The Art of the Clean-Up
"Eep!" Meeting Tae-hyun's gaze, Burford quickly lowered his head, trying to avoid eye contact. For some reason, he felt an ominous premonition. It was his gut instinct, highly refined after rolling through the trenches of Pandemonium Online! But he was already too late.
"Haha. Burford, my boy. You gave quite an inspiring speech earlier."
"Ha, haha... Thank you, sir..."
"I let you into my territory precisely because I knew you'd do something like this. Why else would I have accepted a player who joined the Sadiq Church?"
"..." Burford's face began to turn increasingly pale.
"Go after Sadiq's Avatar."
"Well... about that... I did join the Sadiq Church in the past, but I've already left it..."
"What does that matter? You can still use your Holy skills. That makes you Sadiq Church enough, doesn't it?"
"But the Sadiq Church has been absorbed by the Archisus Church..."
"It's fine. That guy doesn't seem to be in his right mind anyway, so he won't notice. If you get caught, just play dumb."
"..."
"Now, quick! Follow him before you lose him! Don't even think about coming back if you can't find him!"
Tae-hyun pushed Burford's back, casually uttering terrifying threats. In the end, Burford had no choice but to bite the bullet and set off.
Ugh... This is terrifying... Earlier, swept up in the heat of the moment, he had shouted without fear. But looking at Sadiq's Avatar now, the being truly looked monstrously frightening.
Track Sadiq's Avatar
Although you are currently a member of the Archisus Church (formerly the Sadiq Church), you have not lost your power as a Sadiq Paladin. Track Sadiq's Avatar who has appeared on the continent and uncover his identity and secrets! If you can obtain even a fraction of the power possessed by Sadiq's Avatar, it will be an immense reward. This is not betraying Sadiq! For the Sadiq Church is now the Archisus Church.
📍 Location: The Continent
🎁 Reward: ?, ???, ????
"..." A quest window that literally pushed him out the door! Although he had changed his class to a Sadiq Paladin, this was just too much.
This doesn't feel right... Burford thought as he dragged his feet. His steps felt incredibly heavy for some reason.
"This victory belongs entirely to all of you!" Tae-hyun shouted cheerfully from atop the castle wall. The ground below was a complete mess, scarred by the fierce battle, but no one cared about that.
"Waaaaah!" The joy of victory! Starting with Contribution Points, all sorts of rewards were pouring into the victorious players' inventories.
"Kim Tae-hyun! Kim Tae-hyun! Kim Tae-hyun!"
"When are you ascending the throne?!"
"When are we marching on the Capital?!"
Tae-hyun waved his hands, signaling them to calm down. Instantly, the massive crowd fell silent. It was a scene hard to believe even for those watching it happen.
"Everyone! Future plans are well and good, but let us first celebrate today's victory! Shouldn't we also gather the spoils scattered across this battlefield?!"
"Ah, that's right!"
"He's right!"
"But how do we gather spoils from over there? Are we supposed to salvage what's left?" Several players tilted their heads in confusion. At a glance, the battlefield in front of the wall was an absolute disaster. Starting with the land corrupted by the Salavian Church, lava and flames were still bubbling and overflowing on top of it...
• The Salavian Church's pollution near the territory is severe. A penalty is applied to the overall growth of the territory.
• The territory's Vampires are pleased.
• Other Vampires may visit.
I don't need them...
• Sadiq Church's fire and lava are flowing near the territory. A penalty is applied to the growth of the territory.
• The territory's Blacksmiths are pleased.
In fact, messages were continuously popping up before Tae-hyun. He had to clean this up now! While everyone was gathered in high spirits!
Once the siege and the quests are over, everyone will scatter. I won't be able to make them do it even if I want to, right? Tae-hyun planned to use this opportunity to restore the battlefield.
"All we need to do is extinguish the flames, cool down the lava, and purify the pollution! If we do that, spoils will pour out in abundance!"
"Ohhh!"
"So that's how it works!"
"Come on, everyone! Let's go clean it up!"
As if collectively hypnotized, the players began to descend from the walls. They grabbed shovels, pickaxes, and various work tools, heading straight for the battlefield.
Cain tilted his head and asked, "Wait... if they touched lava, would there even be any spoils left?"
"Shh. Shut up."
• The retreating Royal Army units are entering the territory.
• Centurion Gajul is entering the territory.
• Decurion Beken is entering the territory.
• The territory's maintenance cost has increased.
Ugh. While it was great to obtain elite NPC troops for free—something others couldn't buy even with money—it came with a price. That price was the maintenance cost!
Tae-hyun opened his territory status window for the first time in a while.
Tae-hyun checked the rest of the stats. The population was growing at an exceptionally rapid pace, and public sentiment and security were naturally at the absolute highest level. Divinity was also at the maximum, likely because this was the headquarters of the Archisus Church.
Culture Level: B+ Rank. Recently, hearing rumors, artists have begun to visit. They will make excellent mentors for young adventurers with artistic professions.
"?" What rumors? Tae-hyun pondered for a moment before realizing what it referred to. Ah, the artworks stolen from the royal palace!
I didn't expect that to be so helpful. He had scolded Ed-an for stealing such things...
Tae-hyun called Pelmas and ordered him to decorate the inside of the temple with all the artworks.
"Oh! These pieces are...!"
"Do you recognize them?"
"They look expensive! They're covered in gold!"
"...Go call Galakpad instead."
"Ah, no! I can do it! This is my specialty!"
"Your specialty is... No, never mind. Sure. Do your best."
Tae-hyun decided not to stop him. It was just displaying them, so what could go wrong? More importantly, Tae-hyun had a lot on his mind. The King Quest he was progressing had moved on to the next stage.
Strike While the Iron is Hot
With your brilliant strategy, you have successfully held off Dominic and the Salavian army. Having suffered a devastating blow, Dominic and the Salavian Church are retreating to the Capital to recover their strength. You must strike while the iron is hot. Gather the righteous armies of the kingdom, attack the Capital, and defeat Dominic!
🎁 Reward: King of Atali Kingdom
Ugh. Unlike defense, attacking is a bit burdensome. Could the players of the territory pull it off? Even the Guild Alliance, which had a unified command structure and moved in perfect order, suffered massive casualties when they took the offensive in a siege. The old saying that you need three times the defenders' numbers to attack didn't exist for nothing.
Tae-hyun glanced down. He could see players gathered in small groups, shoveling away.
"Heave-ho! Heave-ho!"
"Pour Holy Water here! It stinks!"
"Ah! Spoils! It's silver!"
"Isn't that the arrow we shot?"
Hmm. Looking at them, it might actually work out surprisingly well...
• An emissary from Count Osong has arrived at the territory.
• An emissary from Count Bucard has arrived at the territory.
• An emissary from Count Fibre has arrived...
"?" Tae-hyun looked at the message window, puzzled. What was this?
"We are deeply moved by Count Kim Tae-hyun's righteous spirit!"
"We shall also lend our aid!"
Highest-grade Eloquence Skill
You can discern the true intentions behind the NPCs' words.
Carbanog is appalled, wondering who is looking down on whom.
Tae-hyun smiled warmly. Then, he bowed his waist to just the right angle. The perfect angle to show respect!
"Welcome! I am simply overjoyed to meet the other esteemed Counts whom I respect so much! Hahaha!"
"Hahahahaha!"
"Bwahahaha!"
Carbanog laughs along.
Each harboring their own schemes, they laughed together!
"Ah. I almost forgot. Sadiq's Avatar showed up too, but why did Heuk-heuk take so long to get back?"
For the first time in a while, Tae-hyun dragged his gaming team members out of their capsules. There was only one reason.
"Let's go buy some clothes."
Everyone's eyes gathered on one person. Cain waved his hands in flustered confusion.
"Wh-why are you looking at me?"
"Hmm..."
"Mmm-hmm..."
"Ahem. Ahem."
The group only cleared their throats, unable to bring themselves to speak. It wasn't that Cain didn't buy clothes. It was just that his fashion sense was so...
"With the tournament coming up, the team will probably have to do some broadcasts. Let's get some decent clothes ready in advance."
"B-broadcasts? Really? Am I allowed to go on too?"
"Of course you can... but before you do, you have to pass my outfit inspection. Actually, never mind. I'll just introduce you to a stylist."
"..."
As they walked, Lee Da-bi suddenly remembered something and asked, "By the way, Tae-hyun."
"Yeah?"
"Isn't Prosdas sponsoring us?"
It was the brand Tae-hyun had shot a photoshoot for previously (alongside Lee Se-yeon). Since that photoshoot had been a massive hit, they had decided to sponsor the gaming team.
"They are."
"Then don't we get sponsored clothes?"
"Yeah, we do."
"...Then why are we going to buy clothes?"
"Actually, that was just an excuse. Even Cain has enough clothes to wear for a broadcast. If worst comes to worst, he could wear mine... No, wait. My clothes wouldn't fit him. Anyway, we could borrow some or figure something out."
"...? Then why did we come out?"
"Just to kill a few birds with one stone. Buy some gifts for your younger sisters, get rid of Cain's eyesore outfits..."
"My sisters? Tae-hyun, you don't have any siblings."
"Your sisters."
Lee Da-bi paused for a moment, then gasped in surprise as she realized what he meant.
"...N-no! It's fine! Really, it's fine! I'll buy them myself!"
"I said I'd do it, so why are you arguing? If you want to give them a gift, do it separately."
Tae-hyun was stubborn. Knowing full well that Tae-hyun would never back down when he was like this, Lee Da-bi gave up trying to persuade him.
"...Thank you. We'll accept them gratefully."
"Sure. Help me pick out some clothes your sisters would like."
"Okay."
However, Lee Da-bi was thinking about something else.
What does Tae-hyun like? Punishing... no, scolding her younger sisters for saying unnecessary things to Tae-hyun could wait until she got home. Right now, she had other things to worry about.
This time, I'm going to give him a gift! Lee Da-bi slowly fell back. She wanted to approach Cain, Choi Sang-yun, and Jeong Su-hyeok, who were following behind.
Choi Sang-yun was flustered when Lee Da-bi sent him a complex hand signal. What did that mean?
"What... what is it?"
"Shh, shh. I have something to ask you."
"What is it...?"
"What does Tae-hyun like?"
"He likes winning."
"...Is there anything more material, something money can buy?"
"Something money can buy... Well... His life is basically money itself, so..."
As he spoke, Choi Sang-yun realized what was happening. Lee Da-bi was trying to buy him a gift!
I have to support this!