Chapter 42: Kebab

Martin wrapped up his real-life duties in a hurry.

Although he could have gone for a cardio run, the thought of the Goblin Boss won out in the end, so he put on his virtual reality headset instead. The Goblin Boss had turned out to be a real challenge, and the fact that they still had conditions to meet before they could bring him down only stirred Martin’s competitive side even more.

He wanted to get ready as soon as possible.

His vision darkened. Then bands of rainbow light stretched ahead of him and carried him into the game world.

A moment later, he found himself standing once more on his own two feet in the Forest Hidden Monster Hunter Academy. Evening had already begun to settle over the grounds, and the sinking sun spread a scarlet glow through the forest.

The Light Tree seemed to steal most of that color for itself, its massive crown shining as though fall had arrived early at the academy.

It was the kind of view Martin normally would have missed completely.

A familiar figure cut through the quiet, drawing Martin’s attention with an easy smile. It was, naturally, Rangar, once again introducing a new player to the Hidden Level One Dungeon. Martin felt a small wave of relief at the sight of him, because of all the people he could have run into first, Rangar was exactly the one he needed.

"Rangar!" Martin called. "Are you in charge of scouting potential players now? I remember you used to be one of the tutorial guys too."

"Haha!" Rangar laughed. "That’s right! The higher-ups noticed that the players I picked for the Level One Dungeon kept producing excellent results, so they decided to put me in charge of scouting talented newcomers and anyone else who catches the higher-ups’ attention. But man... so many players these days get reckless and think blind bravery alone will get them into the Level One Dungeon!"

"I know the feeling. I deal with stupid, entitled people in my world too. I’d probably lose my job if they knew what I really thought about them, or if any of it ever slipped out," Martin said, rubbing the back of his head as he silently appreciated his paid vacation.

Rangar chuckled. "But it’s fun! Otherwise, I wouldn’t be here! So, how are the dungeon runs going? Need me for something?"

Martin shot him such an open, palpable look of jealousy that the man’s smile faltered into an awkward stare. The ease with which Rangar talked about changing jobs stirred a clear pang of jealousy in Martin, because for most people, walking away from one boss and finding something else the very next day was little more than a dream.

Rangar was one of the lucky ones.

Martin sighed, then clapped his cheeks lightly to push aside his real-life troubles.

When he looked back at Rangar, he explained the situation with the current run. As Rangar listened, the smile on his face gradually shifted into the unmistakable look of a proud teacher. Martin was already working well with his teammates, covering their flaws, helping them improve, and beginning to notice his own weaknesses as well.

"Here’s the pickaxe I brought back from the dungeon," Martin said, taking out the item and handing it over.

Rangar took it carefully by the handle and turned it once in his hand, the easy grin on his face fading into a more focused look. His thumb hovered near the crystal edge without quite touching it, as though he had already recognized that this was no ordinary mining tool. Though the system simply labeled it as blue crystal, the sharpened look in his eyes made it clear that the material meant far more than its plain name suggested.

"Crystal-Clear Mana, or Crystallized Mana. The mountain’s vein must be so rich in mana that it starts spreading like roots and forming crystal ore deposits. The closer you get to the vein, the tougher the crystals become, and naturally, the richer they are in mana. Did you have Ao Tenshin eat it?"

"Not yet," Martin replied.

Rangar smiled. "A raw mana solid in any form is good material for evolution and upgrades at the lower levels. We’d love to get more of it. But that part is up to the higher-ups and your guild leader."

"Eh? Is she already famous with you guys?" Martin asked, his brows lifting.

Rangar let out a noncommittal hum. "I’ve only heard rumors. She managed to recruit players like you, and that got the higher-ups’ attention. She used that to set up a meeting with them and somehow convinced them to work with her. Well, our hands are tied in a lot of matters in this world, and we need real help from players. That might be why."

Martin understood by now that, while people like Rangar could enter places such as the Hidden Level One Dungeon to supervise players, they could not personally solve every problem or gather every resource themselves. That was why players chosen by the Light had been brought into this world in the first place, to work alongside its people against the monsters throwing it into turmoil.

Cassandra Selfmore must have realized that sooner than anyone else, which was probably why she had already started building influence for her guild. But influence alone would not be enough forever, and what she needed now were real results.

And we have those results within reach... We really need to defeat the boss today!

"This pickaxe has a dense edge, but I don’t see you swinging it at the boss. You need a new weapon, yeah?" Rangar asked, already reading Martin’s plan.

Martin nodded. "Yeah."

"Haha! Come on, then. I’ll introduce you to the best blacksmith around!"

"Thanks. I’ll cook something for you next time we meet as repayment."

Rangar’s eyes lit up. "Damn, really? I’m looking forward to that! You see, I’ve heard of kebab! I want to try kebab!"

The man’s excitement was so immediate and genuine that Martin could not help laughing.

"Fine, man. I’ll get you kebab," Martin said, still amused.