The Chain of Malice
"But it's actually a pretty plausible proposal."
Normally, it would have sounded like utter nonsense, but in a situation like this, it carried a strange weight of conviction. If they had even one more ranker right now, wouldn't Alcott's chances of survival shoot up?
"But if we trick them into coming, we'll definitely end up as mortal enemies..."
"No, it's not tricking them, it's just hiding the truth. This is a classic move Kim Tae-hyun pulls on me all the time..."
"..."
The endless chain of malice! Cain, who had been thoroughly victimized by Tae-hyun, was now trying to unleash the exact same tactic on someone else.
"Don't tell them exactly what you're doing. Just call them in a panicked voice, say it's an incredible quest, and tell them to get here fast."
"..."
"Once they get here, you just insist, 'Hey, I didn't lie!'"
"...Wow."
Alcott was genuinely in awe. This guy... has really been living under Kim Tae-hyun's thumb like this...!
"Good, right? Huh?"
"Y-yeah. That's actually a great method."
Alcott agreed. Then, he turned to Tae-hyun.
"By the way, is it okay if I call the Guild Alliance rankers?"
"Hmm? Can you make an excuse?"
"I can easily make an excuse."
He could just claim he had no choice but to cooperate with Kim Tae-hyun because of Nitinger.
"Really?"
Will that actually work? Seems suspicious.
There was one crucial detail Tae-hyun was overlooking: Alcott's stellar reputation within the Guild Alliance!
Among the Guild Alliance executives, Alcott was surprisingly regarded as a highly reliable ranker. While the other rankers acted selfishly, he was the only one who fought diligently (because Tae-hyun forced him to) for the sake of the guild.
A deeply moved Su Ning had even personally handed Alcott a gift.
"Take this item."
"What is this?"
"Equipment that an assassin might find useful... Ah, no. Hmph. Don't get the wrong idea. It's not like I'm giving it to you because I like you or anything."
"..."
"If you can make an excuse, I don't care if you call them."
"Okay. I'll call them."
Hmm. How should I phrase the message?
“There's a good quest, come here.”
No. This is too weak.
“Emergency quest! Come quickly!”
This is also a bit weird. Hmm... hmmm...
Alcott agonized over it, turning the words over in his head before finally consulting the rest of the party.
The collaborative masterpiece that resulted was...
"Will this do?"
"Perfect."
"I think it's perfect."
"Perfection itself."
"Okay. Sending it!"
Alcott was completely hypnotized. He really should have asked someone else...!
In any case, the result was a resounding success!
"Artillery, to your positions. Move out immediately. Paladins, get ready too! As soon as Nitinger's location is confirmed, we move!"
The players, who had been happily exchanging rewards and tidying up after finishing the Demon Army quest, were startled by Tae-hyun's sudden movement.
Could... Could it be??
"T-Tae-hyun-nim. Are you really going to hunt Nitinger?"
"I don't know if we'll hunt him or not. But we have to go. We have to stop Nitinger from entering the Atali Kingdom."
Right now, Nitinger was resting after destroying two coastal cities. They had to stop him from coming to the Atali Kingdom!
The players' faces were a mix of admiration and terror. Even if it was Kim Tae-hyun, they didn't expect him to actually go hunt Nitinger! Especially after seeing that video!
"Y-you're going even after seeing that..."
"It's Kim Tae-hyun. Is he like you?"
"Even so! Does that make any sense!"
"Shouldn't we stop him?"
"Did someone push him into this? What kind of crazy bastards pushed him?"
"Kim Tae-hyun! Don't go! You can ignore those trolls on the internet!"
The Valley players were fundamentally Tae-hyun's loyal fans. Whenever an article about Tae-hyun appeared on the internet forums, they passionately left comments!
Usually, the people leaving these comments were players belonging to the Valley in-game! Since they were such loyal fans, it was only natural they tried to stop Tae-hyun.
"Block him! Block the path so he can't go!"
"Kim Tae-hyun! If you go, you might die!"
"Cain, you bastard, what are you doing! Stop him! What do you have six arms for!"
"N-no... this isn't my fault! And how am I supposed to stop Kim Tae-hyun anyway!"
The players found Cain's protest highly convincing. Indeed, persuasive!
Tae-hyun said to the players, "I appreciate you trying to stop me, but I've already made my decision. It's fine, so you don't have to worry."
"...!"
"I'm going with you! I'll go with you!"
"?!"
One of the rankers who had participated in Tae-hyun's raid earlier ran forward.
"Hey, it's a Nitinger raid, why..."
"Do you want to die?"
"Kim Tae-hyun is going, you bastards! Don't you remember what we caught in the Demon Army? I don't care if I die! I leveled up so much while catching them anyway. It's a profit even if I die once!"
Tae-hyun, who was listening nearby, flinched. Did... did everyone level up that much? Enough that it's okay to die once...?
"If Kim Tae-hyun hadn't taken me, I wouldn't have been able to level up like that. If it were any other guild, they wouldn't have even let a guy like me, who barely managed to step into the ranker tier, join the party. It's because it's Kim Tae-hyun that he took me! I will repay this debt!"
"..."
"..."
After the nameless ranker shouted, the surroundings became strangely quiet. Deep emotion!
The players in the Valley felt a profound wave of emotion upon hearing those words. That ranker had much more to lose than they did, yet he was willing to follow Tae-hyun's quest because of what he had received. And here they were, trying to stop Tae-hyun because they didn't trust him!
The high-level players who had participated in the raid felt equally ashamed. Earlier, they had hopped on the train thinking they absolutely had to ride Kim Tae-hyun's quest, and now they were trying to back out. How were they any different from the trolls asking why anyone would participate in Kim Tae-hyun's quests!
Right. Those who believed when others doubted always received rewards!
Even if we don't get a reward, look at how much we've received from Kim Tae-hyun. We can do at least this much.
If I don't participate here, my conscience is on the level of Cain's.
"I... I'm going too!"
"Me too!"
"I will participate as well!"
"Join! Join!"
The shouts of the players gathered in the Valley soon became a chorus, shouting in one mind and one voice.
"Join! Join! Join!"
"Uh... guys. I'm sorry, but."
"???"
"If I take too many people, we'll just get wiped out, so there's really no need..."
"..."
"..."
The party was amazed. To be able to say something like that so shamelessly even after witnessing such hot emotion and passion!
He was a man who wouldn't bleed a single drop even if pricked with a needle!
"B-but..."
"We also want to go and help..."
"Hmm. Then do you want to standby nearby? Don't get too close, though. It's dangerous."
"YES!!!!!!!!!!!"
A roar loud enough to tear the Valley apart!
[You have sincerely persuaded and gathered people without deceiving them.]
[This purity is truly the power of Archisus! Holy stat increases.]
[Speech skill greatly increases!]
"...No, that's not it."
Tae-hyun denied it, dumbfounded. It felt like the system was trying to sneakily ride the wave of emotion, but Archisus was a god for whom it was already too late to pull that off. Having already shown his true colors so thoroughly, who would say "Ah, I see" if he suddenly claimed "Actually, the true power of Archisus is purity and emotion" now!
They'd call bullshit!
However, despite Tae-hyun and Carbanog's protests, the power of Archisus stubbornly sent message windows.
[You have obtained a Title!]
[Reputation has increased significantly!]
[Due to this great achievement, you have obtained the Authority skill, <Archisus's Army>!]
"!"
No, he got an Authority skill just for doing this?
"Shh. Quiet."
Whatever the case, it didn't matter. The important thing was that he had obtained an Authority skill!
Players united with one mind donate their experience points. In proportion to the gathered experience, the Battle Angels of Archisus will be temporarily summoned.
"..."
[...]
It... was powerful, but...
In theory, wasn't it a powerful skill?
How much experience do players have to donate for some decent guys to show up?
There was a reason Tae-hyun and Carbanog were close. Both were fundamentally suspicious and prepared for any situation, the Avatar and his God! To them, a skill that said "let's make an army by having players donate their own experience points"...
No matter how they looked at it, it seemed like a skill that wouldn't work.
Isn't it just going to summon a single underling of Archisus?
Ugh. Right. Let's stop worrying. Let's move.
Tae-hyun did a final check. His Adamantium Armor, the legendary gear used by the Emperor of the Asbian Empire, and the newly obtained skill.
Can I kill it in two hits? If I can't kill it in two hits...
Things will get really messed up!
If it looks like I can't kill it in two hits, should I hit it once and use Threaten instead? When should I use my other skills? Hmm...
"Tae-hyun-nim?"
Lee Da-bi tapped Tae-hyun. A massive crowd of people had gathered, but Tae-hyun was just standing there silently.
"Tae-hyun-nim. You don't have to worry so much."
"Right. If things go south, let's just run away to the Auston Kingdom."
The always reliable Auston Kingdom!
"...T-that's not what I meant. I meant that just as you've done well so far, you'll be able to do well on this quest too."
"Ugh. Da-bi. I really appreciate you believing in me... but I've never once had that kind of certainty."
Tae-hyun was always a cautious person who prepared for the worst. Others said things like, "Wow, Kim Tae-hyun is really fearless," or "Kim Tae-hyun bungee jumps without tying the rope," but Tae-hyun had always prepared, prepared, and prepared for when things went wrong.
To someone like Tae-hyun, the unwavering trust that other people and Lee Da-bi showed him was in the realm of the incomprehensible. How could they be so certain?
At Tae-hyun's words, Lee Da-bi laughed.
"Why?"
"No, it's just funny to hear you say that, Tae-hyun-nim. And there's a reason why I'm so certain."
"Really? What is it?"
"It's a secret."
"...Da-bi?!"
Since this was the first time Lee Da-bi had made such a joke, Tae-hyun was flustered.
"I'll tell you later."
"Saying it like that only makes me curious. Anyway... thank you. It was encouraging."
Since Lee Da-bi wouldn't believe in him for no reason, there must be a plausible reason, whatever it was. Thinking that way made him feel like he had a better chance of winning.
"Nitinger is starting to move! The direction is... east! It's either the Auston Kingdom or the Atali Kingdom!"
"Everyone, move out! Let's go!"
With Tae-hyun's shout, the massive crowd of players in the Valley began to move all at once.
It was the second Nitinger raid, which no one had anticipated.