A Plague of Fluff
"Huh? Wait, what?" The guild members stared at Tae-hyun's group in utter confusion. It was only natural to be bewildered when a bunch of guys who looked like traveling merchants suddenly charged at them, yelling, "Get them!"
"Are you guys crazy—urgh!" Instead of an answer, a fierce barrage of attacks rained down on them. Tae-hyun unleashed a relentless assault, giving them no time to react.
Thwack-thwack-thwack-thwack! "Argh! Who the hell are you?!"
Your Swordsmanship skill level has increased.
"My Lord Count? Why are you using a sword instead of magic...?" The black mages stared at Tae-hyun, looking thoroughly perplexed.
"Why? Is there a rule saying I can't use a sword?"
"No, it's not that it's forbidden... but mages don't typically use swords..."
"If the situation calls for it, you use a sword. Why are you picking a fight over something so trivial, huh?"
"W-We apologize!" Because these black mages were rented from Chesia at the cost of a hefty sum of contribution points, Tae-hyun treated them with absolutely zero leniency.
You possess the skill Advanced Rhetoric. The obedience of the black mages increases.
You possess the skill Advanced Tactics. The obedience of the black mages increases.
Your Infamy within the Black Magic School of the Erangs Kingdom Magic Tower has increased.
First, let's grab the loot...
"Lee Da-bi, could you put these up on the auction house?"
"Yes, sir!" Lee Da-bi answered cheerfully. One of the best perks of following Tae-hyun around was the sheer volume of items obtained through PVP.
Watching this, the Power Warrior guild members stared with eyes full of deep admiration.
Look at that passive income...!
No wonder the other guild members practically throw themselves at any chance to join Kim Tae-hyun's quests!
"Alright. Shall we strike fast before they can even react?" Tae-hyun flexed his fingers, preparing for action.
Salmaran City didn't have particularly high walls. A low stone wall, wooden palisades, and a few watchtowers were all it had. Since it was a player-owned territory, they had naturally cut corners to save costs.
Surprisingly, very few people poured money into their territory's walls as lavishly as Kim Tae-san did.
"Summon the undead."
"Yes, Master! Summon Corpse, Summon Ghoul, Summon Skeleton, Summon Zombie..."
"..." Tae-hyun wore a sour expression. They clearly shared the same black mage class, so why was there such a massive disparity?
All I have is a demon summoning skill that's highly likely to summon a mortal enemy, and a wraith summoning skill that's too awkward to use...
Contrary to Tae-hyun's bitter feelings, the undead army materialized at a rapid pace. In Pan-On, it was said that a single high-level black mage was equivalent to an entire army. If so, what about a whole group of them?
Grrrrr... The answer was immediately apparent. Out of thin air, the black mages swiftly summoned undead beasts and soldiers, preparing them for battle. In the blink of an eye, a legion capable of laying siege to a city was formed.
"Whew. Spending those contribution points was definitely worth it." Tae-hyun gazed at the undead legion with a proud look.
However, the undead legion wouldn't be the ones stealing the spotlight in this raid. The true stars of the show were the rabbit army.
The number of rabbits within the city has increased exponentially.
"Ah, damn it, why is the system spamming me with useless notifications?" The player acting as the city's lord swiped the message window away with a look of utter indifference. He had already seen the notification about the rabbit population increase before.
Being a lord came with enough headaches as it was. There was absolutely no need to be briefed on every single trivial detail.
But a moment later...
[Warning] Due to the surging rabbit population, the city's food supply is rapidly depleting.
[Warning] NPC dissatisfaction is rising.
[Warning] The rebellion rate of the castle's residents is increasing.
[Warning] The rabbits have collapsed the territory's granary facilities.
"Are these rabbits or goddamn rats?!" The lord jumped to his feet in sheer horror.
To the lord, rabbits were supposed to be cute, gentle, fluffy creatures... the kind of animal that made players coo, "Oh look, a bunny! How adorable!" when spotted in the wild.
Unless one was a farmer, very few players ever suffered direct damage from an overpopulation of rabbits, which was why the lord had remained blissfully ignorant until now.
But players who had started in Tyrum City of the Salz Kingdom knew better. They knew all too well just how diabolical rabbits could truly be!
As if to prove that very point, the rabbits were currently running absolutely amok throughout the city. The damage was far beyond anything that could be brushed off with a casual, Oh, I guess there are a lot of rabbits.
"Hey! What the hell were you guys doing to let things get this—!" The lord cut himself off. He had just witnessed the tide of rabbits sweeping through the streets.
"W-W-Where on earth did all of those even come from?!"
[Warning] Blacksmith Workshop No. 4 in the territory has collapsed. If not repaired immediately, it will be permanently lost.
[Warning] The plaza fountain has been destroyed.
[System] You may now issue a Repair Quest.
The guild members hunting in the surrounding areas were baffled by their leader's command. Why the sudden call to gather and hunt rabbits? Had he finally lost his mind?
But the moment they stepped foot back in the city, they understood exactly why they had been summoned.
"Catch them! Catch them!"
"Dozens more just ran down that alleyway!"
"Let's burn them out!"
"Hey, you crazy bastard! Stop! If you set fire to that..."
Whoosh!
[Warning] A mansion has caught fire.
[Warning] The residents are extremely enraged!
In their frantic scramble to catch the lightning-fast, endlessly multiplying rabbits, the guild members completely lost their heads. They were actively destroying their own city!
"No AOE skills! Ban all large-scale magic!"
"Then how the hell are we supposed to catch them?!"
"Catch them with your bare hands, one by one! Just don't break the buildings!"
It sounded completely insane, but no one could think of a better alternative. Desperate for manpower, the lord began drafting anyone he could find, starting with the players on patrol duty.
"Everyone, prepare to att—"
Bang! Boom! Crash!
"...?"
Plumes of smoke and loud explosions erupted from various parts of the city. Something was clearly going down. Tae-hyun's companions all turned their heads to look at him. After all, there was only one person they knew who was capable of orchestrating such chaos!
"Tae-hyun... did you send in another spy?"
"Huh? No, I didn't."
"Then why is it suddenly blowing up over there?"
"...I wonder?" Tae-hyun was momentarily taken aback. Could it be a trap?
No way. Who would burn down their own city just to set a trap? What's going on?
"Let's just attack! If it's a trap, we'll see what kind of trap it is!"
Tae-hyun's group launched their assault.
Roar! The undead beasts charged ahead, leading the vanguard.
"Death to the living...!" The undead soldiers followed behind at a relatively slower pace.
Thwip-thwip-thwip-thwip! A rain of arrows shot by the undead filled the sky.
"Festering Plague!" The black mages layered curses on top of the physical onslaught, inflicting massive damage.
"What the...?"
"It's an ambush! We're under attack!!!"
The players stationed outside the city gates couldn't believe their eyes. An entire undead army had suddenly emerged from the depths of the forest. They had never in their wildest dreams anticipated such an assault!
"Are you on the Guild Alliance's side, or not?"
"Huh? What?!"
"Three, two, one..."
"N-No! We're not with them!"
"Then get out of the way."
Tae-hyun shoved past them and continued his march forward. Only then did the players realize who they were dealing with.
"Could that be..."
"It's Kim Tae-hyun! Kim Tae-hyun!"
"Kim Tae-hyun is attacking the Guild Alliance!"
Tae-hyun drew his Hammer of Destruction and began smashing the stone walls and wooden palisades erected outside the city.
You have destroyed the city's palisades. The city's public security decreases. Your Infamy increases.
You have destroyed the city's watchtower. The city's public security decreases. Your Infamy increases.
Heuk-heuk's power is being restored.
"Master...! You are a born follower of Sadiq!"
"Are you seriously saying that as a compliment?"
Having acquired the title Avatar of Sadiq through his progression from Agent of Sadiq and Successor of Sadiq, combined with his Hammer of Destruction and Authority of Destruction, Tae-hyun had already become a monster capable of demolishing an entire city single-handedly.
Crash! Boom! Shatter!
"..."
"..."
The players who had followed Tae-hyun stood frozen, their jaws hanging open. Tae-hyun was obliterating sturdy, heavy buildings as if they were nothing but rotting piles of straw!
Cain thought to himself:
That bastard was definitely born to cause absolute chaos.
Patter-patter-patter! One of the guild members, who had been frantically chasing rabbits, rushed over after hearing the commotion.
"What crazy bastard is—gark!"
"It's me, you punk. Huh? You dared to interfere with my hunt for Edaor? Do you have any idea how much EXP I would've gotten if I killed him?! Pay me back with your own EXP!"
"Wait, I didn't even—urgh!"
Tae-hyun's first strike sent the guild member's weapon flying, and from the second strike onward, he simply began beating the man to a pulp.
"Hey. Hold him down."
Who'd dare disobey his command? The black mages immediately cast binding spells.
"Heuk-heuk, dinner time."
"Huh?!"
Chomp! Munch! Heuk-heuk latched onto the player's back and began gnawing away.
While Lee Da-bi and Cain barely batted an eye, the other players were utterly horrified.
He really squeezes them dry down to the very last drop...!
That's a lesson right there! When you catch someone, you don't just kill them—you milk them for everything they're worth first! What exquisite cruelty!
In the meantime, Tae-hyun questioned the captured player.
"Hey. By the way, what the hell is going on in the city for it to be in this state?"
"Ugh... You! You're Kim Tae-hyun!"
"Impressive that you recognized me."
"Who else but you would pull a stunt like this?!"
"Yeah, yeah, I get it. But why is the city in ruins?"
"You shameless bastard! Stop mocking me! You did this, and now you're playing dumb?!"
"??"
Hearing the guild member's words, the rest of the party turned to look at Tae-hyun with expressions that said, Yep, we knew it.
"Tae-hyun... even if you admitted you did it, we wouldn't judge you..."
"I'm telling you, I didn't do it!"
Tap.
"You have to own up to what you've done. Otherwise, people will get the wrong idea." Evangeline chimed in, placing a hand on his shoulder.
Of course, Tae-hyun's response was merciless.
"What are you even talking about? Why are you talking nonsense like Cain?"
"...Stop using my name as an insult..." Cain muttered.
Even as they bickered, the black mage NPCs worked diligently. They cast curses, raised corpses as undead, and then buffed them... continuously strengthening their undead legion!
Advanced Skeleton Warriors, Advanced Skeleton Archers, plague-carrying Ghoul Warriors...
"Tae-hyun, should we increase the number of undead mages?"
"Do so."
"Tae-hyun, to create more undead, we'll need to secure more corpses."
"Haha. We can just make them. More will be arriving here shortly anyway."
"!" The bound guild member was terrified. What is he saying with such a casual face?!
Rumble—Crash!
"What? I didn't even touch that one." Tae-hyun looked puzzled as a building further down the street suddenly collapsed. He hadn't even swung his hammer yet!
And from the ruins of that very building, a swarm of rabbits poured out.
"..."
"..."
The entire group stared deadpan at Tae-hyun.
Tae-hyun cleanly admitted defeat.
"Ah. Yes, it was indeed my doing."
Leading the rabbits, you have accomplished an unbelievable feat.
You possess the Authority of the Ancient Vampire.
You possess the Authority of the God Carbanog.
You are eligible to acquire a Legendary Class.
—You already possess a Legendary Class. The class acquisition quest is canceled.
The skills have merged and evolved into a new form.
You have acquired a new skill.
...
"...No, this is just wrong." Staring at the message window, Tae-hyun muttered to himself in sheer disbelief.