Archisus Swordsmanship?

"Archisus Swordsmanship?" Tae-hyun was slightly surprised. A swordsmanship style. It was a collection of multiple sword skills where additional skills unlocked as certain conditions were met. To learn such a style, one usually had to meet an NPC mentor or obtain a swordsmanship manual.

In truth, Tae-hyun already possessed an excellent swordsmanship style: Gataqua Swordsmanship. Though he had acquired it early on, it was remarkably powerful—so much so that he hadn't even fully mastered all of its skills yet. However, given his class, a swordsmanship and spearmanship style that aligned with his profession would undoubtedly be superior.

'Isn't giving it to me only after reaching level 100 a bit too late? ...Wait, don't tell me I leveled up too slowly.' He wondered if the developers had configured it this way assuming a normal class would reach level 100 in the blink of an eye. Regardless, he was glad to receive it now. Tae-hyun checked the details with a joyful heart.

'Ah. It's just like Mage's Random Magic.' Thanks to Jeong Su-hyeok, who already possessed a similar skill, it was easy to understand. Of course, Archisus Swordsmanship had a much lower chance of screwing over the user compared to Mage's Random Magic. Unlike Mage's Random Magic, which literally triggered every spell under the sun, Archisus Swordsmanship only triggered minor additional effects. Perhaps that was why the description specified that the effects would only trigger when targeting an opponent's weakness.

'Isn't this just a straight upgrade to Gataqua Swordsmanship?'Archisus's First Strike was a superior version of Circle of Attack since both were consecutive attack skills. Arkisus's Second Attack was a superior version of Gataqua's AoE skill since it was an area-of-effect skill. Of course, the fact that it consumed Luck stats with every use was a bit of a drawback, but Luck was the one stat Tae-hyun had in absolute abundance. Besides, among the stats that increased randomly upon leveling up, Luck always seemed to shoot up the most...

'At this rate, the only Gataqua skill worth keeping is Circle of Defense. From now on, I'll focus entirely on Archisus Swordsmanship.' Since Archisus Spearmanship would likely follow the same logic, there was no reason not to use it.

"Muttering to yourself... What are you doing?"

"Ah. I just leveled up, so I was checking my new skills."

"Oh... Really? Right, what level are you anyway?" Chairman Yoo asked casually. Thanks to heavy pay-to-win spending and overwhelming support, Chairman Yoo had grown rapidly. On top of that, his recent success in the Arantis King quest had granted him another explosive level-up. His current level was a whopping 154! He was now a high-level player who could reasonably aim for the ranker boards. Of course, Chairman Yoo himself was far more interested in catching bigger, stronger, and more beautiful fish than competing for rankings, but he was still curious about how top-tier rankers like Tae-hyun compared.

"I heard the top-tier rankers these days are already pushing past level 200. Are you there too?"

"Anyway, Elder. Since I've granted permission for the temple, you can go ahead and build it."

"What, is it a secret?" Chairman Yoo grumbled but didn't press further. He knew that for a player like Tae-hyun, who had many rivals, keeping information secure was crucial.

"By the way, I'm worried the fishermen might complain if there's only an Archisus Temple."

"Haha. Elder, isn't that just the beauty of a monopoly? Tell them if they don't like it, they can build their own temples." Tae-hyun, who had suddenly landed a free ride with a temple monopoly, spoke gleefully. It was a complete windfall, all thanks to Chairman Yoo's class advancement!

"Ah. Come to think of it, weren't there NPCs from other churches who came with you?"

"Whoa, Elder. You joined our church, and now you're showing zero business ethics?"

"What business ethics? I have a kingdom to lead! I can't let myself be swayed by such trivial things!"

"..." Chairman Yoo froze, utterly dumbfounded.

"I'm not saying I'll believe in them, I just want to build—"

Akisus, true to form, coolly slapped him with the curse first!

"I haven't even built it yet!!" Chairman Yoo protested in a panic, but the curse was already active.

"..." A cold shiver ran down Chairman Yoo's spine. It was a simple curse, but for Chairman Yoo, its psychological impact was devastating!

Thanks to that, Chairman Yoo didn't even dare to build temples for other churches in his territory. Before Tae-hyun's group departed, NPCs from other churches slunk over to try and speak with him...

"Greetings, Your Majesty. I am from the Yata Church..."

"I have come to share the good word of the Phytos Church..."

"Get lost!"

"?!?!"

They were cursed out and driven away by Chairman Yoo, whose temper had flared to its absolute limit because of the debuff. Other players made suggestions like, "I'm a member of that church, could you please build a temple for them too?" but their pleas fell on completely deaf ears.

Ultimately, the players were forced to make a choice: live without any church bonuses, or join the Archisus Church! Most chose the latter. And surprisingly, it yielded an ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠unexpected synergy. The Archisus Church was a perfect match for fishermen.

"What?! A Rare Red-Eyed Tear Snake here?!"

"L-Look at this! It's a colossal fish!"

Just like Tae-hyun's territory, once the boom started in the Arantis Kingdom, there was no stopping it. For the fishermen visiting the kingdom, joining the Archisus Church had practically become a basic requirement.

"Everyone, is everything ready?"

"Yes, Boss!"

"Guildmaster."

"Yes, Boss!"

Kim Tae-san shook his head as he surveyed his surroundings. The sight of his beautifully developed territory filled his vision. Thinking about leaving all of this ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠behind made his heart ache.

'What am I thinking? That doesn't suit me at all! We can just build a new one!' The announcement that they were abandoning a perfectly thriving territory to relocate had been a shock, but surprisingly, the vast majority of the guild members decided to follow Kim Tae-san. This was despite the fact that many of them were new recruits, not just the original "uncles"! It was a testament to Kim Tae-san's incredible leadership and pay-to-win financial power.

Kim Tae-san slapped his cheeks with both hands to pull himself together. Right now, something else was far more important. And that was... destroying the territory.

If they left the buildings intact, the Guild Alliance would undoubtedly swoop in, shout "Thank you very much!" and claim everything. Leaving such a lucrative city and its castles to those detestable bastards was something Kim Tae-san could absolutely never tolerate.

"Tear down every single building! Pack all the debris into your inventories and bring it with us!"

"And here I was wondering who Tae-hyun took after..."

"Who said that just now?!" One of the uncles flinched after muttering under his breath.

Clang! Crash! Watching the demolition work begin across the territory, Kim Tae-san fell into deep thought.

"Hmm... I want to screw them ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠over even more..."

"Boss. I have a great idea."

"...?"

"Do you remember the Plague Bomb incident that swept through Pan-On a while back?"

"Ah. That..."

"There's a rumor that the guy who made those Plague Bombs is currently in Tae-hyun's territory."

"The mechanical engineering blacksmiths? Those guys are a bit..." Blacksmiths holding signs that read, "I am a mechanical engineering blacksmith. Leave anything to me!" could be seen in almost every territory in Pan-On. Usually, whatever was entrusted to them ended up exploding or causing some sort of disaster. There was a reason people avoided them like the plague! Having been shunned everywhere else, these mistreated mechanical engineering blacksmiths had ultimately gathered in the Valley of Despair and Sorrow.

"What does it matter? We're abandoning this place anyway, so who cares if they cause a disaster here?"

"True!"

"Why don't we ask them to blanket this entire area with Plague Bombs before we leave?"

"...You..."

"Ah. Was that too much?"

"Are you a genius?"

On his way to Tae-hyun's territory, Kim Tae-san felt a bit apprehensive. The blacksmiths who chose engineering over other perfectly normal and lucrative paths in Pan-On were players who clearly had a few screws loose. Just how insane would this Gabriel guy be, the one leading those mechanical engineering blacksmiths?

'He won't throw a bomb at me the moment we meet, will he?' Kim Tae-san worried silently as he sought out Gabriel's Smithy. Gabriel turned out to be a naive-looking young man, but Kim Tae-san remained on guard. After all, it was always the innocent-looking ones who caused the most terrifying disasters!

"H-H-H-Hello, Father! I-I-I am Gabriel!"

"???" Gabriel bowed politely, his face flushed red with extreme nervousness!

"Th-This is how you bow in Korea, right?"

"Well... yes, it is... but you don't have to go that far for me. And why are you calling me Father?"

"Because you are Lord Kim Tae-hyun's father! I-I am a huge fan of Lord Kim Tae-hyun!"

"..." Kim Tae-san took an involuntary step backward. Meeting an obsessive fan of his own son was a far more awkward experience than he had anticipated.

The uncles who had tagged along began to whisper among themselves.

"He says he's Tae-hyun's fanboy?"

"What on earth did Tae-hyun do to make him act like that?"

"Doesn't Tae-hyun only excel at beating people up? Did he get beaten up to become a fan? Is that guy a masochist?"

"Boss, this is our chance. He seems to hold us in high regard, so let's make our request now!"

"O-Oh? Right." Kim Tae-san hesitated as he backed away, but stopped when the uncles nudged him forward.

"Well... you see..." Kim Tae-san explained their situation. Due to various circumstances, they were in the process of demolishing their territory, but since the land itself was so beautifully cultivated, they wanted to ruin it completely before leaving. "So, we were wondering if you guys could use your Plague Bombs..."

Grab! Gabriel suddenly seized Kim Tae-san's hands!

"??"

"I understand completely, Father."

"No, why am I your Father..."

"You want us to detonate a combination of Plague Bombs in your territory to turn it into a permanent Plague Wasteland, correct?"

"No, I didn't go that far... I just wanted to make sure other bastards couldn't use our cultivated fields... Wait, Plague Bombs? Plural? Wasn't there just one..."

"Time flows, and we progress. It's been ages since we first detonated a Plague Bomb. Do you really think we've just been sitting on our hands with only that one design?" His words sounded solemn and impressive, but if one listened closely, they were utterly terrifying! Gabriel's eyes gleamed with a frightening intensity as he spoke.

"Leave it to us! We will create a glorious Plague Wasteland right in the heart of the Auston Kingdom!"

"Hey, I never said anything about a Plague Wasteland..."

"Guys! Let's move! We've got a live testing ground!"

"YEEEEAAAAAH!"

The mechanical engineering blacksmiths pumped their fists in the air, cheering with wild excitement. For a brief moment, Kim Tae-san felt a deep wave of regret. Did I make a mistake calling these lunatics? Regardless of his second thoughts, the blacksmiths were already eagerly packing up their gear.

"...I've been dying to test this new prototype, but there was nowhere to do it... This is perfect. I can blow it up without holding back..."

"...Since we don't have to worry about the consequences, let's detonate this one too..."

The fragments of conversation drifting over sent a cold shiver straight down Kim Tae-san's spine.