Princes at Each Other’s Throats
At present, the influence of the Archisus Church is spreading among the Orc tribes.
If you increase the number of tribes that believe in it, you will be able to expand your influence in the Uruk Region.
No... do they really have to believe in it?
It should have been the kind of message window he’d welcome, but no matter how he looked at it, it felt ominous.
Like if he gulped it down just because it looked good, it would give him the worst indigestion later.
“Well... work hard, I guess.”
Still, he couldn’t exactly stop it when things were going so well. Tae-hyun patted Jeong Su-hyeok on the shoulder as he spoke.
“Yes, sunbae! I’ll do my best! I’ll make sure the name of the Archisus Church spreads far and wide throughout the Uruk Region!”
“...That’s kind of terrifying in its own way too.”
Honestly, Tae-hyun wanted nothing more to do with Orcs.
“Su-hyeok’s gone, so we should get moving too.”
As he said that, Tae-hyun glanced to the side.
The plains were burning fiercely.
“Going in there to collect items is impossible, right?”
“Who’s going in there to pick stuff up?”
Instead of answering, Tae-hyun just stared at the Power Warrior Guild members.
The moment they felt his gaze, they turned pale.
“A-all the items are probably destroyed already!”
“That’s right! Those aren’t ordinary flames! And besides, it’s not like the Orcs were carrying amazing gear or anything!”
If this kept up, they were going to be shoved straight into that fire!
Maybe because they sensed it, the Power Warrior Guild members were desperate.
“Really? That’s a shame. What a waste.”
“More importantly, let’s talk about what comes next!”
“Exactly! We’ve got a lot to do going forward! Should we chase the Orcs? There are plenty of players pursuing them right now.”
“Or how about tracking down the Sadiq Church and finding a way to put out the fire on the plains?”
“That’d just be doing other people a favor. Tell the idiots who came to grab territory in the Auston Kingdom to deal with it.”
“...”
He’d caused it himself, and yet there wasn’t the slightest shred of remorse in Tae-hyun.
There really is a lot to do, though.
Tae-hyun scratched his chin and fell into thought.
There were plenty of things he could do. Chase after the fleeing Orcs, look for a way to extinguish the flames on the plains, return to his territory and focus on development, raise the church’s influence, search for divine authorities...
What should I do first? I should start with whatever I’ll lose the chance to do if I miss it now.
As Tae-hyun hesitated, Lee Da-bi whispered, “By the way, what happened with Smith and Lee Se-yeon?”
When they’d been escaping, things had been too hectic for her to even think to ask, but of course she was curious.
Why had Smith and Lee Se-yeon both gone after Kim Tae-hyun together?
“Oh, I took the item they were trying to get.”
“!!!!!”
Lee Da-bi recoiled in horror.
What did I just hear?
“Why?! Why would you do that?!”
Thwack! Thwack-thwack!
Lee Da-bi started smacking Tae-hyun across the back.
It was a side of her people didn’t normally get to see.
“Hit me one more time and I’m taking that as you wanting to PK.”
Freeze.
Lee Da-bi, who had been pounding on his back in a panic, stopped at once.
Her reason immediately returned.
“Even so, if you make enemies of two rankers—!”
“Well, it’s not like you can avoid grudges just because you try. Better to grab what you can while you can.”
As he said that, Tae-hyun checked the item.
Was it really something valuable enough for the two of them to make that much fuss over?
Durability: ∞/∞
Magic Defense: ?
Usable Skills: Descent of the Forgotten Dead, Obedience of the Forgotten Dead
On Equip: Inflicts status condition Curse of the Forgotten Dead
MP Recovery +50%
Magic Resistance +50%
Requires Advanced Black Magic Skills, Advanced Magic Skills
This is the crown once worn by one of the forgotten dead, whose name has now vanished. It is an extraordinary item that no unqualified black mage can even touch.
(Additional Option) Sealed
“...?”
Tae-hyun was stunned when he saw the item’s performance.
It didn’t have a lot of options.
But the options it did have more than made up for the low number.
Simple, yet brutally powerful effects.
For mages, who burned through MP every time they cast even one strong spell, MP recovery was more desirable than anything else.
There hasn’t been an item that boosts it by fifty percent yet, has there?
Even Tae-hyun was impressed by how absurd the item was.
And even more shocking was the fact that it was sealed.
If Lee Se-yeon was looking for it, then she’s probably got some black mage quest to remove the seal...
For Tae-hyun right now, unsealing it was practically impossible.
And even sealed, it was this strong...
And the skill effects were even more outrageous.
A broken skill that made all skills have zero cooldown for a set period of time!
No, seriously... can an item like this even exist?
At that point, Tae-hyun started suspecting it might actually be a trap.
It said it inflicted a status condition on equip.
If its performance was this ridiculous, then that status condition had to be something truly horrifying.
Damn, I want to know what kind of curse it is, but there’s no way to find out. And I can’t exactly ask Lee Se-yeon.
Smacking his lips, Tae-hyun stowed the item away.
It would’ve been even better if his magic skills were a little stronger, but even at his current level, it was still a disgustingly overpowered item.
Aside from the uncomfortable feeling nagging at the back of his mind, anyway.
Tae-hyun decided to shelve it for now unless a situation came up where he absolutely had to use it.
“Ugh... chasing Kim Tae-hyun right now would be impossible...”
Lee Se-yeon left the Auston Kingdom with a trace of regret.
If it had been someone else, they might have gotten furious over losing the item they’d been pursuing, or become obsessed and clung to it until the bitter end, but Lee Se-yeon didn’t do that.
There were plenty of ways to grow her character anyway, and she still had plenty of quests left to clear.
I can’t overpower Kim Tae-hyun in my current state. Even if I did, I’d have no way to take the crown back... Another chance will come later.
Lee Se-yeon let it go cleanly.
Tae-hyun was far from being a mage-class player anyway. He wouldn’t even be able to use that crown properly.
Later, when the opportunity arose, she could negotiate for it.
Lee Se-yeon started to explain, then stopped.
If she told them it was because of Tae-hyun, wouldn’t this idiot go charging off to catch him right away?
Better hide it.
At times like this, Smith was incredibly convenient.
Without having the faintest clue why, Smith suddenly got cursed out by Lee Se-yeon’s guild members.
Lee Se-yeon mounted her Undead Wyvern and quickly left the Auston Kingdom.
From high in the sky, the scenery of the kingdom spread out beneath her in a single glance.
Hm? Are they fighting down there?
In Fantasy Online 2, fighting was such a common sight you could see it anywhere.
Lee Se-yeon soon lost interest and flew higher.
But if she had listened just a little more carefully, she might have heard what the players were shouting.
“That guy’s from the Sadiq Church! Get him!”
“Urgh! The holy flame of Lord Sadiq has appeared here, so why do you all refuse to believe in Sadiq?!”
“Don’t let them get away!”
The players chased the priests of the Sadiq Church with bloodshot eyes.
The moment the priests stepped into the ruined city and started to say, “Could it be the Sadiq—” they had no choice but to run for their lives without understanding a thing.
“So should we build a few more Archisus Church temples, then head back to the territory?”
Tae-hyun studied the map, wondering if there was anywhere else he could squeeze for profit.
Even after going around threatening places already occupied by guilds, he still wasn’t satisfied. What admirable ambition.
“U-um, Tae-hyun. There are soldiers coming this way from over there.”
“What? Let’s run first.”
“...”
There were too many things that might come back to bite him, so Tae-hyun’s first instinct was to put some distance between them.
There was no need to fight right now if he could avoid it.
Surely they haven’t figured out that I’m the one who unleashed Sadiq’s Flame onto the plains, right?
Tae-hyun’s party tried to move away in the opposite direction from where the soldiers were coming—but that wasn’t easy either.
Clop-clop, clop-clop—
There were soldiers charging in from the opposite side too.
The faces of the Power Warrior Guild members darkened.
“I knew it...”
“If your tail’s too long, you get caught...”
“Shut up, you idiots.”
Tae-hyun clicked his tongue.
He would’ve preferred to avoid a fight, but if they attacked first, then there was nothing for it.
Though even if I get banned from entering the Auston Kingdom, it’s not that big of a deal...
After all, the places where he had built Archisus temples were controlled by player guilds, so the Auston Kingdom couldn’t drive them out.
If the kingdom held a place directly, then he could just give that one up.
The soldiers who arrived first took one look at Tae-hyun and asked, “Are you Count Kim Tae-hyun?”
“Yeah.”
“Thank goodness. We’ve been looking for you.”
“Who are you?”
“I am Charles, captain of the guard serving His Highness the 1st Prince of Oston Kingdom. I have long heard of the noble name of Count Kim Tae-hyun, the very man who revived the Archisus Church!”
Listening from the side, Cain muttered, “Noble?”
No matter how he thought about it, that was not a word that suited Tae-hyun.
“His Highness the 1st Prince of Oston Kingdom wishes to meet you once. That is why I have personally come to escort you. Please, come with me.”
Tae-hyun was just about to answer sharply with, What, if your prince says come, I’m supposed to wag my tail and follow?
When the Orcs had been rampaging, they hadn’t lifted a finger, but now that it was all over, they were sending people to fetch him. It irritated him.
But at that moment, the soldiers from the other side arrived.
“Then why did they split into two groups?”
“You bastards! Step back at once!”
“...So they weren’t from the same side.”
The instant the newcomers started shouting at Captain Charles, Tae-hyun realized who they were.
“Are you Count Kim Tae-hyun?”
“Yeah. That’s me.”
“Thank goodness! I serve His Highness the 2nd Prince of Oston Kingdom—”
“Yeah. Figures.”
The atmosphere turned ugly in an instant.
The two princes had been waging a civil war for a long time, each trying to become king. And now they had each sent soldiers to bring Tae-hyun to them.
Since he had built Archisus temples in ruined territories and raised the church’s influence, of course they wanted to meet him.
Whether it was the first prince or the second, Tae-hyun had been too annoyed with both to want anything to do with them—but now that they were growling at each other face-to-face, he suddenly got interested.
Can I use this?
“Count Kim Tae-hyun!”
“Which one of us will you go with?!”
After glaring and cursing at each other for a while, the two commanders turned to Tae-hyun and asked.
Apparently they’d decided that bickering any longer wouldn’t settle anything, so they wanted him to choose.
“What power do I have?”
“...??”
Listening nearby, Cain tilted his head again.
What?
“You follow the one with more power. Isn’t that how it works?”
“!!!”
Shing!
The instant the words left Tae-hyun’s mouth, Charles drew his sword and lunged.
“You insolent dog! Are you asking for a fight?!”
“How dare a worm serving some pathetic excuse for a master interfere in the affairs of the 1st Prince of Oston Kingdom! Step aside if you value your life!”
“Damn you! Draw your swords, all of you! Cut them down!”
“Do not retreat! The honor of the 1st Prince of Oston Kingdom is at stake!”
Clang! Clang-clang!
In an instant, the place turned into complete chaos.
Tae-hyun stepped back with the Power Warrior Guild members and watched the fight.
“Wow. They fight pretty well, huh?”
“...”
Lee Da-bi just shook her head.