight through the Guild Alliance's main ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠vanguard!

Breeeeep—

Priests cast buffs while the rest of the force popped various consumable items. These were scrolls so expensive that if Lee Da-bi had seen them, she would have shrieked, Tae-hyun! Those people are throwing money into the wind! It was one thing if they were trying to take down an unkillable raid boss, but wasting such high-tier scrolls on a mere territory war was pure madness!

"I shall lead the charge. Charge!"

Flash!

Having approached in secret, Smith's Royal Guard burst out from the forest right in front of the fortress. The Erangs Kingdom players, who had been debating whether to keep fighting or go grab a hot bowl of noodles, gasped in surprise.

"W-What is that? Reinforcements?"

"Crush them!"

"S-Smith?! Why is he here?!"

"Hey! Smith! We're not the Guild Alliance! The Guild Alliance is over there—"