A Buy-One-Get-One-Free Target
NPCs clad in heavy armor—the kind only knights wore—were gesturing frantically.
"Can't you move any faster? Ugh, those Sadiq bastards are truly..."
"Our apologies, Lord Antonio."
The knights bowed their heads at Antonio's complaints.
—Antonio?
—If it's Antonio...
The three of them quickly put two and two together.
The uncle of the King of Atali! The mastermind behind the recent royal assassination plot!
Tae-hyun's eyes gleamed.
If I bring his head back, the Atali Kingdom will surely reward me, right?
He could devour Sadiq's Authority and claim an extra reward from the Atali Kingdom.
Antonio was like a buy-one-get-one-free NPC event!
His skill hadn't pointed him here for nothing.
Tae-hyun made up his mind right then and there. Even if he had to blow up all his bombs, he was going to take Antonio down!
The problem is how to catch him.
Antonio was a powerful NPC who had originally been a knight before joining the Sadiq Church, meaning he could use both knightly skills and Sadiq Church skills.
On top of that, he was escorted by a holy order of knights from the Atali Kingdom!
In Pan-On, a holy order of knights was generally a force that players found incredibly difficult to deal with. They were a monstrous group, teeming with knights whose levels far exceeded those of current rankers.
Considering how the players who had invaded the territory previously had been utterly wiped out by Count Anong's knights, it was easy to see just how powerful they were.
A head-on clash was out of the question.
But Tae-hyun didn't rush. Had he not resolved situations like this countless times before?
While other players organized massive raids with large parties, Tae-hyun always found another way.
Knights are usually good at spotting traps. How should I play this...
"Why aren't those guys from earlier back yet? Did something really happen?"
"Most likely, my lord."
"Fools. To let an intruder slip past because they couldn't even guard a simple perimeter. Such incompetence would never be tolerated in the Atali Kingdom."
"You speak the absolute truth, my lord."
Tae-hyun listened to Antonio and his subordinate's exchange. He quickly realized what they were talking about.
The clash between Burford and the Raider players!
The Sadiq paladins who were supposed to be here had undoubtedly rushed off to deal with that commotion.
Thanks, Burford!
Burford was helping Tae-hyun in ways he hadn't even anticipated.
"Hey! Why are you just standing there? Load the cargo onto the carriage immediately!"
"...?"
Antonio barked, pointing at Tae-hyun's party.
—Load the cargo onto the carriage?
—Is there some secret plan?
—Wait... is this bastard trying to run away?
—No way. A high-ranking NPC of his stature wouldn't just flee...
"I said move! Every second counts, so stop dawdling! We must leave immediately!"
—...He really is running away, isn't he?
—Wow.
—What a joke of a guy.
The three of them stared at Antonio, utterly dumbfounded.
While the other Sadiq Church NPCs were fighting to the death at the fortress gates, this man, along with his powerful escort of knights, was planning to tuck his tail and run.
It was a level of trashy behavior rarely seen even in Pan-On.
Dumbfounded as they were, they had to move. If they hesitated any longer, they risked blowing their cover.
Unlike Tae-hyun, Cain didn't have a high Speech skill. If they were forced to speak, they would be in deep trouble.
—What do you think is in these?
—Who knows? But if a royal bastard is loading it onto a carriage, it's bound to be good stuff.
Normally, the lowest-ranking Sadiq paladins or tribal warriors would have been put to work. But with battles breaking out everywhere, they were severely short-handed.
Not only Tae-hyun's party, but even the knights were grumbling as they hauled the crates.
Since these items were from Antonio's private treasury, Tae-hyun was curious about what was inside, but everything was locked in crates, making it impossible to check.
—I-I heard a clinking sound from this one! It's definitely gold!
—Da-bi. Hands off. If you put it in your bag now, we'll get caught.
—But... but...!
You have continuously carried heavy loads. Your Strength has increased.
You have moved without resting. Your Endurance has increased.
The stat increase notifications were a nice bonus!
Tae-hyun calmed Da-bi down and tossed another crate into the carriage.
Wait. Can't I just slip a bomb in right now?
It was a sudden thought, but the more he pondered it, the more brilliant it seemed.
Looking at Antonio, even if he fled, he wouldn't stray too far from the carriage.
Thud.
Anyone else would have agonized over the decision, but Tae-hyun acted immediately.
Seize the opportunity the moment you resolve to do it! This rapid decision-making was one of Tae-hyun's greatest strengths.
You crazy bastard...!
Cain, who was carrying a crate next to him, was utterly horrified.
Tae-hyun had casually pulled out a bomb and placed it inside the carriage as if it were just another piece of luggage. He looked so nonchalant that anyone watching would have assumed he was just loading cargo!
"Everything is loaded!"
"Good. We head for the secret passage!"
So they had one of those, too.
Tae-hyun figured it was about time to slip away. Since they didn't know there was a bomb in the carriage, it would be easy to detonate it from a safe distance.
"Follow me! Maintain a tight escort!"
"Uh..."
—Hey, what are we going to do? What about us?!
—Lord Tae-hyun, will your evasion skills be enough to keep us safe?
—I've never actually detonated this one before, so I'm not entirely sure...
Tae-hyun trailed off. He had no idea how massive the explosion of this particular bomb would be.
While Tae-hyun possessed unparalleled survivability, the same couldn't be said for Cain or Da-bi.
—I'll draw their attention.
—?
"I cannot do that!"
"?!"
As Tae-hyun stepped forward, the other two panicked. What on earth was he saying in front of these formidable knights?
"To abandon the great Lord Sadiq and flee! I cannot do such a thing! I must go and fight!"
Tae-hyun gave them a subtle signal as he spoke. Cain and Da-bi quickly chimed in.
"Y-Yeah!"
"We're going to go fight!"
However, Antonio's face only contorted with irritation.
"How dare such lowly creatures... Do you not know that disobeying my command is the same as disobeying Sadiq himself?"
Tae-hyun felt a strange sense of familiarity watching Antonio shamelessly use Sadiq's name for his own convenience.
Wait, isn't that exactly what I do?
—Hey, ignore him and run.
At Tae-hyun's word, Cain and Da-bi spun around and bolted.
Antonio's rage boiled over.
"Lowly scum, how dare you! Bring them back this instant! I shall personally re-educate them."
"Yes, my lord!"
"Hold it right there!"
Tae-hyun stepped closer to the carriage containing the bomb.
"...?"
"If you defile Lord Sadiq's name any further, I will burn this carriage to ashes!"
"!!"
You have used Threaten on Antonio.
Antonio is extremely furious with you. Your relationship with him has deteriorated beyond repair.
"Do you think you will get away with this alive?! Who do you think you are, you absolute nobody, to dare threaten me!"
"Ah! That bastard!"
One of the knights pointed at Tae-hyun and shouted.
For a split second, Tae-hyun thought his identity had been compromised. But that wasn't it.
"He's the one who was with Burford!"
"With Burford? How dare you!"
Antonio is furious with you.
Your affinity with Antonio has plummeted drastically. You may be attacked by Antonio's knights.
"What?!"
Burford, who was locked in a fierce battle with the Raider players, gasped in shock.
Why did this message window suddenly pop up?
Burford had been diligently completing every quest Antonio threw his way.
"Where are you looking?!"
"You bastard...!"
Seizing the opening, the Raider players lunged at him.
Burford immediately activated a defensive skill and retreated.
The Raider players were incredibly tough. Even with the Sadiq paladins joining the fray, they weren't backing down.
However, the Raider players were also reaching their limits.
—Hey, how many potions do you have left?
—Three! And that scroll I used earlier was my last one!
—Dammit! We're losing more than we're gaining here! Even if we kill all these guys, we won't make back half of what we spent!
—Just fight now and worry later! If we die here, we're completely ruined!
Raider players typically carried far more PvP-oriented items than average players. But because of this unexpected, grueling battle, they were burning through their entire inventory.
Their potions and scrolls were on the verge of running out.
Although they had taken down many of the enemies, if the fight dragged on any longer...
RUMBLEEEEE!
"?!?!"
From the rear of the cult's headquarters, a massive, circular wave of fire erupted, expanding outward like a tsunami.
The combatants froze mid-swing, their mouths hanging open.
"What on earth is that?!"
"That's right! Burford hates you too!"
Since the enemy was happily jumping to their own conclusions, Tae-hyun saw no reason to correct them.
They've put enough distance between us.
—I'm detonating it. Use all your defensive skills and run!
After sending the message to the other two, Tae-hyun activated the trigger.
Antonio's eyes widened in sheer horror.
"No! My treasure!"
But what Tae-hyun was about to do was far more violent than simply burning a carriage.
You have detonated Sadiq and Archisus's Holy Bomb.
The message windows flashed rapidly.
—Finally, 175...!
—What? You hit level 175?
Cain, who was running for his life, reacted to Tae-hyun's muttered words. Naturally, Tae-hyun ignored him.
The Sadiq Church temple has been destroyed.
The Sadiq Church paladin training grounds have been destroyed.
...
A long stream of notifications cascaded down.
Reading them all right now was out of the question. Tae-hyun scanned the list for the one notification he needed most.
Sadiq's Authority!
But the notification declaring he had acquired Sadiq's Authority was nowhere to be found.
Why?
If Antonio had died, he should have definitely acquired one of Sadiq's Authorities. He had the Gluttony skill, after all...
—Argh! My HP is dropping! It's dropping!
—Run! Just run!
Cain and Da-bi's screams echoed, but Tae-hyun paid them no mind.
Evasion successful.
Evasion successful.
He had a trick up his sleeve!
Amidst the raging inferno that completely blanketed the area, Tae-hyun tried to assess the situation.
The lack of an Authority notification meant...
Antonio isn't dead yet!
—Divine Foresight!
Tae-hyun immediately activated his skill and moved.
Clang!
Through the towering flames that obscured his vision, a sharp sword thrust toward him.
You have been struck by the Sword of the Hardening Cry. Your movement speed is reduced.
Even though he had avoided a direct hit, the curse still took effect.
A knight NPC lunged at him through the fire.
"You are no Sadiq paladin!"
"Did it really take you this long to figure that out?"
Tae-hyun instantly slipped past the knight's flank and unleashed a counterattack.
Normally, this strike would have landed a critical hit and chained into a devastating combo, but...
The Sun Knight's Blessing has blocked the attack.
A glowing barrier materialized around the knight, completely neutralizing the attack.
Isn't it cheating for non-knights to use knight skills?
These knights were using both knightly skills and Sadiq Church skills! They were incredibly troublesome to deal with.
Of course, this was highly hypocritical coming from Tae-hyun, who used every skill under the sun.
How many of them are left?
Tae-hyun backed away to create some distance, dodging the knight's follow-up strike.
The bomb's destructive power was truly spectacular. The flames unleashed by the blast were currently turning the Sadiq Church's headquarters into a blazing inferno.
The problem was that the knights here were still breathing.
Judging by their numbers, most of them were wiped out in the initial blast. The ones left must be the high-level elites of the order. Fine. I'll use Stealth and take them down one by one...
The raging fire consuming the area was actually advantageous to Tae-hyun. While he could continuously evade the environmental damage, the knights couldn't.
They were currently relying on defensive skills to endure, but they would eventually succumb to the continuous damage.
Moreover, Tae-hyun could easily conceal himself within the flames.
I'll enter Stealth, stack critical damage, and burst them down in one go...
At that moment, the voices of the knights cut through the roar of the fire.
—Sadiq's Fire Protection Blessing!
—Sadiq's Fire Protection Blessing!
With those words, the flames devouring the surroundings were instantly swept away.
"..."
Tae-hyun, who had been about to vanish into the fire, found himself staring directly into the eyes of the gathered knights.
Standing right in the center of them was Antonio, covered in soot but very much alive.
"Seize him!!"
"Ah, seriously, just let me use one skill!"