Sadiq! Sadiq! Sadiq!
"Sadiq! Sadiq! Sadiq!"
An impromptu Sadiq revival meeting had broken out in the middle of the desert! If the Holy Knight Commander of the Sadiq Church had witnessed this scene, he would have wept tears of deep, overwhelming gratitude. To think there were those who believed in Sadiq with such pure, unadulterated devotion! Of course, the Holy Knight Commander couldn't see this. Tae-hyun had already sent him to the afterlife.
“No! It's Archisus! Archisus! Archisus!”
"Sadiq! Sadiq!"
“Archisus!! Archisus!!!”
Tae-hyun desperately tried to change the giants' minds. But the giants were incredibly stubborn and slow on the uptake. They just kept chanting Sadiq's name over and over!
"Spicy Sadiq!"
"Spicy Sadiq!"
Sadiq's name was starting to sound weirder and weirder by the second.
'Should I just let them worship Sadiq?'
Tae-hyun hesitated for a moment. Honestly, even if they believed in Sadiq, it wasn't a huge loss for him. Because...
The only remaining Sadiq Church on the entire continent was currently located in Tae-hyun's territory! And Sadiq's Authority belonged to Tae-hyun as well. At this point, Tae-hyun was practically the legitimate successor of the Sadiq Church.
'No. My class is the Avatar of Archisus, so I have to spread the Archisus Cult.'
Tae-hyun snapped out of it and began his persuasion.
“Listen carefully! Of course, this spicy flavor is Sadiq's Authority. I understand why you like Sadiq.”
"Sadiq! Sadiq!"
Giants were simple creatures. While other races had complex desires, giants wanted only one thing: food! And the key was that it couldn't just be any ordinary food—it had to suit the unique, extreme tastes of giants. Sadiq's fiery heat had opened the eyes of these giants, who had been starving for some real stimulation.
We don't really remember who our god was, but he must have been a god who showed us such a fiery, spicy flavor!
Sensing the giants' train of thought, Tae-hyun quickly pivoted.
“But Sadiq was actually Archisus's subordinate!”
“??”
"???"
[????]
A historical distortion so massive it shocked both Heuk-heuk and Carbanog!
[If the Sadiq Church learns of this fact, they will be extremely furious...]
[The Avatar of Sadiq...]
[There are no remaining members of the Sadiq Church!]
[No penalty will be applied...]
Tae-hyun completely ignored the messages from a church that didn't even exist anymore! He shamelessly pressed on.
“Look! Even though I am the Avatar of Archisus, I can freely wield Sadiq's power. What does this mean?”
"Sadiq... Archisus's subordinate?"
"Is Archisus bigger than Sadiq?"
"Seems like it. Seems like it."
The giants murmured among themselves as they listened. Hearing it put that way, it actually made sense! Since Tae-hyun, who could use Sadiq's power, claimed Archisus was superior, the giants swallowed the lie hook, line, and sinker.
"We like the stronger one! We like the stronger one!"
"Archisus! Archisus! Archisus!"
[The faith of Archisus is spreading among the giants!]
[You have passed the trial of the giant tribes. You have been recognized as the god-sent Avatar who will lead the giant tribes!]
“?”
A total hijack!
A giant who originally should have changed classes to a Sadiq Church Heroic Fighter had now changed to the Archisus Church instead.
'Wait, isn't Heroic Fighter an Epic-grade class? That's a pretty hard one to get...'
Church-affiliated classes were a direct reflection of how prosperous that church was. In the beginning, the Archisus Church could only recruit basic, low-tier classes. In fact, even now, it wasn't doing incredibly well. A mid-tier class was about the limit!
Although the Archisus Church had expanded its influence and gained a massive number of followers, there was a very simple reason for this limitation.
'Because I haven't built the buildings...'
If you wanted to recruit high-tier classes, you had to build structures like training grounds and cathedrals. And these buildings were extremely, eye-wateringly expensive. With so many other things to spend money on in his territory, Tae-hyun couldn't afford to invest in church buildings just to unlock a single class!
Once again, he felt a pang of envy toward established, massive orders like the Phytos Church. They had the sheer capital to erect training grounds in almost every major capital city!
'I'm actually jealous.'
[Carbanog comforts you. It says the Archisus Church is still a great church.]
'Well, if the opportunity arises later, I can just steal them.'
[......]
An idea so outrageous it left Carbanog utterly dumbfounded! Was this man a divine Avatar or a common bandit?
In any case, high-tier church classes were supposed to be unlocked only after constructing those expensive buildings. And yet, Nedenmen was changing classes just because of a single fire show?
[Carbanog says that you don't necessarily have to get it from the church; you can change classes by achieving a great feat.]
'Of course I know that.'
Tae-hyun himself was a prime example. Instead of diligently visiting a church building to change classes, he had unlocked his class by achieving a monumental feat on his own! Though, to be precise, he had been forced into it...
[Carbanog coughs and pretends not to hear.]
'But is that achievement really grand enough to warrant becoming a Heroic Fighter?'
Just for drinking a bowl of soup? If that was the standard, Cain would have reached a legendary rank long ago!
[Carbanog looks at the dish—no, the lava—in disbelief. It says that eating that is a great feat that even giants cannot easily accomplish.]
'Hmm. Did I make it a bit too spicy?'
[Carbanog says that is not the problem...]
'Well, it was indeed a bit spicy.'
[......]
Carbanog gave up on talking. The Avatar of Archisus truly had a miraculous talent for hearing only what suited him!
Meanwhile, Nedenmen hoisted the cauldron high into the air and roared.
"From this day forth, this shall be our tribe's sacred ritual! The trial to determine a true warrior!"
"True warrior! True warrior!"
"Elder Nedenmen is a true warrior! He is no decrepit, dying giant!"
"Uwooooh! Uwooooh!"
[The Ritual of Lava has been added to the Archisus Church.]
“......”
Tae-hyun and his companions stared at the message window with expressions of sheer horror. What on earth were they doing?!
[The Ritual of Lava has been added to the Archisus Church.]
[If you pass the Ritual of Lava, you can change class to Archisus Church Heroic Fighter.]
“Huh?”
“An E-Epic class?! Seriously?! Just from one ritual?!”
The players of the Archisus Church were thrown into utter chaos by the sudden notification. An Epic class change just for passing a single ritual?
Normally, class change quests required completing dozens of grueling chain quests just to have a slim chance. While Rare classes were one thing, Epic classes often came with strict player limits, meaning once someone took it, no one else could!
And yet, they could get one just by passing a single ritual!
Everyone's eyes rolled back in excitement as they began frantically searching for the Ritual of Lava.
“When does the Ritual of Lava start?!”
“When can we take the Ritual of Lava?!”
“W-We don't really know either... The Pope will give you an answer once he returns!”
The church NPCs waved their hands in a panic. Only Tae-hyun could initiate the Ritual of Lava, and he was currently nowhere to be found... Naturally, the players interpreted this in whatever way suited them best.
“It looks like the ritual is opening soon!”
“With this many people, there's no way everyone gets a turn, right?”
“Probably not.”
“In that case...”
“It must be in order of contribution points!”
A sudden realization!
No matter how they looked at it, the opportunity would surely go to the top contributors first. The players went absolutely wild.
“Where's the church cleaning quest?! I'll take anything!”
“I'll water the flowerbeds!”
The rumors were so potent that new players were even joining the church on the spot.
“Hey, is it true you can get an Epic class here?”
“Yeah, the ritual is opening soon. You just have to pass it once.”
People swarmed the church like gathering storm clouds. Pelmas, completely unfazed, slowly scanned the crowd of eager players.
'Hmm...' Pelmas nodded to himself.
'Indeed, living a righteous life has moved Lord Archisus to bestow his blessings upon me!'
An endless supply of free labor to exploit to his heart's content—what a magnificent blessing!
“But wait... if you can get an Epic class just by passing it once, doesn't that mean the ritual is insanely dangerous or difficult?”
One rational player muttered, but his voice was instantly drowned out. No one paid him any mind.
[The giant warriors of the Desert Flower guide you to the Heart of the Sand.]
"We guide you to the Heart of the Sand, Priest."
"Don't call him a priest. He is far greater than that."
Tae-hyun had presented a dish far superior to anything shown by the giant chefs who claimed to carry the words of the ancient god! The word 'priest' was simply too weak.
"Big Boss Priest! Big Boss Priest!"
“...Just call me the Avatar.”
"Ah! Avatar! That is a good word!"
The giants clapped their massive hands in delight.
“By the way, what kind of place is this dungeon?”
"The Heart of the Sand... what did it do again?"
"I don't remember. But Avatar, I'm hungry."
"Can we have more food?"
[The giant tribes will only move when their bellies are full.]
[You must bring appropriate food when commanding them.]
“I'll give you food once you guide me properly. So try to squeeze those brains and remember something.”
Tae-hyun badgered the giants. Entering a dungeon completely blind was a terrible idea. He needed at least some basic intel!
"Uh... Ah! I remember! Last time, Great Warrior Jukwar went inside!"
“Oh... and where is he now?”
"He went in and never came out!"
"Now that you mention it, why didn't he come out?"
“......”
He's dead, you idiots!
A sudden wave of anxiety washed over Tae-hyun. The giant warriors here were by no means low-level, so if a Great Warrior died...
"It's here."
“?”
“????”
Tae-hyun and his party tilted their heads in confusion. There was no entrance in sight.
"See that sand pit over there?"
A massive sand pit with a steep, treacherous slope spiraling downward came into view.
“I see it.”
"That's the entrance."
“......”
Are they insane?! It was a drop-style dungeon where you had to plunge straight into the sand pit!
'Once we go in, we won't be able to get back out easily.'
Was this a death trap? Clicking his tongue, Tae-hyun grabbed Cain.
“Huh?”
“Let's go, just the two of us first!”
“Wait, why me—Aaaaargh!”
Before Cain could utter a single word of protest, Tae-hyun dragged him along and leaped forward.
“No fair! I wanted to go too...!”
'I'll swap with you! I'll gladly swap!'
Cain screamed in his mind, but his body was already being sucked rapidly into the swirling sand.
Along with the notification of their first entry, various rewards and bonuses flooded in. But now was not the time to worry about such things. What kind of place was this dungeon?!
[Hunger drains extremely rapidly inside the Heart of the Sand dungeon.]
[If hunger persists for too long, HP will decrease.]
“...?!?!?”
The moment he saw the two message windows, Tae-hyun immediately understood the nature of this dungeon. It was a time-limit style dungeon!
'Of all things, why does it have to be hunger?'
It was an entirely unexpected form of a time limit, one that would have thrown any first-time player into a state of utter panic.
Normally in Pan-On, hunger lowered various stats and imposed penalties, but it never actually drained your HP. The game wasn't usually that unforgiving! But in this dungeon, hunger drained at an accelerated rate, and once it hit zero, your HP would start ticking away. In other words...
'We have to finish everything and get out before our food supply runs dry? Tsk. It would have been so much easier if we had some prior information.'
Had he known, he would have packed a mountain of rations.
[Sand Monsters are appearing!]
[Hunger drains even faster during combat!]
“......”
Now he knew exactly why that giant warrior had died!