No Free Rides

"What do you mean, 'What?' Even local buses cost money, and taxis cost money. Surely you didn't think I came all the way here to rescue you just so we could wash our hands of it and go on our merry way laughing and chatting?"

"Ah... uh..."

"Ugh... er..."

Alcott and Crawford felt a bizarre sense of unity. At the same time, the sounds "Ah... uh... ugh... er..." automatically slipped from their mouths!

"What's this? Did you really think you were getting a free ride? Now my feelings are hurt. I'm leaving."

"W-wait! No! Who said that!" Alcott quickly grabbed Tae-hyun's arm.

"We're friends! Friends!"

"Don't you know that the closer you are as friends, the cleaner your transactions should be? Huh?"

"...W-well, that's true... What do we have to do?"

"Oh, nothing major."

At Tae-hyun's words, the three of them let out a sigh of relief. Maybe Kim Tae-hyun isn't a total bastard after all!

"Just join the Archisus Church and set your return point to my territory. Something like that?"

"..."

"..."

"...Total bastard..."

"Who said that just now?"

Alcott and Roy immediately pointed their fingers at Crawford.

"You backstabbers?!" Crawford shook with a sense of betrayal. To throw away the friendship they had built while trapped in the Exile in just one second!

"Crawford. I get it. You can stay here alone."

"N-no! Kim Tae-hyun! The one I was swearing at was this bastard Alcott!" Crawford waved his hands frantically. Whatever else might be uncertain, one thing was absolutely clear: Kim Tae-hyun was a man who would actually leave him behind!

Sigh... If I join the Archisus Church... Well, it shouldn't be too big of a deal.

Although Crawford was the one who had sworn, he was actually in the best position among the three. He was a player who hadn't cleared many other church quests, and he was a wandering ranker without a fixed territory. Joining the church and setting his return point to Tae-hyun's territory wasn't a massive loss. Of course, a place like the Erance Kingdom with lots of mages and facilities would be best, but a ranker of his level could travel quickly on a mount.

"Fine. I just have to join, right?"

"?!"

"?!?!?"

Alcott and Roy stared at Crawford in shock. He was actually joining?

"Hey! Why are you joining so easily!"

"Yeah! We should have held out longer!"

Unlike Crawford, Alcott and Roy had a lot to lose. Both had cleared quests and accumulated contribution points in other churches! They had wanted to band together with Crawford to negotiate with Tae-hyun, but Crawford had just slipped away.

"...Didn't you two bastards just sell me out a second ago?"

"Ah... No, he would have found out anyway."

"Yeah, we had no choice."

"Right. I have no choice either, you bastards."

Crawford flipped them off and walked toward Tae-hyun. Tae-hyun patted Crawford's shoulder with a satisfied face.

"Excellent decision. Go ahead and join."

- Join.

Up to this point, the windows were perfectly normal.

"Huh?"

"Huh????"

Crawford stared at the message window in confusion. Were church penalties usually this extreme? Normally they just docked some contribution points and affinity. He had never heard of the Archisus Church being this severe.

"Wait... Hey..."

"What?"

"...Never mind..."

Crawford glanced at Alcott and Roy and shut his mouth. Since things had turned out this way, he might as well drag them down with him!

Tae-hyun read Crawford's mind ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and nodded in satisfaction.

What a good fellow.

The world was a slightly easier place to scam people because of those who thought, I'm not going down alone!

Alcott and Roy hesitated, feeling anxious. Roy tried to cozy up to him.

"Come to think of it, Tae-hyun-nim. I've been working very hard under your father..."

"I fought with my dad yesterday, though?"

"...Never mind..."

Roy quietly shrank back.

While they bickered, a group of other players appeared from behind. The ones who had been captured along with the trio!

"Kim Tae-hyun! You came to rescue us!"

"No. I got trapped too."

"R-really?"

Their pupils shook collectively!

"Just kidding."

A collective sigh of relief echoed through the air.

"Haha! What a jokester!"

"Ahahaha! Kim Tae-hyun, you have a great sense of humor!"

"Let's get out of here quickly! I have a backlog of quests!"

Alcott and Roy sighed and pointed to the side.

"...?"

"Line up here. You have to join the church."

"...???"

Tae-hyun tilted his head at Lee Da-bi's words. Crawford got a severe penalty, Chairman Yoo got a severe penalty, but the Power Warrior guild members didn't?

Are they discriminating?

Well, it wasn't important right now. Tae-hyun shook off the thought and asked.

Whether they killed the Kraken or not, he had to bring this group up first. They couldn't stay here forever.

"Alright. So, has everyone made up their minds?"

"..."

"Can't we just pay in gold?"

"What? Are you saying I came all the way here to rescue you just for money? Aren't you looking down on my pure, good intentions way too much?"

Tae-hyun flared up in anger! The players panicked and waved their hands.

"Ah... No, that's not what we meant..."

"Of course! We know how kind-hearted you are!"

"If you don't join, I'm leaving you behind."

The most terrifying threat in the world! In the end, all the trapped players had no choice but to swallow their tears and join the Archisus Church.

Tae-hyun smiled warmly as he rounded them up.

"Work hard, gather contribution points, and all that. When you visit my territory, there's a place called the Golden Casino. It's really fun, so give it a try."

A lord openly promoting gambling! However, the players, having much to lose, could only listen with sour faces.

"Alright. Now, let me guide you to the exit."

"Everyone, prepare for battle!" Kim Tae-san shouted thunderously. The guild members moved quickly.

Moving all the assets and NPCs from the territory to the Uruk Region with the guild members was no easy task. The guild members were fine. The ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠problem was the NPCs they had to escort! They needed to bring them along to develop the new territory quickly. Because of the sheer number of NPCs, they had to stay alert even against minor bandit groups on the field.

"Argh! Dammit! This is so annoying!" Kim Tae-san blocked the flying arrows with his body. Normally, these enemies wouldn't even be a warm-up, but fighting so defensively to protect the NPCs made his blood boil.

"Boss, we'll go clear them out!"

"Clear them out quickly! Start with those archers! The NPCs are going to die!"

The Orc Uncles charged forward with thunderous roars. Their controls were average, but their gear was incredibly flashy! Their overall appearance was bizarre, but their combat power was undeniable.

"Aaaah! Run away!"

"Everyone, retreat!"

"Ugh, annoying bastards." Kim Tae-san grumbled as he brushed off the arrows. They needed to enter the Uruk Region and settle down quickly, but they kept getting delayed.

"Please eat some food before we move!"

"We're cooking over here! Eat ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠up before you go!"

In this kind of situation, production classes were surprisingly more helpful than combat classes. Especially the chefs who came with Ju Hyeon-yeong; they were highly skilled and diligent, earning everyone's gratitude. Whenever they paused during the march, they would whip out their cauldrons and cook up dishes to provide buffs. They even brought all their own ingredients.

"This is truly generous of you. As expected, since the guild master is outstanding, the guild members are also..."

"Huh? Those people aren't my guild members."

"Huh?" Kim Tae-san tilted his head. He thought they were her guild members since they came with Ju Hyeon-yeong.

"Then... who are they..."

At Kim Tae-san's question, the chefs answered innocently.

"Oh? We came from over there."

"Where is 'over there'?"

"The Valley of Despair and Sorrow."

"...H-huh? Why from there?"

"We heard from the blacksmiths that there's a lot of work to do here... We came to level up and raise our skills."

"Tae-hyun didn't send you?"

"No, he didn't send us, but Kim Tae-hyun-nim did provide the ingredients."

"There's no way that brat would be so considerate...?"

Of course, Tae-hyun had no idea. The chefs in his territory had simply asked the Archisus Church, "We want to go to those migrating folks and spread the faith of Archisus," to which the church replied, "What a commendable deed! Here is a quest!" and handed them a quest.

"...Something feels off..." Kim Tae-san looked at the message window with a suspicious expression. Believing in the Archisus Church didn't have any major penalties, but he still felt uneasy. There was no way Tae-hyun would show such kindness!

But the chefs had already become indispensable to the group. If they left, their travel speed would be cut in half.

While Kim Tae-san was pondering, one of the chefs recognized him and approached. In his hands was a bowl of steaming hot soup.

"Ah! Are you Tae-hyun-nim's father? I'm a huge fan! Please eat this!"

"Haha. No need to be a fan..." Kim Tae-san reached for the dish, feeling a bit embarrassed.

The chef, looking flustered, quickly clarified.

"No, I meant I'm a fan of Tae-hyun-nim."

"..."

As Kim Tae-san's expression stiffened, the chef took a step back in fear. Kim Tae-san realized his mistake. What am I doing to a kid!

"I-I will gladly eat it. Give it here."

"Ah, wait. That has a very bitter taste, so you shouldn't drink it all at once..."

"Pfft-cough-ack?!"

Taking a single sip, Kim Tae-san immediately sprayed the soup everywhere. This was truly... a dog-awful taste!

The middle-aged guild members around him gasped in shock.

"It's an assassination!"

"That bastard tried to poison the boss!"

"Grab him!"

"N-no... That's not it...!" The chef waved his hands in terror, and Kim Tae-san also waved his hands frantically while coughing up a storm.