We Will Never Be Slaves!
Thwack! Thud, thud!
They had set out with high spirits, but hunting was no easy task for the blacksmiths. After all, experience makes the master! Having spent all their time cooped up inside crafting, even basic hunting proved a struggle.
"Th-that Horned Deer is flanking us! It's behind you!"
"What?! Where?!"
"Not that way, behind you! Swing your hammer!"
"Should I throw a bomb? Should I throw a bomb?!"
It was utter chaos! Yet, slowly but surely, the blacksmiths began to get the hang of it.
"There's a short instanced dungeon over there. Shall we try going in?"
"Just us? But it's a dungeon... shouldn't we have at least one Priest...?"
"We have plenty of HP, and if we stack all our buffs on each other, I think we can manage."
"Alright! Let's do it!"
After a few successful mob pulls, the blacksmiths grew confident in their abilities. They buffed one another, made thorough preparations, and headed toward a dungeon entrance located in the nearby mountains.
"???"
But the entrance was blocked! Three Warrior players stood guard at the cave mouth.
"What's going on? Why are you blocking the path?"
"Our guild members are running the dungeon right now. Come back later."
"Excuse me? Why can't we just run it together?"
"You'll get in the way of our hunt."
Gabriel realized what was happening. Dungeon monopolization! Monopolizing a dungeon run yielded numerous benefits: experience points, item drops, and even hidden monster rewards...
Of course, it was difficult to monopolize well-known dungeons. With so many players around, paths were bound to cross.
That was why they resorted to blocking the entrance like this to keep others out. Granted, doing this earned a guild a massive amount of public backlash—much like Cain's old Red Zone Guild—but...
...guilds that pulled these stunts usually had skin thicker than castle walls.
"Isn't this going too far!"
"Yeah! It's not like we're going to steal all your mobs!"
Despite the blacksmiths' protests, the guild members didn't even bat an eye.
"Just go hunt somewhere else. We're actually being nice here. We'll move once we're done. You should be grateful we didn't just claim the whole area permanently."
"What kind of logic is..."
"And looking at you guys, you're obviously blacksmiths. Why are you even trying to hunt? Just go back inside and craft items. Actually, we'll pay you some Gold if you want to repair our gear."
"We can hunt too!"
"Ugh, just beat it. You want us to force you out with PVP?"
One of the guild members, clearly annoyed, made a threatening gesture, raising his sword to intimidate them. The blacksmiths' tempers flared at the sight.
But Gabriel bit his lip and spoke up.
"Understood. We'll leave."
Gabriel turned around. Though surprised, the other blacksmiths followed him and tried to comfort him.
"You did the right thing by holding back. Fighting them would've only ended badly for us..."
"It's not like that's the only dungeon around. Let's go somewhere else."
"No."
"...?"
"We're going into that dungeon."
"?!"
Once they were far enough away that their voices wouldn't carry, Gabriel revealed his true intentions.
"That guild isn't even anything special. They're only acting like tyrants because there are no high-level players around here. I refuse to sit back and watch them do this. Even if it means engaging in PVP, we are going inside!"
"B-but... PVP is a bit..."
"Yeah. Hunting is one thing, but player combat is too dangerous, isn't it?"
"No, we can do this."
Gabriel recalled Kim Tae-hyun's gameplay videos. The absolute pinnacle of combining PVP with Engineering!
Gabriel was the ultimate fan of Tae-hyun. He had watched Tae-hyun's videos countless times, to the point of memorizing them completely.
What would Kim Tae-hyun do in a situation like this?
Though Tae-hyun had never taught him a single thing, Gabriel was ironically mimicking Tae-hyun's combat style as if he were his direct disciple.
Yes, Kim Tae-hyun is guiding me!
Gabriel genuinely believed this. It was a delusion so wild that if Tae-hyun ever heard it, he would have asked, What the hell are you talking about?
But Gabriel was no ordinary delusional patient. He was a highly talented, potential-filled delusional patient.
"Everyone. If you are against this, I won't force it. But if you believe in me... I will draw up a proper battle plan. Please, trust me!"
Gabriel's passionate voice stirred the hearts of the other blacksmiths.
"...Eh, what's the worst that can happen? We die? Who cares about a few death penalties. I'm in!"
"Really?!"
"Death penalty aside, those bastards are just too obnoxious. Did you see how they looked down on us just because we're blacksmiths? Even if I die, I want to teach them a lesson first."
Once one agreed, the others began to fall into line one by one.
"Count me in too! We're fellow engineers, we stick together to the end!"
"Argh... fine! I'm in too!"
"Hey, we told you to beat it. Do you really need to get hit to understand?"
The guild members blocking the entrance grew annoyed when they saw the blacksmiths return.
But Gabriel spoke calmly.
"You said earlier that you'd give us Gold if we repaired your gear..."
"What? Bwahahaha!"
The guild members burst into laughter. They couldn't believe these guys had actually taken their mocking offer seriously.
"Are you serious? Why would I trust blacksmiths like you with my gear? Besides, why are blacksmiths even trying to hunt in the field? Is it because you're too trash to do anything else?"
Technically, he wasn't wrong! The engineering blacksmiths felt their blood boil once more.
Now?
No, hold on just a bit longer.
They exchanged quick glances. Gabriel put on a deeply wronged expression and spoke.
"B-but... we only came because you said you'd pay us..."
"Tsk, how pathetic. Here, take this 1 Silver and get lost."
"Th-thank you!"
Gabriel stepped closer to the guild member. Not a single one of them suspected a thing. *Now!*
Sssssssss—
"...?"
KABOOM!
The Black Iron Bomb has exploded.
[Engineering] skill detected. Damage received is reduced.
You are the creator of this bomb. Damage received is reduced.
"Ggah!"
The guild members were thrown into utter shock by the sudden explosion. But it wasn't over yet.
You are unable to move.
"Die!"
Thwack! Gabriel swung his heavy hammer. It was the very hammer he had only ever used to craft items until now!
On top of that, luck was on his side. Gabriel shouted:
"Throw everything!"
"Y-you crazy bastards... do you think you'll get away with this?!"
But the blacksmiths were already completely riled up. Unfazed by the threats, they hurled their bombs.
"We'll get away with it just fine, you jerks!"
"Bring it on! I've got nothing to lose even if I die!"
BOOM! KABOOM!
"You motherf—"
Just as the stun was about to wear off, more bombs came flying in. The guild members gnashed their teeth.
"Beat them to a pulp! Kill them!"
The blacksmiths swarmed forward and began swinging their hammers. Since they had all naturally invested in Strength to craft, their physical damage was surprisingly high.
Between the explosive damage and the relentless bludgeoning from the mob, even high-defense Warriors saw their HP plummet rapidly.
"W-wait a minute..."
HP: 0 / 100%
You have died.
An absurd death! The remaining two guild members were sent to the graveyard immediately after.
Granted, the enemy had let their guard down, it was a surprise attack, and the blacksmiths had them outnumbered...
...but a victory was a victory! The blacksmiths held hands and cheered in delight. It was their very first time engaging in PVP since they started playing Pan-On.
"It's too early to celebrate!"
"...?"
"We need to quickly loot the items and prepare. The rest of their guild members will be here soon."
Gabriel quickly issued orders to the blacksmiths. Meanwhile, he thought to himself:
What would Kim Tae-hyun do?
If it were Tae-hyun... he would set traps here and fight them again!
"Let's set traps. You guys have some crafted, right? Anyone with the Trap Making skill, lay them down so we can deal extra damage."
"I have it!"
"Me too. Let's lay them down together."
"Let's place the remaining bombs right next to them so they detonate instantly when triggered!"
There was a saying that a late-blooming thief never notices the night passing. Having tasted the thrill of PVP for the first time, the blacksmiths were completely hooked.
Forgetting all fear, they were brimming with the determination to fight.
Meanwhile, the guild members who had been absurdly ambushed were contacting their comrades.
The nearby guild members rushed over without much thought. They figured that as long as they didn't let their guard down, they could easily overpower a bunch of mere blacksmiths.
However...
💥 You have triggered a Poisoned Arrow Trap. You are now poisoned.
💥 You have triggered a Pitfall Trap. You cannot move.
💥 A Small Fire Bomb has exploded in front of you. You are now burned.
The blacksmiths, who had prepared with a vengeance, were far more terrifying than expected.
"W-what is this?!"
"What the hell are those guys?!"
As the guild members fell one by one to the pre-laid bombs and traps, Gabriel rushed forward and swung his hammer at the last remaining survivor.
HP: 0 / 100%
You have died.
Gabriel raised his hammer high into the air and roared:
"We will never be slaves! We will be the masters of Pan-On!"
The blacksmiths were deeply moved by his words. This was it. This was the true spirit of Engineering!
"Long live Gabriel!!"
"For Engineering!"
Entirely unaware of the chaos unfolding outside, Tae-hyun was locked in a fierce battle in the Demon Realm.
Even in a vast, open wasteland, one could never let their guard down. Monsters in the Demon Realm spawned from the most unexpected places.
They descended from the pitch-black sky, burst through the solid rocky ground, and even emerged from bubbling pools of lava.
"Lava Hellhounds! Watch out!"
"Why do they keep spawning right where I am?!"
Cain shrieked as he spotted a monster appearing right behind him.
Despite the presence of numerous Paladins and Priests, it felt as though the monsters were inexplicably targeting him.
At first, he thought he was just imagining things, but the more he thought about it, the more bizarre it seemed.
Crash!
You have been struck by Lava Fangs. You are now burned.
[Success] You have successfully resisted the effect.
"Get away from me!"
Cain kicked the monster away and immediately followed up with another strike.
Grrrrr...
"Where do these mutts think they're—huh?"
Something even more massive began to rise from the lava. Cain's words caught in his throat at the sight.
What emerged was a hellhound that looked several times larger than the ones they had just fought!
"That is a Lava Hellhound Mother!"
"...Thanks for the commentary!"
Cain found the Priest NPC shouting from behind incredibly obnoxious.
Grrrrr...!
Ignoring everyone else, the Hellhound Mother locked its gaze solely on Cain.
Its face seemed to say, I know what you just did to my babies!
Cain wept internally.
That bastard Kim Tae-hyun is so good at playing innocent in situations like this, so why am I the one...
Cain hurriedly turned toward the group and screamed:
"Everyone, h—"
ROAR!
The hellhound lunged! As it swung its molten forepaw, bursts of fire erupted. Cain blocked the blow but was sent flying backward.
You have been struck by Lava Claws. You are knocked back.
His stance broken, Cain watched helplessly as the hellhound pounced on him.
Hearing Cain's cut-off shout, Gu Sung-wook called out:
"'Everyone, r—'?! What did he say?!"
"He must have meant, 'Everyone, run! I'll hold it off!'"
"No way...!"
The ultimate paragon of a tank! Gu Sung-wook was momentarily moved to tears. The rumors about Cain's legendary loyalty were indeed true...
"I said, 'Everyone, HELP ME,' you motherf—ers!"
Cain shrieked in desperation as the hellhound repeatedly bit into him!