Galakpad the Scribe
He wasn't a mage, but rather an NPC who had left the Magic Tower after copying grimoires for them! He was highly interested in magic skills, making him one of the Archisus NPCs Tae-hyun had wanted to meet but hadn't yet. Unlike Pelmas, Nekdon, or Ed-an, Galakpad was always far away. According to Pelmas, "Galakpad is in a distant land searching for the Authority of Archisus, so he cannot come to this territory! Oh, what a shame!"
But for Cain to run into Galakpad of all people. It was a bizarre coincidence, but more importantly... Just how far did this idiot get blown away? Tae-hyun was starting to get a bad feeling. It would have been fine if he had landed somewhere nearby, but a sudden chill ran down his spine.
Tae-hyun grew even more anxious. Cold? Unless it was a specific dungeon or unique terrain, there were no cold areas around here. He would have to travel far to the north to find any freezing climates. Don't tell me...
And with that, Cain's whisper cut off. Tae-hyun let out a deep sigh. Nothing had really changed from a moment ago.
How can someone be so incredibly bad at explaining things?
There was only one thing he could do right now.
"Let's head to the territory first."
"What are you going to do there?" Lee Da-bi asked.
"I'm going to beat the cr— I mean, ask Pelmas."
"Welcome back! To think you would vanquish the wicked Sadiq Church and uphold justice across the continent!"
"I am pretty amazing, aren't I?"
"To defeat those powerful and dangerous Sadiq bastards is truly magnificent! There is no hero quite like you, Lord Tae-hyun!"
"Yeah. Their Authority is pretty sweet. I'll make good use of it."
The Avatar of Archisus was casually talking about using another god's Authority. Yet, Pelmas simply pretended not to hear it. If it were an NPC of any other denomination, their relationship would have plummeted instantly, accompanied by all sorts of penalties and outraged cries of "How could you do such a thing?!" But not the Archisus Church! This flexibility was their greatest strength!
Tae-hyun climbed up the cliff of the Valley of Despair and Sorrow and looked down at his territory. The flatlands were being developed quite nicely. However, the mountainous cliffside remained exactly as the Sadiq Church had left it. At most, it was used by the McCraney Merchant Group or the Archisus Church to hide things in secret!
I need to develop that area too... but gold is tight.
Just developing the current territory was draining his gold like water. Honestly, it was a miracle that a single individual had managed to develop a territory to this extent. Other territories were being developed by entire guilds working together! Furthermore, Tae-hyun barely collected any taxes. It seemed impossible at first glance, but the secret was simple: extortion!
The gold he had extorted from countless PK victims was what funded this development. Regular players who didn't know the truth were cheering, "Wow! Long live Kim Tae-hyun! He's on a completely different level from those giant guilds!" Meanwhile, the players who had been thoroughly fleeced by Tae-hyun were crying tears of blood.
Sssss— Pop!
In one corner of the territory, smoke of all different colors was constantly puffing up. It was obvious what that place was: the Demon's Forge! It was undoubtedly where the mechanical engineering players of the territory gathered.
Can't those guys go somewhere else?
If he had his way, he wanted them to go cause trouble somewhere else—specifically, somewhere like the Suning Guild's territory in the Auston Kingdom. But the mechanical engineering blacksmiths stubbornly insisted on staying here, claiming they loved this place and loved Tae-hyun! To Tae-hyun, they were a massive eyesore. He had actually had a nightmare about them once.
In his dream, Pelmas had screamed, "Count Kim Tae-hyun! The Demon's Forge exploded and blew up the entire territory!"
In the center of the territory, buildings related to Archisus were clustered together—from temples to statues and fountains. And players were constantly wandering around them! The strange thing was that there was no common thread among these players. Usually, players who frequented a specific territory shared similar traits. A territory good for warriors would attract warriors. A territory good for mages would attract mages. A territory good for blacksmiths would attract blacksmiths.
Yet, all kinds of players were wandering around the Valley of Despair and Sorrow. In other words... every player who needed a bit of luck stopped by here!
"Let's go! Let's goooo! This is the one!!"
"Did the rainbow-glowing gold drop?! Did it?!"
"The Epic Seven-Fold Fire Arrow skill...! I'm still underleveled... but if I get lucky, I can learn it! I can!"
Enhancing, crafting items, and even forcing themselves to learn skills they weren't qualified for. The rumors were terrifying. Once those who benefited from a stroke of luck spread the word, the rumors attracted even more people. Although it was a small territory, it seemed to have more players than other, much larger territories.
"...Well, let's not overthink it."
Tae-hyun turned his gaze elsewhere. Far off in the opposite corner of the territory, the arena of his dreams was being constructed. What kind of arena would it turn out to be? For the first time in a while, Tae-hyun felt his heart flutter with anticipation.
"Lord Tae-hyun. Lord Tae-hyun," Pelmas called out to him cautiously.
"Yeah?"
"What brings you here today?"
"Ah, I came to ask you something."
Tae-hyun had come to ask about Galakpad. What on earth was Galakpad doing, and where was he, for Cain to be reacting like that? However, Pelmas's expression looked rather strange.
"Well... I actually have something to tell you as well."
"Before you speak, Pelmas. You do realize we're standing on a cliff, right?"
"Pardon?"
"I was just thinking that if you say something weird or try to trick me, your foot might slip."
"...!!"
You possess the Advanced Rhetoric skill. Your Threaten attempt is a complete success.
Pelmas is now absolutely unable to lie.
"N-No, of course not! How could I ever...!"
"You lie every time you open your mouth, so cut the crap. What is it?"
"Do you remember what you said when you went to subjugate the Sadiq Church, Lord Tae-hyun?"
"What did I say?"
"You said you would seize Sadiq's power, and eventually, the power of all the gods in the world!"
"...I didn't go quite that far."
If anyone heard that, they would mistake Tae-hyun's class for a Demon King rather than the Avatar of Archisus!
"In any case, I had an epiphany when I heard those words!"
"Oh? And what did you realize?"
"That we can accept and use even the power of our enemies!"
"Hearing you say that now is actually a bit terrifying."
"Now! Please come forward!"
"??"
Tae-hyun turned his head. Who was Pelmas introducing with such dramatic flair? The person who stepped out was... Burford. Burford was averting his gaze with the most awkward expression imaginable!
"..."
"..."
Thud!
"Aaaaargh! Aaaaargh!"
Tae-hyun literally kicked Pelmas off the cliff. Pelmas desperately clung to a rock, screaming at the top of his lungs.
"You've finally betrayed me, Pelmas. I knew you would do this eventually."
"I didn't! I didn't!"
"What do you mean you didn't, you bastard? And I know you won't die even if you fall from this height. Dodge it yourself."
"I will die! I'll die, I tell you!"
Burford remained silent while the two bickered. He had absolutely nothing to say for himself, even if he had ten mouths!
"Right. What on earth were you thinking coming here? Ah. Did you come to return my ring?"
Burford had originally intended to stay as quiet as a dead mouse. But as a human being, he couldn't help but feel wronged.
"W-What ring...? More importantly, you're the one who took the sacred ring!"
The Sadiq's Sacred Ring that Tae-hyun had taken was an incredibly valuable item!
"Look at this wicked bastard, forgetting his own deeds and only remembering what was done to him. When you went to assassinate the King of Atali, did you or did you not swipe a ring?"
"I... I did."
Hearing that, Burford remembered. It was a ring he had picked up without much thought! Back then, he had just thought, Wow, getting a ring like this for free is awesome! and moved on.
"That ring was originally supposed to be mine, you jerk."
"D-Don't tell me... you've been chasing me all this time just because of that...?"
"Well, it wasn't strictly because of the ring. There were other reasons too."
Tae-hyun said that, but Burford didn't believe him for a second. No matter how he looked at it, it was 100% because of the ring! To think all his suffering had been because of a single ring. The Sadiq Church's headquarters being burned to the ground, the demonic beasts slain, the flames extinguished, the sacred ring stolen, their fortress on the Prica Continent burned down, and even their key figures killed—all because of one ring!
Burford felt as if he had been hit hard on the back of the head. He couldn't even form proper words.
"Anyway, appearing before me now must mean you felt a massive pang of guilt for taking my ring. I understand. You want me to kill you so you can offer some small compensation. I shall accept your sentiment."
"N-No! That's not it!"
Terrified by Tae-hyun's self-serving logic, Burford waved his hands frantically.
"No? What, did you find the ring and bring it back?"
"Well, no..."
"Then die."
"Archisus! I came to join the Archisus Church!"
"??"
Tae-hyun turned his head to look at Pelmas. Grinning, the dangling Pelmas offered a desperate smile.
"Pelmas, what is he talking about?"
"A-Accepting and using the enemy's power is our doctrine... I'm sorry! Burford brought a lot of things with him, so I accepted him! I'm sorry!"
Pelmas immediately confessed the truth. After the Sadiq Church was completely demolished, Burford had wandered around in despair before wondering if he should just join the Archisus Church instead. Rather than staying in the ruined Sadiq Church, wouldn't it be better to join the rising star that was the Archisus Church?
He would soon realize how wrong that thought was, but at the time, Burford didn't know any better. So, he pondered how to join the Archisus Church. Since he was from the Sadiq Church, it was obvious he wouldn't be able to join through normal means! Burford gathered all the Sadiq Church equipment he could carry, along with the paladins and priests he could command, and headed to the Archisus Church's territory. He planned to win their favor by offering everything he had!
And his calculations included Tae-hyun. Surely, a man of Kim Tae-hyun's grand caliber would be able to accept a former enemy, right? The Sadiq Church had been an enemy, but since Tae-hyun had already plundered everything he possibly could from them, Burford figured there wouldn't be any hard feelings left. Of course, he was dead wrong.
"Wow... They say the bully sleeps better than the victim, and this is exactly that. You thought I would forgive you? With what confidence? If you want forgiveness, bring me the ring. The ring!"
You just said it wasn't because of the ring...!
Burford swallowed his resentment at Tae-hyun's blatant hypocrisy.
"Pelmas, is what he brought really that impressive?"
"The priests and paladins of the Sadiq Church are quite useful. As you know, our church is... ahem."
"Ahem. Right."
"????"
The Archisus Church—a church with absolutely no foundation! They were hiring NPCs, but their numbers were small and their power was weak. The two of them knew this, but Burford, who was completely in the dark, could only look on in utter confusion.