The Madman of Odan Castle

"What?!"

"What the hell are you talking about? Are there two Kim Tae-hyuns now? Kim Tae-hyun is right here!"

The guild members besieging Odan Castle couldn't wrap their heads around the news at first. Kim Tae-hyun was clearly inside the castle, so what on earth were they talking about?

"You bastard, if you're just saying this because you got ambushed and you're too embarrassed to admit it... we'll find out the truth once we investigate!"

The guild members were completely misunderstanding. This kind of thing happened quite often in Pan-On. Whenever players got PK'd or failed a quest, they would lie and say, "K-Kim Tae-hyun came and interfered!"

If they admitted they had simply failed or been beaten by an ordinary player, it would be a massive embarrassment. But if they claimed they were beaten by Tae-hyun, everyone would nod understandingly: "Ah... well, then it can't be helped. Kim Tae-hyun is just a monster."

But this time, it wasn't an excuse. Tae-hyun had actually appeared!

"I'm telling you, it's not like that! Someone just raided the clock tower in Arene City's central plaza, and one of them was called Kim Tae-hyun! They said they're going to blow it up..."

The guild members fell silent. The report was strangely chilling and far too realistic. Especially since it sounded exactly like something Kim Tae-hyun would do.

"W-wait a minute. What's going on? Wasn't Kim Tae-hyun in Odan Castle?"

"They said he was in stealth, going around assassinating people? That's why we've been..."

The rankers stopped talking. Come to think of it, they had never actually seen Kim Tae-hyun's face.

We-we've been tricked...!

Kim Tae-hyun, you insidious bastard!

How can a human being set a trap like this?!

In truth, it wasn't a trap Tae-hyun had set. The players remaining in Odan Castle had simply misunderstood on their own... but to the Guild Alliance, it was terrifying.

"Kim Tae-hyun went to Arene City!"

"What?! Why are you telling us this just now!"

"We only just found out! All guild members in Arene City, head to the tower... No, wait. Only the rankers! If ordinary guild members go, it'll just increase the casualties."

"There aren't many rankers in Arene City right now..."

"Tell them to go no matter what! If they don't, they'll face the maximum penalty. If anyone tries to look out for their own greed in a situation like this, I won't let them off!"

Although they ordered the guild members in Arene City, the ones at Odan Castle had to prioritize Odan Castle.

The guild masters of the Guild Alliance, who had planned this siege, let out furious screams.

"Aaaaargh! Kim Tae-hyun! You absolute bastard!"

To suffer such a counterattack just when they thought everything was going well! It was humiliating, and their heads were spinning. Should they continue the siege? Kim Tae-hyun had fled to Arene City.

"What do we do?"

"...We have to at least capture that thing. Retreating now would be the absolute worst."

The rankers pointed at ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Odan Castle, where one side of the wall was broken. A madman was running wild like a lunatic.

Of course, it was Cain.

The Guild Alliance masters and rankers weren't fools. They were often fooled like idiots, but they weren't complete fools. The reason they hadn't doubted Tae-hyun's presence, even though he never showed his face while supposedly assassinating, was simple: there were far more pressing matters to worry about in Odan Castle.

Namely, the suddenly appeared Lich... and Cain.

"Is... is that guy insane?"

"Kraaaah! Kraaaaah! Kraaaaaaaaah!"

Cain was screaming like he'd lost his mind, rampaging on top of the castle wall.

The players climbing the wall recoiled in horror. That spirit of someone who had abandoned everything!

H-he's strong! Was Cain always this good?

I met him once when he was the guild master of Red Zone, and he was nothing special back then!

Although the dark mage Chese-do had become a Lich, the one who stood out the most afterward was Cain. He was rampaging even harder than the heavily buffed undead!

"Only you guys! Huh! If only you guys weren't here! Huh!!!"

Cain, who was suffering the most mentally in Odan Castle, had finally snapped.

Ah, screw it. If I die, I die! I'll just take the death penalty! I'll grab Kim Tae-hyun by the collar later!

With that mindset, Cain threw himself into the fray.

"That... that guy is too dangerous. Blast him with magic."

"What? But our guild members have climbed up and are engaged with him..."

"Can't you see the five of them are getting pushed back by Cain?! Fire! If we leave him alone, they'll die ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to Cain anyway!"

Overwhelmed by Cain's momentum, the guild members unleashed a barrage of magic around him.

Boom! Crash! Kaboom!

Fireballs and lightning crackled, and even giant boulders flew, causing the wall where Cain stood to crumble.

But Cain...

Cain blinked. He thought he was dead when the magic flew in, but surprisingly, he had survived.

Am I really this strong?

With that thought, Cain immediately used his skill. If he wasn't going to die, he would fight to the end!

"Slave's Awakening!"

Whoosh!

Cain's body was enveloped in holy flames as he transformed.

"Try and kill me! Huh! Try it! Come at me if you have the guts!"

"Aaaah! Is that Cain guy crazy?!"

Instead of defending like a tank should, he was charging with a sword. The players recoiled in terror. He looked half-mad, which made him even scarier.

At that moment, Chese-do, who had become a Lich, revealed himself. He was wrapped in robes, so his inside wasn't visible, but floating in the air and spreading a sinister aura in all directions was no joke.

"N-no!"

Players with low terror resistance fell into a state of terror and suffered penalties.

Chese-do pointed arrogantly with his finger and spoke.

"Look! Cain, the servant of Count Kim Tae-hyun, is fighting so diligently."

"Who's a servant, you bastards?!" Cain yelled, exasperated. Why was he half-giving up and rampaging like this? Wasn't it because these guys suddenly became Liches!

"Ah. My apologies. You were a slave."

"..."

He wanted to argue, but he couldn't.

"Go and help, my soldiers! Call Death Knight! Aura of Honorable Death! Mortal Charge!"

He became a Lich, but the skills he uses don't seem that different... wait!

Cain blinked. The number of Death Knights pouring through the collapsed wall was on a completely different scale. This wasn't just a few Death Knights; it was an entire Death Knight Knights!

Rumble—

"Charge, charge, charge!"

"For death!"

The Death Knights, riding phantom steeds with glowing blue eyes, charged ruthlessly.

Crash!

The charge dealt a massive blow to the Guild Alliance, who had been focusing on their attack.

"Danger! Protect the mages!"

"West unit! Fall back!"

The Guild Alliance grit their teeth and tried to manage the damage. They barely managed to stop the charge, but the casualties were immense. Thanks to that, the players inside Odan Castle could breathe a sigh of relief again.

"Which wave of attack is this?"

"The seventh."

"..."

The atmosphere among the Guild Alliance masters was heavy. No one expected they wouldn't be able to bring down the castle even by the seventh wave. While everyone was complacently looking out for themselves, the dark mage inside suddenly became a Lich, and that Cain guy was rampaging like he'd eaten something wrong.

Because of that, the momentum of the attacking Guild Alliance had died down significantly.

Moreover, the biggest problem was that Tae-hyun had occupied the clock tower in Arene City's central plaza and was climbing up to detonate a bomb. And it wasn't just any bomb, but an incredibly powerful one!

"All rankers, gather up. This won't do."

"?"

"We will combine our strength to break through that wall. Or, to be precise, we take down Cain."

The assassin ranker, Alcott, pointed at the wall where Cain was.

"Why all of a sudden?"

"All of us? Is there really a need for that?"

"This is no time to be complacent, you idiots! I've realized what Kim Tae-hyun is planning."

"?"

"Why would Kim Tae-hyun go to Arene City after barely escaping?"

"Certainly, that is..."

"He's right."

They had been confused by the sudden events, but thinking about it, it was strange. Weren't the other players besides Tae-hyun trapped inside Odan Castle? From Kim Tae-hyun's perspective, that would be a significant burden.

"Why did he take such a bomb... I thought about it, and there's only one answer. He went there to negotiate."

"Negotiate?"

"Yes! He knows exactly how important Arene City is to us, so he's threatening to detonate the bomb there! In exchange for not detonating it, he wants to save his companions' lives!"

"Ah...!"

"Is that so!"

The guild masters let out sighs of relief. That was actually better. At least they could protect Arene City.

"But right now, our attack is taking much longer than expected. This is an extremely dangerous situation!"

"He's right."

Tae-hyun had prepared the bomb to negotiate, but if the Guild Alliance couldn't even capture a single castle, Kim Tae-hyun might change his mind. Of course, the Guild Alliance believed they could capture Odan Castle if given more time, but time was not on their side.

"To negotiate on equal footing and end this without losing face, we must capture the castle as quickly ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠as possible and take Kim Tae-hyun's companions hostage. Especially Cain, without fail!"

"Cain... Yes. I heard Cain is his closest friend."

Everyone nodded. Though still confused and worried, their minds were clear now. Since Kim Tae-hyun hadn't gone to detonate the bomb like a madman but rather for negotiation, they could rest easy for now. He wouldn't detonate it immediately!

"Rankers, this is no time to drag your feet. This is a truly critical situation."

"Stop nagging. We get it."

"Right. Let's show them what we can do."

The rankers stood up confidently. The situation was urgent, but more importantly, Tae-hyun wasn't here. The rankers on the other side were, at best, Cain or Evangeline. There was no risk of being ambushed and killed in the blink of an eye.

"Let's go! Cain first!"

"Let's go capture Cain!"

"Ah, you're in the way. Can't you guys shrink your size?"

"T-that's... this is our limit..."

The winged demons bowed their heads to Tae-hyun, thoroughly intimidated.

Tae-hyun, who had climbed to the top of the clock tower, was looking for the best spot to detonate the bomb. However, as the space narrowed toward the top of the tower, the bulk of the winged demons began to get in the way.

"Even with your wings folded, you're still that big... Hm?"

Tae-hyun discovered a statue installed inside the tower.

Whenever he saw statues or artworks, he received a temporary stat buff. That was probably why it was installed...

"It's quite large."

"Ah. Shall I take it?"

"Yeah. Let's take it for now."

Lee Da-bi, with practiced movements, lifted the large statue and put it in her bag. As expected of Lee Da-bi, who held an Epic Class, moving such heavy loads was an easy task.

With the large statues removed, the empty space felt significantly larger.

Tae-hyun looked at the empty space and fell into thought.

"Hmm..."

And then he looked at the winged demons.

"Hrrrrm..."