An Unlikely Alliance
"Co...operation?"
The players in the various parties murmured among themselves. Cooperation! It was an easy word to say, but an incredibly difficult one to put into practice—especially in a situation like this.
In the case of large-scale or high-difficulty dungeons, it was common for multiple parties to form an alliance rather than attempting it alone. There were simply too many boss monsters and dungeons in Pandemonium Online that were utterly impossible for a single party to clear. However, such allied forces usually gathered before setting out, carefully drawing up rules, making agreements, and establishing strict penalties for any violations. Even with all that preparation, problems still cropped up constantly.
Sometimes a party would secretly pocket the rewards, or a member would turn out to be a disguised raider player who stole the loot and fled. And those were actually the better-case scenarios. Truly malicious parties would straight-up attack their allies, deciding that the other players' gear looked far more appealing than whatever the boss monster might drop.
If even carefully planned alliances suffered from such betrayals, what could be expected of parties thrown together on the spot? It was only natural that they didn't trust one another.
"Why should we trust you?"
"Yeah! Half the people here are complete strangers."
If they were high-ranking rankers, they might recognize a face or at least know a name, but below that tier, it was almost impossible to know who was who. The player base of Pan-On was just that massive. To make matters worse, this place was currently swarming with reckless, high-level player parties.
"Think about it logically. This is Hakkarias's Lair. It's impossible for a single party."
"But Hakkarias is already dead."
"Even if the dragon is dead, a dragon's lair is still a dragon's lair! Do you have any idea how high a dragon's magic resistance is? The golems stationed inside the lair alone could number in the dozens or hundreds. Not to mention the subordinate tribes serving them."
The argument presented by the party that had proposed the alliance was quite persuasive, and several players began to nod in agreement. However, the skeptical parties refused to back down easily.
"How do we know we can trust you guys?"
"We'd rather just clear it on our own."
"If we're going to do this together, your party has to take the lead."
"What? What did you just say, you bastards?"
Few people had the patience to endure such demands. As the atmosphere rapidly turned hostile, the rankers who had been quietly observing the situation finally stepped forward.
"No, I think forming an alliance is the right move."
"Cr... Crawford!"
"That's Alcott over there!"
The sudden appearance of famous rankers carried immense weight amidst the bickering crowd.
"Even Johansson is here!"
"Just how many rankers showed up?"
The squabbling parties flinched as rankers began emerging from the crowd here and there.
"Let's ally for now. We can worry about backstabbing later."
"Exactly. If anyone dares to betray us, I will personally hunt them down and slaughter them," Alcott declared, his voice dripping with menace.
The players swallowed hard. Very few people could casually brush off a threat from Alcott, a notoriously lethal assassin ranker. Furthermore, Alcott was currently riding a massive wave of popularity as the very first player to receive a fief in the Erangs Kingdom. Even the other rankers were keeping a close eye on him.
'The Guild Alliance is crumbling, yet that guy is thriving all on his own. I need to keep an eye on him.'
'Alcott... when did he grow so powerful?'
"??"
Arriving near the Black Gravestone Mountain Range, Tae-hyun was utterly bewildered. There were far too many players gathered here.
"First, we disguise!"
"Yes, Master!"
Tae-hyun and his companions were practically becoming masters of disguise. It had reached the point where Cain had actually raised his Disguise skill to the Intermediate rank. While ordinary players might use a disguise once or twice in their entire gaming careers, Tae-hyun's party was doing it practically every single day.
'What's going on? Did the Guild Alliance lay a trap?'
Thinking about it, that was exactly what he would have done first. Tae-hyun felt a sudden wave of self-reflection. He had underestimated the Guild Alliance!
'I should have been more meticulous and thought this through...!'
Of course, this was not a trap laid by the Guild Alliance.
"Ah, another group?"
"Ugh, seriously, how many people are coming here?"
"How many... five? What do they think they're going to do with only five people?"
The players standing in front of them complained the moment they saw Tae-hyun's party. The more people there were, the more they would have to split the loot from the lair. Besides, while others had brought a dozen or more players to raid a dragon's lair, these newcomers had shown up with a measly five-man party. It wasn't as if they were famous rankers either!
"What's going on here?" Tae-hyun asked.
"There are too many parties here, so we've decided to form a grand alliance."
"..."
Tae-hyun was dumbfounded. While he was glad it wasn't a trap, the sheer number of parties was mind-boggling.
'Have they completely lost their minds? Or is there something I don't know?'
What kind of insane confidence possessed them to swarm a dragon's lair in such massive numbers?
"Well, it's a stroke of luck for you guys. A tiny party like yours wouldn't stand a ghost of a chance of clearing this place, but now you get to ride our coattails."
"..."
Behind Tae-hyun, Yu Ji-soo silently drew her bow and prepared to notch an arrow, but Lee Da-bi quickly held her back.
"Calm down, Ji-soo."
"But, unni...! That guy just...!"
"Just leave him be. Tae-hyun will strip him of everything he owns soon enough."
Da-bi had absolute faith in Tae-hyun. Knowing his personality, there was no way he would let someone talk to him like that and get away with it.
Instead of immediately stabbing the man in front of him, Tae-hyun decided to pry for more information.
"An alliance, you say?"
"Yeah."
"Right here on the spot?"
"That's right."
"...Really? Is that even feasible?"
"Normally, it wouldn't be. But the rankers here have agreed to join hands and organize the parties. So either you cooperate, or you're out."
"Ah... I see."
"You should be thrilled. Honestly, a party like yours would have just wiped instantly."
"Right, right. Of course."
Toba had absolutely no idea whose beard he was pulling. Seeing a group of unfamiliar faces in such a small number, he simply assumed they were a reckless, small-scale party that had wandered in without a clue.
"You guys are at least over level 100, right?"
"Of course we are."
Tae-hyun felt a brief swell of pride at being able to answer that question confidently. But immediately after, a wave of profound self-loathing washed over him.
'Damn it...'
Why was he getting worked up over something so trivial? The Avatar of Archisus class was truly ruining his standards!
"By the way, what's your name?"
"Kim... Tae-san."
"Kim Tae-san? Man, Koreans really do have similar names. Wasn't that Orc ranker who went wild on the plains also named Kim Tae-san?"
"He was."
"Are you guys related or something?"
He had accidentally hit the bullseye. Behind Tae-hyun, Cain flinched visibly.
Hearing Toba's question, a nearby party member immediately scolded him.
"You idiot, Korea is different from us. Just because someone's last name is Kim doesn't mean they're family. How many times do I have to tell you?"
"Ah, whatever. It's an easy mistake to make!" Toba grumbled, turning his gaze away.
Cain leaned in and whispered softly, "Hey, what are we going to do?"
"Hmm. We'll tag along, of course."
"...?"
Cain was utterly bewildered. He had never expected Tae-hyun to actually agree to go with them. Tae-hyun was not the kind of person who had any reason to join a clumsy alliance like this. Cain had fully expected him to yell, 'I'm going in first, you idiots! Mwahahaha!' and charge right past them.
"Why?" Cain asked. "I mean... what's the point of joining them? We'll have to split the treasure..."
"No, we won't," Tae-hyun replied flatly.
Cain slapped his knee in realization. "Ah! I get it! You're planning to go inside and slaughter them all!"
"..."
"..."
Tae-hyun, Jeong Su-hyeok, Lee Da-bi, and Yu Ji-soo all stared at Cain as if he had lost his mind.
"Does that make any sense to you?" Su-hyeok asked.
"There's no way Senior would do something so barbaric," Ji-soo added.
"Tae-hyun wouldn't do that... right?" Da-bi asked, just to be absolutely sure. She was, after all, the only one capable of viewing Tae-hyun with objective realism.
"I have no intention of doing that," Tae-hyun said.
"See?" Da-bi sighed in relief.
"Exactly! I knew we could trust you!" Ji-soo beamed.
Cain looked thoroughly confused. "Huh? That's not it? Really? Then what?"
"They haven't done anything to cross me, so why would I attack them? Besides... even if I leave them alone, they'll self-destruct anyway."
Tae-hyun was absolutely certain. This alliance could never last. If left to their own devices, they would fall apart from within.
"Actually, this works out perfectly. Even with Heuk-heuk, raiding a dragon's lair carried some uncertainties. With so many people acting as guinea pigs, it'll be much easier to gather information."
They could simply tag along, gather intelligence, and when the alliance inevitably collapsed, they would step up and show their true strength.
"But what if they don't self-destruct?" Cain asked, still not fully understanding. While it was true that impromptu alliances often failed, he had heard that the rankers were actively managing this one. There was a chance it might actually succeed.
"They will definitely self-destruct. For an alliance like this, speed is everything."
The lifeblood of an alliance was swift execution—clearing the dungeon before discontent and greed could fester. This strategy worked well for dungeons that had already been cleared by others, where maps were available and the patterns of the monsters and bosses were common knowledge. But Hakkarias's Lair was a high-difficulty zone with virtually zero public information. No one knew what lay inside, which meant they would have to rely on extensive trial and error.
"It's going to take an immense amount of time, and there's no guarantee of success. Yet, just because Hakkarias is dead, they all came swarming in with unearned confidence... It's bound to fall apart."
Attempting to clear a high-difficulty dungeon with a massive, uncoordinated alliance was sheer madness in Tae-hyun's eyes. Even a highly optimized, elite force would struggle to keep complaints at bay.
'They only dare to act like this because they've never actually faced Hakkarias themselves...'
Meanwhile, the rankers were gathering to verify the composition of the parties. As a precaution, they needed to check the names and rosters of each group. While players could easily provide aliases, it was still better than doing no verification at all.
'And it's not like professional raider players would target a dragon's lair anyway,' Alcott reasoned.
Why would players who specialized in looting other players come to a high-risk zone like this? They would be much better off targeting more common, popular dungeons. Alcott was confident that the players gathered here were, at the very least, not professional PKers. Consequently, he assumed no one would bother using a fake name.
"Did you see how they all trembled when they heard your name?" Crawford asked, letting out a low whistle of admiration.
Alcott fought hard to suppress a smug grin. "Well, it's not that big of a deal."
"Oh, shut up. Just give me the party roster. Let's see..." Crawford scanned the list. "It looks like we're the only notable rankers here."
"Honestly, what are these guys thinking?"
Even if the rankers were leading, could a bunch of ordinary high-level players really clear a dragon's lair?
"Well... we'll just have to make it work. Hakkarias is dead, after all."
"True. Hakkarias is dead, so... Wait, what the hell is this? Kim Tae-san?" Alcott's face twisted in disgust. What a horribly unlucky name to share with that monster!
Seeing his reaction, Crawford began to chuckle. "Hey, at least it's not Kim Tae-hyun."
"Ugh, talk about bad luck..." Alcott shuddered. He prayed to whatever gods were listening that he wouldn't run into that terrifying man here.
"Alright, everyone! Now that we're all gathered, we move out!" Alcott bellowed, stepping forward. "As agreed beforehand, any items that drop will be rolled for by each party. How you distribute the loot within your own party is up to you. However, if anyone attempts to steal items or sabotage another party, they will be severely punished according to our rules. Keep that in mind!"
The crowd fell silent, awed by Alcott's commanding presence. Except for Tae-hyun.
"Since when did that guy start putting on so many airs?" Tae-hyun muttered.
"Well, when people get famous, they usually lose their minds a bit," Cain replied from beside him. Even to Cain, Alcott seemed to be flexing his shoulders a bit too hard. The sword at his waist looked like a ceremonial blade symbolizing his lordship. Was he really that desperate to show off his new status?
"Move out!"
At Alcott's signal, the parties began to move in an orderly fashion. They had decided to rotate their positions in the marching order at set intervals to prevent any complaints about who had to take the dangerous vanguard positions. It was a reasonably clever system designed to keep the peace.
You have entered the domain of Hakkarias, the Ruler of the Black Gravestone Mountain Range!
Lethal poison gas is rising from the deep, dark swamp of magic!
"...!"
Before they could even set foot inside the actual lair, the deceased Hakkarias welcomed them with a devastating opening salvo. The ground, which had looked perfectly normal from a distance, instantly liquefied into a treacherous mire, and a thick, highly toxic fog erupted from the depths.
"Argh...!"
"P-Priest! Cleanse! I need a cleanse right now!"
Screams of agony echoed from all directions. It was a deadly poison so potent that anyone exposed to it for even a few seconds would collapse instantly.