The Southern Auction
The members of the Guild Alliance excitedly posted replies on the bulletin board. Back when they couldn't even catch a single player, Kim Tae-hyun, and their guild split in half, they had to endure comments like, "What? Guild Alliance? They're already finished!" But things were different now. Thanks to their territory war with the Midas Guild, public interest had surged, and they had secured massive investments from various sources, completely revitalizing the guild's atmosphere. Thanks to this, members of the Guild Alliance had recently been strutting around the forums, bragging, "As a member of the Guild Alliance, I..."
This post was a similar case!
"Seriously. These guys should know when to back down once their lies are exposed, but they're just so shameless..."
"What are you guys doing?"
"Ah! Yes, Leader! Some shameless bastards on the forums are lying, saying that the **Curse of the Volcano** has vanished from **The Valley**, so we were telling them to cut the crap."
"Actually, that's true. The Guild Master just ordered us to find out how they did it."
"...What?!"
"What do you mean, 'What?' Don't you see the temperature rising because of the **Curse of the Volcano**? The city is going to roast to death at this rate. Stop wasting time on the forums and move!"
"Uh, uh, okay..."
"...What if it's a lie?"
"If it's a lie, you can just PK him."
"Hey... how can you say that so casually?"
On a Sunday evening. When the appointed time arrived, suspicious-looking players began appearing here and there near **The Valley**. Their equipment looked ordinary, but anyone with a sharp eye would have noticed that their accessories were top-tier items.
Deception!
High-level players rarely walked around fully armed unless it was a special occasion. There was no point in drawing unnecessary attention.
Especially not for an event like this!
"Still, seeing how they asked to meet at **The Valley**, maybe it's not a lie... right?"
"Or maybe it's just some crazy bastard who decided to double down on his lie by inviting us to **The Valley**."
"Do you always have to be so negative?"
The high-level players had gathered here for one reason: a highly suspicious auction post on the forums! It was easily the most suspicious auction post ever uploaded in the history of the game. Who in their right mind would sell territory like that? Well, to begin with, selling territory in *Pandemonium Online* was extremely rare... But when they had messaged the poster inquiring about the territory sale, they had received a reply: "Then come to this location at this date and time~"
"Whoa, isn't that a Guild Master over there?"
"Stop acting like a country bumpkin! Did you really think we'd be the only ones bidding?"
Even if a post seemed like bait, there were some things you simply couldn't ignore. This was exactly one of those situations. Even if they weren't ultra-large guilds like the Guild Alliance or the Midas Guild, quite a few decently sized guilds seemed to have seriously contemplated the post.
Lately, mid-to-high-level guilds shared a single, common worry.
Should they follow the path of the Guild Alliance or the Midas Guild—securing territory by any means necessary, attracting investments, and actively managing it? Or should they ignore the fierce territory wars and quietly enjoy *Pandemonium Online*?
Everyone knew that the Guild Alliance and the Midas Guild had generated massive buzz and secured investments precisely because of their wars! Going forward, guilds that received large-scale investments would inevitably have the upper hand. Unless you were like Kim Tae-hyun, who could casually think, Why bother getting investments? I can just beat everyone up by myself, haha, guilds had to make a choice. Either give up on the competition, or dive headfirst into it.
And the guilds gathered here had chosen the latter! They were the ones who had resolved to secure territory by any means necessary and join the fray.
...Of course, that was assuming the listing was actually real...
"Whoa, it's actually cool here?"
"Did they really block the **Curse of the Volcano**? How on earth did they manage that?"
"Kim Tae-hyun has cleared so many rare quests. Maybe he made connections with some high-level ice mage NPCs?"
"But could just one or two NPCs really pull this off...?"
The Guild Masters marveled at the unrecognizable transformation of **The Valley**. Honestly, they hadn't expected it to be this dramatic! In the past, they had dismissed it as a bizarre place where only people obsessed with get-rich-quick schemes gathered...
Kim Tae-hyun is known for never accepting investments or spending real money on the game. How on earth does he manage his territory like this?
Maybe he's secretly spending real money?
There's no way he could achieve this much otherwise...
The correct answer was plundering other people! However, the Guild Masters failed to realize this and simply marveled in pure admiration. Then, they thought:
...Our guild needs a territory like this!
If only we could take a city...
Small villages or outposts have no future. They're too hard to expand. But a city... a city-level territory would be...
If a player went to a remote, uninhabited area to pioneer a territory, they usually started with a village or an outpost. The smallest unit! Only after endless development and upgrades would it eventually become a city or a castle. Of course, the Guild Masters here had no intention of building from scratch. It would take far too long, and it wouldn't attract any attention. But the southern region of the Atali Kingdom was a different story...
It has the sea. It's the perfect location to set sail and attack the Erangs Kingdom or the Auston Kingdom.
Kim Tae-hyun wouldn't care if we attacked the Auston Kingdom anyway!
The Guild Alliance and the Midas Guild are too busy fighting each other to notice. If we can just capture a coastal city or castle, we can expand rapidly...
Indulging in these happy delusions, everyone headed toward the meeting place.
"Hey, what is that crazy guy doing in the square? He's crying, stripping off all his gear and giving it away."
"Probably quitting the game."
"Wait, but... doesn't he look like someone from the Guild Alliance...?"
"What nonsense are you talking about? Why would a Guild Alliance member do something like that?"
You have entered the Vampire Manor!
The Vampire Manor, commonly found in vampire villages, contains various vampire items...
Vampire race stats increase...
...
"...?"
"Why is there a building like this in his territory...?"
Aren't vampire buildings considered public nuisances? The Guild Masters entered, filled with doubt, and took their seats.
"Welcome! Would you like a cool drink?"
"Ah. Yes, please..."
"Here is one fresh glass of pig's blood!"
"......"
The Guild Master accepted the glass with a grimace. The Vampire NPC extended a hand.
"?"
The Guild Master reached out and shook it. At that, the Vampire's expression turned dead serious.
"You need to pay, customer."
"...A-Ah, right."
It wasn't free?!
Still, if they have NPCs like this, maybe it's not a scam...
"Welcome, everyone."
"!!!"
"It's Kim Tae-hyun!!!"
"No way... that garbage post was actually uploaded by Kim Tae-hyun?" one of the Guild Masters muttered.
He was the one who had doubted it was real until the very end. The quality of the post had been too trashy to believe it came from Tae-hyun.
"Who was it?"
"???"
"Who just muttered 'garbage'?"
A six-armed ranker glared around the room, his eyes rolling wildly. It was Cain. Seeing him in the dim light made him look even more terrifying!
Ugh. Why is that guy's race so hideous?
I heard he can transform into an Elf. Why doesn't he just stay in that form?
The Guild Masters cursed Cain inwardly. However, Cain was absolutely thrilled to meet these Guild Masters, since he rarely got a chance to throw his weight around. He was going to vent all the sorrow and mistreatment he had suffered back when he was a Red Zone Guild Master right here! When it came to getting slapped in Jongno and venting his anger in the Han River, Cain was an absolute master.
"Cain. Cut it out. And transform into an Elf, it's uncomfortable. You have too many arms, it's cramped in here."
"Hmph..."
Cain transformed back into his Elf form, looking thoroughly dejected. You praised me for having six arms just the other day, you jerk...!
"Thank you all for taking the time out of your busy schedules in Pandemonium Online to come here."
"......"
Tae-hyun's polite words left everyone looking deeply unsettled. Could that bastard actually speak so politely?
Is that really Kim Tae-hyun? Isn't it an impostor using Deception?
Right? It's incredibly suspicious.
If it were the real Kim Tae-hyun, shouldn't he start the conversation with some crazy threat?
What kind of lunatic would invite people over just to do that?
Well, he did exactly that in Pan-On 1!
One of the Guild Masters, unable to contain himself, stood up and shouted.
"You... you're definitely a fake! Selling territory is one thing, but there's no way the real Kim Tae-hyun would be this polite!"
"I knew it...!"
"So that's what it was!"
Everyone nodded, finding the theory highly plausible. Tae-hyun's face instantly went cold.
"If you don't want a flag shoved down your throat, shut up and sit down."
"...Yes, sir."
The Guild Master meekly sat back down. Ah... it really was Kim Tae-hyun...!
"Ahem. I was trying to be nice to my potential buyers, but I guess the reception is a bit cold."
"I always believed in you, Tae-hyun!"
"Father. Please, you're embarrassing me..."
When Kim Tae-san raised his hand to greet him, Tae-hyun covered his face in embarrassment. The Guild Masters' faces warped in shock.
Wait, Kim Tae-hyun's father is here too?
Wasn't Kim Tae-hyun's father also a famous ranker?
I heard he commands a massive army of Orcs in the Uruk region. In terms of sheer numbers, isn't he at the absolute top of Pandemonium Online?
What kind of family is this monstrous?
With Kim Tae-san present, the Guild Masters finally felt a wave of certainty. Ah... he really is selling the territory!
"Ahem. Let's just get this started."
"...?"
While everyone else was using basic disguises, one player was wearing a full-face mask. Who was that?
"The territories I am selling are **Pinelle**, **Milene**, and **Treum**. These three cities."
**Pinelle** was a southeastern port city. Its location was unparalleled for transportation. From there, players could easily sail to the Auston Kingdom, the Prica Continent, or the Asbian Empire! The pirates that used to infest the area had also vanished—thanks to a certain someone—making it even more attractive.
**Treum** was also a southern port city, but located on the western side, opposite **Pinelle**. While reaching the Asbian Empire from there was a bit tricky, it was even better for targeting the Erangs Kingdom or the Auston Kingdom.
And **Milene** was a mountainous city situated right between the two.
Milene is a bit awkward, isn't it?
If we're buying, it has to be Pinelle or Treum. They have ports. Ports are the best.
The tax revenue alone would be insane, not to mention how easy it would be to launch raids...
Why was the Atali Kingdom so attractive? It had prospered due to a long period of peace... but above all, the biggest advantage was that it was completely safe from attacks from the north. With Tae-hyun firmly entrenched there, who would dare attack? If they could just secure a southern territory, they could sail out and engage in all kinds of piracy.
Like raiding the Auston Kingdom, or the Auston Kingdom...
Or targeting the Guild Alliance, or the Midas Guild...
For the guilds that were currently thriving, this was an incredibly mouth-watering prospect!
"Well then, shall we start with Pinelle...?"
"500,000 gold for Pinelle!"
"???"
"What the fuck?!"
"Are you insane?!"
It was a bid so absurdly high that curses slipped out automatically. What kind of lunatic would jack up the starting bid like this? ...It was Kim Tae-san.
Lee Da-bi, who was acting as the auctioneer, asked with an excited flush on her face:
"We have 500,000 gold! Are there any other bids? Going once, going twice... Sold for 500,000 gold!"
"No, what kind of crazy bastard..."
"Are you the only one bidding here?!"
The Guild Masters clamored in outrage, but Kim Tae-san didn't even pretend to listen. He simply grinned and said:
"If you're so upset, spend some money, you little punks."
"......"
"......"
Whoosh! Lee Da-bi could have sworn she heard a sound. It was the sound of fire igniting in the eyes of the Guild Masters.