Setting Beasts Against Beasts
"Y-Your Majesty! Those guys are here to plunder Nodranche!" one of the Elven warriors whispered in a panic.
He wondered if Kim Tae-hyun was completely misunderstanding the situation. The moment they joined hands with them, Tae-hyun would have to go plunder Nodranche too!
Wait. Is His Majesty actually planning to plunder Nodranche? Considering how he hung out with Duke Gellendel, it was entirely possible! Although the Elven warrior was harboring a highly disrespectful misunderstanding, Tae-hyun was perfectly sane.
"I know," Tae-hyun said. "You don't need to worry."
The Ancient Wolf Tribe is grateful for your kindness!
"Thank you. Thanks to you, we survived! In return, I shall give you something good."
"Oh. Is it perhaps Orihalcon?"
"No! But it is something far better than Orihalcon!"
Carbanog asks if it is two pieces of Orihalcon.
"It is the opportunity to raid the Empire, which surely possesses mountains of Orihalcon! I shall grant you the chance to participate!"
"..."
Tae-hyun wasn't disappointed. He had expected as much anyway!
Carbanog curses, saying that wolf bastard's scamming skills are on par with Akisus.
Taking credit for something that didn't even exist! Tae-hyun felt a brief pang of self-reflection at those words. Meanwhile, the Wolf Tribe warrior turned his head and spoke.
"It has been a long time since I last saw that beast."
"Do you know that beast?"
"We brought it all the way from the far northern lands! We figured we would need something of that scale to bring down the Empire!"
Tae-hyun wanted to shout, You crazy bastard, why would you bring something you can't even control! but he held it in.
"Isn't it quite cute—"
—Pwooooooo!
"Ah, oops."
The Wolf warrior quickly dashed into the cabin, dragged out one of his comrades, and threw him straight at the beast.
—Pwooo. The beast caught and swallowed the offering, nodding in apparent satisfaction.
"..."
"..."
The Elves stared in sheer horror. What kind of savages were these guys?!
That's actually a bit chilling. Looking at the City Destroyer, Tae-hyun realized once again that this beast was going to be incredibly troublesome to deal with. Even the ancient beastmen warriors were barely keeping it placated by feeding it their own. What would happen if they couldn't satisfy its appetite later?
Hmm... Once everything is wrapped up, let's just dump it in the Auston Kingdom and leave.
Carbanog says that is an excellent idea!
The Auston Kingdom—the perfect dumping ground for hazardous waste! Of course, from the perspective of the Guild Alliance or the Midas Guild, this would have sounded absolutely preposterous. What an absolute piece of trash...!
The Death Knights of the Auston Royal Family...
The Ghoul Soldiers of the Auston Royal Family...
The Skeletons of the Auston Royal Family...
...
The Undead Knights have begun to appear in the Auston Kingdom!
These were the former knights of the kingdom whom Tae-hyun had discovered in the underground mines while searching for materials to repair the Sky Castle! Though they had turned into Death Knights, their loyalty had never wavered, and they were currently furious at the state of the Auston Kingdom. The royal family had vanished, and some random adventurer bastards were running around claiming to be kings...
However, they didn't make a move immediately. Their forces were merely a handful. Even Tae-hyun had wondered, Huh? They left, but why haven't I heard any rumors? Did they get wiped out already?
The Death Knight Knights moved very quietly, stealthily, and in absolute secrecy. They traveled around seeking noble NPCs who still held loyalty to the old royal family, searching for knight NPCs, and swelling their ranks with useful undead subordinates... Once they had regained a certain level of strength, they raised their banners and launched an uprising.
Avenge the Royal Family!
"Let us avenge the royal family!"
"Let us avenge the royal family!!"
The knights loyal to the old royal family have returned, transcending death itself. They seek to drive out the traitors occupying the Auston Kingdom and resurrect the royal dynasty. Join them in their honorable crusade!
📍 Location: Auston Kingdom
🎁 Reward: ?, ???, ????
🏆 Quest Grade: Legendary
With the Legendary Quest World Tree already active on the continent, another Legendary Quest had just erupted! The players of the Auston Kingdom cried out in unison:
"This kingdom is seriously cursed, I swear!!"
Every time they tried to do anything, some massive disaster would break out! Come to think of it, the Auston Kingdom truly was a cursed land. From the very start of the game, the kingdom had been locked in a civil war...
Back when the Guild Alliance was in its prime, they had wiped out and expelled all the other guilds. In retaliation, the pissed-off older players had created the Southern Plague Zone and fled...
And ever since the conflict between Tae-hyun and the Guild Alliance intensified, the kingdom had turned into a literal lawless wasteland. Outlaw players, drawn by Tae-hyun's notorious reputation, had run rampant, committing banditry all over the place.
After the World Tree incident, demons had started multiplying... Despite pouring everything they had into it, the Guild Alliance had gained absolutely nothing. Only after pouring their entire fortune into Tae-hyun and nearly going bankrupt did they finally snap out of it.
Currently, they were barely managing to restore and run the kingdom using investment funds secured through the popularity of their territory war with the Midas Guild... So when the Death Knights suddenly showed up screaming "Vengeance!", they couldn't help but be utterly dumbfounded.
And the same went for the Midas Guild. After all, they were also currently occupying parts of the Auston Kingdom!
"These crazy NPC bastards...! Why are they doing this now of all times?"
"Block them! Post a warning! It'll get annoying if this blows out of proportion!"
Both the Guild Alliance and the Midas Guild immediately posted warning notices.
"Anyone who participates in this quest will be deemed an enemy of the guild!"
"Those who join the quest are our enemies!"
The Guild Alliance, as well as the breakaway Midas Guild, knew all too well. If they didn't suppress this kind of quest early on, things could get incredibly dangerous! They had learned this painful lesson firsthand through their struggles against Tae-hyun.
Both sides declared emergencies and dispatched forces to wipe out the undead army. They deployed anti-undead special forces comprised primarily of Priests and Paladins! Their momentum was so terrifying that ordinary players didn't even dare to join the quest.
"Hey. It's a Legendary Quest, you're not joining?"
"Are you crazy? Why would I get involved in that? Maybe if Kim Tae-hyun got involved, though."
"Is Kim Tae-hyun not joining? Ah, what a shame. If he did, I would've joined too."
To anyone looking, the Auston Royal Knights were in an overwhelmingly disadvantageous position! However, these Death Knights pulled off an entirely unexpected move. They fled straight into the Southern Plague Zone.
"..."
"..."
The leaders of both guilds clutched the backs of their necks in sheer frustration. Those... those undead bastards, seriously...!
However, Carbanog asks how you plan to use them.
For now, I'm thinking of leading these guys to fight the Bear Tribe.
Tae-hyun carefully scanned the Wolf Tribe warriors. Just as the Bear Tribe warriors were half-man, half-bear, these guys were werewolves. Usually, they remained in their werewolf form, but once they entered battle, they transformed into even larger wolves! From the looks of it, they seemed to be the same type as the Bear warriors. Pure warrior types, not shamans or mages!
What a shame. I wanted to get my hands on a mage tribe...
After all, those were the most dangerous types for Tae-hyun! But it couldn't be helped. He decided to work with what he had.
I should start by driving a wedge between them.
Even if tribes got along, there was bound to be some friction. Tae-hyun casually asked, "By the way, about the Bear Tribe warriors..."
"Why are you even mentioning the names of those annoying, slow, stupid bastards?!"
"..."
...
Tae-hyun and Carbanog were left utterly speechless. Such a violent reaction before he could even activate his speech skill!
"Those guys kept attacking us out of nowhere. All we wanted was to purely attack the Empire!"
Supreme Eloquence
The relationship between the Bear Tribe and the Wolf Tribe is extremely hostile!
Persuasion successful!
"Those bear bastards! Before we strike the Empire, we'll crush them first! Where are they?!"
"Graaaah! Graaaah!"
The Wolf warriors howled, immediately flying into a rage. Tae-hyun was taken aback by how incredibly easy the persuasion had been. Wait. It was that easy? Is this place a paradise for Speech skill users?
Carbanog says it now perfectly understands why the Bear Tribe warriors plugged their ears!
If they hadn't plugged their ears, the Bear warriors would have been swayed instantly too!
"Wait. We need to fight a bit more strategically—"
The Wolf Tribe warriors have entered a frenzied state!
The Wolf Tribe warriors are transforming!
In this state, Speech skills will not take effect!
A state where they were too consumed by rage to hear anyone else! The Wolf warriors charged forward in a blind fury.
"Graaaaaah! Let's go slaughter them!"
Rumble! Pouring out of the ship, the Wolf Tribe warriors let out deafening battle cries as they dashed across the frozen sea.
"..."
Tae-hyun and Gellendel stared blankly for a moment before suddenly snapping out of it.
"L-Let's follow them!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
The waiting Galkard Dwarves were shocked when the Wolf warriors appeared in the distance. Dealing with the Bear warriors alone had been overwhelming, and now a whole new group had shown up!
"Shouldn't we retreat?"
"We must wait for His Majesty. Hold your ground! If we retreat like this, what becomes of our honor?"
"???"
Howl! Graaaaaah!
The Wolf warriors howled as they lunged at the Bear warriors. Furious at the sudden ambush, the Bear warriors roared back.
"What is the meaning of this?!"
"Graaaaaah!"
"Actually, who cares about a reason! We've wanted to wipe you guys out for ages anyway! Graaaah!"
The Bear warriors transformed as well! Deafening battle cries began to echo across Nodranche.
The Ancient Bear Tribe and the Ancient Wolf Tribe have clashed!
Their howls stack due to mutual hatred! They have entered an extreme frenzy!
Due to ancient grudges, their battle cries resonate...
The stats of the Ancient Bear Tribe warriors have increased significantly!
The stats of the Ancient Wolf Tribe warriors have increased significantly!
As the ambushed Bear warriors roared and summoned their allies, all the nearby Bear warriors began to gather at the scene. A chaotic melee involving dozens of beasts erupted!
Whoa. Insane. Tae-hyun watched the battle unfold in awe. The sheer potential of the beastmen warriors transcended imagination. It was on a completely different level compared to when Tae-hyun isolated and hunted them down one by one. As they exchanged battle cries and fell into a collective frenzy, their power stacked and multiplied. It was a literal crucible of madness!
—*Roar!*
—*Screeech!*
Boom! Crash!
Every single strike shattered boulders and shook the very earth! Watching this, a sudden thought crossed Tae-hyun's mind.
...Did I provoke them a bit too much?
He had instigated the fight out of necessity, but seeing them tear into each other with such savage intensity made him feel a sudden pang of regret. Judging by their current performance, their levels seemed to easily surpass 500 in that state...
"K-Kim Tae-hyun. Can we actually clean up this mess?" Cain asked, his voice trembling.
"...I don't know. Let's just focus on the task at hand first. I have a plan."
Tae-hyun had been formulating a plan ever since he persuaded the Wolf warriors. The chances of success were slim, but this was the best option they had. Cain's face brightened at Tae-hyun's words. Even in a chaotic situation like this, he felt a sense of relief simply because he was dealing with Tae-hyun. Following Kim Tae-hyun always guaranteed at least half-success!
"Right! What do we need to do?"
"From now on, we're going to pull out the guys trapped under the frozen sea and dump them somewhere else."
"..."
"..."
...
Cain was completely speechless at the utterly absurd idea.
"No, wait... does that even make sense...?"
"There's no time to argue! We need to pull out as many as we can before they thaw, and dump them in a much colder place!"
Of course, Cain's concern was understandable. Realistically, it was impossible to stop all of them before they thawed.
We have to at least get rid of the most threatening ones!
Just pulling out the warrior tribes had resulted in this chaos; if the mage or shaman tribes were unleashed, things would get truly disastrous. Even if persuasion worked, it would still be a massive headache!
We must stop them at all costs.
Tae-hyun thought of Frozeland to the north. Although it was quite a distance away, it was the closest freezing territory to their current location! If they could pull them out, load them onto the ship, and sail as fast as possible to dump them in Frozeland...
But we might run out of time. Can we keep them frozen with ice magic? Damn it. Time is... should I have dived into the sea sooner?
"Tae-hyun! Tae-hyun!"
"What is it?"
"Let's summon the Sky Castle!"
??"
"We can store them inside the Sky Castle!"
"...!!!"
Tae-hyun stared in awe at Lee Da-bi's brilliant idea. Lee Da-bi...!