A Relentless Scent
"She seems like a bit of a strange person..."
Kim Hyun-ah was suddenly branded a "weirdo"! She was actually a highly skilled ranker who was considered one of the best in Lee Se-yeon's guild, but that meant absolutely nothing to Tae-hyun's group.
"But what does she mean by 'properly apologize'?"
"Exactly. The standard seems a bit vague."
*Tap.*
At the sound of their voices, Lee Se-yeon, who had been walking away coolly, spun on her heel and marched back.
"???"
"To start with, a sincere apology detailing exactly what he did wrong in Pan-On 1, spanning at least three full pages, itemized point by point..."
Se-yeon began to list her demands in a calm, measured voice. The sheer detail and specificity of her instructions left the entire group utterly dumbfounded.
This woman...! She's been holding onto this grudge the entire time...!
"How could you do that to us?!"
"Hey, I told you, I had no choice."
The demons protested to Tae-hyun, tears streaming down their faces. To think they would live to see the day a human used demons as bait!
"We had to stop Lalgrgal, didn't we? If we hadn't, he would've slaughtered everyone. Is that what you wanted?"
"N-no, that's not what we meant..."
Tae-hyun, proving that the guilty dog barks the loudest, raised his voice even louder! Left with no recourse, the aggrieved demons could only back down in sorrow.
"And besides, you survived because of it. You're not dead, are you?"
The demon who had been kicked earlier argued back in sheer disbelief. "No, we survived purely out of luck! If things had gone slightly wrong, we would've been booted straight back to the Demon Realm—"
"But you survived anyway! Are you dead? No, you're alive!"
"..."
"..."
He really is a true follower of Archisus!
At any rate, they had successfully pushed Lalgrgal back and escaped the underground passage. However, they couldn't afford to let their guard down just yet. The moment they burst out, the group began to run. As they fled, the demons panted out to Tae-hyun.
"Pant, pant. Lord Archisus. What about our promise...?"
"Promise?"
"Our promise! When two parties speak with mutual trust, they are supposed to keep their word!" the demons cried out, practically jumping up and down. Did this Archisus bastard seriously not know what a 'promise' was? His personality was truly...
"Hey, I know what a promise is, okay? I was asking which promise you were talking about."
"Ah..."
"Y-you said you'd set us free... since we delivered Lalgrgal to you..."
"Ah, right. That. Sure, I'll let you go."
Tae-hyun readily unlocked the explosive collars around the demons' necks.
*Click, click, click—*
"!!!!"
"Y-you're really letting us go?"
The demons were even more shocked now that they were actually being freed! Alcott and Crawford stared at them as if they were complete lunatics.
Did those guys eat something weird? Why are they freaking out over being released?
"Yes. I keep my promises."
"Ohhh...!"
"Thank you so much!"
"I'm never setting foot on this continent again! *Sniff.* I'm going straight back to the Demon Realm!"
The demons embraced each other, weeping tears of joy. Though they served different Demon Dukes and lived on entirely different layers of the Demon Realm, they had forged an unforgettable bond through their shared trauma on the continent.
"Let's form a group so we can meet up in the Demon Realm too!"
"Yeah...! Our friendship will never—"
*RUMBLE!*
Suddenly, a deafening explosion roared behind them as Lalgrgal burst through the passage.
"Man, that guy is surprisingly fast."
Lalgrgal was remarkably quick despite his massive bulk. But Tae-hyun wasn't worried. If they were still in that water-logged underground passage, it might be a different story, but now that they were out in the open, there was no way Lalgrgal could catch him. There were too many places to run, and too many ways to travel!
The whisper connection cut off. Honestly, now was not the time to be chatting. Lalgrgal was hot on their heels! While Tae-hyun remained completely relaxed, the faces of Cain, Alcott, and Crawford were tight with tension.
What is she relying on to threaten me like this?
Apologize if he wanted to catch Lalgrgal? If Tae-hyun didn't want to catch Lalgrgal, he could just ignore her, couldn't he? Of course, Lalgrgal was an incredible Legendary monster that would make everyone ecstatic if they managed to slay him... but Tae-hyun had plenty of other boss monsters to hunt. Besides, he had to visit the Demon Realm eventually anyway, and the moment he set foot there, he might end up having back-to-back audiences with the Demon Dukes...
Carbanog asks if it can stay behind when you go to the Demon Realm.
Haha. Why would you say that, Lord Carbanog? A deity must travel with his devout follower.
Carbanog shakes its head and buries its face in the dirt.
"Kim Tae-hyun! How much longer are we going to run?!"
"Alright, alright. Yong-yong, come on out!"
Tae-hyun summoned Yong-yong. Only then did the group let out sighs of relief and climb onto the dragon's back one by one. Tae-hyun's mounts, Yong-yong and Heuk-heuk, were famous even among high-level rankers. They were incredibly sturdy, fast, and capable of using both magic and area-of-effect skills—truly rare mounts! Rumors had been circulating among players: "Hey, that thing is way too strong. Is it actually a real dragon?" Since Tae-hyun had summoned a dragon and had it breathe fire before, it was a natural rumor. However, most players dismissed it: "Come on, a real dragon? It's probably just a dragon-type monster." Something like a drake or a wyvern—not a true dragon, but a distant relative!
"But seriously, what kind of monster is this?"
"Probably a mutant drake."
"No, maybe a special wyvern..."
"Could be a Chimera. I saw Kim Tae-hyun using a Chimera the other day."
Cain flinched. They couldn't possibly be talking about me when they say Chimera, right?
"Archisus, you thief! Do you really think you can escape me?!"
"I think I can, yeah. What are you gonna do about it?"
"I will hunt you down to the very ends of the continent and slaughter you!"
"...Wait. That actually sounds a bit terrifying."
With so many quests left to complete, having Lalgrgal constantly stalking him across the continent would be a massive headache.
"Lalgrgal! Why don't we make peace?"
In response, a massive spear of dark magic shot up from below. Yong-yong dodged it in sheer panic.
"Stop provoking him, Master!"
But I was literally asking to make peace.
While Tae-hyun's group fled through the air, the demons left on the ground let out collective sighs of relief. Looking at Lalgrgal, it was clear he was entirely focused on chasing Tae-hyun. After all, why would he waste time on insignificant demons like them when his prime target, Archisus, was right there!
"Phew. We're saved..."
"Lalgrgal didn't seem to notice our betrayal, did he?"
"He's probably completely forgotten about us because of Archisus."
Lalgrgal chased after them, relentlessly firing off spells. They had assumed his obese frame would slow him down, but Lalgrgal curled his body into a tight ball and began rolling after them at terrifying speed!
Terrified, Cain screamed down, "Hey, you demon bastard! The guys who betrayed you are right down there! Why are you only chasing us?!"
In his panic, Cain pointed an accusing finger at the demons below. They had all raided Lalgrgal together, and those demons had even backstabbed him, so it felt incredibly unfair that only their group was being targeted. Of course, it was a ridiculous complaint. The mastermind was Archisus himself!
Surprisingly, however, Cain's words seemed to have an effect. The rolling Lalgrgal suddenly screeched to a halt. The demons felt their hearts drop into their stomachs. While Archisus was terrifying, Lalgrgal was no slouch either. To be precise, he was about 0.5 Archisuses of terrifying.
"You crazy slave of Archisus! What kind of grudge do you have against us to say that?!"
"You really take after your master! Your personality is pure Archisus!" the demons shrieked at the top of their lungs. Lalgrgal had stopped and was glaring at them with a chilling, murderous gaze that was absolutely horrifying.
"W-wait, shouldn't we be asking for help right now?!" Jukenen cried out as realization struck him. If they didn't beg Tae-hyun's group, who were about to fly away, they would be utterly helpless against Lalgrgal!
"...A-are you serious?"
The other demons stared at Jukenen in sheer horror. First, this bastard teamed up with Archisus to sell them out, and now he was spouting absolute nonsense!
"Serious or not, what else are we going to do if we don't ask for help?! Are you just going to stand here and let Lalgrgal kill you?"
"Maybe we can explain the situation and persuade him—"
*Crunch, crunch!*
Lalgrgal stretched his body and swallowed the surrounding trees and boulders in a single bite. As he did, the spatial distortion vanished, exposing the demons right where they stood.
"Hieeeek!"
"Do you really think he's in the mood to be persuaded?!"
Lalgrgal was at 100% rage! Having been betrayed, it was only natural that he was absolutely furious.
"Lord Archisus! Please save us!"
Having finally grasped the reality of their situation, the demons screamed desperately up at Tae-hyun's group. Dying to Lalgrgal vs. living under Archisus! It was a truly infuriating choice, but they had no option but to choose the latter.
However, Tae-hyun pretended not to hear and spoke to Yong-yong. "Let's get out of here, fast."
"Lord Archisuuuus! We will dedicate our entire lives to serving you!"
"Treat us like dogs! Use us however you want!"
"Really?"
"I swear on my very name!"
"Me too, I swear on my name—"
"Hmm."
Hearing them swear on their names and pledge lifelong loyalty, Tae-hyun was intrigued. While they weren't powerful enough to be worth locking in a demon cage to milk for resources, demons were always highly versatile assets. If Angel NPCs were all-rounders who performed above average no matter where you put them, Demon NPCs were specialists who truly shined when assigned to their specific fields!
"Well, if you put it that way, maybe I'll think about it..."
"Aaaaargh! He's eating me! He's eating me!"
"Archisus! Save us first and think later, you son of a bitch! If I die, I'll curse you for the rest of my—"
"You're disqualified."
"I'm sorry! Please save me! *Waaaaah!*"
The demons wept and begged. If it were a clean exit back to the Demon Realm, they might have accepted it, but Lalgrgal looked ready to deny them even that mercy.
"Cain. Pull them up."
*Clank, clank, clank!*
The Slave's Chain shot downward, and the demons gratefully grabbed hold of it. It was literally a slave's chain, but right now, it felt like a lifeline!
"Sob... We survived! We actually survived!"
"I don't know if this was the right choice, but at least we're alive!"
Lalgrgal has activated a tracking skill!
Lalgrgal has perfectly memorized your scent!
Lalgrgal will remember your scent to the very ends of the continent!
"......."
Tae-hyun, who was flying away rapidly, grimaced as he read the notifications. "Are you kidding me... what kind of skill is this...?"
What kind of cheap, underhanded skill was this! Since it wasn't a curse, he couldn't even transfer it to someone else...
Should I try disguising myself with a mask?
Lalgrgal remembers your scent!
Lalgrgal is pursuing you.
"Ah, damn it."
Although they had already flown so far that Lalgrgal was completely out of sight, the system messages kept popping up.
Lalgrgal is drawing closer!
Lalgrgal has drawn closer—
Carbanog asks if you are completely screwed.
"Yeah. It certainly looks that way."
If he stayed in one area for too long, he would inevitably run into Lalgrgal! Tae-hyun let out a deep sigh. And here he thought he was going to clear a Legendary Quest easily for once...
"What do we do?!"
"What do you mean, what do we do? Just stay calm. It'll take him some time to catch up anyway."
Since things had already turned out this way, Tae-hyun decided to adapt. Check items, check skills, move. Receive quest rewards, move. He had to complete the King of Erance's Legendary Quest before dealing with Lalgrgal!
"Let's deliver the cure to the King first, then figure things out."
"Can't we just dump the fight on the King and his knights?"
"It's not like I haven't thought about that..."
Tae-hyun hesitated. But no matter how he looked at it, it was too much of a gamble. Unlike the time with the Orc Great Chieftain, transferring the aggro was impossible in this situation! If he was in the middle of talking to the King of Erance and Lalgrgal suddenly smashed through the castle gates screaming, "Get out here, Archisus, you bastard!"...
Sure, Lalgrgal would get beaten to a pulp, but the aftermath would be a nightmare for Tae-hyun to clean up. If he failed to receive his Legendary Quest reward because he dragged a demon boss into the royal palace, he would cry tears of blood.