A Bold Investment

Ores like Adamantium and Orihalcon weren't the kind of materials you could just get your hands on simply because you wanted them. They were on an entirely different level compared to ordinary rare metals. To put it simply, the distinction lay in whether a material could be bought at the auction house for an exorbitant price, or if it couldn't be bought there at all. While other rare metals and gems would eventually turn up if you scoured the auction house long enough, Adamantium and Orihalcon were nowhere to be found. On the rare occasion one did appear, it would be snapped up in a single second. Rumor had it that the top-ranking blacksmiths had their own secret methods for obtaining these ores, but they guarded those secrets fiercely. Under such circumstances, it was only natural that the guild members gasped in horror when Daniel announced his desire to get some Adamantium. Was he asking them to sell off the entire Power Warrior Guild?

"Is there really no way to get some?"

"Are you crazy? How on earth are we supposed to get that?"

"But you guys are Power Warriors!"

In the past, hearing the phrase "But you're a Power Warrior!" would have sounded like an insult. But not anymore. The guild members had developed a genuine sense of pride in their guild. Do you even know who our guild master is? Never look down on the Power Warriors again! Hearing those words in their current state wounded their pride and stung their hearts.

"Ugh..."

"But even we have things we can and can't do!"

"I suppose so..."

Daniel slumped, looking utterly dejected. Seeing this, one of the guild members clapped his hands.

"Ah!"

"...?"

"There was a rumor that Tae-hyun is steadily acquiring Adamantium."

"What? Really? That's the first I've heard of it."

"Well, that's because you're only Silver tier, and I'm Gold tier."

The Power Warrior Guild's ranking system went from Silver to Gold, then Ruby, Emerald, and so on. Naturally, a Gold-tier member would hear and know more. Daniel tilted his head in confusion. Isn't that just a multi-level marketing pyramid scheme chart? In truth, it was a direct copy of the Archisus Church's ranking system, though Daniel had no idea of its origin. What goes around comes around!

"Argh...! So frustrating! If I had just donated seventeen more gold last time, I would've promoted..."

"You should've begged harder, then. Got it?"

"...Excuse me. Can we get back to the Adamantium?"

"Ah, sorry. I don't know if it's entirely accurate, but I overheard someone mention in passing that Tae-hyun has a steady source of Adamantium ore."

"!!!"

A steady source of Adamantium? Was that even possible? Pandemonium Online was a game where wild rumors spread far more easily than actual facts. Rumors like, "A corporate conglomerate chairman is playing, and if you help him out, he'll hire you in real life," or "Famous players and events from Pan-On 1 have been integrated into the lore of Pan-On 2," and so on... A steady supply of Adamantium sounded like just another one of those baseless rumors.

...Unless it involved Tae-hyun!

If it's Tae-hyun, it wouldn't even be surprising if he actually had a source!

If ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠it's Kim Tae-hyun, then definitely...

If it's Kim Tae-hyun, I can believe it.

"I should try asking Tae-hyun directly!"

Daniel's words threw the guild members into a panic.

"What are you going to say to him?"

"Just ask him for a little bit of Adamantium..."

"..."

"..."

The guild members' jaws dropped.

"Are you insane? It's not like you're asking him to co-sign a loan for you. Who in their right mind would just give away Adamantium?!"

"Is asking for Adamantium really as bad as asking someone to co-sign a loan?" Daniel asked, looking slightly hurt. No matter how absurd it was, wasn't that comparison a bit too harsh?

"It's worse than co-signing a loan!"

"Exactly! I wouldn't even give Adamantium to my own parents if they asked!"

"...I'll ask him myself, so just don't get in my way. Hmph."

Daniel turned his head away, pouting. The guild members watched him with anxious expressions. Surely, Tae-hyun wouldn't fly into a rage and shout, "How dare you make such an insolent request! Drag this rascal away!" ...Right?

"Heuk-heuk. This is a special treat. Eat up, eat lots."

—...

"Evangeline. I made a special batch of Abnormal Cooking just for you."

"You son of a..."

It sounded romantic, but the situation was anything but! It was so unromantic that even Yu Ji-soo wouldn't have been jealous. Heuk-heuk and Evangeline glumly forced the food down. After all, they had to eat plenty if they were going to have their blood drawn!

"Hmm. The recovery is faster than I expected!"

Tae-hyun nodded with a satisfied expression. Now, all that was left was to go hunt for a Wyvern's heart...

"Cain. You've had plenty of fun, haven't you? You look great."

"...Does this look great to you?"

Cain's complexion was utterly exhausted. Seeing this, Tae-hyun suddenly realized something. Oh? Come to think of it... He recalled seeing Cain being subjected to forced interviews and being tossed in the air by the crowd, and thinking, Should I go save him? But he had completely forgotten about it because he went to buy a present for Lee Da-bi! Looks like he was 'playing' all day long. Thanks to that, the news articles were filled with praise like "Cain, Legendary Fan Service," but that was that, and being tired was being tired. Of course, Tae-hyun had no intention of letting Cain off the hook just because he was tired. He could just rest while playing the game!

"Tae-hyun. I received a message from one of our guild members..."

"...?"

Lee Da-bi explained the contact she had received from the guild. It was a request from Daniel, the blacksmith player in charge of the Engineering random boxes she had mentioned before!

"Daniel... That's the guy, right? The only one who doesn't make bombs..."

Tae-hyun remembered Daniel. It was only natural. He was the sole player among the Engineering blacksmiths who had absolutely no interest in bombs! We need a lot more players like him... Even to Tae-hyun, the ratio of blacksmiths in his territory was highly bizarre. Over ninety percent of them specialized in Engineering, and ninety-nine percent of those Engineering specialists focused solely on bombs! Because he had supported the Engineering blacksmiths so heavily, even ordinary blacksmiths who arrived in the territory would think, Oh? Maybe I should try Engineering? which quickly turned into, Oh? Engineering is actually fun! and finally culminated in, Hehehe! Bombs are the best! Fire the bombs! It was enough to drive Tae-hyun mad. Honestly, for a territory to run smoothly, there needed to be more blacksmiths crafting weapons and armor. What good was a place filled with nothing but bomb-makers? In that regard, Daniel was an incredibly commendable player. Please, change the trend!

"Adamantium... Adamantium, huh?"

The rumor that Tae-hyun was regularly obtaining Adamantium was actually true. After finding the habitat of the Adamantium Giants, he had been receiving Adamantium ore as a reward! Of course, the quantity wasn't massive. Tae-hyun had planned to steadily hoard it to use whenever he needed it in the future. Adamantium was an overpowered material—use it on armor, and it became legendary-grade armor; use it on accessories, and they became legendary-grade accessories; use it on a golem, and it became a legendary-grade golem! There were endless uses for it. But...

"Alright. Let's give him some."

"!!!"

Cain, who was standing nearby, was the one who gasped in shock.

"Hey, hey! That's Adamantium! We're not talking about iron or copper here, it's Adamantium!"

"True investments must always be bold."

"Hmm. Indeed..."

Choi Sang-yun nodded, staring intently at Cain. The living proof of a bold investment! Cain, completely oblivious to the subtle nuance of that gaze, kept protesting.

"But it's Adamantium!"

"Ah, shut up, man. It's mine, so why do you care if I give it away? It looks like you've recovered, so get ready to hunt. We're going after Wyverns."

They still needed to gather Wyvern hearts. At Tae-hyun's words, Heuk-heuk and Evangeline attempted to stand up. However, Tae-hyun kindly stopped them.

"No, it's fine. You two just rest here."

—...

"..."

It was a kind gesture, but it possessed the magical quality of sounding absolutely terrifying!

"Tae-hyun. Even though I was the one who passed along the message... isn't giving away Adamantium a bit too much of a waste?" Lee Da-bi asked cautiously.

Tae-hyun nodded and replied, "I think it's a waste too. But blacksmithing is a class that naturally devours an absurd amount of materials."

Back in Pan-On 1, Tae-hyun had been one of the top blacksmiths on the server. He knew all too well just how many materials the blacksmith class consumed. How much blood, sweat, and tears had he shed to gather those materials? It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say he practically lived in the mines. And when that wasn't enough, he raided the warehouses of the guilds occupying the mines, ambushed their members to plunder their pockets, and ransacked their guild halls...

Wait. Come to think of it, I think I robbed guild members far more often than I actually mined.

No wonder his materials had accumulated so quickly!

"It is a waste, but without support, it's incredibly difficult for a blacksmith to grow. Other guilds provide massive support if they have a high-ranking crafter. Honestly, we've been getting a free ride."

Other large guilds typically prioritized taking care of talented individuals. Combat rankers were the face of a guild, while crafters were its pillars. A high-ranking crafter was even more invaluable. In contrast, Tae-hyun's territory didn't offer any such special treatment. The only reason so many players flocked to his territory was because of Tae-hyun's immense popularity and reputation. Even Gabriel, despite being slightly—no, extremely—insane, was a player who would be considered a top-tier blacksmith ranker in any other guild. Yet, players like him were working in the territory without a single complaint.

"Tae-hyun...!" Lee Da-bi looked deeply moved. Then, a sudden thought occurred to her, and she asked, "By the way, did you happen to go out to eat with my younger sisters?"

"Ah... No, I didn't," Tae-hyun lied. Her sisters had pleaded with him desperately.

If Big Sister finds out, she'll scold us for freeloading off you again!

"Is that so?" Lee Da-bi eyed him suspiciously, but decided not to press him further and let it slide.

Tae-hyun quickly changed the subject. "Alright! Let's go hunt some Wyverns!"

The Parbat Mountain Range in the Erangs Kingdom was infamous among players for several reasons.

First was its sheer height! Because of its staggering altitude, most players gave up on even attempting to climb it. The moment one began to ascend, a barrage of debuffs would trigger, starting with a notification:

Because of these debuffs, even flying mounts struggled to ascend easily. On top of that, the monsters were formidable. To make matters worse, the mountain range served as a nesting ground for various flying monsters. Wyverns ruled near the summit, while other flying beasts infested the lower slopes. Countless players who had recklessly ventured there ended up losing their precious flying mounts.

Yet, there were always perverts... no, eccentrics. People who came to gather herbs and materials found only in the Parbat Mountain Range. High-level players who came to hunt the mountain's monsters. And even players who simply enjoyed climbing high mountains!

"Haha. Great, isn't it?"

"..."

Lee Jung-seop asked, looking at Chairman Yoo. Chairman Yoo barely managed to nod.

One of the classic middle-aged hobbies: hiking.

Chairman Yoo had previously lured Lee Jung-seop ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and the other ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠middle-aged guild members into fishing. It had been wonderful back then, but nothing in life came for free.

—Elder, why don't we go hiking sometime?

—Ah... No, I can't. I'm cursed, so I cannot step foot on land.

Chairman Yoo had absolutely no interest in hiking. Fishing and golf were fine, but hiking? Absolutely not! Fortunately, he had a perfect excuse.

But Chairman Yoo had underestimated just how persistent a person could be when trying to drag someone else into their hobby.

—Elder! Over here. If you wear this necklace, you can climb the mountain!

—...

—Elder, are you crying tears of joy?

—Y-Yes... indeed.