The Eye of the Storm

The rankers felt as if they had been struck on the head with a blunt weapon. To think such a strategy existed!

They say the safest place during a typhoon is the eye of the storm, right in the center. That was exactly the case here. Why did the Guild Alliance omit Kim Tae-hyun's name from their announcements? Why did the Midas Guild do the same? Because they were absolutely terrified of him! The rankers nodded in unison. Remembering what Tae-hyun had just told ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠them, it made perfect sense. If they were in their shoes, they would have been terrified too. Besides, the Guild Alliance had already been thoroughly wrecked by Tae-hyun.

Now that I think about it, we were so stupid. If we were with Kim Tae-hyun, they wouldn't target him—they'd target us!

Even though there's a kill order on us right now, they aren't attacking us. It has to be because of Kim Tae-hyun!

The rankers were no fools. They read between the lines of the Guild Alliance and Midas Guild's announcements and grasped the hidden truth.

"Hey guys? Why is everyone so quiet?"

"Ahem! Come to think of it, there's nothing to do in the Asbian Empire. Besides, I hate the heat, and it's way too hot in that desert climate."

"It just occurred to me, but the Prica Continent has no future. How long has it been since it was discovered, and they still haven't cleared the mountain paths..."

"..."

Green's face contorted in disgust. These bastards...!

The last ranker pretended to whisper to someone.

"What? Uruk is that bad?! The old men there keep making forced dad jokes? Oh no! That's terrible! If I go there, I'll turn into a weirdo!"

"You bastards! What are you pulling?!"

"What's wrong, Green? How could you say that to us?"

"You're going too far, Green! Apologize!"

"Do you think I don't know what you're up to?! You're planning to tag along with Kim Tae-hyun!"

As Green lost his temper, the other rankers acted completely shamelessly.

"What's wrong with tagging along?"

"Kim Tae-hyun might just happen to be on the path I'm walking."

"Exactly. Does Kim Tae-hyun belong to you?"

Green clutched the back of his neck. I shouldn't have trusted these jerks...!

Tae-hyun already had a notoriously foul temper. Green had planned to stay as quiet and invisible as possible to avoid getting cursed out and kicked away, and then, once the quest was over, drop to his knees and beg Tae-hyun's party to let him tag along... But if all these rankers tagged along, his plan would be completely ruined! They'd all get caught!

"Hey, but how are you planning to follow Kim Tae-hyun?"

"Yeah, Green. What was your plan?"

"Oh, come on, how hard can it be? We just put on a thick face and follow him. If Kim Tae-hyun asks why we're following him, we'll just say we're heading the same way. He doesn't own the road."

"...Do you want to die by Kim Tae-hyun's hands before the Guild Alliance even gets to you?"

"N-No, I mean, Kim Tae-hyun has an image to maintain..."

"If Kim Tae-hyun kills you, people will blame you, not him! Wake up, you lunatic!"

"You heard Kim Tae-hyun's 3 Rules of Looting earlier, and you're still talking about his 'image'? This guy is going to get us all killed!"

"Green! Tell us how you were planning to follow him!"

"No way! I'm not telling you bastards anything!"

"You jerk... spill it! Spill it!"

"Are you trying to survive all by yourself? How petty!"

"Just whisper it to me!"

Suddenly, the rankers started grabbing each other by the collars and brawling.

Tae-hyun, who had been waiting, got bored. He let out a yawn and called out to them.

"Hey, guys."

Snap.

Incredibly, the fighting stopped instantly. The rankers themselves were shocked. Such terrifying presence!

"Y-Yes?"

"If you aren't ready to move in one minute, I'm tying you all up, throwing you outside, and clearing this dungeon by myself."

"...Yes, sir. We'll get ready."

From the 4th floor onward, it was an area meant for players with decent levels in a guild. While ore veins became more abundant, the monsters appearing were correspondingly stronger.

Mine Golems!

Monsters born from mana-infused ore veins, they were powerful entities that eliminated any enemies approaching them. Golems born from ruby veins unleashed powerful fire-attribute attacks, while those from sapphire veins even cast ice-attribute attacks, making them incredibly tricky to deal with.

They had massive health pools and elemental attributes! Moreover, they weren't unified under a single element; they were all different, which made things even more annoying. Mages had to adjust their spells accordingly.

Of course, that was only a problem for normal guilds. For Tae-hyun, it was a completely different story.

Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!

One swing, one kill!

Tae-hyun charged forward, swinging his Ancient Hammer like a madman. Even if the enemies' attacks landed, they couldn't pierce his defense. The Mine Golems were incredibly honest attackers. They didn't even use curses! They posed absolutely no threat to Tae-hyun. Furthermore, the Ancient Hammer was the ultimate counter to these golems. The moment it touched them, they melted away like magic!

The rankers, who had prepared themselves in the rear, stood with their mouths agape in sheer disbelief. His claim that he would 'clear the dungeon alone' was not an exaggeration at all!

Tae-hyun didn't even rest. Normally, after defeating a pack of monsters, players would take a break to recover HP, MP, and wait for skill cooldowns. Even when clearing an easy dungeon, they would rest briefly after two or three battles. But Tae-hyun didn't stop.

At first, the rankers thought, Surely he'll stop in a bit? or Once Kim Tae-hyun takes a break, we'll get a chance to hunt too. But as time went on, they fell into deep shock.

Could it be...

Could he really be planning to sweep the entire 4th floor alone without a single break???

"Sang-yun, take Su-hyeok and head right. Ji-soo, Da-bi, take the Goblins and Chimeras and head left."

"Got it."

"Yes!"

Tae-hyun split up the party while continuing to swing his hammer. He was determined to sweep the place even faster! Before splitting off, Lee Da-bi sent Tae-hyun a whisper.

—Tae-hyun, I think it would be a good idea to turn on your stream.

—Huh? Aren't those hangers-on... I mean, those rankers already streaming?

—They all turned theirs off because of the kill order.

—Our location is already compromised anyway, so why not just turn it on...

—Everyone is dying of curiosity because of that. Would you mind turning it on?

—Sure, why not. It's not like it's hard.

While whispering, Tae-hyun swung his hammer with one hand and turned on his stream with the other.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

A house-sized golem lunged at him with all its might. Tae-hyun lightly leaped, stepped on the golem's knee, shattered its head, kicked off its back, and soared into the air again. A neighboring golem swung its arm to grab him, but the moment its arm touched his hammer, it shattered into pieces.

A continuous chain of basic attacks without using a single active skill! He was merely swinging horizontally and vertically, yet there was something majestic about the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠way the golems were swept away.

The viewers weren't easily fooled anymore. The "Kim Tae-hyun turned on his stream" lie was a classic that popped up whenever people were bored! Over time, the trolls had evolved to the point where they even used two-man operations and fake links, ensuring almost everyone had been burned at least once. But this time, those who believed it were the true winners.

Those who clicked the link were greeted by the sight of Tae-hyun harvesting golems like a farmer cutting grass. He made it look as effortless as farming!

While other teams held regular events, sent players to broadcasts for promotion, and handed out free tickets only to struggle to fill seats, Team KL was the exact opposite. They were running the ultimate seller's market! They kept events to an absolute minimum, rarely appeared on official broadcasts, and barely streamed on their personal channels.

As Tae-hyun finished off the golems and stared at the wall, a few viewers suddenly felt a dark premonition of a sad future. That familiar motion they had seen on floors 1 through 3!

Clang, clang, clang—

They barely got to see any of the glorious combat, and now it was back to mining! The viewers wanted to cry. Yet, they couldn't bring themselves to close the stream. If they turned it off and missed something else, they'd die of regret!

"ItisfinallymyturntoshineMaster!"

"Wh-Whoa, you startled me...!"

Yu Ji-soo flinched as the gun suddenly spoke to her. Even though she had accepted it knowing what it was, she still wasn't used to this Mechanical Divine Beast! Moreover, this gun was incredibly noisy. It chattered non-stop, to the point where she actually felt bad for Tae-hyun.

If those dragons are as noisy and annoying as this gun...

Of course, she was completely mistaken. If Yong-yong or Heuk-heuk heard this, they would have jumped in outrage!

"Iwillshowyoumytruepower."

"Wait, let me aim first..."

Before she could even finish her sentence, the gun began to fire.

Boom!

"!!!"

Yu Ji-soo was startled, Lee Da-bi was startled, and even the Goblins in the back jumped in surprise! The Archisus Chimeras shrieked in shock.

"Hahahathisisgreat!Great!ThisiswaytoomuchfunMaster!"

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The gun fired wildly, spewing thick, acrid smoke! And its power was absolutely devastating. With every shot, the golems were blasted to smithereens and sent flying. The sheer destructive force was enough to make the Underground Alliance Goblins drop their weapons in awe! It was a demonstration of what a Level 500+ summon could do. No fancy skills were needed! Basic attacks were more than enough!

"...Wait. Hold on."

"Iwillkeepshoo—"

Before the gun could finish, Ji-soo quickly spun it around and jammed its barrel into the ground. A flawless motion! The Goblins watched in admiration at her swift reaction. That archer really knows ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠how to handle a gun!

"Wh-Why didyou dothat?"

"I'm not getting any experience...?"

"Whatdoesitmatter!Youhaveme!Iwilldoallthefightingfromnowon!"

"...No firing unless I tell you to."

"?!"

Ji-soo lifted the gun and turned it aside. It was certainly a powerful summon, but... it was too awkward to use! If it swept everything like that, how was she supposed to level up?

I shouldn't use it unless it's an absolute emergency.

"MasterMaster!Pleasedon'tabandonme!"

And I need to muzzle it.

Ji-soo didn't stop there; she tightly wrapped up the muzzle. Seeing this, the Underground Alliance Goblins crept closer and asked,

"Hehehe... Excuse us... Could you perhaps let us examine that gun...?"

"Mmph mmph mmph! (Masteryoudarenot handovermetothosegoblins!)"

"W-Wait. Is there nothing for us to do?"

"Oh. Right, you guys were here."

Tae-hyun spoke as if he had genuinely forgotten about them. The rankers felt a surge of indignation. Hey...! How could you forget about us!

"Sorry, sorry. In that case, you guys head to the back and clean up the remaining golems."

Tae-hyun pulled up the map and pointed to the remaining forks in the path. With their numbers, they should be able to sweep them quickly. Thrilled to finally have something to do, the rankers rejoiced.

"Just you watch! We'll be the first to finish!"

"This isn't really a competition..."

The rankers ignored him and rushed off in a swarm. Watching them go, Tae-hyun thought to himself:

No matter how I look at them, those guys are kind of like Cain.