A Taste of His Own Medicine
When Tae-hyun directed his suspicious gaze toward them, the blacksmiths waved their hands in frantic protest, looking utterly wronged.
"It really wasn't us!"
"Why on earth would we destroy our own territory?!"
"Right. That does make sense."
Tae-hyun's voice was calm. The blacksmiths were deeply moved by his tone. Of course, they thought, he was just startled earlier. He actually trusts us.
"Alright, everyone close your eyes."
"...?"
"Anyone who was crafting something in the territory using the Engineering skill, quietly raise your hand. Ah, ah, no peeking. Teacher sees everything."
"..."
"..."
"What the hell are you doing?!" Cain yelled, grabbing Tae-hyun in sheer disbelief.
"I'm finding the culprit."
"What do you mean, culprit?! They literally just said they didn't do it!"
"And you believe them? Come on, the Engineering skill is absolute garbage. I've seen it since Pan-On 1—whenever you try to make something, it breaks, explodes, malfunctions randomly..."
The blacksmiths, who still had their eyes closed, flinched at Tae-hyun's words. They couldn't believe their ears!
To think that Tae-hyun, the man hailed by titles like the 'Father of Engineering' and the 'Pioneer of the Engineering Meta,' would speak of the skill in such a derogatory way!
This has to be a dream!
No way!
"W-we really didn't do it!"
"Exactly! We weren't even making anything in particular right now! It's not like this is our first time using Engineering. No one would leave a dangerous item unattended to come out here!"
At that exact moment, a system message popped up in front of everyone present.
Defend the Territory
The priests and paladins of the wicked Sadique Order harbor a deep-seated grudge against the Akisus Church. Upon hearing rumors of the Akisus Church's resurgence and prosperity, they have launched a surprise raid. Stop them and protect the territory.
🎁 Reward: ?, ????, ??
"..."
"Haha, I always believed in you guys."
"..."
However, the glares directed at Tae-hyun had already turned ice-cold.
Boom! Ba-boom!
Flames erupted continuously around the territory. It was the signature skill of the Sadique Order: Sadik's Flame!
"Slaughter the Akisus bastards!"
"Avenge our fallen!"
Their momentum was terrifyingly fierce! The hatred the Sadique priests and paladins harbored for Tae-hyun was no joke. Not only had he screwed them over multiple times, but he had also built his new territory right on top of the ruins of their former temple.
The Colosseum building currently under construction is being damaged. Construction speed has been reduced.
"Noooooooo!"
Tae-hyun wailed in agony upon seeing the notification. Hearing his cry, Lee Da-bi asked in surprise, "W-what's wrong?"
"The Colosseum... it's being damaged... and the construction speed is slowing down..."
"...Is, is that really something to wail so tragically about right now?"
"Do you have no blood or tears in you?"
"I definitely don't want to hear that from you, Tae-hyun!"
As she retorted, they ran forward, and the battlefield came into view. The mercenaries hired by the McCraney Merchant Group had rushed to the front lines and were holding back the monsters.
"My Lord Count! You've arrived! Let us fight tog—?!"
The mercenaries cheered upon seeing the highly reputable Tae-hyun, but instead of joining them, Tae-hyun simply blew right past them.
"My Lord Count?! My Lord?!"
"Ah, handle that much on your own! You're mercenaries! You got paid!"
The morale of the mercenaries has increased.
"?!"
Even though he had spoken completely carelessly, his advanced Speech skill combined with the class correction of the Avatar of Archisus boosted the mercenaries' morale.
"To battle! Bring down the monsters!"
The mercenaries successfully blocked the demonic beasts summoned by the Sadique Order, preventing them from advancing any further. Fortunately, they had already set up defensive fortifications around the territory during the previous massive Orc uprising. Thanks to that preparation, both the mercenaries and the players could fight with relative ease.
"To the watchtowers! Get up on the watchtowers and shoot! It's much easier from there!"
"Gather by the wooden palisades! Let's form a party! We need to fight in parties!"
The players inside the territory were startled by the sudden quest, but they organized themselves quickly. Tae-hyun felt a small wave of emotion washing over him at the sight.
You guys...!
Even though this was a bizarre territory, they were still trying to protect the place they called home!
"If we kill a lot of them, we'll get great rewards!"
"Right? It's a territory defense quest, after all."
"What are you going to ask for?"
"The Blessing of Akisus, obviously. Once I get the blessing, I'm going for ten consecutive equipment enhancements."
"I'm planning to exchange all my water for Akisus-blessed water and try cooking with it. Apparently, using that water makes it way easier to get the 'Incredibly Well-Made' title on your dishes."
"..."
Hearing the players' conversation, Tae-hyun's expression turned slightly awkward. He felt grateful, but he also wondered if it was really okay to keep fobbing them off with those kinds of rewards.
Well, they seem to love it, so it's fine, right?
There was no time to hesitate. Tae-hyun quickly dashed forward, searching for the main force of the Sadique Order.
"Mwahaha!"
The Colosseum building currently under construction is being damaged. Construction speed has been reduced.
"Stop breaking it, you bastards!"
A roar of pure rage!
Tae-hyun's body vanished in an instant, only to reappear right in front of them. He had closed the distance by chaining Shadow Dive and leap skills in rapid succession.
What followed was a relentless barrage of burst damage!
"Aaargh!"
The unfortunate Sadique paladin standing at the very front dissolved into a gray light and vanished.
"You shall not pass!"
"Kim Tae-hyun, you wicked fiend! You destroyed our temple and ruined our plans! Feel the wrath of Sadique!"
Whoosh!
While Tae-hyun took down two more enemies, Sadik's Flame flared up once again from behind.
The Sadique Order's strategy was simple. They weren't trying to defeat Tae-hyun; their goal was to drag out the fight as long as possible and inflict maximum damage on the territory's buildings.
Wow, these guys are pulling the exact same crap I usually do!
Tae-hyun was getting a taste of his own medicine!
Thud! Bam! Crash!
Tae-hyun knocked down another Sadique priest and shouted, "Let's stop this senseless violence! Sadique Order! Let's put aside our differences and reconcile! Let's break the cycle of hatred!"
Of course, trying to make peace after doing all the damage himself was never going to work. The Sadique paladins stared at Tae-hyun with expressions of utter disbelief.
"Die, you lackey of Akisus."
"In our order, 'Kim Tae-hyun' and 'Akisus' are literally used as swear words! We will never forgive you, Kim Tae-hyun!"
Only cold, hostile responses returned.
Persuasion has failed.
"Did he seriously just burn down their main base and then ask to make up?"
"Just how thick-skinned can one guy be?"
Even the players nearby were whispering among themselves!
Tae-hyun noticed some unfamiliar players mixed in with the Sadique Order raiders and furrowed his brows.
"What's this? Why are there other players here? Did they recruit new members?"
"I'm glad you asked, Kim Tae-hyun!"
"...?"
Someone answered Tae-hyun's question from quite a distance away.
"You...!"
"That's right! Kim Tae-hyun! Surely you remember my face!"
Burford shouted triumphantly. A wall of Sadique paladins and other players gathered to attack Tae-hyun stood between them, which gave Burford a massive boost of confidence.
"To think I'd get a chance for revenge like this. The time has finally come to return the favor for what you did to me! Go on! If you have any last words, spit them out!"
"...Who were you again?"
"..."
A sudden silence fell over the area. Even the players on the Sadique Order's side stared at Burford with expressions that said, Wow, this is awkward.
Flustered, Burford shrieked in desperation, "D-don't pretend you don't know me! There's no way you don't remember me!"
"Uh... I feel like I've seen you somewhere. My memory is a bit... Wait, were you a Chinese player? The one whose name starts with 'Su'?"
"That's Su Ning, you idiot! Who on earth are you confusing me with?! We're not even the same race!"
As Burford yelled in frustration, the other players stepped in to hold him back.
"Calm down, Burford. Don't fall for his tricks. He's just trying to provoke you so you'll charge in first."
"He's right, Burford."
"Huff, puff..."
Watching their antics with a look of pure boredom, Tae-hyun spoke up again.
"So, who are those guys anyway? Did they actually join the Sadique Order? Hey, it's not too late to back out. That order is completely ruined. Even their temple building got smashed to pieces."
Tremble!
The shoulders of Burford and the Sadique paladins shook with rage.
The Sadique paladins have fallen for the provocation. Leadership has decreased.
"If you leave right now and join the Akisus Church, I'll accept you without any penalty fees—"
"Cut the crap, Kim Tae-hyun! Do you seriously still not know who we are?!"
"??"
The players shouted with immense confidence. Tae-hyun tilted his head in confusion. Who were they?
Lee Da-bi, standing beside him, whispered softly, "Just how many grudges have you accumulated for literally everyone you meet to ask if you remember them?"
What made it even funnier was that Tae-hyun genuinely had no idea who they were!
"I've lived a virtuous life. I'm sure those guys are just petty losers holding a grudge over something completely trivial."
"Kim Tae-hyun! We've come to settle the score from Pan-On 1!"
"..."
The moment Tae-hyun heard those words, he realized exactly what was going on. It's because of Jekas!
Because Jekas had been running around staking his reputation on the claim that 'This Kim Tae-hyun is the exact same Kim Tae-hyun from Pan-On 1!', people had actually started to believe it.
And since the Sadique Order's hatred for Tae-hyun was already sky-high, it must have been incredibly easy for them to team up!
Tae-hyun's deduction was spot on. Players who had been victimized by Tae-hyun in Pan-On 1 had come seeking him out after hearing Jekas's claims. Along the way, Burford and the Sadique Order had joined forces with them.
"Hey, you actually believe that idiot Jekas's nonsense? He's just slandering me because I snatched a quest from him. Just because we have the same name doesn't mean we're the same person! You guys might not know this since you're foreigners, but in Korea, having the exact same first and last name is incredibly common."
At that, one of the players raised his hand and spoke up.
"I'm Korean, you jerk."
"...Anyway, my point is that accusing someone based on a name alone is totally unreasonable. Do you have proof? Do you?!"
"Hmph, we don't need proof. You must know that now that we've come this far, there's no turning back anyway, right?"
One of the players pointed his spear at Tae-hyun and spoke.
They had come here half-doubting, but now that they had arrived, whether this guy was the real Kim Tae-hyun from Pan-On 1 didn't even matter anymore. They had already crossed the point of no return!
All that was left was to vent as much of their pent-up frustration from Pan-On 1 as possible.
Besides, this guy is just as infuriating as the Kim Tae-hyun from Pan-On 1.
The sheer shamelessness is identical... Is it really not him?
Tae-hyun had managed to solidify the players' resolve after only a few exchanges. He truly had a natural gift for getting under people's skin!
"Kim Tae-hyun. Do you know why we're just dragging out the time like this?"
"Do you have some kind of trump card up your sleeve?"
"Correct! While we keep you distracted here, another team has gone to destroy your temple building! Hahaha!"
The players laughed boisterously, watching Tae-hyun's face for any sign of panic. However, Tae-hyun's expression didn't budge.
"...You're not surprised? If the temple building is destroyed, it'll definitely deal a massive blow to the Akisus Church..."
"Well, I also have a trump card of my own. Though right now, I'm kind of wishing I had stationed them near the Colosseum instead..."
Thud-thud-thud-thud—
From behind the enemy players, the heavy thundering of hooves echoed alongside the roaring battle cries of knights.
"Count Kim Tae-hyun! We have come to your aid! The intruders at the temple have been vanquished!"
"Thank you, Count Anong. My Colosseum building is heavily damaged, but thank you so much. It will take several more weeks to complete my Colosseum now, but thank you so much!"
"..."
A noble's order of knights had suddenly appeared from behind! The players were utterly dumbfounded by the sight.
"Wait, why the hell does a trashy territory like this have an entire order of knights?!"
"Hey, isn't that a bit too harsh?"