The Best Defense is a Bold Offense

"Chweeek! The Great Shaman shows his power!"

"All bow down! Chweeek!"

The Orc shamans cheered and lined up behind Jeong Su-hyeok. Seeing this, the members of the Suning Guild hesitated.

"What? They have a mage? We prepared on the assumption that Kim Tae-hyun doesn't use magic."

"Don't worry. Even if they do, it won't be much."

"Wait, look at those ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Orcs. They're holding staffs... Aren't they shamans?"

"Hey, you think all those Orcs are shamans? Be realistic!"

Unlike common Orc warriors, Orc shamans were quite rare!

Boom! Crash! Kaboom!

"What the—?!"

The Suning Guild members shrieked in terror as the Orcs on the hill began firing magic indiscriminately.

"Shields! Shields!"

"Hey, you son of a bitch! You said they weren't shamans!"

"I-I mean, honestly, does it make sense for all of them to be shamans?! You would've thought the same thing!"

Even amidst the shouting, the Orcs' magic continued to explode. The mages among the Suning Guild quickly tore open scrolls and began casting protective barriers.

"This is tough..."

"I don't think just targeting Kim Tae-hyun is going to cut it. This is dangerous."

Halting temporarily at the bottom of the hill, the Suning Guild members gnashed their teeth. Although their casualties weren't catastrophic yet, they would be the ones losing out if this dragged on. They had customized everything—from potions to equipment and buffs—specifically to counter Kim Tae-hyun. Their plan was to quickly eliminate him before the effects wore off and retreat into the castle, but... the enemy was holding them down far more effectively than expected.

"Tanks, hold the front! Thieves, stealth around the sides and prepare to infiltrate. Once the fight starts, focus entirely on Kim Tae-hyun! Everyone has their scrolls, right?"

"Yes, sir!"

"He evades almost every standard attack, so don't even bother with anything that has a chance to miss! Only use scrolls or skills with guaranteed hits!"

Watching the Suning Guild members dig in their heels below, Cain muttered, "Aren't you afraid to go to sleep at night after drawing that much resentment?"

"Why should I be afraid of people I'm just going to kill again anyway? Lee Da-bi, are you ready to use your Golden Merchant skills?"

"Yes!"

"The moment Su Ning gets within range, bind his feet first. It'll be a headache if he gets too close. Rufo, you protect Jeong Su-hyeok here."

Tae-hyun's instructions made Cain tilt his head. Cain was a tank. Wouldn't he be better suited to protect Jeong Su-hyeok?

"What about me?"

"You stay right next to me. You can't die."

"...!"

For a split second, Cain felt a surge of emotion. But then, suspicion crept in. There's no way this bastard is actually looking out for me.

"W-Why?"

"What do you mean, why? Think about it. If those guys can't catch me, who do you think they'll target next? They'll try to kill you and force you to log out, knowing that the Orcs won't come here if you're gone."

"!!!"

"If you die, you'd better prepare to be killed by me again the moment you respawn."

"T-That's so unfair..."

Faced with such absurd tyranny, Cain felt deeply wronged.

~ Take the head of~ that wicked~ Kim Tae-hyun... ~

"...?"

A singing voice drifted up from below. Dumbfounded, Tae-hyun looked down. Behind the tanks, players with the Bard class were singing. It was a song of deep-seated resentment, sung with perfect pitch and rich emotion!

The Suning Guild had actually composed a custom song just to use against Tae-hyun! Their grudge was incredibly persistent. Of course, Tae-hyun had brought this entirely on himself...

"An Advanced Masterpiece must have cost a fortune to compose. You really did buy a lot of resentment, didn't you?" Lee Da-bi remarked.

"This isn't the time to talk like you're an innocent bystander," Cain said.

"...?"

"You're marked now, too."

At Cain's words, Lee Da-bi's face instantly turned pale. Come to think of it, there was no reason for the Suning Guild to view Lee Da-bi and the Power Warrior Guild as separate from Tae-hyun. They would naturally lump them together as a package deal!

Meanwhile, the song continued to echo. A gloomy, spiteful curse of a song!

~ This grudge~ will never~

"Ugh, give it a rest already!"

Annoyed by the singing, Tae-hyun tossed a bomb he was holding down the hill. Their defense was so solid that a single bomb wouldn't even scratch them, but...

"Block it!"

Boom!

"Hey! Block it properly!"

"I-I did block it properly?!"

It was all well and good that the bomb exploded against the shield, but the shrapnel flew backward and blasted the Bard player who was singing in the rear! It was a completely unexpected attack. Thanks to that, the song abruptly cut off.

However, the Orc shamans were also exhausted from pouring out so much magic.

"Charge! Charge! Kill every last one of them!"

"Bring it on, Su Ning! In the end, you're nothing but a Su Ning!"

Following "a guy like Cain," Tae-hyun was now inventing a brand-new insult: "a guy like Su Ning."

Tae-hyun was confident. No matter how much preparation the Suning Guild had done, he held just as many cards in his hand. Even if Su Ning managed to strike a weak point with some hidden trump card, Tae-hyun was fully confident in his ability to escape.

"Chweeek! Protect the Shaman!"

"For the Great Shaman! Chweeek! For Akisus, the God of Orc Shamans!"

"...Whose god?"

"Is that really what's important right now?!" Jeong Su-hyeok avoided Tae-hyun's gaze and quickly cheered on the Orcs.

Crash!

The two forces clashed on the hill. It was a collision between the Suning Guild's tanks, the Orc warriors, and the demons! Warriors clad in heavy plate armor swung massive weapons, while hulking demons slammed down their claws and spat cursed saliva.

"Get out of the way, you bastards!"

"How dare mere Orcs—! Wait, why are they so strong?! And what's up with their skin color?!"

"Chweeek! For the Shaman! I offer my axe!"

It was a battle where neither side could afford to yield! Behind the front lines, the Suning Guild's damage dealers split up. Half of them dealt damage from behind their tanks, while the other half flanked around the side of the hill to attack the Orc shamans. Su Ning was among the flankers!

"?!"

Charging forward with absolute confidence, Su Ning panicked at the unexpected curse. The equipment he wore was top-tier, designed to block almost any magic or curse. On top of that, he had temporarily boosted his resistances with potions and scrolls. How was this possible?!

What kind of curse is this?!

"Son of a...!"

Fortunately, the curse's binding effect was relatively weak, but in a situation like this, it was incredibly troublesome. To be immobilized here of all places!

"Was it you?! Did you do this?!"

"N-No, it wasn't me! It was her!" Lee Da-bi shook her head while avoiding his gaze, but Su Ning was already absolutely certain.

"I saw you use that in the arena last time, Lee Da-bi! Guild Master of Power Warrior! Did you think I wouldn't know?!"

"Why do you even remember that?! Your memory is way too good for no reason!"

"I had my suspicions when I saw you together in Kim Tae-hyun's territory, but you really did join hands with him."

"W-We, Power Warrior, haven't joined hands with anyo—"

"Shut up! You will also face our guild's blood vengeance—gack, cough, cough!"

Su Ning's solemn declaration cut off into a strangled scream. Emerging from the shadows behind him was Tae-hyun, who had launched a surprise attack from stealth!

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

"Whoa. Look how tanky this guy is. Just how many layers of gear are you wearing?"

It seemed Su Ning had physical damage resistance and even an effect that halved critical hit damage. Despite having layered on every buff imaginable, Su Ning couldn't feel safe. Tae-hyun's attack power was just that monstrous! A single solid hit sent Su Ning's HP plummeting.

"Stop him!"

With their guild leader's feet bound, the other guild members rushed forward in a swarm.

"Don't get cocky, Kim Tae-hyun! You're leaving this place dead today!"

"If you say so. Though, of course, that's only happening inside your head."

"Hmph. Act as calm as you want. How about this? The guilds allied with us will be arriving here shortly!"

"...!"

So that was it. Su Ning's hidden trump card was their allied guilds! Even with alliances, it was rare to see players actually helping each other, yet they were swarming here just to take down Tae-hyun.

Just how much gold did he throw at them to make allied guilds rush over so quickly?

Tae-hyun backed off without overextending. There was no need to force things right now.

They must have brought some way to land an attack on me.

"Go! Scroll of the Blue Vein Curse!"

As the scroll was torn, a spiral of blue smoke swirled around before slamming into Tae-hyun.

Seeing Tae-hyun get hit by the curse, Lee Da-bi shrieked.

"The Blue Vein Curse?! That's—!"

"I'm fine. You don't need to worry—"

"That curse sold ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠for 8.2 million won at the auction last week!"

"...Right. Thanks for the explanation."

Lee Da-bi's scream was of an entirely different nature.

~ Laktasha's Arrow Shower! ~

"That one is worth 12.5 million won!"

~ Summon Blade-Toothed Mad Dog! ~

"No way! A 7.9 million won scroll?!"

"..."

The Suning Guild members, who had been tearing scrolls with glee, stared at Lee Da-bi with dumbfounded expressions. How on earth did she know the exact prices down to the single won?

Listening to this, Tae-hyun let out a sigh. Using his Shadow Dive skill, he instantly repositioned behind Lee Da-bi and the Power Warrior Guild members.

"Huh?"

"Wait, what?"

Thud!

And then, he shoved them forward. In an instant, they found themselves face-to-face with the Suning Guild members!

"What do you think you're doing?!"

"Do some fighting yourselves, you freeloaders!"

- Master, Master!

Meanwhile, Yong-yong's urgent voice echoed in his mind. Even before the battle started, Tae-hyun had positioned Yong-yong on standby high up in the sky. He was one of his hidden trump cards! In a pinch, the dragon could deal massive damage, execute a surprise attack, or serve as a quick getaway vehicle.

- What is ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠it?

- The Orcs are coming!

- What? How many?

- Just looking at the horizon, there seem to be more of them than the Orcs you are leading!

They're already here?

Tae-hyun was surprised, but he didn't let it show on his face. It was faster than expected, but it was still within the realm of anticipation.

What should I do...

The current situation was pure chaos. At the bottom of the hill, the Suning Guild had formed a tight, aggressive formation, while an army of Orcs was arriving in the distance. What would be the best move?

Huh?

Tae-hyun's gaze fell upon the castle gates. After the Suning Guild members had marched out, the gates had remained open. It was their contingency plan to retreat back inside the castle if things went south!

"...Everyone, prepare to charge!"

"??"

"Charge!"

"W-Where to?!"

"Through the gates! We're going into the castle!"

"????!?!?!?!"

The noisy battlefield instantly fell dead silent.

"Block them! Block them!"

"Don't let them set foot inside under any circumstances!"

Logically speaking, it was impossible to break through the dense wall of Suning Guild members at the bottom of the hill and reach the castle gates. The Suning Guild members were initially startled, but they quickly calmed down as they realized the reality of the situation. All they had to do was hold their ground, and the enemies would self-destruct on their own!

However, the exclusive skills of a Legendary Class were not to be underestimated.

"!?"

Shoving past the Suning Guild members at the bottom of the hill, Tae-hyun and his party began sprinting forward at full speed.