Sincerity and Schemes
In that split second, a massive explosion erupted with Cain at its center!
"You son of a bi—!"
Before Cain could even finish his sentence, his HP plummeted to zero, and he was instantly eliminated from the arena.
The spectating players immediately began whispering among themselves.
"Did he just say 'son of a bi—'?"
"No way, you must've misheard."
"He was probably shouting at the Suning Guild. Like, 'You bastards! I'll never surrender!'"
"Wow, fighting to the death without surrendering? That's actually pretty badass."
"Wait, isn't that Cain who always hangs out with Kim Tae-hyun? The former leader of the Red Zone guild."
"Rumor has it he completely reformed... but seriously, what on earth did Tae-hyun do to make a guy like that turn over a new leaf?"
"Right? I have no idea how Kim Tae-hyun managed to tame him."
The crowd gathered in the stands babbled excitedly about the sudden appearance of Kim Tae-hyun and Cain. There was no topic more fascinating than this.
"You guys seriously don't know?"
"...?"
"It was his burning sincerity! They say Tae-hyun defeated Cain back then and gave him a heartfelt sermon. 'Don't live like this anymore. There is so much to enjoy in Fantasy Online 2 without hurting others...' Cain was completely moved by that burning sincerity!"
"...Does that even make sense?"
"Why not? Sounds pretty plausible to me."
"I-Is that so? It sounds completely absurd to me, but..."
If Cain, who had just been eliminated, had heard this, he would have charged at them swinging his greatsword!
Tae-hyun smirked as he stared at the scorched earth where Cain had self-destructed. Two were down, and only one remained. Even that last survivor was stumbling heavily from the aftershocks of the blast.
"T-This is absurd..."
"This is how you plot a conspiracy," Tae-hyun said calmly.
With those words, he threw his longsword with pinpoint accuracy.
Whoosh!
The longsword impaled Su Ning perfectly. Su Ning's avatar turned gray and collapsed, instantly eliminated from the arena.
Though all sorts of complex conspiracies had been woven together, the final victor of the Abalab City Arena was, in the end, Tae-hyun.
You have won the Abalab City Governor's Arena.
Your Reputation increases by 500.
Acquired Title: [Abalab City Arena Champion]
'?!?!?!'
Tae-hyun was utterly shocked. A completely unexpected level up!
'I mean... sure, winning an arena of this scale is difficult, but still...'
It felt like receiving an unexpected gift. Tae-hyun's mood instantly soared. It was like finding a ten-thousand-won bill in the pocket of a pair of pants he hadn't worn in ages.
'Huh?'
The title was great. However, the skills rewarded alongside it were a bit strange. Spread Deadly Poison and Paranoia?
'Usually, arena victory rewards are tailored to the winner's playstyle, like swordsmanship or magic... right?'
As Tae-hyun stood there, puzzled, a sudden realization dawned on him.
'Ah...'
The reward skills were based on *how* he had won the arena! And the way Tae-hyun had won was...
'Wait, I used a sword too! Why did they give me Spread Deadly Poison and Paranoia? Honestly, I barely even used poison in the finals.'
Tae-hyun was shamelessly rationalizing his actions.
Turns poison into a mist and spreads it around. The range of control increases as the skill level rises.
Cuts off the target's sight and sound. The number of designated targets increases as the skill level rises.
Despite his complaints, both skills were incredibly powerful, fully worthy of being arena victory rewards. Furthermore, these skills synergized perfectly with Tae-hyun.
Normally, when using poison-related skills, one had to devise a way to avoid getting poisoned themselves—especially when deploying wide-area skills. However, Tae-hyun's absurdly high Luck stat allowed him to naturally resist and evade almost any poison. He could literally just spray it wildly without a care in the world.
Both skills were exceptionally useful for one-versus-many situations.
"Kim Tae-hyun! Kim Tae-hyun! Kim Tae-hyun!"
As Tae-hyun exited the arena and walked up the steps toward the Governor, the gathered players erupted into wild cheers. To think they were seeing *the* Kim Tae-hyun in the flesh! Having come to watch the match without much thought, the crowd was ecstatic to witness one of the most famous players of the era.
Of course, not everyone was cheering.
"You bastard!"
"Go die!"
"You piece of trash! I've memorized your face. Don't think you're getting out of here alive today!"
The players who had been eliminated by Tae-hyun hurled furious threats at him.
"Boo! Go die, Kim Tae-hyun!"
—Do you want to die?
"?!"
Cain, who had been hiding among those very players to curse at Tae-hyun, flinched in shock. He thought he wouldn't get caught because of the massive crowd! But Tae-hyun possessed a ghostly, almost supernatural ability to pinpoint anyone badmouthing him.
—N-No... everyone else was doing it, so I felt self-conscious if I didn't join in...
—Cut the crap.
"Tae-hyun, you brat! How could you do this to me!" Yang Sung-gyu bellowed, but Tae-hyun simply looked away and began whistling innocently.
Yang Sung-gyu wasn't the only one demanding an explanation.
"I am going to spam every single one of your streams from now on!" Lee Da-bi threatened, pointing a finger at him while huffing in anger.
"Aren't you already banned from my channel?"
"I have dozens of alternative accounts, you know?!"
Tae-hyun let out a dumbfounded chuckle. However, the complaints of the losers didn't last long. They were instantly drowned out by the roaring voices of the rest of the crowd.
"Kim Tae-hyun! Look over here!"
"Tae-hyun! Please teach me Engineering! I'll do anything!"
"What's your class? Tell us your class! How much do you want?! Name your price!"
"Silence, everyone!" the Governor's soldier bellowed, causing the crowd to hesitate.
The Governor, who had been seated, stood up and clapped his hands.
"Splendid, Count Kim Tae-hyun. As expected, you are on a completely different level from these pathetic trash... ah, I mean, adventurers."
"My lord. Your inner thoughts are leaking out," his adjutant whispered.
"Is that so? It matters not."
Hearing the Governor's words, the players began to murmur. Was the Governor always this kind of NPC? They had thought he was a much more decent character...
"I am pleased that someone of fitting caliber has emerged as the victor of the arena I hosted. Take this chest."
"I accept with gratitude," Tae-hyun replied.
A gorgeously decorated treasure chest. What could be inside?
After checking the item, Tae-hyun quietly tucked it into his bag. The glares piercing his back from the other players felt almost like physical arrows.
'What's inside?'
'Ah, I'm so jealous...!'
'That bastard! I'll kill him! I'll kill him!'
There was no need to open it here. Tae-hyun put the chest away and waited for the next reward.
In truth, while Tae-hyun was looking forward to the treasure chest, the large guilds and high-level players were anticipating a different reward: a position within the city!
Securing a position under the Governor, gaining power in the city, and gradually climbing the ranks...
—One day, I'll become a noble too!
That was the dream everyone harbored. Thus, seeing Tae-hyun—who already possessed his own fief—swoop in and snatch it away made their jealousy burn incredibly hot.
"And regarding the position within the city..."
"I will gladly accept it."
"But are you not already a noble?"
"Well, the more titles one has, the better."
Tae-hyun thought to himself: 'I should sell this off for a hefty price.' He was confident he could manipulate the large guilds and players gathered here using this single position. A true master of the tongue!
Yang Sung-gyu saw the smirk playing on Tae-hyun's lips and thought: 'That punk's expression is highly ominous.'
Tae-hyun had shown his true colors since childhood. While other kids were reading standard fairy tales, he was reading about the Trojan Horse and innocently saying, "I want to make the gods fight each other with a single apple one day!"
'Who normally gets that kind of takeaway from that story?'
Regardless of Sung-gyu's anxiety, the Governor presented a sword to Tae-hyun.
"Indeed. Here, I bestow upon you the sword that proves you are the Governor's Vice-Adjutant."
"!!!!"
The other players' eyes widened in shock. Vice-Adjutant! That was a much higher position than they had anticipated. It was literally right under the Governor!
The guild leaders, realizing that all their hard work had been stolen by Tae-hyun, turned red with rage.
"However, I must apologize."
The Governor spoke nonchalantly. In that instant, Tae-hyun felt a sudden wave of anxiety. Villains in stories always initiated their schemes with lines like that! He wished the Governor would wait until after he left. Tae-hyun just wanted to get his rewards and leave quietly.
But the Governor had no intention of letting him go.
"Ah, let's not do this."
"I do quite like you, but..."
"Hey, let's not. I'll leave the city right now, so do whatever you're planning after I'm gone."
Tae-hyun pleaded, but the Governor completely ignored him.
"...What has been planned cannot be helped. There will be no issue if you join my army as well. I shall treat you well."
"Oh, come on, seriously."
"You shall soon learn my true identity."
"I already know it!"
"Indeed! My true identity is..."
The Governor's voice suddenly boomed, echoing across the entire arena.
"—The Demon Edaor!"
Boom!
The Governor's human form vanished, replaced by a massive, muscular red demon. Four wings fluttered behind his back, and sparking horns rose from his head—a textbook demon!
"?!?!?!?!"
"What the hell?!"
The players were utterly dumbfounded to see the Governor, who had been handing out rewards just moments ago, suddenly transform into a demon. What on earth was happening?
Though caught off guard, the players were no strangers to sudden forced events in Fantasy Online 2. Everyone quickly stood up, preparing to flee.
However, not everyone was allowed to escape.
You have consumed Edaor's alcohol. You cannot escape.
You are forcibly conscripted into Edaor's army.
"?!?!?!?!"
The players who had participated in the arena finals stared in horror at the message window appearing before them. Their bodies began to glow with an ominous black light as they were forcibly drafted into Edaor's faction!
Edaor's Vanguard
You have fallen into Edaor's insidious trap and have been forcibly conscripted into his army. Though your future remains uncertain, you are now Edaor's subordinate. Prove your worth to Edaor by performing meritorious deeds.
⊳ Objective: Perform meritorious deeds according to Edaor's commands.
⊳ Current Merit Points: 0
🎁 Reward: [Locked], [Locked]
"T-This is impossible...!"
"What is this?! What is going on?!"
Even highly experienced players panicked at the sudden turn of events. It was one thing for a boss monster to appear, but to be forcibly turned into his subordinates?
Moreover, the ones who had consumed the alcohol weren't ordinary players—they were the guild leaders and high-level players of the major guilds. The impact was bound to be devastating.
—Guild Leader! What happened?
—Guild Leader, what should we do?
The respective guild chats erupted into absolute chaos. Suddenly forced to fight against their own guild members, the guild leaders shouted in panic.
—Just run! Run for now!
Edaor looked down at the players who had become his subordinates with a satisfied expression.
"Bwahahat! At least I managed to ensnare some useful ones. Go and bring me the heads of the others!"
"A-And what if we refuse?"
Crack!
"What did you say?"
A crimson beam of light erupted from Edaor's finger, utterly obliterating the ground where the player stood.
Edaor's Binding restrains you.
You cannot resist.
"...I really want to do it! Please let me do it!"
"Bwahahat! Excellent!"