The Ruthless Fisherman
With his already solid gear combined with high-level fishing skills, Chairman Yoo had nothing to fear.
You have caught an astronomical amount of fish!
You have acquired the title: Slayer of Arantis Kingdom's Fish.
"..."
Chairman Yoo blinked. What kind of unpleasant title was this? The effects were clearly excellent, but...
Well, whatever. I should just keep fishing.
While Chairman Yoo was enjoying his peaceful leisure, a fierce and bloody battle was raging within the Arantis Kingdom.
The players had fought on the open sea, and there was absolutely no reason for them to stop now that they had sailed their ships inside. Furthermore, the Arantis Kingdom had one major difference from the kingdoms of the Central Continent.
"Guard! Help me! Those guys are attacking me!"
"Hey! That's cheap!"
When a player who was losing a fight ran away and begged a merman warrior for help, the pursuing players cursed loudly. How cowardly did you have to be to call the NPCs the moment you started losing?
Normally, kingdom NPCs prevented players from fighting within city limits. Anyone who resisted would be attacked, thrown into prison, or expelled. However...
"Do your best!"
"???"
"Fight hard, human!"
Inside the Arantis Kingdom, players do not receive any penalties for fighting each other.
A Blue-Tail Tribe merman warrior is cheering for you.
"..."
Boom! Crash!
The Arantis Kingdom was rapidly devolving into a lawless wasteland. Players began using the ships they had arrived on as makeshift bases to wage war. Once inside the kingdom, even if they died, they would respawn right back inside its borders.
Although they had originally come to find the crown and become the new ruler of the Arantis Kingdom, some of the players were gradually forgetting their original purpose, consumed by the thrill of combat.
Survival first! No, defeating the enemy first!
"I'm just trying to find the crown!"
"Shut up! Just die!"
"Aaaah! This place is seriously insane!"
One explorer player, absolutely terrified as an entire party chased him down, fled toward the exit. Leaving the Arantis Kingdom meant ascending back to the surface of the sea.
Splash!
"Oh. It's a person."
"Just one? He doesn't even seem to have a boat. Maybe he just came up for some air?"
The members of the Power Warrior Guild tilted their heads in confusion as they stared at the explorer. Had he just come up to go for a casual swim out of boredom?
The player promptly shattered that theory.
"Help me!"
"Oh! A customer!"
"Bring the rope!"
The Power Warrior guild members scrambled into action. Quickly throwing a rope over the side, they rubbed their hands together in eager anticipation.
I wonder how much we can squeeze out of this one?
Splash, splash, splash!
"...!"
"Where do you think you're running!"
"Hehehe... Hand over your blood!"
The party chasing the explorer burst through the surface. Once a fight had started, they were determined to see it through to the end. Seeing their usernames glowing a violent, crimson red, the Power Warrior guild members gasped.
"Whoa, what is up with them? How much PVP did they do to look like that?"
"They're total serial killers. Absolute psychopaths."
"Look at their eyes. Are those even the eyes of a human being?"
"..."
The chatter of the Power Warrior guild members carried clearly to the pursuing party. They roared savagely.
"Hand him over!"
"What? Gold? Gasp. No way!"
"...Not gold! That guy who just climbed up!"
The explorer player, now safely on the deck, shook his head in sheer terror. It was glaringly obvious that he would die the instant he went back down.
Curious, the guild members asked, "What on earth did you do to make them chase you like that?"
"Nothing! I was just walking around the village gathering information, asking if anyone had clues about the crown..."
The explorer felt incredibly wronged. He had absolutely no interest in PVP; he had come solely to clear the quest.
Hearing this, the Power Warrior guild members nodded in agreement.
"Those guys are seriously bad news."
"Yeah! Attacking an innocent civilian! Shame on you!"
"...Do you want to die?!"
The pursuers seethed with rage as a bunch of players who didn't even look like they were level 100 mocked them from the safety of their ship.
"If you don't hand him over right now, we'll attack you too!"
"Try it, punk! Do you even know who we are?"
"Who are you?"
"We are the Power—"
"—Warrior Guild? Isn't that just a guild full of weaklings?"
A sharp, painful truth pierced their chests. The Power Warrior guild members couldn't even offer a rebuttal.
"Ugh!"
"I can't even deny it...!"
"How cheap, using facts against us... But we have something else!"
"...?"
Thud, thud, thud—
Suddenly, pirate warriors and rescued players began peeking over the ship's railing, staring down at the pursuing party. Confronted by dozens of hostile faces, the pursuers' confidence instantly evaporated. They had heard rumors that this guild traveled in packs, but this was ridiculous!
"..."
"Say that again!"
"Ah... No. You can just keep him. We'll be on our way."
Their anger instantly managed, the party turned to head back into the kingdom. However, the guild members had no intention of letting them off so easily.
"Hand it over!"
They threw the exact same words back at the party.
"W-What?"
"Gold!"
"..."
While that chaos was unfolding, Chairman Yoo remained entirely focused on his fishing.
"It's always so noisy over there. Can't they be quiet... Huh?"
◈ This beautiful and intelligent fish is highly coveted by every royal court on the continent. Keeping it alive and turning it in will yield high rewards...
Flash!
The fish, shimmering with a brilliant golden light, looked incredibly valuable at a glance. Yet, Chairman Yoo did not hesitate for even a single second. He drew his pocket knife and drove it straight into the fish's head.
Stab, stab!
Gotta level up my butchering skill.
Rewards meant nothing to the incredibly wealthy Chairman Yoo. His only desire was to raise his butchering skill to make his hunting experience more comfortable.
You have butchered the Golden Fish of Arantis Kingdom.
Your Butchering skill has increased significantly!
Your Reputation has increased significantly!
For your ruthless hand, you have acquired the title: Cold-hearted Fisherman.
...
You have obtained the King's Soggy Letter.
"Hmm?"
Chairman Yoo unfolded the crumpled, damp letter and began to read.
The crown of Arantis Kingdom must never fall into the hands of those pirate scoundrels! If you find this letter in the distant future, please find the Lost Crown of Arantis Kingdom and avenge our kingdom!
The Lost Crown of Arantis Kingdom
📍 Location: Arantis Kingdom
🎁 Reward: King of Arantis Kingdom
The location of the missing crown was hidden inside the stomach of the King's pet fish. To soothe the grudges of the Arantis Kingdom, which sank after being attacked by the Pirate King, you must locate the crown and become the rightful ruler. Head to the location mentioned in the letter and claim the crown!
If players with a deep interest in the lore of Pan-On had heard this, they would have jumped for joy. However, Chairman Yoo had absolutely no idea how monumental this information actually was.
To him, it was just, "Destroyed after being attacked by pirates? Talk about bad luck."
My company also suffered quite a bit of damage because of those pirate scoundrels back in the day...
Harboring thoughts that absolutely no other player could possibly relate to, Chairman Yoo tucked the letter away.
You have successfully caught a fish that no one else could, through sheer luck and persistence!
You can now change your class to Lucky Fisherman.
To possess luck, one must also possess persistence. You have proven this by catching a fish that no other could. The deity you worship has taken notice of this feat and wishes to grant you a class advancement.
Reward: A fisherman blessed by the God of Luck.
...!
Chairman Yoo froze in surprise. To him, this class advancement quest was infinitely more important than some crown he knew nothing about.
His current class, Epic Fisherman, was already considered one of the absolute best among known fishing classes, and he could advance to something even better here?
Of course, class advancement quests didn't always guarantee a strictly superior class, but with his limited gaming experience, Chairman Yoo naturally assumed it would be an upgrade.
Without even stopping to think about who the "God of Luck" actually was—
Accept! Accept!
Wait, if it's the God of Luck...
"..."
The moment the notification about the Archisus Church contribution points popped up, Chairman Yoo finally realized.
Who else could the God of Luck possibly be!
Sigh...
"Huh? Why is our church's reputation and influence suddenly rising?"
"Did it go up because of the scam you just pulled?"
Lee Da-bi stared at him with a look of utter disbelief. Surely, even for this game, that was too much!
"Is that really why? No, I don't think so..."
Tae-hyun couldn't say for sure either. After all, the Archisus Church was exactly the kind of place where gaining reputation for pulling a successful scam wouldn't be out of the ordinary.
In any case, now that they had wrapped up their business with the Phaitos Church, it was time to pay a visit to the other orders. First up, the Tyran Church!
"The holy relic has been offered to the Phaitos Church!"
"What?!"
"Priest Hugo of the Phaitos Church said, 'There is no order as trustworthy as ours. The other churches are full of idiots. If Count Kim Tae-hyun trusts me and offers it to us, I'll take very good care of him, hehehe'!"
"Why, that... that absolute bastard...! How dare he, after promising we would manage it together?!"
The high priest of the Tyran Church was absolutely furious. The other priests standing nearby began to whisper anxiously.
"But Priest, can we really trust his words? They say the Pope of the Archisus Church is highly untrustworthy..."
"I swear it on the name of Archisus!"
"!!!!"
With the buff from his Speech skill active, and having sworn on the very name of Archisus, any lingering doubts vanished. No one dared to question Tae-hyun's words.
Tae-hyun proceeded to the Yata Church and executed the exact same routine.
"Priest Hugo of the Phaitos Church said, 'The Yata Church bastards are so ignorant they practically reek'!"
"Why, those... those tin-can-wearing sons of baches...!"
Your Infamy has increased.
Your Holy stat has increased.
...
Phew, now only the Demer Church is left.
Unlike the other factions, the Demer Church had always treated Tae-hyun with kindness. However, since he had already set this train in motion, leaving them out would feel incredibly unfair to the others!
"Ah, you've arrived, Count Kim Tae-hyun! We have been waiting for you!"
"??"
Tae-hyun tilted his head. Waiting? What did they mean by that?
"By any chance, the holy relic..."
"Pardon? Ah, that relic? Our order doesn't have much interest in it. Since the other churches are so keen on it, we're sure you'll handle it appropriately."
"..."
Tae-hyun, who had been gearing up to pull another scam, froze awkwardly.
Wait, then why were they waiting for me?
"Priest Haron is waiting for you. Thanks to the achievements he made alongside you last time, his standing within our order has risen significantly. You have no idea how highly Priest Haron speaks of you, Count..."
"Well, that's wonderful."
"Haha. People from other churches go around claiming the Archisus Church does suspicious and bizarre things, but I don't believe a word of it, Count. Surely, it's all just slander?"
"Um, yes, of course."
"I knew it! It must be rumors spread by wicked factions like the Sadiq Church!"
"..."
At this point, Tae-hyun's conscience actually started to prick him a bit. But the priest didn't stop there.
"A hero like you would never do such things, after all."
The Demer Church priest gazed at him with pure, sparkling, innocent eyes.
Tae-hyun felt the exact same sensation he got whenever he met someone like Ju Hyeon-yeong.
Ugh... Too bright...!