How on Earth Do You Plan to Weed Them Out?

"How on earth is he planning to weed them out?"

But the nobles didn't dare ask. That was how terrifying the King had become.

"Why has King Philip III become so violent? He used to be the wisest of sagacious rulers..."

"I've never once envied the Atali Kingdom, filled as it is with fools, but lately, I'm almost starting to. At least they don't execute nobles over a single slip of the tongue!"

"This is all because of the princes. Their rebellion left a deep scar on His Majesty's benevolent heart."

"I don't think that's quite it..."

"Shouldn't we capture and present the remaining princes as soon as possible to appease His Majesty's wrath?"

Ignoring the whispering nobles, Philip III continued.

"Issue a decree to the adventurers! I shall weed them out myself!"

"!!!"

As this unexpected opportunity arrived so quickly, players who had been grabbing each other by the collars and bickering—shouting, "You hid Kim Tae-hyun, didn't you?!" and "No, you hid him!"—instantly froze.

The other kingdom players found themselves in a tight spot. They couldn't just throw away an opportunity like this...!

In truth, changing one's kingdom affiliation wasn't particularly difficult. All they had to do was go to any town in the Erangs Kingdom or Atali Kingdom, use the local Resurrection Stone, and select [Would you like to resurrect in this town?]. By doing so, they would resurrect in that town upon death, effectively becoming affiliated with that town and kingdom.

It didn't cost money, nor was it difficult!

Becoming a player affiliated with a kingdom also came with advantages, such as receiving bonuses on kingdom-related quests or earning extra merit points, so there was no downside to changing it...

"No, no, no..."

"With every single player being so precious right now, what is this?!"

The leadership of the Guild Alliance was thrown into a panic by the sudden quest window. It wasn't just the Guild Alliance; the other two super-large guilds situated in the Auston Kingdom, White Knight and Power Warrior, were equally flustered.

Now that the Erangs Kingdom had halted its invasion due to the rebellion, the three super-large guilds were constantly watching for opportunities, looking to exploit each other's gaps.

Although White Knight's momentum was like a raging storm, pushing the other two guilds back initially...

The resilience of the Guild Alliance, which had survived being beaten down by Tae-hyun multiple times, was still intact.

They had succeeded in stubbornly constructing a defensive line and holding out.

The Power Warrior guild was the same.

If White Knight had overcome this by shutting themselves inside the numerous castles and fortresses they built specifically to prepare for Kim Tae-hyun, the less-prepared Power Warrior guild took a different approach. They called upon various friendly guilds from other kingdoms to block White Knight's assault.

If there was a difference between White Knight and Power Warrior, it was that Power Warrior had a much better public image and got along well with other guilds!

White Knight's offensive had temporarily ground to a halt. Having won far more than expected and captured a vast territory, they had entered a rest period to consolidate their gains.

However, no one believed this peace would last long. Soon, someone would draw their sword first!

"Those guys must be highly interested in the Ancient Empire University quest as well. Why don't we propose a ceasefire while this is ongoing?"

"A ceasefire?? After we got beat up so one-sidedly??"

For White Knight, agreeing to a ceasefire was perfectly fine, as they had only gained from this war. But for the Guild Alliance or Power Warrior, it was a clear source of dissatisfaction. It was a matter of pride.

"If you look at it that way, we can never have a ceasefire. Be cold-headed! You must prioritize the guild's interests. When we are at a disadvantage, we must keep our heads low, and when we have the upper hand, we rise. That is the attitude we need!"

"Hmm."

Su Ning was persuaded by the words of the executive representing the investors. Having gone through countless trials and tribulations, he too had grown. The Guild Alliance was no longer a guild run by him alone; it operated under the watchful eyes of numerous investors.

"I understand."

"As expected of Master Su Ning! I always believed in your judgment. Didn't you hold out just like this even when you were targeted by Kim Tae-hyun?"

"Do you want to die?!"

Su Ning immediately grabbed him by the collar. That name alone was enough to make him lose all rational judgment!

"Ack, cough, s-sorry..."

"Are you a spy?? You bastard, are you a spy?!"

"N-no, cough, cough. I thought your anger had subsided since things went so well after bringing Kim Tae-hyun on as a judge this time..."

"..."

When the executive said that, Su Ning had nothing to say. Honestly, they were benefiting far too much from Kim Tae-hyun. Who could have predicted that the Pan-On All-Star Super Player would become such a massive hit? It was such a blockbuster success that it was enough to recover all the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠losses they suffered from being crushed in the Auston Kingdom.

"...Fine. Let's send a ceasefire request first. But keep this in mind. Once the Ancient Empire University quest is mostly wrapped up, we will be the ones to strike first. We will launch a surprise attack!"

"As expected...!"

"As expected of Master Su Ning!"

"Those bastards won't see it coming!"

The executives of the Guild Alliance smiled wickedly. Unlike other guilds, the Guild Alliance was one of the most notorious villain guilds in Pan-On. Having a villain image had its downsides, but it also had its perks. They could act this maliciously while others were merely hesitating!

"Hehehehe..."

"A ceasefire?"

"This is perfect, Mr. Smith! And they proposed it first! Just look at how terrified they are!"

"I see."

Smith nodded. The guild masters serving as executives of White Knight chuckled flatteringly.

"Then there is only one thing left to do, right?"

"Yes! We should immediately collect taxes and prepare to boost our revenue..."

"What ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠are you talking about? We must prepare a surprise attack."

"...What???"

"W-what do you mean by that...?"

"Shouldn't we ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠attack when they let their guard down?"

"T-that's true, but the ceasefire agreement will be broadcast worldwide. Whoever breaks it first is going to face massive public backlash..."

No matter how much Pan-On allowed players to do whatever they wanted, those who broke promises were bound to be criticized. This was especially true when it was an agreement between major guilds.

"A person..."

"?"

"...doesn't die just from getting criticized."

"..."

"..."

At Smith's deadpan, serious remark, the executives were utterly dumbfounded. Who on earth was this guy?

"Ugh."

As Tae-hyun let out a groan, Lee Da-bi asked with a worried expression.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah... I'm fine. It's just a bit exhausting."

"...!"

Lee Da-bi was startled. For Tae-hyun to admit he was exhausted! This was the same Tae-hyun who would run dungeons for twenty-five hours a day while cracking the whip, saying, "Cain, are you slacking off again? That's another three hours." For such a man to say he was tired... this was a serious issue!

"Shouldn't you just focus on one quest?!"

"I want to, but the NPCs are so eccentric that they won't let me stick to just one."

When Tae-hyun had returned, he had barely managed to say to his party, "You guys were worried because I got kidnapped, right? Don't worry, they didn't actually have bad inten—" before being kidnapped yet again. This time, an elemental had carried him off. The professor NPCs of the Ancient Empire University were... a bit too extreme.

Furthermore, inside the Ancient Empire University, these NPCs wielded overwhelming power. The moment Tae-hyun stepped out even briefly to rest, they would immediately come looking for him.

I've used stealth before, but this is the first time I've ever seen absolutely zero viable paths to hide.

Hiding was practically impossible!

"Are you guys doing alright?"

"I'm focusing on merchant and priest skills," Lee Da-bi said. "The daily quests aren't that hard, so I'm just clearing them one by one and learning skills gradually."

"I'm fighting in the mini-arena to learn Berserker skills!" Ryu Tae-su said. "There's a good variety of enemies, and the difficulty is just right, so it's actually pretty fun!"

"I'm deciphering the secrets hidden within the Black Mage's altar," Lee Se-yeon said. "I think a new skill will unlock once I clear this."

"...I'm learning Paladin skills, and it's not all that difficult either," Cain added.

"..."

After listening to their explanations, Tae-hyun froze. Wait... is it just me?

"Is it really just me?"

"Yes. Didn't you know?" Lee Da-bi replied.

"..."

Tae-hyun was utterly dumbfounded by her response. Why did it feel like only his situation was bizarre? There shouldn't be any major difference... Was it because of Akisus?

It's definitely because of Akisus.

There is no other possible explanation besides Akisus.

[......]

Lee Se-yeon looked at Tae-hyun with genuine concern.

"I heard you even helped out the Canadian national team players this time. You're managing Team KL, playing for the national team, and running quests in Pan-On all at once. Aren't you pushing yourself too hard?"

"You can't forget the housework, Captain," Ryu Tae-su chimed in.

"...Right, the housework too."

At Se-yeon and Tae-su's remarks, Tae-hyun shook his head.

"I have to take care of Team KL's business myself."

"You seriously need to hire more people to help with Team KL. What exactly are you handling right now?"

"Tactics and stuff?"

"No, not tactics. I mean purely out-of-game matters."

"Well, discussing sponsorships with agents, managing ad proposals, checking Team KL's finances, and planning which regions to focus on for our brand marketing..."

As the representative of Team KL, Tae-hyun was growing. At first, he hadn't cared about public popularity and had focused solely on the game. But as he managed the team and negotiated with corporations seeking to sponsor them, his perspective had gradually shifted. While things were fine as they were, staying at the top for a long time required continuous effort and study.

"In this day and age, brand marketing is indispensable, Mr. Kim Tae-hyun. Team KL's popularity is already incredible, but we need to refine that image to make it more sophisticated. Heartwarming anecdotes or behind-the-scenes stories would be perfect."

"Hmm... How about something like 'Cain actually works incredibly hard doing housework'?"

"Uh... something other than that... Is there anything else?"

"Come to think of it, the Canadian national team did ask for help."

"That's perfect! If we package that correctly, it will make for an excellent heartwarming story. It's a narrative that will resonate deeply with the North American audience, don't you think? Helping out a competitor in good faith, despite being professional rivals!"

"...Y-you handle all of that yourself?"

Lee Se-yeon was utterly dumbfounded.