What I Wanted from the Dragon

Tae-hyun had many things he wanted from the dragon. Could he borrow some gold? Since it was a dragon, it surely had plenty of gems and artifacts; could it spare some? There was a corrupt, wicked place on the continent called the Auston Kingdom where a Lich was roaming around; could the dragon destroy it...?

However, it would be a waste to use his favor on these requests now, or the dragon would likely refuse. What he needed most right now was information on Archisus! It was easy to forget, but Tae-hyun's class was the Pope of the Archisus Church, and his character's growth was tied directly to his class's growth. Okenoas was bound to be one of the most knowledgeable NPCs on the continent, and since Tae-hyun couldn't expect help from other churches, he had to get help now.

"I am sorry... I do not know the location of Archisus's scattered authorities..." Okenoas said, his voice dragging. "That was something Archisus did himself..."

Damn, Tae-hyun thought, disappointed. Even Okenoas didn't know.

"The beings of the continent must not interfere in the affairs of the gods... Furthermore, Archisus is a cunning and clever god. If he set his mind to it, there is no way I would know..."

"Did something happen between you and Archisus?"

"Nothing happened... But I have heard stories of how Archisus deceived the other gods..."

"..."

"And the other dragons warned me not to trust Archisus... They said even if Archisus proposes a contract, do not trust him..."

That's just bad-mouthing him! Tae-hyun thought.

Hearing this, it was hard to understand why anyone would think well of Archisus.

"You don't hold a grudge against Archisus, do you?"

"Me...? Why would I, when I was not the one deceived...?"

What a logical way of thinking! Tae-hyun sighed in relief.

"Not many dragons remember the days when the gods walked the continent... Even when the gods were here, dragons avoided clashing with them... After all, a god is still a god... Dragons are strong, but they cannot defeat a god... Long ago, I heard the gods directly descended to the continent. Now, they have all departed, save for a select few!"

That was why such a commotion occurred when a weak god like Carbanog appeared.

"If not for Archisus, the gods would not have fought... and they would not have left... Thanks to him, we dragons... have been able to live peacefully on the continent..."

"...?"

Did Archisus make the gods fight, resulting in them leaving the continent?

I must absolutely never mention this to anyone.

If other churches found out, they would immediately designate the Archisus Church as an evil god's cult!

"I cannot help you with Archisus's authorities... but I can help you with something else... You know how to use Word Magic..."

"...!"

"It is a rare power for a human..."

Since no one normally maxed out the Speech skill to the highest tier, Okenoas's reaction was natural.

"It will be impossible for you to find someone to teach you Word Magic, so I shall teach you..."

Flash! Okenoas remained still, but the seawater around Tae-hyun vanished, and a pocket of space was created.

"Word Magic is... the power of words... Magic that calls forth power exactly as spoken... At your level, even a single phrase will be exhausting... Try it..."

Pop, pop, pop! Magic training dummies popped up.

Currently, Tae-hyun's Word of Power skill was only at a level where he could cast a single phrase. Defeating the dummies with that wasn't easy.

"—Burn, Sadik's Flame, explode!"

Whoosh! Fire bloomed in the air and blasted the dummy. But the dummy was incredibly sturdy and didn't budge.

"You need to recover," Okenoas said.

The power of a dragon, more desirable the more he saw it! Okenoas opened his half-closed eyes and asked, "Is that not Sadik's Flame...? How are you using it...?"

"I stole it."

"As expected... of Archisus..."

"..."

"Continue..."

"—Strike, shatter!"

Since the dummies resisted fire, Tae-hyun changed his approach. Every time he used the Word of Power skill, a dull thud echoed as the dummies staggered. But they still didn't fall.

Seeing this, Okenoas said subtly, "You seem bored... You may stop and leave..."

"Haha, what are you talking about?"

Tae-hyun felt a surge of motivation for the first time in a while. When faced with an seemingly impossible problem like this, he was the type to get even more fired up. Let's do this!

"Ah... No... You do not need to work that hard... You can just give up..."

"—Strike, shatter, collapse!"

"What the f*ck?!"

"Are you kidding me?!"

The players who were stabbing and killing each other around Arantis Kingdom were shocked by the sudden message window.

"Is it you?! Did you take it?"

"Argh! I'm in the middle of a fight, how could I have taken the crown!"

"That guy looks suspicious! Kill him!"

Players fell into a panic! But the panic didn't last long. The guards, having received orders, began to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠move.

"Halt! Fighting is forbidden!"

"...!"

"Ugh... what a nuisance..."

The players grumbled and stopped. Merfolk guards rushed over, but no one was scared. At worst, it would be a fine, or a brief stay in jail.

"Anyone who fights within the kingdom... shall be executed!"

"?!?!?!?!"

"What???"

"No way, what kind of law is that..."

"Seize them and kill them! Summary execution!"

Instantly, the merfolk guards drew their weapons and charged! The players screamed and fled.

"They're actually trying to kill us?!"

"What kind of crazy bastard became king and did this?!"

No matter who became king, this was beyond common sense. Normally, when someone became king, they should welcome and attract other players to develop the kingdom. But to do this as soon as they took power? It was as if they were trying to drive away all the players in the kingdom...

"...Is, is he insane?"

"What kind of lunatic put on the crown?"

All the players in Arantis Kingdom stared at the message window in disbelief. And before long, the identity of the person who wore the crown became known.

The rumor spread rapidly.

Most people reacted with disbelief.

Shock was shock, but people began to talk about how this incident would shake up Pan-On.

A novel tax rate that takes away everything you earn! No matter how high a territory's tax rate was, no lunatic had ever set it to 100%. If they did, nobody would come!

Most players thought, That's insane, but a few curious players reacted with, Still, I'll try starting in Arantis Kingdom! Just as Tae-hyun started in Tyrum City, there are always people who jump straight into the fire!

"Sob, sob, sob, Elder! You must lower the tax rate!"

"Your Majesty! Lower the tax..."

"Are we filming a historical drama right now?!"

The Power Warrior Guild members were prostrating themselves before Chairman Yoo. They looked like ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠loyal ministers offering earnest advice to a tyrant!

Regardless, Chairman Yoo turned his head with an indifferent face. It was clearly the royal palace of a kingdom, and for the Power Warrior Guild members, just entering here was an incredible achievement, but...

At this rate, we'll go bankrupt!

If they acquired a kingdom, they should rule and nurture it well to live comfortably for a thousand years, but Chairman Yoo, as if he had eaten something wrong, was trying to drive away players at every turn.

"Hmph. No. They should pay as much as they earn."

"No, if you strip them of everything, who would play here!"

"Tell them to leave if they don't like it. The kingdom won't collapse because of that."

"It will! It'll collapse at this rate!"

"If it collapses, it collapses."

Chairman Yoo didn't listen to a word. The Power Warrior Guild members beat their chests in frustration.

"In the first place, does it make sense that I can't go up to the land, but you guys can?"

"Well... that's not our fault..."

"I have to stay here forever, while you guys will go up to the land and have fun."

Chairman Yoo turned away, completely out of sorts. When an elderly person pouts, it's terrifying! The Power Warrior Guild members looked at each other. How could they appease Chairman Yoo's anger?

"Pant, pant... We have a big problem!"

"??"

"The players in the kingdom are preparing to attack!"

Few players would just say, Oh, I see, and back down after losing the crown.

"This is great! It was hard to find where they went, but now they've come out like this. We just have to take it from them!"

"Even if it's a kingdom, they just took the throne. How many soldiers could they possibly have? Besides, the kingdom has been ruined for a long time. We can easily take it!"

"I am Neure of the Guild Alliance! This is my brother Neupe! If you trust us and follow, we can easily take it!"

The bandit players of the Guild Alliance, the brothers Neure and Neupe! They stepped forward in front of the noisy players. They were somewhat well-known players, and their guild was solid, so the players murmured and followed them.

"Follow me! I promise rewards to those who follow me! What can you expect from a guy who slaps a 100% tax rate as soon as he becomes king!"

"That's right! Exactly!"

The gathering, which started with one or two parties, began to attract other parties as time passed. Seeing everyone's enthusiastic response, Neure got excited and shouted even louder.

"This is a righteous battle! Since an unqualified bastard became king..."

Neure confidently shouted things even he didn't believe! Neupe quietly spoke to him from the side.

"But brother."

"...?"

"Didn't we come here to rescue Alcott?"

"...We can do that a bit later! Look ahead right now!"

Neure confidently said something that would make Alcott grind his teeth if he heard it. With a whole kingdom in sight, someone like Alcott was a trivial matter!

"They're preparing to attack?"

"Yes! You must prepare right now..."

"Hmm, if they take the kingdom, do they take the crown too?"

Chairman Yoo asked, tapping the crown on his head. This crown, which he wanted to take off right this instant if he could!

"You don't have to give up yet! We have forces too!"

"That's right, Elder! We will protect you with our lives!"

"No... you don't have ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to go that far..."

"No! We will show you our sincerity!"

The Power Warrior Guild members burned with passion. They would never let it be taken! Meanwhile, Chairman Yoo thought to himself:

Is there any way I can get them to take this crown from me?