Nothing Worth Having Comes Easy

"Indeed, getting a territory can't be that easy."

"..."

Kim Tae-hyun said this despite being the one who had multiplied the quest's difficulty several times over! But the other players remained silent. Getting on Tae-hyun's bad side right now would do them absolutely no favors!

The first to raise his hand was Jang Ssu-an.

"Um, Kim Tae-hyun?"

"Yes. Speak up, Jang Ssu-an—the man who made things several times more annoying for me by ordering the players to charge on their own whim!"

It was an introduction dripping with malice. Yet, Jang Ssu-an did not back down.

"W-well, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠that might be true, but didn't everything turn out well in the end? All's well that ends..."

"You're not the one who gets to say that."

"Exactly, you bastards! Look at the state of me!"

Listening to Tae-hyun's words, Cain suddenly chimed in, overcome with emotion. Cain was currently agonizing over what to do about his half-human, half-horse chimera form.

Jang Ssu-an spoke with pure, thoughtless innocence.

"But it seems like you always end up in some terrible state whenever I see you."

"...That guy was nothing but a hindrance this entire quest. Let's not give him what we promised!"

"Huh? Wait, no! I didn't mean it in a bad way!"

"Get lost! You drink it too! If you drink it, I'll acknowledge you! Drink it! Drink it!"

"Stop it, Cain. In any case, Jang Ssu-an, even though you dragged me down with your endless trolling and interfered so much I suspected Su Ning sent you as a spy..."

Tae-hyun's words jabbed at him. Jang Ssu-an learned a new lesson today: a person could torment someone this thoroughly without using a single swear word.

"I always keep my promises!"

"?"

-???

"?????"

Everyone around them was shocked!

"Why is everyone so surprised?"

"Ah, it's nothing."

"Here. Take it. It's the blueprint."

Tae-hyun handed over the blueprint. Jang Ssu-an froze as he took it.

"Urgh...!"

"Are you crying?"

"I-I'm not crying."

"Strangely enough, everyone who receives this blueprint always ends up crying."

Including Jang Ssu-an, there were only two people so far, but both had been on the verge of tears upon receiving it.

"Well, I'll be taking my leave now."

"Sure. Safe travels, Jang Ssu-an."

"Goodbye, Mr. Jang Ssu-an."

"Goodbye, you guy who did nothing but troll throughout the quest yet snatched up all the good parts. What? 'Tactician of the Field'? 'Genius of Command'?"

"..."

Scurry! Jang Ssu-an fled without looking back. Cain's words had flown at him like sharp daggers.

"I told you to stop."

"I was captured as a prisoner and suffered so much... while that bastard... Ugh! That should have been my spot!"

Cain fumed. Normally, when Tae-hyun wasn't around, Cain would have taken the commander's role. Currently, Jang Ssu-an's reputation on the forums was soaring.

It wasn't as if being a ranker automatically meant one could quickly grasp a battlefield of thousands and issue commands. In that regard, Jang Ssu-an had shown a near-perfect performance on the surface during this quest.

As Cain writhed in frustration, the Power Warrior Guild members comforted him.

"It's okay, it's okay. You can do it next time."

"You have a great image too, Cain! As a pushov... I mean, a ranker!"

"Did you guys just try to call me a pushover?"

"N-no, we didn't?"

"What do you mean, no! I've noticed the weird way your guild members have been looking at me for a while now!"

Fuming, Cain brushed their hands away.

"We really didn't. You have no idea how much we like you, Cain."

"Yeah. Should we go write some hate comments about Jang Ssu-an for you?"

"!"

Cain's eyes lit up. It was an evil whisper he couldn't refuse!

"Hey. Stop it. We might need to use Jang Ssu-an again later," Tae-hyun said, giving Cain a light smack on the back of his head.

"What? How?"

"There's always a way if you make one."

Jang Ssu-an was a ranker and had already obtained everything he wanted. Yet, Tae-hyun declared without a shred of hesitation that he could still put him to work.

The Power Warrior Guild members fell for his confidence all over again.

While they were chatting, someone cleared their throat. It was Alcott.

"Huh? Why are you still here? Aren't you leaving?"

After the Orc tribes fractured and the demonized Karag occupied the innermost fortress, the players had all scattered. Tae-hyun's party was also planning to wrap up the quest, send off people like the Power Warrior Guild members, and move on to the next quest.

"Well, you see... The thing is...!"

"H-He must be plotting something wicked!" Kim Se-hyeong whispered in terror, looking at the hesitating Alcott.

He had intended to whisper it so only Tae-hyun could hear, but because the surroundings were quiet, it reached Alcott's ears.

Alcott frowned and glared at Kim Se-hyeong.

What on earth does that bastard have against me that he keeps trying to ruin things?

"Eek! He's glaring! He's glaring at me! Look at that! Senior Kim Tae-hyun, that guy is dangerous!"

Alcott ignored Kim Se-hyeong and spoke. If he kept dealing with that guy, there would be no ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠end to it!

"...I'm sure you heard from the Power Warrior guild leader, but..."

"?"

"?"

Tae-hyun wore a puzzled expression. Heard what?

Noticing his reaction, Alcott cried out in panic.

"Wait, she didn't tell you?!"

"Ah, that? Of course. I heard all about it."

Tae-hyun lied without batting an eye, despite having no idea what it was about. His lie was so natural that Alcott fell for it instantly.

"R-Right. Anyway... we're good now, right?"

"?"

"??"

The others nearby tilted their heads in confusion at Alcott's words. Why was this ranker coming over and saying something so loaded like, "We're good now, right?"

"Why is he acting like that?"

"I know, right? Who even is he?"

Ignoring the murmurs behind him, Tae-hyun replied.

"Of course. We are very good. Though I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠have no idea what kind of relationship we had."

"Y-Yeah! Great. I'll be on my way then, relieved. I'm not saying this to take credit, but I really worked hard."

"If you're not saying it to take credit, you didn't really need to say it."

"...Yes... Anyway, I just wanted you to know that I did my best despite the circumstances... That's all..."

"Cough, cough!"

Ed-an suddenly coughed loudly as if something had gone down the wrong pipe.

"Did you eat something bad?"

"N-No, it's nothing."

Like Jang Ssu-an, Alcott quickly scurried away once his business was done.

Watching him go, Ed-an spoke cautiously.

"Um, Master Tae-hyun. You see..."

"I don't know what it is, but spit it out quickly."

"W-Well, I stole the Orcs' necklace this time and contributed a lot..."

"You did," Tae-hyun nodded.

The Authority of the Great Chieftain.

A terrifying item that symbolized the absolute authority of the Great Chieftain! The problem was that the Orc tribes who would have been affected by it had been completely blown to pieces, but even excluding that, the item's effects alone were incredible. Orc players would lose their minds if they saw it.

"Normally, when one contributes, shouldn't their previous sins be pardoned?"

"What kind of trouble did you cause now?"

Tae-hyun's immediate reaction made Ed-an flinch.

"N-No, it's not a big deal... You told me to rob the warehouse back then..."

"Ah. That's right. You robbed it well, didn't you?"

Because Karag had half-destroyed the innermost fortress, the warehouse had been completely blown away. It was a great shame, but Tae-hyun had remained reassured because he had ordered Ed-an to thoroughly clean out the warehouse beforehand.

Since he looted the treasury of the Uruk Orc tribe, there should be enough materials to craft my new gear, right?

"...Here it is..."

"??"

Ed-an pulled out a single spear and offered it. Tae-hyun's heart sank.

"Ha... Haha. You're joking, right?"

"..."

"You hid the rest somewhere else, right? Right? Since jewels and ore ingots are bulky..."

Thud!

Ed-an fell to his knees!

"...I'm going to turn you into a bomb!"

"Aaaaargh!"

For a moment, even Tae-hyun lost his composure.

After a life-or-death game of tag with Ed-an, Tae-hyun calmed down and sighed.

"Right... What sin is yours? It's my fault for trusting you."

"..."

"A self-proclaimed Great Thief managed to steal only this... Huh? The name is Karbanog's Blunt Spear?"

Tae-hyun flinched at the name Karbanog. That god who had looked at him with sorrowful eyes. Could this be a curse?

N-No. This situation has nothing to do with Karbanog. Ed-an just did something stupid...

"..."

Tae-hyun was speechless. This wasn't even a religious recruitment, yet messages from the item were popping up just because someone brought it to him.

Ignore it!

Tae-hyun ignored the message window and checked the item.

An item with infinite durability, a rare sight. However, its attack power was 0.

In short... a joke item!

These kinds of weapons are usually used for messing around.

In Pan-On, weapons with 0 attack power existed occasionally. They would make funny noises when swung, or shoot weirdly colored beams, and so on. Some engineering-crafted gear was like that too.

The problem was that this weapon couldn't possibly be just a joke.

The equipment itself was a sacred relic of Karbanog, and above all, its item grade was Legendary! The highest tier.

At this point, there had to be something hidden.

Does it get upgraded if I clear some hidden quest? No, but I don't want to clear any Karbanog quests...

For some reason, he had an ominous feeling that once he started clearing them, he would be hooked for life!

"?"

Karbanog's Ankle Attack was a passive skill! This meant it would trigger anytime he used this spear.

What's this? This is unique.

"Cain?"

"Yeah?"

At Tae-hyun's call, Cain approached with innocent eyes. Tae-hyun swung the spear toward him.

"Argh?!"

Cain quickly tried to dodge, but he couldn't react faster than Tae-hyun's deliberate thrust.

Whoosh—

The spear lightly grazed Cain's shoulder. He took no damage, but...

Thud!

"?!?!?"

"Oho. So that's how it works."

Tae-hyun got the hang of it. A weapon that unconditionally knocked down the target as long as it touched them!

This is more useful than I thought.

Using it in combat was a bit awkward because he had to trip them and then switch weapons. If someone other than Tae-hyun could use it, he would have handed it over, but since only Tae-hyun had received Karbanog's recognition, that wasn't an option.

In other words, the best place to use this Spear of Karbanog was...

When running away!

Hit them once, turn around and run, and if they close the distance, hit them again...

He could already picture how furious his opponents would be.