An Easy Target

After hearing Kim Tae-hyun’s permission, Cain rubbed the back of his neck, grinning from ear to ear. "Right? I knew it’d be fine."

"..."

"D-don't look at me like that, guys!"

The way the rest of the party stared at him made his conscience prickle. Regardless, having secured permission, a delighted Cain began drawing up a plan of action.

Watching him, Jang Ssu-an asked, "So, where do you plan to strike?"

It was a natural question. Cain answered without a moment's hesitation.

"An easy target, of course!"

"..."

"..."

Currently, several parties were gathered around them. This meant that no matter what quest they undertook, there were plenty of players ready to assist. On top of that, for some bizarre reason, everyone seemed to hold Cain in incredibly high esteem. They looked ready to follow his every command!

Yet, with such an opportunity handed to him on a silver platter, the best he could come up with was targeting some weaklings?

What a small-time loser... Jang Ssu-an thought to himself.

But Cain had his own reasons.

If I start something big and mess it up, Kim Tae-hyun will literally murder me!

Regardless of their conflicting thoughts, Jang Ssu-an nodded in agreement. There was no benefit in insulting Cain right now.

"Y-yes. Striking where you're guaranteed to win is the absolute basis of warfare."

"Exactly! You get it!"

His mood thoroughly lifted, Cain clapped Jang Ssu-an on the shoulder.

"Let's go! Time to crush some weaklings!"

"Su Ning, have you seen this?"

"Seen what?"

"This video. It's from some players who ran into Cain in the Uruk Region..."

The players who had met Cain had excitedly uploaded a video of their encounter.

"???"

Su Ning rubbed his eyes, unable to believe what he was seeing.

In the video, Jang Ssu-an was standing right next to Cain. What was even more shocking was that they didn't seem to be on bad terms at all.

"Has this bastard lost his mind?!" Su Ning roared in disbelief.

After being humiliated like that during the tournament, he was still hanging out with him? When a video of Jang Ssu-an making a fool of himself had surfaced earlier, Su Ning had harbored some suspicions, but to think they were actually traveling together!

"Is that really Jang Ssu-an? Could it be Kim Tae-hyun in disguise?"

"Oh, that actually makes sense!"

"What do you mean 'makes sense', you idiot! Why on earth would Kim Tae-hyun do something like that!"

When his guild member took his sarcastic joke seriously, Su Ning's blood boiled. This damn Kim Tae-hyun phobia was getting out of hand!

"More importantly, where the hell is Alcott? Send him a whisper! That bastard is supposed to be scouting the Uruk Region, so how did he fail to find this out? And he calls himself a ranker!"

"He... he said he's busy right now and told us not to contact him."

"What?!"

"He said he has to clear up a misunderstanding with someone he knows..."

"Is he a teenager playing relationship counselor?! Tell him to answer his messages right now!!"

However, Alcott did not reply. Su Ning clutched his temples.

"I heard he got wiped by Orcs and had his guild members log out... Don't tell me he got done in by Kim Tae-hyun too?"

"Oh, surely not. If that were the case, Alcott would have immediately reported it and asked for backup."

"I suppose so... Ah, this is so frustrating. That King of Auston is only handing out useless quests..."

From the Guild Alliance's perspective, this Auston Kingdom quest was a massive thorn in their side. Other players were entering territory they intended to conquer. If highly skilled guilds or rankers established a foothold there, it would only cause more headaches down the line.

Su Ning tried to whisper Jang Ssu-an.

Jang Ssu-an had actually blocked him! Su Ning clutched the back of his neck in fury.

"Ch-chweek. Why does this potion look like poison? Is it really safe to drink?"

"Things that are good for your body are always colorful like this. Just drink it."

"Chweek... I don't think this is right..."

"Chwek, we should call the Orc shamans..."

The Orcs trembled in fear. The concoction ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Tae-hyun had presented to them was far too bizarre. It was a shimmering soup that constantly shifted through a spectrum of glowing colors!

Of course, Tae-hyun had lied and called it a potion, but to the Orcs, it looked like pure, unadulterated poison.

"Chwek! Spare me! I do not want to die like this!"

"Drink, Orc! Seize your destiny! You shall become the masters of this world!"

"Chweek! No, I refuse!"

Ignoring their protests, Tae-hyun grabbed the Orcs and poured the soup down their throats. The surrounding Orcs watched in absolute horror.

At this point, Tae-hyun had truly transformed into a ruthless, cold-blooded warlock.

"Ch-chweek... Power! Power is surging through me!"

"Chwek, is that true?"

"Chweek! It tastes absolutely foul, but the power is real!"

"Haha. Excellent. Now, try holding this weapon."

Whoosh— Whoosh—

Crash!

The Orc who swung the weapon Tae-hyun handed him cried out, his eyes sparkling.

"Chwek! This weapon is incredibly light and strong! Mage, you are magnificent!"

As the other Orcs began stepping forward one by one to drink the soup and claim their weapons, the Orc shamans grew frantic. One of them took a sip of Tae-hyun's soup and pointed an accusing finger.

"Chweek, Chieftain! This is a scam! There is no magic in this soup! And the same goes for these weapons!"

"Chwek! Shaman, control your jealousy! This mage has brilliantly proven his capabilities!"

"Chwek! No, it is a trick! If you grant us permission, we will expose his deception!"

"Chweek... Very well! But if you fail to prove it, you shall be severely punished for defaming this mage's honor!"

Uh, oh?

Tae-hyun was slightly flustered. He had assumed the shamans would fall in line once he demonstrated the results, but he hadn't expected them to cling to their suspicions so stubbornly.

Was it a mistake to try and pass off my cooking and blacksmithing skills as magic?

He had underestimated the Orcs' intelligence. Tae-hyun quickly racked his brain. Since the shamans were so confident, they must have a way to expose him. What was his best move here?

Whoosh— Boom!

"...?"

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

"???"

Boom! Crash! Kaboom!

Massive fireballs suddenly rained down from the sky, instantly obliterating the wooden palisades of the Orc village.

"?!?!"

"Chwek! An ambush! We are under attack!!"

"Charge! Wipe out the Orcs!"

"Cain is leading the vanguard!"

The battle cries of players echoed from the distance. Tae-hyun wore a thoroughly bewildered expression.

Granted, this sudden raid was a perfect distraction that allowed him to slip away, but...

That idiot couldn't possibly have known my situation, right?

Cain, who had no idea what Tae-hyun was up to, had coincidentally targeted the exact Orc village Tae-hyun was infiltrating. It was an absurdly suspicious stroke of luck.

"Chwek, Mage."

"Ah. Chieftain. I shall fight alongside you!"

"Chwek. No! You must escape! I will assign guards to escort you to the fortress above!"

"...??"

"Chweek. Losing a talent like you would be a devastating ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠blow to the Orcs. Go!"

"Ah, no... there's really no ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠need to go that far..."

Tae-hyun was dumbfounded. Infiltrating the village was one thing, but he had no desire to go to a much larger Orc fortress. For some reason, he felt like he was being dragged closer and closer to his sworn enemy, the Orc Great Chieftain!

"Chwek! No arguments! Go!"

"Chweek! Follow us, Mage! We shall guide you!"

The elite Orc wolf riders grabbed Tae-hyun by the arms and began to run. Tae-hyun briefly contemplated his options.

Should I just slaughter them all right here and regroup with Cain?

After a moment's thought, he abandoned the idea. It would be a waste to throw away his disguise after going through all the trouble of infiltrating the Orcs. No matter what lay ahead, letting such an opportunity slip away simply wasn't in Tae-hyun's nature.

"Chwek! Mage! Hurry!"

Patter, patter!

And so, Tae-hyun and a squad of Orcs slipped out through the back of the village.

"Ah! There are Orcs escaping over there!"

"Archers, fire! Fire!"

Thwip, thwip, thwip—

"???"

"What the... how did you miss that?"

"N-no, I definitely aimed perfectly. Why did they all miss?"

The archer player scratched his head in sheer confusion.

"Well, those things happen. Don't worry about it. We won anyway."

"Y-yeah. As expected of Cain!"

"Cain! Cain!"

Given the overwhelming number of players, they would have won the battle even without Cain. However, that thought didn't even cross the minds of the players gathered there.

Ah, our victory is entirely thanks to Cain's brilliant leadership!

"Cain! Cain! Cain!"

The players cheered, chanting his name.

Cain, the man of the hour, could only look at the message window with a bitter taste in his mouth.

Kim Tae-hyun made it look so easy. How did he do it?

One of Tae-hyun's greatest talents was leading countless players exactly where he wanted them to go. Cain closed his eyes, trying to recall Tae-hyun's methods.

How exactly did he command?

— Run, you bastards! Run! Anyone slower than me gets PK'd by my own hands! Move it!

— Cain, you have a talent. A talent for pissing me off! Seriously, you should be able to handle a monster of that level on your own! Sadiq's knights are chasing us right now, and we're late because of you!

"..."

All he could remember was being relentlessly nagged and scolded. When it came to party hunting, Tae-hyun was a literal demon. A demon who drove everyone forward without a single moment of rest!

I-I can't do that...!

"Cain, where is our next target?"

"Huh?"

"Surely it's a larger Orc village, right?!"

"Wait a minute. Can't we just do one—"

Before Cain could finish saying "and call it a day?", the other players cut him off.

"Just one is definitely not enough! Right?!"

"As expected of Cain!"

"Let's go crush the next one!"

"...I feel like you guys would do just fine on your own, so why did you even bring me along?"

"Pardon? What did you say?"

"Nothing. Never mind."

"How dare those adventurer bastards run rampant here! Do not forgive them. Summon the chieftains and wipe them out!"

"Chwek, where is the Great Chieftain?"

"The Great Chieftain appointed me to act in his stead. Obey my commands!"

Monroso, the dark mage, roared at the Orcs in fury. The Orcs bowed their heads. Since the Great Chieftain had delegated authority to him, even an outsider like Monroso held absolute power.

"Among those rampaging adventurers, there must be some famous ones. Bring them to me! I shall make an example of them."

"Chwek. Currently, an adventurer named Cain is leading the other adventurers in the assault."

"Excellent! Bring him to me first! Dispatch the Orc assassins to capture and drag him here!"

"Chweek!"

Cain had been far too careless. If it were Tae-hyun, he would have known that the more noise one makes during a large-scale quest, the more the enemy prepares to retaliate. The intelligence of high-level NPCs was never to be underestimated.

The more Cain's name spread, the more the Orcs' counterattack would focus solely on him.

"Chwek, but that name... Cain. It sounds familiar."

"Chwek, where have I heard it before?"

"Chweek!!! Him! It's that bastard!!!"

The Orcs' eyes widened as they cried out. They had wondered why the name sounded so familiar, and now they remembered. It was that bastard!

"Cain! Before we attack, please step forward and say a few words to fire everyone up!"

"Hahaha, shall I? Shall I??"

Cain grinned foolishly and stepped forward. Watching him, Jeong Su-hyeok muttered anxiously.

"For some reason, I have a really bad feeling about this."

"Right? Me too. They say when a person does something completely out of character, misfortune is sure to follow..."