A Legacy Buried in the Plague

"That NPC is certainly a rare piece of trash, isn't he?"

"Right? I knew you'd see it too."

When Tae-hyun, who had cleared all kinds of rare quests in his time, spoke with such conviction, the Guild Alliance rankers nodded in agreement. He really wasn't your average piece of trash.

These Guild Alliance bastards are suddenly getting on my nerves.

In the Archisus Church, that level of depravity was completely average, yet the Guild Alliance rankers were marveling, thinking, Wow, how can an NPC be such utter trash? Just how easy had their gaming lives been for them to react like this!

Clearly, the NPCs of the Auston Kingdom were incredibly diligent, upright, and exemplary citizens.

"By the way, Kim Tae-hyun."

"?"

"There's one thing I'm curious about. Mind if I ask?"

The Guild Alliance ranker asked in an extremely polite tone. Appreciating the courteous manner, Tae-hyun nodded.

"Go ahead."

"...Why on earth are those Orc Ahjussis behind us tagging along???"

The other rankers looked immensely relieved. It was the one question they had all been dying to ask but hadn't dared to! Why were those Orcs following them?

"Are you seriously asking because you don't know?" Tae-hyun replied, sounding dumbfounded that they would even ask something so obvious.

"...Yes. We really don't know."

"They're experts on the Southern Kingdom, obviously."

"..."

"..."

The rankers were speechless. So those guys... No way...?

"Are those guys... by any chance, the Orc guilds of Uruk? Those lunatics?"

"What a rude thing to say to people who came to help."

"Those bastards are the very ones who created the Plague Zone in the first place!!" the rankers finally exploded, unable to hold back any longer.

A significant amount of time had passed, but a grudge like this was not easily forgotten. Weren't these the petty sore losers who had released plague toxins on their own territory and fled just because they lost a territory war?!

Hearing their shouts, the Orc Ahjussis clicked their tongues in disapproval.

"Tsk, tsk. You young folks are far too obsessed with the past."

"Exactly. You need to look to the future, not the past. How can young people be more close-minded than old timers like us?"

"What does clinging to the past change, anyway?"

The rankers felt their blood pressure spiking. Of all people, we don't want to hear that from you!

They hadn't even been particularly loyal to their guild, but talking to these Orcs suddenly made a fierce wave of guild patriotism well up inside them.

"So what do you want me to do? Leave them behind?"

"No, it's not exactly that..."

"We were just curious, is all."

When Tae-hyun pressed, the rankers quickly backed down. After all, they were the ones in a desperate position right now.

Ugh, arrogant bastard.

Just wait until this Plague Zone is cleared.

But even if Kim Tae-hyun disappears, can we even fight the lunatics led by Smith right now?

...We'll get him back someday.

Regardless of the Guild Alliance rankers' silent grumbling, Tae-hyun had every intention of bringing the Orc Ahjussis along.

They really are experts on the Southern Kingdom. Having once managed territories here, they knew the geography and paths like the back of their hands.

Furthermore, if the Guild Alliance tried to pull any fast ones, the Orcs would make excellent meat shields.

There was already plenty of bad blood between them. Even though the Orc Ahjussis usually valued their own safety above all else, they never held back when it came to fighting the Guild Alliance. The grudge of being driven out of the Auston Kingdom was still very much alive.

Lee Da-bi quickly changed the subject.

She's right, I need to speed things up. Tae-hyun currently had a mountain of tasks, from his class quest to dealing with the Hungry Chaos and preparing for the Idergo Cult. He needed to wrap up this Plague Zone quest quickly!

—Grrrrrr!

"Plague Zone monsters! Watch out!"

"Ugh, these things are incredibly vicious!"

"Let's let the young folks show off their ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠skills! Tae-hyun, fall back!"

As contaminated ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠monsters lunged out of the plague mist, the Orc Ahjussis swiftly pulled Tae-hyun back to safety. Then, they began cheering enthusiastically.

"Fighting, young folks!"

"Put some muscle into it, youngsters!"

"Ah, they're terrible at this! Back in my day, I could've slain five of these with one hand and my eyes closed!"

"..."

"...Kim Tae-hyun. If you can make those Orcs shut their mouths, we will fight with everything we've got. We won't even ask for your help!"

Judging by the desperation in the rankers' voices, they were thoroughly exasperated.

The Southern Plague Zone had truly become a demonic den, to the point where even ordinary wild animals had mutated into ferocious monsters. Their levels were high enough, but it was the special 'Plague' attribute that made them truly troublesome to deal with.

However, the Guild Alliance rankers present were also thoroughly prepared for this quest.

"Hold the formation! Prioritize protecting Steinhauer! Don't let them break through the line under any circumstances!"

"Hey! Young folks! You have to protect us too!" the Orc Ahjussis protested, but the rankers ignored them and swung their weapons. Honestly, with Kim Tae-hyun standing right there, there was no way the Orcs would die even if left to their own devices in the back.

"What a bunch of wicked rascals. Completely ignoring us."

"Actually, this is perfect, Tae-hyun."

"?"

"Did you really think we were mocking and teasing them just because we were bored?"

"Uh... wasn't that it?" Tae-hyun was taken aback. He had fully assumed that was the case.

"...Of course not, kid."

"Well, to be fair, there was a tiny bit of that..."

"Shh, quiet."

"Anyway, our real intention was to draw their attention away from us." The Orc Ahjussis lowered their voices.

"Do you have any idea how much our hearts ached when we had to abandon the territories we worked so hard to cultivate? There were so many things we couldn't carry with us."

"So?"

"Where do you think we put them all? We buried them underground and drew a map."

"...!" Tae-hyun gasped in surprise. He had never expected such a scheme. He had assumed they were just playing the game casually with a carefree attitude...

"Where is it?"

"Hey, keep your voice down. It's not around here. We have to go deeper inside."

Their original territory was located right in the heart of the Southern Plague Zone, which meant it was the most heavily contaminated area. There was a very good reason why the Orc Ahjussis hadn't come back for their hidden treasure until now!

"Besides, if we had been loitering around here, do you think those bastards wouldn't have noticed?"

The Guild Alliance might seem like a joke because they were constantly getting beaten up by Tae-hyun, but they were by no means pushovers. To other players, they were a terrifying force akin to an evil empire! If the Orcs had lingered anywhere near the Auston Kingdom, the Alliance would have caught on ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠immediately.

"But uncles, you guys are loaded from pay-to-win anyway, so does it really matter if you lose a little treasure?"

"Tae-hyun! No matter how rich you are, losing money still hurts!"

"And this is a treasure that money can't buy."

"...?" Tae-hyun was puzzled. What kind of treasure could possibly make these old men act like this?

"Prepare buffs! Prepare buffs!!!" the rankers screamed at the top of their lungs. The difficulty was starting to ramp up. Monsters around level 400 to 500 were tough, but they could manage them somehow. However, defending Steinhauer while dealing with enemies swarming from all directions was no easy feat.

Disadvantageous terrain, a troublesome attribute, and overwhelming numbers! The Guild Alliance rankers had to fight with everything they had.

"Hold the formation and pull out the scrolls we prepared!"

"Buy me some time to cast my spell!"

"I'm going in!"

Taking advantage of the chaos, the Orc Ahjussis finally began to slip away.

"Now's our chance! Let's move, quick! This used to be the entrance to the castle walls!"

"Follow this path and we'll reach the ruins of the old castle gate. If we go deeper from there, we'll hit the plaza! That's where we need to go!"

"...I mean, I'm not complaining, but is this treasure really worth going to such lengths?" Tae-hyun asked as he kept pace with the Orc Ahjussis. He was following them because finding treasure was always a good thing, but he couldn't help but feel skeptical. Was it truly worth all this trouble?

It'll be a real shame if the Guild Alliance rankers or Steinhauer die while we're gone. Wouldn't it be better to just help them? The Guild Alliance rankers had undoubtedly prepared thoroughly, but they were only human. Mistakes could happen at any time.

"Ah, I'm telling you, it's an incredibly precious treasure! We have to retrieve it before the Plague Zone is cleared!"

"We'll share some with you once we find it!" The Orc Ahjussis ran swiftly through the plague-ridden fog. They had clearly simulated this route multiple times.

"Here it is! I found the signpost!"

Slash! Dig! Dig! Dig! Most of the Orc Ahjussis were high-level and decked out in top-tier gear, giving them absurdly high stats. With specs like that, the speed at which they shoveled the earth was nothing short of miraculous.

Just how much digging did these uncles do back in Uruk? Even Tae-hyun was impressed, which spoke volumes about how many menial labor quests the Orc Ahjussis must have cleared in Uruk. As an untamed wilderness, it was naturally brimming with such quests!

...!

Tae-hyun gasped as the items were revealed. So this was the treasure they were talking about! A massive hoard of various paintings and sculptures from the Auston Kingdom was unearthed from the dirt.

Unfortunately, the Orc Ahjussis' skills were so low that they couldn't identify the true nature of these masterpieces despite owning them.

"Wait, did not a single one of you invest points into Art?"

"..."

"...Well, it happens..." the Orc Ahjussis mumbled sheepishly, suddenly feeling a wave of embarrassment.

"We originally planned to store them safely and find a way to appraise them later, but things went sideways and we had to flee. They were too bulky to carry with us, you see."

Wait, what...?

Tae-hyun stared at the quest window in shock. He wasn't surprised by the rewards or the quest details, but by something else entirely.

Where on earth did they even find these?

They had somehow managed to find and hide artworks from ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the Ancient Empire. If the Guild Alliance had laid eyes on this, they would have drooled and fought tooth and nail to seize it. For anyone managing a territory, such artworks were incredibly powerful items.