A Family-Like Guild
Lee Da-bi was the first to realize what was happening. "Tae-hyun, don't tell me..."
"Ah, sorry. Is it a bit much? Even Power Warrior must have its own internal atmosphere, so putting raider players like them in..."
"...To give us such a gift! I'm so touched!" Lee Da-bi's eyes welled with tears.
Tae-hyun turned away with a satisfied expression. Wiping under his nose, he said, "Hmph. Don't get the wrong idea. It's not like I'm giving them to you because I particularly like the Power Warrior guild."
"..."
"..."
Cain and Choi Sang-yun stared at them with expressions that said they had seen something they shouldn't have.
Meanwhile, the raider players, who had finished whispering among themselves, shouted in unison, "Mr. Kim Tae-hyun! Please tell us! We are ready!"
"That's right! Now that we think about it, we've always had a desire to join a guild that feels like family and play alongside family-like guild members!"
Cain, listening from the side, muttered, "Well... yeah... it certainly is *family-like*..."
The "fam" in "family" was whispered so softly it was barely audible, leaving only the "ill." Still, despite their past animosity, seeing his former guildmates being dragged away so foolishly made his stomach churn.
"Really? Is that so?"
"Yes, really!"
"Are you absolutely sure?"
"Absolutely sure!"
The raider players shouted like fanatics. But then, one of them realized something was off.
Wait... Kim Tae-hyun isn't the guild leader, is he?
But it was already too late to snap out of it. The atmosphere had reached a point of no return.
"Excellent! I shall send you the guild invitations, so accept them!"
"Thank you!"
You have joined the guild.
"Whoa! Awesome! We joined the guild... wait?"
"......?"
"It-it's just a guild with the same name, right? Right?"
Seeing the guild name, which looked incredibly familiar, the raider players tried to deny reality. There was no way!
"There's no need to thank me. Accepting gratitude for something like this is rather uncool."
"Tae-hyun, you're just too kind!"
Hearing the conversation between Tae-hyun and Lee Da-bi, there was no way the raider players could accept this.
"W-wait. Kim Tae-hyun, you son of a... I mean, Mr. Kim Tae-hyun... what is the meaning of this?"
"I put you in a large, stable guild, didn't I? And the guild members are like... *fam*-ily."
The raider players doubted their ears for a moment. Did he just leave a suspicious pause between "fam" and "ily"?
"Well? Aren't you happy?"
"What kind of bullshit is this! Who said they wanted to join a guild like—"
Shhh-tng—
Tae-hyun, Cain, and Choi Sang-yun drew their weapons simultaneously, as if they had rehearsed it.
"Hmm? What was that?"
"You don't like it? Surely you don't dislike it, do you?"
"..."
The thing raider players were best at: drawing weapons and threatening people!
Inside dungeons, when distributing items, raider players would draw their weapons and subtly threaten others.
I can PVP you!
That was the signal they sent. It was much more effective than actually killing. They avoided penalties and still got the items!
But now, Tae-hyun's group was doing the exact same thing back to them. And they were doing it with terrifying proficiency!
"Do you dislike it?"
"N-no. It's not that we dislike it..."
"You like it, right? Hmm? You like it?"
"W-we love it... *sob*!"
"We're so happy! *sniff*!"
The raider players wept, overcome with "emotion." Tae-hyun patted them on the shoulders.
"There, there. You probably thought you'd never get to join such a wonderful guild in your entire lives. It's okay. It's okay."
"You son of a... we're just... so touched... *hic*!"
Just you wait!
The moment you're gone, we're leaving this guild!
The raider players cursed inwardly. But they had forgotten one crucial thing.
Tae-hyun had been eating raider players for breakfast, lunch, and dinner since Pandemonium Online 1! He could read their minds like an open book.
"You're not planning on secretly leaving the guild later after accepting my offer, are you? If you do, my heart will be so broken that I might end up stalking you forever. Just like I did back in Pan-On 1. My heart was very fragile back then."
"..."
The most terrifying threat in the world!
Among raider players, a common threat was "I'll kill you, find your spawn point, and kill you again!" But coming from Tae-hyun, it felt qualitatively different.
"You're not going to leave, right?"
"Of course not!"
"We would never dream of it!"
"Ah. And if even one of you leaves, my heart will be so broken that I'll have to hold everyone collectively responsible."
Tae-hyun drove the final nail into the coffin.
"..."
"..."
Realizing they had nowhere left to run, the raider players turned on each other.
- Which bastard said Kim Tae-hyun had mellowed out?
- You guys followed him happily too, and now you're blaming me?!
Their teamwork from moments ago vanished as they began tearing into each other.
"But are those guys actually useful to the Power Warrior guild?"
"Of course! No one is useless in our guild!"
It was a heartwarming sentiment, but coming from Lee Da-bi, it carried a completely different nuance.
"Besides, our guild is a bit short on combat classes. This worked out perfectly!"
"Hey, by the way..."
"...?"
"What is that?"
Having moved quickly to the territory, Cain pointed at a bizarre sight unfolding in front of the estate and asked.
"Our dishes are guaranteed to be far more luxurious than any other chef's! Come and have a taste before you go!"
Chefs were competing to see who could create the most extravagant dishes!
"Ah, sorry. I'm too full to eat another bite. *Burp*!"
The players had eaten so much they couldn't force down another morsel.
"Here, drink this and keep eating."
"What's this?"
"Digestive Medicine. It removes the satiety penalty so you can eat more."
"Oh! Such an item exists! If I drink this, I can eat even more of that!"
"..."
Clench!
Lee Da-bi clenched her fists. She wanted nothing more than to run over, flip those massive tables, and scream, "Pay for it with your own damn money!!!"
"D-don't flip them."
"I-I won't...!"
Lee Da-bi barely managed to hold onto her sanity.
"Ah! It's Kim Tae-hyun!"
"Kim Tae-hyun! Kim Tae-hyun! Kim Tae-hyun!"
"Mr. Kim Tae-hyun! Thanks to you, we're eating well!"
It was pure, genuine gratitude. But to Tae-hyun's ears, it sounded strangely sarcastic.
We're eating well on your dime!
"K-urgh...!"
"Hey! Kim Tae-hyun! Pull yourself together!"
Tae-hyun also barely managed to maintain his grip on sanity.
Choi Sang-yun called Cain and Jeong Su-hyeok over.
"Hey, let's get him inside before he causes a scene!"
"Kim Tae-hyun! Kim Tae-hyun!"
"Tae-hyun! Look over here just once! I'm about to enhance my gear, please hold my hand just once!"
"The food is delicious! *Burp*!"
Grab!
"Hey! That hurts! Gentle!"
Leaving the cheering players of the territory behind, Tae-hyun's group finally managed to slip inside the estate.
Cain looked back and muttered, "But why are there so many more people now?"
"The Great Pope of the Archisus Cult, who has expanded the influence of our order even to the Southern Continent..."
"Keep it to one verse, Galakpad."
"...Yes! My Lord. While you were away, I, Galakpad, have worked myself to the bone, sparing no effort to spread the glorious name of our order!"
"...You could have worked a little less hard..."
"Pardon?"
"It's nothing. Never mind. You may leave."
Tae-hyun waved his hand with a drained face. Regardless, Galakpad left while praising how they had converted the goblins in the Uruk Region.
"My Lord! We should bring the promising goblins here to receive the teachings of the great Archisus..."
"Someone please drag him out."
Once Galakpad left, Tae-hyun let out a deep sigh.
"The state of the territory..."
• The territory is currently developing rapidly. Beware, as other lords may grow jealous.
• The number of adventurers with combat classes has increased sharply. Constructing a [Training Facility] is recommended.
• The number of adventurers accepting Sadiq's power has increased. Constructing a [Sadiq's Altar] is recommended.
• The territory's current food supply is highly abundant. However, if the event continues, food resources may deplete rapidly.
• The status of buildings currently under construction is as follows...
"The arena... will probably be finished next month..."
If they hadn't wasted resources on useless events—specifically, building a statue of Tae-hyun—it would have been finished long ago. But what could he do? What was done was done!
First, I'll repair the golems and deploy them in the territory, check the item blueprints the goblin tribe gave me, and start crafting my own weapon...
Tae-hyun cheered himself up. The very first task was repairing the golems. Since they were free minions, he intended to squeeze every bit of utility out of them.
The territory was peaceful now, but there was no telling when or where Tae-hyun's enemies might strike. Honestly, he had so many enemies that he couldn't even guess who would attack first. Even if he logged in one day to find the territory on fire, he wouldn't be surprised.
The territory's current military strength is C-Rank.
Mobilizable forces: Archisus Paladins, Archisus Priests, Merchant Mercenaries, Militia.
"It's a miracle it's even C. I wouldn't be surprised if it was D," Tae-hyun grumbled.
Compared to the knight orders of other territories, it was pathetic.
We do have the noble knight order that we can exploit one more time, and we can mobilize players, but...
Still, they were skating on thin ice.
"..."
How on earth did our gold drop to this level...
Tae-hyun sighed and dumped all the gold he had on hand into the territory warehouse.
It was a money-eating hippo of a territory, constantly devouring funds no matter how much he fed it!
It was a good thing Tae-hyun was a self-sufficient player who crafted his own gear. Otherwise, he would have gone bankrupt at least three times over by now. He was pouring all the gold he earned through various means straight into the territory.
Alright. Let's start by repairing the golems. I'll summon the blacksmiths first.
And Tae-hyun would later come to regret this decision.
"Y-y-you're giving these golems to us?"
"I never once said I was giving them to you."
"We're so touched, My Lord! We always knew you cherished and loved us!"
"No, I don't."
The Mechanical Engineering Blacksmiths rejoiced, interpreting everything in whatever way pleased them most. Whenever Tae-hyun dealt with them, he felt an inexplicable sense of suffocation.
A dark premonition that they were going to cause a massive disaster later!
"I'll distribute a few to each of you, so repair them and fix them up on your own."
It would be best if Tae-hyun repaired them all himself, but he lacked the time. Besides, they were part of the territory's military force. They were completely unhinged, but where else could he find people so unconditionally loyal to him? He had to give them resources and nurture them.
Ah, but why do I feel so uneasy...
"Rest assured! We will do our absolute best to repair and modify them!"
"I didn't say anything about modifying them."
"Understood! We will do our absolute best to modify them!"
"Are you guys doing this on purpose? Huh?"
Regardless of Tae-hyun's protests, the Mechanical Engineering Blacksmiths giggled and swarmed the golems.
- Let's install a Plague Bomb here...
- That's a brilliant idea!
...I must have misheard.
Tae-hyun ignored them and moved on. He had a lot of work to do.