The Temptation of the Box
Pandemonium Online was filled with countless random items. Normally, it was best to steer clear of such gambling, but things in life rarely went as planned. When there was no other way to obtain a specific item, one had to resort to such means. And one of the main draws of the Archisus Church lay precisely in these random items.
The residents of the Valley analyzed these mechanics thoroughly, striving to squeeze out every drop of efficiency. In this regard, high-level players possessed skills refined enough to make a living solely off this.
> [UnboxingMaster]: Opening boxes for you! Unboxing random items on your behalf!
> [GachaGuru]: A master who has been doing business in this Valley for over ten years will pull the exact item you want with optimal efficiency!
To those seeing it for the first time, it looked like an utterly shameless scam—akin to selling river water—but it was surprisingly popular. Effectively combining various buffs yielded highly significant results.
> [HolyLancer]: As a Holy Lancer of Archisus, I shall open your boxes!!
> [NewbiePlayer]: But why are you just opening boxes instead of hunting?
> [HolyLancer]: ...Do you want to die?
Regardless, there was one thing these players were always curious about. If normal classes could achieve this much, just how massive would the buffs be for Kim Tae-hyun, the Pope of the Archisus Church?
The answer was unfolding right before their eyes.
Flash!
Your Luck is extremely high! You receive an additional bonus!
Flash! Flash! Flash!
Every time a top-tier item was pulled, a continuous explosion of brilliant light erupted from the boxes. Of course, even Tae-hyun didn't succeed every single time. About two out of three times, he pulled ordinary items or only slightly better ones. But to the gathered players, that didn't matter. When watching someone pull gacha right next to you, rational judgment flew right out the window!
"Whoaaaaaa! Kim Tae-hyun! Kim Tae-hyun! Kim Tae-hyun!"
"Please open every box in the world!"
Tae-hyun, who had been diligently unboxing for them, suddenly remembered something and spoke up.
"By the way, they're serving free food over there. Wouldn't it be better to go eat instead of waiting around here? The ingredients are really expensive..."
"Open the boxes!!"
"Over there, the Paladins of the Archisus Church are joining parties to fight alongside players. You can experience that too."
"Open the boxes!!!"
"We've opened up the facilities of the newly constructed buildings so players who aren't part of the Valley can use them. Why don't you take this opportunity to try them out..."
"Open the boxes!!!!"
"..."
Tae-hyun felt a little hurt. He had put a lot of thought and effort into preparing various events for the Valley, only to lose to a bunch of random boxes...! Lee Da-bi patted his back comfortingly, as if she understood his feelings.
"It's always hard to predict what people will like."
"...Even so, we prepared all of this, and they're ignoring it to risk their lives on these uncertain pulls? Does that make any sense?"
Tae-hyun didn't particularly like gacha. He had suffered far too much in Pandemonium Online 1. Back then, there were fewer ways to increase one's strength, so players had to stake their lives on item enhancement and crafting. Pouring endless time and materials into a 0.001% probability was a surefire way to ruin a person's mental state.
"Thank you for opening my box!!"
"What are you going to do with the gold coins you got?"
"What a foolish question. Obviously, I'm going to buy more boxes to open!"
"..."
While Tae-hyun stood there dumbfounded, a fan approached Lee Da-bi.
"M-Miss Lee Da-bi! If you don't mind, could you open a box for me too?"
"Me? Is that alright?"
"Y-Yes!! It would be an honor!"
Lee Da-bi was about to ask, 'Aren't you worried I'll just run off with it??' It was a perfectly natural question! But Tae-hyun noticed her intention beforehand and grabbed her.
"You were just about to ask if they're worried you'll run off with it, weren't you?"
"Ah. How did you know?"
"I might not be the most gracious player when it comes to fan service, but you really don't need to say that out loud!"
What kind of fan would worry about a pro player running off with their gift? No one except Lee Da-bi would ever worry about something like that.
"But my luck with these things is much weaker than yours, Tae-hyun..."
Flash!
"!!!!!"
If the purpose of hosting events in one's territory was to satisfy existing players and attract new ones, then the event in the Valley was a resounding success. The crowd, which had already been massive at the start, had grown about three to four times larger by the end. Even considering Tae-hyun's reputation, the turnout far exceeded expectations! That was just how rich and fulfilling the event had been.
"It was so much fun!"
"Player Kim Tae-hyun! I was truly amazed while covering this event. Your willingness to give back to ordinary players is something other rankers should look up to and learn from. What inspired you to host an event like this?!"
The visitors to the Valley were completely swept up in excitement, showering him with praise.
But I don't remember doing anything besides opening boxes...?
From Tae-hyun's perspective, it felt like he had done nothing but open boxes in an infinite loop...
"Your Majesty!"
"?"
In the distance, a group of NPCs newly appeared, their faces deeply concealed beneath their cloaks. Tae-hyun cast a wary gaze at them.
They aren't assassins, are they?
It was less common lately, but in the past, assassins used to show up so regularly they practically had to take a number and wait in line.
"Even if they are assassins, the important thing is who sent them."
There are so many of them that I don't even feel like trying to deduce it anymore.
"Who goes there? Reveal your identities."
"There is no need for that, Your Majesty! Let us just seize them first!"
"If we capture and torture them, they will surely sing!"
Did the Archisus Paladins get a bit more violent? Tae-hyun wondered.
He hadn't thought they had changed much, but facing a situation like this made the shift palpable. Were they always like this?
"We are not suspicious people!"
"Suspicious bastards never admit they're suspicious. If you don't reveal your identities in three seconds, we attack."
Whoosh!
The leader threw back his cloak, revealing his appearance. He wore armor adorned with brilliant gold and jewels, and at his hip hung a masterfully crafted sword of no ordinary make.
An NPC noble.
No matter who looked at him, he practically screamed, "I am a noble."
"I am Count Idiol of the Erangs Kingdom! Your Majesty, I am not a suspicious person. I request the treatment befitting my station!"
"Ah. My apologies."
Tae-hyun apologized first. Out of long-ingrained habit, whenever noble NPCs began to complain, his first instinct was to offer an apology.
But after apologizing, a sudden realization struck him.
Wait. I've heard the name Count Idiol somewhere before.
Then it clicked. Count Idiol was...
The count with a bounty on his head from the King of Erance!
The King of Erance, who had nearly died in the princes' rebellion—or rather, had actually died and been brought back—was utterly furious. He had placed bounties on all the other princes. Naturally, the nobles who had followed those princes had no choice but to flee in a hurry. Count Idiol was one of them.
"I am a count of a long and noble lineage in the Kingdom—"
"Seize him!"
"—What?! But I am a count! A count! Your Majesty! Didn't I just say I am a count?!"
Regardless of his protests, Tae-hyun's subordinates swarmed forward and pinned Count Idiol to the ground.
"Thank you, Count. To think you'd seek me out just to surrender. I won't treat you poorly. I'll be sure to speak highly of you to the King of Erance."
"If you live a good life, luck like this will find its way to you."
Tae-hyun and Carbanog looked down at the count with immensely pleased expressions. Even if the King of Erance had become a bit ill-tempered after turning into an undead, he was still a man who rewarded and punished with absolute certainty.
"By any chance, does the Second Prince have any intention of surrendering too? Is he nearby?"
"I told you, that is not it! Please, listen to me, Your Majesty!! Because of the corrupt and wicked undead tyrant, Philip III, sitting on the throne, the people of the Erangs Kingdom are groaning in agony! It is because of him that all sorts of evil cults are rising and the minions of the Hungry Chaos are roaming the continent! Thomas, the Second Prince of the Erangs Kingdom, wishes to borrow your strength. Help the prince reclaim the crown of the kingdom..."
"What an absurd fellow."
"W-What do you mean by that, Your Majesty!"
"Is the Second Prince better at fighting than the First Prince?"
"That... no."
The First Prince was already powerful to begin with, but after forming a wicked covenant, his strength had become truly terrifying. If they hadn't dragged him to that bizarre Primitive Island, even Tae-hyun wouldn't have been able to defeat him.
"Are there more nobles backing the Second Prince than the First Prince? Or perhaps his knight order is larger?"
"That is not the case either."
"Then what kind of audacity makes him think he can seize the throne? Ridiculous. Does he think the current King is a pushover?"
Tae-hyun snorted. Anyone was free to be ambitious, but this quest was simply too absurd. He might as well just capture them and hand them over.
"Please, just hear us out! The current King's state is not normal. He will only grow more wicked and dangerous."
Count Idiol's words made Tae-hyun flinch slightly. It was true that once someone became undead, they would only grow stranger, not return to normal.
I just hope the sparks don't fly in my direction.
"Even if that's true, it's meaningless if you don't have a plan."
"We do have a plan! A truly magnificent plan!"
"Oh...?"
Tae-hyun was slightly intrigued. Of course, he had absolutely no intention of starting a war with the Erangs Kingdom; he was merely curious about what kind of secret method an NPC of the Second Prince's caliber had hidden away. The Erangs royal family had a deep history, meaning they were bound to possess all sorts of overpowered items. Perhaps they had some incredible artifact?
"And what is that?"
"His Highness, the Second Prince, wishes to meet you in person to discuss it."
"Ah, I see. Very well. Invite him in at once."
"...Before that, please swear that you will not capture him."
"Haha, come now. Do you not trust me? Where else on this continent will you find someone with a reputation as high as mine?"
"Please, swear it!"
The Second Prince looked incredibly exhausted and frail, as if the flight had taken a severe toll on him. In truth, even putting that aside, he didn't look particularly healthy to begin with. He possessed a frame so slight it felt as though a strong gust of wind might blow him away...
Who is that kid?
Tae-hyun looked behind the prince in confusion. There was a young child being escorted by the Second Prince's royal guards.
"She must be the Second Prince's daughter. I remember hearing he had one," Lee Da-bi said, recalling her memory. Quests to gather things like toys for his daughter had popped up from time to time.
"Ah, I see. Have you ever met her?"
"No. It's usually hard to meet royalty, after all."
"True."
After saying that, Tae-hyun realized something was odd. For someone who claimed royalty was hard to meet, he seemed to run into them constantly.
Come to think of it, aren't there a suspicious number of royals around me?
"Your Majesty. It is an honor to meet you like this. I was able to come out in peace because you promised not to denounce me."
"Uh... it wasn't exactly a vow, just a promise, but sure, let's go with that. Anyway."
"What I wish to propose is an alliance. A simple alliance would only breed mutual suspicion. To face a powerful enemy, we need a strong alliance that leaves no room for doubt."
"A strong alliance... Like offering your soul to the Archisus Church?"
"...N-Not that kind of ritual. I am speaking of a marriage alliance."
"Between you and me?" Tae-hyun asked, utterly dumbfounded.
The Second Prince waved his hands in a panic.
"...No... Not me, but between my daughter and Your Majesty..."
"Capture and lock that bastard up immediately!"