The Mad Blacksmiths and the Sinister Crown

"Today might finally be the day we unlock the achievement!"

"The biggest explosion of my Pan-On life...!"

The ultimate dream of the Mechanical Engineering Blacksmiths: a bigger, more powerful explosion! But even that was no easy feat. A single bomb had its limits. To truly maximize the destructive force, a massive payload was absolutely essential! However, detonating so many bombs at once required astronomical costs, ample space, and the perfect opportunity. In other words, a siege like this was the ultimate playground for these eccentric blacksmiths!

I wish this happened more often! So we could blow up even more things!

If Tae-hyun had heard them, he would have grabbed them by the collars.

"Humans!"

"Tear them to shreds! How dare they stand against us!"

The vampires howled savagely and charged forward.

The blacksmiths grinned at the sight.

"Let's go!"

BOOOOOOOOM—!

"Huh?"

"W-Wait a minute..."

They had prepared themselves for the death penalty that came with self-destruction. However, the system messages flashing in their final moments were completely unexpected.

Attacked an ally? Who?

Whoooooosh—

As the thick smoke from the explosion cleared, the state of the fortress was revealed. The half-ruined outpost had been completely obliterated, reduced to nothing but ash. The beasts and warriors of the Salavian Church who had breached the perimeter were blown to smithereens... and along with them, several retreating players had also been vaporized.

The players standing atop the main castle walls began to murmur in shock at the spectacle.

The explosion had wiped out an entire party that had successfully retreated from the outpost and was heading toward the main walls! The Mechanical Engineering Blacksmiths cleared their throats, unable to lift their heads.

"Ahem. Cough."

"It seems there was a slight miscalculation in our formulas..."

Rustle—

A wide, empty circle suddenly formed around the blacksmiths. It was the result of the surrounding players rapidly backing away! The very players who, just moments ago, had been holding hands and cheering passionately with them were now staring at the blacksmiths with looks of absolute horror.

To be perfectly fair, the only one who actually used people as bomb ingredients was Tae-hyun, but such details didn't matter right now. The infamy of the Mechanical Engineering Blacksmiths was spreading like wildfire!

Yet, the blacksmiths remained completely unfazed. Normally, anyone would shrink back under the judgmental glares and whispers of hundreds of players, but the blacksmiths proudly squared their shoulders.

"A sacrifice of that scale is well within acceptable parameters."

"Indeed. The blast radius was slightly off, but Mechanical Engineering is a skill meant to be used while embracing the margin of error!"

"No pain, no gain! That is the true essence of Mechanical Engineering!"

These guys are absolute lunatics...?!

The spy sent by the Suning Guild gasped in horror multiple times as he watched the blacksmiths. First, he had been terrified by the sheer firepower that had obliterated the Salavian Church's beasts. Even considering they were on the defensive and had prepared for a long time, that level of destructive power was not something you saw every day.

But what truly terrified him was their attitude. They didn't care if they hit their own allies, nor did they give a damn if their bombs malfunctioned. Why on earth did Kim Tae-hyun keep monsters like this around?!

Is it a ruse?! Are they hiding their true strength behind this facade? No... they're just straight-up insane...

The spy's mind was in a state of utter chaos. He was supposed to analyze and report the military strength of Tae-hyun's territory, but he had absolutely no idea how to evaluate these mad blacksmiths.

"The outpost has fallen. The enemy is stronger than expected..."

"What about Kim Tae-hyun?"

"It looks like he just finished his royal palace quest and is on his way back."

"Thank ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠goodness..."

Cain let out a massive sigh of relief. Honestly, the difference between having Tae-hyun there and not was night and day. The suffocating pressure was nearly crushing him! Every time the countless players in the territory looked at him with sparkling eyes and said things like, "Lord Cain! We're counting on you!" or "Lord Cain must have a master plan!", his heart grew heavier.

I literally have zero thoughts in my head right now!

"We can't let our guard down just because Tae-hyun is coming. We need to defend and minimize our losses as much as possible."

"I-I know."

Tae-hyun's companions, currently operating without him, assessed the state of the siege. Although the outer outpost had been destroyed, it had achieved significant results. The number of Salavian beasts had been drastically reduced. The self-destruction's power must have been truly immense, as the enemy wasn't even able to resurrect them. In fact, they were forcing the remaining beasts to retreat!

Thud, thud, thud—

However, the army led by Dominic was formidable. Along with the vampire army raised by the Archbishop, a well-armed royal army marched forward.

"Fire! Keep them from even showing their faces on the walls!"

Thwack-thwack-thwack-thwack!

The royal army, which had been conserving its strength until now, unleashed a volley of arrows! Unlike the mindlessly charging vampires, the royal army's attacks were precise and highly lethal.

Thud! Splat!

"Argh!"

"Urgh!"

The players on the walls shrieked as they scrambled down. Every single arrow that hit shaved off a massive chunk of HP; the impact was incredibly heavy.

"Heals! We need heals over here!"

"The barrier is breaking! Someone help!"

With the support of the royal army and the outer outposts gone, the vampire army finally reached the foot of the main walls. The battle had reached the first line of defense!

"They're climbing!"

"Don't worry! They're just trash mobs anyway!"

The players didn't panic, even as the vampire army swarmed like a pack ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of wild dogs. There was no reason to be afraid yet. Although the outpost had been destroyed, the three layers of newly constructed walls were completely intact, and a massive horde of healthy players stood ready behind them. The rankers and high-level players of the territory hadn't even stepped forward yet! In fact, the players actively taunted the enemies to try and climb up.

Screeeech!

"Charge!"

The intermediate vampire warriors successfully scaled the walls. The waiting players immediately lunged forward, unleashing their skills.

— Triple Slash!

— Lion's Charge!

— Shattering Blow!

Screeech! Urgh!

The vampire warriors were pushed back and fell off the walls. At that exact moment, crimson lightning began to rain down from the heavens.

Rumble, crash! Crackle!

— Corrupted Blood Lightning!

"It's the Church's priests!"

"Damn it! They were hiding among the vampires! There were so many of them we couldn't even see them!"

A sudden barrage of magic! The players, who had assumed this was a simple human-wave tactic, took the full brunt of the magical assault. The high priests of the Salavian Church had used the vampires as cover to sneak right up to the base of the walls. Unleashing their pent-up wrath, they bombarded the top of the walls relentlessly! For the first time in the battle (excluding the self-destructing blacksmiths), players began to get logged out.

"This is bad. I'm going in!"

Evangeline, who had been watching from the rear, shouted as she summoned her vampire NPCs. Although this was only the first wall, she didn't want to cede the momentum to the enemy. Now was the time to step up!

"Go get 'em!"

"You can do it!"

"We're rooting for you!"

Tae-hyun's companions cheered her on bravely.

"...Are you guys not going to help?"

"Well, we're not sure if charging right now is the right call. If your judgment is off, at least we'll be left behind to hold the line."

"What do you mean 'judgment is off'?! What's so dangerous about this?!"

"The moment you let your guard down is the most dangerous moment, you dummy! Do you have any idea how many times I've been backstabbed?!"

Cain spoke with absolute confidence. But to Evangeline, it was utterly absurd. These were the same guys who would blindly follow Tae-hyun into any suicidal, crazy stunt without a single shred of fear...!

"You guys always charge in when Kim Tae-hyun tells you to!"

"That's... well, that's because he's him..."

In short: You are not Tae-hyun.

"...Ugh, whatever! I'll just do it with my own subordinates. This is more than enough!"

Evangeline was highly confident. After all, the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠enemies scaling the walls were merely intermediate vampire warriors. Any player over level 100 could easily handle them, and for a ranker like her, it was child's play.

"I'm here!"

"Ah! Lady Evangeline!"

"It's Evangeline! Whoooo!"

The players recognized her and cheered. In a siege, nothing was more reassuring than a ranker.

Screeeech! Hiss!

"?!"

And the vampires reacted to her presence with just as much enthusiasm. To be precise, they went absolutely wild.

"Uh..."

"A descendant of the Ancient Vampires! We must kill her at all costs!!"

"Kill her and drink her blood! Do not let her escape!!"

The vampire warriors threw away their lives, entering a state of absolute madness! Even the priests of the Salavian Church below joined in the frenzy.

Screeech! Hiss! Roar!

The vampire warriors began to push back the players on the wall with unbelievable, monstrous strength.

"Yong-yong."

"I am doing my absolute best, Master!"

"No, I wasn't telling you to go faster. I was just thinking that Heuk-heuk would have flown much faster than this."

"..."

Whoooooosh!

What a simpleton.

Tae-hyun smirked inwardly. Ed-an, who had been sprawled out beside him, finally woke up and spoke.

"Ugh... Lord Tae-hyun..."

"Ah, Ed-an. The one who went all that way only to fail at stealing the Orihalcon, bringing back nothing but a crown and some art pieces."

"..."

Tae-hyun's words were sharp and laced with thorns. Ed-an quickly stammered an excuse.

"T-That is... the circumstances were truly unavoidable..."

"Is this thing even worth anything?"

Tae-hyun pulled out the crown, examining it. It was stained a deep, bloody crimson, radiating an incredibly sinister aura.

"It is the crown of the King of Atali! There is no way it is worthless!"

"Really?"

Tae-hyun checked its details.

"..."

Tae-hyun's face crumpled. Of all the things to bring back, he had to bring back something so filthy...

"!"

Oh...?

At least its functionality as a quest item was incredibly powerful!

I wasn't even expecting to become the King of Atali Kingdom...

It felt as though fate was slowly pushing him down an unexpected path.

If I take over the Atali Kingdom, will I even be able to maintain and manage it?

"By the way, Lord Tae-hyun."

"What?"

"Where is Golgol-i?"

"No idea. He didn't show up, so I left him behind. I'm sure he's doing fine. It looked like he made a new friend anyway."

"...And Heuk-heuk?"

"He's still on the run, so it's hard for him to regroup with us right now. He'll make his own way back eventually. For now, let's head out."

"...Yes, sir."

Ed-an quietly shut his mouth. But Tae-hyun hadn't rushed ahead out of eagerness. The army Dominic had brought was far more formidable than he had anticipated. Their sheer numbers and persistence surpassed even those of a Lich. On top of that, the high-ranking NPCs of the Salavian Church hadn't even unleashed their full strength yet.

The territory's defenses were exceptionally sturdy, but that alone wasn't enough to put his mind at ease. You couldn't win by just defending!

"Yong-yong. Let's fly in quietly from above. Dominic was positioned around there... so we'll drop right on top of him and attack."

"Understood, Master!"

Tae-hyun's plan was simple. Drop near Dominic, unleash every single skill in his arsenal, and launch a surprise attack! If he killed him, fantastic. Even if he didn't, he would still deal a massive blow. In the process, he planned to eliminate as many of the Church's high-ranking NPCs as possible.

It sounded suicidal, but Tae-hyun was entirely confident in his ability to escape. He had accumulated plenty of survival skills by now!

"On my count of three, we drop."

"M-Master."

"?"

"I think we've been spotted..."

"??"

Hearing Yong-yong's words, Tae-hyun looked down. Countless vampires, beasts, and members of the Salavian Church were staring directly up at Tae-hyun and Yong-yong.

What?!

Tae-hyun was shocked. The sun hadn't risen yet, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠so it was pitch black, and he had even used various stealth skills to conceal their presence... Had the Salavian Church seen right through it?

That's impossible! If they had a skill like that, I would have noticed first...

Flash!

At that moment, a blinding light burst from behind them. It was a light as brilliant as the sun. Tae-hyun only then realized that the army below wasn't looking at him. What they were staring at...

Was Sadiq's Avatar, which had suddenly materialized right behind Dominic's army.

"...Why is he here?"