A Heavy Load to Pull

Kim Ye-ri instinctively scanned her surroundings. Nobody heard that, right?

Fortunately, there was no one nearby. Even if someone had overheard, they likely wouldn't have believed it anyway. Acquiring a professional gaming team wasn't some casual joke; it wasn't something you could talk about so easily. However, Ye-ri knew all too well that Yu Ji-soo was more than capable of pulling it off.

—Actually, I'm the heiress of the Yuseong Group.

—Really? Actually, my brother is Cain.

—I'm not joking...

—I'm not joking either?

—?!

Ji-soo didn't go around flaunting her background, but she didn't hide it from her close friend either.

"Wouldn't acquiring a gaming team be too difficult?" Ye-ri asked hesitantly.

"Of course, buying a team currently playing in the 1st Division would be hard. Even if their management is struggling, they'll demand an exorbitant price, and their executives will be stubborn."

"Th-that's not what I meant..."

"So, I'm thinking of acquiring a team in the 2nd Division, or maybe one that's preparing to challenge the 2nd Division. Those teams are usually in poor financial shape, and the corporations sponsoring them would be thrilled if someone offered to take them off their hands."

"...!!"

Ye-ri was dumbfounded. When on earth did she prepare all this?

"So, which team are you going to buy?"

"I have to think about that from now on. First, I need to buy a team with players who have real potential."

Facilities and staff were easy to replace, but players were a different story. If they had to replace all the players too, there was no point in buying an existing team. They might as well start a new one from scratch.

"That's why I'm studying the list and doing my homework."

"I have a great idea!" Ye-ri suddenly shouted as an idea struck her.

"Huh?"

"We know someone with an absolutely incredible eye for talent."

"Uh... Ye-ri. We don't really need to call Cain..." Ji-soo hesitated. To be honest, she didn't have much faith in Cain's judgment.

"...I was talking about Kim Tae-hyun."

"Ah!"

"..."

"Of course, I was thinking the same thing."

"..."

"Really...!"

Is this actually meant to be used?

Tae-hyun was dumbfounded when he discovered the item Prince Persotelton had left behind for his successor.

This is an item you could absolutely never ride through normal means.

It was basically telling you to max out a skill to Legendary, obtain a bloodline related to the Ancient Empire's emperors, and surpass Level 1000 before even thinking about riding it!

Honestly, it was a stroke of luck that the prince had been corrupted by the Hungry Chaos; otherwise, there would have been no way to inherit an item like this.

...That sounds completely unhinged.

Tae-hyun decided to try riding the chariot anyway. Even if the penalties were severe, simply riding an item of this caliber was bound to yield benefits, from various rewards to stat boosts.

Besides, Persotelton really was an exceptionally skilled prince in combat. Though he was currently bound tightly in chains inside a cage, back when he was moving around normally, his abilities were...

I almost wanted to recruit him into the Archisus Church.

"Hmm. I see."

Indeed, both Persotelton and his phantom charioteers had summoned phantom steeds to ride around. While the phantom charioteers summoned two or three ordinary phantom horses, the chariot Persotelton rode was naturally on a completely different level.

"Nantione. I'm counting on you."

"Ki-it..."

The Basilisk walked to the front of the chariot with a dejected expression. She had half-expected this the moment she saw the vehicle.

Ah, I'm going to end up pulling this thing, aren't I?

"Ki-it!"

Nantione let out a shriek and collapsed forward. She was simply too weak to pull the chariot on her own.

Wait, even Nantione can't do it?

Nantione was a seasoned mount who had won all sorts of races on Sky Island. For her to be overwhelmed like this...

Granted, he hadn't hooked up all four mounts yet, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠but this was still too much.

"Heuk-heuk!"

Heuk-heuk, having already anticipated this, stood beside Nantione. As he expanded his size as much as possible, he revealed a well-balanced dragon form—not quite a fully grown Black Dragon, but formidable enough not to look dwarfed next to Nantione.

While Nantione's stats were merely "low," Heuk-heuk's were "extremely low."

Tae-hyun spoke in a disappointed voice. "Are your Strength and Constitution stats lower than Nantione's?"

"M-Master! I am a highly intelligent Black Dragon!"

"No, wait... didn't you say before that once you're a dragon, you're physically and mentally perfect?"

Tae-hyun was right. Dragons were originally monsters with maxed-out physical and mental stats. However, that applied to fully grown dragons. Heuk-heuk, whose level had barely recovered to the late 400s, was naturally lacking in raw Strength and Constitution.

Nantione couldn't cast complex magic like Heuk-heuk, but she was a Basilisk specialized entirely in raw physical power and endurance.

"Ki-it. Ki-it."

Nantione bobbed her head up and down as she looked at Tae-hyun, practically begging for praise.

Tae-hyun said with satisfaction, "Yes. Nantione, you're much better than Heuk-heuk."

"Why, you little Basilisk...!"

Heuk-heuk was so incredibly frustrated that tears welled up in his eyes.

"Gold Dragon! Get over here right now! We must show them the pride of dragons!"

"...Don't drag me into this," Yong-yong replied, sounding utterly dumbfounded. No matter how prideful he was, he had no desire to engage in a petty pride war with a Basilisk.

"Oh. Yong-yong is on par with Nantione."

"..."

Heuk-heuk stared at Yong-yong with eyes full of betrayal. Yong-yong felt completely wronged.

"Didn't you tell me to show our dragon pride?"

"Still, I didn't expect you to be stronger than me...!"

Since Yong-yong had been summoned before Heuk-heuk, his level was naturally higher, having surpassed the early 500s.

"Hmm..."

Tae-hyun fell into deep thought. If it was like this even with three of them pulling, was driving this chariot simply impossible?

"Should we try bringing another mount? We could hook up a motorcycle or a rocket," suggested one of his companions.

"It's not a bad idea, but if these guys can't manage it, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠those won't stand a chance."

While the motorcycles and rockets Tae-hyun crafted were by no means weak vehicles, they were bound to fall short in overall power compared to dragons or a Mecha Basilisk.

Do I need to go out and capture one?

The problem was that capturing just any monster wouldn't solve the issue. The required output of this chariot was so immense that he began to wonder if it was simply impossible to drive at his current stage.

"Still, we need to fill the fourth slot first."

"Kyaho!"

Bulbul-i pointed to himself in front of Tae-hyun.

Tae-hyun was startled by the gesture. "You want to pull it?"

"Kyaho!"

"No, absolutely not. It's far too difficult a task for you."

"..."

"..."

"..."

The two dragons and the Basilisk stared blankly at Tae-hyun, but he completely ignored them. We must protect the baby dragon!

"Kyaho...!"

Bulbul-i, who was currently the size of a small puppy, squirmed and suddenly began to expand his body. It was the size-shifting skill that Yong-yong and Heuk-heuk had demonstrated!

"Kyaho!"

Though his level was still very low, Bulbul-i desperately wanted to show off his capabilities. Tae-hyun felt a wave of warmth wash over him. Is this the joy of raising a young dragon?

"Alright. If you insist... but you must tell me the moment it gets too hard."

"Kyaho. Kyaho."

As Tae-hyun fretted over the immobile chariot, the bound prince finally spoke up from his cage.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

"Indeed, without decent mounts, pulling that chariot will be nigh impossible, adventurer."

"Then what should I do?"

"The skill Imperial Charioteers on the chariot will assist you. They will pull that heavy chariot in their stead."

"Oh..."

Tae-hyun felt relieved to find that the chariot at least had a beginner-friendly skill. He could certainly make use of it in an emergency!

"And above all, you must acquire far superior mounts. Those scrawny weaklings over there can hardly call themselves charioteers...!"

"Why, you rotting corpse! How dare you flap your gums when you're already dead!"

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

"Ki-it!"

Heuk-heuk and Nantione flared up in anger at the prince's words. How dare a guy who was currently dead, corrupted, and bound in chains speak so arrogantly!

Yet, there was no denying the truth in the prince's words. He either had to grow his current mounts further or find better ones.

The former is definitely more realistic.

Quests aside, it was true that Tae-hyun required so much experience points himself that he hadn't allocated much to Yong-yong or Heuk-heuk. Should I focus on a more balanced growth from now on?

Players hunting in the fields of the Atali Kingdom were suddenly thrown into a panic by the appearance of enemies.

"Aaaack! It's the Hungry Chaos!"

"No, it isn't! How dare you insult us by comparing us to the Hungry Chaos? We are the Plague Warriors of the Idergo Cult!"

"O-oh, I see!"

The Idergo Cult. They were at least slightly less terrifying than the Hungry Chaos.

Crash!

"We shall annihilate all living things!"

In the midst of the chaos, another group of enemies emerged from the side. They were heavy armored warriors, their entire bodies oozing a bizarre, ominous energy.

"Are those guys from the Idergo Cult too?"

"No! How dare you mistake us for the filthy plague-mongers of the Idergo Cult? We are the warriors sent by the Hungry Chaos!"

"How dare the mere dregs of the Hungry Chaos speak to us like that!"

"We will make you rot alongside the Plague God you worship!"

Crash!

The Plague Warriors of the Idergo Cult and the warriors of the Hungry Chaos clashed violently. Since both sides possessed formidable strength, they unleashed a barrage of flashy skills that tore the surrounding landscape to shreds.

"...Th-this is no time to be spectating!"

"Run! Flee to the town!"

The players ran as fast as their legs could carry them, desperately looking for help. Fortunately, the Atali Kingdom had various NPCs patrolling the territory to support players, so with a bit of luck, they could find assistance quickly.

"Over there! Look!"

"Please let it be the Knights, please let it be the Knights, please let it be the Knights...!"

The players prayed to encounter a knight order. The Silver Sword Knights and the Capital Knights, who were among the top forces of the Atali Kingdom, were incredibly powerful.

"Even the Archisus Pyromaniacs would do! They've been fighting really well lately!"

"Y-yeah. Honestly, the Pyromaniacs might actually be better..."

However, the players' hopes were ruthlessly shattered.

"The Archisus Paladins have arrived!"

"We're doomed!!"

"It's the Archisus Paladins!"

"What did you just say?"

"Ah, we said it is an absolute honor to meet the esteemed Archisus Paladins!" the players hastily corrected themselves.