Is This Really Okay?

"Is this really okay?"

"Don't worry about it. He can't get around this area on his own anyway. He'll be back soon."

Kim Tae-hyun looked not the least bit concerned.

Jeong Su-hyeok nodded with an uneasy expression.

"More importantly, what kind of quest is it?"

"Ah. It was this quest."

"Count Anong is a noble from the Erangs Kingdom, right? What reward did he promise that got so many people to gather here?"

At Woo Jeong-sik's question, Tae-hyun answered,

"They're probably trying to get close to the Count."

Getting on good terms with a noble of any kingdom was always a golden opportunity.

It meant access to chances other players couldn't get.

But why all of a sudden?

Tae-hyun was puzzled.

Even if it was a chance to build ties with nobles, this many people showing up was strange.

The truth was, this was all because of Tae-hyun.

Tae-hyun had become the first player ever to officially receive the rank of Count.

Then the special broadcasts started airing one after another, including the Caterand Island questline, and the attention that had already been high exploded outright.

The first person to do something always drew attention.

Tae-hyun himself had no idea what to do with his territory and had practically left it abandoned, but other people didn't see it that way.

Looking at it from the outside, it was an easy misunderstanding to make.

Because of that, everyone else thought Tae-hyun had taken an interest in his territory and was finally beginning to develop it.

And that, in turn, lit a fire under them.

Once that kind of competition started, it couldn't be stopped.

The actual owner of a territory couldn't have cared less, while the people who didn't have one were burning up with fantasy and ambition.

"Well, none of that is our problem."

Tae-hyun looked around and summed it up like that.

The fact that there were more players here than he'd expected wasn't a serious problem.

To Tae-hyun, that was a trivial issue.

"Let's get inside quietly and fast, without drawing attention."

"Yes, sir!"

Just as Tae-hyun finished giving instructions, Cain came trudging back, shoulders drooping.

Everyone avoided looking at him.

That made it even more miserable for Cain.

You might as well laugh at me!

Halfhearted consideration hurt worse.

"Let's go!"

Tae-hyun strode forward grandly, and the rest of the party followed behind him.

Marden Undead Spearmen and Marden Undead Armored Warriors.

They were among the undead monsters that appeared in this area.

The region around Marden Castle was a den of undead.

The monsters weren't low-level, either, so parties naturally brought along one or two Priests or Holy Knights as a matter of course.

The basics when fighting undead.

Even so, the fighting was anything but easy.

Before battle, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠party members used anti-undead items like holy water or equipped specialized gear for fighting undead.

"You too shall become one of us!"

"For Marquis Marden!"

"Hey! Heal me! Heal!"

"Just wait a second! It's dangerous over here too!"

The Priest hastily supported his party members with holy magic.

There were simply too many monsters, and the whole situation was chaotic.

What made the area around Marden Castle especially troublesome was that there was no telling where monsters would pop out from.

You could swear you'd checked behind you before starting the fight, only for undead to suddenly burst out of the ground.

Once you stepped in here, you couldn't afford to relax for even a moment.

"Huh? What's with that party?"

"Must be new. They'll figure it out soon enough."

The players who had just driven back the monsters and were taking a short break shook their heads when they saw Tae-hyun's party running in from afar.

Moving that fast around Marden Castle was idiotic.

"We got nailed like that the first time we came too, remember?"

"Yeah. Should we tell them?"

"Why would we? We suffered, so other people should suffer too!"

If Tae-hyun had heard that, he would have applauded their fine attitude.

You must not move quickly around Marden Castle.

Every party fighting in this field already knew that.

First-time parties always tried to rush straight through and make for the castle immediately, but that was basically suicide.

The faster you moved, the more undead monsters spawned all around you—and at the same time, they blocked your path.

This party had only learned that fact after getting thoroughly wrecked.

Looking around, they saw that the parties who had arrived earlier were all moving at a crawl.

Underhanded bastards!

Even if it felt unfair, there was nothing they could do.

Information like this was never something people shared.

The first party to clear the Marden Castle dungeon would complete Count Anong's quest.

Of course everyone was desperate to hurry, but...

The parties that kept rushing recklessly all ended up getting wiped out fast.

As a result, the only parties left in the area were the patient ones, slowly working through the quest.

What they were doing was simple, but it required endurance.

Move slowly around Marden Castle, avoiding the undead's attention, enter the castle, and search for the path in the underground dungeon.

Keep working your way down, and if you run out of items and have no choice but to leave, head back up and slowly make your way out.

Then repeat the whole process over and over.

The underground dungeon beneath the castle was so labyrinthine that clearing it in one run was impossible.

No matter how long it took, you had to go back out and stop by the nearest village.

The merchant players gathered nearby were here precisely to prey on parties like those.

Watching party after party throw around gold, the merchant players beamed from ear to ear.

There was always a reason people risked their lives to come all the way out to places like this to do business.

When some of the nearby parties saw Tae-hyun's group charging in at high speed, they clicked their tongues and shook their heads.

A few mean-spirited ones even smirked.

Just as they themselves had suffered, they thought Tae-hyun's party would suffer too.

There was a certain satisfaction in watching other people struggle the same way you had.

But Tae-hyun wasn't stupid like the players who'd been wiped before him.

Something's off.

Before even going in, Tae-hyun had sensed something strange about the field around the area.

The parties scattered here and there were moving far ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠too slowly.

And when something felt off, there was usually a reason.

Tae-hyun quickly swept his gaze around the area.

Five seconds.

Ah. Looks like if you move fast, more monsters aggro onto you.

He figured out the secret of the field in under ten seconds.

If the other party members had seen it, they'd have been speechless.

But to Tae-hyun, it was simple.

These were parties that should've been trying to move as fast as possible, yet they were creeping along like they'd eaten something bad. That meant there had to be a reason for it.

If there was an undead monster wandering around ahead of you, and people avoided its gaze while taking each step like they were out for a leisurely stroll?

To Tae-hyun, the answer was obvious.

So what should I do...?

Tae-hyun observed the monsters around them for a moment, then made his decision.

"Full-speed charge!"

"Run! What are you, snails? No, even snails would be faster than you!"

"I-I'm carrying items right now..."

"If you've got time to make ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠excuses, you've got time to run! Faster!"

At Tae-hyun's command, the party sprinted with everything they had.

Then the enemies began appearing fast from the front.

Skrrk!

"For Marquis Marden!"

"I hate the living! Hate the living!"

At the sight of undead monsters bursting up one after another, the blacksmiths screamed.

It would've been no exaggeration to call it a horror movie.

And this wasn't something they were watching on a screen. They were experiencing it themselves, so even knowing it was a game didn't make it any less terrifying.

The moment they set foot in the direction of the castle, a dark, sinister fog swirled around them even though it was broad daylight.

"Aaaah! Get away! Get away from me!"

Kim Ji-sahn shouted as he ran for his life.

If something grabbed his ankle here, Tae-hyun was absolutely the type to leave him behind without hesitation.

Fortunately, the Marden Undead Spearmen were relatively slow movers.

While they advanced from a distance, the party could widen the gap.

"Idiots."

One of the players watching from afar muttered under his breath.

The method Tae-hyun's party was trying had already been attempted several times by other parties.

And every one of them had failed miserably.

There was a reason no one did it anymore.

On the surface, charging straight in before the monsters could encircle you and reaching the castle looked plausible enough.

But once you tried it, you realized it was impossible.

The undead monsters might seem easy to deal with because they were slow, but their numbers kept increasing until they completely surrounded the area.

Once that happened, speed alone was useless.

You were forced into a situation where you had to fight your way through.

And once it came to that, you were guaranteed to take at least a few hits.

"Grasp of the Dead!"

"Howling Soul!"

And the moment you clashed with them, the Marden undead's specialty came into play.

All kinds of skills that slowed movement speed.

Status ailment skills you never saw coming.

The players trying to break through had no choice but to panic.

And even if they tried to push through while panicking, they'd already spawned too many enemies by running fast, and now that they were slowed, they couldn't escape properly anymore.

The more they got hit, the slower they became—a vicious cycle.

At that point, getting wiped was almost inevitable.

Tae-hyun's party was no different.

They were still breaking forward fast, but the growing number of monsters was steadily forming an encirclement.

"Stupid fools."

The watching player turned away.

As far as he was concerned, they were as good as dead already.

So no one uses this method to get in. Which means there must be a catch. Do these monsters bind your legs or something?

But Tae-hyun had already guessed that too.

Whatever. Doesn't matter.

Lucky Strike, Lucky Strike, Urging, Lucky Strike.

Archisus's Blessing!

A faint glow briefly shimmered around Tae-hyun's party, then settled back down.

"You will not enter the Marquis's castle!"

"Yeah. Sure."

Instead of answering, Tae-hyun drew his weapon.

It wasn't his longsword.

What he pulled out was the blazing Ancient Hammer.

It looked so holy it could have passed for a god's weapon.

Of course, it didn't actually have any such attribute.

"Uh... wai—"

CRUNCH!

With one heavy full swing, the Undead Spearman went flying.

If the player who'd looked away earlier had seen it, he would've been horrified.

That monster had just been killed in a single blow.

"You can't pass!"

"Savage adventurers!"

"You will not enter the Marquis's castle!"