A Taste of Power
"Po... Poison? No, it's not poison."
"Is that so?"
"Come on, Hyung-nim, why did you drink it so fast? You choked on it because you rushed."
"Do you really think I choked just because I drank it too fast?!"
Kim Tae-san angrily shook the soup bowl. He hadn't noticed earlier because he was just gulping it down, but the soup was green. No matter how he looked at it, it was the color of poison!
"Even if I cooked, it wouldn't look like this! Why on earth did you make this and give it to me? You... Tae-hyun ordered you to do this, didn't he?!"
A reasonable suspicion! As the burly Orcs glared at him, the chef shrank back, utterly terrified.
"N-No... That's really... a very good dish..."
"This?!"
"It only tastes like that, but the effects are amazing... If you just try a little more..."
"..."
Kim Tae-san raised the bowl again with a highly skeptical look. Then, he gulped it down.
"Kggghhhhh..."
It tasted like extremely bitter herbal medicine concentrated dozens of times over! Tae-san's hands trembled violently.
You have completely consumed the Abnormal Cooking!
You have received an additional bonus for completely consuming the Abnormal Cooking.
Strength permanently increases by 5.
Constitution permanently increases by 5.
Physical Defense is temporarily increased...
Magic Defense is temporarily increased...
Fear Resistance is temporarily increased...
"!!!"
In simple terms, this was equivalent to the stat gains of leveling up twice. And all from a single dish! On top of that, the temporary buffs were a bonus. It was clearly an incredibly precious dish.
Kim Tae-san was deeply moved and astonished at the same time. What on earth was this food?!
"This is... a truly magnificent dish. Thank you!"
"Haha... I'm so glad you're satisfied!"
As Tae-san's expression softened, the chef let out a sigh of relief. He had been genuinely terrified.
"Hyung-nim, is that dish really that delicious?"
"No. The taste is absolutely atrocious."
"...?"
"???"
"But the effects are incredibly good."
At those words, the eyes of the Orc Ahjussis sparkled. These were men who would eat any kind of grotesque thing if it was good for their health! That didn't change even in a game.
Swoosh!
Their heads whipped around, locking their gazes onto the chef.
"Do you have any more of that dish?"
"This ahjussi will pay a high price for it. Hand it over."
"Hey, watch where you're cutting in line! You're still young, punk. You're fine. Yield this to me."
T-They're terrifying...
The chef slowly backed away and said, "Um... that dish is extremely rare, so I was only able to make one."
"Argh!"
"Dammit...!"
"I should've eaten it first instead of giving it to Hyung-nim!"
The middle-aged men lamented! Seeing this, the chef felt a deep sense of pride.
Indeed. Out of all the chefs who had come here, this was the only one who had directly learned Abnormal Cooking from Stau. Tae-hyun hadn't been able to send Stau himself, but he had unwittingly succeeded in sending Stau's disciple!
"But I can make other things. I'll serve them to you as soon as they're ready!"
"What? Really?"
"We're counting on you. Kuhaha!"
"Is there anything you want?"
The Orc Ahjussis crowded around the small chef, chatting excitedly! To an outsider, it looked like they were shaking him down for gold.
"By the way, what kind of ingredients did you use for that dish earlier that makes it so hard to recreate? If it's something we can get, we'll fetch it for you."
"Well, first, there's..."
"...Hey. Hyung-nim didn't hear that, right?"
"We must make sure he never hears it."
It didn't take long for them to become fast friends. The Orc Ahjussis couldn't understand it.
"Why on earth would anyone mistreat such an outstanding chef?!"
"Exactly! Who cares if the ingredients are a bit gross and it tastes like garbage? As long as it's good for your body, that's all that matters!"
"Good medicine is always bitter to the taste!"
This was the first time the chef had ever received such a warm welcome since learning Abnormal Cooking! He was deeply moved, tears welling up in his eyes.
"Sob..."
This was a reaction he had never seen back in the Valley of Despair and Sorrow!
—Ugh... Do we really have to eat this?
—Hey, just suck it up and eat! We have to eat it if we want to go hunting!
—Hold your nose and swallow!
—It's a bit better if you paralyze your tongue with this numbing berry before eating.
Although the Abnormal Cooking itself sold well, the players' reactions had always been cold. Had anyone ever responded so passionately and praised them like these Orc Ahjussis?
"Sob... The people in our territory are all uncultured swines who don't know real taste..."
"Of course! Those punks are still too young to appreciate true flavor!"
"So, are there more chefs like you in Tae-hyun's territory?"
"There are a few more besides me. And there's also the chef NPC who taught us."
"...!"
The Orc Ahjussis' eyes lit up. An NPC who taught this chef? Then just how good for stamina... no, how good for stats would that NPC's dishes be?
"Once we unpack everything in Uruk, let's go recruit him immediately!"
"Ah, but you said he's in Tae-hyun's territory."
"I think we'll need Tae-hyun's permission..."
"Would Tae-hyun really let go of such a talented individual?"
"Well, I brought a gift to Tae-hyun's first birthday party, maybe I can use that..."
"Like hell that would work!"
"Let's bring something Tae-hyun might like and try to persuade him."
The Orc Ahjussis huddled in a circle, whispering among themselves.
Splash!
Tae-hyun and the victims—no, the players—safely emerged from the exit, popping their heads above the water's surface.
"By the way, was there really nothing on the way here?"
"Well, there was."
"What was it?"
The players seemed to think Tae-hyun had defeated everything on his way in. They didn't look worried or tense at all.
"Well... actually..."
"...?"
"I didn't kill it on my way in; I just bypassed it. So we have to fight it now."
"...Huh?"
"Fight... fight what?"
Realizing that things were taking a bizarre turn, the players' voices cracked.
Ruuuuuumble—
Suddenly, the water beneath them turned pitch black. Something massive was rising!
Splash!
—Kweeeeeeeh!
The Kraken had reappeared.
You have witnessed the Kraken!
You have failed the Fear resistance check. Your body is paralyzed!
Several players failed their fear resistance check upon seeing the Kraken, their bodies freezing up. However, the rest quickly scattered.
"Aaaah! What is that?!"
"Kim Tae-hyun! You should have warned us beforehand!"
"Sorry. I was in a rush and forgot."
Of course, that was a lie. If he had told them, some of them might have tried to stay behind to avoid fighting it!
But did it really wait here until I came out?
Tae-hyun smacked his lips. For some reason, it felt like this Kraken held a personal grudge against him.
Carbanog advises you to reflect on your own actions.
...No way. Isn't the Phytos Church much more obnoxious?
"Ah! It's Count Kim Tae-hyun!"
"He's alive!"
"Dammit!"
"Huh?"
"Priest, what did you just say...?"
"Ah, it's nothing."
From a distance, the voices of the NPCs distributed across the church vessels could be heard. Perhaps because the Phytos Church had lost their own ship, they were currently aboard the Yata Church's vessel.
Location confirmed!
Tae-hyun grinned and began sprinting across the surface of the water. His target was the Yata Church vessel carrying the Phytos Church!
"Count Kim Tae-hyun, why are you running this way...?"
Splash!
The Kraken didn't even spare a glance at the scattered players, chasing after Tae-hyun with absolute focus. A pursuit driven by a terrifying determination to kill him at all costs!
"Yata Church! If you don't want your ship smashed to pieces, you'd better raise your barriers!"
This was hardly a command; it was practically a Threaten. Yet, it worked perfectly.
"E-Everyone, erect the barrier! All priests, focus on the barrier to protect the ship!"
The Phytos Church and Yata Church hastily began channeling their barriers with everything they had. With all the high priests concentrating on defense, they managed to form a barrier strong enough to withstand the Kraken's heavy blows.
Crash! Bang!
⊳ Current Barrier Durability: 78%
"Work harder!"
Tae-hyun urged them as he climbed aboard the ship. The priests of the Phytos Church glared at him as if they wanted to murder him on the spot.
A supportive aura has been activated. The abilities of everyone present have increased.
"Pant, pant..."
As Tae-hyun boarded the ship, the other players began gathering there as well. Somehow, the Yata Church's vessel had become the center of the raid!
One of the high priests of the Yata Church said anxiously, "Wouldn't it be better to go down and fight in the water?"
"Well, we can go down after this ship breaks."
"..."
"Now, let's think about how we're going to take that thing down..."
"Heh. Kim Tae-hyun."
"...?"
Suddenly, Alcott began striking a pose. Tae-hyun stared at him with a look that said, Did this guy eat something bad?
"You're lucky today. I've been trapped in there for so long that I've been itching for a good rampage."
At Alcott's words, the players behind him began whispering.
"Did he turn on his stream?"
"No, he's always been like that."
"Behold my skills!"
Alcott quickly dashed across the water, charging at the Kraken. He wanted to use this opportunity to restore his fallen reputation and show off to Tae-hyun. Besides, the suspicious glances Crawford and Roy had been giving him had been quite painful.
Using a flurry of skills—skills for walking on air, forcing a weakness onto the target, imbuing his weapon with poison, and high-speed movement—Alcott showed off a continuous combo worthy of a top assassin. He sprinted through the air, aiming straight for the Kraken's eye.
Flight and levitation skills are disabled in this area!
Splash!
Alcott, who had been charging forward, plunged straight into the sea.
The players, unaware of the situation, muttered in bewilderment.
"Did that guy just fail his skill and fall?"
"Insane. A mistake not even a novice would make..."
"N-No, it's not that! There's a curse here...!"
"Your excuses are pathetic, Alcott!"
"Boo! Booooo!"
The players forgot the gravity of the situation and jeered at Alcott.
Alcott's face flushed red as he yelled, "Kim Tae-hyun! There's a curse here! Tell them!"
"Yeah. There's a curse around here that prevents you from flying."
"See! Even Kim Tae-hyun says so!"
Alcott shouted triumphantly, but the players' gazes only grew colder.
"Alcott... the more you do that, the more pitiful you look..."
"Just admit it already."
"You bastards, seriously... Urgh."
—Kweeeeeeeh!
The Kraken, seemingly annoyed by Alcott's noisy chatter right next to it, slapped him away with a tentacle. Alcott flew high into the air... and fell straight back down.
"Ah. Is it real?"
"He's just falling."
"He's not falling on purpose without using skills just to win the argument, is he?"
The players watched with deeply skeptical eyes!
Meanwhile, Heuk-heuk, who had kept his distance, quickly flew over... no, crawled up after swimming through the sea.
—Master. Master.
"...?"
—I have discovered that guy's weakness!
"What is it?"
—He is extremely weak to fire!
"Oh, really? Wait... how do you know that?"
—...
Heuk-heuk avoided Tae-hyun's gaze and turned his head away.
"You punk... didn't I tell you not to use it? Huh? If I lose out because of you, are you going to take responsibility? Huh?"
—Sob... I'm sorry...
Tae-hyun stopped scolding Heuk-heuk and turned around. Since the monster was weak to fire, he decided to try attacking with fire-attribute magic.
"Crawford!"
"What!"
"Its weakness is the fire attribute. Use fire magic!"
Crawford was a ranker who specialized in fire magic. He was perfect for this situation...
"...That thing's weakness is fire? A Kraken swimming in the middle of the ocean?"
Crawford stared at Tae-hyun with a look that clearly said, What the hell is this guy talking about?