Leaving the Church

Even so, their discontent did not vanish. The players quietly distanced themselves from Tae-hyun and huddled together to discuss their options.

"Hey. Are you guys really going to stay in the Archisus Church?"

"Hmm... I'm not sure..."

"What if Kim Tae-hyun comes looking for us later?"

"We don't even see him around anymore. Do you really think he'd track us down just because we left the church? Think about how ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠busy he is."

"That's true."

Crawford casually slipped into the conversation. When the players had scattered earlier, Crawford had followed this particular group. He had only one reason: to use them!

I want to leave the Archisus Church too... but the penalty is worrying.

Now that everyone knew this church was completely different from the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠others, he couldn't afford to make a hasty move. If disobeying a single order could blow up an expensive magic spell, what on earth would happen if they actually left the church?

As expected, it was always best to have someone else test the waters.

He had actually thought about coaxing Alcott, but he had to give up on that.

- N-no way.

- Are you scared of Kim Tae-hyun?

- N-no, I'm not!

- Then let's leave.

- Ah! I said no! Go away!

Even after being provoked like that, Alcott had adamantly refused. Crawford had no choice. He had to coax someone else to run the experiment.

"How busy is Kim Tae-hyun? He won't chase you down over something like this. You don't need to worry about that."

"R-right?"

"I thought so too."

When Crawford spoke, everyone nodded. Crawford's reputation carried weight, but more than that, it was exactly what they wanted to hear.

"Yeah. So why don't you try leaving first?"

"Yeah, do it."

The players, catching on to Crawford's scheme, began targeting the most gullible one among them. They wanted to see what would happen.

"O-okay. Here I go!"

"What? What is it? What happened?!"

"Hey! Say something!"

The surrounding players, growing even more anxious, pressed him. Since they hadn't left, they couldn't see the message window.

"It says a curse will be inflicted... and to be careful?"

"Is that all?"

"A curse is fine. We can just ask a high priest of another church..."

Muttering—everyone looked as if they thought, If it's just that, we can handle it.

But Crawford's face was grave. He knew it wouldn't be a simple curse. Disobeying an order brought a curse, so leaving the church couldn't possibly result in the same level of punishment. It had to be something far more sinister!

His years of experience as a high-ranking mage weren't just for show.

"So what kind of curse is it? Did anything change?"

"Well..."

A gate to the Demon Realm opened around the player, sucked him in, and vanished.

Flash!

"?"

"????"

"......!!"

Realizing what had just happened, the remaining players turned pale.

"A-Aaaah!"

"Save me!"

"I don't want to die! I don't want to die!"

"Calm down, you crazy bastards! He's not dead yet!"

Crawford shouted to calm them down, but the panicked players were beyond control. They began scattering in all directions.

They babbled nonsense like, "Kim Tae-hyun was watching us!"

"Even if it's Kim Tae-hyun, how could he be watching us and have the power to send someone to another place?! Come back, you idiots!"

Crawford's voice echoed in vain.

Tae-hyun, having sent the guards away, turned around with a refreshed expression. Seeing this, Cain whispered to Choi Sang-yun.

"Isn't it a good thing to be compared to Lee Se-yeon? Why is he so mad?"

"To be honest, Lee Se-yeon doesn't exactly have a... great personality either."

Choi Sang-yun, who had been a ranker since Pan-On 1, knew Lee Se-yeon's personality quite well. On broadcasts, she was kind, polite, played games well, was smart... basically, she had a perfect image. But in Choi Sang-yun's eyes, Lee Se-yeon was of the same breed as Kim Tae-hyun. They both held grudges forever and had a disgustingly strong competitive streak!

Whoosh—Tae-hyun, who was walking ahead, suddenly turned his head and looked back.

Choi Sang-yun flinched. D-did this guy just read my mind?!

"I think I just heard Lee Se-yeon's name..."

"N-no, you didn't."

"Really?"

Tae-hyun turned back and kept walking.

Cain spoke as if he couldn't believe it.

"Lee Se-yeon has a bad personality?!"

"Not bad, just not exactly good. You'll find out if you ever face her as an enemy. The guys who ran away earlier must have clashed with her before."

Choi Sang-yun spoke with ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠absolute certainty. They were similar in that once you faced them as an enemy, you could never forget it.

"But that can't be helped! They met as enemies!"

"This guy is totally blinded by love. You need to get hit by Lee Se-yeon once to snap out of it."

"But... saying Lee Se-yeon is like Kim Tae-hyun is going too far!"

"Hmm. That's true..."

Choi Sang-yun had to agree with those heartfelt words.

"Besides, if Lee Se-yeon were like Kim Tae-hyun, would she have come to help during the last broadcast shoot?"

"What?"

Lee Da-bi, walking beside them, tilted her head. "What broadcast? The photoshoot?"

"No, not the photoshoot... He said she came to the lodging where they were filming."

"...He never mentioned that Lee Se-yeon came."

"Oh? Really? Well, it's not that important anyway."

"...If that's not important, then what on earth is..."

"What did you say?"

"Nothing."

Lee Da-bi turned her head, trotted forward, and walked alongside Tae-hyun.

Cain, completely clueless, tilted his head. "Uh... did I say something wrong?"

"Hmm. You really..."

"?"

"...have zero tact."

"Why are you picking on me?!"

"...So that PD basically has no broadcasting ethics. He's like a ghoul blinded by viewership ratings."

"...Ah, yes."

Lee Da-bi had only wanted to subtly probe about Lee Se-yeon appearing on the broadcast, but she didn't expect to hear him trash-talk everyone, including the PD. Tae-hyun was pouring out all his pent-up frustration!

Honestly, looking at him like this, it was hard to understand why dating rumors between Tae-hyun and Lee Se-yeon kept popping up in the news.

But Lee Da-bi didn't let her guard down. After all, fighting was often how feelings developed!

A perfect example was walking right behind her.

"W-why are you looking at me like that? I didn't do anything wrong, did I? Lee Da-bi, please tell the Power Warrior Guild members to stop leaving hate comments...! It really ruins my mental state!"

Cain was fidgeting anxiously because Lee Da-bi had stared at him silently before turning away. Power Warrior was scarier than most PVP! Having worked with them, Cain knew their terror all too well.

"Alright. I'm going to go inside and report, so don't fight while I'm gone."

"......"

"......"

"The atmosphere between you two is weird."

"A-it's nothing."

"Have a safe trip!"

"I have heard the news, Count Kim Tae-hyun. You are indeed a loyal subject of the kingdom!"

"Were there any difficulties during the expedition?"

"The members ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of the Phytos Church ignored my command and acted on their own, but it was fine."

"?!?!"

Business is business, and personal is personal. Tae-hyun was thorough in these matters.

Priest Hugo regretted it deeply in his heart. To think I was nice to that man just because he saved my life once!

"Phytos Church! Have you still not come to your senses?!"

"N-no, it's not that... It's a long story..."

"I do not wish to hear it! Priest Hugo, you and your people do not deserve to be here. Get out!"

Being kicked out of the audience chamber was the ultimate humiliation. Priest Hugo and the Phytos Church NPCs retreated outside with tearful faces.

"Your Majesty, I have something to tell you."

"Speak, Count."

Tae-hyun relayed the information he had obtained from Priest Hugo to Damiano II. Of course, he didn't mention that he had heard it from Priest Hugo.

"How did you learn of this?"

"How could I remain idle when there is an enemy daring to threaten Your Majesty? I investigated personally!"

"As expected of Count Kim Tae-hyun!"

Damiano II nodded and said,

"But there is no need to worry. Though Dominic, the son of the traitor Antonio, is quite clever, he has nothing. He wouldn't dare target this place where I reside."

"No, Your Majesty. That's what you said last time, and then an assassin sent by the Sadiq Church..."

"What did you say?"

"It's nothing."

"Do not worry and withdraw, Count. No one in this kingdom can touch me!"

Ah, this is making me anxious for no reason.

Tae-hyun stared at Damiano II with a dubious look. Usually, guys who talked like that were the first to die!

But Tae-hyun had too much on his plate to stick to Damiano II and protect him 24 hours a day... He could only hope Damiano II would take care of his own life.

If Damiano II, who was Tae-hyun's strong backing, died, things would become very annoying for Tae-hyun as well.

First, I should finish what I can do right now...

Tae-hyun put all the equipment he obtained from this quest on the auction house and headed to the royal treasury to spend his remaining Contribution Points.

"Welcome, Count."

The administrator bowed politely. This reaction showed exactly what Tae-hyun's status was within the Atali Kingdom.

Let's see, what would be good...

What item would be most useful to Tae-hyun right now? Tae-hyun pondered, taking into account his newly acquired skills.

The Sadique's Flame Rune was a skill he still hadn't figured out how to use. Even if he tried to use it on bombs, it was awkward because it continuously emitted flames until the letters disappeared, meaning the skill would likely be cut short if the bomb exploded. Using it before the explosion was inefficient...

Is this meant for setting fire to the territory of someone I hate?

As long as he didn't get caught engraving the letters, he could play with fire on a grand scale for a while.

But not getting caught seems hard...

Unless the opponent was an idiot, they would easily find the center of the fire. They might struggle a bit, but that wasn't enough.

Armor is probably the safest bet.

Since he already had a sword and a spear, armor was the most practical choice. It was a choice where he wouldn't lose out no matter what.

Tae-hyun's current armor was very good, but considering what was to come, getting a better set of armor wouldn't hurt. The Dungeon Conquest Tournament was starting soon.

...Hmm. Now that I think about it, I'm starting to worry.

While others were practicing their teamwork, Tae-hyun's party had been clearing quests...

Tae-hyun decided to finish up with this reward and practice by conquering dungeons.

...Other people's dungeons!

"Would this be good? No, is this better? Considering attack speed, maybe this one? But this one has an armor-penetration damage option..."

"...Can't you choose on your own?"

Choi Sang-yun looked at Cain in disbelief. They had also entered the treasury to exchange their Contribution Points.

"Hey, a guy can struggle to choose!"

"I think you're overthinking it... Ah, right. If you can't decide, gear up for hunting monsters rather than PVP."

"Why?"

Cain asked, not understanding. Of course, gearing up for monster hunting was good, but since he hung out with Tae-hyun, Cain had more occasions to fight other players.

"The Dungeon Tournament is coming up soon. Aren't you participating?"

"...Gasp!"

This idiot forgot...