Heuk-heuk Was Honestly Touched

Heuk-heuk was honestly touched. To think the day would come when a dark mage actually looked out for him. Since both Black Dragons and dark mages were second to none when it came to wicked personalities, the gesture moved him all the more.

"Thank you, Master!"

However, Tae-hyun grabbed Lee Se-yeon, leaped off Heuk-heuk's back, and hopped onto Yong-yong instead. Heuk-heuk cried out, his voice dripping with betrayal.

"Why?!"

"Sorry. To be honest, I was going to do this regardless of how Se-yeon answered."

"..."

Just as Tae-hyun predicted, the Lake Spirit focused entirely on Heuk-heuk. Mounted on Yong-yong, Tae-hyun and Se-yeon finally caught their breath.

"Let's hold out until this skill ends, then summon the undead to attack again."

"Got it."

Water was surging around them like a massive tidal wave, but once they managed to endure it, the Lake Spirit proved to be an surprisingly manageable opponent. The biggest factor was its simple attack patterns. Compared to other high-level boss monsters that bombarded players with a dizzying array of skills and phases, the Lake Spirit's offense was incredibly monotonous. It didn't cast any complex spells; most of its moves were basic physical strikes leveraging its massive size. They just had to block the occasional deluge that flooded the entire area.

Come to think of it, I'm starting to feel a sudden wave of gratitude toward the prince.

He had been about to complain that the prince had dragged them to some ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠bizarre, useless dungeon, but looking at it now, it actually seemed like a pretty decent spot. Of course, Heuk-heuk was currently living through a nightmare.

"Stop chasing me, you stupid, slow-witted spirit!" Heuk-heuk shrieked, desperately casting various confusion spells to throw off the spirit's senses. But the Lake Spirit relentlessly pursued him, hurling massive spheres of water.

*Boom!*

"Master! I knew I could trust you! You've come to save me!"

Hearing a loud impact strike the Lake Spirit from behind, Heuk-heuk turned his head, his voice brimming with deep emotion. I knew he wouldn't abandon me!

...But the ones standing behind him weren't Tae-hyun. It was a group of other players.

"???"

"...Doesn't something feel off?"

Most of the players chosen by the prince were high-ranking players. To showcase enough skill to stand out in the race, they had to be rankers. Naturally, they were quick on the uptake. When Tae-hyun and Lee Se-yeon disappeared with Lee Da-bi and the prince and failed to return, they immediately sensed something was amiss.

"What do you mean?"

"Do you think Kim Tae-hyun and Lee Se-yeon are off clearing some amazing exclusive quest with the prince right now?"

"No way... We're supposed to be escaping. Why would they be doing a quest?"

One of the rankers dismissed the idea, but upon deeper reflection, it wasn't entirely implausible. Even if they ultimately had to escape the corrupted prince, wouldn't it make sense to milk a few lucrative quests before leaving? If the prince offered any of them a quest, they would have bowed and accepted it in a heartbeat.

"No. You're wrong!"

"Why?"

When the rising ranker Farel stepped forward, everyone's eyes locked onto him.

"Wait. Isn't that the guy who falsely claimed he cleared a quest with Kim Tae-hyun?"

"What is a fraud like him doing here? I know we didn't gather here on purpose, but we should at least filter who we associate with."

"I'm not an impostor! Did you guys even watch the broadcast?!"

"Oh. Wait. He wasn't lying?"

"My bad. Everyone was calling you a fraud, so I just assumed you were."

In reality, once fake news spread, correcting it was an uphill battle. Once branded a fraud, no matter how much evidence Farel produced later, there would always be people who misunderstood.

"Look over there. The other Team KL players are here too."

Farel pointed toward Jeong Su-hyeok and Choi Sang-yun. The two, who had been sitting blankly, blinked in confusion at the sudden barrage of stares.

"That's true."

"There's no way they'd ditch their own Team KL teammates."

"Uh..."

Jeong Su-hyeok and Choi Sang-yun exchanged awkward glances.

I think these guys are seriously misunderstanding something.

Let's just let them. It's not our fault anyway.

Come to think of it, Tae-hyun leaving them behind might have been calculated for exactly this reason. The other players didn't suspect a thing. However, as more time passed without any sign of them, some players grew restless and prepared to investigate.

"I'll go take a look. They went that way."

"I'm coming too."

As the players began murmuring and stepping forward one by one, Choi Sang-yun and Jeong Su-hyeok locked eyes.

Wait. Isn't this our chance?

I believe so.

*Whoosh!*

While the other players were busy talking to and persuading the prince's charioteers to let them enter the dungeon, Jeong Su-hyeok and Choi Sang-yun bolted. Escape!

"Look! They really were doing a quest—*gasp! Glub, glub!*"

What welcomed the players entering the Lake Dungeon was the Lake Spirit's deluge skill. As the lake water rose at a terrifying speed, the players flailed wildly, trying to stay afloat.

"What are you guys ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠doing?"

Keeping his distance aboard Yong-yong, Tae-hyun stared in utter disbelief at the sudden influx of players.

"Help us, Kim Tae-hyun!"

"Solve your own problems."

Tae-hyun coldly looked away. The players thought about begging Lee Se-yeon for help, but quickly gave up. It was glaringly obvious she would be even less helpful than Kim Tae-hyun!

"Why aren't those guys asking me for help?" Se-yeon muttered.

"Who cares? It's quieter this way."

Meanwhile, Lee Da-bi swiftly summoned her motorcycle and rode over the swirling lake, approaching the drowning players.

"Power Warrior Guild Leader!"

"We knew we could count on you!"

The players, deeply moved by the unexpected rescue attempt, chanted Da-bi's name in unison.

"We will now begin the auction."

"...??"

"What?"

Of course, Da-bi hadn't come out of the goodness of her heart.

"The auction is now open. I will rescue people starting with the highest bidder."

"...T-Ten gold!"

"Twenty!"

"One hundred!"

"Five hundred!"

In an instant, the bids skyrocketed! Da-bi nodded with a deeply satisfied smile.

"Should we stop her?" Se-yeon asked.

"Da-bi can handle herself. Besides, the Lake Spirit isn't even paying attention to her."

Tae-hyun dismounted after reaching a high, dry patch of land. The Lake Spirit was still furiously pursuing Heuk-heuk.

Does it have a specific grudge against Black Dragons?

Unless the Lake Spirit harbored a racial hatred for Black Dragons, it was highly likely that Heuk-heuk was just exceptionally punchable.

"Resuming the attack," Tae-hyun said.

"Got it."

*Flash!*

With Lee Se-yeon at the center, a massive army of undead materialized once more.

"Master, something feels a bit off about—"

Before the undead could fully grasp the situation, Tae-hyun stuffed them with even more explosives. In the blink of an eye, the self-destruction squad was ready for deployment.

"Go!"

*Kaboom!*

"Mroooooo!"

The Lake Spirit groaned under the devastating barrage. Watching the spectacle, the prince shouted:

"Magnificent! To fight so valiantly against such a spirit!"

"Why don't you lend us a hand, Your Highness?" Tae-hyun suggested.

"I would love to, but I cannot! If I assist you, it would only hinder the growth of warriors who are still so weak!"

"..."

"..."

Se-yeon and Tae-hyun stared at each other. Frankly, they hadn't been called "weak" in so long that the word felt incredibly foreign.

"We weren't asking for help, Your Highness. We simply wished to witness your legendary prowess. But if you lack the confidence after being asleep for so long, then I suppose..."

"Is that what you meant?! Stand back and watch! I shall show you my true strength!"

Persotelton mounted his chariot and swung his spear. Instantly, a tempest of mana swept across the area, crackling like lightning raining down in all directions.

*Rumble!*

The prince charged headlong into the giant, towering form of the Lake Spirit. With a deafening roar, he tore straight through the creature, leaving a trail of absolute devastation in his wake!

"Mroooooo!"

"Wow. He really is something else."

Tae-hyun was genuinely impressed. It seemed the prince had done nothing but fight during the era of the Ancient Empire, because his combat power was off the charts. Best of all, he was incredibly easy to manipulate. Thanks to his boisterous and straightforward personality, a few well-placed words at high affinity were all it took to get him moving.

"It feels like a waste to kill him..."

"I was thinking the exact same thing," Se-yeon agreed, nodding. Where else could they find an NPC like this? Did they really have to defeat him?

"Let's get ready again. Time to finish this."

Tae-hyun and Se-yeon didn't waste a single second. Thanks to the massive damage the prince had dealt to the Lake Spirit, preparation was a breeze. An even larger squad of undead suicide bombers was assembled in rapid succession.

"Master... No matter how much I think about it, these glowing items are incredibly suspic—"

"Teleport!"

Se-yeon swiftly warped the undead away just as they were on the verge of realizing the truth.

*Boom! Boom! Boom!*

Explosions erupted across the Lake Spirit like a grand fireworks display.

"Mroooo..."

The Lake Spirit let out a sorrowful cry as it collapsed. Yet, its face was filled with immense relief. It had finally been liberated from the agonizing torment of the Hungry Chaos.

"Should we head to the next dungeon?"

"Of course. Let's ask the prince to—"

"Aaaaargh!"

"?!"

Tae-hyun, who had been about to ask the prince for directions to the next dungeon without taking a break, flinched. The prince had suddenly let out a bloodcurdling scream of agony.

"How dare you...! How dare you!"

Resurrected by the power of the Hungry Chaos, Prince Persotelton was actually in a corrupted state beneath his noble exterior. Though he had been holding it back through sheer willpower and strength, the strain of battling a powerful minion of the Hungry Chaos had accelerated his corruption.

If the corruption deepened any further, the prince would lose his sanity entirely.

You must return the prince to his eternal rest before the corruption consumes him completely!

"Hungry Chaos, you cowardly fiend! To resort to such underhanded tricks instead of facing me in honorable combat...!"

Gnashng his teeth, the prince looked at the two of them and cried out:

"Adventurers! It has come to this. There is no other way. Pierce my heart!"

"!!!"

The prince was asking them to pierce his heart. This was a golden opportunity to resolve all the city-related quests at once.

No. Wait.

Tae-hyun hesitated.

To think the Hungry Chaos would corrupt the prince only to hand them an easy opportunity to let him commit suicide. For a scheme orchestrated by the Hungry Chaos, this was far too simple. There was no telling what might happen the moment they pierced the prince's heart.

Well... I didn't actually think of it that way, but that does make a lot of sense.

I was just wondering if we could avoid killing him, lock him up in our moving prison, and exploit him like ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a demon.