A Path Paved with Traps
"Tsk. Quick on the uptake, aren't they?"
"We used to make a killing with this trick, but it's getting harder these days."
"This is why I hate quick-witted bastards..."
Players belonging to the Archisus Church muttered from all directions. They had hoped to get a free ride, but their attempt had ended in failure.
"Those damn Archisus Church bastards! I can't even roll a die anymore because of them!"
"Hey, if you're so jealous, why don't you join us? Every church has its own unique traits!"
Perhaps because they took after their Pope, the players of the Archisus Church were bizarrely shameless. We're just utilizing our church's unique traits, so why are they taking it out on us?!
"If only they weren't so good with their mouths... Ugh, those..."
"Whatever. If nobody wants to go, I'll just take Cain with me," Kim Tae-hyun said.
"...Huh?"
Cain had been standing there minding his own business, only to get slapped in the face metaphorically! Everyone marveled at Tae-hyun's words. It was a judgment that would have made Solomon weep with admiration!
"If it's Cain, I approve."
"Yeah, I can get behind Cain going."
"You bastards... I don't need that kind of approval! Since when did any of you ever acknowledge me?!"
Cain flared up in anger. These jerks had never given him an ounce of recognition before, so why now of all times?!
Tae-hyun watched the display and muttered, "How strange. I thought everyone would be raising their hands to get a share of the experience points..."
"...?!"
"Come to... think of it?"
The players of the expedition suddenly realized they were acting like complete fools. As long as there was a guarantee of success, participating in such a high-difficulty quest was pure profit! They had been fleeing in such a frantic panic that they had completely forgotten. The one leading this quest right now wasn't Cain—it was Kim Tae-hyun!
"Cain, how could we let you go alone? We're coming with you."
"Tae-hyun! I have always been the first to volunteer for danger! Please choose me!"
"..."
Cain seriously wanted to smack them all on the back of their heads.
In the end, a party of about thirty players was formed, and they began to move out. The players followed closely behind Tae-hyun, their faces hardened with grim determination. Seeing their perfectly disciplined posture, Cain couldn't help but ask, "Hey, you guys never acted like this when I gave the orders, did you?"
"Wow, Cain. Have you no conscience? Are you seriously comparing yourself to Kim Tae-hyun right now?"
"..."
Cain was left utterly speechless. While that was true... did they really have to say it so bluntly?!
"As expected of the guy who makes his boss do his household chores."
"He's not human. Seriously."
"His very thought process is fundamentally different from ours."
Whisper, whisper—
"Ah, cut it out, you jerks! I was just trying to help—"
"Everyone, quiet down and focus," Tae-hyun interrupted. "Make sure you don't step on any traps."
"Where are the traps? Didn't you set them up outside?"
"...Every single spot outside of where you are standing right now is a trap."
"?!?!?!?!"
The players gasped in sheer horror. Is he insane?!
"Wh-when did you set all of this up?!"
"Look at Kim Tae-hyun! His old habits from Pan-On 1 are acting up again!"
Even if he loved setting traps, he should have at least left a proper path. The sheer madness of filling every single inch of the area with traps, leaving nothing but a narrow, straight line to walk on!
"What are you talking about? If you want to stop the enemy, this is the bare minimum," Tae-hyun said smoothly.
"Is... is that so?"
"No... don't fall for it! No matter how you look at it, that is complete overkill!"
"Isn't it just his personal hobby?"
Even in defensive battles, there was usually a limit to how many traps one would set, but Tae-hyun knew no such boundaries. Who in their right mind would pack them this densely?! The players broke out in cold sweats as they followed behind him. Now that they knew, it was far more terrifying than when they were ignorant. The path felt exceptionally narrow! Nevertheless, they managed to follow the path and successfully exit the forest.
"...Uh."
"?"
The angry Ancient Bear Warriors have caught up and arrived before you!
Out on the plains ahead, the bear warriors were charging toward them with furious momentum! The blazing rage in their eyes made it clear they were absolutely livid.
Carbanog shouts that those ancient beastmen suffer from congenital anger management issues!
They certainly look the part.
A barrage of system messages popped up one after another, attempting to inflict penalties on the party led by Tae-hyun.
• You possess the Master Tactical Skill! The party overcomes their fear!
• Your Reputation is too high! The Ancient Bear Warriors will be exceptionally cautious when facing you!
• You are the Avatar of Archisus! The Ancient Bear Warriors will face you with extreme, absolute, utmost, and life-risking caution!
...Don't emphasize it so much...!
He had been fully prepared to fight, but the system's dramatic warnings almost drained his energy before the battle even began!
Carbanog says that since they are beastmen warriors who fought in ancient times, they likely remember the Archisus Church during its golden age.
The golden age of the Archisus Church...
What was the Archisus Church like during its golden age?
Carbanog says that... it didn't exactly have a good reputation.
...
A religion that seemed tailored for schemers, traitors, and wicked conspirators! A faith worshipped by the most suspicious figures of the continent to gain good fortune...
Fine. You can stop talking now.
Tae-hyun glanced back. Perhaps because they had already fought once, the players looked relatively calm and resolved.
They're actually quite reliable.
Since Tae-hyun hadn't been able to bring his artillery unit, the only assets he could utilize were these expedition players. Seeing them stand their ground like this was honestly quite reassuring.
"As expected of Kim Tae-hyun."
"?"
"You lured them here, didn't you?"
"Yeah, that must be it."
The players looked at Tae-hyun with eyes filled with absolute, 100% trust. The sudden charge of the beastmen warriors—ah, Kim Tae-hyun must have set this up beforehand! Which meant he definitely had a plan to deal with them, right?
"...What kind of nonsense is that, guys? I was working on the fortress with you the entire time."
"Th-then what about them? Didn't the subordinates you sent out bring them here?"
"They just came on their own."
"...Aaaaargh! Aaaaah!"
It seemed the expedition players had assumed Tae-hyun had set up some sort of trap or defense on the plains in front of the forest.
"We thought you buried some bombs like Cain's or something!"
"Or that one of those charging bastards was going to explode!"
What boundless imagination! Tae-hyun marveled at their creativity.
"There's nothing like that. Just get ready to fight."
"Get out of the way! I'm running!"
"The path is too narrow, only one person can escape at a time! Hey, you crazy bastard! Move! Who's blocking the way?!"
The players tried to flee, but strangely, the path remained blocked. When they looked to see who was blocking the rear... it was none other than Cain.
"Guys! The enemy is in front of us! Move forward!" Cain shouted, grinning from ear to ear with excitement.
"You son of a..."
"Are you seriously doing this?!"
"Haha! I can't hear you!"
"Ugh, that absolute piece of...!"
Pushed forward by Cain, the players had no choice but to step up and form a battle line.
I'm going to kill Cain!
Cain, you absolute bastard!
The players' eyes burned with murderous intent. They were united in their hatred of Cain!
Meanwhile, Tae-hyun was casting various buffs while keeping his eyes locked on the enemy.
—Lucky Strike, Lucky Strike, Primordial Tempering, Tyrant's Command...
He planned to use his divine Authority skills in fifteen seconds. Before that, he intended to charge in and disrupt their formation. The role of a top-tier damage dealer was to throw the enemy group into chaos single-handedly! However, given the strength of his opponents, even Tae-hyun couldn't help but feel a tense thrill. How should he handle them?
They're warriors, so they shouldn't have any curses, right?
"Ji-su, once I charge in, throw Gong-gong in with me."
"Yes, Hyung. I'm ready."
—?!
Gong-gong spun rapidly in protest, but both of them coldly ignored it.
"The rest of you will do fine on your own..."
Lee Da-bi, Jeong Su-hyeok, and Choi Sang-yun could always be trusted to perform their roles flawlessly. From casting various buffs and debuffs to providing fire support, their duties rarely deviated.
"Cain, if those guys manage to break through..."
"I know, I know. You want me to stand at the very front and tank for the party, right?" Cain said, acting as if he understood perfectly. If he had to do it, he had to do it!
Sigh. Those jerks who call me a guy who exploits his boss need to see how hard I'm working right now...
"No, there's no need for that."
"?!"
"Just block the ones heading for our core members and retreat. Why bother protecting everyone when we have so many people here? There's no need. Everyone should look out for their own lives."
Tae-hyun cut him off coldly. Cain stared at him, a thought crossing his mind.
Why is it that when he says it, it sounds so reasonable?
If Cain had said the exact same thing, he would have sounded like an absolute piece of trash!
"Well then... I'm off!"
With those words, Tae-hyun charged forward. The warriors had already reached their immediate vicinity.
"He's coming!!"
"Be careful, everyone! He might have coated his weapon with poison!"
"Cover your ears! Do not let his cunning tongue deceive you!!!"
The bear warriors roared at the top of their lungs. Cain was deeply impressed.
Incredible!
Their ancient experience was clearly not just for show; they had immediately figured out the most perfect countermeasure against Tae-hyun. Anyone else would have had to get wiped a dozen times to realize that! Of course, just because they covered their ears didn't mean Tae-hyun was going to stop.
Crash!
Tae-hyun dashed forward at blinding speed, vaulting over the first enemy that lunged at him. It was a seemingly simple maneuver, but it required a level of control that very few could pull off—especially in a chaotic situation where terrifying enemies were shaking the earth as they charged from all directions!
• The Ancient Bear Warrior's defense is exceptionally high! Damage has been reduced.
• The Ancient Bear Warrior's health is...
• ...
They're incredibly tough!
Though their combat styles were completely different, they reminded Tae-hyun of Paladins—heavy tanks that pushed forward using sheer, overwhelming raw stats!
"Raaaaargh!"
Whoosh!
• Evasion successful!
• The opponent's attack attempts to inflict Fear...
• Resistance successful!
In case, I'll just keep striking until you break.
He had no intention of backing down from an opponent who relied on raw stats forever. Ultimately, the most effective way to conquer such an enemy was a direct, head-on assault!
Crash!
Boom!
Crash!
As Tae-hyun ruthlessly swung his sword, locking down a single bear warrior and beating him to a pulp, the watching players swallowed hard.
"He's doing that in a 1v1?"
"That's definitely not an opponent you're supposed to fight solo..."
"Kim Tae-hyun! You're getting surrounded! Watch out!"
Even without their warnings, Tae-hyun was already reading the battlefield. While his eyes remained locked on the opponent in front of him, the rest of his senses were keenly aware of his surroundings.
—Critical Explosion, Archisus's First Strike!
The moment his opponent faltered, Tae-hyun immediately unleashed a flurry of consecutive attacks. Thanks to the additional effects applied to weak points by the Archisus Swordsmanship, the warrior couldn't even mount a counterattack and began to steadily fall back.
Your Swordsmanship skill has increased!
I'm right at the edge of Advanced Swordsmanship... I'll definitely hit Master rank during this quest!
Unlike other warrior classes, Tae-hyun didn't receive any bonuses to his swordsmanship skill. The only way to compensate was to beat up stronger opponents, and in greater numbers!
"Grab him!"
"It's not working! He's too slippery!"
"It's the power of Archisus! He possesses the power of Archisus!"
"Annoying bastard!"
"Accursed wretch!"
"Rot in the Demon Realm, you scoundrel!"
"..."
Thud, thud, thud, thud!
Tae-hyun, who had been silently beating his opponent, was utterly dumbfounded by the shouts echoing around him. These bastards...
"Don't engage him! Leave him to the beast and wipe out the ones in front of us!"
"I'll block him! Fall back!"
Fresh bear warriors stepped forward to block Tae-hyun, while the one who had been thoroughly beaten quickly tried to retreat. The remaining bear warriors prepared to charge toward the forest.
"They're... they're coming!"
"Is this really going to be okay?"
"Well, Kim Tae-hyun's party is at the front, so we won't collapse immediately...!"
Thud, thud, thud, thud—
The bear warriors roared savagely as they scattered and charged. And then...
Kaboom!
"It's a trap!! Those bastards set up traps in the forest!"
"What an Archisus-like trick!"
"They truly are Archisus-like bastards!"
The bear warriors, who had intended to surround them in a single sweep, fell into a stunned state and gnashed their teeth in frustration.
"Attack! Attack!"
"If we let them slip away, we're dead!"
Seizing the opportunity, the players poured out all the skills they had prepared. They had to take down at least a few of them here!
Carbanog, let me know if the formation collapses. I need to use my Authority skills immediately.
Carbanog says that it is watching very closely!
"Got him!"
"Aaaaargh...!"
• Your Swordsmanship skill has increased!
• Your Infamy in the Demon Realm increases!
• Hostility...
Tae-hyun broke through the blocking bear warriors and finally brought one down. They were incredibly tough and persistent bastards. The only saving grace was that they had no way of catching him. At this rate, it would just take some time, but he could definitely handle them!
Bwoooooooo—
"...That roar sounds ominous..."
At that moment, the roar of a massive beast echoed from the distance.