The Art of War and Commerce
Gorsuk beat his chest and roared. He might have made the foolish mistake of confusing Archisus with Shiiba, but to be looked down upon by a mere human like this!
"Right... Sure. If you say so, then it must be."
Your Supreme Eloquence skill perfectly demonstrates how to subtly look down on your opponent.
The target feels extremely wronged!
"So, where is the chieftain's storehouse? While you're stalling for time, I'll go and bring it out."
He had barely finished speaking, and Tae-hyun was already plotting a heist!
Is that guy really the Avatar of Archisus? Gorsuk tilted his head in confusion.
As far as he knew, Archisus was classified as a good deity. If he were the avatar of an evil god like Sadiq or Salabian, it would make sense, but why did the avatar of the benevolent god Archisus look so incredibly wicked?
"Shouldn't you... agonize over it or hesitate a little?"
"You're an Orc, so why are you hesitating? Cut the chatter and lead the way."
"Fine..."
"This is different from what you told me!"
"N-no. I never lied." Gorsuk replied, looking deeply wronged. It was true. He hadn't lied.
The Wilderness Orc tribes of the Espa Kingdom and the Red Elf tribes of the Dungland Kingdom are currently engaged in a siege battle.
If you enter this region, you may be attacked by both factions. Please exercise caution.
Unlike the Orcs of the Uruk Region, the Orc tribes of the Espa Kingdom were nomadic. Naturally, they traveled with all their treasures and belongings. That part was fine. He could just track them down and steal from them. The problem was that they were currently in the middle of a war!
"Those Dungland Elves! Incredibly arrogant bastards. They should have stayed on their own island, but they keep coming here!" Gorsuk wore an expression of pure hatred toward Elves, as expected of an Orc.
The Dungland Kingdom was an island nation located north of the Central Continent, and it was the primary starting location chosen by Elf players. While it lacked the massive, world-shaking events of the Central Continent, it was a relatively peaceful and quiet kingdom!
Rather than players aiming to become high-ranking rankers, the Dungland Kingdom was mostly chosen by those who simply wanted to enjoy the virtual reality experience itself. It was filled with beautiful mountains and forests, which alone made it worth choosing.
In contrast, the Salz Kingdom—where Tyrum City, Tae-hyun's starting location, was located—was also filled with mountains and forests, but absolutely nobody liked it. It was packed with ugly mountains and dreary forests, infested with all kinds of vicious monsters, and even the NPCs there were notoriously hostile!
Thinking about it now just makes me sad...
Both nations were filled with mountains, forests, and archers, so why was there such a stark difference? No matter how he looked at it, it seemed the developers of Pan-On had a personal grudge against the Salz Kingdom.
"Why are the Elves sailing all the way over here?"
"I don't know! I guess their own land is too cramped for them."
Tae-hyun rode Yong-yong high into the sky to survey the surroundings. Along the coastline, several sturdy, Elf-style fortresses had already been constructed. They were fortresses built by the invading Elves. However, their opponents were Orcs. The Orc tribes packed the horizon! It seemed multiple tribes had formed a coalition, as their numbers were absolutely staggering.
The sheer number of Orcs is astonishing every time I see them.
Looking between the two factions, he could see quite a few players as well. They had clearly joined this territory war aiming for the rewards. Elf players from the Dungland Kingdom sided with the Elves, while Orc players from the Espa Kingdom sided with the Orcs!
"Chwik! Chwik! Prepare for battle! Prepare for battle! Let's sweep those pointy-eared bastards back into the sea!"
"The foul-smelling Orcs are swarming! Raise your bows!"
Orc tribes... Elf tribes... As soon as he entered the region, a quest window popped up! Tae-hyun ignored it and scanned the Orc tribes.
If I break through that crowd, find the treasure, and carry it out... Hmm. No matter how I look at it, that seems impossible.
There were simply too many of them. With numbers like that, any attempt at stealth was highly likely to fail. He would probably bump into someone just trying to make a path!
Gorsuk spoke up cautiously.
"How about we resolve this peacefully?"
"What? What could possibly be more peaceful than sneaking in and stealing it?"
"..."
Gorsuk was temporarily lost for words before speaking again.
"N-not that kind of method... Right now, the Orc tribes are bloodshot with battle lust. If outstanding adventurers offer to help, they will gladly accept. From what I've seen, you guys are skilled enough to completely demolish my dungeon."
"Haha. Why are you praising us for that? You're making me blush."
"I wasn't praising you!!"
"I think that's a much better way than sneaking in to steal. The chieftain's staff is always in his hands, so stealing it would be extremely difficult anyway."
"Hmm..."
Tae-hyun fell into thought. Gorsuk's suggestion was ultimately to participate in the quest, accumulate contribution points, and use them to claim the staff. It was a standard, safe method, but for Tae-hyun, who was used to getting everything for free, it felt slightly disappointing!
I guess I have no choice under the current circumstances.
Tae-hyun decided to accept it for now. He could always take a look inside first and decide later! Once he accumulated contribution points and gained the tribe's trust, it would be much easier to scout out what they had and steal it.
"Alright. Shall we do that?"
"Oh. I knew you would accept. Archisus is a good deity, so he would surely prefer a peaceful method."
"Uh... right? Sure. Whatever."
"Chwik! Gorsuk! Get lost!"
"Chwik! Gorsuk! Why are you here?!"
"Chwik! You slime-loving bastard!"
"Chwiiik! You spineless wimp, soft as a slime!"
"..."
A fiery welcome poured down on them the moment they entered! Tae-hyun stared blankly at Gorsuk.
Would it have been better if I just came alone?
He had tagged along believing that if Gorsuk introduced him well, he would receive a bonus to his contribution points... but it seemed Gorsuk wasn't exactly a welcome presence.
"Chieftain. I have brought an outstanding adventurer."
"Chwik, you? If you've brought another weirdo who only uses slimes, I won't forgive you, Gorsuk!"
The chieftain said so and glared at Tae-hyun.
You possess the title: Chef Who Knows the Palate of Orcs.
Your Reputation is extremely high.
Your Infamy is extremely high.
...
The moment their eyes met, a cascade of message windows popped up! The Orc chieftain grinned with immense satisfaction.
"Chwik... You've brought an incredibly grand adventurer! For once, you've done something useful, Gorsuk!"
Because Tae-hyun had accomplished so much in the past, the Orc chieftain highly evaluated him just from a single glance.
The Orc chieftain is highly pleased with you.
The penalty from Gorsuk's introduction has been removed.
...
To think there actually was a penalty in the first place.
An additional bonus is applied to your contribution points.
"Chwik! Grand adventurer. What are you confident in? Swords? Magic?"
"Hmm..." Tae-hyun pondered for a moment. What would be the best way to rack up contribution points?
"You seem to be having a lot of trouble with that fortress. How about siege weapons?"
"Chwik. Siege weapons? Only Goblins know how to handle those."
"Chwik. Goblin siege weapons are unreliable. They're too crude and break easily!"
"The ones I make will be different."
Tae-hyun spoke with absolute confidence. With just those words, the Orcs were completely won over.
"Chwik! Let's trust him, Chieftain!"
"Chwiiik! For some reason, he feels trustworthy!"
"Chwik! That human is just like an Orc!"
The last comment was a bit strange, but Tae-hyun let it slide. At that moment, the staff held by the chieftain caught his eye.
Tsk. Tae-hyun felt a pang of disappointment. It would have been great if it were a sacred relic of Archisus...
I know, I know.
"Alright. What should we build first?"
"Haha. Look at those Orcs run!"
"As if those lowly Orcs could ever breach an Elven fortress!"
The Elves cheered excitedly from atop the fortress walls. At first, they had been terrified by the sheer number of Orcs, but that fear had completely vanished. Most of the Orcs were half-dead from the rain of arrows before they could even reach the walls, and the rest fell while trying to scale them.
The Orc Shamans tried to bombard the walls with magic, but the Elves had mages of their own, and above all, their archers sniped down the shamans one by one. The range of the Elven archers was truly absurd.
"What is that?"
"...?" Most Elven archers possessed skills that granted them a wide field of vision. Thus, they immediately spotted the massive siege engines approaching from a distance.
"??"
Swoooosh—
[Siege Engine] launches a stone!
[Siege Engine] launches an improvised time bomb!
...
Whizzz— Boom! Ba-boom! A heavy bombardment battered the fortress walls with deafening roars! Terrified by the unexpected assault, the Elves threw themselves to the ground.
Crash! Craaaack!
The fortress wall has been 16% destroyed!
The fortress wall has been 23% destroyed!
"What the?!" The Elf players looked outside in sheer shock. The Orcs had dragged out massive siege engines and were actively demolishing the fortress. Since they were heavily relying on the walls for defense, the collapse of the fortress walls would be a fatal blow!
"We have to destroy those things!"
"Let's go!" As soon as a quest to destroy the siege engines popped up, the players hurriedly gathered and prepared to march out.
But where did those Orc bastards get those? Did the Goblins help them?
The stuff Goblins make never looked that good, though. Is there some incredibly legendary Goblin craftsman?
"Hmm. This is a problem."
"What is?" Cain asked, puzzled by Tae-hyun's muttering. Things were going so well right now that it was almost baffling. The Orcs had been completely pushed back, but the moment Tae-hyun joined, the tide of battle turned in an instant. To think a single person could alter the course of an entire battlefield! It was a fresh reminder of the sheer power of a well-cultivated crafting class.
"If we keep going like this, it's going to end too quickly..."
Your contribution points have increased.
Your contribution points have increased.
He had built the siege engines, and thanks to their stellar performance, his contribution points were steadily piling up. However, now that things had reached this point, Tae-hyun's greed began to swell.
Since we're at it, I should drag out this territory war as long as possible to farm a massive amount of contribution points.
If the territory war dragged on, the number of siege engines Tae-hyun would need to build would increase, and the rewards he could reap in the meantime would multiply.
"But what can we do when you built them so well? We can't exactly destroy them ourselves."
"Exactly. It's because you made them too well, Sunbae!"
"That's also true. I guess I'll have to intervene in a different way."
"?"
"I should go and help the Elves out a bit."
"..."
"..."
Cain, Jeong Su-hyeok, and the few remaining celebrity companions stared at him with lukewarm, deadpan expressions. Only Yu Ji-soo gazed at him with eyes full of pure admiration!
"You're a genius, Sunbae!"
"Haha. Come on, don't flatter me."
The quest has failed.
Morale within the fortress has decreased.
Effect: Skill failure rate within the fortress has increased.
The players inside the fortress were growing anxious. The Elf players who had marched out to destroy the siege engines had been utterly routed and forced to retreat. They hadn't realized it while safely behind the fortress walls, but clashing with a massive Orc army on flat ground was no joke. It was a ferocious onslaught that couldn't be overcome by simply slaying a few dozen of them!
"Can't we just destroy them with magic?"
"We're out of range. The Orc elite warriors and shamans are guarding them in tight formations."
"What if we just buy siege weapons?"
"Where would we even buy them here? The Elf blacksmith NPCs don't know how to craft siege weapons."
"Fuhu. Are you in need of siege weapons?"
"?!" The Elves gasped in surprise. Standing before them was a merchant player they had never seen before.