The Accidental Commander

Thinking back to Galgral's personality, it seemed highly likely. If his subordinates were getting slaughtered without even being able to capture a single fortress, a demon like Galgral would undoubtedly fly into a rage and charge out himself.

Tae-hyun clenched his fists. If he just left them to their own devices, the demons would throw themselves against the fortress walls and perish, which would eventually draw Galgral out...

If I play my cards right, I can get a free ride here.

The reason Tae-hyun had stepped forward to hunt Galgral wasn't because he was relying on rankers like Lee Se-yeon and Kim Chul-soo, or the support of the Woodstock Guild. He did it because he was confident in his own abilities. Such alliances were fickle and could change at any moment! The only thing Tae-hyun truly trusted was his own skill.

Besides, I still have that...

Even if everything went south in the worst-case scenario, he could still fire the newly crafted Orichalcum Arrow using Lucky Strike. With his Luck stat triggering a massive damage buff, it was currently Tae-hyun's strongest burst-damage option!

However, Tae-hyun didn't want to use it. He already had enough on his plate with so many people trying to kill him; he didn't want to waste such a valuable trump card on Galgral. The best-case scenario was defeating the demon without using it at all!

That was why he had called in Lee Se-yeon and Kim Chul-soo, taking this seemingly roundabout, difficult path. If he could drag other major guilds into the mess as well, the chances of taking down Galgral without spending his precious arrow would skyrocket.

We let the other guilds wear Galgral down. Once he's sufficiently exhausted and wounded, Se-yeon and I will swoop in for the kill. And while we're at it, I can force Se-yeon to reveal her Authority skill...

Having quickly finished his calculations, Tae-hyun waved his hand and shouted.

"All-out attack! Smash that fortress to pieces! In the name of the great Lord Galgral! Long live Lord Galgral!"

A cold system message popped up. Tae-hyun simply shrugged. He had expected as much anyway. Since his rank within the demonic faction was low, whatever he said would have a weakened effect on the demons.

It's not like I'm actually trying to capture the fortress. I just want to exhaust these demons so Galgral will show up.

It didn't matter if the buff applied to the demons was weak! However, Tae-hyun was overlooking one crucial detail: just how many skills he possessed that were perfectly suited for this exact situation!

"Huh? Wait, what?"

After the endless stream of bonus messages—so many that it was hard to read them all—finally stopped, the demons in front of the fortress began to move with rapid, precise coordination.

"What's wrong with the demons?"

"They've been buffed!"

The players atop the fortress walls stared in sheer horror. The demons were behaving exactly as they would under the influence of a massive area-of-effect buff! A crimson aura flared around the demonic horde, and they began preparing their assault in perfect, clockwork unison. The players on the ramparts panicked.

"What the hell? Who's buffing them?"

"I didn't see anyone casting magic!"

If there was a demon casting an AoE buff, they planned to snipe it immediately. But no such spellcasting could be seen. They couldn't possibly imagine that Tae-hyun had granted such a massive area buff using nothing but his silver tongue. Then again, even Tae-hyun hadn't expected this, so their confusion was only natural.

"What did you do to make the demons act like this?!" Lee Da-bi cried.

"N-nothing. I just told them not to die too quickly..."

"Just how high did you raise your Speech skill?!"

Tae-hyun was too flustered to answer her. This situation was completely outside his calculations!

Boom! Crash!

The flying demons initiated the assault. Soaring through the air, they rained hellfire orbs down onto the fortress. This was nothing like the chaotic, disorganized attacks typical of wild monsters in this area. They were divided into distinct ranks—first wave, second wave, third wave—striking and retreating in a relentless, storm-like rotation! Terrified by the sudden tactical shift, the players on the walls ducked for cover.

Crash! Boom!

"More shields! The ramparts are getting obliterated!"

"Archers! Focus on the flying ones first! At this rate, all our defensive structures are going to get wiped out!"

"Who the hell is buffing these demons?! Why hasn't anyone found them yet?!"

No one suspected that this chaos was tied to a speech-related skill. There was simply no way for the players to know that combining Advanced Rhetoric with various related titles could produce such a terrifyingly powerful synergy.

Yet, there was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠still someone among the defenders who managed to guess the truth.

"Could it be Kim Tae-hyun?"

"Look, Kim Tae-hyun is right over there! Maybe he used some kind of skill?"

If something is suspicious, blame Kim Tae-hyun!

If Cain or Jekas had heard this, they would have clapped and called it an excellent rule of thumb. However, the players currently defending the fortress still possessed a modicum of common sense.

"Is Kim Tae-hyun a mage?! Find the caster!"

"The buffing demon must have low defense and health, so it's probably using stealth! Tear all your detection scrolls! We have to find it!"

While the players desperately searched for a nonexistent demon mage, the demonic forces steadily chipped away at the fortress's defenses.

Screeech!

In the sky, the flying demons unleashed wave after wave of attacks. Grrr, growl! At the base of the fortress walls, burrowing demons began tunneling beneath the earth. At the same time, massive, hulking demons slammed their heavy fists against the stone ramparts.

It was a dizzying, relentless onslaught. The defending players had never faced such a flawlessly coordinated demonic assault. And that wasn't all.

"Let's go! Charge! Let's make those Su Ning bastards suffer the exact same fate we did!"

At the Woodstock Guild Leader's battle cry, his guild members eagerly charged forward.

"Hey! We just need to buy time! Don't overdo it!" Tae-hyun yelled, but his voice was drowned out by the deafening din of battle. The Woodstock Guild Leader turned to one of his members.

"What did Kim Tae-hyun say?"

"I think he told us to give it our all and capture the fortress this time!"

"Really? Excellent! Let's show Kim Tae-hyun what our guild is truly capable of!"

The Woodstock Guild members charged with even greater fervor. Watching them, Tae-hyun slapped his forehead.

"Those absolute dumbasses..."

His plan had been to stall for time, let the demons get whittled down, and then draw Galgral out. Why on earth were they fighting so ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠uselessly well?! Both the demons and the Woodstock Guild were performing at over 110% of their usual capabilities.

No, wait. If the defenders keep their heads and hold the fortress, the situation will change!

The demons seemed to be pushing hard, but objectively speaking, the defenders still held the advantage. If they kept their composure and held their ground, they would easily win. However, the players inside the fortress completely betrayed ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Tae-hyun's hopes.

"How are we supposed to fight in a place like this?! I'm out of here!"

"Wait for me!"

Having joined the defense on a whim, the players immediately began to flee the moment the tide turned against them. It started with just one or two solo players, but as time passed, others began looking around and slipping away. The desertion quickly ruined the defenders' morale.

That wasn't the only issue.

"The ones buffing the demons are hiding among them! Let's go kill them!"

"This is definitely Kim Tae-hyun's doing! If we attack him, the buff will stop!"

Instead of holding the fortress, some players decided to launch a counteroffensive. Unable to handle the mounting pressure, they had snapped. Of course, they had correctly identified the culprit!

"What are they doing?! Stop them! If they go out now, they'll get slaughtered!"

"W-we tried to stop them, but they won't listen!"

Ignoring the desperate pleas of their guildmates, several players threw open the fortress gates and charged out.

Thud, thud, thud!

A Knight player leading the charge activated a charge skill, sending the surrounding demons flying.

"Kim Tae-hyun!"

"Guys, calm down—?!"

Tae-hyun blinked as he watched the fortress gates swing open. Are they insane? Why would they open the gates and charge out in this situation? It made absolutely no sense, but the charging players were heading straight for him.

Lucky Strike! Lucky Strike! Shadow Dive! Strong Strike! Bomb Use! Whirling Gale!

Without a single second of hesitation, his skill combo unleashed in rapid succession. Regardless of what his brain was thinking, Tae-hyun's body reacted with honest, instinctual precision. He moved in the most efficient way possible to eliminate the threat.

"Aaargh!"

Relying on his high defense, the Knight player who had charged forward was instantly brought down. Stepping on the collapsing Knight's shoulder, Tae-hyun leaped into the air and continued his relentless assault.

Sadiq's Flame Arrow!

The fiery projectile streaked through the air. A player who had felt safe due to the distance screamed as a critical hit notification flashed before their eyes.

"Kim Tae-hyun! You absolute bastard! What kind of grudge do you have against us to keep doing this to us since Abalab City?!"

It was the resentful cry of a Su Ning Guild member. Hearing that voice, Tae-hyun actually felt a tiny pang of guilt.

Back in Abalab City, he had tricked Edaor into leading a demon army to crush the Su Ning Guild and others. And now, here in the Auston Kingdom, he had tricked Galgral into leading another demon army to crush the Su Ning Guild once again. To suffer a humiliating defeat that would make anyone kick their blankets in frustration for the rest of their lives—not once, but twice!

"Hey, I was actually planning to just fake it and run away this time! Seriously!" Tae-hyun yelled back, player-killing yet another opponent in the process.

"You expect me to believe—aargh!"

Making excuses with his mouth while ruthlessly PK'ing with his hands, Tae-hyun drew dumbfounded stares from Cain and Lee Da-bi.

"Wouldn't it be better if he just killed them quietly?"

"He's ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠definitely doing that just to make them angrier!"

If they had held their ground, they might have stood a chance. But with some fleeing and others throwing open the gates to fight, the fortress fell into utter chaos. As the demons poured through the open gates and ran amok, more and more players began to desert. In the end...

The Woodstock Guild members immediately activated the skill. In an instant, their muscles swelled, and their race transformed into demons.

"Look at this! My stats shot way up!"

"The racial stats for demons are insane!"

Watching them, Tae-hyun let out a deep sigh.

"...Use your brains before you activate a skill!"

"Huh?"

"Wait, isn't it a good thing to become a demon? Sure, there's an Infamy penalty, but since we're already part of the army... wouldn't it be better to have higher stats?"

"Do you have any idea what kind of penalties you'll face as a demon when we actually fight Galgral? It's not like we're staying in this army forever. We might have to fight Galgral right away."

"Ah...!"

The Woodstock Guild members gasped as realization finally dawned on them. Tae-hyun turned to the Woodstock Guild Leader and asked,

"Why are your guild members so incredibly thoughtless—"

"..."

The Woodstock Guild Leader stared back awkwardly. He had been the very first one to transform into a demon.