Just Blow Everything Up and Run
Not just "may explode" — "may catastrophically explode." And the probability wasn't even listed. The very essence of mechanical engineering: unstable, and liable to detonate at any moment!
Mechanical engineering items were often crafted on the spot by those with the skill. Carrying them around could, surprisingly often, end with them spontaneously combusting or breaking. There were good reasons the skill wasn't popular.
But Tae-hyun paid it no mind. He sat down and started churning out bombs by the armful, a manic gleam in his eyes.
The blacksmiths watched him hunched over his growing pile of explosives and muttered among themselves.
"What the hell is that. He's scary…"
"Forget that — how many skills does this guy actually have?"
The cooking skill had been weird enough, but now mechanical engineering on top of it? Sure, it wasn't unheard of for someone with Blacksmithing to also pick up Mechanical Engineering. But Tae-hyun's repertoire was way too broad, no matter how they sliced it.
And it wasn't like he was weak in combat, either. Combat? Check. They'd even seen him use magic earlier…
A class with no discernible identity!
What class is this guy, seriously?
Basic Yellow Gunpowder has been modified into an Unstable Crazy Engineer's Dangerous Shrapnel Bomb.
Mechanical Engineering skill has increased.
Basic Yellow Gunpowder has been modified into an Unstable Crazy Engineer's Dangerous Shrapnel Bomb.
Whatever. Tae-hyun finished his preparations for the grand explosion. He'd burned through nearly all the bombs and miscellaneous materials he'd hauled out of the warehouse, but it was worth it.
"Kahahahahaha!"
Watching Tae-hyun cradle a heap of bombs while cackling like a lunatic, everyone wore the same terrified expression.
"Intruders!"
"Intruders have made it this far!"
The shouts of Sadiq Holy Knights shattered the silence. This time was different. Not the rookie holy knights from before — elite Sadiq Holy Knights began pouring out of the temple buildings in disciplined formation.
The blacksmiths swallowed hard. They were behind the knights, sure, but the sight of those Sadiq Holy Knights charging in like that was still terrifying.
"Everyone — ready!"
At Tae-hyun's shout, the knights leveled their swords forward.
Cold-headed Command — your subordinates' stats are temporarily raised.
Harsh Whipping — HP and MP are temporarily reduced. Other stats are raised.
Tae-hyun rapidly stacked his command-related skills. The knights' stats shot up.
"Charge!"
"In the name of the Atali royal family!"
"For glory!"
The knights roared and charged forward to meet the enemy. From here on out, there was no time to take it easy.
—Lucky Strike, Lucky Strike, Lucky Strike!
His attack power vaulted skyward in an instant. Tae-hyun swept his eyes across the charging holy knights, sizing up the situation.
Who to take down first?
The priests!
—Shadow Dive!
Tae-hyun activated the skill embedded in the Wanderer's Cloak. His form vanished for a moment, then reappeared right behind the Sadiq priests at the rear.
"——!"
"Stop him!"
"You bastard! How dare you!"
—Sadiq's Boiling Hand!
The moment a priest cast his holy magic, an enormous hand wreathed in flame materialized and swung down at Tae-hyun.
Evasion successful.
Evasion successful.
"He's using some kind of weird technique!"
"Lock him down — don't let him move!"
—Sadiq's Burning Shackles!
The holy magic of a Sadiq High Priest was no joke. Powerful spells came firing off so fast there wasn't even time to interrupt them.
Tatatat—
Tae-hyun threw himself sideways, dodging the spell. Priest curses came with a lot of nasty fine print. If you trusted in your evasion stat and let one slip through, you might be in deep trouble before you knew it. When you could dodge, you dodged everything.
The instant a Sadiq High Priest in flowing robes raised his staff and locked his aim — that razor-thin instant — Tae-hyun could read it. And then he hurled himself out of the way.
A simple reaction, but absolutely not something just anyone could pull off.
CRITICAL HIT!
"Gyaaaagh!"
The moment Tae-hyun closed the distance and swung his longsword, screams erupted from amid the Sadiq High Priests. With his powerful gear, his critical strikes, his swordsmanship skills, and the attack power inflated by Lucky Strike, his damage output was on a frankly terrifying level.
—Multi-hit, Strong Strike!
Blinding light erupted from his longsword as it tore through the Sadiq High Priests.
Thwack, thwack, thuthuthuck—
Tae-hyun's longsword flowed like water, never stopping, hammering at the Sadiq High Priests with relentless precision. The priests strained to dodge, but in front of Tae-hyun it was hopeless.
"Stop him!"
The Sadiq High Holy Knights, seeing their priests being cut down behind them, immediately wheeled on Tae-hyun. As if to prove they were a higher level than the rookies, they fought completely differently from their juniors. The moment they realized swinging swords at Tae-hyun wasn't going to land, they switched tactics.
"Lord Sadiq! Take this body!"
—Flame of Sacrifice!
A Sadiq High Holy Knight raised his sword and abruptly drove it through his own chest!
The knight's body burst into flame in an instant, transforming into a wall of fire that surged at Tae-hyun.
"Oh, you've got to be kidding me!"
The attack came in too fast. Even Tae-hyun had no choice but to take it.
You have taken a critical hit.
This attack cannot be evaded.
You are afflicted with the debuff [Sadiq's Wrathful Flame].
Sadiq's Wrathful Flame: 300 holy damage and 300 fire damage per second.
A curse so brutal that if you couldn't dispel it the moment you got hit, you might as well call yourself dead.
But Tae-hyun had one more card up his sleeve.
The legendary class — Avatar of Archisus!
You resist Sadiq's Wrathful Flame through Divine Authority.
His HP plummeted, then halted. Tae-hyun let out a quiet breath of relief. Just that brief exposure had vaporized a quarter of his health.
"Kill him!"
Seeing Tae-hyun engulfed in flame and taking damage, the other Sadiq High Holy Knights saw their opening and lunged. But once was enough — Tae-hyun wasn't going to fall for it twice.
"Lord Sadiq! Take this body!"
—Flame of Sacrifice!
"Not a chance, you bastard!"
—Circle of Counterattack!
The fire-curse came hurtling in at insane speed, but Tae-hyun gritted his teeth and triggered Circle of Counterattack. The timing was perfect.
Paaaaaaash!
"Gyaaagh!"
The Flame of Sacrifice was deflected by Circle of Counterattack, and instead incinerated another Sadiq High Holy Knight.
While Tae-hyun ran wild in the rear, the knights were locked in head-on combat with the holy knights at the front line.
"Wicked dogs! Face the judgment of righteousness!"
One of the Sadiq High Holy Knights conjured a whip of flame and lashed it forward. The Atali knight blocked it with his thick shield and bulled straight through.
KRA-KOOM!
Soaking up attacks behind heavy armor and durability while charging forward — that was a knight's specialty. As if to prove they were Atali Kingdom knights, they hammered the holy knights down one by one. Every swing of those heavy swords split holy knight armor wide open.
—Circle of the Racing Gale!
Rufo darted through the chaos, blade flashing. Where the knights advanced like a wall, Rufo was a swordsman in Tae-hyun's mold — light on his feet, carving up the enemy with quicksilver movement.
He might catch hell from Tae-hyun day in and day out, but Rufo was a serious heavyweight that the average player wouldn't dare go near.
Tae-hyun and his crew couldn't afford to stop. Sadiq High Holy Knights and priests kept pouring in.
And then, at some point, the attacks stopped. Only then could Tae-hyun finally catch his breath.
Subjugate the Sadiq Order
Current Quest Contribution: 10,100
Contribution stacking up nicely! All thanks to the small army of Sadiq Holy Knights and priests they'd mowed down inside the valley. Plus, his starting score had already been high.
Still not enough, though.
Outside the valley, the other players were still locked in a brutal battle with the Sadiq Order. Going toe to toe with that massive Fire Magic Beast, dueling powerful holy knights. Naturally, those players would have stacked plenty of contribution points themselves.
If he wanted to lock down first place, he needed more.
At that very moment, an enormous voice boomed out from the temple. Magic-amplified, it rang through the cavern with thunderous force.
"Hear me, you wretched mortals! How dare you run rampant in this sacred place where Lord Sadiq dwells!"
The Sadiq Order's High Priest was apoplectic. And he had every right to be. While most of the Order's forces were out on the front lines, some pack of rats had snuck in here and turned the place upside down.
But Tae-hyun, who was hearing all this, just dug a finger in his ear and tuned it out. Right now what mattered was getting ready for the next fight.
"Hey. Get patched up, fast. Repair your weapons. Did you all use up your potions?"
"Yes, sir!"
While Tae-hyun was barking orders at the knights, Cain crawled over.
"Hah… hah… could I get a potion too…?"
Unlike the other knights, who could just chug HP potions to recover after every clash, Cain had to fend for himself. As a warrior he had a few healing skills, but they didn't begin to cover it.
"I'll give you a potion if you sign one more contract."
"…"
"Kidding. You think I'd shake you down for that too?"
You absolutely would!
Cain thought it loud and clear, on the inside. Tae-hyun glanced at him.
"Were you just cussing me out in your head?"
"H-huh?!"
The man could sniff out other people insulting him from a mile away.
"That flinch is pretty incriminating."
"I — I wasn't."
"Whatever. Here, potion."
Cain frantically wrenched off the cap and gulped it down. The cool taste had never been so sweet. Back when he was a guild master, he'd burned through potions like tap water on hunting runs… and now he was reduced to gratefully accepting them one by one.
Ughhh!
"You done with the potion?"
"Yeah…"
"Then you've gotta earn that potion, right?"
At Tae-hyun's words, an uneasy feeling started creeping up Cain's spine.
What's this bastard about to make me do now?
Meanwhile, the Sadiq Order's High Priest was still yelling his lungs out. He couldn't begin to imagine that Tae-hyun was simply ignoring him.
"It is too late to repent now! There is no escape for any of you! Behold! This blinding flame! Lord Sadiq's beloved beast awakens!"
The Fire Magic Beast led by Sadiq is about to fully recover its power.
A pillar of fire erupted, shooting up against the cavern ceiling.
A formidable Fire Magic Beast was awakening.
The Sadiq Order commanded plenty of magic-beast monsters, but this was on another level entirely. A magic beast personally led by a god — the Sadiq Order's trump card.
The Order had been pouring resources into rousing this beast for ages. There had been interference at the very end, but thanks to the High Holy Knights and priests stepping in to hold off the attackers, they'd succeeded in restoring its power.
The High Priest brandished a staff studded with red jewels and shouted.
"Rise, now, and sweep them all from this place!"
The blacksmiths, reading the system message, swallowed hard. They'd put it together.
It's a boss monster!
The crown jewel of any dungeon: the boss fight! Powerful, sure, but the rewards waiting on the other side of a kill were beyond imagining.
Of course, judging by the fight up to this point, the enemy was definitely not going to be weak. No — it was going to be terrifyingly strong.
But fighting it anyway was what made it a real adventure! The blacksmiths balled their hands into fists. Now that they'd come this far, there was no turning back.
They might be weak, but they would summon their courage and do everything they could to support Tae-hyun and the knights.
The three blacksmiths gripped their hammers with steeled expressions and asked, "What should we do?"
"Repairs? Weapon enhancement?"
"Whatever you need, sir!"
But Tae-hyun gave them a look that said, What on earth are you idiots talking about?
"Nah. I'm just gonna detonate all the bombs and bolt."
"……?!"