A Slave's Ambition
"Next question..."
The moment the question began, Kim Chun-sik and Choi Chang-seong stood up. They quickly moved to block Kim Tae-hyun.
"!"
Realizing their intent, Tae-hyun responded with lightning reflexes. He dashed forward before they could even reach him.
"Argh! We missed him!"
"What are you doing? How could you not block that?!"
After easily slipping past their interference, Tae-hyun asked the PD, "Is it okay to interfere like that?"
"Yes, it is!"
"Oho..."
Actually, Tae-hyun had been thinking of doing exactly that from the very beginning. But there was one reason he hadn't interfered until now: he already knew the answers to most of the questions, while the others didn't. In such a situation, there was no need to waste energy blocking them.
But there are still plenty of questions left...
He had been debating whether to start playing dirty, so he was more than grateful that the PD had officially laid out the rules!
And the opportunity came sooner than expected.
"Next question!"
—What is the name of the youngest member of Five Girls?
This is a freebie!
I have to get this one!
This time, for sure!
An entertainment trivia question! Except for Tae-hyun, everyone seemed to know the answer. Tae-hyun quickly stood up and dashed forward.
"Aaaah! Block Tae-hyun! Otherwise, he'll steal it again... Huh?"
But Tae-hyun didn't run toward the buzzer. He simply stood right in front of them, blocking the path.
"What... what is he doing?"
"Just run! We have to answer first!"
Though they didn't know what Tae-hyun was plotting, the MC ran anyway. They had to get past him to answer, after all.
At that moment...
Swish!
Tae-hyun moved like lightning. The MC gasped as Tae-hyun suddenly vanished from sight, only to lunge straight at him.
"!!"
Grabbing the MC by the waist, Tae-hyun smoothly scooped him up and tossed him onto the sandy beach in one fluid motion! It looked so seamless it was as if they had choreographed it beforehand.
Thud! Roll!
It didn't hurt, but the MC was utterly dumbfounded. He was on the shorter side, but he had a solid, well-built frame, yet he had been flung aside like a helpless child. It was a stark demonstration of Tae-hyun's monstrous physical strength.
Silence fell over the beach. Only then did the remaining contestants realize what Tae-hyun was up to.
"He's... he's blocking the path? All by himself?"
"Yes. You over there..."
Tae-hyun turned his head toward Bora and Ha-yeon, then hesitated.
Lee Se-yeon stared at him, dumbfounded. Don't tell me he forgot their names already?!
"...Go answer it, quickly!"
"Y-Yes!"
Bora snapped out of her shock and sprinted forward. She hadn't expected to get a turn at all!
"Do you think we'll just stand by and watch? Let's go! Run!"
Kim Chun-sik quickly darted to the side, intending to outrun him. Choi Chang-seong moved as well. He had already been keeping a wary eye on Tae-hyun, and seeing him hog all the spotlight was making his blood boil.
Finally, Shin Yeon-ju from the MC team joined the fray.
A total of three people were rushing forward!
Yet, Tae-hyun didn't even blink.
Dash!
He charged at Kim Chun-sik first. Chun-sik, his face tense, tried to dodge. Suddenly, a conversation they'd had at the gym flashed through his mind.
—By the way, Tae-hyun, how good are you? Do you mind if we spar sometime so I can learn a few things?
—Chun-sik.
—Yes?
—Is life getting tough for you lately? Why are you trying to die?
—...??
Ah! I got distracted!
The rushing Tae-hyun suddenly vanished from his line of sight. He had ducked incredibly low.
Grab!
Tae-hyun locked his arms around Chun-sik's waist and drove him straight into the sand. It was a textbook double-leg tackle.
"Ugh!"
Without sparing a glance at the fallen Chun-sik, Tae-hyun immediately lunged at Choi Chang-seong. Chang-seong ignored him and kept sprinting forward. Even if he didn't fight back, as long as he kept his speed up, Tae-hyun wouldn't be able to catch up after wasting time on Chun-sik...
"?"
But then, Chang-seong saw the PD's face in front of him warp with sheer shock. Why was he looking like that?
Grab.
"???"
An unbelievable grip clamped onto his waist!
"Are you cr—"
Slam!
After tossing Chun-sik, Tae-hyun had caught up in an instant and flung Chang-seong aside as well!
Watching this, Kim PD had to bite his lip to keep from bursting into laughter. It was completely different from what he had envisioned, but this was absolute gold for the broadcast.
Casting him was the best decision I've ever made!
They were already swimming in footage, and the show had barely started.
"Eek!"
Shin Yeon-ju, who was lagging behind, froze as she made eye contact with Tae-hyun. Is he going to throw me too?
Stomp, stomp, stomp—
As Tae-hyun began to walk toward her, Yeon-ju let out a shriek, spun around, and bolted.
"Kyaaaah!"
I was just walking over... Tae-hyun thought, bewildered.
By the time the quiz ended, Tae-hyun's team had won by an overwhelming margin. They had answered every single question correctly, except for the entertainment trivia that none of them knew.
"Ugh... my aching back..."
The MC groaned, staring at Tae-hyun. He never imagined they would be beaten so thoroughly by their guests.
"Is that the best you've got?" Kim PD teased.
"Shut up, Kim PD! Why did you make the questions so weird anyway?"
"Well, answering them was the weird part... Anyway, everyone! Now that the quiz is over, you are free to rest until the next mission!"
"Rest, my foot!" the MC grumbled.
Having fallen for Kim PD's tricks before, the MC team knew better. If they actually spent their free time sightseeing and relaxing, they would find themselves desperately short on time once evening fell. They had to start preparing right now!
Well, at least we managed to snag some decent supplies.
Thanks to their experience, the MC team had picked out highly practical items.
"We got plenty of food... Wait, why on earth did the other team pass on these?"
Tae-hyun's team had chosen seasonings and spices, but they hadn't picked any instant, ready-to-eat meals.
"I think they plan on catching their own food."
"Catching food here? Ha! As if that's easy."
The MC scoffed, but then hesitated. Recalling Tae-hyun's absurd physical feats from earlier, a nagging thought crossed his mind: Wait, what if they actually do?
"Anyway, let's look for a cave or something first. We need a place to spend the night."
"Isn't this... a bit too reckless?"
"Why? This is more than enough."
"Wouldn't it be better to look for a cave?"
"Looking at the terrain, there won't be any caves here. Besides, did you see the wicked grin on the PD's face earlier?"
"!"
Unlike the MC team, who were looking for a quick place to lie down, Tae-hyun was planning to build a proper shelter. His plan was to dig up the ground, lay down vinyl sheets, cut down some wood to build walls and a roof, and cover the entire structure with more vinyl.
There's no way we can finish this in time...
Lee Se-yeon bit her lip. She remembered how the MC team had mocked them before they split up.
—A tool set? If you can build a proper shelter with just that, I'll eat my hat.
—You should've picked something like this instead of useless junk. Right, Se-yeon? You should've stopped him.
—Haha...
Se-yeon had laughed it off, but she was secretly burning with annoyance. Only I get to criticize Kim Tae-hyun! Who do they think they are?
Se-yeon's pride was just as fierce as Tae-hyun's. She desperately wanted to show them up and wipe those smug smirks off their faces.
Ugh... but still...
She hesitated to speak up. Tae-hyun seemed so incredibly confident that offering advice felt unnecessary.
I guess I just have to trust him.
"What should I do?"
"You know how to fish, right? Go catch some fish over there."
"Got it."
As Se-yeon walked away, Bora approached him.
"What should I do?"
"Uh... what are you good at?"
Unlike Se-yeon, Tae-hyun had absolutely no idea what Bora's skills were.
"I can do whatever you tell me to!"
"Then why don't you try digging here?"
Thud! Thud!
"B-Bora! That's my foot!"
Ha-yeon shrieked in terror, narrowly dodging the shovel.
Watching this, Tae-hyun nodded slowly.
"Ah. You're the Cain type."
"Cain? Ah, that player who runs with you! Unni, did I just get praised?"
"Uh... I don't think that was a compliment...?" Ha-yeon muttered, tilting her head. No matter how she looked at it, that was definitely not a moment for praise.
"I have a very important task for you two," Tae-hyun said solemnly.
"What is it?"
"Tell us!"
"Go over there and play with Lee Se-yeon. Just don't get in my way."
"......"
Aren't skill levels supposed to go up naturally? Forcing it like this is just... mumble mumble...
Cain grumbled to himself as he swung his sword.
Swordsmanship was notoriously difficult to level up. It rose relatively quickly when fighting strong enemies, but practicing like this in empty air was considered by most players to be a foolish and highly inefficient waste of time.
But Tae-hyun had been uncompromising.
—You level it up when you're hunting monsters, and you practice to level it up when you're not. Every little bit adds up.
If my skill level doesn't go up, he's going to nag me to death... Ugh.
Cain suddenly had a brilliant idea. To avoid Tae-hyun's nagging, he could complete some territory quests. That way, he'd have a perfect excuse.
I was busy managing the territory to keep it running smoothly! See how hard I worked?!
What a perfect plan. Mwahaha.
Wearing a devious grin, Cain began accepting quests from the priests of the Archisus Church. Most of them were tedious chores, but Cain accepted every single one.
[The monsters that appeared in the fields...]
[Those who claimed to believe in Archisus but fled...]
[An offering to be presented to Archisus...]
"Accept, accept, accept!"
Huh, there are surprisingly many untouched minor quests, Cain thought, feeling puzzled.
The territory was home to many low-level players, and these quests should have been highly useful for them.
"Life... life is all about the jackpot..."
"Just win it back! You can pay it off once you hit the jackpot!!"
"...Ah. I see."
Cain shook his head and walked past them. Because the territory offered so many high-risk, high-reward opportunities, even the low-level players were ignoring these steady chores, choosing instead to wander around in search of a single life-changing quest.
[Quest completed.]
[Quest completed.]
[Quest completed...]
For someone of Cain's level, these minor quests were incredibly easy. Furthermore, his face was practically a golden pass within the territory.
"Ah! Lord Cain! Hello!"
"Whoa! Lord Cain, is there anything we can do to help you?"
Cain's mouth split into a wide, goofy grin. He absolutely loved being showered with respect by other players!
"Lord Cain, what do you think about the upcoming tournament?"
"Hahaha! They're all nothing to worry about..."
Completely oblivious to the trouble he was brewing, Cain was running his mouth once again.
[Quest completed.]
[Archisus is moved by your diligence.]
"Huh?"
At that moment, a thunderous voice echoed directly in his ears.
"Excellent. My slave."
"Your dedication in meticulously handling the tasks that no one else would touch is truly fitting for a slave."
"......"
It sounded like praise, but it left a bizarrely bitter aftertaste. Cain did his best to suppress his rising anger. What was the point of getting mad at an NPC?
I am not angry. I am not angry...
Your Holy stat has increased significantly.
Track the Sadiq Holy Knight Commander
The Sadiq Church has fallen, and its remnants have been absorbed into the Archisus Church. While other rigid, orthodox orders on the continent would have objected, the Archisus Church is flexible and pragmatic!
However, the Sadiq Holy Knight Commander has fled alone, dreaming of the day he can resurrect his forces. Archisus will illuminate the path with his authority. Track down the Sadiq Holy Knight Commander before he can hatch his schemes, capture him, and offer his authority to the Avatar of Archisus!
🎁 Reward: ?, ????, ?????, ?
Oh... isn't this actually a really good quest?
Even Cain could put two and two together. This was a quest he normally wouldn't have been able to obtain, but because he had been slacking off—no, diligently clearing minor quests—he had unlocked it.
If I tell him about this, he definitely won't nag me! Cain thought with absolute certainty.
Wait, wait... what if I capture the Holy Knight Commander myself? If I catch him and report it before Kim Tae-hyun even gets back...
—Kim Tae-hyun! Look at this! While you were gone, I tracked down and captured the Sadiq Holy Knight Commander!
—What?! Cain, to think you had such talent...! I must have been blind! How could I have failed to recognize someone like you? I will never nag you again!
Perfect!
Cain leaped to his feet. Archisus's promise to illuminate the path was no exaggeration. A bright white light stretched out before him, marking a clear trail. It was an incredibly straightforward quest where he just had to follow the path!
"Guys! Listen to this!"
"What is it?"
The rest of the party listened to Cain's explanation. Then, they stared at him with looks that said, Are you serious?
"Shouldn't we wait until Tae-hyun gets back?"
"If we go ahead on our own, we might get beaten up... I mean, things could get messy."
"You got captured last time too, didn't you?"
Jeong Su-hyeok's final remark pierced Cain right in the chest.
"T-That was just a fluke because things got tangled up! And I'm not saying we should fight him! If we just go and scout the area, it'll make it much easier for Kim Tae-hyun to handle him when he returns!"
"Well, that's true."
Even if they didn't fight, scouting the map and assessing the surrounding situation would definitely be helpful. Choi Sang-yun nodded in agreement.
But...
I have a bad feeling about this...
This feels extremely risky...
I'm getting anxious...
"Why are you all looking at me like that?"