Chapter 13

TNA channel, specializing in broadcasting World of Illusion.

Even before World of Illusion started, they captivated viewers by delivering related news.

Thanks to that, they now boasted the highest viewership among countless channels.

And today, MC Yura, who was making her debut, smiled brightly and started the broadcast.

[Hello! I’m Yura, and I’ll be in charge of the World of Illusion from today! Please take care of me!]

Only then did the original MC, Woohyun, who was next to her, appear on the screen.

[Yes, I’m also happy to be working with Yura. Why? Because Yura’s level is a whopping 46. If you have any questions, you can ask Yura, right?]

[I’ll do my best to let you know!]

[Haha, that’s refreshing. Well then, shall we go into the game for now?]

With Woohyun’s words, the background changed.

The World of Illusion.

A village there appeared, and Yura’s figure, slowly strolling, could be seen.

Her appearance, equipped with gear, exuded a completely different atmosphere from when she was wearing casual clothes just now.

A kind of rough wildness, you could say.

MC Woohyun’s eyes widened at her figure, which drew the eye even more.

[Wow, MC Yura’s items are amazing.]

Before World of Illusion came out, Yura hadn’t gained much popularity.

But after experiencing World of Illusion firsthand and raising her level to the point where she was on the rankings, she received an offer to take on the ‘World of Illusion’ that was currently being broadcast.

Of course, she accepted.

She enjoyed World of Illusion, and because she was ahead of others, she had access to more information.

Even releasing those things one by one would create countless stories.

[So, MC Yura.]

[Yes!]

[Do you know about the recent issues?]

MC Yura smiled.

[Of course. It’s about the ranking system that any user who enjoys World of Illusion would have checked at least once, right? Many users are very curious about the Ranker.]

[That’s right. It’s also the part that’s receiving the most inquiries. In particular, I heard that there are many requests to focus on Ranker number 1, Dark.]

[He’s really amazing. I heard he’s already done his second job advancement.]

[The problem is…….]

[No one knows who he is, right.]

MC Yura’s expression darkened.

[But I heard there’s one unique thing.]

[That’s right. When you look at the rankings, the job and character name come out. There was something like this before. There was a time when Dark’s level stagnated one day. It was a time when he lost first place and couldn’t even make it into the top 10,000.]

[I see. So?]

[But it wasn’t long before a change occurred. Dark had suddenly risen to first place again.]

[Ah…….]

[From level 35 to level 39. It was an amazing change that he made in just one week.]

[Whoa, that’s amazing. Raising his level from 35 to 39 in a week…….]

[I was so surprised that I even made an inquiry.]

[Oh, did you get an answer?]

[Yes, I’ll read it to you as it is. The character currently ranked 1st is not using any bugs and is only using his own…….]

After a long story, MC Woohyun nodded.

[So, it’s a story about skill after all.]

[Yes, isn’t it amazing?]

[But questions remain. Why was he stuck at level 35? How could he raise his level by 4 in just one week…….]

[There must be many undiscovered contents in World of Illusion. Maybe he discovered one of them first and went ahead.]

[I see. Anyway, it’s amazing. That Dark is amazing, but I also want to applaud the countless Ranker below him. Thousands of rankings go back and forth with a level difference of 1, right?]

[That’s right!]

[It must be nerve-wracking. Whoa, I don’t think I’ll be able to challenge the Ranker. Well, let’s stop chatting here. Now we have to get to the main point, right? You said there’s nothing known about that person, Dark, who many people are curious about?]

MC Yura made a crying face.

[Yes, that’s right. Nothing is known.]

Yura lowered her head.

A moment of silence flowed.

The screen captured MC Woohyun and Yura at the same time.

The two suddenly smiled brightly and continued the story.

[But we can find him, right?]

[Of course!]

[Judging from the fact that his job is Holy Knight, he’s likely hunting alone. He can heal himself and is good at combat. So…….]

[Ah! We can scan the hunting grounds, right?]

[That’s it!]

With that, the two MCs stood side by side.

[So, we’ve prepared.]

[‘Finding Ranker Number 1!’]

At the time they were focusing on number 1.

Muhyuk’s sword was stuck in the black snake’s body.

“Whoa…….”

It was the last blow.

He was too exhausted to even have the energy to decompose the corpse.

The moment the dead guy was turning gray.

Hwaaa.

Suddenly, pure white light poured out from all directions of the Dungeon.

“Ugh…….”

He squeezed his eyes shut, and a few seconds passed.

When he slowly opened his eyes.

[You have cleared the ‘Unique Dungeon (Snake’s Lair)’.]

[Acquiring a large amount of experience.]

[Acquiring ‘Fame (300)’.]

It was a Dungeon clear message.

“Ah…….”

It was a terrible time.

Whenever he logged into the game, the space of the Dungeon pressed down on his heart.

Even though it was virtual, it was the first time in his life that he had been trapped alone in a dark place.

If it hadn’t been for the phrase that his stats increased every time he killed a snake, he might have given up halfway.

“Hua.”

It was refreshing and invigorating outside air.

“Hueup!”

While repeating inhaling and exhaling, he made one resolution.

Next time, he would prepare more thoroughly.

He had to learn to cook no matter what.

It was to increase his dexterity and to eat delicious food in the hunting grounds.

Well, anyway.

He felt good after clearing it.

Above all, the fact that he had achieved an increase of 10 stats in this Dungeon was encouraging.

Strength, agility, stamina, knowledge, and wisdom all increased by 2 each.

After the 2 increases, the stat did not increase even if he killed the monster.

It was as expected.

Wasn’t he disappointed? Not at all.

Muhyuk knew that this alone was a huge reward, so he didn’t have excessive greed.

Unique Dungeon.

It was really a great place.

What if it was an Ancient Dungeon?

Perhaps each of the 5 stats would have increased.

With these rewards, countless users would be trying to find the Dungeon.

No, right now, only a very small number of users would know about the existence of the Dungeon, so it could be said to be a future event.

The distraction stopped there.

Shall we go back now?

To the Arsen Kingdom.

After passing through the castle gate, Muhyuk saw many users and suddenly thought.

Ah, rankings.

He suddenly became curious.

How much has the level of 1st place increased?

Ranking system.

Then a hologram appeared.

1st place. Dark (Holy Knight 53Lv)

2nd place. Ares (Shadow Archer 52Lv)

3rd place. Gus (Martial Artist Lv52)

…….

Muhyuk’s eyes lit up.

Dark’s level had increased by 2 since Muhyuk started World of Illusion.

On the other hand, Muhyuk had raised it to 19.

It was an amazing growth rate.

Even including the time it took to make the sword, it was an amazing speed.

If he had focused only on leveling up without making the sword, he would have been heading towards the mid-20s now.

If someone were to know this fact, they would definitely be furious.

They might curse him as a bug.

But the distance to the Ranker was still far.

He had to work harder.

But he couldn’t go hunting right away.

Now was the time to take a step back for two steps forward.

Even for the growth of the Summoned creature, he had to devote a certain amount of time to grinding.

While making swords in the smithy, he had to raise the level of his skills to increase his dexterity, and of course, he had to learn new cooking skills to accelerate the increase in his dexterity stat.

In that way, he was planning to raise his dexterity to 30 or more and make the Skeleton stronger by assembling bones.

After that, he would have to reach level 20 and proceed with the quest for the hidden job, Gangster Necromancer.

The plan was roughly set.

First of all, cooking.

He turned and entered a nearby restaurant.

“Welcome.”

A plump woman greeted Muhyuk.

He took a seat and asked her.

“What’s the most delicious thing?”

“Everything is delicious, but the most popular is the wild boar leg roast.”

It was a leg part made of the muscles of a pig living in the mountains, grilled over a fire.

They put a special sauce on it, and the taste of the sauce was so good that it was the most popular here.

“I’ll have that.”

“It’s going to be a lot to eat alone…….”

“It’s okay.”

“Yes, then please wait a moment.”

After ordering, he looked around.

It was a lively atmosphere.

There were more users than he thought.

Although the sense of pain was reduced, the sense of taste remained the same. Delicious food was delicious everywhere.

In addition, food inside World of Illusion was much cheaper than in reality.

The price of the food Muhyuk ordered now was 30 silver. It was a generous amount for two adults to eat, and it tasted good. It was only 3,000 won in cash, so it was bound to be popular.

Then the food came out.

“Enjoy your meal.”

“Ah, yes.”

Four pieces of pig leg were visible on the plate.

The large size seemed like a lot to eat alone, but he didn’t care and picked up one of the legs.

The moment he tore off the flesh where a faint heat was rising due to the warmth, the scent of the pig spread into his mouth.

Ooh……!

It wasn’t the fishy smell of pork.

What should he say, it was like the luxury of eating beef.

It was similar to that, but it was a unique scent that clearly identified it as pork.

It was soft as he chewed, and the texture was chewy.

In addition, the sauce was added, so a fantastic taste that he had never experienced before came like a thrill.

In a word, it was the best.

Munch, munch.

He ate four legs in an instant.

His stomach was full.

“Hua…….”

It was so hard to even breathe.

Perhaps she saw that.

The plump woman who was the owner of the restaurant came over and handed him water.

“Did you eat it all?”

“Ah, yes. It was so delicious.”

“Huhu, thank you.”

And now was the perfect opportunity.

A way to get cooking skills.

Go to the restaurant alone, order the dish recommended by the owner, and eat it all.

After that, tell the owner who brings the water that the food is so delicious that you want to learn how to make it.

Of course, it varies a little here.

There are many places that refuse because they are not convinced if you simply say that you are learning because it is delicious.

Therefore, a little seasoning is needed.

It wasn’t a difficult method, but it was a keyword that was difficult to implement if you didn’t know it.

Now that he knew the answer, all that was left was to put it into practice.

Muhyuk slowly parted his lips.

“Excuse me…….”

“Yes?”

“I’m exploring these days, and I miss delicious food when I’m alone. Especially when I have to spend the night alone in a place full of monsters. I think I’ll have strength if I eat this food at that time…….”

He paused for a moment.

“Would it be rude if I asked you to teach me how to cook?”

“Ah…….”

A look of anguish flowed across the restaurant owner’s face.

From now on, it was a battle of patience.

There was no need to add unnecessary words. He just waited while looking at her.

Perhaps she felt that gaze.

The restaurant owner also glanced at Muhyuk’s eyes.

“Whoa.”

Then, with a long sigh, she opened her mouth.

“Exploration……. It must be hard alone.”

“Yes.”

“You say you’ll have strength if you eat my food…….”

She trailed off, but Muhyuk could tell.

He succeeded.

The following words proved that thought.

“Okay. I’ll teach you how to cook. But can you help me with my work while learning?”

At the same time, a message popped up.

[Acquire Cooking]

Learn to cook from Hanna, the owner of the rest area.

[Reward: Cooking Skill]

[If you fail: Cannot retry]

Muhyuk accepted the quest without hesitation.

“Of course.”

At the same time, a soft smile appeared on his lips.