A Desperate Demand for Decent Food

'You totally fell for it...' Lee Da-bi thought to herself, but she didn't say it out loud. In moments like this, the golden rule was to treat them with a warm, understanding look!

"So, what do you need us to do?"

"Whew. I wasn't going to brag, but I've actually leveled up my Abnormal Cooking to Advanced..."

"Hmph. I suppose we could help you out."

Though their attitudes remained gruff, the chefs' voices were suddenly bursting with enthusiasm!

"While I'm building the carriage, I'd like you guys to put together a map of where we should go next. The Erangs Kingdom seems a bit too dangerous right now."

Tae-hyun couldn't block the path and let everyone else escape every single time. Besides, if he suggested going back to the Erangs Kingdom now, the chefs would likely flee first, no matter how persuasive he was. Even if the experience points there were great, it was better to find somewhere else!

"Then it has to be the Asbian Empire."

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

"Wouldn't the Asbian Empire be best?"

"The Asbian Empire is..."

"???"

Tae-hyun was puzzled by how quickly they all agreed. "Why the Asbian Empire?"

Even putting the Erangs Kingdom aside, there were plenty of popular hunting grounds scattered all over the continent. Why there of all places?

"Well, first of all, a ton of players have been flocking to the Asbian Empire..."

"And the hunting grounds there are so massive that it's perfect for traveling around and cooking. Once you're done selling in one spot, you can just move on to the next."

"Plus, the number of crafting class players in the Asbian Empire is incredibly low. Almost everyone there is a combat class."

Ever since the Asbian Empire opened up, the vast majority of players heading there were combat classes. It was a journey for new dungeons, new hunting grounds, and fast leveling! Lee Se-yeon and her guild members had pulled various strings to recruit crafting classes, but it wasn't easy. Crafters heavily preferred the safety of the Central Continent kingdoms.

"Then why were you guys working here?"

"The Asbian Empire is way too far."

"Yeah, exactly. Plus, they lack a lot of basic infrastructure, so it's really inconvenient. It's even hard to get quests from the guilds there."

"Most of all, the lack of ingredients is a huge issue. Since most of it is desert, there are barely any fresh ingredients."

There was a reason these chef players had been willing to pay fees to work in the Erangs Kingdom. They simply had no desire to go to the Asbian Empire!

"But... I guess if you're the one asking, Kim Tae-hyun, we have to go..."

"Hmph. Don't get the wrong idea! I've actually been wanting to check it out anyway."

"R-right. Thanks."

Tae-hyun nodded. He wasn't entirely sure what had brought about this sudden cooperation, but at least it was one less thing to worry about.

'Hmm. Come to think of it, I should pay Alexeos a visit too.'

Alexeos, the dead dragon slumbering beneath the Asbian Empire. Tae-hyun had plenty of reasons to brag once he met him. After all, what had Tae-hyun accomplished? Had he not finished off two massive NPC powerhouses, Nevuchadnezzar and Uipoatl? He had ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠also defeated the Black Dragon Hakkaras and risked his life fighting the Demon Dukes that had invaded the continent. At this point, it was safe to say he had eliminated every single threat to Alexeos. He had essentially granted everything the peace-loving dead dragon could have ever wanted.

'Wait, why haven't I gone to see Alexeos yet?'

'Ah. That was it.'

Alexeos's Authority had been so incredibly good that Tae-hyun had intentionally avoided him to keep it! In reality, those Authorities had simply expired on their own after a set period of time anyway. 'Tsk. I thought they'd last forever if I just didn't meet him.'

In any case, now that he had nothing left to lose, it seemed like the perfect time to visit Alexeos and demand some credit.

After hammering away to finish his work and gathering up all kinds of ingredients, Tae-hyun summoned his fleet. The players watching were absolutely awestruck by the sheer scale of him summoning an entire fleet. So this is what it's like to be a player who holds the throne!

"Huh? Didn't that just say 'Pirate Captain'?"

"What are you talking about? You must have misread it. Look at the kingdom's flags flying right there."

One sharp-eyed player muttered in confusion at the fleeting message window. Why would a pirate captain be mentioned? But no matter how many times they looked, the Atali Kingdom's fleet was proudly flying its official flags. They couldn't be further from pirates!

"We're setting sail!"

As the ships quickly departed the harbor, Lee Da-bi murmured with a sudden realization. "I don't think we've ever had such a peaceful journey across the sea."

"...Yeah, that's definitely true."

Tae-hyun couldn't deny it. Every single time he boarded a ship, they either got blown away to some random corner of the continent, dragged into another bizarre dimension, or ended up fighting demons and giant sea monsters...

'Wait, are we going to get attacked now?'

Lee Da-bi's words made him feel strangely anxious. Talk of the devil and he shall appear!

"Don't worry about it too much."

"Was it that obvious?"

"Yes. And honestly, even if we do worry, it's not like the enemies who want to attack us are going to suddenly stop."

Lee Da-bi spoke with a strangely enlightened, zen-like calm! Traveling with Tae-hyun had completely desensitized her to being constantly ambushed by all kinds of named bosses.

'Now I feel a little guilty...'

Tae-hyun was the one constantly drawing aggro from every direction, but what did Lee Da-bi do to deserve this? Well, she was the guild leader of Power Warrior, so she wasn't entirely innocent, but still...

"Hmm. Shall we list out the people who might actually attack me right now?"

-Master. No matter how I look at it, that is an incredibly foolish thing to do...

Ignoring Yong-yong, Tae-hyun began to count them off one by one.

"First, there's the Idergo Cult."

"But aren't they too busy dealing with the Central Continent right now? Especially after what happened to them at their temple."

"True. If they do try anything, I'll just pull out the holy relic fragment and threaten them."

"As expected of you, Tae-hyun... You should ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠threaten to dye them in the colors of Akisus."

A threat far more terrifying than simple destruction! Tae-hyun was deeply impressed. As expected of the Power Warrior guild leader, she really was on another level!

"Other than the Idergo Cult... the guys from Sky Island?"

"The Sky Island forces are busy dealing with the Auston Kingdom right now, so they should be fine. The same goes for the Erangs Kingdom."

"Ah. I really hope the Erangs Kingdom gives Smith a hard time..."

Tae-hyun was starting to worry about Smith more than the Guild Alliance. In terms of sheer scale, the Guild Alliance or the Midas Guild were definitely more powerful than Smith's coalition. They had an astronomical number of guild members, continuous streams of investment, and the territory facilities and NPCs they had built up over time... But after clashing with them once, he realized that Smith's guild alliance was surprisingly formidable. Most of all, they were highly unified, and looking at their gear, it seemed they were receiving massive American investments, not just backing for the White Knight guild. In Pandemonium Online, rapid growth was always possible as long as you had enough money. The gap could close in no time.

The Guild Alliance backed by Chinese capital, and the White Knight backed by American capital... Pandemonium Online was rapidly turning into a game where those without money or connections were left at a severe disadvantage.

"It's a bit bitter."

"Pardon? What is?"

"Rich guys always had an advantage in the past, but it feels like it's getting worse lately..."

"Then you just have to win, Tae-hyun."

"...You're right. That's a great point. Thanks, Da-bi."

Tae-hyun felt a warm swell of emotion. Indeed, if he won, it would be a statement in itself to his opponents. Games are meant to be played for fun, not turned into corporate business ventures!

"And isn't there also the Frost Duke, Furneus?"

"Ah, him. He's definitely a threatening enemy, but he has so little presence that I keep forgetting about him."

"Just like the Guild Alliance rankers."

"Right?"

Objectively speaking, they were powerful foes, yet for some reason, even if they attacked, they didn't feel scary at all! Such carelessness was dangerous and usually a bad habit, but these enemies possessed a strange magic. The magic of looking incredibly easy to beat!

'...And where on earth am I supposed to learn that?'

'...'

-Master, please calm down!

-Master! Please let go of your anger!

Deep within a freezing mountain range whipped by raging blizzards, Frost Duke Furneus was trying to cool his boiling rage. Normally, he should have unleashed the legendary sea monster Leviathan upon the continent and personally marched out to slaughter the mortals. But his plan had been completely derailed from the very start. Leviathan had returned to the Demon Realm fully satisfied, and then some insolent fools serving a minor god named Idergo had dared to attack him, completely lacking any fear of demons.

What infuriated him even more was that those bastards were far stronger than he had anticipated! He had to begrudgingly admit it. He had no idea what kind of trickery they used, but their power was terrifying. To make matters worse, they wielded holy power—his natural counter—and continuously unleashed devastating blasts as if they were backed by an actual Incarnation. In the end, Furneus had no choice but to retreat. He had already lost a significant portion of his strength just by crossing over from the Demon Realm to the human continent.

Furneus had fled far away, heading toward the vast mountain range in the east to recover his lost power.

As several sky-piercing mountain peaks were claimed by the Demon Duke, the environment began to warp. The bitter, biting cold accelerated Furneus's recovery, and as his strength returned, he began summoning ice spirits to swell the ranks of his army.

-Idergo! How dare a nameless, insignificant god like you... I will never forgive this!

-Indeed, Lord Furneus! Before we tear that Akisus bastard to shreds, let us freeze the mortal followers of Idergo to death first!

"...Hey. What is this??"

Lee Jung-seop, a player who loved hiking, whispered in utter bewilderment. The Thin and Long Guild, a casual guild made up of retired middle-aged men, had a wholesome tradition of holding a monthly get-together by going hiking. Even Chairman Yu had once praised them, saying, "What a wonderful tradition. I'm sure your guild is absolutely overflowing with members." And today, they had been scheduled to climb this very mountain range...

They had stumbled upon an incredibly valuable piece of information! The middle-aged men nodded to one another and began to quietly retreat. How should they make use of this intel?

"Whoa. Isn't that an Ice Wyvern?"

"...You do realize that if we try to hunt that thing and get caught, we're all dead meat, right?"

Miraculously, they weren't attacked even once during the entire voyage.

"I was honestly expecting us to get ambushed..." Lee Da-bi muttered, but Tae-hyun pretended not to hear her.

'They've really developed this place.' Tae-hyun was thoroughly impressed as he looked at the harbor of the Asbian Empire. True to its reputation as a massive hub drawing in players from the Central Continent, the investment in the harbor infrastructure was astronomical. There was more than enough space to accommodate dozens of ships at once!

"There are so many ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠people here."

At the docks where passengers disembarked, hundreds of players were crowding around and hanging out. From street vendors setting up stalls to players shouting to find party members, it was incredibly lively.

'But why are they doing all this here? Wouldn't the main plaza be better?'

The answer to his question came almost immediately.

"Recruiting all crafting classes except blacksmiths! High priority! Come join our guild!"

"Looking for all crafting and artistic classes! Chefs highly preferred!"

"Looking for a jeweler to do the Silver Hammer crafting quest together! If any jewelers just got off the ship, please say something...!"

"Buying any food made within the last week! It has to taste good! If you try to sell me some weird, abnormal food or tasteless barley bread, I'll kill you!"

"If there are any chefs on board, please raise your hand! We won't hurt you! We just want you to cook for us!"

"I want to eat delicious food! Those undead bastards keep serving us weird bones, like they're playing some sick joke from The Fox and the Stork!"

"..."

The players gathered at the docks were practically starving. To them, every newcomer disembarking from the ship was a potential savior!