The Sweet Taste of Power
In the gaming world, there was a common phrase: "giving someone a bus ride." It referred to a high-level player pulling and slaying monsters on behalf of a low-level player. From the perspective of the low-level player, it was an immense benefit. And this wasn't a privilege reserved solely for novices. High-level players also frequently received this kind of assistance. In large guilds, it was common practice for regular members to go on massive mob-pulling hunts to push their core rankers. They would occupy high-quality fields or dungeons, herd the monsters together, and let the rankers sweep them up. Rankers who grew this way enjoyed an experience acquisition speed that was utterly unparalleled.
Of course, the general public despised this practice. After all, countless ordinary players were constantly driven out of dungeons because of these guild occupations. There was a very good reason why rankers like Kim Tae-hyun and Lee Se-yeon—who traditionally leveled up by tackling high-difficulty quests—enjoyed such immense popularity. Thanks to their example, newly emerging rising rankers also preferred to emulate Tae-hyun's methods rather than joining guilds. Growth was important, but popularity was a factor that simply could not be ignored. Because of this, Tae-hyun had always been light-years away from mob-pulling or receiving bus rides. If anything, he was usually the guy who went out of his way to disrupt those who did...
'But man, is this convenient.'
"Now! Gather them once more!"
At the Prince's grand command, the ghost charioteers rolled their wheels and set off in unison. Incredibly swift, they vanished into the distance in the blink of an eye, only to return shortly after herding yet another massive horde of monsters.
"Show me your prowess once more, adventurer!"
"..."
Your magic skill level increases!
Experience points acquired...
Carbanog screams at you to snap out of it!
'Is this the sweet taste of power?'
Prince Persotelton's charm was surprisingly formidable. Watching his experience bar and magic skills shoot up so effortlessly, Tae-hyun felt his resolve to escape wavering slightly.
...Maybe staying a little longer wouldn't hurt?
'More importantly, I think this is the first time I've ever met a royal NPC who treats me this well.'
Usually, in Pan-On, members of the royal family came with passive traits like "arrogant," "obnoxious," "wicked," and "hates Archisus." But while Prince Persotelton was clearly a bit unhinged, his personality was actually quite pleasant. Just the fact that he was actively trying to provide for adventurers placed him in the top 1% of all royalty.
"But do not misunderstand, adventurer. I do not perform this service for your sake. Those beasts merely happened to wander into this vicinity by chance. A truly exceptional adventurer must ultimately slay their foes with their own hands."
"Ah. Yes. Of course. Thank you."
As they spoke, a whisper from Lee Se-yeon arrived.
- What are you two doing over there?
- Uh... Se-yeon. We have a situation.
- Why? Is the Prince trying to kill you?
- No. The Prince is actually way nicer than I expected.
- ...Did I hear that wrong?
- No... you'll see what I mean when you get here.
It didn't take long for Lee Se-yeon to be summoned as well. Given her exceptional racing skills, it was inevitable that the Prince would call upon her.
"Now, adventurer. Pray, dispatch those beasts. Are you a necromancer? I must ensure the corpses are preserved in pristine condition so that you may raise them as undead."
"...???"
Se-yeon was utterly bewildered. Why on earth was this NPC being so incredibly kind?
"See what I mean?" Tae-hyun muttered.
"Yeah... this is actually really awkward and bizarre."
Both of them felt a slight chill run down their spines. They simply weren't accustomed to royalty treating them with such hospitality.
"Well, since things turned out like this, shouldn't we squeeze in some more hunting? Besides, looking at the Prince, he seems to know the locations of all the undiscovered dungeons in this area."
"That actually sounds like an excellent idea."
Se-yeon immediately agreed with Tae-hyun's proposal. Behind them, several other rankers were shouting, "Let's overthrow the Prince and escape!" and the elders were pleading, "We must rescue His Highness!" but...
Tae-hyun and Se-yeon ignored them entirely, completely united in their greed.
Let's use this opportunity to clear some Sky Island dungeons!
"But Kim Tae-hyun, shouldn't your teammates be preparing for the tournament? Don't we need to restore the city quickly to host the event...?"
"Our gaming team's golden rule is that everyone takes care of their own business."
When a lucrative quest was dangling right in front of him, Tae-hyun was more than willing to put his teammates' tournament preparations on the back burner.
"Sigh. If only we could enter a truly powerful dungeon, we might be able to become even faster..."
"Indeed. It is a tragedy. There are no decent dungeons nearby, so we have no way of increasing our speed."
Tae-hyun and Se-yeon conversed in theatrical, sorrowful voices, ensuring their words carried over to the Prince. Lee Da-bi, who had also been summoned, stared at the duo with an incredibly complex and exasperated expression. Since both of them were master actors, their performance was highly convincing...
But frankly, it was deeply embarrassing to watch.
'I wondered what they were up to, and it turns out the two of them are doing this...'
Who would ever believe that the top-ranked players of South Korea were behaving like this here?
Speech skill is extremely high...
Reputation increases...
Racing skill increases...
"Fear not, brave adventurers! This Persotelton knows the location of every single domain where the Hungry Chaos lurks."
Having fought fiercely against the forces of the Hungry Chaos during his lifetime, Prince Persotelton possessed a unique skill to locate dungeons tainted by its presence. He could not simply stand by when these young adventurers expressed such a passionate desire to grow faster.
"Follow me! I shall guide you to a sanctuary where you may obtain true strength!"
"Thank you, Your Highness!"
Tae-hyun and Se-yeon immediately set off after the Prince, dragging Da-bi along with them.
"What about the people we left behind?" Da-bi asked.
"They'll figure something out."
⊳ You have entered the dungeon!
⊳ Reputation increases...
The dungeon the Prince led them to was surprisingly beautiful. It featured a wide, pristine lakeshore and a quiet, tranquil forest. For Tae-hyun and Se-yeon, who were accustomed to raiding perilous dungeons filled with pitch-black caverns, boiling lava, and raging blizzards, this peaceful scenery should have been a welcome sight...
"..."
"Isn't this place a little too dangerous?"
...But it wasn't. Instead, Tae-hyun and Se-yeon began to whisper to each other with grim expressions.
"It looks perfectly normal to me, though?" Da-bi remarked, tilting her head.
"Da-bi, in a high-difficulty dungeon, looking this normal is precisely what makes it dangerous. It's actually much safer when a place looks overtly suspicious."
"He's right."
As veteran rankers who had survived countless battles, they were highly sensitive to these subtle cues. In Pan-On, the player walking around naked in their underwear was always infinitely more terrifying than the one clad in full plate armor.
"Undead Rise. Elite Attribute Bestowal. Boiling Darkness Aura. Eternal Pouring Imperial Power..."
Se-yeon immediately summoned her undead army and began layering various buffs upon them. Not to be outdone, Tae-hyun also began chanting spells.
"Dwarven Steel Shield. Dwarven Shining Steel Sword..."
"...???"
Se-yeon paused mid-summon, staring at him in disbelief.
"Why are you casting magic?"
"Am I not allowed to?"
"No... it's not that, but..."
She had assumed Tae-hyun's preparation would involve crafting explosives or readying his close-quarters combat skills. Yet here he was, casting magic—and rare metal-attribute magic, at that.
"I need to level up my magic skills."
"Just how many skills are you planning to master?"
Regardless of his motives, buffing the undead was undeniably beneficial. Tae-hyun and Se-yeon took turns casting their respective spells, rapidly reinforcing the undead legion. Before long, a squad of elite Death Knights clad in gleaming, magically reinforced metal armor stood before them.
"Is this enough?"
"Should we strap some bombs to them? Just in case we need them to self-destruct."
"Undead can rebel too, you know! Absolutely not."
Se-yeon rejected the idea flatly. Although the undead were technically deceased, they still possessed a basic level of cognitive function. Forcing them to march into battle with explosives strapped to their chests would cause their rebellion index to skyrocket instantly.
"By the way, Your Highness. This lake appears tranquil, but where exactly is the minion of the Hungry Chaos hiding?"
At Tae-hyun's inquiry, the Prince nodded approvingly and pointed a finger toward the water.
It was the lake itself.
'Is it hiding beneath the surface?'
If so, it was highly likely to be a water-attribute beast.
"If that's the case, it actually makes things easier."
Unless they were absolutely forced to dive, aquatic monsters were generally easy to deal with. They could easily employ hit-and-run tactics to wear the creature down from the shore.
"Adventurers! The beast reveals itself. Behold!"
Splash!
"..."
"..."
Tae-hyun and Se-yeon were rendered utterly speechless as the entire volume of the massive lake rose into the air, animated by a malevolent will. They had intended to use the Prince to easily farm undiscovered dungeons for experience, but they had run into an absolute monster right from the start.
"...Maybe it's just big and not actually that strong."
"Let's hope so. Sending in the undead."
Nodding at Tae-hyun's suggestion, Se-yeon commanded her forces forward. The Death Knights spurred their spectral steeds, charging toward the colossal Lake Spirit.
Boom!
The impact generated a deafening roar, but the Lake Spirit didn't budge an inch. The sheer disparity in scale was absurd—it looked like a tiny goblin throwing itself against a giant.
"Mwaaaaaah..."
The Lake Spirit swung its massive fist. Compared to fire or lightning, water sometimes seemed less threatening. However, water was by no means a weak element. When condensed into a massive, pressurized volume, it possessed terrifying destructive power. Just like right now!
An earthquake occurs!
"Fall back for now!"
Tae-hyun grabbed Da-bi's arm and bolted to the side.
"Nantione!"
"Ki-it?"
Tae-hyun leaped onto Nantione's back. Da-bi looked at him in confusion.
"Wouldn't it be better to ride the dragons?"
"When dealing with a giant monster like that, it's better to use them to draw its attention."
At Tae-hyun's command, Yong-yong and Heuk-heuk soared into the sky. Since both were exceptionally powerful magic users, they could inflict significant damage on the Lake Spirit from above.
Thud—
Tae-hyun lobbed a bomb at the creature, testing its defenses.
Due to the Lake Spirit's water attribute, explosion damage is mitigated.
Physical damage is also reduced...
'Hmm. Just as I thought.'
The explosive force of a standard bomb was heavily mitigated. The massive body of water composing the Lake Spirit was absorbing the shockwaves.
'I'll have to pierce it with an attribute-infused blade and strike with active skills.'
"Kiiiiiiit!"
As they retreated, Nantione grew enraged by the pursuing Lake Spirit and lashed out with her tail.
Swoosh—
Attached to Nantione's tail was one of the rewards she had won in the race—a specialized electric shock booster.
Crackle!
"Mwaaaaaah!"
The Lake Spirit shrieked in agony as the electrical current surged through its watery form. Even if physical strikes were ineffective, elemental magic attacks were highly potent.
"Magnificent, adventurers! To lure the beast and strike at its critical weakness. You truly comprehend the fundamental strategies required to triumph in a race!"
The Prince shouted encouragement as he ran alongside them. He could have easily lent a hand instead of just shouting, but he didn't lift a single finger, seemingly content to act as a cheerleader for Tae-hyun and Se-yeon.
"Nantione! Hit it a few more times!"
"Ki-it!"
Despite her noble lineage as a princess of the Erangs Kingdom, Nantione battered the Lake Spirit with brutal efficiency. Even though the opponent was highly resistant to physical attacks, the sheer number of specialized racing upgrades she had equipped triggered a barrage of status effects, successfully pushing the giant back.
"...?"
This was an outcome even Tae-hyun hadn't anticipated.
'Wow. She's actually fighting incredibly well.'
Tae-hyun didn't realize it, but the grueling, high-intensity races she had run under his strict guidance had drastically improved Nantione's combat capabilities. Surviving those trials had naturally forged her into a powerhouse.
As Nantione successfully pinned the Lake Spirit in place, Se-yeon began summoning undead in rapid succession, completely surrounding the beast.
"Kim Tae-hyun!"
"Yeah?"
"Can you strap some bombs to my undead? I'll teleport them directly inside its body!"
"..."
Didn't you just say they would rebel?!