The Living Bomb Craze

Hakkarias's voice rumbled with a deep, menacing vibration. Though it was a vast lair, it sounded as vivid as if he were whispering right next to them.

"W-we have many enemies. Foes who are jealous of us for establishing a new kingdom."

—Yes. I suppose so.

"If those enemies come, could you ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠teach them a harsh lesson, Lord Hakkarias? Such insolence, failing to recognize you, Lord Hakkarias, as the true master of the Auston Kingdom..."

—This is not enough.

"!"

—Double it. You must bring twice this amount. Only then will I consider it.

"Phew, *pant, pant*. We didn't die."

"Wow, that dragon bastard. He's greedy as hell."

"Shh! He might hear you."

The guild members who stepped outside let out sighs of relief. Although his demands for additional payment were filthy, the Black Dragon Hakkarias had ultimately accepted their offer.

Just as Tae-hyun had gained various authorities upon becoming the king of the Atali Kingdom, Su Ning had also acquired several powers after ascending to the throne of the Auston Kingdom. One of them was Summon Hakkarias. Though flustered at first, he was able to confirm it after digging through the kingdom's books and records.

The greedy tyrant, Hakkarias! Every single summon cost enough to pull the pillars right out of the palace, but it was well worth the price.

"But why didn't the previous king of Auston summon that dragon?"

"Who knows? Maybe because of the civil war?"

"Is that so?"

—Master. For some reason, my ears feel itchy.

—How filthy. A Black Dragon.

—No, it's not because I'm dirty...!

—As expected of Sadiq's dragon.

Yong-yong and Golgol-i teamed up to attack Heuk-heuk.

—Sob, sob... It's really not like that...

"Everyone, quiet down."

The group was currently traveling at high speed. Fortunately, perhaps because they were all incredibly wealthy, every single one of them possessed a highly expensive mount. From Pegasi to Golden Phoenixes!

Of course, even among them, Tae-hyun's mounts stood out the most. A Gold Dragon, a Black Dragon, and even a motorcycle!

The destination is the border between the Erangs Kingdom and the Espa Kingdom... What was here again?

As they neared their destination, massive, moving figures came into view in the distance. They were giants.

"?!"

"Huh? Were there always giants here?"

—This is our land! Our land!

—Go away! Go away!

*Thud! Thud!*

"Aaaah! Where did they suddenly come from?!"

Players could be seen screaming and running away. Judging by their reactions, this area was not originally a place where giants spawned.

"Mr. Kim Tae-hyun! Are we going to hunt those?!"

"Huh? No."

The PD shot him an expectant look, but Tae-hyun flatly refused. You couldn't just hunt something the moment you saw it! You had to identify who they were, thoroughly investigate how to make use of them, and only then make your move.

"But they're giants! Aren't they monsters?"

"You can be friendly with monsters, too."

"?!?!"

"Cain. Go down and talk to them."

Looking down from above, the giants were circling and guarding a specific spot.

"Why me?"

"Don't you want to show off your cool side?"

"!"

Cain's face lit up with sudden realization.

"I'll be right back!"

As soon as Cain appeared, the giants reacted.

—Human! Do not come! Do not come!

—This is our land! Our land!

"Let's talk for a second."

Cain said, landing in a cool, dramatic pose. It was a line that clearly showed he was highly conscious of someone watching from behind.

*Smack!*

*Whoosh—*

Cain flew off into the distance like a baseball struck by a bat.

"..."

"..."

—We told you to go! We told you to go!

—Human! Get lost!

Cain stood up, his face flushed red. His HP hadn't even dropped by 10%, but his pride was utterly shattered.

"I'll... I'll kill them! I'll kill them!"

"Did he catch their speech pattern...?"

Tae-hyun muttered with a dubious expression.

"Hey! Giants!"

—?

"Even if we leave, can't you at least tell us why? Why are you telling us to get lost?"

The Giant race possessed low intelligence. For Tae-hyun, who had the Supreme Eloquence skill, deceiving them was child's play.

—Don't want to tell you! Don't want to tell you!

—The Orc Shaman told us! He told us not to tell anyone else!

They said they wouldn't tell, yet blabbed everything! This was why he loved giants.

The group watching from behind whispered among themselves.

"They're actually listening to Kim Tae-hyun?"

"They just smacked Cain, though..."

"Maybe it's the difference in experience?"

It's the difference in our Eloquence skills, you idiots!

Cain, down below, grumbled inwardly. Meanwhile, Tae-hyun spoke again.

"I already know the Orc Shaman sent you. In fact, he's the one who sent me here, too."

—Ah. Is that so? Is that so?

"Of course. I came to help because I was worried you guys would have a hard time."

—Orc Shaman is nice! Human is nice too! Sorry for hitting!

—Tiny guy! Sorry!

"..."

Tae-hyun casually landed among the giants.

"I even brought some food for you guys. Here."

—What is this... Ohhh! What is this!

"Ah. This is called Abnormal Cooking."

The giants were deeply moved by the intense flavor of the dish, which they were tasting for the first time in their lives!

—So, so delicious!

"By the way, what did the Orc Shaman say?"

—*Chomp, chomp*. Told us to guard that entrance. *Chomp, chomp*.

—Told us to let no one pass.

Tae-hyun used a skill. A path was immediately created leading straight to the dungeon entrance the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠giants were guarding.

That's the place. But why an Orc Shaman?

Kim Tae-san and the Orc Ahjussis had left the Espa Kingdom for Uruk a long time ago. That Orc Shaman was likely an NPC!

Carbanog. Do you have any guesses?

I could have guessed that much myself.

"Hmm. Then shall I head inside for a bit?"

—Have a safe trip! Safe trip!

—We will open the door for you!

The giants even kindly opened the door for him!

The people watching from behind gasped in admiration. This was the classic Kim Tae-hyun style of solving quests!

"So he doesn't just fight blindly, he persuades them like this!"

"How sophisticated!"

He'd kill them all if things went south, you know?!

Cain, down below, grumbled inwardly. Those people could only say such things because they didn't know Tae-hyun's true nature yet.

"Everyone, I think it might be better if you stay outside the dungeon."

Tae-hyun gave them a final, kind warning.

"Once we enter the dungeon, it will be difficult for me to guarantee your safety."

"It's fine!"

"We should take care of our own lives!"

"We won't blame you even if we die!"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes!"

Tae-hyun nodded. If they were that determined, it should be fine to bring them along!

"I will definitely protect you."

"Ah. Really?"

"Yeah!"

"..."

Tae-hyun looked at Jeong Su-hyeok and Yu Ji-soo. Both of them looked utterly fed up with Cain and Ha-yeon's conversation.

"Su-hyeok."

"Are we sending those two to the front, Sunbae-nim?"

"No, I didn't say that. Just prepare your magic."

"Ah. Yes."

Having accidentally blurted out his true thoughts, Jeong Su-hyeok blushed and stepped forward. A monster was slithering down the passage ahead.

—Kahladan's...

*KRA-KRA-BOOM!*

Jeong Su-hyeok immediately unleashed his attack! Exclamations of awe erupted from behind at the flashy visual effects.

"!??"

"Fall back!"

Tae-hyun grabbed Jeong Su-hyeok and yanked him back. A whip-like strike from the slime slammed down exactly where Jeong Su-hyeok had been standing a split second ago.

*Thud!*

This guy is more dangerous than I thought.

He had let his guard down since it was just the entrance of the dungeon, but after activating Divine Foresight, he realized this was no ordinary mob. It was a semi-boss monster!

Tae-hyun was about to draw his Dae-man-bul-gang-geom and step forward. Just then, Kim PD raised his hand and volunteered.

"Let's fight together! I'll help you, Player Kim Tae-hyun!"

"..."

Tae-hyun stared blankly at Kim PD. Then, he asked,

"Would you like me to cast a buff on you?"

"Ah, absolutely!"

"But it's a bit of a risky buff. You might die, is that alright?"

"Whoa. The effect must be incredibly powerful then?"

"Yes."

Tae-hyun grabbed Kim PD's hand. Then, he activated his skill.

—Living Bomb!

"?"

"How is it?"

"Huh? This is..."

"Now, go!"

"Huh? Wait, what?!"

Without even knowing what was happening, Kim PD was shoved forward by Tae-hyun, charging straight toward the slime. And then, he exploded.

*BOOOOOOOOOOM!*

Tae-hyun was satisfied. Killing two birds with one stone! He had gotten rid of an annoying person and defeated the monster at the same time!

If I do this, they'll get sick of it and stop following me.

Tae-hyun turned around with anticipation. However, the reaction he received was completely unexpected.

"W-Woahhhhh!"

"Me too! I want to do it too!"

"Please turn me into ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a bomb too!"

"?!??!"

It was an explosive hit! For a moment, Tae-hyun doubted his own ears. Cain, equally dumbfounded, chimed in.

"Wait, you guys actually like that?!"

"Of course we do, Cain! Do you have any idea how popular that is?!"

"I've only ever seen it on broadcasts, I've always wanted to try it at least once!"

Are these bastards insane?

Cain was horrified. These people were slightly unhinged! However, even Ha-yeon, who was standing beside him, whispered softly.

"Actually, I kind of want to try that too..."

"..."

Cain felt a wave of dizziness wash over him. To some people, his agonizing struggles were nothing more than a tourist attraction!

The world has gone completely mad!

"Rock, paper, scissors! Rock, paper, scissors!"

While Tae-hyun, Yu Ji-soo, Jeong Su-hyeok, and Cain advanced, the rest of the group was playing rock-paper-scissors in the back. They were deciding who would get to be the next bomb!

"Aaaah! I lost! I lost!"

"Yes! It's me! I'm the next bomb!"

If Lee Da-bi had been here, she would have been deeply inspired by this bizarre situation.

—Let's turn this into a package tour in the future!

A paradigm shift! Even though it was forcibly turning someone into a bomb, because it felt like a trend and was a limited experience, human psychology made everyone flock to it!

If I miss this chance, who knows when I'll get to party with him again!

I must experience the Living Bomb no matter what!

Just then, another slime appeared in the passage.

"It's a slime! A slime has appeared!"

Cheers erupted! However, Jeong Su-hyeok moved first.

—Kahladan's Lightning!

The slime that appeared this time seemed to have almost no magic resistance. Thanks to that, additional damage was applied, and as Jeong Su-hyeok continued to pelt it with spells, it could do nothing but stagger under the onslaught.

"Ahhhh..."

"I mean... Mr. Jeong Su-hyeok...!"

"What about us...?"

"?!"

Jeong Su-hyeok was flustered. He had just saved them from having to blow themselves up as bombs, so why were they reacting like this?!

"Isn't... isn't it a good thing that you didn't explode?"

"Ah, but we want to explode! Let us explode!"

Watching this phenomenon unfold, Tae-hyun was slowly starting to get an idea.

Maybe instead of forcing people, I should just recruit volunteers on a first-come, first-served basis?

The response might actually be even better that way.