164 – The Artisan’s Promise – 3

The square was extremely crowded with Letans and summoners who had gathered from all over Uralta.

“An overflow? An overflow is really going to happen? Here in Uralta?”

“Even though the number of summoners active in Uralta has decreased lately, isn’t an overflow still a bit of a stretch?”

“It is Lord Ptah’s divine punishment. A divine punishment has been handed down!”

“Apparently, the continuous violent eruptions of the volcano lately were a precursor. You know, when an earthquake occurs, a volcano usually erupts as well.”

“Damn it, I should have left when things seemed strange.”

“Are you going to run away now? Ha, looks like I won’t be seeing you in the Frontier.”

“Stop talking nonsense and check the condition of your weapons. In this damn volcanic zone, there’s nothing more annoying than your sword melting while you’re fighting.”

What was a bit funny was that while the Letans murmured in confusion and fear, the attitude of the summoners was somewhat different.

The summoners active in Uralta were at least of Rare grade.

Since many of them had already adapted to the continent of Leta, rather than being blindly afraid, most of them were quietly preparing for battle while grumbling about their bad luck.

“I’m starting to feel the mana earthquake. It wasn’t a lie, this is really an overflow.”

“How long do we have to hold out…?”

“But the rewards will be good, right?”

An overflow was dangerous, but the rewards upon overcoming it were guaranteed.

Those who had experienced and realized firsthand the law of the Leta continent—that the greater the risk, the greater the return—were burning with fighting spirit, using even their slight fear as fuel.

When Gi-jun, wearing an apron over his black armor, appeared in the middle of such a square along with a griffin pulling several huge carts, all eyes naturally focused on him.

“A griffin? Was there a guild in Gratia that had griffins other than the Species Alliance?”

“I heard they lost their griffin not long ago.”

“Wait, that’s the man who was flashing strangely earlier.”

“You don’t know? He’s the one who resolved the vampire commotion in Gratia.”

“But why is he wearing an apron?”

“Everyone, attention.”

Gi-jun’s heavy voice echoed through the square.

At the sight of him throwing hundreds of pre-prepared meat skewers into a boiling pot of oil that could easily fit three people, the onlookers tilted their heads in unison.

Without even needing to use Luminescent Provocation, Gi-jun looked around at the people paying attention to him, nodded in satisfaction, and spoke.

“I have prepared some food. It will be fried in no time, so everyone come and eat one.”

“What?”

“Do we look like beggars to you? Is this some new way of mocking people?”

People were dumbfounded by Gi-jun’s sudden action.

However, there was always an oddball among them, and a man who placed value on eating a meat skewer personally fried by the Hero of Gratia slinked toward the pot, took out a skewer, and watched his reaction.

Gi-jun pulled out a stand, arranged plates filled with various sauces on it, and offered them to him.

“Dip it and eat. It’s free.”

“I have no idea why you’re doing this, but since I was feeling a bit hungry, just one…”

The man dipped the skewer in tomato sauce, took a bite, and immediately widened his eyes in surprise.

“This…! The oil is no ordinary oil. You seasoned the oil beforehand to bring out the flavor of the meat perfectly! Besides, the meat is also a very high-quality monster meat. If I were to buy this, it would easily cost a gold coin…!”

“That’s also correct, but I want a different review.”

“What do you mean, a different review? Let me eat more and think about it first!”

The man, who had been pouring praise on Gi-jun’s cooking skills and ingredients, devoured the skewer mindlessly, only to look at the system message popping up in front of his eyes and become astonished.

“What is this? A buff? A dish gives a buff? And it’s Heat Resistance, of all things!”

At the man’s murmur, those who had been stealthily observing the scene from the surroundings reacted instantly.

“A cooking buff? Wasn’t that only possible in the Empire or the Frontier?”

“A buff?”

The importance of blessings and buffs suited for combat situations could not be overstated.

However, most of the summoners traveling the continent of Leta did not receive proper buffs.

It went without saying that the number of priests capable of granting blessings was extremely small; moreover, priests and other classes that could provide buffs had weak combat capabilities in the first place, making it hard for them to survive, so unless they set out as a party from the beginning, they were not easily found anywhere.

Yet, to obtain a buff, and the Heat Resistance buff that anyone active in Uralta desperately wanted at that, just by eating a single meat skewer—how could they not be surprised?

“If you have companions, bring them over to eat too. The effect doesn’t increase no matter how much you eat, so just eat one each.”

“Understood!”

Only then did the man realize Gi-jun’s true purpose, bowed his head, and ran off to quickly bring his group.

They also seemed to admire the taste of the dish at first, but once they finished eating, they all showed great reactions, such as being shocked in unison by the message that popped up before their eyes.

Feeling that the time was ripe, Gi-jun tapped the pot containing shakshuka with a ladle and shouted.

“To those who will fight against the overflow, a plate of food will be provided for free! It’s a dish that gives a Heat Resistance buff, so even if you’re full, come and eat!”

He didn’t even need to make an effort to draw attention.

People hooked by the vivid reactions of the man and his party members began to flock from all over!

With the help of his party members, Gi-jun began to plate and distribute the shakshuka, which he had cooked as quickly as possible, in individual portions, while the people took it upon themselves to hold skewers and wait to cook them in the oil fondue without him having to intervene.

Since the dishes were simple in the first place and didn’t take long to eat, the process was carried out very quickly.

By the time the mana earthquake began to intensify, most of the summoners remaining in Uralta and the Letans who had the will to fight had finished a serving of shakshuka or a meat skewer.

―You have fed well over ten thousand people to their fill with your cooking and given them the strength to fight against a crisis. The [Soul Cooking (U)] skill has reached level 30.

―You have fed well over ten thousand people to their fill with your cooking and given them the strength to fight against a crisis. The [Soul Cooking (U)] skill has reached level 30.

After checking the message, Gi-jun placed the remaining skewer in Fortis’s mouth and smiled in satisfaction.

“With this, their survival probability must have increased.”

―Krrr, krrrr.

Tilla and Lora, who had been helping distribute the food beside him, whispered.

“I have somewhat mixed feelings. Jun’s cooking is not something that should be given away cheaply in a place like this.”

“Wouldn’t it be fine as a passage in a heroic tale? ‘The people who gained strength from the dishes shared by Lord Jun joined forces to defeat the overflow…’”

“I don’t like that kind of heroic tale. …Huh?”

Gi-jun, suddenly feeling his vision turn red, raised his head.

Before long, the volcano was vigorously erupting lava.

Not only from the crater, but also through the gaps in the earth that had cracked and burst open alongside the violent earthquake, red lava surged—and wolves of red flame, given life by it, made their appearance.

“Has it begun?”

“Wolves… truly.”

The party members groaned as they confirmed that the effect of Gi-jun’s title had held perfectly true.

Monsters were not the only problem.

The lava that surged from here and there not only filled the entire ground, leaving no place to step, but also began to rush toward Uralta as if it possessed a will of its own.

The dungeons located throughout the volcano were also eroded by the lava, naturally opening their exits and dragging out all the monsters trapped inside.

Because the overflow that swept over Uralta possessed the power to forcibly transform targets through the violent flow of mana, all the monsters that came into contact with the lava eventually mutated into wolves of flame, and they were all rushing toward Uralta while letting out eerie howls.

“The whole world is red.”

“It feels as if… the lava is filling the sky.”

Lora’s words were neither a metaphor nor anything else; they were the truth.

Some of the lava that erupted from the crater did not fall to the ground but spread up into the sky, devouring the clouds and expanding its power.

Before long, having transformed into dark-red lava clouds, it covered the sky and began to rain down fire.

Gi-jun had already experienced this phenomenon, which could not possibly be explained physically.

“Is it a Unique Territory?”

“It’s a phenomenon that accompanies an overflow. It’s the result of the mana flow in the area twisting strangely, and the environment changing under the influence of the monster at the center of the overflow.”

However, as if Uralta was not without countermeasures, a translucent barrier soon revealed itself, covering the entire city in a hemispherical shape.

Seizing the moment when the commotion momentarily quieted down, Unica climbed onto the platform prepared in the square and raised her voice to shout.

“As the administrator appointed to Uralta, I, Unica Monoceros, declare by the authority of a noble of Gratia! Let us fight against the overflow and protect this city. The Hero of Gratia is with us! Once we overcome the overflow, the volcanic activity will also subside!”

“Ooooh!”

At the moment he raised an arm in response along with his party members to lend strength to Unica, who was shouting while sneakily mixing in lies, a message he had seen once in the past appeared before Gi-jun’s eyes.

―Sudden Quest triggered! Protect the city of Uralta from the overflow, and furthermore, resolve the disaster that has befallen Uralta!

―Rewards will be distributed differentially based on your contribution. If you make a great contribution, you will be able to make a special request to the artisans of Uralta!

―Sudden Quest triggered! Protect the city of Uralta from the overflow, and furthermore, resolve the disaster that has befallen Uralta!

―Rewards will be distributed differentially based on your contribution. If you make a great contribution, you will be able to make a special request to the artisans of Uralta!

It was the moment Gi-jun had been waiting for.

The summoners, filled with courage, brandished their weapons in unison and rushed out of the city, and Gi-jun also advanced, leading his party members.

“I will fight here! I am sorry!”

At Unica’s spirited voice coming from behind, Gi-jun replied with a wave of his hand.

Although they ultimately could not hunt the Divine Beast together—just doing well in that position would surely bring great gains to Unica as well.

Gi-jun chuckled, raised his shield, and declared to his party members.

“Let’s clear these things out as quickly as possible, and as soon as things are cleaned up, let’s go catch it right away.”

“That won’t be difficult at all. Rodim!”

―Kong, kooong!

It was Tilla who started first.

As her Red Flame Beast, the fire fox Rodim, rushed forward while scattering sparks into the air along with a cute cry, the lava flowing across the earth surprisingly rose along the path the creature took and began to swirl like a wave!

Lava was molten rock, not fire, but Tilla, who had reached the Legendary grade, could exert influence on any substance that held heat, even if it wasn’t fire.

And the same went for Gi-jun and Ur.

“Ur, you can do it too, right?”

―Kieet!

When Ur, who had grown massive in an instant, raised its forepaw and slammed it down, the lava transformed into sharp thorns and surged up around it, completely piercing the bellies of the wolves rushing toward the party from all directions.

The dead wolves turned into flames and came completely under Ur’s control—and devouring the surrounding heat, they grew even larger and swept through the area!

“There is… nothing for me to do.”

“Actually, I expected it to be somewhat like this. Since you two are already superior to anyone else when it comes to the fire attribute…”

Meanwhile, Eun-shin and Lora smacked their lips and exchanged glances upon seeing all the monsters and lava within their field of vision being overturned by the power of only two people, Gi-jun and Tilla—but soon, Lora sheathed her sword first and pulled out a prayer book.

“O Goddess who brings victory to every battlefield we share, grant your kiss to the warriors who take the lives of the enemy!”

“Ah, that’s unfair!”

―You have received the blessing of Ishtar, the Goddess of War. Every time you kill an enemy, your equipment’s durability, health, and mana will be slightly recovered, and your attack power will gradually increase. Attack power increases up to a maximum of 30%.

―You have received the blessing of Ishtar, the Goddess of War. Every time you kill an enemy, your equipment’s durability, health, and mana will be slightly recovered, and your attack power will gradually increase. Attack power increases up to a maximum of 30%.

There were various branches to the blessing of Ishtar, who was also the Goddess of War—and as Lora, thinking there was no need to borrow resistance to heat anyway, set aside the divinity of the Goddess of Light and bestowed the blessing by invoking only the divinity of war, the effect was truly extraordinary.

That blessing, which thoroughly focused on combat endurance, was so cheat-like that it even prevented the damage of armaments, showing particularly outstanding effects in this battlefield where lava overflowed everywhere.

Upon realizing that her blessing was effective even on Gi-jun, who could not receive the blessings of other priests, Eun-shin had no choice but to admit that she was overwhelmingly superior to him at least on this battlefield…!

“M-Meow.”

“Huh? It’s Nabinya.”

At that moment, discovering the cat clinging to his trousers, Eun-shin stroked its head and asked gently.

“Didn’t you give up on fighting here? Your pretty fur might get burned. Should I take you inside?”

“Something more important than that has happened-nya. The Cait Sith’s intuition is telling me-nya. The treasure is trying to escape-nya!”

“The treasure is running away? How?”

“The Divine Beast-nya!”

Nabinya shrieked as she delivered a cat punch to Eun-shin’s palm.

“No matter how much I think about it, it’s strange-nya. An overflow is good for killing a large number of weaklings, but isn’t it hard to kill someone as strong as Master-nya?”

“Is… that so?”

“If it really wants to kill Master, saving its strength and delivering the strongest blow possible would have a higher success rate than an overflow-nya. That’s when Nabinya realized-nya. It’s trying to tie Master down with the overflow and escape in the meantime-nya!”

“…Huh?”

It was a weakling’s way of thinking, which only Nabinya, who had always lived from the perspective of the weak, could come up with.

But it was plausible.

Even more so if one substituted the recent active volcanic activity as evidence of the Divine Beast’s anxiety.

Eun-shin raised his head and looked up high, scanning the crater at the peak of the volcano.

…It felt as if he could see a massive shadow raising its head within it.