A Match Made in Trash Heaven

After this useless bickering, an agreement was somehow reached.

"They'll probably just introduce the players on the Korean National Team and highlight how they live their daily lives..."

Of course, the ones receiving the most attention were bound to be Tae-hyun and Lee Se-yeon. When talking about the national team, it was impossible to leave out their brilliant performances.

"Ah. I see."

"Huh?"

Tae-hyun looked at Lee Da-bi in confusion as she spoke with a look of sudden realization.

"You're worried because your daily life is so boring and repetitive that there's nothing worth broadcasting, right?"

"...No. That's not it... Is that really what you think of my life?"

"O-Oh, no. Not necessarily, but..."

As Tae-hyun's voice grew suspiciously watery, Lee Da-bi quickly changed the subject. Wait, so that wasn't it?

"Even if my daily life is repetitive, that's their problem to worry about. If it's boring, they can edit it out or do whatever they want. I can't exactly force myself to live some glamorous life I don't have, right?"

"True."

Of course, the broadcasting staff had absolutely no intention of cutting anything. Even if they just showed Tae-hyun sitting on the sofa and breathing, people would watch it with intense fascination. He rarely showed himself to the public, so the viewers would be deeply grateful for even that.

"They said they really want to film Lee Se-yeon coming over here to eat. They begged me, saying it would be incredibly entertaining."

Having somehow caught wind of the rumor that Lee Se-yeon was coming to eat at the Team KL headquarters, the producers had practically begged on their knees. To pass up such gold-tier content would be a sin for any broadcaster. Just uploading a clip of Lee Se-yeon eating at the Team KL headquarters and leaving would easily rack up millions of views!

"Se-yeon... I mean, is Player Lee Se-yeon really coming?"

"Yeah. That seems to be the plan."

"Then we should prepare ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the ingredients."

"Yeah. Though I was just planning to use whatever we have in the fridge."

Tae-hyun pointed at the kimchi stew on the table. Lee Da-bi stared at him, utterly dumbfounded.

"It's going to be on national television. Shouldn't we make something... a bit more presentable?"

"Is my kimchi stew not good?"

"No! It's delicious! But that's not what I mean..."

"Should I serve soybean paste stew instead, then?"

"That's not what I'm trying to say."

Tae-hyun shrugged.

"I know what you mean. You think buying some meat and grilling steaks would look better on camera."

"Well, not necessarily, but..."

"But I don't really want to do that. Why do we need to stage something like this? She said she wanted to eat a home-cooked meal at our headquarters, so I'm just going to feed her what we usually eat."

"Alright. Have you thought of a menu, then?"

"We'll make a stew. I saw Cain making rolled omelets and japchae earlier, so those seem good. We'll lightly toast some seaweed and serve it with soy sauce. Oh, silver pomfret is in season right now, so maybe I'll clean some and make a braised dish? It might feel a bit empty without some seasoned vegetables, so we'll add those too..."

Watching Tae-hyun rattle off over a dozen side dishes in the blink of an eye, Lee Da-bi was left speechless. That's literally a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠full-course traditional Korean feast...!

Won't people accuse us of staging it because it's too fancy?

For a brief second, she thought just buying expensive beef and grilling ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠steaks would actually look less staged. But since Tae-hyun was set on this, there was no stopping him.

"Then let's do it together."

"Sure. I'd appreciate the help."

After finishing their meal and wrapping up the conversation, Lee Da-bi headed home. Upon hearing about the broadcast, her younger sisters thought to themselves:

Wait, if it's a broadcast, won't they film the preparation process too?

This seems like a perfect recipe for a massive misunderstanding...

Shh. Let's keep quiet.

"-Your Majesty is a truly great hero!"

"Indeed."

"-We shall compose a song of praise in Your Majesty's honor upon our return!"

"Yes, yes."

"-We will correct all the false rumors about Your Majesty and let the world know that everything was a misunderstanding..."

"That might be a bit difficult, but thank you."

The attitudes of the Archisus Church NPCs had changed to an astonishing degree.

If they cause trouble again in the future, should I just go in front of the church and offer myself as a sacrifice again?

The effect had been that incredibly potent. If he had known it would work this well, he would have "sacrificed" himself much sooner.

What do you mean? It makes perfect sense.

Though there had been many trials and tribulations, he had ultimately led the expedition to a successful clear of the Labyrinth of Hungry Chaos. The sense of accomplishment from conquering a dungeon where top-tier rankers had dropped like flies was truly immense.

There was still plenty of cleanup to do, but that was merely a minor detail.

Since I grabbed as many items from the dungeon as I could carry, I'll have to purify the corruption and inspect them one by one.

Many of the items found in the Labyrinth of Hungry Chaos had been corrupted by its unique energy, turning them into unidentified objects. He would have to sort through them individually.

"Kim Tae-hyun."

"What is it? Trying to spring another trap on me? Don't play your cheap tricks."

Tae-hyun spoke coldly as Icarus approached him. Icarus felt like crying.

"No, it's not like that! Just hear me out!"

"From the look of things, you're harboring a massive grudge against me for knocking the Chinese national team out of the qualifiers. Don't take another step within five paces of me. You'll die."

Hearing Tae-hyun's words, the surrounding rankers nodded in agreement. It was an incredibly plausible reason.

The reaction after China's elimination from the qualifiers had been... explosive, to say the least. Unable to contain their grief and rage, Chinese fans had gone absolutely wild. The rankers of the Guild Alliance were no different in their resentment. It wouldn't be surprising at all if the Guild Alliance had dispatched a new assassin to take Tae-hyun down.

"If you have something to say, say it from over there!"

"Yeah! If you've got nothing to hide, why can't you speak up from there?!"

"..."

Icarus cursed inwardly at the other rankers. They had all agreed to steal Kim Tae-hyun's dungeon clear, but the moment things went south, they had betrayed him to save their own skins. Those absolute pieces of trash...! Seeing them slyly side with Tae-hyun and join in on the bullying was utterly ridiculous.

"This is actually a Guild Alliance quest..."

Icarus began to spin a long, tragic tale regarding this quest. It was a story that started with some crazy lunatics turning the southern region of the kingdom into a plague wasteland!

"...And that's why we need you."

"How touching."

"No, don't fall for it. It could be a trap. Those guys are capable of lying through their teeth."

While Tae-hyun himself remained quiet, the other rankers kept throwing cold water on the conversation, driving Icarus to fury.

"Come and see for yourself! An official notice was sent out to the entire guild! Why on earth would we try to sabotage you?!"

Purifying the Plague Wasteland, huh?

The Plague Wasteland did indeed affect the kingdom's borders, spreading corrupted monsters and summoning demons. But aside from that, there was another compelling reason to clear it: the rewards. Just imagine the kind of rewards a massive purification quest like this would yield.

Well, it is about time the Plague Wasteland was cleared out.

In fact, it was surprising that the Plague Wasteland was still around. For the Auston Kingdom—and by extension, the Guild Alliance—it must have been as irritating as a thorn in their side. How had they left it untouched for so long?

"If I do purify the Plague Wasteland, can I monopolize all the experience points and rewards?"

"...You can do whatever you want with them."

Icarus had a lot he wanted to say, but he held his tongue. If they didn't at least offer that much, Kim Tae-hyun would never agree to help. The guild rankers would surely complain about wanting a share of the experience, but there was no other choice.

"Hmm... Fine. I'll give it some serious thought."

"!"

Icarus was overjoyed by Tae-hyun's response. He had finally found a way to salvage his blunder.

"In exchange, hand over all the information you have regarding the quest."

"...W-Wait, that's a bit much."

"How do I know if this is a trap or not? Even if I look at the info, I might still have my doubts. If you don't give it to me, I'm not going."

Due to Icarus's previous antics and the Chinese team's elimination, Tae-hyun's guard was at an all-time high. If anything seemed even slightly suspicious, his immediate instinct was to suspect foul play!

"...Fine. I'll give you the information."

Icarus gave up and handed over the data. Considering the circumstances, this was a very cheap price to pay.

Thirty minutes later.

What kind of insane quest is this?

Tae-hyun was utterly flabbergasted. It was ridiculous enough that the Death Knights of the Auston Kingdom had taken up residence in the Plague Wasteland, but requiring them to track down a descendant of the Auston royal family was even more absurd. And the fact that the Guild Alliance had actually managed to find one was the most mind-boggling part of all.

Steinhauer... Why does that name sound so familiar?

...Damn it. No wonder I felt a chill down my spine.

Tae-hyun realized the truth upon hearing Carbanog's words. He now understood why an NPC he had never met felt so familiar. It was the unmistakable aura of absolute trash! That exact energy was radiating from Steinhauer.

Thank goodness. I'm so glad that guy ended up with the Guild Alliance instead of the Archisus Church.

If a fellow like that had joined the Archisus Church, he would have undoubtedly driven Tae-hyun to an early grave.

The rest of the quest is actually surprisingly easy.

The process of getting to this point was the hard part; the purification itself was simple. Once they found the royal descendant, they just had to bring along a trustworthy person—namely, Tae-hyun. There wasn't much for Tae-hyun to actually do!

Should I just head over, grab the rewards, and get out?

"-By any chance, are you in need of an inside informant?"

"..."

Tae-hyun was utterly flabbergasted by Steinhauer's whispered question the very moment they met. What on earth is wrong with this guy?

"What are you talking about?"

"-I know you aren't on good terms with the Auston Kingdom! Besides, isn't Your Majesty a figure of immense power and authority?"

From the perspective of an ignorant NPC, it was easy to misunderstand Tae-hyun. With such a towering reputation and countless achievements, surely he must possess mountains of treasure and command a massive order of knights, right?

...Almost none of those assumptions were correct. In reality, he was a dirt-poor king who poured the vast majority of his income back into running his territory! However, Tae-hyun kept a straight face and nodded.

"I do hold a fair amount of power, yes."

"-I knew it! Just give me a fair price, and I will betray them in a heartbeat!"

Don't say such horrifying things, Carbanog.

Tae-hyun's face stiffened. There were some lines you simply did not cross.

"What were you two whispering about?"

The Guild Alliance rankers asked, looking suspicious. They were surprised to see Tae-hyun getting along so quickly with an NPC they found utterly obnoxious.

"Nothing much."

"Kim Tae-hyun, watch out for that guy. He's an absolute trash NPC."

"He challenged us to a dice game, and then when he lost, he insisted he didn't have any money to pay up."

"I've never seen such a crazy NPC in my entire life."

The rankers assigned to watch Steinhauer shook their heads in disgust. He was truly a nightmare to deal with.

Well... even if he's a nightmare, he can still betray them.

More than anything, as long as he was causing trouble for the Guild Alliance and not him, Tae-hyun couldn't care less. Please, live a long and happy life in the Auston Kingdom!