Into the Plague Wasteland

Though it didn't attack since it had lost its handler, the giant beast was still highly menacing. The players kept muttering, "Can't we just kill it?" The giant beast undoubtedly had a high level and an astronomical amount of HP, but without the cult NPCs backing it up, it was a manageable opponent.

"With the power of Lord Sadiq! We shall purify this beast!"

"Alright, alright. I get it, so just give it a shot."

Wait. By 'purify,' they don't mean burning it to death, do they?

"Guys. Get ready to fight in case the beast goes wild."

"Huh? But the Sadique Order is trying to purify it right now."

"Exactly. That's why I'm telling you to get ready."

"...Ah, that makes sense!"

Everyone nodded in agreement. Since the Sadique Order was the one doing the purifying, they absolutely had to prepare for a fight!

"Huh? Why is everyone getting ready to fight?"

"No idea. But since Kim Tae-hyun is doing it, we should probably just follow along."

"Got it. I'll cast some buffs."

A wave of distrust spread in an instant! Unaware of the skepticism brewing behind them, the priests of the Sadique Order diligently prepared their flames.

They readied Sadique's Purifying Flames and the Collar of the Flame Beast—skills that cured status ailments and allowed them to control the beast if used on one belonging to the Sadique Order.

The priests of the Sadique Order firmly believed. With the power of Lord Sadiq, even this beast's contamination would be cleansed!

Fwooooosh!

"Huh?"

"Aren't those flames a bit too intense?"

The purifying flames didn't just touch the beast; they completely engulfed it! To an onlooker, it looked like they were roasting it alive.

"Screeeeeech?!"

"I knew it!"

"There's no ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠way the Sadique Order could do anything right!"

Tae-hyun's party accepted this instantly. It would have been stranger if things had actually gone smoothly!

"Prepare to attack! Knock it down immediately, then unleash everything we've got! Bring out the bombs!"

"Should we focus on stun-locking it?"

"Yeah! First, knock it—"

Flash!

"Groooar..."

As if its previous thrashing had been a lie, the beast suddenly grew docile.

"Well, then."

"We did it! We actually did it!!"

"This is the true power of Lord Sadiq!!"

"Everyone! Believe in Sadiq and ascend to the fiery heavens!"

The Sadiq priests were excitedly promoting their god to the players. However, the deep-seated distrust in the players' minds was not easily erased.

"Is that thing really safe?"

"Won't it go wild if the collar disappears?"

"It could go wild even if it doesn't disappear."

"Maybe it's just quiet because it's full?"

"..."

Yet, there were a few gullible... no, highly curious players.

"Can I learn that too?"

"Can we learn skills using Archisus Order Contribution Points?"

"Of course! They are fully compatible!"

The priests nodded, tears welling in their eyes. The players' friends tried to hold them back.

"Hey! That's a waste! You can use those points elsewhere...!"

"It's fine. I have some points to spare, so I might as well try learning it."

"I'm telling you, you're throwing your contribution points in the trash!"

"..."

The Sadique Order NPCs thought to themselves: These bastards are far more evil than our cult ever was!

Lee Da-bi was baffled by the guild chat. Weirdos...?

The guild members felt deeply wronged. It was true that they used to be weirdos. And yes, they were still... a bit strange. But they had become much more normal lately!

But they weren't actually weirdos.

"Hello, Player Lee Da-bi. We've been enjoying your matches."

"Ah, yes. Hello."

Da-bi scanned the speaker's attire. Judging by their gear, they looked like newly created novice accounts. Are they employees who started new accounts just to negotiate?

"We are from this company."

"Ah...!"

Da-bi gasped as she looked at the business card. It was the streaming platform that had sponsored Team KL's movie project during the Nitinger raid. Considering they had handled the bulk of the actual investment, they were essentially their main sponsors.

"Then you could have just contacted us through official channels. Why come all the way into the game...?"

"..."

"..."

The employees wore incredibly awkward expressions at Da-bi's question. You guys blocked all external contact to focus on the league... Do you have any idea how desperate we were to come find you in-game just to make ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠this proposal?

"Ahem. Perhaps because it's the end of the league, we didn't receive an immediate reply to our proposal."

"Ah, that makes sense. We're quite busy right now, so it's impossible for us to spare time for filming."

Da-bi drew a firm line. If it had been Cain, he would have blurted, "What? Really? How long will it take? That's fine! Let me ask for permission!" But Da-bi was different.

"No! We aren't asking you to film anything. We came for a different reason this time."

"?"

"We would like to purchase the exclusive distribution rights to the Power Warrior videos."

"Uh..."

Da-bi was taken aback. Yep, they definitely are weirdos!

The videos accumulated on the Power Warrior channel covered an absurdly wide range of topics. From unlocking bizarre achievements and conducting various experiments, to planting bombs in the Guild Alliance's territory and running away, dropping monsters in enemy lands, class analyses, exploring new regions, testing skills, and more. Although the Power Warrior account had become incredibly famous and attracted countless viewers, paying actual money to buy the distribution rights was another story!

"Does that mean we have to take them down from our account?"

"No, there's no need to take them down. You just need to grant us the rights to edit and upload them to our platform."

"..."

Da-bi pondered. Why were these people trying to do something so foolish? Wait. Why am I worrying on their behalf? She recalled Tae-hyun's advice: "If the other party wants to do something stupid, just take their money and thank them!"

"Hmm. Well... let me think about it and get back to you."

"Ah, the offer amount is right here..."

Without expecting much, Da-bi took the paper they handed her. Then, she fell backward in shock.

"Player Lee Da-bi?! Player Lee Da-bi?!"

Along with a flurry of system messages, alerts warned that named bosses from the Idergo Cult were hunting him down. Of course, Tae-hyun wasn't intimidated by such notifications. He had made far too many enemies to be scared now!

"I should be careful, though. What are the Idergo Cult assassins like?"

At Tae-hyun's question, the Sadiq priests replied,

"Well, first of all, they are masters of disguise. They can completely conceal their plague and corruption..."

"I suppose they can hide those things if they possess divine power."

"Once they reveal themselves, they spread Idergo's Plague to contaminate their surroundings..."

Although he could resist it with his Divine Authority, Luck stat, and Adamantium Armor, wide-area attacks like that always required caution. If Tae-hyun got hit by those a few times, his HP would plummet. Furthermore, the Idergo Cult possessed several holy relics. If he fell victim to one of their broken Divine Authority skills...

Well, that's true, but...

There was no harm in being careful!

"That Slave of Archisus over there might also be an assassin in disguise," the priest warned.

Tae-hyun looked at him, bewildered. Why would anyone disguise themselves as Cain? No matter how skilled they were, who would willingly disguise themselves as a guy with six arms...?

"We've spotted an Idergo Cult fortress!"

"What a persistent bunch. When did they even build a fortress up there?"

The Idergo Cult had erected a fortress halfway up the mountain, unleashing plague warriors and beasts into the area!

"If we clear this, have we dealt with most of the ones visible in Atali Kingdom?"

"Yes, it seems so."

But Tae-hyun's response had been even faster. He had swept through the region, destroying camps indiscriminately and slaying the beasts. Even the Idergo Cult, which was currently ravaging other parts of the continent, couldn't stand their ground here!

"They must have built an underground space there again."

"They sure love their underground basements," Tae-hyun grumbled.

From his perspective, underground spaces were far from ideal. The Archisus Artillery needed wide-open spaces to unleash their explosive firepower; they were difficult to deploy in cramped underground areas. In tight spaces, he had to rely solely on the players' strength for close-quarters combat!

"Still, it shouldn't be too difficult—"

"O Lord Idergo! Evil forces have come to destroy your temple! Please aid us!"

As figures resembling Idergo Cult priests emerged and began a massive prayer, the Sadique Order NPCs scoffed.

"Haha! Do you think your god will just swoop in and help just because you asked?! Do you think the world is that easy?!"

"If it were, the Sadique Order wouldn't have fallen in the first place!"

"..."

The Sadique Order was actively dragging down ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠their own reputation! Tae-hyun opened his mouth to say something, then decided against it. They brought this on themselves.

However, Idergo was different from Sadiq. Responding to the prayers of its priests, the deity began to manifest something spectacular.

"!"

Tae-hyun stared at the message in shock.

"Attack! Stop them before they can cast the skill!"

"It's too late!"

Flash!

A massive teleportation! Starting from those inside the fortress to Tae-hyun's party and the entire raid force, everyone began to be transported to a different region. He had never expected a teleportation on such a massive scale!

The dungeon's surroundings were an endless wasteland of plague. Toxic swamps boiled instead of rivers, and menacing flying beasts soared through the skies!

If this is Idergo's divine domain, it definitely won't be easy.

Having used Divine Authority domain skills himself, Tae-hyun knew exactly how powerful they could be. An Idergo Cult skill would be formidable!

"Uh, Mr. Kim Tae-hyun. There are other people over there."

"???"

"They look like they're from the Erangs Kingdom...?"

But before Tae-hyun could fully assess his surroundings, they spotted other players who had arrived before them. These were players who had been subjugating the Idergo Cult in the Erangs Kingdom when they were suddenly swept away to this place! Far smaller in number and trembling with anxiety, their faces lit up with pure joy the moment they saw Tae-hyun's group.

"P-Player Kim Tae-hyun!!!"

"I knew it, Player Kim Tae-hyun! Have you come to rescue us?!"

"No. We got dragged in here too..."

"..."