The Art of Self-Sacrifice

In the world of high rankers, a single second was of paramount importance. As a player's level climbed, complex situations became increasingly common, demanding split-second decisions. Fight or flight? And if fighting, how? In this regard, no one questioned Tae-hyun's judgment. It was absolute top-tier. The countless Legendary Quests he had cleared stood as living proof. The God of Improvisation! His signature, instinctual decision-making shone brilliantly once again.

The target Tae-hyun had offered up as a sacrifice was none other than himself. When he first acquired Sacrifice of Archisus, he had never imagined he would use it on himself. For a player like Tae-hyun, who primarily played solo, using such a skill on himself was unthinkable! However, after party playing with his companions for so long, the thought had occasionally crossed his mind: A situation might arise where I have to use Sacrifice of Archisus on myself. Armed with powerful Authority skills that stockpiled extra lives, Tae-hyun was, ironically, the person best suited for this sacrifice.

Flash!

Tae-hyun's body was enveloped in a blinding light, and a massive wave of radiance began to ripple outward from his center. Its momentum was so intense, it felt as though it would completely swallow the vast Labyrinth of Hungry Chaos. Tae-hyun himself was slightly taken aback by the spectacle.

What's going on? Is it because I'm currently borrowing Uipoatl's power?

Right now, Tae-hyun was in an incredibly empowered state due to borrowing the Emperor's power. Having sacrificed himself in such a state, the resulting effect was bound to be equally explosive.

There were two reasons Tae-hyun had used Sacrifice of Archisus on himself. First was the Curse of Chaos cast by Igoloyak. Since Igoloyak had cast it with absolute, lethal intent, its momentum was nothing short of ominous. Even though Tae-hyun possessed Authority skills and wore powerful armor, Igoloyak had seemed entirely confident of his victory regardless. In other words, it was an utterly broken, cheat-like skill! If it was a simple death, Tae-hyun wouldn't have minded. He had spare lives, after all. The truly terrifying part was if he didn't die. Pandemonium Online featured all kinds of bizarre curses—curses that permanently lowered stats, drained levels, and worse. If he got hooked by the Hungry Chaos through such a curse, there was no telling how many tedious cleanup quests he would have to run just to fix his character. Sensing this danger instinctively, he had chosen to sacrifice himself. And his gamble paid off.

By dying once, the Curse of Chaos was completely wiped clean! From Igoloyak's perspective, this was utterly absurd and mind-boggling. He had gone so far ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠as to sacrifice his soul staff to unleash his ultimate, game-ending curse, only for his opponent to dodge it by committing suicide. He had heard rumors that the Archisus Church was dirty, but he never imagined they could be this shameless!

"Grr... groar..."

The newborn beasts of chaos cowered before the immense power radiating from the Expedition. The aura was so terrifying that even these fearless monsters instinctively took a step back.

This was the second reason Tae-hyun had made his move. While Igoloyak's attention was entirely focused on him, he would buff the Expedition and let them sweep away the remaining enemies! The demons summoned by Igoloyak were incredibly powerful, which had kept the Expedition pinned down, but the Expedition was by no means weak. If they could just seize the momentum, they could easily overwhelm their foes.

However... the effect was far greater than he had anticipated. The current atmosphere made them look less like a mortal expedition and more like a grand assembly of Archisus Battle Angels!

...Wait, seriously? Tae-hyun was dumbfounded. Has literally no one in this church ever sacrificed themselves? I mean... surely at least one person must have done it before?

On top of that, he had leveled up. He couldn't believe that sacrificing himself just once would grant him two levels in one go. Of course, if he had to choose between liking it or hating it, he definitely liked it. But...

Is committing suicide really worth this much experience?

When he thought about it, it felt completely disproportionate.

Rumbleeeee—!

The power of Uipoatl summoned from the [Soul Crown].

The power of sacrifice brought forth by [Sacrifice of Archisus].

The mighty buffs received from [Holy Sacrifice].

As these three forces merged, Tae-hyun's power swelled to a level where he could literally go toe-to-toe with a dragon. He had grown so monstrously strong that even he couldn't accurately gauge his own limits!

...And Igoloyak, who had to face this terrifying force, was utterly paralyzed with fear.

"...Perhaps we can resolve this through a peaceful dialogue?"

"Sure."

With those words, Tae-hyun swung Dragon's Ruin. He could feel the soul of Uipoatl rejoicing at wielding his beloved spear once again.

"Whirlwind of the Asbian Empire!"

Although the skill name sounded like a spell, it was pure physical might. The spear spun rapidly in Tae-hyun's grip, whipping up a colossal tempest. It was a display of monstrous strength, conjuring a whirlwind through sheer physical force and weapon mastery alone!

Igoloyak screamed internally at the sight.

"Do not get cocky, mortal! I still possess countless powers and secret arts bestowed upon me by the Hungry Chaos. Do you truly believe you can withstand them?!"

"Give it a shot," Tae-hyun replied curtly, lunging forward.

His mouth told the boss to try, but his actions gave the opponent absolutely no room to breathe! Since Tae-hyun was currently acting as a close-range physical dealer while his opponent was a long-range mage, closing the distance and denying him casting time was the most basic of strategies.

"Protect me, beasts!"

Igoloyak tried to summon his monsters, but his cries went unanswered. The Expedition was already running absolutely wild.

"O, descend, power of the Great Hammer!"

"Oh! It feels as though Lord Phytos himself has graced us with his presence!"

"Come at us, beasts of the Hungry Chaos!"

Empowered by the massive buffs, the Expedition charged forward as if they feared nothing in the world.

"Summon Sapphire Golem! Duplicate Golem Army, Grand Legion Charge! Infinite Power of Darkness!"

Lee Se-yeon cast spell after spell, summoning golems without restraint. Her current state was so perfect that she could summon golems she usually conserved due to high MP costs. In fact, the buff was so absurdly powerful that it actually made her worry.

Kim Tae-hyun's class shouldn't be capable of granting a buff like this.

His class was a close-range burst dealer with various bizarre utility skills, not a dedicated buffer. To unleash a buff of this magnitude, he must have made a staggering sacrifice. Even though the quest was turning heavily in their favor, a creeping sense of anxiety began to settle in her chest.

Don't tell me, Tae-hyun...

Lee Da-bi, who also understood the mechanics of his skills, cast a worried glance in his direction. It was obvious he had used Sacrifice of Archisus. Since there was no one else around him, the target of that sacrifice could only be himself!

Lee Da-bi deeply regretted her choices. I should have brought Cain along!

But now that the deed was done, the only thing the Expedition could do was wrap this up as quickly as possible and rush to his aid.

The Archisus Artillery and the players took the right flank, Lee Se-yeon's undead army took the left, and the Church Expedition pushed straight down the center. Splitting into three prongs, the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠allies beat down the beasts of Hungry Chaos with savage fury. The once-fearsome monsters were left utterly helpless, subjected to a one-sided beatdown.

"Chains of Mighty Faith!"

"Eyes of Allurement!"

"Abyssal Net Bind!"

As the archbishops and priests of the various churches unleashed a barrage of crowd-control skills with their massively inflated stats...

Thud! Thud! Crash!

The paladins closed in with their shields raised, unleashing a brutal onslaught. Normally, even paladins had to play defensively since a single direct hit from these high-level beasts could send them flying, but with such a robust buff backing them, they could charge in recklessly. They were currently executing the most obnoxious tactic unique to paladins: 'You hit me, I hit you back.'

Igoloyak couldn't comprehend where things had gone wrong.

Was it when the massive labyrinth personally bestowed by the Hungry Chaos suddenly collapsed? Or when the various churches, which would normally never cooperate, united to march right to his doorstep?

No, he could accept those. But even so, why were those weaklings suddenly running amok as if they had swallowed some forbidden elixir?

Particularly that bastard from the Archisus Church—what kind of power was he using to emit such an overwhelming aura? Since the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠guy dragged a demon around in a cage, Igoloyak even suspected he might be absorbing souls to fuel his strength.

No, surely the leader of a holy church wouldn't resort to such wicked methods!

As Tae-hyun delivered ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a heavy blow, Igoloyak, who had been bracing himself defensively atop the moving Labyrinth Castle, was sent flying. It was a display of terrifying, raw strength that shattered his guard and buried him into the earth!

I have to run!

For the first time, Igoloyak resolved to flee. No matter how powerful he was, now was not the time to be stubborn. Normally, Igoloyak compensated for his low HP and fragile defense—typical of a mage—with Hungry Chaos's Protection. The dark energy bestowed by his master enveloped and shielded his body.

Yet, every single one of Tae-hyun's strikes shattered and shook that protection. A cold dread washed over him; if this continued, his defenses would crumble entirely, and he would face instant death.

"Ugh... damn it..."

He didn't know what trick his opponent had used, but it surely wouldn't last long. All he had to do was escape and bide his time. His pride would take a hit, but survival came first.

"Igoloyak! You're not trying to run away, are you?!" Tae-hyun shouted, sharply catching onto his opponent's intentions. "There's no way a vassal of the Hungry Chaos would flee! That would be utterly ridiculous!"

Yong-yong chimed in, roaring in agreement.

"It is unthinkable for a vassal of the Hungry Chaos to flee! If you do, you might as well die!"

"Igoloyak! You are not that kind of man! A native of the Atali Kingdom does not turn his back on an enemy!"

With even the ghost, Odorab, joining the chorus of taunts, Igoloyak flew into a rage.

"Shut your mouths!"

He was already incredibly frustrated, and these bastards were practically pouring gasoline on the fire.

Igoloyak hesitated. Tae-hyun's words held a grim truth. If he fled now, the Hungry Chaos would likely inflict a punishment far worse than death.

"Igoloyak! If you don't run, I will fight you in a fair, honorable one-on-one duel!"

"...Is that a promise?"

"Nope!"

With that shameless reply, Tae-hyun leaped onto Igoloyak, unleashing a merciless, relentless barrage of attacks.