A Generous Gift with Strings Attached
"Hey, you didn't give me a single demon, so why is that guy getting all the special treatment?" Cain grumbled, watching Roy practically skip with joy as he commanded his new demonic subordinates.
Tae-hyun smirked. "Cain. Think about it logically."
"...?"
"If I give a massive present to someone I just met for absolutely no reason... would you want to be in their shoes?"
"...Hell no!" Only then did Cain realize Tae-hyun was cooking up some diabolical scheme. Does this guy ever get tired of plotting? Tae-hyun backstabbed people as naturally as he breathed!
Wait a minute. Now that I think about it, this might not be a purely good situation! Lee Da-bi thought as she followed Tae-hyun, trying to calculate how to squeeze the maximum profit out of this.
She had jumped at the chance to tag along because it was a massive quest, and moving with Kim Tae-hyun—the hottest player in the game right now—was an incredible opportunity. But once her excitement cooled and she analyzed the situation rationally, she realized they were standing on a powder keg.
First, there was the vivid information about Tae-hyun she had pried out of Cain, including his various skills. It was great to have classified info that everyone else was dying to get their hands on, but...
If this leaks to the public, I'm the only suspect...! If Cain's warnings were true, Tae-hyun possessed a legendary temper and never, ever forgot a grudge. If he found out she had sold his personal info, his retaliation would be swift and brutal.
Da-bi knew all too well how sensitive high-ranking players were about their private data. There had been cases where players were hunted down and PK'd repeatedly just for revealing a single skill on a livestream.
Lee Da-bi: Guys, what should we do?
Guild Member 1: Just run away?
Guild Member 2: Honestly, yeah. Why stick close to a crazy ranker like him? Isn't our guild motto "Live long and lay low"?
Guild Member 3: Exactly. Major guilds and even the Kingdom's Army are gathering around Bardo City right now. If we get caught in the crossfire, we're done for.
Her guild members were brutally realistic! Da-bi pouted. Objectively speaking, the Power Warrior guild's combat power was pretty pathetic. They had plenty of members, but most of them treated orders as friendly suggestions, and their core elite force was practically nonexistent.
Guild Member 4: Hey, I actually managed to land a sponsorship deal. Why don't we just focus on that?
Guild Member 5: What? A real sponsor? How?
Guild Member 4: They said they loved our unique advertising style and wanted us to promote their business the same way.
Guild Member 1: What kind of company is it?
Guild Member 4: Uh... it's a sports betting site. But, like, a slightly underground one.
Guild Member 2: ...Isn't that highly illegal?
Guild Member 4: No way, is it? They said they just didn't get government approval yet.
Listening to her guild members' conversation, Da-bi felt a migraine coming on. Founding a guild to get rich had sounded like a great idea at the time. But as the guild grew, the headaches multiplied exponentially. She had to manage operations, and her own class was an absolute gold-sink. Unlike other established guilds, Power Warrior didn't have a steady stream of revenue. And Da-bi wasn't ruthless enough to tax her own guild members to fund her class. She needed gold. Lots and lots of gold.
Whether it's streaming, sponsorships, or whatever... I have to seize every opportunity! In her current financial crisis, teaming up with Tae-hyun was undeniably a golden ticket.
Lee Da-bi: Ah, shut up and help me brainstorm a way to make this work!
Guild Member 3: Well, if Kim Tae-hyun actually manages to break through the defenses and enter Bardo City... wouldn't you be able to secure a massive haul from the inside?
Lee Da-bi: !
Da-bi's eyes widened. Of course! How had she missed that?
Lee Da-bi: Yes! Just like in Abalab City!
Guild Member 3: Exactly. And Bardo City is way wealthier than Abalab City. Plus, in Abalab, a lot of potential loot was destroyed because the major guilds were busy fighting each other.
In Abalab City, the sudden appearance of Edaor and the chaotic guild wars had left very little time to loot. But Bardo City was a completely different story.
Lee Da-bi: We grab a massive fortune in Bardo City! After that, who cares? We can just run away!
Guild Member 2: But is Kim Tae-hyun even going to share the loot with you?
Lee Da-bi: Huh? Well... I'll fight my hardest too, so surely he'll give me a cut... right?
Guild Member 1: Shouldn't you ask him that first...?
Guild Member 5: And the real issue is whether he can even break into Bardo City right now. If you watch the livestreams, the situation around the city is insane. It looks like every single player in Bardo City has mobilized. The vanguard of demons that arrived first can't even pierce their line.
Lee Da-bi: Ugh... I'll ask him first.
"Um, if we manage to get some loot from Bardo City, how much of a cut do I get?" Da-bi asked cautiously.
Tae-hyun answered without a moment's hesitation. "Whatever you grab is yours."
"!?" Da-bi couldn't believe her ears.
"Really?!"
"Why would I take what you worked for? Whatever you manage to pocket is entirely yours."
"Thank you so much! I'll do my absolute best!" Da-bi grabbed Tae-hyun's hand, hopping up and down in excitement. Everyone said he was so awful, but he's actually not a bad person at all! I knew Cain was just exaggerating.
Tae-hyun nodded with a warm, benevolent smile. Unfortunately, Da-bi had spent far too little time with Tae-hyun to decipher the true meaning behind that expression. If Cain had been in her place, he would have instantly broken out in a cold sweat.
"Enemies ahead."
"Huh? Where?"
"Lying in wait behind that hill."
Tae-hyun was making excellent use of his skill, Authority of the Ancient Vampire. He had summoned small birds to act as scouts. It seemed like a minor utility skill on paper, but Tae-hyun utilized it with devastating efficiency.
Enemies over there, enemies over here... At this rate, we won't be able to get inside without a direct confrontation.
Tae-hyun called Roy over. Roy, still riding the high of commanding a demonic squad, ran over with an eager expression.
"What are my orders?"
"It's time to fight. You take the right flank. There's an enemy ambush waiting behind that hill, so order your magic-wielding demons to rain spells down on them first. While they're distracted, I'll flank them and encircle their position."
Tae-hyun's smooth, decisive instructions sounded incredibly reliable. Roy nodded eagerly. With this kind of military force, victory felt guaranteed.
"Understood!"
"I'll assign a few more troops to you. And take these bombs as well."
"...!" Roy's face lit up as he accepted the bundle of bombs Tae-hyun handed him. One of Tae-hyun's legendary specialties was Engineering. Bombs crafted by his hands would undoubtedly be a massive asset.
Mwahaha! He completely trusts me! But as Roy looked down at the bombs, he tilted his head in confusion. They were incredibly small. Did Kim Tae-hyun make them miniature because his Engineering skill is so high? Why are they so tiny?
"Alright. If you're ready, move out!"
"Yes, sir!" Roy charged forward, leading his demonic army.
Didn't he give away way too many? Cain wondered why Tae-hyun was being so generous with the demons. The remaining forces they had left were barely...
"!!!!" Cain's jaw dropped as he looked at the remaining demons. No... No way...
"Hey. Mount up. Let's go." Every single remaining demon was a winged demon! Tae-hyun casually hopped onto the back of a winged demon and soared into the sky.
Tae-hyun had never intended to fight his way through in the first place. If Edaor had been alive, they could have used his boss-monster majesty to plow through the players gathered around the city. But Edaor was currently sealed in Tae-hyun's possession, and the remaining demonic forces were split, drastically reducing their combat power. Trying to brute-force a breakthrough against a massive horde of players under these conditions would be sheer stupidity!
Tae-hyun's plan from the very beginning was to fly over them. And Roy made the perfect decoy.
"Everyone on? Fly up! Let's go as high as we can!"
"..." Cain stared blankly from atop his winged demon. Can a human being really be this evil?
"Hey, is it true that Kim Tae-hyun is coming with an army of demons?"
"Why wouldn't he? If you had a quest like that, wouldn't you do the same?"
"But Kim Tae-hyun isn't that kind of guy..."
"Hey, Kim Tae-hyun is human too! If a quest like that popped up, anyone would take it."
"Are you seriously comparing yourself to Kim Tae-hyun?"
"Shut up, you bastards!"
"?!" Roy launched his attack with a roar. The bickering players jumped in surprise and scrambled to draw their weapons.
"Taste the bombs made by your precious Kim Tae-hyun!" Roy was going to vent all the stress of bowing and scraping before Tae-hyun onto these unsuspecting players.
"Aaaah!"
"Take cover!" Seeing objects that looked exactly like bombs flying through the air, the players panicked and dove out of the way. Anyone who had watched the livestreams knew exactly how terrifying those engineering bombs were.
*Pop!* But instead of a devastating explosion, a cute, tiny sound echoed.
"...?"
You have activated a bomb-shaped voice recording device.
Your Engineering skill has increased.
Roy blinked. Wait, what?
"I! AM! KIM TAE-HYUN! COME AT ME, EVERYONE!"
*BOOM! CRASH! BAM!* Deafening sound effects blasted from the tiny devices. To anyone listening, it sounded exactly like Tae-hyun throwing a tantrum while tossing high-explosive bombs everywhere.
It was a simple sound-recording device. The Engineering skill was notorious for producing seemingly useless novelty items like this. But in this specific situation...
"What? Kim Tae-hyun?!"
"Where? Where is he?!" Players waiting in other sectors immediately perked up, their eyes flashing with greed. No matter how strong Kim Tae-hyun was, there were plenty of players who weren't afraid of him. In fact, the stronger the target, the greater the reward and fame for taking them down!
"Kim Tae-hyun is really here! Let's go get him!"
"I knew he'd challenge us to a fair, head-on fight!" Hearing the roaring battle cries converging from all directions, Roy's face turned pale as a sheet.
"T-this... No way..."
*BOOM!*
"Tae-hyun, you absolute rascaaaaal!" A thunderous voice boomed across the battlefield, completely drowning out the audio-recording devices. It was none other than Kim Tae-san.
"Come out and say those things to my face, just like you did to Sung-gyu!"
"..."
"Wait, where is he?"
"Yeah, where'd he go?" Tae-san and the members of the Choigang Jizon Moossang Guild tilted their heads in confusion. Instead of Tae-hyun, they only saw a bunch of demons and a single player who looked vaguely familiar.
"I swear I've seen you somewhere... Ah! You're that punk! The one who acted cocky and got himself killed!"
"N-no, I'm not," Roy stammered instinctively. But there was no way that excuse would fly.
"Where is Kim Tae-hyun? Speak, and I'll let you live."
"I don't know! I seriously don't know!"
"Look at how tightly Tae-hyun sealed this kid's lips. Fine! If you won't talk, then die!"
"I really don't know, you crazy old bastards!" Overwhelmed with frustration, Roy drew his weapon and charged. It was a clash between the Choigang Jizon Moossang Guild and the demons led by Roy! Of course, the outcome was already decided. Even as they fought, more and more players were swarming toward their location.
"Kim Tae-hyun, you absolute bastard!!!!"
"By the way... weren't you planning to fight that Kim Tae-san guy?"
"I don't need help from a loser like him." Tae-hyun's reply was short and simple. He had no intention of dragging a pathetic player like Roy into his grand showdown with Kim Tae-san.
"Alright. Let's descend! From here on, we don't stop. We run straight through to the other side! Grab everything you can carry!"
"Yes, Master!" the demons roared enthusiastically.
*Swoooooosh!*
"Demons! Demons in the sky!"
"?!"
"What? From the air?! Shoot them down! Fire!"
Archisus's Blessing
Nobody had expected him to abandon his entire ground army as a decoy just to bypass the defenses from the sky. A few players inside the city desperately fired arrows and launched spells, but every single attack missed!
*BOOM!*
"Alright, boys!" Tae-hyun bellowed, raising Edaor's Greatsword high. The demons who landed safely on the ground looked up at Tae-hyun with eyes full of absolute reverence.
"Let's loot!"
"UOOOOOOH!" With Tae-hyun's battle cry, the event that would later be recorded in history as the Great Looting of Bardo City officially began.
Every time the demons entered and exited a shop, the sacks slung over their shoulders grew visibly heavier.
"Hey, aren't we going to stop them?"
"Are... are you?"
"How the hell are we supposed to stop that by ourselves?" The remaining players in the city held their breath and watched. Although Tae-hyun and his demons were relatively few in number, their aura was so terrifyingly oppressive that no one dared to step forward. In the end, all they could do was stand by and watch!