A Very Easy Quest

While Alcott was gaping in shock, a goblin suddenly popped out from a crack in the tunnel wall. It was a goblin draped in leather clothes covered in dangling bombs!

A cascade of system messages popped up. At this rate, it was practically love at first sight.

In fact, the goblin kept stealing glances at Tae-hyun, looking incredibly flustered and self-conscious.

"H-Hmph! Speak up! If you explain yourself well, I might just listen to what you have to say!"

"..."

"..."

Everyone present was utterly dumbfounded.

What did he even do to make a goblin act like that? Is it a class-specific trait?

No, even if they look like that, the goblin tribes around here aren't pushovers... Be careful. The negotiation is bound to fail.

A guild member whispered urgently to Alcott. Alcott nodded in agreement.

He had no idea what kind of bad mushroom this goblin had eaten to act so strangely, but one thing was absolutely certain: every single tribe in the Uruk Region was notoriously difficult to deal with!

Why else would Alcott and the other Guild Alliance members have sought out the Orc settlement in the first place? It was because the Orcs were the only ones they could actually talk to!

When they visited the Primitive Human Tribe, they were chased away by lunatics shouting, "Hehe! Magic missile! Long live Archisus!"

When they approached the goblin tribe, they were driven off by cannons firing and screams of "Intruders! Intruders! Fire the cannons!"

And the pirate tribes residing in the southern seas of the Uruk Region were even worse.

At least the Orc settlements would let them in relatively easily, provided they were Orcs themselves. Of course, they still had to grind quests and build up contribution points to get any actual help.

In any case, Alcott and his guildmate looked around with tense, anxious faces.

The moment the next attack starts, we run!

Regardless of what happened to Kim Tae-hyun, staying here meant they would end up as cannon fodder.

If we can just slip away from Kim Tae-hyun, the others are nothing. If we run without looking back... Tae-hyun will have to deal with the goblins, so he won't be able to pursue us, right? Please don't follow us, you absolute monster!

Alcott was desperately plotting an escape route.

Watching him, his guildmate was filled with admiration.

As expected of Lord Alcott. He's completely focused on the battle! Just like with the cannon earlier, he must be planning to strike Kim Tae-hyun the moment the chaos begins!

While the two of them were lost in completely different thoughts, Tae-hyun spoke up.

"I know it looks suspicious that I brought Orcs with me, but it's a misunderstanding! These Orcs are just here to run some errands for me. I came here to negotiate with you."

"What negotiation? What do you want from us?"

"I want you all to believe in Archisus."

"And what can you give us in return?"

"Uh, I haven't really thought about that. What do you want?"

Hearing this, Alcott blurted out without thinking, "Are you insane, Kim Tae-hyun?!"

"Didn't you say earlier that you couldn't handle your guild members because you're too soft-spoken and weak-willed? You seem to speak up just fine now."

"N-No, that's not it... If you're going to persuade them, you have to do it properly! What kind of NPC would fall for a pitch like that?!"

"That is a highly persuasive proposal, human. We cannot refuse!"

"Come in, come in!"

"..."

Alcott blinked. He simply could not believe what was happening before his eyes.

"...Is this a bug? It has to be a bug, right?"

"Stop denying reality."

"So, human, introduce yourself."

Tae-hyun's party was guided deep into the tunnel.

While the others were closely watched by goblins glaring at them with muskets in hand, Tae-hyun received entirely different treatment. The goblins crowded around him, radiating warmth and hospitality.

"Here, here. Before you introduce yourself, have some of this drink. You must be thirsty."

"Oh dear, just a drink won't do. You must be starving! Try this too!"

"He eats so well, so well!"

"Eat more, eat more!"

"No, I'm really fine..."

"Eat it! Try it!"

The goblins relentlessly forced food upon him.

Watching this from the side, the Guild Alliance member was suddenly reminded of his grandmother. Every time he visited her, she would say, "Why are you so skin and bones?" and keep piling food onto his plate until his stomach was about to burst.

Wait, why am I thinking of my grandma right now?

Thanks to their aggressive hospitality, Tae-hyun was only able to start his introduction after a satiety warning message popped up.

"I am Kim Tae-hyun..."

"Even his name sounds noble!"

"It must have a wonderful meaning. Look at his face. He looks so delightfully wicked, like someone who's excellent at blowing things up!"

"I hold the title of Count..."

"His lineage is noble too!"

"Tell us about the things you've blown up!"

Every time Tae-hyun uttered a single word, the goblins giggled and reacted with absolute adoration. They behaved exactly like fanatical idol fans meeting their favorite star.

"..."

The progression was so fast it left even Tae-hyun ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠bewildered. He felt like he had never completed such an effortless quest in his entire life.

After a brief hesitation, Tae-hyun decided to test the waters.

"So, are you guys interested in believing in Archisus?"

"What's that?"

"He's a god. If you worship him, he'll help you blow things up."

"If our friend, Count Kim Tae-hyun, tells us to believe, then we must believe!"

"Yes, yes! Absolutely!"

That was incredibly easy... Wait, what?

For a second, Tae-hyun thought he had misread the message.

Carbanog feels neglected.

But no, he had read it perfectly.

Why does this keep popping up?!

While he was mentally exasperated, the goblins continued to crowd around him, chattering excitedly.

"Count Kim Tae-hyun! We desperately need the feathers of the giant red eagle right now... The Old Tunnel Goblin Tribe..."

"Count Kim Tae-hyun! We want to build a new cannon... The Old Tunnel Goblin Tribe..."

Thanks to his absurdly high intimacy and reputation, the goblins swarmed him, eager to dump their requests on him. Since he had already achieved his main goal, he could have easily put on a shameless face and rejected them all.

But Tae-hyun didn't do that. He had a perfectly good set of laborers right here, after all.

"Of course we should help you!"

"As expected of Count Kim Tae-hyun! Truly a man destined to burn the world to ashes!"

"They will do it!"

"...Huh?"

Huddled in the corner under the suspicious glares of the goblins, Alcott and his guildmate tilted their heads in confusion. Did he just refer to them?

"Hey. Take the Orcs outside and complete all the quests here."

"..."

Alcott felt a surge of indignation, but one look at Tae-hyun's face instantly cured his anger management issues.

"Lord Alcott. Hearing Kim Tae-hyun talk, it sounds like he's sending just us outside... Isn't this our chance to escape?"

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

"...No, we can't."

The guildmate's logic was sound. It made perfect sense, but...

Alcott simply couldn't do it. The terror was engraved deep into his very bones!

"Ah! Lord Alcott, of course...! You mean we can't leave until we've killed Kim Tae-hyun?"

"..."

While the two of them whispered back and forth, Tae-hyun spoke in a gentle, soothing tone.

"If you complete all these quests..."

"...?"

Alcott braced himself for what Tae-hyun would say next.

If we complete them? He won't kill us? He'll take less of our items? He'll let us live?

Any of those options would have made sense. But Tae-hyun's response completely defied his expectations.

"I'll set you free."

"!? !? !? !?"

"What, you don't want to?"

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

"N-No! We do! We absolutely do!"

"Lord Alcott?"

"Shut up! If you butt in, I'll kill you myself!"

Silencing his guildmate, Alcott stared at Tae-hyun with shining eyes.

"You're really going to let us go?"

"Yeah, yeah. You've worked hard, so once you finish these, you can go back to your own quests."

"We'll do our absolute best! Let's go!"

"Wait, Lord Alcott..."

"I said let's go, you idiot!"

"Ah, yes!"

The two of them eagerly led the Orcs out of the tunnel.

Tae-hyun watched them leave, nodding with a satisfied expression.

Perfect. I managed to dump all the tedious chores onto them.

If Cain had been here, he probably would have asked, Are you ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠really going to let them go?

Of course, Tae-hyun's answer would still be yes.

I don't know who that guy is, but he doesn't seem like a particularly good person...

There was no way someone like Tae-hyun wouldn't notice Alcott's true identity. It was glaringly obvious, given how the other guild members cowered before him. A pacifist? Yeah, right.

Tae-hyun knew full well that Alcott was the one who had ordered the attack on him.

But does getting hit just once really make someone that terrified? I don't get it.

He had figured out everything else, but why Alcott trembled like a leaf every time they made eye contact remained a mystery to him.

Did some terrifying rumor about me spread within the Guild Alliance?

Regardless of Alcott's identity, Tae-hyun genuinely intended to let him go. Of course, it wasn't out of the kindness or generosity of his heart.

In these situations, you have to play the long game.

If Tae-hyun broke his promise and attacked Alcott, rumors would spread within the Guild Alliance: I got backstabbed by Kim Tae-hyun! That bastard is a ruthless monster who never shows mercy!

But if Tae-hyun let Alcott go?

The rumor would become: Oh? If you surrender to Kim Tae-hyun, he actually lets you live?

As these stories accumulated, more and more players would choose to flee or surrender when facing him in future conflicts with the Guild Alliance. It would make his life infinitely easier.

The Guild Alliance must have received the news by now, so a few of them will probably come looking for me... I should prepare in advance.

"Hey, do you mind if I take a look at your traps?"

"Of course, Count Kim Tae-hyun!"

When Tae-hyun expressed interest in their items, the goblins excitedly dragged him along.

However, Tae-hyun was overlooking one crucial detail.

Alcott, consumed by sheer terror, hadn't reported a single thing to the Guild Alliance!

No matter how frightened a person was, Tae-hyun never imagined that Alcott wouldn't even send a simple whisper to update his guild.

"Why hasn't that fool returned yet?"

"..."

"Never mind. We don't need a useless wretch like him anyway."

In a dimly lit chamber—the private quarters of Great Chieftain Karag—a mage stood quietly.

The demons summoned by the mage kept their heads bowed low, not daring to look him in the eye.

"My plan is nearly complete. Surely you all realize this."

"Yes, Master!"

"Many demons wish to cross over to this continent. However, I have no desire to do those fools any favors. What I want are demons who will obey me blindly! Demons who will accept even the most unfavorable contracts."

"..."

"Go and find such demons. The Orcs here are already within my grasp. Power! Absolute power! That is all I need. Just a little more, and I will establish my own kingdom!"

"Yes, we understand!"

"Master. Powerful demons rarely accept unfavorable contracts, but there is one demon who is highly likely to do so."

"Oh? Who is that?"

"It is a demon named Edaor. His power has been severely weakened after he was summoned to the continent and defeated by a human."

"Edaor! That demon would accept a contract?"

"The probability is high. After all, Edaor's current situation is quite dire!"

"Excellent. I shall summon Edaor. Bring the Orcs!"