The Art of the Backstab

"Whoaaa!"

"Let's chase them! Let's crush those arrogant dwarves!"

"Wait! Everyone, calm down. They are by no means easy opponents. If we pursue them recklessly, we could suffer heavy casualties."

Smith quickly calmed the tribe's warriors. He didn't possess a speech skill like Tae-hyun, but he had raised his affinity significantly with his recent achievements. Protecting the tribe's warriors was also one of the quest conditions! He couldn't let them die in a pointless battle.

"Mmm... the adventurer is right."

"The Red Scorpion Clan bastards are terrifying."

"Just one shot from that cannon..."

Smith let out a sigh of relief. Then he stared at the retreating backs of the Red Scorpion Clan.

Terrifying. The standard of the Asbian Empire is high, but if there are more clans like that... and I already used my banishment scroll...

The firepower was enough to threaten Smith's high defense and massive HP! If there were more clans like this and they sided with the Emperor, honestly, he had no confidence. Especially when Lee Se-yeon was already so threatening...

"King Kim Tae-hyun!"

"Oh. Is it all over?"

Tae-hyun, who had been waiting, said with a yawn. Watching from the sidelines was boring after always fighting directly.

"You must help us!"

"With what? Gathering the loot? Hmm. I might be lacking, but I can at least help with that."

It would probably be junk-tier items, but everything had a use once collected.

"No! Our chieftain has fallen in battle!"

"...!"

Tae-hyun was surprised. What? Does that make sense? Was the Green Dragon Clan actually a much more incredible warrior clan than he thought?

"You must step forward. Show us the strength that was recognized by the Emperor!"

"Hold on a second."

Tae-hyun said and quickly ran out. He wanted to see the Green Dragon Clan for himself.

What is it? If they were a clan stronger than the Red Scorpion Clan, honestly, he didn't want to face them.

Should I just take the Adamantium and leave... Wait. Who is that?

Tae-hyun spotted a very familiar face. It was Smith.

"So you charged in, but were suddenly ambushed and killed..."

After hearing the detailed explanation of the situation, Tae-hyun immediately realized what had happened. Smith had been waiting in ambush and targeted only the chieftain. An efficient strategy worthy of a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠ranker!

Why is Smith here? Is it a quest? If a quest to help the Green Dragon Clan had appeared, it made sense for Smith to be here.

"We must strike again!"

"That's right!"

The dwarves gritted their teeth and shouted. Watching this, Tae-hyun fell into thought.

Hmm... the Green Dragon Clan over there are poor bastards with nothing to their name, and Smith is inside...

Calculation complete!

Tae-hyun asked, "The mine is straight ahead this way, right?"

"Yes!"

"But we cannot just leave like this. We are not the Red Scorpion Clan if we do not avenge our chieftain!"

"Can't we just go?"

"No!"

"Fine. Then we must fight."

"I knew you would say that!"

"In exchange, is it alright if I command?"

Tae-hyun possessed Supreme Tactics, Supreme Eloquence, and the token of authority from Uipoatl. Even if his affinity and reputation took a slight hit, it was more than enough to take command of the Red Scorpion Clan.

"Very well. You shall command."

"Good. Then, position yourselves like this."

"?"

The dwarves tilted their heads in confusion but moved. A formation that gathered the scorpions in one place! Their usual tactic was to keep their distance and fire cannons, so what was he thinking?

"Is everyone ready?"

"We are ready."

"Good. Then... strike!"

At that moment, Tae-hyun revealed his true colors.

"!?!?!?"

Chwaaaaak!

The Dragon Tooth Soldier undead monsters that had been waiting in the nearby sand began to pour out in droves. The undead were fiercer than usual. It was sorrowful enough to be buried in the sand, but they had even been ordered to swim through it to move.

At the same time, Yong-yong and Heuk-heuk burst out.

At the sight of the hated dragons, the dwarves' eyes rolled back.

"Counterattack! Counterattack!"

Boom! Bang!

"You idiot! Don't shoot! You're going to hit me!"

"Push these bastards back!"

Because they were packed so closely together, the dwarves couldn't fire for fear of hitting each other. Meanwhile, the undead quickly began to climb onto the scorpions.

Tae-hyun gave the order.

"Do not kill the scorpions! Curse of Weakness, Curse of Sloth, Curse of Decay, Curse of Blindness..."

As he revealed his true colors as a Dragon Lich, his magic was also cast freely. Various curse combos! Hit directly by the Dragon Lich's curses at close range, the Red Scorpion dwarves collapsed, unable to gather their senses. Ambushed while unable to fire properly, the Red Scorpion Clan crumbled as if their previous momentum had been a lie.

-Kreeeeek! Kreeeeek!

The ones wilding out the most were the scorpions. Armed with metal armor, the scorpions fought well on their own even without cannons or muskets.

-Bind of Deep Darkness!

-Silence!

-Petrification!

Tae-hyun even used Word Magic to subdue them. The Skeleton Shamans raised their staffs and joined forces.

Thud— Thud—

Eventually, the Red Scorpions began to fall one by one. Excited, the skeletons climbed onto the scorpions, trying to smash the mounted cannons and clear away the steel walls.

"Stop, you idiots!"

-...?

Tae-hyun hastily stopped them. Do you know how much all of that costs!

-Master. These cannons are dangerous. If the dwarves get their hands on them again...

"You guys should shoot them."

-Huh?

-??

The Dragon Tooth Skeleton Warriors were flustered.

-We do not possess such an ability...

"If you don't have it, you should make an effort to get it!"

-Uh...

-Well... we will give it a try.

One of the Dragon Tooth Skeleton Warriors climbed onto a scorpion and grabbed a cannon.

The Dragon Tooth Skeleton Warrior exploded and vanished on the spot.

Tae-hyun, unfazed, ordered again.

"Next!"

-......

-......

Commanding through fear!

Bang! Kaboom!

-W-we did it!

After continuous failures, one lucky skeleton warrior succeeded. Tae-hyun nodded.

"Good. You're in charge of that one. Now, next! We don't have time, so climb up simultaneously."

Now that the dwarves were cleared out, he needed talent to manage these Red Scorpions. He couldn't just leave them behind. They were fast-moving fortresses equipped with cannons, after all. He would drag them along by any means necessary!

Fortunately, Tae-hyun possessed high-tier Engineering and Blacksmithing skills. Thanks to this, his summoned undead also received bonuses, but...

If this is how it is even with bonuses, they wouldn't have been able to use them at all without them.

Tae-hyun realized once again why the Engineering skill was so notoriously unstable. Dozens of skeleton warriors were being ground to dust before one succeeded. It was fine since they were summons, but if he were a normal player, he'd be cursing up a storm! The cannons operated by the Red Scorpion Clan were high-tier, making the difficulty extremely high.

Although their performance was vastly inferior compared to when the dwarves drove them, Tae-hyun succeeded in making them functional somehow.

The undead army successfully took their places atop the Red Scorpions!

"Death Knights to the front! Scorpion control team to the back! Shamans and archers in the middle. We head to the Three Skulls' Mine just like this!"

There was only one reason Tae-hyun plundered the Red Scorpion Clan. Instead of raiding the penniless Green Dragon Clan with them, it was better to wipe them out, take everything, and raid the mine alone!

In any case, in his Dragon Lich state, he was confident in his combat power. In a way, Smith taking out the chieftain was a stroke of luck!

"What is the meaning of this!"

"If the Emperor finds out, he will tear your soul to shreds!"

The captured Red Scorpion dwarves shrieked and raged.

Tae-hyun said, "Are there any dwarves willing to surrender and help operate the cannons?"

"Go to hell!"

"Hmm. If I threaten to Archisus you, would you even understand?"

Tae-hyun asked slyly. However, the Red Scorpion dwarves only tilted their heads.

"?"

"What is that?"

-T-those bastards!

-How ignorant!

Heuk-heuk and Yong-yong were appalled. To think they didn't know that wicked and chilling name!

"Well, you might not know. Let's make it simple so you can understand. Do you want to go join your chieftain, or do you want to help fire the cannons?"

"You fool, what are you talking about! Our chieftain is dead!"

"I know."

"...?"

"...!!!"

"W-we will obey."

Now that their chieftain was gone, no dwarf could withstand Tae-hyun's threats. Surrounded by the undead army, the dwarves climbed onto the scorpions.

"Excellent! Now we really head to the Three Skulls' Mine! If anyone gets in our way, we sweep them all aside!"

Tae-hyun shouted boisterously. He had been suppressing his temper lately while dealing with the Guild Alliance, but back in Pan-On 1, this was how Tae-hyun usually played. Once he started, he swept through like a storm!

I'll sweep up all the Adamantium this time!

?

"The Red Scorpion Clan is retreating!"

"Kim Tae-hyun has succeeded in persuading them!"

The members of the Draken Secret Society shouted in excitement. Hearing this, the tribe's warriors were puzzled.

"Kim Tae-hyun?"

"Huh? Was Kim Tae-hyun here?"

Smith was also puzzled by the shouts of the Draken Secret Society members. Kim Tae-hyun was here?

"Did he help me? I see! Does Kim Tae-hyun plan to join hands with me to keep Lee Se-yeon in check?!"

Smith was filled with admiration. Currently, the player with the greatest influence in the Asbian Empire was Lee Se-yeon. Both Smith and Tae-hyun were at a disadvantage compared to her. But what if they joined forces? Even Lee Se-yeon wouldn't be able to win easily. Knowing this, Tae-hyun had come to help Smith.

"But where did Kim Tae-hyun go?"

"...W-well, I wonder?"

The Draken Secret Society members were flustered. Is he not taking us with him?

"Ah, these stubborn clans!"

Kim Hyeon-ah grumbled as she stopped in her tracks. She had come to fetch the Red Scorpion Clan at Lee Se-yeon's request, but they had already left.

-The warriors took the Red Scorpions and went to beat down the traitors! We will bury the dragon!

They could have at least gone together...

Kim Hyeon-ah grumbled as she moved toward where the Red Scorpion Clan warriors had gone.

"Where should I go... Is it the Three Skulls' Mine? Why did they have to go there of all places..."

Kim Hyeon-ah furrowed her brows. The Three Skulls' Mine was one of the most famous mines in the Asbian Empire, a place where all sorts of clans from the mountain range above to the depths of the mine were constantly looking for an opportunity. The levels of the clan warriors were a tier higher than elsewhere, and even rankers had to brace themselves to enter.

I heard the warriors coming out of there exceed level 200.

Monsters with levels higher than most high-level players! Fighting high-level barbarian warriors who constantly popped out of the complex labyrinthine terrain. She wanted no part of a battle where a single mistake meant death.

I have to stop them before they enter.