The Art of Forest Management
As the party made their way out, a voice called out to Tae-hyun from the distance. It was Nicola.
"Oh, Player Kim Tae-hyun! I have been looking for you!"
Behind Nicola stood a few unfamiliar faces. They were the players who had eagerly rushed into the forest earlier.
"Did you rescue them?"
"Of course. It is far too dangerous here. We must stop people from entering, but they keep wandering in."
"Hmm..."
Normally, restoring this forest to its original state required defeating Freid, as the various barriers he had erected were what polluted the woods. However, Tae-hyun couldn't kill Freid. At least for now, they were allies.
"But do not worry, Player Kim Tae-hyun. We will keep searching for a way."
Nicola offered a warm, good-natured smile. Seeing this, Tae-hyun spoke up.
"Would you like some help?"
"Oh! If you would help us, we would be most grateful. Shall we head inside together—"
"No, there's no need for that."
"?"
"I have a much better way."
Clang, clang, clang—
Using the materials brought to him by Nicola's guild members, Tae-hyun was busy crafting bombs. Specifically, fire bombs!
• You possess the skill: Sadiq's Authority.
• Sadiq's Flame will be added to all fire-related skills used.
• You possess the skill: Highest-grade Mechanical Engineering. The destructive power of your bombs is significantly increased.
• You possess the skill: Highest-grade Mechanical Engineering. You can customize the performance of your bombs as desired.
At this point, Tae-hyun's proficiency was practically at the Artisan level. He was a master craftsman capable of turning common-grade copper, saltpeter, steel, and firestones—materials easily sourced anywhere—into terrifying weapons of mass destruction!
With every swift flick of his wrists, identical high-quality bombs piled up, leaving the guild members staring in a mix of sheer shock and profound respect.
The rumors were true! He really did dismantle entire guilds single-handedly back in Pan-On 1!
Seeing Tae-hyun take the initiative to help, Nicola's eyes welled with tears of deep emotion.
"Player Kim Tae-hyun... You are far too kind. *Sniff...*"
"Well, I do try to be a good person."
"...??"
"???"
"What are you looking at?"
"N-Nothing."
Cain quickly averted his gaze. Looking at the guild members here made him feel like he was losing his mind. To think there were people who genuinely believed in Tae-hyun's benevolence!
The media is a terrifying thing!
Ever since the media manipulation orchestrated by the Power Warrior Guild had been broadcast worldwide, bizarre anomalies like Nicola and his guild members had begun to sprout. These were the players who had started in Pan-On 2 and firmly believed that Tae-hyun was a saint!
Well, considering how massive the player base of Pan-On is, I suppose the number of people who haven't been victimized by Kim Tae-hyun vastly outnumbers those who have...
Logically, it made sense, but it was still an incredibly difficult reality to accept!
"Player Kim Tae-hyun, if you ever need help in the future, just say the word. We will assist you."
"Even if it means fighting the Guild Alliance?"
"Oh, of course! Our guild absolutely detests the Guild Alliance."
Nicola confidently declared his willingness to clash with the Guild Alliance, currently the most powerful coalition of single guilds in Pan-On! Seeing this, Tae-hyun nodded with a highly satisfied grin.
"Alright. That should be enough."
"So we are going to use these bombs to raid the boss! Just like in the tournament!"
"Huh? No, we're not."
"?"
The guild members tilted their heads in confusion. If the bombs weren't meant to raid whatever boss monster was lurking deep within the forest, then what on earth were they for?
Clack, clack, clack—
Tae-hyun began to expertly arrange the bombs.
• You have begun placing the bombs.
• You possess the skill: Highest-grade Mechanical Engineering. A chain explosion will occur with maximum efficiency.
• A devastating explosion may occur. Please exercise extreme caution.
"Hehe... Perfect. Absolutely perfect."
"???"
The guild members still didn't seem to grasp what Tae-hyun was planning. Tae-hyun kindly offered an explanation.
"Think about it. Looking at the layout of this region, the boss monster is bound to be a tough nut to crack. Going into a place where a creature like that is waiting? At our current level, that's incredibly risky."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
"So, let's just set the whole place on fire from the outside."
"...?"
"???"
How on earth did he leap to that conclusion?!
"Wait, isn't that a bit too extreme?"
"What's wrong with it? If we leave it as is, innocent people will just keep wandering in and dying. Wouldn't it be much easier to just burn it to the ground and claim the land?"
Tae-hyun's silver tongue spun rapidly to dissolve the guild members' hesitation!
Granted, burning down the entire forest meant losing quite a lot—the monsters that spawned inside, various material drops, and so on. However, the benefits of burning it down far outweighed the losses!
It would instantly solve the issue of low-level players dying, and this vast expanse of land would essentially be theirs for the taking, completely free of charge.
"Oh! That actually makes sense."
"Right? See? Your guild master gets it."
Finally, Tae-hyun activated his skill.
• You have used the skill: Sadiq's Flame Rune.
• Sadiq's Flame will continuously erupt from the rune until the characters fade.
Whoosh!
"Alright, set it down... and run for your lives!!"
"!"
As Tae-hyun shouted and bolted, the others stood dazed for a split second before snapping out of it.
"W-Wait for us!"
Deep inside the forest, Freid was still grumbling to himself.
"Those damn bastards of the Phytos Church... how on earth did they raise such a lunatic...?"
Of all things, the lunatic had cherry-picked only his most valuable treasures, completely ignoring the hundreds of decent-looking junk items!
He was a madman, yes, but a madman with an incredibly sharp eye!
And that rabbit dish...
"How could a mere human cook a rabbit like that?!"
It was a level of culinary skill that defied belief!
"Hehehe. At least it's a relief the bastard didn't notice this."
Freid pulled a small box from his robes and stroked it gently. This was one thing he could absolutely never part with.
"Yes... I can just use him in return. I will thoroughly exploit him to deal with Mosrak. Kuhaha! I am safe inside the forest, while he is on the outside..."
To stand against a Demon Duke like Mosrak, he needed a crazy bastard like Tae-hyun.
Hiding in this forest had its drawbacks, but it also had its advantages. For one, a Demon Duke wouldn't be able to find him easily...
And Tae-hyun, being outside the forest, would have to fight first!
Now that they had formed an alliance, Freid fully intended to use Tae-hyun as a meat shield. Otherwise, the transaction simply wouldn't be profitable.
"You will die fighting Mosrak—"
Pop! Pop! Pop!
"?"
Freid tilted his head. From somewhere deep in the distance, he heard a series of muffled popping sounds.
Pop! Pop! Boom! Crash! Ba-ba-boom!
Freid's jaw dropped. Massive pillars of flame were erupting one after another in the distance.
"W-What in the world is..."
Boom! Boom! Crash!
"No!"
If this forest burned down, everything Freid had prepared—from his barriers to his traps—would go up in smoke. He had never imagined anyone would attack using such an absurdly brute-force method.
"Mosrak...! You despicable bastard!"
If a demon who had crossed over from the Demon Realm to the continent caused a disaster of this scale, every single religious order would hunt him down. Did he not care about the consequences at all?!
Cursing Mosrak, Freid sprang into action.
"Freezing Blizzard! Summon Singing Demon!" Freid unleashed various spells and utilized every item at his disposal, desperately trying to suppress the explosions and flames spreading throughout the forest.
But this was not something that could be stopped.
• The flames merge with other flames, burning with even greater intensity.
• The divine flames imbued with Sadiq's power repel the demonic energy!
"MOSRAAAK! You absolute son of a bitch! To think you would borrow Sadiq's power! Do you call yourself a Demon Duke?!"
Ba-boom! The explosions were now closing in on Freid's location. He had absolutely no idea what kind of weapon was being used to attack him.
Freid gritted his teeth and rushed into his storehouse to pack his items. Even if it cost him his life, he had to save these.
Mosrak! Are these... bombs?! Wait... Esla is the one who specializes in bombs, isn't he? Mosrak doesn't know how to use bombs! Could Esla have been freed? No, that's impossible...
• A mysterious wind begins to blow.
• The flames rage out of control!
• The explosions grow even more powerful.
"H-Hieeeek!"
Summon Wind of Fortune!
Wind of Fortune
• Summons a wind with random elemental properties to the region.
• The intensity of the wind scales with your Luck stat.
• The summoned wind cannot be controlled and may also harm allies.
The mysterious wind was none other than the Wind of Fortune summoned by Tae-hyun. Highest-grade Mechanical Engineering, Sadiq's Authority over fire, and now the Wind of Fortune. Each of these was a devastating skill capable of turning an entire region upside down on its own, but combining all three produced a truly terrifying synergy.
It was a massive forest fire that completely purified the powerful dark forest!
Hmm. Did I go a bit overboard with the Wind of Fortune?
Even a common dog had a home-turf advantage, and since this was Freid's domain, Tae-hyun had figured the demon might find a way to suppress the explosions and extinguish the fire. He was a high-ranking demon, after all! That was why Tae-hyun had cast Wind of Fortune to maximize the destructive power...
But the result was far more extreme than he had anticipated. Anyone looking at this would think Sadiq's Avatar had descended upon the world once more.
• The Cursed Dark Forest is burning down.
• Your Reputation has increased significantly.
• You can receive a reward by reporting this to the King of Erance.
Oh ho...
An unexpected bonus!
• You have defeated the Distorted Nightmare Beast.
• You have defeated Kahel, the Corrupted Werewolf of Darkness.
• You have defeated the Chieftain of the Werewolf Tribe.
• You have eliminated the bane of the Cursed Dark Forest!
...
...
Thanks to completely wiping out the high-level monsters in the forest, he had gained enough experience to level up twice! In the process of carrying out this demon subjugation quest (though he hadn't actually subjugated the demon), Tae-hyun had managed to gain a whopping two levels.
Calling a mere two levels "whopping" might sound funny to others, but to Tae-hyun, it was an astronomical amount!
No matter how I look at it, demon quests are way more lucrative than church quests.
Carbanog admonishes you, stating that a Pope should not harbor such unholy thoughts.
Yeah, yeah, I get it.
After confirming that the forest was thoroughly ablaze and crumbling, Tae-hyun shook hands with Nicola.
"Oh! Thank you, Player Kim Tae-hyun. I will never forget what you did today."
"Haha. If you ever find another place that needs burning down, just give me a call. I'll gladly run over."
The two exchanged farewells while casually discussing terrifying acts of arson. With that, Tae-hyun's party happily departed from the Erangs Kingdom and headed toward the Capital.
"Oh, right. Lee Da-bi, take this."
"Yes? What is it?"
"I felt like your offensive power was a bit lacking. Here, take it."
Tae-hyun handed over the musket he had kept aside. Looking at it, Lee Da-bi felt a deep wave of emotion welling up from within.
Just as tears began to threaten to spill from her eyes, she paused. Now that she thought about it, with the others present, it felt a bit awkward to be the only one receiving a gift. Fortunately, everyone else seemed distracted by their own tasks. If she put it away quickly...
"Whoa! What did you get?! What about me? Where's mine?!"
"..."
Lee Da-bi seriously contemplated whether she should test her newly acquired musket on Cain. This guy...
"What did you receive?"
Even Yu Ji-soo had overheard and walked over!
"Ah, this. I kept it because I felt Lee Da-bi's attack power was a bit lacking."
"That's an interesting piece of equipment."
"Since she's a merchant class, is she supposed to use things like that?"
"It looks quite cool."
Oh?
The party's reaction was much better than she had expected. Even Yu Ji-soo seemed impressed!
"Unni, give it a try."
"Pardon? But shooting it at Cain is a bit..."
"...I didn't tell you to shoot him, though...?"
Yu Ji-soo tilted her head in confusion. Lee Da-bi's face flushed red. Her true feelings had slipped out.
"Hey..."
"Of course, Cain, I kept something for you too."
"Whoa, seriously?!"
Cain whipped his head around. He hadn't expected anything at all, so was it really true?
"Here. Take a look."
Tae-hyun pulled out Freid's horns and waved them. Seeing them, Cain's expression turned incredibly bizarre.
"Uh... what is that...?"
"Horns, obviously."
"...And why are they mine?"
"I'll brew them nicely and turn them into a Monster Essence. It'll pair perfectly with your demonic traits."
"..."
Cain's face contorted in disgust. Watching this, Yu Ji-soo muttered under her breath.
"I'm so jealous..."
"Of *that*?!"
"He's going to cook it for you himself."
"W-Well, yes, but..."
Still, that was definitely not something to be envied!