Whether a Good God or an Evil God

Whether a good god or an evil god, Yong-yong and Heuk-heuk were both divine beasts. Naturally, they couldn't help but be highly sensitive to the presence of demons. They were essentially high-performance demon radars! Since both of them had shouted at the same time, the identity of the other party was undoubtedly a demon.

He's ugly, but he's actually a demon? Huh. I thought he was just some guy who ate something bad.

Tae-hyun's mind spun rapidly. The magician who had treated Great Chieftain Karag—that magician's slave was a demon. If so, then that magician was also...?

There's a very high probability that he's deeply connected to demons...

Tae-hyun suddenly felt a bitter taste in his mouth. If the opposing magician was closely tied to demons, there was little chance they would get along. Why? Because...

I've made grudges with way too many demons...

—Master. If your true identity is discovered, the demons will try to tear you limb from limb. To be more specific, they will start by ripping off your...

—Thanks for the detailed ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠description I didn't ask for, Heuk-heuk. I'll be sure to use you as a shield before I die.

—...Heuk-heuk. I was just letting you know.

While Tae-hyun was conversing with his divine beasts, the magician's slave approached and spoke up.

"Which one of you is that magician?!"

Instead of answering, Tae-hyun whacked him with his staff.

Thwack!

Ah. Fortune Conversion...!

Tae-hyun realized his mistake. He had intended to just hit him lightly before talking, but he had completely forgotten that his Strength stat was currently swapped with his Luck.

Thud—

The magician's slave collapsed right on the spot.

"???"

"?!?!"

The nearby Orcs and players were utterly dumbfounded. What on earth did he just do?

And the players ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠were shocked by one more thing.

"Hey, what kind of magic was that just now?"

"I don't know. That magician must be a seriously high level. Well, he cured the Great Chieftain, so there's no way his level is low..."

A magic so fast and powerful that it couldn't even be seen with the naked eye!

Of course, there was no such magic. The guild members simply assumed that Tae-hyun and the magician who cured Karag were of the same caliber. Since they didn't know Tae-hyun was a player, it was a natural misunderstanding.

Meanwhile, Tae-hyun pondered. For now, the slave was knocked out cold, but what should he do with him?

The answer was simple.

"Bind him."

"Chwek, what?"

"Chweeeek! Binding the magician's slave! That is unthinkable!"

Tae-hyun swept his gaze over the Orcs with a benevolent look. Of course, to the Orcs, it didn't feel benevolent at all.

"Look. This slave was beaten and knocked unconscious."

"Chwek. That is true."

"If this slave wakes up and goes back to his master, what do you think he'll say?"

"Chweeeek, that you knocked him out..."

"No. He'll say you guys helped me do it."

"!!!"

The drag-them-down-with-me strategy! It was simple but highly effective.

"Chwek! We did absolutely nothing!"

"Of course you didn't. Only in your own heads, that is."

"Chweeeek! We really, truly did nothing!"

As the commotion grew, the guild members who had been tirelessly swinging their pickaxes turned their heads. What kind of conversation were they having?

Of course, Tae-hyun responded ruthlessly.

"Don't stop working!"

"...Yes..."

"...Son of a..."

Tae-hyun turned back to the Orcs. The Orcs wore the most aggrieved expressions in the world.

"Decide. Will you bind him, or will you mercifully let him go and watch him tattle on you? For your information, if you choose the latter, you're all coming with me."

"Chwek... Bind him! Bind him!"

Scurry!

Ultimately defeated, the Orcs rushed forward in a swarm and began to tie up the magician's slave.

"Tie him tighter. Gag him, too. Hmm. This might be a good time for this."

Tae-hyun pulled out the Holy Water he had previously crafted using his Holy Water Creation skill. Then, he sprinkled it over the demon.

Sssssssss!

The unconscious demon could be seen squirming instinctively in pain.

"Chwek, chwek...! Truly terrifying, magician!"

"Chwek, he is torturing a knocked-out guy!"

A message window popped up, but Tae-hyun didn't care. One always had to be careful when dealing with the demon race. Do everything possible!

"Argh! What on earth is..."

As the Holy Water was continuously sprinkled on him, the demon finally regained consciousness. He quickly realized he was bound.

"You newly appeared magician! You must be completely insane... Pwahaha! Argh! Stop it!"

Instead of answering, Tae-hyun poured more Holy Water. Since he possessed the Holy Water Creation skill, there was no need to be stingy with it.

"Sto..."

Splash! Splash!

"Stop..."

Splash! Splash! Splash!

"Please stop. I beg of you."

"Sure."

Only then did Tae-hyun stop the Holy Water baptism. The magician's slave, now a demon with a much more cautious attitude, spoke up.

"U-Um, it's nothing else... My master is very angry because of your sudden appearance. He was wondering what kind of pathetic punk showed up... Argh! Aaaargh! That wasn't my opinion, it was my master's!"

"What kind of guy is your master?"

"Our master is a truly great being."

As Tae-hyun raised the Holy Water bottle, the demon hastily began to add more explanations.

"I-I will answer whatever you want to know!"

"Tell me what your master ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠is targeting, what he's good at, his weaknesses, his equipment—tell me everything."

"...M-My master is a magician who specializes in summoning demons..."

The magician's slave began his explanation.

—The magician specializes in summoning demons.

—I don't know what his goal is or what his weaknesses are.

—I am just a good demon who was summoned and worked to the bone under a contract! Please spare me!

Since he was bound to the magician by a contract, he didn't know any specific weaknesses, but it was still quite useful information.

An NPC who summons demons is rarely sane. Curing the Great Chieftain wasn't out of goodwill either.

He was clearly planning to use the Orc tribes for something. Of course, Tae-hyun was also using the Orc tribes, so he couldn't really judge, but...

"U-Um, since I've told you everything, could you perhaps let me go..."

"Haha. Let's hang out a bit longer. Hey! Carry this guy."

"Chwek, wouldn't it be safer to just kill him?"

Perhaps because Tae-hyun's threats had worked so well, the Orcs now wanted to kill the demon. Dead men tell no tales, after all!

"Life is precious. Carry him."

"Chweeeek, I really don't understand magicians."

Tae-hyun proceeded directly to the location where the Burrow Goblins were said to reside. Naturally, he continued to gather materials along the way, and the guild members' frustration was on the verge of exploding.

—Let's just run!

—No, let's kill him! No matter how high his level is, he's just a magician. If we all jump him in close quarters, we can kill him!

—If we do that, we won't be able to roam the Uruk region anymore! We have to endure!

The guild members were fighting among themselves, their opinions completely divided.

Whether they bickered or not, Tae-hyun focused on searching for traces of the goblin tribe.

Since they're Burrow Goblins, they must be underground, right?

There had to be an entrance somewhere around here. The jungle terrain was filled with thick bushes and foliage that easily surpassed a person's height, making it look incredibly difficult to find, but Tae-hyun had his skills.

Are they insane...?

Tae-hyun was dumbfounded. Just how many traps had they installed for his skill to level up simply by discovering them?

"Chwek, magician, what are you doing?"

"We need to go in here."

"Chwek?"

The Orcs tilted their heads in confusion. They couldn't understand why he was pointing under a tree and saying they had to go in.

"Chwek, are we burying someone we killed?"

"Eeek! Spare me!"

The demon, who was still tied up, shrieked in terror, thinking they were talking about him.

"I'm not killing anyone... I'm saying we need to enter here. The Burrow Goblins are right under here."

"Chwek! Is that true?!"

"Chweeeek! Let's kill those bastards!"

"No, we're not killing them."

"..."

The Orcs slumped their shoulders in disappointment. To have their mortal enemies, the goblins, right in front of them and not be allowed to hunt them!

Meanwhile, Alcott, who was disguised as an Orc, watched Tae-hyun with highly suspicious eyes.

"Hey, doesn't something seem off?"

"Yes. It is strange."

"...What's strange?"

"Well, that is..."

"You bastards...! Are you just going to agree with whatever I say?! Spit it out!"

Because Alcott had such a terrible temper, the guild members had just blindly agreed with him, only to get caught!

"That magician guy. Are we absolutely sure he's an NPC?"

"Of course he's an NPC. You think he's a player?"

"What kind of player acts like that?"

"We're currently disguised and roaming around Uruk right now, aren't we? He could easily be disguised too."

The other guild members had been worked so hard by Tae-hyun that they didn't even have the mental capacity to think about anything else. But Alcott was different. Thanks to the other guild members doing all the manual labor, he had been able to occasionally eavesdrop on Tae-hyun's conversations with the Orcs.

And the conclusion he reached was that Tae-hyun was incredibly suspicious. No matter how he looked at it, the things he said did not sound like an NPC at all!

"Could it be..."

"Wait, are you saying we've been running errands for another player this whole time?"

The guild members began to murmur among themselves, and as the realization set in, their anger flared up. To think that all the grueling labor they had endured was because of another player!

"...Let's kill him!"

"I'm going to sink that bastard!"

The anger of the guild members, who had suffered the most, pierced the heavens. However, Alcott stopped them.

"Hold on. We don't have definitive proof yet, you idiots. Calm down. Why are you guys so impatient, huh?"

"..."

That's because you barely did any work...

Only those who had held pickaxes, climbed up cliffs, and mined raw gemstones could truly understand this burning rage.

"If we watch him a little longer, we'll know for sure."

Did they notice?

The guild members thought they were whispering in a quiet corner, but they couldn't escape Tae-hyun's sharp senses. The atmosphere was definitely suspicious! Their eyes were subtly scanning him, trying to feel him out.

They're suspicious, which means they've practically figured it out. In that case...

"You there. Dig here."

"...Understood."

The guild member hesitated for a moment before picking up a shovel and starting to dig. For now, they would play along!

The moment we confirm you're a player...

You're dead meat!

We'll camp your respawn point and kill you over and over again!

Grinding their teeth, the guild members dug into the ground. And then...

"Huh?"

Tae-hyun and the Orcs slowly backed away, creating some distance. Seeing this, the guild members were puzzled. Why were they doing that?

A dizzying flurry of system messages popped up. Seeing them, the guild members' ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠jaws dropped. This was...!

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

"Whoa, look at that firepower."

It was an explosion powerful enough to completely reshape the surrounding terrain. Tae-hyun whistled in sheer admiration. As someone who dabbled in engineering, seeing a trap like this was truly awe-inspiring. Just how many materials had they packed into this thing to achieve such a result?

It was a masterpiece of pure obsession!

"Y-You...!"

"...?"

While several guild members had been forced to log out due to the explosion, it wasn't completely over. Alcott and a few others had been standing slightly further back, allowing them to survive.

"You bastard, you're a player, aren't you?!"

"Yeah."

"..."

Tae-hyun answered nonchalantly. Because he admitted it so confidently, the guild members froze, their reactions delayed for a moment.

"Y-You're admitting it?"

"Admitting what? Did I ever say I wasn't a player?"

"..."

Grind!