An Auction is Out of the Question for Now

"An auction would be nice, but it's out of the question for now."

Every time he sold a territory, several new buildings would sprout up in Tae-hyun's kingdom. That was how incredibly lucrative land auctions were. It was a win-win exchange where landless guilds in Pan-On got their own territory, and Tae-hyun got his ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠gold... but right now, it was impossible. Saig Fortress was located right in the middle of a warzone. It was a high-risk property rigged with metaphorical landmines!

"Still, we got it for free, so who's complaining?"

"Exactly. My thoughts exactly."

Getting anything for free was always a cause for celebration. Tae-hyun and his companions stepped inside the fortress with satisfied smiles. As a stronghold built purely for warfare, almost all of its facilities were combat-oriented: defensive walls, a blacksmith forge, stables, a siege weapon workshop, and more.

Those Guild Alliance bastards really put some back into this, Tae-hyun thought, genuinely impressed as he looked around. He could practically smell the massive amount of gold they had poured into the construction.

"Why did they build it like this, though? I know the Midas Guild has been launching a lot of raids, but this seems a bit overkill, doesn't it?"

"I agree. They don't really seem to need this kind of siege weaponry..." Lee Da-bi murmured, inspecting the facilities with a puzzled expression.

To her, many of these structures seemed highly cost-ineffective. Weapons that only fired curse magic, for instance, were incredibly difficult to utilize efficiently. It wasn't that curse magic was bad, but it sorely lacked raw destructive power. Why waste time casting curses when you could be blasting enemies with massive area-of-effect spells?

"...Wait, isn't all of this designed specifically to counter Kim Tae-hyun?" Cain muttered.

"Sure looks like it," Choi Sang-yun agreed, nodding along.

No matter how they looked at it, this fortress was a giant anti-Tae-hyun countermeasure!

"Well, we don't really need to repair the walls," Tae-hyun said. "Let's salvage whatever useful facilities we can and send them back to our kingdom, then leave the rest. Are there any dungeons nearby? Let's lift the entry restrictions and open them up to all players."

Lifting the restrictions on dungeons that had previously been monopolized by the Guild Alliance! It was a benevolent decree that would make local players weep tears of joy.

"Kim Tae-hyun!"

"?"

Hearing someone call his name from outside, Tae-hyun climbed up to what remained of the fortress walls, feeling puzzled.

"The 37th...? I've never heard of them," Tae-hyun said.

"Is it a newly formed legion?" Lee Da-bi asked.

"First time hearing of it," Choi Sang-yun added.

As the companions whispered among themselves, a ranker standing at the head of the 37th Legion flared up in anger and shouted, "How dare you mock the army of the Erangs Kingdom! Knights! What do you think of his insolence?!"

The knights of the Erangs Kingdom, upon hearing Tae-hyun's words, were absolutely furious... or not.

"Well, His Majesty of the Atali Kingdom is a man of immense renown. It is only natural he might not know of us."

"Indeed. I am sure he meant no offense."

The knights were actually taking Tae-hyun's side! The ranker stared at them, utterly dumbfounded. Are these knights insane?!

"So, who are you anyway?" Tae-hyun asked.

"You... you don't know who I am?"

"Are you a ranker from the Guild Alliance? Sorry. I've dealt with so many of those Guild Alliance bastards that I have trouble remembering all their names."

The ranker trembled with rage. Rankers naturally possessed sky-high pride. To someone like him, this dismissive attitude was far more insulting than any curse word. Of course, Tae-hyun genuinely just didn't remember him.

Lee Da-bi leaned in and whispered, "Tae-hyun, that's Silved."

Silved. He was a ranker affiliated with the Erangs Kingdom, not the Guild Alliance.

Back when countless guilds and rankers had abandoned the Erangs Kingdom, complaining that its progression was too slow and that they'd never get a territory through quests, a few players had stubbornly stayed behind.

"The Erangs Kingdom will have its day... eventually!"

"The King will surely grant us territories! ...Someday!"

In truth, they had mostly stayed because they missed the window to leave, but the guilds and rankers of the Erangs Kingdom clung to the belief that their opportunity would come. And indeed, an opportunity did arrive. Though it was a bit different from what they had envisioned...

"The Erangs Kingdom is at war! The Erangs Kingdom is at war!"

"We can launch unlimited attacks against the Auston Kingdom! We have to join!"

"Hey! With the Erangs Kingdom backing us, there's no way those Guild Alliance bastards can win!"

"They say we can even rent soldiers using our Contribution Points! Spend every last point!"

The rankers of the Erangs Kingdom had gone completely wild. They liquidated all their assets to convert them into Contribution Points, pouring everything into hiring soldiers and knights. Thanks to that, all sorts of bizarre, unheard-of legions were popping up left and right across the Erangs Kingdom.

"Kim Tae-hyun! I am the commander leading the 37th Legion!" Silved declared proudly.

"Right. And I am the King of the Atali Kingdom, commander of the Archisus Artillery, the Silver Sword Knights, the Capital Knights, the Archisus Holy Knights, the Archisus Priesthood, the Archisus Flame Order, the Death Knight Knights, the Blood Archipelago Knights, the Marchetti County Knights, the Ernesto County Knights, the Noble Vanguard, and the Royal Fleet, among others."

"..."

"..."

An icy silence instantly fell over the area.

There were other players among the forces Silved had brought. They immediately began whispering about the stark contrast between Tae-hyun and Silved.

"Whoa. His resume is insane."

"Silved doesn't even compare."

"How is Silved's career only one line long?"

Silved's face flushed red, having clearly overheard them. He quickly changed the subject.

"Kim Tae-hyun! I am participating in the conquest of the Auston Kingdom in the name of the Erangs Kingdom!"

"Yeah, I heard."

"The land you are currently occupying belongs to the Auston Kingdom, which means it is land that the Erangs Kingdom must conquer! As a member of the Atali Kingdom, you must step aside!"

"?"

Tae-hyun tilted his head in confusion. He looked back at his companions, who all tilted their heads in unison, equally bewildered.

"So, let me get this straight... you're telling me to vacate this fortress and get out of your way?"

"Indeed! I command you in the name of the Erangs Kingdom!" Silved shouted, striking what he hoped was an imposing pose.

I have the Erangs Kingdom backing me. Even Kim Tae-hyun wouldn't want to clash with the Erangs Kingdom, Silved reasoned.

He had absolutely no intention of fighting Tae-hyun in a one-on-one duel. It was highly doubtful if there was anyone in all of Pan-On who could defeat Tae-hyun in a 1v1 PvP match right now. But battles weren't always fought with swords. Sometimes, a few well-placed words could secure an effortless victory!

If he could use the authority of the Erangs Kingdom to drive Tae-hyun away, Silved stood to gain an astronomical profit. Not only would he claim the highly lucrative Saig Fortress as his territory, but he would also gain massive fame as the ranker who stood up to Kim Tae-hyun!

"No thanks," Tae-hyun said.

"What?"

"I said no."

"Wait... the Erangs Kingdom is behind me... and the knights..."

"If you're so confident, why don't you try coming in?"

"But... your fortress walls are completely ruined... and you don't even have any troops with you right now..."

"Yeah. That's why I'm saying, if you're so confident, come on in."

The wide-open entrance. With one side of its walls completely collapsed, the fortress looked incredibly vulnerable. Furthermore, Kim Tae-hyun's group numbered barely a dozen people!

Flustered, Silved turned and called out to the Erangs Kingdom knights who were already marching away in the distance.

"Wait, wait! This only happened because you guys yielded the territory to Kim Tae-hyun in the first place!"

"We were merely following orders. We never coveted the territory..." one of the knights replied.

"Is that what's important right now?! Because of that, the territory has fallen into someone else's hands! You guys have to help me!"

"How dare a low-reputation nobody order us around!"

"A mere commoner dares command us? Do you wish to die?!"

The previously polite knights suddenly turned cold and began to flare up in anger.

"W-wait a minute. Calm down."

"Do ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠not speak to us! Your filthy words defile our ears!"

"Address us once more, and we shall cut you down!"

With that, the Erangs Kingdom knights led their troops away, leaving only the soldiers of the 37th Legion that Silved had personally hired.

Tae-hyun's group watched the entire spectacle unfold with highly amused expressions.

"Are you done?" Tae-hyun asked.

"...Kim Tae-hyun. This is my final warning. If you don't get lost right now... wait. Where did Kim Tae-hyun go?"

"..."

"I asked where Kim Tae-hyun went!"

Tae-hyun was no longer standing on the wall. The rest of his companions simply shrugged their shoulders.

Cain cleared his throat and said, "Tae-hyun said he had to go to the bathroom real quick."

"Ah, I see... Wait, don't give me that nonsense!"

Before Silved could even finish his sentence, Tae-hyun lunged out from his flank.

"!!!"

Startled out of his wits, Silved swung his shield. But Tae-hyun had already anticipated the move.

He's obviously a shield-wielding tank class, so if I launch a surprise attack, he'll instinctively try to block with his shield.

Tae-hyun was holding the Ancient Hammer. The blazing, legendary hammer swung through the air.

CLANG!!!

"Y-y-you absolute madman!" Silved shrieked in horror.

Even though Kim Tae-hyun was famous for his absurd burst damage, shattering a shield in a single strike was completely insane!

Of course, Tae-hyun had pre-cast every buff skill at his disposal, maximized his Lucky Strike chance, and executed a surprise attack. On top of that, the Ancient Hammer carried the unique penalty of being unable to damage living creatures, which meant all its kinetic force was channeled directly into destroying the object—the shield. But to Silved, who was on the receiving end, his mind simply went completely blank.

So this is why everyone is so terrified of Kim Tae-hyun!

Swish—

Tae-hyun swapped his weapon. This was the only brief window of vulnerability he ever exposed. However, Silved was too panicked to capitalize on it, letting the precious moment slip away.

"Say that again. What? What did you say would happen if I didn't back down?"

"I-if you attack me, the Erangs Kingdom will..."

"I'll sort that out with the King of Erance myself, so you'd better worry about your own skin first!"

With those words, Tae-hyun lunged forward and began driving his sword into Silved. Silved desperately tried to shake him off, but...

"Hey! Help me! What are you guys doing?!" Silved screamed.

"..."

"..."

The numerous players who had followed Silved hesitated, unwilling to interfere in a 1v1 duel. They were terrified that if they stepped in, they would be the ones getting pulverized! Silved was utterly appalled by the fact that despite having dozens of allies standing right next to him, not a single one came to his aid.

"Urgh! Argh! You... you bastards... just wait until this is over... Argh!"

"We should be able to hold them off somehow."

"Are you absolutely sure?"

"Yes. We've summoned and deployed every single force we had in the Demon Realm. Since we've mobilized everything, we should be able to hold our ground, no matter how powerful the Erangs Kingdom is."

Defending was always inherently easier than attacking. Furthermore, because the Guild Alliance had been thoroughly thrashed by Tae-hyun in the past, their defensive fortifications were nothing short of monstrous.

"What about the Midas Guild?"

"They've agreed to cooperate. They're arrogant bastards, but they aren't stupid."

"And what about Kim Tae-hyun?"

It was almost comical to keep such close tabs on a single ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠individual, but the Guild Alliance was so serious about it that they had assigned a dedicated officer just to monitor Kim Tae-hyun. That was how dangerous he was!

"He doesn't seem to be showing much interest in us. In fact, we received reports that he's currently busy fighting players from the Erangs Kingdom."

Su Ning let out a sigh of relief. However, it was far too early to celebrate. Shocking news arrived immediately after.

"G-Guild Master! They've declared an all-out offensive!"

It was the grand alliance of guilds that had ascended to Sky Island, led by Smith. While the Idergo Cult had been running rampant, the Guild Alliance had been too preoccupied to pay them any mind... but now, having roughly secured Sky Island, the alliance had decided that this was the perfect opportunity to launch a full-scale assault.

Su Ning felt the world spinning around him.

"Are you guys going to challenge me too?" Tae-hyun asked, turning to the remaining players after finishing off Silved.

"No, sir!"

"We only came here to attack the Auston Kingdom and those wicked Guild Alliance bastards! We have absolutely no interest in this territory!" they shouted in a panic, desperately trying to avoid eye contact.

"Hmm. Actually, now that I think about it, maybe I shouldn't have beaten him up," Tae-hyun murmured.

You're thinking that only after beating him to a pulp...? Cain thought, though he wisely kept his ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠mouth shut.

"Why is that?" Lee Da-bi asked.

"I just checked the location for the new Archisus quest that popped up... and it's in the Erangs Kingdom."