The Royal Bard Tower

"But what if it's born while staying at a church and says it wants to follow that religion?"

Tae-hyun was shocked by Lee Da-bi's words. Imagining a newborn Red Dragon saying, "I'm going to believe in the Phytos Church!"... It was surprisingly shocking.

I guess I care about the Archisus Church more than I thought.

Of course, even if he didn't care, he absolutely couldn't stand the sight of it believing in the Phytos Church...

"More importantly, didn't you say you wanted to learn how to sing? I spoke to my cousin. When are you going?"

"Ah."

Tae-hyun nodded at Lee Se-yeon's words. He was currently looking for a teacher to raise his Advanced Singing skill to the Master level. Reaching the Advanced rank all on his own without any help from an NPC was practically a miracle in itself! It would have been impossible if not for the countless achievements Tae-hyun had accumulated and the absurdly overpowered ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠NPCs around him.

But there was still a limit.

I need someone to help me with my singing skill.

Either an outstanding Bard ranker or an NPC with an Arcane Singing skill. He needed to learn a few skills from someone like that!

"Who is it?"

"It's Se-yeon's cousin. Apparently, she's a ranked Bard."

"Wow... Both of them are rankers? That's amazing."

Lee Da-bi was impressed. Lee Se-yeon was one of the top rankers, and her cousin was a ranked Bard too. What a family of gaming geniuses!

"Let's learn together, Da-bi."

"Huh? Me too? No..."

Lee Da-bi was flustered. Lee Se-yeon had probably only arranged this for Kim Tae-hyun. She didn't want to intrude and be a nuisance.

"I mentioned you as well, Da-bi. If you're okay with it, please join us. There's no harm in having more skills."

"Th-thank you!"

Lee Da-bi bowed her head. As expected of someone hailed as one of the world's best players, Lee Se-yeon was truly broad-minded. It was the exact opposite of how she acted whenever she saw Tae-hyun!

Actually, the image Tae-hyun's group had of Lee Se-yeon was somewhat distorted. Usually, when they met her, it was either during a fight or when she was pissed off... In reality, Lee Se-yeon had a cool and intellectual public image. A perfect person who had everything—looks, personality, and skill! ...But whenever she met Kim Tae-hyun, she became a bit of a goofball.

The Royal Bard Tower! ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠It was always mentioned as one of the most beautiful places in the Erangs Kingdom. Near the tower rising in the middle of a quiet lakeside, it was peaceful without a single noisy monster, and all kinds of beautiful harmonies echoed from the tower.

Lovers would come near this lake to whisper sweet nothings to each other, Power Warrior guild members would quietly sell drinks, and bards would sing songs...

Wait, the Power Warrior guild members are here? Tae-hyun flinched as he flew and spotted them. They really were everywhere he went! If nothing else, they were certainly diligent.

"Attention, fellow bards! We have honey ginger tea here that is exceptionally good for your throat. This honey ginger tea was made by a chef who has met the player Kim Tae-hyun a whopping three times..."

"Ooooh...!"

"But is meeting him three times really that big of a deal...?"

"Give me some honey ginger tea too!"

The Power Warrior guild members adapted their sales strategy to the time and place. Honey ginger tea for the hard-singing bards.

"Lovers! Behold this chocolate cake! A chocolate cake that will make your love blossom and deepen just by eating it together! A product certified by the Temple of Beretarva, the God of Love!"

"Give me one!"

Chocolate cake for the couples who had just started their romance.

"Hehehe... Foolish lovers. They fall right into our sales pitch."

"As if eating chocolate cake will make love last. How foolish!"

The Power Warrior guild members sneered at the happy couples. To be fooled by such groundless claims! How truly foolish!

"But isn't the person who can just happily enjoy it like that the real winner? Whether they believe it or not, they're happy..."

"Will you shut up?"

"Tsk, tsk. Where do you get off talking nonsense... The only partner in this world you can truly trust is money! Lovers can break up, but money never leaves you!"

The Power Warrior guild rookie had to endure all kinds of scolding just for saying one wrong thing. Watching this, Tae-hyun thought to himself:

I'd better pretend I don't know them. He was already disguised as usual, but today he made sure his disguise was extra thorough! Lee Da-bi disguised herself immediately as well. Unaware of this, the Power Warrior guild members rushed over.

"Lovers! Behold this chocolate cake! It's a product certified by the Temple of Beretarva, the God of Love!"

"..." She's your guild leader! Tae-hyun wanted to say that, but he held back. Lee Se-yeon, who was standing next to them, asked casually:

"But which two people are you talking about?"

"..."

"..." Suddenly, the atmosphere became incredibly awkward. Lee Da-bi's face flushed with embarrassment, and Lee Se-yeon, who had asked the question without thinking, was also flustered by the sudden tension. The Power Warrior guild member who received the question was flustered too. Wait... No...

I was just using a sales pitch...! Tae-hyun quickly came up with a simple conclusion.

"Since you two were standing a bit further ahead, he must have meant you two."

"That sounds plausible."

"It's certainly logical."

"...????" The Power Warrior guild member doubted his ears. Wait... is that logical? I-is it? Well, I guess it makes sense to assume it's the two people standing in front... Was I just too full of prejudice?

The guild member spoke to Lee Da-bi and Lee Se-yeon again. "Would... would you two like to buy a chocolate cake for your happy love?"

"No, thank you." Lee Da-bi said, and then sent a whisper to Lee Se-yeon.

Of course, she hadn't really planned on buying it anyway... Lee Se-yeon thanked Lee Da-bi and declined.

"I'm fine as well."

When both of them declined, the Power Warrior guild member slumped. He glared at Tae-hyun. The last remaining person! He would stake the pride of the Power Warrior Guild and make this sale no matter what!

"If you buy this... um... you might... get a lover... No, that's too much... Ah, if you give it to someone you like... No! Come back! Customer!" Tae-hyun ignored him and walked away. Only someone like Cain would fall for that!

"Wow. This place is really nice."

"Right? Right?" Lee Se-yeon was delighted that Tae-hyun was satisfied. The reason she had recommended this place was because she figured Kim Tae-hyun wouldn't have visited it. Surprisingly, top-tier rankers rarely had experience visiting places like this. Since they risked their lives for experience points every day and only sought out high-difficulty dungeons, they had no time to spare for such locations. However, these art-related places were surprisingly lucrative. Starting with various permanent buffs when visiting for the first time, all the way to bonuses! And aside from that, there was the beautiful scenery and music.

"To enter here, you need to obtain at least 10,000 Kingdom Contribution points or clear a special quest..." Lee Se-yeon, who was boasting, suddenly paused. Come to think of it, Tae-hyun was the King of the Atali Kingdom. Since the kingdoms of the Central Continent were friendly with each other, Tae-hyun would have had a free pass even if he had just walked in.

"...No, never mind. I was just showing off pointlessly. Sorry. Forget it."

"Huh? No, it's fine. I'm grateful I got to enter thanks to you." Tae-hyun waved his hand and said. Right now, Tae-hyun was in a position where he couldn't openly reveal his identity in the Erangs Kingdom. The princes of the Erangs Kingdom had issued an order: "Hey! If the King of the Atali Kingdom comes, give him a cold shoulder and kick him out!"

"...?!?" Lee Se-yeon was flustered by Tae-hyun's completely different attitude. What is seriously wrong with him?! Is it because he's in front of Lee Da-bi? There was a saying that people's attitudes change in front of the person they like. Come to think of it, he seemed exceptionally polite and kind in front of Lee Da-bi!

"Oh... thank goodness." Tae-hyun sighed in relief at the message window. This song must surely have a positive effect, right?

"No..." Tae-hyun was flustered by the protests of the two dragons. These guys, who were far older than him, were actually jealous of a baby that hadn't even been born yet?

"Don't you guys also take good care of the young ones in your species?"

The two dragons were cold. A Red Dragon is not one of our kin!

"Don't you think they're being a bit too harsh?"

"It is a bit disappointing. I thought they were good dragons." At Lee Da-bi's words, the two dragons were flustered. To think the Archisus priestess, who had always taken their side until now, would suddenly act like this!

"Custom or not, you shouldn't act like that toward an egg that hasn't even hatched yet."

Thud! The two dragons were deeply shocked by Lee Da-bi's cold attitude.

Do they always play around like that?

"Cousin, I'm here." At Lee Se-yeon's words, an elegant, well-dressed Bard stood up and spoke.

"Welcome. Was your journey here comfortable?"

"Yes. With my level, of course it wasn't uncomfortable. This is 'the' Kim Tae-hyun I mentioned last time."

"Ah. So this is 'the' Kim Tae-hyun." There seemed to be a bit of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠emphasis when she said 'the'. Is it just my imagination?

He couldn't help but worry about what Lee Se-yeon had told her.

"Hello. I'm Kim Tae-hyun. Thank you so much for agreeing to this request despite your busy schedule."

"Not at all. I'm sure you're much busier than me, Player Kim Tae-hyun. It seems Se-yeon is always indebted to you, so thank you for always looking after her."

"Ah... no, that's not true." Tae-hyun denied it. And it really wasn't true. Lee Se-yeon had never actually been indebted to him. I feel like we've only ever fought?

However, Nam Seol-yeon thought Tae-hyun was just being humble. She didn't follow every single Pan-On match or trending topic, so she was a bit out of the loop. She only knew that Tae-hyun and Lee Se-yeon were incredibly amazing players. To think such a player was this humble. I guess people who succeed really do have proper personalities.

Of course, Lee Se-yeon was dumbfounded beside them. The attitude Tae-hyun was showing was far too polite and respectful. If only he could show even a tenth of this attitude when dealing with her!

"What is your current Singing skill level?"

"I've currently reached level 6 of Advanced Singing."

"Level 6 of Advanced Singing?! Is that really true?!" Nam Seol-yeon was shocked. "Were you originally a Bard, Player Kim Tae-hyun?"

"...He originally just learns a bit of everything, so don't be too surprised, Cousin."

"Don't call him 'he' like that. You should be polite." Nam Seol-yeon gently scolded. Lee Se-yeon felt wronged, but it was hard to talk back in front of her cousin, whom she had been close to since childhood.

"Yes..."

"No, it's fine. We're close, so we just talk comfortably."

"Oh, is that really true?"

"Yes. Sometimes she even calls me a bas—" Lee Se-yeon hurriedly covered Tae-hyun's mouth.

"What do you think you're saying?!"

"No, I was just trying to show how close we are..."

"Just stop at the part where we talk comfortably! When did I ever call you a bastard?!"

"Your guild members told me you did."

"..."