Kicked Out of the Training Center!
Dying here didn't force a logout. It merely got you kicked out of the training center. Still, it was an incredibly foul feeling.
"Kim Tae-hyun, you bastard, have you lost your mind?!"
"The quest made me do it. I have no personal grudge against you."
'But we're in the Guild Alliance.'
'Even if we're in the Guild Alliance...'
'No matter how you look at it, that was definitely a personal grudge.'
Of all people, the player Tae-hyun had instantly killed was a ranker from the Guild Alliance. Tae-hyun had targeted him without a shred of emotion, simply picking the closest target who looked like they had low defense and low HP—but to everyone else, it looked like anything but a random choice!
"Ugh! If only I had been a second faster...!" Smith ground out in frustration. He had been in the middle of a fierce assault on Su Ning.
"You... you absolute lunatic...!"
"It's a quest, isn't it?"
"Did you really intend to kill me? Are you out of your mind?! Even Kim Tae-hyun didn't try to take me down!" Su Ning was utterly flabbergasted.
Smith had completely ignored the crowd of Guild Alliance rankers surrounding Su Ning and lunged straight for him. No matter how much Smith boasted the notorious Constitution and HP of a top-tier ranker, this was sheer recklessness. In truth, Smith hadn't even managed to shave off half of Su Ning's HP.
...But regardless of the outcome, the madness radiating from Smith was terrifying. It was the kind of unhinged insanity that drove someone to strike first and worry about the consequences later!
'Is this bastard actually insane?'
"Let the splendid adventurer who secured the first kill step forward!"
Your Reputation has increased!
Your standing within the Ancient Empire University has improved!
Your Swordsmanship skill has increased!
'Moving first certainly paid off.'
Tae-hyun stepped forward. He was showered with gazes dripping with jealousy and envy from all sides. There was a very good reason why Tae-hyun had been the first to act the moment they were told to kill each other.
It wasn't because he harbored some burning desire to slaughter a Guild Alliance ranker. Rather, Tae-hyun had grasped the nature of the quest in that split second.
'This is a quest where the one who gets the first kill wins!'
No one could match Tae-hyun when it came to raw reflexes. While others were busy forming parties to clear dungeons, Tae-hyun had spent his days blowing up rival clan houses and carrying out solo assassinations! He was a man who had practically mastered the art of drawing his weapon and stabbing someone in the blink of an eye.
'My usual PK habits are actually coming in handy at a time like this.'
Carbanog notes that, in the end, any kind of experience is a valuable asset.
"Surely... surely they won't just choose one person, right?"
"No, there's no way."
The remaining players murmured anxiously. If they really only selected one person and called it a day...
"Prepare yourselves. The next trial is about to begin."
Fortunately, that wasn't the case. Even before the next round began, the players drew their weapons and glared at one another. They had to kill someone as quickly as possible! Players with low HP and low defense became the primary targets.
"Surely none of you are foolish enough to believe the exact same trial will repeat itself. I trust no such idiot exists among you."
"..."
"..."
The players sheepishly sheathed their weapons. However, the Ancient Empire Royal Guard Captain seized that exact moment of vulnerability.
"Now, slaughter each other once more!"
"Die!"
With that roar, Smith lunged at Su Ning before anyone else could react! The Guild Alliance rankers cried out in disbelief.
"Smith, you crazy bastard! Cut it out already!"
"Do you really think you can take down Lord Su Ning when there are so many of us here?!"
Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud!
A storm of attacks rained down on Smith from the Guild Alliance rankers. Yet, Smith ignored them entirely, his eyes locked onto Su Ning with dogged persistence.
'This is a trial.'
Even as he was being pummeled, Smith kept his gaze fixed solely on Su Ning. This was an opportunity to grow stronger! If he couldn't even take the head of someone like Su Ning in a situation like this, he would never survive the harsh trials that awaited him in Pandemonium Online.
"Hang in there, Smith!"
Tae-hyun cheered him on. He found the sight of Smith relentlessly pursuing his target while taking a beating from multiple rankers highly entertaining.
"Smith! Pivot to the left! His left side is wide open! Pivot left, use a stun skill to bind his feet, and get behind him!"
"Hey, Kim Tae-hyun, you son of a bitch! Don't you think you're taking this too far?!" one of the Guild Alliance rankers yelled in a fury.
"That bastard Smith is a snake who would backstab you the first chance he gets!"
"Hmm. You do have a point."
Tae-hyun couldn't argue with that. It was undeniably true!
"Let the splendid adventurer who secured the first kill step forward!"
Meanwhile, another successful candidate emerged. Naturally, it was neither from the Guild Alliance nor Smith's side. They had been so busy dragging each other down in the mud that they hadn't managed to secure a single kill. Had they targeted anyone else, they easily could have claimed a victory! As a relatively unknown ranker seized the opportunity and advanced, Su Ning began to grow increasingly anxious.
"Smith. Think about this logically."
"Yes?"
"I don't know how many people they're selecting, but we're running out of time. There's absolutely nothing to gain from us fighting each other. Let's target other people instead."
Su Ning, ever the businessman, tried to reason with Smith. Smith nodded in agreement.
'Phew. Finally, this lunatic is talking sense.'
After all, anyone with a brain wouldn't dare attack again in this situation—
"Die!"
"You absolute son of a bitch!!!"
In the end, neither Su Ning nor Smith made the cut. Tae-hyun, who had been the first to qualify, looked down at them with a look of utter disbelief.
"What on earth are you two doing?"
"..."
"Do not worry. I will join you shortly."
"What do you mean 'join you shortly,' you complete psychopath?!"
Su Ning was beside himself. He had been thrilled to see Kim Tae-hyun leave, only for a brand-new lunatic to block his path.
"Do you not have a single brain cell in that skull of yours?! What kind of grudge do you even have against me?!"
"To become stronger!"
"...If you want to get stronger, go fight Kim Tae-hyun! The two of you should duke it out!"
"I will fight him later. But first, I must defeat you..."
"..."
Su Ning's rage doubled. Overhearing their conversation, Tae-hyun nodded approvingly.
"Right. Keep up the good work. I'm going to go learn my skill now."
"Hey! Kim Tae-hyun! Don't leave! Help me kill this psycho first!"
"We're not exactly on friendly terms, you know."
Leaving those words behind, Tae-hyun slipped deeper into the facility.
Arcane Swordsmanship: <Surprise Strike>
Your Swordsmanship skill level has increased!
Surprisingly, the Ancient Empire Royal Guard Captain handed over the skill without any further trials. Compared to Magic or Engineering, it was an incredibly straightforward acquisition!
'Is this the dignity of an NPC who teaches a major skill?'
Since they dealt with so many students, the NPC acting as the instructor didn't show any obsessive behavior; they simply taught the skill with cool indifference and sent him on his way.
[Surprise Strike]
Allows the user to rapidly activate any owned swordsmanship skills in a surprise attack.
'A passive Arcane skill. Nice.'
Compared to other swordsmanship-related classes, Tae-hyun was severely lacking in these types of skills. While others fought with several passive skills equipped, Tae-hyun had to fight practically bare-handed.
'If I could just learn a few more of these, I wouldn't ask for anything else...'
"I've acquired a skill as well," Ryu Tae-su said.
"!"
Tae-hyun was surprised to hear this. 'Ah. So they don't give everyone the exact same skill.' Did they give a special one to the person who finished first? If so, it had been a brilliant move to strike first.
"By the way, Mr. Tae-hyun. The atmosphere out there is getting a bit strange."
"Ah. I can imagine."
Tae-hyun nodded. Since a quest like this had appeared at the very first swordsmanship training ground the players visited, anyone with quick wits would have realized it by now: the quests in the Ancient Empire University were far more competitive than they had anticipated!
"If we take our sweet time with this, we're going to get absolutely wrecked."
"Did you see Kim Tae-hyun? If you're competing against him, you're basically guaranteed to lose."
"We seriously need to keep him in check."
"Was it a bit too much to attack right away?"
"Not at all!" Ryu Tae-su replied firmly.
Tae-hyun felt a small wave of touched emotion at his loyalty.
"Right? It wasn't really that bad, was it?"
"Even if you hadn't, they would have been wary of you anyway!"
"...Y-yeah. Thanks."
It was undeniably true. Of course, being watched closely didn't change what Tae-hyun had to do.
'I should sort through the Ancient Empire quests currently popping up and focus on the ones that offer useful swordsmanship skills.' He would gather the shared information, pick out the decent swordsmanship skills, and...
"Seriously, this is driving me crazy. Why won't they give us any quests?"
"Does the Ancient Empire University not care about crafting classes?!"
Just then, the voices of passing players caught his attention. Judging by their attire, they were blacksmiths! Since they had made it all the way here, they were undoubtedly high-ranking blacksmiths.
"That's Hammerman and Lucas," Ryu Tae-su noted.
"I think Lee Da-bi mentioned them before, but who were they again?"
"Hammerman is the blacksmith ranker who lost his title because of you, and Lucas is the blacksmith ranker who had his enhancement title snatched by you."
"..."
Ah...! The moment Tae-hyun heard their names, the memories came flooding back. 'It's going to be incredibly awkward if they realize I'm here.'
The two blacksmiths grumbled as they walked along. Suddenly, another player appeared in front of them.
"Hehehe... look at these absolute scrubs."
"Ugh, that lunatic is here again."
"Seriously, my blood pressure spikes every time I see him."
The two blacksmiths scowled at the player blocking their path and mocking them.
It was GeneralGodTaehyun. He was a high-ranking blacksmith who possessed an extraordinary talent for getting under people's skin.
"What do you mean the Ancient Empire University doesn't care about crafting classes? That's pure nonsense! It's just because you guys lack the ability to find the quests!"
"Oh yeah? And did you find one?"
"Of course I did."
"Stop lying. Prove it."
"As if I'd just tell you. But even if I don't, I have proof."
GeneralGodTaehyun suddenly whipped his head around and shouted toward where Tae-hyun, Ryu Tae-su, and Ryu Da-young were standing.
"Player Kim Tae-hyun! Please settle this!"
"!!"
The two blacksmiths gasped and spun around. Kim Tae-hyun was actually here?!
"Are there crafting class quests in the Ancient Empire University or not?!"
"There are," Tae-hyun replied.
"See! I told you there were! You absolute fools! Huh?!"
'Is that guy trying to get himself PK'd?' Even Tae-hyun thought GeneralGodTaehyun's personality was a bit of a hazard.
Carbanog remarks that if even the Avatar is worried, the provocation must indeed be excessively severe.
"...Kim Tae-hyun. Can I ask you something?"
"I can't give the title back. Even if I wanted to, it's not like it's transferable."
"...?!?! So it really was you who took it!" Hammerman cried out in shock. He had only had his suspicions, but it was actually true?!
"Just how on earth...!"
"You just have to work hard and craft well. Anyway, if it's not about that, what did you want to ask?"
"Rumor has it that you've already found and cleared about twenty to thirty quests within the Ancient Empire University..."
"?"
"???"
The number seemed to have inflated quite a bit.
"I was wondering if you could tell us if there are any blacksmith-related quests."
"You shameless bastard! How thick is your skin? Even a beggar on the street wouldn't beg like you!"
"Oh, shut up!" Hammerman snapped, thoroughly irritated by GeneralGodTaehyun's shouting. Seriously, that guy was infuriating!
"Player Kim Tae-hyun! Don't fall for that unscrupulous bastard's crocodile tears!"
"O-of course, I intend to pay you for the information! Look at this."
Hammerman pulled an item from his inventory. True to his reputation as a specialist in enchanted armor, the chestplate he produced radiated a brilliant, iridescent glow.
"This is no ordinary armor."
"?"
"It is none other than... armor from the Archisus Church!"
"!"
'Suddenly, it looks incredibly cheap.'
Carbanog admits that, honestly, it thought the exact same thing...