Grrr... Master is Angry?
"Grrr... Master is angry?"
"Exactly!"
"-Me, no trust intruder. Intruder dies."
"You don't have to trust me. Just go inside and deliver the message."
"-Grrr. Grrr... Understood, intruder. Wait there."
You have successfully used the skill Soul-shaking Threat.
Your Speech skill has significantly increased.
Your Reputation has increased.
You have gained experience points.
As Galgral turned and walked inside, Tae-hyun hesitated for a moment.
'Should I just use Stealth and follow him in?'
Galgral had already failed to persuade his master once; the demon lord of this castle would likely be even harder to convince.
'No, let's hold back. I have to bring the rest of the group with me.'
Leaving the remaining church NPCs behind would waste all the hard work he had put in so far. The contribution points for each order, and even the Demer Order quest rewards!
He could probably get the latter even if he left, but not the former. If he abandoned them, his contribution points would definitely plummet!
"-Intruder!"
"?!"
Tae-hyun was startled. Galgral, who had clearly opened the gate and gone inside, had returned.
'Did it fail?'
If that was the case, he'd have to force his way through...
"-Me not hear what message to deliver to Master."
"Ah."
Come to think of it, he had forgotten that part. Tae-hyun gave Galgral the message again.
A moment later, Galgral emerged and spoke.
"-Intruder. Enter."
"Did your master say anything else?"
"-Master said he will listen to intruder's words."
Galgral didn't seem to mind Tae-hyun speaking so casually about his master. Well, he lacked the intelligence to care anyway!
"-Sniff. Intruder. Me feel unpleasant energy from you."
"……!"
Tae-hyun's heart skipped a beat. 'Don't tell me he realized I'm human?'
Tae-hyun was currently hiding his identity using various skills, stats, and items. Otherwise, his true nature would have been exposed long ago!
"It's probably because I'm human."
"-Is that so? Me think not. Human me saw last time not like this."
"Can you guarantee your memory is correct? Can you absolutely guarantee it?"
Tae-hyun pushed forward, backed by his Advanced Rhetoric skill.
Galgral hesitated and shook his head.
"-No. Galgral memory not good."
"See? Humans are all like this."
"-Me remember. Humans unpleasant. Must kill on sight."
"...I didn't say anything about killing on sight..."
"-Human. Kill. Human. Kill."
"If possible, kill the guys I hate... Oh, by the way. If you ever get summoned to the continent, go here."
Tae-hyun pulled out a map of the continent and pointed to a castle in the Auston Kingdom. The castles occupied by the guilds!
"-Where is this?"
"A wonderful land flowing with milk and honey. It's an incredibly great place for demons. You might not know, but among demons, it's ranked at the very top of the 'Top 5 Places to Visit When Summoned to the Continent.'"
"-Me not know that. Galgral go here if summoned. Me remember."
Even on his short walk to meet the master, Tae-hyun was doing his absolute best to screw others over.
"-Enter. Master inside."
Tae-hyun opened the door and stepped inside. The massive hall was empty.
'No other demons?'
Thud!
"……!"
At the end of the hall was a massive throne made of skulls. A demon sat upon it.
Tae-hyun instantly recognized him. This demon was Adad, the lord of this floor.
'That crown looks like a Duke's crown. If the settings from Pan-On 1 are correct, is his level over 400? Crazy...'
There might be some differences, but he was definitely an opponent Tae-hyun could never defeat in a head-on clash. Fighting a demon in the Demon Realm was sheer madness. Even a dog gets a home-turf advantage, let alone a demon.
"Are you the one who defeated Edaor, that demon?"
"Yes! That is correct!"
Tae-hyun bowed deeply. Showing any pride here would get his head chopped off instantly.
"I do not believe it."
"I have his greatsword right here!"
"……!"
Adad blinked, staring at the greatsword Tae-hyun held.
"Kwahahaha! That foolish Edaor. To have his greatsword stolen by a human!"
"Exactly! He is an utterly pathetic fellow."
"Insignificant human. What is your reason for seeking me out? Surely you do not expect a reward from me simply because you defeated Edaor once?"
"Of course not!"
Tae-hyun bowed once more. From here on, it was crucial. It was time to rely on his Advanced Rhetoric and spin the wildest tale!
"I defeated Edaor in the Espa Kingdom on the continent. But that wretched Edaor cast a curse on me and banished me to the Demon Realm! If you return me to the continent, I will wipe out the rest of Edaor's demon lackeys remaining in the Espa Kingdom!"
This was the plan Tae-hyun had come up with: exploiting Adad's hatred for Edaor!
If he successfully tricked Adad into believing he fell into the Demon Realm while fighting Edaor, he could get Adad to open a dimension gate to the continent under the pretext of cleaning up Edaor's remaining forces.
"A dimension gate?"
"Yes!"
"Hmm."
Adad looked down at Tae-hyun with an arrogant gaze.
Tae-hyun met his eyes with a sparkling, innocent look. A face that practically screamed, 'I don't even know how to lie!'
"Why should I do that?"
"Of course, you have no obligation to do so! I only meant that I would do my absolute best if you granted me this favor. If the great Lord Adad does not wish to, then I must accept it!"
"You certainly have a silver tongue. What if you fail to fight properly?"
"Lord Adad, though it is embarrassing to boast, I hold the title of Count on the continent."
"Oh, a Count? Of which castle?"
"……Kadalta Castle!"
Tae-hyun's mind spun like lightning! Kadalta Castle was the very castle occupied by the Su Ning Guild!
"I swear on the castle of which I am Count, and in the name of the god I serve, that there is not a single falsehood in my words, Lord Adad!"
"A god? Do not speak of such unpleasant things."
"I-I apologize!"
Stuttering slightly, pretending to be terrified. Tae-hyun's acting was absolutely flawless.
Adad had no idea. Who would have thought a human would lie while selling out the very name of the god they served!
Besides, that castle didn't even belong to Tae-hyun. Even if Adad showed up later and obliterated it, Tae-hyun wouldn't lose a single thing.
"Hmm... Very well. If it means sabotaging that fool Edaor, opening a single dimension gate is a small price to pay."
You have successfully deceived the great demon Adad!
Your Speech skill has significantly increased.
Your Reputation has significantly increased!
Your relationship with each religious order on the continent has significantly improved.
Your contribution points within each religious order on the continent have significantly increased.
Religious NPCs on the continent express their deep respect for you.
Scammer NPCs on the continent express their deep respect for you.
Demon hunters on the continent are now taking an interest in you.
'Why the scammers...'
The massive rewards for deceiving a single demon. Except for that one slightly unsettling message, the rewards were practically perfect.
"Thank you, Lord Adad!"
"Wait. Which minor god do you serve?"
"……!"
Tae-hyun felt it instinctively. If he said 'Archisus' here, he was dead meat!
"I serve the great... Lord Sadiq!"
When asked about his castle, he named the one occupied by the Su Ning Guild. When asked about his god, he named the god of the Sadiq Order. He was determined to reap all the benefits without taking a single hit!
"The weak Sadiq, is it? Well, whatever. Very well. Use the dimension gate. I was just wondering..."
Tae-hyun gulped. He couldn't help but be curious. Asking here might be digging his own grave, but...
"Great Lord Adad. May I ask why you inquired about such a thing?"
"Hmph. What would a creature like you do with that knowledge?"
"If even an insignificant being like me can be of any help to the great Lord Adad, I am willing to do anything!"
Adad evaluates you slightly higher.
Your reputation within Adad's faction has slightly increased.
"An insignificant human speaking such admirable words. Fine. I wondered if you were a follower of Archisus."
"……."
As expected, Archisus!
"Are there still followers of Archisus on the continent?"
"I-I am not sure?"
"I suppose not. Indeed, after how we destroyed them, they could not easily rise again. If anything related to that wretched Archisus still remains, I will personally descend to the continent and tear it to shreds..."
Adad uses the skill Demon's Eye.
You are immune to Terror. Resistance successful.
Though immune to terror, Tae-hyun suddenly felt a wave of anxiety. The demons were currently in the dark about continental affairs, so they didn't know the Archisus Church had been resurrected. But what if they found out later?
'...They won't invade, right?'
It hasn't been long since the Orc army invaded, and now demons might come too? The Archisus Church truly never had a quiet day!
"Great Lord Adad! What on earth did that damnable Archisus do?"
"Long ago... during the Great War with the angels. That wicked Archisus deceived us."
"Oh my! Did he side with the angels?"
Tae-hyun was slightly relieved. If the demons invaded, he could just find the angels and ask them for help!
"No."
"……?"
"He deceived both the angels and the demons, instigating them against each other. He made them fight."
"……."
"When both factions were battered and tried to declare a truce, he robbed them both. And then he fled."
"……."
The hidden history was revealed! Tae-hyun was utterly speechless. Is this guy a god or a common thug?
You have learned a hidden secret of the continent. Your Wisdom has significantly increased.
Your Holy stat has increased.
You can receive a reward if you deliver this story to your religious order.
'Are you insane?'
Tricking demons was one thing, but if Archisus tricked the angels too, he'd be an enemy to every other religious order!
'Why did I have to serve a god like this of all things...'
There were plenty of good gods on the continent, but because of his high Luck stat, Tae-hyun ended up as the Avatar of a god who had made enemies in every direction.
"Lord Adad! If I ever find that filthy, despicable, cowardly... well, any bad adjective wouldn't even begin to describe that wretched Archisus, I will personally cut off his head!"
"……See to it that you do."
Adad evaluates you slightly higher.
Adad's face remained expressionless, but he looked satisfied. No matter what Tae-hyun said before, his evaluation didn't budge, but a single passionate insult directed at Archisus did the trick!
'How much does he hate Archisus?'
Tae-hyun bowed deeply and backed away. His only thought now was to escape the Demon Realm as quickly as possible.
"I got permission to use the dimension gate."
"!??!!?!?!?"
The NPCs of each order looked utterly dumbfounded.
"How?"
"I just persuaded him with all my heart, and he believed me."
Lee Da-bi poked Tae-hyun in the ribs and whispered.
"I don't think they're going to buy that."
"If they don't believe me, I'll just tell them I'm leaving them behind. They'll believe me then."
"……."
Tae-hyun looked around at the NPCs and said:
"Oh, and just in case, I told that demon I serve the Sadiq Order, so make sure everyone gets their stories straight."
"Sadiq?!"
"From now on, anyone who interrupts me gets left behind."
"*Gasp!*"
You have successfully used Threaten. Your Threaten skill has increased.