"Wait. This is Good for Me, Right?"

'Wait. This is actually good for me, right?'

Thinking about it, Zhang Shan realized he had absolutely nothing to lose. Since he was still officially affiliated with the Guild Alliance, there was no way an assassin would target him (though, realistically, no one would waste an assassin on a player of his level anyway). And if things went sideways down the line, he could always ask the Guild Alliance for backup.

'But how on earth did that guy report it? I haven't sent a single report yet.'

The answer, of course, was that Tae-hyun had simply fabricated the entire report. However, Zhang Shan's imagination didn't stretch quite that far. He never could have dreamed anyone would go to such shameless lengths!

"Listen up, everyone. Today is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

The voice was stern, solemn, and completely rigid. Everyone's face was frozen in tense concentration.

"Mommy, who are those scary people?"

"Shh! Don't look at them!"

The atmosphere was so intense that even random passersby actively avoided them. The crowd gathered here consisted entirely of members of the Power Warrior Guild—and not just any members, but the absolute elite of the elite!

In other guilds, "elite" referred to players with high levels and maxed-out skill masteries. But the Power Warrior Guild was built different. To them, an "elite" meant the most weathered, street-smart, and utterly shameless veterans in the guild!

"We have been preparing tirelessly for this very day! Who among us is the most prepared?!"

"Power Warrior!"

"Who among us is going to sell the absolute most?!"

"Power Warrior!"

Their thunderous, disciplined shouts echoed across the area. Nearby, other merchant and crafting players were clutching their chests, lamenting their lack of foresight.

"No way! I thought we had more time!"

"That bastard Kim Tae-hyun! Who starts a coronation ceremony without even turning on their blinker?!"

But the Power Warrior Guild members were on a completely different level. They had anticipated this coronation long ago and prepared every detail in advance.

"Is the food fully stocked?!"

"Yes, sir!"

"What about the other merchandise?!"

"Fully prepared, of course!"

The "other merchandise" they spoke of was a collection of completely absurd, miscellaneous junk. Kim Tae-hyun Coronation Commemorative Handkerchiefs, Kim Tae-hyun Coronation Commemorative Headbands, Kim Tae-hyun Coronation Commemorative... well, items that would absolutely never sell anywhere else but at this exact event!

Yet, the Power Warrior Guild members had emptied their entire gold reserves to manufacture these items. They had even commissioned the Mechanical Engineering Blacksmiths to produce "Kim Tae-hyun Coronation Commemorative Fireworks."

"If you don't sell every single piece... don't bother coming back."

The guild members nodded solemnly. They knew the stakes. If they failed to sell their inventory, they were completely ruined! They were literally risking their virtual lives on these items.

"Move out!"

With ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠that battle cry, the Power Warrior Guild's coronation quest... or rather, Tae-hyun's coronation quest, officially began.

"Kim Tae-hyun! Kim Tae-hyun! Kim Tae-hyun!"

The reason players loved these server-wide events in Fantasia Online was precisely because of the generous crumbs that fell from the table.

"Everyone!"

Tae-hyun's voice, amplified by various megaphone magic spells, reverberated to the very edges of the plains. Instantly, the entire crowd fell silent and looked up in rapt attention.

What kind of grand, inspiring speech would Tae-hyun deliver? Not only regular players but also reporters from various gaming news outlets were waiting with bated breath.

- The very first coronation in Fantasia Online history!

- The birth of the first player king!

Strictly speaking, Su Ning had technically established a kingdom first, but absolutely no one cared about that now. If he had a problem with it, he should have held a proper coronation ceremony first!

"Thank you all for coming here today."

"Kim Tae-hyun! Kim Tae-hyun! Kim Tae-hyun!"

"Now, please enjoy the feast."

With those words, Tae-hyun abruptly turned on his heel and walked away.

"?"

"???"

"?????"

"I-Is that it? It's over?"

The best speech is always the shortest speech! Tae-hyun had absolutely no intention of wasting more than ten seconds on a meaningless speech that didn't even grant any system bonuses.

'Why should I put effort into something that doesn't give a bonus?'

The dumbfounded players quickly snapped out of their daze as massive banquet tables piled high with exquisite food began to materialize. The crowd erupted into deafening cheers.

"Kim Tae-hyun is the absolute best!"

"Of course! This is exactly what I expected from him!"

"Wait, no! Is this really the end? Give us some actual content to write about in our articles..."

The reporters, on the other hand, were in a state of utter panic. No matter how pragmatic he was, wrapping up a historic coronation speech in under ten seconds was simply unprecedented!

"Chomp, chomp! Whoa, this is incredibly delicious!"

"Gulp, gulp! This is amazing."

"We'll never get a chance to eat high-grade food like this normally, so stuff your faces while you... Wait, what is this taste?"

"What's wrong?"

"No... I thought I just tasted something incredibly bizarre for a second. Must be my imagination."

The occasional dish of Abnormal Cooking mixed into the banquet was a free bonus!

Since high-end delicacies that normal players could never afford were being distributed in massive quantities, the atmosphere naturally reached a fever pitch. Seizing the perfect opportunity, the Power Warrior Guild members sprang into action.

"Get your official souvenirs here! Souvenirs!"

"Oh! How much is this?"

"It's dirt cheap! Just one gold coin!"

"Is... is that cheap?"

"Ayy, you can't buy this anywhere else! Besides, these are luxury goods hand-crafted by master artisans!"

"Take a look at these fireworks too!"

"Kim Tae-hyun Fireworks? Did Tae-hyun-nim make these himself?"

"Well, you could say yes, or you could say no... *cough, cough*."

The Power Warrior Guild members swept through the crowd, selling out their inventory in the blink of an eye.

'This is a total jackpot!'

'It was worth investing every single gold coin!'

'Even after paying Pelmas his cut, we're still making an absolute fortune!'

"!"

A massive level-up and explosive skill growth. It was a deeply satisfying reward that made all the grueling preparations for the coronation feel entirely worth it.

"...?"

Tae-hyun stared at the screen, completely dumbfounded. Wasn't the side effect of this skill far too severe?

While it granted an absurdly powerful stat buff upon activation, a single misstep could cause him to drive away his entire army with his own hands!

'I finally reached the Highest-grade Tactics level, and they give me a skill like this...?'

Tae-hyun already possessed more than enough volatile, high-risk skills. He had been desperately hoping for something stable and reliable, but the system had delivered this instead.

Of course, the skill was perfectly tailored to the exact ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠"tyrannical" tactics Tae-hyun had utilized throughout his career! In a way, it was pure poetic justice.

Still, thanks to his newly acquired Highest-grade Tactics skill, he was highly pleased to find that he could now recruit almost every type of high-tier NPC available in the kingdom.

'Excellent. I can stash the rest of the loot I stole from the Guild Alliance in the secret treasury.'

It was a secure vault where he could hide his ill-gotten gains with absolute certainty.

'I'll just ignore them.'

Tae-hyun coolly dismissed the warning. Whether the nobles protested or threw a tantrum, Tae-hyun had already firmly secured both the Capital and the Valley of Despair and Sorrow. What could they possibly do to him?

But then, the final notification caught his eye.

"...??"

"Do we really have to go this far?"

"It's definitely an assassin."

"Come on, it might not be an assassin."

"Exactly. There's no law saying every unexpected guest has to be an assassin, right?"

"I agree, but..."

Cain, Lee Da-bi, and Yu Ji-soo whispered tense arguments back and forth as they made their final preparations. They had even gone so far as to station a squad of Tyrum Hunters behind the grand pillars of the throne room—a truly excessive level of security!

"No. It is absolutely, without a doubt, an assassin."

"..."

It was rare to see someone so utterly convinced that the entire world was out to kill them. Cain couldn't help but feel a strange sense of admiration for Tae-hyun's absolute paranoia.

"Alright. Everyone stay hidden here. The moment I give the signal, you pounce on them immediately."

The grand throne room, which normally should have been filled with elegant nobles and ministers, had been completely transformed into a deadly ambush site.

"I-I really don't think there are that many people who would hate Op—I mean, Senior!" Yu Ji-soo mustered her courage to speak up.

Tae-hyun placed a heavy, solemn hand on Ji-soo's shoulder and looked into her eyes.

*Pat.*

"Ji-soo."

"?!"

"You couldn't be more wrong."

"...!!"

Just then, the heavy doors creaked open, and Pelmas stepped into the hall.

"Count... excuse ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠me, Your Majesty. I have brought the guest. But seriously, Your Majesty, couldn't you have hired a proper NPC to act as your chamberlain instead of making me—"

"Absolutely not. We have to save every single penny."

Pelmas, who had been forced into the role of royal chamberlain to handle all the miscellaneous chores, grumbled under his breath. He felt as though he was being run ragged doing every single piece of grunt work in the palace.

The doors opened wider, and the mysterious guest stepped forward. The figure was completely draped in a heavy, dark robe, looking incredibly suspicious.

"What did I tell you? I told you it was an assassin!"

"W-Well, looking at them like that, they definitely look like one..."

"Is it really an assassin? Who do you think sent them?"

"Honestly, it would be faster to list the people who didn't send them."

The robed figure bowed deeply before the throne.

"Your Majesty. It is a profound honor to meet you. I offer my sincerest congratulations on your ascension to the throne."

"Right."

Tae-hyun kept his hand resting casually on the hilt of his weapon, remaining hyper-vigilant for the exact moment the visitor would reveal their true colors.

"You must be curious about my identity. I am a de—"

"Demon! It's a demon assassin sent to take the King's head!"

"Attack! Everyone, attack!"

At Cain's thunderous roar, the Tyrum Hunters immediately drew their bows and aimed. Cain didn't even wait for them to fire, charging forward like a runaway train.

*Crash!*

"W-What is the meaning of this?! What is going on?!"

"Shut up, you demonic assassin! Who sent you?! Was it Edaor?! Or was it Adad?!"

"And just so you know, the one who slaughtered Adad's gatekeeper, Galgral, was none other than Cain!"

"Hey!!!" Tae-hyun screamed.

Edaor and Adad. Both were powerful Demon Dukes ruling layers of the Demon Realm who had been thoroughly humiliated and exploited by Tae-hyun. It wouldn't be surprising in the slightest if either of them had dispatched a high-level assassin to claim Tae-hyun's head.

But before Cain could reach the robed figure, a sudden, heavy pressure slammed down upon the room.

"?!?!"

Cain gasped in shock. In the blink of an eye, his vision spun, and he found himself pinned flat against the floor, completely unable to budge.

"I am a demon who has absolutely no affiliation ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠with either Edaor or Adad! Please, order your forces to stand down, Your Majesty!"

Seeing Cain instantly neutralized and held down, the Tyrum Hunters began to whisper frantically among themselves behind the pillars.

"What do we do? He's been taken hostage."

"Should we just shoot anyway? Cain is pretty tanky, he can probably survive a few arrows."

"You absolute bastards! I can hear you!" Cain shrieked from the floor.

"Hold your fire! Stand down!" Tae-hyun commanded.

As the Tyrum Hunters lowered their bows, the demon envoy let out a long, heavy sigh of relief. He then glared down at the pinned Cain and spoke with disdain.

"Your Majesty. Keeping such a reckless, hot-headed subordinate in your service could severely tarnish your glorious reputation."

"Haha. My apologies. Cain is... a bit impatient, as you can see."

"YOU WERE THE ONE WHO TOLD US TO AMBUSH HIM!!!!" Cain roared in utter betrayal.

Cain felt incredibly wronged, but the demon envoy was already completely convinced that Cain had acted entirely on his own reckless impulse.

"If you weren't sent by Edaor or Adad, then what business brings you to my kingdom?"

"Fufu. Your Majesty's legendary exploits have spread far and wide. For a mere human to achieve such magnificent feats against the mighty Demon Dukes of the Demon Realm... My master was deeply intrigued upon hearing of your deeds."

"Well, I suppose I did torment those demons quite a bit," Tae-hyun admitted casually.

Indeed, from a demon's perspective, there was probably no entity as thoroughly annoying as Kim Tae-hyun. Every single time they tried to execute a grand plan, he would inevitably show up and ruin everything.

"When you were merely a wandering hero, you did not possess the status required to receive my master's grand proposal. But now that you have ascended to the throne as a true King, my master wishes to extend a formal offer. Will you join hands with my master?"