Suffering from Success
At this rate, his popularity would rise even if he just breathed! Tae-hyun had no idea what he had to do to make his popularity drop.
'Should I go to the Erance Royal Palace and slap the king?'
If he did that, he'd probably be stabbed to death by the royal knights before his popularity could even drop...
Tae-hyun smacked his lips. What was done was done. He had to focus on the task at hand.
"Call the players!"
—Karung!
Carbanog conveys that Towang is deeply grateful to you.
Towang was grateful that Tae-hyun hadn't handed him over to the vampires! Of course, it wasn't because Tae-hyun actually cared about or cherished Towang.
'I only did it because I figured I could beat a mere vampire count.'
Honestly, Tae-hyun still didn't have a clear grasp on how to utilize Towang. While Towang could spawn giant rabbit monsters, the conditions to do so were far too demanding.
Where on earth was he supposed to source that ridiculously expensive feed?
If Tae-hyun had been in a disadvantageous position, he would have handed Towang over without a second thought. But right now, Tae-hyun had nothing to lose.
An elite order of knights specializing in the undead! The Archisus Artillery, which was rapidly transforming into an absolute monstrosity of a unit! On top of that, a horde of vampire players who would eagerly charge in at the mere mention of his name!
He was fully confident in his ability to handle a count-level boss.
'At best, he's probably around level 400 to 500. There's no way he's level 600.'
Such was the sheer audacity of a player who hadn't even reached level 200! Having fought so many high-level bosses, a level 400 to 500 boss now suffered from an optical illusion of looking like easy prey.
"Kim Tae-hyun! Kim Tae-hyun! Kim Tae-hyun!"
"Congratulations on your victory!"
Upon hearing the news of Tae-hyun's return, the players who had been milling about the castle came rushing over in a massive wave. Even the players who had fled outside the castle walls were returning! They chanted Tae-hyun's name, celebrating his tournament victory.
"Haha. Thank you."
"Forget Lee Se-yeon! Kim Tae-hyun is the best!"
"Now, now, don't say that. Lee Se-yeon was a formidable opponent. I was simply the luckier one."
"Ah...!"
"He's so cool!"
The vampires stared at Tae-hyun with starstruck eyes. The player who had just spoken slapped his own forehead in deep regret.
"I'm so sorry! Tae-hyun-nim possesses such a broad mind, yet I ignorantly insulted Lee Se-yeon... I will be careful from now on!"
"No, no. Keep going."
"???"
The player doubted his own ears. Had he misheard?
But Tae-hyun was already walking away.
Mounted majestically atop Yong-yong, Tae-hyun declared, "Listen up, everyone! I'll keep this short. Let's go raid them and take their stuff!"
When he had nothing to lose, his speeches became incredibly brief and simple! If he had been desperate, he would have embellished his words with all sorts of flowery rhetoric, pleading, 'Everyone! Please fight by my side!' But there was absolutely no need for that now.
He was acting exactly as he had back in Pandemonium Online 1!
"Waaaaah!"
"Waaaaaaaah!"
Naturally, the completely infatuated players went wild even at such a simple command. Such a simple, direct order! He's so incredibly cool!
"Let's go!"
The gates of Knema's Vampire Castle swung wide, and a massive horde began to pour out. It was a midnight raid.
"Since we made such a generous offer, he will surely accept it."
"You are absolutely correct, Master! Looking at Vlad, he seemed highly tempted."
"Who in their right mind would reject such an offer?"
"Mwahaha! It is clear that the fool does not truly comprehend the value of that rabbit. He must have stumbled upon it by mere chance."
A warm, celebratory atmosphere filled Count Scabio's camp. The report from the vampire envoy who had returned from his mission was highly promising. It seemed their plan was working perfectly!
"Though he put on a cheap show of hesitation, I could tell. He desperately wants to accept the deal..."
BOOM!
"...is what I believe."
BOOM! BOOM!
"Indeed... But what on earth is that noise?"
"It sounds strangely familiar..."
The correct answer was the sound of the cannons they had heard when they were chased away! The sudden realization jolted the vampires awake.
"Your Majesty. Count Scabio and his vampire subordinates are not only exceptional warriors, but they are also powerful mages. They will likely bolster themselves with dark magic to hold their ground."
The knights quickly reported to Tae-hyun. Count Scabio of the Bloodstained Archipelago was a notorious, high-ranking vampire well-known even to the knighthood! Furthermore, it was currently night. This was a situation where the vampires' regeneration rates would skyrocket, and they could unleash their various skills with maximum efficiency!
However, Tae-hyun remained entirely confident. He had a way to shut down all of their advantages.
"Burn them down."
Whoosh!
The Archisus Artillery wasn't aiming directly at the vampire camp. Instead, they were firing at the surrounding perimeter. Tae-hyun's goal was to ignite a massive blaze around them. And it wasn't just any ordinary fire.
It was Sadiq's Flame!
Having graciously engraved Sadiq's Flame Rune onto the cannonballs, violent bursts of black fire erupted wherever the projectiles landed.
During his battles against the Salavian Order, Tae-hyun had realized that Sadiq's Authority was exceptionally effective against vampires. Fire combined with Holy damage. It was a concentrated dose of everything vampires loathed!
Carbanog remarks that even Sadiq's Avatar could not have utilized Sadiq's power so efficiently and frugally.
'Well, I am rather good at this.'
"Rotate thirty degrees to the right and fire. The flames look a bit sparse over there."
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
BOOM! BOOM!
Before long, the encirclement was complete. A ring of pure, blazing fire!
Count Scabio's camp has been surrounded by flames!
The morale of Count Scabio's camp has plummeted drastically!
Vlad's Infamy has increased!
"Now that they're completely surrounded, we can just sit back, relax, and catch them when they're forced to run out."
Tae-hyun looked down from the hill with a leisurely expression. Unless they wanted to burn to death, they would have to come out on their own!
"Uh... Tae-hyun-nim."
"...?"
One of the players raised a hand and asked, "But isn't the fire continuing to grow?"
"It might grow a little."
"I don't think it's just... a little..."
FROOOOOSH!
The magic-infused air of the Bloodstained Archipelago fuels Sadiq's Flame even further!
The flames burn with terrifying intensity!
Carbanog mentions that a very similar incident occurred not too long ago.
It was a classic failure of fire control, just like when he had raided the Salavian Order's archbishop! In truth, expecting perfect fire control while setting a blaze on such a massive scale was probably a bit too greedy.
Fortunately, because they had positioned themselves well, the flames didn't reach the area where the players and the main force were waiting, but...
Sadiq's Flame burns even more fiercely! The intense heat invades your surroundings!
The cold skin of the vampires cannot withstand the blistering heat!
......
Even if the flames didn't touch them directly, the heat alone was more than enough. As the scorching waves of heat rolled over them, the vampire players shrieked and retreated.
"What kind of fire is this ridiculously strong?!"
"The heat is insane...!"
Sadiq's Flame was fundamentally different from ordinary fire! Consequently, the vampire players couldn't even get close and were forced to back away. This was something even Tae-hyun hadn't anticipated.
"Should we... tone down the fire a bit?"
"...How?"
Once a fire was started, putting it out was no easy task! The retreating players were one thing, but Tae-hyun was far more worried about something else.
'Surely the count won't just burn to death in there, right?'
He had failed to salvage a single decent item from the Salavian Order's archbishop for that exact reason... At least the archbishop had been a meticulous man who kept his treasures in a bank, but there was no guarantee the count would be the same. If the count died inside that inferno, Tae-hyun wouldn't get a single piece of loot!
Carbanog asks if you can't just obtain the ownership of Knema's Vampire Castle instead.
'Is that what's important right now?!'
[......]
Tae-hyun waited anxiously. Hang in there, Count Scabio! I believe in you! Overcome the flames and break through!
Flash!
"Aaaargh! Vlad, you treacherous, filthy bastard!"
Perhaps Tae-hyun's prayers had been answered, because Count Scabio and his subordinates successfully managed to charge out of the inferno. Though their entire bodies were engulfed in flames, they were barely holding on using various spells and vampiric powers.
"Count Scabio! I knew you could do it!"
Tae-hyun's party cheered. As expected of a count, he actually broke through!
"???"
Count Scabio and his subordinates were utterly bewildered. What kind of reaction was this?
"Everyone! The target has appeared! Let's go get him!"
"We can't go over there."
"It's way too hot..."
The vampire players expressed their reluctance. Tae-hyun shrugged and said, "Well, I guess we'll just go by ourselves then."
Tae-hyun quickly charged forward, leading his knights. Watching them go, the players were suddenly reminded of the old fable of the Fox and the Stork. They felt strangely cheated!
"The one that's burning brightly is Count Scabio! Capture him!"
"Are you insane...?"
As the heavily armored knights charged toward him, Count Scabio couldn't help but panic. To make matters worse, most of his guards and subordinates were still trapped in the flames, leaving him with only a handful of men! Count Scabio quickly tried to transform and flee. But Tae-hyun wasn't about to let that happen.
Archisus's Curse
There was no better skill than this for binding an opponent's feet! The moment Tae-hyun's curse took effect, Count Scabio's transformation failed spectacularly.
"Urgh! W-Wait... Archisus's Curse?"
Even in his panic, Count Scabio recognized the curse that had afflicted him and gasped in horror.
"V-Vlad, you absolute lunatic! Of all the entities to align yourself with, you chose Archisus?!"
"......"
Watching silently from a distance, Vlad deeply sympathized with Count Scabio's words. Except, of course, for the fact that he hadn't chosen this willingly! Meanwhile, Tae-hyun arrived right in front of Count Scabio.
"Thank you, Count Scabio! Thank you for breaking through those flames!"
His words were filled with genuine sincerity! Tae-hyun was already scanning Count Scabio from head to toe, calculating his worth.
"I surrender!"
"Yes! I am indeed happy!"
"I said I surrender! I, Count Scabio, formally surrender... Will someone please stop this madman!"
Tae-hyun pretended not to hear and prepared to swing his sword. Count Scabio shrieked and scrambled backward.
'Should I just kill him here?'
Your reputation within the knighthood is rising...
"...Sigh."
"As expected of Your Majesty! Shouldn't we execute this undead creature immediately?!" the knights urged, their eyes shining with admiration.
"No. Let's take him prisoner."
Tae-hyun quickly changed his tune. He wanted to lower his reputation within the knighthood... but that wasn't the only reason.
'Keeping him alive to squeeze a ransom out of him might actually yield a higher profit.'
Nobles were fundamentally worth a lot of money. Rather than killing Count Scabio now and looting whatever he had on him, taking him prisoner and demanding a ransom would likely prove far more lucrative.
Your reputation within the knighthood is rising...
"As expected of Your Majesty! To uphold honor even when dealing with the undead..."
"......"
Tae-hyun was utterly speechless.
"By any chance, do you guys worship the Archisus Church?"
"Pardon? I worship Demer..."
"I worship Phytos..."
"Tyran..."
It had absolutely nothing to do with the gods they worshiped. The knights all believed in completely different deities. It was purely because of Tae-hyun's monumental reputation and achievements! He had simply lived his life far too diligently.
"I am a noble! I demand formal treatment befitting a noble!"
Tae-hyun was a man who kept a Demon Duke's son in a cage. He wasn't about to give a vampire noble any special treatment. Besides, Tae-hyun was the King of the Atali Kingdom. The knights barked back at the count in anger.
"Do you have any idea who you are speaking to?!"
"He is the King of the Atali Kingdom, whom a mere count of a small island dares not even look upon!"
"???"
Count Scabio was utterly dumbfounded by the knights' words.
"The King of the Atali Kingdom? Why on earth would the Atali Kingdom interfere with the Bloodstained Archipelago?! This is an invasion!"
It was a rule that everyone in the Bloodstained Archipelago would join forces to repel an external invasion! Knowing this, Count Scabio cried out in fury.
"...Actually, I didn't lead this. Vlad did."
Tae-hyun subtly shifted the blame. Why else would he keep a puppet lord around? This was exactly what they were for! Hearing those words, Count Scabio gnashed his teeth and cursed Vlad.
"You cowardly vampire!"