What the Hell?

"What the hell?!"

"What is this?!"

Of course, as was always the case with sudden quests, most players couldn't help but be utterly bewildered.

We didn't even do anything?!

But that was just how the world worked—you always ended up taking the fall for someone else's mistakes. Now that a continent-wide Legendary Quest had been triggered, even completely innocent players had no choice but to be dragged into the chaos.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

To make ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠matters worse, the raider players had broadcasted the entire incident live just to get some attention! With tens of thousands of eyes watching, there was absolutely no way it wouldn't spread.

Realizing something was terribly wrong, the raiders hastily closed their accounts and took down the videos, but it was already far too late. The footage had spread like wildfire.

In the end, the discussion came right back to the starting point: Find the bastards who did this!

Of course, there were plenty of players worrying about other things. If a continent-wide curse was unleashed, everyone would inevitably be affected.

How much had players suffered when the Winter Curse had swept across the continent in the past? Crafting class players shuddered at the mere memory. That was how horrific the curse had been.

Events that had once devastated the continent were not easily forgotten.

Experienced players were already on the move to prepare for the worst.

Shortly before Nitinger woke up.

Tae-hyun and his party had safely escaped the Kaf Volcanic Region and returned to the secure coastline. The monsters attacking from all directions in the mountain range were swept away effortlessly under Tae-hyun's command.

Although the buff from the Sacrifice of Archisus had expired, it wasn't as if Tae-hyun's commanding skills and buffing abilities had vanished. On top of that, their numbers had multiplied several times over! Taking advantage of the journey, Tae-hyun wiped out the monsters and cleared a path straight through the dense forests and jungles.

"K-Kim Tae-hyun. Why are we the ones doing this?"

The high-level players voiced their genuine confusion. Hunting monsters made sense. Since they had to make their way back anyway, wiping them out in one go was much easier than dealing with annoying, sporadic skirmishes. They could also wrap their heads around clearing the surrounding jungle and forest.

...But why were they digging up the earth, filling it with stones, and paving a road?!

"Didn't you say you wanted to join the expedition?"

"W-Well, yes."

"Then you should work hard."

"I... guess so?"

They wanted to argue, but fearing they might be kicked out of the expedition if they complained, the players shut their mouths. Since everyone was incredibly high-level with maxed-out stats, their efficiency was off the charts. And of course, the one directing them was none other than Tae-hyun!

"Hmm. It'd be nice if we could find a use for this later," Tae-hyun muttered to himself.

If the other players had heard him, they would have roared in fury: Hey, you bastard! You made us build this without even having a plan for it?!

"Tae-hyun, then why did you make this?"

"Well... it felt like a waste to let everyone go home when we were already gathered like this, so I just made it."

"...!"

Lee Da-bi gasped in admiration. Of course!

Once they returned to the coast, they would have to disband the players. When would they ever gather this many high-level players again?

He's so incredibly thrifty...!

Watching him squeeze every last drop of utility out of the players like a nearly empty tube of toothpaste, Lee Da-bi was deeply moved.

Of course, Heuk-heuk and Carbanog couldn't comprehend it at all. Why is she moved by that? What is there to be touched by?!

They really did a fantastic job.

The players had dug deep trenches, paved them with stones, and even lined the sides with Sadik's Flame to prevent monsters from ambushing them. The main reason players rarely visited the Karp Mountains was the lack of safe roads and rest stops. It was an incredibly annoying terrain where one could be ambushed from any direction! But now, that problem was practically solved.

Well, I gained reputation and fame, so it's not a loss... but it'd still be great if we could put it to use.

Though no one would believe it, Tae-hyun was a truly cautious player. He was the type to prepare as many contingencies as possible for any worst-case scenario! Thanks to this personality, he was still alive and kicking despite making so many enemies. Of course, because he prepared so many contingencies, most of them went unused, but having too much was always better than having too little.

"Still, I think you made a great road. I should send our guild members here to gather resources." Lee Da-bi's eyes sparkled as she looked around. From various herbs to high-quality timber, it was practically money scattered all over the ground. It would have been too dangerous in the past, but now they could just travel along the newly paved road.

"Gathering and logging... that could bring in some decent gold."

"Right? The herbs and timber here are of exceptionally high quality, and there are plenty of rare ones too."

"If we're doing this, we might as well make more money. Hmm. What about setting up a herb farm?"

"Given the location, wouldn't that be difficult? And above all, there will be too many competitors, so it might not be worth it."

"True. Most of the guys here right now are combat classes, so they don't care, but others will catch on and swarm here soon."

Already, a few merchant players were whispering to each other as they stared at the completed road. With a road this good, we could easily gather materials here.

"Ah, I just had a great idea! Let's build fortresses along the way."

"To collect tolls? That'll start a fight."

If he blocked the road and demanded money, players would either turn back or start a fight. ...Of course, very few people would dare pick a fight with Tae-hyun directly! But fundamentally, Tae-hyun disliked blocking roads to collect tolls. Hadn't countless guilds been utterly obliterated after trying to extort tolls from him?

"No, not tolls. There are no towns for players to rest in within the mountain range, right? If we set up small fortresses along the road and operate them as rest stops, players will gladly pay gold to enter."

"...That actually sounds like a solid plan."

Tae-hyun was impressed. The Karp Mountains were vast, and the road cutting through them was equally long. Even if the road was safe, having a town was far better than camping out in the wild. It didn't even need grand facilities. As long as it was enclosed by walls, had beds to rest in, and merchant NPCs, the players would be more than satisfied.

Like a mountain cabin or a highway rest stop.

Of course, this wasn't something just anyone could pull off. Establishing a territory was fundamentally only possible for players who possessed the capability to manage it! And Tae-hyun had more than enough capability to spare.

This was exactly what the throne was for! The moment he planned to construct the fortresses, various system windows popped up. Any other player would have had to search far and wide to recruit NPCs to station at the fortresses, but Tae-hyun could simply dispatch NPCs from his own kingdom.

It was a title triggered by his habit of ignoring actual kingdom management and instead constantly expanding his territory by placing proxy outposts everywhere!

...Well, it gives a bonus to revenue, so it's not a bad title.

Haha. Carbanog. Why ask something so obvious?

"What the hell?"

"Why a fortress...??"

"Shh. I don't know either. Just shut up."

Before they could even celebrate finishing the road, Tae-hyun swiftly ordered them to begin the next task. Strike while the iron is hot! It was always best to pile on more work while everyone was still dazed and working like possessed men! Unlike a massive territory, building a small fortress barely took any time at all. Materials were also overflowing in the surrounding area. The players used all sorts of magic to fell trees and carve stones.

"You all did an amazing job!"

Tae-hyun looked at the fortresses nestled in the Karp Mountains with a deeply satisfied expression. For something built on a whim under his impromptu command, the quality was remarkably high. He felt incredibly pleased, knowing they would serve him well for a long time. And most importantly, it was completely free!

Surely he's not going to build more, right?

I just want to go ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to Nodranche...

Hold on! I'll step up.

W-What if you get killed?

...Surely he wouldn't beat me up in front of all these people?

One particularly brave player stepped forward and shouted.

"Kim Tae-hyun! We want to go to Nodranche now!"

The player cried out pitifully, his hands and feet trembling violently! Tae-hyun nodded and replied.

"Sure. Go ahead."

"...Huh?"

"I already spoke to Cain, so you can head straight to Nodranche. He'll let you join the expedition."

"C-Can we really go?"

"I told you to go. Is anyone holding you back?"

"...See! What did I tell you! I told you Kim Tae-hyun isn't that bad of a guy!" the player shouted to the others.

Of course, Carbanog's words didn't reach them. Terrified that they might be put to work again if they lingered, the ecstatic players scrambled toward the coast. Their destination: Nodranche!

Just as the massive crowd of players cleared out, leaving only Tae-hyun and a few others to organize their spoils... Nitinger's Wrath Quest popped up.

"?!"

Tae-hyun gasped in shock. Is it because I built the fortresses?!

Tae-hyun immediately felt guilty! Dragons really were creatures that got angry over the most trivial things. An arrogant and fastidious race!

"Master..."

"Master..."

"What? It's the truth."

Fortunately, upon checking, he realized he wasn't the culprit. The real culprits were the bastards hiding among the players! Tae-hyun let out a deep sigh of relief.

Thank goodness!

To make things even better, those admirable thieves seemed to have fled straight to the Central Continent the moment they snatched the loot. Although they were being absolutely blasted with curses like "Die! Die!" on the community boards, Tae-hyun felt a tiny sliver of gratitude toward them.

If those guys hadn't caused trouble, the Red Dragon would have woken up, scanned the surrounding area, and potentially picked a fight after seeing adventurers developing territories nearby. Honestly, he hadn't expected it to wake up so soon. But these raider players had drawn all the aggro away from Tae-hyun before leaving.

I hope they live long, happy lives.