The Ultimate Equalizer

In Fantasia Online, the special forces of the Power Warrior Guild were armed with unique equipment that only Tae-hyun could craft. Known as the Dagger Squad for short, they normally seemed like mere Level 1 players who had no interest in the game's level rankings. But in reality, they were terrifying, one-shot equalizers. In times of crisis, they would sacrifice their lives using their armor's unique ability to boost their stats to insane heights, then plunge their daggers into the enemy to finish them off—a truly vicious combat style! They were essentially human bombs, just operating on a different mechanism than the mechanical engineering blacksmiths.

Tae-hyun hadn't expected much when he first supported them, but seeing them grow progressively stronger, his expectations were starting to rise. At this rate, they might actually become incredibly useful in the future!

'The Dagger Squad is too extreme of a wildcard, so it would be nice to have a few other combat parties.' He didn't want to deploy the Dagger Squad unless it was absolutely necessary. Besides, since Power Warrior was now a massive guild with high reputation, a decent number of high-level players had joined—some of whom had basically been tricked into signing up. If he could organize and manage them properly, they would make a formidable force! Furthermore, although Tae-hyun's mechanical engineering items were tricky to use, combining them correctly could multiply their power several times over...

'Let's see. What kind of item is this?'

Yet another extreme item! Couldn't he just get a normal, decently powerful item for once?

'Do you think I became one because I wanted to?'

He had become the Avatar of Archisus in the blink of an eye, swept up by the flow of events! Come to think of it, Carbanog had also started tagging along in much the same way...

'Tsk. Terrible durability, zero physical and magical attack... and the restrictions are incredibly tight. Only the Demon race can use it, it requires Edaor's permission, and equipping it causes continuous level reduction...' He wondered what kind of skill could possibly justify such harsh restrictions and penalties. Granted, a 400% range increase was an incredibly powerful option. For archer players, range was everything. Even an item with a 200% range increase would set the auction house on fire, so 400% was...

'A cheat-level item that wouldn't even make it to the auction house.' The kind of weapon a few top-ranking archers would keep hidden to use only for themselves! However, given the sheer number of penalties, that alone didn't seem enough to offset them. Equipping it meant getting cursed out by NPCs, losing levels, having to become a demon, and even needing Edaor's permission!

'Demon's Eye is just a normal passive skill that expands one's field of vision to match the range. But Mana Bullet is... Gasp.' Tae-hyun gasped in shock. He had just read the skill description.

'Crazy!' No wonder the attack power was zero; it had a skill like this. This was something he absolutely had to exploit. In Fantasia Online, if a Level 1 player fought a Level 100 player, the Level 1 players would usually get wiped out instantly, no matter how many of them there were. There was simply no way for a Level 1 to damage a Level 100! Since their attack power couldn't pierce the opponent's defense, it was only natural. Without relying on a few highly specific methods, it was a hopeless endeavor. But this musket...

In theory, if a Level 1 player sacrificed 50% of their HP to fire a shot, the ranker who got hit would also lose 50% of their HP! Of course, that was just the theory. A high-level ranker would undoubtedly have ways to dodge such long-range attacks, not to mention plenty of healing skills. But the theory alone was more than enough. He could always create the perfect situation! Besides, this weapon had an astronomical range. Tae-hyun had a gut feeling. This musket could become a lethal equalizer that rivaled—no, surpassed—the daggers!

A powerful weapon that allowed even Level 1 players to bare their fangs at rankers! Thinking about it that way, the harsh restrictions and penalties made perfect sense. In fact, they seemed rather light. 'I misjudged you, Edaor! You're actually a decent demon!' Tae-hyun finally acknowledged Edaor.

'Haha, how embarrassing.' Tae-hyun pondered the restrictions. 'First, as for the Demon race restriction, I have plenty of demons under my command, so I can figure something out.' It wasn't his first time dealing with this. Hadn't Cain also been corrupted into a demon after accidentally consuming a demon-related item in the Uruk Region? Besides, Tae-hyun had a vast supply of fresh demons. Some were in his territory, and some were right inside a cage at this very moment!

'Hmm. Since this is Edaor's gear, it's probably best to harvest the materials from Edaor's subordinate, right?'Shiver! Jukenen suddenly felt a cold chill run down his spine. "Is there an ice mage in here or something?" "What nonsense are you babbling about?"

'I'll just drain some demon blood from Jukenen... Ah. But how do I get Edaor's permission?' If he went all the way to the Demon Realm to ask Edaor, there was no way the demon duke would willingly agree!

"...?" Ah, come to think of it, that was true. Since he had raided Edaor before, he had used the horn dropped by Edaor. An unexpected solution! 'Wow, demons are surprisingly cool about this.' They didn't hold petty grudges; as long as you beat them, they'd even let you do this! Now that the biggest hurdle was resolved, the rest was easy.

'I'll just drain some demon blood from Jukenen to craft a potion that turns players into demons, and then all I need to do is gather people. I wonder how many will sign up.' Tae-hyun asked Lee Da-bi to post an announcement on the Power Warrior Guild board.

"I want to have them use this gear, but their levels will plummet the moment they equip it. Make sure to emphasize that part." "Where on earth did you find another weapon like... Ah, oops." "..." Lee Da-bi quickly changed the subject with a smile. "Shall I post it like that?" "It's not that weird of a weapon... But do you think people won't show up? Hmm. Maybe I should just hand them over to the Dagger Squad..."

The ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠penalty of losing levels was undeniably massive. The Dagger Squad was a collection of eccentrics who didn't care about leveling up and actively enjoyed playing at Level 1, but other players would naturally be attached to their levels. There was no way they would be happy about losing them. 'The Dagger Squad is already used to that style of combat, so I wanted to train a different group of people for this new weapon.' As the saying went, new wine should be put into new wineskins. He wanted to assign the ranged weapons to a separate unit.

"Pardon? I'm sure plenty of people will sign up." "Really?" "Regardless of whether the offer is good or bad, the moment they hear that you're organizing something, Tae-hyun, most of them will apply without even reading the details..." "..."

That was true. At this point, even if Tae-hyun announced, "First 100 people to delete their accounts!" the members of Power Warrior would probably rush to sign up. 'I don't know what it is, but if Tae-hyun is organizing it, I have to do it! If I'm slower than the others, I'll miss out! It's first-come, first-served!' That was exactly how they thought.

"And the offer itself ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠is actually quite appealing." "What? An offer recruiting people who don't mind becoming demons and having their levels drained?" "Yes. Everyone's been dying to lower their levels lately." "?!" Had such a bizarre trend started without Tae-hyun's knowledge?

In truth, it was all because of the Dagger Squad. As the Dagger Squad racked up more and more achievements within Power Warrior, the other guild members had started to grumble.

These were the unfortunate "high-level" players who desperately wanted to join the Dagger Squad but couldn't! Since the EXP lost upon death was practically nonexistent at low levels, reaching Level 1 through normal means was virtually impossible! In the end, the guild members could only weep in frustration. And now, a revolutionary piece of equipment that solved that exact problem had appeared! Hearing the explanation, Tae-hyun spoke, utterly dumbfounded.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

"I really don't understand the people in your guild..." "To be honest, I don't really understand them either."

"The materials require rubies, bloodstones, and a few demon-related ingredients, but nothing impossible to obtain." He had acquired quite a bit of rubies and bloodstones while thoroughly plundering the territory this time. Who would have thought he'd put them to such efficient use!

"Jukenen!" —Release me, you servant of Archisus! When my master arrives, you will be crushed like a bug! If you want even a shred of mercy, you must release me at once— "Hey. Did you guys not drain his energy properly? Why is he still so lively?" "We are deeply sorry!" The dwarves bowed their heads and cranked the device. Whirrrrrr! —Aaaaaaargh! Aaaaaaaargh! —Bwahahaha! Gusion was having the absolute time of his life! Once Jukenen quieted down, Tae-hyun approached.

"Now, let's draw some blood." —?!?— "Uh-uh. Stay still. It'll hurt more if you squirm. I'll give you an alcohol swab, so rub it on afterward." —Are you insane?! You're swinging a sword, what do you mean alcohol swab?! You're slicing my arm with a blade, not using a syringe! Drip, drip, drip—

"Your Majesty." "?" "Count Marchetti wishes to see you. But... what on earth is...?" A knight of the Count had run out from the castle to deliver the message. The knight looked utterly bewildered at the sight of Tae-hyun. The King was doing... something... to a demon locked in a cage! Tae-hyun spoke with absolute confidence.

"I have captured and am currently interrogating the demon that invaded the kingdom." "Ah... As expected of Your Majesty! Truly magnificent! A hero of the continent!" Unlike the counts, Tae-hyun was highly popular among the knights! It wasn't for nothing that the knights of the Erangs Kingdom followed him around like lost puppies. The knights of the Erangs Kingdom, who had been trailing behind him, quickly stepped forward.

"His Majesty is a magnificent hero!" "He goes absolutely wild the moment he spots a demon!" "If a demon is ever summoned to this continent, they'll have to get past His Majesty first!" "Guys, let's not overdo it." Tae-hyun shut the knights up. They were spouting unnecessary, ominous nonsense!

"Count Marchetti wants to see me? Why?" Tae-hyun had a very guilty conscience! He immediately grew suspicious. "What do you mean why...? Isn't it only natural to want to meet the great hero, Your Majesty?" the knight asked back, thoroughly confused. The knights standing behind Tae-hyun nodded in agreement.

"Tell the Count to come out himself." "Yes, he intends to do exactly that." "What? Really?" Tae-hyun was taken aback. He had expected something along the lines of, 'My master refuses to see you.'

"You rushed all this way to vanquish the demon that killed Count Bolone. How could he possibly not come out to greet you in person?" "Well, I suppose..." Being thanked so readily actually made him feel a bit awkward! The others whispered to Tae-hyun. "What's wrong? Isn't this a good thing?" "No, it's just... when someone thanks me so normally, it feels kind of sketchy." "..." "..." Just what kind of life had he lived to react like this...!

"Well, if he wants to express his gratitude, I should accept it. Tell him to come out." Taking advantage of the moment, the noble ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠warriors approached and whispered. "Your Majesty. The moment he steps out, take off his head! That will throw them into chaos, allowing us to breach the gates and seize the castle!" The noble warriors were completely infatuated with Tae-hyun! True to their Asbian Empire roots, they were suggesting an incredibly hot-blooded method. "N-No, we can't do that." "Your Majesty. Did you just hesitate?" "N-No, I didn't." I want to, but I must resist! Tae-hyun resisted the devil's whisper. —Gwaaaaaaaargh! Of course, the scream of an actual demon was also echoing from behind him.