The Ancient Temple and the First Holy Knight Commander

Chairman Yoo was well aware that LK Galaxy had been grinding their teeth, desperate to make it into the First Division. Lately, LK's President Yoon had been showing an unusual amount of interest in Pan-On, too.

...And so on!

'Well, it makes sense he'd covet the publicity.'

The Yuseong Group was reaping massive promotional benefits from the Yuseong Gaming Team, spanning from North America to Europe. To other conglomerates who had previously dismissed esports as a joke, it must have been an absolute eyesore. Still, Chairman Yoo never imagined that President Yoon had actually fallen head over heels for Pan-On.

When Chairman Yoo remained silent, the scout from LK Galaxy smiled and spoke.

"I know why you're hesitating."

"Do you, now?"

There's no way you do.

"Yes. It's because of your age."

"..."

No, it's not, you punk!

Chairman Yoo barely resisted the urge to smack him.

"Of course, age is a disadvantage."

Even in a virtual reality game, physical limitations weren't entirely non-existent. As one aged, reflexes, reaction times, and mental processing naturally slowed down. With an abundance of energetic young players available, no team in their right mind would go out of their way to recruit older players.

"But isn't the beauty of Pan-On that you can offset one disadvantage with other strengths? We believe it's entirely possible. In fact, we're currently planning a team composed entirely of middle-aged and older players."

"...Just what kind of madman came up with that project?"

Chairman Yoo asked, utterly dumbfounded. *What kind of ridiculous nonsense is this?*

"If anyone proposed a project like that, it wouldn't be surprising if they were fired on the spot."

"You don't need to worry about that. It won't happen."

"...?!"

Looking at the scout's supreme confidence, Chairman Yoo realized something. That was the exact demeanor of an employee who had an incredibly powerful backer. A general manager... no, the general manager of a team with a parent conglomerate had a job as fragile as a fly's life. A general manager couldn't pull this off. The president?!

'Wait. A project like this came directly from the president? Well... actually, that's not entirely impossible.'

The president and the executives were probably all up there in years, so they wouldn't have a clue about what actually worked in the gaming scene. That was undoubtedly why they had stamped their approval on such an absurd plan for a middle-aged roster. 'Tsk, tsk. If this is how the LK Group operates...'

"I appreciate the offer, but I'm satisfied with things as they are. I have no intention of competing in tournaments."

Honestly, he was already walking a tightrope. He wasn't ashamed of playing Pan-On, but he certainly didn't want to publicly advertise it. ...Actually, thinking about it, playing at his age *was* a little embarrassing!

"Fishing King! Fishing King!"

"Go back. ...And stop calling me by that nickname!"

No matter how much Chairman Yoo detested it, his nickname had already been set in stone: the Fishing King.

"Our 'Burning Youth' project absolutely needs you, Fishing King!!"

'The people in charge of this are going to end up writing apology letters.'

"Garettia! I have brought the head of our enemy!"

-!!!

Garettia, a royal of the Garuda Kingdom and the descendant of the Archisus Holy Knight Commander, sprang to her feet at Tae-hyun's words.

-Splendid! I knew I could trust the Pope! I knew the Pope would easily pluck the head off a kingdom's prince!

"...Thanks for the vote of confidence, I guess?"

Tae-hyun set off with Garettia. The Holy Knight Commander's Ancient Temple was deeply hidden, even within the vast expanse of Sky Island. To reach it, one had to pierce through dense clouds, navigate various obstacles, and fend off swarms of aggressive flying monsters!

-Pant, pant... Master. I think I need to swap out with Heuk-heuk.

"Got it. Heuk-heuk, swap in."

-M-Master... I think I need to swap out with Yong-yong.

"You've been flying for less than five minutes... Stop slacking."

-Kyaho!

Bulbul-i nodded in agreement. Heuk-heuk cursed Bulbul-i in his mind. 'Just wait until you grow up! You're the one who's going to have to play mount!'

-...Master. Once you obtain what you want, I highly suggest we never return to this godforsaken place...

Heuk-heuk cursed Sky Island. Actually, even by Sky Island's standards, this particular area was exceptionally terrible!

Flash! The clouds and rain vanished, and the monsters disappeared. It was quiet and peaceful, as if they had stepped into the eye of a hurricane.

'...I have a bad feeling about this.'

Tae-hyun sensed something was off. Whenever an Archisus class quest described something as "difficult," it meant it was truly brutal. A terrifying level of difficulty!

'There isn't a dragon waiting inside the temple, is there?'

-Offer the head before the temple.

"Got it."

But after going through all this trouble to clear the quest, he couldn't just back out now. Tae-hyun pulled out 1st Prince John's head and placed it before the temple gates. At that moment, with a deafening rumble, the temple doors began to grind open.

Flasaaash!

"!"

Tae-hyun stared at Garettia in surprise.

-The power...! The power...!

"Are you alright???"

-Power is surging into me, of course it's great! Why would you even ask that?!

"...I-I see. Sorry for asking."

Flash! With a blinding light, Garettia's appearance transformed. Clad in a bizarre, never-before-seen armor and wielding a unique weapon, she looked down at Tae-hyun with an arrogant gaze.

'I think so too.'

It was obvious at a glance that she was a completely different person now. If she was the first Archisus Holy Knight Commander...

'What kind of personality does he have?'

-...Utterly pathetic!

"?!"

A sudden insult!

-Even if you are the Avatar of Archisus, as the Holy Knight Commander who supports the Church, I must speak the truth. You are utterly pathetic!

"..."

'Should I kill him?'

-Should I kill him, Master?

Regardless of his reaction, Garettia continued, golden energy flaring from her eyes.

-When I was alive, even dragons feared the Archisus Church.

'That's because you scammed them...'

To be precise, it wasn't fear of their might, but rather rumors like, "Hey, those Archisus bastards scam even dragons. Apparently, a whole pack of Gold Dragons got swindled by them." It wasn't fear; it was disgust!

-And yet, look at the state of things now!

"Ah. Then you should've stayed alive to help us out."

Tae-hyun replied dryly. He had dragged this bankrupt Church up by its collar all on his own, only for some ancient first Holy Knight Commander to show up and talk down to him. It was absurd. *Why don't you try doing it then!*

-Silence!

With those words, Garettia waved her hand toward Tae-hyun. Startled, Tae-hyun prepared to counterattack, but it wasn't an assault.

"!!!!"

Tae-hyun stared at Garettia in utter shock. An Archisus Church NPC giving away two Authority skills just like that??? Is this really the Archisus Church??

"Y-You're just giving this to me?"

-The Avatar still has a long way to go. I shall pass down the sword arts I have honed throughout my life, so use that power to vanquish our foes!

"...Now that I think about it, I was indeed lacking!"

Tae-hyun immediately switched to a highly respectful, formal tone. Come to think of it, respecting one's elders in the Church was a beautiful and proper tradition. Even if Tae-hyun was the Avatar, how could he possibly disrespect the heroic pioneers of the previous generation who had dedicated their lives to the Church?

The first Holy Knight Commander wasn't just an NPC who ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠talked big. He set high goals, but he backed them up with generous support!

-The sword art you have received is one I spent my entire life perfecting. Even as the Avatar, you will not be able to wield it easily.

"Then what must I do?"

-The secret of its power lies within this ancient temple. You must advance to the next chamber of the temple!

"Can I just blow it open with bombs?"

-.......

Garettia stared at Tae-hyun with a look of pure disdain.

'Why not...'

Why couldn't he just blow it up? ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠But the first Holy Knight Commander, currently possessing Garettia, was someone who had lived his entire life trusting only in the sword. Cheap tricks like bombs were out of the question!

Garettia declared firmly:

-The sword! Focus solely on the sword! Only by dedicating yourself to the blade will the path open!

'If he finds out I've maxed out my other skills to Master and Advanced ranks, he'll probably have a stroke.'

If he mentioned it, the commander would likely roar in fury, "Avatar! That is precisely why you are still so weak!"

-With the sword! Through the pure power of the blade!

"Ah. I understand. I get it."

-What is required to advance to the next chamber is simple.

"What is it?"

-Offer the heads of the Church's other enemies. The more you offer, the wider the path will open.

"..."

Tae-hyun's face stiffened. No... this was really a bit much, wasn't it? Sure, opening the sealed temple gates by avenging a grudge made sense, but demanding more heads just to move on to the next room...

'Is this the Archisus Church or some evil cult that worships blood?'

"Who are the enemies of the Church?"

-Shouldn't you, the Avatar, figure that out on your own?!

'Huh? Can I just claim whoever I want is an enemy?'

The criteria seemed surprisingly loose.

'I obviously know that much.'

Tae-hyun thought about his potential targets. The various evil cults, the demons of the Demon Realm, Hungry Chaos, and so on...

Though he had been taken aback at first, on second thought, this wasn't a particularly difficult quest. It was an achievement that would naturally be completed as he cleared other quests.

'I see. It's like an extra bonus handed out whenever I clear a quest.'

This was actually quite doable.