Fafnir Joins the Army, Then Starts Spreading Conspiracy Theories
After escaping the battlefield, Fafnir joined Elizabeth’s army.
“Oppa! Hooeong…….”
Once they had fallen a reasonable distance, the princess let out a pitiful sob.
‘Tsk.’
Fafnir clicked his tongue.
‘Even though she’s just a character in the game, she sounds so pitiful it’s almost a shame.’
Well, he couldn’t really judge. Fafnir—Kim Ganghan—was a character in the novel himself now.
‘I should help her a bit… Though I’m getting something out of it either way.’
In betting, the underdog always paid more than the favorite.
Right then.
“Fafnir-nim! You’ve arrived!”
Hilde and her companions rode up on horseback.
“Thank goodness. I was worried you might have stayed behind and died alone.”
“It was a close call.”
“You’re incredible. You made it out of that battlefield alive.”
Drexler and Veron gaped at him from head to toe in awe.
“Thanks to your prior warning, I actually survived.”
“Truly grateful.”
Of course, thanking him for pre-arranging the escape was just the icing on the cake.
“Well then, we’ll be going. We have to report for duty tomorrow……”
“Then I’ll handle the quest myself.”
“Thank you!”
Hilde grabbed Fafnir’s hand and beamed.
Drexler’s face flushed crimson at the sight.
“Heh! Then I’ll be off too.”
“If you need anything, just let me know.”
Drexler cleared his throat hastily as he dragged them apart.
After the farewells, Hilde and her group faded away one by one into streaks of light.
“……?”
Fafnir raised a question mark at Kindorhan.
“Aren’t you coming?”
“Haha, this body is a pro-gamer and the king of the underworld. I can’t stand rubbing shoulders with normal people.”
“Ah, you mean NEET.”
“What?”
Kindorhan’s face turned beet red.
“This is the era when the whole world’s big corporations are fighting to get in, and Titan Enterprises already ranks number one globally thanks to this game. It’s not just some virtual reality. It’s like mining the moon or Mars—a brand-new vision of the future world……”
Kindorhan unleashed an entire tirade about the benefits of being a pro-gamer.
Leaving him to it, Fafnir offered Elizabeth advice.
“Your Highness, you need to move now.”
“To the capital?”
“No. You should hide instead of going to the capital.”
At their first meeting she would have exploded, but this time Elizabeth didn’t react with any rejection.
“Then where shall we go?”
“I……”
“The Karshk Mountain Range would be ideal, Your Highness.”
A noble at her side gave his counsel.
“The mountains are rugged and vast, perfect for hiding troops. They’re east of here, so we can stay far from the orcs.”
Two clear advantages: distance from enemies and a safe hiding spot.
However……
‘The Karshk Great Mountains aren’t the best.’
The Great Mountains housed too many powerful monster hordes, including the Black Forge Dwarf Kingdom.
Not to mention——
Season 2.
When the Orc Empire’s rise ended, the next event would begin—conveniently, right in the east.
‘Rather than that……’
Fafnir’s hand tapped a spot on the map.
“This spot here would be better.”
“Hm?”
“There?”
The nobles flanking her turned their stares toward it.
“Aeolos Mountain?”
“Have you lost your mind? That’s one of the continent’s Ten Forbidden Zones!”
Aeolos Mountain.
A level-500 monster domain in the southwest of Baran Kingdom.
Few monsters, yet each one a regional boss-class threat.
Rugged terrain and high monster levels made it one of the continent’s Ten Forbidden Zones.
“The Karshk Mountains are broad, so that’s better. Going there and we’d all die!”
The nobles erupted in fierce protest.
But Fafnir continued calmly.
“I have a way. As long as we establish a base here, it’s guaranteed even the Archduke couldn’t touch it, isn’t it?”
“A way? Hah.”
A young noble NPC sneered and jabbed a finger.
“Your Highness, isn’t this man a necromancer?”
“……Yes, he is.”
“How dare a mere necromancer! Eject him immediately!”
Necromancers were treated like common criminals or thugs in noble circles.
Naturally, they were furious that one had dared interrupt the princess.
“Why is this guy even here beside Her Highness?”
“Throw him out! No—kill him!”
“Yeah, kill him!”
Shouts erupted from all sides.
Then came a sharp knock.
“Everyone, please quiet down.”
It was Princess Elizabeth.
“This man is Baron Korb’s agent and the one who saved my life. Mocking him is the same as mocking me.”
“……”
“Kuh, hah.”
Though she was far younger than the nobles, Elizabeth held the top rank here.
The nobles fell silent in an instant.
“Even if he is a necromancer, he saved me. I’ll trust him this once.”
The same girl who had sobbed earlier.
“……Understood.”
“So, what is this method of yours?”
Recalling the novel’s content, Fafnir explained.
“Simple. Gain the approval of the mountain’s true owner.”
***
“So…… soon we’ll be splitting into groups like Seoul’s Duke, Incheon’s Marquis, and Gangwon Province’s Grand Lord. If we line up well, we could become the southern Grand Lord.”
Early morning.
Kindorhan nodded after hearing the explanation.
“……”
Fafnir had nothing to say.
It was true, but the analogy made him want to hit something.
“Whew, yeah.”
“As expected, my understanding is top-tier~.”
Kindorhan’s shoulders tensed.
Fafnir let out a short sigh and continued.
“You know that the Orc Empire’s rise is the first half of the main scenario, right?”
“Of course. The very first main stream.”
“Exactly. Once that’s over, the main scenario moves into its second half.”
Even if the game company tried to stop it, the NPCs would handle it themselves.
It was unavoidable as long as the supercomputer running Horizon stayed out of it.
Essentially a foregone conclusion.
“And I know the content of the second half.”
“……Resistance and the tyrant?”
“No. Countless kingdoms will spring up across the land.”
The Archduke defeats the Orc Emperor but doesn’t crush him completely.
That power vacuum lets regional grand nobles create their own kingdoms.
The second half of the Korean server’s main event.
The beginning of the hero age.
‘It makes sense. Kingdoms won’t be centralized.’
One huge kingdom collapses.
A national war begins.
This wasn’t happening only in Korea—similar events were unfolding on every server worldwide.
“Some kingdoms will crumble overnight, others will grow. Battles everywhere mean quests and items will pour out in abundance.”
Ride the wave and strike it rich, or crash overnight.
For the players, it was the perfect time.
‘If luck is on my side, I could climb to the top in an instant.’
In the original novel, Flush had ridden that wave and reached elite status in just three months.
Fafnir lacked that kind of luck, but using the novel’s events gave him more than enough to grow.
“This is straight-up underworld power struggle.”
Kindorhan smacked his lips.
“When the world goes crazy, gangsters thrive. Leave it to me.”
“Just so you know, if your goal is to get loot from the Highwin Archduke, I won’t stop you.”
“What nonsense. I wasn’t even thinking about that side.”
Kindorhan immediately shook his head.
“Well…… I did consider it, but the Hwalbindang already has everything locked down over there, right?”
The Hwalbindang and Umigan Gang overlapped in many domains.
Not identical businesses, but like chicken and pizza places.
Similar customer and profit structures meant competition, not coexistence—but entering now meant certain victory for the Hwalbindang.
“Plus, we have the Fafnir coin here too, don’t we?”
Kindorhan smiled warmly at Fafnir.
A hot topic user leading the Kingdom Restoration Army, maintaining the number-one contribution rank.
At first they were entangled in misfortune, but now he looked like a reliable business partner ready to deliver big results.
“So, the quest?”
“There is one.”
Fafnir opened the quest window.
[Title: Finding a Hideout for the Princess Army]
[-Grade: Unique]
[Objectives]
[-Prepare a base for the army under Princess Elizabeth (0/1)]
[-Additional condition: Recruit additional nobles loyal to Princess Elizabeth (0/?)]
[-Description: With the Baran Kingdom Army defeated, the only hope lies with the Princess’s restoration army. Find a safe base for them to settle in.]
[-Reward: Experience, 20 gold, ??? (hidden reward)]
“A quest to guide the restoration army’s new hideout and secure the base.”
“Oh…… the reward is hefty.”
“Tomorrow we’ll be leading this army, so today’s the only free day you’ll have.”
“I see……”
Life was packed with tasks.
Still, unlike a company, it wasn’t all bad work, so Kindorhan’s face wasn’t entirely gloomy.
“Alright, see you tomorrow.”
“Where to? We need to hunt.”
“Uh…… sleep? I have a personal life too!”
Fafnir shot back coldly.
“You’re a pro-gamer. Real pro-gamers hunt while skipping sleep.”
As a NEET he wouldn’t have bothered, but if he was calling himself a real pro-gamer, he needed to instill the actual lifestyle.
***
The day after the battle.
Articles about the event began flooding every Horizon community.
[Baran Kingdom Crushed, ‘King Slayer’ Title Appears]
[Five Star Has Already Been Eaten Alive by Iron Blood Dynasty]
[Orc Empire Rise Concludes…… First Main Event Ends in Great Victory]
At the same time, a video popped up on the Horizon homepage’s main thumbnail.
-S, Save Me! I’ll give you the capital and the throne! Just come!
-You should have done it earlier, you bastard!
The Iron Blood Patriarch beheading the pleading king of Baran Kingdom!
The body of the dead king collapsed, and above the Iron Blood Patriarch’s head the ‘Half King Slayer (Epic)’ title appeared, ending the video.
“Hmph, the Iron Blood Dynasty really knows how to betray.”
Morning.
Kim Ganghan ate his rice with doenjang jjigae and read the article.
‘Just like in the original novel. Five Star stepped in and got eaten alive by the Iron Blood Dynasty.’
Watching the past scene of the novel made him grin.
Then.
Kim Ganghan’s eyes widened as he watched the article.
‘Wait, the gear in that photo……’
Among the familiar equipment worn by the Iron Blood Patriarch’s henchmen.
‘That’s the stuff I sold to the Hwalbindang, isn’t it?’
It was small and not very clear, but almost certain.
‘Wait, this……’
Kim Ganghan immediately posted.
[Title: Iron Blood Dynasty Planned to Topple the Guild Alliance (Evidence Attached)]
[-Poster: Anonymous]
[-Content: Look at the equipment in the video with the Iron Blood guys in it. It looks exactly like what Kingsman got robbed of last time?
This is Iron Blood Dynasty trying to topple the guild alliance, right? (Comments)
GT__Wait>Wait, that’s probably it? I just checked……
Gradually, reactions flooded in.
Kim Ganghan lit another fire.
[Title: Speaking of Which, There Was a Black Mage with the Highwin Archduke]
[-Poster: Anonymous]
[-Content: He was there on the battlefield, and before that he appeared multiple times in quests…… If we send just one of them into a dungeon, it’s nothing to catch those Kingsman guys. (Comments)
GT__That’s actually it? The reason NPCs are that strong makes sense>
GT__Whoa…… This is creepy>
GT__Iron Blood Dynasty’s insides are black. They’ve been plotting to topple them for a month now?
As soon as public opinion shifted, conspiracy theories spread like wildfire.
Kim Ganghan stretched.
‘Done.’
Now there was an unbridgeable chasm between the Iron Blood Dynasty and the guild alliance.
For the Iron Blood Patriarch, a new enemy had joined the existing Five Star.
‘If they fight like that, the rain effect will actually trigger.’
If bad luck prevented him from getting hidden pieces, he could create enough hidden pieces even without luck.
‘Go ahead and fight. While you do, I’ll be eating tteokbokki.’
Kim Ganghan grinned wickedly and finished his rice.