Chapter 20 Part I

    "Young Miss" Has Appeared

    Before everyone entered Paradiso City, Teppanyaki decided to discuss something important with Möbius, whom he found to be incredibly intriguing, much like his guild leader who was equally interested in the young man upon hearing about him.

    "My guild leader would like to invite you all for a meal, is that possible?"

    Möbius smiled politely at the young warrior who spoke to him courteously. Although he thought it was a nice invitation, he had to decline since the two fox girls with him were voracious eaters, and that would surely bankrupt Teppanyaki’s guild leader.

    "Um..."

    But before he could decline, Gumiho gently tugged on his sleeve, giving him the most pleading look imaginable, hinting it would be unwise to refuse such an offer of a free feast in the food paradise.

    (No, Möbius, we saved him from what would have been a certain doom by defeating the boss. If we don’t let him repay us in some way, they'll feel uneasy forever.)

    Inari moved closer, sending him telepathic messages with a face full of resignment, yet her eyes sparkled, completely contradicting her expression. While he was still hesitant, Gumiho standing and clinging beside him whispered softly,

    "Or should we eat you instead, Möbius..."

    "Ah… that's right, we are so hungry we could eat right now, dear."

    The fox mother smoothly picked up from her daughter, stroking her fingers along Möbius's chin, then touching her own tongue, prompting the young man to make up his mind instantly.

    "Uh... then I suppose we must impose your kindness."

    Kujikatsu and the others blinked rapidly as they watched Möbius, who always had two beautiful women doting on him, with envy. Teppanyaki finally regained his composure and gestured for his guests to follow him to the pre-selected restaurant.

    "This way, please, Mr. Möbius."

    Inside Paradiso City, truly living up to its reputation as a food paradise, food was sold everywhere along the streets, from large restaurants to roadside stalls. The city was styled in an ancient European decor. Although the sunlight was fading, the city was still illuminated by golden lights emanating from golden strips running along the walls of every building.

    This made it one of the best atmospherically crafted cities. In the center of the city stood a large pillar that extends into the sky, leading up to a large flying saucer-like structure hovering over the city.

    People from various directions gathered here not only to explore and enjoy exquisite cuisine that would otherwise require extensive travel but also because of the nearby mines in the south filled with valuable ores. The surrounding area was home to non-aggressive monsters that can be sold to the city's restaurants for extra income.

    Above all, Paradiso was the only city that offered a not-so-secret quest available at every restaurant. Successful completion of this quest granted access to the flying saucer above, entering the ancient dungeon of Paradiso where players could embark on a treasure hunt to discover hidden unique treasures.

    At this moment, Möbius, Gumiho, Inari, and the Japanese Restaurant group were walking along a wide pathway towards their destination, with Möbius and the two foxes lagging behind.

    Honk, honk!!!

    "You blonde sisters, why don't you come with us? Be our car's hood ornaments."

    Two players in fancy clothes driving a small vintage car called out to the conspicuous mother-daughter duo.

    "Oh! What's this?"

    Gumiho, who had never seen a car before, was curiously looking at the black vintage car making loud clanking noises, just as Möbius vaguely remembered that such vehicles were used for fast travel.

    "It's a car, the latest model that the game company has started selling."

    Sashimi replied after the group had returned, prepared to deal with any wealthy show-offs. Cars are one of the most expensive items in the in-game shop, nearly one-fifth the price of an actual car because they can facilitate fast travel anywhere.

    Given that, aside from a warp system that transported goods between cities, only the very expensive rental vehicles from the system were available. Hence, most regular players relied on walking to get around.

    "Dang, you guys got more numbers."

    After Sashimi, Teppanyaki, and Kujikatsu stood and smiled coolly behind Möbius, sending threatening glares to those who dared disturb their guest, the players in the car quickly drove away. The three men then invited Möbius to continue on to their destination, definitely a Japanese restaurant.

    "I have a reservation under the name 'Injustice Upholders of the World Guild.'"

    Sashimi told the restaurant staff. Möbius, hearing the name of the guild, looked perplexed since this group even offered to help the miners, hardly seeing how they could be considered unjust. The staff then led them through a large dining room filled with people and up to a private room.

    Just then, a mysterious voice whispered so softly that even Inari, who had the best hearing, barely caught it:

    "That’s… At last, we find him, Vatta... No, Möbius."

    Inside the private dining room,

    "Order anything you like, we'll pay."

    Teppanyaki offered Möbius the menu, which he passed to the ladies. He smiled as both beautiful women seemed to like the restaurant, but his face fell when he heard their orders. A flood of sweat burst forth simultaneously and covered him rapidly.

    "Alright….! Then, no need to hold back. Let's have this, this, this, and everything on this page."

    Gumiho, overwhelmed by the menu presented by the waiter, swiftly pointed her slender fingers at the menu pages, her speed almost imperceptible. But the waiter's ability to take down the order was even faster than her pointing, and in a blink, the paper in his hand frighteningly expanded, neatly listing all the food ordered.

    "And for me, these, these, and these."

    Inari ordered less than Gumiho but chose the most expensive items like marbled beef, otoro, and matsutake mushrooms, causing Teppanyaki to sweat so much that it dripped to the floor. Just then, Möbius nudged the host before initiating a conversation to distract him.

    "I was wondering if you could tell me how a guild differs from a federation... The number of members, perhaps?"

    Möbius inquired about the basic structure of the group in this game, causing Teppanyaki to look slightly surprised that the young man before him was unaware of such basic details, before wiping his sweat and explaining in detail.

    "Yes, if there are no more than 1,000 members, it's a guild. More than 1,000 members, it becomes a confederation, and over 10,000 members, it is a federation. Currently, there are countless guilds, about 40-50 confederations, and only three major federations."

    Knock, knock.

    After he finished explaining, a knock sounded at the door. The man who entered was quite muscular, about 26 years old, wearing a full suit of armor with a large axe attached to his back. His red hair and fiery eyes contrasted with his humble demeanor, almost as if he were a non-confrontational person, with a constant smile on his rugged face.

    "Uh... sorry for being late. Hello, my name is Red Bread, and I'm the head of the Injustice Upholders of the World Guild."

    Red Bread introduced himself and bowed deeply to Möbius, who quickly stood up and returned the bow in a hurry, surprised by the leader's extreme politeness.

    "Hello, I'm Möbius. These are Gumiho and Inari."

    Möbius introduced himself politely, not forgetting to introduce the mother-daughter foxes who also bowed slightly to Red Bread, before they continued to enjoy their meal, oblivious to the surrounding stares.

    "Thank you very much for helping the Teppan’s group. They are an important part of our guild. Losing their levels would not have been good. And is it true, Möbius, that you're not affiliated with any group?"

    Red Bread asked with a cheerful smile, ordering a feast to match Gumiho's appetite. Despite Möbius appearing as an ordinary player, his ability to handle Efrik was proof enough that he was no ordinary man, making Red Bread curious about his lack of affiliation.

    "That's correct, I currently don't have an affiliation."

    Möbius responded, the real reason being that no one had ever invited him, aside from having issues with the Shield and Sword Federation from his very first day in this world.

    "Interested in joining one of the big three federations? I have connections in those federations, and with your skills, you could hold a high position."

    Red Bread raised his eyebrows slightly, smiling so wide that his eyes became slits, making his intentions unreadable. He made the offer to bring Möbius into a major federation, but the young man immediately waved his hand in a declining gesture.

    "No, thank you. I don't agree with their methods."

    Möbius responded firmly. Whether it was the swordsman who injured his own men to attack Gumiho or Xiao Long who ordered bandits to attack the Erisé Village for his own benefit, joining a major guild would increase his chances in the war, but he preferred to follow his own methods.

    "Sigh..."

    Sashimi sighed, while others who had been tense at first now smiled, relieved by his response. The young warrior smiled at Möbius, who looked puzzled, before continuing the conversation.

    "I'm glad that at least we don't have to be enemies with someone like you."

    "I feel the same. If you, Möbius, ever encounter harassment from the major federations, please don't hesitate to contact us. We might not be able to do much, but we can offer some help."

    Red Bread smiled and handed him a business card. When Möbius took it, he remembered what Cosmos had told him about a group secretly opposing the federations, which made him unable to resist asking,

    "Are you the ones who help people who don't want to join the federations?"

    "Yes, our guild, the Injustice Upholders of the World, adheres to the principle that everyone should be able to enjoy the game, not just play to crush others."

    Sashimi proudly replied. They take pride in enabling players with unique abilities to have fun without having to follow anyone's orders—even if there are no rewards, they do it sincerely.

    "In wars, they know that if they fight among themselves, it opens opportunities for the remaining parties to attack. So, they agree to take turns winning the wars. Mr. Möbius, think about it, what's the point of playing the game like this?"

    Kujikatsu remarked, reflecting on how numerous small guilds and confederations have joined the wars but were utterly defeated due to the three major federations collaborating, causing morale among the smaller groups to wane.

    "What exactly is a war like? I just started playing the game."

    Möbius, who needed to win the war according to a clue in the first letter he received, needed to understand what war was like.

    "Whoa, it's incredible that you've just started playing, Mr. Möbius. The rules change every time, but one constant is that anyone can join according to the system's conditions, though it's usually not hard."

    Teppanyaki nodded rapidly, understanding why Möbius didn't seem very knowledgeable about the game. He answered based on the recent war he experienced,

    "Are you interested in joining a war, little Möbius? If our guild had a capable strategist like you, it could be really helpful."

    Kujikatsu, eager for Möbius to join their guild, fired off the question. Everyone at the table paused their meal except for the two fox girls who continued to enjoy their food.

    "I am interested in participating, but I don't think the time is right yet. I still lack a lot of experience before I can guide anyone in a major war."

    Möbius, who had just reached level 36, said. He wanted to travel more first since he had only been in this world for less than a month, wanting to learn more before deciding.

    "In that case, I'll leave an open invitation for you to join our guild whenever you're ready. Just call up the invitation window and click accept."

    Red Bread explained. This needed to be extended to someone trustworthy because once accepted, the recipient could not cancel this indefinite guild offer. The benefit of this is that the recipient cannot accept other group offers unless they cancel this one first and will be able to use the guild's communication channels freely—it's essentially a reservation.

    Möbius nodded in agreement, not knowing this detail, and soon after, the system's voice sounded in his head.

    ‘You have received an invitation window.’

    ‘You have received the communication window for the Injustice Upholders of the World Guild .’

    "Thank you, Mr. Red Bread."

    "It's really late, let's actually start eating."

    Red Bread, having achieved his goal, smiled in response to Möbius's thanks before beginning to eat earnestly.

    The feast proceeded with the two fox girls and Red Bread continuously ordering food, causing Teppanyaki to wipe his sweat again and again. Understanding the young warrior's plight, Möbius allowed him to borrow some money to pay for the meal, which touched Teppanyaki deeply, and as the feast drew to a close,

    "We are going to travel to Tanuki City next, which is quite far. Would you like to come with us, Mr. Möbius?"

    Sashimi, who hadn't eaten much, asked as they walked down to the lower floor of the restaurant after everyone had finished their meal. Noticing the mother and daughter foxes discussing what to eat next, he got his answer immediately,

    "I can't because I need to take Gumiho and Inari to explore this city first."

    "Uh, Mr. Möbius, you might want to take this secret mission card if you're staying in this city."

    Sashimi handed him a card with about 20 squares. It's a secret mission of the city requiring you to dine at famous restaurants to collect stamps. Once complete, it allows access to the Paradiso Dungeon to find hidden treasures, although those treasures are mostly food discount vouchers. The condition to receive the card is simple: just order food totaling over 300,000 Ryo in one bill.

    "I really feel for Möbius, those two women eat so much, he’ll probably run out of money before they can tour the entire city."

    Kujikatsu quietly remarked to Teppanyaki, after seeing how much the beautiful women could eat, no longer feeling envious of Möbius, he immediately began looking for another target before spotting a beautiful girl.

    "Look over there, she’s so cute."

    The young archer pointed out to his friend a girl who seemed to be waiting for someone at the restaurant exit. She was a petite girl with a calm demeanor, long delicate hair, and large purple eyes that complemented her cute, dimpled face. She wore a black, off-the-shoulder Gothic Lolita blouse with long sleeves contrasted with a short white ruffled skirt, revealing her fair, smooth skin. As she looked over at their group, the girl seemed a bit startled before walking towards them right away.

    "Um... It looks like she's coming this way."

    Sashimi, feeling sure she must be coming to him, adjusted his clothes and hair. The frail, delicate woman like her was exactly his type.

    Snap!

    However, the young girl rushed forward and hugged Möbius, who was the first to walk out. This caused the three men’s eyes to nearly pop out of their sockets, and their mouths agape almost to their chests. They all exclaimed in unison: