A Rather Unfortunate Name
"Don't you have some kind of skill?"
"Huh?"
"I mean, you're an Avatar of Archisus's Slave, so surely you have at least one skill to find Tae-hyun."
"...!"
Cain was startled by Lee Da-bi's words. It was true. His class was deeply connected to Tae-hyun, the Pope of the Archisus Church. Naturally, he had such a skill.
Why did I forget about it? Cain tilted his head in confusion and opened his skill window. He couldn't understand why it had slipped his mind.
Locates the position of the supreme authority of the Archisus Church.
By paying a designated price, the user can immediately teleport to their side.
...Ah. I forgot because the skill name was so awful. The moment he saw the name, the reason came rushing back! It was a skill name he desperately wanted to strike from his memory.
While Cain and Lee Da-bi wandered around searching for Tae-hyun, the heat in the plaza was growing more intense by the second. A fiery culinary battle among the chefs! The cooking was finally nearing its end.
"Done!"
"I'm finished as well!"
"Completed!"
One by one, the chef players raised their hands and shouted. If their skills were on par, finishing first could grant a speed bonus.
However, Paz, Chao, and Ju Hyeon-yeong remained cautious. They focused on their dishes until the very last second.
Finishing early just for a tiny time bonus is foolish.
I've already rigged the ingredients anyway. There's no need to obsess over a petty bonus.
I must do my absolute best until the end. Forget about those bonuses.
Three people, three different mindsets. Though their reasons differed, their approaches were similar. Ruining the quality of a dish for a meager time bonus was pure stupidity! The basics were always what mattered most.
"...Done!"
"Finished."
"I'm finished too."
Clap, clap, clap, clap—
As the players finished their dishes, the NPCs began to applaud. Tae-hyun stood still for a moment, then quickly joined in the clapping after reading the room.
"..."
Watching this, Ju Hyeon-yeong shot him a lukewarm, unimpressed look. For some reason, Tae-hyun felt a prick of pain from her gaze. But business was business! He immediately set his plan into motion. *Clatter—*
"...?"
As Tae-hyun abruptly stood up from his seat, the eyes of the other NPCs gathered on him.
"Your Majesty, if I may be so bold, might I taste the dishes first?"
"And why is that, Baron Terand?"
"First, to test for any potential poison. Of course, the chefs assembled here are all trustworthy, but if even a single drop of poison were to enter Your Majesty's body... *sniffle!*" Tae-hyun brought a hand to his eyes, choking up. However, Ju Hyeon-yeong saw it clear as day—Tae-hyun quickly dabbing a drop of water under his eyes!
• You possess the Advanced Rhetoric skill. You receive an additional bonus to your disguise.
• You have successfully deceived your target. Your Speech skill has increased.
• The King of Erance is deeply moved.
The King of Erance was absolutely delighted. At this point, Tae-hyun actually felt it was a bit of a waste to have infiltrated this place disguised as Baron Terand. No matter how much effort Tae-hyun put in, wouldn't all the credit ultimately go to Baron Terand anyway?
"And the second reason is that I wish to taste the dishes before they are formally served on the table. To truly understand the value of a dish, one must taste it before it is plated."
"Is that so?"
How should I know! Tae-hyun had simply spouted some plausible-sounding nonsense, but the King nodded in awe, muttering, "Ah, is that so?" As long as it sounded somewhat reasonable, it worked!
Tae-hyun wondered what would happen if he raised his Advanced Rhetoric skill to level 10 and evolved it to the next tier. It felt so powerful that he might be able to grab a random stranger, say, "I am your father," and have them actually believe it!
"Your Majesty! Giving such a privilege to Baron Terand alone is..."
The NPC who had picked a fight with Tae-hyun earlier (Tae-hyun still didn't even know this noble's name) raised his hand in protest. He was clearly jealous of Tae-hyun hogging all the attention.
But the King silenced him with a single wave of his hand. "Enough. I have permitted it."
"Yes, Sire..."
"Baron Terand, go ahead and taste them. I am curious to hear your review."
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
Tae-hyun strode confidently toward the players. They all watched him with tense expressions.
"First..."
Tae-hyun stood before the first player, taking his time and acting pompous. Since these were chef players who had made it all the way to this stage, their culinary skills were guaranteed. Aside from making Ju Hyeon-yeong take first place, he was going to gobble up some stat bonuses by eating their food!
• You have consumed Red Dragon Tail Steak.
• Your Constitution has permanently increased by 15.
• Your Fire Resistance has permanently increased by 5%.
• [...]
• [...]
• You have received the Dragon's Vitality buff.
• Tasting an outstanding chef's dish has increased your Cooking skill.
• Your Cooking skill is insufficient to obtain the complete recipe.
Delicious! The moment he chewed, he felt a powerful, springy texture. The seasoning was perfect, and the complex layers of flavor unfolded beautifully. It wasn't just a matter of culinary skill; it was obvious they had used incredibly high-quality ingredients.
Well, they did use Red Dragon tail meat... so the other ingredients must be spectacular too. Tae-hyun felt a slight pang of self-reflection. The players here weren't just Chao, Paz, and Ju Hyeon-yeong. The other chef players had also come to this stage with their own fierce determination! None of them had come here to back down easily.
Right. I must also do my best to—
"Too salty."
The atmosphere instantly froze! The chef who heard Tae-hyun's "too salty" verdict looked utterly dumbfounded. This was a criticism they hadn't even heard back when their Cooking skill was at the Beginner rank! To hear "too salty" instead of "delicious"!
"Excuse me?!"
"I said, it's salty."
Of course, it wasn't salty at all. Tae-hyun had thoroughly enjoyed it. However, what mattered right now was keeping a straight face and being utterly shameless. If he wanted to make Ju Hyeon-yeong take first place? I just have to crush every other player! He was a villain through and through!
Furthermore, Tae-hyun had no intention of stopping at mere slander. While claiming it was salty might work as a temporary distraction, the truth would be revealed the moment the others tasted it. He had to turn his lie into reality. *Swish—* Tae-hyun's hand moved with stealthy precision! No one could have ever anticipated that a noble NPC serving as a judge would actively sabotage the chefs' dishes!
Tae-hyun saw right through the players' lowered guard. A tiny pinch of salt fell onto the steak! But this was no ordinary pinch of salt. It carried the effects of Tae-hyun's Lucky Cooking skill, his standard Cooking skill, and most powerful of all... his Abnormal Cooking skill!
• You possess the Abnormal Cooking skill. A tiny amount of ingredients can drastically alter the dish's effects.
• You have successfully altered the taste of the dish. Your Cooking skill has increased.
• Your Abnormal Cooking skill has increased significantly.
• Your Infamy has increased.
• Continuing to create abnormal dishes may attract the attention of other Bizarre Chefs.
...? Tae-hyun was momentarily taken aback. Bizarre Chefs. That sounded like a group he wanted absolutely nothing to do with! I really, really don't want to meet them! Yet, Tae-hyun knew all too well. These kinds of people always found a way to seek him out, no matter how much he wished otherwise. Just like Pelmas or those Tyrum Hunters!
"That absolute rascal...!"
Chairman Yoo groaned, rubbing his lower back. The impact of the rabbit that had slammed into him earlier still seemed to linger. By now, he knew with absolute certainty—he had been completely and utterly scammed by Tae-hyun! That brat! Just you wait!
Chairman Yoo knew all too well that in the gaming world, the one who got tricked was the fool. Throwing a tantrum over this would only make him look even more ridiculous.
"Oh, mister. Are you still here?"
The players who had helped Chairman Yoo earlier spotted him and called out. Chairman Yoo blushed and replied, "I, I got taken down by a rabbit..." It was deeply embarrassing to admit! However, the players didn't laugh. They had already experienced it themselves!
"Those rabbits are crazy strong, right?"
"Yeah, we've died to them a few times too."
"...?!"
What kind of rabbit was so absurdly overpowered? Chairman Yoo fell into deep confusion as he listened to them.
"Normally, beginners are supposed to party up... but honestly, you barely see any newbies in Tyrum City these days."
"...?"
"Word got out, so everyone avoids starting here."
"..."
"So, unless they were scammed into coming here like you, mister... Ah, sorry."
"...No, it's fine. I was indeed scammed, so feel free to speak plainly."
"Right. Since there are no beginners starting here other than those who got tricked, it's pretty hard to find a party."
Having said that, the two players looked at each other.
"Mister, do you just want to join our party?"
"Yeah. We can power-level you to level 10 so you can leave for another town."
What tear-jerking camaraderie! Simply because they had all started in Tyrum City, these two players were showing Chairman Yoo boundless kindness. Chairman Yoo was deeply moved. What admirable young lads...!
He was so touched that if he met them in real life, he would have hired them on the spot! Of course, the two players had absolutely no idea that the middle-aged elf standing before them was the chairman of a massive conglomerate.
"No! I will not leave this place."
"???"
"Then what are you going to do?"
"I shall go to the mountain in the back and fish."
"?????"
The two players had no way of knowing that Chairman Yoo was incredibly stubborn when he wanted to be!
Now that he had landed in Tyrum City, Chairman Yoo wanted to achieve spectacular success right here and rub it in Tae-hyun's face! "Uh, mister, that's a bit..."
"Yeah, you'd really be better off going to another city."
"No! I will do it here."
Seeing his unyielding determination, the two players gave up trying to persuade him.
"In that case, we'll at least escort you to the lake."
"That's the least we can do. We still think it's better if you go somewhere else, though..."
"...You boys...!"
Chairman Yoo's eyes welled with tears of gratitude. He couldn't remember the last time he had been this deeply moved. If he had to compare, maybe when he received a birthday letter from Yu Ji-soo?
"By the way, have you two found jobs yet?"
"Huh? What do you mean by that?"
The two players laughed it off, assuming the older man was just joking. *Thwack! Thump, thwack!* The lunging rabbits were swiftly dispatched, and the trio headed straight toward the lake on the back mountain.
"Too bitter."
"!!!!"
"Too sour."
"??!?!?!?"
When the first chef player had been humiliated by Tae-hyun, the others had simply thought, What an idiot, making a mistake like that.
However, when three players in a row received harsh criticism, they finally began to realize. It wasn't that the players were making mistakes—there was something seriously wrong with this noble NPC doing the tasting! Why is he so ridiculously picky?Ah, he must be the designated 'harsh critic' NPC for this evaluation.
Though flustered, the chef players quickly adapted. The quests required to reach this stage had been grueling and difficult. They wouldn't let a single picky noble NPC shake them. Actually, this is fine. I just need to win over this noble.We can just ignore that noble's harsh reviews. As long as we satisfy the other nobles and the King's palate, that's all that matters.
Little did they know that Tae-hyun was systematically ruining every single dish as he walked down the line! Finally, Tae-hyun stood before Chao. Although they had crossed paths several times before, Chao didn't recognize him at all. He merely stared at Tae-hyun with an expression brimming with pride and confidence! Taste my dish! It is on a completely different level from the others!
Tae-hyun carefully took a spoonful of the dish and put it in his mouth. "Pffft-blegh-gack!" He spat the food to the side and began rolling around on the floor.