A Meeting of Slaves and Zealots
Burford wanted to ask, "What on earth are you two talking about?" but he knew that doing so would only earn him a scolding from Tae-hyun. So, he held his tongue. If there was one thing he had gained during his time in the Sadiq Church, it was situational awareness! It was a survival instinct forged from being kicked around from pillar to post.
"Paladins and priests of the Sadiq Church, huh..."
"There are even high-ranking paladins and priests among them."
"I-is that so?" Tae-hyun was slightly intrigued. High-ranking paladins and priests! To be honest, the current NPCs of the Akisus Church were far too weak to be considered actual military assets. The paladins were somewhat decent—at least on par with common mercenaries. But the priests were the real problem. The divine magic that low-ranking Akisus priests could cast was... well, incredibly weak.
Luck-related magic didn't yield immediate, visible results. This was especially true for lower-tier spells. Such magic only displayed devastating power because Tae-hyun, who held the highest-tier divine class, was the one casting it. When low-ranking priests cast them, they only produced subtle, negligible effects. Divine magic with low or completely randomized effects—this was a massive weakness for priests who were supposed to serve as reliable healers.
Of course, this wasn't an issue for the players who visited his territory just to play the gacha, but Tae-hyun wanted a proper military force. He wanted a holy knight order or a priesthood that sounded intimidating just by name, like the other churches had! The noble knights currently stationed in his territory were a one-time-use asset. He needed to secure as much permanent military power as possible.
But even now, maintaining the current NPCs drains gold like water...
Under these circumstances, the offer of high-ranking paladins and priests from the Sadiq Church surrendering en masse was incredibly tempting.
However, Burford seemed to misunderstand the silence and spoke up in a panic. "If we are allowed into the Akisus Church, I promise we won't use a single skill from the Sadiq Church! We will learn Akisus skills from scratch!"
Slap. Tae-hyun slung an arm over Burford's shoulder.
"?"
"Don't say such horrifying things."
"?!?!?"
"Just keep using your Sadiq skills. I won't say a word."
Whoosh— A freezing wind howled from all directions.
The surrounding temperature is extremely low. A status penalty has been applied.
⚠️ Warning: Prolonged exposure may cause frostbite.
Freezing winds whipped from every direction! Heavy snow poured from the sky, and there was nothing but ice as far as the eye can see. Every time they caught a glimpse of a giant yeti or an ice giant lumbering on a distant hill, their hearts leaped into their throats.
They had no idea where they were. Fighting unfamiliar monsters without any party members to heal or deal damage was pure suicide. To make matters worse, the monsters looked incredibly powerful, and they were taking constant penalties just by standing still!
Executive Director Kim, who was clinging tightly to Cain's back, shrieked in terror at the sudden change of scenery. "W-what on earth is going on?!"
"Ah, just stay still for a second! What do I do..."
As Cain racked his brain, a certain skill came to mind. A skill to locate his master... no, Tae-hyun! It was a powerful skill that would even allow him to teleport to Tae-hyun's side, provided he paid a price. Wherever they were, it was clearly a massive distance away from Tae-hyun. It was freezing. The price he would have to pay would undoubtedly be astronomical, but...
Still, it's better than staying here, right?
Crack—
"Huh?"
Craaaack—
"Uh? Uh?? Uhhh???"
Shatter! The icy ground beneath them instantly fractured and began to collapse.
"Aaaaaah...!" His reaction was too slow to fly away on the motorcycle. Cain and Executive Director Kim plummeted beneath the ice, screaming at the top of their lungs.
"Gasp, pant... I thought I was a goner..."
Fortunately, thanks to the motorcycle, they managed to avoid falling to their deaths. Cain had high Constitution, so a fall like this wouldn't have killed him, but Executive Director Kim was a different story.
More importantly, a dungeon. They really weren't kidding when they said an unlucky guy breaks his nose even when falling backward...
Of all places, they had teleported onto a patch of thin ice. The ice had shattered, revealing the entrance to a hidden dungeon, and Cain had been forcibly dragged inside.
Under normal circumstances, stumbling into a dungeon like this would be considered a stroke of incredible luck. After all, they had just discovered a hidden dungeon that others would spend days searching for. But that was only true when one had the luxury of actually clearing it. Cain had no such luxury right now. He just wanted to go back!
Master, where are you!
This skill cannot be used inside the dungeon.
"...!" The skill he was prepared to pay a heavy price to use was blocked instantly. Cain fell into despair. Why was this happening to him...!
Come to think of it, wasn't this all because of that motorcycle? What on earth did that bastard Kim Tae-hyun put inside this thing! He wouldn't even be surprised if the motorcycle suddenly exploded or transformed into a living creature.
The interior of the dungeon was made entirely of ice. The floor was ice, the walls of the passage were ice, and the pillars were ice. The freezing cold was just as relentless, and system messages kept popping up.
The surrounding temperature is extremely low. A status penalty has been applied.
⚠️ Warning: Prolonged exposure may cause frostbite.
"First, let's light a fire..." Whoosh! As he struck a light, the dark surroundings brightened slightly, allowing him to see past the end of the passage. And beyond the passage... there were people.
"!!" Cain immediately drew his weapon. There was a ninety-nine percent chance that anyone encountered in a dungeon like this was an enemy!
"W-what is it?" A panicked Executive Director Kim shrank behind Cain. At the sound of his voice, the people beyond the passage spotted Cain as well.
"Who goes there!" "An intruder!" Pitter-patter— People were moving rapidly! They certainly weren't players. Cain watched them with tense, wary eyes.
Could he handle all these enemies roaming around by himself? If it were Tae-hyun, it would have been a piece of cake, but he was not Tae-hyun. Ironically, traveling with a monster like Tae-hyun had made Cain keenly aware of his own limitations. It was thanks to this self-awareness that he was able to remain relatively calm in this situation.
Should I run?
"Identify yourself, or we will attack!"
"...!" Cain let out a quiet sigh of relief at their words. Since they hadn't attacked immediately, they were NPCs capable of dialogue. Of course, that didn't mean he was safe. They were merely open to conversation; if he failed to persuade them, they would turn hostile in an instant!
In a situation like this, he missed Tae-hyun more than ever. If Tae-hyun and his Devil's Tongue skill were here, they would have slipped past without a hitch...
"W-well, you see, what happened was..." Cain began to stammer out an explanation. He had been suddenly teleported here, the ice had broken, and he had fallen into the dungeon!
You have failed to convince the target.
The target is highly suspicious of you.
"Do you honestly expect us to believe that!"
"Ugh...!" Cain gritted his teeth. As expected, he couldn't pull it off like Kim Tae-hyun! If it came to this, he had no choice but to fight.
Blessing of Akisus's Patience, Faith of the Loyal Slave!
As he activated his skills, a brilliant light burst from Cain's body. It was easy to underestimate him because of his class name, Akisus's Slave, but Cain was a genuine Ranker! Both his level and class were well within the average range of a Ranker.
"Wait, that is!" "?" Cain was puzzled when the opponents hesitated instead of launching an attack. Why were they stopping?
"You. Which god do you worship?" "What?" "Answer me! Who do you believe in!" "Uh... Akisus?"
Thud! The leader slammed his staff onto the icy ground. Executive Director Kim, cowering behind Cain, shrieked in surprise. "Eek!"
"Oh! The guidance of Lord Akisus has reached this place! O great Lord Akisus!" "Oh! Akisus! Oh!" "...???"
As the man who appeared to be the leader shouted, the others also began chanting, "Oh, Akisus, oh!" Cain grew increasingly bewildered. Who on earth were these people?
"I am Galakpad, a faithful servant of Akisus."
"Ah... I-I am also a faithful servant!"
"Yes. A slave of Akisus. I know who you are."
"..." It was technically true, but hearing it from someone else's mouth felt incredibly insulting.
"Do you know Lord Kim Tae-hyun, the true Avatar of Akisus?"
"O-of course I do! Who do you think I got my class change from!"
"Indeed. Excellent, slave." Galakpad nodded with a satisfied expression. Cain felt his mood souring further.
"...My name isn't slave, it's Cain..."
"So, slave, where is Lord Kim Tae-hyun?"
"Kim Tae-hyun is currently in the Auston Kingdom..."
Thwack!
You have been struck by Sarat's Five-Light Magic.
You are unable to move.
"How dare you! A mere slave speaking so insolently! Even if Lord Tae-hyun is not present, how dare you speak his name so casually!"
W-what? Cain stared forward in disbelief. He had been hit without even sensing the magic being cast. It was absurdly fast! Though his body was completely frozen, his eyes still worked.
Galakpad was just standing there. In fact, Galakpad didn't look particularly strong. He was just an old man in a common robe holding a staff. The magic had come from the people beside him. They were also wearing robes like Galakpad, but their bodies were completely covered. Are they mages?
"Have you learned your lesson now?"
"N-no, it's just that I'm close with Kim Tae-hyun..."
"Insolent fool! Still speaking out of turn! It seems we must teach you some manners first!"
"Aaargh!" Cain's worst fears came true as Galakpad actually began to attack. Cain screamed as his HP rapidly depleted. It was absurd. He had never been beaten so helplessly before. Cain tried to use various skills to escape, but they all failed.
Resistance failed. You remain immobilized.
Just how powerful was this magic! "I-I'm sorry! I was wrong!" Ultimately, Cain surrendered. It was pure humiliation! But even though he had survived against top rankers, he didn't want to die here to some Akisus NPCs.
"Very well. It seems you've finally come to your senses. Now, who do you worship?" The spear was then pointed at Executive Director Kim.
"U-uh, I don't have a religion?"
"...Kill him!"
"Akisus! I'll worship Akisus!" Executive Director Kim, who had been called a clueless idiot his entire life, was rapidly leveling up his situational awareness stat since starting Pan-On.
Galakpad nodded. "Indeed. There is only one true god, and that is Akisus! All other gods are nothing but pathetic frauds, fit only to be slaughtered and used as fertilizer for the Temple of Akisus!"
If NPCs of other churches heard this, a subjugation quest would have popped up immediately! Cain's jaw dropped in sheer disbelief. What kind of absolute lunatic is this? But right now, he couldn't oppose Galakpad.
"U-um, Lord Galakpad." "What is it?" "W-what brings you to this place?" "We have come to seek the ancient authority of the great Lord Akisus."
"I-I see. Should I call that bastard Tae-hyun... I mean, Lord Kim Tae-hyun?"
"How dare a mere slave—!"
"I-I mean, should I contact Lord Kim Tae-hyun?"
"Hmm. Yes, you aren't completely brainless, it seems. This ruin restricts certain magics, but once we pass the next section, you will be able to use them. Contact him then."
"Yes, sir!"
I'm saved! Cain cheered internally. It seemed that once they reached the next area, whispers would work again. Once he got in touch with Tae-hyun, he could say goodbye to these absolute lunatics!