Proving Worth to the Demon Army

"Aren't you a human?"

The demon warrior guarding the gate stared at Tae-hyun, utterly dumbfounded. To a demon who looked down on humans as mere insects, Tae-hyun's words sounded like a joke. If not for Tae-hyun's Speech skill, the demons would have torn him to shreds on the spot.

"You certainly have a slick tongue, but we do not allow filthy humans into our ranks. Die."

"Wait!"

The winged demons Tae-hyun had brought along stepped forward. Recognizing their own kind, the demon warrior hesitated.

"This human helped us open the gates of Kadalta Castle so that Lord Galgral could descend! We believe he has more than proven his worth to join the demon army!"

"What? You were the ones who opened the gates of Kadalta Castle?"

To think he would use the fact that he turned Kadalta Castle into a living hell to his advantage like this! The demon warrior pondered for a moment, then nodded.

"Very well! I permit your entry into our ranks. In the name of the great Lord Galgral!"

"In the name of the great Lord Galgral!"

"Ah. And there are other humans behind me who wish to join the demon army as well. Please grant them permission!"

"Granted!"

The players waiting behind them walked forward with dazed expressions. Only when the system notifications popped up, confirming they had joined the demon army, did the reality of the situation finally sink in.

"M-My Infamy is skyrocketing...?"

"How are we supposed to fix this later?"

Their Infamy had soared simply by joining the demon army. Tae-hyun could suppress the negative effects with his absurdly high Reputation stat, but the others didn't have that luxury.

"Just keep walking. Don't stop! The demons are watching us!"

And so, they marched proudly through the main gates.

"Hold on..."

"...!"

One of the demon warriors grabbed Cain. Startled, Cain shot a panicked look at Tae-hyun. Tae-hyun's heart skipped a beat as well.

Ah, crap. Should I have left Cain behind?

Since Tae-hyun was using Disguise, he could hide his holy power, but Cain was a different story. However, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Cain wasn't caught.

"I like your nose and ears. For a human, that is!"

"...Th-thank you?"

It turned out the demons were talking to him because of the Demon's Nose and Ears Cain was wearing (forcibly). And that gatekeeper wasn't the only one.

"Oh, a human with a decent nose and ears? Impressive."

"Do you have demon blood in you? Those are some fine ears and a nose."

Demons kept complimenting him as they passed by! Cain's expression grew incredibly complicated.

"Huh? He made it inside the castle? Impressive," Lee Se-yeon muttered, her eyes widening in surprise.

Infiltrating the castle ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was no small feat. The place had to be crawling with high-level demons. Evading them while maintaining stealth was an incredibly difficult task. But that wasn't all.

"He brought the Woodstock Guild members inside too?! How?!"

Bringing an entire group of players along was mind-boggling. She couldn't help but wonder what kind of trick he had pulled.

"..."

Once she heard the full story, Lee Se-yeon was left completely speechless. She immediately sent a whisper to Tae-hyun.

Lee Se-yeon fell silent at Tae-hyun's absurd excuse. What was he planning?

Tae-hyun's scheme was simple: If things go south, I'll use them as human shields to create chaos.

If Tae-hyun had entered alone and got discovered by Galgral or attacked by other demons, his options would be severely limited. The sole reason he brought the Woodstock Guild members along was to use them as convenient human bombs in an emergency!

And knowing Se-yeon's personality, even if she'd leave me to rot, she won't just sit back and watch the Woodstock Guild get wiped out here.

If Tae-hyun got into trouble inside Kadalta Castle, Se-yeon would probably just say, "You're smart, you'll figure it out." But if he dragged an entire guild into danger with him, she would be forced to intervene.

It was a completely untrustworthy response.

"Whoa... there really are a ton of demons here," muttered Tae-hyun's party as they huddled in a corner of Kadalta Castle.

All kinds of grotesque demons were roaming around. Having just joined, they were at the absolute bottom of the hierarchy. Since they hadn't accumulated any contribution points yet, they were treated as mere grunts.

"Now that I think about it, didn't you have a demon summoning skill, Tae-hyun?" Lee Da-bi asked.

"I do. But I can't use it."

"...?"

"I've made some bitter enemies in the Demon Realm. If a demon from their faction gets summoned..."

"Ah..."

There was a very good reason he didn't use the skill despite going through the trouble of acquiring it. Upon hearing his explanation, Lee Da-bi looked at Tae-hyun with eyes full of pity.

The Woodstock Guild Leader looked around anxiously and asked, "What do we do now?"

There wasn't a hint of complaint in his voice. To be honest, he was utterly amazed. He couldn't believe they had actually managed to join the demon army!

When Tae-hyun had first marched confidently toward the front gates, the guild leader had thought he was insane. But seeing the results, his perspective had completely shifted. Ah, so this is how Kim Tae-hyun cleared all those massive quests! He was at the very top because he knew how to solve problems in ways no ordinary player would ever dream of.

If I just do exactly what Kim Tae-hyun says, we can definitely take down Galgral! I'm sure of it!

"We wait here."

"...Huh? Just wait? Doing nothing?"

"If we wait, an opening will present itself. Galgral isn't the type of demon to just sit still. In the meantime, keep an eye on the demons surrounding him and take notes. We'll need that info for the raid. Besides, we won't be doing 'nothing' for long."

"...?"

"Since we joined the army, we're bound to get a faction quest soon."

"Y-You want us to clear quests given by demons?"

"Or at least pretend to. We have to look like we're trying, otherwise they might kick us out."

If a low-ranking grunt failed to perform, any faction would expel them. A demonic faction would undoubtedly be even more ruthless.

The Woodstock Guild Leader turned to Cain with a bewildered face. "Is it really okay for us to do quests for demons?"

"Why not?"

Having followed Tae-hyun around for so long, Cain was already desensitized to these kinds of absurd scenarios. The guild leader then looked at Lee Da-bi.

But a demon quest is a bit much, isn't it?

"Who cares! As long as the rewards are good, it doesn't matter if they're demons or whatever!"

She's not sane either!

Desperate to find a normal person, the Woodstock Guild Leader looked around and spotted Chairman Yoo.

"Sir, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠don't you think doing quests for demons is crossing a line?"

"Does it not give EXP?"

"Well, of course it gives EXP, but..."

"Then that's all that matters. We clear it!"

"..."

Am I the crazy one here?!

The Woodstock Guild Leader couldn't believe his ears. Just joining the demon army had brought massive penalties, from skyrocketing Infamy to a forced skill application. Clearing their quests on top of that? It might be fine now, but the long-term consequences could be disastrous.

Do these people not care about penalties at all?

Tring! At that moment, a quest window popped up before them.

"Where is Jenan Fortress again?"

"It's a fortress nearby. I believe the Suning Guild owns it," Lee Da-bi replied.

"Oh dear, Su Ning again? I really try my best not to pick on him, but somehow things always end up like this."

"Your kindness is your greatest flaw, Tae-hyun!"

"Haha. I suppose I am a bit too soft-hearted."

Listening to their conversation, the Woodstock Guild Leader stared blankly. Noticing his expression, Tae-hyun spoke up.

"If you feel uncomfortable doing a demon quest, you don't have to participate. We can clear it on our own. Just showing up should prevent your reputation from dropping. If you're scared of the penalties, just sit tight."

"...No!"

"...?"

"If it's the Suning Guild, we are absolutely ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠attacking!!"

The Woodstock Guild Leader did a complete 180. Penalties be damned, if it was the Suning Guild's territory, he was going to tear it down! My territory got destroyed, so yours should get trashed too!

Watching this, Tae-hyun thought to himself: I don't even have to do anything, and their relationship is already deteriorating at a breakneck pace. For Tae-hyun, it was a win-win situation where he didn't have to lift a finger. Keep fighting, boys!

"Everyone, get ready! We're going to crush the Suning Guild!"

"Yeahhhhh!"

Seeing the Woodstock Guild members suddenly fired up, Lee Da-bi whispered.

"But wasn't it our guild that destroyed Woodstock's territory in the first place? Why do they hate Su Ning so much?"

"It's the classic 'get slapped in Jongno, vent your anger at the Han River' mentality. Just leave them be. They're doing great on their own."

Lee Se-yeon, Kim Chul-soo, and the remaining guild members watched the distant horde of demons on the move, utterly dumbfounded.

Tae-hyun was genuinely frustrated. He hadn't targeted Su Ning on purpose, but once this quest was over, everyone would undoubtedly think exactly like Lee Se-yeon. Kim Tae-hyun incited a demon horde to attack Su Ning!

"What on earth is wrong with you?!" the Suning Guild members shouted down from the fortress walls, staring at Tae-hyun. Their faces were a perfect picture of sheer, unadulterated disbelief.

The guy who was supposed to be leading a raid against Galgral had suddenly marched up to their fortress alongside a demon army! What in the world had happened to lead to this? On top of that, he wasn't alone. Standing right beside him were the Woodstock Guild Leader and his members.

"Has the Woodstock Guild lost its mind?! You're teaming up with demons to attack us?!"

"Shut up! You bastards didn't lift a finger to help us when we were down!"

While the Woodstock Guild Leader and the Suning Guild members traded fierce insults, Tae-hyun carefully scanned Jenan Fortress.

...This is going to be tough.

For a small outpost, Jenan Fortress was incredibly well-fortified. They had clearly rushed to reinforce it the moment news of Galgral's appearance broke. Furthermore, there was an unusually high number of players stationed there. It wasn't just the Suning Guild.

Players from the surrounding areas have gathered here too.

Hunting demons was a prime opportunity for EXP and loot. For guilds worried that Galgral's army might raid their own territories next, this fortress was the perfect battlefield. Let's use another guild's fortress as a shield and thin out the demon ranks! Their interests had aligned perfectly.

In contrast, the demons attacking the fortress were relatively weak, low-tier grunts. Charging headfirst into a fortress packed with players fully prepared for anti-demon combat would result in a total wipeout.

Wait... if we drag things out here, won't Galgral eventually show up himself?