The Art of Forgiveness
For the Archbishop who had barely managed to escape the subjugation force, it was a literal disaster. Due to the continuous battles, his MP was completely depleted, and his HP was at rock bottom thanks to the devastating attack he had received from Tae-hyun!
"Aaaaargh! No!"
The Sadiq Archbishop has fallen.
The morale of the Sadiq Order has plummeted drastically.
A sudden message window popped up!
"..."
The faces of the players who had been raiding the Archbishop froze simultaneously.
What kind of dog-shit situation was this?
"What the f*ck?!"
"Which motherf*cker did this?! Goddammit!"
Unable to accept the sudden turn of events, the players immediately burst into curses!
It was only natural. They had done all the hard work, suffering through the entire raid, only for some random bastard to swoop in at the last second and pull off an ultimate eat-and-run.
"How did this even happen?!"
"I think the Archbishop teleported near here, and someone happened to catch him?"
"What kind of unprincipled piece of trash would do something so shameless?!"
"Find them!"
"Find them and kill them!"
In truth, the one most furious right now was Tae-hyun.
While the other players had merely lost out on items and experience points, Tae-hyun was different. He had just lost a precious opportunity to acquire another Sadiq's Authority!
Oblivious to this, the players who had climbed the cliff were jumping for joy.
"Whoa! We actually got the Archbishop!"
"How did we pull that off?!"
"Sob... All that suffering paid off! The world really is fair after all!"
They had absolutely no idea that dozens of players nearby were currently grinding their teeth in absolute rage. If they had known, they would have run away instantly.
"Huh? There are people coming this way."
"They must be players from the subjugation force. Let's greet them."
They waved with innocent, naive smiles.
But something felt off.
The expressions of the people approaching from the distance were filled with pure, unadulterated murderous intent!
"??"
"It's them!"
"Look, the priests are lying dead over there!"
The players who had participated in the Archbishop raid surrounded them in the blink of an eye, forming a tight perimeter to prevent any escape.
Though the scammed players still hadn't fully grasped the situation, they seemed to realize that things were going terribly wrong.
"Uh, why are you guys doing this?"
"What's going on? What's happening?"
A cold, icy voice cut through the bewildered players' confusion.
"You guys just stole the Archbishop, didn't you?"
"!!!"
The surrounded players' mouths fell open.
That single question made them realize exactly what was happening.
We just stole someone else's raid boss!
And right when it was on the verge of death, too!
A boss monster of the Archbishop's caliber could never have died so easily. In their sudden excitement over their stroke of good luck, they hadn't thought about it, but now that they did, it was painfully obvious!
The faces of the surrounded players turned pale.
Hey, what do we do?
The vibe here is insane...
In Pan-On, stealing someone else's hunt was essentially an open invitation to PVP. It was the ultimate provocation!
Of course, the surrounded players weren't exactly saints. After all, they were the ones who had originally marched to invade Tae-hyun's territory. They weren't the type to feel incredibly guilty about stealing someone else's prey, but the current circumstances were different.
There were dozens of players here who were just as strong as, if not stronger than, them! And those players were currently surrounding them, glaring with bloodshot eyes.
They looked ready to draw their weapons at any second!
Anyone could see it. One wrong word here, and they would be forced into an immediate logout!
"Why aren't you answering? Did you steal the Archbishop or not?"
"N-no, that's not it..."
"What do you mean 'that's not it'? Huh? What's not it?!"
"We just climbed up here, and he suddenly appeared..."
"The players in the subjugation force all knew we were raiding the Archbishop! What kind of absolute bullshit are you spewing?"
"We arrived late, so... that's..."
"Just because you arrived late, does that give you the right to steal him?! Huh?!"
Excuses were clearly not going to work in this atmosphere!
The surrounded players flinched and began to step backward. But there was nowhere to run.
"...!"
At that moment, a familiar player caught their eyes.
It was Kim Tae-hyun.
"Kim Tae-hyun! Kim Tae-hyun!"
"It's us! We're over here!"
Strictly speaking, Tae-hyun was the root cause of this entire mess, but the cornered players were in no position to think about that. To them, Tae-hyun looked like the only savior who could rescue them from this nightmare!
However, they had no idea.
They had no idea that the one who had suffered the most damage because of them was none other than Tae-hyun himself!
"Who the hell are you guys?"
"..."
A cold, detached reply came without even a second of hesitation!
The players were momentarily stunned, completely speechless.
"Hey! You're the one who ordered us to do this!"
"When did I ever order you to do anything? And when did I ever tell you to steal the Archbishop I was hunting?"
"...!"
The players finally realized why Tae-hyun was being so cold.
Tae-hyun had also been hunting the Archbishop, only to have the kill stolen from him!
"No, no, no! Still, you can't do this!"
The surrounded players desperately clung to Tae-hyun.
The players surrounding them watched with sharp, piercing gazes, but they didn't say anything. Since the thieves seemed to know Tae-hyun, they decided to wait and see how he would handle it.
The surrounded players also picked up on this atmosphere.
Kim Tae-hyun's standing in this subjugation force is way higher than we thought!
If Kim Tae-hyun says the word, we might actually get out of this alive!
Reaching this conclusion, they desperately grabbed onto Tae-hyun's ankles.
"Let go of me, you pests."
"Kim Tae-hyun! Please, just let us explain! If you leave us like this, we're dead!"
"Then you can just take a break for a few days and log back in. Farewell."
"Hey! Please! We did exactly what you told us to do!"
"Ah, when did I ever tell you to hunt the Archbishop? Huh? Do you guys not have brains? You're not newbies. If the Archbishop suddenly popped up right in front of you, shouldn't your first thought be, 'Huh? Why did he suddenly appear here?'"
Tae-hyun kicked away the players clinging to his ankles. But they held on with dogged persistence.
"We'll do anything! Just help us!"
"If you just walk away, we're really going to die!"
Seeing this, Tae-hyun muttered in a low voice.
"To be honest, I was thinking of joining in on the beating."
"..."
"Just kidding."
A shiver ran down the players' spines. That was 100% not a joke!
"So... to make up for the damage you caused me today, you're saying you'll work under me like dogs?"
"U-uh, we didn't exactly say that..."
"Then go ahead and die."
"We'll work! We'll work, okay?!"
"Excellent. I happen to have just the quest for people like you."
The players' faces turned deathly pale.
If it was a quest given by Tae-hyun...
No!
Is it the Curse of Archisus again?!
"Since you guys went through quite a bit of trouble, I've raised the reward to 2 gold. Take it. What? You don't want it?"
"N-no, we'll take it..."
"Your faces say otherwise."
"We said we'll take it! We want to take it!"
A Dog's Penance
📍 Client: Pope Kim Tae-hyun
🎯 Objective: Work like a dog to compensate for the damages caused to the Pope.
🎁 Reward: 2 Gold, Survival
"Everyone, let's forgive them."
"...!"
The players of the subjugation force stared at Tae-hyun with shocked expressions.
"B-but Tae-hyun-nim! Those bastards stole the boss we worked so hard to hunt... And you suffered the most out of everyone, Tae-hyun-nim!"
"Indeed. It's not that I don't find it regrettable, but what can we do? He's already dead. Even if we slaughter these people, it won't bring the Archbishop back, will it? I'm sure they didn't do it maliciously, so let's show some mercy and forgive them."
"...!"
The gathered crowd was stunned.
To forgive them just like that!
Normally, even if they beat them to a pulp, no one would have said a word!
The players couldn't help but marvel at Tae-hyun's broad-mindedness and benevolence.
I heard rumors, but he truly is a man of incredible character.
Who on earth spread those nasty rumors about him? Saying he has a terrible personality and is incredibly petty was all a lie.
While the crowd was deeply moved, Lee Se-yeon was even more shocked.
Tae-hyun cleanly cut off Lee Se-yeon's whisper.
Dealing with this subjugation force today had taught him one major lesson: Lee Se-yeon's public image was incredibly good! Because of that, whenever she said a single word, people would immediately believe her.
Why on earth do they trust Lee Se-yeon's words? She's literally the most untrustworthy person in the world.
Everyone loved Lee Se-yeon except for Tae-hyun!
To compete against someone like her, Tae-hyun also needed to build a better public image.
Of course, this sentiment did not apply to the players who had just been forced to accept Tae-hyun's new quest.
You absolute son of a b*tch!
Motherf*cker!
They cursed Tae-hyun in their minds for over a minute straight!
They had barely managed to clear the massive Sadiq Order subjugation quest, only to be immediately hit with another one.
I want to kill Kim Tae-hyun!
I seriously want to kill him!
Meanwhile, Cain approached Tae-hyun and spoke.
"So, is the subjugation of the Sadiq Order completely finished now?"
"For the most part, yes. The Holy Knight Commander fled, right?"
"I heard he's nowhere to be found."
"The Archbishop is dead, and the Holy Knight Commander fled... Yeah. We've pretty much done everything we can do here."
Although there were still some Sadiq Holy Knights and priests remaining in the stronghold, the players of the subjugation force were diligently farming them.
With their boss monsters defeated and gone, they would soon collapse anyway!
The Sadiq Order has fallen.
The remaining NPCs of the Sadiq Order are retreating underground. They will work in the shadows to resurrect their order.
[UNLOCKED] You can now resurrect the Sadiq Order.
Huh?
Tae-hyun momentarily thought he had misread the message window.
He could do what?
To resurrect the Sadiq Order, you must collect more of Sadiq's Authorities.
If you resurrect the Sadiq Order, former NPCs of the Sadiq Order may seek you out.
Tae-hyun quickly figured out what was going on. Since he possessed the deity's authority while the Sadiq Order was in ruins, he had gained the qualification to resurrect it!
I'm the one who tore it down, and now I'm the one who can rebuild it? What kind of nonsense is this...
It was utterly absurd.
Of course, Tae-hyun had absolutely no intention of rebuilding the Sadiq Order. Unlike the Archisus Church, the moment he established an evil god's order, he would be subjected to endless attacks from all sides!
The most ideal scenario was simply acquiring more of Sadiq's Authorities.
"Come to think of it, why did the Holy Knight Commander run away? The Archbishop was right here."
"Who knows. I guess he wanted to live."
"It's not like he's planning something, is he?"
"If he is planning something..."
Tae-hyun paused.
Now that he thought about it, what else could the Holy Knight Commander do besides seek revenge?
The glare the Holy Knight Commander had directed at him earlier was chilling enough to send shivers down his spine.
Ah, I should have caught him here.
Tae-hyun smacked his lips in regret.
If he had managed to defeat both the Archbishop and the Holy Knight Commander here, two of Sadiq's Authorities would have practically rolled into his lap.
But the situation was already over. Tae-hyun decided not to dwell on his regrets. After all, things had already turned out incredibly well.
"No!! The curse has been lifted!!!!!"
"...?"
From far away, a woman's voice that sounded incredibly familiar echoed through the area.
The Sadiq Archbishop has fallen. The Curse of Sadiq is lifted.
"Noooo!!!"
Evangeline cried out in utter despair.
Shuffle, shuffle—
Seeing her reaction, her party members subtly began to widen the distance between them!
"G-guys? We're friends, right? We're friends!"
"Of course we are!"
"But let's walk a bit further apart!"
Evangeline was still a good friend, but that didn't mean they were willing to stand close to her and take the full brunt of her misfortune penalty.
The party members were on high alert!
"Hey! Isn't this a bit too much?!"
"My equipment's durability drops just by standing near you! What do you expect me to do?!"
"Ugh...!"
Now that she thought about it, it was only natural that the curse would disappear once the Archbishop of Sadiq fell.
Evangeline silently reflected on her own foolishness.
Why hadn't she realized something so painfully obvious?!