Cain's Indignation
After the first match ended, Cain fell into a highly complex and subtle mood. The experts showered him with praise.
• "A skill level worthy of being counted among the world's absolute best tanks."
• "Team KL's solid wall is a primary reason Kim Tae-hyun can shine so brightly. Their synergy completely overwhelms other teams."
• "His race change was a stroke of genius. It is the most optimal race for a tank. We expect a massive trend of tanks changing their races to match Cain's..."
Overwhelming praise! The bull-like charge he displayed in the second round had received stellar reviews. However, the majority of the fans...
It was a bizarre situation where he received pity despite winning! Even his family watched the match and said, "You did so well! *Ahem*..." while avoiding eye contact. The saddest part was when Ha-yeon told him, "Maybe you won't die next time! I'll be looking forward to it!"
Do you guys have any idea how I feel?! Cain snapped inwardly, but the players gathered in the fortress did not back down. They were just as furious.
"You bastard... I had such high expectations, thinking you were a cursed member of the Erangs Kingdom's royal family who wandered the lands as a hidden sword master...!"
"What kind of delusion is that specific and detailed?!"
Cain was utterly flabbergasted. He hadn't done a single thing. He had merely stood there looking cool, yet they had completely misunderstood on their own, and now they were throwing a tantrum, shouting, "You tricked us, you bastard!" Where on earth did they even get the idea of him being an Erangs Kingdom royal or a sword master?!
"How can you do this after we cleared quests together so well?! After we hunted monsters nearby together!"
"Hmph! That was all just a deception!"
"We're completely finished!"
Most of the players here belonged to raid parties sent by large guilds. Naturally, the executives of those large guilds weren't telling them to fight Cain. Instead, they were desperately trying to appease their raid parties!
However, the raid parties' discontent pierced the heavens. Not only had they nearly died from all kinds of attacks since arriving in the Demon Realm, but they were also trapped in the fortress with no way to return. And even if an expedition did arrive now, they doubted whether there would even be a way back.
The raid parties, whose frustration had reached its boiling point, were already beyond the guilds' control. The high-level players, who had half-given up, decided to go completely rogue.
There was no way players who had resolved to go completely rogue would leave Cain alone. Although Cain had the 4th Prince's royal guards, the giants of the Archisus Artillery, and the Shadow Elf tribe backing him, the players were currently half-crazed with rage. They were completely blind to reason! They were in such a reckless state that they would have charged even if Tae-hyun himself were standing there.
"Since things have turned out like this... I'll drag you down to hell with us... hehehe...!"
"Cain...! If you die, you won't be able to participate in the second match because of the death penalty, right?! Then Team KL will be completely ruined...!"
"...But now that I think about it, Team KL would probably be fine without someone like Cain anyway... Ah, whatever! Let's kill him anyway!"
"These little shits...!"
Cain was furious on multiple levels. How could they say something so incredibly obnoxious??
"Fine! Let's do this!"
It couldn't be helped even if the fortress crumbled. Now was the time to fight! Just as they were about to clash, one of the guild members suddenly froze.
...??? A whisper suddenly arrived from a friend!
"Hey. What's wrong? We agreed to grab that bastard Cain together."
"...Check the community boards..."
"...??"
"......"
The fortress suddenly fell dead silent! Cain also sneaked a peek at the community boards. Then, he realized. These bastards...! They suddenly value their lives again!
The community boards were already being flooded with posts at an insane rate.
Although there were many players who used the Valley as their base, most of them were crafters, and there were barely any rankers. It had been difficult to level up near the Valley. But now, things were different! To go to the Demon Realm, one absolutely had to stop by the Valley! If anyone aimed to conquer the Demon Realm, setting their resurrection point to the Valley was the natural choice.
The moment Tae-hyun released the information, the large guilds with any brains in their heads began to move desperately. Every single second was crucial! They had to buy land in the Valley and build guild houses before anyone else, preparing to safely deploy their members to the Demon Realm. If they lost the race to others, they might not be able to buy any land at all.
Having finished checking the community boards, Cain lifted his head. The very people who had been shouting "Hang Cain! Burn him!" just moments ago were now completely avoiding his gaze.
"What did you all just say?"
"......"
"Sigh. I am truly... deeply disappointed in you all."
Cain spoke while covering his face with his hand. At this, the players began to fidget anxiously.
"C-Cain...!"
"It's not what it looks like...!"
"We must have temporarily lost our minds!"
"This guy... this guy was the one who suggested it! He said we should all die together!"
"Y-you agreed to it too, so why are you acting like this now?!"
"Shut up! The one who brought it up first is the one at fault!"
In an instant, the parties began bickering among themselves! Watching them split up by guild and argue was a highly satisfying sight. Cain smiled warmly.
Oh my god. I'm starting to resemble Kim Tae-hyun! Cain was startled. To think he had learned such a thing!
"The fee to use the mirror is a mere one gold, but I'm not sure if I should let you guys use it."
"Caiiiin!"
"Please! *Sob!* I want to go back to the continent! I want to see my friends' faces!"
"I don't have any friends, but I still want to go back! Please!"
"Sigh. Fine. I'll send you back starting with whoever works the hardest!"
"...!"
"N-no..."
"You want us to do more quests? Here? Can't we just go back to the continent first?"
The Demon Realm was certainly an excellent place to level up. Every single wild monster in the fields easily exceeded level 200! Doing monster hunting quests around here with the help of Cain and the Shadow Elf tribe was undoubtedly a great choice for leveling up, but... the raid party members were currently in no state to make rational decisions. They just wanted to go back to the continent, no matter what!
However, whether he liked it or not, Cain had to stay here and cater to the 4th Prince's whims until the main force of the Erangs Kingdom arrived. If I can't even go back, where do you think you guys are going!
"You get minus ten points."
"N-no...! That's not fair!"
"What do you mean it's not fair! You guys are untrustworthy! The moment you get a chance, you'll stab me in the back and betray me! Just like my old guild members did!"
"......"
"......"
For a brief moment, the players looked at Cain with pity. They knew he used to be the Guild Master of the Red Zone, but had he really been betrayed by his own guild members? How pathetic did he have to be...
"Whether you like it or not, you're coming with me! Mwahahaha!"
Cain intended to use this opportunity to firmly bind the players in the fortress to his cause.
Join the Erangs Kingdom Expeditionary Force
📍 Objective: Assist the Vanguard Commander (Cain) in securing the Demon Realm fortress.
🎁 Reward: Erangs Kingdom Contribution Points, Reputation, and EXP.
⚠️ Penalty for Desertion / Refusal:
• The 4th Prince may become enraged.
• Severe reduction in Erangs Kingdom Reputation.
This bastard...!
What a cheap, underhanded jerk...!
The sheer meticulousness of dragging the 4th Prince into this to force an official affiliation so they couldn't run away later! They could clearly feel that he had learned this from hanging around Kim Tae-hyun. Furthermore, since Cain was currently acting as the Expedition Commander, he could issue commands as he pleased!
Fufu. That idiot Cain. Guys, don't worry. He's overlooking one crucial thing.
??
Think about it. Once the mirror opens, the guilds will immediately start pouring in reinforcements to rescue us. People will come flooding in.
...Ah, right!
Exactly. Right now, Cain can threaten us with those knights because there are so few of us in the fortress, but what happens when our numbers swell? He won't be able to threaten us anymore. When that time comes, they'll naturally have to open the mirror for us.
Hehehe... Foolish Cain!
Hehehehe!
The party members snickered and laughed. Once their guild members swarmed in...! At that exact moment, a whisper arrived from the Guild Master.
You have been kicked out of the guild.
"......"
"......"
Ah...! Now that they thought about it... they had caused a massive scene in the guild chat...!
The only reason the guild had tolerated their wild behavior until now was because they were the only raid party currently in the Demon Realm. The guild needed to gather information on how the Demon Realm worked, and they might have needed to borrow their strength there.
But now, the situation had completely changed. Even without the initial raid party, the guild could easily send dozens or hundreds of members to the Demon Realm! Under these circumstances, the original raid party was nothing more than "troublemakers who picked fights with the Guild Master and ruined the guild's atmosphere." Naturally, there was no way they would be left off the hook! It was honestly a miracle they hadn't been placed on a kill-on-sight list.
"......"
"What do we do now?"
But while that made perfect sense from the guild's perspective, the expelled players couldn't help but feel utterly dumbfounded. Sure, they had cursed out the Guild Master a bit and told everyone to drop dead in the guild chat, but to actually kick them out...! This was way too harsh!!