Solo Max-Level Newbie - Chapter 398: The Theme Park on the First Floor (3)

Evening arrived, and Jinhyuk along with the members of Veteran Corporation gathered for a meal.

Before the main event, the *Plunder Battle*, began, it was time to enjoy their last meal.

The centerpiece was a barbecue party featuring lamb ribs.

The sizzling sounds and mouthwatering aroma filled the air.

“Yes. This is what a holiday should feel like. This is exactly what I, the great one, desire,” Alice exclaimed with sparkling eyes.

Her mouth watered, and her stomach growled audibly. She was ready to dive into the feast of perfectly cooked meat paired with fresh vegetables.

“Wow.”

“Oppa, this is a proper meal!”

“Master, did you prepare all this yourself?”

Everyone looked on with anticipation.

“Well, I decided to show off a bit. Glad you’re all enjoying it,” Jinhyuk said with a confident smirk, shrugging his shoulders.

His culinary skills, honed through [Otherworldly Restaurant], were already praised by even monsters.

*No doubt, most professional chefs wouldn’t hold a candle to this.*

*Skills like this could prove invaluable in the future if consistently leveled up.*

As players ascended to the upper floors—particularly the levels where mythical creatures and spirits resided—the abilities of [Otherworldly Restaurant] would shine even brighter.

At that moment.

“Ugh! Master, why are you giving us this garbage?”

“Dalgurak! I need milk with higher calcium content, not this!”

“A noble being such as myself, the divine crane, deserves more refined food. At the very least, it must include magic essence boiled for a month,” complained Undine, T-Bone, and the Malang Black Crane as they stared at their plates.

Blackened liquids, cracked ribs, and cheap imitation jewels lay on their dishes—a clear culinary disaster.

“Just eat it. It’s all healthy stuff,” Jinhyuk said dismissively.

“This is unfair, Master. We have a right to delicious and nutritious food!”

“Dalgurak!”

“Unacceptable.”

‘Hah… They’re not backing down even a bit.’

‘Fair enough. Food does directly impact quality of life. If I leave it like this, resentment might build up.’

With a sigh, Jinhyuk pulled out a beautifully crafted magic stone and poured golden sauce over it.

A savory aroma wafted into the air.

“Mo-o-ogi…”

Goguma let out a small gasp of admiration.

“That’s right, Goguma. Looks tasty, doesn’t it?”

“Mogi!”

“Yeah, I made this with all my heart.”

“Mogi mogi.”

Goguma nodded eagerly.

“And yet… some ungrateful souls are complaining, calling this food unworthy. These shameless freeloaders expect gourmet meals for free,” Jinhyuk said, raising his voice.

“Mogiiiii!”

Goguma’s fury erupted. Flames engulfed the camp.

“Eek!”

“Master, why are you trying to provoke an ancient species?!”

“Ahem! Actually, upon closer inspection, this cheap jewel looks quite tasty. I’ve recently developed a taste for junk food,” T-Bone muttered hastily.

The complaints vanished in an instant.

Everyone frantically began eating their plates of food, stuffing their mouths with enthusiasm.

‘This is why securing the loyalty of the top figure always ensures smooth operations within the organization.’

—

Meanwhile, at a location not far from Jinhyuk’s camp, stood a line of luxury villas. Inside one of these, Oh Ji-Won and the Red Fang Guild were gathered.

“An enhancement stone, huh…”

“So, this is what they wanted so badly? Sure, it’s nice, but it doesn’t seem that special,” Lee Yeji and Kim Dahee commented, inspecting the enhancement stone they had secured during the whack-a-mole event.

Event enhancement stones only slightly improved success rates compared to standard ones—not something worth such effort. At least, not for a guild as resource-rich as Red Fang.

“That’s because it’s no ordinary enhancement stone. Judging by its acquisition difficulty, there’s likely more to it than meets the eye,” said a cold-voiced man, stepping forward.

Kim Hyungjin.

The sub-master of the Red Fang Guild. His personal power rivaled that of guild masters from major guilds.

“Director Kim, you always overthink things. Didn’t we just prove how weak Chun Yoosung is?”

“Exactly. When we faced him, he was nothing special. That so-called Veteran Corporation is just a bunch of exaggerated hype. You know how rumors tend to blow out of proportion,” Yeji and Dahee laughed smugly.

However, Hyungjin didn’t pay their words any mind.

‘Those rumors are not exaggerated.’

If anything, the truth was likely understated.

Because of this, Hyungjin understood the gravity of the situation better than anyone else.

“Are you sure about this? We’re dealing with an enormous guild led by Kang Jinhyuk.”

In the whack-a-mole event, they had exploited loopholes in the rules to defeat Chun Yoosung, but the Plunder Battle was entirely different.

In a direct confrontation, they would have to face the entire Veteran Corporation.

“Yeah, I get it. I’ve heard all about how monstrous they are through various channels,” Oh Ji-Won said, sipping a glass of 30-year-old Valentine whiskey.

“Then wouldn’t it be better to relinquish the enhancement stone? We’ve already gained enough recognition. Pushing further might cause unnecessary strain—”

“So, what you’re saying is, if we fight them, I’ll be crushed. Is that it?”

“…I didn’t mean it that way.”

“I’m not doing this recklessly. Within the scope of this event, we have a solid chance to win,” Ji-Won said with a grin.

The upcoming Plunder Battle introduced one more variable that could flip the entire game board—a decisive factor.

“By the way, what about the players I told you to bribe?”

“We pushed them as far as we could, but it seems like money alone has its limits. The capable ones won’t budge no matter how much we offer.”

“Right. The good ones won’t move just for money. Doesn’t matter. We just need the numbers.”

With that, their preparations were complete.

“Watch carefully. Let’s see who ends up laughing in the end.”

The debut would be flawless.

That arrogant fool who always strutted around would come crashing down.

‘If that happens, Father will finally acknowledge me.’

Oh Ji-Won’s dream of succeeding Korea Automotive wasn’t far off. All he needed was for the Red Fang Guild to firmly establish itself.

—

[It is now midnight.]

[The main event, ‘Plunder Battle,’ has begun.]

[Place the rewards you have collected so far at a location of your choice. Then designate offense and defense teams to steal the opponent’s rewards while protecting your own.]

[Use your current coins to purchase various skills for offense and defense.]

[Your existing abilities and skills cannot be used during this event.]

[All stats have been reset to an average of Level 10.]

[Damage incurred during this event will not translate to real harm, but any fatal damage will result in immediate elimination.]

Notifications flooded the players’ status windows.

Simultaneously…

*Boom! Boom!*

Fireworks lit up the night sky, marking the grand beginning of the event’s highlight.

“How do we approach this?” Chun Yoosung was the first to speak.

It seemed he wanted to resolve the situation himself, perhaps to make up for his earlier blunder.

“They’ll likely come for what we have. You stay here and defend our rewards.”

“What? You want me to just sit and defend?”

“Defense is just as important as offense. Besides, this won’t be easy. With the amount of resources they have, they’ll come equipped with powerful offensive and defensive skill cards.”

In a standard fight, the difference in power would be insurmountable. However, the Plunder Battle’s unique “skills” allowed for balancing the scales.

The more coins invested, the greater the advantage—a structure that heavily favored the Red Fang Guild.

‘There have been rumors of them running an unofficial coin farming operation.’

Taking that into account, it was clear they couldn’t be underestimated.

‘We’ll have to defend carefully too…’

Unlike some, they couldn’t afford to waste coins recklessly. Efficiency was key.

*Ding!*

Jinhyuk opened the skill shop.

[Accessing Defensive Skills.]

[163 Categories Available.]

From basic skills to abilities derived from various myths, the shop boasted tens of thousands of options.

Naturally, the prices for these event-specific skills bordered on extortionate.

‘Now, let’s find the most useful one…’

Jinhyuk’s eyes narrowed as he scrolled through the options.

There were a few skills he remembered as being particularly effective for this event.

*…Found it.*

[Curse of the Stone Sentinel – B-Rank (350,000 Coins)]

This was the answer.

*Whirrr!*

A bright light appeared, forming a 30 cm tall stone statue.

“Use this to hold the front line. Taemin and Yeonhwa will support you. Andrea and Frey will handle the right side. Teresa, please set up an ambush on the left flank. Wolyoung, stay mobile and assist wherever reinforcement is needed.”

“What about me?” Alice asked enthusiastically, clenching her fists.

“You? Stay back and rest.”

“Wh-what? Why am I the only one told to sit out? I’m the strongest, aren’t I?”

Without her innate passive ability, *Blood of the Progenitor,* and her unique ability, *Blood Lord,* Alice was essentially powerless. Years of brooding in the sunless corridors while dreaming of revenge hadn’t exactly prepared her physically.

At best, avoiding tears after being overpowered would be a victory in itself.

But Jinhyuk couldn’t say that outright.

“Hmm. You’re too strong. It wouldn’t be fair if you joined; it’d ruin the fun. You know how high-level players ruin the game for newbies, right?”

“Is that… really why?”

“Yep. That’s the reason.”

“Then why are you avoiding eye contact?”

“How could I look directly at the great head of the Ataraxia family? I must show respect.”

“Come on, I’m serious! I’m really strong! Believe me! Hey, are you listening? Don’t ignore me!”

Alice’s protests continued, but Jinhyuk was already equipping his newly purchased offensive skills, preparing to infiltrate the enemy camp.

The longer he waited, the more time the opponents would have to fortify their defenses.

“Time’s up. I’ll head out first.”

*Thud.*

Jinhyuk moved quickly.

Though he couldn’t use *Heavenly Demon Step,* his finely honed physical abilities allowed him to charge forward with remarkable speed.

—

The scenery shifted rapidly as Jinhyuk closed in on his target.

According to his last reconnaissance, the Red Fang Guild had set up near the *Pension* and *Circus* event zones. The high price of these locations offered both offensive and defensive advantages.

*By now, they should be waiting…*

At that moment.

*Boom! Boom!*

“…!”

A massive fireball soared through the air.

The blazing volcanic bomb narrowly missed Jinhyuk’s head as it streaked past.

This was the *Great Eruption,* an attack skill worth over 1 million coins.

“They didn’t hold back on the pricey stuff, huh?”

If a single hit landed, it would be game over.