The Art of the Quick Surrender
"What does this fog do?"
"No idea. It's fog, so it probably just blocks line of sight. Isn't that a good thing?"
"It's magical fog, though. Doesn't it have some kind of extra effect?"
"Is it just stronger?"
The players aboard the ships murmured among themselves. Since the effect had appeared so suddenly, they didn't know its exact properties either. However, their casual guesses turned out to be surprisingly accurate.
"Alright, boys! Are you ready?"
"But Guild Leader..."
"I told you to call me Captain!"
Teech, the pirate player and guild leader, snapped. At his outburst, the other pirates exchanged glances.
'He's completely lost in his roleplay...'
'Is our guild really going to be okay?'
'Well, it's not like we have anyone else who can lead like him...'
The Black Beard Guild! It was a guild led by Teech. A pirate guild itself wasn't particularly unusual, as Pandemonium Online was home to all sorts of bizarre organizations. There was even a Beggars' Guild. The real problem was that their leader, Teech, was... a bit strange. He genuinely believed he was a real pirate.
"Captain. But... there are a lot of rumors going around lately that the Guild Alliance is pulling an eat-and-run with the bounties."
The rumors about the bounties had already begun to spread.
Because hundreds of people were suddenly claiming they were the ones who had hit him and demanding the bounty, the Guild Alliance could no longer afford to pay them out.
The Guild Alliance was trying to stall, making excuses and deflecting to avoid paying. But this tactic couldn't last forever. Naturally, rumors spread like wildfire.
An unexpected backlash! The rage of players who had been stiffed of their hard-earned money was terrifying. Unbeknownst to the Guild Alliance, a massive horde of bounty hunters was already descending upon the Auston Kingdom.
"Hmph! If you can't trust your fellow countrymen, who can you trust?" Teech scoffed.
Despite his username, Teech was actually Chinese.
"Well... even people from the same country can scam you."
"Silence!"
Teech's rival pirate player, Jack, had suffered massive losses after running into the legendary pirate Gardu while chasing Tae-hyun. Teech was well aware of this.
"Don't worry. I know exactly how to deal with Kim Tae-hyun."
"How's that?" the curious guild members asked.
"We don't fight him head-on!"
"...Is, is that it?"
What kind of crazy nonsense is this? The guild members stared at Teech in sheer disbelief. They were currently on their way to attack the fleet Tae-hyun was sailing on...
"We avoid the ship Kim Tae-hyun is on and focus all our attacks on the other ships, then we make a run for it. How is he going to chase us then?"
"Oh..."
"That actually sounds plausible."
As expected of a pirate guild, their sailing skills were exceptionally high. On top of that, they had chosen the fastest ships available. No matter how overpowered Kim Tae-hyun was, he wouldn't be able to catch them in a slow vessel! It was a brilliant strategy that allowed them to inflict damage, claim the credit, and avoid facing Kim Tae-hyun directly.
"We just need to withstand their magic attacks and arrows, right?"
"But Kim Tae-hyun has the Engineering skill. He probably has bombs."
"Ah, bombs..."
"Do not fear! We can easily dodge bombs with good steering. How far can he even throw them anyway? If we close the distance, he won't even be able to shoot!"
They weren't amateurs at piracy. They had plenty of experience attacking ships carrying mages and archers. They would unleash all kinds of crowd-control skills, close in rapidly, strike, and retreat! Bombs would be no different.
"There they come!"
"Wait, why is everything shimmering like that?"
The fleet Tae-hyun was leading was shimmering like a heat haze.
"They must have cast some magic. Hmph. But it's useless before me."
Teech pulled out a horn. It was a powerful item that had helped him succeed in countless pirate raids. Although it had a daily usage limit, blowing it once would dispel all surrounding magic.
Pwoooooooo—
You have used the Dispel Horn!
The magical fog temporarily clears!
Splash!
The sleek pirate ships cut through the water, surging forward.
"Huh? Are those kingdom pirates?"
Cain tilted his head as he watched the pirate ships charging from a distance. Calling them "kingdom pirates" sounded like an oxymoron, but the Atali Kingdom did indeed have its own pirate force—the pirate tribes Tae-hyun had subjugated!
"It's an enemy!"
"Enemy! Enemy!"
"!!!"
The players aboard the ships panicked. To think someone actually had the guts to attack a fleet led by Kim Tae-hyun!
"Haha! Close in on the ships!"
"Kim Tae-hyun is on that one! Go to the other side! Go to the other side!"
"Don't make eye contact! If you make eye contact, you're dead!"
Swoosh—
The pirate ships approached at incredible speed. The NPCs aboard Tae-hyun's ship all wore expressions of utter disbelief. They were none other than the Archisus Artillery. To them, hitting targets moving at that speed was child's play!
"Shall we fire?"
"Fire away. Let's see if they can survive it."
Tae-hyun watched the pirate ships with an amused glint in his eyes. They must have come because they were confident they could survive this, right?
However, the Archisus Artillery never got the chance to fire.
The Magic Fog spreads once more.
"??"
"W-What! I just dispelled it?!"
Teech panicked. To think they could instantly recast such a massive spell right after it was dispelled.
Your Sailing skill is too low. You suffer a massive penalty to ship handling!
"!??!?!"
It was a system message that usually only appeared when navigating incredibly treacherous and complex waters!
You have lost your way!
"What kind of nonsense is this?! How can we get lost here?!"
The ships are moving on their own!
A terrifying magical fog that completely ignored the pirate ships' buffs and the pirates' skills, forcing them to lose their way! It was a debuff fog of a caliber Teech had never experienced before.
Because of this, Tae-hyun was left utterly dumbfounded.
"What are they doing?"
The guys who had been charging so aggressively suddenly vanished, only to start spinning in circles inside the fog.
-Kuo!
[Carbanog explains that the powerful mana within its body created the fog...]
"Can you summarize that for me?"
[Carbanog says it's all thanks to its own greatness.]
"Right, right. Good job. So, when is this going to end?"
-Kuo...
[It says it doesn't really know either...]
"..."
However, the answer came soon enough.
Splash!
One of the pirate ships that had been spinning in the fog suddenly burst out and came to a dead stop right in front of them.
Right in front of Tae-hyun, to be exact!
Tae-hyun stared blankly at it.
A pirate player, panting heavily as he scrambled to his feet on the deck, locked eyes with Tae-hyun.
It was the most awkward moment in the world.
Next to Tae-hyun, the Archisus Artillery stood ready, aiming various cannonballs, while the players who had followed Tae-hyun were fully loaded with spells and arrows, waiting for the word.
One command, and it would be an instant logout!
Tae-hyun spoke gently.
"Hello?"
"...H-Hello there?"
"What brings you here?"
"Uh... well... we came to help you, Lord Tae-hyun!"
"Oh... really?"
"Yes! This noble battle against those wicked, eat-and-run bastards of the Guild Alliance! As pirates, we would be ashamed if we didn't join such a righteous cause!"
Dumbfounded laughter erupted from Tae-hyun's companions. What absolute rubbish!
Yet, Tae-hyun listened with a deadpan, serious expression.
"I see. Is that so?"
At that moment, another ship burst out of the fog.
"Cough, cough... Where is Kim Tae-hyun? Hurry up and attack... attack... huh?"
"..."
"...Attack the Guild Alliance! We have to tell Kim Tae-hyun that we're here to help him attack the Guild Alliance!"
An instantaneous pivot!
Tae-hyun was genuinely impressed. To pull off a pivot of that caliber... they were practically on par with the Power Warrior guild.
Splash—
Another ship burst out, babbling nonsense before immediately bowing its head in submission...
The members of the Black Beard Guild whispered among themselves. Only one ship was left now, and of all people, it was their Captain... no, their Guild Leader.
"Hey, what if the Guild Leader comes out and says something stupid?"
"I-I know, right?"
They had barely managed to beg for their lives, but if the Guild Leader came out shouting, "What? There is no surrender! Charge!"...
Finally, Teech, panting heavily, steered his ship out of the fog.
"I'm finally out! Hahaha..."
"..."
"I... I surrender."
"As expected of our Captain!"
The guild members gasped in admiration. He truly knew how to read the room!
"This sea route is the fastest. This way looks closer, but the landing spot is terrible, so your ships will take massive durability damage. If we land over here and march straight up, we'll hit a fortress right away. It's perfect for plundering."
'Is this guy a pre-packaged guide or something?'
Tae-hyun was slightly taken aback. The pirate was being far too cooperative!
With him acting like this, Tae-hyun couldn't help but wonder, 'Is he a spy sent by the Guild Alliance?'
'No... the Guild Alliance isn't smart enough to pull off something like that.'
Tae-hyun assessed them coldly. Who in that alliance would have the brains for such a complex scheme?
"Weren't you guys on the Guild Alliance's side?"
"We were!"
"But is it really okay for you to tell me all this?"
"I am a pirate."
"...?"
"Pirates change sides all the time."
"...???"
Tae-hyun wondered what kind of lunatic he was dealing with. What was this guy's deal?
"You guys are going to land first and lead the attack. Is that fine with you?"
"Absolutely!"
"R-Right. Work hard, then."
Tae-hyun had expected some resistance or an attempt to flee, but Teech's absolute obedience only left him more confused.
"Waaaaah!"
"Charge forward!"
'...Are those guys really not a trap?'
A glorious landing!
You have landed in the Auston Kingdom!
The Auston Kingdom will be furious when they learn of this.
Since the Auston Kingdom was essentially synonymous with the Guild Alliance, it didn't really matter. They were already as furious as they could possibly be.
'Ah... I need to plant my seeds. Should I start living a more righteous life?'
Tae-hyun felt a pang of worry. The Infamy stat was starting to weigh on his mind because of the seeds!
But no matter how much he thought about it, his Infamy stat was already far past the point of salvage. He had gone way too far.
'As expected, my only option is to plant them in someone else's territory.'
"Kim Tae-hyun!"
"Huh?"
"We've captured the fortress!"
That was fast! The Black Beard Guild had captured the fortress ahead of them at an unbelievable speed.
"How did you do it so quickly?"
"The Guild Alliance members saw us and opened the gates."
"Is... is that allowed?"
Tae-hyun realized what had happened. Since the Black Beard Guild had originally been commissioned by the Guild Alliance, the defenders had assumed they were allies and opened the gates. Of course, this would make the Guild Alliance several times angrier!
"We are pirates."
"...R-Right."
Tae-hyun turned to his companions.
"Let's keep our distance from them."
Even if they stabbed us in the back later, they'd probably just shrug and say, 'We're pirates!'
"The devil has landed!"
The code word they had agreed to use when Kim Tae-hyun appeared!
Upon hearing of his arrival, the Guild Alliance was filled with tension. Finally, the inevitable had come!
"Prepare yourselves! Where is Kim Tae-hyun's location?"
"He was just spotted in the southwestern region of the kingdom."
"Mobilize all available rankers and the Kim Tae-hyun Suppression Squad! And tell Hakkaras! Tell him he is our top priority to crush!"
"But Hakkaras is demanding an exorbitant amount of resources right now..."
"If we take down Kim Tae-hyun, the battle is practically half-won! We must capture him at all costs!"
Hakkaras was an incredibly greedy and arrogant dragon, but his power was undeniable. No matter how high the cost, the Guild Alliance could not afford to back down. This time, they would definitely catch him!
"Hmm..."
Countless players were staring at Tae-hyun with sparkling, expectant eyes.
"For now, let's scatter."
"!?"
