Rebuilding from the Ashes

'Besides, Nitinger must have his own summons or kin, so security will be free.'

The single biggest expense in managing a territory was military power! Whether hiring mercenary NPCs or soldier NPCs, if they weren't stationed, monsters or bandits would inevitably invade. When that happened, various stats would plummet, dragging down the territory's condition... To avoid this, one had to invest heavily in military power.

The kingdom that invested the most in this area was none other than the Auston Kingdom!

'Because things are pretty brutal over there.'

In the Auston Kingdom, the difficulty level outside cities, castles, and villages was ridiculously high. Bandits, monsters, undead, and even demons frequently appeared in that brutal environment!

Tae-hyun ignored it. Wow! Let's see how much support Nitinger is giving me.

'What a guy!' Tae-hyun wiped the bottom of his nose. The generous support was enough to wash away all the suffering Nitinger had put him through. Honestly, it felt like there were more NPCs here than in the cities of the Atali Kingdom...

'...I shouldn't compare them. It'll only make me sad.'

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'Hmm. That's true.' To collect taxes, players had to visit. And to get players to visit, there had to be high-quality facilities. No player would pay to visit a completely empty, barren wasteland!

'I could build new ones, but it's going to be a massive headache...'

"?" Tae-hyun was taken aback by Alcott's urgent whisper.

'Wait... did I? Hmm. Maybe I thought about it subconsciously.' Come to think of it, maybe he had...?

Tae-hyun smirked at Alcott's words. He realized exactly what was happening. Pretending to be close to Nitinger had paid off!

'They're way more terrified than I thought.' Indeed, having witnessed Nitinger's rampage, it was only natural for the Guild Alliance to be so anxious. 'They won't be plotting anything with demons or whatever for a while. This is perfect...'

'Ah. That's a great idea.' Tae-hyun immediately agreed.

Alcott was flabbergasted. This wasn't just about constructing a single building. To rebuild an entire city, just how much gold and time would it take...?

Alcott nervously relayed the message exactly as instructed. Su Ning reacted with extreme fury.

'Hmm. That's a Chinese swear word I've never heard before.'

"What does this bastard take us for, making a proposal like this?!"

Losing a prime territory was already painful enough to make their stomachs churn, but now he was demanding the Guild Alliance rebuild it! The Guild Alliance executives were once again in awe of this mind-boggling highway robbery. This is Kim Tae-hyun! He's a guy who constantly exceeds our wildest imaginations! How can someone act like such utter trash...!

Yet, none of the executives said, "Let's reject it!"

...Because they were terrified of Nitinger.

"You must accept, Lord Su Ning. It's humiliating, but we have to endure for now..."

"I'll organize the workforce. We have plenty of guild members, so we'll easily gather enough people to participate in the construction quest."

While the executives were soothing Su Ning, an employee from the investors' side had a different reaction.

"Lord Su Ning. This is actually a good thing. As they say, turn a crisis into an opportunity. Why don't we use this chance to contact Kim Tae-hyun and pitch the proposal we discussed last time?"

"Are you out of your mind, you bastard?!"

Su Ning finally exploded! Completely blind with rage, heedless of whether they were investors or not, he began hurling whatever he could lay his hands on.

The employee cried out in panic, "Lord Su Ning! What is wrong with you?! Get a grip!"

"Do you think anyone in my shoes could get a grip, you son of a bitch?! Die! All you do is mock me from the sidelines!"

"I-I was merely offering appropriate advice for the future based on cold, rational analysis..."

The executives rushed in to restrain Su Ning. Meanwhile, the terrified employee fled as far away as possible. No, seriously... It's a great proposal, so why reject it?!

'I really can't understand these gaming folks!'

After Nitinger splashed his way back, Tae-hyun quickly moved to clean up the aftermath. First, he asked the Power Warrior guild members to sweep up all the frost-resistance items that had been dumped on the auction house as a precaution.

"Huh?? Shouldn't we just sell them???"

"No. We can't just sell them. We're going to buy a bit more, then sell them separately."

Cain was puzzled. Why buy more before selling? Was he trying to maximize his profits?

Seeing the Power Warrior guild sweep up frost items, greedy players began hoarding them as well, refusing to be left behind. In an instant, prices began to skyrocket! Seizing the opportunity, Tae-hyun quietly sold off his stash.

"Whew. I was nervous the prices would drop."

"Tae-hyun... I have nothing left to teach you...!"

"Haha. Nonsense. It's all thanks to your guidance."

Tae-hyun and Lee Da-bi shared a sinister conversation, beaming with joy.

'It hasn't even been that long since he fought Nitinger, and he's already pulling such petty tricks...' Alcott watched Tae-hyun, utterly dumbfounded.

Right now, all the players gathered nearby were talking about the quest Tae-hyun had just completed. The brave souls who had participated were boasting, "What did I tell you!" while those who had chickened out were filled with regret, groaning, "Argh! I should have joined!" Even players outside ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the Expedition were buzzing, saying, "If it weren't for Kim Tae-hyun, the continent would be doomed."

Though their words differed, everyone was drunk on the exact same ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠feverish excitement. The thrill of witnessing a Legendary-grade quest—the Nitinger quest—and watching Kim Tae-hyun clear it right before their eyes! It was practically a myth. They would be talking about this quest for years, if not decades, to come.

...And yet, the very guy who cleared such an epic quest was busy pulling petty scams! 'Looking at him completely shatters the illusion... Wait, or is he strong precisely because of that pettiness?' Anyone else would be too pumped up after clearing a quest like that to do anything but rest for days, but Tae-hyun was grinding away just to make a few extra gold... Seeing this, Alcott was suddenly struck by a wave of respect. I need to live my life with that level of intensity too!

"Why is he doing that when he could just sell them normally?"

Beside him, Cain tilted his head, still completely lost.

Seeing that, Alcott suddenly felt a profound sense of relief. With guys like him in the ranker pool, my ranking is safe for a long time!

"Tae-hyun, someone is asking to see you."

"Did they have a murderous look in their eyes, or was their behavior suspicious?"

"I checked thoroughly, and it's nothing like that... You know the first Nitinger raid team? The ranker who was the raid leader wants to meet you."

The ranker, Lin Zhipeng! Although the small parties that joined the raid had been utterly obliterated when Nitinger went wild, many players had managed to survive by quickly giving up and fleeing.

Tae-hyun wore an extremely suspicious expression.

"Why does he want to meet me? Is it an assassination attempt?"

"I doubted it too and checked his items several times, but there was nothing unusual."

"Senior. If he's suspicious, should we just attack first and ask questions later? Even his name sounds suspicious."

"Ji-su, not all Chinese people are trying to kill me. Though, to be fair, half of the people who do want to kill me are Chinese..."

"Actually, that ranker is Taiwanese..." Jeong Su-hyeok muttered from the side, but his words didn't reach Tae-hyun's ears.

"Unless the Guild Alliance has completely lost its mind, they wouldn't dare attack again in this situation, right?"

"There are plenty of people targeting you besides the Guild Alliance..."

"Shut up."

Tae-hyun silenced Cain, but he couldn't help but admit the truth in those words.

'If he's a player from the first raid team, he must be feeling pretty bitter.' The players of the first raid team had prepared immensely to take down Nitinger. It was just that Nitinger was an unexpected monster! Watching Tae-hyun easily defeat Nitinger must have left a sour taste in their mouths. 'Well, if he attacks, I'll just use him to farm some experience.' Tae-hyun decided to meet Lin Zhipeng. If they fought... well, he'd gain experience and items, so it was a win-win!

Lin Zhipeng and the party leaders swarmed over and stood before Tae-hyun. Tae-hyun immediately readied his skills. 'If they attack, I'll throw Cain in front of them and start the battle...'

"Th..."

"Th?"

"Thank you so very much!!!"

"...Huh?"

Tae-hyun paused just as he was about to draw his sword. What is this? Some new tactic to catch me off guard?

"If it weren't for you, Player Kim Tae-hyun, we would have had to quit the game! It was such a close call...!"

"Thank you, truly, thank you so much!"

The party leaders who had participated in the raid expressed their deep gratitude, their voices cracking with emotion. Indeed, the Nitinger raid was completely different from any other raid.

The failure of the first raid team wasn't just a simple failed raid; it had thoroughly enraged Nitinger, who was already on a hair-trigger! As a result, two entire cities had been spectacularly reduced to ashes, and the public naturally blamed the first raid team with absolute fury.

Players who had been caught in the crossfire nearby cursed them as if they were mortal enemies. And that was just the beginning! Once Nitinger began to move, other players joined in, wishing death upon the raid team. Why on earth did they have to throw fuel on the fire!

They were receiving as much hate as the infamous trio who stole the stone tablets! Some party leaders were so overwhelmed they were ready to pack up and quit the game. Judging by Nitinger's behavior, he was bound to go on a rampage several times worse than before, causing dozens of times more damage. It seemed better to just quit early and avoid witnessing the disaster...

But their expectations were shattered. Tae-hyun had defeated Nitinger. Against all odds, he had actually stopped Nitinger's rampage!

"Sob, sob! Thank you so much!"

"Waaah! I'm going to cheer for Team KL from now on! I used to be a fan of Yuseong Gaming, but...!"

"I'll tell everyone that Player Kim Tae-hyun is the absolute best!"

"..."

As the party leaders clung to Tae-hyun, weeping and wailing, Tae-hyun wore a thoroughly unimpressed expression. It's all well and good, but did you really have to mention you were a Yuseong Gaming fan?

"Um, Player Kim Tae-hyun. We actually have one favor to ask of you."

"?"

"We were filming a movie about the Nitinger raid, but since things turned out like this..."