A Festival of Blood and Betrayal
Thud!
The moment the door swung open, a gust of wind rushed out from within, carrying a heavy wave of pure, suffocating murderous intent.
"How dare you filthy intruders set foot in here!"
[You have discovered the Ancient Empire Deserters!]
[When communication between the Central Continent and Sky Island was severed, the inhabitants of Sky Island decided to survive on their own. However, some chose to uphold the traditions of the Empire.]
[They view the people of Sky Island, who burned and expelled their lord, as traitors. They also consider the people of the Empire, who failed to come to their aid, as betrayers.]
"They burned what?"
The Guild Alliance rankers, completely ignorant of the lore, panicked. Did that just say they burned their lord?
But they didn't have the luxury of dwelling on it. The Ancient Empire Deserters, fueled by centuries of bitter resentment, were already charging straight at them.
[An Ancient Empire Deserter is using Ancient Empire Swordsmanship!]
[Your swordsmanship skill is at a disadvantage! A penalty has been applied to your swordsmanship skills!]
[Additional damage...]
[The opponent's swordsmanship skill is exceptionally high! Swordsmanship skill...]
[...]
Thwack!
A single basic attack landed, shearing off over 30% of their HP in an instant!
"W-what the hell is this?!"
"Their levels are insane! Watch out!"
The monsters typically found on Sky Island were around level 100, reaching level 200 at the absolute highest. There was a reason so many players flocked here. Naturally, the Guild Alliance rankers had subconsciously assumed the enemies inside would be of a similar caliber.
But...
The Ancient Empire Deserter knights immediately slapped them with the spicy reality of enemies well over level 500. Caught completely off guard, the rankers scrambled in terror to form a defensive line.
"Heal! Give me a heal! I'm gonna die!"
"Crowd control that guy! Stun him!"
"What are the DPS doing?! Start dealing damage!"
"Wow. They're really going at it."
While the rankers desperately spammed their skills, Tae-hyun and his party watched the spectacle from the back with great interest. Oho, so this is how the Guild Alliance rankers hunt?
"They definitely look like they have more breathing room than us," Tae-hyun remarked.
"Well, of course they do. There are over ten of them..." Cain muttered.
"They're just a normal party. We're the ones who play weirdly," another added.
After all, what kind of sane party would minimize their member count to the absolute limit just to maximize hunting efficiency? Meanwhile, the Guild Alliance rankers barely managed to parry the knights' onslaught and began their counterattack.
[CRITICAL HIT!]
[Failed to penetrate the opponent's armor. Damage is reduced by 50%.]
[Weapon durability has decreased.]
[Your movement speed has decreased due to the opponent's skill!]
[Physical defense has decreased...]
They're so damn tanky!
People usually complained about Paladins being ridiculously persistent due to their high defense and healing skills, but high-level knights were just as stubborn. The rankers gritted their teeth as the knights absorbed their attacks and struck back with devastating force. To think a Sky Castle they had underestimated would be this brutally difficult!
Thwack! Bam! Crash!
In the end, it took the entire group piling on and relentlessly pouring out attacks to barely bring one down.
[You have defeated an Ancient Empire Deserter. Hostility with the Deserters has increased.]
[Your reputation on Sky Island has decreased.]
[Infamy has increased.]
"No way...!"
The Guild Alliance rankers recoiled in horror. They had immediately triggered a hostile relationship. They hadn't even formulated a proper plan for Sky Island yet, and the last thing they wanted was to make enemies so soon. This was the kind of thing that required careful calculation...
It's all because of Kim Tae-hyun!
That bastard pushed us forward like we're his personal Cains!
"Oh? Did you guys just become hostile with the Deserters? I told you to go easy on them," Tae-hyun said.
"..."
The Guild Alliance rankers felt a surge of pure, unadulterated rage boiling up inside them. Why, you little...!
"We must stop the intruders! In the name of the Empire!"
"Halt the invaders!"
"This is driving me insane!"
The rankers gnashed their teeth. They had barely managed to beat down one, and now three more were charging at them!
"Should we help them?" one of Tae-hyun's party members asked.
"Hmm. I'd hate to butt in on someone else's hunt and be accused of stealing their kills," Tae-hyun replied with a warm, considerate smile.
The rankers were doubly touched by his "kindness." As if you're the type of guy to care about that! No matter how they looked at it, Tae-hyun was clearly backing off because he didn't want to get dragged into a hostile reputation. But they didn't even have the time to argue as they were forced to clash with the enemies once more.
—The gates of the Ruined Sky Castle on Sky Island have opened!!
With so many players having ascended, there was no way it would go unnoticed. The news that the Guild Alliance, Tae-hyun, and the explorer party had opened the gates of the ruined fortress and entered spread like wildfire.
The guild leaders briefly imagined it: the combination of the Guild Alliance and Kim Tae-hyun.
......
The current Guild Alliance was a far cry from the terrifying coalition it had been during the early days of Pan-On. Of course, they were still considered one of the top forces in the game, but...
The guild leaders fell dead silent. Unlike the massive, slow-moving Guild Alliance, Tae-hyun was a nimble, solo player who could single-handedly drag them all to hell if he wanted to!
While the rankers fought with everything they had, Tae-hyun's party investigated their surroundings. What exactly was hidden inside this Sky Castle?
[Knowledge regarding the Ancient Empire has been updated.]
[Title regarding the Ancient Empire has been updated.]
[Your Engineering skill is exceptionally high!]
[You have discovered a hidden passage.]
[You have obtained information on the Ruined Sky Castle.]
Oho.
It was all thanks to the rankers fighting a bloody battle at the front to clear the path! Because of them, Tae-hyun could leisurely and comfortably conduct his investigation.
The Deserters' Longing
The Ancient Empire Deserters, who severed ties with the inhabitants of Sky Island, have lived in this ruined Sky Castle for a long time. Their goal is simple: to restore the ruined Sky Castle and return to their ancestral lands. If you help them restore this Sky Castle, they will be deeply grateful to you.
🎁 Reward: ?, ???, ???
Awakening the Sky Castle
With your knowledge of the Ancient Empire and outstanding Engineering skills, you have figured out how to restore the Ruined Sky Castle. Floating a massive fortress like a Sky Castle requires an immense amount of power. In the past, the Ancient Empire operated Sky Castles through the sacrifice of countless lives. If you offer sacrifices within the Sky Castle, their life force will awaken the fortress!
📍 Currently Offered Life Force: (0 / 10,000)
⚠️ Note: [Offering higher-level players will yield significantly more life force!]
"......"
Tae-hyun stared blankly at the two quest windows that had suddenly popped up. What was this supposed to mean?
[Carbanog suggests that this might be a revelation from Akisus, telling you to slaughter those obnoxious adventurers right now.]
Was Akisus a god of blood and slaughter?
[Carbanog honestly believes that Akisus might as well take over that domain of godhood by now...]
Hmm. Is it really okay to throw a festival of blood and betrayal right in front of the kids?
Tae-hyun pondered briefly. If only Su Ning's nephew weren't here, he could have slaughtered them with a much lighter heart...
Unaware of the dark thoughts swirling in Tae-hyun's mind, the Guild Alliance rankers continued to fight for their lives.
"Pant... pant... pant. It's been a while since I've had to fight with my life on the line."
"Seriously, this isn't even a high-difficulty raid boss, so why is it this hard?!"
"Who could've guessed the difficulty would be this insane?!"
Cain clicked his tongue at the whining rankers.
"Tsk, tsk. You guys have had it too easy in Pan-On without any real, grueling training. After everything I've been through, a fight of this level feels like a sweet, relaxing vacation."
"...Can I punch him just once?"
"Shh. Kim Tae-hyun is right behind him."
The rankers barely held onto their sanity and addressed Tae-hyun.
"Kim Tae-hyun. We've cleared them out for now, but pushing any further looks like suicide. This dungeon's difficulty is off the charts, and we have zero information on it. We don't want to go in blind as a trial-and-error party."
In Pan-On, once a dungeon's location was discovered, it usually went through one of two phases. If the first players to find it cleared it easily, it became a common dungeon anyone could enter. If they failed, it became an uncleared dungeon where specialized raid groups would slowly gather information and attempt to conquer it.
The Sky Castle fell squarely into the latter category! Moreover, with enemies of this caliber appearing right at the entrance, blindly venturing deeper could easily wipe out even a party of high-level rankers. Getting cornered inside a fortress like this meant certain death.
"Why not fight a bit more? You guys still look fine," Tae-hyun urged.
He still hadn't decided whether to side with the Ancient Empire Deserters or not. If the Guild Alliance pushed in just a bit further, wouldn't a talkative NPC eventually show up?
...Of course, that was easy for Tae-hyun to say from his safe vantage point, but to the Guild Alliance rankers, it sounded like he was telling them to go die.
"Do you have no conscience?! Your party hasn't lifted a single finger while we've been doing all the heavy lifting!"
"The knights here are insanely strong! If they get any stronger, are you going to take responsibility?!"
Thud!
At that exact moment, the entrance of the Sky Castle behind them swung open, and a new party of players rushed in. The moment they entered, they let out a bloodthirsty roar.
"Kill them all!"
"!!!"
Both Tae-hyun's party and the Guild Alliance rankers gasped in shock. Even if the entrance had been left open, to think someone would actually chase them inside to launch an ambush!
These guys are no joke! Tae-hyun's instincts flared.
If they were bold enough to launch an ambush knowing who was inside, their strength would be formidable. Furthermore, a quick glance at their gear revealed they were heavily optimized for Player Killing (PK).
"Crush the Guild Alliance bastards!"
"Stomp Su Ning into the dirt!"
Wait, they're not targeting us?
Contrary to their tense expectations, the assailants completely bypassed Tae-hyun's party and lunged straight for the Guild Alliance. Tae-hyun and his companions exchanged bewildered glances.
- Should we intervene?
- Nah, they don't seem to have any beef with us. Let's just watch.
- Honestly, I was hoping you'd say that!
"Argh! Dammit! What guild are you bastards from?! Do you even know Kim Tae-hyun is standing right there?!" the rankers shrieked as they gnashed their teeth.
It was a truly pathetic cry for help.