The Siren Song of Experience Points

To agree to a quest without even knowing what it was—the other high-level players found it utterly incomprehensible. However, those quick on the uptake had already caught a whiff of something. The sweet scent of a jackpot! None of the quests Kim Tae-hyun had undertaken had ever been trivial, and not a single one had ended in failure.

There was only one flaw in any quest Kim Tae-hyun ran: I wasn't in it! "Why do you guys get to do quests with Kim Tae-hyun all the time? I know how to do quests with him too!" In an instant, a hundred players swarmed in front of Tae-hyun. The latecomers arriving behind them cried out in tearful appeal.

"Kim Tae-hyun! Let us join too!"

"Those bastards blocked the road, that's why we're late!"

"Hmm. Fine. I'll let you guys in too."

Since it wasn't particularly difficult, Tae-hyun gave them the okay. Of course, from the players' perspective, the gesture carried immense weight. How could anyone be so generous!

Standing beside him, Cain thought to himself, What are those idiots so excited about?

"You're thinking, 'What are those idiots so excited about?' aren't you?"

"Gasp!"

Cain jumped in surprise as Alcott read his mind. Did this guy have telepathy?!

"Since you're always tagging along with Kim Tae-hyun, it's probably hard for you to realize just how incredible your opportunities are. But for everyone else, it's a different story. If it meant getting to do a single quest with Kim Tae-hyun, there are plenty of people who would gladly sell their souls—or kill you."

"That's all well and good, but why do you have to use my life as an example?"

Cain rubbed his neck with a lingering sense of unease. Ever since he got his Adamantium Armor, he had developed a paranoid delusion that someone was constantly targeting him...

"And for your information, I know exactly how important and valuable ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a quest with Kim Tae-hyun is, okay?"

In the beginning, Cain was a low-tier ranker at best. Honestly, even calling him that was a bit of a stretch. After his guild collapsed, he had plummeted even further, but since he started running with Tae-hyun, his level had skyrocketed, catapulting him into ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the upper tier of rankers. It was all thanks to the rewards he reaped from clearing Tae-hyun's quests.

Mob grinding in guild-exclusive dungeons? None of that mattered. A single massive quest brought in by Kim Tae-hyun made his experience points jump like crazy. It was a good thing the other rankers didn't know the speed of Cain's leveling; if they did, they would have writhed in sheer envy. That... that kind of guy...!

"And yet, a guy like that doesn't even do chores at the team house?"

"Wait, how does someone from overseas even know about that?!"

Cain leaped up in shock. Had the rumors of him freeloading at the team house spread all the way abroad?!

"I'm saying you should show a bit more gratitude and work harder in your daily life. Unless you want to breed anti-fans for no reason."

"Ugh... Fine, I get it."

Cain couldn't find a single word to refute Alcott's point and nodded. It was undeniably true. If he didn't work harder, even his fans wouldn't acknowledge him! Meanwhile, Tae-hyun finished his preparations.

"Look over there! The demon army is retreating! What thoughts cross your minds as you watch them?"

"Uh, 'we fought well'?"

"Hold your heads high, demons! Losing to the Valley is nothing to be ashamed of!"

"...Those are valid thoughts, but I heard a cry."

"???"

"What kind of cry?"

"Is it the cry of the demons?"

"The cry of experience points! I can hear the experience points weeping, begging us to take them! And right beside them, the items are crying too. Begging us to take them!"

"...!"

"!!!"

"You can hear it too, can't you?"

"N-now that you mention it, I think I do hear something..."

"It really would be a shame to just let them walk away like that."

Normally, when an enemy retreated, players would chase them down and strip them clean. The only reason they were staying put was simple: their opponents were demons! A terrifying army led by multiple Demon Myriarchs made them hesitate to venture outside and fight. The Valley was a perfect fortress, but once they stepped outside, they would have to face them in a head-on clash.

"Trust me. I will lead you to victory."

"...!"

"O-oh...!"

Thump! At Tae-hyun's words, the hearts of the players—regardless of age or gender—fluttered. This guy... he really has a way of moving people's hearts!

"Let's go! Follow me! Priests of Archisus, unleash every buff you have! Paladins of Archisus, take the center! The rest of the players, split into two wings and flank them on the left and right! We strike them from behind!"

"?!?!???!"

"Who the hell is Pelmarne?!"

The players were utterly shocked. Even those who had spent a considerable amount of time in the Valley had never heard the name of this Archisus Cult NPC! It wasn't just that he had suddenly appeared out of nowhere. The real issue was that his skills put the archbishops of other mainstream religions to shame. To cast such massive, wide-range buffs consecutively like it was nothing... Since when did the Archisus Cult have an NPC like this?!

"Charles. I need your help."

"Huh? Me?"

Charles, one of the three who had stolen the Dragon's Tombstone, was flustered.

"I need to offer a sacrifice to trigger a buff, and I need your help."

"..."

You crazy bastard! Do you honestly think anyone would say yes to that?!

"Well, if you don't want to, I can't force you. I'll just have to tell everyone who you are."

"...I have always dreamed of being a sacrifice!"

"Thank you. I was hoping for that kind of proactive attitude."

Dying once to Kim Tae-hyun versus being hunted down ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and killed by players until he quit the game! Tae-hyun didn't hold a particular grudge against Charles, but half the players here were grinding their teeth in frustration over the sweltering weather. If they found out who he was, they would tear him apart before even touching the demon army.

"Then...!"

Flash!

"Charge!"

The gates swung open, and the raid surged forth. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Lightly leaping over the earth shattered by explosions, the raid began to run like mad. Whoosh! A charge that truly defined the phrase "swift as an arrow"!

The demon army was still retreating, entirely unaware of the situation. They weren't letting their guard down, but that wasn't enough. To stop this charge, even a full-scale defensive effort would have fallen short!

"Charge! Charge! Charge!"

"Waaaaahhhhh!"

The players cheered and roared with even greater fervor, fueled by the simple fact that Kim Tae-hyun was riding alongside them. Even if they were charging a dragon, they felt like they wouldn't feel a shred of fear. He was their ultimate pillar of support!

—What is that? What's happening?

—It looks like those Archisus Cult bastards are chasing us from behind!

—How dare they... Follow me, Demon Thousand-man Commander Decrot! I shall teach those insolent fools their place!

The Demon Thousand-man Commander stepped forward in a rage. Cowards who had been hiding behind their fortress walls dared to charge out like this? He would not forgive them!

—The wrath of the Demon Duke...

Rumble, crash, boom!

The players participating in the raid heard it clearly—the thunderous impact as they slammed into the rear of the demon army!

Tae-hyun used his Authority skill once more to drive the final nail in the coffin.

"Archisus's Blessing!"

A magic that guaranteed every basic attack would land as a critical hit! With all their stats boosted to absurd heights and critical hits landing consecutively, the players fell into the illusion that they had become gods.

"Trample them!"

"Die, you demon bastards! This is the price for touching the Archisus Cult!"

"Where do you think you're running to?!"

The demons were swept away like dust! The Demon Thousand-man Commander was overwhelmed and collapsed in an instant. From the giant beasts in the rear to the warlocks and lesser demons, they all melted away without putting up any real resistance.

System messages popped up continuously before the players' eyes. They fought back the massive grins stretching across their faces as they swung their weapons. As expected... it's Kim Tae-hyun! The ultimate guarantee of a successful quest!

I'm so glad I followed him when he said he was gathering people!

—What do you think you are doing?!

The Demon Thousand-man Commanders leading the vanguard roared in fury.

—What will our Lord think when he hears of this! He will never forgive us!

—My Lord! Give us the chance! I will personally go and strike them down!

Even the few Demon Myriarchs present saw this as an opportunity and pleaded with the commander. Inside the fortress walls was one thing, but out in the open, the demons were confident they could win. To dare venture outside and attack them? Such insolence...

Hmm. Wouldn't it be better to just retreat?

This commander was one of Demon Duke Adad's trusted confidants. Before setting out, he had received strict orders from Adad.

—Attack the Archisus bastard, but do not put too much effort into it.

—What do you mean by that, my Lord?

—Think about it. That idiot Furneus is currently seething with rage, is he not? I cannot simply do his job for him! If we attack Archisus half-heartedly, he will grow impatient and show himself.

What Adad wanted was for Archisus and Furneus to destroy each other! If they kept teasing and provoking him, Furneus would eventually cross over to the continent himself. For a Demon Duke to cross over to the continent, they would face immense restrictions and require all kinds of secret arts... but demons were creatures that lost all capacity for cost-benefit analysis when enraged. Especially when the opponent was Archisus!

But this is too good of an opportunity to pass up...

The commander hesitated. Adad's orders were orders, but the temptation of becoming the demon who captured Archisus was incredibly powerful. If he succeeded, his name would be etched eternally in the annals of the Demon Realm. The demon who successfully captured Archisus!

"Very well! Follow me! We will crush those insolent fools!"

If Adad had seen this, he would have clutched the back of his neck in sheer frustration. If the enemy—especially Archisus—was charging them, it obviously meant they had a trump card up their sleeve... To charge head-on without realizing that!

Thanks to that, Tae-hyun and his raid were able to clash with the leader of the demon army while their buffs were at absolute maximum capacity.

Carbanog quickly located the demon commander and issued a warning. Tae-hyun nodded in agreement.

"Follow me! We are taking that guy down, no matter what!"

"C-can we actually kill him?"

"It's not a matter of 'can we' or 'can't we,' Cain. We are killing him."

It's total nonsense, but it sounds so convincing...!

Why did even the most absurd nonsense sound so plausible when it came out of this guy's mouth? Cain thought as he stuck close to Tae-hyun's back. Since things had turned out this way, he would follow him to the ends of the earth!

"You demon bastards! I am Archisus!"