The Path of the Great Chieftain

Meanwhile, cheers erupted in the village of Uruk.

"It's happening!"

"Whoa!!!!!"

"That rascal Tae-hyun! I knew he still had a human heart!"

"I told you Tae-hyun was a good kid! You should've seen how sweet he was when he was just a year old!"

The Orc Ahjussis hugged each other tightly! Watching them, the other members of the Ultimate Matchless Guild wore expressions of utter bewilderment.

"Um... but aren't you guys doing perfectly fine even without that?"

"Yeah. Your gear is great, and you waste—I mean, generously use so many potions."

To the other guild members, the Orc Ahjussis' item consumption was nothing short of absurd. They would chug expensive potions—the kind others saved for incredibly difficult raids—while just hunting in the fields. One sip because they felt like it, another sip because it tasted good, another sip because it was "good for their health"...

Of course, they didn't just drink them alone. They'd hand them out to other guild members, saying, "Hey! Try some of this! It's delicious!" which made them quite popular in the guild.

"What are you talking about? The more of these you drink, the better! Don't be so ungrateful!"

"No, but it tastes like absolute sh—"

"Good medicine is always bitter! Haven't you ever had traditional herbal medicine?"

No matter what anyone said, the Orc Ahjussis remained unshaken. If they heard something was good for their health, they consumed it immediately!

"Uh... Ahjussi, you're a Warrior. Why are you consuming something that boosts Wisdom?"

"Hey! If it's good for the body, it's good for everything!"

They ate it regardless of their class, and they even ate things that only gave temporary boosts instead of permanent ones.

"Temporary buffs should be saved for combat, not eaten right now..."

"If you keep eating them, they build up in your system and make you stronger!"

"..."

Logic simply did not work on these middle-aged men. Some of the Orc Ahjussis even genuinely believed that eating healthy things in the game would improve their physical health in real life.

The other guild members exchanged worried glances.

What do we do?

If that NPC named Stau actually comes here...

Their concern was simple. If Stau came to their territory and started actively spreading his Weird Food, the Orc Ahjussis would inevitably start shoving it in everyone's faces, shouting, "Hey, kids! Try this! It's good for you!"

Just thinking about it was horrifying.

No way...!

I feel like throwing up already!

Even now, several of the ahjussis had awakened to the joy of cooking and spent every spare moment preparing dishes. These were people who had never even touched the Cooking skill before, but once they took an interest, their growth rate was terrifying! The problem was that they didn't make normal food; they only made Weird Food.

"Hey, kids! Try some of this!"

"Ah, I'm actually really full right now..."

"O-oh? Really? Well, I guess it can't be helped then..."

Ugh, seriously.

If they were rejected even once, the Orc Ahjussis would droop their shoulders and look deeply hurt for days! It made it impossible to say no. But what happened if they actually ate it?

"*Gag!* *Cough!* *Heave!*"

It was a taste straight from the depths of hell! Even the demons of the Demon Realm wouldn't dare touch such a dish. Various system messages popped up, but the taste was so utterly horrific that they couldn't even bring themselves to care about the stat gains. How on earth did those ahjussis swallow that stuff?

"Should... should we leave the guild?"

"Because of the food?? That's a bit much..."

"Besides, do you think guilds like this are common? If we leave, where else would we go?"

If you could tolerate the corny jokes and the recently added Weird Food, the Ultimate Matchless Guild was a truly wonderful guild. An outstanding (if slightly eccentric) guild leader, excellent executives, and absolute, unconditional support for its members. A guild like this was incredibly hard to find. Even if you joined a major guild, only famous players like rankers received proper treatment. Everyone else had to start from the bottom and grind their way up!

"That's true. This place really is great."

"And it'd be a waste of all the effort we put into building this territory."

It was true. Having successfully arrived in the Uruk Region, Kim Tae-san and his companions had successfully laid down new roots.

Although they were building something from nothing, Kim Tae-san's guild was progressing far faster than anyone could have anticipated. Their secret lay in two things: time and money!

The Orc Ahjussis, who had time to burn, rolled up their sleeves and threw themselves into construction, and the other guild members worked right alongside them. On top of that, they used gold to hire famous player architects, just as they had done before.

"Going all the way to the Uruk Region is a bit..."

"Double the pay!"

"But there are so many monsters there, and Orc raids..."

"Four times the pay!"

"I'm on my way!"

Such was the power of gold, capable of dragging even the most reluctant players straight into the dangerous wilds of Uruk! Kim Tae-san was painting a grand picture.

I'm going to gather every single resident in this area.

Fighting against the Guild Alliance had taught him one crucial lesson: numbers were everything! The sheer volume of players the Guild Alliance could mobilize, bolstered by an endless influx of Chinese players, possessed terrifying power. To counter that, they needed to recruit a massive number of NPCs. And to recruit a large army of soldier NPCs, they first needed a massive civilian population!

What Kim Tae-san was targeting were the Orc tribes in the vicinity. While human, Goblin, or Dwarf tribes would be nice additions, the Orc tribes were by far the most populous. That was why he had intentionally established their base right beneath the massive mountain range where the Orc tribal coalition used to reside. Utilizing the vast, open land to its fullest, he was throwing up buildings left and right.

The Orc tribes had been shattered and scattered after Tae-hyun's raid and the Great Chieftain went completely mad. Tae-san was determined to gather them all! Furthermore, Orc NPCs were simple-minded creatures. Since Kim Tae-san belonged to the same race, they flocked to him in droves as long as he built the appropriate racial structures.

Originally, when they first arrived, they ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠had planned to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠build a small but sturdy fortress to survive the perils of Uruk. But seeing how things were playing out, Kim Tae-san completely overhauled his strategy.

"Even if our defense and security drop a bit, we expand, expand, expand!"

Even if a few buildings were destroyed, they could easily rebuild them, and the growing population would more than make up for any losses.

"...Huh?"

An unexpected chain quest had appeared.

"Go to the Salz Kingdom and strike the enemies from behind?"

"Do we really have to go all the way to the Salz Kingdom? It's a bit of a hassle, but if ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠we can recruit an NPC of Stau's caliber, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠it's a highly profitable venture!"

"Exactly."

Upon hearing Tae-hyun's request, the Orc Ahjussis accepted the proposal without a moment's hesitation.

"Roy. You're coming with us."

"Uh, I'd rather stay here and protect the residents..."

"Get over here."

"Yes, sir."

Roy desperately wanted to avoid getting entangled with Tae-hyun, but when the Orc Ahjussis told him to move, he had no choice but to obey.

"So, where exactly is this place?"

Tae-hyun had told them, "Just turn on any internet stream. There are plenty of people broadcasting it, so just watch them and find your way." Of course, the Orc Ahjussis had absolutely no idea how to do that. In the end, it fell upon Roy to look it up.

"So, looking at this stream... it's right here on the map."

"So we have to go all the way there? How many enemies are we talking about?"

"Easily over a few thousand..."

"?!?!"

"!??"

"...but most of them are just spectators who came to watch."

The Orc Ahjussis, who had gasped in shock, immediately snapped at him.

"Hey! You punk!"

"N-no, wait! You have to let me finish... The ones surrounding the dungeon entrance seem to be the enemies. The ones standing further back are pro players, so they'll probably jump in once the fighting starts."

"Looks like there are easily over a hundred of them."

"Well, it's not like we have to fight and defeat every single one of them. A hit-and-run tactic should be simple enough."

The Orc Ahjussis were brimming with confidence. Their mechanics weren't particularly outstanding, but their gear and items were top-tier. Even if things went south, they were entirely confident in their ability to escape!

"Alright. Everyone, put on your masks..."

"Since big brother is sitting this one out, I'll be taking command."

As Yang Sung-gyu spoke, everyone nodded in agreement. Just then, an Orc came running up from behind.

"I'll go too!"

"Huh? Sang-cheol, you don't have to come."

Kim Sang-cheol. A boxer training at Yang Sung-gyu's gym!

Yang Sung-gyu still vividly remembered how Tae-hyun had brutally beaten Sang-cheol in a sparring match under the guise of a live stream. Because of that, Sang-cheol had been deeply traumatized and wandered aimlessly for quite some time! As his gym director, Sung-gyu naturally wanted to keep him as far away from anything related to Tae-hyun as possible.

"No, sir! I am perfectly fine!"

"Are you sure?"

"Are you just saying that to act tough?"

"I'm a bit worried. Let's leave him behind."

The Orc Ahjussis whispered among themselves, but Kim Sang-cheol remained resolute. Clenching his fists tightly, he spoke.

"Losing last time was a massive shock, but I learned so much from it. And I finally realized why you set up that sparring match between Kim Tae-hyun and me, Director! You wanted to give me a harsh wake-up call because I was careless and arrogant, all so I could grow stronger!"

"?"

"??"

"????"

"Uh... yes, exactly. There's absolutely no other reason."

"Sung-gyu... have you no conscience..."

The other ahjussis tried to protest, but Yang Sung-gyu waved his hand to silence them.

"I finally understand your deep wisdom, Director. I am fine now. From now on, I will never be careless, I will never be arrogant, and I will fight with everything I have!"

"Yes, Sang-cheol! That's exactly what I wanted to see!"

Deeply moved, Yang Sung-gyu grabbed Kim Sang-cheol's shoulders and cried out. He had never expected the kid to return with such an unbreakable mental fortitude! From behind them, whispers of "Wow, what a shameless bastard," and "He shouldn't be a gym director, he should run for Congress," drifted over, but Yang Sung-gyu completely ignored them.

"Well... should we test the waters before they arrive?"

Tae-hyun headed toward the dungeon entrance, dragging Chang along. He knew they were a force specifically assembled to counter him, but he wouldn't know their true strength until he clashed with them directly.

"Mmph! Mmmph! (Kim Tae-hyun, using me as a shield so they won't attack! How cowardly!)"

"Hmm. Even if I take this guy with me, they'll probably just attack anyway, right?"

Tae-hyun knew all too well that keeping Chang as a hostage was utterly pointless. The bastards waiting outside weren't about to back down just to save Chang's life at this point. In that case...

—Living Bomb!

"Mmph?"