The Art of the Squeeze
Kim Tae-hyun's party was holding out the most stably among all the groups that had come to the Demon Realm. They had joined hands with the local tribes, built a fortress, and even established a base camp! With various temporary facilities set up inside the fortress, their setup was easily one of the best.
Other parties couldn't even dream of bringing crafting classes like blacksmiths. A ranker blacksmith was an incredibly precious asset. How could anyone put such a valuable person into the vanguard of the Demon Realm? Not only would no one try, but the blacksmiths themselves would flatly refuse.
"You want me to go to the Demon Realm? Are you crazy, Guild Master? Are you telling me to leave the guild?" That was the kind of response they would undoubtedly get!
"But that's only because it's us. It's a different story for everyone else."
Although Tae-hyun and his companions were holding out stably, this place was by no means safe. The weather shifted drastically, lightning struck at the slightest provocation, and all kinds of ferocious monsters and Shadow Elves ran rampant! While there were few demons, it was dangerous in an entirely different way.
Even Tae-hyun's party would have struggled immensely without Tae-hyun. They would have had to constantly fend off the Shadow Elves that ambushed them at every turn...
"Still, they're large guilds, so they must have some sort of plan, right?"
"I suppose so, right?"
Everyone in Tae-hyun's party agreed. When a guild reached that size, they usually made cold, calculated decisions. Surely they hadn't come to the Demon Realm without any plan at all? They might be wandering around lost right now, but that was only because the Demon Realm was so brutally difficult. They must have some other plan up their sleeves!
"They wouldn't try to leech off us when they get here, would they?"
"Hahaha! Unless they've completely lost their minds, why would they do that?"
Everyone burst into laughter. Trying to crash for free in a village or fortress built by another guild or party was utterly shameless. No one would ever allow that! Letting them in would make them look like total pushovers. And Tae-hyun's party had absolutely no intention of being pushovers.
"Maybe they're planning to build a fortress nearby?"
"Ah! That must be it."
"Building a fortress isn't something just anyone can do. Did they bring all the materials? Well, if they're a large guild, they probably prepared at least that much."
They were vastly overestimating the large guilds! Though, rather than overestimating, it was more like they were assuming basic common sense...
"Wait. Hold on a second. Now that I think about it, something's a bit off."
"?"
"The large guilds would have prepared thoroughly, of course, but since so many of their members got logged out along the way, their plans must have hit a major snag."
"!"
"Oh, you're right."
"That makes sense. A lot of the guys carrying the essential items probably got eliminated!"
Of course, there was no actual plan to begin with to hit a snag...
"In that case, they'll definitely be lacking in resources..."
"...An opportunity to do business!"
"Exactly!"
Fleece them when they're weak! The party remembered the lessons they had learned from Tae-hyun all too well.
"It's a fortress! It's the fortress built by Kim Tae-hyun's party!"
The members of the Holy Knight Size King Guild, who were the first to discover the fortress, felt like they were about to burst into tears. It was the overwhelming relief of finding a highway rest stop after wandering lost in the mountains for days! The glowing lights of the fortress in the distance brought them unspeakable comfort. If they could just make it there...!
"Customers are here. Customers are here."
"Ugh?!"
"It's a giant! A giant... Wa-wait. Isn't that the giant tribe that Kim Tae-hyun drags around with him?"
"Phew... You scared me..."
The Holy Knights shrieked in terror as a giant NPC suddenly emerged from behind a boulder. Fortunately, they had seen them a few times before, so they didn't completely lose their heads. If they had to fight the giant tribe as enemies in the Demon Realm on top of everything else, it would have been an absolute nightmare.
"Customer. Buy this."
"???"
"What on earth is this...?"
◈ Durability: 5/5
◈ Description: A crude ornament that looks like it was made by roughly stitching together useless pieces of loot. Who in their right mind would buy this?
"...Did they make this themselves?"
"Looks like it, right?"
The Holy Knights whispered among themselves. No matter how they looked at it, the quality was absolute garbage. The giants had clearly just picked up random junk rolling around on the ground and slapped it together. Under normal circumstances, they wouldn't buy such a shoddy item even if their lives depended on it, but their current situation was different.
"...Wh-what happens if we don't buy it?"
"If you don't buy it, you don't buy it. Is customer stupid?"
Hearing themselves called stupid by a giant inexplicably wounded their pride.
"So we don't have to buy it? You won't attack us if we don't, right?"
"No such thing. No such thing. If you don't want to buy, don't buy."
"He says we don't have to. Let's not buy it."
"Isn't this a bit suspicious? Shouldn't we buy it?"
"He literally told us not to if we don't want to! Honestly, do you really want to spend money on that trash?"
"It is one hundred gold. One hundred gold."
"One... one hundred gold?! You absolute scammers..."
"Shh, shh. Hey. Let's not pick a fight here."
Since they were the ones in need, they had no choice but to swallow their anger. The Holy Knights decided to just ignore it and pass by. However, there was always that one eccentric person. A Paladin of Akisus, famous for choosing option B whenever everyone else chose option A, raised his hand high.
"I'm going to buy one!"
"You're buying that?!"
"Hey, wake up! It's a hundred gold!"
"No, I feel like there's something to this!"
"What could possibly be to this? Regret and despair?"
"There's a limit to being a sucker! Don't you remember everyone trying to stop you when you changed your class to an Archisus Paladin?"
"And look how that turned out! I hit the jackpot!"
"...W-well, that's true, but..."
It was hard to argue with that! While the other Holy Knights hesitated, the Archisus Paladin player bought the ornament all by himself. There's got to be... something to this! Just like when I became an Archisus Paladin! If there isn't, well, too bad! Aside from that player, not a single person bought the ornament.
The Holy Knight Size King party passed the giants and headed toward the main gate of the fortress.
"Halt. Halt."
A dwarf from the Archisus Artillery riding a golem blocked the gate. The Holy Knights waved enthusiastically.
"It's the dwarves that Kim Tae-hyun brings around!"
"We're a guild! Tell Kim Tae-hyun! He probably knows us!"
I highly doubt he remembers you by a pleasant name, though...
Watching the Holy Knights wave so cheerfully, the dwarves muttered among themselves.
"How can those humans walk around with such an obscene name?"
"Seriously, humans are so vulgar."
"?!?!"
It was the magic of being able to hear everything even when they whispered! Meanwhile, having received the report, Lee Da-bi came out. The Holy Knights' faces lit up when they saw Lee Da-bi standing atop the fortress tower.
"Miss Lee Da-bi! You remember us, right?"
"We met back in Mora City! We're the Holy Knights!"
"Ah. Yes, I remember. But what brings you here?"
"We'd like to enter the fortress..."
"Surely you didn't come to the Demon Realm completely unprepared, expecting to just waltz into a fortress built by another party, right?"
"..."
"..."
"...O-of course not!"
Only then did the Holy Knights realize. They had been too out of it to notice, but there was no sucker in this world who would just let them into a fortress for free!
Wait, why didn't we realize that?
We've been so out of it since we got to the Demon Realm...
Guild Master, what are we going to do?
Hmph. Don't panic over something like this. Just watch.
Seeing their Guild Master so confident, the guild members felt a spark of anticipation. He was about to show them how it was done! The Guild Master marched forward with an air of dignity, and then...
He threw himself flat on the ground.
"Miss Lee Da-bi! We've been stranded in the Demon Realm and are on the verge of death! If you could show us mercy just this once, we will never forget your kindness!"
"..."
"..."
"Are human Holy Knights always this pathetic?"
The dwarves' muttering cut deep. Even Lee Da-bi looked thoroughly taken aback!
"Ah, yes. Please come in."
"See that? That's how you bow."
The Guild Master said triumphantly. The Holy Knights were utterly speechless.
Is he seriously bragging about that...
Hey, you turned off your stream, right? If that gets broadcasted, our guild is ruined.
As the Holy Knights filed through the gate, the dwarf standing next to it held out his hand.
"Pay the fortress entry fee, you pathetic freeloaders."
His tone was dripping with prejudice! But they couldn't refuse to pay. The Holy Knights began rummaging through their pockets.
"Guild Master."
"What?"
"Do you think we can get a discount if we bow again?"
"...Do you want to get kicked out of the guild?!"
After many twists and turns, the Holy Knights finally made it inside the fortress. At first, they had wondered, Do we really have to go this far just to get in? But...
The moment they stepped inside, their thoughts completely flipped to: Thank goodness we came in! It was a level of comfort that was simply impossible to find anywhere else in the Demon Realm! It felt so incredibly secure that even the raging weather outside seemed to actively avoid this fortress.
"Wow, how did they build a fortress like this in the Demon Realm? It must have been an insane amount of work."
"I don't think they made their knights do it... Did Kim Tae-hyun's subordinates build it?"
The correct answer was that rankers had built it while crying tears of blood, but there was no way the Holy Knights could have guessed that.
"I'm going to find the blacksmith first. I need to get my gear repaired."
"Ah! Me too. There was a blacksmith here, right!"
They had been scraping by using equipment repair scrolls and repair potions, but gear always lasted much longer when entrusted to an actual blacksmith. It had been ages since the Holy Knights had seen a town or a blacksmith NPC in the Demon Realm! Hearing that there was a blacksmith here, they couldn't help but rush over.
"Oh, it's a dwarf."
"A dwarf blacksmith in a fortress like this? Isn't that way too luxurious?"
The Holy Knights were practically dying of joy. A dwarf blacksmith guaranteed top-tier skill by default. On top of that, since he was an NPC following Tae-hyun, he was even more trustworthy. There had to be something special!
"Hello! We'd like to request some repairs!"
"No."
"?!"
"W-what?"
"Why not?"
"Not you, not you... but you, yes."
"????"
The Holy Knights blinked in utter confusion. Why was only that Archisus Paladin being allowed?
"What on earth is the reason?!"
"If you want to borrow our strength in this fortress, you must possess a Crude Ornament."
"..."
"...!!!"
The Holy Knights gasped in horror. No way... could it be...?
"Th-the ones the giants were selling?"
"Yes. If you want service, go buy one."
They had been played!! The Holy Knights were dumbfounded. More than the money, their pride was deeply wounded by the fact that they had been outsmarted by giants. What kind of ridiculous setup was this...?
"Haha. I leave my gear in your hands."
"Hey! You're really the only one getting repairs?!"
"That's why I told you guys to buy one when I did. Why didn't you?"
"...Wait right there, you jerk! I'm going to go buy one right now!"
Although it was outrageously expensive, a hundred gold wasn't an impossible amount to pay. The Holy Knights rushed back outside in a swarm to find the giants.
"Found you! Give me one of those ornaments!"
"Oh. Customer. You have good taste. That will be two hundred gold."
"...Wait a minute. Wasn't it one hundred gold?"
"As time passes and stock decreases, the price goes up. It is the law of business. Customer does not know business. Tsk, tsk."
As the giant clicked his tongue in pity, the Holy Knights clutched the backs of their necks in sheer frustration. These... these absolute thug giants...?!
"I'm not buy—!"
"Wait, wait!"
"Why?! You're actually going to buy that?!"
"If we refuse now and have to buy it later, the price might double again!"
"!!!"
"...Let's just buy it."
Although the Holy Knight Size King Guild had to go through various trials and errors to settle into the fortress, they were actually among the lucky ones.
"You want us to pay that much just for the fortress entry fee?! Do you have any idea who we are?"
"Hmm. I'm going to aim the cannons now, so why don't you say that one more time?"
"It's nothing. You don't need to know."
There were guilds that tried to throw their weight around using their guild's reputation, only to quietly back down.
"We could easily force our way in with raw power right now. Let's reach a reasonable compromise."
"Ah, yes. Another guild said the exact same thing and ended up getting completely disbanded. Why don't you give it a try? May I ask your name?"
"I-it's nothing. Please, just don't tell Kim Tae-hyun..."
There were also guilds that tried to threaten them with force, only to tuck their tails and retreat. The end result for those guilds was always the same.
"Hmph, who do they think they are? If the location is decent, we can easily build a fortress of our own in no time! Let's build a fortress nearby!"
*Crack, crackle! Flash!*