A Despicable Declaration
With an incredibly eerie sound, the seawater began to be sucked in one direction. Quick-witted players, sensing something was amiss, hastily turned their bows.
"Pull back! Pull back!"
"Something's about to blow!"
But the guild members locked in combat failed to notice.
"No, seriously, why are we bowing down to Power Warrior? Have you no pride?!"
"You've been away from the game so long you've lost touch with reality! Do you really think anything good comes from picking a fight with Power Warrior?"
"We can just crush them! Look! They're... they're running away! See?!"
The guild member pointed at the Power Warrior guild members. They were fleeing without so much as a backward glance!
"Why are you scared of guys who are clearly terrified of us?!"
"Wait... those Power Warrior bastards aren't the type to run. They're absolute lunatics."
His friend's bizarre warnings only infuriated the guild member. Of all the things to fear, this idiot was actually afraid of Power Warrior!
"Ah, forget it! Move aside. I'll catch—"
Kwoooooosh! At that exact moment, a colossal pillar of water erupted from the sea's surface.
Defeat Leviathan
The monster slumbering in the deepest depths of the Demon Realm, Leviathan, has spilled over into the continent! It is unknown which wicked demon summoned this Leviathan, but it must be defeated as soon as possible. Otherwise, there is no telling what catastrophe will befall the seas!
🎁 Reward: ?, ???, ?????
"Wh-What the hell?!"
"Can't we kill that thing? Move aside. I'm taking a shot."
"Hey, are you insane—"
Thwip! The guild member, an archer player, recklessly loosed an arrow. Thud!
Your attack power is too low to inflict damage.
Your attack power is too low to inflict damage.
Bwooooooo...
Leviathan, a monstrous beast resembling a colossal, ferocious whale, slowly turned its head to stare at the players. The heart of the guild member who had just fired the arrow plummeted into his stomach.
Bwoooo...
Leviathan does not pay attention to you.
"!"
"Wh-What is this?"
"What do you mean 'what'?! Shut up and run!"
Seeing that Leviathan paid them no heed, the friend grabbed the guild member and tried to scramble away. It was incredibly rare for a boss monster not to retaliate when struck. Whatever the reason, it was a stroke of pure luck, so they had to shut their mouths and run!
Kwooooooooosh!
Leviathan is using a skill!
EVERYONE, EVADE!
"Wh-Wh-What..."
"Uaaaargh?!"
But for a boss monster of Leviathan's caliber, whether it paid attention to them or not was entirely meaningless. Every single one of its attacks was a wide-area skill! The surrounding seawater began to violently swirl toward Leviathan. Those who had caught on early and fled managed to scramble onto the docks, but those who realized too late were dragged straight into the vortex. Regardless of whether they were on large ships or small boats, they were sucked clean into Leviathan's colossal maw!
...!!!
Leviathan literally carried an entire pocket dimension inside its stomach! It possessed a belly just as massive as Towang-i, the pet Lee Da-bi dragged around. The players who had successfully escaped to the harbor or nearby islands stared at Leviathan with vacant, dumbfounded expressions. How on earth were they supposed to defeat that thing?
"?!"
Tae-hyun, who had been reviewing which of the Garuda warriors to bring along, was caught completely off guard. The demonic army, which the Demon Realm had painstakingly amassed by sending forces coin by coin, had been utterly obliterated. He had assumed things would remain quiet for a while. But now, a monster from the Demon Realm had suddenly appeared?
What is this? Who's behind it? The Guild Alliance?
True to form, Tae-hyun immediately suspected the closest suspect. The Auston Kingdom was situated directly above the Atali Kingdom, and it was currently crawling with demons (though the Guild Alliance didn't know this precisely). Thus, if they set their minds to it, they could easily pull off a stunt like this.
Carbanog states that a monster like Leviathan cannot be summoned by just anyone. It insists that a Demon Duke must be involved.
...!
No matter how numerous or powerful ordinary demons were, they couldn't possibly establish contact with a beast of the Demon Realm like Leviathan. Leviathan was a deep-sea monster of the Demon Realm that even other demons feared. To drag such a creature out, one had to be at least a Demon Duke.
Seriously, those guys never tire. If their army got completely annihilated, shouldn't they take a break?
Carbanog asks where else they would vent their resentment, anger, and sorrow after the army they painstakingly gathered was completely destroyed.
Neither humans nor demons always made rational decisions. Having the demons they had painstakingly summoned to the continent swept away in one fell swoop was not something many Demon Dukes could just swallow. For a Demon Duke who already had plenty of grievances piled up, it wouldn't be surprising if they completely lost their minds!
If you're a Duke, you should make cool, rational judgments. You can't just keep throwing resources down the drain.
Carbanog strictly warns you never to say such a thing to a Duke.
If the Duke heard that, his resentment would probably multiply tenfold!
The Guild Alliance is still highly suspicious, so I shouldn't let my guard down while we move.
From the perspective of the Guild Alliance, who were currently baring their teeth over Sky Island, this was an utterly absurd accusation!
"Hear me, warriors of Garuda!"
- ?
- ??
At Tae-hyun's shout, the Garuda warriors wandering nearby turned their heads.
- Who is that?
- He's the newly arrived Pope of the Archisus Church.
- Ah, the fierce, despicable, and filthy one?
- Yes. That fierce, despicable, and filthy one.
"I have chosen an opponent to demonstrate my power! It is none other than... a monster of the Demon Realm!"
- !
The Garuda warriors began to murmur among themselves upon hearing his words.
- A monster of the Demon Realm...
- Like a Hellhound or something?
- Couldn't we easily hunt something like that? They're not even that impressive.
Occasionally, hellhounds or wyverns escaping from the Demon Realm would drift into this area. To the high-level Garuda warriors, such creatures were easy prey.
"It is no ordinary monster. It is the monster of the Demon Realm's deep sea, Leviathan!"
- !!!!!
The Garuda warriors are shocked by your target!
The Garuda warriors express their deep respect!
If you fail, the affinity of the Garuda warriors will decrease...
Your reputation may decrease...
......
- Archisus! Archisus!
- The wicked and despicable Archisus!!
- Archisus!! Archisus!!!
The Garuda warriors are highly satisfied!
Carbanog is flustered, asking what you will do if you fail after making such a declaration!
There was a good reason for Carbanog's panic. Leviathan was not an opponent even Tae-hyun could guarantee victory against. It possessed power on par with a Demon Duke. If he failed, it would spark immense dissatisfaction among the Garuda warriors!
It's fine. I have a plan.
Carbanog asks if you have a secret strategy to deal with Leviathan.
......!!
No. Even if we fail, it's not like we'll lose sleep over these Garuda bastards. We can just sever ties with the Garuda Kingdom and call it a day.
Come to think of it, there was no reason to cling so desperately to the Garuda Kingdom. They were powerful, sure, but they only roamed around Sky Island anyway... Tae-hyun had his own kingdom far below, so why bother?
I do need to find the Archisus Church relics on Sky Island, but I can manage that without the help of these Garuda birds.
Tae-hyun decided to descend from Sky Island and deal with the sea first. Whether he could kill it or not, he had to clear that thing away from his coast!
- Uh, Your Holiness. Do we have to go down there too?
"Of course."
The Power Warrior guild members suddenly found themselves dragged all the way back down.
"With a monster like that running rampant in the sea, is this good news or bad news for us?"
"Well, Kim Tae-hyun's territory will take a hit, so isn't it good news? Besides, those annoying Orcs in Uruk and the other guilds..."
"No, it's not good news. We use that sea route heavily right now, and it's completely blocked."
"We just have to endure that level of damage!"
"Try saying that to the guild members! See if you get a 'Oh, yes, we'll gladly endure it' out of them!"
"Either way, we aren't the ones taking direct damage! This is actually better. Be grateful the others are taking the hit first!"
"Quiet. That's not what's important right now. The guilds on Sky Island seem completely distracted by the Garuda and whatever else... Are we fully prepared to launch our attack?"
"Yes. Thanks to the Midas Guild getting thrashed on Sky Island, we had no trouble securing a truce with them. We can redirect those forces."
"I hate Kim Tae-hyun, but the guilds on Sky Island are our priority. We have to wipe them out first. We haven't stepped on them in a while, and now they think they're hot stuff!"
Su Ning spoke fiercely. The guild executives smiled slyly. Having been beaten down by Tae-hyun time and time again, they had forgotten one simple fact: they were actually incredibly powerful! An ordinary guild couldn't even compare to the sheer scale of the Guild Alliance. Usually, rivals were simply crushed to death under their weight.
"By the way, Master Su Ning. Did you find your nephew?"
"...I'm told Kim Tae-hyun has him."
"..."
"..."
A chilling silence filled the room.
"Wh-Why is that?"
Su Ning replied with a terrifyingly cold voice.
"Perhaps because when we were escaping the ambush, not a single one of you bothered to look after my nephew?"
"..."
"W-We are deeply sorry."
"Forget it. My nephew is safe... and he loves it so much he doesn't even want to come back..."
Su Ning's nephew was currently having the time of his life. Tagging along with Kim Tae-hyun and watching his gameplay up close! It was a luxury every young fan dreamed of. Of course, Su Ning was the one who had to deal with the aftermath.
"Brother, is it really okay for my son to be hanging around with Kim Tae-hyun? I looked into it, and they say this Kim Tae-hyun player only frequents extremely high-level, dangerous areas."
"It... It's fine. If you're worried, I can tell him to send him back..."
"No, the boy is absolutely thrilled. How could I tear away my own son? Well, if you say it's fine, then so be it. I'm sure you'll handle it well. I trust you."
"...Yes..."
To Su Ning, "I trust you" sounded exactly like "If anything goes wrong, you're dead."
"Sigh... What are the rankers saying?"
"They're grumbling, but they're doing as they're told for now."
Just in case, Su Ning had set aside a group of rankers. Right now, Tae-hyun was in a relatively safe area, but if he lost his mind and decided to venture into Pandemonium Online's dangerous wilderness or the Demon Realm, the rankers would follow and escort him. Naturally, the rankers absolutely loathed the idea.
Do you have any idea how many guys have been misunderstood and killed just for tailing Kim Tae-hyun?
As if Kim Tae-hyun even needs our help...
Shut up! If you want to get paid properly, do as you're told!
"Yes, that's enough. They've always grumbled anyway, but they won't dare openly defy orders."
Now, the Guild Alliance was pulling in so much investment that money practically rolled in just by breathing. The only reason the rankers stayed despite their complaints was the massive financial support. If you're going to be a servant, be a servant in a wealthy household!
"Kim Tae-hyun has descended from Sky Island to hunt Leviathan!"
"What?! Seriously?!"
"Everyone at the Sky Island harbor saw it! He's heading straight down with his airship and mounts!"
"Wow, that's perfect! Kim Tae-hyun won't have time to worry about us, and since hunting that thing will take forever...!"
"What do you mean 'perfect,' you idiots?!"
Su Ning roared. He was taking his nephew to hunt that monster? Was he out of his mind?!