Do We Really Have to Fight the Prince?

"What kind of crazy nonsense is that?!"

Elder Krasbi was not swayed by Tae-hyun's Speech skill. A loyalty passed down through generations was not something that could be easily manipulated by a mere skill.

"His Highness the Prince, who fought so bravely against the Hungry Chaos, is suffering like that! We must bring him back, no matter what!"

He doesn't really look like he's suffering, though.

From a distance, the Prince looked incredibly energetic. For someone corrupted by the Hungry Chaos, he seemed to be enjoying his life to the absolute fullest.

"I understand," Tae-hyun said. "Let us pool our strength and bring His Highness back."

"Thank you! You truly are a magnificent adventurer, worthy of having eliminated those other two trash competitors to win the race so spectacularly."

Satisfied with Tae-hyun's response, Elder Krasbi turned and left. As soon as he was out of earshot, Lee Se-yeon whispered to him.

"You have absolutely no intention of clearing this quest, do you?"

"How did you know?"

After all, who could stop him if he just accepted the quest and ran away? No matter how fast the Spada elders were, there was no way they could chase him all the way down to the ground!

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The Prince's procession was incredibly grand. The sight of the Ancient Empire's chariots lining up around the Prince to clear a path was, quite frankly, a magnificent spectacle. At this point, several players began to stealthily approach the Prince.

"Your Highness! To tell you the truth, I have admired you for a very long time!"

"I even read a book about Your Highness in the past! I've even memorized your poems! Just give me a task, and I will work my hardest!"

Since members of the Power Warrior Guild had already been selected as charioteers, these players saw no reason why they couldn't do the same.

However, the Prince was colder than they expected.

"How fast are you?"

"...Pardon?"

"I asked, how fast are you?"

"Uh... well..."

Normally, when applying to join a faction like this, they would look at your level or Reputation stat. Sometimes they checked your titles or completed quests, and in the case of evil factions, they might even look at your Infamy stat... but they never expected him to ask about speed.

"We are fast!"

"Is that so? To my eyes, you look like mere insects who have never won a single race."

"We're not exactly insects..."

"Then let us put it to the test! Race against those newly recruited charioteers over there."

"!"

The players' eyes locked with the members of the Power Warrior Guild.

This isn't bad.

If we win, we get to join.

"...?????"

"Execution?!"

"The slow have no reason to live. You are destined to die anyway, so there is little difference if you die now."

The Prince spoke with chilling indifference. The players cried out in sheer disbelief.

"A race is something where a single mistake can cost you the win! Execution over that is a bit much...!"

"Then simply win. Prepare yourselves!"

The Prince commanded, completely ignoring their protests. Trembling, the players turned to look at the Power Warrior Guild members. They had never paid much attention to them before, but facing them in a race now, they felt absolute terror.

Did... did they always look that strong?

Every single movement they make looks like that of an expert...!

Sitting atop their streamlined rockets, brushing their hair back, they exuded the effortless confidence of seasoned pros. The Power Warrior Guild members approached with arrogant expressions, preparing to provoke the players...

"How much are you willing to pay?"

"Huh?"

"How much are you paying?"

Rubbing their eyes and looking again, the players realized it wasn't an arrogant expression at all—it was the humble, eager face of merchants who had just opened up shop. The Power Warrior Guild members whispered in a warm, friendly tone.

"We can throw the race for you so you can clear this quest."

"Just leave it to us!"

"Depending on how much you pay, we can even customize how we lose..."

"..."

The tense players instantly felt like absolute idiots. To think they had actually been terrified, mistaking these clowns for top-tier experts...!

"His Highness the Prince has requested the presence of the outstanding racer adventurer! He wishes to appoint you as his lieutenant!"

"...No, wait."

Before he could even formulate an escape plan, a charioteer rushed over to summon him. Tae-hyun's face contorted into a deeply troubled expression. If he was going to run away, he needed some distance first. Being right next to the Prince was going to make things incredibly difficult.

Seeing Tae-hyun's distressed look, Lee Se-yeon bit her lower lip, desperately trying to hold ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠back her laughter.

Our Guild Master isn't usually like this... her guild members thought to themselves. Lee Se-yeon was normally the very definition of cold, strict, and serious. Yet, whenever she dealt with Tae-hyun, she seemed to act incredibly childish.

"You as well, Adventurer! The Prince highly evaluates your racing skills!"

"Wait, what...?"

Lee Se-yeon was taken aback. Come to think of it, she had also won a few races, meaning her track record was quite decent as well.

"Escort the esteemed adventurers! They are precious guests, directly summoned by His Highness!"

Tae-hyun and Lee Se-yeon were dragged away side-by-side by the charioteers. The remaining players stared at their retreating backs in utter bewilderment.

If both of you get dragged away, what are we supposed to do?!

Kim Hyun-ah shouted in sheer exasperation. At her words, the other guild members collectively gasped. Hey! You shouldn't touch upon that subject!

Faced with Kim Hyun-ah's surprisingly dense behavior in this particular area, the guild members fell into a collective, awkward silence.

Tae-hyun and Lee Se-yeon weren't the only ones summoned by the Prince. Looking around, everyone who had achieved decent results in the races had been dragged along, including Choi Sang-yun and Jeong Su-hyeok.

"Now! Eat to your heart's content!"

The Prince waved his hand excitedly. Laid out before them was a feast so luxurious it was hard to believe it had been prepared in an outdoor camp.

"I had my personal chefs prepare these dishes."

"This is... incredible," Lee Se-yeon muttered, recognizing the food and widening her eyes in surprise. Ancient Empire recipes had been used without restraint—and not just any recipes, but those used by the imperial family of the Ancient Empire!

In this game, recipes were essentially skills for chefs. Ancient Empire recipes, in particular, commanded prices dozens of times higher than normal ones. To think these were imperial recipes! If top-ranking chef players found out about this, they would lose their minds and rush over.

The problem is, there isn't a single chef here.

Lee Se-yeon smiled bitterly at the irony. There was absolutely no reason for a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠high-ranking chef to come all the way here to participate in a race. Consequently, none of the players sitting here could acquire these recipes—

"Oh. This place is a recipe paradise," Tae-hyun said with ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a delighted expression. If there was one thing he loved, it was getting free, effortless benefits like this.

"...You're getting recipe ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠notifications?"

"Recipes? Yeah. I'm not getting all of them, but this is more than enough."

Even if he couldn't acquire every single one, a significant number of recipes were flowing into Tae-hyun's hands. Lee Se-yeon felt a sudden pang of annoyance. This guy and his uselessly high number of learned skills!

Flash!

The power of the meal was truly astonishing. It ranged from permanent stat increases to temporary buffs that would make even high-ranking players gasp. Increased attack speed, boosted HP and MP recovery rates, reduced skill cooldowns, and more.

Did the people of the Ancient Empire grow so strong because they ate food like this every day?

"Now that everyone has eaten, shall we go on a hunt to help digest our food?"

At the Prince's words, the players exchanged glances. Since this group consisted of players who had won at least one race, there were several high-ranking players among them... but in a situation like this, the ones they relied on most were naturally Tae-hyun and Lee Se-yeon.

"Player Kim Tae-hyun! What are we going to do?"

"Player Lee Se-yeon, are we really going to hunt? What if that Prince uses us as meat shields?"

"Player Kim Tae-hyun, is it true that you cleared a quest with that guy named Farel? Or was that just lip service?"

"Why don't we just try to raid him together?"

"Don't talk nonsense! Did you not see him fight earlier? How can you even suggest that?!"

"Do you think Player Kim Tae-hyun is at your level? He could easily pull it off!"

It was absolute chaos. Tae-hyun and Lee Se-yeon looked at each other and nodded in unison.

"I have a great idea," Tae-hyun said.

"What is it?"

"Let's all just fend for ourselves."

"..."

"Wait, no. Can't you just give us orders?"

"You guys are rankers too. You should be able to handle yourselves."

The rankers panicked at their dismissive attitude. Normally, if anyone tried to order them around, these proud rankers would have snapped back with, Who do you think you are to order us around? But now, the situation was completely reversed. Tae-hyun and Lee Se-yeon wanted nothing to do with the responsibility of leading them, while the rankers desperately clung to them, begging for their reliable leadership!

"Just once! Just command us this once!"

"You can even treat us like Cain!"

"That is a remarkably creative way to offend me," Tae-hyun replied, utterly dumbfounded.

"We literally just met. On what basis are you asking me to lead you?"

"We believe in Player Kim Tae-hyun's character!"

Are they insane? Lee Se-yeon thought to herself. Of all the things to trust, they trust Kim Tae-hyun's character...?

While the rankers were bickering over whether to help each other, the Prince had already moved ahead to warm up.

Rumble!

As the Prince drove his chariot forward, the nearby monsters were instantly sent flying, shattered to pieces.

"Adventurer, come over here."

"?"

The Prince approached Tae-hyun and spoke in a strangely bashful voice.

"Look, there are monsters over there."

"Uh... didn't you just defeat them, Your Highness?"

Anyone with a working pair of eyes could tell that those were the monsters the Prince had just run over.

"I have never defeated those monsters."

"??"

"I merely happened to spot them while passing by. You take care of them."

The Prince loved fast people. Naturally, he showed the greatest favor toward Tae-hyun, who had the most wins among all the players present.

"Ki-it!"

Nantione glared at the Prince, letting out a sharp hiss. The Prince looked at her in confusion.

"Why is that hideous-looking Basilisk glaring at me like that?"

"She just has a bit of a nasty temper," Tae-hyun replied smoothly.

"While speed is indeed the most important quality, she really seems to have neglected her appearance. I shall find you a much better mount later."

"Thank you...?"

"Hmm. What would be good... A Gold Dragon? No, Gold Dragons are a bit too naive and foolish."

Inside Tae-hyun's robes, he could feel Yong-yong trembling with absolute rage. How dare that human bastard!

"In any case, I will make sure to get you one. Now! Finish off those monsters over there. I didn't touch them; I merely stumbled upon them on my way."

"...??"

Feeling slightly bewildered, Tae-hyun began sweeping up the monsters.

Oh?

This... actually seemed like an incredibly comfortable position to be in.