The Hunting Machine and the Deadweight

Chairman Yoo hurriedly reached out to cover Tae-hyun's mouth. "So you leveled up with your employees, is that it? But where did they all go?"

"We're not traveling together right now."

"..."

"They have their own work to do, don't they?"

"You summoned your employees just to play in a party, and now you say that? It's completely unconvincing... Ah. I get it. You can't get experience points from them anymore, so you went your separate ways."

"...!"

Chairman Yoo was shocked. How did this punk know?!

When his level was low, partying ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠with his relatively high-level employees made his experience points shoot up. But once he quickly caught up and their levels became similar, there wasn't much benefit anymore. In fact, with their levels being similar, Chairman Yoo—who was heavily armed with all kinds of pay-to-win gear—was actually the superior fighter. And so...

"Chairman! We will help you!"

"Ah, no. You guys have work to do. I'll go solo from here."

"We want to help!"

"I said it's fine!"

Chairman Yoo had practically fled from them. Gratitude was gratitude, but when it came to leveling up, he was cold-blooded! He was going to monopolize the experience points all for himself! Tae-hyun had read his innermost thoughts perfectly. He couldn't help but feel embarrassed.

"Ahem, cough..."

"So you came here to hunt demons."

Using Kadalta Castle as a base to hunt the surrounding demons would yield quite a sweet amount of experience.

"Indeed."

"Are you clearing quests?"

"Shouldn't leveling up be the priority?"

"Leveling up is good, but clearing quests is also important. I don't know who you heard that from, but..."

Another direct hit! Chairman Yoo stared at Tae-hyun. Is this guy reading my mind?

When it came to games, Tae-hyun could guess exactly what the other person was thinking and doing! In truth, Chairman Yoo was following the advice of his employees and Secretary General Jung Ji-yong. And what they referenced was usually guide posts on the Pan-On community boards!

Of course, leveling up was the standard of standards, but Tae-hyun's thoughts were different. Skills were extremely important in Pan-On.

Hearing Tae-hyun's words, Chairman Yoo tilted his head. "But doesn't clearing quests make you neglect leveling up?"

If you ran efficient hunting grounds to level up, you couldn't do the necessary quests. But if you cleared quests, the experience points were lower compared to efficient hunting grounds. They were incompatible!

But Tae-hyun answered as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "That's why you have to do quests that give a massive amount of experience."

"..."

Chairman Yoo almost blurted out, Is that even a real answer? but held it back. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Because Tae-hyun had actually been doing exactly that!

"Where do you even find those kinds of quests?"

"Haha. Elder. Who is standing right in front of you?"

Chairman Yoo unconsciously took a step back. Tae-hyun's friendly attitude put him on guard. Last time, he had been tricked by that friendly face and ended up fighting for his life against lava fish in an underground mine!

"If you just follow me, you can do massive quests to your heart's content. Contribution points for the Archisus Church will be a bonus. Haha."

"...I-I'll think about it."

"By the way, who is that person? If they aren't an employee of your company..."

"Ah. Him." Chairman Yoo nodded.

Having sent away Secretary General Jung Ji-yong and his employees, Chairman Yoo had been focusing on hunting alone. Chairman Yoo had long since shed his greenhorn status.

He would wait on the walls of Kadalta Castle, and the moment he got information that demons had appeared in the field, he would rush out to hunt, then return to Kadalta Castle to repair his gear and restock his items! Right now, Chairman Yoo was a hunting machine who had staked his life on efficient leveling.

But suddenly, someone called out to him.

"Excuse me, Chairman."

"...?"

Not many people in the game knew he was a chairman. Chairman Yoo whipped his head around. The one who spoke was...

"Executive Director Kim?"

"Yes! You recognize me! Haha!"

"What are you doing here?"

"I heard you were playing Pan-On and came right over! Wouldn't it be lonely playing by yourself? I thought I'd keep you company!"

"Uh... well..." Chairman Yoo trailed off.

Looking at Executive Director Kim, he was clearly a complete newbie who knew absolutely nothing about Pan-On. Keeping him company? He would be of zero help! He had even left behind his high-level employees just to hunt efficiently, and now a massive deadweight had appeared.

"...What level are you?"

"Yes? Ah, hold on. I'm level 1!"

"...Right..."

"Chairman! If you go fishing, I will carry your bag!"

Chairman Yoo let out a deep sigh. Executive Director Kim wasn't a bad person. He was just incredibly dense! Because he knew nothing about Pan-On, he thought he was helping Chairman Yoo.

"And?"

"And so we've been traveling together ever since!" Chairman Yoo shouted at Tae-hyun, feeling frustrated.

Even earlier when the demons appeared, Executive Director Kim was useless.

"Argh! Argh! Aaack! Chairman! Run away!" He had only stomped his feet and screamed. In reality, Chairman Yoo had hunted all the demons himself.

"Tsk tsk... You should have cut loose useless deadweight quickly..."

"That's easier said than done, you brat."

Chairman Yoo smacked his lips and glanced at Executive Director Kim. He was dense, yet petty, so if he got upset, it would last a long time! It wasn't that he lacked ability in real life, but honestly, he was just annoying to deal with.

Nothing good ever happens when I hang out with Executive Director Kim!

While they were talking, Executive Director Kim was staring intently at Tae-hyun. This young man who seemed unusually close to Chairman Yoo! Who on earth was he?

I should look into him.

Since Executive Director Kim had no interest in games, he had no idea who Tae-hyun was. He was basically a dense bas—no, a dense Executive Director Kim, but even he could feel it. Chairman Yoo really loves Pan-On!

A person who just came to experience virtual reality and fish wouldn't be swinging a weapon to decapitate demons. Chairman Yoo's aggressive combat style wasn't that of a fisherman, but a battle-hardened warrior who had rolled through countless battlefields!

Just like Secretary General Jung Ji-yong had thought, Executive Director Kim was thinking similarly. I'll investigate Pan-On, and I'll investigate that young man too... This is my chance to stand out!

Meanwhile, the cart led by Tae-hyun arrived at its destination. It was the fortress of a guild that was reasonably friendly with the Woodstock Guild Leader.

"Can I drop you off here?"

"Y-Yes. Thank you."

The Woodstock Guild Leader shook Tae-hyun's hand. So much had happened today that his mind was in a whirl. Losing his fortress, being betrayed by the Guild Alliance, being saved by Tae-hyun, being attacked by Su Ning...

Still, it wasn't the absolute worst-case scenario. The guild members, including himself, were perfectly fine without any death penalties. The damage was severe, but they could somehow start over! Thinking this, a wave of gratitude toward Tae-hyun washed over him.

"Thank you so much. Thanks to you..."

"Well, you should be even more grateful."

"..."

One could ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠never expect reactions like "It was nothing" or "No need to thank me" from Tae-hyun. Be even more grateful!

"...Y-Yes." The Woodstock Guild Leader nodded with a slightly sour expression.

At that moment, a quest window popped up for everyone present.

"..."

"..."

Everyone present stared blankly at Tae-hyun. Their eyes said, What are you going to do ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠about this?

Gathering the demon army to torment Su Ning was fine, but he had gone too far, and now the scale of the quest had ballooned.

Tae-hyun shrugged. "Guess I'll have to go to another kingdom."

"...Hey!"

An attitude that instantly evaporated any gratitude they had felt a moment ago!

However, Tae-hyun was also contemplating inwardly. He clicked his tongue. If it's Galgral, it's that guy, right?

The demon who served under Adad in the Demon Realm as a gatekeeper. That demon had terrible compatibility with Tae-hyun. He didn't listen to human words at all and only did his own thing, so the Speech skill didn't work well on him. And now that guy had descended.

He's going to run wild like a mindless beast.

He could already picture it. The demon would go around destroying everything while shouting, "Show yourself, Archisus!"

To prevent him from coming down to the Atali Kingdom... we have to finish him in the Auston Kingdom!

Just like during the Great Orc Offensive, to protect his weak and fragile territory... he had to fight in another kingdom. Of course, the players of that other kingdom would think differently!

For now, Tae-hyun wanted to leave. He wanted to obtain his Authority skill. If he used the item in front of the Woodstock Guild, other people might notice.

Wait, did Kim Tae-hyun use something he brought out of the dungeon earlier? Was that actually a good item? There was no need to invite such suspicion.

"Well, see you later."

"W-Wait! You got the demon quest too!"

"I did."

"Let's clear it together! This is impossible to do alone!"

"No thanks. I'm confident I can clear it alone."

"No! Think about it again!"

"Even if I think about it again, I'm confident."

"I'm telling you, you can't!"

The Woodstock Guild Leader grabbed Tae-hyun's pant leg and clung to him. To recover from the damage of losing their fortress, they needed to hit the jackpot. The descent of the demon Galgral was a massive crisis, but at the same time, an opportunity.

However, they lacked the confidence to fight with their currently damaged forces. Moreover, the Su Ning Guild would be gnashing their teeth at the Woodstock Guild. Technically, it was Su Ning's fault, but such logic wouldn't work on a Su Ning who had already lost his mind with rage!

The only option left was to team up with Tae-hyun.

"I'll support you with everything you need! You like making bombs, right? I'll buy all the materials from the auction house for you!"

"Why are you talking about me like I'm some kind of terrorist?"

Aren't you? Cain thought to himself.

The Woodstock Guild Leader threw away his pride and clung to him. He looked ready to pull out his own house's pillars to give to Tae-hyun!

"Hmm, well, then maybe I'll think about it..."

Tae-hyun trailed off, pretending to give in.

"...!"

At those words, the Woodstock Guild Leader's eyes lit up. He had taken the bait. Tae-hyun saying that meant there was a chance they could clear it together depending on what they did!

"Wow... Tae-hyun, that little rascal, seriously..."

Kim Tae-san muttered as he watched the video. The video of Kadalta Castle burning!

As someone who managed a territory, seeing that made a shiver run down his spine. Su Ning was probably crying tears of blood right now. Kim Tae-san would have suffered a massive blow too if he had followed further. Tae-hyun was the type of guy who, if things went south, would unleash a demon army on Kim Tae-san's territory instead of Su Ning's!

Fortunately, Su Ning was there to take the hit, but if not...

How do I get revenge on him?

Kim Tae-san crossed his arms, lost in thought. Kim Tae-san, whose territory was in the Auston Kingdom, was at a disadvantage compared to Tae-hyun, whose territory was in the Atali Kingdom. The Auston Kingdom had more enemies and worse public security. If they attacked each other's territories, Kim Tae-san was highly likely to suffer the loss.

Vrrr—

While he was worrying, his phone rang. It was an unknown number. Kim Tae-san answered. A tense voice came through the receiver.