The Art of Avoiding Dragons
From Alexeos's perspective, this was utterly absurd. He could never have imagined that the hero who saved the continent would actively avoid him just because he didn't want his buff taken away!
"Do you think Alexeos will send an envoy, Hyung?" Yu Ji-soo asked, her voice laced with concern.
"We'll just avoid them. If we see anyone who looks like they were sent by Alexeos, we run."
The dead dragon Alexeos didn't have many subordinates he could command. Furthermore, since he was dead, his subordinates were highly likely to be undead, making them incredibly easy to spot if they approached.
"..."
"..."
It was pettiness beyond imagination! Cain asked in a shocked voice, "Aren't... aren't you being a bit too petty?"
"Petty? Do you think buffs grow on trees? That's why you don't have any buffs!"
Cain got scolded just for speaking up.
—The Avatar of Archisus is coming.
Alexeos muttered in his lair. Since Tae-hyun was currently under the effect of Alexeos's Blessing and authority, Alexeos could sense his presence to some extent when he got close.
—To think he defeated Hakkaras... impressive. For a human to defeat Hakkaras! Even for a hero, that is a monumental achievement. As expected of the Avatar of Archisus...
Wait, would it have been better not to get involved with him?
Alexeos suddenly wondered if he had fallen into a trap. He had lived his life hearing that one should never get involved with the Avatar of Archisus, but before he knew it, he was already entangled.
N-No. I am different from those Gold Dragons. I won't be fooled by the Avatar of Archisus; I can handle him.
Dragons were fundamentally arrogant! Even if others warned them, "I got ruined by the Avatar of Archisus! Don't play with him!" they would just think, Really? But I'm a dragon.
An arrogance that refused to accept the existence of anyone who could deceive them! He still didn't realize that this very arrogance was why dragons had been stripped clean by Archisus in the past.
—Yes. Come quickly... wait. Where are you going?!
Alexeos was flabbergasted. The presence was growing more distant! He was heading in the completely opposite direction.
The desert heat intensifies!
Stamina is depleting rapidly.
Movement speed is reduced.
Severe penalties apply if wearing metallic equipment.
"Ugh!"
"It's so hot...!"
Most of the Asbian Empire's territory was sandy desert. The places Tae-hyun's party had traveled before were cities or tribal settlements with well-paved roads—relatively livable parts of the desert with rivers or oases.
However, leaving those areas and venturing deep into the pathless desert brought harsh penalties.
"Should we take off our gear for now?" Choi Sang-yun groaned.
"Yeah, I need to strip down too," Cain agreed.
Players wearing metal armor, like Cain and Choi Sang-yun, suffered the most. On the other hand, Yu Ji-soo and Jeong Su-hyeok wore light armor, so they were relatively fine.
You possess Sadiq's Flame Authority.
You are unaffected by the desert heat.
Sadiq...!
Tae-hyun was deeply moved. Sadiq, you beautiful bastard! You're actually useful for once!
Carbanog says Sadiq would be deeply moved if he heard that.
Well, of course he would. I'm putting his power to such good use.
Though if Sadiq actually heard it, he would probably clutch his neck in fury.
"Hmm. Looking at the map..."
Acquiring this Authority of Archisus was actually supposed to be quite easy. Alexeos and the Draken Secret Society had even provided detailed map information. He could have come here whenever he wanted!
The only reason he hadn't was because he had been too busy with other things—plundering the Auston Kingdom, placating the Adamantium Golem, going to the vampire island to make vassals...
I feel like I'm drifting further and further away from what a typical Avatar of Archisus should be.
Shouldn't a god's avatar normally play peacefully, devoutly believing in their god and spreading the faith?
Tae-hyun opened the map interface.
🏛 Known Dungeons: Heart of the Sand, etc.
⚔ Local Monsters: Desert Flower Giant Tribe, etc.
💀 Status: Terror is extremely high. Bandit-type NPCs will not attack.
😈 Status: Infamy is extremely high. Bandit-type monsters can be recruited.
Skip that.
Ignoring the useless messages, Tae-hyun checked only the important details: threatening monsters and the location of the ruins containing the Authority of Archisus!
Locate the Authority of Archisus
📍 Location: Heart of the Sand Dungeon
⚠️ Guardian: Desert Flower Giant Tribe
"Desert Flower?"
"Oh, that sounds peaceful."
"Could they be elves?"
Tae-hyun's party rejoiced at the name "Desert Flower". Usually, a name gave a rough idea of what to expect. If it was a scary name, they'd be terrifying; if it was a pushover name, they'd be easy...
"Desert Flower" sounded incredibly peaceful!
—Hot. Hot.
"...??"
This familiar, repetitive way of speaking twice...?
The party's heads snapped around.
In the distance, a giant warrior was panting as he trudged toward them.
"I guess giants spawn here too."
"Giants spawn anywhere desolate."
"Yeah, but I hope there aren't any nearby!" the party murmured.
—Master.
"What is it, Yong-yong?"
—...That giant has a flower tied to his head.
"...Well, maybe he just likes flowers. Or maybe he's a little crazy."
—...Isn't the Desert Flower Tribe a giant tribe? In the first place, if there's a giant warrior here, it means there's a giant tribe... and other races wouldn't dare approach if a giant tribe was around...
"No! That can't be!"
Tae-hyun strongly denied it. He had to wrap this up within five days; having giants around would make things incredibly tedious. First of all, their racial combat power was among the highest in Pan-On!
—Watering the flower. Watering the flower.
"..."
"..."
Crunch!
The giant warrior swung a club the size of a human, crushing a passing monster into paste. He then squeezed the blood out of it and poured it over the flower on his head.
"...Damn it."
Tae-hyun's instincts flared. Those bastards were definitely the ones guarding the Heart of the Sand. He knew things were going too smoothly!
"Guys, put your gear back on."
Tae-hyun approached the giant as he spoke.
Ugh... I have to solve this within five days...
Tae-hyun's mind raced. If five days passed, would the penalty be resolved? Surely the Emperor wouldn't go to the harbor and trash the ship, right? The Emperor was an NPC with a notoriously garbage personality, so even the slightest mistake was worrying.
If we end up fighting the giants, we'll have to fight our way through their territory to the ruins within five days. And we don't even know what's inside...
In Pan-On, you never knew how difficult a dungeon would be until you actually entered. Knowing this, Tae-hyun's head throbbed.
Let's try to persuade them as peacefully as possible first. I don't know how well it'll work, but...
The best way was not to fight! Tae-hyun possessed a powerful Speech skill. The problem was...
Giants were notorious for being highly resistant to persuasion. Because many of them were simple-minded, even if you used Speech, they would often say, "I don't get it!" or "Raaah! A tiny human! I don't listen to tiny humans! Die!" and swing their weapons first.
Bringing the one-eyed giants from the Zaion Mountains last time had been a stroke of pure luck! To be precise, Tae-hyun had simply hijacked all the effort the Sadiq Holy Knight Commander had put into befriending them.
Carbanog comforts you, saying it couldn't be helped.
Right? It couldn't be helped, right?
But he couldn't expect that kind of luck this time. There was no way anyone from the Salavian Order, Sadiq Order, Karbanog Church, Shiiba Cult, or Archisus Church had befriended these giants beforehand...
Wait. Listing them out like that actually makes the probability look surprisingly high.
"You've all got your gear on, right? If he attacks, counter immediately," Tae-hyun instructed the party.
If the giant warrior swung his weapon, they had to retaliate instantly.
"Alright... here I go! Hey!"
Tae-hyun called out to the giant warrior, who was currently watering—no, bloodying—his flower.
The giant warrior turned his head with a blank expression.
—Huh?
"Let's talk!"
Whoosh!
Fast!
Cain and Choi Sang-yun flinched. The giant warrior's level was clearly higher than expected. The speed at which he swung his arm was no joke.
We have to block...!
No! He's aiming for Tae-hyun!
Oh? Then is it fine?
Wait, actually, yeah.
Grab!
The giant grabbed Tae-hyun and lifted him up with both hands.
Dumbfounded, Tae-hyun looked back at the two.
"...Why aren't you guys moving?"
"S-Sorry."
"Since he was aiming for you, we figured you'd handle it."
Absolute trust!
Tae-hyun had stood still because he realized the giant didn't seem to be attacking. But that was one thing; the fact that those two had just stood there watching...
These bastards, seriously...
He didn't need that kind of trust!
—Priest! You are a priest!
"...?"
—...?
...?
Tae-hyun, Yong-yong, and Carbanog were all baffled. A priest?
I'm an Avatar, but... is an Avatar technically a priest?
"Do you happen to believe in Archisus?"
—Archisus? Is that something you eat?
"Uh... never mind."
Tae-hyun felt a bit embarrassed for asking.
—You are a priest! I am sure of it!
"...Yes! I am a priest!"
Tae-hyun decided to just roll with it. He didn't know what was going on, but if he could pass through without fighting the giants by pretending to be a priest, then a priest he would be!
You possess the Abnormal Cooking skill!
You possess the Divine Cooking skill!
You possess the Chef Who Understands Monsters' Hearts skill!
The Desert Flower Giant Tribe regards you as a priest sent by the gods!
"...????"
Tae-hyun was flabbergasted. A priest? But why are the system messages about cooking skills instead of Holy stats?
—Raaah! A priest! Hooray!
"Y-Yeah. I get it, so could you guide us to your village?"
—Guide the priest! You can ride on my head!
"Won't the flower get damaged?"
—I'm growing that flower to eat it. It's a delicacy.
"...I-I see."
You have arrived at the village of the Desert Flower Giant Tribe.
Reputation increases.
Experience points acquired.
Explorer NPCs will be highly astonished if you share this fact!
The Desert Flower Giant Tribe consists of fierce and violent warriors who do not welcome outsiders.
Shiver.
Tae-hyun realized anew just how lucky he had been. If he hadn't been treated as a priest, they would have had to fight these giant warriors for their lives!
Their levels... is the average really in the 300s?
Although there was a lot of talk about top-tier rankers aiming for level 300, no player had reached level 300 yet. A level 300 monster was practically a boss monster on any normal field!
—A priest has appeared! A priest!
"Senior... you're sure 'priest' doesn't mean 'food' to them, right?" Yu Ji-soo asked in a trembling voice.
In the past, Ji-soo would never have had such a thought, but she was now a fully-fledged Pan-On player. Traveling with Tae-hyun had forced her to adapt to the game's harsh realities!
"N-No way."
Carbanog claps, agreeing that it's a possibility.
Tae-hyun denied it, but he couldn't help but find Ji-soo's words alarmingly plausible.
The rest of the party was already whispering behind him.
"Are they really trying to cook Tae-hyun?"
"If they cook him, won't the dish turn out poisonous?"
"More importantly, this is a terrible place to fight. We'll get mobbed from all sides..."
—Priest! Priest! I brought him!
Bubble bubble—
The giant warrior led Tae-hyun's party to a wide open plaza in the center of the village.
And sitting right in the middle of the plaza was...
A massive, boiling cauldron!
"He really is food!"
"Senior! I'll shoot them!"
The party panicked. Their worst fears were coming true!
However, the giant warrior suddenly thrust a giant ladle toward Tae-hyun and said:
—Priest! Cook for us!
"M-Me?"
—What do you mean, "me"?