I Only Came to Help
"I only came to help..."
Silence suddenly fell over the crowd at Tae-hyun's words. The guild members who had been playing since Pan-On 1 forgot the gravity of the situation for a moment and burst into incredulous laughter.
"What kind of nonsense..."
"Kim Tae-hyun, do you take us for complete fools?! Do you really think we'd fall for such utter bullshit?!"
"What are you doing?!"
The more sensible guild members, alarmed by their comrades' outbursts, quickly tried to hold them back. No matter how shameless Tae-hyun might be, anyone would get angry hearing such insults after claiming they came to help. Why on earth were they picking a fight and making things worse?
"Get out of the way! You don't know how black this bastard's heart really is!"
"Even if your favorite team's ranking tanked because of Kim Tae-hyun, how can you pick a fight here of all places? Think rationally!"
"I am thinking rationally!"
The veteran players from Pan-On 1 felt like they were going to die of sheer frustration at the newcomers' scolding. They couldn't believe these rookies were falling hook, line, and sinker for that bastard Tae-hyun's innocent, harmless act.
"Let me point out the glaring flaw in Kim Tae-hyun's logic. Look. Right now, Kim Tae-hyun has a mountain of quests to do. So why did he leave all those places alone and come all the way here?"
"Uh... to help us?"
"You idiot! Obviously, he came to attack us and steal our gear!"
"Why would Kim Tae-hyun do something like that?"
"Because that's just the kind of guy he is!"
Listening to this, Tae-hyun spoke in a sorrowful voice. "I knew people harbored many misunderstandings about me, but hearing it directly like this truly breaks my heart."
"You... you hypocritical little...!"
"I'm kidding. Just a joke," Tae-hyun said smoothly. "And as for why I came to help... did you all forget that this is the Atali Kingdom?"
"...!"
Ah, right.
They had been fighting so fiercely that they had completely forgotten, but this was indeed Tae-hyun's kingdom. It was so vast that they never expected to run into him, but...
"I... I see."
"No! Don't fall for it!"
"Please, just shut up. What is wrong with you?"
"What does this being Kim Tae-hyun's kingdom have to do with him helping us conquer a castle?!"
"Well, if you guys take over, you'll listen to me a lot better than the current lord of this castle," Tae-hyun explained. "You'll pay your taxes on time, you won't pull any stupid stunts when I tell you not to, and you'll provide support when a boss monster spawns in the kingdom and we need to raid it."
"..."
"..."
Once again, silence descended upon the crowd. Several guild officers stared at Tae-hyun in disbelief.
Wait... was the Atali Kingdom really that much of a mess?
Being a king is a lot harder than it looks.
And here I was, just feeling jealous...
When the news first broke that Tae-hyun had become the King of the Atali Kingdom, many guild leaders had writhed in pure envy. That obnoxious bastard Kim Tae-hyun, a king! While they were struggling to conquer a single castle or city, grinding affinity quests for minor nobles, or starting from the absolute bottom...
But hearing the reality from Tae-hyun's own mouth was far different from what they had imagined. If his subjects didn't listen to him like that, what was even the point of being king?
"What's with the silence? Don't tell me you planned to occupy a castle in someone else's kingdom and not pay a single copper in taxes?"
"N-no... of course we planned to pay taxes."
"We were going to help out with quests, too."
Though they had all been beaten to a pulp by Tae-hyun at some point, they weren't such lowlifes that they would dodge taxes. As decent human beings, they naturally intended to pay taxes upon occupying a castle within the kingdom and support any kingdom-wide quests. To do otherwise would make them worse than beasts.
Tae-hyun nodded in satisfaction at the guild members' responses. "Exactly. That's all I ask. That's why I came to support you and lend a hand."
"Th-thank you?"
Though they were deeply bewildered, the guild members expressed their gratitude. Hey, at least he said he was here to help!
"But fighting each other right in front of the castle? What on earth are you doing? Are you Cain? How can you be so utterly thoughtless?"
As Tae-hyun scolded them in anger, the two guild masters were dumbfounded.
Why is he the one getting mad?
Who do you think you are...!
Of course, they couldn't say any of this out loud. Tae-hyun was standing far too close. One wrong word, and they felt like they would get thrashed on the spot! The traumatic memories of Pan-On 1 were still vividly engraved in their minds.
"We're sorry."
"It was our mistake."
"Good. Now, make up."
At Tae-hyun's command, the members of the two guilds awkwardly shook hands.
"Now, the guild masters as well. ...What were your names again?"
Squeeze.
The Guild Master of Black Claw clenched his fists tightly.
You bastard, if you beat me up that much, the least you could do is remember my name!
"...Nam Jung-hoon."
"Right, Nam Jung-hoon. And the other guild master?"
"Claudia."
"But why are you both glaring at me like that? Do you hold some sort of grudge? Do you want to go 1v1?"
At Tae-hyun's question, the two guild masters immediately averted their eyes.
"There seems to be a misunderstanding."
"Yes, a misunderstanding. Entirely a misunderstanding."
"Is that so? Glad to hear it. Now, let's all make up."
At Tae-hyun's prompting, the two guild masters stood close together in the most awkward pose imaginable.
Watching this, Lee Da-bi asked, "Should we post this on the news?"
"Hmm. If these two guilds are going to govern this castle together in the future, it wouldn't be a bad idea for everyone to know that the guild masters are close friends."
Hearing this, Nam Jung-hoon asked in a panic, "What news?"
"You don't know about the news channel run by the Power Warrior guys? The account that always posts Pan-On breaking news. Perfect. You should subscribe to it today."
"...That channel was run by the Power Warrior Guild?!"
Nam Jung-hoon was shocked. He had wondered how they managed to post such fascinating, unheard-of information so quickly, thinking, Wow, is this run by some major media outlet? But to think...
"W-wait a minute! You're going to post this there? That's a bit..."
"Player Kim Tae-hyun. This is embarrassing...!"
"Why be embarrassed about something like this? Come on."
Regardless of their panic, Tae-hyun and Lee Da-bi wrapped things up cleanly.
The 'True Promise' of the Two Guild Masters... Today's post on the account would feature a story about how close the two guild masters were.
Their expressions look a bit stiff, though. Should I touch it up a bit with Photoshop?
"Did you get them to make up?"
Lee Se-yeon and the other players approached from behind. They had been watching Tae-hyun walk in and talk to them, and seeing the fighting stop, it seemed things had ended well.
Even Lee Se-yeon...!
Nam Jung-hoon felt a cold sweat break out. Tae-hyun was terrifying, but a Necromancer like Lee Se-yeon was even more frightening in a battle like this. Rather than a single-target damage dealer, a Necromancer who could command an entire army by themselves boasted a truly horrific level of destructive power in large-scale skirmishes.
"Yeah. I reasoned with them, and they were very understanding."
I'm pretty sure I saw you attack a few of them earlier, though?
From a distance, they had seen Tae-hyun attacking the guild members and thought, Ah, we're doomed, but surprisingly, it seemed to have worked out.
"So, the reason the two guilds were fighting was over who gets to enter first?"
"Yes."
"That's right."
The two guild masters nodded, then glared at each other again. They might have made up, but the tension hadn't completely dissipated.
"We were supposed to go in first, but then they pulled that stunt. They must have planned to betray us from the start."
"That's our line! We saw you taking heavy casualties and tried to help, but you reacted like that. How could we not be suspicious?!"
"Stick to the original agreement!"
"At the very least, if we don't keep an eye on you..."
Watching the two guild masters bicker, Tae-hyun looked puzzled. "The castle hasn't even fallen yet, and you're already fighting over this?"
"Well, once we get inside, it'll be over in a flash."
"...You two must be incredibly skilled, then?"
At Tae-hyun's words, the two guild masters blushed slightly, thinking it was a compliment.
Lee Se-yeon spoke up, sounding exasperated. "He's not praising you. He's insulting you both..."
"What did you say?!"
"Grr...!"
But Tae-hyun paid them no mind and continued. "I have a great idea."
"?"
"Why don't I just go in first?"
"...That is literally the worst possible option!" Nam Jung-hoon shrieked, goosebumps breaking out all over his skin.
A nearby guild member tilted their head and chimed in. "Wouldn't it be great if Player Kim Tae-hyun went in first? He's the most impartial person here."
You crazy son of a—
Nam Jung-hoon barely swallowed the curse. There were too many eyes watching.
"Ahem. It's not that we don't trust Player Kim Tae-hyun..."
"Sounds like you don't trust me."
"...It's just that our two guilds prepared everything for this, so if Player Kim Tae-hyun takes the lead, it would hurt our guilds' pride. Do you understand?"
Of course, pride had nothing to do with it. They were simply terrified that Tae-hyun would go in first and claim the castle for himself. And Tae-hyun was absolutely the kind of person who would do exactly that!
Claudia, realizing this as well, quickly compromised.
"How about we just go in together?"
"L-let's do that."
People who were bickering would always unite when faced with a greater threat. Upon encountering Tae-hyun, the two guild masters joined forces in an instant.
Watching this, the clueless guild members were filled with admiration.
So this was Player Kim Tae-hyun's plan all along!
The two who had absolutely refused to cooperate were now working hand-in-hand the moment Tae-hyun appeared. Player Kim Tae-hyun had anticipated this...!
What an incredible person!
Of course, if the veterans had known what this rookie was thinking, they would have immediately unleashed a torrent of curses.
Then what about when Kim Tae-hyun stole the mine we captured in Pan-On 1?! Was that his way of advising us to build our strength from scratch?!
BOOM!
The adventurers breached the castle gates!
You have entered Scalo Castle!
Proceed to the Lord's Chamber within the inner castle. Occupying the chamber for a set duration will grant ownership of the castle.
As they smashed through the gates and rushed inside, the system notification popped up. It was a satisfying message that anyone who had ever participated in a siege knew all too well. They had cleared the biggest initial hurdle!
"Tanks, to the front!"
"The guards are swarming!"
The defenders of Scalo Castle began to pour in like a tidal wave. However, the guild members were already fully prepared.
"Be careful, adventurers! There is a hidden malice in the movements of those guards!"
"...???"
"????"
The guild members, who had been casting various buffs and preparing their skills, turned around in utter confusion.
Who on earth is that NPC?
No idea...
The prince, locked inside his cage, was shouting advice at the top of his lungs. Of course, Persotelton was offering genuine guidance born of his vast experience and wisdom, but to the guild members, it was just bizarre. What kind of NPC was he to be locked up in a cage like that, screaming at them?
"Kim Tae-hyun usually travels with demons. Isn't that one of them?"
"He looks way too human to be a demon, though?"
"Must be a human-looking demon. Look at how tightly he's bound. Those chains are insane."
"True. We probably shouldn't listen to him."
"No, you foolish adventurers!" Persotelton cried out in sheer frustration. He was trying to help, yet they completely ignored his advice.
"What's going on?"
"Ah, you have arrived, adventurer! Watch those guards closely. There is something highly suspicious about them!"
"Really?"
Tae-hyun was skeptical. Although the guards were swarming from all directions, there didn't seem to be anything particularly unusual about them.
They look pretty normal to me.
"Can you not feel the energy of the Hungry Chaos?!"
Carbanog wonders if that energy is actually just coming from the Prince himself.
In truth, the one radiating the strongest aura of the Hungry Chaos in this entire area was none other than the corrupted prince himself.