An Unexpected Commander

The members of the Guild Alliance and the Midas Guild—former members of the Alliance—all stared at Cain in utter disbelief.

Okay, honestly, maybe Kim Tae-hyun has earned the right to act like that, but who the hell do you think you are?

Has he completely lost his mind?

Does he have a death wish? Does he seriously think he can take us all on by himself?

It was a level of confidence that left the guild members utterly flabbergasted! It would be one thing if Kim Tae-hyun were standing right beside him, but watching him stroll past so boldly all on his own was just ridiculous.

Once the initial shock wore off, a wave of fury washed over them.

That little bastard...!

He knows we can't touch him, so he's actively mocking us!

I'm going to kill you, Cain!

Why else would he walk with such swagger? He obviously knew they wouldn't dare lay a finger on him out of sheer terror of Tae-hyun!

Of course, Cain wasn't capable of such deep, calculated thoughts. He was simply taking the shortest path to escort the 4th Prince!

Ugh... Argh...! I should have just flown or taken a boat! What was I thinking?!

He had casually thought, "Well, why not just take this road?" but now he felt suffocating bloodlust radiating from every direction.

When he checked the community boards, posts titled "I'm going to murder Cain" were flooding the feed at a rate of dozens per second!

Granted, the vast majority of the comments on those posts actually defended Cain and bashed the Guild Alliance, but Cain was too panicked to notice that part.

First, I need to disguise myself as a Shadow Elf.

His multi-limbed Chimera race was just way too conspicuous.

"The guy with six arms is Cain!"

"Aaaah! You can't even chop off those extra arms!"

He could already vividly picture those kinds of reactions.

And next...

"Ahem. By any chance, if the 4th Prince and I use a flying mount right now, we might get there much faster—"

"We are deeply moved by your courage, Sir Cain!"

"We shall follow you to the very end, Sir Cain!"

What do you mean, "unexpected consequences"...?!

That sounded terrifying! In the end, Cain couldn't even bring himself to summon his motorcycle. He could only sigh and continue marching forward with forced dignity.

"It would have been much faster to pass through the southern region of the Auston Kingdom."

"I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠wonder what kind of insane warlocks unleashed such plague and poison there..."

"Surely it is because the King of Auston is a traitor? The gods must be furious."

"..."

Cain, who knew the actual truth, kept his mouth shut. It was the handiwork of the middle-aged uncles from the Ultimate Supreme Matchless guild when they were fleeing from the Guild Alliance!

—...Is he not coming?

"N-No, that's not it!"

—It certainly seems like he isn't coming... That fellow must have run away.

"No! Quadro is indeed the type of guy to run away... but still, surely not this time!"

The Earth Spirit King could not fathom that Tae-hyun would ignore his summons even after receiving the message. Who in their right mind would reject an invitation from a Spirit King? But the Avatar of Archisus was a man who constantly defied all common sense!

—I cannot wait any longer.

"Why show mercy to those who aren't even Goblins, Your Majesty? Just finish them off. I happen to need fresh materials for my undead army anyway."

Lich Zaggaran seized the opportunity to egg the Earth Spirit King on. Since Tae-hyun had completely wiped out his previous undead army, he was desperately in need of new subordinates. It was a universally accepted truth in necromancy that stronger corpses yielded stronger undead! He might have hesitated if it were Tae-hyun, but he felt absolutely zero guilt about slaughtering these players.

—Shall I do so, then...?

As the gathered players trembled in terror, a group of travelers could be seen passing by in the distance.

"...It's Cain! Cain! Kim Tae-hyun is here!"

"Kim Tae-hyun, you magnificent bastard... I knew I could count on you!"

The gathered World Tree Rankers hugged each other and wept tears of joy. Of course, it never even crossed their minds that Cain might have come alone.

—Who is that?

"They say he is the Avatar's loyal slave, Your Majesty. Judging by his appearance, he looks like a very hard worker."

—Hmm. Then he must be trustworthy. Bring him to me.

"Understood."

At the Earth Spirit King's command, Zaggaran emerged from the cavern and blocked Cain's path.

"!!"

"A L-Lich!"

"Aaaah! Cain! Do something!"

"Hey, stop clinging to me! I can't fight like this!"

Cain tensed up. Could he really handle a monster like a Lich all by himself without Tae-hyun? Although the knights escorting him were high-level players, a Lich was never one to travel alone...!

"Slave of the Avatar. My master wishes to see you."

"Uh... W-Wait. Aren't you that Lich?"

Cain recalled the Lich that had appeared in the dungeon during Tae-hyun's stream. It looked exactly the same!

"Did the Avatar speak of me? That makes things simple, then. My master wishes to see you. Come quickly."

Despite Zaggaran's urging, Cain hesitated. He could feel the eyes watching him from behind. He had to show them knightly behavior!

"No matter who your master is, I—"

"Do not keep the Earth Spirit King waiting."

"...shall simply walk my own path. Lead the way."

"A wise choice."

"S-Sir Cain. Are you really going to answer such an insolent summons?"

"I must at least see who is calling for me! Do not worry. If they prove to be an evil foe, I shall strike them down with a single blow! To catch a dragon, one must enter the dragon's lair!"

"Ohhh...!"

"So that was your intention!"

The knights gasped in admiration, but the 4th Prince whispered with a sullen face, "Can't we just run away by ourselves?"

This guy...! His survival instincts are just like mine!

Cain felt a deep sense of kinship with the 4th Prince. Since their names were so similar, it seemed their wits were on the exact same wavelength!

Following behind Zaggaran, Cain was greeted by a sight that defied all expectations. Over a hundred players were sitting together in one place.

What ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the hell?!

—You have arrived, slave of the Avatar. I have summoned you to verify something.

Cain's mind raced. What on earth had Kim Tae-hyun done to the spirits? Violence? Murder? Extortion? Theft? Fraud?

There are way too many possibilities!

To think he would end up dying because of the grudges Kim Tae-hyun had accumulated. Cain felt incredibly sorrowful, but he decided to accept his fate. I always knew a day like this would come!

"W-What is it?"

—These fellows here are bickering among themselves, each claiming to be the Avatar's subordinate. I have no way of knowing who speaks the truth. As the Avatar's slave, surely you would know. Who among them is truly his subordinate?

The Earth Spirit King spoke slowly. Cain had to strain every fiber of his being just to comprehend what the massive elemental was talking about.

"Uh... what happens to the ones who... l-lied?"

—They shall die, of course. How dare they attempt to deceive me.

"Cain! Cain! It's us! You know us!"

Though they had never actually had a proper conversation, the World Tree Rankers desperately tried to act like close friends. You remember us, right! We're the guys who were swinging pickaxes so hard on the stream! Cain stared at them, deeply conflicted.

"Uh... are they his subordinates?"

—Did the other side lie, then?

"N-No... wait a moment... I'm a bit confused about the exact definition of 'subordinate' here... I thought they were just people who met up and worked together briefly..."

"No!! We are his subordinates! We have always served Kim Tae-hyun in our hearts! We desperately wanted to be his subordinates!"

When pushed into a corner, people will say the most absurd things. The World Tree Rankers were diligently digging their own graves.

"O-Oh, really? I guess that counts as being a subordinate, then?"

Cain was confused, but since the World Tree Rankers sounded so earnest, it seemed plausible enough. They had done a quest with Tae-hyun not too long ago, so maybe that was enough to qualify them as subordinates? Seeing Cain get swayed, the bounty hunters gasped in sheer terror. At this rate, they were all going to die!

"Cain! Think about it carefully! Those guys aren't even traveling with him right now! They aren't even on his friend list! How can you call people like that his subordinates?!"

"We're still better than you lot, you bastards!"

"In contrast, quite a few of us have actually joined the Archisus Church! We even pay taxes to The Valley! If we're members of the Archisus Church, doesn't that make us Kim Tae-hyun's subordinates?!"

"Oh... that also sounds correct..."

The Earth Spirit King, listening to this nonsense, asked in disbelief:

—So, what is your conclusion?

"Uh... it seems like both sides are his subordinates..."

—Then this was merely a brawl between fellow subordinates?

"I... I think that's what happened."

Cain mumbled, completely unsure of himself. Was he making the right call here? Ugh. Normally, Kim Tae-hyun would make all the decisions for me...! The side effects of using his head as nothing more than a helmet stand were finally catching up to him.

—The ones who serve my Avatar are remarkably foolish and pathetic.

"...They are a bit like that."

Cain agreed, thinking of the NPCs of the Archisus Church. Compared to other religious orders, they really were incredibly shabby!

—I shall bestow a gift upon my Avatar.

"Huh? Wait, why...?"

It was a gift that left the recipient utterly bewildered! Cain was genuinely shocked. Unless they were weird creatures like Goblins, boss NPCs usually despised Archisus.

—Return to the Avatar, deliver my gift, and make my majestic power known to him!

The Earth Spirit King spoke with grand authority. He believed that by demonstrating his overwhelming power as a "gift," Tae-hyun would be deeply moved and seek him out in awe. Of course, in reality, such a display would only make Tae-hyun think, "Is that a trap?!" and avoid him at all costs!

Flash!

"What is this?! What kind of skill is this?!"

"What's happening all of a sudden...!"

Just when they thought they were finally being set free, the sudden skill activation threw everyone into a panic.

The Brand of Loyalty! It was a terrifying curse skill that the Earth Spirit King branded onto disobedient subordinates, inflicting a devastating penalty on anyone who dared to defy orders. It was an incredibly potent curse, far surpassing even the one used by Emperor Uipoatl of the Asbian Empire! Seeing that the skill had successfully taken hold, the Earth Spirit King spoke in a satisfied tone.

—Work diligently and learn the true meaning of loyalty once more, you lowly insects!

"Why, you crazy son of a—"

"Hold it! Shut up! Do you want to die again?!"

"Urgh...!"

They couldn't even curse him out because their opponent was a Spirit King! The gathered players suppressed their boiling rage and quickly checked their status windows.

"Can someone with a curse dispel skill cast it on me?!"

"Try using a scroll! Does it work?!"

—Mwahahaha! How foolish. Did ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠you truly believe my power would be so easily broken?

"That arrogant bastard..."

"Wait. Can't we just wait it out? What's the duration?"

"..."

"..."

A one-year curse! The sheer, unimaginable scale of the penalty turned everyone's faces pale. This was a catastrophic disaster!

"Is he... is he insane?"

"We are seriously screwed...!"

Only then did they truly realize just how terrifyingly monstrous a Spirit King was. They were temperamental beings whose power rivaled that of Dragons! In Pantheon, the number of players who had crossed paths with a Dragon and lived to tell the tale could be counted on one hand. Surviving ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠an encounter with a Spirit King with only this much was actually incredibly lucky. Of course, none of the players present felt that way at all...

"Uh... but Your Majesty. Kim Tae-hyun isn't here right now, so who is going to give us orders?"

—Ah, that is a fair point. In that case, until you meet him, the slave shall issue commands on his behalf.

"???"

Cain, who had been standing there blankly, flinched as everyone's eyes suddenly locked onto him. What on earth was going on?!