Let's Go Kill Your Children Together!

"Come to think of it, the Black Rock Sect was definitely strong, even back when we fought together last time." At Tae-hyun's words, the members of the Black Rock Sect wore proud expressions. Setting aside their fear and avoidance of Tae-hyun, having their skills recognized by him was incredibly gratifying.

"We're glad you recognize our worth."

"A lot of new players, like those Rising Rankers, have been popping up lately. Is the Black Rock Sect doing alright?"

"Oh, we're doing great."

While large guilds saw their influence shrink and stumbled here and there, small, tight-knit social guilds like theirs were unaffected by such shifts. They didn't have territories to manage; all they had was a single guild house in a decent city. The rest was pure freedom!

I'm actually a little jealous... Tae-hyun thought to himself. Honestly, managing everything from the Valley to the kingdom was way too much work. Sometimes, he wished he could just play casually like he did back in Pan-On 1!

"Well, since you're doing so well, I suppose it won't be a problem if we do a slightly difficult raid."

"Wait a minute!" One of the guild members, sensing something amiss, cut ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠him off. Tae-hyun flinched for a split second. Did they catch on?

If ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a school dog could recite poetry after three years, and Cain could learn to use his brain after three years, it wouldn't be surprising if the Black Rock Sect was starting to catch on.

"Is it a dragon?!"

"Huh?"

"Is the thing you're trying to hunt a dragon?"

"...!" The guild members gasped in horror. No way...!

"Hey, why would we hunt another dragon?"

"No, don't let him fool you. There's a high chance it's a dragon."

"It's not a dragon."

"See? He said it's not."

"Then is it a Demon Duke?!"

Sharp, aren't they? Tae-hyun was impressed by the guild member's deduction. Dragons, Demon Dukes—they were guessing the exact boss monsters he was most likely to fight. But it was neither.

"Nope."

"Uh... wait, really? It's really not?" When Tae-hyun denied both, the guild member looked flustered. He was absolutely sure it had to be one of those two...

"Why are you acting like a know-it-all and embarrassing us?"

"Yeah, I'm ashamed to be in the same guild as you."

"N-no, but I've followed Kim Tae-hyun's quests pretty closely, and it really should be one of those two...?" The guild member felt deeply wronged under his companions' scolding. He was sure he was right!

"Is it really not?"

"Ah, he said it's not! Let it go!"

"Well, that's a relief. If it's neither a dragon nor a Demon Duke, it must not be that difficult."

"So, Garettia. You're royalty of the Garuda Kingdom and a descendant of the Holy Knight Commander. Don't you... have anything on you?"

—What are you talking about?

"You know, that." Tae-hyun gave her a subtle look. Lee Da-bi, standing beside him, nodded and spoke up.

"You mean money."

"...No, it's not that." Garettia wore an incredibly shocked expression. A Pope shaking down a princess—it was something she had never even imagined.

—I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠don't have much money...

"I'm not talking about money! I mean, don't you have a royal guard to protect the Garuda royalty, or maybe some escort knights to guard the descendant of the Holy Knight Commander?"

—Ah...

Garettia realized what Tae-hyun was getting at. The Garuda royalty possessed the right to summon and command Garuda warriors. The higher their status, the more powerful and numerous the warriors they could call upon.

—Those things don't help with personal strength, so I don't bring them along.

"..." Tae-hyun's face went deadpan. "That is a very bad idea. Go and bring them here right now."

—I rejected them when they were offered to me in the past, so how am I supposed to conjure them up out of nowhere...? Garettia was flustered. How could she suddenly claim something she had turned down before? The royal guards and escorts were currently stationed around the other royals.

"Then do you have any skills, items, treasures, or maybe a weakness of a Demon Duke that you inherited as the Holy Knight Commander?"

"Isn't that last one a bit out of place?"

"Well, if it's the Archisus Church, it wouldn't be strange for something like that to be passed down."

—I do!

"!"

"You do?!" Lee Da-bi was even more shocked. Was there really a weakness of a Demon Duke passed down?!

—There is an ancient temple that only the Archisus Holy Knight Commander can enter.

"...!" Tae-hyun's eyes widened. This was incredibly valuable information he hadn't expected.

In his heart, he wanted to abandon the 1st Prince raid entirely and just head straight to the temple! Wait, can't I do that? Let the 1st Prince live his life in the Erangs Kingdom. Honestly, there was no pressing reason for Tae-hyun to hunt down the 1st Prince. Except for the fact that the 1st Prince was gnashing his teeth, desperate to kill him!

That might be true, but right now, the 1st Prince is too busy fighting the other princes. Fortunately, starting with the other princes, the star-studded players of the Auston Kingdom were keeping him tied down. Smith's White Knight! Su Ning's Guild Alliance! And even the Midas Guild was fighting hard against him, so even the mighty Erangs Kingdom had no choice but to be bogged down.

—However, there is something required to enter that temple.

"What is it?"

—The blood of our enemy. Specifically, the 1st Prince of the Erangs royal family...

"..." Tae-hyun's face went blank. Seriously, what kind of church was this...!

"Are we some kind of evil god cult? Why is this so barbaric? The temple doors only open if we offer the blood of our enemy?"

—Isn't this meticulousness in never forgetting our enemies just so typical of Archisus? It's completely different from lukewarm orders like the Sadiq Church!

"No, not really."

The Sadiq Church, dragged into the conversation out of nowhere just to be insulted, was the only pitiful one here.

In any case, to enter the temple, I have to take the 1st Prince's head... Tae-hyun let out a deep sigh. Even if Garettia was strong, she wouldn't be able to break through all the formidable NPCs guarding the 1st Prince. In the end, Tae-hyun had to bring out his own method to deal with him...

"Lee Se-yeon."

"?"

"Let's raise the King as an undead. That's our only option."

"...Are you sure about this?" Lee Se-yeon had already warned him multiple times.

—An undead of the Erangs King's caliber has an extremely high chance of breaking out of my control once raised. There's no predicting how he'll act! In the worst-case scenario, he might even attack us...

It wasn't as if Tae-hyun didn't know the risks. Having already met an ancestor of the Erangs royal family due to Archisus's Song, this wasn't a choice he particularly wanted to make. But there's no other way. Among the cards Tae-hyun could play right now, the King was the only one that gave him an advantage against the 1st Prince. After all, the 1st Prince didn't even know the King was dead yet!

Besides, to rule the Erangs Kingdom, the sword and crown of Erangs are absolutely necessary. The 1st Prince won't be able to ignore them. If Tae-hyun had it his way, he would have preferred to find the sword and crown of Erangs to threaten the 1st Prince. But finding them right now was practically impossible. He had obtained the location of the Erangs royal stables from the Sly King, who mentioned that "there is a Pegasus that only the King can ride," but approaching it now would get him caught by the 1st Prince... Above all, it reeked of a massive, tedious chain quest. Trying to complete such a quest inside the kingdom while the 1st Prince was wide awake and active was...

"I'm really raising him, okay? Don't complain to me later."

"...When you keep saying it like that, it makes me hesitate."

But Tae-hyun had made up his mind. Let's revive the King! Well, it wasn't exactly reviving, but...

Lee Se-yeon stood with a tense expression. Though she had raised countless undead before, she had never dealt with such a giant figure. A king of a nation, no less!

I never thought I'd live to see the day I raise a king as an undead...

"Alright, here I go." At Se-yeon's words, Tae-hyun nodded.

Tae-hyun had already made various preparations. He had packed holy bombs specifically designed for the undead, and behind him, the Archisus Church priest NPCs stood on standby, led by Pelmarne... A highly ridiculous situation could unfold where they would have to raid the King immediately after raising him.

"Brother, what on earth are you thinking to make a face like that?"

"...I was just wondering who in their right mind does these kinds of quests in Pan-On."

Having to raid the King ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠again if they failed to control him—what a joke! Although there were numerous players in the Valley right now, this operation was being conducted in absolute secrecy. The members of the Black Rock Sect were waiting outside, completely oblivious!

Flash! Lee Se-yeon's skills activated in rapid succession. Staring ahead, she cried out, "Rise!"

Just as she had warned, Philip III shook off Lee Se-yeon's command. A power befitting a named undead! But he doesn't have his equipment. Even if a fight breaks out, we can suppress him! Tae-hyun thought as he glared at the King. How would he react?

—You...

"You?"

—You... you... you insolent, rotten bastards...!

"???"

"M-me?" Lee Se-yeon was startled. Had she committed some sort of rudeness while casting her skill?

"Lee Se-yeon, get back!" Tae-hyun pulled Se-yeon behind him and stepped forward. If the King attacked, Se-yeon would be in danger. However, a second after stepping forward to shield her, Tae-hyun regretted it. Wait, now that I think about it, Se-yeon isn't an idiot. There's no way she didn't prepare for a close-range attack. Even if mages were weak in close combat, a ranker of her level would naturally have a few defensive skills ready. There was no need for Tae-hyun to jump in first.

"My bad, Lee Se-yeon. Now that I think about it, that was kind of insulting to your skills."

"Huh? Uh? What? No? It's not?"

"...Did you eat something bad? Snap out of it. The King is right in front of us." At Tae-hyun's scolding, Se-yeon immediately snapped back to attention. Both of them were professionals, after all.

—I will kill you... I will kill you!

"Your Majesty. You are currently surrounded. If you attack us..."

—John! Thomas! David! You wicked parasites! I will never forgive you for betraying your father!

"Who is he talking about?"

"...The princes!"

Fortunately, Philip III didn't seem to hold any particular grudge against Tae-hyun or Lee Se-yeon. The moment he rose, all he showed was extreme hatred toward his sons! The King began screaming that he would hunt down and kill the princes.

"...Isn't this dangerous?" Having seen many undead, Lee Se-yeon began to worry. Undead fueled by such intense negative emotions were bound to be dangerous. Hatred, resentment, grudges—these emotions made an undead highly volatile. Furthermore, such undead would stop at nothing to get what they wanted.

"Who cares? As long as he doesn't hate us, we're fine."

"...Aren't you being a bit too optimistic?" But Tae-hyun didn't care. For now, the fact that the King wasn't attacking them meant their primary goal was a success.

"Your Majesty! I will help you hunt down and crush those parasitic princes! Did I not promise you this when you were still alive?"

—I don't remember who you are... It seemed the shock of death had wiped the King's memory.

"I am the one Your Majesty trusted enough to entrust with your affairs. If that weren't the case, how else would Your Majesty be here? Come, let us go kill your children together!"