The Path of the Sword and the Great Archives

Once he decided it was doable, Tae-hyun's posture immediately returned to normal. "Well, I'll give it my best shot."

—You must not forget the path of the sword.

"Yes, yes. I'll fight hard with a sword."

If I strap a bomb to a sword, it's still a sword!

Tae-hyun wanted to bring Garettia, who had awakened as the First Holy Knight Commander, out of the temple with him. He already had plenty of enemies, so having a Holy Knight Commander by his side would be incredibly reassuring. On top of that, her swordsmanship skills seemed exceptionally high, making it a double win. She was great at fighting, excellent at teaching swordsmanship, and if she stayed in his territory, she could help the NPCs and the players who joined the Church...

However, Garettia poured cold water on Tae-hyun's dreams.

—I must protect this ancient temple.

"...Who on earth would attack a temple like this?"

Even Carbanog thought Tae-hyun was being a bit too dismissive this time. Archisus had so many enemies; he was being far too careless! Indeed, Garettia spoke with a deadpan, serious expression.

—If the enemies of Lord Archisus come, burn down this temple, and leave, how shall we avenge that grudge?

Can't we just build a new one?

Tae-hyun was incredibly cool about it. To him, a temple building was just a temple building—it held no deeper meaning than that.

...Of course, he didn't say this out loud to Garettia. He had a feeling that saying it would make her absolutely furious.

...What happens if I disappoint her?

—I am a being who has already died. I only remain on this continent by borrowing the power of this ancient temple. I cannot leave it for long. Therefore, O Avatar. While I remain, you must grasp ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the ultimate secrets of swordsmanship and reach a new realm...

Hmm. As soon as I get back, if I melt down the armor I stole from the First Prince, extract the materials, and use them to craft gear...

"How was the quest?" Lee Se-yeon asked casually. She didn't think it would be that difficult. From what she had heard, he had already cleared the hardest parts of his class quest and was just on his way to collect the rewards.

"Hmm... I met a really weird NPC."

"...Are there only weird NPCs in the Archisus Church?" Lee Se-yeon asked with absolute sincerity. No matter how she thought about it, the Archisus Church was just bizarre. Of course, their public image was somewhat exaggerated, but even the parts she saw firsthand were... incredibly strange!

"No... well. It's not like she's super bad. It's just hard to explain. Want me to show you the video?"

"...Is, is it really okay for me to watch it?" Lee Se-yeon was flustered. Offering to show a video related to a class quest was a massive deal. Whether there was crucial information in it or not, a top-tier ranker could deduce an immense amount of details just from watching a clip. For the notoriously cautious Tae-hyun to show her something like this... it didn't make sense. Was it a trap?

"What do you mean, 'is it okay'? Ah. I see what you're thinking. It doesn't matter. You're not the type to go around blabbing about this to others anyway."

"...!" Lee Se-yeon's eyebrows twitched. She was deeply moved by his unexpected words of trust.

"If it were you, you'd just openly challenge me to a duel and charge at me."

"......."

That touched feeling vanished in exactly one second. It was true, but it made her strangely want to smack him on the back of his head!

Regardless, Lee Se-yeon watched the video. She was simply too curious to refuse.

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

"...!" Lee Se-yeon was shocked to see Garettia fiercely scolding Tae-hyun. To think there was someone who could talk to Kim Tae-hyun like that!

Ah. She's an NPC.

Still, she couldn't help but feel a little envious. I want to order Kim Tae-hyun around like that too!

I should have done it back in Pan-On 1...

"What are you thinking about?"

"Uh, what? Oh, I was just thinking that the NPC seems really eccentric and hard to deal with." Lee Se-yeon quickly changed the subject.

"Well, yeah, but the rewards weren't bad... I got several skills."

"Then do you want to head straight into the Great Archives?"

"Hmm. Should we?" Tae-hyun contemplated. Normally, he would have checked his items, done some crafting, checked if there was anything he could buy with his contribution points, taken a look at what the Idergo Cult bastards were up to, and managed his territory before heading in... but the rest of the party had been waiting for far too long.

I can always find a chance to craft after we go in, so should we just enter first?

And Tae-hyun was also curious about the Great Archives. What on earth was in there that had all the players in such a frenzy? Of course, the mystery of not knowing what was inside was probably driving the hype...

Ah. That guy.

...Yeah.

Tae-hyun really hadn't thought about it. He had just kidnapped him on a whim!

Well... we can just lock him up in the Church and treat him well, right? It's not like the Idergo guys can find his location, and even if they do, the Valley is an impregnable fortress.

Carbanog wasn't worried about the Valley being attacked. It was terrified of putting an outsider in close proximity to the members of the Archisus Church.

...An unpredictable, bizarre chemical reaction was bound to occur!

Geez, Carbanog. You worry too much. A naive person might get corrupted by the Archisus Church, but this guy is a prisoner. He won't even talk to anyone much, so why would he get corrupted?

"Oh? A time-limited quest!"

"What?! Run!"

The players who had joined the Church in the Valley were startled by the sudden quest and immediately began sprinting. Normally, with quests like this, you didn't ask questions—you just did them. Figure out the details later!

"Huff, puff! It's Galakpad! The Archmage of the Archisus Church, Galakpad!"

He wasn't actually an archmage, but somehow he had become widely known as one!

"Pelmas! It's Pelmas, the Pope's right hand!"

Pelmas, the core figure of the Church who only appeared when carrying crucial messages from the Pope!

The Archisus Church players stared at the two of them, their chests swelling with awe. To witness the VIPs of VIPs in the Church like this! For players of the Erangs Kingdom, it was the equivalent of seeing the princes right in front of them.

"It's... it's an honor!"

—May the glory of Archisus be with you. Ahem.

Pelmas greeted the players with a solemn, dignified expression. Galakpad looked at the player and asked:

—What is your rank?

"Ah! Yes! I am Bronze!"

—There is no future for you.

"...?!"

Galakpad didn't even treat anyone below a certain rank as human. Pelmas, flustered, quickly held Galakpad back.

—What are you doing! We need to coax them to help us right now!

—How can I trust the faith of someone who hasn't even reached Silver Tier! Their faith is still far from enough!

Watching the two bicker, the players began to whisper among themselves.

"What are they talking about?"

"Must be an important quest-related conversation. Wow, look at their dignity. So cool. My dream is to receive a quest from Pelmas just once."

"You too? Isn't he amazing? Rumor has it he even knows how to change to a hidden class."

Unfounded rumors were spreading like wildfire!

Regardless, the two NPCs finished their discussion and reached an agreement. Pelmas cleared his throat and shouted:

—You have been chosen!

"!"

—You will assist in our glorious work!

"!!"

—Rejoice! That you may aid our work without any reward!

"Waaaaah!"

A player who had only recently joined the Church asked in utter confusion, "Wait, there's no reward?"

"Faith is the reward!"

"...???"

Of course, the players weren't participating out of pure, unadulterated faith. They were aiming for the buffs. The unique, luck-related buffs of the Archisus Church that were awarded upon completing quests! They varied with every quest and were highly random, making it a gamble. But they were determined to get a good buff!

There are quite a few buffs active across the Valley right now, we have to make a masterpiece during this time.

I absolutely need a magic item crafting buff...

Are the people here all insane?

The players shouted with enthusiastic voices, "What do we need to do?"

—You must pretend to be captured Idergo Cultists.

"...Excuse me?"

"Is... is anyone here an artist?!"

"Anyone with a disguise skill? Looking for a rogue specializing in disguise!"

"Looking for a mage with transformation magic!"

The players began racking their brains to overcome this hurdle. Watching them, Galakpad nodded with a pleased expression.

—But Galakpad. Does that guy really know that much information?

—Of course. Is he not the successor to the Bishop of the Idergo Cult? We must trick him and extract the information.

—He must know about many treasures too, right?

—Naturally.

I must pocket them.

I will never let you pocket them.

A battle of pride between two NPCs! Even if Galakpad accepted Pelmas's help, he had absolutely no intention of letting Pelmas profit from ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠it.

—But I wonder if your method will actually work.

—Ah, trust me. When he sees his own followers being tortured, his spirit will break.

—I don't think I would be swayed by such a thing. Surely no one with such a weak heart exists in the Archisus Church?

—.......

Pelmas realized he would probably react the same way.

—...The Idergo Cult must be different.

—Didn't you just hesitate a bit?

Is this the place?

Tae-hyun felt a strange sensation wash over him. To think that countless players across the globe had fought so desperately just to enter this gate. Even now, people were still brawling outside.

Countless players were making a massive fuss just to enter the Great Archives.

From the outside, it just looks like a normal noble's tomb entrance...

It looked like a well-carved stone chamber tomb. But the moment he stepped inside, a city of another dimension revealed itself.

Before he could even step inside, Tae-hyun felt his head spin. Too many quests had popped up at once. It was all because of the sheer variety of high-level skills he had acquired!

As Tae-hyun hesitated, overwhelmed by the unfamiliar sight, Lee Se-yeon spoke with a slightly excited voice.

"I'll guide you. Follow me!"

"You seem a bit excited?"

"N-No, I'm not. What are you talking about?"