Su Ning's Grand Plan and the Fiery Disaster
Su Ning was no fool. Granted, he had been called stupid plenty of times whenever he got thoroughly trounced by Kim Tae-hyun, but that was simply because Tae-hyun was a monster, not because Su Ning lacked brains. Besides, those countless defeats had forged him into a better man. They had cultivated his grit, his guts, and his decisiveness.
I... have won!
It was Su Ning who had drawn up the blueprint for their long-term dominion over the Auston Kingdom. Most of the Guild Alliance executives had wanted to squeeze the Auston Kingdom dry the very moment they conquered it.
“Why on earth would we lower taxes? We conquered this place to make a profit!”
“Exactly, Su Ning. People might grumble, but they won't leave. You know how hard it is to change your starting kingdom once you've committed.”
“That’s not all, Master Su Ning. The amount of gold we poured into conquering the Auston Kingdom is astronomical. We have to raise taxes just to break even.”
“Silence! Do none of you understand the concept of losing the forest for the trees? Squeezing them for taxes before we've even stabilized our rule will trigger a massive backlash! Keep in mind that other guilds outside the Auston Kingdom are watching us like hawks. They could form their own coalition at any moment!”
Su Ning had a precise grasp of the Guild Alliance's strengths and weaknesses. A colossal entity forged from the union of massive guilds! Its sheer scale was unmatched by any single guild, meaning very few dared to challenge them. Most newly registered Chinese players joined the Guild Alliance, and players from other nations clamored to get in as well.
The problem lay in its gargantuan size: there were virtually no benefits trickling down to the average guild member. Gold or item support? If Su Ning tried to distribute those to such a massive crowd, even his astronomical family wealth wouldn't save him from bankruptcy. Monopolizing hunting grounds or dungeons for them? Same story. With so many mouths to feed, trying to share resources among all the rank-and-file members would only result in a tragedy where no one got anything.
In the end, the average members received almost no perks other than the prestige of the guild tag. They had to distinguish themselves—by racking up achievements, reaching high levels, or becoming master crafters—just to climb the ranks and receive any crumbs. Only by standing out could they ascend the hierarchy and finally get a piece of the pie.
It was a structure practically designed to breed resentment.
“Man, I joined because everyone was hyping up the Guild Alliance, but they don't give us jack squat.”
“Right? But they sure expect a lot from us... Remember the last siege? They literally used us as cannon fodder.”
“Unbelievable. The brass just chilled in the back while sending us low-levels to the front lines. Even Kim Tae-hyun wouldn't do something that dirty!”
“Wait, really?”
“I'm telling you! Kim Tae-hyun might be our enemy, but he plays fair and square.”
“?”
“Did he? That's news to me.”
“No, seriously, I heard Kim Tae-hyun is surprisingly honorable. And hey, did you hear? The Power Warrior Guild gives you rewards just for joining...”
Su Ning was well aware of the rising discontent. Right now, because the Guild Alliance was riding high, everyone swallowed their grievances, but it was a ticking time bomb. If they unified the Auston Kingdom and immediately slapped a massive tax rate on it under these conditions, the rank-and-file members—who would bear the brunt of the tax burden—would erupt in fury.
We absolutely cannot go down that path. First, I must throw them a bone.
Now was the time for carrots, not the whip! While the guild members were overflowing with pride over being the first in Pan-On to unify a kingdom, he needed to slash taxes to win their hearts. Taxes could always be raised gradually down the line.
“But Master Su Ning, the expenses we're incurring right now...”
“Do not worry. I have a plan.”
“?”
The gold funneled to the high-level players participating in the conquest, the gold spent on hiring massive armies of mercenary NPCs, the gold used to purchase various siege engines... The sheer volume of gold spent was staggering. They needed to generate revenue, and fast.
“We have amassed an immense amount of loot from occupying the cities and castles of the Auston Kingdom. I have had all of it transported to Arene City. We will begin selling it now.”
His plan was to host an in-game auction rather than listing them on real-money trading sites. Even players who despised the Guild Alliance wouldn't be able to resist drooling over rare items that were normally impossible to find. They would undoubtedly flock to the auction with mountains of gold in hand.
“If we promote this heavily alongside our unification of the Auston Kingdom, players from all over the continent will come flooding in.”
“Ah! That kills two birds with one stone!”
The guild executives marveled at Su Ning's brilliance.
“Hear me, glorious members of the Guild Alliance!”
Su Ning stood before the castle gates, sword raised high.
“We have fought tirelessly, and we have triumphed! There were those who claimed we could never unify the Auston Kingdom. After all, no one in Pan-On has ever managed to claim a kingdom for themselves! But look! The capital of the Auston Kingdom is now in our hands!”
“Waaaaaaaah!”
From the western horizon to the eastern edge of the plains before the castle, the land was packed with members of the Guild Alliance. It was a truly magnificent, awe-inspiring spectacle of sheer numbers.
“Today, I declare before you all: we have won! The Auston Kingdom is ours—”
The Guild Alliance had successfully claimed a kingdom as their territory—a first in the game's history! This monumental feat would shake Pan-On to its core, completely overshadowing even the hype of the Dungeon Conquest Tournament.
Sadiq's Avatar has set foot on the Central Continent.
Driven by an absolute hatred for all religious orders on the continent, Sadiq's Avatar will not stop until everything is reduced to ashes.
“?”
“??”
“????”
The message window popped up before everyone on the plains simultaneously! In an instant, the crowd erupted into a noisy buzz of confusion.
“Ahem, ahem! Quiet down!”
At Su Ning's command, the players who had been murmuring about the sudden alert fell silent once more.
“A quest might have popped up out of nowhere, but that is of no consequence! We can worry about that later! What matters right now is that we have unified the Auston Kingdom—”
As his speech dragged on, the guild members began to yawn. It was starting to feel as tedious as a high school principal's morning address!
“Master Su Ning! Master Su Ning!”
“What is it? I'm in the middle of a speech! Can't you see everyone hanging on my every word?!”
“We have an emergency! Arene City... Arene City is...!”
Arene City had been the core stronghold of the Guild Alliance prior to the unification.
Situated deep within their territory and heavily garrisoned by high-level players, it had remained completely untouched throughout the long, grueling war for the Auston Kingdom. Naturally, storing all their precious spoils of war in the safest city under their control had seemed like the obvious choice.
“Huh? What's that over there?”
“Hey, look. Isn't that thing massive?”
Players gathering crafting materials outside the city gates tilted their heads in confusion as they spotted Sadiq's colossal army of demonic beasts appearing in the distance. Having never experienced an attack here, they failed to grasp the gravity of the situation immediately.
“They're coming this way...?”
“W-wait. There are way too many of them! What is going on?!”
It wasn't just a handful of monsters; a massive horde of demonic beasts stretched as far as the eye could see, completely blotting out the horizon! And towering in their midst was the colossal giant of living fire—Sadiq's Avatar.
“They're heading straight for us!”
“Call for backup!”
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
The emergency sirens wailed throughout Arene City. Urgent distress calls were sent out to the city's NPCs, high-level players, and rankers alike.
“Arene City is under attack! This is an emergency! Everyone get back here as fast as you can!”
“What kind of crazy nonsense is that?! Arene City is at the absolute heart of our territory! How could it be attacked directly when none of our outer cities or castles have fallen? That makes zero sense!”
Yet, the impossible was happening right before their eyes.
“I am... Sadiq...!”
Fwoooooosh!
Sadiq's Avatar leaned back and unleashed a torrent of roaring flames. It was a majestic, devastating wave of fire that rivaled a dragon's breath.
“Aaaaaaargh!”
“S-shields! Deploy the shields...!”
Priests, mages, and paladins frantically cast their barrier skills, but it was utterly futile. They were instantly vaporized!
Your HP has reached 0. You have died.
Your HP has reached 0. You have died.
“Bwahahaha! How... refreshing! How dare they persecute my church...!”
The city gates were breached in an instant, and Sadiq slowly marched forward, leading his army of demonic beasts.
“The place where Sadiq's Avatar spawned was incredibly far from here! Why on earth is he showing up in Arene City?!”
“E-even if you ask me, I have no idea...!”
The remaining guild members inside the city stood frozen, utterly paralyzed by indecision. Normally, they should have risked their lives to defend the city, but Sadiq's Avatar looked far too terrifyingly powerful for them to even attempt to fight.
“Burn everything in sight... Show them my wrath...!”
“Kyahaha! Understood, Master!”
At Sadiq's command, the massive horde of demonic beasts began to run wild throughout the city. They leaped over buildings, did flips, and even rolled around in destructive glee!
“Aigoo! Those crazy bastards are in my workshop! Nooooo!”
A Guild Alliance tailor wailed in despair. The precious fabrics he had painstakingly gathered were being reduced to ash. Whoosh! Every location the flaming beasts trod, disaster followed in their wake.
“What is that warehouse...? I can feel... a strange power emanating from it...”
The loot warehouse had been reinforced with multiple layers of defensive wards, enough to instantly vaporize any ordinary thief who dared to approach. But to Sadiq's Avatar, it was nothing but a joke.
“I shall burn it to the ground...!”
“Nooooo!!!”
“Stop him!!! We have to stop him!!”
This triggered the most explosive reaction yet! Guild members who had been cowering in hiding came charging out in sheer desperation.
“Judging by your reactions... there must be some very exquisite things inside...”
“Lord Sadiq! Why are you doing this to us?!”
“Isn't your sworn enemy Kim Tae-hyun?! Shouldn't you be on our side?!”
The quicker-witted guild members desperately tried to reason with Sadiq's Avatar. Of course, even in his right mind, Sadiq was notoriously difficult to negotiate with; trying to persuade a half-crazed avatar was an exercise in absolute futility.
“Hahaha... How dare you lowlifes of Akisus try to scam me...!”
“W-who believes in Akisus?!”
“We don't worship him!”
“I don't believe you either... Do not lie to me! How dare you...!”
The Avatar's eyes flared with blinding light, and a massive explosion of flames erupted.
Your HP has reached 0. You have died.
Your HP has reached 0. You have died.
Simultaneously, the loot warehouse was completely engulfed in roaring flames. It was a tragic sight that would have made Lee Da-bi wail in absolute agony, as hundreds of thousands of gold worth of treasures vanished into thin air.
“Bwahahaha! Mwahahaha! Akisus, behold my power!”
Having vented his rage, Sadiq's Avatar finally turned around.
“Let us go... to burn down the other churches!”
“Kyahaha! Yes, Master!”
Sadiq's Avatar departed as majestically as he had arrived. He had spent less than ten minutes in the city, yet he left it half-reduced to rubble. The rankers who arrived late didn't even dare to dream of pursuing him.
“What... what on earth is this...?”
“We're... ruined...”
Even the clueless rank-and-file members understood the catastrophic implications of the loot warehouse being obliterated. They collapsed to the ground, their faces completely blank with shock.
“W-we survived...”
“He didn't spot us!”
At the very peak of Arene City's highest tower, the winged demons disguised as stone gargoyles let out a collective sigh of relief. Fortunately, Sadiq's Avatar had departed without turning his flames upon them. Had he attacked the tower... divine holy power would have been absolutely fatal to demons! Furthermore, they were currently cradling a terrifyingly volatile bomb.
“Sniffle. When is Master coming back for us?”
“Surely he hasn't forgotten about us...”
“N-no way. There's no way he'd do that...”
One of the winged demons flapped its wings, trying to dispel the ominous thought. How could he possibly forget them after putting in so much meticulous effort? Not if Tae-hyun possessed even a shred of human conscience!
“...But what if he actually did forget?”