A Test of Blind Loyalty
The Imperial Clockwork Golem has locked the workshop door.
You can no longer use the parts provided by the Imperial Clockwork Golem.
“Wow, that’s just petty,” Tae-hyun grumbled, deeply disappointed. He had barely crafted a few items, and it was already cutting him off? The Imperial Clockwork Golem was far stingier than he had anticipated.
‘But of course, I saw this coming and hoarded a massive stockpile of parts beforehand.’
Carbanog praises you, remarking that you are indeed a true Avatar.
‘Right? A good player always plans ahead.’
A massive crowd had gathered, thick as storm clouds. It had barely been any time since the Erangs Kingdom announced it would grant entry to the Ancient Empire University, yet the central plaza was already packed to the brim.
To think so many players had rushed over without a single moment of hesitation, even though it required them to switch their affiliation to either the Erangs Kingdom or the Atali Kingdom!
“Hey! There's a wanted criminal over there! Grab him!”
“What an arrogant bastard! How dare a filthy criminal show his face in the Erangs Kingdom?!”
“Aaargh! I've been spotted!”
“I thought my disguise was perfect! Run!”
Boom! Crash!
Everywhere, Erangs Kingdom knights were lunging forward to apprehend players. The quest was so incredibly alluring that even criminals who had caused trouble in Erangs and fled were now shamelessly returning with straight faces.
“...You paid off all your bounties, right?”
“Don't worry, boss. Clean as a whistle.”
Amidst the chaotic uproar, a few parties stood out exceptionally. Other players didn't dare approach them, leaving a wide, respectful berth around them. These were the elite parties dispatched by famous rankers and top-tier guilds!
These were the players who had been sharpening their blades, determined to seize the secret skills of the Ancient Empire University!
“Look! Those are all pro players over there!”
“Whoa, even the pros are here?!”
“That group is entirely from the Star Guild!”
“No, wait! Turns out they got kicked out of their team! The guys over on that side are the real deal!”
“...”
It was a rare spectacle to see so many professional esports players—usually hard to spot in Pandemonium Online—gathering in groups! Naturally, the broadcasting stations were absolutely thrilled. You couldn't have gathered a crowd like this even if you paid them!
Of course, it wasn't just pro players. There were also numerous elite parties representing the giant guilds.
‘Damn it. His level isn't even that high, but just because he got lucky and joined a pro team, he gets all the spotlight.’
‘Esports tournaments really are the only way to go these days.’
‘Regardless, I am absolutely not giving up on the secret skills we can obtain from the Ancient Empire University.’
“It's Su Ning from the Guild Alliance!”
“It's Su Ning and his Royal Guard!”
Among them, the ones drawing the most attention were undoubtedly Su Ning and his Royal Guard. They were a terrifying group of high-level rankers, clad in dazzling, top-tier gear! The surrounding members of the Guild Alliance immediately erupted into cheers to boost their guild leader's prestige.
“Su Ning! Su Ning!”
“Guild Alliance! Guild Alliance!”
“Hey, it's the Su Ning who got trashed by Smith!”
“Wait, the Su Ning who got trashed by both Kim Tae-hyun and Smith?! Where?!”
“...”
Unfortunately for him, the plaza held far more independent players than Guild Alliance members. On top of that, since they were in the safe zone of the Erangs Kingdom plaza, PvP was strictly disabled. The players gleefully raised their voices in unison. When else would they get a chance to mock him like this!
“Whoa, Su Ning! I didn't expect to see you here! Shouldn't you be busy managing your territory right now?”
“Mr. Su Ning! I'm a streamer, can I ask you a quick question? What was your most infuriating moment in Pan-On? Have you ever wanted to quit the game?”
“Get the hell out of my way!”
“You bastards, if you don't move right now, I'll attack you!”
Despite the terrifying rankers using Threaten, the crowd didn't budge. There were simply too many people around for them to care.
“I've memorized your face! Keep running your mouth if you want to die!”
Only after the rankers flew into a wild rage and threatened them did the surrounding mockery finally quiet down. However, Su Ning's ordeal was far from over. Right in front of him, Smith and his pro players appeared.
“...”
“...”
In an instant, the air grew heavy, and sparks flew as their gazes locked. This bastard!
“Wow. This is genuinely entertaining.”
“Right?”
Tae-hyun had temporarily paused his quest to sit down with his companions and watch the live broadcast of the Erangs Kingdom plaza. Normally, he would have focused on his quest, but this was far too interesting to miss! Rankers and guilds who would never normally gather in one place were now huddled together, glaring daggers at each other.
“If you were there too, it would have been absolute chaos,” Lee Se-yeon remarked.
“Come on. It's a safe zone, why would they fight? Nothing would've happened,” Tae-hyun replied, waving his hand dismissively.
‘Well... they might have actually attacked...’
‘Someone probably would have attacked even if they had to take the penalty...’
However, the rest of the party silently agreed that Lee Se-yeon had a point. That was just how deep the grudges ran!
“Whoa! Smith and Su Ning are clashing!”
“What?! Really?! Are they fighting?”
“I don't think they'll actually fight, though.”
“Why not? What a bunch of wet blankets. If you have that much bad blood, you should at least throw some punches!”
‘By that logic, shouldn't either you or Su Ning have quit the game a long time ago?’ Ryu Tae-su thought to himself.
“You've got some nerve showing your face here,” Su Ning sneered.
“Is there any reason I shouldn't?” Smith replied smoothly.
“You'd better watch your back so you don't end up dead. You're not the only one with a target on your head.”
Su Ning curled his lips into a smirk. In truth, Smith had recently encountered far more assassins than Tae-hyun. While Tae-hyun had established a temporary truce with the Guild Alliance, Smith had been locked in a fierce, ongoing conflict with them until very recently! Naturally, dozens of assassin players had been relentlessly hunting Smith down.
But Smith was no easy prey. Not only did his guild's elites guard him, but his fellow pro players also kept him safe.
“Thank you for your concern. However, I believe there are far more people targeting you than me,” Smith countered politely.
“Oooooh...!”
“He's not backing down!”
“Smith! Smith!”
The crowd cheered at Smith's refusal to back down. After all, watching a fight was always the best entertainment.
“Hmph. Even if we both die, your tournament participation will be restricted, unlike mine. Keep acting up like this, and you'll end up severely hurt.” Realizing that continuing the argument would yield nothing, Su Ning spat out a harsh warning and turned away. The Guild Alliance rankers glared threateningly at Smith before following suit. That was the fatal weakness of active pro players! If they suffered even a single forced logout, the damage to their careers was several times worse than for ordinary players.
“Silence, all of you.”
“!!!!”
While they were bickering, the King of Erangs appeared from behind the high-throned seat. Philip III! Ever since he had suppressed the rebellion, he seemed to exude an even more intense, tyrannical, and ferocious aura.
“So many outstanding adventurers have gathered here today.”
At this surprisingly warm opening, the players' expressions brightened.
“Originally, the Ancient Empire University was built to nurture exceptional adventurers to ward off the continent's perils. Thus, it is only natural to grant you entry.”
“What? He's actually really nice?”
“He seems just like his old self. Who spread those rumors about Philip III turning into a complete psycho?”
“He's incredibly polite!”
The players whispered among themselves. They had been worried due to rumors on the community boards claiming 'Philip III has completely changed since the rebellion,' but seeing him today, he seemed surprisingly normal.
“...But I do not think so, you absolute pieces of trash.”
“...”
“...”
“Wait, what...?”
“I thought you said he was nice...?”
“You subhuman, maggot-like piles of garbage! I know all you do is plot to betray me in those tiny heads of yours!”
Philip III pointed his finger and screamed in a fit of rage. The atmosphere instantly turned ice-cold. It was so bad that even the NPC nobles stepped in to hold him back!
“Y-Your Majesty! Please, calm down!”
“How many of those filthy adventurers are traitors who sneaked in from other kingdoms? Tell me!”
“S-Surely not, Your Majesty! Only the true, loyal subjects of our kingdom have gathered here!”
Flinch!
At Philip III's sharp accusation, the players in the plaza winced. Honestly, they had been caught red-handed.
The King's Test of Loyalty
“Only those who swear loyalty shall enter. The rest shall be executed! I will slaughter you where you stand!!”
The wise King, Philip III, has prepared a simple trial to test the loyalty of the adventurers entering the Ancient Empire University. Only those who pass this trial and prove their loyalty may enter.
🎁 Reward: ?, ???
Philip III dragged out a random player from the crowd and demanded,
“You! Are you loyal to me?!”
“Y-Yes, I am! Oh, absolutely! I swear my loyalty!”
“Then wear this necklace!”
“...?”
The player panicked. No matter how they looked at it, this was no ordinary necklace. A thick, ominous, and evil energy was visibly wafting from it...
“If you refuse to wear it, I will execute you!”
“No, no! I'll wear it! I'll put it on right now!”
You have equipped the Necklace of Submission.
You have been afflicted with the Curse of Blind Loyalty.
...
...
“Very well, I shall trust your loyalty. Next!”
The crowd began to murmur anxiously.
The players gathered in the plaza were utterly flabbergasted by the king's madness. What kind of crazy stunt was this?!
“Wow, is he insane?”
“There's no way in hell I'm putting that thing on.”
“Even the Auston Kingdom wouldn't pull a stunt like this.”
“Hey, why are you bringing up the Auston Kingdom? You wanna die?”
While everyone was bickering, a few players stepped forward.
“I'll wear it!”
“No, Your Majesty! Please let me wear it first!”
“!”
The onlookers were stunned.
“Hey, are you crazy?! Why are you volunteering to wear that?”
“If we have to wear it anyway, we might as well step up first.”
“Exactly. At least we can raise our affinity with the King this way!”
The volunteering players rushed forward in a pack to put on the necklaces. As the others watched in awe, they suddenly realized something.
‘Wait... those guys are from the Power Warrior guild?!’
No wonder they were so bold in doing something so unhinged!
Clack! Clack!
Having finished their discussion, the elite parties of the large guilds stepped forward and began putting on the necklaces.
You may now enter the Ancient Empire University!
The pro players asked, looking bewildered.
“Is this really okay?”
“If Smith says it's fine, it must be fine.”
“True. When has Smith ever been wrong?”
Clack, clack, clack—
After putting it on, a teammate asked Smith,
“You wore it because you're confident you can break a curse of this level, right?”
“No, not at all,” Smith replied.
“...Huh? Then why?”
“With quests like this, you accept them first and figure out how to deal with the consequences later. I've recently realized this truth.”
“...”
No, it's not...! I don't know where or from whom you learned that, but that is definitely not how you play the game!!
“Wow. This place got crowded in the blink of an eye.”
Tae-hyun watched the swarms of players passing by with great fascination. To think a ghost town that used to have absolutely no signs of life could transform into such a bustling hub.
“...Wait a minute. Isn't that the Steel Food Cart I built?”
“Popcorn for sale! Popcorn guaranteed by Power Warrior, a popcorn artisan of fifteen years!”
“A chef who has cooked even in the Demon Realm is selling specialty dishes!”
“...”
“...”
You guys really are incredibly diligent!