I Didn't Steal It Through PvP
"I didn't steal it through PvP," Tae-hyun blurted out. For some reason, he felt incredibly defensive.
"Huh? Really? Ah, so you killed an NPC and took it?"
"Right. He must have slain the Pirate King and looted it."
"Whoa..."
"...I obtained it normally while clearing a quest."
At Tae-hyun's words, the guild members looked disappointed for some reason. They had expected a bloody backstory worthy of Kim Tae-hyun, but it was surprisingly mundane.
What on earth did these guys expect?
Carbanog suggests that you should have just lied instead.
Like, "When I stabbed the Pirate King in the heart, this sword burst out of his chest..."
Stop making up weird stories.
"By the way, have you ever used this King Slayer's Sword? I don't think I've ever seen it."
"Me neither. Did I miss it?"
Many people watched Kim Tae-hyun's quest videos even if they weren't fans—whether to reference them, learn from them, or copy his strategies. Everyone here was a ranker, so they had naturally analyzed Tae-hyun's videos quite a bit. Yet, none of them remembered him ever using the King Slayer's Sword.
"I didn't use it, so of course you haven't seen it."
"Ah. You must have gotten it recently?"
"True. If you'd gotten it a long time ago, you would have used it already."
There were plenty of quests Tae-hyun had cleared on the open sea. Considering those, there was no way he wouldn't have used such an item. If he had kept it hoarded away all this time, he wouldn't even be human!
"..."
Listening to the guild members' conversation, Tae-hyun wore a sour expression.
Hey, a guy can save things...
Do swords just grow on trees? It was always best to save rare items. What if he used it recklessly and regretted it later?
Carbanog says he thinks the Avatar can afford to use his items a bit more generously.
Just how many items did he have hoarded away for "later"!
"If you summon the ghost fleet, are we going to use that window to escape?"
"What are you talking about? That alone won't be enough."
"..."
"...???"
Usually, wouldn't that alone be more than enough...? The Black Rock Sect guild members thought so, but they decided to hear Tae-hyun out first.
"I-I see. What do we need next?"
"To create more chaos, we need to throw the Idergo NPCs into a panic. I thought about the best way, and as expected, Archisus is the best tool for the job."
"...I-I see."
"So, when the ghost fleet strikes, you guys split up, board the ships on either side, and shout 'Archisus Church!'"
"...!"
The guild members, who had been listening blankly, gasped. An utterly unexpected command had been dropped on them.
The grudge against the Archisus Church seems absolutely insane. Surely we won't die, right?
We have our pride, we can't say we're scared...
Boarding another ship and shouting, "Kehehehe! We are the Archisus Church, the ones who make even crying children stop crying!" wasn't exactly difficult. They couldn't possibly admit they were too chicken to do it!
"Then I will shout that the Archisus Church bastards have hijacked the ship and fire the cannons."
"Can't you come with us? I'm not really confident in my Archisus Church impression..."
"I have to steer, and I also need to fire bombs and cannons, so I can't go with you. I have to stay here."
At Tae-hyun's words, the guild members looked disappointed. They felt like they would be much more relieved if Tae-hyun went with them...
"Instead, I'll teach you how to impersonate the Archisus Church. First, laugh as evilly as possible..."
"..."
Are you really the Pope??
Anyway, the plan was ready. When Tae-hyun summoned the ghost fleet at the right moment, they would use that window to cause as much chaos as possible! Since they were layering several plans on top of each other when even one would have been enough, the guild members gained confidence. Besides, wasn't this a plan made by Tae-hyun?
"Honestly, since Kim Tae-hyun made it, there shouldn't be any problems."
"If it were Silved, maybe, but Kim Tae-hyun made it, right?"
I think these guys are misunderstanding something.
Tae-hyun thought to himself. Usually, people thought Tae-hyun made near-perfect plans. Otherwise, how could he clear such high-difficulty quests! ...But Tae-hyun was actually far from perfect. He usually just jumped in first and then changed his plans as the situation developed. In other words... no matter what happened, it wouldn't be surprising!
Carbanog says not to tell them since it'll only make them anxious for nothing.
True, that's right.
"Plague Fleet spotted! Plague Fleet spotted!!"
"They spotted the Plague Fleet!"
-Plague Fleet spotted!
-Plague Fleet spotted on stream!
The moment the player piloting the fast scout boat at the very front spotted the Plague Fleet through a magic telescope, the news spread like wildfire. It reached not only Chairman Yoo's rescue team, but also the fleets of other guilds sailing nearby!
Now that the Plague Fleet's location was exposed, everyone who had set out to do some rescuing had pinpointed them and rushed over. The sheer number of ships was staggering, stretching all the way across the horizon!
"Wow. Just how many people is this?"
"Did this many people gather just because of Kim Tae-hyun?"
Even the players on the ships were astonished. They knew there were many people coming to rescue him, but seeing it in person was a completely different story. It was a scale that easily dwarfed territory wars between major guilds!
Streamers could be seen broadcasting excitedly everywhere. There was no way they could resist with such an incredible spectacle before them.
Players piloting small boats broke away from the main fleet. They planned to use their high speed to charge close to the Plague Fleet! If they were lucky, they could dodge around, approach, and extract Kim Tae-hyun.
"Chairman, they're moving first."
"Leave them be. The enemy isn't so soft that they can be approached with such small boats anyway. Send the signal to encircle!"
Chairman Yoo sent messages not only to his rescue team but also to the other guild fleets. They had to fight together until they got Tae-hyun! Some level of cooperation was possible.
Vrooooom— The small boats, sails raised, rapidly closed the distance to the Plague Fleet, even activating magic boosters.
"If we stop, we die! We have to zigzag!"
"I know! I even bought and hung an Archisus figurehead!"
"We just need to bring Kim Tae-hyun out! Just Kim Tae-hyun!"
These were players aiming for a once-in-a-lifetime jackpot!
...Of course, they hadn't thought about how they would actually get Kim Tae-hyun out. In the first place, Tae-hyun would never board a ship that would sink if even a single cannonball grazed it.
*Clank, clank, clank—*
-The living are coming here.
-Prepare the plague cannons. Show them the power of Lord Idergo!
The Plague Fleet begins bombardment!
The cannonballs cursed with the Plague of Accuracy alter their trajectory and strike the ships!
Boom!
"Aaaaargh!"
There was no room for evasive maneuvers. The relentlessly tracking cannonballs were one thing, but... *Boom boom boom boom! Boom! Boom boom boom!* The firepower of the Plague Fleet, slamming down as if to turn the sea upside down, was absolutely brutal. It was impossible to get close!
"Run! Turn around!"
"Forget Kim Tae-hyun, we're going to die!"
In the end, the small boat players had no choice but to retreat with tears in their eyes. But their charge had served a purpose. Tae-hyun had seized his opportunity.
-Summon Accursed Ghost Fleet!
Summon Accursed Ghost Fleet
⊳ Durability of King Slayer's Sword has decreased.
⊳ Infamy has increased!
⊳ Pirates respect you!
⊳ The curse contained within King Slayer's Sword attacks you for breaking the taboo of the sea!
⊳ Your Luck is exceptionally high! You have successfully evaded the curse!
Huh. What curse was it?
A message window had popped up showing what curse was on the sword. Since he had evaded it, he would never know what curse it was, but...
*Screeeech! Screeech! Whoooosh!*
Suddenly, an insanely eerie wind and an ear-splitting, grating sound began to echo. Ghost ships began to emerge from the sea one by one!
"Attack the Plague Fleet!"
-We follow the Pirate King's orders!
-Attack those filthy plague bastards!
The captains of the ghost ships were all fleshless ghosts. Seeing that, Tae-hyun felt relieved.
They'll be able to hold out for a long time.
Ghosts naturally take less physical damage. Although they had disadvantages in attacking, in a situation where holding out was important, they could survive longer—
*K-boom!*
Plague Lightning
A massive plague force that looked like it could destroy the world struck like lightning right next to Tae-hyun. It was so powerful that one of the ghost ships was completely vaporized. It was at a level where worrying about whether they were ghosts or not was completely meaningless!
What in the world...?
Tae-hyun turned his head to see who had used this insane skill. The old captain, Polomyus, was waving with a benevolent smile.
-Are you alright? I thought they were going to attack you... so I took action first!
"Th-thank you."
He couldn't believe that this captain, who looked like he would blow away with the wind, had vaporized an entire ghost ship.
By the power of the oath contained within King Slayer's Sword, the destroyed ghost ship returns from beneath the sea!
-Aaargh! I'll kill those plague bastards!
Fortunately, the ghost fleet was also formidable. They would keep resurrecting during the time limit!
-This... might be dangerous! Why don't you come over to this side!
Polomyus shouted, looking at Tae-hyun. Of course, Tae-hyun had no intention of agreeing.
"No! We will fight too! Be careful, Lord Polomyus!"
-What??
Carbanog suggests swearing at him once to see if he can hear you or not.
...I want to, but I have to hold back.
"I said be careful!! Something is suspicious!"
Right on cue, the players who had boarded the other plague ships began to shout.
"Kehehehe! I am the Archisus Church! Give us your blood!!"
"..."
Tae-hyun stared at them, dumbfounded.
When did I ever tell you to demand blood??
-It's the Archisus Church bastards!
-Seeing how they demand blood, it's definitely them! Sound the alarm!!
Chaos begins to spread through the Plague Fleet!
A penalty is applied to the Plague Fleet's tactical ability!
-It's an attack by the Archisus Church!
-What?! The Archisus Church bastards invaded leading ghost ships?!
-The Archisus bastards hijacked the ship?!
The chaos spread rapidly. To fan the flames of that chaos, Tae-hyun shouted.
"Look at that ship next to us! The Archisus Church bastards hijacked it! We must sink it!"
-Uh, I don't think that's right?
The amnesiac priest, Persmes, came up and tried to stop Tae-hyun in confusion. Didn't the ship next to them just have Idergo Cult NPCs on it?
"They are Archisus bastards in disguise! Fire!!"
*K-boom!*
With a massive explosion, the fierce naval battle that would later be called the Great Plague Fleet War began in earnest.