Please, Anything But Bombs!

"Please, anything but bombs!"

Cain had given up on everything else. Just please, don't put bombs inside the armor! No matter how much Cain was a tank-type class and lacked fear, he did not want to walk around with bombs stuffed inside his armor.

But Tae-hyun let Cain's words go in one ear and out the other. He was never one to listen to Cain in the first place!

Having reached intermediate level in both Blacksmithing and Engineering, Tae-hyun was now reaching a state of mature mastery in crafting. He could steer the crafting process toward the options he wanted. Combined with his absurdly high Luck stat, he could produce the absolute best results...

The performance was so incredible that no one would ever guess these were hastily thrown together using whatever materials were lying around!

"T-This is..." Cain stammered as he looked at the completed equipment set. The stats were actually quite good. It was hard to believe it had been crafted right here on the spot.

But...

This is a bit much!

A massive horn, blocky shoulders—it looked like some villainous transforming robot! Just wearing it would draw everyone's eyes.

"What, you don't like it? Want me to remake it?"

"N-No, it's fine!"

Tae-hyun's voice sounded anything but friendly, so Cain waved his hands frantically in refusal. Knowing Tae-hyun's personality, if he remade it, it would only turn out even more bizarre and eccentric!

Cain scanned the set items again. The skills are actually pretty useful, but...

Cain knew that Tae-hyun's specialty was Engineering. True to form, the equipment skills were related to it. Since there were barely any blacksmiths specializing in ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Engineering in Fantasy Online 2 right now, these were highly rare items.

Thinking of it that way, a sudden wave of greed washed over him.

"Ahem. Cough. I'll make good use of it."

"That's what I like to hear." Tae-hyun grinned and patted Cain on the shoulder.

Cain packed the set items away, completely oblivious to the fact that Self-Destruction was hidden in the additional options.

"Haha!"

"Hahaha!"

Two men, each harboring completely different schemes!

-Master. Master.

"What is it?"

-I heard what you were discussing earlier. We must hide our identities?

"Yeah, pretty much."

-Then must I do the same?

"Shouldn't you?"

-Nonsense!

Yong-yong flapped his wings and cried out.

-I have only just begun to recover my strength, and you want me to hide? I shall hide no longer! As my master's divine beast, I shall display my power and majesty!

"I think you need to return to your original size before you can show off any majesty..."

While he could make himself larger, his current size was more cute than majestic.

"But it is a shame to let your recovered strength go to waste."

-Indeed!

"But if you use it, we'll be exposed immediately... What should we do..."

Tae-hyun fell into thought. Pets like Yong-yong were incredibly rare. On top of that, since their travels together had been broadcasted, anyone who saw them would instantly think of Kim Tae-hyun.

"Ah. I can just do what I did with Cain."

-What do you mean?

"Haha. It's nothing."

-Mmph! Mmmph! Mmmph!

"Can't you speak telepathically?"

-Mmph... Oh, right! Wait! Master! Undo this at once!

"Why? It looks good on you."

Tae-hyun had solved the problem simply. If his cute, golden appearance was the issue, he just had to cover it up!

Among pets, there was a breed called the Iron-Clad Hound. As the name suggested, it was a small dog pet with iron-like hide. They were easy to obtain, had decent defense, and were highly popular among beginners.

Tae-hyun used his Blacksmithing skill to flatten some steel and craft a suit of armor that completely encased Yong-yong's body. His protruding wings were disguised as additional pet equipment. From the outside, he looked like a perfectly convincing Iron-Clad Hound!

Of course, Yong-yong had not agreed to this method.

"Now, if you just walk instead of flying, it'll be perfect."

-#^&^*#! @#&^@^!

Whether Yong-yong protested ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠or not, Tae-hyun was highly satisfied and forced him to keep walking.

"Senior, should I disguise myself too?"

"No, I don't think you guys need to."

Tae-hyun didn't see any need for Rufo, Ed-an, or Jeong Su-hyeok to disguise themselves. They weren't going to enter the arena anyway. Simply covering themselves with cloaks would be more than enough.

"Instead, let's travel separately. By the way, you changed classes, right? Did your class quest pop up?"

"Ah, yes. It did."

"...?" Tae-hyun tilted his head. "Then why are you still here?"

"Because I prefer following you, Senior... Ow!"

Whack!

"You absolute idiot. If your class quest popped up, you should be going to clear it!"

"B-But I've received so much from you, Senior, so I wanted to..."

Whack! Whack!

Tae-hyun rapped Jeong Su-hyeok on the head again. It wasn't as metallic as hitting a helmet, but it still made a satisfying, crisp sound.

"Stop talking nonsense and go clear your quest. I can do perfectly fine without you, okay? You need to grow so you can actually be useful to me."

"I-I see. In that case, I will go clear the quest immediately!"

"By the way, what kind of quest is it?"

Tae-hyun suddenly grew curious. Jeong Su-hyeok's class was heavily tied to Tae-hyun. After all, his class name was Archisus Missionary! He couldn't help but be curious.

I wonder if something like an Archisus Paladin will show up later?

"Ah, it's this quest."

Excited by Tae-hyun's interest, Jeong Su-hyeok eagerly opened his quest window.

What kind of quest is this?

Even Tae-hyun was taken aback by the quest details. The quest name was suspicious enough, but the contents were even worse.

And the Uruk region is over there!

It was a rugged land far to the east of the Salz Kingdom. A land teeming with Orc tribes, where the Orc Great Chieftain (whose son Tae-hyun had killed) was currently grinding his teeth in rage! Just hearing the name gave him a bad feeling.

Wait. Were there other groups in the Uruk region besides Orcs?

Looking closely at the quest, descriptions of the other tribes appeared.

Uruk Region Primitive Human Tribe: A powerful human tribe that has survived by fighting off the overwhelming number ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of Orcs in the Uruk region. Even Orc Shamans fear their magic.

Red Sea Outlaw Tribe: Dark elf pirates who dominate the seas off the coast of the Uruk region. Even the Orcs of Uruk fear them and refuse to venture into the Red Sea.

Old Tunnel Goblin Tribe: A goblin tribe living in the subterranean tunnels of Uruk. They are fiercely resisting the Orcs who seek to enslave them. Highly skilled in goblin-style engineering, they manage to hold their ground even in Orc territory.

...!

It seemed there were far more people who hated Orcs in the Uruk region than he had thought. Of course, whether they would like Tae-hyun was another story.

He couldn't tell if the Primitive Human Tribe would like or hate him, but the Red Sea Outlaw Tribe would almost certainly hate him. After all, Tae-hyun was the one who had blown up Katerand Island and subdued the pirates!

At least the Old Tunnel Goblin Tribe seemed somewhat approachable. Tae-hyun had a massive advantage when dealing with goblins, especially those who understood Engineering.

"Then, I shall head out now."

"...Su-hyeok."

"Yes?"

"Fighting!"

"Yes! I'll do my best!"

Tae-hyun didn't stop Jeong Su-hyeok. Even if the quest looked difficult, Su-hyeok was the one who had to do it! Besides, the fact that the quest had appeared meant there was a possibility he could clear it.

If Su-hyeok can go over there and build some goodwill with the tribes of the Uruk region, it will definitely be helpful.

Tae-hyun was no fool. Actions always had consequences. Since he had killed the Orc Great Chieftain's son, he was bound to face the repercussions sooner or later.

Only an idiot would do nothing and just hope for the best.

To survive long, one had to dig multiple escape tunnels! Tae-hyun planned to send Jeong Su-hyeok to stir things up in the Uruk region. Currently, other players rarely visited the Uruk region. If they could shake things up there, it would be a huge help.

Of course, there was a high chance Jeong Su-hyeok would die...

The road to Abalab City was peaceful. Although Fantasy Online 2 was a game where one could never let their guard down, the monsters appearing on major roads like this were usually easy to handle. Even without Jeong Su-hyeok, the combat power of Tae-hyun's party was formidable!

"It's a Wolf Rider Orc!"

"Kill it."

"Oh, a Goblin Shaman and an Orc Warrior are coming!"

"Kill them."

"There are Orc Warriors over there... Ah. They're players. I thought they were mobs."

"..."

The atmosphere of the Espa Kingdom was completely different from the Erangs Kingdom. In the Erangs Kingdom, one could see green fields, babbling brooks, and shimmering leaves. In the Espa Kingdom, however, all they saw were sandstorms, wastelands, and jagged rocks.

Furthermore, because there were many wild Orc tribes and many Orc players, it was easy to get confused.

"I-I really thought you were a mob! That's why I attacked!"

"Cut the crap, you bastard! You PK'ed me and now you're playing dumb?!"

They could see players fighting each other all over the place. Tae-hyun wiped his nose with a satisfied grin. Now this is more like it!

In the distance, Abalab City came into view. Its white stone walls, though somewhat low, stood out starkly against the barren wasteland.

"Orc Tailor taking orders for cloth armor! Shaman specialty! Come take a look!"

"Eat some special giant earthworm stew before you fight! Just one bite increases your strength!"

Of course, some things never changed. Production class players were busy soliciting customers near the city gates! Tae-hyun paid them no mind and kept walking.

"Kim Tae-hyun..."

"?!"

Tae-hyun flinched when he heard someone call his name. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠He was perfectly disguised, so how on earth did they know?!

"...The very same engineering used by Kim Tae-hyun! Bombs crafted by a blacksmith who masters engineering! No need for magic or anything else! Just one bomb is all it takes!"

"..."

Tae-hyun let out a dumbfounded chuckle. And here I thought...

But there wasn't just one blacksmith using Tae-hyun's name.

"The mechanical trap used by Kim Tae-hyun! Lay this down, lure the monsters, and you can easily sweep them all!"

They were aspiring engineers! A sudden influx of players had picked up the class thanks to Tae-hyun's videos. Seeing them all selling crude bombs and mechanical traps, Tae-hyun realized what was happening.

"W-Wait... This one's gonna blow!"

콰쾅!

"Argh!"