The Divine Forge and the Frozen North
Adamantium was an incredibly rare ore, but it wasn't so rare that it was completely a myth. A player of ranker caliber could usually get their hands on one or two pieces of Adamantium ore through quests. If they swept up the occasional listings on the auction house, they could eventually gather enough to craft a single bracelet or gauntlet. However, there was a very simple reason why they didn't bother.
— "It's much better to craft with materials that don't incur penalties rather than taking a massive penalty just to use Adamantium."
— "It's not as good as Adamantium, but once it's made, there isn't that much of a difference."
— "Even if you craft with Adamantium, the only real benefit is leveling up your Blacksmithing Skill, and it's just too expensive."
No matter how much effort went into securing the material, if a penalty was applied during the crafting process, the final product ended up being comparable to items made from ordinary high-grade materials. Thus, rankers chose to use other excellent materials instead of forcing themselves to work with Adamantium.
...But what if it was a territory rumored to have a specialized facility?
Though they couldn't say for sure since they had never used it themselves, the rumors suggested that this place might actually be able to melt Adamantium properly without any penalties.
At this sudden suggestion, the blacksmiths' community board began to buzz like crazy.
Among blacksmiths, it was an accepted academic theory that the Divine Forge was located in the deepest depths of the Archisus Church's Great Temple. Where else could it possibly be? Surely it wasn't sitting in something like the Sky Castle?
Tae-hyun was a unique player, the likes of whom were hard to find in all of Pandemonium Online. It wasn't just a matter of skill. It was his incredibly broad character growth! He excelled in close combat, he excelled in magic, and he excelled in crafting...
What kind of insane character is this?! was the natural reaction.
Consequently, blacksmith players couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy. If they were outclassed by Kim Tae-hyun even in blacksmithing, they would truly have no excuses left!
"Oh, right. Cain. Can you show me around Nodranche?" Alcott asked out of curiosity.
The territory that had been receiving the most passionate reactions lately was Nodranche. From the Ancient Beastmen quest to the discovery of an Ancient Empire city!
The beastmen shown in the videos were truly formidable enemies. Honestly, it gave him goosebumps. How on earth had they blocked those attacks?
And the Ancient Empire city... Its brilliant appearance, with all kinds of facilities still intact, made his heart race. He was dying of envy toward Cain.
Regardless, Alcott wanted to see it for himself. If Cain, the lord of the territory, guided him, wouldn't he be able to see all the unreleased facilities of the Ancient Empire city?
"Huh? No thanks."
"..."
Cain rejected him without even a second of hesitation! Alcott nodded slowly. Ah~ this is why I used to hate this guy!
"Why not!"
"We're not even that close, why should I show you around? Go look by yourself!"
"After we did a quest of this scale together, you could have at least pretended to consider it! Fine! I'm never helping you again."
Though Alcott possessed a certain charisma within the Guild Alliance, playing around with Cain dragged him down to Cain's level. This was Cain's magic! Seeing Alcott react like that, Cain panicked slightly.
What if this guy actually stops giving me information about the Guild Alliance?
Of course, that wouldn't happen, but Cain got scared first and muttered quietly,
"N-No, Alcott. It's not that I rejected you because I don't like you. There's a reason."
"What reason?"
"...Inside the palace, there's... there's something dangerous that Kim Tae-hyun told me never to speak of."
"...?!?!"
Alcott was startled. What?! There was really something like that?!
"Hey... why are you telling me that if Kim Tae-hyun told you not to?!" Alcott was dumbfounded. Did this guy have absolutely no concept of keeping a secret?
And if Kim Tae-hyun finds out, he'll destroy me too...!
"I-It just shows how much I trust you."
"...!"
Alcott was honestly touched. Of course, Cain had just thrown out a random lie without thinking, but there was no way for Alcott to know that.
"...Right. I understand. If that's the case, it can't be helped."
Alcott thought to himself. Even if he ended up going to Nodranche, he must never go to the underground city! If it was something Kim Tae-hyun deemed dangerous, then what on earth could it be...?
Is there some ancient sealed demon down there?
Drift ice has appeared! Watch out for the drift ice!
The drift ice of Frozeland can severely damage your ship with a single collision!
The temperature is dropping. Prepare for the cold.
The freezing cold of Frozeland tears through skin and penetrates to the bone. If you venture further north, you had best prepare for death.
Hmm. Unnecessarily ominous.
Carbanog agrees. It says it cannot understand people who willingly venture into such places.
"Kim Tae-hyun. Didn't you have a fleet?"
"I do."
Tae-hyun had a wide variety of fleets he could mobilize, ranging from pirate fleets to kingdom fleets.
"...Then why did we leave all of them behind and come like this?"
The vessel Tae-hyun's party was currently aboard was a small boat. The kind of tiny boat novice fishermen would use! Was there any reason to use such a boat?
"Tsk, tsk. Alcott, you clearly don't know how amazing this boat is. This was a gift from the wealthy fishing uncles of the Arantis Kingdom, who commissioned it with their own money. It's made of a single piece of premium ebony..."
"What?! Those crazy pay-to-win whales from the Arantis Kingdom?! No, wait. That's not what's important right now."
No wonder the boat was insanely fast and glided so quietly!
What kind of boat costs as much as a house?!
"Wouldn't a large fleet be better? In case we have to fight..."
The giant monsters of Frozeland would require powerful firepower. The kind of overwhelming firepower Tae-hyun had used to sweep away the beastmen tribes in Nodranche!
"No. If we run into a giant monster, we'll avoid it," Tae-hyun said flatly.
In Nodranche, he had no choice but to fight because avoiding them would mean Cain's territory got destroyed. But their current goal was to capture the Raider Players who had fled to Frozeland and recover the dragon's treasure! There was no reason to risk their lives fighting giant monsters.
"Ah. I suppose that makes sense."
"If we bring a massive fleet, the guys we're hunting will notice us first and run away. That would just be annoying."
Tae-hyun's words carried a level of experience that couldn't be gained from just a few PKs. Suddenly remembering the things Tae-hyun had done back in Pan-On 1, Alcott shuddered.
"What. Cold already?"
"I... I guess so."
Alcott took out a Warmth Potion from his bag and drank it. They were only on the outskirts of Frozeland, and it was already this cold. It would definitely get much worse once they went deeper.
Huh?
Alcott tilted his head in confusion. It made sense for Tae-hyun to withstand the cold since he had all sorts of suspicious skills, but...
Why wasn't anyone else drinking potions?
He couldn't understand how they were all sitting calmly by the gunwale, casually chatting about how pretty the icebergs were.
Is there some kind of buff active??
"I see land over there."
"Are we heading straight in?"
"No. We'll circle around. If we land directly, we'll leave tracks. We'll climb onto the drift ice to erase our tracks before going in. We'll carry the boat and hide it."
"...!"
A lion exerts its full strength even when catching a single rabbit. Tae-hyun was demonstrating exactly that. No matter how much the Raider Players struggled, they were no match for Tae-hyun, yet he was approaching this with absolute thoroughness!
"Alcott. You know those guys have to give us accurate information, right?"
"O-Of course."
Getting nervous for no reason, Alcott stammered. Currently, members of the Raider Players' guild were on the boat with them.
'I-Is that really Kim Tae-hyun? It is, right?'
'Whoa... Kim Tae-hyun is right in front of us!'
'Can I ask for his autograph?'
'I'll probably get thrown off the boat...! But I still want to!'
They didn't dare speak out loud, keeping their mouths tightly shut, but the guild members were in a state of extreme excitement!
Why are these guys acting like this?
Alcott eyed them suspiciously. Their bloodshot eyes and heavy breathing were highly suspicious. Were they perverts?
"Are you ready to send the whispers?"
"Y-Yes!"
"You have to send them properly. If you try any clumsy tricks, you'll be the first ones I eliminate."
Even without Tae-hyun's threat, the guild members had no intention of staying loyal to the troublemakers. Their loyalty wasn't even worth a single silver coin!
The ones who had caused the trouble weren't currently accepting whispers. However, if they sent them, they would still be able to read them. Since they were currently isolated and on the run, they would eventually find the offer tempting if they kept reading.
Especially since they had fled all the way to Frozeland...!
The raider player who sent the whispers asked with an anxious expression,
"I did exactly as you instructed... Will this really work?"
"I feel like we should entice them a bit more... like saying we brought items with us..." Alcott suggested.
Tae-hyun shook his head.
"That will only have the opposite effect. If you were in their shoes, would you believe that? You caused a massive mess, and suddenly your guildmates show up to hand you free stuff?"
"...!"
"Instead, we have to act tough. Like we have nothing to lose. Don't send any more whispers. Even if they reply, ignore them a few times."
At Tae-hyun's every word, the guild members looked deeply moved. This is indeed the world's greatest raider player...!
Why do I feel so insulted by these guys?
Carbanog agrees! It says they seem to be cursing the Avatar in their hearts!
Well, even if they are cursing me, there's nothing they can do.
They were cooperating because both sides had something to gain! Tae-hyun continued to give precise instructions after that. They were the kind of commands that could only be given by someone who was thoroughly experienced in dealing with raider players.
After some time passed, a whisper finally arrived from the other side.
The guild members stared at Tae-hyun with eyes full of absolute reverence.