Too Tough to Waver

Sharp words of disbelief! But the Power Warrior guild members did not waver. They were far too tough to be hurt by such words.

"Ah, no. This time will be different!"

"How exactly is it different? Are you saying this time you'll sink because of a sea monster instead of pirates?"

In truth, getting wiped out by the pirates hadn't been the fault of the Power Warrior guild members. If anyone had encountered Gardu on the open sea, they would have suffered the same fate! Besides, if one traced the root cause, it went all the way back to Tae-hyun. Even though he knew this well, the reason Chairman Yoo couldn't trust them was simple: the display they had put on was just too... pathetic.

The Power Warrior guild members knew this well, so they approached it differently.

"This time is definitely different! We even came up with a method!"

"Huh?"

"Really?"

"What method?"

The other Power Warrior guild members who came along were also surprised, looking at their guildmate as if to say, Wait, we came up with a method?

"..."

Chairman Yoo's gaze shifted to one reserved for looking at even more pathetic fools.

"It's none other than... the pirates!"

"...!"

"The pirates from the Red Sea! We can just ask them to escort us! They are far better at sailing and sea combat than any players currently roaming the ocean!"

It was a brilliant idea. Since most players were unfamiliar with sailing or fighting on the water, the pirates of the Uruk Region were NPCs with much higher sailing skills than players. On top of that, they even possessed pirate ships advantageous for long-distance sailing! The help of such NPCs was not something easily obtained.

It was a good idea, but Chairman Yoo's expression remained dubious.

"That's all well and good... but did Kim Tae-hyun say it was okay?"

"Uh..."

"No..."

"We were hoping you could ask him, Elder... hehe..."

"..."

Chairman Yoo briefly considered hitting them with his fishing rod but held back. At least the idea itself was solid. However, his concern was Tae-hyun. Would that twisted bastard actually permit it?

An immediate permission! Chairman Yoo found it rather suspicious.

"Ahem!"

Chairman Yoo's face flushed. Come to think of it, he had shown the exact same reaction to Tae-hyun. Two people who grew suspicious when treated well!

The reason Tae-hyun allowed them to put the pirates to work was simple. Now that Gardu was gone, there was no reason to keep them tied down near his territory. Besides, he was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠planning to clash with various religious orders in the Atali Kingdom, so keeping pirates in his territory felt a bit uncomfortable!

Go roam around outside, level up, and bring back some items!

Even if they were pirates, they were a valuable force that could be put to good use in Tae-hyun's territory, which lacked numbers. Understanding his meaning, Chairman Yoo nodded readily.

As the saying goes, "a famous feast has nothing to eat," Tae-hyun didn't have much interest in the ancient kingdom of Arantis. Tae-hyun himself had too many backlogged quests, but there was another reason.

Too many players have swarmed there.

If Arantis was so difficult that it didn't match the current level of players, they would all be wiped out. If not, the players would just fight among themselves. If that happened, no matter how much there was to eat in Arantis, there wouldn't be much left over.

Chairman Yoo found it hard to answer that, so he just cleared his throat awkwardly.

Fearsome-looking mermen and pretty-looking mermaids. These were the races that ruled the Arantis Kingdom.

The players entering the Arantis Kingdom for the first time swallowed hard. What would welcome them?

"Th-th-this is..."

"This is absolutely insane...!"

Even a Legendary-grade quest! Considering the reward, it made sense that it was Legendary. It wasn't the king of a massive, prosperous kingdom on the Central Continent, but a king was still a king! No, since they didn't even know what was in this undersea kingdom yet, it might be even better.

The players were swept up in excitement.

"I'll! I'll clear it first!"

"We should move together! Are you trying to break up the party?"

"Who cares about ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the party right now!"

The news that a Legendary-grade quest had appeared immediately spread to the players outside. At that, a reaction on a completely different level than before erupted.

A few guilds had rather peculiar reactions, but most were similar.

"We will claim it no matter what!"

Few people would simply give up on a territory that could be obtained like this. In an instant, the ports of the Central Continent boiled over with players.

The Intermediate Carrack ships, the best ships most carpenter players could build, were sold out in an instant, and several large guilds poured gold to purchase massive Galleon ships.

Ships that started in the hundreds of millions of won even in real money!

Players who couldn't get a ship didn't give up either. There were players who brought small Caravel ships, as well as small sailboats or even fishing boats.

People did not stop. Once started, the fever did not die down, spreading like madness.

"Fufu. We have the biggest advantage!"

"Right, right!"

Chairman Yoo's high-end ship, bought with a hefty sum of money. Along with the pirate ships escorting it.

The Power Warrior guild members were full of confidence.

The quest news they heard after setting sail. Hearing that news, their hearts swelled.

The Kingdom of Power Warriors! A name that made their hearts race just thinking about it!

Of course, I should be the king! Since I made a contribution, shouldn't I get at least that much?

Once I become king, I'll throw that guy in prison for about three days. Hmph. Revenge for him clearing that quest alone last time.

Hmm. Fishing isn't going very well here.

Unlike the Power Warrior guild members who were burning with desire, Chairman Yoo had little interest in the throne. Just sightseeing a new kingdom, raising his fishing skill a bit, and getting some good equipment as a bonus would satisfy him!

Leading the Yuseong Group in reality was exhausting enough; why would he want a virtual throne too?

To avoid letting that bastard Kim Tae-hyun get any leverage on me, I should bring back something so I can show off... What should I bring...

It was the kind of worry someone on an overseas trip has when thinking, What kind of souvenir should I buy?

Since it was surprisingly hard to decide, Chairman Yoo was worried. Tae-hyun was a top-tier ranker himself, so ordinary items wouldn't even catch his eye.

Maybe if I catch something truly amazing... Hmm... What is there...

"Hey, you don't have any friends, do you? Huh?"

"..."

"Why on earth aren't your subordinates coming to rescue you? Did they seriously go to the Arantis Kingdom? Hmm?"

"Shut up..."

Crawford and Roy were sitting side by side on a hill in the Exile. They stared blankly at the fish and monsters passing through the sea.

"...Should we try to break through?"

"Forget it. Even tanks with several times your HP went out there and died."

If it had been the original Crawford, he would have said, "Go die then." But not now. A strange friendship had blossomed between the two who shared the same plight!

If Cain had seen this, he would have nodded and said, "That's the Kim Tae-hyun effect."

The effect of those victimized by Kim Tae-hyun becoming close friends!

"I barely managed to widen the gap with other rankers by catching Gardu, but if I stay here, I'll be caught up. No, I might even be overtaken!"

"So what do you want to do?"

"We have to keep looking for a way!"

"Do you know how many hours we've been searching? We can't get out without a map. Damn it. What a dog-shit place..."

Truly, the name The Exile wasn't given for nothing. The infinite sea stretching around them! It felt like they could go anywhere, but only one of those directions was the exit of this exile. If they couldn't find it, they would only be crushed to death by the deep sea.

They tried to hunt monsters and find a way by wandering around blindly, but no results came of it.

The two sat down gloomily on the hill.

"Now that I think about it, I don't need to deal with those church bastards directly."

He didn't have the power to, nor did he need to.

"I just need to pit the churches against each other!"

"...Was Archisus the God of Luck, or the God of Scams?"

"Actually, I'm starting to have my doubts too."

-The god Archisus was indeed famous for pulling off a lot of scams.

Even Heuk-heuk chimed in to explain.

Tae-hyun lightly shut Heuk-heuk's mouth and said, "Quiet. From now on, you guys need to keep your poker faces on perfectly."

"..."

Tae-hyun's plan was simple. Craft a fake Spear of Karbanog, choose one church, and hand it over to them. Then, go to another church and say, "Sigh... Because I am weak and lacking, I entrusted the spear to the XX Church. I have much to learn from them."

If he did that, would the other churches say, "Ah, is that so? Everything has been resolved nicely, haha"?

Of course not. Tae-hyun believed the churches would fight among themselves.

What if they didn't fight? He would make them fight!

Then, which church should receive this...

After some thought, Tae-hyun made his decision.

The Phytos Church!

The reason was "because they had come directly to pick a fight."

If someone picks a fight with you for no reason, give them a reason. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Tae-hyun intended to create that reason.

"The Pope of the Archisus Church and Count of the Atali Kingdom, Kim Tae-hyun, has arrived!"

"Gasp!"

"What brings you..."

"Eek! It's 'that Pope'!"

"Please wait a moment."

The reaction of one of the Phytos Church NPCs was strange, but overall they bowed their heads and showed a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠humble response. After all, he was the Pope of a church, so an ordinary priest or paladin couldn't afford to act insolently!

The players passing by were startled to see Tae-hyun.

"Isn't that Kim Tae-hyun?!"

"As expected, a person needs a title... The way they treat him is completely different from us."

"What is he here for?"

"Who knows..."

A moment later, a priest ran out from inside.

"Please come inside. The High Priest is waiting for you."