The Naked Vanguard and the Warrior Count

"That guy was taken prisoner, so why does he look so incredibly pleased with himself?"

"He must be out of his mind."

The members of the Archisus Artillery whispered among themselves as they loaded the cannonballs. To them, Count Scabio was a deeply bizarre individual. How could someone captured as a prisoner flatter Tae-hyun so shamelessly? Was there something wrong with his head?

"Maybe he wants to believe in Archisus?"

"If it's Archisus, it's definitely possible."

At the mention of Archisus, the artillerymen nodded in agreement. Does that vampire count want to convert to the Archisus Cult?

Vlad wore an expression that practically screamed his desire to flee. Why am I even here...? If he stayed near Count Scabio or his subordinates, he felt like he would get stabbed by someone shouting, "You bastard!" But standing at the very front was far too terrifying...

"By the way, aren't you going over there?"

"...?"

Vlad turned his head at the artilleryman's question.

"What do you mean?"

"It looks like that guy over there is badmouthing you."

Indeed, Count Scabio insulted Vlad with every other breath. While part of his motive was to sever the alliance between Tae-hyun and Vlad, he also genuinely detested Vlad. The shame of the Bloodstained Archipelago, Vlad! The nightmare of the Bloodstained Archipelago, Vlad!

"...Wait, when did I get titles like that?"

Vlad was flustered. Those completely unfitting epithets...

"He's dragging your name through the mud like that. Are you just going to stand here and take it?"

"Hmph. The Avatar of Archisus would never fall for such ridiculous words—"

"Wouldn't I be a far better option than a wretched fellow like Vlad, Your Majesty?"

"Haha. My good sir, please. I am a man of absolute integrity. I have never broken a promise in my entire life!"

"A person shouldn't live so rigidly! Sometimes, one must know how to bend..."

"Haha. I told you, I cannot! ...But out of curiosity, if we were to join hands, what kind of support do you plan to provide?"

"The vampire warriors of my territory..."

"Is that all?"

"...My knight order as well..."

"Is that all?"

"...And a portion of our tax revenue... Please, I beg of you, stop asking 'is that all'..."

"Hmm. I see."

"!!!"

Vlad was utterly dumbfounded. Wait, has Count Scabio lost his mind?Count Scabio was supposed to be a proud, cunning, and experienced vampire noble. For such a man to flatter Tae-hyun—the very person who had attacked and captured him—so shamelessly! Instead of spitting on the ground and declaring, "Tui! I refuse to associate with the likes of you!" he was practically begging to offer up his own liver and gallbladder.

Wait, isn't this extremely dangerous for me?Vlad's brain went into overdrive. If Count Scabio became close with Tae-hyun → Count Scabio and Tae-hyun formed an alliance → Vlad would lose his utility → Vlad would be discarded → Death! I... I have to stop this!

But how? Going to Tae-hyun and pleading, "Please don't play with Count Scabio!" wouldn't work in the slightest. In that case, he had to target Count Scabio directly! He would approach Count Scabio and reawaken his pride and dignity as a noble vampire.

Vlad cast furtive glances at Count Scabio, planning to sneak over and strike up a conversation when Tae-hyun wasn't looking. Seeing this, Count Scabio's royal knights whispered among themselves.

"What is ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠that guy doing?"

"Don't tell me he's trying to assassinate the Count..."

"Vlad, you absolute bastard!"

Attempting to stealthily murder a captured noble! Vlad's infamy only continued to soar.

Huh? Tae-hyun blinked at the unexpected message window. A notification stating that he could accept Count Scabio as his vassal! Just because Tae-hyun held the title of King of the Atali Kingdom didn't mean his vassals had to reside strictly within the kingdom's borders. Though it was difficult to manage, he could accept lords from outside his kingdom as subordinates. Since the Bloodstained Archipelago lacked a ruling monarch, accepting its nobles posed no political complications.

...But if I accept vampires... Vampires were generally not a welcomed race among the kingdoms of the Central Continent. If he took in a vampire noble, the existing nobles of the Atali Kingdom and neighboring nations would undoubtedly despise it. Well, does it really matter? Come to think of it, he didn't care if others disliked it. The Auston Kingdom already hated him regardless of what he did, and his relationship with the Erangs Kingdom wouldn't change over something like this.

Besides, most of the nobles in the Atali Kingdom were useless to Tae-hyun anyway. They ignored him as the newly crowned king and stubbornly refused to cooperate with his orders. He wanted to beat them all into submission, but since that was realistically impossible, he was currently leaving them alone while focusing on the Capital and the Valley. Who cared if those useless nobles complained? Especially when a vampire count was practically begging to offer him everything on a silver platter!

Let's see... Can I capture Count Andalto and do the exact same thing? Seeing the prompt for Count Scabio made him wonder if he could persuade Count Andalto using a similar method. Since he had successfully drained Scabio by pitting him in a loyalty competition against Vlad, if he threw Andalto into the mix with Scabio and Vlad...

"Tae-hyun! We are all ready!"

"Just give the order!"

The prepared players let out a loud battle cry. However, a few of them looked thoroughly bewildered.

"Wait, why is Cain completely naked?"

"I... I don't know? Should we ask?"

"Shh. You have to respect other people's preferences. You shouldn't ask about things like that."

"Come to think of it, in older games, true masters used to run around completely naked to prove how skilled they were. Maybe it's something like that?"

"Oh... that actually makes sense...!"

The players quickly rationalized it with a plausible explanation. After all, the real reason—forgetting to put his armor back on after taking it off—was simply too stupid to contemplate!

"Should I take off my gear too?"

"I-In that case, me too...!"

Buzz, buzz! Trends always spread in the blink of an eye. Tae-hyun, who was preparing for the assault, was utterly dumbfounded when the players suddenly began stripping off their equipment en masse. Had they lost their minds? Did they get hit by some kind of curse?

"What is wrong with them?"

"They say it's fashion."

"???"

Because the fire was sealed, the battle ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠against Count Andalto was incredibly difficult... Not. Even without Sadiq's Flame, Tae-hyun's forces were simply too terrifying!

"Fire. Fire."

Every time the holy-infused cannon fired on its own, the Archisus Artillery members stared at it with looks of pure admiration. How could such a wonderful thing exist in this world!

"Hey there, buddy! Is there anything you want to eat?"

"Oh, you got some soot on you! Let me wipe that off!"

"Can we make the other cannons like this too?"

"To make a Demon-Possessed Cannon fire automatically... wouldn't we just need to torture the demon a bit more? Should we go torment the demons we have locked up in the cages?"

The artillerymen casually discussed things that would make any demon shriek in horror! Regardless of their chatter, the cannon continued to fire shells on its own.

Boom! Boom! The shells, heavily infused with holy power, were potent enough to obliterate even high-ranking vampires in a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠single strike.

"It's an ambush!"

"Who dares raid Count Andalto's camp!"

Count Andalto was a vampire who leaned far more toward being a warrior than a mage. The knights and subordinates under his command were also exceptional warriors! Rather than relying on mist transformation or various spells, they charged forward by swelling and strengthening their physical bodies.

Crash! Crash! The camp gates and walls shattered as massive vampires surged outward.

"Charge! Strike them down and break through the encirclement! Attack the cannons in the back!"

The vampire warriors and knights bared their fangs and snarled. In ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the darkness of the night, the vampires cut an incredibly intimidating figure. However, the players gathered here were also vampires. They weren't about to be frightened by such a display.

"They're coming! Keep the formation tight!"

Cain stood at the very front, raising his shield... no, his sword. It looked exactly like a shield, but technically, it was a sword! The massive, broad shield-sword successfully blocked the vast majority of incoming attacks.

"Crush that shield-bearer first!"

"Aaargh!"

"What a lunatic! Why are you running around naked?!"

"...?"

Cain blinked in confusion. What on earth are they talking about?

"Not on my watch!"

But he had no time to ponder. Count Andalto's vampires were not opponents he could afford to face while distracted.

Thud!Cain used his shield-sword to shove back the approaching warriors. Sadiq's Flame flared up, engulfing the vampires in blazing heat.

"Aaargh! Hot, it's too hot!"

"As expected of Cain!"

"All hail Cain!!"

The players cheered in admiration as the vampire warriors, who had charged so confidently, were forced to retreat.

"Urgh... find his opening!"

"Attack!"

Realizing that Cain was a formidable opponent, the vampire warriors quickly shifted their tactics. They drew daggers and began hurling them in rapid succession. *Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!*

With dozens of daggers raining down, it was impossible to dodge them all. Cain panicked. Huh? My poison resistance should have kicked in... Wondering if his armor was malfunctioning, Cain looked down at his body. He wasn't wearing any armor.

"???"

"He's flustered! Attack! Bring him down!"

Sensing an opportunity, the vampire warriors eagerly lunged at Cain. Watching this unfold, Tae-hyun was utterly speechless. He immediately barked an order to the Archisus Artillery.

"What is that idiot doing? Fire over there."

"Yes, sir!"

Boom! A heavy cannonball detonated right in front of Cain, sending the charging warriors flying through the air.

"Hey!!!"

"...?"

"If I was naked, you should have told me!!"

"I thought you did it to boost your stats."

"......"

Cain was so dumbfounded he couldn't even speak. What kind of person was this guy...!

After taking a relentless beating for about thirty minutes, Count Andalto's subordinates finally began to flee. Every player present could feel it. They had won!

"Urgh! Vlad! You coward! If you are a true noble, come out and face my blade! If you can survive my sword, I shall acknowledge you!"

Count Andalto, left entirely alone, roared as he swung his massive greatsword. True to his reputation as a warrior-type vampire noble, he held his ground without yielding, even as dozens of players swarmed him.

Vlad was horrified. Why is that muscle-brained idiot dragging me into this?

"Y-Your Majesty... surely you aren't planning to accept that proposal, right?"

Vlad asked, trembling with anxiety. Tae-hyun shrugged his shoulders.

"Well, accepting it wouldn't be such a bad idea."

"!!"

Vlad stared at Tae-hyun with a look of sheer betrayal. He was truly going to discard him...!

"Y-You're really going to abandon me... No, you can't! Argh!"

Vlad swiftly lunged forward, grabbing Tae-hyun's ankles and collapsing onto the ground. Seeing the distinguished-looking, elderly Vlad behave so pathetically, the surrounding players began to whisper.

"Vlad?"

"No! I won't let go!"

"Setting aside the fact that I am currently in a perfect position to decapitate you in a single swing... I meant that I would be the one fighting, not you."

"......"

Pat, pat.Vlad quietly released his grip on Tae-hyun's ankles and stood up, brushing himself off.

"My apologies."

"As long as you understand."

Tae-hyun gave Vlad a light kick and stepped forward. Honestly, there was no absolute need to accept the duel. He could simply blast the count with the cannons or let the players beat him to a pulp together. However, accepting the duel offered numerous advantages. First of all, engaging in a one-on-one fight with a level 400 to 500 boss monster provided an immense bonus. It was a golden opportunity for free growth! He was fortunate that no other high-level Rankers were present. If there had been, they would have clamored, "Me! Let me fight!" How often would he get such an easy chance to step up? Furthermore, if he won, Count Andalto would naturally bow his head in submission...

......

Just how far did "dishonorable means" extend? Surely it didn't include skills related to Archisus, did it?