A Benevolent Pope's Mercy

Tae-hyun, who had never once lost his cool at any provocation before, felt a sudden surge of irritation. Sure, his territory was small and a bit bizarre. But did they have any idea how much blood, sweat, and tears he had poured into this place?!

However, the players gathered there completely ignored Tae-hyun's words. No, they simply didn't have the luxury of listening to him. Their carefully laid plans had gone completely awry.

While the demonic beasts of the Sadique Order wreaked havoc outside the territory, and the Sadique priests and paladins ran amok inside, their original plan was to tie Tae-hyun down. No matter how monstrously strong Tae-hyun was, he wouldn't be able to quickly defeat a large group of high-level players backed by Sadique Order NPCs. Meanwhile, the others were supposed to destroy as much of the territory as possible!

The players, well aware of Tae-hyun's terrifying PvP skills, had absolutely no intention of facing him head-on.

— "Hey, what are we going to do? Why is there a knight order here?"

— "If those knights flank us from behind, we won't even be able to run! The others have already been captured too!"

Unless they were Sadique paladins or priests, the players had zero desire to die here. They had only come to seek a bit of revenge after hearing rumors that the legendary Kim Tae-hyun from Pan-On 1 was here; dying alongside the NPCs would mean losing everything with nothing to show for it.

"Don't worry. It's just a bluff!"

"A bluff?"

"Yeah! How could Kim Tae-hyun possibly have a knight order like that under his command? They probably just look fancy but aren't actually strong! Watch!"

One player spoke up confidently and charged toward the knights who had appeared from behind.

"Yaaaaah!"

And then, he was sent flying.

Crash! Boom! Bang!

As a heavily armored knight standing beside Count Anong activated a skill and charged, the player was instantly blasted away.

"..."

The remaining players' jaws dropped.

Judging by that attack, those knights were definitely not lower level than them. The sheer pressure radiating from them felt like they were at least level 200! Having a whole group of such knights gathered together was utterly terrifying.

Sensing their fear, Tae-hyun decided to drive the final nail in the coffin.

"Heh. The knights here are all over level 300!"

"!!!"

The players gasped.

"!!!"

Lee Da-bi and Cain gasped as well.

Lee Da-bi, thoroughly shocked, whispered to Tae-hyun. She couldn't believe the knights he had been keeping around were actually such powerful NPCs!

"Is that true?"

"Of course it's a lie."

"..."

As the two whispered to each other, the players trapped in the middle cried out in anxious voices.

"W-what are you whispering about?!"

"We were just discussing what to do with you all," Tae-hyun lied without batting an eye.

The players flinched at his words. However, not everyone was entirely cowed. One player spoke up with a look of grim determination.

"W-we won't back down so easily..."

"Oh, really? Then let's fight. I was planning to let you off easy, but if you want to fight, so be it."

"...!"

At Tae-hyun's words, the players' expressions instantly shifted. They abandoned the player who had just spoken and scrambled to put distance between themselves and him.

"H-hey? Guys?"

"Who are you acting friendly with? We barely know you."

"I've disliked you since the moment we met."

The players' attitudes turned ice-cold in an instant!

The player who had tried to act tough only to be abandoned by his own party members looked on with tearful eyes.

"Hey, hey! Isn't this a bit too much?!"

"Too much? You idiot, we almost died because of you!"

"If you want to die, die alone! When someone gives you a chance, you should know how to say thank you and take it!"

Their teamwork was like a castle of sand.

Facing the prospect of being left behind, the player desperately tried to persuade them. If he was left alone here, he would end up taking all the blame!

"Hey, listen to me! Why would Kim Tae-hyun let us off easy? Look at the mess we made! We destroyed buildings and attacked the residents!"

He shouted it loudly, clearly intending for Tae-hyun to hear. Since he didn't want to die alone, he was trying to drag everyone else down with him.

Hearing this, the other players panicked and tried to shut him up.

"Shut up, you bastard!"

"Why are you provoking him right in front of his face?!"

"I told you to die alone!"

Thud! Whack! Bam!

Some players even began physically attacking him.

However, the cornered player's words carried a strange weight of truth.

"But he does have a point. Why would Kim Tae-hyun let us live?"

"I'm telling you, we should fight and break through their line. If we scatter and destroy buildings as we escape like we planned, even Kim Tae-hyun won't be able to catch all of us."

These bastards...

Tae-hyun, listening from a distance, found their plan rather chilling. If they actually did that, the damage to his territory would multiply several times over.

"There is only one reason I am letting you live."

"???"

Everyone's eyes locked onto Tae-hyun.

"Because I know that you, too, were deceived by Jekas!"

"...!!"

"I believe you all realize by now just how wicked that man is. Just because he lost a quest he was working on, he spread false rumors to harass me. How can such a vile person exist in this world..."

Tae-hyun spoke with the most pitiful, sorrowful expression he could muster.

His face practically screamed, I am ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the victim here!

"Jekas is tormenting someone like me, who only wishes to live a peaceful, honest life, all because of a minor quest dispute. Is it right to frame someone just because they share the same name? Hmm?"

"You're not exactly honest either, you—cough! Ack!"

The player who had tried to act tough earlier opened his mouth again, only to be brutally beaten down by the others.

"We seriously need to shut this guy up permanently!"

"Keep your mouth shut! Lord Tae-hyun is speaking!"

The honorific "Lord" slipped out of their mouths in an instant.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

"Y-you idiots! You're being tricked! Do you really think he'll keep his word? I wouldn't let us go if I were him! Even if we were deceived, why would he just let the people who attacked his land go? We have to band together and break out!"

"Shut up! ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Lord Tae-hyun is different from a piece of trash like you!"

Clinging to their only lifeline in this crisis, the players desperately tried to show their loyalty.

A collective beatdown ensued!

The rebellious player was ultimately beaten to a pulp and forced to log out.

At that moment, a booming voice echoed from behind.

"That is absolutely correct!"

"?!"

"Lord Tae-hyun is on a completely different level from a shameless bastard like that!"

"...Could you guys please just go somewhere else?"

The voices belonged to the blacksmiths.

Led by Gabriel, the blacksmiths had arrived!

Fortunately, the players were too distracted to recognize Gabriel's face. If they had, they would have attacked him on sight. After all, quite a few players had suffered from his plague curse.

Regardless of Tae-hyun's exasperation, the blacksmiths cried out at the top of their lungs.

"Do not compare Lord Tae-hyun to trash like you! Do you have any idea how hard he works for the players who suffer in Pan-On?!"

"That's right! That's right!"

Tae-hyun simply gave up on responding.

Cain, listening from the side, thought to himself: What kind of alternate-universe Kim Tae-hyun are they talking about?

"S-so... are you really going to let us go?"

"Can we really just surrender?"

Tae-hyun nodded with a benevolent smile.

"Of course. Jekas is the bad guy here. You were all just deceived. Isn't that right?"

"Y-yes, exactly!"

"We only got fooled because Jekas made it sound so convincing!"

"Hahaha! Hahahaha!"

"Hahahahaha!"

Tae-hyun and the players laughed together, facing each other.

Then, Tae-hyun's laughter vanished instantly as he pointed a finger at Burford.

"Now, capture those Sadique bastards and bring them to me."

"...!"

Clang!

In an instant, the raiders split into two factions.

Burford stared at the players in utter disbelief. He had never imagined they would turn on him so easily over a few words from Tae-hyun.

"Are you seriously believing his words?!"

"He's a lot more trustworthy than you!"

"Yeah! Kim Tae-hyun is a player who keeps his promises."

"With how famous he is, he'll keep his word just to save face!"

Cornered, the players rationalized the situation to their own advantage. For them to survive, Tae-hyun had to be a man of his word.

"Attack!"

"You traitors! Do you not fear the wrath of Sadique?!"

"Is this the time to talk about that?! You ruined, bankrupt cultists!"

Crash! Bang!

With a chaotic din, a massive brawl broke out.

It was the Sadique Order priests and paladins led by Burford versus the players who had originally come to raid Tae-hyun!

Only after the fighting began did Tae-hyun finally catch his breath.

"Phew..."

He had expected an attack on his territory. He was just caught off guard by how quickly and suddenly it had happened.

Having something to protect makes things incredibly annoying.

Still, managing to repel a surprise attack of this scale was a massive success.

Even so, charred and broken ruins caught his eye throughout the territory.

Traces left behind by the Sadik's Flame.

"Kill them! Kill them!"

"How dare you traitors!"

"Aaargh!"

The battle grew increasingly fierce.

Meanwhile, Tae-hyun stood quietly, lost in thought.

Seeing this, Lee Da-bi approached him.

"Would you like some popcorn?"

"Huh? Popcorn?"

"Aren't you watching the show?"

"...I was thinking. Wait, since when did we have popcorn? Why are you even selling that?"

"Our guild figured it would sell like hotcakes in the future, so we've been making it in advance."

"..."

What a completely pointless dish!

It didn't boost stats; it was literally just a snack to satisfy a craving.

But Lee Da-bi was dead serious.

"Once we get famous, don't you think we could sell ad space on the popcorn buckets?"

"Aren't your dreams a bit too big?"

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step! If people see you eating it often, it might catch on! Here! From now on, whenever you pit people against each other and watch them fight, make sure to pull out some popcorn and eat it!"

Overwhelmed by Lee Da-bi's sheer intensity, Tae-hyun took a handful of popcorn.

It tasted just like real-world popcorn. Moderately delicious.

Do I really have to eat this?

While Tae-hyun was having these thoughts, the battle below was drawing to a close.

The losing side was, of course, the Sadique Order.

"Huff, pant... Kim Tae-hyun! We won! ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Keep your promise! We can go now, right?"

"You won? You did great. Since you worked so hard, I can't just let you leave empty-handed."

"???"

"You said you'd let us go!"

Failing to understand his words, the players jumped in alarm.

"No, I am letting you go. Just wait a second, guys. We might have met under bad circumstances, but you fought for my territory. How could I not give you a reward?"

"...!"

Everyone's eyes widened.

He was giving rewards to the people who had just raided him?

— "Is he really giving us a reward?"

— "Wow, he's way too nice."

— "He's definitely a different person from the Kim Tae-hyun of Pan-On 1."

While they whispered among themselves, a quest window popped up in front of them!

"Whew. It was tough making this quest. You'll accept it, right?"

"..."

Silence fell over the crowd.