Unlikely Allies

Silence.

Yu Ji-soo, who had followed close behind, asked, "I don't think he's going to answer to something like that."

"No. Just wait."

A moment later, a voice echoed from a distance.

"How can I possibly trust you?!"

"!!"

The party was utterly shocked. He actually answered?

Tae-hyun nodded with a satisfied grin. "That's our Smith."

"I'm not trusting you anymore, Kim Tae-hyun! How could you team up with Lee Se-yeon?!"

"Hey, it's not like I wanted to team up with her. The circumstances forced my hand, you know?"

It sounded exactly like someone coaxing a sulking child. The rest of the party stared in sheer disbelief. Are they seriously not going to fight?

They had expected a legendary showdown—the ultimate "Kim Tae-hyun vs. Smith" matchup that constantly dominated the community forums...

"I couldn't afford to fight Lee Se-yeon right now! Besides, you were the one who openly opposed her!"

"Emperor Uipoatl is an evil NPC! Isn't Lee Se-yeon the bad guy for taking his side?!"

Hearing those words, Tae-hyun felt a slight prick of conscience. After all, he had taken rewards from Uipoatl, taken rewards from Alexeos... basically, he had milked both sides dry.

"I only trusted you because the NPCs here spoke so highly of you!"

"Huh? Who?"

"The members of the Draken Secret Society!"

"Ah. Those guys are still alive...? Of course, I always believed they were still kicking."

Tae-hyun quickly corrected himself. They might be listening from somewhere nearby!

"Anyway, Smith! Come on out and let's talk!"

"...I don't trust you."

"We don't have time for this. If Lee Se-yeon gets suspicious and comes in here, we won't even be able to talk."

"......"

Smith hesitated before poking his head out from the passageway. Seeing this, Yu Ji-soo asked,

"Can I shoot him now?"

"No. We're going to talk."

"!"

"!!!"

"!!!!!"

The entire party was dumbfounded.

We thought he was baiting him out to attack...!

He actually called him out just to talk?!

Smith asked, his eyes filled with wariness. "What is it?"

"I'm in a position where I need Lee Se-yeon's help, so I couldn't fight her openly. But you know how I really feel, right? I don't actually dislike you."

"...I still don't trust you."

"Ah, seriously! You don't trust me?" Tae-hyun thumped his chest, desperately trying to persuade Smith.

Watching this, Lee Da-bi thought to herself, This feels like an incredibly cheap attempt at seduction...

Is anyone actually going to fall for that?

There was.

"Hmm. So you're saying you never truly intended to ally with Lee Se-yeon?"

"Of course. Look, I'm not even attacking you. You know how rare of an occurrence this is."

"I do know that, yes." Smith nodded.

It was indeed exceptionally rare for Tae-hyun to pass up an easy PvP opportunity when presented with one on a silver platter. Honestly, Smith felt like he was witnessing a miracle.

"Do you really need Lee Se-yeon's help? With your abilities, surely..."

"Well, it's just that I have a few too many enemies."

"That is true." Smith agreed instantly.

To be fair, Tae-hyun had an absurdly high number of enemies. Even top-tier rankers didn't drag around massive hordes of haters like he did.

"Anyway, so I hope you can understand why I can't fight Lee Se-yeon right now."

"Understood. Still, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠teaming up with me would have been much better than teaming up with Lee Se-yeon. I have plenty of capabilities of my own."

"Really?"

"Am I not a ranker as well?"

"Perfect. I was actually about to ask you for a favor."

"Huh?"

"I risked getting chewed out by Lee Se-yeon just to help you out like this. Surely you'll return the favor, right?"

"Wait, I don't think logic quite flows that way..."

"Even Lee Se-yeon is helping me..."

"I will help you," Smith blurted out immediately. He absolutely refused to lose to Lee Se-yeon!

"But what exactly do you need help with?" Smith assumed it would be a high-level boss raid or a Legendary Quest. If Tae-hyun needed help, it had to be something of that caliber, right?

"Well, I'm planning to head back to the Auston Kingdom for a bit to smash, burn, and generally terrorize the Guild Alliance. I need your help with that."

"...I-I am a White Knight, you know..."

The Legendary Class White Knight was an honorable profession where the Reputation stat was of utmost importance. Smith's Infamy stat was phenomenally low, even among rankers. If Tae-hyun ever saw it, he would probably gasp and ask, How on earth have you lived such a clean life?!

"Haha, don't worry. I won't make you do anything like that. You only have to help me in fair and honorable combat."

"If it's fair and honorable..."

"If I so much as show my face in the Auston Kingdom, the Guild Alliance will swarm me."

If the enemy initiated the attack, fighting back wouldn't increase one's Infamy.

"I suppose that's true, but..." Smith hesitated.

Smith didn't actually have a bad relationship with the Guild Alliance or the Chinese rankers. But if he sided with Tae-hyun here, he would become their sworn enemy.

There's really nothing to gain from this... Like Lee Se-yeon, Smith preferred running in elite, small-scale parties rather than joining a massive guild. However, because he was such a prominent ranker, he was deeply entangled in various social networks, meaning he was practically associated with them anyway.

If Smith clashed with the Guild Alliance, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠others would inevitably get dragged into the conflict. Smith, who hated making a scene, felt a heavy burden.

"C-Can ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I at least make things clear when we fight?"

"Clear about what?"

"That this is strictly my own battle, and my friends have nothing to do with it..."

"I don't mind."

Does he really think that'll make a difference? If Smith fought alongside Tae-hyun while shouting, "I'm fighting alone! My friends have nothing to do with this!" there was no way the Guild Alliance would just go, "Ah, I see! ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Carry on then!"

Instead, they would fly into a blind rage, screaming, What kind of bribe did that ranker take from Kim Tae-hyun to act like this?!

"So, we're fighting together, right?"

"...Understood."

"Great. Now hurry up and run. Lee Se-yeon will be here any second."

Tae-hyun waved his hand, urging Smith to make his escape. Watching this, Lee Da-bi was suddenly reminded of an old folk tale.

Was it a deer... or a swallow? I feel like there was a story just like this...

"He got away? Ah... well, it can't be helped," Lee Se-yeon said with a sigh of disappointment.

In a place like this, the one fleeing always held the advantage. Besides, Smith was no ordinary player.

She had already half-given up the moment Smith entered the area. She had only held a sliver of hope because Tae-hyun had gone after him.

"While he was running, he kept begging me to team up. He even promised to help me out."

"...What exactly are you trying to get at by telling me this?"

"Oh, nothing. Just letting you know."

Lee Se-yeon let out a heavy sigh. "What do you want? You already converted that mine over there."

"Well, it got completely destroyed... but regardless, you're the one walking away with the lion's share here."

Lee Se-yeon was in a position to stabilize the Asbian Empire and receive massive rewards from the Emperor. What she stood to gain here was incomparably greater than what Tae-hyun got.

"Let's fight together."

"Against whom?"

"Who else? The Guild Alliance."

"The Guild Alliance after all..." Lee Se-yeon groaned, her voice trailing off.

She had wondered why Tae-hyun was being uncharacteristically cooperative. Normally, he would have targeted Kim Hyeon-ah the moment she was left alone, yet he had strangely avoided starting any fights in the Asbian Empire.

Go get 'em, Tae-hyun! Lee Da-bi pumped her fist in silent encouragement.

Seeing Tae-hyun choose cooperation over conflict with Lee Se-yeon was deeply moving to her.

Did she suggest this? Lee Se-yeon wondered, looking at Lee Da-bi with suspicion.

She had heard that the guild leader of Power Warrior was formidable in many ways, and seeing her now, it certainly seemed...

Wait. Why do I suddenly feel annoyed?

"Why aren't you answering?"

"Ah, sorry. I was just thinking."

The Guild Alliance was an enemy Lee Se-yeon had been keeping an eye on as well. They were a massive coalition that loved flexing their muscles everywhere they went.

Frankly, if it weren't for Tae-hyun, they probably would have targeted her by now. It was only because Tae-hyun had relentlessly beaten them down and kept them pinned inside the Auston Kingdom...

Come to think of it, Tae-hyun had beaten the Guild Alliance with almost obsessive persistence.

He had kept them so utterly overwhelmed that they hadn't even had the energy to pick fights with other rankers!

"...Fine. I've also been thinking that it would be dangerous to let the Guild Alliance grow any larger. There are quite a few players in the Erangs Kingdom who despise them, so I'll talk to them and rally some support."

Yes! Tae-hyun felt a wave of relief. Lee Se-yeon was on the exact same page.

"Great. Let's shake on it."

Clasp.

"Unni! Unni!"

"?"

"The Guild Alliance successfully mobilized a Black Dragon! A Black Dragon has appeared in the Auston Kingdom and is running wild right now!"

"...?!"

Lee Se-yeon was utterly stunned. She thought only a madman like Kim Tae-hyun was capable of such insanity, but the Guild Alliance had actually pulled it off too?!

"How on earth did they manage that?!"

"According to the latest info, it looks like they managed to persuade Hakkaras, who resides in the northeastern part of the Auston Kingdom."

"If they persuaded a dragon, it must have cost them an astronomical fortune... They really are out of their minds..."

Squeeze. Tae-hyun didn't let go of Lee Se-yeon's hand; instead, his grip tightened.

"...I'm not going to back out, so can you let go?"

"Haha. It's not like I squeezed because of that..."

From Lee Se-yeon and Smith's perspectives, they had been thoroughly swindled. They had no idea a Black Dragon was part of the equation!

Though they might suspect he had known all along, Tae-hyun's conscience was completely clear this time. He genuinely hadn't known.

"Have you thought of a way to deal with a Black Dragon?"

"No. Have you?"

"Not yet."

"......"

"......"

Both Tae-hyun and Lee Se-yeon fell dead silent.

Honestly, neither of them had the confidence to slay a Black Dragon. It was highly doubtful whether a dragon was a monster that current players could even hope to defeat.

No matter how many high-level monsters Tae-hyun had managed to take down despite massive level gaps, a dragon was on a completely different level...

"Well... we can just avoid it while we fight."

"Y-Yeah, exactly."

Neither of them could bring themselves to admit defeat due to their pride!

"Now that I think about it, it doesn't seem that dangerous. If it shows up, we just run..."

"Right. I've already thought of a way to escape if the dragon appears."

"O-Oh, really? What a coincidence. I did too. Actually, now that I think about it, a slight idea on how to deal with the dragon just crossed my mind."

"Ah, you too? Same here..."

What kind of conversation is this? The rest of the party stared at them, utterly dumbfounded.

"Then let's split up for now, get prepared, and meet in the Auston Kingdom. But... are you going to be okay traveling with such a large crowd?"

"I brought a ship, so it's fine. I'll just load everyone up."

"?" Lee Se-yeon tilted her head in confusion.

Can he even fit a giant on a ship? Even if she made concessions for the other tribes, there was no way that massive giant was going to fit.

Well, I'm sure he'll figure it out. Lee Se-yeon nodded and made her move first.

She had to report the completion of her quest to Uipoatl, claim her rewards, wrap things up, and then head to the Auston Kingdom.

"We should get moving too. Since we have so many people to transport, we need to hurry... Hm?"

As Tae-hyun's party exited the dungeon and headed back toward the Three Skulls' Mine, a Dragon Tooth Warrior riding a phantom steed galloped toward them.

There was only one person in this area who could send a Dragon Tooth Warrior. The deceased dragon, Alexeos!

- Greetings, Lord Kim Tae-hyun.

The Dragon Tooth Warrior dismounted from its phantom steed and spoke politely.

Tae-hyun felt a sudden wave of anxiety. What's going on?

Since Tae-hyun's mind had been entirely occupied with taking the rewards from Alexeos and pulling an eat-and-run, his guilty conscience naturally flared up.

- News of the battle at the Three Skulls' Mine has reached my master's ears.

"About that... well..." Tae-hyun wanted to ask exactly what his master had heard, but he held back, fearing he might stir up a hornet's nest.

- My master wishes to see you, Lord Kim Tae-hyun. Please come as quickly as possible.

At that moment, a quest window popped up!

Tae-hyun accepted it for now. It wasn't as if he had a choice to refuse.

"What is that? It's not dangerous, is it?"

"I don't know either..."

Tae-hyun fell into deep thought. But before he could even finish pondering, another undead knight came galloping toward them from the distance.

It was a noble knight, dressed in the formal attire of the Asbian Empire's aristocracy.