“Then I’m going.”

The first thing Grid did after leaving the smithy was to set an alarm. It was an alarm so that he would return in time for the battlegear production competition held in three days.

“I’m anticipating it...”

Grid definitely had to watch the competition.

White said that the skills of the blacksmiths participation in the competition were great.

‘The Black Anvil smithy specializes in tanning, the Red Tongs smithy in quenching, and the Blue Flames smithy in the furnace processes?’

It was just like the blacksmiths of the White Hammer smithy being exceptional in forging.

‘This will be a good study.’

Grid had inherited Pagma’s techniques, but his overall experience and knowledge tended to be lacking. The blacksmiths of the East Continent had built up their know-how for many years. Just like with the White Hammer smithy, Grid was expected to be able to learn new things from the competition.

‘I can’t be conceited despite being a legendary blacksmith!’

The proud Grid wanted to learn from less talented blacksmiths in order to reach a higher ground. He puffed up his chest and walked in a dignified manner through the streets.

“Hmm?”

Grid received information that a monster community existed to the north of Pangea and headed to the north gate. He suddenly stopped walking. It was because he heard a familiar name in his ears.

“Try it once! Just one bite of our orc cream pie will have your juices flowing! The combination of the fragrant orc fat and the refreshing cream is perfect! It’s a dish that Pangea’s little hero, Kraugel, admired for being delicious!”

‘Kraugel? Pangea’s little hero?’

The chef was talking about the same Kraugel that Grid knew?

‘Of course.’

Kraugel was the 1st ranked user and created a sensation wherever he went. Not only was he strong and fast at levelling up, he was also famous for his understanding of the quests.

"Kraugel’s name resonates through all the villages and cities that he visits...”

It wasn’t something just spoken between players. Grid smiled bitterly and approached the middle-aged chef.

“One orc cream pie please.”

He was curious to taste the dish that Kraugel praised. In addition, he wanted to know what types of activities Kraugel did here.

‘Why is he called the little hero?’

Grid wasn’t suspicious because he didn’t believe that the word ‘orc’ in front of the name meant the monster orc. He paid 1 silver to pay for drinks service and looked at the pie with anticipation. At first glance, the pie was an orange cream pie. The outside pastry looked crisp and the inside looked moist.

“Ohu.”

Grid thought that 1 silver wasn’t a high price as he took a bite of the pie. His face distorted.

‘Not even a dog would eat this.’

It was cream without the freshness of fruit and was sour like vinegar. It wasn’t smooth and stuck to the tongue. The mean inside was too tough and chewy. The pie looked crisp on the outside and moist on the inside? More like it was burnt on the outside and poison on the inside.

‘How can this be called food?’

Rather than the ingredients used for this dish, the oxygen consumed by the chef was a waste. The chef approached the angry Grid and asked.

“How is it? Delicious?”

"...”

He was asking sincerely? Grid closed his mouth and the chef, Idan, spoke unabashedly. "Did you know that Kraugel ate four of these pies? They are really delicious!”

“Is this true?”

"Yes, hundreds of people saw it.”

“Crazy...”

Grid felt sympathy towards Kraugel. What type of tasteless food did he grow up with that he would praise this garbage pie? Grid hurriedly asked Idan a question. He had lost 1 silver, so he intended to get as much as possible from stepping foot in this restaurant.

“Who is Kraugel? What did he do that made him be called a little hero?”

“Ah, you are an outsider. I noticed that you didn’t know the taste of my pie.”

‘I know.’

Grid barely suppressed the words that tried to come out.

"Pangea was originally a rich and peaceful city for hundreds of years. But two years ago, that peace suddenly ended. Our great lord suffered an illness and his aide, Arube, was appointed as temporary lord.”

“Then Arube was a bad person and Kraugel defeated him?”

“Hat... Hum hum, it’s similar but different. Excuse me, this person. Please listen to everything I have to say first. I want to talk.”

It felt like Idan had a lot of say.

"Anyway, the story is as you predicted until the middle. Arube, who was famous for his good behavior, became a tyrant after being appointed as the lord. He came out from time to time to harass women, took away land from farmers using all types of excuses, and raised the taxes.”

It was too obvious. Grid’s ears pricked with interest as Idan’s story entered a new phase.

“One day, monsters started to infest the areas near Pangea. Pangea, where monsters have never showed up for hundreds of years!”

“Is it the monster habitat in the north?”

“Right, right. They were really frightening. The monsters moved systematically like an army and dealt tremendous damage to Pangea. People grumbled and hated the monsters that seemed to fall from the sky. We couldn’t resist them and were trampled on helplessly.”

“Then Kraugel appeared?”

"Yes! Our little hero appeared! As if he fell from the sky, he appeared and took down one or two monsters.”

'One or two? The sky above the sky?’

Grid thought that it would be something amazing, but it was surprisingly simple.

‘Usually stories are exaggerated when talking about heroism... Ah.’

Grid realized.

‘The monsters on the East Continent are extremely strong.’

The monsters that invaded Pangea. Even Kraugel could barely deal with one or two. That’s what the chef said.

“Despite Kraugel’s presence, Pangea couldn’t escape from the crisis. The monsters were too strong. The cavalry and strategies that Pangea are proud of didn’t work... Yes, it was like someone was directing them to attack Pangea.”

"Was that person Arube?”

“Huh?” Idan couldn’t help feeling admiration. "How are you able to infer the story so easily and accurately? Are you perhaps a detective? Can you find the puppy that disappeared from my house?”

"...”

It was a tiring style. Grid remained silent and Idan went back to the main point.

"Yes, the monsters were controlled by Arube. More than 2,000 monsters were controlled by one person. Isn’t it truly amazing? Arube was just an ordinary civilian before this!”

“Wow, amazing.”

The story was so obvious that it wasn’t anything special. Grid felt irritated because he had to eat unpleasant food and thought this was a waste of time.

"In fact, there was a reversal here. Arube wasn’t Arube. It was a wicked demon who killed Arube, disguised himself, and then tried to destroy Pangea.”

‘This is the true story.’

Anyway, things had become clear. The daoist priests of the East Continent were completely different from the magicians of the West Continent.

‘A legendary great magician wouldn’t be able to control 2,000 monsters like limbs, right?’

‘Right. It is impossible even for a taming master. Not all of them are strong, but it’s better to be on the lookout.’

‘Yes, let’s go.’

Grid rose from his seat after Braham’s answer when Idan blocked him.

“That’s why. Find traces of the great hero who helped kill the evil daoist priest that the little hero Kraugel couldn’t defeat alone.”

Was this a quest? Why else would it go back to the true story? Grid had just come to a conclusion when a quest window appeared in front of him.

[Find the Traces of the Great Hero!]

Difficulty: A

The evil daoist priest revealed his identity. The small hero Kraugel fought with him and tasted despair. Pangea seemed to be on the verge of destruction.

But then a mysterious hero appeared. Later, the people of Pangea praised him as the great hero. The hero instantly defeated the evil daoist priest and saved Pangea from the crisis, but he didn’t disclose his identity and left. This made the residents of Pangea feel sorry. They have a strong desire to find the great hero and give thanks.

In particular, chef Idan has a duty to find the great hero. It is to regain the frying pan that was passed down through the family’s chefs for generations.

Quest Clear Conditions: Find the frying pan somewhere in the monster community.

Quest Clear Reward: Free lifetime use of Idan’s restaurant. 30% character experience.

Quest Failure: Idan, who is famous for his mouth, will talk about your faults all over Pangea.

“The place where the great hero was last seen was the north! But it has long been famous for the wild beasts and since the monsters arrived, it’s hard for me to head there directly. Please find the great hero’s trail and get my frying pan back!”

“...Ah.”

It certainly wasn’t a bad quest. Grid planned to hunt in the north anyway, so he was in a position to look for the frying pan. If he could find the frying pan, he would receive 30% experience for free. The only disagreeable thing was the free lifetime pass to Idan’s restaurant.

'...Well, I don’t have to eat there, so there’s no reason to refuse.’

Grid made a decision and nodded.

“I understand. It’s very hard, dangerous, and troublesome, but I will do my best. But I have one question. What is the correlation between the great hero and the frying pan?”

Idan gritted his teeth.

"When he appeared, the evil daoist priest... I was cooking in the kitchen and ran out onto the street with my frying pan. Then I bumped into the damn hero. He took my frying pan and beat the evil daoist priest with it?”

“...He beat the daoist priest with a frying pan?”

“Yes! It was great when the hero hit him with my frying pan! Wonderful and invigorating! But what? He left without returning the item he borrowed! He left with my frying pan!”

"...”

“For a chef, a frying pan is like the soul! It’s like that hero stole my soul! Then he threw it away somewhere without a thought!”

There were really too many words. Just listening to the high voice was tiring. Grid quickly left the restaurant. Then he immediately left by the north gate.