Is This a Trap?

"Is this a trap?"

"!"

Someone's sudden question struck terror into the hearts of everyone present. It sounded all too plausible.

"Nobody leave! If we step outside the city, we'll get attacked."

"But we can't just stay inside the city forever, can we?"

"Then go out and die. Actually, that works out. Go on, step outside. I need someone to test if they're out there or not."

"...Suddenly, I've grown very fond of this city!"

The players trembled, stubbornly staying put inside the city walls. They desperately wanted to go outside and get things done, but fear held them in a tight grip.

Thanks to that, the other chefs were having the time of their lives.

"Whoa, they aren't even charging an entrance fee here?!"

"Let's use it as much as we can before they come back!"

"Gather all the ingredients! Usually, they don't even let us harvest them!"

"!"

"!!"

The players in the Valley flinched at the system message.

The novices of the Valley, who still lacked experience, asked in confusion:

"What's going on?"

"You don't even know what this message means, newbie? This message is..."

"Krrraaaaaah!"

Before anyone could explain, a wild roar echoed through the air. Hundreds of players were already screaming and sprinting forward.

—Block them! Block them!

—Anyone who violates public order will be banished from the territory! Maintain order!

"Even if I get banished, I can't miss this opportunity!"

"Out of my way! It's my turn to use it!"

Despite the shouts of the Archisus Paladins, the players charged forward like a stampede. This system message only appeared when a massive, server-wide buff was applied to the Valley. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, like a 90% off sale at a supermarket. They had to do all the things they had been putting off!

"Damn it, there are already hundreds of people!"

"Forget the Goblin Universal Maker!"

The Goblin Universal Maker was always popular. Naturally, since it was a place where you could strike it rich for zero gold. But the Valley had more than just the maker.

"Move! I have to get to the Race Mutator!"

"If I don't roll a good race this time, I'm quitting the game!"

The Race Mutator, which randomly mutated your race.

"Bring out all the materials! Today, I am definitely going to craft an Epic Item!"

"I'll help you!"

"Great! Let's go!"

The Goblin Forge, built by the Goblin Elder, which received additional bonuses from the Valley's luck.

"All blacksmiths to the forge! Assemble at the forge! Use everything you have to craft today! We have to make it before the system message ends! Tell anyone who isn't logged in to get online right now!"

"He said today is his anniversary date!"

"Tell him if he doesn't want to get kicked out of the guild, he better log in this instant! Is that bastard out of his mind?! Is a mere date more important than this right now?!"

"Guild Master! We've gathered at the Demon's Forge!"

"...You crazy bastard, we're supposed to gather at the Dwarf Smithy! Why did you go to the Demon's Forge?! Are you insane?!"

The Dwarf Smithy, built by the Dwarves who had received Tae-hyun's grace, which benefited from the Primeval Fire and the power of luck. Because it possessed unique effects hard to find in other cities, countless blacksmiths frequented the place.

Moreover, if you became close with the Dwarf NPCs, you could receive various quests and skills!

...But they had to make absolutely sure not to confuse it with the Demon's Forge, which was filled with mechanical engineering blacksmiths and demons. Inexperienced, young blacksmiths who accidentally went to the Demon's Forge often ended up corrupted by evil energy.

"We're running out of ingredients! We had so many!"

"Buying cooking ingredients cheap!"

"Cooking in bulk at Archisus's Cauldron in the central plaza! Come over if you want free food!"

The relic in the plaza, famously known as Archisus's Cauldron. Here, even low-level chefs were not discriminated against.

"My skill level is a bit low... Is it okay if I cook too?"

"It doesn't matter! There are so many people anyway, no one will notice if one person messes up!"

A custom that warmly welcomed beginners! The warmth of it almost brought tears to the novice chef's eyes. Usually, in other places, people would say things like, "Ugh, get lost, newbie -_-" or "No cooking for anyone below intermediate level"...

"I'll do my best!"

"Just throw the ingredients into the cauldron and stir! It's huge, so make sure you don't fall in!"

"Wow. The smell is really..."

The novice chef suddenly stopped mid-sentence. Huh? It smelled awful.

"???"

Is this even food??

"Wait! What are you doing over there!"

"Why are you taking the newbie! Come over here!"

In the distance, other chefs rushed over, grabbed the novice chef's hand, and dragged them to a nearby cauldron.

At this, the first group of chefs shouted in anger.

"Boo! Isn't that going too far?!"

"Let us have some rookies too!"

"Every rookie you guys take ends up running away, that's why!"

"Be grateful we haven't kicked you out of the Valley, you freaks!"

Indeed. The ones being nice to the novice chef were the normal chefs! Without realizing it, the novice chef had almost been dragged into the Dark Cooking faction.

"Don't be fooled by their kind words."

"B-but they were so nice."

"Demons are always nice at first!"

Having lost their recruit, the dark chefs wept.

"Ugh... Cooking is all about the stats! Why do you care so much about taste?!"

"Do you people put sugar in your herbal medicine?!"

What are these crazy people talking about...

The Valley was no longer just a place for opening random boxes. It was a thriving city where countless crafting professions operated in perfect harmony!

—Congratulations! Congratulations!!!

—Congratulations in the name of Archisus!

...Of course, there were still plenty of people obsessed with boxes and random gacha!

The Archisus Church NPCs provided impeccable service in this ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠regard. It was a wicked strategy conceived by Pelmas: whenever a player succeeded in the gacha, they would advertise it far and wide to stroke their ego!

—Ooh! Congratulations!

—Look at these demonic wings, adventurers! Aren't they beautiful!

"Uh... Is it okay for priests to praise something as 'demonic'?"

—What does it matter? We have actual demons working here anyway.

"M-my god! It actually worked!"

"We didn't think it would succeed either!"

"Today really is our lucky day!"

The tailors cried out in sheer ecstasy. A garment with a success rate of less than 1% had finally been crafted!

"Let's present this to Kim Tae-hyun!"

"Should we? Should we?? I was thinking the exact same thing. Kim Tae-hyun would definitely love a masterpiece like this, right?"

"Absolutely! In fact, no one else but Kim Tae-hyun is worthy of wearing such a garment!"

If Tae-hyun had heard this, he would have grimaced, but fortunately, he wasn't here.

"!!!"

"!!!!!"

Countless jackpots and masterpieces began popping up all over the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠territory.

It was a situation that neither Tae-hyun nor Lee Da-bi could have predicted!

That was just how absurdly powerful the angel's buff was.

"Sky Island is so peaceful."

"They say the races are popular these days. Shall we go take a look?"

"Oppa. Do we really have time for that?"

Ryu Da-young scolded Ryu Tae-su.

"My apologies. I said something foolish."

"No... It's fine to just mention it. Don't be so hard on him."

"...?"

Ryu Da-young tilted her head in confusion. Then she spoke again.

"You can scold him if you want."

"Scold him? Who am I to scold him?"

"???"

As Ryu Da-young stared with a face full of bewilderment, Lee Da-bi asked:

"Is something wrong?"

"From what I've heard... Kim Tae-hyun is extremely strict about these things. I heard that if his teammates slack off, he whips them into shape ruthlessly..."

"Huh? He's not like that at all."

Of course, once Tae-hyun entered a dungeon or started hunting, he ran wild like a madman, but fundamentally, he was a very considerate person who looked out for his party members. Compared to some gaming teams that dragged their players around to various broadcasts and events purely for profit without a shred of consideration, Tae-hyun was incredibly accommodating!

"But I saw Cain's interview..."

"Ah. You can completely ignore Cain's interviews."

"!?"

Ryu Da-young was taken aback by Lee Da-bi's flat dismissal. Before coming here, she had watched Cain's interview and braced herself, thinking, Ah, I see. Is that the kind of harsh training required to achieve ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠such results?

The flying Garuda warriors did not live in clustered cities like the kingdoms of the continent. Instead, they built their cities and castles atop massive, solid cloud formations.

The Garuda Kingdom was a collection of dozens of these floating cloud masses!

"I've heard a lot about the Garuda Kingdom..."

As a top-tier ranker, Lee Se-yeon had heard plenty about it as well. It was said to have many undiscovered dungeons, powerful monsters, and unique quests!

Of course, Lee Se-yeon had no intention of changing her class now, but she couldn't help but feel intrigued.

"I heard the Garuda warriors are so violent they're basically on par with an evil god's cult."

"They're not as bad as you'd think."

Lee Da-bi shared the information reported by the Power Warrior explorers. The members of the Power Warrior guild were like mold—they had a knack for sprouting up absolutely everywhere.

"Basically, as long as you earn their recognition, they don't really care if you wander around. Besides, everyone here is high-level, right?"

Everyone nodded. They were all either past level 300 or rapidly approaching it!

...Well, except for Tae-hyun, but since he ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠had already earned the recognition of the Garuda warriors, it didn't matter.

"Can we relax a bit inside the kingdom, then?"

"Yes. Probably."

Clang—

"?"

Boom! Crash! Bang!

—Take this! The power of my Steam Cannon!

—Foolish whelp. Did you honestly think you could defeat my Rocket Hammer?

—Urgh. Curse you! Where on earth did you get a weapon like that?!

"...What are they doing?" Tae-hyun muttered blankly.

Since it was their festival period, it made sense that they were beating each other up. And because they were all high-level, they didn't die easily even from direct hits.

But...

Why are they fighting with mechanical engineering gear?

—Are those new adventurers? They look quite strong. Strong enough to earn entry into the Garuda Kingdom.

Just as Lee Da-bi had predicted, the party passed the test with ease.

But Tae-hyun was a different story.

—Wait, what?! It's that adventurer! That adventurer!

—What? You mean the adventurer who designed these weapons is him?!

—Don't let him get away! I'm going first!

The Garuda warriors, who had been locked in fierce combat just moments ago, suddenly froze. Then, they began stampeding toward Tae-hyun.