Cooking with Holy Water
"Holy water cuisine! I'm going to make holy water cuisine!"
Even though a mountain of church-related quests was piled high, Tae-hyun was busy preparing a single bowl of soup.
A soup with almost no seasoning. However, eating it somehow makes you feel like your luck will improve.
◈ Effect: Upon consumption, 50% chance to temporarily increase Luck.
Diluting the holy water by mixing it into the soup to increase the quantity! In this manner, Tae-hyun was completely engrossed in raising his cooking skill and Holy stat.
"Lord Tae-hyun, Lord Tae-hyun."
"Can't you see I'm busy right now?"
"..."
Pelmas and Rufo looked at Tae-hyun with dubious expressions.
Standing in front of a cauldron wearing a chef's hat and apron! No matter how one looked at him, he seemed a far cry from the Pope of the Archisus Church.
"Well... I'm not entirely sure if that counts as being 'busy,' but a visitor has arrived."
"Who is it?"
"They say he's an envoy from the Demer Order."
"Pfft!"
Tae-hyun spat out the holy water he was tasting. Thanks to that, Cain, who was assisting him by his side, took the holy water directly to the face.
"Hey!"
"That's good for your luck, you punk."
"It's dirty, you bastard!"
Ignoring Cain's protests, Tae-hyun looked at Pelmas.
"An envoy from the Demer Order?"
"Yes."
"Really the Demer Order?"
"Yes, indeed...?"
Pelmas wondered why Tae-hyun was reacting like this. The envoy from the Demer Order didn't look particularly threatening.
But to Tae-hyun, who had a guilty conscience, they were highly concerning!
"Where are they?"
The envoy from the Demer Order was sitting peacefully on a chair in front of the Archisus Temple. Sitting there with two paladins, the scene was the very definition of peace itself.
However, Tae-hyun watched them with extremely wary eyes.
Did this guy eat something bad?
Cain, who was following behind Tae-hyun, thought to himself as he observed Tae-hyun's attitude. And it didn't stop there.
Wait, don't tell me this bastard did something to the Demer Order too?!
If it was Tae-hyun, it was entirely possible. Since he had already pulled an eat-and-run with the sacred ring from the Sadiq Church, there was no reason he couldn't do the same to the Demer Order.
"Ah, Count Kim Tae-hyun!"
The Demer priest greeted Tae-hyun with a welcoming voice. A warm and polite attitude! However, Tae-hyun treated them with extreme caution.
"I've heard the rumors. You've been performing magnificent deeds lately."
The Demer priest was referring to Sadiq's Flame in the Auston Kingdom and how Tae-hyun had extinguished it. However, to Tae-hyun's guilty ears, it sounded like: "How dare you kick our order out of the Auston Kingdom!"
"It wasn't my choice, the prince there made me do it..."
"Haha, how humble! As expected, Count Kim Tae-hyun is truly magnificent."
The Demer priest clapped his hands repeatedly, praising Tae-hyun. However, Tae-hyun's expression grew darker and darker.
Once a misunderstanding took root, everything sounded like sarcasm!
Pelmas, Cain, and the others wondered why Tae-hyun was acting like this. No matter how they thought about it, it was just a friendly conversation.
"Count Kim Tae-hyun. Do you know why we have come here?"
"I have an idea."
"Heavens! As expected of Count Kim Tae-hyun! I heard you possess insight on a completely different level from ordinary people, and indeed, the rumors were true. This will make our conversation much quicker."
Tae-hyun answered coldly. He had gone through so much trouble in the Auston Kingdom, and he had no intention of backing down. The state religion of the Auston Kingdom was the Archisus Church alone!
"I'm sorry, but I am always prepared. I have absolutely no intention of backing down."
"C-Count Kim Tae-hyun...! Indeed, you are a true hero!"
The Demer priest grabbed Tae-hyun's hand, deeply moved. By this point, even Tae-hyun realized something was off.
This isn't how an enemy reacts.
"To think you would volunteer to participate even before we mentioned the rewards... I, Haron, am deeply moved! The stories about Count Kim Tae-hyun were indeed true!"
• Haron of the Demer Order is deeply moved by your heroism.
• Haron's affinity has increased. Your reputation within the Demer Order has risen.
• The relationship between the Demer Order and the Archisus Church has improved.
...Damn it. Choi Sang-yun, that bastard!
Choi Sang-yun had made him worry for nothing with his useless warnings. Thanks to that, Tae-hyun had played the entire orchestra, jumped to conclusions, and swallowed the bait hook, line, and sinker all by himself!
Tae-hyun smacked his lips and asked, "Tell me the details."
"Pardon? But you said you already knew..."
"Ah, just let me hear it again!"
"Ah, I understand."
The God-Eating Monster
There is a legend on the continent about a monster that devours gods. Having suffered immense damage from this monster in the past, the Demer Order has always kept a close eye on its movements.
Having detected signs of the monster's awakening, the Demer Order is gathering a subjugation force to seal it once more.
As someone who has already averted numerous continental crises, you are more than qualified to join the subjugation force. Of course, even if you do not wish to join, the other religious orders are unlikely to leave a hero like you alone.
🎁 Reward: ?, ??, ???, Archisus's Earring (prepared by the Demer Order)
Putting aside the fact that the quest description felt somewhat unpleasant, Tae-hyun checked the rewards first.
"What is Archisus's Earring?"
"It is an earring kept by our order, once worn by a past Avatar of Archisus. Isn't it a meaningful item for you, Count?"
Tae-hyun crooked his finger at Pelmas. Pelmas rushed over. Tae-hyun whispered so only Pelmas could hear.
"It's an Authority, right?"
"It is indeed an Authority. I had no idea the Demer Order possessed it..."
"Why on earth did this god scatter his Authorities all over the place? Would it have killed him to bury them all in one easy-to-find spot?"
Tae-hyun grumbled as he checked the quest details. A quest that all religious orders on the continent could participate in. It looked incredibly difficult.
What is the quest rank?
Quest Rank: Legendary
"..."
The atmosphere suddenly turned freezing cold! The warmly smiling Demer priest now looked like the God of Death.
The God-Eating Monster... Ah, I have a bad feeling about this.
Monsters had their own unique traits. Some possessed skills that made you wish you had just died first.
Level drain skills that absorb EXP or levels, seal skills that lock specific class skills, or curse skills that destroy or disable equipped items. Fighting these monsters could result in a net loss even if you won. Best to avoid them!
Naturally, dangerous monsters like these came with advance warnings—rumors, related books, and the like.
And the nickname of the monster they were going to hunt was "The God-Eating Monster." No matter how one looked at it, it was highly likely to have a penalty skill related to the Holy stat!
Ah, seriously. Of all things, why does the Authority have to be there...
He wanted to send Ed-an to steal it, but Ed-an wasn't omnipotent. The Demer Order wasn't a pushover either. Moreover, the Demer Order surprisingly didn't seem to hold any ill will toward Tae-hyun, even though they had been kicked out of the Auston Kingdom!
The Demer Order is a relatively moderate faction, but... could it be that the other orders don't hold a grudge either?
Tae-hyun suddenly felt a glimmer of hope.
"Is it true, Su-hyeok?"
"Yeah. I got permission."
His friends looked at Jeong Su-hyeok with sparkling eyes!
"When and where are we meeting?"
"Are we meeting in-game?"
"Ah, no. We can't meet right this second..."
They were excited for one reason: they could meet Kim Tae-hyun!
They were players who had staked their lives on Pan-On. Fantasy Online was what had massively expanded the pro-gaming market.
With an overwhelming player base, diverse content, and endless possibilities, Pan-On felt like an inexhaustible spring. For those dreaming of becoming pro gamers, Pan-On was a utopia they could never give up.
In fact, many pro gamers from other games were migrating to Pan-On in droves. The problem was that competition was becoming fiercer.
Even in Korea, there were many famous players, and globally, there were far more. For aspiring pros like them, becoming a famous player was a dream.
Even without mentioning Tae-hyun, Jeong Su-hyeok—who hung out with Tae-hyun—was already an object of envy!
"Right now, I'm in Uruk, so we can't meet in-game."
"What? The Uruk Region?!"
"Are you active there?"
"Yeah, why?"
"Isn't it dangerous there?"
"Yeah. I heard Orcs attack you the moment you pass by."
"There are no towns, so if you make one wrong move, you're dead."
There were information posts about the Uruk Region on Pan-On community sites. Of course, detailed and highly useful information was kept hidden, but general info was enough for people to know what kind of place it was.
Su-hyeok didn't know, but the primitive human tribe in the Uruk Region was designated as a faction to avoid by other players.
"R-Really? It wasn't that hard for me..."
"What? Seriously?"
"As expected of Su-hyeok!"
His friends looked at Jeong Su-hyeok with even more envious eyes. Just how skilled was he to survive in the Uruk Region like that?
In reality, it was only possible because he had maxed out his affinity with the primitive human tribe in the Uruk Region. Towns where players could buy items and rest were incredibly rare there. Moreover, it was packed with high-level Mage NPCs who could help Su-hyeok!
"Tell me how. How can we roam around the Uruk Region?"
"Yeah. I have a material gathering quest that requires me to get something from Uruk."
"Well... first..."
Deceive another religious order to get to the Uruk Region, then slip away secretly. Next, find the chieftain of the primitive tribe in Uruk and win them over with unique magic. After that, participate in the Orc army as their substitute and heavily injure the Orc Great Chieftain. Then, the tribe there will absolutely love you.
...I can't exactly tell them that!
Jeong Su-hyeok regained his senses. It was an absolutely absurd method!
"Well... just raise your level..."
It was a useless piece of advice, but surprisingly, his friends took it seriously. That was how high Su-hyeok's status was to them.
"True, we aren't at the level to enter that place yet."
"We need to hit level 100 quickly. I heard all the rankers are past 100?"
"Some top-tier rankers are even approaching level 200."
"Really? Isn't that just a rumor? How can anyone hit 200 already?"
"They're rankers for a reason. The top-tier ones aren't human. Personally, I think Kim Tae-hyun is probably close to 200 too."
If Tae-hyun had heard this, he would have smacked them on the back of their heads.
Top-tier rankers rarely revealed their information unless necessary. Thanks to that, people let their imaginations run wild.
"By the way, how did you meet Kim Tae-hyun? In-game?"
"No, he's my university senior."
"Huh?"
"There's a person like that?"
"..."
Indeed, Tae-hyun was the ultimate loner.