The Art of Redirecting Aggro

"..." It was absurd, but Tae-hyun's reaction was actually a good one. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠It would sow seeds of doubt in the mind of the Hungry Chaos's minion. They would now waste their time searching for a non-existent spy.

"More importantly, did the Scalo Lord actually make a contract with the Hungry Chaos? What an evil bastard," Tae-hyun said, sounding utterly dumbfounded. Granted, Tae-hyun had attacked various lords in many different ways. But wasn't that only because those lords had acted out first?

—Aaargh! That wicked adventurer is going to slaughter us all and seize our territory!

—We have to kill him first!

...Regardless of their suspicions, Tae-hyun truly had no greed when it came to the kingdom. His primary goal was the Avatar of Archisus class quest, and his secondary goal was leveling up. Just like in Pan-On 1, Tae-hyun had never cared much for managing kingdoms or territories.

Yet, because the lord NPCs kept rebelling on their own and dragging down the kingdom's public security, he had been forced to mobilize every means at his disposal to suppress them, blah, blah, blah... Under those circumstances, seeing the Scalo Lord join hands with the Hungry Chaos just because things weren't going his way made Tae-hyun's blood boil with righteous indignation.

'Thanks, Carbanog. But by saying "on this matter," does that mean you didn't agree with my opinions on other matters?'

While Carbanog remained silent, Tae-hyun turned to the two guild leaders and asked, "Did you two know the Scalo Lord had contracted with the Hungry Chaos? Impressive."

Capturing the castle was one thing, but subjugating an NPC associated with the Hungry Chaos yielded all kinds of rewards. Reputation was a given, and they would even receive contribution points from various religious orders.

"O-Of course we did."

"You could say we were aware..."

'They had absolutely no idea.' Tae-hyun looked at the two guild leaders with pity, finding their awkward reactions pathetic. They must have investigated thoroughly before launching a siege, yet they didn't even know this.

'Well, to be fair, I didn't notice either.' Given the sheer number of NPCs in the kingdom, pinpointing one who had contracted with the Hungry Chaos was next to impossible.

However, the two guild leaders were thinking of something else entirely.

'Is this bastard Kim Tae-hyun even human?'

'How on earth did he know?'

From their perspective, they could only assume Tae-hyun had come solely because of the Hungry Chaos. Otherwise, why would he bother helping two guilds he wasn't even on good terms with during a siege?

'Exactly. No matter how I look at it, that has to be it.'

'His excuse about the lord not listening to him must be a lie too. Like that makes any sense.'

To the two guild leaders, Tae-hyun's explanation was utterly illogical. He was the king, for heaven's sake! How could the lords ruling his own territories ignore his commands?

...If Tae-hyun had heard their thoughts, he would have snapped, 'Why don't you try running this place then, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠you idiots?' but the two kept their thoughts to themselves.

"Now that a minion of the Hungry Chaos has appeared, wouldn't it be better to retreat?" At Tae-hyun's suggestion, both guild leaders shook their heads resolutely.

"Absolutely not!"

"Retreat? No way... Tell that other guild leader to retreat instead."

"Hmm. You two really are... just like Su Ning and Cain."

"...?"

"???"

Was that a compliment? It felt strangely like a compliment, yet also like an insult... Lee Se-yeon urgently whispered to him.

"Can't you persuade them? A minion of the Hungry Chaos won't be easy to handle with our current forces."

Both Tae-hyun and Lee Se-yeon knew all too well how powerful and broken the skills of the Hungry Chaos's minions were. Moreover, they were inside the castle—essentially fighting on the enemy's home turf.

"They don't look like the type to listen to reason. Do you want to try?"

"If you can't do it, it'll be even harder for me."

"Why? Aren't you better at this than me?"

"Well..." Lee Se-yeon fell into thought. It was true that she had better relationships with other rankers than Tae-hyun did. She had known many of them since Pan-On 1, and unlike Tae-hyun, she didn't ruthlessly torment people until they quit the game.

But regardless of that, she was still a guild leader and a top-tier ranker. To those two, she was bound to be seen as a rival. Still, just in case, Lee Se-yeon decided to speak up.

"Your guild members have been fighting for a long time and are exhausted. Plus, we don't know what the enemy has prepared. Wouldn't it be wiser to retreat for now?"

"You make a fair point."

"So you'll retreat?"

"However, our guild members are not that weak."

"Exactly. The same goes for our guild."

"..." Lee Se-yeon sighed. She knew this would happen!

"Let's just abandon them and do our own thing," Tae-hyun said, completely unbothered. He had dealt with far too many troublesome people in his life to let something like this shake his mental state.

"Actually, isn't this better?"

"In what way?"

"If those guild members die, you'll have plenty of fresh corpses to summon."

"..."

"..."

"..."

The party fell into a stunned silence at Tae-hyun's radical idea. Meanwhile, Lee Se-yeon felt a flush of embarrassment. In truth, she had been thinking the exact same thing.

"You're absolutely right. We never planned on relying on their help anyway, did we? We can do perfectly fine without them." At Ryu Tae-su's words, Ryu Da-young nodded in agreement and added coldly,

"Exactly. Even if they die, it's not our fault. We should just ignore them and focus on how we're going to fight."

The rest of the party looked curiously at Lee Da-bi, who was lost in deep thought.

"Da-bi, what's wrong? Should we force ourselves to help them?"

"Huh? Oh, no. I was just calculating how much we should charge them per person when they eventually beg us for help."

"..."

—Did I really have to reveal my identity? Was it absolutely necessary?

—Stop whining, Lord. The King of the Atali Kingdom is as sharp as a devil. That wicked hero, borrowing the power of Archisus, has thwarted our plans ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠time and time again. Why else would he have come here? He has undoubtedly caught wind of your betrayal.

—Dammit... I thought I kept it hidden! the Scalo Lord shouted, his voice dripping with frustration. He couldn't comprehend how they had found out. Was there truly a spy among them?

—Regardless, wipe them out quickly!

—Understood. Just watch.Screeech! As the Warrior of the Hungry Chaos raised his sword, a massive skill began to envelop the entire castle.

"!!!" The sudden counterattack threw the guild members inside the castle into a panic.

"Guild Master!"

"Don't panic! Treat it like we just entered a dungeon! Tell the guild members outside to dispel this skill, and we'll focus on breaching the inner castle!"

The raid force was currently positioned near the outer castle gates. Having secured the area, they were holding off the swarming enemy soldiers.

Even if the enemy had used an unexpected skill, the goal remained the same: breach the inner castle, capture it, and eliminate the Scalo Lord and the boss monster! At Nam Jung-hoon's shout, his guild members nodded.

"Understood!"

"Don't let the Black Claw Guild outshine us!" Claudia, the guild master of Nine Tail, roared fiercely. Spurred by her battle cry, the members of the Nine Tail Guild prepared to charge, determined not to be outdone.

"Understood!"

"For anyone wishing to exit the castle gates, we are offering evacuation services on a first-come, first-served basis for a fee! The price will increase the longer you wait, so apply as quickly as possible!"

"..." Everyone stared at Lee Da-bi, the guild master of Power Warrior, as if she had just doused them with a bucket of ice water. Tae-hyun retorted, as if wondering what they were looking at.

"What? Why? Is there a problem?"

"N-No, not at all."

"None whatsoever."

Thanks to that, the guild members who had been about to charge in a frenzy regained some of their composure. It had produced an unexpected, sobering effect.

'Well, I suppose it might be good to have an escape route just in case...'

'It's better than getting wiped out.'

Unlike when they thought they were trapped, knowing there was a way out put their minds at ease.

"Don't rush too fast! There might be traps!"

"Form up and advance slowly...!"

While the guild members advanced, Tae-hyun's party fell into discussion.

"I'm debating whether we should head to the inner castle with them or try to break through the gates."

"But how do you plan on breaking through the gates?" Ryu Tae-su asked curiously. He was wondering where Lee Da-bi got the confidence to make such an offer.

—He is right, Master. This Chaos Barrier is not something that can be easily breached...

"Don't worry."

—Oh! Are you going to shatter it using your divine Authority?

"No. You guys are going to dig."

—...... The two dragons and the basilisk wore instantly dejected expressions. Us again?

"As we experienced before, these barriers are surprisingly weak underground. Of course, you'll have to dig pretty deep."

—But Master, this isn't dirt. It's solid stone, Heuk-heuk argued, trying to change Tae-hyun's mind. Unlike soft soil, the ground of this castle was made of hard bedrock.

"I know."

—So as expected, it's impossible—

"Which is exactly why I need capable beasts like you."

—Kyaoo!

"No, Bulbul-i. You're still too young and weak to do such heavy labor."

—...... When Tae-hyun stopped Bulbul-i from volunteering, the two older dragons glared at him. This is seriously too much!

"What are you looking at? Get to work."

—Ugh...! I wish I was still a baby too...!

—...I never thought I'd actually hear you say that.

—Don't act like you weren't thinking the exact same thing! The two dragons grumbled as they began their task. Nantione, using her massive body, started pulverizing the stone floor.

"I'll help them dig," Lee Da-bi offered.

"Then I'll stay behind and defend the perimeter," Ryu Tae-su said. If Lee Da-bi was stepping away, it was best to have at least one damage dealer remaining. Although Da-bi's level wasn't low, she was primarily a healer. With that decided, Tae-hyun and Lee Se-yeon turned their gaze toward Ryu Da-young.

"I don't really need a healer, but it might be tough for Ryu Da-young, right?"

"I don't need one either, but for Ryu Da-young... yeah, definitely."

"..." Ryu Da-young was left speechless by the two monsters. Of course, she knew Tae-hyun and Lee Se-yeon were exceptional cases. Normally, other rankers always brought healers with them! But when those two looked at her with such pity and concern, as if asking, 'Without a healer, Ryu Da-young will struggle, right?' how could she possibly bring herself to say, 'Yes, I will!'?

"...I'll be fine too!"

"Oh, really?"

"If you're pushing yourself..." As Lee Se-yeon spoke with concern, Tae-hyun waved his hand dismissively.

"What are you talking about, Se-yeon? Ryu Da-young isn't Cain; she wouldn't say something like that. She's a player who knows her own limits perfectly well."

"..." Ryu Da-young cursed Tae-hyun in her head. It was clearly meant as a compliment, but she felt strangely victimized.

"Is that so?"

"Of course. We've fought together this much; we shouldn't doubt her."

"You're right. My apologies, Ryu Da-young."

"N-No, it's fine," Ryu Da-young stammered, waving her hands.

"Then let's go!" It was an unstable party composition consisting of a melee dealer, a ranged dealer, and a tank, but none of them actually felt any sense of danger.

"Soldiers flooding in from the front!"

"Got it." Tae-hyun pulled out a bomb, but instead of throwing it at the soldiers, he hurled it at the adjacent building. Boom! The building collapsed, crumbling sideways and completely blocking the path.

—What a wicked bastard!

—How dare you do that inside the city! The soldiers spewed curses, but rather than trying to clear the blocked path, they turned around and headed in another direction... straight toward the advancing guild members!

'This man...?!' Ryu Da-young was utterly dumbfounded. The sheer casualness with which he redirected the aggro to the other party in an instant sent shivers down her spine. At this rate, do they even need a tank?