The Art of the Exploding Spear

"I heard he has an Authority that nullifies skills."

"What a pain," Lee Se-yeon grimaced.

A boss monster with skill nullification was a terrible matchup for a Necromancer like Lee Se-yeon. If she got caught in it, her hard-earned undead army would vanish in an instant.

"Should we send the Garuda warriors in first?"

"That sounds best. Blind him from above, cast a confusion curse, and then have the Garuda warriors charge in."

"I'll use bombs to stun him."

"Tell me before you detonate them. I'll lower his physical ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠defense to maximize the damage."

Tae-hyun and Lee Se-yeon quickly formulated a plan.

Their speed was on a completely different level—as seamless as if two identical minds were working in perfect sync.

Normally, party play—especially a boss raid—required extensive preparation before entering. It was only natural, since different players had to coordinate their actions.

They would state their classes, list their usable skills, calculate equipment and defense stats... and then carefully plan step-by-step.

You're sturdy and have high HP, so act as the tank and stand in front. I'll deal ranged damage from the center, and we'll link our skills like this... That was usually the limit. But Tae-hyun and Lee Se-yeon finished their coordination in less than a second.

Ryu Tae-su and Ryu Da-young stood beside them, blinking in disbelief.

...Wait, what?

"C-Captain. Did you prepare for this in advance?"

"Prepare what?"

"This raid..."

"We're preparing right now."

"...!"

Both Ryu Tae-su and Ryu Da-young were genuinely awed. Was this the realm of the ultra-elite? Did one have to reach this level to be considered a top-tier player?

I still have a long way to go!

They're truly amazing...!

To them, the synergy between Tae-hyun and Lee Se-yeon belonged to a realm exclusive to the absolute best.

Of course, it wasn't just because they were top-tier players. Other elite players couldn't do this either. It was simply because they knew each other's capabilities inside and out.

"When are you going to use that wide-range blessing that grants evasion to everyone?"

"And when are you going to use that skill that sacrifices undead to restore everyone's HP?"

"When are you going to declare a holy domain and lay down a buff zone?"

"And when are you going to declare your successor and lay down a zone where undead keep rising...?"

"Oh, come on! Stop competing over things like that, you two!"

Even the gentle Lee Da-bi lost her temper. They were competing over the most useless things!

"Graaaaaah!"

"Aaaaaaargh!"

"They must be insane."

"I heard the Garuda race is a bit unhinged..."

The rising rankers were terrified by the roars of the Garuda warriors. What kind of crazy race was this? They seemed even more violent than the elves of the Island Kingdom!

"Die, you demon!"

"I'll plunge my spear into his thick hide!"

Boom! Crash! Bam!

The combat power of the Garuda warriors was terrifying. Not only were their levels high, but they also utilized their winged nature to execute highly unpredictable attacks.

"Seeing that makes me think wings are actually pretty nice."

"Are you thinking of changing your race to a winged one?"

"No. The risk is too high..."

Race ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠change was certainly a way to get stronger, but it was also highly dangerous. One never knew when an unexpected penalty or side effect would trigger.

Because you changed to the Garuda race, you can no longer use your existing swordsmanship or magic skills!

If a penalty like that popped up, you'd have to quit the game in tears.

But come to think of it, even if I couldn't use my existing swordsmanship or magic, it wouldn't be that fatal...

"I'm not planning to do it myself, but I was thinking of giving Cain wings later."

"That sounds like it would make him look even more grotesque..."

Lee Se-yeon grimaced as she pictured it. He already looked like some kind of chimera monster; adding wings to that would... He might easily win first place as the Pan-On player most disliked by children.

"Performance over popularity, right?"

"Well, that's true."

Don't agree with him, Captain...! Ryu Tae-su screamed internally.

You shouldn't agree with that! You should have told Kim Tae-hyun that popularity is important too!

Thwack! Thud! Crash!

The Garuda warriors swooped in from all directions, relentlessly battering and stabbing Goladon.

However, Goladon was no pushover. He roared, defending himself with his thick fur and hide.

"Oink! Squeeeal! You birdbrains!"

Despite the funny name, the power was terrifying. The surrounding ground shattered as a massive shockwave rippled outward. It was practically on the level of earthquake magic!

"...He doesn't seem like a Level 500 boss, Player Kim Tae-hyun!"

"Hmm. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠It seems so. Let's initiate the second phase of the attack."

Tae-hyun's mental fortitude was so rock-solid that even in this situation, he didn't falter in the slightest. A hurdle of this level wasn't even surprising to him.

"Die, you demon!"

The Garuda warriors raised their spears. But there was something... unusual attached to the tips of those spears.

"???"

"Wait... Don't tell me..."

Lee Se-yeon stared at Tae-hyun with a look of sheer horror. Surely not??

Tae-hyun, who had leveled up both Blacksmithing and Mechanical Engineering, had no choice but to contemplate how to utilize these skills even further.

And he had arrived at a conclusion.

As expected, I need to create items that utilize both Blacksmithing and Mechanical Engineering! For example, a spear with a bomb, a sword with a bomb, a staff with a bomb, a motorcycle with a bomb, and so on!

But Tae-hyun was perfectly sane. To raise skill experience, one occasionally had to walk the path of madness!

Crafting equipment that could be equipped with bombs was far more difficult than making a simple bomb. It was what one might call "endgame content" for veterans!

Tae-hyun didn't know it, but a similar discussion was actually taking place back in "The Valley."

— "A stronger bomb, a bigger bomb, a bomb filled with all kinds of toxic substances... Is this the true path of mechanical engineering?"

— "Wait. Didn't we ban bombs with toxic substances? When were you making that?"

— "...Anyway, is this the true path?"

— "You bastard, you were making it by yourself! How selfish!"

— "As if you guys weren't making them too!"

— "No, if Lord Kim Tae-hyun finds out, he'll be furious... You lunatics, stop making weird bombs!"

...He would have definitely said that, but the mechanical engineering blacksmiths ignored it.

— "There is a new path. A path that fuses equipment and bombs. I received a quest. Equipping a sword with a bomb..."

— "Wait, if you put a bomb on a sword, isn't it just a one-time use? That doesn't sound too hard."

— "It has to be usable even after it explodes."

— "So, uh, you equip a weapon with a bomb, but the weapon has to remain intact after the explosion, and you can use it again if you reload a new bomb?"

— "Exactly."

— "......."

— "......."

— "Can't we just stick to making the bombs we were already making? I succeeded in increasing the bomb size by 5cm this time."

— "I want to break through the 6cm barrier..."

Regardless of the blacksmiths, Tae-hyun was carving out his own path. A path to level up both skills simultaneously!

As a result...

And that attempt was being put to use right now.

"Lee Se-yeon, cast the curse!"

"No matter how I look at it, putting a bomb on the tip of a spear is just wrong! Curse of Decay!"

"Squeeeeeeal!"

As the curses hit him in rapid succession, Goladon shrieked. Taking advantage of the opening, the Garuda warriors soared in.

"Archisus's Song!"

Tae-hyun activated an additional buff. The realm of a supreme-grade skill, achieved after training through blood and tears! Now that he had reached the supreme grade, it was time to see its effects.

Moreover, since he had acquired it...

A good song right now, hmm, would be perfect for this buff, right?

While Tae-hyun was pondering, Archisus's Song unleashed its power.

"??!?!?!?"

"What on earth are you summoning now?!"

Ryu Tae-su and Ryu Da-young tried to stop him from behind, thoroughly bewildered.

"He must have calculated everything before summoning him!"

"...Player Lee Se-yeon. Even so, I don't think Player Kim Tae-hyun would summon someone without a plan."

Hearing their ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠defense, Tae-hyun felt a slight pang of guilt. Contrary to what they thought, the Archisus class skills were... highly random.

— "Avatar of Archisus! Have you summoned me? I am the great king, Zaler. To think my assistance would be needed for such a... Wait, you're a king too?"

The summoned king stared at Tae-hyun in shock. The Pope of the Archisus Church was wearing a crown! Was it the end of the world?

— "Surely this isn't the Erance Kingdom? Please tell me it's not the Erance Kingdom."

"It is the Erance Kingdom."

— "Noooooooo!"

"Actually, it's the Atali Kingdom."

— "Phew. Thank goodness. If it's the Atali Kingdom, then it doesn't matter."

"......"

[.......]

Tae-hyun and Carbanog stared at him blankly. What do you mean it doesn't matter, you bastard!

"No, more importantly, weren't you also a believer of Archisus...?"

— "Well, um, it's not like I believed in him because I wanted to..."

Zaler twirled his mustache, looking sheepish.

— "You see, I had quite a few competing siblings, and to defeat them, I needed a faction to help me. And the only faction willing to help me was..."

"Haha. You don't need to say any more."

Tae-hyun and Carbanog could already intuitively guess what had happened. The Archisus Church had done what the Archisus Church does best!

— "Though I am but a ghost, I still possess enough power to cast a few spells. In accordance with our contract, I shall assist you with your song!"

"Ah. By the way, Your Majesty. Do you happen to know where your crown and sword are?"

— "My crown and sword? Surely my descendants have them."

"Where are they usually kept?"

— "There is a Pegasus that only the King can ride..."

— "...Wait. Why do you ask?"

Only then did Zaler seem to snap back to his senses. A look of deep regret washed over his face. To think he had blurted this out to the Avatar of the Archisus Church of all people!

It was the power of the Supreme Eloquence skill, so he couldn't help it, but Zaler was filled with immense self-reproach.

"Haha. I was just curious. It's not every day one gets to meet a king, after all."

— "Hrmmm..."

Zaler stared at Tae-hyun with eyes full of suspicion. Meanwhile, down below, crazy explosions were detonating one after another.

"Yeehaw! Yahoo!"

"Die! This spear is amazing!"