The Art of the Strategic Sacrifice

"Behind you! Look behind you!"

"Is there something behind me? I don't see anything."

"That monster is chasing right behind you!"

"Oh! You're right. I had no idea. Well, since it's come to this, let's fight together!"

"C-Can't you go fight somewhere else?!"

"How could you say something so cold? I am absolutely thrilled to fight alongside you, Count Osong!"

"P-Protect me! Everyone, protect me!"

Panicked, Count Osong summoned all his knights. The knights, who had been fighting fiercely at the front lines, had no choice but to begrudgingly fall back to Count Osong's side.

"Protect the Count!"

Wow. Knights really are something else.

As the knights unleashed various skills to protect Count Osong, Tae-hyun was able to effortlessly reap the benefits.

"Hahaha! Come at me, you worthless tin cans!"

"You fiend! You shall not pass!"

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

Count Lucon burst into mad laughter and lunged forward, but the knights bravely stood their ground. Lucon hurled crimson whirlwinds and cast curses with his piercing gaze! In response, the knights charged, activating every skill embedded in their armor! It was a magnificent and solemn spectacle of clashing lights.

Tae-hyun was surprised to see the knights holding their own against Lucon. They were certainly useful NPCs.

It would be great if I could train them in my territory too.

Knights, whose individual levels easily exceeded 250, were incredibly difficult to raise. They were absolute money pits! It wasn't just about the gold; it required the proper qualifications. Even with money, you couldn't establish a knighthood without the right authority. Only someone like Tae-hyun or the Guild Alliance could ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠pull it off.

The Guild Alliance had planned to conquer the entire Auston Kingdom and establish their own royal knighthood, but Sadiq's rampage had severely delayed their plans. Of course, Tae-hyun had no idea about this...

"Hmph..."

As the knights successfully blocked his path, a cunning glint flashed in Lucon's eyes.

Whoosh! It was an incredibly broken skill that allowed him to temporarily turn into mist, nullify all incoming attacks, and close the distance! The crimson mist began rushing toward the count. It was glaringly obvious who his target was.

Seeing this, Count Osong shrieked.

"C-Count Kim Tae-hyun! Protect me!"

"Understood."

"We must retreat first! Keep him away!"

"Right, right."

Count Osong hurriedly tried to ride away on his horse. Tae-hyun raised his spear. And swung it—right at the legs of Count Osong's horse.

Neighhh!

"?!?!"

Count Osong's horse collapsed instantly! At that exact moment, the mist that was Lucon swiftly enveloped the count. Tae-hyun could have blocked it, but he chose not to.

Swoosh!

"Mwahahaha! Foolish mortals. Did you really think I would keep playing your games? You knights and that bastard Count Kim Tae-hyun, drop your weapons! Otherwise, I will slaughter Count Osong!"

Lucon shouted triumphantly. He held Count Osong by the throat with one hand, threatening to snap his neck at any second.

"Do it this instant, or—Aaaargh!"

Slash! Stab!

Tae-hyun lunged forward and ruthlessly swung his sword. Caught completely off guard by this utterly fearless assault, a panicked Lucon flailed Count Osong in front of him like a shield.

"You madman! Do you dare mock my words? I can end Count Osong's life this very instant! Salavian Continuous Drain!"

Count Osong couldn't even scream as he was violently shaken back and forth. Lucon was actively draining his blood.

"Count Kim Tae-hyun! We must save the Count!"

"Please, help him!"

The knights rushed over and pleaded with Tae-hyun. But Tae-hyun ignored them and swung his sword once more—straight at Count Osong, whom Lucon was holding out in front of him!

"You absolute lunatic!!"

Lucon instinctively pulled Count Osong back to avoid the blow. As a result, Lucon took the full brunt of the damage.

"You psycho... Do you really not care if Count Osong dies?!"

"...I do not negotiate with evil!"

"!"

"!!"

"!!!"

With a look of profound heartbreak, Tae-hyun declared:

"Count Osong would have wanted this! Rather than letting this expedition fail for the sake of his own life, it is his noble wish to see this expedition succeed, even at the cost of his own demise! He told me so himself!"

"Mmph! Mmph!"

Held tightly by Lucon, Count Osong desperately tried to signal with his eyes, but Tae-hyun completely ignored him. Thanks to Lucon gagging the count's mouth, pulling off this scam was ten times easier!

"Hear me, knights! We must honor Count Osong's final wish! Let us strike down this wicked vampire and avenge our lord!"

Tae-hyun was already treating him like a corpse, even though the man was still breathing!

Whatever, he's going to die anyway!

Tae-hyun didn't stop there. In fact, he took it a step further.

"Equip Toxin! Throw Bomb!"

Poison and bombs. Both were attacks that could easily catch allies in the crossfire if things went south. But Tae-hyun didn't care in the slightest as he unleashed them!

Boom! Boom! Crash!

"You... absolute... lunatic...!"

Through the smoke of the explosion, Lucon's teeth-gritting snarl could be heard, but Tae-hyun ignored it.

Huh?

He even got an unexpected level up! Fortunately, the knights didn't seem to realize that Count Osong had died from the explosion.

Whoosh— As the smoke cleared, Lucon tossed Count Osong's body aside. Since the man was dead, he was no longer of any use as a hostage.

"H-He actually did it! He killed Count Osong! That damned vampire will burn in hell!"

"...!!!"

At Tae-hyun's words, the knights boiled with rage. To hold him hostage and actually murder him!

"Avenge the Count!"

"Avenge the Count!!!"

"What kind of bullshit is... That bastard is the one who—"

"Die!"

Tae-hyun lunged forward to shut Lucon up before he could say another word. Every melee attack Lucon attempted was completely shut down by Tae-hyun. Dodging, parrying, countering...

*Thud! Bam! Bam-bam-bam!*

Getting pummeled multiple times for every single blow he tried to land, Lucon quickly gave up on close-quarters combat. The only threatening moves left were his gaze-based curses and wide-area skills! But Tae-hyun dealt with them easily.

I just won't look at his eyes!

Tae-hyun fought while looking solely at Lucon's feet! It was a mind-boggling feat of predicting and moving based entirely on the tactile feedback of his strikes.

Lucon, on the receiving end, was on the verge of losing his mind. Dealing with just one of these absurd tactics would be frustrating enough, but facing a non-stop combo of them was downright maddening.

I need to use a wide-area skill...

"Knight's Wrath!!"

Lucon wasn't the only one who was angry. The enraged knights gave him absolutely no breathing room.

"We do not care if we die! Do not let that monster escape!"

!

Tae-hyun panicked. His plan was to subtly absorb these knights into his own forces after Count Osong died. But now they were suddenly fighting with a death wish!

No!

"Blessing of Archisus!"

Tae-hyun had wanted to save his Divine Authority skills as much as possible. They were his trump cards. Each one was incredibly powerful, but their long cooldowns meant they couldn't be used lightly. He had intended to conserve them, but...

I can't let this knighthood die!

His absurdly high Luck was shared not only with the knights but also with all nearby players. Thanks to this, Lucon's attack completely missed.

"It cannot end like this...!"

"Critical Explosion! Blade Detonation!"

Rumble!

Seizing the opportunity, Tae-hyun drove his attack deep into Lucon. The Dae-man-bul-gang-geom detonated, inflicting catastrophic damage on the vampire.

Although Lucon possessed massive HP and a variety of annoying skills due to his Salavian Order traits, he couldn't hold out for long when his hands and feet were bound and he was subjected to a relentless beating. Tae-hyun was a man who had successfully raided the infamous Gardu. Once his skills were sealed and his movements restricted, Lucon was a boss monster a tier below Gardu.

Oh...!

His current level was 108. Considering there were still many members of the Salavian Order left, it seemed he could raise his level even further.

Not just a level up, but a bonus skill too!

Leaving the fallen Lucon behind, Tae-hyun rushed over to Count Osong. He began to wail.

"Oh, Count! How could you leave us like this?! Did we not worry about the future of the kingdom together?! What am I supposed to do now that you have departed before me?!"

All the while, Tae-hyun's hands never stopped moving. Mourning was mourning, but loot was loot.

The knights wept alongside him, sharing in his grief.

"Sniff. Thank you, Count Kim Tae-hyun."

"Count Osong would be grateful as well. You have avenged him."

"You are the true hero destined to put an end to the Salavian Order!"

"No. I am not worthy. I couldn't even protect Count Osong."

Tae-hyun deliberately feigned weakness. At this, the knights vehemently protested.

"That is not true! If not you, then who else could it be?!"

"Sigh... Then, will you help me strike down the Salavian Order?"

"Yes! Of course!"

"By joining my ranks?"

"Yes!"

Hmm. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠That part is a bit concerning.

Would the knights actually be satisfied once they saw his territory? Tae-hyun shook his head. That was a problem for later. What mattered right now was putting this newly acquired knighthood to good use. Even if they ended up leaving later, he would squeeze every last drop of utility out of them first!

"We shall pledge our loyalty to you, Count, until the Salavian Order is defeated."

"Indeed. Until the Salavian Order is defeated!"

Tae-hyun thought as he spoke. Since they said 'until the Salavian Order is defeated,' can't I just use that as an excuse to keep extending their service indefinitely?

"Kim Tae-hyun! I'm here! The weakness of the ancient vampire Lucon is this dagger! The vampire's blood... Huh? You... you already beat him?"

Evangeline, who had rushed over late leading a group of vampires, gasped!

"......"

As Tae-hyun and the knights stared blankly at her, Evangeline's face flushed red.

"I... I got here as fast as I could! You have no idea how many enemies were blocking the way!"