A Chain of Misfortunes

Anyone could tell at a single glance that Burford was absolutely furious. Huffing and glaring, he was the very definition of someone harboring a massive grudge against the entire world.

Did this guy trip and fall on his face on the way here? Why is he so full of rage?

Tae-hyun, completely forgetting his own hand in the matter, shamelessly wondered what was wrong with him. After all, it was entirely because of Tae-hyun that Burford's grand, magnificent plans had gone completely awry!

The quest to raid the royal palace with the knights of the Sadique Order and assassinate the king? Ruined because of Tae-hyun.

The quest where he ambitiously revealed his affiliation with the Sadique Order, awakened the Fire Magic Beast in front of the Valley, and tried to crush the subjugation force? Also ruined because of Tae-hyun!

And it didn't even end there.

Burford's grand vision of "making a grand entrance as a ranker just as the Sadique Order reveals itself to the continent" had failed, but that still wasn't the absolute worst-case scenario. The absolute worst-case scenario came right after.

Tae-hyun had PK'ed Burford, who had stayed behind to cover the retreat, and made off with his Sacred Ring!

To put it in perspective, it was like coming over and stomping on the last begging bowl of a beggar who had already lost everything.

No matter how much Burford thought about it, he couldn't wrap his head around it. The plan had been perfect. Why? How? For what reason? How on earth did things end up like this!

He especially couldn't comprehend how his Sacred Ring had been stolen. As a crucial quest item within the order, it was supposed to be absolutely non-droppable under normal circumstances. Yet Tae-hyun had just snatched it away as if it were nothing.

Just thinking about it made his anger boil over all over again!

"Kuaaaaah!"

Burford let out a rage-filled roar and lunged at Evangeline.

The Sadique Order itself had lost a massive amount of its power, and Burford's standing within it had plummeted. There was no way the Sadique Order would show any leniency after he lost the Sacred Ring.

"Die! Die! Just die!"

"What is wrong with this guy?!"

Even Evangeline seemed slightly taken aback by Burford's eerie, frenzied assault. But her skills hadn't gone anywhere.

Burford had wasted a massive amount of resources on the Sadique Order after being trashed by Tae-hyun. On the other hand, Evangeline, who was already a ranker-level player, had grown even stronger after raiding Marquis Marden with Tae-hyun. The outcome of the battle was practically decided from the very beginning.

Crunch! Crack!

"Aaargh! Lord Sadiq!"

The powerful vampires Evangeline brought quickly leaped into the fray, taking down the Sadique priests. Evangeline had already anticipated this level of resistance from Burford. It would have been stranger if there wasn't any resistance at all.

"Surround them! Don't let them escape!"

"Die! Die! Die!"

"Shut up! What is your problem anyway?!"

Evangeline blocked Burford's frantic attacks and immediately launched a counteroffensive. *Boom!*

"Keh-heok!"

A crimson energy surged and gathered at the tip of Evangeline's sword. Blood Explosion!

It was already a losing battle, but once Burford allowed a single counterattack, he was completely overwhelmed. *Thud! Bang! Crash!* Evangeline battered Burford with her sword as if he were a punching bag. As a Sadique Paladin, he managed to hold out for a bit, but it didn't last long.

"N-No...! I can't die again...!"

And then, death!

Watching this, Tae-hyun yawned again. It was too predictable to be exciting. But he had to shut his mouth immediately. The next scene hit him like a slap to the back of the head.

"Huh? What's this?"

Evangeline tilted her head, looking at the spot where Burford had died. It seemed she was checking the item Burford dropped upon death.

"A ring?"

"?!?!"

The video didn't show the stat window of the ring, but Tae-hyun knew by instinct. That was that ring!

"..."

Suddenly, Tae-hyun felt a surge of anger toward Burford.

That clumsy idiot lost it to someone else again?!

Talk about shamelessness of the highest order! Of all people, Evangeline had looted and taken the ring... He had essentially fallen into his own trap, which he had devised to keep the Sadique Order in check.

Tae-hyun sighed deeply and turned off the video. In the video, Evangeline was saying:

"But how do you get cursed?"

"I don't know?"

No matter how much his stomach ached with regret, Tae-hyun was someone who did his job thoroughly.

"Are the buildings going up properly? Check if there are any suspicious characters around. Make sure no one gets greedy for the loot."

"With this many people around, would any thief be bold enough to try?" Rufo asked.

"If I were a thief, I definitely would have tried to steal this," Tae-hyun replied.

"..."

Rufo was left speechless by Tae-hyun's sheer, unabashed confidence.

"Ahem."

Ed-an clearing his throat beside them as if it were the most natural thing in the world was a bonus! Rufo looked like he was getting a headache.

Regardless, it was a spectacular sight. Various buildings were rapidly being constructed, and a massive crowd had gathered accordingly. Not just the merchant guild's employees, but also crafting players who had received quests. Most of them hadn't come just for the quest rewards; they came because they heard something was being built in Kim Tae-hyun's territory.

"If we help out early, won't there be some kind of perk?"

"I'm trusting you on this. If we do all this and get nothing later..."

The crafting players whispered among themselves but worked diligently. Looking at their levels, these weren't the kind of players who would normally come all this way just to build basic village structures. They had gathered purely because of Tae-hyun's fame.

"No word from the other churches? Lee Da-bi, did you summon all the useful members from the Power Warrior Guild?"

"Yes. They'll arrive before the auction starts."

Only one day remained until the promised auction. An unprecedented auction where loot plundered from other guild members through PK would be sold! The fact that he could do this so openly showed just how thick-skinned Tae-hyun truly was.

"Good. Let me know when the Power Warrior Guild members arrive. I'll give them their instructions directly."

"..."

Lee Da-bi wanted to ask what on earth he was planning to make them do, but she decided to let it go. There was no point in getting dragged into his schemes!

"Hey. But is this really enough people?"

Cain asked anxiously. Having changed his class to Avatar of Archisus's Slave, Cain had been behaving himself ever since he complained to Tae-hyun and got thoroughly scolded.

"Why wouldn't it be?"

"I mean, you have more than a few enemies who hold a grudge against you. And this auction..."

Cain trailed off. He was about to say, Isn't this auction basically telling everyone who wants to kill you to come here? but stopped himself.

"Why did you stop? Finish your sentence."

"Ahem. Well, normally your location isn't revealed immediately, but for this auction, both the location and the time are public. Won't those who hold a grudge against you attack? Especially the guilds you plundered."

Cain's concern was valid. A massive crowd of players would gather for the auction, and there was no way to know who was hiding among them. It was the perfect opportunity for assassin-type classes to slip in. Given the grudges Tae-hyun had accumulated, it wouldn't be surprising if there were multiple bounties on his head.

"No ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠need to worry."

"..."

Is it really okay? Although Tae-hyun wasn't one to make empty boasts about these things, Cain grew increasingly anxious. No matter how he looked at it, this was not a situation to be relaxed about.

"You're worried about two things, right? An open assault with an army, and a stealthy attack by assassins."

"Exactly."

Assassinations aside, they could hire mercenaries and launch a full-scale raid on the territory. It would be incredibly expensive, but honestly, given the sheer amount of hatred Tae-hyun had drawn, Cain wouldn't be surprised if such an attack occurred.

"The former is already taken care of."

"What? How?"

"That's none of your business. And the latter doesn't matter."

"?"

"In fact, I'd be grateful if they tried to assassinate me. It's free items. Assassin classes usually carry expensive PK-focused gear, so they'll sell for a high price. I should thank them."

"...Aren't you taking assassin classes too lightly?"

In Cain's eyes, most of the enemies Tae-hyun had faced so far fought head-on. But players who specialized in assassination fought completely differently. They waited, hid, set traps, used poison, and ambushed from behind. To win such a fight, raw strength wasn't enough. One had to be accustomed to dirty, underhanded brawls. And that wasn't something ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠you could get used to overnight.

But Tae-hyun was brimming with confidence. PK was something he had done as naturally as breathing since the days of Fantasy Online 1. Front, back, side—he had experienced it all so many times that it was second nature. Assassin classes? The moment they lunged, they would be the ones worrying about their lives.

"Ah, I told you it's fine. You should worry about your own life instead."

"M-Me? Why me? Don't tell me you put a bomb in my armor again... right?"

Cain stammered in panic, suddenly feeling terrified of his newly equipped armor. Seeing this, Tae-hyun felt a bit apologetic. Just how traumatized was he to react like that...?

"That's not what I meant. I'm talking about your face being known. Who is the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠most famous player among those who have been seen running around with me?"

"Me... wait, what?"

"Exactly. If they can't target me, who do you think they'll go after?"

"!!"

Cain's jaw dropped as the reality of the situation dawned on him. Now was not the time to be leisurely worrying about Tae-hyun. I'm the one in greater danger here! On top of that, he hadn't even fully adapted to his new class yet.

"Well, do your best."

"Hey! Hey! Let's stick together! Stick together, I said!"

Cain scrambled to catch up as Tae-hyun walked away.

"By the way, what kind of effects does the Archisus Church have?"

"Who knows? But there's no harm in joining, right?"

"Hey, my current church is really strict and doesn't let me believe in other gods. I have to choose one."

"Isn't it better to stick to what you have? It'd be a waste of the quests you already cleared."

"I barely cleared any anyway, so switching doesn't matter to me."

"Apparently, if you join the church and pray, you get the Archisus's Prayer buff. It gives some kind ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of luck-related bonus. I guess it's because he's the god of luck."

"Luck... Luck? But have you ever used the Luck stat?"

"No, have you?"

"What is Luck even good for?"

"I wonder."

Once the temple building was completed and other players were allowed entry, the players gathered in the territory swarmed in to join the church. Those who immediately offered a prayer tilted their heads at the resulting effect. It was a buff completely different from the ones they usually received!

Tae-hyun watched the crowding players with a pleased expression. Knowing that all of this would translate into his Holy stat made him incredibly happy. It felt like he had built a massive multi-level marketing scheme.

Of course, this was just the beginning. Tae-hyun gestured. Seeing the signal, the Power Warrior Guild members began to move.

"W.o.w. T.h.i.s. i.s. t.r.u.l.y. a.m.a.z.i.n.g. I. r.e.c.e.i.v.e.d. t.h.e. A.r.c.h.i.s.u.s.'s. P.r.a.y.e.r. b.u.f.f. a.n.d. m.a.d.e. c.l.o.t.h. e.q.u.i.p.m.e.n.t., a.n.d. i.t. t.u.r.n.e.d. o.u.t. s.o. m.u.c.h. b.e.t.t.e.r. t.h.a.n. u.s.u.a.l!"