What Are You Doing Here?
"What are you doing here?"
"What do you mean, 'what am I doing'? I am defending the city." The wraith stared at Tae-hyun with a look that asked, What kind of absurd question is that?
"Defending it from whom?"
"From the invaders who could strike at any moment. Someone like you, who does not understand the greatness of the Empire, wouldn't get it. This is the duty of an Imperial noble."
"..."
Tae-hyun thought to himself. Why are all the NPCs I run into so bizarre?
Karbanog asks if it isn't because the Avatar has already 'Archisused' all the normal NPCs.
Shut up.
In any case, he now knew who he was dealing with. Judging by his speech, he seemed to be some sort of noble from the Ancient Empire.
Choi Sang-yun, who had been listening from the side, spoke up inquisitively.
"But..."
"Uh-huh. How dare a commoner speak out of turn."
"..."
Cain spoke up instead.
"But I'm curious about..."
"Your status is lacking, but a noble is a noble. Ask away."
"Why, you...!" Sang-yun bristled. How dare he treat me like Cain?
Cain grinned widely. Now you get to experience what I go through every single day!
"So, what I'm curious about is... are the ones you're fighting those Beastmen from the north? The ones wearing things like bear pelts?"
"You are well-informed. Indeed. Those savage brutes have always coveted the Empire's prosperous cities. And they do not consist of only the Bear Tribe. There are several tribes mixed together."
"...??!" Mixed together?!
The Bear Tribe warriors alone were sickeningly durable. Tae-hyun was shocked to hear that there were other Beastmen warriors who hadn't even thawed out yet.
Now is not the time to be shocked.
"Well, those guys are currently running wild up there. Any chance you could help us out?"
"What? How could they be running wild? They should all be frozen solid!"
"If they were frozen, they can melt."
"Nonsense! Do you have any idea what kind of magic that was? It was a spell cast directly by the Empire's archmages!"
The wraith noble panicked and began to grow anxious.
"Captain of the Guard!"
"Yes, Your Excellency."
"Summon the Imperial soldiers and reinforce the city's defenses!"
"Yes, Your Excellency."
"Activate the magic circles on the city walls! Those savages must not set foot here!"
"Your Excellency, the magic circles are broken and cannot be activated."
"Then activate the magic towers in the city!"
"Your Excellency, the magic towers are also broken and cannot..."
...Are these guys doing a comedy routine? Watching from the side, Tae-hyun wore a dubious expression. Then again, considering how much time had passed, it made sense that everything was broken and ruined!
"Blast it! Bring me a mage!"
"Your Excellency, did you summon me?"
The wraith mage of the Ancient Empire flinched upon seeing Tae-hyun.
You have inherited Nevuchadnezzar's magic!
The Wraith Mage senses your power!
"Wait...? Are you a mage of the Nevuchadnezzar school?"
"!??" Tae-hyun was startled.
"Ah, no. We're not really close. Not close at all!"
"Tae-hyun, that is a highly unconvincing excuse..."
"Is that so? I was overjoyed thinking you had inherited Lord Nevuchadnezzar's true teachings..." The mage spoke with deep disappointment.
Tae-hyun quickly changed his tune.
"...Our relationship is far too profound to be described as merely 'close.' Shall we say we shared a part of our souls?"
Since he had beaten Nevuchadnezzar to a pulp and absorbed a portion of his soul, it was technically the truth!
Your Speech skill has increased!
Your Supreme Eloquence skill has...
"Haha. I knew it! I felt Lord Nevuchadnezzar's power radiating from you."
Nevuchadnezzar has a surprisingly good reputation here?
Didn't he go around the Ancient Empire shouting, Heh, I am the God of Death! only to be treated like a total lunatic?
Karbanog says that before someone goes mad, everyone probably treats them like a decent person.
Ah... right.
These ghosts were from the era before Nevuchadnezzar lost his mind and went on a rampage! Before his descent into madness, Nevuchadnezzar must have been a magnificent black mage, so it wasn't strange for the citizens of the Ancient Empire to hold him in high regard.
"How did you get to know Lord Nevuchadnezzar? I was never able to learn black magic because I lacked the affinity, but I have always admired him."
"...We bonded through battle."
......
"Oh...! So Lord Nevuchadnezzar recognized your talent and passed down his black magic to you!"
◈ [Unknown Item 1]
◈ [Unknown Item 2]
"Oh, you really didn't have to."
"Since I have met Lord Nevuchadnezzar's disciple, this is the least I can do."
...! Nevuchadnezzar...! Thank you! You're several times more useful than Sadiq!
Karbanog agrees!
"Mage, save that talk for later! We must restore the city's defenses right now. Tell me how."
"There is no way, Your Excellency."
"..."
For some reason, the wraith noble's face seemed to flush red!
"Is that the best you can say?! Shaming me in front of outsiders!"
"But Your Excellency, there is absolutely no way to repair the city's defense magic at this point."
The Ancient Empire possessed astronomical wealth. They had not only archmages but also an endless supply of magical materials that allowed those archmages to cast absurdly powerful spells. But the Ancient Empire had fallen, and this underground city was now a place where finding even a single magical ingredient was nearly impossible. Let alone finding an archmage.
"We would need Orihalcon ingots, sapphires, and diamonds to restore power to the turret's magic circles. But we have no mages to perform the repairs anyway..."
?!??!!? What are these lunatics talking about?!
Tae-hyun was appalled as he listened to their conversation. Using Orihalcon, not to mention precious gems like those, as mere magical components! That was a sin worthy of divine wrath!
"Ugh... Urrgh! With what face can I ever look upon His Majesty! Fine! Abandon the outer city walls and gather the soldiers at the inner citadel walls. The inner walls should still be functioning."
The wraith Count barked his orders, realizing he had no other choice despite his anger. If those Beastmen invaded this place, they would have to defend it with whatever they had left.
"If the Beastmen have awakened, these streets are no longer safe. You had best flee immediately."
"Hmm. Do you not need any help?"
He didn't ask because he genuinely wanted to help. It was purely a calculated question to see if he could squeeze some rewards out of them!
The wraith Count snorted at the question.
"Haha. You tell a good joke. What use would we have for the assistance of someone as weak as you?"
"..."
"..."
Tae-hyun's party fell into a collective, stunned silence. Who is calling whom weak?!
"Should we tell him we're from the Archisus Church? That might change his mind."
"Let's not. That might change his mind in a very different, very bad direction."
The terrifying thing about the Archisus Church was that you could never predict how an NPC would react upon hearing its name!
The wraith Count waved his hand.
"I am sorry, but we cannot help you either. Not only are we unable to leave this city, but even if we could, we wouldn't. Protecting this city is our sacred duty. Do you understand?"
"Hmm... I see..."
Tae-hyun muttered, then asked as a sudden thought struck him.
"So, if the Beastmen warriors make their way down here, you'll fight them?"
"Of course. ...Wait. That question sounded rather suspicious. Why do you ask?"
"Haha. No reason. Just curious."
Karbanog says it can already see the future!
Instead of leaving immediately, Tae-hyun held the wraith Count back and grilled him for more details. He simply had too little information on the enemy.
The current opponents were a faction with exceptionally little information available in Pan-On! It was only natural, considering they had been frozen solid for ages before suddenly thawing out.
"So, you're saying there are other tribes besides the Bear Tribe? ...Is there, by any chance, a tribe that excels in magic?"
"Among the Beastmen, I believe the Fox Tribe was quite adept at magic... My memory is a bit hazy. Ah, yes. I recall they were also highly skilled in curses."
"..."
Tae-hyun shuddered. So the Bear Tribe warriors were just the vanguard that woke up first?
It was a stroke of luck that the simple-minded, brute-force types had awakened first. If the others had thawed out first, even Tae-hyun would have been in serious danger.
"Do you happen to know where they are sealed?"
"Hmm... They likely froze their entire fleet and sank it to the bottom of the ocean."
"Ugh." Tae-hyun groaned.
Of all places, it had to be the bottom of the sea! This meant he would have to swim down to fight them, which multiplied the difficulty several times over.
You couldn't set fire to the ocean... and bombs had far too many restrictions underwater...
Karbanog stomps its feet anxiously, asking what you're going to do.
Hmm. Should I really lure them down here?
If the Beastmen saw this underground city, wouldn't they prefer it over that shabby forest fortress up above?
Of course, the ghosts of the Ancient Empire would absolutely loathe having a battlefield brought to their doorstep...
Well, sometimes in life, you just have to do things you hate!
While Tae-hyun was enjoying his summer vacation in the cool climate of Nodranche, the Central Continent was growing hotter by the day.
And as the continent's temperature soared, so did the tempers of its players.
"I'm going to murder those bastards!"
"How is this place hotter and more humid than Korea?! Why do I have to experience summer early in a video game?!"
The players' bloodthirsty cries echoed! The target of their murderous rage was the Raider Guild, the Outlaws.
This was the very guild whose members had interfered during Tae-hyun's raid on the volcanic region, accidentally triggering a dragon's relic and unleashing a continent-wide curse!
"My crops failed because of those jerks!"
"My crafting attempt failed because of them!"
"Huh? Why did that fail?"
"I was so annoyed my hand slipped!"
"...That actually sounds plausible."
"Looking for info on these guys! Buying any intel on them!"
"Whoa. Look at the bounty on their heads already...!"
Raider guilds were naturally despised by the general player base, so they were always prime targets.
For starters, even if you engaged in PK, there was virtually no penalty for killing Raider players. In fact, doing so often increased your Reputation or earned you Kingdom Contribution Points.
The Raider players were well aware of this, so they always came prepared. They were typically PK experts who knew countless escape routes.
But this time, the scale of the backlash was on a completely different level. They had drawn aggro from the entire player base!
With players driven mad by the heat slapping bounties on them left and right, the Raiders had essentially become walking golden goblins. Finders keepers!
When a manhunt of this scale was underway, any player would be shaking in their boots.
...Well, except for Tae-hyun, of course.
"Hey, did you buy the potions?"
"Yeah, got them. Bought the scrolls too."
"Nobody noticed you, right?"
"Nope. But there are tons of players in town. Word must have gotten out."
"Damn it... I wore a solid disguise. Did someone see through it?"
The Outlaws' players sat on a low hill near the town, trading items.
Various consumables like potions, scrolls, and throwing weapons. Most players had no idea how precious these items truly were.
You only realized the true value of these consumables once you became a Raider player!
Without a territory, and with NPCs in most towns shouting "Get lost!" at the mere sight of them, even buying basic items was a monumental struggle.
While being a Raider player carried a carefree image of just robbing whoever you pleased, it was actually several times harder than playing as a law-abiding citizen.
"Where the hell are those bastards? Are they not answering whispers?"
"They're not. I think they realized we're onto them."
Even their own guild members were currently hunting down the idiots who had run off with the relic. Because of those fools, the entire guild was on the verge of ruin!