Chapter 398: Theme Park on the 1st Floor (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 398: Theme Park on the 1st Floor (3)
In the evening, Jinhyuk and the members of the Veteran Corporation gathered together.
It was to have one last meal before the main event, the Plunder War, began.
A barbecue party centered around lamb chops.
A mouthwatering aroma drifted in all directions along with a sizzling sound.
"Yes. This is what a holiday should be. This is exactly what We desired."
Alice's eyes sparkled.
With drool pooling at the corners of her mouth and her stomach growling, she wanted to devour the sizzling meat mixed with various vegetables right this instant.
"Wow."
"Oppa, you really set up quite a feast, didn't you?"
"My Lord, did you truly prepare all of this yourself?"
The others also expressed their anticipation, one after another.
"I decided to show off my skills for once. I'm glad you all like it."
Jinhyuk shrugged with a confident expression.
His skills, honed through 'Isekai Restaurant', were already highly praised even by monsters.
Though he couldn't say for sure, ordinary chefs wouldn't even be able to hold a candle to him.
'If I keep leveling up these auxiliary skills whenever I have time, they'll be of great help in the future too.'
On the upper floors—especially on the floors where mythical beasts and spirit beasts mainly appeared—'Isekai Restaurant' would exert tremendous power.
Right then.
"Ugh! Master, why are you giving us this kind of stuff?"
"Clack! Master. I need milk that is richer in calcium."
"Such vulgar food does not suit this great being, a noble race and one of the Four Guardian Beasts. I can only eat this if you at least pour in some mana juice that has been brewed for a month."
Undine, T-Bone, and the Squishy Black Crane grumbled as they looked at the food on their respective plates.
A large water droplet mixed with black liquid, a rib bone cracked here and there, and even a dragon orb made of cheap glass.
At a single glance, they were clearly failed dishes.
"Just eat what you're given. It's all good for your health."
"You're too much, Master. Even we have the right to eat delicious, high-quality food."
"Clack!"
"How absurd."
Hmm... None of them showed any sign of backing down.
Well, they had a point.
Food, clothing, and shelter were the things most directly related to the quality of life.
If left like this, there was a risk that discontent would build up.
In that case...
Jinhyuk poured a golden sauce over a splendid-looking magic crystal.
Steam billowed up.
"Moooogi."
An exclamation of admiration escaped Goguma's mouth.
"That's right, our Guma. This looks delicious, doesn't it?"
"Mogi!"
"Indeed. I really put my heart and soul into making this."
"Mogi, mogi."
Goguma nodded vigorously.
"But you see, there are some shameless punks who look at this and do nothing but complain about how tasteless it is. Ungrateful freeloaders who expect the world when they're getting fed for free."
"Mogiiiiii!"
Intense rage.
Blazing flames threatened to swallow the campsite.
"Hieeeek!"
"W-why would you tattle to the Ancient Species?!"
"Ahem! Actually, now that I think about it, this cheap dragon orb looks like it might taste pretty good. I've been into junk food lately."
In an instant, the complaints vanished.
Everyone hurriedly stuffed the food on their plates into their mouths.
As expected, this was why winning over the top dog made the entire organization run smoothly.
* * *
A short distance away from where Jinhyuk and the Veteran Corporation were camping.
In a mansion surrounded by a row of luxury pensions, Oh Ji-won and the Friend-or-Foe Guild had set up camp.
"An enhancement stone..."
"Did they really want to get this that badly? I mean, it's nice, but... it's nothing too special, is it?"
Lee Ye-ji and Kim Da-hee examined the enhancement stone they had obtained from Whack-a-Mole.
An event enhancement stone only increased the success rate slightly more than a regular enhancement stone.
It wasn't something they needed to bend over backward to obtain.
At least, not from the perspective of the Friend-or-Foe Guild, which possessed the power to acquire all kinds of wealth.
"That's because it's no ordinary enhancement stone. Judging by the difficulty of obtaining it, it's best to assume there's more to this enhancement stone than meets the eye."
A man with a cold appearance spoke up instead.
Kim Hyung-jin.
As the vice-master of the Friend-or-Foe Guild, his individual strength was formidable enough to rival the master of any major guild.
"Manager Kim, you worry too much. Didn't you see the two of us beat that Cheon Yu-seong guy?"
"Exactly. He was nothing special once we actually faced him. That Veteran Corporation or whatever is totally overhyped. You know how it is, right? Rumors get ridiculously blown out of proportion if they're timed just right."
Lee Ye-ji and Kim Da-hee giggled.
However, Kim Hyung-jin turned a deaf ear to their chatter.
The rumors were by no means exaggerated.
If anything, they were probably understated.
Because he knew this, he was more aware than anyone of how serious the situation was.
"Are you sure we'll be alright? Our opponent is a massive guild with Kang Jinhyuk in it."
In Whack-a-Mole, they had been able to defeat Cheon Yu-seong by sharply exploiting a loophole in the rules...
But the Plunder War was completely different.
Since an all-out war between guilds was permitted, it meant they would literally have to fight the entire Veteran Corporation.
"Yes, of course. I've also heard through various channels just what kind of monsters they are."
Oh Ji-won took a sip of his Ballantine's 30-Year-Old.
"Then wouldn't it be better to just hand over the enhancement stone we don't even need and avoid provoking them if possible? We've already made a name for ourselves, so if we overextend any further..."
"So, what Manager Kim is saying is that if we fight them, I'll get crushed. Is that it?"
"...I apologize. That was not my intention."
"I didn't start this without a plan either. Anywhere else might be different, but within this event, we can definitely win."
The corners of Oh Ji-won's mouth curled upward.
In this event, besides the battles between players, another variable would come into play.
The ultimate variable that could completely turn the tables.
"More importantly, what happened to the players I told you to bribe?"
"We've laid the groundwork as much as possible as you ordered, but there seems to be a limit to those who can be moved by money alone."
"Right. The useful ones won't budge no matter how much money we throw at them anyway. We just need to fill the numbers."
With this, all preparations were complete.
"Watch closely. See who gets the last laugh."
Their debut match would be perfect.
That arrogant bastard who always ran rampant with confidence would be brought down a peg.
'If that happens, Father will finally acknowledge me.'
The day he would succeed Korea Motors was not far off.
As long as the Friend-or-Foe Guild established a solid foothold this time.
* * *
[It is now midnight.]
[The main event, 'Plunder War', begins.]
[Please place the rewards you have acquired so far in a specific location of your choice. Afterward, set up your attack and defense teams to steal your opponent's rewards while protecting your own.]
[You can use your current Coins to purchase various skills for attack and defense.]
[Your existing unique abilities and skills cannot be used in this event.]
[Your stats will also be reset to an average of level 10.]
[Any damage sustained during this event will not translate to real-world damage. If you receive fatal damage, you will be immediately 'eliminated'.]
Status windows popped up in a dizzying flurry.
At the same time.
Bang! Bang!
Boom!
Brilliant fireworks filled the night sky.
The highlight of this event had finally begun.
"What's the plan?"
Cheon Yu-seong was the first to speak.
Since the situation had escalated due to his own blunder, he seemed eager to resolve it with his own hands.
"They'll probably come this way aiming for what we have. You stay here and protect our rewards."
"What? You want me to just play defense?"
"You know defense is just as important as offense. Besides, it won't be as easy as you think. With their capital, they'll come fully loaded with attack and defense cards."
In a normal battle, the difference in power would make it no contest at all.
However, what bridged that gap was the 'skills' available in the Plunder War.
Since the system favored whoever poured in more Coins, this event was fundamentally advantageous to the Friend-or-Foe Guild.
'Even if unofficial, there are rumors that they run a Coin farm.'
Considering that, they couldn't just be taken lightly.
'We need to set up our defenses first...'
Unlike a certain someone, Jinhyuk couldn't just mindlessly squander Coins.
He had to maximize efficiency with the best cost-effectiveness.
Ring!
Jinhyuk opened the skill shop.
[Browsing defense skills.]
[163 Categories]
From basic ones to domains belonging to various mythologies.
There were tens of thousands of types.
Needless to say, the skills were priced at near-extortionate rates for something used in a mere event.
'The most useful one among these is...'
Jinhyuk's eyes narrowed.
There were definitely a few memorable skills from this event.
...Found it.
[Curse of Mangbuseok - B-Rank (350,000 Coins)]
This was the answer.
Hummm!
With a bright light, a 30-centimeter statue appeared.
"Take this and block the enemy from the front. Taemin and Yeon-hwa will be with you. Andrea and Frey, take the right side. Lady Teresa, please ambush them on the path coming from the left. Wolyeong, keep moving and support any areas that seem to be struggling."
"What about me?"
Alice enthusiastically clenched her fists.
"You just rest in the back."
"Wh-what? Why am I the only one resting! Am I not your strongest asset?"
Without her basic passive ability 'Blood of the True Ancestor' and her unique ability 'Blood Lord', Alice was... the weakest of the weak.
She had spent ages in a sunless corridor, sickly and dreaming of revenge, so how good could her basic physical stats possibly be?
It would be a miracle if she didn't get beaten up and cry after acting cocky.
But of course, he couldn't say that to her face.
"Well, because you're the strongest... I'm asking you to sit out so the game doesn't get too boring. You know how it is when high-levels join in on low-levels' playtime."
"Is that really the reason?"
"Yes, that's exactly why."
"Then why are you avoiding my gaze?"
"How could I look the great head of the Ataraxia Family directly in the eye? Of course I must bow my head."
"No, I'm really strong! Seriously, believe me. Contractor, you're listening to me, right? Huh? At least pretend to listen when a vampire speaks!"
Alice continued to shout something, but Jinhyuk was already packing the offensive skills he had purchased and preparing to head toward the enemy camp.
He knew that the more time was delayed, the sturdier the opponent's defenses would become.
"It's already this late. Well, I'll head out first."
Tap.
Jinhyuk moved swiftly.
Although he couldn't use 'Sword Demon's Heavenly Spirit Step', his basic physical specs allowed him to dash forward at an incredibly high speed.
* * *
The scenery changed in an instant.
When he last checked, the Friend-or-Foe Guild had set up camp near the 'Pension' and 'Circus' event areas.
They had chosen the most advantageous locations for defense and offense, despite the high cost.
'They should be waiting around here by now...'
Right then.
Rumble!
"...!"
A massive mass of fire flew toward him.
A blazing volcanic bomb grazed right past his head.
It was 'Great Eruption', an offensive skill card costing well over 1 million Coins.
"They bought something ridiculously expensive."
In his current state, getting hit by even one of those would mean an immediate game over.