He's the Pope, All Right
"Oh...! To think such a noble personage would grace our humble abode! It is an absolute honor!"
The assassins of the Archisus Church rejoiced at the sight of the Pope. For the Pope himself to visit such an obscure, isolated, and hidden village—there was no greater honor.
"How are things faring in the outside world? Surely, the Archisus Church still reigns supreme over the continent?"
"...Uh..."
Tae-hyun was left speechless by the assassin's question. I mean, well...
It's not like I did anything wrong...
Even though he was entirely blameless, Tae-hyun couldn't help but feel a sudden pang of guilt.
"...Well, a few things happened."
"Ah... Still, it is a tremendous relief that the Church has been resurrected, all thanks to Your Holiness's tireless efforts!"
The assassin beamed, singing Tae-hyun's praises. Tae-hyun was deeply moved by this display of kindness and warmth, which felt entirely uncharacteristic of an Archisus Church NPC. This was it! This was the true warmth of the Church! Praising and supporting each other's achievements—was this not the perfect model of a righteous clergy?
Carbanog notes that because this village has been isolated for so long, they seem to have forgotten the true traditions of the Archisus Church...
Quiet, you.
Tae-hyun asked the most important question first.
"Would it be possible for you to help us preserve the legacy of the Church's Arcane Assassins by returning with us?"
"Of course! It would be our absolute duty to assist. I shall dispatch several of our finest assassins to the village. They will be able to teach the secrets of arcane assassination to any adventurers who walk the path of Lord Archisus."
Arcane Assassin
⚡ Effect: Arcane Assassin has been added to the Church's class list!
⚡ Effect: Players will now be able to advance to this class through the Church.
⚡ Effect: Assassins are beginning to emerge within the Archisus Church.
⚡ Effect: Assassin NPCs may now visit your territory.
🎁 Reward: Reputation has increased significantly!
"Sniff...!"
"Your Holiness? Are you... perhaps crying?"
"I am not crying. There is simply some dust in my eye."
Tae-hyun had to hold back his tears. To think they would offer their heartfelt assistance so readily after a single proposal. If this had been any other NPC from the Archisus Church, it wouldn't have been surprising if they had said, 'Ha! You, the Pope? I refuse to acknowledge you! Take this dagger, venture into the Dragon's Valley, decapitate a Red Dragon, and bring me three of its heads!'
"I am truly glad to have met you all."
"The... the honor is ours, Your Holiness. Haha."
"Hmm. Still, it is quite fascinating that there are so many of the Church's assassins gathered in this village. Did a retired Arcane Assassin settle down here to teach?"
"Retired? Whatever do you mean?"
"Are you not? I heard that an Arcane Assassin of the Church came to this village to retire..."
"Certainly not, Your Holiness. How could an Arcane Assassin of our glorious Church ever commit such a weak-willed act?"
"...Then what happened? Why did they come to this village?"
"Originally, this village was a gathering place for various rival assassin syndicates. Seeing a den of wicked vipers congregating in one place, an Arcane Assassin of our Church took it upon himself to deliver divine judgment."
"...What?"
Carbanog is utterly appalled!
"According to my grandfather's grandfather, the Arcane Assassin entered the village entirely alone. He then proceeded to instigate conflict among the various assassin factions, subtly manipulating them into destroying one another."
The lone Arcane Assassin of the Church had deployed all manner of conspiracies, schemes, and underhanded plots to bring down the rival syndicates. In the end, only one faction remained standing in the village: the Arcane Assassins of the Archisus Church! Since then, this village had become a breeding ground, raising generations of Archisus Arcane Assassins.
"..."
Both Tae-hyun and Carbanog were left utterly speechless. What kind of absolute madness was this...
"I... I see. Well, they punished evil, so I suppose it all worked out for the best."
"Indeed! We completely uprooted those wicked assassins and transformed this into a holy village. Is it not a wonderful thing?"
No matter how polite and loyal they seemed, a follower of the Archisus Church was still a follower of the Archisus Church. Tae-hyun was starting to feel a creeping sense of dread. Wait, these guys... The monster nests on the way down to the village... Did they breed them?
"Were you aware that there are several monster nests in the vicinity?"
"Yes, of course we are."
Carbanog laments, saying they knew it all along!
Dammit. They really are monsters of the Archisus Church.
"Why were you raising them?"
"Pardon? Why would we ever raise such vile, wicked beasts? We did no such thing!"
The assassins quickly denied the accusation, looking genuinely shocked.
?
"Then who did?"
"Our village is located deep underground, far past those tunnels. During a period when we did not venture to the surface, some wicked group must have come and set up those monster nests."
"...!"
Surprisingly, the monster nests were not the work of the Archisus Church.
Carbanog feels a bit sheepish for doubting them.
Too late for that.
"Those monsters are exceptionally powerful. However, even if they were to awaken, our village is so well-hidden that they would never be able to find us. That is why we saw no need to subjugate them."
"And if they go outside?"
"If they go outside, is that not the problem of the people living out there?"
"...Yep, you guys are definitely part of the Archisus Church!"
Tae-hyun and the Plunderers followed the assassin through a hidden passage. The vast, pitch-black underground cavern was riddled with countless secret pathways.
Descending along a sheer cliff, crossing a translucent bridge suspended in midair, winding through a narrow, twisting corridor...
The assassin village was indeed buried incredibly deep. It was so well-hidden that even Tae-hyun, with all his skills, would have struggled to find it on his own.
The Plunderer players whispered among themselves as they followed.
"Did he say 'Arcane Assassin' earlier?"
"Yeah, I heard it too."
"He said we could change classes..."
"Do you think we can change our classes here too?"
The Plunderers glanced at each other.
"...Well, I actually like my current class, so I don't really need to..."
"Ahem. Why would anyone change their class at this point? Only those who lack confidence in their own skills would do that."
"Exactly, exactly."
The Plunderers nodded in agreement, feigning disinterest. However, their inner thoughts were entirely identical.
I'm going first.
Look at this bastard talking. He's definitely planning to change his class the moment he gets the chance...
Should I frame him for trying to escape?
No matter how they looked at it, the class name sounded incredibly cool! Naturally, players who chose the Plunderer path highly favored classes like Rogue or Assassin—classes that specialized in quick, hit-and-run tactics.
An Arcane Assassin of the Church. With a name like that, it was bound to be at least a Rare or even a Heroic class.
Furthermore, they were entering the very village of these assassins. This was a golden opportunity to learn secret skills that no one else had access to!
"By the way, Your Holiness."
"?"
"Since Your Holiness is the supreme leader of our Church, you may pass freely. However, many of those following behind you do not belong to the Archisus Church."
"That is true."
"Such outsiders must undergo a trial before they can enter our village..."
"Ah. In that case, please proceed with the trial. We must respect tradition."
It wasn't like Tae-hyun was the one who had to take it anyway. Tae-hyun readily gave his consent. The assassins were overjoyed.
"Thank you! We shall prepare it immediately!"
"By the way, what kind of trial is it?"
"It is a trial where they must successfully dodge our attempts to kill them and survive."
"...Oh..."
You have arrived at the Trial Grounds!
Warning: You do not belong to the Archisus Church!
The Trial begins!
"?"
"What?"
A message window popped up for all the players who were not affiliated with the Archisus Church. A trial?
"What kind of tri—"
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
The arrowheads are coated with Viper's Venom. You have been poisoned.
Movement speed is reduced.
Vision is narrowed.
Attack speed is reduced.
Thud!
"Aaaargh!"
"Kim Tae-hyun! It's an ambush! We have to fight!"
"Oh, they said they won't attack me because I'm part of the Archisus Church. They're only targeting you guys."
"..."
"..."
The Plunderer players blinked, momentarily unable to process what they had just heard. Did this bastard just say what I think he said?
"What kind of bullsh—cough!"
An Archisus Arcane Assassin de-stealths and launches a surprise attack!
Your leg has been injured. You are unable to move.
Wow, they fight really well.
Tae-hyun felt a warm glow in his chest as he watched the Archisus Arcane Assassins in action. To think the Church possessed such talented individuals!
Perhaps there are other hidden pockets of brilliant Archisus talents scattered across remote, forgotten lands.
Carbanog warns him not to get ahead of himself, like a man who shakes hands with someone once and immediately starts imagining what their future grandchildren will look like.
...That's a bit too harsh.
"Is it alright if I head inside first?"
"Ah! I am also a member of the Archisus Church! May I enter as well?"
"Yes, please come in. What need is there for a trial between brothers of the same faith?"
Tae-hyun and the Plunderer players who worshipped Archisus immediately passed through the gates. Desperate screams echoed from behind them, but they ignored them completely.
"You disloyal bastards!!"
Calling it a village was a bit of an understatement; it was more like a small fortress. A moat lay at its base, and one had to cross a drawbridge to enter.
The walls weren't particularly high, but they were rigged with terrifying traps designed to repel any intruders.
Your Engineering skill is exceptionally high! You have detected the traps installed on the walls.
Your Engineering skill is exceptionally high! You have detected the traps installed on the walls.
"The youths of our village undergo rigorous training here to become outstanding assassins. Of course, they never neglect their prayers to Lord Archisus either."
Young talents praying diligently to Archisus while training hard. Honestly, was this place not Archisus's version of heaven? It was dark and gloomy underground, but for a heaven dedicated to Archisus, it made perfect sense...
Carbanog begs him to please snap out of it!
"Would you be willing to venture outside and assist me?"
"It... it would be an absolute honor, but... with so many legendary figures in the Church, would assassins like us truly be of any help?"
The NPC assassin spoke with immense humility. According to their records, the Church was filled with illustrious, larger-than-life figures.
There was the Bishop who captured eight of a Demon Duke's personal demons, hitched them to a carriage, and rode around in an eight-demon-drawn coach. There was the Paladin who entered a stronghold alone and annihilated an entire order of corrupt knights. And there was the Archer who held a mountain peak for seven days and seven nights before piercing a dragon's throat with a single arrow...
Compared to such stellar predecessors, the assassins training here were mere fledglings with a long way to go.
"...Wait, we had people like that?!"
Tae-hyun was dumbfounded. This was the first he was hearing of this!
"Our Church does not only accept the exceptionally gifted. As long as you possess loyalty, anyone is welcome. So please, do not feel burdened and join us outside."
Carbanog points out that the Church has been accepting people who don't even have a shred of loyalty...
"In that case, we shall do our absolute best!"
⚡ Effect: A large number of Arcane Assassin NPCs have been added to the Church!
⚡ Effect: New quests are now available.
⚡ Effect: You can now issue assassination-type quest commands.
Tae-hyun spoke as gently and warmly as possible to persuade the Arcane Assassins. He wanted to assure them that times had changed, and the Church's NPCs were all perfectly reasonable and sensible now!
"Then, Your Holiness... have you never slain a dragon yourself?"
"Well, I have slain a dragon before."
"...And a Demon Duke...?"
"I have defeated a Demon Duke as well."
"By any chance, have you also captured powerful demons and put them to work?"
"...Well, yes, but wait a minute."
⚡ Effect: The Archisus Arcane Assassins are filled with tension!
⚡ Effect: A new quest has been added among the assassins!
⚡ Effect: They will strive to achieve legendary feats!
"I told you, there's no need for you to go out of your way to hunt dragons or Demon Dukes!"
Tae-hyun protested, but his words carried absolutely no weight.