The Terror of Low-Level Engineering
Only the members of the Power Warrior Guild truly understood the terror of Engineering. To other rankers, it was a joke: "Engineering? Isn't that only scary when Kim Tae-hyun uses it himself? When anyone else tries, it's completely useless. Isn't it just a trash skill?" Of course, Gabriel had once caused a massive stir in Pan-On with his self-destruction terror attacks, but the players who had actually fallen victim to them were a tiny minority compared to the overall player base. Alcott, naturally, couldn't comprehend why everyone was panicking.
"It's not like Kim Tae-hyun crafted it anyway, so what's the big deal? Just throw it!"
"We're panicking because Kim Tae-hyun didn't make it!!"
When it came to the Engineering skill, a low skill level was infinitely more terrifying. There was no telling what kind of catastrophic side effects would trigger.
"Here goes nothing!"
With a voice dripping with madness, Choi Min-soo hurled the bomb off the stern of the ship.
You have used the Rupture Sound Bomb.
A massive shockwave is generated!
"Hell yeah!" Choi Min-soo pumped his fist in pure ecstasy. This was the ultimate application of the Engineering skill! In this moment, he felt as if he had actually become Kim Tae-hyun himself.
Whoosh! Thanks to the blast, the ship received a massive burst of forward momentum.
"I-it actually worked?!"
"This makes absolutely no..."
"Maybe the Engineering skill was actually good all along?"
"Let's not talk nonsense just because we're in a tight spot, buddy!"
The guild members were thrown into utter chaos! Regardless of their confusion, the rankers were busy trying to manage the situation.
"The magic cannons! Keep those magic cannons in check!"
"How?!"
"Board their ships and disrupt them!"
"Are you f—"
Alcott spat out a curse, but he had no choice but to move as he was shoved forward.
Pitter-patter! Unlike Smith and Evangeline, who could activate their tanking skills to block incoming cannonballs, Alcott and Roy had to physically board the enemy vessels and take down the pirates operating the magic cannons.
Wait, why am I doing this? Alcott's original plan was to tuck tail and run the moment things went south, but somehow he had ended up taking the brunt of the danger!
"S-shouldn't we run?" Cain asked, his voice trembling with anxiety. But Tae-hyun shook his head.
"We're still safe. They haven't spotted us yet."
The rescue team was surprisingly strong, holding their ground far better than expected. Thanks to that, the entire focus of Gardu's fleet was pinned on them! Furthermore, Tae-hyun and Cain's position was exquisite. Not only was the distance perfect, but they were also tucked behind a small island, making it virtually impossible for them to be spotted first.
"Hmm... I do want to help rescue the old man, though."
"..."
"!!!!"
"!!!!"
"!!!!!!!!"
"Why are you guys so shocked?"
"N-no, it's just... it's so surprising..."
"Well, since Cain went over there and screamed my name, the old man definitely knows his plans got ruined because of me. His grudge is going to be legendary."
Chairman Yoo had already demonstrated the scale of his grudge by recruiting Lee Se-yeon to Yuseong Gaming, but Tae-hyun didn't know that yet. Since he owed the old man a favor regarding Lee Da-bi, it was only human nature to pay it back if he could! Of course, to everyone else, his reaction was utterly unbelievable.
"Y-you're really Kim Tae-hyun, right?"
"Quiet. Just help me think of a way to assist them."
"...Is there even a way? Other than going over there directly and pulling him out..."
"If we do that, we'll probably die instantly."
"Honestly, the rescue team seems way more capable than we thought. Maybe they'll manage to escape on their own?"
"That would be ideal, but... huh?"
"What is it?"
"Some of those faces look familiar... Am I seeing things?"
"They aren't firing the cannons?"
"Huh? Really?" Evangeline was bewildered. She had expected the pirates to unleash a relentless barrage of cannon fire immediately. No matter how much Alcott and Roy were disrupting them on the other side, she hadn't imagined that this massive fleet would fail to fire a single shot.
Chairman Yoo spoke as if explaining something to a child. "Naturally, because this is their own ship. They want to reclaim it. If they shoot, they'll destroy it."
"Ah...!"
"Oh, right...!!"
"Then didn't those two board the enemy ships for absolutely no reason?"
"...Well, they'll find their own way back. Let's go!" Evangeline decided not to dwell on it any further. She had truly absorbed only the worst of Tae-hyun's traits! Watching her, the guild members whispered among themselves.
"That person... she's Kim Tae-hyun's friend, right?"
"As they say, birds of a feather..."
Meanwhile, Alcott and Roy barely managed to make it back. It had been a brutal struggle, leaving both of their HPs plunging below 10%! Wiping away cold sweat, Alcott yelled:
"Did you see that?! We stopped the cannons!"
"Uh... yeah! That was amazing!"
"You were incredible, Mr. Alcott!"
The Power Warrior Guild members hung their heads, unable to look him in the eye. Still riding his high, Alcott didn't notice their awkwardness at first, but then he realized something was off. Why weren't any cannons firing?
"Wait, why aren't they shooting?"
"Well, you see..."
After hearing the explanation, Alcott's face flushed bright red.
"Hey!!"
"You didn't realize it either, so don't yell at us!"
In the meantime, their ship steadily gained speed, widening the gap. The pirate ships, which had clustered tightly for boarding actions, collided with one another as they tried to turn, getting tangled up and blocked by half-destroyed vessels. It was a golden opportunity for the escapees!
"Hey, pull me up!"
"...That bastard!"
Crawford, who had been swimming to keep his distance, quickly scrambled aboard. Alcott gnashed his teeth, but Smith held him back, reminding him they had no time to bicker.
Screeech—
"Wait. What's that sound?"
"Sounds like cannons?"
"What are you talking about? This is their own ship, they wouldn't shoot it."
Alcott confidently parroted the explanation he had just received back to Crawford. Impressed by the seemingly logical reasoning, Crawford looked at Alcott with an expression that said, Oh, impressive. Watching this pathetic display, Chairman Yoo let out a deep sigh and explained.
"My dear boys... that logic only applies when they think they can reclaim the ship. What do you think they'll do once they realize they can't?"
"..."
"..."
It was exactly as Chairman Yoo said. The moment Gardu's fleet realized they wouldn't be getting their ship back, the order was handed down.
"Sink it!"
The sheer terror of dozens of ships targeting a single vessel filled the air!
"Smith! Don't you have any skills?!"
"I can't block all of this!"
"...Abandon ship! Jump into the water!"
"What?! Why would we do that?!"
Alcott retorted, finding the suggestion absurd. Wouldn't it be better to just stay on the ship, speed up, and try to dodge or block?
"Even if we stay here, there's no way we can block or dodge everything! Look at their numbers!"
"But jumping off the ship is suicide! Do you know where we are?! We can't swim all the way to land! Our stamina will bottom out and we'll drown first!"
"We don't need to reach the mainland! We can just hold out on a nearby island, recover, and swim again! We have mounts too!"
"If you want to jump, go ahead! I'm not leaving—"
KABOOOOOM!
At that exact moment, a deafening roar erupted from the stern. A massive explosion blew the entire back of the ship to smithereens! Even as he struggled to maintain his balance amidst the chaos, Smith cried out in panic:
"No cannonballs hit us!"
"..."
"..."
The Power Warrior Guild members let out a heavy, synchronized sigh. They had witnessed the source of the explosion with their own eyes.
"Mr. Choi Min-soo has been logged out..."
"By self-destruction..."
"..."
The explosion hadn't been caused by the pirates' attack, but rather by a catastrophic malfunction of the bomb Choi Min-soo had pulled out.
"Fine, stay on the ship then. I'm jumping!" Evangeline didn't hesitate for a second and dove straight into the water.
Splash!
"...I'm going too!"
One by one, the remaining players hastily abandoned ship. In hindsight, it was the only correct choice. The moment they plunged into the sea, dozens of cannonballs rained down upon the vessel with terrifying precision.
"What if they chase us?"
"We'll worry about that when it happens!"
However, Gardu's fleet did not pursue them.
"What are your orders, Lord Gardu? Shall we pursue and capture them?"
"No, leave them. That pathetic Count Kim Tae-hyun... he's struggling desperately. Let's see how much more he can squirm!"
Gardu had completely misunderstood, assuming this rescue raid was also orchestrated by Tae-hyun! He concluded there was no reason to chase the rescue team and walk straight into a trap. Of course, there was no trap.
"No matter what you do, your doom is sealed. I will gather every pirate in Uruk and burn your territory to the ground!"
Thanks to Tae-hyun, the rescue team was able to swim away safely. Though, in truth, if it hadn't been for Tae-hyun's interference in the first place, they would have pulled off a quiet, flawless rescue!
"They aren't moving? Hmm. I guess they didn't think we were worth chasing."
"Really? Are you sure they aren't coming? It's not a trap, right?" Cain asked repeatedly, his anxiety getting the better of him, but Tae-hyun simply nodded.
"Yeah. Let's steer the ship over that way."
"Why?"
"Because the rescue team just blew up their own ship. Seriously, what did they even do to blow it up before the cannons even hit them? Did someone botch a spell?"
"If someone actually did that, they're pathetic." Choi Sang-yun scoffed at the hypothetical mage. Blowing up your own ship due to a casting failure was the kind of legendary blunder that would easily top the weekly top-ten funny clips.
Swoosh—
As their ship quietly sliced through the dark night waters, the rescue team players, who were bickering while swimming, gasped in shock.
"A ship?!"
"Why is there a ship here? Is it Gardu's fleet?"
"There's only one! We can take it by force!"
"I don't think it's one of Gardu's ships, though..."
Pop!
While they were debating, a very familiar face peeked over the ship's railing. It was Tae-hyun.
"Hey there, everyone."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"Mr. Tae-hyun! Hello!"
"Oh, hey."
The only one who greeted him with pure, innocent enthusiasm was Smith.
"Because of you... *mumble mumble*..."
"Hey, it's not like I did it on purpose~" Evangeline grumbled. Naturally, Tae-hyun didn't bat an eye. Knowing that arguing with him was a waste of breath, Evangeline stopped complaining. As for Alcott...
"Because of you..."
"Because of me, what?" When Tae-hyun stared back at him with a piercing gaze, Alcott swallowed his words.
"...It was thrilling and great!"
"Really? Are you a bit of a weirdo?"
You absolute son of a... Alcott cursed inwardly.
Crawford, watching this, suddenly remembered something. "Hey, didn't you say you'd challenge Kim Tae-hyun to a 1v1 the moment you met him?"
"Shh, shh! Shut up! Shut up!"
"What? Are you scared?"
"N-no, I'm not?! It's just that he saved us, and I can't repay grace with enmity!"
Crawford eyed him suspiciously. He had assumed it was just a baseless rumor, but seeing this reaction... Is this guy actually terrified of Kim Tae-hyun? Roy stared at Alcott with a look of utter bewilderment. The image of Alcott, whom he had respected as a role model during this operation, was crumbling to pieces.
Meanwhile, Tae-hyun turned to Chairman Yoo and called out warmly, "Chairman! I came to rescue you!"
"...Really?"
"Of course! Why else would I travel all the way to this remote wilderness if not to save you?"
"I feel like we would have slipped out quietly and perfectly fine if it weren't for you..."
"That was just an unavoidable miscalculation. If things had gone according to my original plan, your journey would have been far more comfortable."
"Was screaming your name at the top of our lungs in the dead of night part of that plan?"
"Have you never heard of making a feint to the east while attacking in the west? It was a strategy to draw their attention away so you could escape." He spun the plausible lie without even batting an eye! While the other rankers were nodding along, thinking, Oh, is that what it was?, Chairman Yoo and Evangeline remained highly skeptical. Kim Tae-hyun is not that nice of a guy!
Tae-hyun thumped his chest in mock frustration. "Chairman, I'm truly disappointed. How can you doubt me like this? Remember the favor you did for me last time? I came all this way specifically to repay that debt."
"Hmph. Repay a debt? By starting a rival gaming team?"
"Excuse me?"
"Ah, it's nothing."
"Look at this motorcycle! If I didn't feel deeply grateful to you, why on earth would I have crafted this?!"
"!!??!?!" Chairman Yoo's eyes widened to the size of saucers. T-this was...?!