A Recipe for Disaster

Every time he swung his sword, a terrifying sound effect echoed. Boom! Crash! Clang!

Anyone watching would have thought a group of high-ranking mages had gathered to rain ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠down area-of-effect spells. That was how terrifying and powerful Tae-hyun's newly acquired secret swordsmanship skill was.

The only problem was that it dealt damage indiscriminately to both allies and enemies alike! On top of that, a single mistake would cause the skill to turn around and attack Tae-hyun himself. It wasn't just a double-edged sword; it was more like a sword where the back edge was honed to a lethal sharpness!

Lee Da-bi is behind me. Lee Da-bi is behind me...

Tae-hyun repeatedly reminded himself of her presence. If it had been Cain, Heuk-heuk, or Carbanog back there, he wouldn't have cared in the slightest, but he absolutely could not let Lee Da-bi get hurt.

Even if it was currently accompanying the Avatar without a physical body, how could it speak so bluntly? However, Tae-hyun ignored it and focused.

Timing! Swordsmanship was all about timing. He had to activate the skill at the precise moment amidst the dizzying, high-speed movements.

Because the difficulty was so absurdly high, even Tae-hyun, who was incredibly confident in his mechanical control, used it while fully prepared to fail a few times.

Yet, incredibly, not a single failure notification popped up as he unleashed his assault on the Kaojedacha. It was a display of control bordering on a miracle!

"Tae-hyun, why, on, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠earth, do, you, only, get, skills, like, this?!"

Lee Da-bi's voice shook violently, buffeted by Yong-yong's acrobatic maneuvers and the explosions detonating in every direction. It was enough to induce severe motion sickness!

"I didn't do anything wrong. I'm pretty sure the Pan-On system is just trying to screw with me."

"I'm, not, so, sure, about, that..."

"Attack! Kim Tae-hyun has completely locked it down!"

Lee Se-yeon began shouting commands in Tae-hyun's stead. The Kaojedacha was enduring the onslaught with its monstrous durability, but that was its limit. Under Tae-hyun's relentless barrage, it couldn't break free from the stun lock.

"Kim Tae-hyun! Can you keep triggering those explosions to keep it stunned?"

"Are you seriously asking me that?" Tae-hyun retorted, dumbfounded.

She wanted him to single-handedly chain explosions against this giant raid boss to keep it stun-locked and prevent it from recovering? Just because she was a mage, she thought she could demand the impossible from a melee damage dealer.

"Is that too much after all? Got it! Fall back!"

"No, I can do it."

Slash! Tae-hyun swung his sword even as he spoke, activating his skills in tandem.

"..."

"..."

Everyone watching stared at Tae-hyun in sheer disbelief. He had just complained! It was utterly ridiculous how he could grumble, "Are you seriously asking me that?" and then pull it off as if it were the easiest thing in the world.

"As expected of Kim Tae-hyun!" Ryu Tae-su exclaimed in admiration, unleashing his own attacks. Lee Se-yeon simply nodded, as if she had anticipated this all along.

"I knew you could do it."

"No... you're really not supposed to ask this of people, okay? Don't go around demanding this from other damage dealers."

"But you did it anyway."

"..."

For once, Tae-hyun was left speechless. Well, she wasn't wrong...

Is it really okay for them to be chatting like this in the middle of a fight? Ryu Da-young thought to herself as she poured on the damage.

Even while bickering with Lee Se-yeon, Tae-hyun was maintaining a flawless lock on the Kaojedacha. The once-terrifying sky monster was stumbling blindly, utterly helpless amidst the non-stop explosions detonating around it!

Even in the heat of battle, Tae-hyun didn't forget to buff his party. With Tae-hyun, the Avatar of Archisus, and Lee Da-bi, the Golden Bishop of the Archisus Church, combining their divine powers, the resulting buffs were nothing short of absurd.

Every religious order had its own specialty. Some focused on healing, others on defense, and some on raw offense. The Archisus Church, however, was an order entirely dedicated to Luck.

"...!"

"!"

Ryu Tae-su and Ryu Da-young gasped, stunned by the bizarre effects they had never witnessed in any other party. The blessings of Archisus were truly on another level!

Critical hits and evasions are one thing, but resetting skill cooldowns...?

And how on earth are we getting loot drops from a monster that isn't even dead yet?!

They had heard plenty of rumors about the Archisus Church, but experiencing its effects firsthand was mind-boggling. What kind of religion even was this...?

"Is there a problem? Focus on your attacks!"

"No, sir!"

A barrage of attacks rained down upon the struggling Kaojedacha. Every single member of Tae-hyun's party was an elite ranker, and once Lee Se-yeon's undead legion joined the fray, the offensive became truly overwhelming.

"Screeeech!"

The colossal, serpent-like beast finally collapsed. Even in death, it did not plummet to the earth, instead drifting serenely in the sky.

"What should we do with that?"

"I guess we should drag it to the island first and harvest the loot."

Oh. So the Princess isn't the descendant of the Holy Knight Commander. Well, that makes sense...

Why on earth would a royal princess willingly join a shady, cult-like religion like the Archisus Church? It was completely absurd.

No carrots for a week, Carbanog.

"No way! They actually killed the Kaojedacha!"

"It's the adventurers who took down the Kaojedacha!"

"It's the Sky Blacksmith who slew the Kaojedacha!"

"...Can we please just pass through?"

"Make way! The Sky Blacksmith who slew the Kaojedacha is passing through! Everyone, clear the path!"

"Whoa! The Sky Blacksmith who slew the Kaojedacha is actually breathing!"

"They're not making fun of me, are they?"

"Aren't the NPCs just expressing their admiration?"

"No matter how I look at it, it feels like they're trolling me..."

Regardless of Tae-hyun's suspicions, the Garuda warriors were cheering with genuine enthusiasm. Meanwhile, other adventurers in the area were suddenly being scolded because of him.

"Look at those adventurers who slew the Kaojedacha! What have you lot been doing?"

"You can't even hunt a Kaojedacha, so why are you even here? How shamelessly lazy!"

"By the way, a cooking quest for the Kaojedacha just popped up."

"I suppose we should call some chefs...?"

"No need. Kim Tae-hyun has a cooking skill."

"...?" Ryu Da-young tilted her head. Just how high was his cooking skill?

"Having a high cooking skill certainly comes in handy at times like this. Bringing a chef up here would have been a massive pain anyway."

Unauthorized individuals weren't even allowed to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠land in the Garuda Palace, so recruiting an outside chef would have been nearly impossible.

"This isn't a particularly difficult quest, right?"

"Exactly. It's an easy quest, so let's breeze through it and head straight into the palace."

Tae-hyun wasn't worried at all. For starters, he was an exceptional chef with a highest-grade cooking skill. Besides, it wasn't just any ordinary skill! ...Though, in hindsight, a normal cooking skill might actually have been safer, but whatever!

I'll just slice up the meat, grill it, and serve it.

Step, step, step—

"?" Tae-hyun looked up at the sound of a crowd rushing out.

A group of ornately dressed Garuda royals had emerged and were staring intently at him.

"They slew the Kaojedacha?"

"Yes! And they have offered to cook the Kaojedacha themselves."

"The Kaojedacha's body is filled with deadly poison, making it incredibly difficult to prepare. To cook such a beast... truly remarkable."

"That man is the famous Sky Blacksmith. Surely an adventurer of his caliber can manage it?"

"Ah! If it is the Sky Blacksmith, then of course he can."

"..." Tae-hyun froze. Wait... what?

Well, since I have a highest-grade cooking skill, it should handle the poison automatically, right?

"..."

Not only was it highly toxic, but the poison was actively disrupting the preparation!

"Adventurer. Once the dish is complete, will you grant me the honor of being the first to partake?"

"No, wait..."

"Thank you! I shall look forward to it!"

The Southern Plague Zone of the Auston Kingdom.

Thanks to some lunatics detonating a Plague Bomb, it had become a hellscape that ordinary players wouldn't dare approach. Yet, the Guild Alliance and the Midas Guild had joined forces to begin colonizing this wasteland. Why?

"...That crazy bastard Smith..."

"Shh, keep your voice down."

They were constantly being pushed back by Smith. Both guilds desperately needed new territory. Although this land had been abandoned until now... they had to reclaim and secure it at all costs!

"This place is truly defiled!"

"The living cannot even draw breath here..."

The high-ranking church NPCs, hired using expensive contribution points, gasped in horror. How could such a malevolent place exist!

"Are you sure there's actually a way to purify this land?"

"Are you doubting our Guild Master? He said there is. He has a whole plan prepared."

"...Ah. I should have said 'I'm not doubting him,' but the words just wouldn't come out."

"..."

The members of the Guild Alliance bristled at the Midas Guild member's snark. Even though they secretly badmouthed Su Ning themselves, it felt completely different when someone else did it. Only they were allowed to mock their leader!

"You punks..."

"Hey, I used to be in the Guild Alliance too, you know. I've earned the right to insult Su Ning."

"Shut up, you traitor."

"By the way, is it true that the Guild Alliance is bringing in Kim Tae-hyun to recruit players? That's just a rumor, right?"

"Maybe it's not Kim Tae-hyun, but Kim Dae-hyun."

"Or maybe it's just someone else who happens to share the name Kim Tae-hyun. That's highly plausible."

"Yeah, that makes sense."

"..."

The whispering of the Midas Guild members only fueled the Guild Alliance members' rage.

"Kim Tae-hyun is coming! How many times do we have to tell you that he's actually coming?!"

Of course, no matter how much they insisted, it wasn't very convincing.

"Sure, sure. Honestly, I'm best friends with Kim Tae-hyun too."

"I actually ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠went to the same elementary school as Kim Tae-hyun."

"Aren't you American?"