Exposing the Disguise
It was a rare moment of comfort from Tae-hyun, but to Silved, it sounded like pure mockery.
"Are you kidding me? No matter how desperate I am, a place like Power Warrior is..."
Silved trailed off, freezing mid-sentence. Behind Tae-hyun, the members of the Black Rock Guild were frantically waving their hands with terrified expressions.
Don't say it! You're going to get yourself killed!
Think of your life!
'?' Ah! Come to think of it, Power Warrior was so close to Kim Tae-hyun that people practically considered it his personal guild...!
"A place like what? What do you mean by 'a place like that'?"
Tae-hyun's voice sounded chillingly cold. Silved hurriedly backpedaled.
"...I mean, a place like that is far too good for someone like me. I'd be too embarrassed to even try to join."
"Ah. Is that what you meant?"
As Tae-hyun nodded, Silved let out a sigh of relief.
He was terrifying! Some players didn't scare Silved even when they were buffed with dozens of skills and decked out in outrageously expensive gear, but Kim Tae-hyun could make a man's heart shrivel just by staring at him.
"Well, the Power Warrior guild isn't actually that strict, but if you don't want to, there's nothing I can do. We'll just let Silved handle his own business."
"Agreed."
"..."
When Tae-hyun and the Black Rock Guild lost interest in a single second, Silved felt a strange sense of abandonment. Are these bastards discriminating against me just because I'm the only American here...?
"For now, I've tricked that priest into thinking we're part of the Idergo Cult. We'll use him to track down the 1st Prince and the rest of the Idergo Cult."
Hallus, the top explorer of the Black Rock Guild, raised his hand and asked a question.
"But hasn't he lost most of his memories?"
His attitude had become incredibly cautious and polite. He was deeply moved after witnessing Tae-hyun's masterful scamming of the Idergo Cult priest.
A magnificent display of quest progression powered by a brilliant Speech skill! Non-explorers would probably think, What's the big deal? Those fools had no idea how difficult it was to extract desired information from NPCs! But to an explorer who had suffered countless hardships trying to cater to the whims of various NPCs, witnessing this was nothing short of awe-inspiring.
"He lost his memories, but seeing how he's recovering them bit by bit, it seems highly likely they return whenever certain conditions are met."
"I see... That makes perfect sense. In that case, how do you plan on traveling with him?"
"We just need to keep pretending to be members of the Idergo Cult. If we run into the 1st Prince first, we won't even need to deceive him, and if we meet the Idergo Cult first... well, we'll just adapt to the situation when the time comes."
"Brilliant... absolutely brilliant...!"
Hallus excitedly took notes. I'm learning so much as an explorer today! However, the other members of the Black Rock Guild completely misunderstood his reaction.
'Seeing Hallus question him so much, he must have a lot of complaints.'
'Look at him keep asking questions. Well, it must be frustrating for him. He's always been the one leading the charge on our guild quests.'
'Since Kim Tae-hyun is just doing whatever he wants, Hallus probably sees a lot of flaws in his approach.'
To the clueless guild members, it looked like Hallus was aggressively questioning Tae-hyun out of dissatisfaction. Sure, Kim Tae-hyun was a bizarre guy with a religious class and all sorts of crafting skills... but there was no way he could progress a quest better than a professional explorer!
'But if he keeps this up and gets beaten up by Kim Tae-hyun, won't it hurt a lot?'
'Getting hurt isn't the issue; getting forced to log out is. Hallus stopped us last time, but we need to step in now.'
'Exactly. No matter how terrifying Kim Tae-hyun is, Hallus is our guildmate.'
The tight-knit bond of the Black Rock Guild truly shone in moments like this. It was a friendship where even if Hallus screamed, "No! You don't need to say anything to Kim Tae-hyun! It's fine!", they would completely misinterpret it!
"Ahem. Cough. Kim Tae-hyun."
"?"
"Uh... please don't take this the wrong way."
"Usually, people who start with that line are about to say something highly offensive. But go ahead, I'm listening."
"You see our friend Hallus over there? He might not look like much, but he's our guild's top explorer. He's cleared several massive quests."
"Oh. Really?"
Tae-hyun looked over with genuine interest at the guild members' high praise. Hallus's face turned pale at his guildmates' sudden intervention. What... what are you guys doing right now...?!
Hallus: Wh-what are you guys doing?! What is this?!
Guild Member A: Hallus, there's no need to be modest. We're guildmates, aren't we?
Guild Member B: We know you want to take the lead on this quest. We'll make sure you get to lead.
Hallus: No! I'm fine! Seriously, I'm totally fine!
Guild Member A: What do you mean, 'fine'? Just stay still. Trust us.
Hallus: ...
Hallus felt his blood pressure spike. I just want to watch Kim Tae-hyun do his thing! ...But Hallus had his pride. He couldn't bring himself to say, "Kim Tae-hyun is so much better at quests than me, so I just want to watch him!"
"Could you give Hallus a chance? Just this once."
"Yeah. We swear on our names. Hallus won't disappoint you."
"Is that so? If you're going that far, why don't we see what he can do?"
Tae-hyun surprisingly yielded to Hallus without any fuss. He had no greed when it came to things like this. As long as the job got done well, he didn't care who progressed the quest.
'If this Hallus guy is really that good, then that's great. I can leave the tedious stuff to him and just focus on combat.'
Once Tae-hyun gave his permission, the guild members excitedly turned to Hallus.
"Hallus! We got his permission!"
"Hallus! Isn't this great? Now all you have to do is show off your skills!"
"Thank you... *grit*... everyone... *grind*..."
Hallus forced a smile, desperately trying to control his facial expressions. Now, he had to showcase his brilliant explorer skills right in front of Kim Tae-hyun. *What the hell am I supposed to do?!*
"A giant field rat has appeared. Everyone, quiet down!"
Even though the monsters on this island were classified as normal monsters, every single one of them boasted terrifying strength.
"Cast stealth magic on us!"
"Cast!"
[A Giant Field Rat has appeared.]
[The target is using the skill Detection. If caught, you will be discovered...]
[......]
The house-sized field rat was just one of the many monsters they encountered on the island. The players, who had initially charged in thinking, 'It's just a rat,' were left utterly shocked.
[The Giant Field Rat is using the skill Life Drain. HP is being restored.]
[Due to Frenzy, the Giant Field Rat's strength has vastly increased!]
[The Giant Field Rat is using Sure-Hit Strike!]
[Due to a mysterious power, evasion is impossible. Damage is being taken!]
[Damage is reduced by Adamantium Armor!]
[......]
[......]
Tae-hyun had been the most surprised. Of course, given the sheer variety of monsters in Pan-On, there were bound to be enemies capable of bypassing his evasion. Tae-hyun had prepared for such scenarios, equipping himself with skills that drastically reduced incoming damage and his powerful *Adamantium Armor*.
But who would have thought a mere field rat could use such broken skills! Although they managed to defeat it, it had certainly been a jarring experience.
Tae-hyun: Let's avoid unnecessary fights if possible.
Hallus: You are absolutely correct.
From then on, Tae-hyun's party avoided picking fights with the giant field rats. If they could avoid them, they did!
Hallus: We can usually spot the giant field rats by their footprints first, followed by the sound of their movement. If we don't cast stealth beforehand, it gets dangerous... and even if they use a detection skill, there's no need to panic. If we just wait, they'll pass right by...
Tae-hyun: Oh. Not bad.
Tae-hyun was impressed. The Black Rock Guild members really had a reason to guarantee this guy's skills. To have such a solid grasp on how to avoid monsters without fighting!
Hallus: ...
Hallus stared at Tae-hyun with an incredibly complex expression. Because... everything he had just said was actually what Tae-hyun had pointed out first!
Right after they defeated the first giant field rat, Tae-hyun had said:
Tae-hyun: Looking at it, there were footprints, and we heard the sound first. If we had used stealth beforehand, we would have been fine. Plus, when I sneaked behind it earlier, it didn't notice at all, so its detection skill seems weak. Next time, there's no need to fight them.
...He was literally just repeating what Tae-hyun had already said, so of course it sounded plausible!
Guild Member A: What did I tell you, Kim Tae-hyun? Hallus is amazing.
Guild Member B: We always trust and rely on him.
Hallus: ...
Hallus felt a sharp, nervous pain in his stomach. 'The pressure is insane...!' Even someone trying to lecture Confucius wouldn't feel this much pressure. *Ugh!*
[The Idergo Cult priest senses holy power.]
[The Idergo Cult priest's memories have been partially restored!]
Idergo Priest: I can feel Lord Idergo's power nearby!
"Oh. Really?"
Tae-hyun pulled out his weapons first. Starting with his main gear, several terrifying bombs made their appearance. There was an area-of-effect bomb that would engulf the surroundings in flames upon detonation, and another bomb that would scatter hundreds of fragments, each dealing critical damage. Tae-hyun's craftsmanship, crafting bombs whenever he had spare time and storing them in his bag, was that of a true artisan.
Idergo Priest: ...Uh, why are you drawing your weapons? Aren't we about to meet our fellow cult members?
Tae-hyun: I didn't want to say this because I was worried it would shock you... but the truth is, there are members of the Archisus Church who disguise themselves as the Idergo Cult.
[Carbanog notes that the culprit is standing right in front of him...]
Idergo Priest: Unbelievable! No matter how wicked those Archisus bastards are, to do something like... actually, they definitely would!
[The Idergo Cult priest is convinced!]
...This is subtly offensive.
Tae-hyun felt slightly annoyed that the Idergo Cult, which was an evil god cult itself, treated the Archisus Church like such terrible villains. *As if you guys are any better.*
Tae-hyun: That's why even if they look like they belong to our cult, we must doubt them first. Fortunately, I have the ability to see through their disguises.
Idergo Priest: I see... You are truly magnificent.
Tae-hyun: Now, we need to verify them, so lead the way.
Idergo Priest: Right this way. The holy power leads in this direction.
The Idergo Cult priest innocently took his steps, completely unaware that he was leading a wolf right into his own pack.
[You have discovered the Temporary Temple of the Idergo Cult!]
Flash!
As they pushed through the forest, a temporary temple built in a highly defensible terrain flanked by massive trees and boulders came into view. The temporary temple of the Idergo Cult! The cult NPCs stationed there were startled by their sudden appearance.
[The Elite Priests of the Idergo Cult are on high alert!]
[The Elite Paladins of the Idergo Cult are drawing their weapons!]
They, too, looked like half-starved beggars, having clearly gone through a rough time!
"Who goes there! A monster... No, it's not a monster! It's humans!"
"Wait, isn't that a priest from our cult? Those adventurer bastards are holding our priest hostage!"
"Hey! Identify yourselves! Release him this instant!"
Relieved by the NPCs' reactions, the priest turned to Tae-hyun and said:
Idergo Priest: Looking at them, they seem to be our fellow cult members. Are they not?
"How amateurish!"
Idergo Priest: Pardon?
"That is a disguise."
Idergo Priest: !
The amnesiac priest gasped in shock. That's a disguise?
"Look closely. Their shabby appearance, their panicked and flustered reactions. They were clearly caught off guard, never expecting us to show up, and now they're panicking."
Idergo Priest: I see...!
[The target is currently suffering from amnesia. A bonus is applied to persuasion.]
[......]
[Persuasion successful!]
[Your Speech skill has increased!]
It was a bizarrely convincing logic! Meanwhile, one of the Idergo Cult paladins stared at the amnesiac priest and spoke up.
"Wait, isn't that..."
"I know a foolproof way to expose their true identities."
Idergo Priest: What is it?
"Attack them all!!"