To Escape a Bitter Brew

While Kim Tae-hyun was transforming inside the dungeon and gathering a powerful undead army, the people outside were waiting, completely oblivious to what was happening. Eventually, the players hesitantly spoke up.

"...Can't we just go in?"

"Yeah, Su Ning. We'll just take a quick look and come right back out."

Su Ning sighed inwardly. To think I have to work with these brainless idiots!

"I told you already. Kim Tae-hyun is waiting in there with a trap. If you go in now, you're walking right into his hands! Why do you think he hasn't come out yet?"

"..."

"Besides, didn't I tell you guys you could just get lost? Why are you still here bothering me?"

"Well, about that..."

The players muttered, unable to find their words. Honestly, they had wanted to leave, thinking, Wow! Someone else is taking care of Kim Tae-hyun? This is awesome! A new tournament dungeon had just opened, and they desperately wanted to go there!

But the reason they couldn't...

Was because of their fans watching behind them. They were terrified of what people would say if they abandoned the scene while their fans were watching. To a pro player, losing real-life fans was far more terrifying than losing in-game character stats!

"What about Chang?"

"It's pretty much confirmed he got force-logged out."

"That Su Ning bastard. No matter the circumstances, how could he shoot Chang like that... He's still one of our fellow players..."

"Seriously, it's too much. The guy has no blood or tears."

"He's just like Kim Tae-hyun."

Twitch.

Su Ning clenched his fists. He might let the others slide, but he made sure to memorize the face of the bastard who had just compared him to Kim Tae-hyun. That was an insult he absolutely could not overlook!

You're dead meat!

Munch, munch.

"I'm all out of popcorn."

"Go buy some more. It looks like it'll be a while before they actually fight."

"When are they going to fight anyway? It exploded once earlier, and now they're just standing around."

"They're probably holding out because whoever attacks first is at a disadvantage."

"Still, this is getting boring..."

The players, consisting of spectators and fans, showed no signs of leaving. And the ones absolutely thrilled by this were the members of the Power Warrior Guild!

"Popcorn for sale! Two silver! Two silver!"

"Huh? Didn't the price just go up?"

"If you don't like it, don't eat it! Three silver! Three silver!"

"?!?!"

Knowing they wouldn't be able to run this business for much longer, the Power Warrior Guild members scrambled here and there to rake in as much cash as possible. Their main menu items were popcorn and grilled squid! They didn't just sell popcorn; they made and sold all kinds of salty, instant snacks on the spot.

Within the Power Warrior Guild, they were even nicknamed the Concession Stand Unit. Wherever there was a demand for popcorn, they would appear out of nowhere to sell it! Every single member of the Concession Stand Unit possessed cooking skills, running skills, and porter-related skills.

Who are these freaks?

Do Dong-su, blending in among the crowd of players gathered around, took a stealthy look. Hiding one's identity was easy when there were this many people. Even without a cheat-like item like Tae-hyun's, simply wearing a cloak, hood, or mask that covered his face was enough to keep anyone from recognizing him. The players' outfits were incredibly diverse anyway.

Should I go back? No, if I go back for nothing... and Kim Tae-hyun isn't even dead yet...

Whispers were flooding in for the pro players, including Do Dong-su, but he ignored them all, pretending not to hear. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠If anyone confronted him later, he planned to play dumb and insist there had been a misunderstanding. His relationship with the other players there would turn sour, but he didn't care. A pro spoke through their skills!

It's better than fighting Kim Tae-hyun. But man, they really brought a lot of people.

Do Dong-su smacked his lips. He was bothered by the mysterious party. It looked like they had prepared extensively to take down Kim Tae-hyun...

Surely, Kim Tae-hyun wouldn't actually get caught today, right? If that happened, Do Dong-su would cry tears of blood. To miss out on such an opportunity!

"Where did Chang go? I came here to see him."

"The guy who got blasted away earlier was Chang."

"What?!"

"Where is Do Dong-su? I'm a fan of his!"

"Didn't he die earlier? During the dungeon raid."

"I think so..."

I should put some more distance between us.

Pricked by the fans' conversation, Do Dong-su decided to quietly slip away and head down the mountain.

Pitter-patter.

As he distanced himself from the gathered players and made his way down the mountain, the surroundings instantly grew quiet. It was hard to believe that so many people had been gathered up there, making such a racket just moments ago. Do Dong-su let out a sigh of relief, thinking he had managed a clean escape...

"!"

Awooooooo—

The howl of wolves echoed from the distance. And it wasn't just one, but dozens. Trash mobs like wolves were something he could handle with his eyes closed. Do Dong-su reached for his weapon with a look of annoyance, but suddenly froze.

Wait. There shouldn't be any wolves here.

He recalled that this mountain didn't have any wolf monsters. Do Dong-su frowned in confusion.

"Run, you lazy mutts!"

"Faster! Faster!"

Do Dong-su's jaw dropped.

Down below, dozens of Orc players riding giant wolves were charging up the mountain.

What the hell?!

At a glance, they looked far from normal. Their broad, round green faces were covered in loud, tacky masks, and their equipment was a complete hodgepodge with absolutely zero consistency. However, Do Dong-su's eyes widened as he realized that several pieces of their gear were incredibly rare and hard to obtain.

They're no ordinary players! Who are they? Bandits? Are they seriously trying to pull off a highway robbery ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠here?

With so many skilled ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠players gathered up there, trying to play bandit was insane. You'd have to be completely out of your mind or have a death wish to attempt such a thing.

I need to slip away first.

Fortunately, Do Dong-su was a Thief. In a situation like this, he could easily slip away without having to fight. Unfortunately for him, Roy was riding at the very front of the pack. And Roy was currently under immense psychological pressure.

"Roy, my boy. You'll do great today, right? I believe in you."

"Yes, sir..."

"Roy, didn't you get dragged off to The Exile last time? How could you make a silly mistake like that?"

"..."

"In my opinion, it's because your vital energy is weak. I'll brew you some herbal medicine later, so make sure to drink it."

"Now that's a great idea!"

The Orc Ahjussis heartily agreed with one another. Roy paled and frantically waved his hands.

"N-No, really, I'm fine!"

"Are you ignoring my goodwill right now...?"

"No... It's not that..."

Roy was utterly horrified. If he didn't make a truly outstanding contribution during this quest, he might end up having to regularly consume those horrific concoctions made from Abnormal Cooking. Weak vital energy, his foot!

I have to achieve something, no matter what!

Enemy detected! Sharp Senses! Whisper of the Wind!

Riding at the very front, Roy spotted Do Dong-su using Stealth and vanishing into thin air. Under normal circumstances, he would have thought, Hmm, that player is running away to the side instead of heading up. They probably just got scared of us and fled.

But Roy was not in a normal state of mind. He had to do something—anything!

"That guy is definitely a spy! I'll go capture him!"

"Huh? What's over there? There's nothing."

"Roy! You're seeing things because your vital energy is weak—"

"No! He's really there!"

What is wrong with this crazy bastard?!

Do Dong-su, who had been trying to escape in peace, was horrified to see Roy riding his wolf and accelerating toward him like a madman. It was one thing for the guy to notice him, but he never expected him to give chase so desperately. Did he somehow recognize his identity?

Noise Reduction, Featherlight Steps, Scent Disruption...

Do Dong-su frantically activated every stealth-related skill he had. Then, he climbed up a tree and hid.

At this level, it was absolutely impossible to find him! Just as Do Dong-su thought, Roy couldn't locate him.

Stealth Detection, Stealth Detection!

Roy grit his teeth. Even after using his skills, the hidden figure remained invisible. The opponent's skill level was clearly higher than he had anticipated.

He couldn't have gone far. Moving weakens the stealth effect, so he must be holding his breath somewhere nearby...

Driven into a corner, Roy's brain worked several times faster than usual. He had to catch him!

As Roy hesitated, the voices of the Orc Ahjussis drifted from behind.

"Roy! I'm telling you, you saw things!"

"Just come back! I'll brew a nice batch of herbal medicine for you!"

"..."

Gulp.

With a look of grim determination, Roy pulled something out of his bag. Do Dong-su narrowed his eyes, watching him.

What is that? What did he pull out?

Sssssss—

A chilling, familiar sound echoed through the air!

Boom!

It's a bomb! Do Dong-su was utterly dumbfounded. What a complete lunatic!

Boom! Bang! Crash!

Roy threw bombs indiscriminately. If a spot looked even remotely like a hiding place, he lobbed a bomb at it.

"Ugh!"

A few of the blasts caught Roy as well, but he grit his teeth and endured it. His guild members were right behind him anyway; they would help him if things got truly dangerous. Right now, the only thing that mattered was finding the hidden spy and proving that his vital energy was perfectly fine!

Unable to withstand the onslaught any longer, Do Dong-su finally deactivated his stealth, revealed himself, and unleashed a torrent of curses.

"You crazy bastard! What do you have against me?! What the hell do you think you're doing?!"

"I found him! I found him! Ahjussis! Did you see that?! My vital energy isn't weak! I'm perfectly fine!"

Sighs echoed from behind.

"He was actually there?"

"And here I thought his vital energy was weak..."

"But who is that guy anyway? Why did you cause such a fuss over him?"

Do Dong-su was dumbfounded by the Orc Ahjussis' words. Did they seriously do all this without even knowing who he was?

But Roy declared resolutely, "He's a spy!"

Twitch!

Did they find out?!

Unlike the panicked Do Dong-su, the Orc Ahjussis still held onto a thread of reason.

"Uh... why is he a spy? Did he do something suspicious?"

It was a perfectly natural question. The Orc Ahjussis had no desire to cause trouble for innocent players.

"You're not just framing a random bystander, are you?"

"N-No, I'm not!"

Roy stammered. Come to think of it, he had absolutely no proof. But if he backed down now, he would definitely be forced to drink that herbal medicine! At this point, Roy decided it was do-or-die.

"That guy! I know his face! I've definitely seen him before!"

"?!?"

Do Dong-su was genuinely shocked. I'm wearing a mask! How on earth did you see through it?

The Orc Ahjussis seemed to share his skepticism.

"Hold on, Roy. We can't even see his face—"

"Die, you spy bastard!!"

Realizing that further ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠talk would only disadvantage him, Roy let out a roar and lunged at Do Dong-su. He would kill him and destroy the evidence before he had to make any more excuses!

Before being captured by Kim Tae-san, Roy had been a fairly well-known PK player and ranker. Though he wasn't a top-tier ranker, his confidence hadn't gone anywhere.

Clang!

"Ugh?!"

"You bastard! What did you eat to make you act so crazy?!"

Furious, Do Dong-su lunged back to clash weapons. He could have slipped away cleanly, but instead, he was caught by this absolute lunatic!

"Die! Spy!"

"Do you even know who you're messing with, you bastard?!"

Slash!

Roy aimed not for Do Dong-su's vitals, but for the mask covering his face. Once he knocked the mask off, even if it was a face he didn't recognize, he was fully prepared to insist he knew him!

Roy's attack successfully destroyed the mask. Do Dong-su's face was laid bare.

Seeing a face that looked somewhat familiar, the Orc Ahjussis gasped in surprise.

"!"

"That guy is..."

"Sigh, dammit..."

Do Dong-su cursed under his breath and prepared to flee. If they had recognized his identity, they wouldn't let him go easily.

"...Who was he again?"

"Who is that?"

"Anyone know him?"

"DO DONG-SU!! DO DONG-SU!!! YOU BASTARDS!!!"

Overwhelmed by a sudden surge of anger, Do Dong-su lost his composure and screamed. Only then did the Orc Ahjussis slap their foreheads, their faces lighting up with realization.

"Ah! The guy who got beaten by Tae-hyun!"

"I thought he quit the game!"

"Wow! Good to see you! I'm glad you didn't quit. Yes, yes. A young fellow shouldn't quit over something like that! Hang in there! It's not that you were bad, it's just that Tae-hyun is too good!"

"..."

By this point, Do Dong-su also realized who he was dealing with. It was that guild, led by Kim Tae-hyun's father!