Shouldn't I Stop Him?

Behind him, Lee Da-bi was locked in serious contemplation. Even among the notoriously unhinged members of the Power Warrior Guild, she was considered one of the craziest. It was her bold, decisive actions in the face of her guildmates crying, "Guild Master, we're going to ruin ourselves at this rate!" that had carried Power Warrior to its current heights.

Yet, whenever she teamed up with Tae-hyun, she suddenly found herself cast as the sole voice of reason. Is this really okay? ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Is he seriously going to do this?!

I know Tae-hyun's evasion rate is absurdly high, but is it really safe to hunt high-level monsters using nothing but magic and singing? It might fly against level 200s, but once we start facing level 300 or 400 monsters...

Da-bi was well aware of Tae-hyun's meager MP pool. On top of that, he was already someone who routinely picked fights with monsters far above his own level. No matter how incredible his evasion and control were, nothing was absolute in Pandemonium Online.

Should I step in and stop him?

"Da-bi! Can I get some heals?"

"On it!"

In the end, she couldn't bring herself to rain on his parade. How could she, when he looked so incredibly happy?

Tae-hyun sang, cooked, cast magic, took damage, and received heals in a chaotic, endless cycle. To any outside observer, it would have been a baffling, dizzying spectacle. What on earth is this lunatic doing? they would have wondered. It was a playstyle completely devoid of any rhyme, reason, or class fundamentals!

"Let's take a quick breather. How's your MP?"

"I still have plenty left."

"Huh?"

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Tae-hyun tilted his head in confusion. They had ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠been fighting together, yet only Da-bi's MP remained virtually untouched. Granted, her level was far higher than his, but she had also been casting much more demanding skills...

"I'm consuming gold instead, so I'm fine."

"Ah."

Due to her class characteristics, Da-bi could burn gold instead of MP to sustain herself. However, she rarely resorted to such extravagance. This was a woman who meticulously gathered every single piece of junk loot to sell for a tidy profit back in town!

"...Wait, what?" Tae-hyun's eyes widened in shock. She was actually spending gold?

"??"

Seeing his bewildered expression, Da-bi blinked in confusion. Why is he reacting like that?

Clop, clop, clop—

Just then, a cloud of dust billowed in the distance as a group of NPCs approached. Tae-hyun and Da-bi instantly sprang to their feet, both assuming the newcomers were hostile. It was a testament to their seasoned, paranoid instincts—treating every stranger as an enemy until proven otherwise! Their long years of playing Pandemonium Online had clearly left their mark.

"Can you tell who they are?"

"Hold on... Yes, the info just popped up."

Da-bi activated her merchant skills to identify the approaching figures.

The Henen Cult! Despite being classified as a benevolent religion, they were a highly peculiar order that glorified thievery and righteous banditry. Consequently, their standing on the continent was rather ambiguous. While you would never find one of their temples out in the open within cities or villages, a trek into the deep, secluded corners of mountains and forests would occasionally reveal a hidden shrine dedicated to Henen.

Aren't they just as minor and obscure as the Archisus Church?

...... Tae-hyun felt a tiny pang of hurt. Is that so?

To be fair, the Henen Cult was indeed minor. It would have been simpler if their deity were just an evil god. The real penalty lay in the contradiction of being a benevolent church that advocated thievery! Their doctrines forbade stealing from the weak and mandated that a certain portion of their spoils be donated to charity... Because of these restrictions, players looking to play as bandits rarely bothered with the Henen Cult. They would much rather pledge themselves to the Archisus Church!

It's a bit unsettling that actual bandits prefer the Archisus Church over the Henen Cult... but hey, popularity is popularity. Tae-hyun quickly rationalized the situation, comforting himself with a swift mental victory. If we're popular, that's all that matters!

"Look! There are people over there!"

"Behold! Ah, look at that incredibly high Infamy! We must rob them!"

"No, wait! Look closer! Their Reputation is even higher! We mustn't steal from them!"

The Henen Cult—a group that compared a target's Reputation and Infamy stats, and immediately resorted to robbery if the Infamy was higher! Tae-hyun was utterly speechless at their sheer audacity, openly debating whether or not to rob him right to his face. What kind of divine backing gives you guys the nerve to be this shameless?

Tae-hyun unfastened his mask and cast aside the cloak wrapped around his shoulders. He had only been using them as a disguise to avoid drawing the attention of other players. Upon seeing his face, the Henen paladins gasped in shock.

"Heavens! Could you be... the Pope of the Archisus Church?"

"That is correct."

"Thank you so much!"

"?" Tae-hyun blinked. Usually, the benevolent churches of the continent sneered, "Ugh, those Archisus bastards," while the evil cults gritted their teeth, "Curse those Archisus pests." Tae-hyun barely had a single friendly faction to his name! Yet here they were, showering him with gratitude the moment they met. Did the Henen Cult actually possess a conscience?

Well, I did save the continent a few times, so...

"Thanks to you, our cult is drawing far less heat these days! We are truly grateful!"

"......" Tae-hyun's face fell. So that's why you're thanking me?!

Because the Archisus Church drew an astronomical amount of aggro, every other faction—whether good or evil—had collectively agreed to hate Archisus first and foremost. In the process, the Henen Cult, which had originally been the continent's black sheep, had slipped entirely under the radar!

"Normally, the other churches wouldn't even look our way, but lately they've actually been inviting us to gatherings..."

"Sniff. It was so moving."

"......" Tae-hyun turned to Da-bi. "We haven't received any invitations for the Archisus Church, have we?"

"Not a single one."

He had always known his church was ostracized, but hearing it laid bare like this still stung!

"Don't worry about it. Even if those other churches gather, they only ever dump useless chores on people anyway. You're not missing out on anything," Da-bi offered gently, trying to comfort him.

She had a point. The last time NPC representatives from the other churches had sought him out, it was only to dump a quest on him to block a monster wave. Naturally, Tae-hyun had rejected them flat out. The Archisus Church was already struggling to make ends meet; why should they do charity work for others?

If I had accepted that back then, I'd still be running around the continent hunting monsters right now.

"Since fate has brought us together like this, would you care to join us on our journey, Your Holiness?"

The Henen Cult, ever fighting for the righteousness of the continent! Once again, they had risen to strike down the threats looming over the land.

...Didn't you guys keep your heads down the entire time I was dealing with everything from demons to dragons? Tae-hyun felt a wave of skepticism. Granted, the Henen Cult was severely lacking compared to the major churches, but hearing them talk so grandly was still strangely irritating.

"?" Tae-hyun was surprised by the unexpected location. Nodrantse Fortress... This place was...

Isn't that the fortress built specifically to oppose Nevuchadnezzar?

It was a holy stronghold constructed by pooling the resources and divine powers of various churches! If nothing else, its sheer concentration of holy power made it one of the most sacred sites in all of Pandemonium Online. Thanks to that, even with the undead swarming the region after Nevuchadnezzar's fall, they couldn't even dream of approaching the fortress. It had become a must-visit destination for any player hunting within the Empire. Naturally, the revenue generated from it served as one of Tae-hyun's most reliable cash cows...

"Is something going on at Nodrantse Fortress?"

"Nothing out of the ordinary, aside from an increase in monster spawns... But since it's located right at the edge of the Empire's territory, anything could happen there."

While most of the Asbian Empire's territory consisted of barren wastelands and deserts, it was still relatively manageable. It was a place where players could at least travel from village to village without too much trouble.

The real desert, however, was a completely different beast. It was a harsh environment where taking just a few steps would trigger a barrage of system alerts.

Naturally, such places lay beyond the borders of the Asbian Empire. The environment was so punishingly harsh that even the native tribes of the Empire refused to settle there. Nodrantse Fortress sat right on the edge of the imperial border; traveling just a bit further south from there would bring adventurers face-to-face with the merciless desert.

"The desert to the east of the Asbian Empire is the Great Eastern Desert, and the one to the south is the Great Southern Desert, right?"

"Yes. I believe a few explorer players are constantly trying to conquer them."

"Oh? How do you know that?"

"Because some of our guild members are currently attempting it..."

"......"

Of course. Wherever there was a chance to strike it rich, the members of the Power Warrior Guild were sure to be found!

"They say nothing major has happened yet, but I'll have them keep a close eye on things."

"Thanks."

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Da-bi cleanly ignored her guildmates' desperate cries. The golden rule of the Power Warrior Guild was simple: Handle your own business! Their official policy dictated that members were entirely responsible for the trouble they caused and the solutions they found. Even if they were currently suffering while trying to blaze a trail through the desert, that was entirely on them!

"Hmm... regardless of that, there should be plenty of players near the fortress, so it'll be a great place to level up my skills."

It was the perfect environment to cycle through his three chosen skills: Cooking, Magic, and Singing!

I can use them on monsters along the way, use them on these Henen Cult guys, and then use them on the players at the fortress once we arrive.

Instead of just doing the quest, he was going to squeeze every last drop of value out of them! Tae-hyun eyed the Henen paladins. Clad in light leather armor instead of heavy plate mail, and each carrying a bow, they looked less like holy knights and more like bandits... or rather, rangers.

"By any chance, do you guys like music?"

"Oh! Are you going to sing for us?"

The Henen paladins' faces lit up with joy. Spending most of their lives in the quiet of mountains and forests, they had a deep appreciation for songs and melodies.

Ah. Tae-hyun froze. Right! Unlike Alexeos, these guys will actually get mad if I sing terribly!

"What kind of song would you like to hear?"

"Hmm. We are partial to lighthearted, cheerful tunes about thievery."

"Like sneaking into a kingdom, stealing its treasures, and scattering them to the common folk."

"I have to strongly disagree with that last part," Da-bi interjected, her face turning dead serious. Why on earth would anyone steal treasure only to throw it away to bystanders?!

"Thievery... thievery... Ah, now that I think about it, there's the Sky Castle."

Come to think of it, he had stolen quite a lot! In fact, considering Tae-hyun's track record of grand larceny, the Henen Cult should be kneeling before him in reverence. While they were busy swiping gold and silver trinkets, Tae-hyun had literally stolen an entire castle belonging to a Demon Duke!

"Oh! We would love to hear that tale!"

Poor Furneus, forever doomed to be summoned as a conversational punching bag whenever Tae-hyun was bored! No matter who he met, starting a conversation with "So, there's this Demon Duke named Furneus who got his entire Sky Castle stolen..." was a foolproof icebreaker. The Henen paladins were absolutely enthralled.

"What a magnificent song!"

"We must spread this song to all the followers of our order!"

Eh, it's not like he can get any angrier than he already is.

As Tae-hyun steadily raised his skills and bonded with the Henen paladins, they drew closer to their destination.

Come to think of it, the map from Alexeos's quest points to this general area too, doesn't it?

Was something major really about to go down around here?

...I suddenly remember that map drawn by those crazy Archisus painters. Surely, it can't be that.