Comfort in the Company of Scoundrels

"Seeing guys like that makes me feel at ease."

Hey, I can't help what I'm used to, Tae-hyun thought.

He was highly experienced in dealing with players like this—selfish, ruthless opportunists who wouldn't hesitate to stab others in the back for their own gain. When facing people like that, Tae-hyun could unleash his own ruthlessness without a single shred of guilt. On the other hand, dealing with pure, innocent, and well-meaning players made him feel like he was committing a crime, which he absolutely detested.

As I thought, Pandemonium Online is much more comfortable when you're playing with people who have absolutely no conscience.

Tae-hyun walked forward, his internal monologue bordering on pure madness. Disguise was one of Tae-hyun's specialties, but in truth, he didn't even need to bother here. The place was already crawling with players wearing incredibly suspicious outfits.

There was the edgy rogue look, wrapped head-to-toe in a cloak with only their eyes showing. There was the black mage look, wearing a skull mask carved from bone, eyes darting warily behind the sockets. There was the warrior look, wearing a heavy iron helmet that completely obscured their face, dual-wielding swords while breathing heavily. It was like a fashion show for criminal classes. In a place like this, Tae-hyun wouldn't draw a single suspicious glance even if he covered his face.

This is absolutely perfect.

"Ah, the good old days are officially over. That crazy bastard Smith."

"Tell me about it."

"?"

Tae-hyun paused, his interest piqued by the conversation of two bandits walking past him. Why were they cursing out Smith?

"Because of that jerk Smith, it's become impossible to make a living as a bandit in the Auston Kingdom. He completely choked us out."

"How are honest, hard-working citizens like us supposed to survive? They should at least show some consideration for us bandits!"

"..."

It was true. At one point, the public security in the Auston Kingdom was so atrocious that it was said every single player with a plunderer-type class across the entire server had gathered there. If the Espa Kingdom was the traditional kingdom of criminals, the Auston Kingdom was a newly minted haven for criminals born from the ashes of the civil war! After the Guild Alliance seized the throne, they raised taxes, which caused public discontent to skyrocket and security to plummet. In response, the Guild Alliance concentrated their military forces in major cities to defend them... Every single aspect of the situation had been a perfect breeding ground for plunderers.

And the one who had set that powder keg ablaze was none other than Tae-hyun. His exploits had been nothing short of legendary. He had roamed the Auston ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Kingdom entirely on his own, plundering, attacking, and rallying other plunderer players... It had gotten to the point where Bectel, a port city in northern Auston, had transformed into a full-blown sanctuary for outlaws!

But every glorious golden ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠age must eventually come to an end. Once Tae-hyun and the Guild Alliance reached a tentative truce and the Alliance's territory shrank, the outlaws who once ruled the Auston Kingdom found their standing ground rapidly disappearing. As the Guild Alliance began enforcing public order, NPCs and towns started actively ostracizing plunderer players.

The final nail in the coffin was the massive invasion led by Smith. With mega-guilds squeezing out every drop of their military power to clash in a colossal war, it became nearly impossible for petty plunderer players to even find a foothold. To make matters worse, the Erangs Kingdom's army had marched in as well. Banditry required a certain level of feasibility, but under these conditions, any attempt at robbery usually ended in instant, agonizing death! Ultimately, the vast majority of plunderer players had no choice but to flee the Auston Kingdom.

So they all ended up here? That's actually hilarious.

Like the butterfly effect, events occurring in one corner of Pandemonium Online often rippled across the entire game. This exact situation was a prime example.

—Halt! This village is not open to just anyone!

"!"

Tae-hyun stopped in his tracks. What was this?

Is there an entry requirement? It'll be a pain if it's something overly complicated.

Depending on the town or city, entry restrictions were quite common. They ranged from simple conditions—like belonging to a specific nation or having no active bounties—to incredibly difficult ones, such as possessing an Advanced rank in a specific skill or being Level 200 or higher.

"I already knew that before coming! Move aside!"

The player at the very front of the queue shouted confidently. Having prepared for the entry requirements beforehand, he was practically bursting with self-assurance.

—How dare you try to enter with such a pathetic level! You absolute disgrace! Get lost! You would be nothing but an embarrassment to this village!

"W-What?! But I definitely met the threshold! Check again! Check it one more time!"

—I told you to scram! Begone, you fool!

The bandit guarding the entrance ruthlessly shoved the player away.

Curious, Tae-hyun asked, "What was the requirement that got him kicked out?"

"None of your business, you bastard! You want to die?!"

The player growled, glaring fiercely at Tae-hyun. Plunderer players were, by nature, incredibly ill-tempered. They were the type of people who would initiate PvP over a simple shoulder bump! ...But what this player didn't realize was that Tae-hyun's temper was infinitely worse.

Shatter!

Tae-hyun had focused his skill to precisely destroy nothing but the opponent's armor. Against an opponent of this caliber, he didn't even need to draw his Ancient Hammer.

"Care to repeat that?"

"S-Sir! To enter that village, you must meet a minimum Infamy stat requirement!"

The player answered with utmost politeness. Tae-hyun's swift strike had successfully beaten some manners into him.

"An Infamy requirement?"

"Yes! I... I thought I met the conditions! But it turns out I must have misread the numbers!"

"I see. You may go."

The player scrambled away, and only after putting a safe distance between himself and Tae-hyun did he scream back:

"You better watch your back! If you don't want to end up dead, that is!"

Tae-hyun simply ignored him. He had dealt with countless punks like that before.

If it's Infamy, I should be perfectly fine.

Even if he wasn't the absolute number one on the server, Tae-hyun was confident his Infamy stat wouldn't fall short anywhere. His Infamy was currently...

Over seventy thousand.

It was a relief that his Reputation stat was even more overwhelmingly high. Otherwise, it wouldn't have been surprising if NPCs shrieked in terror and ordered him to leave the moment he stepped into any normal town.

—Scram!

—Get lost!!

—Scram!!!

The bandit guarding the village entrance was turning players away without a shred of mercy. Watching player after player who had arrived with absolute confidence get kicked out, Tae-hyun felt a slight pang of anxiety.

Did they raise the requirements recently?

Otherwise, there was no way this many players would be rejected all at once. The threshold had definitely gone up!

—...

As Tae-hyun approached, the guard bandit froze. The harsh command to "scram" never came.

—W-What brings such a magnificent, legendary figure to a humble, run-down place like this?

"..."

—Hey!! Get out here, all of you! A master villain has arrived!

—What? A master villain? Just how incredible are they for you to yell like that?

—You idiot! Get your asses out here right now! Hurry up!

As the gatekeeper bandit barked orders, a swarm of bandits from inside the village came rushing out before Tae-hyun could even think to stop them.

—Good heavens!

—How can someone look so incredibly evil, sinister, and vile??? Is he even human? Could he be a Black Dragon in human form?

—O-Oh, great and mighty one, we welcome you!

The crowd of bandits murmured in hushed, reverent whispers, looking up at Tae-hyun as if he were a god. For the first time in his life, Tae-hyun felt a deep, burning sense of embarrassment. Why on earth do I have to go through this here of all places?

"W-Who is that guy? Why are they reacting like that?"

"I've been to this village dozens of times, but I've never seen them act like this before..."

The players watching were equally dumbfounded. It was a reaction none of them had ever witnessed. Just how absurdly high did someone's Infamy stat have to be to trigger a response like this?

"He must be a truly atrocious villain."

"I don't think you'd get a reaction like that even if you burned down several villages..."

"Do you think he massacred a massive crowd of innocent NPCs?"

"Whoa. How could anyone do something so horrific?"

"Excuse me, sir, but what is your name?"

"How on earth did you manage to raise your Infamy that high?!"

Even the players who usually did nothing but pick fights approached Tae-hyun with polite, deferential tones. They desperately wanted to know his secret!

"...If you don't open the gates this instant, I will tear this entire place to the ground."

—U-Understood! Hey! Open the gates! Hurry up and open them!

"Well then, I'll be on my way..."

Tae-hyun intended to head straight to the village's dungeon to check it out. However, the bandit NPCs weren't about to let him go so easily.

—Hey! Guide him!

—Great Villain! Allow us to show you around our village!

The players who were already inside the village stared at Tae-hyun in bewilderment. Who on earth was this guy, and why were the NPCs clinging to him like that?

"Bring that guy over here."

"Yes, boss!"

The plunderer player, Jackal, commanded his party members. Every plunderer player gathered here was a high-level player or above. The very fact that Jackal was leading them was proof of his formidable skill. Furthermore, Jackal possessed a level of fame that others couldn't easily match.

Jackal watched as his party members surrounded Tae-hyun. The party members said something to Tae-hyun, Tae-hyun drew his sword, and then...

"?!?!"

Seeing two of his party members instantly erased from existence, Jackal gasped in horror and drew his weapon. What kind of monster was this guy?!

"He's a ranker!"

"This bastard is a ranker!"

The remaining party members scrambled backward in sheer panic. Just because they threw a few insults and tried to pick a fight, two of their comrades had been instantly logged out. What kind of insane player was this?

"Not bad."

Tae-hyun examined the skill he had acquired from the Ancient Empire University with a satisfied expression. Thanks to it, he was able to strike much faster when launching a surprise attack in situations like this.

"You bastard, do you have any idea who our party leader is?!"

"I don't care if your party leader is Su Ning of the Guild Alliance, Smith, or Lee Se-yeon. I'll make sure to dig a grave for every single one of you, so step right up."

Tae-hyun spoke without blinking an eye, his voice dripping with icy coldness. The plunderer players immediately realized they had messed with the wrong person. The sheer presence! Tae-hyun exuded the unmistakable aura of a true powerhouse.

Still, they had to declare who their leader was.

"You're making a huge mistake! Jackal is a former member of the notorious Red Zone Guild!"

"?"

The Red Zone Guild? That name sounded incredibly familiar...

"He was in the exact same guild as Cain! Do you understand what that means?!"

Tae-hyun turned his gaze toward Jackal, who was currently wearing a somewhat ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠awkward yet confident smirk. ...Suddenly, his opponent looked incredibly pathetic.

He's just a ridiculously weak loser.

Tae-hyun finished his assessment in an instant. He immediately drew his sword and lunged at Jackal.

The party members blocking his path were nothing more than decorative folding screens. As Tae-hyun charged through, they parted in sheer terror, clearing a path for him.

"!"

As Tae-hyun lunged forward, Jackal frantically swung his weapon. A hook-shaped dagger flashed in the light as he unleashed his skills.

—Dark Clone Sword, Sharp Blade, Rift Dagger!

"Oh?"

Tae-hyun was slightly surprised by his opponent's unexpectedly quick reaction. Was this guy actually decent? The skill combo was remarkably sharp. Tae-hyun used Explosive Leap to create distance and dodge the Dark Clone Sword, then met the Rift Dagger head-on with his Circle of Counterattack.

In response, the opponent actually canceled his skill mid-animation and leaped sideways to widen the gap. He was a player who possessed decent reflexes even among rankers, and actually had the brain to manage his skills dynamically!

I thought he'd be a total pushover since he claimed to be from the same guild as Cain, but...

"Who the hell is this guy?"

Jackal stared at Tae-hyun, a cold sweat running down his spine. His combo had clearly been executed perfectly, but instead of taking damage, his opponent had effortlessly dodged and countered as if it were nothing. It was a feat impossible to pull off unless he had completely read Jackal's movements in advance.

Is he an assassin sent specifically to target me?

Jackal had committed so many crimes that it was impossible to narrow down who might have sent him. He had clashed with guild executives, defeated a ranker ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠in PvP, and had been running around impersonating a close associate of Cain...

It must be that guild executive I took down last time! He must have hired an assassin...!