Unsealing Madness

Paz snapped out of his daze. Come to think of it, what did I just say? He felt like he had said something incredibly important just a moment ago.

"I am truly delighted to have secured a talent like you, Paz. Our territory desperately needs someone of your caliber."

"Ah, well, Player Kim Tae-hyun... The thing is, I still have my own quests to complete, and..."

"To think you would come work in my territory despite having your own quests to do!"

Tae-hyun expertly cut off any avenue of escape! Paz cast a desperate, pleading look at Tae-hyun's companions, silently begging for help. Naturally, they ignored him.

"Oh, look. This must be Paz's stream."

"Wow, he's really good at cooking."

"That looks delicious. We get to eat some of this too, right?"

"I heard he runs a restaurant in real life. Can we go check it out?"

"..."

Paz hung his head in defeat. The foundation he had painstakingly built in another city was about to go up in smoke. The sheer amount of work it would take to build rapport with new NPCs in a brand-new city felt utterly overwhelming.

"I'll... do my best..."

"Haha. I look forward to working with you."

—Was that dish your doing?

As soon as Tae-hyun entered, Esla stared at him with wide, astonished eyes.

"Yeah."

—Impressive. To possess such power and be a master chef as well. That rabbit dish was truly magnificent. It was so exquisite that I would believe it to be the finest rabbit dish on the continent... Only Carbanog could ever hope to replicate such a flavor.

Tae-hyun flinched. A sudden prick of guilt stabbed at him the moment Esla brought up Carbanog.

"You know Carbanog?"

—Carbanog? How could I not?

"Was he really that famous of a god?"

—Perhaps not among humans. But among demons, he was quite a well-known deity.

"What was he famous for? Rabbit dishes?"

—No. For fleeing all by himself when the gods and demons went to war.

"..."

—Because he scurried down to the continent to hide all by himself, he was able to remain behind even when all the other gods departed.

Carbanog... To think he ran away and hid while everyone else was fighting.

"What an absurd god."

—Well, is he not still better than Akisus, who started the fight in the first place? Both gods and demons despise Akisus, but none bear any hatred toward Carbanog.

Shut it.

—So, Successor of Akisus. What brings you here? Have you come to offer me another taste of your cooking? Or perhaps you are here to collect more Plague Bombs? Either is fine, but I would highly prefer it if you unsealed me soon.

Clatter! Instead of answering, Tae-hyun pulled out the equipment he had gathered and laid them out on the ground. Esla's eyes widened in sheer shock at the sight.

—Could it be?!

"It is exactly what you think."

—Quickly... Unseal me at once!

"Hold on."

—...?

"Let's settle the bill first. Do you have any idea how much blood, sweat, and tears went into gathering all of this?"

Esla's expression twisted into something bizarre.

—As expected of Akisus's...

"What was that?"

—Nothing. Successor of Akisus... Very well, what is it that you desire?

"What can you offer me?"

—Power!

Esla declared, his voice short and resolute.

—What do you seek, Successor of Akisus? Do you wish to shield yourself from the threats of the demon race? Once I am freed, I can grant you my protection. No demon would dare lay a finger on you unless they wish to make an enemy of me. Or perhaps you desire armaments? My treasury overflows with masterpieces forged by the greatest demon blacksmiths. You have met Saruon, the demon blacksmith, have you not? I am the most exceptional blacksmith among all demons. I can offer you far more than just weapons and armor.

Esla was desperately pitching his worth!

Perhaps because of the quest's ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠extreme difficulty, every single option was jaw-droppingly spectacular.

"Do you have an army?"

—What?

"You know, a demon army..."

Esla stared at Tae-hyun in utter disbelief. Asking for a demon army—are you really an Incarnation of a god?

—A divine successor commanding a demon army... Ah, right. You are the Avatar of Akisus.

Esla was instantly convinced!

I need more troops.

Tae-hyun had extorted a massive number of demon warriors from Mosrak while clearing his quest. Yet, it still felt insufficient. Currently, the only forces stationed in the capital were the Mosrak's Elites and the Akisus Zealots! While the Atali Knights were also present, their numbers were barely enough to maintain public order in the capital. Fortunately, there were many players in the capital with high loyalty who could be mobilized for a siege in an emergency... but the deficit was still palpable.

The Valley of Despair and Sorrow is fine since it's heavily fortified and located in an impregnable spot...

The Valley of Despair and Sorrow had been transformed into a fortress among fortresses. Considering the military might stationed there, he had no immediate worries. His primary concern was the capital! He could easily guess what the Guild Alliance would do once his coronation ceremony was over.

If I were them, I'd raise an army and march straight on the capital.

Compared to other territories, it was a highly lucrative target, and capturing it would yield a massive jackpot. Furthermore, the Atali Kingdom was currently fragmented. Even if Tae-hyun's capital came under attack, it was highly doubtful whether the provincial nobles would lead their knights to his aid. Su Ning was bound to know this as well.

Esla pondered for a moment before speaking.

—I can summon my forces to aid you, but I cannot hand them over to you permanently. My army must return once their task is complete.

"Where to?"

—To the Demon Realm! What do you think I will do once my seal is broken? I shall return to the Demon Realm and reclaim my stolen throne.

It was the other Demon Dukes who had sealed Esla. Because of this, Esla had been gnashing his teeth in fury, fully intending to wage war in ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the Demon Realm the moment he was freed.

Hmmm...

Tae-hyun fell into deep thought. He would definitely take Esla's forces as a baseline, but which of the other rewards should he choose?

I'll take Esla's Protection first, and then Demon Blacksmith's Secret...

Esla's Protection was an incredibly useful passive skill. It provided basic boosts to physical defense, magic defense, and bonus damage against demons, while also allowing him to threaten other demons with a warning: "If you touch me, Esla will tear you apart!"

Demon Blacksmith's Secret was a compilation of various item crafting blueprints. It was an arcane skill containing a collection of diverse crafting methods passed down through generations of demon blacksmiths. As the skill level increased, more blueprints would be unlocked.

Just as chefs staked their lives on a single recipe, blacksmiths staked theirs on a single blueprint. In Pandemonium Online, monopolizing a single rare blueprint that no one else knew could set a player up for life! Blueprints from demon or angel blacksmiths were virtually nonexistent in the game's market. In that regard, a compilation of such blueprints was an absolute necessity.

"Alright, Esla. I shall break your seal!"

—Thank you, Avatar of Akisus!

????

What kind of garbage item is this? Keeping his composure, Tae-hyun checked the details of the active skill, Soul Offering.

"..."

Tae-hyun clutched his head in both hands. Of all the things that could have dropped, why did it have to be this?!

After freeing Esla, Tae-hyun did not immediately borrow his power to wage war. Just as the Guild Alliance was busy, Tae-hyun had a mountain of tasks on his plate. He had to resume his postponed Authority quests, and above all, the next match of the Dungeon Raid Tournament was right around the corner.

Of course, that didn't mean Tae-hyun spent a lot of time preparing for the tournament. The tournament was the easiest part! Tae-hyun always emphasized this to his teammates.

"Guys. Cramming is for kids who don't study. I believe in ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠you. Prepare well in advance so you don't pull any weird stunts later."

"..."

The results of his preemptive warnings were showing beautifully.

"Run! Keep running! Cain! You bastard, can't you even aim properly? I saw that last attack miss! Are you swinging a sword or a wet noodle?!"

Stop nagging me, you jerk...!

Tae-hyun was the core of the raid, meaning he shouldered an immense amount of responsibility. Yet, he still possessed the uncanny ability to simultaneously nag Cain! Under his relentless barrage of criticism, the team members couldn't dare to let their guards down or make a single mistake.

In a situation where they couldn't see how fast the opposing team was clearing the dungeon, Tae-hyun was a leader who kept his teammates' mental states perfectly in check. In contrast, their opponents, crushed under the sheer weight of Team KL's reputation, tried to force risky plays and ended up self-destructing. It was an overwhelmingly easy victory!

The commentators chattered away, congratulating Team KL on their victory.

A small-scale team consisting solely of players making such waves! Combined with Tae-hyun's existing popularity, Team KL's consecutive, overwhelming victories were causing a massive sensation. Of course, not everyone was a fan. Where there is light, there is shadow. Teams jealous of Team KL and teams targeting them began to emerge. Such media play outside the game was also a natural part of the professional scene!

Reading the articles in their gaming house, Tae-hyun and his teammates tilted their heads in confusion.

"Who is this guy again?"

"No clue."