The Price of a Trend

Meanwhile, Cain, who had logged in nearby, approached while yawning. "Oh? You finished making it? Where did it go?"

"I gave it to Lee Da-bi. Her birthday is coming up."

"...??"

Cain tilted his head. He gave it to her because her birthday was coming up? Did that mean he gave her that clunky, ugly armor as a birthday present?

"Hey! Who gives something like that as a birthday gift?! A birthday gift should be something more... you know, real-world!"

"Nah, man. This is the trend these days."

"Trend? What trend! I've lived my whole life and never heard of such a trend! Where on earth is that a trend?!"

Stop, please...!

Lee Da-bi's face was so red from the guilt that it couldn't possibly get any redder! However, Tae-hyun remained completely unfazed. It was because his opponent was Cain.

"Do you even know what's trendy?"

"What?"

"Do you know what girls like these days? Honestly, I doubt you even know any girls in the first place."

"Well... I do..."

"Excluding your sister."

"Urgh...!"

Cain staggered, struck hard by the sharp attack. Looking to the side, Lee Da-bi had her head bowed as if deeply moved.

Is it really a trend?! Seriously?!

Meanwhile, Lee Da-bi took a deep breath and recovered from the shock. "Wait. Didn't you know a girl, Cain-ssi? The one you were hanging out with back then..."

She was referring to Ha-yeon of Five Girls. She was the idol Cain had happily tagged along with.

However, Cain replied in a gloomy voice. "She's been too busy with her schedule lately to log in..."

"..."

"..."

Tae-hyun and Lee Da-bi stared at Cain with pity in their eyes. No wonder he had been so quiet lately.

Tae-hyun patted Cain's shoulder and said, "You should give her a gift too."

"Huh?"

"I heard gifting Pan-On items is all the rage these days."

"...R-Really?"

Thud!

"Huh? Da-bi, what's wrong?"

"Ah, it's nothing..."

Lee Da-bi had collapsed to her knees, completely crushed by guilt!

"Should I try that then? Really?"

"Yeah, yeah."

"What kind of item is good? A ring? A bouquet of flowers?"

"I don't think that's it."

Even Tae-hyun was turned off by Cain's suggestions.

"???"

"?????"

"Guild Leader, what is this? Did you rub oil all over yourself?"

Tae-hyun and Lee Da-bi were conducting a performance test. Some items had their specific stats clearly displayed, while others did not. The latter required direct experimentation.

This was especially true for this armor, which had an additional option when near Tae-hyun.

And the result?

The Power Warrior guild members were showering Lee Da-bi with arrows, but every single one of them was missing.

The guild members were utterly bewildered by the unbelievable results!

And it didn't end there.

A barrage of magic poured out from Lee Da-bi's armor!

"Aaaargh!"

"Guild Leader, why are you doing this! What did we do ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠wrong?!"

"We're sorry! We won't secretly swipe 1 silver again!"

The Power Warrior guild members shrieked in terror, running wild in all directions. Lee Da-bi checked the item's performance again in surprise.

"This... is..."

"Sorry. It's random, so there's nothing I can do. I didn't mean to put that in either."

"No! It's amazing! I would have worn it even if the stats were bad!"

"No. If the stats are bad, you shouldn't wear it."

"..."

"..."

"?"

When the Power Warrior guild members stared at him as if he were pathetic, Tae-hyun glared back. Were these guys crazy?

"Ahem, ahem."

"Cough, cough."

The Power Warrior guild members quickly bowed their heads. If there was one thing they knew for sure, it was that Tae-hyun's temper turned incredibly nasty when things didn't go his way.

We can't end up like Cain.

We'll end up just like Cain.

As a merchant and the leader of the Power Warrior guild who traded countless items, Lee Da-bi could recognize the true value of this armor.

The moment it was listed on the auction house, it had the potential to fetch a record-breaking price!

Even if it fell slightly short in raw stats, the attached options were simply too broken.

"Thank you so much. I'll use it well."

"Don't sell it."

"I'm not going to sell it?!"

"Oh, really? Honestly, I was thinking it'd be fine if you sold it."

"How could I sell a gift like this!"

"If you sell it? It'll be expensive."

"..."

Lee Da-bi's shoulders slumped.

Meanwhile, the guild members, having recovered from the curse, approached and began ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to chatter.

"Guild Leader! That armor is truly amazing! Though the design is tacky!"

"Guild Leader! If you ever sell that armor, it might record the highest price in our guild's history! Though the design is tacky, of course!"

"Guild Leader, where did you get that armor? Seeing how weird the design is, it doesn't look like a player made it!"

"..."

Tae-hyun glared at the guild members again. He knew it was clunky, but hearing it emphasized over and over again naturally hurt his feelings!

D-Did we do something wrong?

Isn't it because we interrupted her conversation with the Guild Leader?

Then retreat! Retreat!

The Power Warrior guild members quietly backed away.

"Alright. Shall we get ready to head back to the Uruk Region?"

While Tae-hyun went to call Pelmas and Galakpad, Cain sneakily approached Lee Da-bi and asked.

"Hey... about that trendy item gifting thing, what exactly is in style?"

"...!!!"

While Lee Da-bi suffered from the karma she had built up, Tae-hyun finished his preparations.

"Alright. Let's go!"

Galakpad brought his subordinates with a pleased look on his face.

Pelmas looked like he was about to die.

And so on!

"...I just felt a sudden wave of dread." Cain muttered quietly.

"Quiet! It's a simple quest. We just go to the Uruk Region and deal with some pirates."

"It doesn't sound simple at all..."

"Shut it. Is everyone ready? No one's going to cause trouble in the territory, right? You brought everyone?"

"Pardon? Tae-hyun-nim? What do you mean by that..."

His true thoughts had accidentally slipped out! Tae-hyun ignored him without a hint of embarrassment.

"Alright, let's head out!"

The motorcycle, Yong-yong, and Heuk-heuk. There were plenty of means of transportation.

On top of that, Galakpad and his direct subordinates...

"A carpet!"

The traditional mount of mages, a carpet!

"Isn't a broom better?"

"Brooms are a bit dangerous."

Saying so, Tae-hyun inspected the carpet.

How did he get this?

It was an item that raised extreme suspicion about how it was acquired!

"W-Wait! Why is no one giving me a ride?" Pelmas spoke from below in a flustered voice.

"Someone give him a ride."

"You can give him a ride."

"No, Cain-ssi..."

"Galakpad. Give him a ride."

"...Understood..."

Galakpad made a blatantly disgusted face!

Pelmas, utterly dumbfounded, shouted, "I don't want to go either, you know?!"

Flying up into the sky, Tae-hyun glanced back at his territory.

Please don't cause any trouble until I get back.

If I clear this quest, will the arena finally be finished...?

How much longer did he have to wait for an arena that would have been completed long ago in any other city...?

"Huh?"

Tae-hyun blinked.

He saw an incredibly long line in the middle of the territory.

Players lined up endlessly!

Why are they standing there? The free food place isn't there. The blessings aren't there either... Did I see wrong?

Tae-hyun had forgotten.

That was where he had placed the [Altar of Archisus]!

"From here on, we walk."

Even though the Orc tribes had been dismantled, the Uruk Region was still a dangerous place.

It was filled with flying monsters like Wyverns!

To avoid fighting such monsters, they had to travel on foot.

"By the way, Galakpad. What exactly are those subordinates you're leading?"

"My subordinates? They are faithful slaves of Archisus."

Flinch!

Cain flinched at the word "slave."

"Ah, of course, it has a different meaning from that, Tae-hyun-nim."

"Where ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠did you get them? It's surprising that slaves can use magic so ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠well."

"I brought them out of the Magic Tower."

"...Huh?"

"They were slaves to the mages in the Magic Tower. I simply revealed the greatness of Lord Archisus to them and brought them along."

"..."

Swoosh—

It felt as if the blood drained from everyone's faces.

So he had kidnapped slaves from the Magic Tower? No wonder they were good at magic!

"D-Did you get permission from the Magic Tower?"

Galakpad smiled.

Tae-hyun was briefly relieved by that smile. Right, surely Galakpad isn't that crazy...

Wait, he is.

"Why should we seek the permission of trivial Magic Tower mages to spread the name of the great Lord Archisus?"

"...Didn't you tell me not to cause trouble at the Magic Tower?"

He had warned Tae-hyun, 'Tae-hyun-nim, the Magic Tower is truly dangerous, so you must not cause trouble there,' yet he himself had already caused a massive incident!

Surely his warning about it being dangerous wasn't based on his own direct experience, right?

"Sigh... Well, we won't be meeting any Magic Tower mages anyway, so it should be fine."

Although he had received the title of Successor of the Black Mage School, he rarely had any reason to go near the Magic Tower.

Besides, since he had taken the black mages and turned them into Liches, it was a bit awkward to go back anyway.

Though his reputation within the Magic Tower seemed to have risen...

"Tae-hyun-nim. I think that refers to a class."

When Lee Da-bi spoke, Tae-hyun was surprised.

"What? There's a class called [Archisus's Slave]?"

"Hey..." Cain got annoyed in the background, but Tae-hyun ignored him.

"Yes. It was briefly popular once... It has a limited number of spells it can learn, but the skill levels rise incredibly fast."

"A specialized class."

Tae-hyun smacked his lips. Hearing that they had few spells made him think of his own magic.

I should have learned more magic when I visited the Magic Tower...

Even with a grand title like Successor of the Black Mage School, his usable magic spells were too few.

Unless one had a mage class, the opportunity to obtain magic skills was rare.

Going back to the Magic Tower to clear quests just to learn magic would probably be a waste of time, right?

Since he had a status within the Magic Tower, it wasn't impossible, but he had to spend that time raising other skill levels and clearing other quests.

"Tae-hyun-nim."

"What is it, Pelmas?"

"How do you plan to approach the pirates?"

"Hmm... Right. I should think about that."

Tae-hyun had plundered the Caterand Pirates before and held a title related to them.

He doubted the pirates would welcome him.

Lee Da-bi began to list the information she had organized.

"The Caterand Pirates are spread across the island regions in the southern sea of Uruk. There are many islands, making it easy for them to hide, so their numbers are vast..."

They were a much larger force than the Goblin or primitive human tribes. They were practically a tribal alliance.

"They won't welcome us like the Goblins, and disguising ourselves like we did with the Orcs will be tough. Do we have to fight and defeat them one by one this time?"

To fight and defeat them one by one, then bring them under his banner. As long as he could get them to believe in Archisus, such a method was viable.

Galakpad slapped his knee in delight.

"That is the perfect way, Tae-hyun-nim! This old Galakpad is weeping tears of joy..."

In contrast, Pelmas objected.

"Tae-hyun-nim, that is far too dangerous. Isn't there a more intellectual approach?"

Pelmas was openly displaying his desperate desire to survive!