A Life-or-Death Game of Tag

At first, the Cold Spirit didn't seem to understand. However, after the goblins' passionate explanations and...

"So, this is what happened back when we were working in the Asbian Empire..."

"I'll explain, so would you mind stepping aside?"

"No, Your Holiness. Even a spirit needs to know this!"

"I get it, so just go back to work."

...and Tae-hyun's own explanation, it finally seemed to grasp the situation. The Cold Spirit gasped in horror.

"That is extremely dangerous, Avatar! If you do that, the Demon Duke will surely hunt you down... Ah. Come to think of it, it should be fine. You are the Avatar of Archisus, after all. If an enemy were going to hunt you down for something like this, they would have done so already. And even if they did, would the Avatar of Archisus ever tremble before such a threat?"

"...Thanks for understanding," Tae-hyun said, feeling a bit dubious. It was nice that they understood, but it felt like their reasoning had taken a very strange turn.

"Wh-what did you talk about with the Avatar of Archisus?"

"That's too dangerous!"

"What if you can't return to the Spirit Realm because of this?!"

As their companion conversed with Tae-hyun, the other cold spirits worried as if it were their own problem. Spirits were, by nature, pure and good-hearted creatures!

"The Avatar of Archisus didn't come to attack us!"

"Then why?"

"He came to attack the demons!"

"Ah. That makes sense!"

The spirits accepted this immediately! Come to think of it, the ones Archisus historically beat up were demons and angels, not spirits.

"But this is the territory of Duke Furneus..."

"You fool! He is the Avatar of Archisus!"

"Ah! Of course!"

The spirits were instantly convinced. Even if their opponent was the Demon Duke Furneus, they had the Avatar of Archisus on their side! Thinking of it that way, the upcoming battle suddenly felt highly winnable and entirely plausible.

"Avatar! Fighting!"

"Defeat the evil Demon Duke and free us from our shackles!"

"And if you happen to lose, please don't mention we said any of this!"

"..."

It was support from the cold spirits that he had never anticipated! Though their encouragement was a bit half-hearted, Tae-hyun decided to test the waters and asked them.

"If I free you, can you help me?"

"Ah. That might be difficult."

"...Why?"

"We are bound by a contract. If we are freed, we are compelled to fight to stop any intruders."

They were currently bound tight by a holy skill, but normally, spirits were bound to honor their contracts. If their bodies were set free, they would have no choice but to block the intruders! In the end, there was only one thing the spirits could do: cheer him on verbally!

"There's a secret storehouse under those stairs!"

"There's a trap over that way!"

"Can we please shut those spirits up?" even the goblins grumbled in annoyance! The spirits weren't even helping, yet they kept chiming in from their bound positions with comments like, "Ah, that's not how you do that job," and "Wow, is this your first time here?" It was starting to get on everyone's nerves.

"Let's bear with it for a bit. There's nothing to lose by being on good terms with spirits," Tae-hyun placated the goblins. They were currently bound by Furneus's contract, but if they were freed, they would become his most reliable allies! Besides, in Pan-On, races that were pure and good-natured like them were incredibly useful. They were the exact opposite of insidious, greedy bastards like Pelmas or the NPCs of the Archisus Church! Furthermore, since the cold spirits had been working under Furneus, they must have overheard plenty of things, making them even more helpful regarding the Demon Realm.

Seizing the opportunity, Tae-hyun approached the spirits. "Is there any way to nullify the contract you made with Furneus?"

"Av... Avatar...!"

"?"

"Are you asking because you're worried about us being overworked by Furneus?"

"...Of course! What other reason could there possibly be?"

The spirits' expressions suddenly brightened (even though they didn't actually have faces)!

"To think he would be so kind and benevolent...!"

"Maybe we had him all wrong?"

"Come to think of it, the things we heard in the Spirit Realm were just rumors, and the ones badmouthing the Avatar of Archisus were the Demon Dukes. I think we were mistaken!"

However, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Carbanog's warning did not reach the spirits. To the cold spirits, Tae-hyun already looked like a savior who had come to rescue them!

"There is a very easy way to break the contract!"

"Oh? What is it?"

Hearing that it was easy, Tae-hyun felt a spark of anticipation. Perhaps burning a physical contract hidden somewhere in the castle? He hoped it was something like that!

"Kill Furneus!"

"...Hmph!"

Tae-hyun clenched his fist, then slowly let it go. If his conversational partner had been an NPC of the Archisus Church or a demon, he would have grabbed them by the collar immediately. If killing a boss monster around level 1,000 was the easy way, what on earth was the hard way?

"Do you really think that method is easy?"

"Is... isn't it easy for you, Avatar...?"

"...Other than that?"

"Ah! There is a way to deal a massive blow to Furneus, forcing him to sever his connection with the spirits! Since Furneus forced us into an unstable contract, dealing a heavy blow to him will shatter all his contracts with the spirits!"

"Mmm!"

That was also hard! Though it was certainly much easier than outright killing him...

Maybe I can catch him off guard and land one massive hit? It's not like I'm incapable of dealing burst damage, but...

Indeed, few players were as suited for a 'single powerful strike' as Tae-hyun. Depending on how much preparation he put in, he was a player capable of preparing a blow that could deal significant damage even to a Demon Duke!

The spirits were judging Tae-hyun solely based on rumors and what they had heard from the Demon Duke. According to those rumors, the Avatar of Archisus devoured demons for breakfast, feasted on Demon Dukes for lunch, and snacked on dragons for dinner!

In reality, Tae-hyun was still an incomplete Avatar who hadn't even recovered all of Archisus's power. Naturally, the gap in strength was immense, and a head-on confrontation with a Demon Duke was something he couldn't even dream of—especially in the Demon Realm!

Due to their immense power and gentle temperaments, spirits from the Spirit Realm were highly coveted by countless beings. While some summoners paid a fair price to call upon them, others resorted to despicable methods to deceive and imprison them.

The Ice Duke, Furneus, had summoned the spirits and then corrupted them with hellish demonic energy to force them into submission. He had even forced them to roam through territories plagued by pestilence and poison!

Ah.

Tae-hyun and Carbanog pretended not to notice. Let's just say this was all Furneus's fault!

I knew it!

He had suspected as much from the moment the cold spirits started pleading with him, and he was right. A contract with the Cold Spirits! This was an opportunity he couldn't afford to pass up.

I feel the exact same way.

Why did the Ice Duke, Furneus, employ spirits instead of demons? Because they were just that convenient.

Hiring a demon? → You have to pay them a monthly salary, provide four major insurances, and offer various welfare benefits—and even then, they still rebel and betray you from time to time!

Hiring a spirit? → They work tirelessly even if you give them absolutely nothing!

That was how reliable spirits were once a contract was established.

To be honest, I wasn't entirely set on successfully stealing this castle.

Tae-hyun was not a baseless optimist. Naturally, he had kept the possibility of failure in mind. What if his plan to float the castle and pull off an eat-and-run failed?

...I was planning to blow the castle sky-high.

It was a thought that would have given Furneus a heart attack! If I can't have it, no one ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠can—that was the true Archisus way.

But if he did succeed in stealing the castle and running away...

From then on, I'd have to worry about maintenance.

Leaving the castle in the Demon Realm was madness. He would have to drag it back to the continent somehow and float it above a kingdom.

Probably over The Valley.

Since its defenses were the strongest. However, the demons wouldn't just sit idly by. They would constantly try to reclaim the castle, meaning he would need a force to defend it. If he could secure these cold spirits?

They would make the perfect guards...!

Even if the demons invaded, they wouldn't dare approach easily. The fact that the castle was in the air was the first line of defense, and having cold spirits inside would make it even more formidable! On top of that, he could have the goblins set up additional defenses...

"Whew. I guess I have no choice but to team up with the rankers... and land a solid hit."

Tae-hyun began to take stock of his assets. He had done his best to hide his identity, but even if he got caught, he was determined to land a blow.

I might have to use [that skill]. I should also equip my newly acquired gear, [that item], and I'll need to craft [that] before I go. I'll also have to turn one of the rankers into a [sacrificial lamb]...

Without pouring in all his resources like this, even Tae-hyun had a slim chance of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠victory against Furneus.

- Tae-hyun, are you free right now?

- Why?

Tae-hyun paused at the whisper from Lee Da-bi. Was the fortress under attack? He was certain he had hidden his identity properly.

- The guilds that came here went to Furneus's territory and are doing some... weird things. Is this really okay?

- ???

Flustered, Tae-hyun turned on a stream. Unlike when there were only solo rankers, the guilds were all broadcasting their gameplay. Even if they ended up embarrassing themselves, they couldn't afford to skip streaming under their guild's name. Embarrassment was temporary, but views were eternal!

And the situation was spiraling completely out of control.

"Aaargh! Argh! Ahhhh!"

"F-Furneus is coming!"

An enraged Furneus was terrifying. Though he was of average size, a dreadful aura emanated from his body, which looked as if it were carved from blue crystal.

Riding atop an ice dragon, the Ice Duke swept through his territory, unleashing a barrage of ice! Even the disgruntled spirits knelt in terror. Upon hearing rumors that Furneus had taken the field himself, demons from other territories fled in a panic. Even the Shadow Elves who had been assisting the rankers quickly retreated and made their escape!

The only ones left? The rankers and the guilds who still hadn't fully grasped the situation!

"Scatter!"

"W-wait, why are we just scattering?"

"So we don't all die together!"

"We have to fight! What are we going to do if we just run?!"

A guild leader, who still hadn't sized up the power of a Demon Duke, asked in frustration. Of course, from the rankers' perspective, it was the guild leader who was being frustratingly dense.

"The ones we have to compete against are you guys."

"...What?"

"We just need to be faster than you!"

With those words, the rankers began to run like madmen in all directions. It was a life-or-death game of tag! If you were slower than the next guy, you died! Thinking of it that way made it incredibly thrilling.

"Uh, uh, uh..."

"So you were there!"

As Furneus raised his hand, a spear of ice materialized at his fingertips. The spear shot forward like a bolt of lightning and exploded.

"Ice Duke's Ice Spear!"

KRA-BOOM!

Such was the power to wipe out an entire party with a single attack! Furneus looked down arrogantly from atop his ice dragon.

"Tell Adad! If he dared to cross me, he should have come himself!"

"?"

"Who's that?"