An Orc Never Forgets

Two hundred thousand gold was an astronomical sum, even if converted directly into cash. Anyone else would have immediately started calculating how to cash it out, but not Kim Tae-hyun. It's not like I'm hurting for money... If Lee Da-bi had heard his inner thoughts, she would have burst into tears! His way of thinking was fundamentally different. Tae-hyun intended to reinvest the gold ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠he earned in Fantasy Online right back into the game. He already owned a territory that was basically a money-devouring monster; even though 200,000 gold was a massive fortune by real-world standards, he couldn't afford to be complacent. Other players operated in guilds and pooled their resources through various means, but Tae-hyun had to gather everything on his own. What should I build next? Naturally, the church building... A Magic Tower seems possible too. I also want to meet that copyist, Galakpad. When is he going to show up? As Tae-hyun was indulging in these happy fantasies, someone tapped him on the shoulder.

"...?"

"Tae-hyun-nim. It seems something has happened."

Looking up at the players, he saw everyone buzzing with commotion, moving about in disarray. What is it? An ambush? For a split second, he wondered if the players who held grudges against him had finally joined forces to launch a raid. The probability seemed low, but nothing was ever impossible. However, this didn't seem to be the case. Then what is it?

He got his answer immediately.

"..."

How long had it been since he was rejoicing over his newly acquired gold? A crisis was already knocking on his door! M-My Magic Tower... Tae-hyun felt a heartbreaking pang of grief. He couldn't very well build a Magic Tower while a massive Orc army was marching toward them. My Magic Tower...!

A quest notification popped up for every player present.

Though the quests differed slightly to suit each player's individual circumstances, they all pointed to a single, terrifying conclusion: a brutally powerful Orc army was swarming in from the east!

"A-A continental... It's a continental quest!" someone shouted at the top of their lungs.

A continental quest! A massive event on a grand scale that forced every single player on the continent to participate.

Rumble!

Without waiting for one another, the players began to move frantically. Since everyone had their own home bases to protect, they couldn't afford to linger in the Valley of Despair and Sorrow. In particular, players whose home bases were in cities close to the path of the invading Orc army were in an absolute frenzy. If they arrived later than the Orc army, they wouldn't even be able to participate!

"Ah, damn it! I left my mount behind!"

"Offering rides on my flying mount! To any destination! 10 gold!"

"Casting short-range teleportation magic!"

"Applying movement speed buffs! I'm a church priest!"

Before the heat of the auction could even cool down, the territory was suddenly bustling with players packing up to leave.

"Let's go!" Su Ning prepared to depart, leading his guild members.

"Guild Master, weren't we going to wait and look for an opportunity?"

"Are you seriously asking that right now? You idiot! Do you think we'll be safe if we stay here when an Orc army is coming?" Su Ning sneered, pointing at the territory.

A territory with virtually no proper defensive structures! Furthermore, Su Ning knew that Tae-hyun had killed the Orc chieftain, Kazak. Everyone had seen that video. Of course, the Orcs believed Cain was the culprit, but Cain was currently right here too!

"Even if we don't lift a finger, they'll ruin themselves! Bwahahaha!"

"You're right! Bwahahaha!"

"..."

Watching Su Ning and his guild members laugh so gleefully, Tae-hyun felt a sudden surge of irritation. He had intended to let them leave peacefully, but they just had to go and beg for a beating... ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Let's endure. Just endure. Considering what I did, I should let this slide.

"Aren't you going to kill them?" Cain asked from beside him, his voice laced with surprise. Nothing was more terrifying than Tae-hyun exercising anger management.

"Given what I just did, I'm trying to avoid fighting if possible."

"...?"

"Hey, ahjussis!"

Flinch! Two Orcs who were about to slip away suddenly stiffened. Then, they quickly tried to resume walking.

"Didn't you two just flinch when I called out 'ahjussis' without even using your names?"

"It must be a misunderstanding."

"Yeah. At my age, whenever someone calls out 'ahjussi', I just automatically..."

"Won-jun Ahjussi, Cheong-sik Ahjussi. I know it's you two."

"..."

The two Orcs hung their heads dejectedly.

"How did you know? We're disguised."

"I've spent years with you guys. How could I not recognize your faces?"

The two middle-aged Orcs looked slightly touched. This rascal Tae-hyun, he actually has an affectionate side to him. However, if they had stopped to think for even a second, they would have realized something was off. Their race was Orc. It was a race where it was notoriously difficult to distinguish faces even without customization. Yet he had recognized them instantly.

Well, bald Orcs aren't exactly common... The reason Tae-hyun had spotted them among the sea of Orcs in his territory was their highly distinctive bald heads! On top of that, they had been throwing around gold like water, which was the final, undeniable proof. If the two of them had known what Tae-hyun was actually thinking, they would have immediately initiated a PK on him for such a rude assumption!

"But why did you call us? Are you trying to PK us?"

"No, nothing like that... It's about these items."

"????"

The two Orcs tilted their heads in confusion. What on earth was he talking about? What Tae-hyun held out to them were items that looked identical to the ones they had just purchased at the auction.

"W-What is this...?"

"What's going on? Did you have two of each?"

"No, it's not that. It's just... those ones you bought are fakes."

"..."

The Orcs' expressions instantly froze. What kind of absolute dog—

"...You sold us fakes?"

"Haha. Well, the standard for what's 'real' and 'fake' isn't exactly set in stone, is it? Even if others call it a fake, if you ahjussis believe it's real, then in a way, it could be—"

"You absolute scammer!"

"How could you do this to us!"

"Hey, it's not like I recognized you and targeted you! I just put them up for auction, and you guys bought them of your own free will. Is that really my fault?!" Tae-hyun shamelessly yelled back.

Forgery! It was a rather bizarre skill he had acquired while dealing with the demons of the Espa Kingdom. However, once Tae-hyun obtained a skill, he was the type of person who absolutely had to find a way to exploit it. If you play a long game, you're bound to get caught. I should only target those who are easy prey.

As a result, he had selected a few specific targets! The members of the Su Ning Guild and the ahjussis who had come to buy equipment for Yang Sung-gyu fell right into that category. The only reason he hadn't attacked the Su Ning Guild members who were currently leaving in high spirits was simple: the moment a battle broke out, the Forgery skill would unravel, and his scam would be exposed. It wouldn't look good if someone started screaming, "That bastard sold us fakes!" in front of so many witnesses. The exposure had to happen only after this gathering dispersed! Tae-hyun had chosen his targets very cleverly. In the case of the Su Ning Guild, even if they claimed, "Kim Tae-hyun sold us fakes!" no one would believe them. After all, everyone else had bought genuine items! People would undoubtedly think, Those Su Ning Guild bastards are just trying to slander Kim Tae-hyun again. That was why Tae-hyun had let them leave without a fuss. And so, completely oblivious to this, the Su Ning Guild members departed while mocking Tae-hyun!

"But look, I'm telling you the truth now. See how nice I am?"

"..."

The two Orcs didn't even bother to reply. They simply turned their backs and prepared to leave. It was clear that if they conversed with Tae-hyun any longer, they would only end up bled dry!

"Equip those and fight hard!"

"Do you think we're actually going to fight?"

"We're not fighting! We will never do anything that benefits you!"

"But ahjussis, you're Orcs, so you won't be able to avoid participating in this quest."

"I can't hear you! I can't hear you!"

The Orcs spat on the ground and stormed off. Watching their retreating figures with a satisfied smile, Tae-hyun suddenly remembered something. By the way, why hasn't Su-hyeok contacted me?

If a massive Orc army of this scale was on the move, Jeong Su-hyeok, who had gone to that region, should have been the very first to notice.

Su-hyeok?

Huh? Tae-hyun realized something had gone wrong. In Fantasy Online, if a player was unable to receive whispers... Did he get caught up in something? Was he captured and locked up by the Orcs? Or did he enter a rare dungeon over there?

It would be a relief if he hadn't been captured by the Orcs, but it was highly inconvenient that the person who would know the situation best was currently unreachable. Even if he wants to log out to contact me, he won't be able to do so immediately if he's in a state where he can't receive whispers... It looked like he would have to formulate a plan without Su-hyeok's help.

"Tae-hyun-nim, what do you plan to do?"

"Hmm. Wouldn't it be better to just run away?"

"..."

An immediate response that showed absolutely zero concern for his noble dignity!

"N-No... Your territory is right here. Running away is a bit..."

"It's a shame about the buildings currently under construction, but honestly, risking our lives to fight here just to save this place doesn't make financial sense." Tae-hyun was cold and pragmatic. He could rebuild the Valley of Despair and Sorrow whenever he wanted. In contrast, the players fighting here had too much to lose. If they risked their lives and died, the losses would be severe.

"Tae-hyun-nim. However..." Pelmas spoke up hesitantly.

"...?"

"Currently, this is the only temple of our order."

"Right?"

"So, if this temple is destroyed... it will be very bad."

"...!"

Tae-hyun's expression shifted. He had completely forgotten about the Archisus Church temple. This very place was currently the headquarters and core of the Archisus Church!

"How bad?"

"As bad as my current financial situation."

"..."

A simple yet highly effective explanation! If their headquarters was destroyed, a massive penalty would undoubtedly follow.

Ugh... Tae-hyun fell into deep thought. To think that the project he had so ambitiously pushed forward would end up holding him back like this.

"If the temple is completely destroyed, we won't ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠be able to operate properly for a while, and most of our functions will be locked..."

"I get it, so just be quiet for a second." Tae-hyun silenced Pelmas and turned his head. His gaze met Cain's, who was standing right next to him.

Come to think of it, the person the Orcs wanted to decapitate more than anyone else right now was...

The two of them simultaneously arrived at the exact same thought.

"H-Hey! No way! Absolutely not!"

"What did I even say?"

"That's not it! It really isn't! Look at my class! Look how hard I'm trying!" Cain screamed desperately. With the Orcs swarming from the east specifically targeting his neck, if Tae-hyun abandoned him now, he was truly doomed. Though, in truth, it was entirely Tae-hyun's fault that things had turned out this way...

"Don't abandon me! Seriously! That's just wrong!"

"Haha. Cain. When did I ever ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠say I'd abandon you?" Tae-hyun spoke in an incredibly gentle tone, which only terrified Cain even more. I'd rather you just swear at me!

"Please! I beg of you, don't abandon me! *Sob*!"

"Seriously, do you live your life constantly getting scammed? I'm not abandoning you, you idiot."

"Really?"

"Yes, really."

"Really, really... *cough*!"

"Why are you trying to act cute, you bastard? Know when to stop."

"W-When did I ever try to act cute..."

After kicking Cain away, Tae-hyun let out a deep sigh. It was only natural, considering he was now forced to take the hard road when an easy path had been right in front of him.

Shall we give it a shot?