Sweat of Joy

For some reason, sweat welled up in Chairman Yoo's eyes. Sweat of joy!

"My favorite mountain range is the Parbat Mountain Range. The great thing about Pan-On is that you can easily climb mountains you'd never dream of visiting in real life because they're too dangerous and far away. Mountains that are even more magnificent and beautiful than reality."

It was a speech he had heard somewhere before!

Chairman Yoo found himself reflecting on his own past, remembering how he had lured countless people into fishing with those exact same words.

"I... I looked up the Parbat Mountain Range, and it seems quite dangerous for beginners."

Fortunately, Chairman Yoo was now a fairly experienced player.

"As the altitude increases, your stamina drops and you get hit with all sorts of debuffs. Wouldn't that be dangerous?"

He could make up all kinds of plausible excuses!

But Chairman Yoo had forgotten one thing: his level and his gear!

"Haha. Elder, you must be joking. That's only a problem for beginners under level 50. With your level, you'll be perfectly fine. You're being far too dramatic."

Lee Jung-seop didn't know exactly how much Chairman Yoo's gear was worth. The equipment handled by livelihood players like Lee Jung-seop, who made a living selling various items, belonged to a much cheaper category.

Even so, he could tell that Chairman Yoo's gear was incredibly expensive. High-end equipment always had a way of standing out.

"...Ugh. I suppose so."

"Besides, there are also climbing potions."

"There's such a thing?! What, are people completely obsessed with hiking?!"

"Elder, don't you have fishing potions too?"

"That's... that's just to attract fish faster and cast the rod quicker..."

"These potions just help you climb faster and breathe easier."

"Sigh..."

"Did you just sigh?"

"No! No, I didn't!"

"Elder, isn't this great? You like it, right?"

"Ah! It's great, so stop asking already!"

Chairman Yoo snapped in annoyance. He made a mental vow: if anyone in the Yuseong Group ever called their subordinates out on a weekend for a hiking trip, he would unleash his absolute wrath upon them!

If those people weren't disciplined before they retired, they would turn into monsters who knew nothing but hiking, just like these men!

"Let's take a short break here."

"Yes, Guild Leader!"

Lee Jung-seop and the middle-aged men sat down in an orderly circle and opened their lunch boxes. This was clearly not their first time doing this.

"Did you make this yourself?"

"Yes. Have a gimbap, Elder."

"This is delicious. But wasn't your goal to make an income from the game? Is it really okay to spend your time hiking like this?"

"A man can't just work all the time. We need to rest like this too."

"Haha. You're absolutely right, Guild Leader."

"When I was working at my old company, I always chose mountains for our corporate retreats. The young folks absolutely loved it."

"..."

These guild members knew nothing but hiking! It wouldn't have felt out of place at all if they renamed the guild to something hiking-related.

Chairman Yoo swallowed the curse rising in his throat. He added another vow to his list: from now on, anyone who suggested a mountain as a corporate retreat location would be thoroughly ruined!

"Ah, Elder. And you don't need to worry."

"About what?"

"Hiking is a hobby, of course, but that doesn't mean it doesn't make money."

"That's right. The Parbat Mountain Range is actually a very lucrative place."

The other guild members chimed in in agreement. Where did money come from? It came from places other people avoided!

While the Parbat Mountain Range yielded various crafting materials and monster drops, very ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠few players actually farmed here seriously.

Climbing the mountain took a significant amount of time, and the environment was harsh. The downside of virtual reality games was that players had to physically experience and endure everything themselves! With so many easier hunting grounds available, few players were willing to drag themselves up a place like this.

"You'll be able to make a decent profit here too, Elder."

"Exactly. I make enough pocket money for my nephews here."

"You should give your grandchildren some allowance too, Elder."

"Y-yes, of course."

With a lukewarm expression, Chairman Yoo accepted a piece of paper handed to him by the guild members. The paper detailed the various materials that could be found in the Parbat Mountain Range. As livelihood players, they were incredibly meticulous about these details.

"Oh... so Wyverns appear here too?"

He had heard that Wyvern's muscle made for excellent fishing line!

"Yes. They appear if you go higher up. We can hunt them, but if you don't see them, there's no need to go looking. They are incredibly cunning and vicious. If you're unlucky enough to get ambushed, it's a massive headache. It's best to just ignore each other and pass by."

"Exactly. After all, we... came here to enjoy the mountain!"

"Bwahahaha! Hahaha!"

"..."

Watching the middle-aged men laugh merrily, Chairman Yoo smacked his lips. Still, a Wyvern...

'Come to think of it, I believe there was a bait recipe that used a Wyvern's Heart...'

To fishermen, bait was like a blacksmith's hammer. They would gladly risk their lives to learn a superior bait recipe!

'Ah, found it. This is the one... It requires quite a few Wyvern's Hearts. Now that I think about it, why haven't I seen any Wyvern's Hearts on the auction house?'

"I need a Wyvern's Heart. Is there really no way to hunt them?"

"A Wyvern's..."

"...Heart?!"

The men stared at Chairman Yoo in utter shock. Chairman Yoo responded with a weary sigh.

"What is it this time?"

"Oh, nothing major, it's just that a Wyvern's Heart is an incredibly rare drop."

"Wyverns themselves are hard to find, and their drop rate is atrocious, so there are barely any listings on the auction house. Whenever one is posted, it sells instantly."

"For items with such low supply, it might actually be easier to sign a contract with a player who specializes in farming them."

"What? There's such a thing?"

It wasn't like buying directly from a farm, so what on earth was this?!

"Large guilds consume massive amounts of materials just by existing, so quite a few of them do it. We've also signed supply contracts with a few places."

"...!"

The advantage of such contracts was a steady, reliable stream of income. Chairman Yoo was amazed that such ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a system existed.

"Then who should I contract with to get a Wyvern's Heart?"

"Uh... that might be difficult."

"..."

Chairman Yoo's face contorted. Seeing this, the men quickly scrambled to explain.

"No, it's just... players who deal in such rare materials have probably already signed exclusive contracts."

"Exactly. It'll be hard to find a new supplier. It's all about connections."

"Then we can just hunt them ourselves!"

"But the drop rate is so low that we might not even get one after hunting a hundred of them..."

"How could we possibly..."

"We just have to do it systematically and thoroughly!"

"But Elder, we came here to relax today..."

Tae-hyun arrived at the foot of the mountain range, leaving behind his artillery units and knights. In a place like this, a small, elite group was much more manageable. Having too many people would only make them a liability! Besides, he had to keep the defense of Knema's Vampire Castle in mind. Although things were mostly settled, one could never be too careful in life.

"Alright. Let's ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠head up."

"Huh? Wait. We're not flying??"

Cain was bewildered. They had two dragons at their disposal, yet they were walking up the mountain? Why?

"We need to raise our stats a bit."

"..."

Master. I can carry you and fly...

"No. If we don't raise them now, when will we?"

Cain reflected on his life as he climbed. This is karma for laughing at office workers who complained about corporate hiking trips!

After climbing for a while, monsters finally began to appear. Cain grew excited at the sight of them after nothing but endless hiking. Wow! Finally, some hunting...!

"..."

"..."

The monsters were fleeing at the mere sight of Tae-hyun's party! Their combined power was simply too terrifying for low-level monsters to even think of attacking.

"Hmm. We need to prepare."

Instead of potions, Tae-hyun pulled out some Abnormal Cooking. Dishes that were great for the body but absolutely horrific for the taste buds!

"Here. Eat up."

"I-I have high HP and status resistance, so I think I can endure it without this..."

"No. If we end up in a fight, every single stat point counts. Eat!"

"Gwaaargh!"

After forcing the food down Cain's throat, Tae-hyun turned his gaze to Towang-i.

"Karreung!"

"You're only level 1. If you don't eat, you might actually die."

"Karreung."

Towang-i, who had received a massive amount of status-related buffs instead of actual levels!

'They should have just given him levels...'

From Tae-hyun's perspective, he simply couldn't understand why the system had chosen such an inefficient method. Wouldn't a higher level be much better than a bunch of passive skills?

"Oh?"

Tae-hyun was pleasantly surprised. Such an effect existed? Tae-hyun picked up Towang-i and handed him to Cain. Cain accepted the rabbit with a puzzled look.

"Why? Whoa. It's a buff!"

"Karreung!"

'It's good, but... it's a bit awkward...'

Especially the range! Normally, a party buff should apply to the entire party, but Towang-i's buff only covered a single person. Furthermore, a curse of this level was something Tae-hyun could easily resist using his own class skills.

'Well, he seems happy, so let's just leave him be.'

After all, there was no harm in letting him enjoy himself!

As they continued their ascent, they spotted a party climbing ahead of them. That party also seemed to have noticed Tae-hyun's group.

"Heh. Amateurs."

"They didn't even wear proper ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠climbing gear..."

There were always players like that. Those who relied solely on their levels and climbed mountains unprepared! Such players were bound to learn a harsh lesson.

While the debuff was manageable right now, it would only grow more severe as time went on. By then, turning back would be nearly impossible!

"Now that we've eaten, let's pick up the pace. Yong-yong!"

I have been waiting, Master!

Yong-yong excitedly spread his wings. He had been feeling incredibly frustrated about walking up this mountain.

Whoosh!

Mounting Yong-yong, Tae-hyun's party soared straight up into the sky.

"..."

"..."

The self-proclaimed professional climbing party stared in utter disbelief.

"W-wait. Flying on a mount like that is dangerous."

"Exactly. The flying monsters around here are incredibly vicious..."

Screeech!

Before they could even finish their sentences, giant predatory birds and various flying monsters swarmed the sky.

Crackle!

But before they could even get close, they were completely obliterated by the various spells unleashed by Yong-yong. The sheer power was so overwhelming that Tae-hyun's party didn't even need to lift a finger!

"..."

"..."

"But we seem to be seeing people quite often?"

"Because it's a great mountain."

'I highly doubt that...'

It was surprising to run into other parties on such a high and grueling mountain.

"Oh. There's another one over there. They're waving at us?"

"Ignore them."

"Huh?"

"Just ignore them."

"??"

"Those guys have absolutely no manners. They look down on others just because they have slightly better gear..."

"Ah. We have people like that at the fishing spots too."

People like that existed everywhere. Those who bragged about their gear and looked down on beginners! The middle-aged men chewed them out thoroughly, having apparently run into that party multiple times.

"Hmph. I hope a Wyvern carries them off."

"I hope they go bald."

"I hope they buy a house with a massive mortgage in their forties and then get laid off."

The curses were growing increasingly horrific! Even so, Chairman Yoo understood exactly how they felt. Hobbies were meant for personal enjoyment, not for looking down on others.

'If they do it again, I'll have to give them a stern piece of my mind.'

Chairman Yoo thought to himself as he continued to walk.