A Very Honest Guild
The three of them began walking toward the fortress.
"By the way, which guild runs this place?"
"The Woodstock Guild. They're an American guild."
"Oh, an American guild? They probably don't get along with the Chinese guilds, so we should be fine, right?" Tae-hyun asked, a hint of hope in his voice.
But Lee Da-bi was ruthlessly realistic.
"Even if they hate the Suning Guild, I doubt they'll like you, Tae-hyun..."
"..."
Cold, hard reality! Lee Da-bi had delivered a painful, factual blow straight to Tae-hyun's solar plexus.
"S-Still, they're better than the Suning Guild or those Paladin Is King bastards. We don't have any direct bad blood with them."
"I suppose, but..." Da-bi trailed off.
"What is it?"
"I just feel like if some complete stranger suddenly rushed at you shouting, 'You bastard! Taste my wrath!' I wouldn't even be surprised."
"...Did I do something to offend you?"
"No, I'm just stating facts!" Da-bi said, flustered.
Tae-hyun was the one who went around making enemies in every direction, so she was merely pointing out the obvious!
"You only think that because we've run into a lot of vengeful people lately. It's an illusion. I don't actually have that many enemies. There are plenty of people I've fought with and then made up with."
"Really?"
"Look at Cain right here. We fought, and now we're perfectly fine, aren't we?" Tae-hyun slung an arm around Cain's shoulders.
Cain thought to himself:
C-Can you really call that making up?
Knowing that speaking up would only embarrass him, Cain wisely kept his mouth shut.
"Is that so?"
"Yeah. So let's not worry before anything's even happened. Who knows? They might actually like me."
"Fine. But do you have a plan for what we're going to do?"
"Hmm. First, we sneak into the fortress, find out where the blacksmith is, and then smash everything to pieces. That should create a nice distraction, right?"
"..."
Tae-hyun's previous reassurance suddenly lost every shred of credibility.
Callepo Fortress. It was one of the strongholds in the Auston Kingdom owned by the American Woodstock Guild.
Thanks to heavy investment from the guild, it boasted a wide array of facilities and NPCs, not to mention low taxes! It was currently one of the most popular hubs for players in the Auston Kingdom.
Furthermore, Callepo Fortress featured the Callepo Underground Dungeon, a multi-layered dungeon that players of various levels could challenge.
Floor one, floor two, floor three... Low-level players stuck to the first floor, while higher-level players ventured down to the second. A dungeon structured to accommodate such a wide range of levels was an absolute goldmine.
Naturally, the Woodstock Guild wasn't about to let such an asset go to waste. They had built their fortress directly over it to manage and control the dungeon.
They charged entry fees and restricted access to the deeper floors to select individuals.
While this could have easily sparked complaints, players still flocked to the fortress. After all, they weren't the only guild to monetize a dungeon like this, and the drops and experience were good enough to justify the entry fee.
"Looking for party members to clear the first floor! Experienced players only! Need a tank! Tank! No DPS needed!"
"Level 62 Rogue looking for a party! No heals needed! I can bandage myself!"
"Looking for a group to clear the fourth floor! Level and gear check mandatory! We have guild authorization!"
As they stepped inside the fortress, the plaza buzzed with a cacophony of voices. It was the lively chatter of players looking for parties and preparing to raid the dungeon.
It was a passionate, healthy, and wholesome atmosphere.
It was completely different from the vibe in Tae-hyun's territory, where the air was constantly filled with shouts like, "Rune enhancement! Magic sword enhancement! Let's goooo!" or "Opening forty loot boxes! I'm feeling blessed! If I don't get it, I'm quitting!"
Tae-hyun decided not to think too deeply about it. Thinking about it would only make him sad!
"Hmm, where could they have hidden the blacksmith?" Tae-hyun mused, scanning the fortress.
At the center of the stronghold stood several guild buildings—structures restricted strictly to guild members.
Divine Foresight is showing too many paths, so that's out.
His Divine Foresight skill was currently lighting up multiple paths. He had no way of knowing which one led to the blacksmith.
"Da-bi, is there any way we can find the blacksmith?" Tae-hyun turned to ask Lee Da-bi, but she was no longer standing beside him.
"Excuse me, do you happen to know where the blacksmith Gonrdo is?"
"!?"
Da-bi had marched right over to where the Woodstock Guild members were patrolling and asked them directly! Tae-hyun and Cain stared at her in sheer horror. What on earth was she doing?!
But the guild member she questioned didn't suspect a thing and answered readily.
"Oh, Gonrdo? He's inside the underground dungeon."
"Really? Why is he in the dungeon?"
"Some of our guild members probably took him down there to help clear the lower floors."
Having a high-level blacksmith NPC in a party provided an immense boost to combat power, especially in deep, grueling dungeons. They could repair gear and apply powerful buffs on the spot.
"Ah, I see..."
"Even if you wait for Gonrdo to come back up, you won't be able to buy any items from him anyway. His services are prioritized for our guild members. If you're interested, you can always submit a guild application."
"Is that so? Thank you for letting me know!" Da-bi bowed politely and walked back to the group.
"T-They didn't suspect you at all?"
"It's the privilege of the Merchant class."
The guild member had never imagined that a Merchant player would ask such a question with malicious intent. He simply assumed she was a merchant looking to buy high-quality goods from a legendary blacksmith!
"If you or I had asked, they definitely would've been suspicious..."
"If you're jealous, you should've rolled a Merchant. Anyway, we know where he is now. Shall we head into the dungeon?"
"And what's the plan once we're inside?"
"We find an opening, use Threaten on Gonrdo, snatch the crafting recipe, and make a run for it."
A crystal-clear answer delivered without a single second of hesitation! Tae-hyun hadn't even considered "talking" or "negotiating" with the Woodstock Guild!
And that is exactly why you have so many enemies... Cain thought.
"You were just cursing me in your head, weren't you?"
"?!"
Entering the first floor of the dungeon was easy. All they had to do was pay the entry fee. Because of the sheer volume of players, no one bothered to verify their identities.
The problem was...
"Our party is way too small."
People rarely raided dungeons in groups of three. While it wasn't unheard of, it was bound to draw unwanted attention. If they wanted to descend to the deeper floors and cause a ruckus, they needed to blend in until then.
"Should I call some people?"
"Huh? Who?"
"I can summon members of the Power Warrior Guild right this second."
"Do your guild members have nothing better to do with their time?"
"Yes!"
A bright, cheerful answer! Tae-hyun nodded and told her to call them. Da-bi opened her guild chat.
Immediately, cold, skeptical responses flooded the chat.
Deep-seated distrust! The responses made it painfully obvious how Lee Da-bi usually treated her guild members.
More than a few guild members had followed their leader blindly only to end up scammed! They would happily tag along, only to snap out of it and find themselves forced into endless, mind-numbing manual labor.
Five minutes later...
Clop, clop, clop!
In the blink of an eye, a group of Power Warrior guild members arrived!
"Pant, pant! We're not late, are we?!"
"Nope."
"Where is Tae-hyun? He's really here, right?"
The guild members immediately scanned the area to verify Tae-hyun's presence. Watching this, Tae-hyun asked in bewilderment:
"What's up with them?"
"W-Who knows?"
"Don't tell me you've been using my name to scam them on a regular basis..."
"Look! Here he is! Tae-hyun! See?!" Da-bi quickly cut him off, pointing dramatically at Tae-hyun.
"Ohhh! It's really him!"
"The Guild Master actually told the truth for once!"
"Since I joined this guild, this is literally the first time I've seen the Guild Master tell the truth!"
Tae-hyun's gaze on Da-bi grew increasingly suspicious. Da-bi shook her head, quickly making an excuse.
"He's just a newbie, that's why!"
In any case, thanks to the Power Warrior guild members, they successfully formed an eight-man party.
"What should we do?!"
"Hmm, just act like a normal party for now, and then..."
"And then?"
"Once a fight breaks out, Cain and I will handle the combat. You guys just grab the loot."
"!"
"T-That's...!"
"Are you telling us to just sit back, enjoy the show, and reap the rewards?"
The guild members' reaction was completely unexpected. Tae-hyun tilted his head in confusion.
Did I sound too insensitive?
After all, these guild members were players too. They probably wanted to fight alongside him and earn some experience. Nobody liked being treated as dead weight.
"Do you hate the idea? If you want, we can fight together—"
"No! It's absolutely perfect!"
"Wow! We get to watch the show and take the loot!"
"...You really can fight with us if you want."
"No! We don't want to fight!"
"We have zero confidence in our combat skills! We've barely ever won a PVP match!"
Lee Da-bi's face flushed bright red as she hung her head in shame. Even though she knew exactly what they were like, she could never quite get used to her guild members' shameless lack of pride!
But Tae-hyun wasn't particularly fazed. Shrugging his shoulders, he said,
"I like the honesty. It's much better than putting on a bluff."
"As expected of Tae-hyun!"
Listening to the conversation, Cain asked,
"Hey, so does that mean we're the only ones doing the actual fighting?"
"Pretty much. Don't worry. An underground dungeon like this is perfect for hit-and-run tactics anyway, and..."
Tae-hyun scanned the guild members. Players who didn't care about death penalties! In other words, the perfect candidates to be used as human bombs!
Suddenly, a cold shiver ran down the guild members' spines.
W-What was that?
"Besides, you and I are more than enough."
"I-I guess so?"
The guild members looked back and forth between Cain and Tae-hyun, nodding in realization.
"Ah, so this is the Cain."
"To think I'd actually get to see the Cain in person..."
"We've heard all about you from the Guild Master."
Cain couldn't help but feel utterly bewildered by their reactions.
"W-What are you bastards talking about?! What did you hear?!"
"That you enjoy being bullied by Tae-hyun..."
"What kind of crazy bullshit is that?!"
"Shh. Keep your voice down, there are too many people around. Let's head into the dungeon."
"Hey! A massive misunderstanding is brewing here!"
"Clear it up later."
"Why on earth would I clear this up later?!"
Paying no heed to Cain's frantic protests, Tae-hyun ordered everyone to move inside.
"Please pay the entry fee before entering."
"Da-bi, pay the fee."
"Here you go."
"...?"
Squeeze.
The Woodstock Guild member attempting to take the gold from Lee Da-bi tilted his head in confusion. She was gripping the coins so tightly she wouldn't let go.
"Excuse me? You need to let go."
"Hey, what are you doing?"
"Ah! My instincts kicked in and I held on...!"
"They're looking at us like we're weirdos!"
Only after bowing and apologizing repeatedly were they finally able to step inside.
"I memorized that guild member's face. When we start PVPing later, let's make sure to beat him up and take my gold back."
"If I'm the one who kills him, I think something else will drop instead of gold."
The first floor was a low-level zone overall. Most of the players in sight were newbies. Those aiming for the lower floors moved quickly along the main path.
"I heard Woodstock Guild members are guarding the entrance from the third floor to the fourth."
"Then the blacksmith and his party must be on the fifth or sixth floor, right?"
"Probably. Let's pray they're on the fifth floor."
Tae-hyun memorized the surrounding terrain as they descended. Where and when should I trigger an explosion to make it the most legendary blast in history?
Boom! Rumble!
The sound of an explosion echoed through the cavern.
Tae-hyun was deeply impressed with himself. Had his imagination grown so vivid that he could actually hear the sound of his imagined explosions?!
"Looks like a fight broke out!"
"What? It wasn't my imagination?"