The Perfect Sacrifice

"It's too late to back out now! Let's just use him as a sacrifice!"

"Let's offer a sacrifice before we go in! Honestly, it's going to be brutal without one!"

"Mr. Kim Tae-hyun! Why aren't you offering a sacrifice? If just one person sacrifices themselves, everyone else can be happy!"

"..."

Evil of such magnitude that even Carbanog was appalled.

Tae-hyun had a sudden realization.

Ah...! So this is what the Authority was meant for!

When he was hanging out with normal players, he had always thought, 'Using the Sacrifice of Archisus is too awkward. There's no way I can pull it off.' But now that he was running with plunderer players, it clicked.

The plunderers and the Sacrifice of Archisus skill were a match made in heaven.

At first glance, self-sacrifice and plunderers seemed like polar opposites, but that wasn't the case at all.

"As long as it's not me!"

...That was the core philosophy of a plunderer.

If they could pick just one person from their ranks to sacrifice and breeze through the raid, the plunderers would vote in favor without a single second of hesitation.

Their very way of thinking was fundamentally different from ordinary players!

"Sacrifice! Sacrifice! Sacrifice!"

"We want a sacrifice! We want a sacrifice!"

The plunderer players chanted in unison.

Ultimately, Tae-hyun nodded.

"Very well. We shall offer a sacrifice."

"Whoaaaa!"

"Hell yeah! We get a sacrifice!"

...

...What on earth is this playstyle?

The viewers who had been envying the plunderers were now dead silent. What kind of madness was unfolding before their eyes?

No matter how you looked at it, plunderers eagerly volunteering to sacrifice one of their own before starting was pure madness.

The truly astonishing part was that after doing so, they cleared the raid with terrifying momentum.

It was an extreme party composition severely lacking in both healers and tanks, and the beast monster they fought was incredibly powerful...

Yet they weren't pushed back at all; instead, they completely overwhelmed it.

"Charge! Your HP is still plenty high! Aim for its legs and pin it down! The last one to move is the next sacrifice!"

"Yes, sir!"

"We're going in now!"

Tae-hyun ruled them not with a carrot and a stick, but with a whip and an even bigger whip, yet the plunderer players responded perfectly.

The plunderers unleashed a coordinated barrage of damage from all directions.

With various buffs active alongside Tae-hyun's Tactics buff, the beast couldn't hold out and collapsed.

They were clearly a ragtag bunch gathered from all over, yet they now exuded the aura of an elite strike force sent by a major guild.

To an outsider, they looked like an incredibly well-coordinated guild.

Still, it was hard to believe he was pulling off such high-level raids with a bunch of plunderer dregs. It was simply unreal.

"Kim Tae-hyun! Kim Tae-hyun! Kim Tae-hyun!"

The plunderers' numbers had been cut by more than half, but once the quest ended, nothing but praise echoed through the air.

Because everyone who would have complained was already dead!

...Of course, there was also the fact that the quest had ultimately succeeded.

Even if they cursed him out during the quest, thinking, 'Ah, that son of a bitch Kim Tae-hyun, I hope he dies,' once it was over, they looked back on it warmly, thinking, 'You know, we were really passionate back then.'

"As expected of Kim Tae-hyun. This raid really proved it to me."

"Without you, this raid would have been impossible."

"Don't worry about the few who complained! They're all dead anyway!"

The plunderers spoke with broad grins. Now, all that was left for them was to change classes to Secret Assassins.

I wasn't really paying attention to that, though.

Of course, Tae-hyun didn't care either. Running as a plunderer meant you had to accept that level of risk from the start.

"...?!"

The dark, ominous demonic sword's abilities were simple yet incredibly potent. The power to create a new beast nest!

No... wait.

Don't try to make this sound suspicious.

Even if Carbanog hadn't said that, Tae-hyun would have used the sword. Honestly, the ability to create a beast nest was highly enticing.

We already have a zoo in The Valley. Maybe I should install it there?

Well, I am curious, but looking into it now won't really change much...

Tae-hyun approached the matter with his trademark pragmatism.

Of course, tracking down the owner of the sword and giving that cult a stern punishment wouldn't be a bad idea.

But did he really need ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to go that far? Wouldn't it be better if Tae-hyun just quietly kept the sword for himself?

"Seriously?!"

"No. Don't fall for it. It's a trap."

The players in The Valley looked at the lavish message window with deep suspicion. Whenever the cult tried to give things away for free, the first rule was to suspect a trap!

"I saw the video, and the Secret Assassin class looked amazing. They fought incredibly well."

"But it's suspicious! Since when is the Archisus Church so kind as to teach us for free?!"

Now that the Archisus Church had expanded its influence and the number of church-related classes had grown, there was a decent number of players who had changed classes. However, the path of the Archisus Church was never easy.

...The church's classes were good, but when dealing with those NPCs, one had to keep their wits about them to avoid being scammed.

And yet, the Secret Assassin NPCs were ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠offering to teach them with such kindness? ...This had to be a trap!

"Still, I'm going to check it out! I've always wanted to change to an assassin class!"

"Don't do it! If you go, you might end up having to clear all sorts of absurd quests!"

But there were always fearless players. Those who sought out the Secret Assassins and changed classes were shocked. Huh? They're incredibly kind and teach really well? They aren't even lying...

Having finished his work at the territory's zoo, Tae-hyun looked around The Valley. It had truly changed a lot. The Valley was a place that transformed every time he looked at it.

"Your Holiness! We have brought the leader of our Secret Assassins here to meet you."

"Ah, they're here?"

The Secret Assassins who had followed him to The Valley. Tae-hyun had high expectations, having heard that the leader of these elite assassins was among them.

"So the leader of the assassins is here?"

"Yes!"

"But why can't I see them?"

"Due to certain circumstances, they are currently asleep. We will prepare everything so they can meet Your Holiness as soon as they wake up."

"Oh... I see."

It was a bit unsettling that the leader hadn't shown their face even once while Tae-hyun was clearing the beast nests in the village, but Tae-hyun trusted the Secret Assassins. After all, weren't they gentle souls who wouldn't even step on an ant?

"Now, where are they?"

"They are right in front of you, Your Holiness."

"...?"

"Squeak."

Tae-hyun looked around, then lowered his gaze at the sound of a squeak. A chubby, well-fed black rat was waving its paw at him.

...Carbanog. I think I've ended up in some weird place.

Right?? It's a rat, isn't it?

To his utter surprise, the one acting as the leader of the Secret Assassin village was a black rat.

"May I ask... for what reason... you became the leader?"

"Is there any special reason needed? It is simply loyalty and ability."

"..."

Loyalty was one thing, but ability too?? No matter how strong a rat was, wasn't it still just a rat...?

"Lord Roshark has lived for over a hundred years, so he spends a lot of time sleeping now. However, if Your Holiness commands it, he will gladly step forward and fight in any battle."

"Squeak!"

"I... I see. Thank you for your loyalty."

Roshark waddled away, his chubby body bouncing. Tae-hyun clutched his head. No, seriously... what on earth is that guy?

Galakpad and Pelmas were arguing, blaming each other.

"It is because your loyalty is lacking!"

"Is shifting the blame onto me your only trick?! Stop threatening me with force all the time! You coward!"

"Oh? I'll show you what true cowardice looks like. Guards! Take Pelmas..."

"Aaargh! Say no to violence! Say no to violence!"

Persmes, the successor to the Bishop of the Idergo Cult whom Tae-hyun had gone to great lengths to capture, had refused to yield to any of their tricks.

Even after they hired a massive crowd of players to threaten him, Persmes had held out, gritting his teeth and declaring, "Urgh! I will never submit!"

"Squeak, squeak, squeak."

"?"

"What was that?"

The two turned their heads in confusion at the sudden sound of squeaking. Pelmas couldn't understand it, but Galakpad understood through magic.

"What? The leader of the newly arrived Secret Assassins?"

"What ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠kind of nonsense is...?! Right, Galakpad?"

"My goodness. It is an honor to meet such an esteemed guest. I am Galakpad, a humble servant of Archisus."

Galakpad bowed politely to the rat. Seeing this, Pelmas was utterly dumbfounded and lost his words.

"What... what are you doing?!"

"Have the Secret Assassins of our church not been respected for generations? Naturally, we must show proper etiquette and treat them with respect."

"No... but... it's a rat...!"

Pelmas swallowed his words. Is that bastard Galakpad completely devoid of prejudice?!