The Fall of the Kraken
Tae-hyun watched Priest Hugo fall with a sour expression. Since everyone was distracted, he had planned to quietly let the priest drown and make up an excuse later if caught: "Oh, I was aiming for the tentacle to save him, but I missed!" Who would have thought he would actually end up saving him exactly as his excuse went?
Splash! Priest Hugo hit the water, but he seemed safe. Tae-hyun felt a pang of disappointment, but he immediately turned his head. The priority right now wasn't Priest Hugo; it was the Kraken! Tae-hyun unleashed his final assault on the staggering Kraken.
BLADE EXPLOSION!
As the stacks he had accumulated exploded all at once, the Kraken let out a massive shriek. It didn't stop there; Tae-hyun's Dae-man-bul-gang-geom shattered into pieces, driving massive damage deep into the beast.
• You have successfully defeated the Guardian of the Exile, the Kraken.
• The souls trapped in the Exile are freed from their curse.
• Your Reputation increases significantly.
• Your Holy stat increases significantly.
• The name of the Archisus Church spreads widely across the continent.
• From now on, temples of the Archisus Church may appear across the continent even without you building them directly.
"...!" Tae-hyun's face lit up. After completing all kinds of quests to spread the church's name far and wide, it had finally crossed a certain threshold. Just like other famous religions, the Archisus Church could now have temples crop up on their own!
• Your reputation within the Attali Kingdom increases.
• You have obtained Contribution Points within the Attali Kingdom.
• Your affinity with the King of Attali increases.
• You have obtained an item.
• You have obtained an item...
• ...
Three levels at once! He had been feeling anxious after hitting level 100, so this level of growth was quite decent.
"Oh. I leveled up once."
"Only one level after taking down a boss monster like that? What a shame..."
"Well, we barely did anything, so it makes sense."
What pleased him most of all was that the other players hadn't leveled up much this time! This was because Tae-hyun and the church NPCs had dealt the vast majority of the damage to the Kraken.
More importantly, my Tactics skill is finally at level 9...
Advanced Tactics level 9. He was now on the verge of reaching the Supreme Tactics level. While not as rare as his Eloquence skill, Tactics wasn't a skill many players possessed. In the first place, Tactics was a skill that only showed its true worth when commanding a large number of people in battle. It was awkward to level up and awkward to use. It was typically only raised by guild leaders of massive guilds or classes that ordered around numerous subordinates!
In that sense, it was highly unusual for someone like Tae-hyun, who had no subordinates or guild members, to level up his Tactics skill this much. He had simply fought by borrowing other people's forces every single time!
I wish my Swordsmanship would level up like this.
Compared to classes specialized in swordsmanship, Tae-hyun's Swordsmanship skill growth was bound to be slow. There were rumors that some of the top rankers were already on the verge of reaching Supreme Swordsmanship. It wouldn't be surprising if a ranker had already achieved it.
Whatever. Let's just check the items.
The items dropped from defeating the Kraken were diverse. Starting with the Kraken's body parts...
◈ A giant tentacle severed from the tip of the Kraken. Surely, no one would ever think of eating this.
◈ A massive eye that was situated on the Kraken's torso. It is hideous, looking as if it is still alive.
Various body parts like tentacles, eyes, and chunks of flesh dropped. Normally, he would have thought, I'll cook this up and feed it to someone I hate, but not anymore. These were precious ingredients for Monster Essence! Tae-hyun carefully swept the items into his inventory. Beside him, Cain watched with a horrified look in his eyes.
Why is he looking at me like that?
◈ Durability: 10/10
◈ Physical Attack: 5
◈ Equip Requirement: Only wearable by the one who defeated the Guardian of the Exile.
◈ Active Skill:Summon Accursed Ghost Fleet
Though old and rusted, this sword still retains the power of the Pirate King who once swept the seas. It allows the user to summon the Pirate King's subordinates, but doing so may cause the sword to shatter.
"...!" Tae-hyun's eyes sparkled. The sword's raw stats were garbage, but the skill attached to it looked incredibly powerful. Summoning a ghost fleet! It would be great for clearing quests, and even better for wreaking absolute havoc in the territory of someone he disliked!
It would suit me perfectly...
The Specter's Relic was an item dropped by the Specter of the Ancient God, which allowed the user to transform into a specter and use necromancy. The Pirate King's Sword was an item he snatched after beating out Lee Se-yeon and Smith, and it seemed quite similar. He hadn't tried equipping it yet out of fear of being cursed, but if he were to use it, the Pirate King's Sword seemed much safer. It was a shame it was a single-use item, but... it would undoubtedly create an incredible synergy when leading a ghost fleet!
Whoosh—
"Count! Please come up! What are you doing down there?!"
"...?"
While Tae-hyun was busy checking his items on the water, the Demer Church's vessel hurriedly sailed over. Although the Phytos Church's ship had been completely destroyed, the other churches had fortunately made it through unscathed. The players and Phytos Church NPCs who had fallen into the surrounding waters scrambled frantically onto the deck.
"Pant, gasp."
"Who knew the water would be this freezing?!"
"Please heal me, Priest! My HP is at 4% right now!"
"Ah, of course."
The kind priests of the Demer Church took the initiative to heal the players. Meanwhile, Priest Hugo sat there with a look on his face as if his soul had departed his body.
"Priest, are you alright?"
"You were grabbed earlier. Are you badly hurt?"
"Uh... yes... I am fine."
The Phytos paladins crowded around him in concern, but Priest Hugo only nodded blankly. Since he couldn't kill him now, Tae-hyun could only feel a deep sense of regret.
Well, might as well take some credit.
As Tae-hyun approached, the Phytos Church NPCs gasped in horror and blocked his path.
"Count Kim Tae-hyun, do not come any closer!"
"Priest Hugo is severely injured right now!"
"If you must vent your anger, take it out on us instead!"
"..."
The surrounding players watched them with dumbfounded expressions. Just what on earth had Tae-hyun done to elicit such a reaction?
However, Priest Hugo waved his hand and spoke.
"Step aside."
"Priest!"
"We cannot! Count Kim Tae-hyun might kill you!"
Whoa. How did they know?
Tae-hyun felt a slight pang of guilt. However, Priest Hugo barked in an angry voice.
"What insolence is this? Did you not see him save my life just now?!"
"That makes no sense..."
"Count Kim Tae-hyun did that?"
"Hey. I'm right behind you."
"Eek!"
The paladins of the Phytos Church recoiled in disgust and retreated. Priest Hugo bowed his head and said:
"My apologies, Count Kim Tae-hyun."
"Lord."
"...Lord Count Kim Tae-hyun."
"Indeed. Titles are important."
"...Thank you for saving my life this time. Even after I insulted you like that..."
"Of course you should be grateful. A human being must never forget a debt of gratitude. Otherwise, they're no better than a beast, right?"
"...But if I may ask, how did you use that hammer?"
"...!"
Tae-hyun realized his slip-up. Now that he thought about it, using a Phytos skill right in front of the Phytos Church was a bit... He had only thought it was fine because he assumed Hugo was going to die anyway.
Well, whatever.
Tae-hyun's Eloquence skill was now at a level where he could probably talk his way out of being caught red-handed committing a crime.
"You saw it, so you should know. The great Lord Phytos has recognized me and bestowed his power upon me."
"T-that's impossible! How could Lord Phytos grant power to someone who worships another god..."
"To think you cannot believe it even after witnessing it with your own two eyes. How tragic."
"...!"
Supreme Eloquence
• Priest Hugo is completely deceived.
Thud. Priest Hugo collapsed onto his knees in utter despair. Tae-hyun nodded in satisfaction.
He won't say a word even if I use more of those skills in the future.
He had hidden his use of Sadiq's flames, and he had come up with a flawless excuse for using the Phytos skill. It was perfect.
"...It seems I misjudged you, Count Kim Tae-hyun."
"Lord."
The moment he let his guard down, Priest Hugo's speech pattern immediately reverted!
"...Lord Count. There is something I must tell you..."
"...?"
With an incredibly grave and solemn expression, Priest Hugo revealed the truth. Antonio had a son, and that son was targeting King Damiano II!
"Who was Antonio again?"
"You know, that high-ranking Sadiq NPC you defeated, Lord Tae-hyun."
"Ah, right, that guy. Was he the King of Attali's uncle or something? I completely forgot about him since the Sadiq Church was destroyed."
—Master... Heuk-heuk spoke in a sorrowful voice, but Tae-hyun ignored him.
—A church where everyone except the Holy Paladin Commander was completely obliterated is as good as destroyed!
"He's targeting the King? The Sadiq Church is in ruins, so there shouldn't be anyone left to help him."
"He has likely borrowed the strength of another church."
"Probably some cult. Like father, like son, believing in cults and making a mess of things..."
As he spoke, something suddenly crossed Tae-hyun's mind. Carbanog had once sent a message warning him of an evil god's conspiracy. Was that what it was about?
Carbanog puffs up with pride.
I knew it! So, who is it?
There was no particular response to this.
Not very helpful, are you?
Carbanog gets angry.
Tae-hyun ignored it and turned back to Priest Hugo.
"But why tell me instead of the King?"
"That is... because the others in the church..."
"Don't tell me it's because they harbor a grudge against the King? If so, they're absolute traitors!"
"...Lord Count Kim Tae-hyun. My telling you this is a secret. I made that very clear."
"Sure, sure. A secret~"
Tae-hyun's casual attitude made Priest Hugo look anxious. Is he really going to keep it a secret? Hugo had a debt to pay Tae-hyun, and frankly, Antonio's son was a highly untrustworthy figure, which was why he wanted to warn Tae-hyun in advance... but a sudden wave of anxiety washed over him!
"Do you know anything else? Like his location or the forces he commands?"
"Antonio's son, Dominic, is no pushover, Lord Count. We do not know his location either."
"Then how did you even know he existed?"
"...Well... he has been sending messengers to contact the various churches. He promised that if we side with him, he will grant us immense rewards once he ascends the throne..."
"I've never heard of such a thing."
Priest Hugo stared at Tae-hyun in utter disbelief. Is he joking right now?
"Why are you looking at me like that? Am I not allowed to wonder why I didn't get such an offer?"
"Well... because you killed Antonio, Lord Count..."
Since Tae-hyun had killed his father, there was absolutely no way Dominic would ever join hands with Tae-hyun's Archisus Church!
"To not make an offer just because of that. What a narrow-minded fellow."
"..."
Listening to him, it sounded as if Tae-hyun would have seriously considered treason if the offer had been good enough. Growing increasingly anxious, Priest Hugo tried to secure multiple promises.
"U-um, Lord Count. Please keep this a secret... and make sure no harm comes to the Phytos Church."
"Of course, Priest Hugo. Why do you doubt me? Even though the Phytos Church expedition, including yourself, rejected my orders earlier, I fully intend to keep my promise to you."
"...I was in the wrong..."
"No, no. It's not like I was fishing for an apology, but receiving one certainly makes me feel good."