A Free Ride in the Salz Kingdom

Most of the guild members in Power Warrior didn't care about death penalties. They originally lived by philosophies like "If you don't have levels, you have nothing to lose," and "This is true non-possession," but after the Dagger Squad and Sniper Squad were founded within the guild, it got even worse.

No matter how much Lee Da-bi nagged them, the guild members paid her no mind. If they were the type of people to level up honestly, they wouldn't have joined Power Warrior in the first place! Those who joined Power Warrior were basically players who had zero interest in normal leveling. The guild's atmosphere of rejecting normalcy suited them perfectly. Of course, this wasn't the kind of atmosphere Lee Da-bi had wanted to create...

'But didn't they get weirdos because they advertised it that way in the first place?' Tae-hyun thought, though he didn't say it out loud to Lee Da-bi. At any rate, the members of the Power Warrior Guild absolutely loved getting a free ride. It was so bad that their favorite ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠food was raw fish, because they loved eating things raw!

To these Power Warrior guild members, Tae-hyun was a guaranteed meal ticket. Participate in just one of his quests, and you could slack off and live comfortably for a whole year! On top of that, once Tae-hyun started streaming and completely dominated the individual broadcast rankings, the guild members' thirst reached its peak. Please... please let us go out there! We don't care if we're just bombs!

There was a widespread rumor that "Kim Tae-hyun uses players as bombs," but this was actually a highly exaggerated image. Tae-hyun had rarely used players as bombs. The image had only been blown out of proportion because of Cain's performance in the tournament and the self-destructive hobbies of the mechanical engineering blacksmiths who followed Tae-hyun around! The Living Bomb skill was actually quite tricky to use, and in most cases, it was simply easier to use regular bombs or deal direct damage. But this new skill was truly... an opportunity equally open to everyone! Even a level 1 player could do it!

Tae-hyun called Lee Da-bi over and explained the newly acquired skill to her.

"So, I got a skill like this..."

"...He's not an evil god, right?"

"N-No, probably not. I think."

Tae-hyun stammered slightly. He isn't, right? Surely not!

"It's annoying because I just know our guild members are going to absolutely love this..."

The future was clear as day!

Hearing Lee Da-bi's explanation, Tae-hyun offered her some comfort.

"Come on, but Power Warrior has a lot of normal people joining now, right?"

"That's true, but..."

It was true. Ever since the guild's popularity surged, high-level players and rankers had been joining Power Warrior. And it wasn't just because of Tae-hyun's popularity. The fact that players didn't leave once they joined proved that Power Warrior possessed an unexpected charm. They were drawn to the guild's easygoing, free-spirited atmosphere!

"...But even the people who join like that start turning weird after some time..."

It was true. A terrifying corruption effect that turned even high-level players and rankers into typical Power Warrior members once they joined!

Hearing Lee Da-bi's explanation, Tae-hyun was left speechless.

"...Well, at least the guild has a great atmosphere!"

"...I suppose so..."

Looking at Lee Da-bi, who seemed utterly exhausted mentally, Tae-hyun thought to himself:

'I should absolutely never start a guild, even in the future.'

It was a world where the responsible ones always ended up suffering!

"So where are we?"

Tae-hyun walked out onto the castle's outer wall and looked around. By the looks of it, they had crashed... no, landed right in the middle of some mountain range. Mountain peaks were visible nearby. But strangely, it looked familiar.

"...Wait... this is ominously familiar..."

"Th-this place is..."

Yu Ji-soo muttered beside him, her voice filled with shock. It was even more familiar to her.

"It's the Salz Kingdom, isn't it?!"

The Salz Kingdom. A kingdom located in the northern mountainous region, sandwiched between the Erance Kingdom and the Auston Kingdom. And... the kingdom where Tyrum City was located! It was the very kingdom where Tae-hyun and Yu Ji-soo had started playing Pan-On. The number one kingdom avoided by Pan-On players! The number one kingdom with the fewest Pan-On players! The number one kingdom hated by Pan-On players! The very kingdom that held that glorious triple crown!

'Isn't that a bit too harsh? The Salz Kingdom isn't all bad. Sure, the towns and cities are all in the mountains, the facilities are lacking, and there are no players, making it brutally hard to play, but...'

"Still, seeing it like this brings back memories..."

"Not for me."

Yu Ji-soo replied flatly. She hated the Salz Kingdom! Tae-hyun had left the kingdom almost immediately after being forced to change classes to the Avatar of Archisus, but Yu Ji-soo had to stay in the Salz Kingdom for a long time because her class was a Tyrum Ranger. Just thinking about the difficulty made her shudder!

While others could just go to a general store to buy potions, the general stores in the Salz Kingdom didn't even sell potions, so she had to wrap bandages herself. There was a good reason why Yu Ji-soo had grown strong so quickly. Her role model was Tae-hyun, and she was playing in the Salz Kingdom! It was the perfect recipe for forced growth.

"But don't you think it's gotten a bit better compared to the early days of Pan-On?"

"Not at all."

Yu Ji-soo replied flatly once more. In the early days of Pan-On, Tyrum City was called the 'graveyard of beginners' and people said, 'If anyone recommends this place to you, grab them by the collar.' What about now? Now, it was even worse!

As more information became available, beginners avoided the Salz Kingdom even more, causing the player count to dwindle further... and the remaining players kept leaving. Perhaps because she harbored a deep grudge, Yu Ji-soo listed a hundred complaints about the Salz Kingdom. She could easily talk about it for hours!

"If we're in the Salz Kingdom, we can just make some repairs and fly straight down to the Atali Kingdom."

They would have to pass through the Auston Kingdom, but Auston wouldn't have the leisure to worry about Tae-hyun right now. Even if they did, what could they do if he flew high up in the sky?

"Hyung... I doubt we can even find the materials for repairs here..."

"..."

"Wouldn't it be better to just climb down the mountain over there into the Auston Kingdom and get the materials there?"

"Ca... Cain! You've returned!"

The 4th Prince cried, looking at Cain with teary eyes. Cain wiped under his nose and replied, "I had to stay in the Demon Realm because of you!"

Phew. Of course I came back. When you think of responsibility, you think of Cain, and when you think of Cain, you think of responsibility.

"Wh-what did you just say?"

"Ah, oops. My inner thoughts slipped out backwards... I meant, I'm here to keep my promise!"

Cain quickly changed his tune. Perhaps because their intimacy level was so high, the 4th Prince readily believed Cain's words. The knights standing beside him also cheered for Cain.

"Your Highness, didn't I tell you? Sir Cain would surely return."

"Sir Cain ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠is the true paragon of knighthood."

"There is no way Sir Cain would abandon Your Highness, run away like a rat, and live a comfortable life all by himself."

It was oddly specific!

These... these bastards were talking smack behind my back, thinking I ran away...! Of course, he had tried to run away, but still!

"So, what's the situation in the fortress right ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠now?"

"The adventurers are completely terrified and refuse to budge. Please give them a harsh scolding, Sir Cain!"

"Indeed. If a knight of Sir Cain's caliber speaks to them, even the adventurers will listen."

"..."

Cain was momentarily left speechless. Guys, do you think I'm Kim Tae-hyun or something? If Kim Tae-hyun did it, everyone would be deeply moved or intimidated into following him. If Cain did it, they would react with "Who the hell are you?" and Cain would end up crying his eyes out in a corner. He could only envision that exact future.

The adventurers gathered here were no low-levels. They were elite parties sent by various guilds, with rankers acting as party leaders. There was no way such people would listen to him... And honestly, I wouldn't want to go out either. It hadn't been that long since the broadcast of the Demon Duke obliterating entire parties had aired!

Right now, the players in the fortress were only showing reactions like: "Please don't let the Demon Duke come here," and "Selling escape routes! Pay me gold first and I'll tell you! For real!"

"More importantly, when is the main army of the Erance Kingdom arriving? I mean, if your own child is in danger, shouldn't you get here as fast as possible?!" Cain grumbled.

He ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠thought they would arrive immediately since the 4th Prince was here, but the expedition force being gathered by the Erance Kingdom was still only preparing to depart. Of course, this was the proper approach, and the 4th Prince, who had rushed out as the vanguard, was the weird one... but from Cain's perspective, it was incredibly frustrating!

"Slave, the Shadow Elves have arrived."

Meanwhile, one of the giants from the Archisus Artillery came in from outside and called out to Cain.

"Hmm?"

"What? Slave?"

The royal knights reacted in unison. At that, Cain hurriedly replied, "A slave of God! It means my faith is just that devout! Aren't we all slaves of God, after all?!"

"I... I've never thought about it to that extent... but hearing you say it, it does seem that way..."

"Sir Cain, your piety is truly remarkable."

They were growing closer and closer!

'Ah, but can I really control the Shadow Elves without Kim Tae-hyun here?' Cain was extremely worried. True to their nature as a race living in the Demon Realm, the Shadow Elves were highly bellicose. Without Tae-hyun, they might not listen to a word he said.

The Shadow Elf warriors marvelled in unison!