The Art of the Double Agent
Holy stats are continuously being consumed to suppress the spread of the flame.
"Ugh. Let's move fast."
Although he could control the fire to keep it from spreading further, he had to constantly expend his Holy stats. Keeping it down to the size of a torch didn't consume much, but the steady decline was still annoying.
"And here we are, stepping into the heart of the temple's second basement floor. This is one of the most dangerous areas within the Sadiq Church's secret sanctuary. Do you see those stone statues over there? Those are golems. The very moment you step on this, this, or this pressure plate, they will wake up instantly."
Explorer Jekas explained in an enthusiastic voice. Though he was alone in the physical space, countless viewers were watching his broadcast.
"You must absolutely avoid startling or angering the golems. If you do, they'll activate on the spot. We have to tread carefully and move without waking them."
Jekas was intensely focused. The stream's chat was suddenly blowing up, but he was too busy watching the traps on the floor to notice.
"???"
Prompted by his friend's whisper, Jekas stopped disarming the trap and checked the chat.
"What??"
"..."
Jekas was utterly dumbfounded. So shocked, in fact, that he made a mistake he would normally never commit.
Click—
The Golems of the Sadiq Temple are awakening.
"Ah, crap!"
Jekas scrambled to run before the golems could fully rise and hunt down the intruder.
What on earth is going on?!
"I heard Kim Tae-hyun put out the fire in the Auston Kingdom?"
"What? That's impossible. Kim Tae-hyun wasn't on the MBS broadcast schedule. When did he stream?"
"No, he revealed it on a personal broadcast."
"A personal broadcast? Well, for someone of Kim Tae-hyun's caliber, it was weirder that he hadn't started one yet. Did he finally launch his channel?"
"No, it's not his own personal channel. Apparently, he appeared on the Power Warrior Guild's broadcast to show it."
"What? Really?"
Bae Mi-na stared at her subordinate in surprise. "Why with the Power Warrior Guild?"
"Well, Kim Tae-hyun has been hanging around the Power Warrior Guild, hasn't he?"
"I mean, I knew he hung out with them... but I didn't realize they were close enough for him to appear on their stream. Aren't they a bit out of his league? In a bad way?"
"True. The Power Warriors are a bit..."
The hesitation in "a bit..." made it perfectly clear what kind of reputation the Power Warrior Guild had.
Bae Mi-na glanced at her watch. She was out on business today—specifically, to recruit a famous player.
As a PD at SBC, Bae Mi-na was the younger sister of MBS's Bae Jang-wook, and the two had been fiercely competitive since childhood.
I absolutely cannot lose to my brother.
"Do you think it'll go well?"
"Who knows? We'll have to meet him first," Bae Mi-na replied with a sigh. "Losing Kim Tae-hyun to them was a massive blow. Have you seen how much MBS milked him? They aired a three-part special, reran it immediately after, and once the reruns ended, they edited and broadcasted just the highlights..."
"But people still watch it."
"Exactly! A single player can literally carry an entire broadcasting station. We missed out on Kim Tae-hyun, but there are plenty of other players out there. Pandemonium Online is always generating new buzz. We need to grab those people."
"Like the person we're meeting today?"
"Precisely."
"He seemed a bit older, though..."
"So what? As long as he has the skills, that's all that matters. And his skills are undeniable, right? His character concept is distinct, too."
"I heard his taste is a bit... eccentric."
"That's what makes it a good gimmick. I've also heard rumors that he doesn't get along with Kim Tae-hyun. If we can paint him as a rival or antagonist, wouldn't that be great for us in so many ways?"
"Are you trying to start a fight between him and Kim Tae-hyun?"
"Even if I tried, would they actually fight? Rankers rarely go head-to-head because they have too much to lose."
Bae Mi-na had absolutely no idea that Smith, Lee Se-yeon, and Kim Tae-hyun had recently fought to the death.
"Just establishing a rivalry with Kim Tae-hyun would be a huge win for us."
"It would be amazing if we could just bring Kim Tae-hyun over, though."
"Do you think MBS would ever let him go? My bro—no, that man, Bae Jang-wook, is incredibly meticulous."
"But the quest currently underway in the Auston Kingdom was kept completely under wraps, wasn't it? And the fire extinguishing was revealed through the Power Warrior Guild's personal stream. It doesn't seem like he has an exclusive contract with MBS. What if they had a falling out...?"
"I doubt it. It's much more likely he just didn't want to reveal the details of his quest."
Bae Mi-na hit the nail on the head. A player of Kim Tae-hyun's caliber possessed infinite value. There was no way Bae Jang-wook would do something foolish to jeopardize their relationship.
Chime—
The cafe door opened. Bae Mi-na and her subordinate's eyes simultaneously dived toward the entrance.
Walking in was a muscular, slightly fierce-looking middle-aged man. It was none other than Kim Tae-san!
Seeing Kim Tae-san enter, Bae Mi-na quickly scanned him from head to toe.
A tracksuit to a contract meeting? Wait... is that watch a luxury Breguet? Is it a fake? No, it doesn't look fake at all.
No matter how she looked at it, Kim Tae-san's outfit was a bizarre mismatch! Yet, Bae Mi-na's intuition insisted that the watch was genuine.
Which means... he's filthy rich!
With that realization, even the tracksuit began to look different. It bore no visible logos or brand names.
Could it be custom-made...? No, surely not. What am I thinking? Who on earth gets a custom-made tracksuit? No matter how rich they are...
But there was indeed such a person. And it was Kim Tae-san.
"P-pleased to meet you. I'm Bae Mi-na from SBC. Here is my business card..."
"Ah, yes. Nice to meet you. I'm Kim Tae-san."
Usually, someone who was incredibly wealthy and older would speak casually or adopt an arrogant attitude, but Kim Tae-san spoke with polite, formal respect. Bae Mi-na was slightly touched by this.
He's much more serious and polite than I expected.
Of course, Kim Tae-san's true nature was the exact opposite...
How do I persuade him? Bae Mi-na hesitated. A person who wanted for nothing was always the hardest to convince.
I have to show him my absolute sincerity!
"Yes, hello. The reason we reached out to you, Mr. Kim Tae-san, is..."
Bae Mi-na did her absolute best to explain. She talked about how she had been following his guild's exploits for a long time, and why Kim Tae-san and his guild members had such fantastic, marketable personalities.
"Hmm... I don't really like broadcasts and stuff. Too complicated."
It was the classic middle-aged reluctance to deal with new technology! Of course, Bae Mi-na wasn't about to back down.
"W-we can handle all of that for you! If you just record your gameplay, we will take care of everything else. You'll be able to review and approve it, too."
"So, will I end up on TV like my Tae-hyun?"
"Pardon? Who is Tae-hyun?"
"My son. He's been on TV quite a bit..."
"Oh, really? Your son must run a personal channel."
He has the same name as Kim Tae-hyun. What a coincidence.
"No, wasn't it MBS? He was on their broadcasts."
"?!"
Bae Mi-na gasped. There was only one "Kim Tae-hyun" who appeared on MBS broadcasts.
"C-could you possibly be talking about the player, Kim Tae-hyun?"
"That's him."
"?!?!?!"
"As expected of Count Kim Tae-hyun! There is truly no one else!"
"You flatter me, First Prince. I have prepared a certain plan..."
"Oh! What is it? If it's a plan prepared by Count Kim Tae-hyun, I will grant whatever you need!"
"It is a plan to lure the Second Prince into a trap."
Tae-hyun explained the plan to the First Prince.
1. Tae-hyun returns to the Second Prince and reveals a "weakness" in the First Prince's castle.
2. The Second Prince eagerly rushes in.
3. Tada! It was a trap all along!
"What do you think?"
"Splendid!"
Now, no one within the First Prince's faction dared to oppose Tae-hyun's words. Thanks to extinguishing Sadiq's Flame, his contribution points and reputation had reached their absolute maximum. On top of that, the nobles of the First Prince's faction were personally indebted to him.
"Count Kim Tae-hyun's strategy seems flawless."
"As expected of Count Kim Tae-hyun! Your brilliance pierces the heavens and covers the earth!"
"Long live Count Kim Tae-hyun!"
The surrounding nobles chimed in with enthusiastic agreement! Once one person showered him with praise, the others quickly followed suit, keeping a close eye on Tae-hyun's reactions.
"Then, First Prince, I shall go and deceive the Second Prince."
"I leave it in your capable hands, Count Kim Tae-hyun!"
"Second Prince! I have thoroughly investigated the weaknesses of Canaan Castle. I have also successfully bribed the soldiers patrolling the perimeter!"
Though not quite as absolute as his standing with the First Prince, Tae-hyun's position within the Second Prince's faction was rock-solid. Offering up soldiers (which actually belonged to the First Prince's faction) and resolving the crisis of Sadiq's Flame (which Tae-hyun had started in the first place) were achievements that put ordinary ministers to shame.
"What! Does that mean we can deploy our troops immediately?"
"Of course! If we launch a stealthy night raid under the cover of darkness, Canaan Castle will fall into your hands by dawn!"
"Bwahahaha! Excellent!"
Even though they hadn't even set foot inside, the Second Prince was already grinning from ear to ear.
"Second Prince, why not lead the march yourself and witness the glorious moment firsthand?"
"Hmm? Must I personally go to such a place?"
"Of course, it is not strictly necessary. But wouldn't you like to see the look of utter despair on the First Prince's face?"
"Mmm... Very well! It wouldn't hurt to see his pathetic face one last time!"
You have successfully deceived royalty.
Your Speech skill has increased.
The Second Prince rejoiced, completely oblivious to the fact that he was marching straight into hell! Step by step, Tae-hyun was setting up a trap that would reshape the balance of power in the Auston Kingdom.
"Now, I just need to handle this flame properly."
"Are you sure it's okay for the Pope of the Archisus Church to wield Sadiq's Flame so casually?"
"If you use it for a righteous cause, even the flame of an evil god like Sadiq becomes a flame of justice."
"That sounds like absolute bullshit..."
"What was that? Do you want to be purified by the flame of justice?"
"Whoa! Put that away! The damage on that thing is insane!"
Under the cover of a pitch-black, moonless night, heavily armored soldiers moved in silence.
"Count Kim Tae-hyun, is this the right path?"
"Yes. Absolutely."
It was a secret path to bypass the outer wall, the first major obstacle. It utilized a small breach in the wall. The First Prince's soldiers were fully prepared and waiting at the exit of that secret path... But Tae-hyun had no intention of going there.
If I lead them there, only the Second Prince will die.
What Tae-hyun wanted was mutual destruction! A clean ending where both the First and Second Princes took each other out.
"Right this way."
"...Was there no better path than this?"
"The world doesn't always offer easy roads. Now, after you!"
The place Tae-hyun had led the Second Prince's soldiers to was an entirely different secret passage. It was a shortcut Tae-hyun had secretly carved out using his Engineering skill! The First Prince's soldiers, completely unaware, were still waiting at the other location.
"*Cough, cough.* This path is incredibly narrow... Where do we go from here?"
"If you follow this straight ahead, you will reach the inner castle where the First Prince resides. Once you capture him..."
"The rest of them will crumble. Bwahahaha!"
"Exactly, Second Prince! Go! Go and seize the crown of the Auston Kingdom with your own hands!"
"Yes! I shall!"
Tae-hyun clapped his hands encouragingly from the sidelines.