A Shaman's Disguise

'The Guild Alliance might be foolish, but their sheer numbers are terrifying. All those guild members pooled together...'

It would be convenient for Tae-hyun if the Auston Kingdom held its ground and defeated the Guild Alliance, but from his perspective, the kingdom was at a disadvantage. In fact, wasn't the Guild Alliance continuously expanding its territory? Accepting land from the Auston Kingdom now of all times? Even if he accepted it, there was a high probability it would eventually be seized by the Guild Alliance.

'It's a double-edged reward. I doubt the King of Auston was trying to be petty on purpose, but...'

Since the Auston Kingdom had suffered greatly at the hands of the Orcs in the Uruk Region, it was understandable that they would issue such a massive quest upon hearing that the Great Chieftain had awakened. However, the situation was ambiguous. If it were Tae-hyun, he wouldn't have let greed get the better of him, but the other players didn't care about such risks and were diving in headfirst. Since no one knew for sure whether the Auston Kingdom would fall, grabbing the territory right in front of them made perfect sense to them! It was a logical approach in its own way. Why miss out on a jackpot quest by worrying about an uncertain future?

'The problem is... my situation...'

Tae-hyun fell into deep thought. How would this unexpected quest from the King of Auston affect him?

'Well, is it actually good for me?' In any case, if other players were going to deal with the Orcs—who were his enemies—there was no downside for him.

At that moment, a passing party spotted Tae-hyun's group and pointed their fingers.

"Oh! Orcs! It's an Orc scouting party!"

"What? Where?"

Tae-hyun turned his head. There was no such thing as an Orc scouting party nearby. However, the party was pointing directly at Tae-hyun's group. A suspicious mage wandering around with Orcs! That was exactly how Tae-hyun's group looked from the outside.

"..."

"Get them! Get them!"

"What's that thing in the middle of the Orcs? A mage?"

"Must be an Orc Shaman! Kill it too! It's contribution points!"

The party members grew excited at the sudden appearance of contribution points just wandering around. Of course, they should have thought about it at least once before charging. Why would a mage in such a suspicious robe be standing peacefully among Orcs?

"Kill the mage first!"

"I know! Here I go!"

"Haha! Take my attack—*cough!*"

"Aaaaargh!"

The player who had charged at Tae-hyun with such excitement rolled across the ground, completely dazed by the storm of counter-combos unleashed upon him.

"W-what? Wasn't he a mage?"

"Chweek! Our mage is also great at fighting! Chweek!"

Thrilled by Tae-hyun's display, the Orcs beat down the remaining players. For the crime of picking the wrong fight, the party was cleanly logged out of the game.

'I won't forget your sacrifice.'

"Chweek! Great! Mage! Powerful! Mage!"

Tae-hyun was tossed into the air in celebration by the Orcs as they made their way back to the village.

"Chweek. So, did you gather all the materials?"

"Ah."

"Chweek. What was that?"

"Haha. Yes, I gathered everything."

Only then did Tae-hyun remember the quest he had received from the Orc tribe. The only reason he had been allowed to borrow and order the Orcs around was because he had boasted, 'I'll show you what my magic can do! So lend me some Orcs to help gather the materials!' Now, he had to show them the results.

"Chweek. Then let's see it!"

The Orc Shamans glared at Tae-hyun with untrusting eyes and whispered among themselves.

"Chweek. To think we let an outsider in."

"Chweek! The spirits are angry! Look at that human! I can feel an incredibly evil energy radiating from him!"

The Orc Shaman had hit the nail right on the head by accident! Regardless, Tae-hyun confidently began his preparations.

"I'd appreciate it if you all stepped outside so I can prepare without any distractions."

Tae-hyun pushed the Orcs out of the tent. There was only one reason: what he was about to do now wasn't magic, but cooking and blacksmithing!

"I shall enchant the Orcs' weapons and brew an elixir that will grant immense strength to whoever drinks it!"

Clatter! At Tae-hyun's words, a massive pile of Orc weapons was dumped in front of the tent.

"Chweek, how strong could an outsider's magic even be..."

"Chweek! It's bound to be weaker than our shamanism!"

Ignoring the grumbling Orc Shamans, Tae-hyun quickly brought the weapons inside.

'Hmm, I could use my blacksmithing skills to forge new ones, or apply buffs, but...'

Not many blacksmith players had managed to raise their blacksmithing skills to the Advanced rank. Although Tae-hyun had a limited number of buff skills, each one was incredibly potent. However, Tae-hyun wasn't satisfied with just that. He wanted something more definitive, something far more intense!

'Alright. I'll use those Lazedan Blacksmith skills!'

They were Lazedan Blacksmith class skills. They were highly effective, but they came with severe side effects, such as rapidly destroying the equipment's durability. But Tae-hyun didn't care. It wasn't like he was the one who would be using them!

'Why should I care about giving those Orcs durable, long-lasting gear? I just need to pass this test right now.'

With the equipment sorted, next up was the food. Cooking disguised as magic!

'If I cook the way I normally do, they'll get suspicious. Since it needs to look like a potion or an elixir... I should make it as bitter and awful-tasting as possible.'

The prejudice that healthy things must taste bitter and terrible! Tae-hyun acted in perfect accordance with that bias.

'...'

Currently, Tae-hyun's Cooking skill was at the Intermediate rank. While basic sub-skills like Seasoning or Butchering were still at the Beginner rank, his Abnormal Cooking and Poison Crafting skills were already at the Intermediate rank. His skill window was a perfect reflection of the chaotic life he had led so far!

'Well, a high skill level is always a good thing!' Tae-hyun thought as he began preparing the dish.

"Ah! Aren't you Cain?!"

"W-what! Is this an ambush?! Bring it on! We have Jang Ssu-an on our side, so don't even think about winning!"

"Huh? Oh, no. It's not that... I'm just a fan of yours, Cain..."

"...R-really?"

Cain blinked. Standing beside him, Jang Ssu-an stared at Cain with a look that clearly said, 'What on earth is wrong with this guy?' There wasn't a shred of dignity or class expected of a ranker in this lightweight!

'Is he really a ranker? What was that performance he showed during the tournament?'

Jang Ssu-an doubted Cain. His performance in the tournament had been spectacular, but the more he saw of him in person, the more of a letdown he became.

"Yes! It's such an honor to meet you like this!"

"Haha, it's really no big deal..."

"By the way, Cain, which esports team did you join? I've seen news articles about all the other players, but I haven't seen anything about you yet."

"I-I... joined an incredibly amazing place."

"Oh! I knew it! You've already signed a contract! Are you keeping it a secret for a grand official announcement later?"

"Something like that!"

Lee Da-bi watched Cain with an anxious gaze. Surely he wouldn't be brainless enough to blab about the esports team here, right? They hadn't even made an official announcement yet...

Fortunately, Cain possessed at least that much situational awareness.

'If I speak before Kim Tae-hyun does, he'll nag me to death!'

It was pure survival instinct! While they were chatting, another passing party spotted Cain.

"Oh, what's going on? Who is that?"

"It's Cain!"

"What?! Cain?!"

The crowd of players grew larger and larger! Even as the numbers swelled, Cain remained oblivious, lost in pure bliss.

'I'm so happy! I'm so happy!'

Cain was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠currently experiencing the happiest moment of his life in recent memory! Watching this unfold, Jang Ssu-an cleared his throat.

"Ahem. Ahem."

The meaning behind his cough was simple:

—Hey, aren't you guys ignoring a major ranker right here?

A ranker who fought better, had a higher level, and was far cooler than Cain! However, the gathered crowd failed to recognize Jang Ssu-an.

"...?"

"Uh, mister. Move aside a bit. We can't see Cain."

When a young-looking Korean player pushed past Jang Ssu-an, Jang Ssu-an was deeply shocked.

"!!!"

To think he would be overshadowed by Cain, of all people, let alone Kim Tae-hyun! In truth, the players gathered here had simply assumed, 'There's no way Jang Ssu-an would be in a place like this,' which was why they didn't recognize him. After all, they had been bitter enemies during the tournament...

"Cain! Tell them! Tell them who I am!"

In his shock, Jang Ssu-an shouted without considering the circumstances. Right now, the only thing that mattered was getting the recognition he deserved!

"Uh...? Oh, right. Hey, Jang Ssu-an is here too, so say hello."

"????"

"Jang Ssu-an is here?"

The gathered crowd began to murmur, tilting their heads in confusion.

"Didn't he get absolutely wrecked in the tournament?"

"Wait, but they're hanging out together? Is he a pushover?"

"Shh, he'll hear you. Maybe they made up."

"How do you even make up after that? If it were me, I'd hold a grudge for life."

"..."

Jang Ssu-an's face flushed bright red. Only then did he realize why people hadn't recognized him. It was because the situation was simply too absurd!

While Jang Ssu-an trembled ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠in shame and humiliation, the other players turned their attention back to Cain.

"Cain! Meeting you like this must be fate. Could you do us a favor?"

"Oh, what favor? Just say the word! I'll do it!"

—Get a grip!

Startled, Lee Da-bi quickly sent a whisper to Cain. Did he even know what they were going to ask before making such a promise?!

—Heck! I-I did it without thinking...!

—...

But Cain had already given his answer, and the players spoke with sparkling eyes.

"Let's raid the Orc village together! Please lead us!"

"...Huh?"

Currently, the players in the Uruk Region were scattered, attacking various Orc villages individually. Because their numbers were so vast, the results weren't terrible, but there was still a limit. Since they were split up into separate parties, none of them dared to attack the larger settlements. Players with lower levels or subpar equipment were similarly left with nothing but unfulfilled desires.

To them, Cain was a leader who had suddenly appeared to guide them toward a jackpot quest.

"Cain! Cain! Cain! Cain!"

"Wow! Cain is going to lead the quest!"

"A-ah, no... I'm still..."

"Still?"

"He must mean he's still hungry for battle! Since the quest is just beginning!"

"That is so cool!"

"..."

Cain froze. The situation had already spiraled beyond the point of no return.

'W-well, yeah. The Orcs are enemies to both Kim Tae-hyun and me anyway... so it should be fine ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to attack them, right?'

"Alright! Gather the players! Today, we strike the Orcs! Let's raid their village!"

"Waaaaaaah!"

Having whipped the crowd into a frenzy, Cain quickly turned around and whispered in a tiny voice.

"P-please don't tell Kim Tae-hyun about this. Okay?"

"..."

Of course, absolutely no one was going to listen to Cain. Even Jang Ssu-an was whispering, 'Hey, is this really okay?!'