A Warm Suggestion

"What?!"

Everyone on the scene whipped their heads around. Smith was slipping away, blending in among the tribes that Kim Tae-hyun and Lee Se-yeon had failed to win over.

"Smith! Don't you think that's a bit much?! I know you were cornered, but collapsing that entire massive dungeon?!"

At Tae-hyun's shout, Se-yeon thought to herself, Is he seriously trying to pin this on Smith? Her suspicion never truly faded. But Smith replied in a fluster.

"I... I didn't do it on purpose!"

"...!"

"What? You actually did it?" Even Tae-hyun was shocked!

"..."

"..."

"I-I mean, of course I knew it was you."

"Well, what happened was—"

"Is now really the time for explanations?"

"Good point."

Se-yeon and Tae-hyun cut off Smith's excuses. There was no need to listen to the whole story!

"Everyone! ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I didn't do it on purpose!"

"I get it, Smith. I believe you."

"Mr. Kim Tae-hyun! I knew you were the only one who—wait, why are you aiming those cannons?"

"Get him! There will be a massive reward!"

"—...!"

"—Who is that guy?"

"—Let's catch him first and ask questions later."

The murmuring warriors from the various tribes shifted their gazes toward Smith.

"Mr. Kim Tae-hyun! Don't be fooled by Lee Se-yeon!"

"Hey, watch your mouth! Is he really the type of guy who would let me fool him?!"

Se-yeon felt genuinely wronged. Honestly, did Tae-hyun look like someone she could ever manipulate?

"W-well... that is true."

Even Smith found himself agreeing for a split second.

"Mr. Kim Tae-hyun! If Lee Se-yeon monopolizes the Asbian Empire—"

"Sorry. I've decided to team up with Se-yeon."

Smith stared at Tae-hyun as if he had lost his mind. They had been bitter rivals since Pan-On 1! Yet he was teaming up with her? Logically, there was only one possible conclusion.

"No way! Are you two actually dating?!"

"...?"

"Gasp. Really?"

"Are you two together?"

"...Why do you guys get shocked every single time?"

Tae-hyun asked, looking back at his party in sheer disbelief. They hung out with him every day, so why did they fall for these rumors every single time?

"It just sounds so plausible..."

"T-thank goodness. I believed in you."

"Isn't it a bit harsh to say it's a relief that Senior doesn't have a girlfriend?"

Jeong Su-hyeok gave Lee Da-bi a look of mild disapproval. Come on, that was a bit much!

"N-no, that's not what I meant..."

The reaction on Se-yeon's side was equally explosive. Kim Hyeon-ah, in particular, began spewing curses.

"Where does this motherf***** get off spreading rumors?!"

"Hyeon-ah! What if this gets broadcasted later?!"

"Let it! Who does he think he is?!"

Seeing both parties descend into chaos, Smith realized something. Ah. Isn't this my chance to escape? Smith quickly turned his horse around, preparing to bolt. Spotting this, Tae-hyun and Se-yeon reacted instantly.

""Get him!""

Tae-hyun marveled.

"That bastard Smith. He's really improved. To think he'd learn a trick like that."

"I wonder who he learned it from..."

"From you?"

"Obviously he learned it from you!"

The two immediately began shifting the blame to each other.

Smith spurred his horse, hearing their voices fading behind him. I'm pretty sure they are dating... As if retaliating for that very thought, a barrage of attacks flew toward him. *Boom! Boom!*

"Gasp!"

He had braced himself for explosives, but this was on another level. The power was terrifying.

*Flash!* With a brilliant burst of light, the demon-worshiping dwarves and Red Scorpion dwarves began receiving blessings. They were reborn as Archisus's Artillery! Of course, they weren't exactly thrilled about it.

"—Hey! We're the Red Scorpion Tribe!"

"—Yeah! What the hell is Archisus's Artillery?!"

They had been forced to believe in Archisus, but they weren't about to celebrate it just yet.

At that, the Akisus Tribe warriors standing behind them brandished their massive weapons and growled.

"—Got a problem with that?"

"—You want to be Archisus's Slave, or do you want to be Archisus's Artillery?"

"—...Artillery sounds great! Long live Archisus!"

"—We love being Archisus's Artillery!"

Despite the chaotic circumstances and the hodgepodge composition of various dwarf and goblin tribes, one thing was absolutely certain: their firepower! Their sheer destructive capability was incredibly explosive.

Standard cannons, Adamantium-infused cannons, magic cannons, and Hell Mana Cannons fueled by demonic energy—it was an absolute assembly of heavy artillery! Since every single tribe gathered here specialized in cannons and explosives, their burst damage seemed to surpass that of most high-ranking mages.

Consequently, Smith was having the absolute worst time of his life. He took pride in his high HP, rapid regeneration, and solid defense, but this sheer power was genuinely terrifying. To make matters worse, Se-yeon was tying him down with a barrage of curses and debuffs.

Against any ordinary Necromancer, Smith wouldn't have even flinched at a few curses. But Se-yeon was a legendary-tier player; every single one of her curses carried devastating weight. The horror of her stacking curses bypassed his magic defense entirely! His vision narrowed, his movement speed plummeted, and his various recovery stats suffered massive penalties... This is agonizing! Smith felt a deep sense of despair. Was he going to die here? Dying in the race for the top-tier ranker spots was catastrophic. The penalty for a single death was incredibly severe.

"!" The other tribes that had emerged due to the mine's collapse—the ones Tae-hyun and Se-yeon hadn't managed to win over yet—flew into a rage upon being caught in the crossfire.

"—How dare you?!"

"—What is the meaning of this?!"

"—As expected of those who follow Uipoatl, your methods are filthy!"

"—Squeek! Why are you hitting me?!"

"—Why are you standing next to our tribe looking so suspicious?!"

They even started fighting among themselves. While they all shared a mutual hatred for the Emperor, they didn't exactly get along with each other either! It would have been stranger if they had joined hands just because a fight broke out.

"W-wait a minute. This is getting out of hand." Se-yeon stopped chasing Smith in embarrassment. Her original plan was to mobilize their subordinates in perfect order to capture Smith... but now, a chaotic free-for-all was unfolding around the mine, so intense that she couldn't see an inch ahead.

"—Aaargh! Die!"

"—You die first!"

*Slash! Crunch!*

The tribes clashed, swinging their weapons at one another. Tae-hyun reached a clean conclusion.

"We might as well wipe them all out to farm some EXP and items before we go!"

"What a great idea... No, are you insane?! Is there any way we can calm them down?"

"You look at this mess and seriously think we can calm them down?" Tae-hyun asked, dumbfounded. Se-yeon blushed, seemingly realizing the absurdity of her own question.

For Smith, this was a golden opportunity. *Clop, clop, clop—* Smith immediately accelerated! Se-yeon clicked her tongue at the chaotic scene.

"It's impossible to push through with the army. Let's pursue him ourselves."

"Right. Yong..." Tae-hyun hesitated as he was about to summon Yong-yong. Quite a few of the tribes here probably hated dragons. Summoning Yong-yong in front of them would draw massive, unnecessary aggro.

"I'll just have to use my motorcycle. Akisus Tribe! Archisus Artillery! Hold this position!"

"—Yes, Master!"

"And you... why do you look so gaunt?"

"—Kwoooo..."

It wasn't cold outside at all. In fact, it was slightly warm compared to the average temperature. Yet, for the Adamantium Giant Golem, this was freezing.

"Is that thing going to be okay?"

"Hmm... I wonder if it'll be fine like that."

Tae-hyun was flustered. When he had coaxed the Adamantium Giant Golem into coming out, he had been thrilled at the prospect of putting a powerful boss monster to work... but as it turned out, it was a monster that could only function in hot environments!

"—Master. I have an excellent idea."

"—...?"

Heuk-heuk spoke up from beside him.

"—Sadiq's Flame."

"—Ah...!" Tae-hyun realized. What a brilliant idea!

"—You mean we should kill it with Sadiq's Flame while it's weakened to harvest more Adamantium! Heuk-heuk, you rascal. That is indeed a thought worthy of Sadiq's divine beast."

"—...I meant we should carve a fire rune on it to keep it warm with the flames..."

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

Even Carbanog fell into a stunned silence.

"—Ah. Is that what you meant? Of course, I was thinking the exact same thing."

"—...O-of course. I believe in you, Master."

But there was no time to carve runes. Smith was escaping much faster than expected. True to his title as a White Knight, his equestrian skills were superb.

"Hey! We have to chase him!"

"Alright! Let's go! Everyone, follow me!"

At Tae-hyun's command, the party members summoned their respective motorcycles. Tae-hyun had Jeong Su-hyeok ride on the back. Lee Da-bi had Yu Ji-soo on hers. As for Cain...

"—Fellow slave!"

"—We shall go and assist you!"

"—Squeeze in, it's tight!"

"—I can fit too!"

Four Akisus Tribe warriors piled onto Cain's bike!

With sweaty warriors tightly hugging him from behind, the discomfort was off the charts.

"Gwaaaaargh!"

"Cain! What are you doing?! Why are you so slow?!"

While everyone else sped ahead, Cain alone lagged behind!

"—What are you doing, fellow slave?! The Avatar says you are too slow!"

"You try riding in my position!"

Cain groaned as he accelerated the motorcycle. The rattling and the sheer weight made the ride pure torture.

But why isn't Smith taking flight? Tae-hyun, who was leading the pursuit, realized something was off. If you could fly while escaping, it was always better to take to the skies. Although it would make dodging long-range attacks harder, Smith was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠sturdy enough to endure that. Yet, Smith remained on the ground. Which meant...

There must be something nearby! It was a tactic Tae-hyun himself used frequently. When pursued, enter a dungeon! Simply stepping inside a dungeon would cut off half the pursuit.

"Oh, no..." Se-yeon looked dismayed. Smith had entered a small dungeon nearby. As a Necromancer, it was highly risky for her to follow him inside. If she got caught in close-quarters combat against a knight...

"I'll go in."

"Are you sure you'll be okay?" Se-yeon ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠asked in an apologetic tone. Since they had agreed to fight Smith together, they should be fighting together. Backing out alone felt wrong.

"You're going to come in eventually anyway, aren't you?"

"Well, yes, but..."

"Then I'll head in first!" Seeing Tae-hyun take the lead so selflessly, Se-yeon felt a slight touch of emotion and turned to Kim Hyeon-ah.

"See? He's not a completely bad guy, is he?"

"Sis. Get a grip, please..."

Perhaps other players had already cleared this place, as no bonus messages popped up. The dungeon scale is small... and the paths aren't very complex... Tae-hyun quickly assessed the layout. Compared to the Three Skulls' Mine, this place was tiny! It would be hard to hold out here for long, unless there was another exit.

Was Smith currently searching for an exit to escape? Unless he knows this dungeon inside out, he wouldn't be able to find an exit immediately in a dungeon he just ducked into out of desperation.

"Smith! Let's not do things we don't normally do! Lee Se-yeon isn't even here!"