A Monument to the Pope

Huh?

A sudden message window popped up. Tae-hyun stared at it, tilting his head in confusion. Why was this appearing now?

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Fields... Is it those players I allowed to settle in my territory recently?

That was the only logical explanation.

When winter had descended upon the Central Continent and the rabbits had run amok, a group of farmer players had sought refuge in his territory. Tae-hyun had accepted them simply because having more players in his territory was generally beneficial, but he hadn't expected much from them. After all, farmer players who had traveled all the way here were bound to have mediocre levels.

Well, if it's a bumper crop, does the territory get some kind of bonus? I suppose it's better than nothing.

Meanwhile, the farmer players headed to the Archisus Temple carrying their harvested crops. Offering these goods to the temple rewarded them with contribution points and blessings.

"Thank you! Thank you so much!"

Please let me hit the jackpot!

Please let saffron grow where I planted wheat!

Having tasted the sweet flavor of luck once, the players' expectations had skyrocketed. Before they knew it, they were starting to resemble the original residents of the territory—the ones who squandered all their fortunes while muttering, "T-This time... This time for sure...!"

—Hey, did you hear? They say if you enhance your gear on the street east of the temple at 4:00 AM, the success rate is higher.

—No, that's wrong. You have to receive a low-grade blessing at 2:00 AM first, and then drink a potion...

The players were now inventing all sorts of non-existent rituals and superstitions. One would think they would give up, but because a few players actually managed to get successful results, they couldn't bring themselves to stop. After all, the power of Archisus was the real deal!

—I heard a mage who raised their rank in the Archisus Church to intermediate level recently succeeded in crafting a high-tier magic scroll.

—Wait, isn't that something even blacksmiths can't make, so the success rate is abysmally low?

—Exactly! That's what I'm saying!

While the players' madness reached a boiling point, Galakpad made his move.

Thud!

"Archisus has been deeply moved by the devotion of His believers and has bestowed His blessing upon us! Behold!"

"Yes..." Burford replied in a thoroughly drained voice, nodding weakly.

Burford had never once imagined he would actually miss Tae-hyun. He had ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠abandoned the Sadiq Church because he had nowhere else to go and converted to the Archisus Church, but Tae-hyun was a notoriously wicked bastard. Just thinking about how he had been exploited by Tae-hyun made him kick his blankets in frustration at night! And yet, right now, he desperately missed him.

Now that Kim Tae-hyun is gone, some other lunatic has taken his place...

The NPC named Galakpad was a lunatic who wielded actual power! Upon his arrival, Galakpad had been utterly appalled to see the paladins of the Sadiq Church in the territory.

—What?! How can such vile creatures be allowed in this territory?! This is preposterous!

—B-But Count Kim Tae-hyun permitted it...

—Ah, I see! He must have allowed it to reform those wicked Sadiq bastards! You lot. This old Galakpad will personally educate you!

Galakpad exploited the Sadiq paladins with terrifying efficiency. The very moment one quest ended, the next one began, and as soon as that one was finished, yet another was thrust upon them! His skill in driving people to labor made it seem as though he had spent decades doing nothing else.

Galakpad barked at Burford as he worked him to the bone.

"I am a man who has managed dozens of slaves back in the Magic Tower! Do not even think of deceiving me, you servants of Sadiq!"

Repairing the temple building, weeding the temple's front yard, clearing out nearby monsters... A deluge of menial chore quests, usually reserved for beginners, poured down on them. Given their high levels, they could complete these chores in the blink of an eye, but it still left a bitter taste in their mouths.

Please come back quickly, Kim Tae-hyun!

Regardless of their silent pleas, Galakpad spoke with solemn gravity.

"You must accept this blessing with a heart full of gratitude. Now, what must we do next, slave of Sadiq?"

"U-Uh... P-Pray?" Burford stammered quickly.

If he dared to say "I don't know" here, a system message reading [Galakpad is furious] would pop up, followed by a relentless barrage of verbal abuse.

"Foolish creature! We are going to build a statue."

"A statue of whom...?"

"Why, of Lord Kim Tae-hyun, of course! I have heard that Lord Kim Tae-hyun emerged victorious in the arena of the Southern Continent!"

This was one of the bonuses of winning the arena tournament: the fame associated with the arena spreading across the Prica Continent. In truth, Tae-hyun had wanted Jeong Su-hyeok and his friends to level up rapidly so he could reap the Archisus missionary bonuses... but in the end, he had wound up doing it all himself!

"Y-You want us to build a statue like that?"

"What is with that attitude? Could it be..."

"No! Not at all! I want to build it! I absolutely do!" Burford shook his head frantically as Galakpad's eyes grew dangerously sharp.

"Summon the people of the territory. Surely, everyone will want to partake in this glorious endeavor. Indeed."

No one is going to join... Burford thought to himself. He only complied because Galakpad held his past affiliation with the Sadiq Church over his head, but why on earth would other players willingly participate in such a tedious quest?

However, the outcome was the exact opposite of what Burford expected.

"I have a gut feeling...! There's definitely something special about this quest!"

"I've blown all my gold anyway and have nothing else to do, so I might as well do this. Since it's Archisus, won't the rewards be amazing?"

"We didn't have to pay taxes and got to farm for free, so we should at least help out with this. Is there anything I can do?"

"The blacksmiths can't miss out on this!"

Almost every single player in the territory flocked to the site!

"High Priest Galakpad. If we do this, the construction of other buildings in the territory will be delayed. What should we do?"

"You fool! Naturally, the construction of this statue must take absolute priority!"

"What the f*ck?!" Tae-hyun shrieked in horror at the sudden barrage of system messages.

"My, it has been a while, Coach Yang."

"You seem to be doing very well, Coach Han."

A sharp, tense exchange passed between the two men. They were the head coaches of ST Five and KG Wizard, respectively! As the leaders of two famously rival gaming organizations, they were notorious for their mutual animosity—a bitter feud that had persisted since their days as professional gamers. The reason these two had gathered today was none other than the Yuseong Group.

—I heard the Yuseong Group is planning to invest in a Pan-On esports team!

This rumor had begun circulating some time ago. However, most people in the esports industry dismissed it.

—Oh, come on, that's nonsense. There's no way that's happening before Chairman Yoo passes away.

—Seriously, remember how disastrously the Yuseong team performed in the past? The chairman himself practically banned any further involvement in gaming.

Those who knew the history had no choice but to view it as a baseless rumor. The conglomerate's chairman had personally issued the ban; who would dare defy his orders?

"Ahem. By the way, Coach Han. Have you heard anything?"

It was Coach Yang who swallowed his pride and initiated the inquiry. He desperately needed information. Why had the Yuseong Group gathered all these esports figures today?

Seeing Coach Yang lower himself, Coach Han felt a smug sense of satisfaction. However...

"I don't know much either."

The truth was, Coach Han was just as clueless! Coach Yang's face instantly contorted in annoyance.

I shouldn't have bothered acting friendly.

"There's a rumor that they're hosting a charity tournament..."

"A charity tournament? That sounds great. Our newly recruited players will love that."

Currently, the methods for Pan-On players to gain fame were quite limited. They could either perform exceptionally as a ranker while building a name through personal streaming, or they could showcase their skills in an official tournament like the recent one. The latter was far more effective than the former. Tae-hyun, who was already a famous ranker, had cemented his status as a player whom Pan-On users worldwide would never forget once the arena tournament concluded.

Do Dong-su had achieved a similar level of fame, though in the exact opposite direction. He was rapidly earning nicknames like "that Korean bastard" or "that Korean prick" globally! While a few sympathetic players argued, "If he was victimized by the Pan-On 1 Kim Tae-hyun, we should cut him some slack," the vast majority of people simply couldn't comprehend his petty behavior.

The real issue was finding a stage to showcase such talents. Tournaments weren't something just anyone could host. Furthermore, riding on the success of the arena tournament, the Pan-On headquarters was currently planning the next official event. Under normal circumstances, it was incredibly difficult for any other tournament to squeeze into the schedule. But if a massive conglomerate like the Yuseong Group stepped up to host a charity tournament, it would be a golden opportunity for the players.

If this succeeds, hopefully, other aspects of Pan-On besides PvP can be turned into competitive tournaments as well.

From the perspective of the esports teams, such diversification of content was highly welcome.

"Newly recruited players?"

"What about them?"

"Oh, nothing... It's just, when I think about the new players on your team, Coach Han..."

"What exactly are you trying to say?"

"Nothing, really. Just that you should make sure to manage your players well."

This son of a bitch! Coach Han bristled. In the past, a physical altercation had broken out among the players of KG Wizard. Coach Yang was deliberately poking at that old wound! He truly was a petty, underhanded man.

"Hmph. We will manage just fine on our own. You're the one who needs to worry about managing your players, Coach Yang."

"We've never had any incidents like that."

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"No, you just had a massive scandal over unpaid player salaries instead."

"T-That wasn't my fault! That was because of the parent company!"

"Oh? Then was it my fault that my players fought each other?"

The two coaches engaged in an incredibly ugly mudslinging match. The other industry professionals who had arrived with them shook their heads in dismay, their faces clearly saying, There they go again.

Watching them from a distance, Chairman Yoo asked, "Who are those two idiots?"

"They are esports head coaches, sir," Secretary Jung Ji-yong replied.

"Coaches behaving like that in public? I can already guess the caliber of their teams."

"Actually, sir... they are the top-tier teams in the country."

"...Really? Don't tell me our old Yuseong Group team..."

Instead of answering, Jung Ji-yong quietly averted his gaze. The old Yuseong Group team had been a literal punching bag for those very two coaches' teams!

"I suppose we can't just kick them out, can we?"

"No, sir..."

"I know. I was only joking."

Oblivious to the conversation Chairman Yoo was having, the two coaches' bickering grew increasingly childish.

"Let's see how well you recruit players this season. I heard you got rejected by the Canadian national team?"

"Mind your own business. Everyone knows you made an offer to Ryu Tae-su and got flatly rejected."

Having traded blows, the battle now shifted to bragging.

"Hmph. We signed Lee Ju-hyeong."

"You think that's enough? We signed Kim Chul-soo."

"...!"

"...!!"

Both coaches were genuinely startled by each other's signings. They paused, glaring intensely at one another.

Wait a minute...

This guy...

They both hesitated. There was only one reason for their sudden pause.

Why isn't he mentioning Kim Tae-hyun or Cain?

Since their respective offers to those players had been met with a blunt "No thanks, not interested" (though the staff who made the calls hadn't dared to relay the exact words, leaving the coaches in the dark about the precise manner of rejection), both coaches had secretly suspected that the rival team had snatched them up. If the rival team had indeed signed them, it would explain why they had been rejected so dismissively!

Because that team's coach is an arrogant prick!

Because that team's coach is an arrogant prick!

Yet, neither of them was bringing up those names.

"Ahem..."

"By the way... did you..."

The two hesitated, then spoke at the exact same time.

"Did you sign Cain?"

"Did you sign Cain?"