A Sudden Change of Faith
"W-Wait, what?"
The sudden, nonsensical declaration left the members of the Black Rock Sect utterly bewildered, completely at a loss for what to do.
They were supposed to be part of the Idergo Cult starting now?
"But I'm with the Phytos Church!"
"I'm with Ahzulak..."
"And I'm literally in the Archisus Church, Kim Tae-hyun!"
The players protested. In this game, if you badmouthed your own order or tried to join another while already affiliated with a specific religious faction, you would be hit with all kinds of penalties.
A drop in contribution points, a plunge in reputation, and if you were truly unlucky, even a curse!
But Tae-hyun was resolute.
"Just jump ship for now and repent later."
"..."
"..."
You're the Pope, you bastard!
"There's no other way. What, do you want to fight them?"
"Ugh..."
"I mean, that's true, but..."
The guild members couldn't argue. No matter how they looked at it, picking a fight with a massive fleet of that scale was pure suicide!
They had to try whatever they could.
But wouldn't normal people just run away?
Seriously.
They were simply dumbfounded by Kim Tae-hyun, who, in a situation where anyone else would flee, was boldly planning to disguise themselves as the enemy.
"Here. I have some Idergo Cult equipment. Put it on."
"Where did you even get...? No, never mind."
The guild members stopped themselves mid-question. Knowing how Kim Tae-hyun played, he had obviously plundered it from someone!
Disguise skill has been activated.
A bonus has been applied due to the Supreme Eloquence skill!
You have successfully disguised yourself completely as an Idergo Cult Paladin!
Rustle, rustle, rustle—
"!"
There were always people who complained that speech skills were useless. Those who grumbled that they were only good for merchants or explorers trying to clear quests with NPCs!
...While that was half-true, such claims only came from those who didn't truly understand the power of speech skills. Even the most seemingly garbage skill would find its use if you kept leveling it up.
Carbanog notes that hearing such words from the Avatar of Deception makes them feel exceptionally sad...
Be quiet.
Thanks to the Supreme Eloquence skill, the disguise received an immense correction bonus and was completed successfully.
Mana (MP) is consuming rapidly!
Your remaining Mana (MP) is extremely low!
"?"
Tae-hyun was taken aback. The only real advantage of speech-related skills was that they barely consumed any MP, so why was this happening?
—Grrr. Growl.
"Ah."
As the Plague Knight growled and pointed at him, Tae-hyun realized what was going on.
Disguise complete → Massive drop in MP → But the Plague Knight was still summoned, constantly draining his MP → Tae-hyun's MP was hitting rock bottom!
"I'll have to unsummon him."
Without a shred of lingering regret, Tae-hyun prepared to send the Plague Knight back. Of course, it was a waste, but keeping him active would drain Tae-hyun completely dry. A swift decision!
—"How could you do such a thing?!"
The Idergo priest cried out in sheer horror.
"Why?"
—"To dismiss a knight sent by Lord Idergo so casually!"
"Hmm..."
Tae-hyun pondered what to say for about a second. To Tae-hyun, who operated under the completely free-spirited Archisus Church, such a devout NPC was highly unfamiliar.
"I asked Lord Idergo, and he said it was fine."
—"..."
You possess the Supreme Eloquence skill!
Your Holy stat is exceptionally high!
You possess the Idergo's Fragment!
If anyone else had said that, the NPC would have screamed, "You plague-ridden blasphemer!" But Tae-hyun actually had the credentials to back up such a claim.
—"In... In that case, I shall maintain him."
The memory-lost priest waved his staff and began to channel his own mana.
—*Grrr. Growl!*
The withered Plague Knight nodded in satisfaction once more as the priest's mana filled him up instead.
"Is it really alright for you to supply the mana for my summon?"
—"Are we not brothers of the same order?"
"Oh, my..."
Tae-hyun put on a deeply moved expression. The Idergo Cult surprisingly possessed a strong sense of camaraderie.
This is actually pretty great.
Just by joining, all sorts of benefits came for free. The Archisus Church never had anything like this...
Thud—
Idergo's massive fleet surrounded Tae-hyun's ship. Those aboard the fleet were all warriors contaminated by the plague!
Those Idergo bastards sure are resourceful.
Tae-hyun grumbled inwardly. Didn't Archisus have some kind of fleet tucked away under the sea?
Clank, clank—Rumble!
Carbanog warns that the power radiating from that fleet is absolutely terrifying.
Just as Carbanog said, the ships of the Plague Fleet were incredibly menacing. Dark, soot-colored plague cannons lined the sides of the vessels, and their tattered, hole-ridden sails billowed with the raw energy of the plague.
The entities aboard were distinctly different from the usual paladins and priests of the Idergo Cult. While the paladins and priests were at least living beings, these creatures were practically half-made of pure plague.
They were just like the Plague Knight!
Hmm. I was thinking of stealthily planting some bombs and setting them on fire, but...
...Carbanog strongly advises against doing that.
Yeah. I should just behave.
Tae-hyun agreed. The power of the Idergo fleet was far greater than he had anticipated.
The Phytos Church, which fought most fiercely against the Idergo Cult...
The Demer Church, which fought most fiercely against the Idergo Cult...
Are you kidding me? These shameless bastards.
Tae-hyun fumed at the quest windows suddenly popping up before him. They should be handling their own mess, so why were they dumping these quests on him? He wasn't even a member of those churches!
Carbanog explains that these quests appeared because the Avatar has saved the continent from various perils so many times already.
Normally, he wouldn't have been eligible to receive them. However, because he had repeatedly resolved threats between different religious factions and earned titles as rewards, these quests were now available to him! It was a sort of special privilege.
I see. Because I coddled those other churches too much, they think they can just throw these quests at me, huh?
...No, that's not what it means at all...
Naturally, Tae-hyun interpreted it in his own way. These guys! Just because I saved the continent a few times, they're trying to make me do their chores again!
—"Are you... people of the Idergo Cult...?"
"!"
The largest, most plague-infested ship in the center of the fleet sailed forward, and its captain revealed himself on the deck. The master of the Plague Fleet!
The captain of the Plague Fleet. Just how powerful was he? He was bound to be as strong as a Paladin Commander, an Archbishop, or a High Priest within the Idergo Cult.
"...?"
"???"
"?????"
The tense players were utterly bewildered. The figure revealing himself on the ship was...
...a scrawny, frail old man.
He wasn't a warrior clad in massive armor, nor was he a mage radiating malevolent energy. He was just an old man dressed in plain cloth garments that a noble might wear! He looked so weak that a gentle breeze could blow him away.
—"Did I not ask if you are people of the Idergo Cult...?"
"Ah! Yes, we are!"
Tae-hyun quickly shouted back. Polomyus spoke in a slow, feeble voice.
—"Is your number not a bit small?"
"There was a battle on the island."
—"What was that?"
"A battle on the island..."
—"What did you say??"
"...ON THE ISLAND!! THERE WAS!!! A BATTLE!!!"
Supreme Eloquence has been applied!
Your words are delivered clearly and directly to Polomyus's ears!
—"Ah! A battle, you say!"
Polomyus takes a liking to you for speaking so clearly.
Affinity has increased slightly!
'...'
In all his life, he had never seen affinity increase just because someone spoke clearly!
Regardless, Tae-hyun began to spin his tale of what had transpired. He explained how the Idergo Cult on the island had been wiped out because the wicked scoundrels of the Archisus Church had disguised themselves to attack, followed by some crazy beasts that ambushed them...
In any case, he claimed he had somehow managed to gather the surviving Idergo priests and escape with a single ship!
Polomyus clicked his tongue in pity.
—"You must have suffered greatly."
"It was incredibly difficult, but our faith in Lord Idergo allowed us to endure."
—"...Wait. Is that fellow not the successor to the Bishop?"
Polomyus pointed at the memory-lost Idergo priest.
—"I believe so. He appears to be Lord Persmes."
—"Persmes! What is the successor to the Plague Bishop doing over there?"
"!"
Tae-hyun was startled. He had guessed the man held a decent rank since everyone kept calling him "successor," but to think he was the successor to the Plague Bishop himself?
He's a much bigger deal than I thought!
Carbanog asks how you plan to handle the consequences of this later.
The moment his memory returned, things would get extremely dangerous!
...Well, he seems fine for now. It's fine. I just need to hold out until we get back.
The Plague Fleet's destination was bound to be the Central Continent. Tae-hyun just had to quietly blend in among them, and then slip away once they neared the Central Continent. He only had to endure until then!
—"He... lost his memory?"
Polomyus was shocked upon hearing the details. To lose his memory!
—"It is all because of those Archisus bastards."
—"I know. They are insidious, wicked scoundrels. I, too, fought against those Archisus dogs in my youth, and there were none more wretched than them."
Instead of tears, Polomyus wept liquid plague from his eyes in sorrow.
—"Persmes. Would it not be better for you to stay on my flagship?"
—"No. I shall remain here with these reliable brothers of Idergo."
The players smiled awkwardly at Persmes's words. We are the reliable brothers of Idergo!
Polomyus nodded benevolently and smiled.
—"Men! Bestow rewards upon these commendable souls."
◈ Idergo Cult Contribution Points have increased significantly!
◈ [Plague-related Items] acquired!
◈ [Plague-related Items] acquired!
Various plague-related items and cult contribution points. Contribution points were essentially cash that could be exchanged for whatever they wanted once they visited the cult's temple.
...The problem was whether they could actually go to an Idergo Cult temple!
C-Can we actually use this?
It's way too much of a waste to throw away...
As the saying goes, "seeing is wanting." They hadn't been greedy at first, but receiving these contribution points sparked their desire. Was there any way they could cash these out before leaving?
—"Then, make sure to steer your ship well and follow us."
"Yes."
—"Why are you not answering?"
"YES!!!"
—"Haha. Follow closely."
Escort Idergo's Plague Fleet
📍 Status: Joined Idergo's Plague Fleet!
🎁 Reward: Additional faction bonuses applied!
"Sir! I have good news and bad news!"
"Tell me the good news first."
"I think I know the location of the ship Kim Tae-hyun is on!"
"!"
Chairman Yoo's face lit up.
"You truly are a talented individual! How on earth did you find that out?"
"I was able to figure it out by closely observing the broadcast."
"Then what is the bad news?"
"...It appears that Idergo's Plague Fleet has captured Kim Tae-hyun."
"..."
Chairman Yoo's expression stiffened. What kind of nonsense is this?
"Please take a look at this video."
Although they hadn't made the entire video public, Tae-hyun's group was currently broadcasting their sailing location. The Plague Fleet appearing in the distance, and Tae-hyun's group casually joining them as if it were the most natural thing in the world!
Since the audio of their conversation wasn't broadcasted, the viewers could only speculate.