A Bait Well Taken

"That's surprising," Lee Da-bi said.

"What is?" Kim Tae-hyun asked.

"I thought you'd use an item to persuade them."

"Well, I have the Advanced Rhetoric skill, so there's no real need for me to use an item."

"?!"

Da-bi gasped in shock. Wait, how is his speech skill level higher than a Merchant's?!

"How is your speech skill level so high?!" she demanded.

"I don't know... It just ended up like this after I tricked a few NPCs. I don't really get it either."

"Ah, well, I certainly get it."

It was a skill growth rate that made perfect sense to everyone except Tae-hyun himself!

"Wait, what did you mean by using an item to persuade them? Do I even have something like that?" Tae-hyun tilted his head and asked. He genuinely didn't understand what she was referring to. Was there an item that could persuade knights?

"Huh? You know, the one you got last time. I thought you'd use that."

"...?"

"When you won at Edaor's Arena, didn't Edaor give you a sword symbolizing the Governor's Adjutant? If you have that, persuading knights should be easy..."

"...You should have told me that sooner!" Tae-hyun grabbed Da-bi by the shoulders and shook her back and forth.

"I-I'm sorry?!"

"No... actually, this is my fault. I completely forgot about it."

It was true. Edaor, who had been disguised as the Governor, had given Tae-hyun several items as a reward for winning the arena. One of them was indeed the sword symbolizing the Governor's Adjutant!

Just having an item like this made persuading NPCs incredibly easy. And if a player with the Advanced Rhetoric skill like Tae-hyun used it? They could pull off a massive scam!

"Ah... I completely forgot I even received it. Things have been so chaotic." Tae-hyun smacked his lips in regret.

But going all the way back to the Espa Kingdom just to use it now didn't make financial sense. He needed to claim his rewards in the Erangs Kingdom and search for the Engineering secret skill quest.

I'll have a use for it someday.

"By the way, did the other church NPCs make it back safely?"

"They're high-level NPCs, so they'll figure it out," Tae-hyun replied nonchalantly.

Since he had already received his contribution points anyway, it was none of his business whether they died on the side of the road or not!

"Pant, pant... To think the great Tyran would bestow such a trial upon us..."

"Shut up and run!"

Jeong Su-hyeok ran at the front of the pack. Even though the Orcs had quieted down, the Uruk Region was still crawling with all kinds of monsters! The church NPCs who had suddenly dropped in were prime targets. There were many enemies in the Uruk Region who despised the various religious orders of the continent!

"Seriously, why did they have to show up out of nowhere and make me suffer like this?!"

To Su-hyeok, who had been steadily building affinity with the local tribes on his own, these church NPCs were nothing but dead weight.

Their levels were high enough that they wouldn't die easily no matter what they did, but Su-hyeok, who had to tag along, was driven to the brink of exhaustion. The moment they saw any monster, they charged in the name of their god! Sometimes you had to move quietly to complete a quest, but with them around, nothing could be done.

Tae-hyun could whip the church NPCs into shape like a drill sergeant, but that was impossible for Su-hyeok.

I need to send them back as fast as possible...

Su-hyeok shook his head. His goal was to get them out of the Uruk Region and send them packing as quickly as possible! If this weren't a quest related to Tae-hyun, he would have run away a long time ago.

Behind him, the members of the Black Rock Sect guild patted Su-hyeok on the shoulder with apologetic expressions.

"So this is what it feels like."

Chairman Yoo sat down and stood up, then clenched and unclenched his fists. It was his very first time experiencing the virtual reality world! It was far more lifelike than he had ever imagined. There was virtually no difference between this and reality.

"To think technology has reached this level... Indeed, you have to experience things firsthand to truly know them."

Chairman Yoo nodded. With technology like this, it was no wonder his granddaughter was so obsessed. It was practically like being able to see the entire world—no, an even wider world—from the comfort of one's home.

"Oh dear... Why on earth did that gentleman start here?"

"How pitiful..."

"...?"

Hearing something strange, Chairman Yoo tilted his head. Had he just heard something impossible? Throughout his entire life, he had lived as far away from the word "pitiful" as humanly possible.

I must have misheard.

Chairman Yoo focused back on his character. Fearing he might be recognized if he imported his real-life appearance, he had intentionally chosen the Elf race and customized his facial features. Since many players intentionally made themselves look older or younger, a middle-aged Elf like him was a common sight.

"Alright. Shall we go fishing then? Excuse me, where can I go fishing?"

"...?"

August the hunter stared at Chairman Yoo as if he were a madman. Tyrum City was a town nestled deep in the mountains! Yet this newly arrived adventurer, instead of doing the beginner quests, was asking where to fish.

"?!?!?!"

Chairman Yoo stared at August with a look of utter bewilderment. Why on earth?!

L-Let's back away for now.

Although he didn't know why, Chairman Yoo could at least tell that August found him absurd. Now was the time to retreat!

Backing away, Chairman Yoo looked around before stopping someone who looked like a player.

"Excuse me, where can I go to fish around here?"

"Huh? Mister, are you trying to get the Fisherman class?"

"Yes, indeed...?"

"Then you shouldn't have started here!! You should have started somewhere that at least has an ocean, or if not an ocean, a large river! Besides, why on earth did you choose to start here of all places?"

"Exactly! Of all places, starting in Tyrum City, the absolute worst spot in the Salz Kingdom."

"...??"

Naively, Chairman Yoo still hadn't realized that he had been tricked by Tae-hyun. How long had he reigned as an emperor of the business world? He had never even imagined that anyone would dare play a prank on him!

"...Someone... recommended that I start here..."

"Oh no, you got scammed!"

"Yeah. There's been a classic troll post going around for ages telling beginners to start in Tyrum City, but I can't believe people are still falling for it!"

"...!"

Only then did Chairman Yoo realize. Tae-hyun had baited him!

That little punk?!

Rather than angry, he was utterly dumbfounded. To think someone would pull this kind of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠stunt on him! The kid certainly had balls of steel.

"I don't know who tricked you, but if it's someone you know, cut ties with them immediately. They're a horrible person."

"Seriously. You should never associate with a friend who asks you to co-sign a loan, or a friend who tells you to start in Tyrum City."

These two players were veterans who had started in Tyrum City. Thanks to that, they had an immense amount of pent-up resentment. Give them a chance to trash Tyrum City, and they could easily go on for three hours straight!

"This place lacks even basic facilities, so if a crafting class wants to level up their skills, they have to go somewhere else..."

"And raising affinity and reputation with the NPCs is insanely hard, yet they get offended so easily. We really need to leave, but we're just staying here out of pure spite because we're so bitter about starting here."

The players poured out their grievances like rapid-fire machine guns! Chairman Yoo felt his mind go blank.

"Mister, since we met here by fate, let us know if you need anything. We'll help you out."

"Oh, I have a wooden fishing rod. I'll just give it to you, so go ahead and use it. Hey, don't you have some beginner gear? Give him some of that too."

"Right. Here, I'll just give it to you. Take this too."

A shower of gifts! After Tae-hyun left Tyrum City, a deep sense of camaraderie had begun to sprout among the players who started there. They were fellow victims of the same scam!

Chairman Yoo nodded as he accepted them.

"Thank ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠you. I will surely repay this kindness."

"??"

The two players tilted their heads at Chairman Yoo's somewhat archaic, dignified way of speaking.

"Uh... there's really no need to repay us."

"No! I have never lived my life owing anyone a debt."

"It's hardly a debt. Anyway, Tyrum City is the absolute worst, but... if you want to fish, try going up that mountain over there to the pond. It's just a small pond, but you should be able to fish. Level up a bit there, save some gold, and then immediately take a carriage and run to another city!"

"Run!" The word was filled with genuine, heartfelt emotion. Chairman Yoo was slightly touched. It had been a very long time since he had felt such warm, unconditional kindness without any calculated self-interest.

"Oh, and watch out for the rabbits when you go up the back mountain."

"I understand."

Chairman Yoo casually brushed off the warning to watch out for rabbits. He did not yet know the true terror of Tyrum.

As he was equipping his gear one by one and preparing to head toward the mountain, he heard the roaring shouts of NPCs in the distance. It was a sort of event. Other players reacted with, "Huh? Someone completed an amazing quest? Who is it?" but Chairman Yoo, not knowing any better, ignored it and prepared to leave.

"Yu Ji-soo! Yu Ji-soo! Yu Ji-soo!"

"Please... be quiet... it's embarrassing..."

"The great! Tyrum! Ranger! Who picked up a bow at age three and blew off Orc heads at age seven!"

"Shut up! Seriously!"

Yu Ji-soo hung her head, her face burning bright red. She wanted nothing more than to crawl into a hole and hide. As a Tyrum Ranger, most of her quests were tied to Tyrum. Because of that, every time she completed a major quest, she had to endure the cringeworthy cheers of the Tyrum Hunters! Knowing that other players were listening made it infinitely more embarrassing.

Please, at least lower your volume!

Ignoring the commotion behind him, Chairman Yoo set off, clad in beginner gear with his fishing rod slung over his shoulder.

Thwack!

And he was knocked flat on his back by a rabbit.

Upon arriving in the Erangs Kingdom, Cain had become incredibly docile.

"What's wrong with you?" Tae-hyun asked.

"I-I used to... do a bit of player killing in the Erangs Kingdom back in the day..."

Instantly, both Da-bi and Tae-hyun shot him looks of absolute disdain!

"It's been a while, so the bounty must have expired! And I only did it a few times!"

Tae-hyun ignored Cain and spoke to Da-bi.

"If he gets caught, let's just leave him behind."

"Sounds like a plan!"

The two of them were in perfect sync! Cain reached out a hand desperately.

"Hey, you can't do that!"

"It's a joke. You won't get caught over something like that. It's been ages since you left the Erangs Kingdom..."

"R-Right? That's true, right?"

Listening to their conversation, Da-bi tilted her head. Cain was worrying over nothing.

"Besides, with those things hanging from your nose and ears, there's no way they'd recognize you anyway—mph!"

"Shh. He doesn't realize it right now." Tae-hyun covered Da-bi's mouth.

Perhaps because he was so nervous, Cain had completely forgotten what kind of gear he was wearing!

"Now, let's go claim our rewards!"

The Erangs Kingdom was the most prosperous and powerful nation on the Central Continent. Heavily armored knights patrolled the streets, multiple Magic Towers essential for mage players dotted the landscape, and various facilities for crafting classes made it a true paradise for players! Leaving a place like this to start in Tyrum City of the Salz Kingdom was something only weirdos would do.

"Count Kim Tae-hyun! You have returned!"

Spotting Tae-hyun, the Demer priests rushed out from the entrance of the temple. They welcomed him with immense joy!

As expected, the Demer Church is so pure.

Tae-hyun warmly grasped the priests' hands in return.

"Where are ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Priest Haron and the others?"

"..."

Tae-hyun slowly let go of their hands.