A Fateful Reunion in the Mines
Smith had been pushing Kim Hyeon-ah hard, but when he failed to finish her off before Lee Se-yeon arrived, he cleanly abandoned any lingering regrets. There was no way he could win against both of them at once. Besides, this place was highly advantageous to Lee Se-yeon! Smith spun around and bolted.
"Lord Smith!" The members of the Draken Secret Society and the tribal warriors who had followed him chased after his heels.
"Lord Smith! But there's no bridge..."
"We just have to jump across."
"What? Jump?"
The secret society members and tribal warriors stared at Smith as if he had lost his mind. How on earth were they supposed to jump across this? Boiling lava churned below, and the distance to the opposite cliff was staggering.
"Smith! Stop right there!"
"Do you really think I'd stop just because you told me to?!"
"Cowardly running away! Are you really a ranker?"
"You're only saying that because you have the upper hand!"
Smith ignored Lee Se-yeon's taunts. Having clashed with Tae-hyun multiple times, provocations of this level from Se-yeon didn't phase him in the slightest.
Tap!
White Knight's Vitality
Temporarily increases all stats and boosts movement speed.
He had wanted to save it, but he had to use it if he wanted to cross the cliff.
"Hup!" Smith grabbed his companions and leaped into the air. It was just like Smith not to abandon the NPCs he had brought along. Of course, Lee Se-yeon wasn't kind enough to just stand by and watch.
"Where do you think you're going?!" Lee Se-yeon unleashed a barrage of magic at random. Her casting speed was incredibly fast. Moreover, they weren't just standard offensive spells, but curse magic designed to slow down movement speed! Mid-air, Smith gritted his teeth.
"You underhanded, vicious woman!"
"Huh? Can't hear you!" Lee Se-yeon pretended not to hear.
Watching this, Kim Hyeon-ah was struck with horror. She acts exactly like Kim Tae-hyun's crew...! To think the older sister she so deeply respected would show such a side!
"Let's not do this! There are other NPCs here besides me!"
"I told you, I can't hear you!"
"Hmph. You're just like Kim Tae-hyun!"
"..."
Smith began blasting skills at the middle of the cliff face to carve out a landing spot. Boom! Bam! Crash!
You have discovered a hidden path!
Crack!
It wasn't the top of the cliff, but he successfully landed right in the middle of the cliff face, avoiding the lava. What's more, he had even found a cave entrance! Smith let out a sigh of relief.
"Lee Se-yeon! Just you wait!"
"Who do you think you are, Kim Tae-hyun? Why couldn't you just fall quietly instead of finding a place like that?!"
"Unni, calm down." Kim Hyeon-ah hurriedly held Se-yeon back, flustered. Lee Se-yeon was slowly but surely losing her composure.
"Sorry, Hyeon-ah."
"It's okay. What should we do now?"
There was absolutely nothing good about Smith persuading the local tribes of this mine. If he persuaded them, a rebellion would break out, dealing a devastating blow to the Empire! From Se-yeon's perspective, this had to be avoided at all costs.
Since Kim Tae-hyun... went in first... it would be great if he blocked Smith, but... Lee Se-yeon put her brain into overdrive. In theory, Smith and Kim Tae-hyun were not on the same side. Therefore, as long as they were in the same dungeon, they were bound to fight and keep each other in check. The best-case scenario was to sit back, watch the show, and reap the benefits, but...
I'm uneasy!
Would Kim Tae-hyun really act the way she wanted him to? In truth, Tae-hyun wanted to form an alliance with Lee Se-yeon to deal with the Guild Alliance, but Se-yeon had no idea of his intentions. *Better to doubt him first!* This was the side effect of everything Tae-hyun had done up until now.
"Whew. All done."
It felt like he had thoroughly chewed, tasted, and enjoyed everything there was to do in this place. The Adamantium Golem stared intently at Tae-hyun. Even without Carbanog translating, he could clearly feel its inner thoughts: When are you leaving?
"So, will you let me out now?"
—Kuooo! The giant Adamantium Golem cheered excitedly.
"Since I have to leave now, I won't ask for any more ore."
—Kuo!
"And I won't ask you to help me craft things either."
—Kuo!
Tae-hyun was merely listing obvious things, but the golem was so thrilled that it agreed unconditionally.
"Will you help me fight a bit?"
—Kuo!
...Kuo?
Carbanog notes that the golem definitely just agreed...
"You said yes, right?"
—Ku, kuo. Kuooo. The golem waved its hands frantically. It seemed it had no desire to get involved in any fights inside the mine.
"Whew. Listen carefully. Here's the thing..." Tae-hyun began his persuasion.
Five minutes later.
—Kuooo... The golem nodded with a face that screamed how much it didn't want to do this.
"Great! Let's go!"
Now that he had obtained pretty much everything he wanted, Tae-hyun planned to find his companions and leave the mine. He hadn't even imagined that they had run into the Akisus Tribe.
By removing your armor, you have successfully survived by a hair's breadth.
[...]
If Tae-hyun had seen Cain right now, he would have admired him, thinking, That guy Cain. He finally gets it! A method of stat growth that spared no effort or safety! Only by experiencing such hair-raising, near-death crises would one's stats shoot up rapidly.
"Let me put on my armor!! Just let me wear my armor!"
—Believe in Lord Archisus! Pray that it misses!
"Aaaargh!"
It was a massive relief that he was wearing the necklace he had obtained after defeating Gardu. If not for this powerful necklace that boosted his HP and HP recovery, he would have collapsed long ago.
—Fellow slave! I'm coming!
—I am right beside you!
The tribal warriors stood shoulder-to-shoulder next to Cain. It was a touching scene, but Cain wanted to cry.
These bastards are crowding me from all sides, I can't even run away...!
He wanted to step back and create some distance, but the warriors were stuck so close to him that he couldn't budge. The only option was to move forward!
At that moment, the lava beside them began to bubble furiously. Swoooosh!
—It's the Adamantium Giant!!
—Emergency! Emergency!
"Oh? You're dodging that?"
—That is not something we can endure even with Lord Archisus's protection!
—True! True!
Seeing the flustered warriors, Cain suddenly felt an urge to tease them. Time for you guys to suffer too!
"You faithless fools. That's why you're like this! If you truly believe in Archisus, you can easily dodge a giant's attack!"
—Cut the crap!
—True! True!
"Are you scared?"
The magic words! Even a terrified person would be forced to say, "I'm not scared," the moment they heard those words. The tribal warriors flared up.
—Then you try it!
"Huh?" Cain panicked. Me?"N-No, wait. That's... I meant it's theoretically possible to dodge. I didn't say I would actually do it..."
"What are you doing?"
"So I'm not saying I'll do it... Huh?"
That voice had just come from behind him. Cain whipped his head around. Tae-hyun was riding atop the giant Adamantium Golem, staring down at Cain with an utterly dumbfounded expression.
"Who are they? Did you clear a tribal quest while I was gone?"
Tae-hyun was impressed. To think Cain had cleared a tribal quest and befriended them without him! They say even a school dog can recite poetry after three years, and Cain was finally...
—Ah...
"Huh?"
—Lord Archisus!!!!
—Lord Archisus!!!!!!!
—Kuo! Kuo! The golem shook its head in disgust.
Carbanog conveys that the golem has absolutely no desire to associate with these guys.
The golem seemed to have suffered greatly at the hands of the tribal warriors, as it looked repulsed the moment it saw them. Regardless, the excited warriors fell to their knees and began bowing deeply before Tae-hyun.
You have encountered the Akisus Tribe warriors who believe in Archisus!
Church Reputation has increased.
Church Influence has increased.
[...]
—What are you doing? You should bow too!
"No, I... Argh, why are these guys so ridiculously strong?!"
Cain tried to resist, but because he was being pressed down from both sides, he was forced into a deep bow.
"Kim Tae-hyun! Stop these guys!"
"Huh? I can't really hear you."
"Hey!!!"
Only after some time had passed was Tae-hyun able to hear the full explanation.
"So, you met a tribe that believes in Archisus, went to their village, and while everyone else was happily being pampered, you were out here hunting diligently, raising your stats, and you're miserable because of it?"
"...No, when you put it like that, it sounds weird." Cain spoke with a pouting face. Hearing it described that way made his hardships sound like a blessing.
"What I mean is, guys like Jeong Su-hyeok get classes that treat them well, while I got this Avatar of Archisus's Slave class and have to suffer. Give me something good too. Like..."
"Isn't Avatar of Archisus's Slave better than Paladin?"
Avatar of Archisus's Slave was a whopping Heroic-grade class! Surprisingly, its performance was actually superior to a standard Paladin. Left completely speechless, Cain quickly changed the subject.
"...I'm just saying, even if it's not a Paladin, wouldn't something cooler be nice! And while we were fighting our hearts out, how could you just wander off like that? Do you have any idea how much I suffered?!"
"I went to make your armor."
"...But that free-spirited nature is exactly what makes you so charming! And honestly, I love a good struggle!" Cain frantically shifted his stance. Beside him, the tribal warriors stared at Cain and whispered among themselves.
"You seem to have a lot of complaints, so maybe I'll give it to you next time."
"No! I have zero complaints! And hunting with these guys was incredibly fun! My stats shot up like crazy, too!"
—Fufu. You didn't have to go that far.
—Fellow slave. What a magnificent spirit.
"Can you please tell them to stand up?" Cain glanced sideways with an overwhelmed look. The tribal warriors were still prostrate on the ground.
"Why? I like it."
"...By the way, what kind of armor is it?" Cain asked subtly. Could he really have made such a good set of armor in that short time? The armor Cain was currently wearing was quite a masterpiece in its own right, crafted by a fairly famous ranker blacksmith...
"It's armor made by mixing adamantium with a few other things."
"A-A-A-Adamantium?! Tell that famous ranker blacksmith to get lost! Kim Tae-hyun is the absolute best!"
"?"
"Ah, no. I got a bit too excited."
—Apostle. Shall we take that fellow away? The warriors asked, reading the room. They felt Cain was acting far too insolent.
However, Tae-hyun spoke naturally. "No, there's no need to go that far."
—Ooh!
—As expected of the Apostle! Truly, he is the Apostle!
Cain didn't even care about the tribal warriors anymore. Thrilled to receive the armor, he tried to equip it...
"Uh..."
"?"
"I... I can't wear this... because my Strength stat is too low."
"..."
Tae-hyun stared at Cain with utter pity. Just how little had he raised his Strength stat...? Of course, Tae-hyun's standards were notoriously harsh, but Cain, having received the armor for free, had no right to complain.
"I'm only short by exactly 7 points! It's not that much!"
"Hmm. Then you'll have to raise it."
"?"
—We shall assist you!
—As your fellow slaves!
"That is an excellent idea."
"I don't think that's a very good idea at all...!"
Wow. They really fight well.
The Akisus Tribe left Tae-hyun deeply impressed. A bunch of guys who looked exactly like Cain minus his gear were roaming around in a pack, beating monsters to a pulp with ferocious momentum.
Those who believe in Archisus are always lacking or missing a screw somewhere!
Tae-hyun had considered this an absolute law. A law that had never been wrong until now! Yet, the Akisus Tribe was different. They fought well, possessed high loyalty, and were highly capable! Why on earth did people like this believe in Archisus?
I want to take them outside!
If he could bring them to the outside world, they would easily be a match for a noble's order of knights.
When I was founding the Archisus Church, these are the kind of guys I should have had...
If only he had a tribe like this instead of Pelmas and his lot, how much easier would his life have been?