We're in Big Trouble!

Oh. It's working.

"..." Ryu Da-young stood there, her mouth hanging open in sheer disbelief. What on earth did he just pull off against those NPCs?

"Contact the Lord immediately! There might be a spy hiding near him!"

"Come to think of it, the King of Atali showing up might be because of that spy!"

"That makes perfect sense!"

It was a masterclass in using his Speech skill to turn a crisis with the royal guards into a golden opportunity. Once the guards hurried off, Tae-hyun let out a sigh of relief.

"Well, that went well enough."

"...If that was just 'well enough,' what would 'perfect' look like...?"

"Convincing the guards to turn around and attack the Lord?"

"...?!?" Beside them, Lee Se-yeon nodded in agreement, as if that were the most logical thing in the world. Listening to the insane conversation between these two high rankers, Ryu Da-young felt her brain short-circuiting. Will I ever be able to adapt to this?

Clang! "!" The party froze halfway up the massive stone staircase. They had run into an unexpected obstacle.

The Hungry Chaos! Having fought them a few times before, they instantly recognized the figure as a Warrior of the Hungry Chaos. He was clad in heavy armor that covered every inch of his body, radiating a foul, ominous aura of pure chaos.

- We made too much noise...!

- Maybe I should have detonated the bombs a bit more gently?

- Is it even possible to detonate a bomb 'gently'?? Lee Se-yeon asked, her eyes widening in surprise.

Tae-hyun replied with a slightly apologetic tone. - It was a joke. I didn't expect you to take it so seriously.

- ...Do you want to die? Since Lee Se-yeon knew absolutely nothing about Engineering, she had genuinely wondered if there was some secret technique to soft-detonate explosives.

- You two, please give me some orders... Ryu Da-young sent a flustered whisper. Should they fight here? Could they slip past? The Lord of the castle should be further up, but did this warrior leave him behind?

But before she could resolve her doubts, the Warrior of the Hungry Chaos spoke first.

"Did you really think I would fall for such a cheap trick, Successor of Archisus!"

"!" The party gasped. Were they exposed?

"Even if there were a spy in this castle, they would never dare approach the Lord! I knew those rumors were just a fabrication to deceive us! How dare you try to trick me, one chosen by the great Hungry Chaos?"

Looks like we have to fight. Tae-hyun clicked his tongue inwardly. Because he scammed people so often, his enemies were starting to develop a natural resistance to his tricks. If so, they had to engage here. It was an unfavorable position, but with the players outside, it wasn't an impossible battle...

"Reveal yourself! To cower until the very end—have you no shame as the Successor of Archisus!"

"...???" The party blinked in confusion. The direction the Warrior of the Hungry Chaos was pointing was... straight at Ryu Da-young.

"...Wait, what?"

"You thought you could disguise yourself as a prisoner! But as I said... it is useless!"Rumble!

- That's a skill of the Tyran Church! Lee Se-yeon gasped, recognizing the divine Authority the warrior was channeling.

Tae-hyun also spoke up, sounding thoroughly outraged. - How dare they steal and use another church's skills so shamelessly!

True to the nature of the Hungry Chaos, whose hobby and ultimate goal was devouring various deities, its followers were capable of wielding stolen divine Authorities. As the Authority of the Tyran Church activated, Ryu Da-young—already acting as a prisoner—was bound even tighter.

"I shall drag you before the Lord myself. He has been dying to see your face, Successor of Archisus!"

"Um... actually..." Ryu Da-young glanced helplessly at Tae-hyun, completely at a loss for words. The ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Warrior of the Hungry Chaos had been mistaking her for a disguised Tae-hyun this entire time. Meanwhile, he assumed the actual disguised Tae-hyun was just an ordinary soldier!

So they haven't actually developed a resistance to tricks... To be precise, they were paranoid because they had been burned before, but their deduction skills were utterly terrible.

"As expected of a warrior chosen by the great Hungry Chaos!" Tae-hyun chimed in.

"A mere soldier, yet you have a sharp eye."

"Yes! I have always yearned to serve the great Hungry Chaos!"

"What a commendable attitude!"

In truth, there were few human heroes who aligned as perfectly with the Hungry Chaos as Tae-hyun. He was cunning, highly capable, and exceptionally skilled at stealing the Authorities of other churches... Recognizing this kindred spirit, the Warrior of the Hungry Chaos looked at Tae-hyun with immense approval.

"Very well. I shall bestow upon you the glorious duty of dragging this prisoner!"

"Is that true?! Thank you so much!"

"Bring her and follow me. We must present this Successor of Archisus to the Lord."

"Yes, sir!"

"..." Ryu Da-young was dragged along, her expression a mix of sheer bewilderment and dread. As she stumbled forward, she instinctively shot a desperate look at Lee Se-yeon. Is this really okay? Are we sure this is fine?!

Sorry. I don't really know either... Lee Se-yeon's eyes seemed to say.

As she was dragged along, all sorts of thoughts raced through Ryu Da-young's mind. Specifically, she thought a lot about Cain. She recalled the highlight reels of Cain's gameplay she had watched in the past. The legendary episodes where he served as a meat shield, a decoy, a bomb, and then a bomb again. Back then, she had laughed it off, thinking, How can anyone play like that? That's ridiculous! But now that she was in his shoes, she couldn't bring herself to laugh.

Was being a tank always this exhausting...?

"I have captured the Successor of Archisus!"

"The King?! Where is he!"

The Lord of the castle was waiting anxiously on the top floor of the inner keep. Aside from the staircase leading up from below, the entire area was heavily fortified with magic, making it impossible for anyone to infiltrate. Scaling the sheer walls or flying in was completely out of the question.

Despite these defenses, the Lord was trembling with fear. Such was the terrifying reputation of the King of Atali.

"Is that guy a spy? He looks incredibly suspicious!"

"My Lord, that is your personal servant who has served you for over ten years."

"Then what about him?! Is he the spy?!"

"My Lord... that is your father."

"Then what about that one?! Or that one?!"

As the Lord was spiraling into a pit of paranoid terror, the news that the Warrior of the Hungry Chaos had captured the King made him leap for joy.

"Where! Where is he!"

"Right here!" The Warrior of the Hungry Chaos pointed proudly at Ryu Da-young.

The Lord blinked, utterly bewildered. "But... the gender is completely different?"

"Foolish! That is exactly why you keep falling prey to the Successor of Archisus. When dealing with him, you must question everything! A mere gender swap is child's play for a trickster like him! Just look at the gaze in those eyes!"

The Warrior of the Hungry Chaos gestured dramatically toward Ryu Da-young's eyes. It was a profound, complex gaze—one filled with a mixture of sheer panic, utter defeat, and total resignation!

"Y-You're right... That is definitely no ordinary gaze!"

"Indeed! If this person is not the Successor of Archisus, then who else could it possibly be?"

"..." "..." Tae-hyun and Lee Se-yeon exchanged a brief glance and nodded silently.

Tae-hyun began to creep toward the Lord, taking imperceptibly small steps. Meanwhile, Lee Se-yeon, utilizing her stealth, began to gather massive amounts of mana. The moment the signal was given, she would unleash a devastating barrage of spells at breakneck speed.

Completely oblivious to these movements, the Lord addressed Ryu Da-young. "Your Majesty! Please do not think too harshly of me. I assure you, I will treat you with the utmost respect."

"..."

"Remaining silent like that won't solve anything! You will have to speak eventually, will you not?"

The Lord continued, his tone dripping with self-righteous ambition. "I have absolutely no intention of spending the rest of my days as the mere master of a castle tucked away in these mountains. If Your Majesty could become the King of the Atali Kingdom, why should I not be able to do the same?"

Then why didn't you take the crown yourself, you bastard... Tae-hyun felt a sudden surge of irritation. Do you have any idea how much I've suffered because none of you lazy freeloaders would step up, forcing me onto that throne? If I had only focused on managing the Valley, its level would have doubled by now! Managing a useless kingdom has been exhausting...

"Your Majesty must yield the crown to me. Abdicate the throne in my favor so that the nobles who follow you will accept it! Do this, and I shall treat you with the highest honor!"

"Hold on. That was not our agreement," the Warrior of the Hungry Chaos interrupted. "The Successor of Archisus must be handed over to me. The great Hungry Chaos demands him."

"Shh! We have to persuade him first, don't we?" the Lord hissed back.

That's not a very pleasant thought... In the meantime, Tae-hyun finished his preparations. *Flash!*

- Archisus's Discord, Archisus's Curse!

Tae-hyun cast Archisus's Curse on the Lord. If he targeted the Warrior of the Hungry Chaos, there was a chance the warrior might resist it. He recalled how previous minions of the Hungry Chaos had borrowed their master's power to deflect his divine Authorities. To be safe, he had to play it smart. His target was the Lord, who was clearly the weaker link!

"W-What is this?!"

"Don't move, Lord!" Tae-hyun lunged forward, seizing the Lord and pressing a blade to his throat. At the same time, he began rapidly plastering bombs all over the man's body. Archisus's Curse was a wicked debuff that caused almost any skill or action attempted by the victim to fail spectacularly. Completely incapacitated, the Lord could only watch in horror as he was draped in a festive garland of explosives.

"What are you doing?! What is the meaning of this?! You... you were the spy?!"

"Lord. I am the King."

"...Then who on earth is that?!"

"Just a random bystander we picked up along the way."

"..."

"..."

Although the Warrior of the Hungry Chaos's face was hidden behind ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠his heavy visor, Tae-hyun could practically feel the intense, burning flush of embarrassment radiating from him.

"You absolute fool!" the Lord shrieked. "You know nothing but how to swing a sword! How could you let yourself be tricked like this?!"

"S-Shut up! It was unavoidable due to the trickery of that Archisus bastard!" the warrior stammered defensively. But even to Tae-hyun's ears, it was a pathetic excuse. Furthermore, because Tae-hyun had activated Archisus's Discord, a powerful divine influence was now actively sowing seeds of deep resentment between the two.

"Hurry up and save my life!"

"Be quiet, Lord! Do not make the situation worse! If you are truly a master Elementalist, stop screaming and free yourself!"

"Can you not see that I cannot cast any spells because of this curse?!"

An Elementalist! Tae-hyun was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠surprised to learn the Lord's class. Elementalists, who summoned and commanded elemental spirits, were dealt with in a similar manner to Necromancers: close the distance immediately and never give them a single moment of breathing room!

"Lord, I'm sorry to say this, but no matter how fast or strong that warrior over there is, I can easily drag you to the grave with me before he can take a single step."

"Y-Your Majesty... let us be reasonable. If these heinous contraptions—which only Goblins would dare touch—detonate, Your Majesty will not escape unscathed either."

"Oh, I'll be perfectly fine. Archisus always watches over me. Perhaps you should have placed your faith in Archisus instead?"

"..." The Lord fell silent. It was painfully obvious to everyone present that he was cursing Tae-hyun to the high heavens in his mind. Gritting his teeth, the Warrior of the Hungry Chaos glared at Tae-hyun.

"What is it you want, Successor of Archisus!"

"Hand over this castle."

"Do you hear yourself?! I could strike you down where you stand!"

"Oh dear. Lord, it seems this warrior is perfectly fine with letting you die. Come to think of it, his behavior was rather suspicious from the start."

"You, shut your mouth!" the Lord shrieked, directing his furious, panting rage back at the warrior.