No Intention of Dealing with the Aftermath

Of course, Cain had no intention of dealing with the aftermath.

And two hours later.

"Argh! My bones! My bones! They're breaking! They're breaking!"

"Cain. I'm so happy. I never expected you to grow this much... More importantly, why can't you show this kind of wisdom in the game?"

"Guaaaah! Guaaaaah!"

Kim Ye-ri, who had come out to see them off, watched in awe. Wow. How can someone attack a person like that? Is a world-class player's real-life physical violence also world-class?

"Sister! Help me!"

"You brought this on yourself, Oppa..."

"That might be true, but! Argh! Critical hit! A critical hit just landed! I'm serious!"

"Haha. Cain. Your muscles are incredibly tense. Let me loosen them up for you today."

Crack! Snap!

Under Tae-hyun's joint locks, Cain experienced a pain so intense it felt oddly refreshing. It was refreshing, but it hurt so damn much!

Earlier, Tae-hyun had been dragged over by Cain, forcing him into the most awkward meeting of his life.

- Oh my, thank you so much for turning our Deok-soo into a decent human being...

- Ah, no, not at all. I barely did anything.

- Please, have a drink.

- I drove here, so I can't.

- Please continue to take good care of our Deok-soo...

- ...I will do my best.

- I heard that pro gamers get kicked out of the team if they underperform, but even if Deok-soo struggles, please think of him as a younger brother...

- Actually, I'm younger than—no, never mind. Yes, sir.

Because he was in front of Cain's parents, Tae-hyun couldn't lay a finger on him. He could only stack up his anger stats internally. The moment the conversation ended and they stepped outside, Cain had smiled and thanked him—prompting immediate retribution!

"Aaaargh! I'm getting healthier! I'm getting healthier!"

"Please take good care of my brother," Ye-ri said.

"Yeah. You've had a rough time too."

Tae-hyun bid farewell to Kim Ye-ri and dragged Cain away.

With his muscles thoroughly loosened and feeling exceptionally healthy, Cain spoke in an innocent voice. "But I have to meet my friends now."

"I don't care whether you do or don't."

"Come with me!"

He wanted to show off! When his other classmates showed up wearing luxury watches and expensive clothes, what if Cain brought Kim Tae-hyun? Nobody would be able to beat him.

He's basically like a piece of Legendary equipment.

Cain was harboring thoughts that would have earned him another beating if Tae-hyun had heard them.

"...Are you completely shameless?!" Tae-hyun muttered, genuinely impressed. This guy... he's actually improving in the strangest ways!

"Sigh. Fine. I came to pick up a drunk guy anyway, so it won't make much of a difference."

Since he was already here, Tae-hyun decided to provide a little more service. Cain was deeply moved.

"I drove, so I'm not drinking."

"That's fine, but... wait."

"Get in."

"......"

Cain flinched at the majestic presence of the Ferrari (owned by Kim Tae-san) that Tae-hyun had brought. Whoa... arriving in that would be absolutely insane!

"Why isn't Deok-soo here yet?"

"Did he miss his subway stop again?"

"No way..."

"I have so many things I want to ask him about the tournament."

"Ugh, what is there to ask? Just search it online."

The classmates waiting for Cain were split down the middle.

Our classmate is a world-champion pro gamer, that's amazing! vs. Isn't Deok-soo totally carried?

He used to be nothing special, but suddenly he was one of the top players in the world. It was only natural that jealousy followed.

Screeech—

"Whoa. A Ferrari."

"Whose car is that..."

Click—

The door swung open, and Cain stepped out.

The classmates gasped.

"Deok... Deok-soo?!"

He arrived in a Ferrari! He really had made it big!

It was an entrance so powerful it instantly silenced the jealous classmates. But wait a minute. Why was he getting out of the passenger side?

"?"

"Kim... Kim Tae-hyun?!"

"I knew it wasn't Deok-soo's car!"

"Is that what matters right now? Move! I can't see Kim Tae-hyun!"

Cain noticed his classmates pressing their faces flat against the window to peer inside.

"Hey guys! You were waiting for me!"

"Get out of the way, we can't see Kim Tae-hyun!"

"......"

Cain's face fell. He turned to Tae-hyun.

"...Hey. You're not even our classmate. Go home."

Instantly, the classmates booed in unison.

"Are you crazy?! What do you think you're doing to the boss!"

"Do you want to get kicked off the team?!"

"Isn't that way too harsh?!"

"How was the reunion?" Choi Sang-yun asked when Tae-hyun and Cain logged into the game.

"Other than him getting drunk and trying to grab random passersby to give them autographs, nothing much happened."

What the hell! Now I'm curious!

"Nothing else?"

"Nothing else."

"Really...?"

Choi Sang-yun tilted his head. Then why did he receive a text from Jeong Yun-hee?

No matter how much he thought about it, something was definitely going on.

"Speaking of which, aren't you going to give your girlfriend her present, Cain? You were so eager to buy it."

Back in America, Cain had looked at Tae-hyun and thought, This is it!, before preparing a gift. Had he delivered it properly?

"She's not my girlfriend yet..."

"Ah. So you got dumped."

"Did you get dumped?"

"What? Cain got dumped?"

In an instant, Cain's status was finalized as "dumped"!

Flustered, Cain stammered, "No, you idiots! We aren't even dating yet...!"

"So you thought you were dating, but it was just a delusion on your part?"

"...Hey!"

"Sorry, sorry. Keep talking."

"She's busy, so we couldn't meet right away. I'm going to give it to her in a bit."

As Cain spoke, a sudden realization seemed to strike him. "Wait, is that wrong? Would it have been better to pull off a surprise event and give it to her while she's busy?"

"Don't be stupid. If the other person is busy and has a schedule, doing something like that is just a nuisance. Besides, what if a scandal breaks out? Cain, you need to think."

"Ah... right."

"Yes. Now forget about such trivial matters and focus on the quest."

"...Huh?"

Tae-hyun clapped his hands, completely ignoring Cain's plight. The safety of the continent was far more important than Cain's love life.

"It looks like we'll have to rely on the support of the Churches rather than the nobles for this fight."

No matter how one looked at it, the Churches were far more cooperative when it came to preventing a continental crisis. The nobles would only act once the crisis was at their doorstep, but the Churches would mobilize beforehand.

"The Holy Knights, the High Priests, and other support units."

"Lee Se-yeon is dragging in every mage she can find. And if we open up the quest, ordinary players will swarm in like crazy."

The scale of the quests Tae-hyun triggered was on an entirely different level compared to other players. Normally, only those confident in clearing a quest ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠would show up. But for Tae-hyun's quests, people would flock over thinking, Even if we fail, I at least want to watch!

"Silver and bombs, right?"

"Silver and bombs."

"???"

Cain tilted his head at the exchange between Tae-hyun and Lee Da-bi. What on earth were they talking about?

"Silver and bombs are the best."

Even ordinary players couldn't be ignored if their numbers were vast enough. If they were armed with silver weapons and bombs, they could serve as a temporary force to hold back the undead tide.

"Honestly... wasting silver like this feels like such a shame."

"I'm crying tears of blood too..."

"Even though we're squeezing as much as we can out of the Churches, it still won't be enough."

The notifications kept piling up, but it still felt insufficient.

"Have the forge in the Capital focus on making arrows. Make Yohas and Satique work twenty-four hours a day to meet the quota. They're angels, so they won't die from sleep deprivation."

"Don't make the entire arrowhead out of silver; just plate them. That'll be more than enough. And don't forget to apply holy enchantments afterward. Tell Satique to keep the Holy Fire burning as much as possible. As for the Valley's forge, tell them to focus solely on producing anti-undead bombs for the time being."

"Understood."

Lee Da-bi quickly ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠took notes and relayed Tae-hyun's instructions one by one.

We've really grown, Tae-hyun thought, feeling a sudden wave of nostalgia.

In the past, he would have had to do all of this alone. Now, he was working alongside his companions. He didn't dislike it. It felt a bit unfamiliar, but he didn't mind it at all.

"If we position the Holy Knights and Priests around the Archisus Artillery, and add the mages Lee Se-yeon is bringing, our firepower will be more than sufficient."

In fact, their firepower was so overwhelming that they were planning to use the Holy Knights as tanks rather than damage dealers. Normally, Holy Knights were a formidable force capable of acting as both tanks and DPS ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠on their own. But with the artillery and mages present, there was no need for the Holy Knights to charge forward.

They just needed to build a wall with the Holy Knights and players, and let the artillery and mages rain down devastating attacks from within.

The basic plan is complete... but the real issue is how powerful Nevuchadnezzar actually is.

Everything always looked perfect during the planning phase. The Guild Alliance had probably thought "Everything is perfect!" before they attacked Tae-hyun, too. But reality always threw unexpected variables.

The variable this time was Nevuchadnezzar's strength!

A powerful mage could face an entire army alone. What about a demigod-level mage? It was beyond imagination.

The scary part is that even with all this preparation, I still don't feel confident.

As expected, there was only one answer.

Nevuchadnezzar vs. Uipoatl!

A clash between two incredibly prideful ancient monsters!

Uipoatl seems slightly outmatched... but it shouldn't matter. Nevuchadnezzar will start with a few penalties anyway.

The resurrection point had already been set.

The Hunger Dungeon, located in a remote corner of the Asbian Empire.

That would be where Nevuchadnezzar resurrected. Since he was undead, the hunger-related penalties would be significantly reduced, but even that would be enough.

If they could just stall for time, Uipoatl would naturally seek him out! That would buy them more than enough time.

"Fufu. They keep staring."

"It's probably because they don't get to see mages very often."

The mages of the Midas Guild, having entered the Uruk region, marched forward with immense confidence.

Their shoulders naturally squared up! Believing that the Orc players were looking at them with envy, the mages held their heads high.

"Who are those guys?"

"Why aren't they playing Orcs?"

"Don't they know you have to choose the Orc race here?"

"They don't even look like Orc Shamans."

The Orc players whispered among themselves. Playing something other than an Orc in the Uruk region? Were they newbies?

Of course, their equipment was far too flashy to belong to newbies. The Orc players gradually began to distance themselves.

"Since we have to fight a Lich, let's hire some mercenaries."

"Should we?"

If they were close-combat classes, they might have gone to fight on their own, but mages typically sought out mercenaries or other party members to act as tanks. With their low defense and low HP, a single hit could be fatal.

In any region of Pandemonium Online, one could hire mercenary NPCs for a fee, or simply invite other players to the party.

"Those Orcs over there look decent."

"Hey, Orcs. We'll give you this gold, so..."

- Chweek. Human. Smell too much. Go away.

"???"

"......"

"......"

The members of the Midas Guild stared in disbelief at the absurd notifications. Of course, they knew this place offered bonuses to the Orc race, but they never imagined it would screw over other races to this extent.

This was far beyond their expectations!

"It... It's fine. We don't need to buy junk ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠items anyway, and we can just hire players instead of mercenaries."

"Right. We can just party up! Hey, you guys! We'll let you join our party!"

The mages shouted at the passing Orc players.

Upon hearing this, the Orc players immediately turned and ran away.

"W-Why are they running away?! What is this?!"