Common Sense Shattered in Uruk

Mages and priests were what ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠one would call highly sought-after classes. And what did a sought-after class mean? It meant you could find a party in the blink of an eye! While rogues and warriors were begging, "Sob, please just let me join! You don't even have to heal me, I'll use bandages!" mages and priests could join parties with their noses held high. However, that common sense was currently being turned completely upside down in the Uruk Region.

"What's up with them? Look, I think they're mages. Snicker."

"They're not even Orcs!"

"Mommy, what's wrong with those people?"

"Shh. Didn't Mommy tell you not to make fun of others? Those people just made a poor life choice, that's all."

"..."

"..."

The members of the Midas Guild felt their minds go completely blank for a moment. Get a grip! Keep it together!

"...It seems we came here with the wrong information. Uruk is an even stranger place than I thought."

"It feels like it's about 0.5 Salz Kingdoms."

"What should we do?"

"Hmm... Well, we can't just leave empty-handed. Let's try to persuade the players."

"Those bastards... I mean, those people?"

His true feelings slipped out, but everyone pretended not to hear. They were people who had lived their lives being treated with the utmost respect as noble mages. Being looked down upon by mere Orcs wounded their pride several times over.

"It'll still be better than looking for NPCs or mercenaries," Polle, the ranker acting as the party leader, made a calm and rational judgment.

Everyone nodded at Polle's decision. If there was one thing they could trust, it was Polle's judgment. Polle was someone who always made the best decision with a cool, collected head—a personality perfectly fitting for a mage who had reached ranker status specializing in the Ice School!

"If you say so, we'll do that."

"If it's Polle's word..."

"Yes. Even if they don't want to join the party, they'll come if we offer them plenty of gold."

Polle's words held true. Once they started walking around with an advertisement that read: [100 Gold ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Upon Joining Party!], the Orc players began to show half-believing, half-doubting interest.

"Throwing gold around just to find party members... Isn't this a scam? Maybe they want to use us as bait..."

"What are they going to do to us?!"

"Gasp! How terrifying!"

Hearing those rugged, menacing Orcs chatter like that made the mages' blood boil. If you're not going to help, get lost!

"Well, we can always just take the money and run."

"True, true."

"If it looks dangerous, let's all bail together."

"..."

The guild members were utterly dumbfounded by the Orc players openly discussing their plans to scam them. Does choosing the Orc race automatically lower your real-life IQ to match?

"Uh... so you're joining, right?"

"Yeah, yeah."

"Give us the gold first."

"And a contract stating you won't use us as bait, plus another contract promising you'll heal us properly..."

"!?"

Why were they so meticulous?! And contract items, of all things? Those weren't the kind of items ordinary players just carried around.

"Where did you get these?"

"What? Why? Are you not going to give us the gold?"

"I'm not asking for them, I'm just curious..."

"They give them to you if you join the Choigang Jizon Mussang Guild."

"...?!?!?"

They just hand out items like this?! As the guild members gaped in shock, the Orcs looked at them with pity.

"Tsk, tsk. This is why you should have started in the Uruk Region..."

"This is what we call a guild welcome gift."

"It might be tough if you're not an Orc, but they'll probably still accept you if you say you want to join."

"No, we already have a guild—"

"Hang in there. I know it's tough not being an Orc. Humans are decent in their own way, I guess. Not as good as Orcs, though."

"Cheer up! Anyone can make a wrong choice in life!"

"..."

The Midas Guild members' jaws dropped. It felt like their entire world view was being shattered! Normally in Pan-On, the most popular race was Human, followed by Elves and Dwarves. Orcs were a race chosen only by those who said, "I like eccentric playstyles!" But here...

Nevertheless, the Midas Guild members somehow managed to gather the Orc players, establish party rules, and set up a formation. With tanks and damage dealers secured, it was finally time to hunt the Lich!

"By the way, what are we hunting? It's not a Shadow Wyvern, is it?"

"A Giant Stoneworm is also a bit much..."

It was incredibly annoying how these players babied themselves despite being hulking Orcs, but the mages held back their irritation and spoke.

"Don't worry. We're already here."

"?"

"It's this fortress."

"Uh..."

"Wait. That fortress... huh?"

The Orc players tilted their heads in confusion. A pitch-black fortress nestled atop a dreary, dark mountain. That fortress... they had heard of it somewhere before. Where was it again?

-Protection of Joy! Protection of the Magic Crown! Blessing of Mana Charge, Protection of the Flame Serpent...

The Midas Guild was a guild of mages. They didn't just possess offensive magic; there were also mages who specialized in buffs and support spells. Mages who dedicated themselves to support magic were easily a match for any priest.

"Ohhh!"

"This is surprisingly useful! Not quite as good as an Orc's buff, but still!"

"...Just charge already!"

The Orcs nodded and began scrambling up the mountain slope. Though their gear was a mismatched hodgepodge, the buffs granted them swift movement speed.

"Well, they're somewhat useful at least."

"Hmph. Stupid Orcs. I hope they trip and fall."

The guild members muttered from behind, clearly harboring a lot of pent-up resentment.

"Quiet down. We need to provide support."

"Yes, sir."

As they reached the front of the fortress, a reaction finally came from within. Skeleton soldiers peeked over the walls, shouting in panicked voices.

-Why are you Orcs attacking us?!

"Uh... because we got paid gold?"

-...Fire! Call for backup!

Thwack-thwack-thwack! The skeleton archers began firing arrows indiscriminately. Their accuracy and damage were subpar, but they made up for it in sheer numbers. The Orcs raised their shields and doggedly pressed forward.

"Break it down!"

Whoosh! Group Magic! It was a technique where multiple mages cast a spell in unison, multiplying its destructive power several times over. A brilliant white light flashed and shot forward like a laser beam, slamming directly into the fortress gate.

Crash! The fortress gate was obliterated in a single strike. The mages nodded in satisfaction.

"Get inside!"

"On it!"

The Orcs excitedly charged through the shattered gate. And then... they vanished.

"????"

"What the?!"

A deep pit trap had been dug right in front of the fortress gate! What kind of lunatic digs a massive pit trap directly in front of their own entrance? Did they not use the gate themselves?!

"This is completely absurd..."

-You insolent intruders. You have some nerve. Do you have any idea who I am?!

"How dare a mere Lich flap its jaw! We will subjugate you to prevent the resurrection ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of Nevuchadnezzar!"

-What nonsense are you... I, Chese-do of the Magic Tower, will never yield to the threats of wet-behind-the-ears brats like you! Come at me if you dare!

The mages tensed as Chese-do revealed himself. A Lich was a highly threatening existence, even among mages. Chese-do raised a finger and pointed at them. The mages grew even more tense. What spell is he casting?

"...?"

"...What? Why isn't anything happening?"

"Did he start?"

"Is it an undead summoning? Should we attack?"

"Try casting Mana Interruption."

"It's not working!"

The mages muttered among themselves in confusion. However, the answer soon presented itself.

"What rude bastards dare harass our Lich?!"

"!!!!"

Having heard Chese-do's call for backup, the members of the Choigang Jizon Mussang Guild had arrived.

The Midas Guild members gasped in horror. When they spun around, they saw the bottom of the hill completely packed with Orcs. There had been no one there just moments ago—how had so many gathered so quickly? It was a truly terrifying number!

Gulp. They swallowed hard. No matter how specialized mages were in area-of-effect spells, it would be incredibly dangerous if this entire crowd charged at them.

"Who the hell do you think you are?"

An older executive uncle of the Choigang Jizon Mussang Guild, standing at the very front, growled. For some reason, the Midas Guild members felt completely intimidated. It wasn't because of a difference in level or equipment; they were just instinctively cowed!

"We... we came to subjugate the Lich."

"Who gave you permission to subjugate ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠our Lich?! Are you guys from the Guild Alliance?"

"Gasp! No, we're not! We're the Midas Guild!"

"Midas? What kind of guild is that?"

"..."

It was one humiliation after another! Though flustered, the guild members did their best to explain.

"W-we are an incredibly powerful guild whose stock has been rising rapidly lately."

"We conquered the western part of the Auston Kingdom and suppressed the Guild Alliance..."

"If you invest now, you can expect an annual return of 10%..."

"We are also accepting partner guilds..."

Hearing the guild members' explanation, the executive uncle cupped his chin, lost in thought. He then turned to his friends behind him and asked:

"Hey. It's that, right?"

"Definitely that."

Scammers! They sound exactly like scammers!

Fortunately, there were also plenty of younger players in the guild.

"Uncles, there really is a guild called the Midas Guild."

"What? Really? I thought the name sounded exactly like a pyramid scheme!"

"..."

"..."

How did our guild name end up with this reputation...

"But why did those guys come here in the first place?"

"You know that legendary quest, ? They probably came to stop it. Since he's a Lich, they figured he might help resurrect Nevuchadnezzar..."

"So you're saying these guys completely ignored the presumption of innocence and came here to harass our Lich?"

"...I guess so?"

It was highly questionable whether the presumption of innocence applied to Pan-On, but for now, they rolled with it. Having finished his confirmation, the executive uncle glared at them.

"That Lich has absolutely nothing to do with this Nevuchadnezzar fellow. He's a Lich raised by our guild."

"...We are terribly sorry!"

The mages of the Midas Guild immediately apologized. You only stubborned your way through when you actually had leverage. Trying to argue when surrounded by a sea of Orcs muttering, "What's going on? Is it a fight?" would be absolute madness. Besides, now that it was clear they were in the wrong, it was best to just apologize and move on.

"We will compensate you for attacking the fortress."

"How?"

"With repair costs..."

While they were talking, a voice echoed from the pit trap in front of the gate.

"Get us out of here too!"

"You think you can just settle this with repair costs?"

"We will provide further compensation. How much do you want..."

"Hmph. If you think gold solves everything, you are sorely mistaken!"

"?"

"???"

The other guild members looked bewildered by the executive's words. Wait, that's completely different from what you usually say! Isn't our guild's motto to solve everything with money?

Polle, the party leader of the Midas Guild, stepped forward and asked.

"Then what is it that you want?"

"You will help us directly! You will reflect on your actions by clearing daily quests around here yourselves!"

"And if we refuse..."

"What?"

"...We will do it."

If they could get off the hook just by clearing some daily quests, it was a bargain. Polle decided to accept for now.

"Excuse me... can I please be excused? Pretty please?"

The 4th Prince of Erangs Kingdom had suddenly found himself walking shoulder-to-shoulder with the Archisus Artillery! Desperate to escape the group, the 4th Prince tried all sorts of tricks.

-My, my stomach...

-Oh dear! Your Highness. Since your stomach hurts, we should slice it open to treat you!

-...My head hurts...

-Shall we slice your head open too?

-It is nothing...

Naturally, none of his excuses worked on Tae-hyun. The 4th Prince slumped his shoulders and scanned his surroundings. Soon, his eyes landed on someone who looked somewhat approachable and easily pushed around. The most gullible-looking pushover in the entire group!

"Excuse me."

"??"

"?!"

Cain was utterly shocked. He hadn't even done anything, yet the 4th Prince's affinity toward him had skyrocketed on its own. What is this? A free gift?!