With Friends Like These

"Does that make any sense?! Have you bastards forgotten we're in an alliance?!" the Woodstock Guild Leader protested furiously.

However, the other guild leaders beat around the bush, dodging the issue.

For the guild leaders who were desperately looking for an excuse, the Woodstock Guild's preemptive strike was the perfect scapegoat. Of course, the Woodstock Guild Leader was utterly dumbfounded.

Since when did any of you live such law-abiding lives!

This was the Auston Kingdom, a place of cutthroat competition. Going to a rival's hunting ground to keep them in check and pick fights was standard practice! Every other guild was doing the exact same thing.

The leaders of the massive Guild Alliance prioritized their own guilds above all else. They might have been allies on paper, but because each guild was so massive, they were ultimately rivals! There was no way a proper coalition could function under such circumstances.

Just as no one had lent a hand when Su Ning was jumping up and down, screaming to kill Kim Tae-hyun, the Woodstock Guild Leader was now suffering the exact same fate.

Just you wait! You'll regret this!

They failed to realize one crucial thing: if they refused to honor their alliance like this, the alliance itself would eventually become entirely meaningless.

"I shouldn't have asked in the public channel."

"Pardon?"

"Asking for help out in the open where everyone can see... of course those selfish bastards wouldn't agree. Who is the closest guild to our current location? Contact them privately! We'll just pay them for their services!"

The Woodstock Guild Leader gritted his teeth. It would cost them a pretty penny, but a one-on-one negotiation should yield some results.

"That would be Su Ning, sir..."

"Perfect. I'll contact him myself!"

The Woodstock Guild Leader expected Su Ning to accept his proposal. Su Ning was also desperately trying to establish a territory in this area, and the Choigang Jizon Mussang Guild was a major thorn in his side. If offered the right price, he would surely jump at the opportunity!

Last time, when Su Ning had gritted his teeth and rallied them to "mobilize the full power of the alliance to take down Kim Tae-hyun!", the other guild leaders had been completely lukewarm. There was nothing in it for them! Su Ning had not forgotten that grudge. It transcended any rational judgment—his burning resentment ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠toward Tae-hyun was absolute!

"This son of a bitch?!"

Su Ning had blocked his whispers entirely! The Woodstock Guild Leader flew into a blind rage.

"That narrow-minded bastard doesn't even know what's important! To hell with Kim Tae-hyun and...!"

"Did somebody call my name?"

"?!"

Tae-hyun's party was able to rapidly tear through the first, second, and third floors of the dungeon.

"Looks like someone swept through here ahead of us. I don't see any monsters."

"The Woodstock Guild was planning to conquer the deeper floors, so they must have cleared out the surrounding areas. They probably haven't respawned yet. Works out perfectly for us."

The first obstacle to block Tae-hyun's party was a member of the Woodstock Guild. From the fourth floor onward, entry was strictly restricted to Woodstock members or those who had obtained their explicit permission.

"Hold it right there! You cannot enter this area without permission—"

"Long live the Choigang Jizon Mussang Guild!"

Squelch!

"Aaargh!"

Tae-hyun swung his sword without a shred of hesitation. As long as Kim Tae-san was running amok, any extra chaos Tae-hyun caused would just be pinned on his father anyway!

"Thank you, Father!"

"Ugh..."

The members of the Power Warrior Guild stared at Tae-hyun with absolute dread. To initiate a PK while pretending to be a member of the Choigang Jizon Mussang Guild without even a millisecond of hesitation—the sheer wickedness of this man!

He's even more evil than our own guild leader!

Tae-hyun scooped up the dropped items and tossed them to the guild members behind him. Since they had tagged along specifically to act as pack mules and handle menial chores, they quickly caught and stowed the loot.

Tae-hyun shot them a sideways glance and said,

"I've already counted every single item, so don't even think about pocketing anything."

He's even stingier than our own guild leader!!

It was a hilarious contrast to the terrifying, overwhelming force he had just displayed while vaporizing the Woodstock Guild member a moment ago!

"Hey, we would never do something like that! Especially when you trusted us enough to hand them over, Tae-hyun!"

"Sure, sure. I trust you. I really do."

He looked like a man who didn't believe a single word. Tae-hyun's response was completely half-hearted.

"You definitely don't believe us...!"

"I said I believe you, you punks. Why are you still whining? Do you want me to give you the Cain treatment?"

"Gasp! Anything but that!"

"..."

Listening to the conversation from the side, Cain wore a deeply complicated expression.

"Ah, there they are."

Tae-hyun signaled his party to halt. They were currently at the entrance of the sixth floor. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Across a narrow passageway, a massive party was gathered in a wide-open chamber. A party of this scale on the sixth floor could only belong to the Woodstock Guild Leader.

Did they gather up the members from the fifth floor too? No wonder the place was so empty. Well, it's definitely smarter to group up rather than stay scattered.

Leaving only the guards on the fourth floor, the members from the fifth and sixth floors had clearly consolidated in one place to brainstorm a countermeasure!

"I'm going to go eavesdrop for a bit."

Tae-hyun activated his stealth skill, instantly finding the optimal path forward. His target: the Woodstock Guild's conversation!

Normally, he would have launched an immediate ambush. But the current situation was vastly different from when they first arrived. Kim Tae-san and the Choigang Jizon Mussang Guild were already raiding them! The Woodstock Guild was backed into a corner. Tae-hyun pondered how he could exploit this to his maximum advantage.

Taking only what I need right now is a low-tier move. Creating a leverage point I can exploit later... now that's a high-tier strategy.

He had known for a long time that a massive Guild Alliance had formed, and that several of its leaders viewed him as an absolute eyesore. This was information gathered by the scouts of the Power Warrior Guild!

Mostly bastards like Su Ning.

Fortunately, they were all too selfish to actually cooperate and accomplish anything, but there was still a high chance they would become a nuisance later on. Raw numbers were a formidable power in and of themselves—a lesson Tae-hyun had learned all too well back in Pan-On 1.

Now, what are they talking about?

Looking at the Woodstock Guild Leader and his members, things clearly weren't going well. The leader was stomping around, punching the walls, and cursing out the other guild leaders...

I guess they refused to help.

Tae-hyun nodded in understanding. It was hardly surprising that the other guild leaders had turned them down. Why would anyone help when there was absolutely zero profit involved? Besides, the guild led by his father was by no means a pushover. They might look a bit bizarre on the outside, but they were a guild primarily composed of middle-aged men with endless time and infinite disposable income! In the gaming world, that was practically the ultimate cheat code.

Alright. Shall I make my grand entrance?

Conveniently, the Woodstock Guild Leader was currently screaming Tae-hyun's name in a fit of rage.

"K-Kim Tae-hyun?"

The Woodstock Guild members present blinked in disbelief. There wasn't a single person who didn't recognize Tae-hyun.

Why is that guy here?

The Woodstock Guild Leader pointed a trembling finger at Tae-hyun.

"Y-You...!"

"Yep. I'm sure you know exactly who I am."

"You're the one who planned this raid!"

"..."

The conversation was taking a bizarre turn! Still, it wasn't entirely unreasonable for the Woodstock Guild to jump to conclusions. Tae-hyun and Kim Tae-san were father and son, and Tae-hyun was already notorious for crashing other guilds' operations.

Slightly taken aback, Tae-hyun waved his hands dismissively.

"Uh, no, I didn't?"

"What? If it wasn't you, then who did!"

"That raid has absolutely nothing to do with me. Think about it—if I were part ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of the raid, would I have come down here all by myself? I would've marched down here surrounded by Orcs."

"...!"

When they thought about it, his words made perfect sense. Even so, no one lowered their guard. Such was the weight of his accumulated karma! The Woodstock Guild Leader asked, his eyes filled with deep suspicion,

"Then what are you doing here? Wait, our guild members should have been blocking the entrance on the fourth floor. How did you get past them?"

"Huh? On the fourth floor? There was no one there."

Tae-hyun lied shamelessly, his expression not shifting in the slightest!

"What?!"

"Ah, the Choigang Jizon Mussang members upstairs must have attacked them. They probably got logged out before they could even send you a message."

"T-That can't be...! They've already breached the fourth floor?!"

"Guild Leader! What do we do?!"

"Quiet! I'm trying to think!"

The guild members fell into despair. Tae-hyun smiled warmly and said,

"Don't worry too much. That's exactly why I'm here."

"...And why exactly are you here?"

"Oh, I just have some business on the lower floors of this dungeon."

"Access from the fourth floor down requires our guild's permission..."

"Haha, I was actually planning to ask nicely for permission, but since there was no one guarding the entrance, I just walked right in."

The Guild Leader grimaced at Tae-hyun's shamelessness. He knew it was a blatant lie, but he couldn't afford to pick a fight right now. With Kim Tae-san and his Orcs raging upstairs, the last thing they needed was to add another monstrous enemy to their plate!

Guild Leader, are we really going to let him run his mouth like that?

...Leave him be. Now is not the time to fight.

It was an inexplicable dread of Tae-hyun! To this day, not a single person who fought Tae-hyun had ever met a good end. Knowing this, the Woodstock Guild Leader forced himself to swallow his pride.

I want to tear him apart, but there's bound to be some kind of trap!

"Why did you show yourself to us? What do you want?"

"I'm here because I want to help you guys."

"?"

"????"

Everyone doubted their own ears. What did this guy just say?

"Bwahahaha! You expect us to believe that? We don't need your help! Get lost!"

"Is that so? Well, if you say so..."

Without a moment's hesitation, Tae-hyun turned on his heel. Seeing this, the panicked guild members rushed forward.

"G-Guild Leader, our situation is incredibly dire right now. Since he offered to help, shouldn't we at least hear him out...?"

"Do you actually trust that guy?!"

"No, but there's no harm in at least listening to what he has to say."

"That's right. And I heard rumors that Kim Tae-hyun is actually quite kind-hearted. They say he seems rough on the outside, but he's a warm person deep down..."

"You actually believe those ridiculous rumors?!"

The Guild Leader was utterly flabbergasted, but his cornered guild members were unyielding.

At least hear him out!

The Guild Leader quickly read the room. If he refused to listen now, he would be painted as the villain of his own guild.

Ugh... I really don't want to get involved with him...

After a moment of agonizing hesitation, the Guild Leader finally called out to Tae-hyun.

"Hey! Wait a second!"

But Tae-hyun didn't stop.

"Hey! I said wait a second! Why aren't you answering?!"

"You told me to get lost, so I'm getting lost. I guess I'll just go join my father."

"..."

His petty mind is narrower than a soy sauce dish!

"I-I'm sorry! I spoke too hastily!"

Tae-hyun still didn't stop!

"I was wrong! Please, let's just talk!"

Screeech—

Only then did Tae-hyun halt his steps.

"Alright. Shall we have a chat then?"

With those words, Tae-hyun summoned his party. Led by Cain and Lee Da-bi, the members of the Power Warrior Guild poured out from the shadows with sheepish expressions.

"Where the hell were they hiding?!"

"That's not important right now. Here, let's take a picture first."

Tae-hyun slung his arm over the Woodstock Guild Leader's shoulder.

"What? What are you doing?"

"Hey. Smile. I said, smile."

Click!

"It came out great!"

"?!?!"

Before the Woodstock Guild Leader could even process what was happening, Lee Da-bi snapped the photo.