The Aesthetic Dilemma

Above all, the biggest issue was that Tae-hyun wouldn't be able to move or react quickly. Although Tae-hyun boasted a high evasion rate, his primary style was to dodge attacks completely so he wouldn't take any damage at all. Wouldn't this seal that single greatest advantage?

Yet, there was no denying it was a powerful skill. Selling the future to buy present damage! It was definitely a skill to be used only when he was absolutely certain he could finish off his opponent.

"No... you told me to hit you...!"

"Ah. Sorry."

Tae-hyun helped Cain back to his feet. Cain had enthusiastically thrown a punch, only to be sent flying and slammed into the wall!

Damn it. It was a test!

To catch any treasonous thoughts! Cain recalled Gung Ye from the historical drama he had watched in the past. Didn't Gung Ye perform tests exactly like this?

Next time, even if he tells me to hit him, I'm absolutely not doing it.

"The place where the blue metal is found is the deepest part of the Great Desert's underground. Just drilling down to this point was a massive undertaking."

What do Dwarves and Goblins have in common? If you leave them to their own devices, they will dig into the ground and keep going down! Both were races utterly obsessed with minerals, and to acquire them, they would relentlessly excavate deeper and deeper.

The goblins who had come to the desert were no different. Breaking through the harsh conditions of nothing but sand, they went down, down, and further down! It was an achievement carved out by utilizing over a hundred golems.

Beneath the sand, a colossal dungeon finally revealed itself.

It was an overwhelming space—a dungeon where even the goblins had yet to map out most of its areas.

Oh.

Tae-hyun's face lit up at those words. These were the very terms that made any player's heart race! Words like 'unexplored dungeon', 'legendary grade', and 'first-clear bonus' never failed to trigger an automatic rush of excitement.

"However, the monsters appearing there are so fierce and powerful that our progress has slowed to a crawl."

"Wait... if even the goblins here find it that tough, just how strong are they?"

Cain was flustered. Although the goblins here barely had any combat classes, they all possessed immense strength through their crafting professions. Their combat power when piloting battle golems was by no means weak—it was formidable enough to withstand the onslaught of the Asbian Empire!

The rest of the party was equally taken aback.

"For Cain to make such a logical judgment...!"

"Why has that idiot Cain been using his brain so well lately?"

"..."

"Well, it would be disadvantageous to fight inside a mine."

Tae-hyun spoke up to soothe Cain. "Golems are naturally bulky, so they're better off fighting in wide-open spaces. Fighting in tight spaces is disadvantageous in many ways."

"No, that mine is actually incredibly spacious, so that's not really the issue—mmpf!" The goblin elder's mouth was promptly stuffed shut.

"But we should be able to handle it easily. Right?"

"I-I guess so."

"Besides, you were stripped of your gear on the desert surface, but you're wearing it now, aren't you?"

"T-That's true."

"Right, right. Let's get ready to go."

Cain was completely won over in less than ten seconds! The rest of the party shook their heads in exasperation.

Hmm. Nothing seems particularly out of the ordinary...

Tae-hyun descended into the mine alongside the clanking goblin reinforcements. Normally, mines were narrow, hot, and dark. However, this mine was fundamentally spacious. The goblins had even installed electric lights, so it wasn't dark at all.

Tae-hyun had cleared thousands of mine dungeons across both Pan-On 1 and Pan-On 2. Whether the monsters were weak or strong, the basic strategy remained the same: navigate the paths, find the way down, and defeat the boss. Once that was done, the dungeon would naturally transform into a safe hunting ground.

While there were mines where the environment itself was hazardous—like the lava-filled mine he had visited previously—this mine was not one of them.

What?!

Tae-hyun was genuinely shocked. To think a status abnormality message would pop up without any warning! He had only just entered and was merely walking down the path. Moreover, while Tae-hyun could resist it, the others...

"—Archisus's Blessing!"

Tae-hyun quickly cast his buff skill. In an uncertain situation, it was always best to put up defenses first.

"Is everyone okay?!"

"I'm fine!"

"Me too."

"No problems here..."

As they spoke, the party's gaze locked onto Cain.

"...Aaaack! What is this!"

Cain panicked. A third eye had opened on his forehead! With his field of vision suddenly altered, he was utterly disoriented.

"What did your notification windows say?"

"It said the energy was trying to mutate our bodies, but then it said we resisted."

"Same here..."

"Me too."

Is it because Cain got bonuses from his class and race? Tae-hyun stared intently at Cain. Since everyone else had luckily avoided it, there had to be a reason why only Cain was targeted. Was it really because his race was a Chimera?

"Goblins. Do you guys have any issues if you stay here for a long time?"

"Mmm. Sometimes, some goblins suffer or act a bit strange."

"Like suddenly wanting to sew or cook..."

"...That's not weird."

"It is extremely weird for a goblin!"

"Hmm. Retreat for now."

Tae-hyun quickly ordered a withdrawal. A dungeon that inflicted permanent status abnormalities like this was dangerous. Until they figured out a proper countermeasure, the raid was on hold!

Should I clear it alone? Tae-hyun pondered. Divine Authority was a passive skill, so it didn't stand out much, but it was actually the most solid and reliable skill among Akisus's authorities. A passive ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠skill that allowed him to withstand various evil forces and reduce incoming damage through the power of an Apostle! Tae-hyun could easily clear this dungeon on his own, but...

Well, that's true.

"Cain. Let's clear this together, just the two of us."

"?!?!?!?!"

Cain, who was still blinking his third eye, was horrified. Why only me again?!

"Everyone, be careful!"

Lee Da-bi watched Cain with an incredibly envious look. After changing classes to a Priest, she had believed she could finally assist in combat situations, unlike her previous merchant class. Yet, she was being left behind like this! The Slave of Aykisus class looked so much better than a Priest.

"Um, I used to think that class looked better too, but now..."

Yu Ji-soo stopped Lee Da-bi. She had once felt jealous of Cain, but not anymore. That... was definitely not something to be envied!

"That is definitely not something to be jealous of!"

"R-Really?"

Cain's back looked exceptionally small and pitiful as he trudged toward the mine entrance.

"Did anything good drop?"

"Right now, everything is failing! Hey, I actually like how I am now!"

Cain snapped, overwhelmed with emotion. Of course, he knew from Tae-hyun's explanation that good options could come from this. But... performance wasn't everything in Pan-On!

"??? If performance isn't everything, what is?"

Tae-hyun was genuinely baffled by Cain's passionate shout. What could be more important than performance? Better performance?

"Appearance! I need to start thinking about my social standing!"

"And yet you were the guild leader of Red Zone..."

"T-That was in the past!"

Appearance! Rationally, one should only pursue performance, but humans are not rational creatures. Even among rankers, it was common to wear lower-performance gear just to look cool. Being a ranker didn't make you free from such concerns. In fact, because they were rankers, they had to care even more. If a noble, silent ranker walked around looking like a total beggar, what would happen to their image?

Unless they were a freak like Tae-hyun in Pan-On 1, rankers basically made their living by streaming, running ads, and doing public activities. Image management was part of a ranker's job! ...Cain shouted passionately, but it didn't work on Tae-hyun.

"Cain. I know what you mean. I'm the one managing Team KL, so of course I know. But you're missing one crucial thing."

"...? What?"

"Your image isn't exactly 'cool' to begin with!"

"!!!"

"Honestly, your image is more about getting wrecked and being funny!"

"N-No... what do you mean..."

Cain actually could have had many haters. Why didn't he have many haters despite doing PK as the Red Zone guild leader? Partly because Red Zone was such a nobody guild back then that he wasn't famous, but also because he was a pitiful character. He was a skilled tank, but an unlucky one who took on all the suffering! A player who becomes a human bomb and self-destructs in tournaments couldn't possibly have a cool, noble image. His interviews and fan meetings in the US after the tournament only solidified that image.

"—Aaaack! Wait! It's tearing! It's tearing! Kim Tae-hyun! Help me!"

"So, you don't really have any cool image left to ruin."

"..."

Moisture welled up in Cain's eyes. Huh? Why am I crying?

"Stop dreaming useless dreams and just chase performance. Only guys like Smith care about superficial looks."

Smith, the White Knight, looked picture-perfect no matter what he did. Blocking a monster's attack while his hair swayed, wiping sweat from his brow while attacking... Of course, to Tae-hyun, it was completely pointless!

"Easy for him to say, since he actually looks cool..."

Cain grumbled as he followed Tae-hyun. Even during the Nevuchadnezzar raid, Tae-hyun looked cool the moment combat started. Overcoming all disadvantages with brilliant technique!

Though he accepted it in front of Tae-hyun, Cain didn't give up.

I will... I will definitely change my image!

Becoming the second Smith, the "Korean Smith"—that was Cain's dream!

Apologizing was surprisingly hard. Especially when the person you wanted to apologize to was nowhere to be found!

"Where on earth did Kim Tae-hyun go?"

"He's not in his territory either..."

"Surely he's not hiding because he doesn't want to accept our apology?"

"No way. He's probably doing his own quest."

"I checked Kim Tae-hyun's personal stream, Team KL's stream, and even Cain's stream, but they're all offline. It seems he has no intention of broadcasting live."

The members who had left the Midas ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Guild were wandering around The Valley. They had come to say, "Let's be friends!" but Tae-hyun was nowhere to be seen.

"What about Power Warrior's stream?"

"People kept asking for Kim Tae-hyun's location there, so they got banned for trolling..."

"..."

"What did I even do!"

"...No, I think that was definitely your fault."

"Huh? What's that?"

"What?"

"I think I just saw a guild member from when we were in the Guild Alliance... Must be my imagination."

"Why would those Guild Alliance bastards be wandering around here? They'd just get pelted with rocks."