And That Judgment Proved Correct

And that judgment proved correct.

As his level rose, situations where relying solely on evasion would get his head chopped off became increasingly frequent. This was one of those times. The Divine Beast was such a powerful monster that detonating it unleashed not just physical force, but all sorts of magical side effects!

Carbanog, swept up in the chaos alongside Tae-hyun, complained. It really was insanely powerful! And that wasn't all. As the Divine Beast exploded, it completely obliterated the Plague Fortress and the Plague Tower... and the plague contained within them began to run wild. A triple whammy of disasters!

Rumble!

Was I too hasty?

A continuous chain of massive explosions blinded his vision. The surroundings were entirely filled with a sickly green light.

Tae-hyun was fine. He had various survival skills in addition to his evasion. Plus, he had extra lives. He could afford to lose one.

The problem was the others! If they died here...

I don't give a damn if the Guild Alliance or Midas bastards die, but the rest can't!

Especially the Team KL players. There was only one match left. Although they had already secured the league championship, Tae-hyun was aiming for a record. An undefeated championship! It would be a monumental record for their first season, and many people were anticipating it.

"Lee Da-bi! Are you alive?"

"I'm alive!"

"Cain! Are you dead?"

"Why is 'Are you dead?' the first thing you ask me?!"

An explosion that completely wiped out the Plague Fortress. The players inside could do nothing but endure. In real-time, it probably didn't even last a few minutes, but it felt like decades!

And then, the explosions finally ceased.

Three levels at once! This massive level-up was proof of just how terrifyingly dangerous the Plague Fortress and Plague Tower truly were. This Plague Wasteland had been the very foundation that allowed the Idergo Cult to suddenly reappear with multiple legions even after vanishing for long periods. It was a holy ground meticulously built up by the Idergo Cult over generations!

...Which Tae-hyun had just blown to smithereens, but well...

Hmm. I can probably start aiming for 300,000 Reputation soon...

While others couldn't even reach 100,000 Reputation, Tae-hyun was already pushing the high 200,000s all by himself! If only his level were like that!

Well, it's not like I don't already have a dozen gods and demons holding grudges against me. At this point... it's hardly surprising.

Tae-hyun was completely unfazed. He possessed a mental fortitude that could accept the entire world of Pan-On hating him! In a way, it was one of his greatest strengths.

I surpassed level 200, so I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠should be satisfied with that.

The more I look at it, the more absurd these stats are...

These were stats that no one of the same level could ever hope to match! Yet, his level had still only barely scraped past 200. Still, Tae-hyun was satisfied.

Honestly, I thought the game would end before I even hit 200.

Level 200 ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠had actually arrived!

Achieving Level 200 was proof that you had finally become a fully-fledged adventurer.

"..."

[...]

Both Tae-hyun and Carbanog were lost for words. *So you're saying I was only half a person until now?*

The remark about Level 200 left a bitter taste in his mouth, but the quest itself was excellent. An Archisus Church quest, which hadn't appeared in ages!

Come to think of it, did it not trigger because my level was too low?

It was highly likely. Other players received their class quests while pushing toward Level 300, whereas Tae-hyun hadn't even reached 200. It wouldn't be surprising if his class quests had been locked...

...Knowing that everyone else had it easy while I had to suffer doesn't make me feel any better, Carbanog.

With the collapse of the Plague Tower, everyone who had been inside the Plague Wasteland was returned to their original locations.

...Except for those who had been inside the Plague Fortress!

Boom!

A deafening roar echoed as dust billowed into the air. Tae-hyun, the first to regain his senses, looked around and shouted, "Everyone, gather up! Let's figure out where we are first!"

"This is Saig Fortress, Tae-hyun!"

"!"

Saig Fortress. It was one of the strongholds located on the border between the Midas Guild and the Guild Alliance. Furthermore, the border of the Erangs Kingdom touched its southern edge, making it a strategic point where three major powers clashed!

"Why did we end up here?"

"Cough, cough... This is where we were fighting!" McPhil, the barbarian ranker, said through a fit of coughing. What kind of explosion lasted that long and hit that hard? He had thought he was going to die. The beast legions of the Idergo Cult had invaded Saig Fortress as well, and McPhil and Liu Song had been dragged into the Plague Wasteland while desperately trying to fight them off.

Blowing up Idergo's Divine Beast was indeed a monumental achievement. It was significant enough to raise Tae-hyun's Engineering skill, which normally barely budged at this point!

Did the guys outside the fortress return safely? If so, the artillery unit and my other subordinates must have returned to the Atali Kingdom as well.

Tae-hyun quickly assessed the situation. If those outside the fortress had returned safely, then Tae-hyun's party only needed to slip away themselves.

Thud!

"???"

"What is that?"

A massive object plummeted from the sky, crashing directly onto Saig Fortress.

"???"

The players on the scene were utterly dumbfounded as the Divine Beast, which should have died back in the Plague Wasteland, appeared on the continent with them. What on earth was happening?

Indeed. While Tae-hyun's party was busy stacking buffs to survive, the Divine Beast had also attempted to resurrect using its divine power. However, the explosion had been far too devastating. It resurrected only to die, resurrected only to die again... and as a result, only its lifeless corpse had plopped down onto the continent!

"...I'm taking that, okay?" Tae-hyun asked, looking at his guild members. If nothing else, the materials from a Divine Beast would be extraordinary. Not just the hide and teeth, but the meat as well...

Yeah, that is a bit sketchy.

The two rankers didn't respond to Tae-hyun's words. They weren't plotting to claim the Divine Beast's corpse out of greed. Instead, their eyes were glued not to Tae-hyun, but to the fortress itself.

"...!"

"!!"

Because of the Idergo Cult's rampage, even the guild members stationed inside the fortress had ventured out to fight. Since it was essentially the front lines, all other players had already withdrawn elsewhere! With the NPCs now fleeing as well, the fortress was left completely without an owner.

McPhil and Liu Song stared at each other. At that exact moment, the same thought flashed through both of their minds.

I have to claim it first!!

Under normal circumstances, Saig Fortress was an incredibly difficult stronghold to conquer. It was a fortress built by Gerald, a ranker famous for his architectural genius.

Gerald was utterly dumbfounded by the Guild Alliance's attempt to pay him the rate of a standard fortress. Kim Tae-san had offered him Double and Quadruple rates just to set up a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠fortress in the Uruk region, yet these filthy rich Guild Alliance bastards were trying to lowball him even harder!

"Come on, our situation hasn't been great lately either, Gerald. Please understand."

"Exactly. And when else would you get to build a fortress like this? Just being able to construct something of this scale is an honor. You're an architect, so you must enjoy building things, right?"

"You get enjoyment, you get experience points... Honestly, a project like this is worth doing even for free, don't you think?"

"..."

Gerald thought to himself: These absolute bastards...! I'm putting their names at the very top of the architects' blacklist!

"I can't do it for this amount."

"Gerald. Ahem. I shouldn't be saying this, but... if you leave just like this, you might get ambushed by someone on your way back."

"That's right, Gerald. You've got to be careful."

Now the Guild Alliance was resorting to outright threats! Gerald made up his mind once again.

I'm going to ruin you bastards!

Staking his pride as an architect, he would destroy these scoundrels who dared to exploit him with passion pay!

"One isn't enough."

"What?"

"Building just one fortress isn't worth my time. I need to build at least ten. That way, I can at least grind for experience."

"Oh! As expected of Gerald! That's the spirit!"

"Gerald! Gerald! Gerald!"

I'm going to make these fortresses absolute garbage!

The Guild Alliance still had no idea what terrifying disasters could unfold when a crafting class harbored a deep, burning grudge.