The Art of the Ambush

Regardless of Mojek's solemn resolve, there was already no chance of winning. Zemuban finished Mojek off then and there.

Tsk, tsk. Tae-hyun clicked his tongue. He had thought Mojek would at least be able to manage this much, but to think he couldn't even clear this hurdle.

Zemuban, now brimming with confidence, roared, "Who dares face me next? Step forward!"

It was the turn of the player scheduled after Mojek, but for some reason, they hesitated, shuffling their feet.

"Why aren't you going out?"

"I-I'm forfeiting my turn. You go."

Because of the forfeit, the turn cascaded down to the third player in line! But the third player also shrank back. "I'm not so sure either... Do you want to go?"

This is my chance! Evangeline's eyes sparkled. Though her turn was way down the line, judging by the current atmosphere, if she raised her hand and volunteered, everyone would gladly push her forward.

"I'll go—"

Patter, patter, patter!

"??"

Someone dashed past her. It was Tae-hyun.

"Count Kim Tae-hyun! Let us have a fair and honorable—urk!"

No words were needed. Tae-hyun simply drew his spear and thrust it forward!

Thud! Though the initial strike dealt no damage, the impact of the spear sent Zemuban sprawling to the ground. For Zemuban, who had been waiting for a fair and honorable duel, this was a thoroughly baffling ambush!

"C-Count Kim Tae-hyun! How cowardly... Argh!"

In one fluid motion, Tae-hyun sheathed his spear, drew his sword, and began hacking away. He had already buffed his damage to absurd heights with various skills before even stepping out.

—Archisus Swordsmanship!

The fallen Zemuban couldn't even mount ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a proper counterattack as he was relentlessly pummeled. The Dae-man-bul-gang-geom, empowered by Archisus Swordsmanship, triggered additional effects with every single strike.

"Aaaargh!"

To make matters worse, the additional effects triggered were the absolute worst possible matchups for him!

Gulp. The players watched the fight, utterly dumbfounded. Zemuban, who had been playing with Mojek like a toy just moments ago, was now being thoroughly thrashed.

Of course, had Zemuban prepared himself and faced Tae-hyun head-on, he wouldn't have been beaten so miserably. But the price of being ambushed and allowing Tae-hyun to land the first blow was devastating.

When it came to instantaneous burst damage, there were few in all of Pan-On who could rival Tae-hyun!

"?" Tae-hyun picked up a peculiarly shaped red token and inspected it.

"Ahhh!" A scream echoed from behind. Evangeline was pointing at the token, her mouth hanging wide open.

Then, her eyes met Tae-hyun's. Ah! The moment she saw his gaze, she realized she had made a grave mistake. She shouldn't have let her reaction show!

Tae-hyun's eyes practically screamed: What are you going to give me to buy this back this time? But squeezing his favorite mark—no, Evangeline—could wait until later. For now, Tae-hyun issued his orders.

"Commence the attack! Commence the attack!"

"He says to commence!"

"Bring the bombs! Bring the bombs!"

Rumble— The Mechanical Engineering Blacksmiths excitedly began dragging forward every single war machine they had prepared. Watching them, the royal army and the Salavian Order members atop the castle walls felt an inexplicable chill run down their spines. Something about this was terrifying!

"Deploy the defensive magic! The magic granted by Lord Salabian—"

Whoosh— Boom! Crash! Kaboom!

"What in the world are these crazy bast—"

Boom! Crash! Bang! A relentless barrage of bombs rained down, leaving absolutely no room for conversation!

"Keep throwing them! Keep going!"

"But there's a barrier over there!"

"If we keep throwing them, it's bound to break! Just throw!"

"Golems, move forward! Golems, forward!"

"We want to throw too! We want to throw too!"

"This looks fun!"

Even the giants from Tae-hyun's territory stepped up and began hurling bombs. With their massive statures, the giants were walking siege engines in their own right! Every time they threw a bundle of bombs together, a massive explosion rocked the castle walls.

Boom! Crash! Rumble!

"Whoa...!"

"This is insane...!"

Those who had been awed by Tae-hyun defeating Zemuban just moments ago were now being overwhelmed by an entirely different spectacle. A magnificent display of fireworks was unfolding right before their eyes.

A magic that demolished castle walls and gates without casting a single spell! This was the true power of Mechanical Engineering!

"Those bastards up there keep maintaining the barrier! Let's fly up and drop bombs on them! Prepare the gliders!"

"Gliders ready!"

"Launch!"

Whoosh! Kaboom!

"..."

"It's fine! This level of sacrifice was within our calculations! Prepare the next batch!"

"Launch!"

Whoosh! The blacksmiths soared into the air, completely unfazed by the fact that their comrade had just been logged out by a bomb malfunction! Ignoring any incoming attacks, they recklessly hurled bombs in every direction.

Screeech— Boom! Crash!

"Argh!"

"Urgh!"

Unable to withstand the relentless bombardment, the priests of the Salavian Order retreated below the castle walls. Seizing the opportunity, the Mechanical Engineering Blacksmiths pressed forward to throw even stronger bombs in even greater quantities!

"Let's go too!"

"Begin the assault!!"

The players, who had been watching in a daze, finally snapped out of it. From mages to archers, everyone began unleashing their attacks indiscriminately!

Both the players of the Expedition on the field and the countless spectators watching the siege shared a single, identical thought: Those Mechanical Engineering Blacksmiths are practically the ultimate spear in a siege! They couldn't even begin to imagine what kind of castle could possibly withstand such a relentless onslaught from a group like that.

The gate still hasn't broken. Although the castle walls were slowly crumbling, the perfectly intact gate was an eyesore. Tae-hyun drew his Ancient Hammer and charged forward, moving without a shred of hesitation despite the countless bombs exploding all around him!

"Don't stop! Keep firing!"

"T-Tae-hyun...!"

"That is the true spirit of Mechanical Engineering! Did you see that?! Did everyone see that?!"

Tae-hyun had only said that because he was confident he wouldn't die, but the blacksmiths interpreted it in an entirely different way. It was pure madness!

"Fire!!! Fire!!!"

It feels like these bastards are throwing way more bombs toward me for some reason. Must be my imagination. Shrugging off the thought, Tae-hyun swung his hammer. Clang, clang, clang... Rumble!

Beyond the collapsed gate and shattered walls, the royal army and the Salavian Order's demonic beasts stood waiting. Because they had wisely retreated instead of trying to endure the overwhelming bombardment, their losses weren't too severe. A chaotic melee was imminent!

At that moment, the battle cries of knights echoed from behind.

"Order of Osong, charge!"

"Order of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Buford, charge!"

"Order of Fibre, charge!"

"Whoa! It's the knights!"

"The knights are moving out!" Cheers erupted from the players, who rarely had the chance to see formal orders of knights in action.

Thud-thud-thud-thud— "Charge!" The knights thundered across the plains, their immense momentum and deafening roar filling the entire battlefield.

Wait. If they charge now... Tae-hyun was dumbfounded. The collapsed walls and gate had created a literal mountain of rubble. What on earth were the knights planning to achieve by charging straight into that?

Neighhh! Tae-hyun's prediction hit the mark perfectly. Most of the knights were forced to halt right in front of the debris. A few managed to blast through the rubble and continue their charge, but they were in the minority.

As soon as the knights ground to a halt, the waiting Salavian Order beasts pounced on them from above, below, and straight ahead. Screeech! "Come at us, you monsters!" Clang! Clang! The knights didn't back down either. A blood-splattered, chaotic melee ensued, turning into a brutal war of attrition where a beast fell for every knight that perished.

Tae-hyun thought to himself: How do they always play right into my hands so perfectly?

"My Lord! The enemy's resistance is stronger than anticipated! We should temporarily retreat and wait for the mages' support—"

Ah. When a man who appeared to be the knight commander shouted to Count Osong, the Count immediately barked back.

"What nonsense! How can we retreat under the honorable name of our knighthood?! There is no retreat! All forces, charge!"

Tae-hyun smiled warmly. They were fighting like this without him even needing to use his Speech skill! Since the knights had taken the vanguard and were absorbing the brunt of the damage, the players behind them could leap into the fray without any burden.

"Let's go too!"

"Waaaaah!" An immense wave of players began surging forward without hesitation. Organized into parties, they worked together to raid individual Salavian beasts or focus down enemy warriors.

"You cowardly humans... Urgh!"

"Stab him! Stab him!"

"Throw the holy water!"

Screeech! "That guy is using a skill! Watch out!" Thud— "??" The players stared in confusion as the beast, which had been in the middle of casting a skill, suddenly tripped and rolled across the ground. Why did it fail its own skill?

"Well, whatever, now's our chance! Beat him up!"

"Stomp on him! Stomp on him!" The enemy's misfortune was their fortune! They had no idea why it fell, but since it was down, it was time to pummel it! The players excitedly began stomping all over the beast.

—*How dare you lowly humans run amok!*

"!"

"Everyone, watch out!" Evangeline shouted a warning the moment she saw the system message. She was the one who knew the most about the Salavian Order and vampires here. To her knowledge, Count Lucon was one of the high-ranking executives of the Salavian Order! He was a menacing boss monster armed with all sorts of special abilities and skills.

—Blood Tempest! "Aaaargh!" As Lucon unleashed his skill, a violent crimson whirlwind whipped up, sending the surrounding players flying.

I told them to watch out! Evangeline bit her lip anxiously and prepared to move to intercept Lucon. She was the only one capable of taking him on right now! However, Lucon moved in a completely different direction. He was heading straight for Tae-hyun!

"Kim Tae-hyun! Watch out!"

"!" Tae-hyun, who had been frantically slicing through the beasts with his Dae-man-bul-gang-geom, turned his head at Evangeline's shout. Cain, who was fighting alongside him, remarked in admiration.

"Man, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠she's so nice, especially since you bully her all the time."

"Don't say things that'll make people misunderstand!"

—Count Kim Tae-hyun. Let us see if you can withstand my gaze!

"Cain, hold the fort here."

"W-Wait, what?!"

Dash— Tae-hyun immediately turned tail and ran. Seeing this, Lucon instantly gave chase.

Just as I thought. Tae-hyun cheered inwardly. If there was one thing he was absolutely sure of, it was that the members of the Salavian Order hated him more than anyone else! Despite the battlefield crawling with other players, Lucon had ignored them all just to hunt him down.

"Kim Tae-hyun! Where are you going?! Fight with me!" Evangeline called out, but Tae-hyun ignored her and kept running. His destination was...

"Count Osong!"

"Count Kim Tae-hyun...! Wait, who is that chasing you from behind—" It was none other than the position of Count Osong and his order of knights.