A Mad Proposal

*Slap!*

The one who acts while others hesitate is the one who gets ahead! With that thought, a ranker stepped forward. He was determined to use this opportunity to get close to Cain.

NPCs were people too. If you acted friendly and showered them with gifts, your chances of profiting skyrocketed. And if the rumors were true, and this guy was one of the Erance Kingdom's swordmasters...!

If I can just learn a single secret sword skill from him, I'll hit the jackpot!

The ranker firmly believed that any skill taught by such an NPC would be brokenly overpowered.

"Ahem."

"?"

Cain was flustered. It hadn't been long since Tae-hyun had warned him: "Hey, if you don't want your weaknesses exposed in the Arena League and suffer total humiliation, hide your identity as much as possible."

Cain was currently doing his absolute best to keep a low profile. It was a level of thoroughness completely uncharacteristic of him! Surprisingly, it was working; the rankers didn't suspect a thing.

Frankly, it was only natural they didn't. Who in their right mind would think Cain—the six-armed Chimera—was now working as the 4th Prince's bodyguard? And hiding his identity to boot!

What's wrong with this guy?

In his current situation, players trying to act friendly was the last thing he wanted.

Oh crap. Does he suspect something?

Terrified, Cain clamped his mouth shut. He could absolutely not afford to get caught. Let's see who blinks first!

But the ranker who approached him, Daribon, was persistent. Furthermore, Daribon possessed a unique advantage: his high Rhetoric skill! It was at the Intermediate level!

One might wonder what was so impressive about an Intermediate-grade skill for a high-level ranker, but Rhetoric was a completely different story. Unless you were a merchant, it was a skill that was rarely leveled up and incredibly difficult to raise. The fact that he had managed to get it to Intermediate was proof of how silver-tongued he was and how adept he was at persuading NPCs.

"Looks like Daribon is stepping up."

"Since he's on it, it's as good as done. Once he bites, he never lets go."

"The gift offensive is about to begin!"

It was a magical technique that could make even the most tight-lipped NPC open up. The rankers who knew Daribon called this tactic the 'Gift Offensive.' He would carry around all sorts of items and present them one by one, gauging the NPC's reaction. It was a strategy made possible only because of his Rhetoric skill! Once he spotted an item that elicited a positive reaction, he would shower them with it relentlessly.

Johansson, who was listening nearby, asked in bewilderment, "What if the NPC just takes the gifts and runs?"

"Well, then there's nothing you can do."

"...????"

That's really it? Johansson stared at Daribon as if he were an idiot. Yet, this method was undeniably effective. After all, what strategy in the world was 100% foolproof? If the success rate was high, it was a good method! The items used in the gift offensive didn't cost much anyway. And if he could find the right match quickly, it became even easier.

Here! Take this! Daribon handed over items at random while closely reading Cain's expression. I'll figure out ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠your taste in no time!

From swords, shields, and armor to jewelry and food. As a barrage of various items piled up, Cain fell into utter confusion. What is wrong with this guy?

Of course, Daribon was even more bewildered. What is wrong with this guy?!

No matter what he offered, this strange NPC showed absolutely no reaction! As expected of the monstrous black knight escorted by the 4th Prince, he was a tough nut to crack.

Whispers drifted from the rankers behind him.

"Is it too much even for Daribon?"

"The opponent is just that formidable."

"I heard that knight has dragon blood in him."

"Whoa. Then are dragon-related items the answer? But where did you hear that?"

"Dunno. Heard it somewhere."

"I heard he has giant blood."

"I heard he's a bastard son of the Erance royal family..."

The rumors were inflating wildly! Regardless of the nonsense, Daribon grit his teeth. Backing down now would ruin his reputation! He took pride in being considered an expert at dealing with NPCs.

"In that case... how about this!"

The gift offensive intensified! Cain only grew more and more alarmed. Is this some kind of trap?

The back of my neck is tingling.

As he walked toward the meeting place, a prickling sensation ran through his entire body. He could feel just how many Shadow Elves were lying in wait around them. Of course, Tae-hyun wasn't intimidated by this.

If I pivot to the right first to narrow the archers' angle, stick to the wall, take out three of them, and break through that way...

His mind was entirely occupied with tactical plans in case a fight broke out!

"—Can you not hear me, human?"

"Huh? Ah. Sorry. I was lost in thought for a moment. What's the matter?"

A cascade of demon-related titles poured in. Tae-hyun was genuinely surprised. Wow, I really have ripped off a lot of demons.

He had dealt with demons in an incredibly diverse variety of ways! While other players rarely encountered a demon even once, Tae-hyun had interacted with them through rhetoric, swordsmanship, cooking, magic, and more!

"We received reports that you are an exceptional demon hunter."

"How did you know that?"

"We heard you travel around with a demon locked in a cage."

"Ah."

Indeed, what else would you call someone who dragged a caged demon around other than a demon hunter?

"The scent wafting from you only confirms it."

"Well, I do have a knack for catching demons."

Statistically speaking, if there was any race in Pan-On that should fear Tae-hyun the most, it was definitely the demons!

"Upon receiving that report, our tribe held a discussion. We concluded that there is no reason not to cooperate with a demon hunter of your caliber."

"!"

Tae-hyun was slightly taken aback. The conversation was progressing much smoother than he had anticipated!

"Cooperate?"

"Yes, human. We will join hands with anyone, as long as it means killing demons."

Just as Duke Gellendel of the Dungland Kingdom drooled at the mere sight of an Orc's head, wanting nothing more than to smash it open, the Shadow Elf tribes of the Demon Realm harbored a deep, burning grudge against demons. The racial trait of Elves: deep-seated grudges! Thanks to this, luck was on Tae-hyun's side. Just when he was at a loss as to how to deal with the Shadow Elves, things had turned out like this.

"Do you happen to worship a god?"

"Why do you ask? Ah. Don't tell me you are a clergyman?"

"Yes."

"I see. You are a clergyman who has come to wage a holy war in the name of your deity. No wonder you fight demons so well."

The classes that fought demons best were, after all, those affiliated with religious orders! The Shadow Elves were well aware of how effectively priests and paladins combated demons.

"We do not worship any particular god. You are free to worship yours as you please."

"In that case, would it be alright if I spread my god's name here and dedicated this land to them?"

"We do not mind. We have no god of our own anyway. By the way, which god do you serve?"

"Archisus."

"...Archisus is a bit..."

"..."

The magical name of Archisus! It was a name capable of making even the Shadow Elf, who had been coolly agreeing to everything just a second ago, instantly grimace with hesitation.

"Why not?"

Tae-hyun felt a prickle of annoyance. Granted, Archisus screwed over every single race that crossed paths with him, but they couldn't just reject him like this!

"Archisus is far too famous of a god."

"...Fa-famous?"

He could understand if they said Archisus was too evil, too dangerous, or too god-awful. But famous? What did they mean, famous? The church had gone completely bankrupt on the continent, and Tae-hyun was busting his ass just to revive it...

"We hunt demons, but we never engage in direct confrontation with high-ranking ones. It is far too dangerous. It is only because this barren land is utterly worthless that we have survived. If even one or two Demon Dukes decided to attack, we would be wiped out instantly."

Because the environment was so dreadful and there was absolutely nothing of value to gain, this desolate land had managed to remain a neutral zone. If it had been fertile, prosperous land, the neighboring Demon Dukes would have greedily stretched their claws out for it long ago. It was precisely because of its worthlessness that the Shadow Elves had been able to settle here.

Settling in a harsh, barren land, the Shadow Elves had fought demons through guerrilla warfare. To such Elves, Archisus was a deity far too famous in the Demon Realm. If even a rumor of Archisus's name spread, there was an incredibly high chance that other Demon Dukes would take notice. For instance...

"My Lord. It is reported that a paladin of the Phytos Church has planted a flag in that barren land."

"What? The fools of the Phytos Church? Have those idiots been hit on the head with their own hammers? They never learn, do they? Leave them be. They cannot achieve anything anyway. They will be wiped out by rogue, masterless demons before they can even do anything."

...While Demon Dukes would react with such indifference to others, the story was entirely different when it came to Archisus.

"My Lord. It is reported that a priest of the Archisus Church has planted a flag in that barren land."

"And you just stood there and watched?! Archisus?! There must be something of immense value hidden there! Send our elites to investigate immediately! No, capture him alive! I shall tear him limb from limb myself!!"

On the continent, the Archisus Church had collapsed once and was relatively obscure, but ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠in the Demon Realm, it was notoriously famous! If that god's name was invoked, demons from all the neighboring layers would swarm in.

Hearing the Shadow Elf warrior's explanation, Tae-hyun understood. Yeah, that makes sense! Still, he couldn't just back down. As long as they were cooperating, they both needed to gain something from this.

"I absolutely must complete my church-related quests. I cannot simply give up and move on."

"Think carefully, human. If the name of Archisus is revealed, the Demon Dukes will dispatch their elites here. That would be dangerous for you as well... Ah. You are a clergyman of Archisus, so I suppose you would not care about such trivial dangers."

"..."

What a bizarre prejudice!

"In any case, we cannot permit an action that might invite more enemies. I hope you understand, hunter."

"Then how about this?"

"?"

"We strike the neighboring Demon Duke's layer first."

"..."

"...Is he insane?"

"No, for an Archisus clergyman, that level of madness is only natural."

"Madness has always been an old friend of Archisus..."

"The ancient Elven proverb warning us to beware of Orcs, demons, and Archisus was indeed correct..."

The Shadow Elves began to whisper among themselves. Tae-hyun's proposal sounded just that insane to them.

But Tae-hyun remained resolute.

"How long are you going to live like punching bags? No matter how disadvantaged you are, constantly playing defense changes nothing! Sometimes, you have to march right into their territory, set it on fire, spread plagues, and detonate bombs!"

"...That is oddly specific..."

"You have nothing to lose, but those Demon Dukes have everything ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to lose. Think about it! The arrival of my expedition could be your greatest opportunity."

Tae-hyun's words overflowed with the sheer bravado and confidence of a man who had successfully screwed over countless demons. That confidence shook the Shadow Elves to their core. It was a bold concept they had never even dared to imagine!

"But if we fail..."

"If you only think about failure, you will never accomplish anything! And if we do fail, we can just find a new land. But if we succeed, no one will ever dare touch this place again. What demon would dare provoke a tribe that has brought down a Demon Duke?"

Once the taint of Archisus touched them, wouldn't the demons avoid them out of sheer disgust? That was Karbanog's logical deduction.