The Definition of Friendship
"Hurry up and say you're friends!" Cain urgently whispered from beside him. He was truly terrified by what he had just witnessed. "Just like how you tricked Evangeline!"
Evangeline, who had suddenly popped out of nowhere and gotten beaten up! Tae-hyun felt a slight pang of guilt toward her.
"I didn't trick her, okay?"
"What? Really? No... that's not what's important right now, hurry up!!"
It was insanely terrifying to have that blue metal humanoid staring blankly at them with those unfocused eyes.
"Answering is easy, but we have to think about the aftermath," Tae-hyun replied quietly. Simply giving an answer wouldn't solve everything.
"Did you see that just now? The hugging. If we say we're friends, we might get subjected to that."
"T-then, do we have to fight?"
"To be honest, fighting that thing looks pretty terrifying too."
Tae-hyun smacked his lips.
That idiot Cain. I told him to run, so why did he have to do something so stupid...
If Cain hadn't been here, Tae-hyun would have tested the waters, sized up the opponent, and then made a run for it. But with Cain around, he was reluctant to fight. If a fight went south, Cain would end up as the protagonist of a riddle.
What walks on four legs in the morning, eight legs at noon, and twelve legs in the evening?
Answer! Cain!
[Carbanog cackles with laughter.]
Tae-hyun decided to gather more information about his opponent.
"By the way, what exactly do you mean by 'friend'?"
"Uh... yeah, what is it?" Cain, who didn't even need to think about it, started pondering beside him. Indeed, what was a true friend?
"Hey. You're in the way, so move aside."
Suddenly feeling anxious, Cain asked, "Kim Tae-hyun. We're friends, right?"
Friend... Friend... What is a friend...
"Seriously, why do I have two annoying pests now?" Tae-hyun was dumbfounded. Why was Cain repeating the same nonsense as that thing instead of helping?
A friend... is someone who plays with me... someone who treats me warmly...
"No! A friend doesn't have to be like that!" Cain refuted the blue metal humanoid's words. If that were the criteria, he wouldn't be Kim Tae-hyun's friend!
You are wrong... I am right...
"Even if they don't treat you warmly, they can still be your friend! ...Right?!" Cain glanced at Tae-hyun, making Tae-hyun even more speechless.
"Did you eat something bad today?"
"N-no. It's just that he keeps asking weird questions... and suddenly, well... I started wondering if we really are friends..."
"You're not some angsty teenage boy, what the hell..."
You are wrong.
"No! You're wrong!"
You are wrong!
Cain's talent for making even a slow, slurring metal humanoid angry! Tae-hyun was amazed by the sight.
This guy... has a gift!
Cain possessed a talent. A talent for infuriating his opponent! He would be incredibly good at using the Taunt skill among speech skills!
"How many friends do you even have? Huh?"
Uh... Uh...
The blue metal humanoid quickly began counting the mutants. Noticing this, Cain shouted, "That's cheating!"
They are my friends!
"These guys are my friends too, so exclude them to keep it fair!"
...0, 0 of them.
"What? Speak up, I can't hear you!"
0... I have 0! How many do you have?!
"I have tons of friends! Hundreds of them!"
Only... friends you can prove right now count!
"That's so petty!"
You are the one being petty!
Tae-hyun, holding his weapon, sighed and leaned against the wall. When would this conversation end?
Is he just going to keep taunting him like that?
Backing away without a fight was the best outcome, but now Cain was actively provoking him. It was good to size up the opponent, but he needed to know when to stop!
"L-look, my friend is right here! That's at least one! I have more than you!"
Are you really friends?
"Yeah. Yeah. Yes. Yes."
I don't feel any sincerity!
"I said we are! Ah, you guys are so annoying." Tae-hyun waved his hand dismissively as he answered. His tone was completely half-hearted out of sheer annoyance.
Regardless, Cain, having won the argument, shouted excitedly, "1 to 0! 1 to 0! See that?!"
Th-that's barely any difference...! It's only a difference of one!
"A difference of one? Even if you multiply 0 by 100, it's still 0! But I have one!"
[Carbanog pities the Slave of Archisus.]
An Archisus's Slave bragging about having a single friend to someone who has none! Even the mutants seemed to look at Cain with pitying, cold eyes.
"Since I won, I'm right! Your definition of a friend is wrong!"
...Then what is a friend?
"Uh... um..."
...What is it... You can't even answer, so surely...
"No! Just wait. A friend is, well... someone who usually scolds, drives, torments you like a demon, prevents you from playing, and only makes you train, but occasionally looks out for you. Isn't that what a friend is?"
"......"
......
[......]
The metal humanoid hesitated, lost for words, before replying.
That... sounds like a slave...
Cain was furious at the metal humanoid's words. How dare he speak of friendship that way!
"You don't even have any friends!"
W-what did you say? Watch your mouth...
"What are you gonna do about it, wanna fight?!"
...Waaah!
"Huh, wait?"
Sob, sob... You're so mean...
"N-no. Hold on a second." Cain panicked as the blue metal humanoid began to cry. Somehow, he felt like he had become the bad guy.
"W-why are you crying?"
Teasing me for not having friends...
The mutants also whispered among themselves, glaring at Cain. Wow, what an absolute piece of trash!
[The blue metal humanoid begins to spread contamination!]
[The surrounding contamination level is rising rapidly!]
[The Chimeras of Archisus are unable to breathe.]
Cain was terrified and tried to placate him.
"N-no, it's fine not to have friends! It's just because you're stuck in a place like this. If you go outside, you'll be super popular and a total social butterfly!"
Really...?
"Yeah! I'll introduce you to some friends!"
What kind of...
"Our team..."
"If you introduce him to our team, I'll kill you," Tae-hyun said in a low voice from behind. Cain felt a chill run down his spine.
"E-excluding them, who should I introduce?"
"Naturally, in times like this, you introduce the guys you usually hate."
"Ah! Smith!"
"...Why Smith?"
"Because he's handsome and successful?"
"...Pick someone else. Why hold a grudge when there isn't even one..."
Why... are you whispering...
"N-no, nothing. I know some great friends. They're in the Auston Kingdom, I'll introduce them to you." Tae-hyun gave a thumbs-up. Good job, kid!
The blue metal humanoid nodded with an intrigued expression.
Good... I will trust you...
"Yeah! It's not a bad thing even if you don't have friends! You can live just fine without them!"
...Then you are my friend too, right?
"Of course! Of course!"
...Hug... me... friend...
"Gasp."
Cain realized he had made a slip of the tongue. Tae-hyun sighed beside him.
"Sigh."
He had warned him not to speak so carelessly! The Speech skill wasn't something just anyone could use well. Even though Tae-hyun's Speech skill looked simple, it required the intuition to read the opponent in the moment and choose the right words. Using Speech mindlessly without thinking would only lead to falling into one's own trap. Just like Cain right now!!
Hug... me...
"N-no, wait a second."
?
"Well... you see... Kim Tae-hyun, help me!"
"What do you expect me to do in this situation? Good luck."
"Just say there's a church rule that an Archisus's Slave isn't allowed to hug!"
When pushed to their limits, people's brains tended to work remarkably fast. That was exactly the case for Cain right now.
"Cain...!"
[Carbanog is impressed, uttering an "Ooh..."]
To think Cain would come up with such an excuse! Did people really improve when they were forced to use their brains?
Archi... sus...?
"...Wait. This feels ominous." Tae-hyun felt an extremely bad premonition. Up until now, almost none of the NPCs who recognized the name "Archisus" had shown a positive reaction. Most reactions were along the lines of "Death to Archisus!", "Because of that bastard Archisus, I...!", or "If you're a demon, please sign the petition to ban Archisus from entering the Demon Realm!"
How on earth had this blue metal humanoid been victimized by Archisus?
Archisus... is my friend...
"!!"
"?!?!"
Friend! Hug me!
"No, wait! Wait! Archisus is your friend? What does that mean?!" Cain backpedaled, speaking urgently. It was a textbook question, but in reality, it was asked purely out of a desire to survive.
Archisus... came to find me and took my metal... He said we were friends...
"......"
"......"
[......]
An eat-and-run!
That was the thought that flashed through everyone's minds, excluding the blue metal humanoid.
The metal humanoid's story went like this: He had been here since ancient times, thousands of years ago. One day, Archisus had come to find him and asked to borrow his strength. The lonely metal humanoid had asked if they were friends, and Archisus had replied, "Of course~ Absolutely~ We're friends~" while promptly snatching away the blue metal. And with that, he had crafted the Sacred Dagger of Archisus.
"What?!" Tae-hyun was shocked. The Sacred Dagger of Archisus that had taken down Edaor in a single blow when he was at a low level. So that was where it had come from?!
No wonder it had an instant-death attribute...
He knew it wasn't an ordinary dagger since it could take down an off-guard Edaor in a single blow, but he hadn't known there was such a secret behind it.
Recreate the Sacred Dagger of Archisus
The Sacred Dagger of Archisus is a dagger crafted by forging a blade from an unidentified blue metal and directly imbuing it with Archisus's divine power.
Even if the method is known, a mortal would never be able to replicate it. However, you are the Avatar of Archisus. What a god has done, you can do as well.
Recreate the Sacred Dagger of Archisus once more and imbue it with Authority. This will open the path to becoming a true Avatar.
🎁 Reward: ?, ???
Looking at the quest window, Tae-hyun smacked his lips. From Archiranium to other projects. The amount of Archiranium was small, but there were too many places he needed to use it.
I see why Archisus coaxed this guy.
There was blue metal here, but the quantity was too small! In the midst of this, a blue metal humanoid who handed out blue metal like this was a highly coveted asset. If he could persuade the blue metal humanoid just like he had persuaded the Adamantium Giant, how convenient would that be!
Archisus... I knew you would keep your promise... I am glad you returned!
"Uh, well, that is, well."
Even if he told the truth here—"Archisus tricked you!"—nothing good would come of it, right? Tae-hyun buried the truth in the dark and quickly replied.
"Yes! I've come to keep my promise!"
But... why did you pretend not to know me at first...?
"That's because you've changed so much."
???
The blue metal humanoid tilted his head. He didn't quite understand, but if that's what he said...
Then you are...
"I-I am Archisus's Slave."
I can't hear you.
"...I'm his slave! Happy now?!"
Ah! Slave!
The blue metal humanoid giggled and mocked Cain.
Not a friend! A slave!
"Y-you can be a slave and a friend at the same time! You jerk. I said I'd be your friend, but... I take it back."
N-no... Friend! Friend! Hug me!
The blue metal humanoid rushed over. Tae-hyun quickly backed away to create some distance. However, Cain wasn't that agile.
"W-wait...!"
Squeeze!
Cain was caught just like that. Tae-hyun quickly activated his skills.
Archisus's Blessing
Archisus's Divine Territory
Since he had no idea what would happen, he had to apply as many buffs as possible and raise their Luck.
Gulp.
What on earth was going to happen?
[Carbanog munches on popcorn, chewing noisily.]
Both Carbanog and Tae-hyun stared intently at Cain. Just what was about to happen?!