I Have the Advanced Rhetoric Skill. (Bonus Granted When Deceiving Demons.)

Cain was kicked out without even knowing why, but Tae-hyun successfully managed to clean up the mess. Even if Cain had sacrificed himself, it would have been a difficult situation to resolve without the Advanced Rhetoric skill.

"Hmph!"

The demon merchant sat back down with a displeased look.

The guild members watched this in awe. Usually, when a merchant got that angry, it was incredibly hard to salvage the situation. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Yet Tae-hyun, Lee Da-bi, and Cain had created a scapegoat without a single second of hesitation, using speech skills to persuade the merchant and wrap things up. What incredible teamwork!

And that Cain guy is amazing too. To sacrifice himself without a moment's hesitation... Was he always that kind of guy?

I heard he was the leader of the Red Zone Guild, so I thought he was just a thug, but...

In reality, Cain was outside the shop cursing up a storm.

Thanks to Cain's sacrifice, the others were able to browse and purchase items safely. The Black Rock Guild members, who had received Soul Stones as quest rewards, also found and bought items.

The other guild members listening to the guild-exclusive chat envied them. They had been worried when they were dragged into the Demon Realm by Tae-hyun, but now they seemed to have adapted surprisingly well. They were even entering demon villages and clearing quests.

There were various races players could choose at character creation, but demon was not one of them. However, just like the Vampire race, it was possible to change one's race by completing specific quests.

Unlike the harmonious Black Rock Guild members, a freezing aura emanated from Cain. He was thoroughly sulking!

Being scolded by Tae-hyun was a daily occurrence. But for Lee Da-bi to join in and scold him too!

I'm seriously so sorrowful! This is so unfair!

"Hey, hey, cheer up. I bought an item you can use."

"That's right! Look at this saw blade that mounts on top of your shield! It even has an option that reflects physical damage!"

"Hmph!"

"Are you pouting?"

"I am not pouting!"

"You look like you're pouting."

"I said I'm not!"

"Come on, look, I bought this item. Just check it out."

"Hmph. As if I'd do this just to get some item..."

Even as he spoke, Cain accepted the item Tae-hyun handed him. Honestly, he was curious.

"Ugly Demon's Ears and Nose."

"..."

Slam!

He threw it to the ground!

Cain lost his temper and hurled the item.

"What the hell is this, you bastard?!"

"Why are you throwing it? That's such a waste. I went through all that trouble to get it for you... Fine. If you don't want it, I'll give it to someone else."

As Tae-hyun picked the item back up, Cain flinched. The more items, the better. Even if it was a garbage item, hearing that it would go to someone else made anyone feel a sting of regret! Besides, Cain hadn't even checked its stats yet. He had thrown it solely based on the name.

"Wa-Wait. What kind of item is it?"

"You threw it without even looking at its stats? Wow, my feelings are hurt."

In an instant, the tables turned!

"N-No, it's not that... It's just, both of you kicked me out, and I felt so left out..."

"Then should we have all gotten kicked out together? If you leave, everyone else gets to buy things. And that's how we got this item!"

"Well... but... she could have been the one to leave instead of me..."

Cain mumbled, pointing at Lee Da-bi. Tae-hyun replied as if he found it absurd.

"She's a merchant. Who leaves the merchant behind when buying items from a shop?"

"...True..."

The more he spoke, the more Cain found himself backed into a corner. He quietly took the item and equipped it. He was worried Tae-hyun might snatch it back if he didn't!

"Whoa, whoa, wait! You should read the description before equipping it!"

"??"

"What is this?!"

"The stats are great, but it's cursed, so I told you to read it first! Why do you never read anything, you idiot?"

At Tae-hyun's scolding, Cain hung his head again. He had absolutely no excuse!

It was a very good item. It didn't overlap with necklaces or rings, provided magic and elemental defense, and its passive skill, Demon's Revenge, was highly powerful!

Except for one single problem.

It looked... incredibly ridiculous.

Right now, Cain's nose looked exactly like a giant clown nose.

"Pfft, hahahaha!"

"Don't laugh, Da-bi. Think of how upset Cain must be... pffft, ahahaha!"

"..."

These bastards...

Cain stared at them with highly complex, mixed emotions. It was definitely a good item, a really good item...! But it was just too hideous!

Now he understood why it had the 'Cannot be unequipped' curse. Normally, players would only put on an item like this right before a fight. The curse was there to force them to wear it all the time!

Fuck...

"Tae-hyun, our guild has a serious proposal to mak—pfft, ahahaha!"

"..."

"I-I'm sorry."

Gu Sung-wook bowed his head repeatedly in apology. He was a polite man who knew his manners. For someone like him to burst out laughing just looking at someone's face...

What on earth did he do while we weren't looking?

Is that his taste? Does Cain actually like looking like that?

The guild members whispered among themselves. Not all players focused on making their characters pretty or handsome. Some players dedicated themselves to making their avatars look as funny and bizarre as possible. And right now, Cain...

"What's the proposal?"

"Well, if we raise our reputation in this village and establish a friendly relationship, I was wondering if our guild could use this place in the future. Since it's your quest, we'll pay an appropriate price."

If it were any other guild, they might have immediately plotted to steal the village. But the Black Rock Guild wasn't made of thugs; they were a gathering of decent, good-natured people. Since the village was discovered during Tae-hyun's quest, they would only use it with his permission!

"This place? Are you confident you can find your way back here?"

"Won't we find a way eventually?"

The method to enter the Demon Realm had not been officially discovered yet. However, it wouldn't remain hidden forever. Eventually, it would be found! The speed at which Pan-On players discovered things was terrifying. Even now, highly curious players were crossing over to unexplored continents.

But Tae-hyun...

I have no intention of ever coming back here...

The Black Rock Guild seemed to be misunderstanding something.

Misunderstandings like, 'Kim Tae-hyun would never let an opportunity like this slip by,' or 'Since Kim Tae-hyun has set foot in the Demon Realm for the first time, he won't back down easily.'

In reality, once Tae-hyun found a portal and returned to the continent, he didn't plan on sparing a single glance toward the Demon Realm for a long time.

Edaor was still out there, alive and kicking!

He had been lucky enough to avoid him so far, but honestly, it wouldn't be surprising if they crossed paths at any moment.

Therefore, Tae-hyun readily agreed.

"Sure. Why are we acting like strangers over something like this? Just give me some gold, and we can use the village together."

Once the Black Rock Guild members enter the Demon Realm later, I'll see if they survive first before I decide to come back.

He was planning to use them as shields!

"Th-Thank you so much!"

The guild members rejoiced at Tae-hyun's permission. Though he could be prickly and ill-tempered at times, Tae-hyun was fundamentally a man of great caliber.

These guys are completely misunderstanding him.

And Cain watched the Black Rock Guild members with a complicated expression. At this point, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call Cain an expert in 'Tae-hyunology.'

When was the most dangerous time to deal with Tae-hyun?

When Tae-hyun was acting nice.

What was the next most dangerous time?

When Tae-hyun was acting prickly.

And the time to be most careful after that?

When Tae-hyun was doing absolutely nothing!

...I'm starting to feel kind of sad...

Anyway, now was not the time to celebrate just because Tae-hyun had given his permission.

"Haha, then shall we all go clear some quests together? We need to raise our reputation in the village."

"Let's do it!"

The guild members excitedly followed behind Tae-hyun. Cain shook his head.

The mechanical engineering blacksmiths who had ambushed the guild members alongside Gabriel became a hot topic in a corner of the community site. Everyone was surprised, but they ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠didn't expect them to last long.

If it was traps, they could just bring rogue-class players to disarm them. If it was bombs, sturdy tanks could prepare and absorb the damage. This time, the rival guild would surely come fully prepared, so realistically, it would be difficult for the blacksmiths to win.

And indeed, that was the case.

"Gabriel, you at least need to run first!"

"W-We must go together."

"Fool! If we go together, we die together! Besides, even if I take the death penalty, it's no big deal for me. Give me your bombs!"

"?!"

"I'm going! See you in the city!"

One of the blacksmiths gathered everyone else's bombs and quickly ran off. Right toward the pursuing guild's forces!

"Surrender! I surrender!"

"What?"

"Surrender my foot... ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠let's just kill him."

"We won't even get exp from killing him anyway, let's hear what he has to say. Where are the others hiding?"

"Where are they hiding...? Right here!"

"???!"

BOOOOOOM!

"A-Are you insane?!"

The sound of an explosion echoed from afar. Gabriel and the remaining blacksmiths held back their tears as they fled.

Gabriel thought to himself: He needed stronger bombs. Bigger, more powerful bombs!