Fake Magic, Real Impact

Lee Da-bi tilted her head in confusion after hearing Tae-hyun's plan.

"But didn't you just get sent up the chain of command because you tried to settle down in that small village? What if you go to a major tribe's village and they think you're so amazing that they send you even higher up?"

"..."

The faces of everyone in the group stiffened.

"Ugh, this is so annoying..."

"What's wrong, sir?"

"Who does Su Ning think he is, ordering me around?"

Alcott, the ranker assassin, grumbled in a sharp voice.

His party members watched him warily. They knew his temperament all too well.

Alcott was infamous for his terrible temper. Since he was a high-ranking player with a prominent position in the guild, his foul attitude forced everyone around him to walk on eggshells.

What's his problem now?

I think Su Ning sent him a whisper.

"Um, but still, Su Ning is someone we can't really afford to ignore within the Guild Alliance right now..."

"Ah, you think I don't know that? ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Are you trying to lecture me right now?"

"N-no, of course not!"

"That bastard. If he wants something, he should come and ask me himself. I'm already in a bad mood because the last quest ended on such an ambiguous note. Who is he to give me orders?"

"..."

"..."

Everyone remained silent, like mutes who had eaten honey. Speaking up would only make them the targets of Alcott's venting.

"Ah, damn it, seriously..." Alcott continued to grumble. He already disliked how Su Ning's influence was steadily rising within the Guild Alliance, and receiving direct orders only rubbed salt in the wound. Yet, it was a request he couldn't easily refuse...

"It's time to drink your transformation potion."

"Ah, already? Hand it over."

Alcott took the potion offered by his guildmate and drank it. Pandemonium Online didn't just have delicious food; it had plenty of disgusting things too. The transformation potion he was drinking now was one of them. Alcott's face contorted in sheer disgust.

"Ugh..."

Alcott and his guildmates were currently in the Uruk Region. Specifically, inside an Orc village!

The guildmates Alcott brought along were players who had chosen the Orc race from the start. However, Alcott was not an Orc, so he had to keep chugging these transformation potions. If he didn't, the local Orcs would immediately yell, "Chwik! It's a human! Kill it!" and charge at him!

"This tastes absolutely foul. What kind of garbage are the guild's alchemists brewing? Shouldn't they at least care a little about the taste?"

"Ha, haha... I know, right?"

"You guys drink some too."

"Wait, we don't need to drink it, though?"

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

"It's not fair if I'm the only one suffering through this! Drink up! Come on!"

Like a toxic boss forcing drinks on his subordinates at a company dinner, Alcott tried to shove the Orc Transformation Potions down his guildmates' throats.

"E-even if you say that... If you hate drinking it that much, maybe we should look for another way?"

"Are you kidding me? We're doing this because there is no other way!"

Alcott glared at his guildmates in irritation.

"How many times do I have to tell you? Huh? Why are you guys so brainless? You can't even enter the Orc villages in the Uruk Region unless you're an Orc. So how else are we supposed to—"

"Chwik! Long live! The great! Mage! Chwiik!"

"?"

"??"

Alcott and his guildmates turned their heads. In the distance, a highly suspicious mage was riding on an equally suspicious palanquin.

"Another mage?"

"Doesn't this place seem a bit fishy? I heard the one who cured and woke up Great Chieftain Karag was also a mage, not one of those Orc shamans."

"True. But we don't have time to worry about that. Whether Karag recovers or not, let's just focus on our quest."

At Alcott's words, the guildmates exchanged glances.

It's not "our" quest, it's yours...

You dragged us here just because we're Orcs...

Of course, they swallowed their complaints!

"So, where's the report? How's the search going?"

"W-we are doing our absolute best to find it!"

The item Alcott was looking for was located somewhere in the Uruk Region. However, the Uruk Region was vast, teeming with ferocious monsters and countless hostile tribes. Fighting through all of them to search for it was impossible. Thus, the method Alcott devised was to exploit the Orcs.

Infiltrate a tribe disguised as an Orc, raise his standing within the tribe, and then order the Orcs around to do the work for him!

I have to admit, my plan is absolutely flawless.

Alcott felt almost intoxicated by his own genius.

"Chwik! Mage! This is our Chieftain. Show your respects!"

Tae-hyun looked at the massive Orc sitting in the chair before him. The large Orc was staring back at him with deep skepticism.

"Chwik. I do not trust mages. I prefer our traditional shamanism."

"Chwiik! That is not true, Chieftain! This mage's skills far surpass those of any shaman! Chwik! If we utilize him well, he will be of great help to our tribe!"

Inside the spacious tent, the Orc who had brought Tae-hyun was spitting as he passionately tried to persuade the leader. The Chieftain then shifted his gaze to Tae-hyun.

"Chwik. Mage, what can you do?"

"...Good question."

"Chwiik, what was that?"

"Oh, nothing. Haha. Let me show you something."

Only then did Tae-hyun realize he hadn't actually thought of what to show the Orcs. If he was going to demonstrate something, it had to be undeniably useful to them or deliver an incredibly powerful shock. Summoning ghost undead lacked impact. In times like this, the best option was...

I should use Fortune Conversion and then cast Dark Arrow.

Nothing would resonate with Orcs quite like the destructive and malevolent power of magic.

Fortune Conversion.

"...Urging."

Am I cursed?

"..."

"Chwik, what is the matter?"

Sweat broke out on his back, but Tae-hyun didn't panic and moved immediately. He had done this once before; surely he could do it again!

"Hahaha! Hahahaha! Behold! This is the true power of dark magic!"

Dark Arrow!

Along with his shout, Tae-hyun slammed his fist directly into the ground.

Ruuuuuumble!

The effect was spectacular, as if an earthquake had just struck. The surrounding ground shook violently, letting out a deafening roar.

"Chwiik! What is this?!"

"Chwik! Incredible!"

"Chwik! That makes no sense!"

"Chwik! Chieftain! That fellow is using some kind of trickery!"

While the Orc warriors on the Chieftain's left marveled, the Orc shamans on his right looked at Tae-hyun with deep suspicion.

"Chwik! Chieftain. That spell is a simple arrow spell used by dark mages. How could it possibly produce such power? Unless he has sold his soul to a demon, he must be using a trick!"

- Master. That guy is surprisingly sharp.

- Yeah. I see him.

- To think he even figured out that you sold your soul to a demon...

- ...Heuk-heuk. Do you want to be offered as a sacrifice to these Orcs?

Silencing Heuk-heuk, Tae-hyun faced the Orc shamans. Verbal sparring was his absolute specialty! There was no way these Orc shamans could defeat Tae-hyun, who possessed the Advanced Rhetoric skill. At best, they might have high magic skills, but there was no way they had leveled up their speech skills!

"Haha! Is this the level of Orc shamans?!"

"Chwik! What did you say?!"

"Chwiik! How insolent!"

"Did I say anything wrong? Calling it a trick just because my magic is powerful. Why don't you just admit your own skills are lacking? Who was the one who cured the injuries of your great and powerful Great Chieftain? Was it the Orc shamans, or was it a mage?!"

"Chwiik...!"

At Tae-hyun's words, the Orc shamans shut their mouths in frustration. They had no retort.

"Chwik. Shamans, cease your jealousy of the mage. It is dishonorable, chwik."

Even the Chieftain took Tae-hyun's side. However, the Orc shamans were persistent.

"Chwiik, Chieftain, one mysterious outsider is more than enough. Chwik, even if that mage can cast powerful magic, how much will that actually benefit our tribe?!"

"Chwik! Exactly! If he cannot prove his usefulness to the tribe like he did when curing the Great Chieftain, there is no reason to keep him!"

At the shamans' protests, the Chieftain replied with a reluctant expression.

"Chwik. Is the sheer power of his magic not enough?"

"Chwiik! No matter how strong that magic is, it is a wicked power! We could achieve that level of power ourselves if we combined our strength, chwik!"

"Chwik! He must benefit the tribe!"

This was a troublesome quest for Tae-hyun, who had very few magic spells at his disposal! He tried his best to wriggle out of it.

"A spell of this caliber should be more than enough. What more do you want? Your jealousy is unsightly!"

"Chwik! You only need to show that you can benefit the tribe! We are not jealous!"

"Chwiik! We can strengthen the tribe's warriors and enchant their weapons! Show us that you can do something similar!"

Since they couldn't beat him in raw power, the Orc shamans were attacking him from a different angle. Tae-hyun hesitated, but then paused as he processed their words.

Wait, so I just need to make the tribe's warriors stronger and enhance their weapons?

Come to think of it, that wasn't hard at all. Even if he lacked magic skills, he had plenty of other skills!

"Fine! I will show you!"

Once a solution came to mind, Tae-hyun's composure returned. Naturally, his thoughts immediately drifted to how he could squeeze as much profit out of this situation as possible.

"Chieftain. My magic requires preparation. I request assistance to gather what I need!"

"Chwik! You should do it alone—"

"Chwiik! Silence, shamans! Do you have no honor?!"

The Orc shamans tried to interfere, but the Chieftain, deciding that they had gone too far, snapped at them.

"Chwik. Mage. You may take as many warriors as you wish and order them as you see fit! I, too, wish to see the results, chwik!"

Perfect.

Tae-hyun fought to suppress the smirk rising on his lips. Now, he could lead a band of Orc warriors around the Uruk Region under the pretext of gathering materials for his magic. While doing so, he could locate other tribes and find a way to convert them to the Akisus cult...!

Flawless.

"That guy looks good."

"Chwik. You, come. Help the mage."

"That one looks good too."

"Chwiik. You come too."

Whenever Tae-hyun pointed a finger at an Orc warrior, the Orc lieutenant assigned by the Chieftain would call them over. Tae-hyun was having a blast, drafting Orcs left and right. Thanks to the quest, he had been granted the opportunity to order Orcs around without spending a single Contribution Point. He had to milk this for all it was worth!

"That guy looks pretty good too."

"...Chwik. That old timer?"

When Tae-hyun pointed at a scrawny, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠elderly Orc lying on the ground and resting, the Orc lieutenant stared at him in utter bewilderment.

"The older they are, the stronger and wiser they get. Let's take him."

"Chwik... I do not understand the mage's mind. Very well."

- Master. Master.

- If you say one more word, I'm selling you to the Orc shop as an alchemy ingredient.

- ...

- Master. Master.

- What is it, Yongyong-i?

Blatant discrimination! Heuk-heuk cursed Tae-hyun inwardly.

- That Orc... is not an Orc.

"...?"