A Spark of the Primordial Flame

"B-But... do you really think the Count of Tillau will just accept this?"

"You have to make him accept it, Pelmas. Is your position just for show?"

"..."

For a split second, Pelmas deeply regretted his past self, who had begged for so many titles. What an idiot! Having more titles simply meant having more slave labor piled onto him!

That envoy looked absolutely furious, too...

And it was only natural. The King had essentially handed over the Count's title to another adventurer without so much as a single consultation. In fact, even while waiting, the envoy had been frantically demanding answers, shouting, "What on earth is the meaning of this!"

"Pelmas. If you have a complaint, maybe I should give your position to Galakpad—"

"I will do my absolute best to make him accept it and return immediately!" Pelmas blurted out.

No matter what, this title was still his!

"Where is His Majesty?!"

"H-His Majesty... is currently indisposed due to illness."

"...Does that make any sense, Lord Pelmas?!" the envoy sent by the Count of Tillau shouted in utter disbelief.

Like it or not, Tae-hyun was a monster with a Reputation stat exceeding one hundred thousand. Having over a hundred thousand Reputation meant that basically everyone across any kingdom on the continent knew his name! Only a hero of that caliber could surpass such a milestone. Though Tae-hyun didn't know it, even the players with the next highest Reputation stats hadn't managed to break one hundred thousand yet. And a hero of that level was sick? Who would believe that?!

"What, did he ingest some kind of deadly poison crafted by a demon?!"

"T-That is exactly it!"

"...You just made that up on the spot, didn't you?!" the envoy bellowed, his temper flaring. No matter how he looked at it, Pelmas had clearly improvised that excuse right then and there.

"W-What do you mean! Do you have any idea how many enemies His Majesty has? He has slain so many demons that it is only natural they would target him with a deadly demonic poison!"

"I must see it with my own eyes!"

"Intruding upon the place where His Majesty is recuperating? How dare you even suggest such a thing...! Did the Count of Tillau order this? No matter how arrogant the Count of Tillau has become, there is a limit! To disrespect His Majesty in this manner!"

"N-No, that's not what I meant...!"

Oh? He actually blocked him.

Tae-hyun was surprised to hear that Pelmas had succeeded. Honestly, he had expected him to fail!

Every person in the world possessed at least one talent. For Pelmas, it was his ability to shamelessly argue his way through anything!

"Territory check complete. Bekelf has been locked up... I mean, assigned."

Tae-hyun ascended to the Sky Castle and assigned Bekelf to the Forge in the center of the fortress. Bekelf was utterly astonished to discover that Archisus could even borrow the power of spirits.

"Did you ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠trick them?"

"I didn't trick anyone."

"Ah, I see. Your Holiness! It is officially recorded as 'not tricked,' but in reality, you did trick them. As expected of the Pope!"

"No, that's not it. I really didn't trick them. I saved them, and in return..."

"So you tricked them into thinking you saved them?"

"Do you want to be stripped of your Elder title?"

"I-I am terribly sorry."

It was clear Bekelf hadn't been ostracized by the other dwarves for no reason! In truth, his suspicion was entirely reasonable. A forge that received the direct aid of spirits was incredibly rare. While there were plenty of summoners who could call upon spirits, it was highly unusual for a spirit to permanently reside in a forge and lend its power. It was a monumental contract! And Archisus was a deity renowned for contracts. From Bekelf's perspective, he couldn't help but wonder, Heavens, did Archisus make one of his infamous 'Archisus-style' contracts?

Wow.

Do I look like I have time to worry about some Authority right now?!

You are the Avatar of Archisus, for goodness' sake! Carbanog was utterly dumbfounded but held back. Honestly, the Primordial Furnace was just that enticing.

More than that, I'm worried that if I set this up, those blacksmith guild bastards will swarm over here and camp out.

Occasionally, Cain would voice similar absurd worries.

"Kim Tae-hyun, if we win the tournament, we're going to be incredibly popular. What if a fan confesses to me? Oh my god, if there's a scandal... I've already set my heart on..."

"...Cain, please stop talking nonsense."

"Suhyeok?!"

In short, it was a completely useless concern! In reality, Cain only ended up attracting a massive crowd of male fans.

However, the worry Tae-hyun harbored wasn't nearly as delusional as Cain's.

Blacksmith guilds are notoriously persistent, seriously...

Having been a blacksmith in Pandemonium Online 1, Tae-hyun knew all too well how obsessive crafting class players could be. Combat class players often looked down on crafters, but crafters possessed a unique, unyielding stubbornness! They would tear through ten different mines just to forge a single sword, or hunt ten thousand monsters of a specific type just to obtain the perfect hide for a leather tunic. Of course, Tae-hyun had no right to call them obsessive. Out of all of them, Tae-hyun was the absolute craziest. There was a reason his nickname back then had been Mad Hammer.

In any case, blacksmith guilds generally placed immense importance on territory. Did it have a large forge with excellent heat output? Were there easily accessible mines nearby? Was the territory populated enough to sell crafted items or post quests for material gathering? These were the factors they considered. But what would happen once the Primordial Furnace was completed? Multiple blacksmith guilds would undoubtedly flock to this place.

Even now, I can spot a few players in the Valley who look like they're from crafting guilds...

One might wonder how he could tell, but they actually stood out quite easily. Players who visited with a specific, alternative agenda always gave themselves away.

"I'm telling you, the route is Archisus Grand Temple → the normal temple to the west → the art hall → the statues on the way out → then the crafting station!"

"How many years have you even spent in the Valley? Don't you know the academic consensus is South Temple → statues → Grand Temple → art hall ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠→ crafting station?"

"Academic consensus my foot! That's just in your head!"

"Do you even know the Valley?! I've been doing gacha pulls here since back when there was nothing but a crafting station and a single temple..."

As such, players who had spent a decent amount of time in the Valley moved along highly optimized routes. On the other hand, players visiting from the outside wandered around aimlessly, searching only for their specific goals, making them stick out like a sore thumb.

It's probably because of the Demon Realm.

What the crafters were targeting were the rare materials that could only be obtained in the Demon Realm! Ever since the portal to the Demon Realm had been opened in the Valley, a massive Demon Realm craze had swept through Pandemonium Online. Anyone with a decent level was packing up and heading there! The mirror usage fee was barely a drop in the bucket for high-level players. Guilds were no exception, with quite a few even planning to purchase territories using the funds they amassed from the Demon Realm.

With players heading to the Demon Realm, the crafters were absolutely thrilled! They were frantically scraping together materials they had previously only dreamed of obtaining. They were so desperate to secure these materials first that ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠their eyes were practically bloodshot. It was no wonder they were camping out in the Valley! Waiting for listings on the auction house would only guarantee they missed out. But if they were already gathering like this, what would happen once the Primordial Furnace was fully installed? Crafting guilds would literally swarm the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠place in droves!

If nothing else, the blacksmith guilds will definitely come.

No, you don't understand. Blacksmith guilds usually have cooperative relationships with large guilds.

At least one, and often several. Some were simple contracts, but many were full-fledged alliances. It was a symbiotic relationship where the blacksmith guilds supplied crafted items, and the large guilds provided financial and material support!

If even one of those blacksmith guilds moves, it'll cause a stir. If multiple guilds migrate to my territory, the large guilds will absolutely lose their minds.

...Well, that's true, but...

Indeed, that was exactly how he had lived his life! Tae-hyun shut his mouth, unable to refute the claim.

Still, I'd like to make at least a few less enemies if possible.

"Isn't Carbanog right?"

"?!"

Tae-hyun was startled when even Lee Da-bi agreed with Carbanog.

"Of course, if the blacksmith guilds they have contracts with move over here, the large guilds will feel anxious. But if we handle the negotiations well, very few of them will actually complain."

Lee Da-bi didn't bother adding, "Because they're terrified of you, Tae-hyun!" to the end of her sentence. He surely already knew. Before the Infamy he had accumulated in Pandemonium Online 1 could even fade, Tae-hyun had engaged in a brutal, bloody war against the Guild Alliance.

Those who had thought, "Since this isn't Pandemonium Online 1 anymore, maybe we can take on Kim Tae-hyun," had finally come to a realization.

Ah, even in Pandemonium Online 2, if you mess with Kim Tae-hyun, you're absolutely screwed!

Why had that massive Guild Alliance fractured and seen its power drastically reduced? While there were various other contributing factors, the fundamental reason was Tae-hyun. A super-giant guild coalition had collapsed because of a single player. That kind of terrifying prestige didn't fade easily. Honestly, even if Tae-hyun walked up to any random guild right now and picked a fight, very few would dare to fight back. If Tae-hyun simply explained the situation, the opposing guilds would accept it out of sheer terror!

"You don't have any intention of monopolizing the items crafted by the blacksmith guilds, do you, Tae-hyun?"

"Of course not."

"Then the guilds they have contracts with will still receive their items, so they won't have much to complain about... and blacksmith guilds with exclusive, tight-knit alliances won't easily relocate anyway. You don't need to worry too much."

If it was just a standard contract, the other party wouldn't be overly upset, and blacksmith guilds with deep-seated alliances wouldn't easily change their base of operations! Lee Da-bi's words were highly persuasive. Tae-hyun nodded in agreement.

"Rather than that, isn't gathering the materials the real challenge?"

"The difficulty does seem high, but it doesn't look completely impossible. I plan to gather them one by one, step by step."

Tae-hyun and Lee Da-bi put their heads together and began to formulate a plan. However, Tae-hyun was vastly underestimating the Primordial Furnace. The sheer, broken utility of a facility like the Primordial Furnace was enough to make even the most tightly allied blacksmith guilds lose their minds! If other guilds had caught wind of the Primordial Furnace's specifications, they would have broken their existing alliances in a heartbeat just to come here.

"As for the Black Dragon's scale... did you get any from defeating Hakkaras?"

"Huh? I was just planning to ask Heuk-heuk for one."

"..."