The One Thing You Can Do
"Huh?"
"Yeah. Your biggest problem is that your hands get tangled up, right? And the reason they get tangled is because you're trying to use multiple skills at once."
"That... is true, I guess?"
"So just use one skill at a time."
"Uh, but can I really do that?"
For a Mage, life and death hinged on using multiple skills quickly and simultaneously.
There was a reason it was considered a difficult class.
If you didn't use the right skill for the right situation, your naturally low HP meant that one unlucky hit could send you straight to the grave.
"Normally, no. But what else are you supposed to do? You can't use your skills properly. Just give all that up and use one at a time."
"What if the enemy charges me...?"
"Then don't create a situation where the enemy can charge you. Hire mercenaries and drag them around as bodyguards or something. You do one thing at a time. Build situations where that's all you have to do."
It was advice that cut straight to the heart of the matter.
You couldn't force yourself to do what you simply couldn't do.
It was better to steer things into situations you could handle.
Kim Tae-hyun actually thought fairly highly of Jeong Su-hyeok.
A guy who couldn't even get into a party and had a class like that, yet had still raised his magic skills to Advanced? That wasn't something just anybody could do.
That was persistence on a fundamentally different level from the blacksmiths snickering in the back!
"And stop doing stupid crap. Hurry up and pick a magic specialty, find a Rare Class or Heroic Class, and change jobs."
"What? But I like this class... and isn't it cool?"
"What's cool about it?"
"Everyone else fights with Rare Classes and Heroic Classes, but if I win with a Normal Class all by myself, wouldn't that look awesome? I'd get really popular too!"
...
That sounded way too familiar!
Of course, Tae-hyun did not allow it.
If a sparrow tried to imitate a stork, all it'd do was tear its legs apart.
"Junior. Listen carefully."
"Yes, sir."
"For someone with your skill level to even reach pseudo-ranker territory, you'd need at least a Legendary Class."
"..."
"So quit getting cocky and focus on finding a good class to switch into."
"Yes, sir..."
Still, the good thing about him was that he did what he was told.
At the very least, if you gave him an order, he'd carry it out properly.
And so Jeong Su-hyeok, under Tae-hyun's instruction, began learning a new way to fight.
If he saw an enemy, attack first!
If the enemy got close, attack first anyway!
Don't overthink it. Just one skill.
One attack skill, and nothing else!
"Uh, sunbae. But this time the enemy didn't attack me. Still, won't there be times in the future when they do? Should I still just use an attack skill then?"
"Yeah."
"What about defensive magic?"
"You said your hands get tangled if you try to use both. You wanna throw that on somebody else too?"
"Th-then wouldn't it be better to focus only on defense?"
"The question is whether, once an enemy gets on top of you, you only attack or only defend. If you only defend, you've got zero chance of winning. If you attack, at least you've got a chance."
"What if I die doing that?"
"Then you die. Did you expect to keep winning without dying at your skill level? If you don't want to die, you have to be good. But you're not. This is a desperate measure."
At Jeong Su-hyeok's level, if he wanted to fight alone, he had to give up one thing.
Tae-hyun's advice was simple: give up defense.
Kill them before they kill you!
Sure, he might die first. But at least he wouldn't just stand there helpless and get rolled over.
Any other Mage would have listened to this and gone, What kind of insane nonsense is that?
The death penalty wasn't exactly light, and here he was talking like it was nothing.
But Jeong Su-hyeok was the kind of person who, if Tae-hyun told him to eat a rock, would eat it first and think later.
"Understood! I'll do that!"
"Do you ever doubt anything I say?"
"Huh? I'm not really sure?"
"Excellent. Keep it that way."
Praised by Tae-hyun, Jeong Su-hyeok immediately broke into a sheepish grin.
After that, the group's progress went smoothly.
Riding on horseback, Tae-hyun kept moving while skillfully chaining together crafting practice.
The merchant group's various materials and items were all stored in the blacksmiths' large bags.
All Tae-hyun had to do was reach out and take them.
You have created a Throwing Explosive Spear. Your Mechanical Engineering skill increases.
Items with names that sounded dangerous even at a glance!
The blacksmiths had no idea what Tae-hyun was making.
If they realized he was making bombs with Mechanical Engineering, they would have stopped him immediately.
Tae-hyun could make things at this level because he was Tae-hyun. If it had been any other blacksmith, there would've already been several explosions by now.
And whenever they stopped to rest for a bit, Tae-hyun cooked personally.
"Hold on, there's soup left."
"I-I'm full..."
"Finish it. I need the bonus."
"N-no... you can just carry it and eat it later..."
"Later, when we rest, I need to make a fresh batch. Which means this has to be gone first. Eat."
"...!"
With tears in his eyes, Cain hugged the pot and forced the food down.
You have eaten far too much food.
Movement Speed decreases. Agility temporarily falls.
It definitely tasted good, but the sheer quantity made finishing it miserable.
Tae-hyun, of course, didn't care.
The others have finished all the food. You receive an additional bonus.
And that wasn't all.
Tae-hyun was also experimenting with more unusual dishes.
You have successfully created a Deadly Poison Sauce So Potent That If Two People Eat It, They'd Both Drop Dead Without Knowing It. Your Cooking skill increases.
Your Beginner Poison Crafting skill increases.
"Try this too."
"Wh-what? I already ate all that! Make them eat it this time!"
Cain recoiled in horror and pointed at the blacksmiths.
The blacksmiths whistled and looked away.
Quite a different attitude from when they'd linked arms and declared, From now on, we're friends!
After traveling with Tae-hyun, the blacksmiths had learned exactly when it was best to avert their eyes.
"You're too skinny. Eat more."
"Mmph! Mmph mmph!"
Muttering a line that convinced absolutely no one, Tae-hyun shoved the dish straight into Cain's mouth.
There was only one reason Cain got fed so much.
He had the most HP.
If Tae-hyun fed the blacksmiths or Jeong Su-hyeok the wrong thing, their lives might genuinely be in danger. But Cain was a warrior-type, built as a tank. He could endure a few rounds of deadly poison.
Of course, it also helped that Cain was the most irritating one there.
You have learned a crafting recipe.
You have learned a crafting recipe.
You have learned a crafting recipe.
Thanks to Cain's sacrifice, Tae-hyun's Poison Crafting skill became more varied and steadily more powerful.
"Graaagh! Gahk!"
Listening to Cain's screams, the blacksmiths dabbed at the corners of their eyes.
"Sob. Your sacrifice will not be forgotten."
Listening from the side, Jeong Su-hyeok tilted his head and asked,
"Couldn't you just eat it in his place?"
"Hm? What was that? I couldn't hear you."
"..."
"Huff... haaah... huff..."
You have survived after consuming countless poisons. Constitution increases by 1.
Poison Resistance increases by 1%.
You have acquired the title: Poison Lover.
While everyone else had arrived comfortably, Cain was a complete wreck.
He collapsed onto the ground, gasping for breath.
The effect has finally worn off.
He'd spent the whole trip moving after eating the poison Tae-hyun had fed him.
Staring at the floating messages, Cain let out a hollow laugh.
He honestly couldn't tell whether he should be happy or miserable.
Sob. How the hell did my life end up like this...?
Part of him wanted to run away, but the aftermath was too terrifying to think about, and his feet refused to move.
Besides, Cain had no confidence that if he left Tae-hyun now, he'd ever find a better questline.
"There are a lot of people."
Far off in the distance, atop a high hill, stood the old, sinister Marden Castle.
Even in broad daylight, it radiated a gloomy atmosphere.
The problem was the players swarming all around it.
"Selling intermediate holy water for undead! Cheaper than that merchant over there!"
"Buying trash loot from Marden Castle! Bonus if you're selling in bulk!"
"Looking for a party that'll take a blacksmith! Can off-tank, repair gear, and I've got buff skills too!"
Even with players leveling quickly, Marden Castle wasn't supposed to be the kind of hunting ground this packed with people.
What's going on? Did some quest pop up?
Tae-hyun looked over his group.
Who here was at least somewhat suitable for gathering information?
"Su-hyeok. Go grab anybody and ask if there's a quest around here."
"Yes, sir!"
Jeong Su-hyeok strode off energetically.
Unlike the others, his face had never once appeared on a broadcast.
So unless things got really weird, no one would recognize him.
He approached a nearby party, gave them a polite bow, and started asking questions.
"He's polite."
"He's my junior. Of course he's polite."
Woo Jeong-sik had tossed the comment out without thinking, but Tae-hyun answered immediately.
It almost sounded like Tae-hyun was proud of him, so Woo Jeong-sik played along.
"You must be pleased."
"No, not really."
"..."
"Somebody else doing well doesn't improve my mood."
His standards were thoroughly self-centered.
Tae-hyun only felt good when he was the one doing well.
Meanwhile, Jeong Su-hyeok seemed to be wrapping up his conversation with the party.
Then suddenly, one of the party members started getting angry.
"...?"
Jeong Su-hyeok bowed several times in apology before returning.
"Apparently there really is a quest around here, sunbae!"
"I guessed that already. What exactly did you do to make them mad?"
"The lady was answering me kindly, so I asked if she had a boyfriend..."
At once, a flood of looks rained down on him.
Hopeless. Utterly hopeless.
Jeong Su-hyeok, however, stood firm.
"What happened after that?"
"Before she could answer, the other party members got angry."
Hearing that, Cain said,
"They were probably all trying to read the mood themselves, and then some random guy cut in and started talking to her. Of course they'd be pissed."
"Is that what happened?"
Jeong Su-hyeok looked at Cain with admiration.
Cain suddenly seemed like a man of deep wisdom!
It had been a long time since anyone had looked at him like he was impressive, and Cain puffed up with excitement.
"I've been gaming for years, you know. Stuff like this? I can tell just by hearing it!"
If someone who knew Cain from his days as leader of the Red Zone Guild saw him now, they might actually cry.
That rough, vicious man—what had become of him, getting excited over one admiring look?
Oblivious, Cain kept enthusiastically explaining one thing after another to Jeong Su-hyeok.
Jeong Su-hyeok listened with shining eyes, nodding repeatedly.
"Ohh... ohhh... I see... May I ask one more thing?"
"Of course! Ask me anything!"
"How do you get a girlfriend?"
"...Huh?"
From the side, Tae-hyun sneered.
"You think asking him will help? Like he'd know?"
"Wh-what?! What's that supposed to mean?"
"Just by looking at you, it seems obvious you spent all your time gaming and don't know any women. Am I wrong?"
The words hit Cain straight in the solar plexus.
He staggered.
What hurt even more was Jeong Su-hyeok's expression.
Those bright, sparkling eyes asking if that was really true.
"N-no! That's not true! I do know some!"
"Leave out the Red Zone Guild members. They don't even talk to you anymore. At this point they're basically your mortal enemies, aren't they?"
"Gghhhhhh..."
Cain had tried to use the Red Zone guild members as his excuse, only to get caught instantly, and let out a deep groan.
His pride was in tatters already.
"A guy like you trying to give advice... Hey. Don't listen to him. Nothing good'll come of it."
"Y-you bastard, how impressive are you, then?! You..."
Cain stopped short.
Come to think of it, Tae-hyun was close to that beautiful BJ Sa-yu.
If he kept going, all he'd do was dig his own grave.
"Uwaaaahhhh!"
Letting out a beastlike cry, Cain turned and ran.