The Original Sin of Competence

Tae-hyun thought so, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠but in truth, he had no intention of leaving this mirror in the castle. Using this mirror as a gateway to the Demon Realm is the best option right now. Currently, this mirror was connected to the temple in the Valley Territory. Once the flight system was activated, this castle was bound to fly off to the continent anyway. Though he didn't know exactly where yet...!

Thinking about it that way, leaving the mirror inside the castle would be a massive waste. Once he reached the continent, Tae-hyun had countless ways to get around anyway. I can escape from almost anywhere. With his motorcycle and Yong-yong, it was a given! Therefore, this mirror had to be left behind in the Demon Realm, not inside the castle.

I guess the fortress is the only option. The only village currently in the Demon Realm, the fortress! Although it was a temporary stronghold, Tae-hyun had no intention of throwing away such a windfall. He already knew just how important this fortress was.

The territory's economic stats are rising rapidly, and above all, there isn't a single village that can replace it right now. In the future, as players reached higher levels, Demon Realm quests would increase in earnest. Thinking of that future, keeping this fortress was the right move.

The problem is that the chances of it being destroyed are too high... If it were on the continent, he wouldn't have to worry, but this was the Demon Realm. If the demons made up their minds to invade, he would have to abandon the fortress and run. But it should be fine, right? Once I run off with the castle, they won't care about ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a mere fortress anyway. After Archisus declared, "I have returned!" and the Demon Duke's castle suddenly flew into the sky and vanished, no demon would spare a thought for a small fortress.

I hope so.

"Hmm. So we have to pack up this mirror and head back to the fortress? Man, who's the poor soul who's going to get stuck with such a tedious chore?" Cain smirked. At least it's not me! Unlike usual, there were plenty of pitiful rankers around this time. No matter how he looked at it, it had to be one of them!

"Cain, I'm counting on you."

"Yeah, Cain. Do a good job... Wait, that's me?!" Cain gasped in shock. Why him?!

"Why?! Why me?! There are plenty of rankers over there!"

"Well... I can't exactly trust those guys with such an important item."

"..." It made too much sense! Cain fell to his knees. He couldn't find a single word to refute it. Indeed, he couldn't trust those rankers that much either...!

"Besides, if you go back, the 4th Prince will be deeply moved. Since you've already gotten close to him, try to make the most of it."

"I don't want to make the most of it! I just want to go back to the continent!" Although Cain had adapted to all kinds of high-difficulty quests by following Tae-hyun around, he absolutely hated the Demon Realm. The difficulty was just absurd! He wanted to do quests in a place where he could at least survive the attacks.

"Wait, hold on. Does that mean... I'm the only one staying behind in the Demon Realm?"

"Come on, you can travel back and forth using the mirror, so don't worry too much."

"..." Watching Cain, who looked half-dead, Yong-yong spoke with a hint of concern.

- Master. Is he going to be okay?

"He'll be fine. He'll snap out of it soon."

- Heheh. The Aykisus's Slave has completely lost his mind, Master.

"Oh, right. Heuk-heuk, you go with Cain and help him out."

- What?! Heuk-heuk had spoken up only to get dragged into the mess himself!

- I... I really worked my tail off!

"Huh? Yeah, I know. I heard you did a great job."

The only reason the rankers had managed to escape with their lives while Furneus was running amok was entirely thanks to Heuk-heuk. Of course, his methods had been a bit extreme, but no one complained. So what if his affection was a little too hot to handle? Thanks to that, the rankers' eyes were filled with deep gratitude whenever they looked at Heuk-heuk. Every time they passed by, they offered him gifts to show their appreciation.

"Since he's a dragon, he's a reptile, right? He must love bugs. I brought these premium reptile snacks that reptile-type monsters absolutely love."

"Whoa, where did you even get those?"

"Hehe. Anglers raise these things quite often. They sell them at the guild, and the quality is pretty good. Here, Lord Heuk-heuk! Please, have some!"

- Ptu!

"?!"

- But why...?!

"If you don't go, Cain will be in danger."

They had to cross Furneus's Territory, and without Heuk-heuk's authority, it was far too dangerous. This, too, made perfect sense! Heuk-heuk slumped down next to Cain. He, too, couldn't find a single word to argue back.

"Ugh... It's because I'm too competent and diligent..."

- Sob... Is this the original sin of being a highly competent Black Dragon...?

"..."

"..."

"Should we just leave them behind and go?"

"Shall we?" Tae-hyun readily agreed to Yu Ji-soo's suggestion and quickly distanced himself from them.

- Muhahaha! What's the matter, Furneus?! Your movements are sluggish!

- Urgh...!

Adad was gradually pushing Furneus back.

- Authority of Frost Seal!

Ice walls rose in all directions.

- Hahaha! Do you really think you can block me with this?! Let's see how long you can keep running!

Adad swung his hammer, smashing everything in his path.

Furneus gnashed his teeth and backed away. Normally, when a mage faced a warrior in a one-on-one battle, they needed preparation. Summoning magic, curses, or any other spells would do. First, they had to restrict the warrior's movements and prevent them from closing the distance.

However, Furneus had been ambushed and forced into this fight without any preparation. A mage of Furneus's caliber could unleash dozens of spells in less than a second, but against an opponent like Adad, such basic spells ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠were completely useless. He needed time.

But with his spirits currently running wild, Furneus had no viable way to buy time. It was a stroke of luck that Adad's subordinates had collapsed from plague and poison; otherwise, Furneus would have been defeated long ago. Furneus's eyes gleamed as his mind raced.

- Authority of Frost ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Clone!

- What a tedious trick!

Identical ice clones materialized in droves around Furneus. Adad grunted in annoyance and prepared to unleash an area-of-effect skill. While clone magic was a powerful skill, to a demon of Adad's caliber, it was merely a nuisance. He was confident he could wipe them all out with a single AoE attack!

Just as Adad raised his hammer, preparing to shatter the ground once more, the clones began fleeing in all directions.

- ?!?!?

Adad froze for a moment before bursting into a wild laugh.

- Bwahahaha! Furneus, you coward! Are you running away?! Yes! You should! That pathetic sight suits you perfectly!

Grind. Furneus felt his stomach churn with rage. For a Demon Duke, pride was as high as the heavens. Fleeing from a battle was an immense humiliation! Yet, Furneus grit his teeth and kept his distance to recover his strength and buy time.

I must return to the castle! Inside his castle, there were powerful magical items and spirits that were still intact. If he could borrow their power, he would be able to overwhelm Adad once again! And Adad had already read his intentions.

- Where do you think you're going?!

Ignoring the numerous clones scattering elsewhere, Adad pursued Furneus. Or more accurately, he chased the clones heading toward Furneus's castle.

I'll take this opportunity to kill this arrogant bastard once and for all! Demons were not a benevolent race that would back down just because they won a fight. If they won, they made sure to finish off their opponent! Otherwise, there was no telling what kind of vengeance they might face in the future. Moreover, Furneus had insulted Adad far too deeply. He could never forgive him.

- You pathetic wretch, worse than even Archisus! Aren't you ashamed of running away?!

- I refuse to hear that from someone more ignorant than Archisus! Shut your mouth!

- Fine! Let's see if you can still talk like that when you're crushed under my hammer!

Boom! Boom! Adad quickly caught up and smashed Furneus's clones one by one.

What? Why are they all clones...? At first, he thought he was just unlucky, but even as he destroyed them one after another, every single one turned out to be a clone.

- What cheap tricks!

Adad turned his head in fury. The Furneuses running straight toward the castle were all clones. The real one was taking a detour from afar! Naturally, Furneus had anticipated that Adad would read his movements. Already heated, Adad's rage boiled over even further.

- How dare you look down on me?!

Although Adad was a warrior, he was by no means stupid. A Demon Duke was bound to be cunning. Instead of chasing the clones again, he headed straight for Furneus's castle. He was certain the bastard would show up there eventually anyway.

Annoying bastard! Realizing this, Furneus gnashed his teeth. Adad was surprisingly thorough. Block him in front of the castle! Get inside the castle! The two Demon Dukes began moving with all their might. And the first to arrive was Adad.

Thud! Adad slammed his hammer down in front of him and roared.

- Furneus, you bastard! Come at me! Your petty schemes won't work on me!

Dammit...! Furneus hesitated. Should he break through by force? Or should he give up? If I can just summon the spirits inside, I can buy a moment of time. If I can somehow summon them... and make them go berserk...

- ...?!

Lost in thought, Furneus blinked. Did the castle just move a little?

"The—the—the Demon Dukes are coming this way!!" the rankers shrieked in terror. Tae-hyun couldn't help but gasp as well. Did they spot us?! But after assessing the situation, Tae-hyun quickly regained his composure.

"We haven't been spotted yet! They just shifted their battlefield while fighting."

"Then why are both of them charging over here like madmen?!"

"Furneus is losing the fight, so he's trying to get inside the castle to hold out. Adad is trying to stop him."

"I—I see..." Only then did the rankers heave a sigh of relief. The sight of the two Demon Dukes charging from afar was nothing short of terrifying.

"Your Majesty!!! Preparations are complete!"

Legendary... Can I actually reach Legendary? Tae-hyun smacked his lips. Even in Pan-On 1, Tae-hyun had been unable to raise his Blacksmithing Skill to Legendary. In fact, no one had. Tae-hyun had reached the late high-80s of Highest-grade Blacksmithing, and he was the player who had progressed the furthest among all blacksmiths...

The difficulty of the Legendary rank was truly worthy of its name. While at the Beginner level, the skill rank would increase by 1 with almost any action, at the Highest-grade, one had to make dozens or hundreds of attempts just to raise the skill rank by 1! It took something as absurd as modifying a Demon Duke's castle to run away with it just to raise the skill level by 1.

And now that a Legendary Quest has popped up, it's going to be even more grueling. Going from 6 to 10 would be far more difficult than going from 1 to 6. Tae-hyun had no choice but to steel his resolve.

Thanks for the comfort, Carbanog.