Cold Calculations
Alcott was genuinely impressed for the first time in a very long while. Truly... to think he was making such cold, calculated moves in a situation like this! Come to think of it, Kim Tae-hyun was right. He's absolutely right. Why on earth should we save those three idiots? Just thinking about the hardships they had endured on the continent because of those three made his teeth grind. They had only been coddling them because of the dragon's treasure; otherwise, they would have killed them several times over by now! If they could just find the dragon's treasure, there was no reason to go through unnecessary trouble. Rather than suffering to rescue them, simply finding the dragon's treasure was infinitely more satisfying!
Alcott, his mind filled with rage toward the three, was instantly won over, but Cain was worried.
"Is it even possible to find something like that around here? It's constantly snowing, so even if we use tracking skills to find footprints, the penalty will be severe. And even if we find their hideout, we don't know where the items are. Plus, they might not have even hidden them."
"!!"
Alcott gasped. Cain's point was incredibly logical.
I... I couldn't even think of something that idiot Cain did?
His self-esteem shattered into a million pieces!
The other companions were also marveling at Cain's logical deduction.
...Except for the members of the Power Warrior guild!
"You insolent fool, Cain! How dare you talk back to Lord Kim Tae-hyun!"
"You've clearly had it too easy! Die!"
"Do you think Lord Kim Tae-hyun wouldn't know what a worm like you can think of?!"
"W-Wait. Are you guys collectively insane? What is wrong with you?!"
Cain was utterly flustered. The guild members, who had been meekly begging for their lives just moments ago, were now snapping at him like rabid dogs.
Tae-hyun was also amused. Did they have some kind of personal grudge against Cain?
"Finding it might be difficult, but I figured it's worth a shot since I have my Authority skills... If we fail, we can deal with it then. Whether they actually have it on them or hid it somewhere else, we can just look for it later."
"We can look for it later?"
"Well, it's not like the items are going to disappear. The captured guys might turn into Chimeras or die... but won't they just resurrect?"
If the captured three had heard this, they would have screamed, "Aren't you coming to save us, you bastards?!"
The party nodded in agreement, fully convinced. Even if the search failed, they wouldn't lose anything. The only ones suffering any loss were the captured three.
"The Demon Quest is starting soon! Everyone, get your anti-demon gear ready!"
"Selling items useful against demons! Find Hados in the plaza!"
"Selling weapons blessed directly by a high priest of the Archisus Church! Mixed with a bit of silver!"
The atmosphere in the Valley was incredibly lively. It was all due to an announcement issued by the Church.
A demon invasion quest will soon begin in the Valley! Everyone, prepare!
"?"
"?????"
At first, people were confused, wondering what on earth this meant, but the Church repeated the announcement several times. Soon, players began to take it seriously.
"Are demons really invading? From where?"
"Could they be coming from that passage over there?"
"No way... look how many paladins are stationed there."
One of the areas in the Valley with the highest concentration of Church forces was the passage connected to the Demon Realm. It was a place where all sorts of brutal traps and elite NPCs stood on standby!
Once the demons attack, the battle will commence at the city walls, so everyone participate!
The Valley, the headquarters of the Archisus faith, is targeted by many enemies. The demons of the Demon Realm are jealous of the majesty of Archisus, who subjugates demons and brings peace to the continent!
Soon they will swarm the territory, so join the defense at the walls!
"Oh? So they're coming from the outside?"
"Then shouldn't this be super easy? I'm definitely joining."
"Easy? Dude, they're demons. You're going to join a quest to fight demons? You??"
Players who had only recently arrived in the territory were flustered. Their friend had clearly lost his mind!
"Haven't you seen the videos of demons? Their levels easily exceed 200 or 300! This isn't a quest for players like us!"
These players were only around level 100. In Pan-On nowadays, one had to be at least level 200 to be considered high-level, meaning those around level 100 had barely shed their beginner status.
The Valley was a fun place, but they needed to know their limits. Why on earth would they participate in such a dangerous quest?
"No, we can definitely join."
"What are you even talking about...?"
"The defense quests here in the Valley—especially when you're fighting from atop the walls—really have nothing to do with your level."
The friend, who had been living in the Valley for a long time, was brimming with confidence. It had been the same during the previous Valley siege. The defense of this Valley was practically invincible! It was a mighty defense that completely ignored any level differences.
It was a defensive structure designed to make the attackers curse with every breath!
First, there were the majestic Triple Stone Walls erected before the Valley. Even if the enemy managed to scale one wall, they would immediately face a devastating barrage of attacks from the wall behind it.
To make matters worse, the Valley's specialty was Mechanical Engineering! The power of Mechanical Engineering skills multiplied several times over in siege warfare, where movement was highly restricted.
Furthermore, scaling even a single wall was no easy feat. Fortresses were positioned all along the front of the walls, and inside them, Mechanical Engineering Blacksmiths would launch suicidal attacks, gleefully shouting, "Yay, experiment time!"
Countless players had died without ever managing to cross a single wall of the Valley.
"...That's the kind of history we have here," the friend said solemnly, leaving the newly arrived players looking utterly stunned.
"I-Is that really true? It sounds like a lie..."
"Aren't you exaggerating a bit too much?"
"It's not an exaggeration. You should have seen the videos. Ah, this is something only those who've actually been here can truly understand!"
The veteran friend exuded the relaxed, cool aura of an experienced Pan-On player. He looked incredibly cool!
"Can we really join in?"
"Yeah. You can just focus on ranged attacks. Don't skimp on arrows or spell scrolls; just buy them. You'll easily make your money back and then some. If you attack a lot and rack up high contribution points, the NPCs will even grant you permission to operate the siege weapons."
"Ooh... Ohhh...!"
The players in the Valley felt their hearts flutter with excitement at the prospect of the new quest. They had secretly been envious of the high-level players who got to go hunting in the Demon Realm.
"Let's call the others too! This is going to be a highly profitable quest!"
"I was planning to head to the Demon Realm, but if the demons are coming here anyway, maybe I should just wait? The Demon Realm is tough enough as it is..."
In an instant, the Valley transformed into a bustling hub of players eagerly waiting for the demons to arrive. It was a terrifying level of preparation that would make the incoming demons scream, Are you guys insane?!
"Fufu. Even if I say so myself, this is a brilliant strategy. Kim Tae-hyun won't escape this time."
"You are absolutely right, Lord Su Ning!"
"I am in awe of your wisdom, Lord Su Ning!"
Su Ning laughed satisfyingly after sending the demon forces down. The Auston Kingdom was a place of endless trouble, but today, he was truly happy!
"Lord Su Ning. This is no time to be complacent."
"???"
Su Ning turned his head. It was an employee sent by the investors who had funded the Guild Alliance, recently brought in as an executive. Essentially, a supervisor!
The investors of the Guild Alliance wanted to know exactly how the guild was being run. This employee's role was to analyze and report on everything from meetings to daily operations.
The other executives found him incredibly annoying, but... no one dared to speak up against him. Money was king, after all!
If we offend him and the investment gets cut, we're doomed.
Indeed, indeed.
Some of them had completely pivoted to flattery.
"Oh my. Then do you have some brilliant idea in mind?"
"Ah! We would love to hear your esteemed opinion!"
"..."
Su Ning felt a sense of bizarreness from their attitude. Did these executives eat something bad?
The employee cleared his throat and spoke.
"Based on our analysis of the Guild Alliance, we have reached a few conclusions."
"W-Wait. I might have made a few mistakes, but I am the guild leader. You can't replace me!"
"...I didn't even mention that?"
Su Ning blushed, having exposed his own insecurity.
"We respect your abilities, Lord Su Ning. Without you, the Guild Alliance would have collapsed long ago."
To be precise, it would have split apart! A normal person would have abandoned ship multiple times, but he had managed to hold it together, which was quite impressive.
Su Ning, completely missing the subtle jab, beamed with pride.
"Exactly!"
"Currently, the Guild Alliance's revenue comes from territory income in the Auston Kingdom, advertising revenue, guild member fees... and territory wars."
"Territory wars are incredibly lucrative."
"Once we fight, the money rolls in..."
The territory war videos uploaded directly by the Guild Alliance account sold ads instantly. That was how popular they were. The sheer impact of thousands of players clashing in one place was highly engaging!
"However, I have found a way to generate even higher view counts."
"Gasp. What is it? As expected of an intellectual!"
"Ah! I'm so curious!"
"Attack Kim Tae-hyun."
"..."
"..."
"...That's a bit much."
It was a suggestion so absurd it snapped even the sycophants back to reality!
"I told you before, there's absolutely nothing good to gain from poking Kim Tae-hyun. I know the investors hate him, but..."
"Can't we just jump in after other people fight him? If players from all over the world attack, we can join in then."
The Chinese investors were constantly complaining: Why did we give you so much money if you can't even beat Kim Tae-hyun? Are you guys idiots?!
Su Ning wanted to scream, Why don't you try it yourself, you bastard! but he had to hold it in. Money was king!
Since this wasn't the first time this topic had come up, Su Ning responded calmly.
"Ahem. Of course, I know the investors want us to defeat Kim Tae-hyun and become the best in Pan-On. But as the one who has led the Guild Alliance, I judge that now is not the time! We must build more strength!"
When would be a good time to fight Kim Tae-hyun?
When Kim Tae-hyun quits the game?
When Pan-On 2 ends?
If we take care of our health and outlive Kim Tae-hyun, isn't that a victory?
But the employee shook his head coldly.
"I didn't suggest this expecting you to win."
"???"
"What...?"
Lose? Are you a spy for Kim Tae-hyun?!
"I suggested it because even if we lose, we profit."
"What kind of nonsense is that?!"
"According to our analysis, when you get beat—cough, I mean, when you fight Kim Tae-hyun, the view counts are overwhelmingly high. Several times higher than territory wars. So, if you launch a minor attack and lose with minimal damage, the massive revenue will far exceed the losses..."
"Are you out of your mind?!"
Su Ning was furious. He thought they at least expected him to win, but they just wanted him to be a punching bag for views!
"Besides, the moment we break the truce, Kim Tae-hyun will wage an all-out war against us!"
"Hmm. If that concerns you, we could contact Kim Tae-hyun beforehand and stage the fight. He would probably agree if we share the revenue..."
"You... you absolute...!"
"What a crazy idea...!"
But the executives were actually impressed by the "profitable even in defeat" logic. If they fought Kim Tae-hyun, ads would sell like hotcakes! Of course, this was the cold logic of capitalism, completely ignoring player pride and reputation.
Slam!
Su Ning said firmly, "I, Su Ning, have my pride! I can absolutely never accept doing things that way!"
"Hmm... This idea was proposed by the investors. They said if you accept, they will seriously consider additional investments..."
"...But sometimes, for the greater good, one must sacrifice the small. How much did they say they would invest?"
Su Ning was tempted.
Ah... should I really contact Kim Tae-hyun and ask him to stage a fight? I really don't want to!