The Demon Prison of Akisus
It was sealed thoroughly to prevent wandering demons or young demons from accidentally coming into contact with Akisus! Whoever did this must have been incredibly diligent. A massive boulder was piled on top of the basement, and underneath, it was bound tightly with brass chains...
You have acquired an item.
You have acquired an item.
Of course, Tae-hyun swept them up cleanly.
"Johansson. You said you didn't have any gear, right?"
"A-are you planning to give me gear?"
Johansson spoke in a slightly trembling voice. Though Tae-hyun didn't realize it, his blacksmithing skills were famous even among rankers. While he wasn't as legendary as he had been in Pan-On 1, he was still steadfastly walking the path of a blacksmith in Pan-On 2. Even if he had veered off into making a ridiculous amount of bombs! Regardless, a blacksmith was a blacksmith. Furthermore, his reputation soared even higher after other blacksmith players analyzed the gear worn by Tae-hyun and his companions, confirming that Tae-hyun had crafted several of them.
Indeed. Whether Kim Tae-hyun's skill was Advanced or Master was only important to a handful of players; for the average player, something else mattered far more. So, is he selling it? Blacksmith rankers occasionally put their creations up for auction to earn gold and build reputation. However, in Pan-On 2, Tae-hyun had never listed his works on the auction house. He was too busy using them for himself and his companions.
"Oh... Oh?!"
"Crafted by Kim Tae-hyun?! A sword?! Armor?!"
"..."
"..."
The items that occasionally popped up were bomb-type items made by Kim Tae-hyun's self-proclaimed disciples! Of course, no one wanted to spend their own gold to commit suicide.
In any case, gear personally crafted by Kim Tae-hyun was that rare. Most rankers had already given up on ever getting their hands on it... and now, it was just being handed over? Johansson stared at Tae-hyun, his eyes sparkling with hope. Seeing a heavily bearded, muscular warrior make such an expression was deeply unsettling. Beside him, Suana was already gagging.
"No. I meant you should use these chains. They're quite sturdy, probably made in the Demon Realm."
"...I... I see."
"Did you want gear crafted by me? The stuff I make isn't actually that good, though."
"???"
If what you make isn't good gear, then what on earth is?! Johansson and Suana screamed in their minds. Tae-hyun was a man with incredibly high and demanding standards when it came to item crafting. Having played a blacksmith to such an extreme in Pan-On 1, there was no way he would be satisfied with his current skill level.
My skill in Pan-On 2 is somewhere between first-rate and second-rate.
An insanely harsh self-evaluation! If he were to post this on the community boards, the response would be explosive.
But Tae-hyun remained steadfast in his belief. He only achieved great results because of high-quality materials and the massive buffs from his Incarnation of Akisus class; his pure Blacksmithing Skill was still severely lacking!
My skill level is only Master Blacksmithing Level 2. Honestly, it's pretty embarrassing.
He had reached Master Level 8 in Pan-On 1!
"No, it's not! Your gear is the absolute best!"
Y-you idiot!
Suana gasped inwardly. Johansson was digging his own grave.
Suana felt her blood pressure spike. This stupid barbarian bastard...!
"Hmm. Well, if there's a chance later, I'll whip something up for you."
"?!"
"!?!??!"
But this time, Johansson's gamble paid off!
Well, it's easy enough to just whip something up.
To Tae-hyun, the materials were what mattered; the actual crafting process wasn't difficult at all. If he could just throw something together using some common steel found nearby, he didn't mind being generous.
"M-me too..."
Seeing that Johansson was actually going to get gear, Suana quickly raised her hand. Nothing was more painful than watching someone else get a free meal while you got nothing.
"You too? Sure, why not."
Suana flashed a triumphant smile. Gear crafted by Kim Tae-hyun!
"But don't you already have gear?"
"A-an archer can never have too many bows."
Her attitude became incredibly polite the moment free items were on the line!
"Anyway, finish up the work. We need to enter the temple."
Baited by the promise of gear, the two rankers worked like men possessed. Their speed was on a completely different level now! In less than thirty minutes, the path to the entrance was cleared.
You have entered the basement of the Archisus Temple.
You have discovered a forgotten cult temple! The cult's influence increases!
Holy power increases significantly!
The power of Akisus spreads further through the Demon Realm. Demon Dukes suffer from nightmares.
"Come down quickly! Come down quickly!"
"??"
The moment they descended the stairs and opened the basement door, voices echoed out! It was a sweet, seductive voice calling from deep below.
"What is that voice?"
"Sounds highly suspicious."
Carbanog agrees. It says they sound like demons.
"Who are you?"
"I am here to help you! Come down quickly! Everything you desire is right here!"
"Hmm..."
Tae-hyun fell into thought. If the speaker was a demon, and they were trapped in the basement of the Archisus Temple...
They probably aren't anyone important.
No matter how he looked at it, there was very little a demon could do against him in this situation. What kind of demon would dare challenge Akisus inside an Archisus Temple?
Carbanog cackles.
It was a hilarious thought. Tae-hyun boldly stepped forward. Johansson and Suana tried to stop him in a panic.
"Hey, we should think about this first!"
"It's dangerous! What if it's a trap? This is the Demon Realm!"
But Tae-hyun didn't stop. The two rankers were deeply shocked by his fearlessness. Was this man completely devoid of fear?
Wait, the Arena League is starting soon. Shouldn't he be playing it safe? If he dies here, the penalty will be massive!
Have I... Have I been playing too safely ever since I became a ranker?
Johansson was struck by a sudden realization. He was a barbarian warrior, a player praised for his bold and wild playstyle! Yet, looking at Tae-hyun, his own actions felt like those of a coward. That was what true, fearless play looked like!
I... I'm going to play like that from now on!
Johansson had no idea that playing like that was the fastest way to ruin his character.
"Come down quickly! Come down quickly!"
The demon, Pogalo, projected his sweet voice from his confinement. How long had he been trapped in this temple basement? He had long since forgotten his grudge against that bastard Akisus who had locked him up. He had also long since abandoned any hope of escaping. Pogalo wanted only one thing.
"Pogalo, you dog of a demon!"
"Even for a demon, have you no professional ethics?! How dare you drag us into the Archisus Temple!"
"You are an embarrassment to all demonkind! Misery loves company!"
Pogalo felt it was deeply unfair to rot here alone. True to his demonic nature, he wanted other demons to be trapped in this prison with him. Share the wealth! Thanks to this mindset, Pogalo had been quite successful. Seven demons had already been deceived by his voice, descending into the basement only to be sealed within Akisus's prison.
One of Pogalo's specialties was Speech. He possessed a silver tongue capable of deceiving even his fellow demons.
"Hahahaha! The ones who got tricked are the idiots!"
"If you're going to die, die alone! Why did you have to...!"
"The moment I get out of here, I'm tearing your throat out first!"
"Shh. Quiet. Don't you all want a new demon to join us?"
At Pogalo's words, the other demons fell silent all at once. Usually, they cursed Pogalo as if they would tear him apart, but they always shut their mouths at one specific moment: when a new victim approached! True to their demonic nature, the moment a new prey appeared, they all cooperated under the shared sentiment of 'I'm not going down alone!'
"Come down quickly! Come down quickly!"
"Everything you want is right here!!"
"Hehehe... Hehehe..."
One demon couldn't contain his excitement and burst into a low chuckle. Just imagining the foolish look on the new victim's face made it impossible to stop laughing. And then, the victim appeared.
You have discovered the prison beneath the Archisus Temple.
This is a prison crafted by Akisus, imbued with his divine power.
You have discovered an Authority!
Holy stat requirement met.
Reputation stat requirement met.
Infamy stat requirement met.
...Why Infamy?
He could understand Holy power and Reputation being requirements to use an Authority skill, but why on earth did he need Infamy...?
Your current Blacksmithing Skill level is too low to use this Authority.
What a shame.
He had obtained an Authority for free, yet he couldn't use it immediately. It seemed he would have to raise his Blacksmithing Skill level first.
Still, as long as I raise my skill level, I'll be able to use it eventually...
It was a far better outcome than not getting it at all! With that thought, Tae-hyun surveyed his surroundings. A long underground corridor connected to the stairs, lined with prison cells on both sides, each holding a trapped demon.
I see. If you step on this path, you get pulled into those cells.
A simple yet underhanded trap! If someone descended from above out of curiosity, they would find themselves pulled into a cell, stripped of their power, and sealed away before they even realized what was happening.
Carbanog remarks that it is a trap truly worthy of Akisus.
"Hehehe... You foolish demon! Did you actually believe our words?!"
"As if what you wanted would be here! The world isn't that easy!"
"Now, join us and become a slave of this prison!"
The demons jeered excitedly. When you were trapped in a place like this for a long time, there was very little entertainment. The reaction of a newcomer entering the prison was their sole source of joy!
"Hmm. Since you all seem to love prison so much, I should thank you."
"?"
"???"
"...Wait, he's not a demon?"
Carbanog shrugs, stating that he is something far worse than a demon.
"It's a human! A human!"
"A human! *Clang, clang, clang!*"
The demons clamored, banging against the walls of their cells.
"Human! Open the gates of this prison! Since you aren't a demon, you should be more than capable!"
"Search around here and find a way to open the cells! This is Akisus's prison!"
"Find it quickly! Or else I'll snap your neck!"
"You idiot! What if the human runs away? Human! If you open these prison gates, I will at least spare your life!"
As the demons clamored noisily, Tae-hyun decided to give a simple response.
"I was sent here by Akisus."
"..."
"..."
"U-uh... what brings you here, esteemed Teacher?"
The demons' tone shifted to extreme politeness in an instant!
"I came to see how you were doing, and it seems you're doing just fine."
"How can you say that, you human bastard?!"
"As expected of someone sent by Akisus, your personality is vicious and disgusting!"
"Hmm. And here I was, thinking of picking a few of you to let out."
"Aigoo, Teacher! We were wrong!"
"I didn't say a single word! It was that demon next to me who was shouting!"
The demons were laughing and crying at a single word! Tae-hyun smiled warmly. He had been at a loss as to how he would capture new demons in the Demon Realm, but this was perfect...