The Demonic Sword is Complete
"Ms. Lee Se-yeon! Now that you're the first to break past level 300, isn't this a massive success? You might actually be able to crush Team KL!"
"Exactly! Please put an end to Team KL's monopoly!"
The rankers surrounding Lee Se-yeon showered her with flattery. Considering they had been whining just moments ago about how "there's no way we can raid the Ancient Giant, tsk tsk," they had to suck up to her even harder now!
"With all those titles and stat bonuses you've acquired, you can definitely take on Kim Tae-hyun!"
"Take him on? She'll completely dominate him!"
"Dominate? No, it'll be a one-shot! A one-shot kill!"
Meanwhile, Ryu Tae-su, one of the pro players from Yuseong Gaming, was meticulously writing down every single name.
"What are you doing?"
"I'm going to report this to Kim Tae-hyun later."
"..."
Kim Chul-soo looked at the rankers with pity. Who would have thought there was a spy right here, chatting away while they thought the broadcast was off!
"Well, I'm not really confident I can beat Kim Tae-hyun in the league."
"Oh, come on! What are you talking about?"
"You're so humble!"
"Lee Se-yeon! Lee Se-yeon! Lee Se—"
"Cut it out."
"...Yes, ma'am."
At Se-yeon's warning, the rankers instantly shut their mouths. For some reason, her mood seemed terrible! They had to tread carefully.
These people talk so easily because they aren't the ones playing in the league...
Se-yeon clicked her tongue. Her lack of confidence in beating Tae-hyun in the league was genuine. In the first place, the arena was an incredibly disadvantageous battlefield for a Necromancer! The proof lay in the fact that she was the only Necromancer currently surviving in the first division of Pan-On.
By nature, a Necromancer was a class that grew exponentially stronger the longer they spent on an open field. Starting fresh inside an arena put them at an inherent disadvantage.
The fact that she managed to keep Yuseong Gaming in second place despite such handicaps was a testament to her sheer brilliance...
But the problem was that a ridiculously broken bast—no, player—was sitting right above her.
Isn't that Adamantium Armor?!
At some point, Se-yeon realized that Team KL's armor had reached absurd levels. A crazy set of armor that completely covered even Tae-hyun's few remaining weaknesses! Seeing that, she had abandoned several of her carefully laid plans.
This wasn't something she could handle in a short-term skirmish. She had to take him down in a long, drawn-out battle in the open field!
Though frustrated and bitter, Se-yeon was a professional among professionals. She immediately formulated a new strategy.
...Specifically, the "Second Place is Still Great" strategy.
S-Sis. Are we not aiming for first place?
If you can figure out a way for me to beat Kim Tae-hyun, I'll seriously consider it.
Hmm... What if you confess to him and throw him off his game?
Pfft!!
If you use a fake confession to shatter his focus... With your looks, it would definitely work...
Ah... Ah. So that's what you meant.
But that method is way too much of a waste for you, right? Never mind. You're way too good for a guy like him.
Y-Yeah, exactly.
If there was practically no way to beat Tae-hyun in the league, she had to cleanly give up on that and target him inside Pan-On instead. Yuseong Gaming was already discussing and planning this strategy midway through the league.
It was far better to do what they could rather than force an impossible play and ruin the team.
The real showdown has to be in Pan-On. It's cowardly to fight and win in an arena where the conditions are skewed in his favor. If Kim Tae-hyun teases you guys about this, you have to reply exactly like that. Never admit defeat.
Uh, Captain. Then when you fight Kim Tae-hyun, are you going to fight him in a fair one-on-one?
Of course not. I'm going to ambush him with a horde of hidden undead right from the start. What are you even talking about?
...????
A world-class player's mental gymnastics were truly world-class!
"Sigh..."
Tae-hyun read the article with a shocked expression. It was shocking on multiple levels.
The fact that Se-yeon had taken down the Ancient Giant, and that she had surpassed level 300...
The thought of rankers starting to break past level 300 one by one and pulling far ahead made his stomach churn with envy.
I'm so jealous! I'm barely hitting 200...
"How on earth did she defeat it?"
"She probably used damage-over-time," Choi Sang-yun replied.
Someone of Se-yeon's caliber likely possessed around a hundred different curse skills. She would have stacked curses relentlessly, mobilized her undead to bind the giant's feet and stall for time, and continuously accumulated damage to prevent it from regenerating its HP...
She's basically a spoon murderer.
It was a classic Necromancer tactic, one that Tae-hyun, who lacked such curse skills, could never pull off.
And honestly, it gave him the chills.
Wait, wasn't that tactic designed specifically to target me?
No matter how he looked at it, it felt like an anti-Kim Tae-hyun strategy! Looking at the raid video, it only showed the Ancient Giant collapsing without detailing the process, which made it even more suspicious. It felt like she was hiding the details to use against him in the future.
"Isn't our position in the league in danger right now?"
"Hmm? No. In the arena, honestly..."
Tae-hyun wasn't particularly scared. The arena was simply too advantageous for him.
Even if Se-yeon had reached level 300 and received various stat buffs, her overall power was scaled down in the arena, while Tae-hyun's was scaled up. The only viable strategy she could use was to weaken Tae-hyun with curses and have her teammates overwhelm Team KL...
But with everyone in Team KL now wearing Adamantium Armor, that strategy had zero chance of succeeding.
Tae-hyun would melt the opponents before Team KL could even begin to take damage.
"The problem isn't the arena; it's when we meet in Pan-On."
"But aren't you two allied?"
"Like that's going to last. And even if we're allied, we can still compete against each other."
"...???"
Cain wondered what kind of nonsense he was hearing. What do you mean? Why would you fight if you're allied?
"Hey. Am I the weird one, or is he?"
"Normally, you'd be the weird one, but this is a very rare exception where Tae-hyun is definitely the weird one," Choi Sang-yun verified.
Indeed, Tae-hyun had his moments of sheer eccentricity!
"Still, since Lee Se-yeon is your rival and she just broke past 300, wouldn't your stomach be churning a bit? Maybe we should offer him some encouragement?"
"Wait, is Kim Tae-hyun the kind of guy who needs encouragement?" Cain asked, puzzled. Usually, Cain was the one who needed a lot of encouragement...
"As long as he's human, anyone can have moments of weakness. Let's go cheer him up."
"But what are we even supposed to say to encourage him?"
"That he's better than Lee Se-yeon?"
"I feel like that would just make him angrier..."
The group approached Tae-hyun from behind. He was muttering something to himself.
"?"
"Sigh, Lee Se-yeon's subordinates can even take down an Ancient Giant, but these guys..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
The group instantly felt a sharp stab of guilt.
Ah...! How petty of him to compare us like that...!
"Oh. What are you guys doing standing behind me?"
"...W-We'll work harder!"
"Fighting!!"
"??"
Tae-hyun, who had actually been grumbling about the Archisus Church NPCs, looked at them in confusion. What's wrong with them?
Despite Tae-hyun's rejection, the church NPCs were persistent. They refused to leave the Valley, constantly sending meeting requests.
The Bishop of the Cult requests a meeting...
Of course, Tae-hyun wasn't the type of person to bat an eye at these message windows.
"Hey. If they keep coming, throw salt at them."
"Salt is a waste. Should we throw dirt instead?"
"Now that is an excellent idea!"
Having a terrible relationship with the church had its perks. No matter what they did, things couldn't possibly get any worse!
"Let's ignore the church bastards. Where should we head next..."
Tae-hyun spread out a map and fell into thought. Pan-On was vast, and there were countless uncharted territories. He had to choose his next destination with absolute efficiency.
Moreover, as a lord player, Tae-hyun had to manage his territory alongside his class quests. If he wasn't careful when selecting each quest, things could get incredibly troublesome.
"What about going back to the Demon Realm?"
"Are you insane?!"
Cain shrieked in horror, stopping Choi Sang-yun. After all that suffering?!
"We could go further south of the volcanic region on the Prica Continent. They say it's a jungle region. Even worse than the mountain range."
"The mountain range was already a nightmare, and a jungle that's even worse? What, are the plants going to walk around and attack us? Absolutely not!"
"Hmm. I have a good idea."
"?"
"Cain, shut your mouth. Only the others should speak."
"Hmph..."
While Cain sat in a corner, pouting with his mouth shut, the others actively shared their opinions. Should they head east into the desert of the Asbian Empire? Or should they venture further south into the Prica Continent?
But everyone agreed on one thing.
...Let's stay away from the Demon Realm for a while!
Just thinking about the demon army from last time made shivers run down their spines...
The Bishop of the Cult requests a meeting...
The Bishop of the Cult requests a meeting...
"Ah. These guys are like spam mail."
"Should we send the Power Warrior Guild members to harass them?"
"...N-No. I don't think we need to go that far."
That's terrifying!
The Bishop of the Cult requests a meeting...
The Goblin Envoy of the Underground Coalition requests a meeting...
The Bishop of the Cult requests a meeting...
"?"
Tae-hyun, who had been rejecting them all, suddenly paused. Something strange had slipped in between the spam.
Oh?
"Why did the goblins from the Underground Coalition come here?"
"Who are they?"
"They are the goblin envoys."
"Tsk tsk, how unfortunate for them."
The bishops clicked their tongues as they watched the newly arrived goblin envoys. The current Pope was a man of terrible temper who chased everyone away and refused to meet them! Since they themselves were being made to wait outside in misery, would he ever meet with mere goblins? They would surely be turned away at the gates...
"You may enter."
The goblins casually strolled right inside.
"???????"
"?????????"
The bishops' eyes widened. W-Wait... Didn't you say he was busy?!
"Lord Pelmas! Didn't you say His Holiness was busy?!"
"Well, I suppose... he isn't busy right now."
"Then he should have met us first!"
"Since he met your side once, isn't it only fair that he meets the goblin envoys now?"
"What kind of nonsense is that!"
"That makes absolutely no sense...! Call His Holiness out immediately!"
Pelmas wore an incredibly annoyed and exasperated expression. He called over a nearby Paladin NPC and whispered:
"Hey. Go bring Lord Pelmarne."
"Yes, sir!"
"...Did you just say Bishop Pelmarne?"
"No, I didn't?"
"I'm sure I heard the name Pelmarne...?"
"You misheard."
This petty bastard...!
The bishops gnashed their teeth. Every single person with 'Pel' in their name was incredibly annoying!
"Your Majesty. We goblins are truly overjoyed to deliver this news. The Demonic Sword, Ga, is finally complete!"
The Demonic Sword crafted by gathering the mysterious blue metal, Archiranium...
Thinking back to the sheer exhaustion of fighting the mutated monsters of Archisus just to obtain it made Tae-hyun feel dizzy.
Cain sniffled, wiping away a tear. Because of those damn mutants...!
"This Demonic Sword is the most vicious and dangerous item we goblins have ever created. The moment it touches an enemy, it melts their flesh and twists their bones..."
As the goblins explained with spit flying from their mouths, Choi Sang-yun muttered, "Does it turn them into something like Cain?"
"Hey...!"
But it was a highly plausible comparison. Since the sword was forged from the blue metal, such mutative effects were only natural.
For the first time in a while, Tae-hyun felt a surge of anticipation. A heart-fluttering, wonderful anticipation!
"Your Majesty! Please allow us goblins to present the Demonic Sword to you!"
"I allow it."
Slide—
The goblins grunted as they lowered the box they had carried in. It was a sealed lead box that looked like a giant coffin. When they opened that box, another lead box appeared inside. And when they opened that box, yet another lead box...
"..."
The expectant onlookers stared with blank, dumbfounded expressions.
Why are there so many boxes?