The Great Wall of Archisus

Of course, from the perspective of the rankers, it was an absurd quest. Who on earth did quests like this after reaching a high level? That was the kind of stuff you did when you were a low-level novice!

"I should take this opportunity to plant the Great Wall of Archisus right along the border."

"..."

Lee Se-yeon, who was listening beside him, was utterly appalled. Such a wicked scheme?!

Even now, there were quite a few fortresses near the borders of the Atali Kingdom. It was one of the most heavily fortified regions on the Central Continent! Because of this, novice players often posted questions on the forums.

A sad memory embedded in the fortress zone! Tae-hyun intended to connect these fortresses to build an even more formidable defensive wall.

"Kim Tae-hyun. Are you sure this is a good idea?"

Lee Se-yeon spoke in a worried tone. If he had so many enemies, he should think about changing his lifestyle or avoiding trouble, but to stubbornly build a massive wall like this... Could they even finish it?

"It doesn't matter if we can't finish it. I'm just doing this to level up my song and magic skills anyway."

"...!"

To think he had such an ulterior motive!

"When did Kim Tae-hyun even learn a song skill?"

"Right?"

The rankers carrying heavy boulders looked on in bewilderment. When did he pick up a song skill?

"Surely he didn't make us do all this just to level up his song skill, right?"

"No way. There's no way..."

Tae-hyun shouted to boost the rankers' morale.

"The players who accumulate the most Contribution Points while building this fortress will get priority in battle! I'll let you be the very first to fight the Erangs Kingdom!"

"...!"

Despite it being a garbage quest that involved nothing but manual labor, players kept flocking to the site. It was because of the absolute trust they had in the quests Tae-hyun had provided in the past. Of course, to Lee Se-yeon, the scene was entirely incomprehensible. Just why...?

"We're going to fight the Erangs Kingdom soon, right?"

"Of course. This is Kim Tae-hyun we're talking about. Have you ever seen Kim Tae-hyun not fight someone?"

"True. We're just building right now, but it'll turn into a bloodbath soon enough."

"We'll probably rake in tons of EXP and items, right?"

It was understandable why mid-tier players gathered in droves. Mid-tier players didn't always look for the most optimal quests. They wanted fun quests! Quests that were currently the talk of the town! And in that regard, Tae-hyun never failed to deliver.

But why on earth were the rankers showing up?

"Wait, that ranker bastard is really here?"

"I'm telling you! If even he's doing it, there must be a hidden catch. Do you think a ranker would do this without a plan?"

"..."

Lee Se-yeon lamented inwardly. Have some skepticism when you play, for goodness' sake...!

"Rankers really are on a different level."

"You're right. They aren't called rankers for nothing."

Tae-hyun and Lee Da-bi nodded in admiration. The rankers' capabilities were truly impressive. Their Strength stats allowed them to effortlessly hoist and carry heavy construction materials! Their Stamina stats kept them going without ever ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠tiring! On top of that, they utilized all sorts of skills to speed up the work!

The Archisus Church...

Wait, what?

Tae-hyun was taken aback. He had only intended to make the border fortress zone a bit more airtight... but to think something like this would trigger!

Church quests are rare. This is unusual.

Quests issued on the scale of the Archisus Church were extremely rare. Tae-hyun had previously suspected, Is it because our church is too broke to generate quests? But regardless, now that it had appeared, there was no reason not to complete it.

"Alright. I will mobilize everything at our disposal to begin construction!"

"You mean you weren't already mobilizing everything?"

The moment Tae-hyun's command fell, countless NPCs poured out from the Valley. From all kinds of blacksmiths to chefs! These were the blacksmith NPCs who already had experience turning the Valley into a hellish fortress. They immediately sought to incorporate all sorts of creative ideas into the new wall.

"Let's erect several statues along this section."

"What kind of effect would they have?"

"We can pack them with explosives. If the wall falls, we can blow them up along with the enemy."

"..."

While such extreme ideas were rejected, many highly practical suggestions were put forward. In particular, having a much wider variety of professions available now compared to the past made a massive difference.

"I will engrave magic runes onto the wall. If it comes under attack, a magical barrier will deploy to block the enemies."

"Does it explode if it fails?"

"Pardon? No, it doesn't."

"Does it drain the lives of nearby players every time the barrier is deployed?"

"Why on earth would it require such a crazy sacrifice?"

Thanks to that, surprisingly normal and sound ideas made up the majority.

Though it had started as simple manual labor, the players' attitudes shifted completely once actual rewards were on the line. They began mobilizing their various skills to propose new ideas! The Great Wall of Archisus began to take shape at an unbelievable speed, even considering the existing fortresses that served as its foundation.

Only Tae-hyun possessed the sheer influence to unite and command countless players of various nationalities with a single word. The quest achievements he had accumulated over time had not been in vain.

Tae-hyun's every move was always prime news material. It was a topic that almost every Pan-On player was interested in! The saying that putting "Kim Tae-hyun" in a headline would multiply views several times over was no exaggeration.

The news of Tae-hyun building a massive new structure naturally drew everyone's attention. However, most were skeptical, thinking, Wait, is that even possible right now? It felt like the worst possible timing. With both the Erangs Kingdom and the Auston Kingdom in states of chaos, he should be recruiting combatants, not leisurely building walls.

Yet, Tae-hyun's ability to gather people far exceeded everyone's expectations. He swept up everyone from rankers to novices without discrimination—a true Pied Piper of Archisus! As construction progressed at a breakneck pace and the sheer number of gathered players shattered all predictions, public reaction shifted instantly.

"!!!!"

Even before the fortress was completed, Tae-hyun's song skill reached the Master rank. That was how relentlessly he had been singing. At first, players had been deeply moved, thinking, Whoa! I'm so honored that Kim Tae-hyun is singing right next to me! But eventually, their reactions shifted to, "Mr. Kim Tae-hyun... your singing is great, but could you please, please change the song to something else?"

It wasn't that Tae-hyun's song skill was bad; it was simply because he sang the exact same song on an endless, maddening loop.

Whenever someone posted such complaints on the forums, they were met with anger, but it was actually a very valid point. That was how incredibly, terrifyingly addictive Tae-hyun's song was.

Rather than trying to compose a brand-new song, Tae-hyun had simply thrown together some familiar chords and a repetitive hook, treating it as pure labor. Knowing full well he lacked any artistic talent, he had decided to push through with sheer volume. The result was collective brainwashing!

"?"

[?]

Tae-hyun glared at Carbanog. It wasn't necessarily because of Carbanog, but...

It was true. It wasn't particularly because of Carbanog.

It was clearly a hidden quest, and something to celebrate, but...

Something... something feels incredibly ominous.

Through his past experiences, Tae-hyun had learned the patterns of the Archisus Church all too well. It always went like this: you work your butt off to level up a skill -> ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Oh, you worked hard! Great, now hand over that skill and take this Archisus version instead! It was a classic bait-and-switch. His magic skill had already been converted to Archisus's magic, making things several times harder for him...

Quiet, Carbanog.

"...?"

[?]

Huh? This actually looks incredibly good? Tae-hyun was taken aback. Was this actually a decent skill?

No. Wait.

Tae-hyun snapped back to reality. Now that he thought about it, the phrase "great heroes who once believed in Archisus" was a massive red flag. Could anyone who actually worshipped Archisus be a decent, normal person?

"Kim Tae-hyun. We have a problem."

"?"

Tae-hyun tensed up as Lee Se-yeon approached him with a flustered expression. If even Lee Se-yeon was reacting like this, it had to be something serious!

"What is it?"

"Members of the national team have arrived."

"...Why is that a problem?"

"We have arrived as well."

"...?!?"

Lee Se-yeon was utterly bewildered by the sudden appearance of Ryu Tae-su and Ryu Da-young.

"Why are you guys here?"

"...Shouldn't we build up our teamwork before the tournament?"

Ryu Da-young asked, her expression suggesting she found the question incredibly obvious.

"I came because I wanted to assist you, Captain."

"I know you just came here because you wanted to clear quests with Kim Tae-hyun, so cut the crap."

At Lee Se-yeon's sharp retort, Ryu Tae-su quickly averted his gaze.

It is admirable of them, but...

They had taken time out of their busy schedules despite having their own quests to complete. It showed how passionate they were. Well, setting aside that nutcase Ryu Tae-su...

"And you're already working on your teamwork with Player Kim Tae-hyun, Captain. We couldn't just sit back and do nothing."

"Uh... oh? Y-Yeah, I suppose so."

"?"

"??"

Ryu Tae-su and Ryu Da-young tilted their heads in confusion. Huh? Her reaction is a bit...

"By the way, Player Lee Se-yeon. May I ask what quest you are currently working on?"

"W-Why? Why do you ask?"

"Since you're clearing it with Player Kim Tae-hyun, I assumed it was a quest related to the Ancient Empire. If it's alright, I was hoping I could join as well."

Lee Se-yeon let out a quiet sigh of relief at Ryu Da-young's words. She had worried over nothing.

"Yes, we are indeed working on a quest related to the Ancient Empire."

"I knew it... I figured ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠there was no other reason for the two of you to be working together."

"Hmm. I thought it was because you two were close."

"Don't talk nonsense, Oppa. There's no way Player Lee Se-yeon would do something like that."

"..."