How to Cash In on Your Own Bounty

The authority to transform into a Dragon Lich! Since it was originally a time-limited ability, he had planned to use it as quickly as possible, but he never expected to be handed such a perfect opportunity. A battlefield where large-scale combat raged was precisely where Necromancer-type classes like Liches truly shined. The more corpses there were, the stronger a Necromancer became!

Rumble! While Tae-hyun was transforming, his companions were busy fending off the incoming attacks.

"You bastard! I saw your face! I'm going to kill you!" Yu Ji-soo screamed viciously, unleashing a volley of arrows. How dare they shoot at them first? Unforgivable!

Vile Tracking Arrow! Vile Tracking Arrow! Vile Tracking Arrow!

Whoosh!

"Urgh!"

The enemy archer, who had felt safe standing behind a wall of meat shields, collapsed as the arrows pierced him. It was a relentless, targeted assault!

"Charge in!" "If we miss this chance, it's over!" "You go first, you bastard!" "Stop pushing from behind! I said stop pushing!"

Regardless of the chaos, the assault had begun. Once the tense standoff broke, the players rushed forward as if possessed.

If I can just land a single hit on Kim Tae-hyun, I'll get the bounty! Just land one blow and survive! That single thought consumed their minds.

"Hey, but is this really going to be okay?" "I'm telling you, it's fine. There are so many of us, how could he possibly take us all down?" "What ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠if Kim Tae-hyun summons a dragon or..." "I've watched every single video of Kim Tae-hyun, and he can only use that summon once." "He used it twice, though." "...Well, since he used it twice, he definitely can't use it again."

"What about that weird transformation from last time where he summoned an army of wraiths?"

The situation back then had been quite similar. Tae-hyun had entered some ruins and suddenly emerged with a massive army of specters! It was a legendary scene that players still talked about to this day—the battle where the Beijing Fighters and the Guild Alliance, who had tried to overwhelm Tae-hyun with sheer numbers, were utterly decimated!

"There's ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠no way he can use that again either! Do you really think that's a regular class skill? It's obviously a one-time ability for special occasions."

"I guess that makes sense, but..."

Grrrrr...

"...?"

This is kind of uncomfortable.

Tae-hyun was slightly disoriented by the unfamiliar sensations. He had transformed into a massive Dragon Lich! At a glance, he looked like a Bone Dragon, but the dark, swirling energy radiating from within made it clear that he was far more sinister than any ordinary undead monster.

Having his size balloon so suddenly and becoming a dragon could have taken some getting used to, but...

Ah. Never mind, I'm used to it.

It took him exactly three seconds.

It's all about the knack for it.

Tae-hyun immediately spread his massive wings and roared.

The dragon race was inherently superior. No matter what they did, their power was several times greater than anyone else's!

"I thought you said there was no dragon?!?!?!"

"Th-This is insane!"

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

The swarming players shrieked in terror as a colossal dragon suddenly materialized from behind the ruins. Their worst nightmares had come to life. The dragons Tae-hyun summoned at critical moments, and their devastating Breath attacks! The Breaths of Yong-yong and Heuk-heuk had left an incredibly deep impression on everyone. Even though they had only witnessed it once from each, the sheer destructive power was unmatched by any magic!

"Wait, that's not a living dragon!"

"It's a Bone Dragon! It's not impossible to kill!"

"Paladins! Cast Turn Undead!"

The gathered players wavered easily, murmuring among themselves. They chose to believe what they wanted to believe. If it wasn't a real dragon but a Bone Dragon, they stood a chance! Of course, a Bone Dragon was still a formidable boss monster, but it wasn't something a massive raid of players couldn't handle. Besides, look at how many of them were gathered here!

Turn Undead!

Purification of Holy Power!

Advanced Spear of Light!

An overwhelming defense that didn't allow a single scratch! Meanwhile, Tae-hyun checked his newly acquired spells.

Death Storm!

Rumble!

In an instant, darkness swept over the area. The players engulfed in the shadows shrieked.

"Aaargh! What is this?!"

It was a malevolent spell that drained their HP indiscriminately, giving them no room to resist!

Oh, so this is how it works.

Acid Rain of the Earth!

A torrential downpour of highly corrosive acid began to fall from the sky. It was a massive area-of-effect spell that dealt continuous damage to anything it touched!

"Aaaaargh!"

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

Dark Lightning!

"Eeeek!"

This is fun! Tae-hyun was thoroughly enjoying himself. Magic really was the best!

Sigh, maybe I should have rolled a Mage.

Spamming high-tier spells with a seemingly infinite pool of MP was an incredible rush. While warriors had to run around like headless chickens just to land a single blow, a Mage could solve everything with a single spell.

Ah, I shouldn't lose myself in the moment.

Tae-hyun snapped out of his reverie and cast his next spell. Already, shattered parties could be seen scattered across the battlefield.

Undead Rise!

Alexeos's authority was absolutely monstrous. It was a power capable of single-handedly overwhelming the countless players filling the field!

Although the players gathered here were a chaotic mix of low-level and high-level players blinded by the prospect of striking it rich, they weren't entirely incompetent. If they could unite their strength and coordinate, they could certainly salvage the situation.

But that was impossible. They were merely a disorganized mob of individuals, not a cohesive unit. Once Tae-hyun began his rampage, the situation spiraled completely out of control!

Boom!

Tae-hyun threw his massive body forward, trampling the players underfoot before unleashing another barrage of spells.

Undead Rise! Death Empowerment! Undead Promotion!

The Dragon Tooth Skeleton Warriors gathered on the field grew even stronger, and Skeleton Shamans and Archers began to rise alongside them.

"Retreat! Retreat!!!"

"Don't run! Attack Kim Tae-hyun!"

Is that guy from the Guild Alliance?

Tae-hyun turned his massive head and glanced over. While everyone else was giving up and fleeing the moment he started rampaging, a few individuals were holding their ground and trying to instigate the other players. They seemed to be the same ones who had riled up the crowd earlier...

"Bring that guy to me!"

"Yes, Master!"

"!!!"

Realizing they had been spotted, the Guild Alliance members hurriedly tried to flee. Seeing this, Tae-hyun roared:

"Listen up, you lot! Hand over those Guild Alliance bastards to me, or I will hunt every single one of you down!"

"!!!!"

The fleeing players began to murmur. The Guild Alliance members panicked as the crowd's gaze shifted instantly.

"D-Don't listen to him! You can't seriously believe him, can you? It's Kim Tae-hyun!"

"I-I'm not with the Guild Alliance! Believe me!"

"We fought together as comrades... Argh!"

There was no room for camaraderie among players who had gathered solely for money. They immediately turned on the Guild Alliance members, lunging to capture them.

"You bastards! You think you'll get away with this?!"

A few managed to escape, some logged out in the middle of the struggle, and several were successfully captured. Tae-hyun nodded in satisfaction, his skeletal dragon bones rattling.

"Well done."

"So... we can go now, right?"

"No?"

"...?!"

"B-But we brought them to you!"

"Yes, and you did a great job."

"Then we should be allowed to—"

"Haha. Go ahead, if you want to die."

Tae-hyun finally showed his true colors. Why on earth would he let people who had come to kill him off the hook?

"..."

"..."

"What did I tell you! I told you not to trust Kim Tae-hyun!" the captured Guild Alliance member screamed in sheer frustration. Why didn't they listen to him!

The first battle near the ruins had ended. The players who had gathered fled like a pack of rats. Despite their overwhelming numbers, they hadn't managed to land a single blow on Tae-hyun's party. Of course, that was also the reason most of them had managed to escape with their lives...

"Wow. Thanks to them, I got a whole undead army out of it. Not bad."

Tae-hyun looked at the gathered Dragon Tooth army with a satisfied expression. This was the result of summoning them using only the corpses of the players he had just slain. With an army of this scale, he wouldn't have any trouble fighting in the Asbian Empire for a while!

"Kim Tae-hyun! Don't think this is the end!" the captured guild member bellowed at the top of his lungs—directed straight at the players of the Beijing Fighters.

"?"

"Who is he talking to?"

"Is he seriously mistaking one of them for Kim Tae-hyun in disguise?"

The guild member had absolutely no idea that Tae-hyun was actually the colossal dragon standing right before him!

"The players gathered here may have scattered, but the bounty is still active! They will keep targeting you. You might have won today, but sooner or later, you'll get what's coming to you! Mwahaha! Mwahahaha!"

They had lost this direct, frontal assault (though, to be fair, no one had expected such a massive crowd to lose), but from now on, everyone would scatter and target him from the shadows. They could pretend to be a random party in a dungeon and land a hit, or bump into him in a city and strike...

Losing face in a direct confrontation stung, but there were still plenty of ways to get him!

"That guy has a really villainous laugh."

"Hmm. More importantly, I just had a brilliant idea. Lee Da-bi, could you call over some of the Power Warrior Guild members?"

Shape Shift!

Tae-hyun reverted from his massive Dragon Lich form back into his human appearance. Maintaining such a colossal form for too long was exhausting.

"What you guys need to do today is..."

Sparkle!

The Power Warrior Guild members stared at Tae-hyun with glittering, expectant eyes. What kind of scam or underhanded trick would he bless them with today?

"...beat the absolute crap out of me. In a really cool way."

"?"

"???"

The Power Warrior Guild members were utterly bewildered.

What is this?

Is this some kind of loyalty test?

One quick-witted guild member immediately threw himself to the ground.

"Lord Tae-hyun! How could I ever dare to strike you! I would rather you take my life instead!"

Standing nearby, Lee Da-bi's face flushed bright red with embarrassment. To think this is one of my guild members...

"If our Guild Master made any mistake, it was purely out of her deep affection for you, Lord Tae-hyun—"

"What are you even talking about?!" Lee Da-bi shrieked, throwing the gun she was holding.

Tae-hyun gestured for them to quiet down and spoke.

"I think there's a misunderstanding. You know there's a bounty on my head right now, right?"

The Guild Alliance had confidently declared that they would pay out a bounty to anyone who could provide proof of hitting Tae-hyun. Since the bounty was for merely disrupting or hitting him rather than killing him, the scope of acceptable proof was incredibly broad. Even a video recording was perfectly fine!

"And you guys are going to be the ones to claim it."

"..."

"...!!!"

The Power Warrior Guild members were struck with genuine admiration. It was a self-inflicted scam of epic proportions!

He's truly incredible!

We still have so much to learn!

A man like him should have been the leader of Power Warrior!

The Power Warrior Guild members felt a wave of shame. To think Tae-hyun had come up with an idea that they, of all people, should have thought of first. They were still far too green!

"We will do our absolute best!"

"Please let me hit you first!"

"No, let me go first!"

"Lord Tae-hyun, can I punch you in the face?"

Listening to their conversation, Cain sheepishly raised his hand.

"Um... can I join in too?"

"No way, Cain. Your face is too well-known."

"Yeah, it'd be way too obvious if it was you. Only we can do it."

Cain slunk back, looking utterly dejected.

Tae-hyun turned back to the guild members.

"I doubt the Guild Alliance will actually pay out the full bounty, but they might pay out a little bit at first just to save face. That's why we need to hit them fast and run."

So far, no player had actually hit Tae-hyun and successfully claimed the bounty. At most, some people might have gone to them boasting, "I disrupted him!" But the Guild Alliance, already starving for gold, wouldn't waste their precious funds on mere claims.

But what if the Power Warrior Guild members shamelessly showed up with video evidence of them landing a solid hit on Tae-hyun? The Guild Alliance would likely pay them, thinking, Look at this! This is the kind of proof we need!

If they dragged it out, they would eventually get caught. They had to strike fast and get out!

"Here we come, Lord Tae-hyun!"