Unfortunately, Faith Can't Be Canceled as Easily as Double-Clicking a Subscribe Button

Unfortunately, faith wasn't something you could easily subscribe to and then cancel with a double-click. Tae-hyun gave up and focused on his work. It wasn't his first time working with a penalty, and it certainly wouldn't be his last.

"Ready?"

"Let's do this."

Tae-hyun and Phil nodded to each other and began.

Even though they weren't using combat skills and were simply standing silently before the anvil and forge with hammers in hand, an immense aura radiated from their backs. The presence of masters! Watching them, the members of the Black Rock Sect felt their hearts pounding without even realizing it.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

'Is this... the sheer presence of a top-tier ranker?'

'They're just crafting, but I can't take my eyes off them!'

'So cool...!'

Tae-hyun and Phil, working in perfect, silent harmony, poured their entire souls into the task. Eventually, they both nodded and spoke.

"We failed."

"Well, guess we have to try again."

"..."

"..."

"Why the long faces?" Phil asked, looking puzzled. The expressions on the Black Rock Sect members' faces were bizarre.

"Oh... no. We just thought you succeeded."

They looked so solemn and epic that everyone assumed it was a success, but it was actually a failure?

"That's just how blacksmithing is. If you succeed once out of ninety-nine tries, that's a win."

"Exactly. Even succeeding once in nine hundred and ninety-nine tries is something to be grateful for."

"You know your stuff. Heh." Phil wiped under his nose. He still harbored some resentment from being worked like a slave by Tae-hyun, but hammering face-to-face like this made all those hard feelings melt away.

"Phil!"

"What is it?"

"Can we record you two crafting together?"

"I don't mind... but what about Player Kim Tae-hyun?"

"I'm fine with it too. But what are you going to use it for?"

"Just as a keepsake. A souvenir." They didn't have a specific plan for it, but just watching these two blacksmiths work together felt legendary. This had to be preserved!

"Ah. Send it to me too when you're done. I should post it on the board."

"What board?"

"There's a secret message board where blacksmith rankers gather."

"...I've never heard of it?"

Tae-hyun's question made the atmosphere instantly awkward. One of the Black Rock Sect members cleared his throat.

"Ahem, c-cough. Maybe you got the name wrong?"

"Dude, that's a terrible excuse. How could you even say that?"

"Then you try changing the subject!"

"No... it's not like I'm mad or anything just because I wasn't invited to the board." Tae-hyun wasn't particularly hurt. He hadn't been invited to those kinds of things in Pan-On 1 either. If they wanted to play among themselves, they could. He wasn't the type to get hurt over something like that.

"...Would it be alright if I invited you?"

"What do you guys even talk about on that board?" Tae-hyun asked, genuinely curious. What could they possibly be discussing?

"Hmm... usually what we're crafting, what quests we're on, what materials we're looking for and where to find them, or what skills we have."

On the surface, the rankers' board was peaceful, but in reality, it was a brutal battlefield. Since crafting classes couldn't engage in PvP, the passive-aggressive darkness ran even deeper.

'Is this bastard... for real? Ugh. I can't lose to him.'

'Ugh, this guy. I was lying, but this bastard actually...?'

'What? There's a skill like that?!'

This was how they flexed on each other, mixing in fake information. Naturally, as fellow rankers, they fiercely kept each other in check! Of course, it wasn't just fake information; there was plenty of useful stuff too. Sometimes they cooperated to make better items or cleared quests together.

"Come to think of it, I think I heard Lee Se-yeon uses the Necromancer ranker board too."

"Why don't you use them, Player Kim Tae-hyun?"

"Well..."

Should I join the Paladin board? But I definitely don't want to join the Mechanical Engineering ranker board...

"...Because I don't need it?"

"Ooh..."

"As expected. Is that the mindset of the absolute best? That they have no need for such boards?"

"No, it's not that grand of a mindset..."

"But it's still cool, right?"

"He works us like rented mules, but he really does look cool at times like this."

While the Black Rock Sect members chattered, Phil uploaded a post.

"..."

"..."

Watching from the side, Tae-hyun and the guild members felt goosebumps. They had forgotten, but Phil was the oldest ahjussi here! When everyone stared at him, Phil asked, looking bewildered:

"Is there a problem?"

"Oh... nothing at all, Phil. Keep it up!"

'Shouldn't we stop him?'

'What if we stop him and hurt his feelings?'

Oh? Phil posted something.

Phil was highly trusted among the blacksmith rankers. Out of all the people who spread fake information, he was the one who rarely lied! Consequently, as soon as Phil posted, several blacksmith rankers checked the thread.

'Who is he working with?'

'If he knows Phil... is it GeneralGodTaehyun?'

'That bastard GeneralGodTaehyun is so obnoxious. He's doing well, which makes him even more annoying.'

'...!!!?!?!'

The rankers who opened the post without much thought were shocked. It was a forge they had never seen before, and a very familiar blacksmith ranker! He was working right alongside Kim Tae-hyun.

Surprisingly, some blacksmith rankers had tried to win over Kim Tae-san to reap the benefits of Tae-hyun's success. Of course, they had all dropped out, unable to endure Kim Tae-san and the other middle-aged Orc uncles...

The rankers trembled in shock. They had never imagined Kim Tae-hyun would cooperate with anyone on a joint project. Shaken, they began leaving comments.

The rankers desperately pretended to be indifferent to save face. We aren't jealous at all! Of course, there was always someone who lacked tact.

Is GeneralGodTaehyun completely blind to the mood?! The rankers cursed GeneralGodTaehyun. Everyone was trying so hard to act like it was no big deal, but he was shamelessly trying to get in on it alone!

"?????"

"?!?!?"

No!

Phil! Don't invite a guy like that!

Invite me instead!

The rankers screamed internally. They should have just been honest and asked to join! No one knew exactly how skilled Tae-hyun was as a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠blacksmith. He rarely released videos, and there was very little information available. However, he was definitely not low-level. The items he crafted clearly possessed various rare unique skills! And honestly, even if his skills were lacking, they still wanted to craft with him. When else would they get such an opportunity?

Uggghhhhh...

That bastard GeneralGodTaehyun...!

"M-My infamy went up! It actually went up!"

Phil, who was the type of law-abiding citizen to wait for the pedestrian light even at an empty crosswalk, was in an absolute panic. To think his infamy had increased! In contrast, Tae-hyun didn't even bat an eye.

"It's fine. If we go down and pray a few times, it'll go down."

"R-Really? Thank goodness. ...Wait, why does praying lower infamy?"

Phil was deeply puzzled, but that was something even Tae-hyun couldn't explain. It was simply one of the effects of the Archisus Church's prayers! Having secured several Essences of Hungry Chaos, Tae-hyun fell into deep thought. He had originally planned to melt them down to craft equipment, but...

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

'Sigh. This stuff is practically a panacea.'

The Essence of Hungry Chaos was just too versatile. It was good for combat, good for negotiations, good for crafting... Because it was so useful, he hesitated to use it recklessly. Opportunities to obtain such high-purity essence were rare.

Simply using it to summon power might be resistible thanks to Tae-hyun's Holy stat and Authorities. However, constantly wearing equipment infused with that power was a highly dangerous gamble.

'True, that would be a bit reckless.' Tae-hyun pondered. He really wanted to try using it, though...

"Then I'll just put it in a bomb."

It sounded like a crazy idea, but it actually made perfect sense. A bomb wasn't something you wore constantly; once you detonated it, it was gone.

"Would it be alright if I watched you make the bomb?" Phil asked curiously. He wanted to witness the creation of the bombs that had earned such a notorious reputation.

"I don't mind, but I'm going down to the Demon's Forge to make it with the mechanical engineering blacksmiths."

"...I'll stay here!" Phil gave up instantly.

Heading down toward the Demon's Forge, Tae-hyun ran into Lee Se-yeon and her companions.

"I heard you cleared your class quest? Was it for an assassin?"

"Yeah. They were surprisingly decent guys."

"...?" Lee Se-yeon was momentarily thrown into confusion by his words. Weren't assassin NPCs usually wicked and ill-tempered?

'No, that's not what's important right now.'

"Kim Tae-hyun. I came to make a proposal."

"?"

"That scenario. Let's clear it together!"

"...!" Tae-hyun was surprised by her unexpected proposal. Even though several ranker parties had already been wiped out, Lee Se-yeon's eyes didn't waver in the slightest. It was a firm, absolute confidence that almost bordered on arrogance.

'She must have a plan!' That kind of confidence was always contagious. Tae-hyun nodded and replied,

"Sure. It wouldn't hurt to try."

"I knew you'd accept. You only clear high-difficulty quests on purpose anyway."

"...I don't, though???"

"Huh? You don't? I thought you did." Behind her, Ryu Tae-su also stared at him as if he had assumed the same. Tae-hyun simply enjoyed playing unconventional classes; he didn't choose trash paths on purpose. How did such a misunderstanding even happen...?

"By the way, who is that behind you?" Lee Se-yeon tilted her head. There was a player standing awkwardly behind him. It was Jackal.

"Ah. This is Jackal. I met him while clearing the last quest. He's pretty capable."

"Really? If you're saying that, he must be genuinely skilled."

'I want to die...!' Jackal's heart hammered against his ribs, and cold sweat drenched his back. Was Kim Tae-hyun dragging him along just to torture him? If it was to punish him for daring to impersonate Cain's close friend, it made perfect sense. Otherwise, why would Tae-hyun bring him before these legendary rankers and praise ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠him?

'Ugh, sob...! Please forgive me...!'