Solo Max-Level Newbie - Chapter 96

[You have entered the 6th floor]

As his darkened vision brightened, a dense forest spread in front of him.

‘Indeed, it is one of the best vacation spots on the Tower of Trials.’

Cool air and warm sunlight. Above all, the beautiful natural scenery was breathtaking.

“Come down here! Barbecue and beer are all set up.”

“I heard that the ‘Cloud Cotton Candy’ on the 6th floor is so delicious. Shall we try that?”

“Kuak. The town shop also sells a lot of pretty relics. If we don’t use coins now, when should we use them?”

Firstly, most players who came to the 6th floor came in pairs.

It was a small break from the daily life of fighting while climbing up the tower.

It was understandable to some extent that players would want to laze around the 6th floor.

However…

‘Playing and having fun can be done later.’

The Elven Forest wasn’t a place where one played around in nature. It was a place of opportunity where you could acquire skills only obtainable here.

‘Those who noticed that would only be a few.’

Players who really wanted to be strong would not just be enjoying this in the first place.

They would already be wandering through the forest to find elves.

‘Then, should I start going too?’

Jin-hyuk passed the other players and began to move deep into the forest.

Around three hours away from the starting point, the forest becomes complicated.

This was a kind of warning.

Anyone could come freely to this point, but beyond this was the realm of the elves, so do not approach any further.

However, no matter how complex the arrangement of trees was, it was no use. It would be useless even if the trees moved and formed new terrain.

Because Jin-hyuk had already learned how elves made their way through this forest.

“Hum.”

He took a deep breath and took all the scents in the air. The fresh smell of grass and the sweet scent of fruit were conveyed to him as they were.

Of course, the most crucial scent here was the scent of the earth. Jin-hyuk noticed the faint earthy smell that permeated the air.

‘To the left.’

There was a subtly different scent on the left side, which made Jin-hyuk turn.

The location of mushrooms, grass, and trees.

Even after that, there was a fork in the road, but Jin-hyuk already knew which side to take and went deeper into the forest.

And…

On a tree a little further away, a figure was watching everything. A race with short hair and pointed ears.

An Elf. The ones who ruled this forest.

‘How did a human know of this?’

Silvia, a ranger of the Elven village, couldn’t understand this situation. They had crafted several defenses to prevent humans from approaching, but it seemed like all of them were being bypassed?

‘It is impossible to distinguish the smell of dirt if one hadn’t lived for a long time in the forest.’

The locations of mushrooms and the grass shape were also things that no one who was not a forest dweller could know.

Ordinary humans weren’t the kind of people to be interested in such things.

‘How… was a half-elf born without us knowing?’

She wouldn’t have believed that he was a human if it wasn’t for his appearance.

Such was the extent of his ease in finding the path to their abode.

At that moment.

The human man had reached the front of the barrier.

‘It did it! No matter how great this human is, it ends here.’

What was in front of him was a barrier made exclusively by the elves. It was impossible to escape if they entered the Illusion Barrier erected by the High Elves.

They would inevitably become exhausted if they were trapped for a week amidst the countless illusions.

And Silvia’s mission would end with her eliminating the unconscious human.

But…

“Ugh! This isn’t something high elves should do. ‘Ete Tamaros’ is passive. You need to use an active word. Tch tch. I don’t know which elf did this, but it feels like they slept in the grammar class. They could only display 50% of the power the original barrier would display.”

The human clicked his tongue while looking at the elven words carved on the wood.

At the same time, he was even correcting the wrong parts using a stone from the ground.

Silvia’s face became red.

As an apprentice ranger, she had no choice but to get angry when someone made fun of the high elves.

‘Just… just what is that human?!’

‘Thankfully, there is a young elf here.’

Jin-hyuk smiled.

From the moment he had reached the forest border, he had already noticed the elf following him along from the branches.

Still, considering they are a race known to have good stealth in the forest, he acknowledged her skill.

Thanks to that, he managed to grasp the elf’s position.

‘I laid out enough as bait…’

This should make a solid first impression on his opponent. Now it was his turn to summon the opponent hiding behind him.

Jin-hyuk opened the subspace inventory and took out the ingredients and cooking utensils he had prepared.

[Lv1 ‘Restaurant of New World’ is activated.]

This was a skill acquired when he traveled to various restaurants. This was the higher version of the skills he had received through Fusion.

Jin-hyuk’s hand movements then changed. His skill as he sliced through the vegetables and fruits looked close to art.

‘So… beautiful.’

Silvia, who was on the tree, just stared at him.

“No..?”

She had forgotten to look around, but this scent was a unique dish.

No doubt.

‘That is meat.’

Silvia jumped down at once.

“How dare you cook meat in this sacred Elven Forest. What is this?!”

She shouted as she pulled back her bowstring.

Her face was filled with anger and the intent of never forgiving this sinner.

“This is meat?”

“Uh?”

“This isn’t meat.”

“I saw it with my own eyes. You think I will believe you?”

“If you cannot believe it, come closer and confirm it.”

“No..”

Silvia approached Jin-hyuk cautiously but…

“What?”

Her eyes shook. This thing smelled and looked like meat.

Upon closer inspection, it wasn’t meat. The dish was made using beans, nuts, and fresh vegetables.

“It is called soybean. On our side, it is getting a lot of attention as the next alternative food.”

Alternative food?

It was a culinary field that was rapidly growing in recent years for reasons of healthiness, reducing pollution, and animal rights.

In fact, the stock price of a company called Beyond Meat was listed as the highest-flying stock in March.

‘Of course, it would charm the elves who hate meat.’

So he had prepared this.

A special meal that will satisfy the most demanding of elves.

“Try it once. I shouldn’t say this, but I am confident in my skills.”

“It really… isn’t meat?”

“I never play with food. I don’t want to fight with elves. Why would I force you to eat meat which you don’t like?”

Silvia lowered her bow at his words and placed a piece of soybean in her mouth with curious eyes.

Nom nom.

Her little mouth constantly moved, and at that moment…

“What is this taste…”

Silvia let out an exclamation of surprise. She couldn’t help it. This was her first time having such delicious food.

‘So delicious.’

Soft beans and various vegetables were mixed to create a deep flavor. It used a moderate amount of olive and had a savory, tangy taste.

It was even finished with a specially prepared sauce. No matter how frugal most elves were, their appetites were bound to be stimulated.

[Affinity of 3rd class ranger Silvia increases.]

[‘Silvia’ feels sorry for pointing her bow at you.]

As her affinity rose, her feeling of regret was also conveyed.

Everything was going as he planned, with a solid start to his relationship with the elves.

“I am sorry, I didn’t know that and…”

Silvia bowed her head.

It was because she couldn’t bear her hasty conclusion. If her apology was accepted, then the issue would end here.

“I am glad the misunderstanding has been cleared up. It was also my fault for entering the realm of the elves in the first place.”

Jin-hyuk deliberately added more weight to Silvia’s guilt. This should be good enough.

“No. This is my fault.”

Silvia shook her head.

“As an apology, I will do anything I can for you.”

Of course, she had to say this. That was why he was wearing the mask of an innocent man.

“Then… Can I see the elven village?”

“Uh? Our village?”

“I am a sociology student, and I am writing a thesis about understanding the lives of other races. It will be a precious memory for me if you give me the chance to enter a forbidden area to which humans do not have access.”

A participatory observation.

It was one of the main methods used by sociologists to understand the cultures and traditions of others.

[Lv4 Communion is activated.]

Jin-hyuk secretly used his ability.

It was a growth-type skill he had used several times to make a strong bond and a sense of familiarity with new and unknown people.

And the effect was immediate.

Silvia, who had looked shocked at a human who wanted to visit her village, nodded her head.

“Ah! For real. In a week there is a festival in our village. The elders and village elves will like it very much if they can taste this delicious bean meat.”

In one week…

Right on schedule.

“Okay. Then I will come back here in a week.”

“Yes. I understand.”

Silvia, who was about to send Jin-hyuk away, hurriedly shouted as if she thought of something.

“Ah. Your… name?”

“Kang Jin-hyuk.”

Don’t make a mistake, and remember it carefully.

Not Captain Teemo but Kang Jin-hyuk.

“I am Silvia, a ranger of the elves.”

Silvia also formally introduced herself.

If she was a 3rd rate ranger, then it meant she was a low elf.

“Silvia. Remember me. The next time I come, I will bring delicious stuff.”

“Yes! I look forward to it!”

After he said that, Jin-hyuk began to move away.

At that moment.

Woong!

A status window popped up.

[You are receiving a video call from player Kim Gitae.]

It was Kim Gitae.

‘Looks like everything is ready.’

It wouldn’t have been easy to gather materials to reopen the labyrinth, and it seemed like he finished it quickly.

It must mean that they are in a hurry. Jin-hyuk accepted the call.

“Hello, player Kang Jin-hyuk. I have something to tell you. Can you spare me a moment?”

“You don’t have to beat around the bush. Just tell me the place and time.”

“Sure. We are meeting in an hour at Melta Hill on the 3rd floor. If you tell me the coordinates of where you are, we will send a mage-type player and move you through space.”

This was the chance for him to get the first job task and a hidden reward simultaneously.

Finally, the time has come to begin the raid on the Gray Temple.