Look Behind You, Master!

"Isn't it obvious, Master? Look behind you! Is this really the time to ask if it's dangerous?!" Yong-yong retorted, sounding utterly dumbfounded by Tae-hyun's question.

Behind them, the NPCs of the Sadiq Church were unleashing a frantic barrage of attacks! The sheer, murderous intensity in the eyes of the Sadiq Holy Knight Commander was enough to send a shiver down even Tae-hyun's spine.

Obstacles materialized in the air in the blink of an eye, blocking Tae-hyun's path as he tried to escape into the sky.

"That bastard! That's Kim Tae-hyun!"

"Tear him to shreds!"

"Burn him to ashes!"

"..."

Hearing the incredibly vivid curses echoing behind him, Tae-hyun simply shook his head.

"What a bunch of narrow-minded, petty fools."

He had completely erased his own misdeeds from his memory, displaying his trademark shamelessness.

"Count Kim Tae-hyun! Stop right there! If you do not halt immediately, we will slaughter your companions!"

"What?!"

Tae-hyun gasped in surprise. My companions? Did they catch Cain and Lee Da-bi?

No way. Are those idiots so incompetent they couldn't even hide properly?

Panicking, Tae-hyun whipped his head around.

The Sadiq Holy Knights had held Burford and a Raider player captive, pressing cold blades against their necks.

"..."

"Count Kim Tae-hyun! How could a man hailed as a hero abandon his comrades! If you do not stop this instant..."

"Kill them!"

The answer came without even a microsecond of hesitation.

"...W-what did you say?"

"I said, kill them!"

Ignoring their confusion entirely, Tae-hyun signaled Yong-yong.

Yong-yong immediately began spewing powerful lightning from his maw.

In perfect sync, Tae-hyun swapped to Edaor's Greatsword and swung it wildly.

His strikes were powerful enough to shatter the magical obstacles in a single blow!

Meanwhile, attacks kept flying at him from behind. Every single time, Tae-hyun deflected them using his Circle of Counterattack skill.

"Master, we can't keep this up forever! We have to break through!"

"I know. I'll cast a blessing on you, so let's use Evasion to push through."

At that moment, the Sadiq Archbishop was preparing a devastating spell.

He had long since grasped the situation! After hearing the report from the Sadiq Holy Knight Commander, he knew exactly who was responsible for today's chaos.

I will never let him leave here alive!

The Sadiq Church's hatred for Tae-hyun had reached a level that could pierce the heavens and shoot straight into outer space.

What's this? Tae-hyun was taken aback.

Usually, spells that triggered a system warning of that caliber were incredibly devastating. They were the kind of ultimate moves boss monsters prepared to wipe out a raid! Once a warning like that popped up, the only option was to dodge.

The problem was that the spell was currently locked onto Tae-hyun alone!

Even a boss monster couldn't spam a spell like that. With other subjugation forces swarming around the fortress gates, he was seriously aiming that massive attack solely at Tae-hyun?

"Seriously, is that Archbishop completely incapable of reading the room?"

"Maybe he just really, really hates you, Master?"

"Yong-yong, keep your truths to a reasonable level. Speed up!"

"I'm doing my best! Those bastards are throwing curses at me to stop me from escaping!"

Hearing Yong-yong's frantic tone, it seemed the other Sadiq priests were indeed casting curses to slow them down.

Tae-hyun hesitated for a moment.

Should I jump off Yong-yong?

Rather than both of them getting blasted together, it seemed much smarter to just leave Yong-yong behind and jump. He didn't know what kind of magic Eternal Hellfire was, but relying solely on his own skills to tank it felt a bit too risky.

"Master, why are you so quiet? You're not thinking of abandoning me and running away, are you?"

"..."

"You actually were?!"

"Haha, of course not, Yong-yong. Why would you even think that?"

It was the gentlest, sweetest voice Yong-yong had ever heard from Tae-hyun!

And it absolutely terrified him. No matter how he looked at it, that was the voice of someone about to ditch him!

"Agh! You're not getting off, Master!"

Yong-yong folded his wings upward, trapping Tae-hyun so he couldn't jump off!

"Hey! You can't do this!"

"So you really were trying to abandon me and run?!"

Hummmmm—

While the two of them bickered, an intense heat began to radiate from around the Sadiq Archbishop.

The spell was almost complete!

Realizing this, Tae-hyun clicked his tongue. It was too late to dodge now; he had no choice but to block it.

I'll use every skill I have, and if worst comes to worst... Ah. Come to think of it, didn't my skill cooldowns reset earlier thanks to the Archbishop's blessing? I can even revive again, can't I?

Thanks to the Archbishop's incredibly generous "reward" from earlier, he had a free pass to die once!

Remembering this, Tae-hyun relaxed. When he thought about it, the situation wasn't actually that bad.

"Master! You do have a way to block that, right?!"

"Huh? Oh. I think I'll be fine."

"Only you?! What about me?!"

"A guy with a higher level than me is throwing a tantrum? You can do it! Fighting!"

"U-unsummon! Unsummon me right now!"

"Ayy, you'll be fine. I believe in you, just keep flying!"

At that moment, a voice echoed through the air.

"⟨ Continuous ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Shadow Spears ⟩, ⟨ Shadows Covering the Front ⟩, ⟨ Short Teleport ⟩!"

Lee Se-yeon had arrived.

Upon her arrival, Lee Se-yeon began to showcase the true, terrifying power of a top-tier Necromancer.

A Necromancer's repertoire wasn't limited to merely summoning and buffing the undead. Curses and black magic also fell under their domain!

First, she unleashed a rapid barrage of projectile magic from the sky like an aerial bombardment, suppressing the Sadiq Church NPCs.

Next, she cast counter-curses on the priests targeting Yong-yong, throwing them into a state of confusion. Finally, she teleported Yong-yong's entire massive body, pulling him completely out of the Archbishop's spell targeting range.

With a clean, simple combination of skills, she rescued Tae-hyun (or more accurately, Yong-yong) from the brink of disaster!

"What an incredible mage! Truly magnificent!"

"Her personality is rotten, though. Don't let her fool you."

"There's no way she's rottener than you, Master..."

"Yong-yong. I'm your master, remember?"

"Didn't you literally just try to abandon me to die?!"

"I told you, that was a misunderstanding."

Thanks to Lee Se-yeon's intervention, the situation had defused enough for them to trade jokes.

Furthermore, Lee Se-yeon hadn't come alone.

"Now's our chance!"

"Charge! Climb up!"

Seeing Lee Se-yeon take action, the players participating in the subjugation force launched an all-out assault.

If even Lee Se-yeon was stepping up, then it was safe for them to charge in too!

A crowd like this was easily swept up in the momentum. They charged forward recklessly, completely unbothered even when the players right next to them were struck down.

"Block them! Summon the beasts!"

The Sadiq Church scrambled desperately. The sudden, overwhelming onslaught had caught them completely off guard.

"Dark Elves! Secure that flank!"

"⟨ Summon Flame Elemental ⟩!"

"⟨ Summon Steel-Toothed Leopard ⟩!"

"Grrr..."

The remaining Dark Elves and tribal warriors moved frantically.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Hiding amidst the shattered ruins, the Dark Elves let loose a volley of sharp arrows. These were dangerous attacks that could easily trigger critical hits if they connected!

"Arrows incoming! Tanks, to the front!"

"Mages, fall back!"

"Anyone with ranged attacks, focus fire over there!"

Thwip—

Yu Ji-soo stared into the distance with cold, focused eyes.

Though magic was exploding, arrows were flying, and all sorts of skills were clashing around her, she didn't panic. She had trained extensively for moments like this.

Now!

"Aaargh!"

"Ugh!"

Under Yu Ji-soo's precise strike, the hidden Dark Elf archers collapsed instantly.

"Nice shot!"

Cheered on by her allies' stellar performance, Evangeline began her charge.

Thud! Thud! Crash!

Having successfully breached the Dark Elf lines, Evangeline began to run amok.

With her monstrous defense and a wide array of life-steal skills to replenish her HP, Evangeline was practically a walking fortress. And the endless stream of players charging in behind her was just the icing on the cake!

"Anyone who wants to raid the Archbishop, gather over here!"

As Lee Se-yeon's voice echoed across the battlefield, everyone looked up.

"Should we go?"

"I don't know... I feel like I'd just get in the way."

"Still, I'm gonna try to get in on it!"

"Alright! Me too!"

Players who had a decent amount of confidence in their skills moved quickly. They would never have dared to do this alone, but they had strength in numbers now. If not today, when else would they ever get the chance to raid a boss monster like this!

Meanwhile, Lee Se-yeon, who had been raining down magic from the sky, was suddenly taken aback.

A system message had popped up.

"..."

She had only come to save Tae-hyun because he was taking heavy fire, but she had no idea the Archbishop was preparing such a massive spell!

"Hey! Why didn't you warn me?!"

Even as she yelled at Tae-hyun, Lee Se-yeon was already casting a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠skill. For a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠player of her caliber, her body moved before her mind could even process the thought!

"⟨ Dimensional Gate ⟩!"

Lee Se-yeon's body vanished into the darkness, only to reappear down on the ground.

Fwoooooosh!

A colossal wave of fire swept through the sky. The undead Wyvern Lee Se-yeon had been riding melted instantly.

"C-can I restore it? Surely..."

"..."

Because it had been hit by such an overwhelmingly powerful spell, even resurrecting it was impossible!

Just how much of a loss am I going to take by coming here?!

Landing on the ground, Lee Se-yeon grumbled inwardly as she surveyed her surroundings. The players in the subjugation force were pushing forward with an all-out attack. Looking at the flow of the battle, victory seemed almost guaranteed.

Now, where is the Archbishop...

She spotted the Archbishop and his priesthood just ahead. Perhaps because he had just unleashed that massive spell, he was currently resting.

If they were going to take him down, now was the time!

"Anyone who wants to raid the Archbishop, gather over here!"

The moment she finished speaking, the very first person to arrive was Tae-hyun.

"..."

"..."

Their eyes met in midair.

There were a million things they wanted to say, but both of them merely watched each other, waiting for the perfect opening!

"Ah! It's Kim Tae-hyun!"

"He's with Lee Se-yeon!"

"I guess the rumors about them being close were true!"

Tae-hyun flinched slightly at the players' voices.

Seeing this, Lee Se-yeon flashed a wicked smile (or at least, it looked wicked to Tae-hyun).

Tae-hyun's instincts flared. He had a terrible feeling that a grueling battle of a different kind was about to begin!

"No, we're not actually that..."

Tae-hyun tried to address the players to clear up the false rumors.

At that exact moment, a whisper from Lee Se-yeon buzzed in his ear.

-Someone just saved your life, you know? Wow, aren't you being a bit too cold?

-I didn't ask you to save...

-Do you have any idea how many Death Knights and Wyverns I've lost because of you today?

-I can pay you back...

-Should I pull out of the subjugation force? Can you take down the Archbishop by yourself? Hmm?

Every time Tae-hyun tried to speak, Lee Se-yeon cut him off before he could even finish a sentence!

"...That's right!"

Swallowing back tears of blood, Tae-hyun finally conceded. Yes, we are very close!

"Ohhh! I knew it!"

"Well, top rankers are always close with each other!"

"Right? They're so close they even entered the Arena ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠tournament together!"

Tae-hyun screamed internally. He desperately wanted to tell them the truth! Everyone was being completely fooled by Lee Se-yeon!

Lee Se-yeon slung an arm around Tae-hyun's shoulder. Then, she addressed the crowd.

"We're planning to head to the Arena to practice after this subjugation quest is over. Anyone who wants to watch is welcome to come."

"Whoa! Really?!"

"I'm definitely going!"

"But wait, hasn't the team roster not been fully decided yet?"

"Well, I'm sure we can find people somehow, right?"

Tae-hyun struggled to pry her arm off his shoulder. However, Lee Se-yeon refused to budge.

Isn't she a Necromancer? There's no way her Strength stat is higher than mine!

She was actually using her skills just to hold him in place! Tae-hyun, completely unaware of this, could only panic.

"U-um, is there any chance I could join you guys when you practice?"

"Hey, why would you even ask that?"

"Yeah, know your place!"

The player who had dared to speak up was instantly bombarded with scolding from all sides. The poor player hung his head in shame.

However, Lee Se-yeon smiled warmly and said, "If we can't fill the roster, I'll be sure to ask you."

"R-really?!"

"Then me too!"

"Wait, you just yelled at me..."

"Me too! Please, let me join as well!"

Like baby birds begging for food, the players raised their hands and shouted eagerly.

Watching this display, Tae-hyun asked with a thoroughly bored expression, "So, when are we actually going to hunt the Archbishop?"