The Atmosphere Didn't Turn Cold

The atmosphere suddenly turned cold... or not. Thanks to Tae-hyun's stellar reputation, the players who had arrived first quickly regained their spirits.

"Still, since we have Kim Tae-hyun with us, we'll be able to get out soon, right?!"

"Well, I don't know how strong this divine domain is, so I'm not really sure..."

"We'll be out of here in no time!"

"That's right!"

The rest of his party members quickly spoke up in his stead. If they left the talking to Tae-hyun, he'd probably end up making these people cry!

"Could you explain the situation?" Tae-hyun asked the players gathered there.

It seemed they had all been dragged here in a similar fashion. While they were busy subjugating the Idergo Cult, the cultists, finding themselves at a disadvantage, cast a grand spell that teleported them directly to the Plague Wasteland. Because it was too dangerous to move around actively, they had simply been waiting.

"But with someone of your caliber, Kim Tae-hyun, shouldn't we be able to just hunt down the beasts and escape?"

"Exactly! I watched your videos, and you were absolutely incredible!"

"Hmm..."

Of course, the combat power of the expedition Tae-hyun currently led was formidable enough to overwhelm most beasts in a direct clash. However, Tae-hyun did not let his guard down. This was Idergo's divine domain. There was bound to be a catch.

Just then, someone killed a few beasts, and a system notification immediately popped up.

"!!!"

"W-What is this?!"

"...Hey, this is..."

"No joke..."

The high-level players gasped in horror as they realized the implications of the message.

It was a structure where every time they killed a monster, the remaining monsters grew stronger, and the killers were slapped with debuffs! While they had encountered dungeons with similar mechanics a few times before, they had never experienced one on such a massive and punishing scale.

"Everyone, gather up! Don't engage the beasts needlessly. Let's move."

"K-Kim Tae-hyun, what should we do? Should a small elite group of us quickly kill a few and make a run for it?"

"That won't work. We have to defeat all the enemies in the Plague Wasteland to clear it. On top of that, we get debuffs with every kill. After taking down dozens of them, we won't even be in any condition to fight."

"Then...?"

"..."

Tae-hyun's mind spun rapidly. What was the best course of action in this situation?

"...!"

Just then, the giant beast being dragged along by the Sadiq Cult caught his eye.

"I mean... this is a bit..."

The Sadiq Cult priests grumbled as they followed behind Tae-hyun. No matter how they looked at it, this was just too much!

Tae-hyun's proposed plan was simple:

- If players kill them, the players get debuffs. So, let's have a beast kill them.

- But our beast is perfectly fine, you know?!

- Your beast is originally an Idergo Cult beast anyway. It probably won't be affected by the plague.

- No, it is a Sadiq Cult beast!

- Sure, whatever its origin... just look at it. It's a splendid Idergo Cult beast.

Tae-hyun's words were undeniably true. Except for the flame necklace around its neck, it looked exactly like an Idergo Cult beast in every way.

"One won't be enough. Sadiq Cult, let's find more beasts."

"What???"

"Given how the Idergo Cult operates, they must have stolen demonic beasts or divine beasts from other cults as well."

It was the Idergo Cult's specialty: stealing the demonic or divine beasts raised by other religions and using them as their own!

Even if the Idergo Cult was desperate for manpower, I highly doubt they'd deploy a giant rabbit beast... Tae-hyun thought.

"We'll find more of those beasts and purify them. Wouldn't that also bring glory to Sadiq's name?"

"T-That is truly..."

"Truly?"

"...a beautiful plan!"

The Sadiq Cult priests were completely captivated by Tae-hyun's words. They had been reluctant to send their single, hard-won beast into battle, but if they could increase their numbers?

The era of Sadiq was coming! This time, it might actually happen!!

"Uh, but what if they are beasts from other cults?"

"Well, we can't exactly return them, so we might as well use them ourselves."

"That makes sense!"

The priests were quickly convinced. As expected, dealing with evil god cults was so much easier!

"Those crazy Idergo bastards!"

"Don't kill the monsters! It's dangerous if you do!"

"They're lunging at us! How are we supposed to not kill them?!"

It wasn't just players from the Erangs Kingdom who had been dragged here. Players from the Auston Kingdom were here too!

"The... The Guild Alliance!"

"The... The Midas Guild!"

Even these bitter rivals had crossed paths in the Plague Wasteland! It was only natural. Unlike the usual monster waves, this Idergo Cult offensive was far more threatening. It was to the point where each guild had organized its own subjugation force to run around...

"McPhil. You're still alive."

"Hmph. You too, Liu Song."

McPhil, the barbarian warrior ranker, and Liu Song, the ice magic specialist ranker. The two were well-acquainted. After all, more than half of the Midas Guild's members had originally split off from the Guild Alliance!

"Are you looking to fight here?"

"I've got nothing to lose! Have you ever actually beaten me in a fight?"

"You must have wiped it from your memory! I won most of our matches!"

"U-Uh, everyone. I don't think now is the time to be fighting..."

The guild members behind them anxiously tried to hold the rankers back. They were already covered in debuffs; what would be left of them if they fought here?

"If you would just join forces..."

"Join forces? Are you insane?! Are you a spy?"

"What do you mean, a spy?! I'm just stating the obvious!"

This kind of conversation wasn't exclusive to the Guild Alliance. Similar arguments were breaking out within the Midas Guild.

"We have too many mages right now and lack melee tanks. If we join forces..."

"Keep those guys close to us?! Are you a spy?! Do you have any idea how vile and dirty they are?!"

Then what does that make you, since you came from them...

Ultimately, the negotiations between the two guild parties fell through.

"Don't come any closer!"

"Hmph. That's our line!"

Just as their argument concluded, Tae-hyun arrived at the scene alongside the Sadiq Cult NPCs—dragging a giant beast behind him!

"It's the Idergo Cult!!"

"P-Prepare for battle! Prepare for battle!"

"Wait a minute! I don't think that's the Idergo Cult."

"What nonsense are you talking about?! That's clearly a plague beast!"

"But Kim Tae-hyun is riding on top of it!"

"That makes absolutely no—gasp. It really is Kim Tae-hyun?"

"..."

"..."

Perhaps because they were witnessing something so utterly mind-boggling, the players fell into a dazed silence.

Then, someone broke the quiet.

"But if it's Kim Tae-hyun, shouldn't we be preparing for battle even more...?"

"?!?!"

"T-That's... wait, no! We have a truce!"

"Phew... that was a close one."

The guild members silently thanked the heavens for the truce. They had almost ended up fighting Kim Tae-hyun here!

Tae-hyun asked them, looking puzzled, "Are you guys trapped here too?"

"W-We came to conquer this place."

"That's right. We entered to uncover the secrets of the Idergo Cult."

"Is that so?"

My thoughts exactly. Tae-hyun thought.

It was obvious bravado! But if they wanted to play it cool, it was only polite to humbug along. Tae-hyun nodded and said, "So, you conquerors of secrets. I'm planning to raid the Idergo Cult, so why don't you lend a hand?"

Tae-hyun fully intended to preserve the players in his own raid party as much as possible. After all, the mechanics of this Plague Wasteland meant that the more they fought, the worse their debuffs became!

But the members of the Guild Alliance and the Midas Guild were a different story.

I won't feel guilty at all about exploiting them.

What ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠valuable resources!

"No!"

"We refuse."

Ah. Did I accidentally say that out loud?

Tae-hyun flinched. Had they realized his wicked intentions?

Fortunately, that wasn't the case.

"We have our pride as the Guild Alliance. We have no intention of holding hands with you!"

"The Midas Guild can clear this dungeon on our own. We don't need anyone's help."

"...Ah. I see."

Tae-hyun called over Cain.

- Hey.

- Yeah?

- Go over there and lure a few beasts back here.

- Got it.

Cain didn't ask questions like "Why?" or "Why me?" There was no point in asking anyway!

As Cain dashed off, Tae-hyun nodded as if accepting their decision.

"Fine. If you can clear it on your own, go right ahead..."

Tae-hyun backed away just like that.

Huh? Is he really just backing off?

I thought he'd try to persuade us more...

The guild members were actually surprised when Tae-hyun retreated so easily. It was a mix of astonishment and a strange sense of disappointment!

Ah. Maybe we should have teamed up with Kim Tae-hyun? He's incredibly good at fighting...

And wouldn't he have taken the brunt of the debuffs anyway?

"You are amazing, Liu Song! To think Kim Tae-hyun would back off just like that! It's obvious even he finds you too troublesome to deal with!"

"Only you could do this, McPhil! Kim Tae-hyun only runs wild in the Arena. In Pan-On, where there are no level limits, he clearly didn't have the confidence to face you!"

The members of both guilds showered their leaders with enthusiastic flattery. Flattery didn't cost a dime, after all.

And honestly, seeing the notorious Kim Tae-hyun back down so cleanly did look rather impressive.

Wow! Our party leader made even Kim Tae-hyun back off!

"I-Is that so? Well, indeed. No matter how fast Kim Tae-hyun is, a mage like me is a tough matchup for him. Once I lay down my wide-area spells, he won't even be able to get close."

"Exactly! If his feet get slowed down, he's finished! No matter how high his evasion is, one spell from you, Liu Song, would blow him away!"

McPhil watched from the side with a look of utter pathetic disdain.

What a shameless bastard...

He was receiving his own share of flattery, but even he wouldn't go that far! How on earth was Kim Tae-hyun a "tough matchup" for a mage? That guy was a monster who ate damage dealers and tanks for breakfast and washed them down with mages for dessert...

Thud, thud, thud, thud—

"?"

The ground rumbled. Every single guild member turned their heads at the same time.

From the horizon, five giant beasts were charging toward them.

"W-W-What is that?!"

Usually, they only appeared one or two at a time, but now five massive beasts were charging at them at once. Defeating them wasn't the issue; it was the aftermath they dreaded.

If we kill all of those, what will happen to our debuffs...?

They're already incredibly strong, so this is going to be extremely dangerous!

"Evade! Let the Guild Alliance bastards take them!"

"...You son of a bitch! Hey! Let the Midas Guild take them! Move out of the way!"

However, there was no need for such bickering. Cain, who was running at the very front, was heading straight toward them with a friendly grin.

"I brought these beasts over so you guys can easily hunt them! Fight on, Guild Alliance!!" Cain bellowed at the top of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠his lungs before sharply pivoting.

"Midas Guild! We believe in you! Do your best!"

A meticulous delivery service, dropping ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠off exactly three beasts to one side and two to the other!

Realizing the nature of this "service," the guild members were moved to tears of sheer rage.

"Is that crazy bastard out of his mind?!"

"Hey! Get back here! Get back here right now!"

"Do you think you're Kim Tae-hyun?! Do you think you'll get away with this?!"

Listening to the screams echoing behind him, Cain successfully made his escape. Fortunately, the beasts seemed far more interested in the dozens of guild members than in a single Cain!

Cain felt rather conflicted.

...But I'm a tank...

Why did they give him a skill like this instead of a tanking or attacking skill?

If Carbanog had heard him, the rabbit would have scolded him for being an ungrateful brat who complains about free gifts.