The Shadow of the Great Chieftain
"It's nothing. Sure. Why don't we go check it out?" Choi Sang-yun replied, shaking off his anxiety.
After all, we're just testing the waters. What's the worst that could happen?
"Great! Let's go! I'll make sure Kim Tae-hyun never looks down on me again!"
So that was your angle?! Choi Sang-yun stared at Cain's back with a look of pity.
In the real world, Cain was a top-tier ranker and a highly regarded Pan-On pro player... yet here, he looked so pathetic and miserable. Sang-yun couldn't understand why.
"Bso Fortress of the Auston Kingdom has finally fallen!"
"Excellent!" The Guild Alliance erupted in cheers. The Auston Kingdom was being pushed back step by step.
They would complete the unification of the Auston Kingdom within the year!
"Still, do not let your guard down. The Auston royal family has deep reserves of strength."
Even a quick glance at the royal treasury revealed a hoard of Unique items that ordinary players could only dream of.
"Yes, sir!"
"Su Ning, sir. A report has come in."
"Bring it here."
Su Ning slumped into his chair. It had been quite some time since he had dispatched spies to Tae-hyun's territory.
In the past, he would have scoffed, Why should I resort to such petty tricks against a guy like him? But not anymore.
He would use any means necessary! This was a lesson he had learned from being repeatedly backstabbed by—no, from dealing with Tae-hyun.
Initially, he had tried to bribe the people around Tae-hyun, but every single attempt had failed from the very start.
— Ugh, another internet ad. I'm not buying!
— An international number? Obviously voice phishing. Do you think I'm stupid?
— A bribe? Sure, pay me upfront first. What, why? Just trust me. Seriously, send the advance! Do you really think I'm the type to eat-and-run?
... Realizing that approach was utterly hopeless, Su Ning had simply recruited new players and sent them directly to Tae-hyun's territory.
Tae-hyun's territory was so crowded anyway that a couple of new faces wouldn't raise any eyebrows.
Their objective: monitor and report on Tae-hyun and his companions!
Shhhk. Su Ning unfurled the report.
Target: Cain.
3:20 PM: Cain swept the temple's front yard.
3:45 PM: Cain pulled weeds in the vegetable garden behind the temple.
4:05 PM: Cain cursed Kim Tae-hyun. Caution required to determine his true motives.
4:20 PM: Cain...
"Which bastard wrote this?!"
Unaware of the happenings in Pan-On, Tae-hyun was working up a sweat in the real world.
"A-Amazing...!"
The sheer majesty of completing a task in a few hours that would have taken an ordinary person an entire day of struggling!
Is he a human excavator?
"What are you doing? Film it! Film it!" Though astonished, Kim PD reacted with professional instinct. If they didn't capture this, he didn't deserve to be the PD of Law of Survival!
"Is Kim Tae-hyun not going to take his shirt off?" Kim PD muttered regretfully. If he did, the viewership ratings would easily jump by a few percentage points!
"Who would do that in this weather?"
"Want to go splash some water on him?"
"Why don't you do it, PD-nim? Judging by how he was running earlier, if you try that, he might actually beat you to a pulp."
The staff shook their heads in dismay. The terrifying thing about Tae-hyun was that he gave off an aura that screamed, If I get pissed off, I will beat you up, cameras be damned!
"Whoa...! He actually built it!"
"How on earth did he make that?"
The MC team, who had been wandering around the island, came over to take a look and gasped at the quality of the completed temporary shelter.
The MC tapped on the wall. No matter how he looked at it, this was not something a novice could build.
He built it better than I could?! The MC had always prided himself on his handiness, but seeing Tae-hyun's creation completely shattered his confidence.
"I caught some fish... Oh? We have guests?" Lee Se-yeon, carrying a fishing rod, spotted the others.
The onlookers awkwardly avoided her gaze, suddenly remembering how they had teased her earlier.
"Did you find a place to stay?"
"Not yet..."
"Oh dear, what a shame. You still haven't found one?"
"We'll find one soon! Very soon!" Driven by pride, the MC team boasted. Lee Se-yeon grinned broadly as she watched them.
Tap, tap. Once the MC team retreated, Lee Se-yeon patted Tae-hyun on the shoulder. She was grateful to him for working so hard and sweating like this, and for knocking the other team down a peg...
"It's hot, get away from me."
"..."
Lee Se-yeon barely resisted the urge to hurl a fish at his face.
"They really don't get along, do they?"
"Why do you ask?" Ha-yeon, replying, noticed Bora's slightly flushed face. Wait, don't tell me...
"Wake up, Bora! He's a really bad guy!"
"But bad boys are popular..."
"He's not a bad boy, he's just a bad person!"
"I don't think so. He seems kind."
"He can't even remember your name properly! What do you mean, 'kind'?"
"B-But you like Cain-ssi, even though he never contacts you..."
"Ugh..." Hit right in her weak spot, Ha-yeon found it hard to argue. That was undeniably true!
"I think I'll try talking to him again."
"Bora."
"Yes?"
"There's a famous saying in Pan-On. 'Do not overbid on an item I've already bid on.'"
It was a phrase she had overheard from Cain, but its meaning resonated perfectly! Ha-yeon tried to persuade Bora with utmost seriousness.
"There's a saying like that? What does it mean?"
"It means don't touch what someone else has already claimed."
"...?"
"If you don't want to pick a fight with Se-yeon-onni, you'd better keep your hands off."
"But they don't even get along..."
"Well, bickering is how people grow close..."
Thud, thud! At the sound coming from behind them, Ha-yeon turned her head. Tae-hyun and Lee Se-yeon were viciously chucking rocks at each other.
"Is that part of it too?"
"That's... a lovers' quarrel."
"..."
"I-I'm serious."
"Excuse me, Tae-hyun-ssi. Could we perhaps borrow that tool set?"
"Go ahead. I'm done with it anyway."
"!" The MC was taken aback by how easily Tae-hyun handed it over. He had expected Tae-hyun to refuse or demand some kind of trade.
"Really? You're just lending it to us, just like that?"
"Of course. What else would I do with it?"
Tae-hyun stared at him as if to say, What is this guy even talking about? But to the MC, it sounded entirely different. Despite being openly mocked earlier, Tae-hyun didn't hold a grudge and simply lent them the tools!
He's actually such a nice person!
Of course, that wasn't the case at all. It was only because Lee Se-yeon hadn't told Tae-hyun about the mockery; had she done so, the MC would have experienced the full wrath of Tae-hyun's temper.
Upon returning to his team, the MC sang Tae-hyun's praises endlessly.
"Wow, Kim Tae-hyun really has a big heart. Even though we teased him like that earlier, he just lent them to us without a second thought."
"He's probably just a pushover."
"Hey, watch your mouth. When someone does you a favor, you should be grateful. Chang-seong, you shouldn't talk like that."
When Choi Chang-seong grumbled, the MC scolded him. Since they hadn't found a cave, they had to cobble together whatever they could find to build a makeshift shelter.
"Are you going to make it like the one Tae-hyun-ssi built?"
"Well..." Honestly, I don't think I can pull that off... Under their expectant gazes, the MC looked overwhelmed. He had only planned to build a simple shack!
Why did he have to build it so well and put so much pressure on me?
Meanwhile, feeling a sense of crisis, Choi Chang-seong thought to himself, Just you wait. I'll show everyone what I'm made of during the mission later.
"Is it near Uruk?"
"I think it's further east than Uruk. They ran quite far."
"Further east than Uruk..."
Choi Sang-yun racked his brain. The Uruk region was a place where players were only just beginning to settle down. Further east was uncharted territory, frequented only by a handful of explorer players and top rankers.
"Isn't that where the giants appear?"
A rocky mountain range completely devoid of grass or trees, inhabited by giant monsters. At the bare minimum, those giants were at least level 200. If they encountered elites or semi-bosses...
"Hmm, I don't know if we can manage with just this party."
"The ahjussis are in the Uruk region. Should we bring them along?"
Choi Sang-yun, who was also acquainted with Kim Tae-san, suggested. Whatever else might be said about them, the Orc Ahjussis were definitely a reliable force.
"Th-those ahjussis?" Cain looked disgusted. Their appearance was definitely something he wanted to keep his distance from.
"They might look rough, but their skills are the real deal. Let's drop by. Hunting giants with just the two of us is a bit much..."
At Choi Sang-yun's reasoning, Cain finally nodded.
"Gasp!" Passing through the mountain pass, the party arrived at the site where the Orc tribes had originally built their fortress, and they gasped in shock.
"W-what is this?"
"When did they build all this?"
The guild's territory was far larger and grander than they had imagined. It was an immense expanse stretching from one horizon to the other! Furthermore, the vast territory was packed with shabby tents. And emerging from those tents were Orc warriors!
Having never had a pleasant encounter with the Orc tribes of the Uruk region, Cain immediately tensed up.
"H-how did they manage to tame them?" He looked ready to bolt at any second!
"Calm down. Since Tae-san-ahjussi is an Orc, it must have been easy to bring them into his territory."
"Ah... I see..."
"Chwiik! Who are you!"
"Hieee!" Cain shrieked as an Orc scout spotted them and called out. However, unlike before, the Orcs didn't immediately attack.
"Uh, we're acquaintances of the lord of this territory. Could you guide us...?"
"Chwiik, acquaintances of the Chieftain? Very well." Though the Orc looked suspicious, he agreed to lead them. Compared to the past, their attitude was several times better.
"Chwiik, but you..."
"?"
"Your face looks familiar. Chwiik." The Orc tilted his head, staring at Cain. Cain's body went rigid.
"W-what are you talking about? This is my first time here."
"Chwiik, is that so?" The Orc warrior didn't press further, merely tilting his head.
Your Speech skill has increased.
"Numbers must be met with numbers. Mm-hmm."
"Ahjussi!"
"Whoa, you startled me!" Kim Tae-san, who had been looking at his Orc warriors with a pleased expression, spun around in surprise. His son's friends were walking in.
"Ah, Sang-yun. What brings you here?"
"We have a favor to ask..."
After listening to Choi Sang-yun's explanation, Kim Tae-san scratched his cheek.
"Hmm, I have a lot on my plate right now too..."
"Managing the territory? But there are plenty of other ahjussis here."
"No, not that."
Kim Tae-san's ultimate goal was to rebuild his strength and thoroughly screw over the Guild Alliance. But that was a long-term goal! His immediate objective was to advance to the Legendary Class, Orc Great Chieftain.
Of course, it was no easy task. The chain quests required for it easily exceeded a dozen. And above all, there was still Great Chieftain Karag, who remained in the Uruk region.
I have to defeat him.
But this was proving to be unexpectedly difficult. Karag was already a powerful boss monster over level 300, but after drinking demon blood and going berserk, he had become truly monstrous to deal with. Already, the first and second subjugation forces had been utterly annihilated and forced to retreat!
"I'm planning to hunt Karag."
"Karag? Isn't that too reckless? I didn't think he was a monster players could defeat at our current level."
Choi Sang-yun shook his head in disbelief. He had seen the videos and knew exactly what kind of monster Karag was.
After Tae-hyun cleared the Uruk quest, a few fearless rankers had banded together to hunt Karag, thinking it would be much easier now that his Orc subordinates were gone.
The result? Total annihilation! Any player with eyes quickly realized that Karag was impossible to defeat at the current level cap.
"But I have to defeat him. He has the Authority of the Great Chieftain."
The Authority of the Great Chieftain—a legendary item passed down through generations of Orc Great Chieftains, symbolizing absolute command! To complete his class advancement quest, Tae-san had to get his hands on that item.
Huh? Cain tilted his head in confusion. Wait, didn't Ed-an steal that item back then and... give it to Tae-hyun?