The Spoils of Victory
What beautiful, balanced stats!
In truth, it was incredibly rare for a player to distribute their stats so evenly. Most rankers chose one primary stat and one secondary stat, going completely all-in on them. By now, the top-tier rankers had likely surpassed 1,000 in both their primary and secondary stats with ease. Some might even be looking at 2,000 in their main stat. Levels were absolute in this game, so it was only natural.
Well... it doesn't matter.
Since things had already come to this, Tae-hyun had no intention of relying on level alone to win. He had his diverse combinations of skills, balanced stats—though he wasn't entirely sure how to make the most of them yet—and his absolutely overwhelming Luck!
His Luck stat was like an endless spring, never running dry no matter how much he drew from it. Even though he constantly drained his Luck to fuel Archisus's Curse, a single level-up would send it shooting right back up. But rising stats weren't entirely something to celebrate. The higher his Luck climbed, the more grueling it became for Tae-hyun to level up. His passive skill increased the amount of stat points he received as rewards, but it distributed them completely at random.
But it really feels like it's only dumping them into Luck...
A suspicious feeling washed over him. Tae-hyun shook his head. He had been momentarily distracted by the sweet rush of leveling up, but he had too much on his plate right now. He could double-check his stats later. First, he had to clean up the aftermath!
"Look! I told you it wasn't dangerous!"
"I'm telling you, Kim Tae-hyun just wanted to hog all the loot for himself!"
The players climbed over the shattered walls and gates. The viewers watching their personal streams eagerly joined in on the trash-talk. Of course, not every viewer was Tae-hyun's enemy.
The players who had genuinely been victimized by Tae-hyun felt incredibly wronged. I have absolutely nothing to do with the Guild Alliance! I just got beaten up by Kim Tae-hyun!!!
"Now, viewers! Look! This is the entrance to the royal palace of the Atali Kingdom, which has never been properly revealed before..."
Whoosh—
While the excited players babbled, something came flying through the air. It was Dominic—massive, tattered, and clutching the screaming counts in both hands.
"?"
And then, they exploded.
"Aaaaaargh!"
Your HP has reached 0.
You have been disconnected from the game.
With pathetic screams, the players were instantly logged out. Their stream screens went pitch black, leaving the remaining viewers dumbfounded.
Tae-hyun's fans, on the other hand, were absolutely triumphant. Things were unfolding exactly as Tae-hyun had warned, and they couldn't be happier.
"Kieeeek! Kieeeek!"
"W-we must escape! Run!"
With Dominic and the cult leaders defeated, the Salavian Church warriors and demonic beasts resisting throughout the inner castle fell into a collective panic.
Morale has dropped to 0.
The despairing warriors of the Salavian Church are fleeing!
Throughout the capital of the Atali Kingdom, players could be seen hunting down the fleeing Salavian cultists.
You have captured the shopping district of the capital.
Your Reputation has increased.
It was a race to squeeze out every last contribution point!
Having received the notification that Dominic was defeated and Tae-hyun's quest was a success, the players' eyes gleamed. Now that the expedition quest was officially a success, a single contribution point could make all the difference between winning and losing. They had to get more!
"Power Warrior Guild, assemble! It'll be an embarrassment if we lose to the newbies!"
"Paladin is King Guild, assemble! Hey! I said gather! Don't pretend you can't hear me!"
"I-I'm not in your guild. I'm not even a Paladin..."
"Then take off your guild emblem before you speak, you punk!"
Guilds and parties gathered everywhere! From this point on, it wasn't a life-or-death battle, but a competitive hunt to see who could grab more.
The Power Warrior guild members searched the rubble and picked up items with burning determination.
Item acquired.
Your Infamy has increased.
Picking up items from the ruined buildings increased their Infamy, but the guild members didn't care.
"They say Kim Tae-hyun has high Infamy too!"
"Tae-hyun said Infamy is like a badge of honor!"
"What? The higher your Infamy, the better?"
Strange rumors about Tae-hyun were spreading in bizarre directions.
"There's a beast escaping over there!"
"We're the closest. Let's go!"
A beast was spotted, and since the Power Warrior guild members were the closest, they began to sprint toward it. Seeing this, other players lamented.
"Ah! We're too late!"
"No, wait! Look! That's the Power Warrior guild! They're nothing special! Even if we start late, we can kill more than them!"
"Oh, you're right!"
Twitch—
The ears of the leading Power Warrior guild members twitched. These bastards!
They knew they weren't exactly elite players, but hearing it said so openly was a different story.
"Hmph! Just try it. Path-blocking team, go!"
"?!"
A party suddenly burst out from the ranks of the Power Warrior guild. They weren't just running on foot; they were riding a massive, heavy-looking Golem.
"W-what is that..."
"Hey! That's the one Kim Tae-hyun made!!"
"You're using that here?!"
The players protested, but the Power Warrior guild members completely ignored them.
"Haha. What are you talking about? We're just standing here."
"Controlling a Golem is surprisingly tricky, you know."
The guild members blocked the narrow alleyway with the Golem and refused to budge.
"You guys can't even kill it yourselves! Move!"
"Oh, we can definitely kill it."
The other players snorted. No matter how much they bluffed, surely...
However, the Power Warrior guild members all wore confident smiles.
"Dagger team! Launch!"
"Launch? Launch what?"
Flash!
While they couldn't use complex engineering items like blacksmiths, the Power Warrior guild members were masters of cheap tricks. Several players with high Strength stats gathered, picked up a guild member holding Karbanog's Dagger, and threw them. The thrown player had a glider attached to their back instead of a cloak!
Whoosh!
The player cuts through the wind and takes flight!
The Flight skill proficiency has increased!
Dagger-wielding guild members were launched from all directions, hurtling straight toward the beast.
Crash!
With dozens of guild members slamming into it, the beast let out a screech and collapsed.
"T-That's impossible!"
"It just fell from the impact! It'll definitely get back up..."
The players watching from behind cried out in shock. There was no way these guys could take down a beast on their own! But the guild members' onslaught didn't stop.
Stab stab stab stab!
Daggers were the fastest weapons in the game. Once they secured a solid opening, their attacks landed with terrifying speed.
"Blood Explosion!"
"It's an AoE!"
The beast unleashed a wide-area skill to shake off the guild members clinging to its body. The watching players flinched. That attack was unavoidable.
They're done for!
Their armor looks cheap, there's no way they'll survive that...
"!!"
Yet, most of the guild members remained perfectly fine.
"W-What?"
"It's a potion! An Archisus Church potion!"
Though the duration was short, it allowed them to evade a single attack! In the end, the guild members successfully brought the beast down.
"Hooray!"
"T-This is insane!"
"Sob... I can't believe I couldn't save the two counts."
"No, Count!"
"It's not your fault, Count!"
"No! It is all my fault!"
Tae-hyun put on a masterclass in shedding crocodile tears before the knights.
"But now is not the time for sorrow. The wounds left by the Salavian Church are deep. Will you help me to the end?"
"Of course!"
"We will do our absolute best!"
You can now command Count Bucard's Knight Order.
You can now command Count Fibre's Knight Order.
"First, secure and occupy the palace, and eliminate all remaining Salavian forces in the inner city! Let's completely reorganize the capital today!"
At Tae-hyun's command, everyone began to move busily.
Current Capital Occupation: 90%
The Salavian Church is fleeing.
"Kim Tae-hyun, Kim Tae-hyun!"
"?"
"The Archbishop escaped!"
"What? He's not dead?"
Tae-hyun was shocked by Evangeline's shout. Golgol-i had stabbed him so thoroughly, yet he survived!
"A quest to track the Archbishop popped up, so he definitely escaped alive!"
"Right. Good luck!"
"Let's chase him togeth... huh?"
"Hmm?"
"A-Aren't you coming with me?"
Evangeline lowered her hand awkwardly, her face flushed with embarrassment.
"I'm too busy cleaning up here to chase him. But I'll lend you some guys. Who do you want..."
"Anyone but Cain!"
The answer came instantly.
"..."
"...I'm right here, you know?"
"Ah."
Evangeline realized her mistake, but Cain's eyes were already burning with deep resentment. I will remember this!
"N-No! I just meant since I'm a tank, we don't need another tank. Really! I mean it."
Cain walked away without a word. Evangeline fidgeted anxiously.
"W-What should I do?"
"Don't worry about it. It's not the first time he's pouted. Choi Sang-yoon will help you. The Archbishop is in terrible shape, so kill him if you can, and run if you can't."
"Just us? Isn't that a bit lacking?"
"If it's lacking... Lee Da-bi, can you gather some people?"
"Yes!"
Lee Da-bi climbed up the inner castle wall.
Merchant's Shout
In an instant, a massive crowd gathered like a swarm of clouds.
"Satisfied?"
"..."
Evangeline's jaw dropped.
You have viewed the artworks decorating the palace reception room. Your Reputation has increased.
Your stats have temporarily increased...
Now that the curse was lifted and the enemies were gone, Tae-hyun began to stroll leisurely through the palace. Beside him was an indispensable talent for this kind of work.
"Fufu... Tae-hyun. Now you see that I am indeed a Great Thief..."
"Yeah, yeah, you're a Great Thief. I get it, so quickly lead me to the treasury. We need to grab everything before the others get here."
"Fufu! Just follow me."
Ed-an moved with excitement. What a glorious day for a thief! The joy of running down the empty palace corridors was unparalleled.
"First, let's check here. This is where the royal family keeps their valuables..."
Creak—
"?"
The room was completely empty.
"Uh... well. It seems those cult bastards swept it clean. Let's check the next spot."
Ed-an hurried to the next location.
"This is where the royal family's treasured swords are..."
Empty.
"..."
Seeing Tae-hyun's face gradually stiffen, Ed-an panicked.
"Didn't I tell you we should have smuggled things out last time? Huh? Instead, you grabbed those useless artworks!"
"I-I secured the crown too!"
"Do you think a single crown is enough?!"
Tae-hyun grabbed Ed-an by the collar and shook him back and forth.
Reclaim the Royal Treasures
The vile and dirty Salavian Church secretly plundered the royal treasury after occupying the capital. All the treasures of the Atali royal family have flowed into the Salavian Church's secret sanctuary. As the one who restored the honor of the Atali royal family, or as the successor to the Atali Kingdom, this situation is intolerable. Track down the Church and reclaim the treasures!
🎁 Reward: ?, ???, ?????
Damn it. Nothing ever comes easy.
While he was grumbling, a message window popped up.
All Salavian Church forces within the capital have fled.
Current Capital Occupation: 100%. You have won the siege!
You have captured Mora City, the capital of the Atali Kingdom. You can now govern the city!
He didn't even have time to worry about the stolen treasures. From the coronation quest to governing the city, he had to start worrying about everything at once!