The Sacrificial Lambs Arrive
"Don't worry. It's nothing too difficult."
The rankers felt a wave of relief wash over them at Tae-hyun's follow-up. Ah, we must have misunderstood! Kim Tae-hyun is going to explain it properly now!
"You don't even have to fight Furneus directly. Just draw his attention. You get what I mean, right? Don't engage him; just poke at him and keep him annoyed."
...???
Wait, that didn't make it any easier! When he started talking, we thought, 'Ah, we must have misunderstood, maybe it's actually simple?' But... absolutely nothing has changed!
But Tae-hyun was genuinely baffled.
"Huh? Is that not easy? I mean... I'm not asking you to kill him. Just draw aggro and buy some time."
By Tae-hyun's standards, this was incredibly simple! When the rankers reacted like this as a group, it was Tae-hyun who ended up bewildered.
"Hmm. I didn't realize you guys couldn't even handle that... What should we do then..."
"We... we can do it!"
"Of course we can do that much!"
"Hey, are you insane?!"
"Did you leave your brain behind?!"
The rankers cut off their whispers and grabbed the collar of the idiot who had just spoken. What was this madman thinking? How on earth could they do that!
"B-but... how can we just stand here when Kim Tae-hyun is looking down on us like that?!"
"Exactly! He was genuinely looking down on us!"
There wasn't a single ranker without pride. Well, except for a few rare exceptions like Cain! From their perspective, when Tae-hyun reacted with a genuine, 'Huh? You guys really can't do this? Wow... I guess it can't be helped then...' they were driven absolutely mad. It wasn't even a deliberate provocation or reverse psychology; it was a hundred percent sincere. It was the ultimate humiliation!
They had no choice but to blurt out: "No! We can do it!"
"...I understand how you feel, but..."
"What do we do now?"
"Go tell Kim Tae-hyun right now that we can't do it."
"N-no way. How could I say that? You do it."
"We weren't the ones who spoke up, so why should we?"
"Then do you guys actually have the confidence to do it?"
"...Well, no, but..."
While the rankers fell into a tense silence, Tae-hyun finished his whisper.
"I knew you could do it. It's really not that hard. Anyway, buy me some time. I'll contact you if anything happens."
"..."
"...Hey. Let's roll the dice."
"N-no way..."
The quicker-witted rankers immediately realized what was happening and gasped in horror. It was the infamous Sacrificial Lamb Draw!
Countless parties in Pangaea Online 2 entered dungeons and hunting grounds, but not everyone ended up in places suited to their level. Naturally, many parties miscalculated or accidentally entered high-tier dungeons. Realizing this too late meant a total wipeout, but if they realized it early enough? The party would put their heads together to devise an escape plan. And the method they used in those desperate moments was the Sacrificial Lamb Draw.
The player chosen as the sacrificial lamb would draw all the aggro in the dungeon while the rest of the party made a run for it! It was simple and brutal, but highly effective—a tactic even used by top players in pioneer raid parties.
"...Wow. To think I'd end up doing this."
"We didn't even go anywhere dangerous..."
"Going anywhere near the World Tree was our first mistake."
The rankers' murmurs echoed gloomily. Perhaps because they were in Furneus's Territory, where a freezing chill hung in the air, the atmosphere felt exceptionally cold.
"Wouldn't a Rogue class be better suited for this?"
"Don't try to wiggle your way out of this."
"Exactly. If we go by that logic, everyone can find an excuse. You, for instance, are ugly enough that the Demon Duke might chase you out of pure disgust."
"Wh-what?! Watch your mouth!"
"Ah, shut up and just roll the dice. If Furneus gets any closer, we won't even have time for that."
With heavy hearts, the rankers prepared their dice. Please! Anyone but me...!
"Pant, pant... We're here to help!"
"Hehe. You must have needed our assistance, right?"
"????"
At the voices coming from behind, the rankers turned their heads. Several parties had rushed over, looking completely out of breath. Their party leaders were addressing them with shameless smiles.
"Johansson! Long time no see!"
"Suana! I think we met once back when we were in the Guild Alliance..."
"Keshen! Come here, let me give you a hug, my friend!"
"..."
Who the hell are these guys?
There's no way they'd act this friendly.
Naturally, the rankers immediately raised their guard. Judging by their gear, they seemed to be parties from fairly large guilds. People from those guilds were usually about 0.1 Kim Tae-hyuns on the scale of shamelessness—the type who would lie through their teeth and backstab you without blinking. There was a reason large guilds were notoriously called "profit-obsessed bastards."
Noticing the rankers' cold stares, the party leaders chuckled shamelessly.
"What's with the looks?"
"...What are you doing here?"
"What do you mean? The continent is currently running a Demon Realm subjugation quest, right? We came to do it together."
"...!!"
The rankers realized it instantly. These bastards...! They came to hijack our quest!
Quest hijacking! A dirty tactic that only the most unprincipled players in Pangaea Online 2 would pull. Yet, no one loved doing it more than the large guilds—except perhaps Power Warrior, though in his case, it was because he lacked the ability to pull it off...
Barging into someone else's quest because it looked lucrative, or worse, clearing it first to steal the rewards, was considered one of the worst forms of bad manners in the game, often leading to PK. But might makes right. If large guilds actually cared about manners, they wouldn't be universally despised in the first place.
After arriving at the fortress and spending a bit of gold to fill their bellies, the guilds had begun to harbor other thoughts.
"Now that we've made it to the Demon Realm, we need to do some quests..."
"Shouldn't we hold out until the main force of the Erangs Kingdom arrives? The difficulty outside is insane. This isn't something we can handle without support. If we just go out there..."
"I know that. But there is one quest we can do."
"C-could it be...?"
"Yes. Exactly that."
"Are you talking about the fortress repair quest from the giants? The one that rewards us with pocket change?"
"...Someone throw this idiot outside."
"Aaaah! Guild Master! I'm sorry!"
After kicking out the clueless guild member, the Guild Master continued.
"You know that quest Kim Tae-hyun is doing with the rankers."
"Ah, that...!"
"Right, that exists!"
They had been so overwhelmed that they temporarily forgot, but the real reason they had rushed here in the first place was Kim Tae-hyun. When Tae-hyun headed to the Demon Realm with a group of rankers, they had eagerly followed, thinking, Heavens, just how amazing must that quest be?
"Right now, all those rankers have turned off their streams to do this quest. What do you think that means?"
"It means... it's an absolutely massive quest...!"
"Exactly. Those greedy rankers all agreed to it. They decided that even if they lose out on streaming revenue, keeping competitors away from the quest is far more profitable!"
"I see!"
The guild members nodded in agreement. All those rankers turning off their streams to focus on a quest? It was unprecedented. Normally, at least one ranker would think, Hey, if I stream this alone right now, won't my viewership explode? and sneakily turn on their broadcast. The fact that not a single one had done so could only mean one thing: a jackpot quest so massive they refused to share it with anyone!
"But we don't know where they went, do we?"
"Who do you think I am? Am I not your Guild Master? I've already found out. I coaxed the giants, and they spilled everything."
"As expected of the Guild Master...! Your Speech skill at Beginner Level 9 is truly amazing!"
"With my control, it's basically at the Intermediate level."
When he had approached the giants and casually asked, "Where did those guys go?" the giants had kindly pointed and said, "They went that way!"
The large guild, Iron Crown. They were a powerhouse that had steadily maintained their influence in the Erangs Kingdom since the early days of Pangaea Online 2. However, in this quest, they were at risk of losing their entire main force if they weren't careful. And the same went for the other large guilds. At this rate, the major guilds of Pangaea Online might get completely wiped out, triggering a massive shift in the balance of power! It was the butterfly effect of blindly jumping onto the Kim Tae-hyun bandwagon.
"Those guys look more stubborn than I thought."
"I don't think they'll let us join easily..."
"Heh. Don't worry. That's exactly why we came prepared."
The party leaders whispered among themselves. The rankers were players whose greed was second to none in Pangaea Online. They weren't the type to back down and say, "Ah, is that so? Let's work together," just because a large guild showed up to hijack their quest.
Why had so many parties from large guilds arrived in a swarm? Naturally, it was to apply pressure. They were using the prestige of their guilds as leverage, along with the unspoken threat of forcing their way in with raw power if necessary!
"...Kim Tae-hyun isn't here, right?"
"He's not. Thank goodness."
"Thank good—I mean, ahem. It wouldn't have mattered even if Kim Tae-hyun were here. In fact, I was hoping he would be."
What kind of nonsense is this hypocrite spewing?
I literally saw him gulping in fear before we got here.
The guild members grumbled at their officer's empty bravado. When the rankers remained silent, the party leaders from each guild raised their voices.
"What's it going to be? Surely you're not going to reject our help, are you?"
"Suana, I'm disappointed. I didn't think you were that kind of person."
"Exactly! Keshen! Is our friendship worth only this much?"
At their shameless words, the rankers stared at one another for a moment, then nodded. There was only one answer.
"...Welcome, my friends!"
"We knew we could count on you guys!"
"????"
It was the guild members who were taken aback instead. The welcome was far too enthusiastic.
"W-what's going on?"
"Don't worry. They know they can't refuse, so they're just trying to save face. By accepting like this, they can at least pretend they graciously allowed us to join."
"Ah, I see."
"But don't they seem a bit too sincere?"
"I think one of the rankers over there is actually crying tears of joy..."
"...No way, surely not."
-Intruder... This is the castle of a Demon Duke! Do you have any idea where you have set foot?!
-Hmph. Foolish spirit! This is the Avatar of Archisus. Do you know who you are speaking to?!
-Eek! I-I'm sorry! Please don't talk to me!
"..."
Tae-hyun watched the exchange between Pogalo and the Cold Spirit in silence.
"Hey..."
Tae-hyun approached the Cold Spirit to clear up the misunderstanding. He didn't care if demons misunderstood him, but spirits were a different story. He wanted to stay on good terms with them in case he needed to borrow their elemental powers in the future!
-Aaaaargh! No! I'm going to get Archisus'd! I'll never be able to return to the Spirit Realm!
The Cold Spirit has lost consciousness due to extreme Terror!
A swift escape! The other captured Cold Spirits showed similar reactions.
"...Let's just get back to construction."
Tae-hyun gave up and changed his orders. The Goblins and Chimeras were throwing themselves into their work with absolute passion.
The Underground Alliance Goblins' motivation is at its absolute peak! A massive bonus is applied to construction speed!
The Underground Alliance Goblins are equipping the castle with additional machinery! Construction efficiency is...
...
Clang! Clang! With nothing but bonuses stacking on their construction progress, the work proceeded at a breakneck pace! In the blink of an eye, massive boosters were attached to the castle's basement, wings sprouted on its sides, and mobile legs along with propulsion stabilizers began to be fitted.
-Um... O Avatar. If it isn't too rude of me, may I ask what you are doing? Y-you don't have to answer if it's too much trouble...
It was an extremely polite voice from a Cold Spirit! One of the spirits who had regained consciousness was tentatively speaking to him.
"Well, you see..."
-Hic! I-I'm sorry! You don't have to tell me!
"...No, just listen to me. I have no intention of harming you. I only act like that toward demons; I'm actually very kind to spirits."
-I-Is that so?
The spirit looked at Tae-hyun skeptically, looking ready to pass out again at the slightest provocation.
"This project is to hijack the Demon Duke's castle."
-!!!