A Cure, a Cauldron, and a Captive Audience

While the three of them chatted, the Valley of Despair and Sorrow finally came into view in the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠distance. And swarming right in front of it was a massive crowd of people!

"Huh? Why are there so many players?" Lee Da-bi asked, blinking in surprise.

"I'd like to think it's because Pelmas has been doing a stellar job managing the territory in my absence, but..." Tae-hyun trailed off.

Normally, that was exactly how it should be. If a territory prospered while its lord was away, it meant the NPC left in charge had done an exemplary job. But Tae-hyun knew better. When it came to Pelmas, a booming territory in his absence was a massive red flag.

What did that bastard pull this time?

As they drew closer, the voices of the players began to drift over to them.

"Hey, is it true we can actually cure the plague curse here?"

"I'm telling you, it's true! I heard it straight from the source. The acting lord NPC here is selling spring water that can cure the curse. Besides, this is Kim Tae-hyun's territory. Would they really lie in a place like this?"

"But why haven't I seen anything about this on the forums?"

"The world exists outside the forums, my friend. Real information is obtained by pounding the pavement. There are already so many people here—why would anyone want to invite more competition?"

"Ugh, can we move it along? The line is huge!"

"Hey, if you haven't accumulated contribution points in this territory, you won't even get a drop of that spring water anyway!"

"..." Lee Da-bi, watching from the side, could only marvel. A masterclass in business, courtesy of an NPC.

Tae-hyun clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white. He strode forward.

"Hey, what the hell? Get in line! Can't you see the queue?"

"I've been waiting here forever, this is so annoying... Wait, huh? It's Kim Tae-hyun!"

"What?! Kim Tae-hyun?!" The news of Tae-hyun's arrival rippled through the crowd like wildfire.

"Tae-hyun! Please, sell me some of that spring water!"

"I'll bind my resurrection point here and only hunt in this area from now on! Just please give me some spring water! I can't do anything because of this damn plague curse!"

"Kim Tae-hyun! Look over here! Why are you just ignoring us?!"

Slam!

"Pelmas!"

"Ah, you have returned, Lord Tae-hyun!" Pelmas greeted him with a bright, confident smile. His sheer lack of shame only fueled Tae-hyun's rage.

"What kind of fraudulent spring water are you peddling out there?!"

"Ack! Gasp... I-I didn't lie! I only said the curse might be cured!"

"If the acting lord NPC says something like that, of course the players are going to believe it, you absolute bastard!"

If some shady rogue NPC in a back alley said something like that, players would naturally be suspicious. But when the NPC sitting in the lord's manor said, "If you drink this spring water, the plague curse might be lifted... or it might not," players had no choice but to cling to that hope.

Being choked by the collar, Pelmas flailed his arms wildly. "I-I was only doing what I could to help..."

"And why is it that the only thing you can do is run scams?!"

"Even if you scold me... everyone else does this too!"

"Who is 'everyone else'?"

"If you look at the shops around the casinos, aren't all those luck-boosting charms sold exactly like this?!"

"Look at this bastard, still running his mouth..." Ed-an pointed a finger at Pelmas and clicked his tongue.

"He has always been like this, Lord Tae-hyun."

"You traitorous rat! Is our friendship only worth this much to you?!" Pelmas barked back.

"Don't try to act close to me! You just dragged Lord Tae-hyun's stellar reputation through the mud!"

Tae-hyun sighed, speaking from the very depths of his soul. "I honestly wish both of you would just vanish from the face of the earth."

"..."

"..."

"The only saving grace here is that I actually brought back a real cure for the curse."

"!" "I knew it! I never doubted you for a second, Lord Tae-hyun!"

"You, shut your mouth."

It was a stroke of absolute luck that Tae-hyun had returned with the cure. If this scam had gone on any longer, the players would have caught on. Rumors like, Wait, why hasn't a single person actually been cured? This is a scam! would have destroyed his reputation.

I already have a massive headache because of Lee Se-yeon...

He had a mountain of tasks piling up. First, he needed to sort out the territory's affairs. Then, he had to return to Saruon, show him the plague curse, and claim his reward—the Engineering secret skill. If it weren't for the upcoming Arena Pro League, he could have taken his time, but with the match already scheduled, he had to wrap everything up as quickly as possible.

"First, pour this into the plaza fountain. It will turn the water into a cure for the plague curse. And... only distribute it to players who are registered residents of this territory or those who have officially joined the Archisus Church."

"A truly brilliant strategy, my Lord!"

"Quiet."

A barrage of system messages flooded his vision. Managing an entire religious order was no joke. Furthermore, those newly completed structures were clearly things Pelmas had thrown together while Tae-hyun was away!

A "Blessing Shop"? No matter how I look at it, that's just a lottery ticket booth... Let's not think too deeply about this.

Tae-hyun decided to let it go. At the end of the day, gold was piling up, the territory was developing nicely, and the Archisus Church was successfully expanding its influence. As long as no major disasters struck, the future looked incredibly bright.

Of course, there's absolutely no way a disaster won't strike...

The universe was always fair in its own twisted way. If you sowed chaos, you eventually had to reap the consequences. What Tae-hyun feared most right now was the wrath of the demons. From Edaor to Adad, whom he had recently met and thoroughly swindled in the Demon Realm—if they ever discovered the truth, it wouldn't be surprising if they marched an army straight to his doorstep. He needed to prepare as much as possible before that day arrived to have any peace of mind.

Ugh, this territory and church are absolute money pits.

Even though Tae-hyun didn't spend gold frivolously, his coffers always felt empty. Constructing a single, basic building easily swallowed tens of thousands of gold. It was a miracle that Pelmas was scraping together funds through all sorts of underhanded, borderline evil methods; otherwise, Tae-hyun would have been completely broke. There was a very good reason why other players only managed territories at the guild level.

First, I'll set up the plague-curing fountain in the plaza, and then I'll install the thing I brought back from the Erance Kingdom.

Tae-hyun rummaged through his inventory and pulled out a massive item. It was a gift from the King of Erance, who had praised him as a legendary gourmet. Of course, the process of acquiring it had involved a tiny bit of fraud, but...

It was a colossal cauldron, large enough to easily fit several grown men inside. Carrying it around put a severe strain on his inventory's weight limit, and since installing it took considerable time, it had to be placed permanently. It was a rare, coveted artifact ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠that any professional chef player would drool over... but Tae-hyun planned to just plop it down right in the middle of the plaza.

I need to give this territory some unique landmarks, even if it's like this.

Compared to the continent's major metropolises, Tae-hyun's territory was tiny and severely lacking in infrastructure. To entice players to visit and actually spend their time here, he needed a unique selling point. Right now, his only real draw was the Archisus Church. While it didn't cater to any specific class, the Luck stat it boosted yielded all sorts of bizarre, unexpected benefits. In fact, a decent number of crafters had already set up shop in the Valley of Despair and Sorrow, hoping to strike gold with high-luck crafting.

In other words, the core concept of the Valley of Despair and Sorrow was...

Wait, isn't this just catering to degenerate gamblers?

He briefly wondered how on earth his territory had devolved into a haven for gamblers, but deciding that ignorance was bliss, he quickly pushed the thought aside.

"T-The plague curse! It's gone!!"

"Are you serious?!"

"It wasn't a scam?!"

"See? I told you! An NPC in a lord's castle would never lie!"

"..." Feeling a slight prick of conscience, Tae-hyun silently went about installing his cauldron. Normally, the crowd would have swarmed him, but the players were so thoroughly sick of the plague curse that they only had eyes for the fountain.

"Hey! Move it! Hurry up!"

"Stop pushing! There are people in front of you!"

The perfect spot for the cauldron was right next ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to the fountain. Tae-hyun was about to step back after setting it up, but then he paused.

Wait. If I use the water from that fountain to cook, won't that count toward my cooking skill?

He had a brand-new royal cauldron, and a massive crowd of desperate players who would eat literally anything to cure themselves...

Tae-hyun's eyes gleamed with a predatory light. This was the ultimate win-win scenario. He could cure their curses and grind his skills at the same time!

"What on earth is he doing...?"

Lee Se-yeon stared at her monitor, her expression a mix of sheer disbelief and bewilderment. She was currently watching a video uploaded by players who had flocked to Tae-hyun's territory.

"He really never changes," Lee Se-yeon muttered, shaking her head.

She had clicked on the video wondering if he would be stressed or acting differently now that he had been practically blackmailed into participating in the Arena Pro League. Yet, there he was, completely unfazed, silently stirring a giant pot in the middle of the plaza. It was a display of sheer, unshakeable focus—the gaming equivalent of Even if the world ends tomorrow, I will plant my apple tree today.

He's exactly the same as he was in Pan-On 1.

Usually, once a player reached his level of fame and power, they found such tedious grinding beneath them. But not Tae-hyun. He was still hungry for every scrap of experience. His dedication to min-maxing his skill levels was downright terrifying.

But why do the people eating his food look like they just chewed on garbage? Tae-hyun's cooking skill is supposed to be decent. Is it because it's a special recipe for curing curses?

The answer, of course, lay in his Abnormal Cooking skill. Tae-hyun was ruthlessly exploiting a captive audience of desperate players, using them as lab rats to rapidly grind his most bizarre cooking sub-skill.

"!" For Tae-hyun, who relied heavily on luck-based evasion, unavoidable status ailments and curses had always been a glaring weakness. This title was the perfect countermeasure to patch up that vulnerability!

Damn right. After all the crap I went through, this is the bare minimum they should give me!

With the Arena Pro League looming on the horizon, this title was a godsend—a sweet drop of rain in the middle of a drought.

"Tae-hyun! Thank you so much!"

"I'm finally free of this damn plague! You're a lifesaver!"

"By the way, a streamer named Jekas has been telling everyone that you're the legendary Kim Tae-hyun from Pan-On 1. Is that actually true?"

Tae-hyun's face instantly hardened into a mask of solemn gravity.

"That guy is just bitter because I beat him to the cure. He's spreading malicious slander to ruin my reputation. Don't listen to a word he says."

"I knew it! What a petty loser, haha!"