Carbanog Offers Comfort!
Carbanog whispered from his side that using Archisus skills in a duel would be perfectly fine, but it wasn't much of a comfort.
Well, whatever. There's nothing I can do about it. Tae-hyun pondered for a moment before giving up.
It wasn't as if he could just choose not to use his Archisus-related skills. Several of them were passive skills that triggered automatically! There was no point in agonizing over things beyond his control.
Swish, swish. Tae-hyun swung his sword a few times. If they don't like it, I'll just kill them and take their stuff!
Carbanog admires your true Archisus-like nature!
"Here I come, Count Andalto!"
"Whoaaaaaa!"
The players erupted into cheers the moment Tae-hyun stepped forward. Normally, it wouldn't have been surprising to hear a complaint or two like, "Hey, why are you stealing the last hit?" But Tae-hyun's popularity was absolute. Nobody cared about boss experience points or loot! They just wanted to watch Tae-hyun fight!
"Whooo! Kim Tae-hyun! Kim Tae-hyun! Kim Tae-hyun!"
Boom!
"?!"
Hearing the roar of a cannon, Tae-hyun whipped his head around. A member of the Archisus Artillery lowered his head with an embarrassed expression.
"Forgive me, Your Majesty. It was an accidental discharge."
"Good job."
"I will ensure this never happens ag—wait, what?"
An entirely unexpected response! Tae-hyun whispered softly, "Fire another one. Make it look like an accident."
"...Yes, sire!" The artilleryman's eyes sparkled as he answered enthusiastically. As expected, His Majesty really knows how to play!
Boom!
"Argh! What is the meaning of this?!" Count Andalto roared in fury as another cannonball hurtled toward him. What kind of a one-on-one duel was this?!
"Ah. My bad. It was an accident."
Boom!
Tae-hyun ordered one final shot anyway! Count Andalto seethed at this underhanded display.
"Vlad, you cowardly scoundrel!"
Vlad's Infamy has...
......
"Why me?!" Vlad shrieked in sheer injustice.
The artilleryman kindly explained, "Well, you're standing right next to us."
"......"
It was a situation ripe for misunderstanding. Tae-hyun stepped in front of Count Andalto.
"My apologies. Vlad does have a penchant for cowardly tactics."
"Hmph! To think you would associate with such a filthy creature!"
"Watch your tongue, vampire! Before His Great Majesty, a wretch like you is nothing but a lowly undead!"
"Indeed! We could charge forward right now and plunge a silver sword into your neck!"
"...Why are you guys even here?"
Tae-hyun was dumbfounded. The knights of the Erangs Kingdom had blended so seamlessly into the crowd of players that he hadn't even noticed them. They were acting exactly like his rabid player fans!
"Your Majesty? What is the meaning of this?" Count Andalto looked on, utterly bewildered.
The knights excitedly began listing Tae-hyun's achievements.
"...The one who even brought down a Black Dragon..."
"...Y-You expect me to believe that...?" Count Andalto stared with deep skepticism. Honestly, it was far too absurd to believe...
"It's true, though!"
"Booo! Just because you're weak doesn't mean you should judge Lord Tae-hyun by your pathetic standards!"
"Yeah! Acting all high and mighty when you're just a nobody noble!"
The vampire players jeered in unison. Count Andalto was flustered by the sudden rebellion of these players, who usually wouldn't even dare look him in the eye.
"Y-You insolent... Wait, the King of the Atali Kingdom?! Then this is an official invasion by Atali!"
"No, Count Andalto."
Before Tae-hyun could even clarify, Count Scabio stepped forward from behind him.
"C-Count Scabio?!"
"Would the King of Atali come all this way for no reason?"
He did.
"Would the King of Atali march here without a grand purpose?"
He absolutely did. But Count Andalto looked as if he had already figured it all out.
"Could it be...!"
"Indeed."
"Vlad! You cowardly snake!"
"Yes! It was Vlad who summoned him."
"......"
Tae-hyun watched their exchange with a bizarre expression. I still have so much to learn from this world! If he had lived like this from the start, his enemies would have been cut down to a tenth of their size!
"...Hehehe..."
"...?" Tae-hyun tilted his head as Vlad bowed his head and began to chuckle. What was wrong with him?
"...That's right! I did it, you foolish nobles!"
Vlad has abandoned all hope!
"I knew it!"
"You wicked, serpent-like bastard!"
"Where did you even learn such underhanded tricks?!"
"You are a disgrace to all vampires!"
Enraged by the verbal onslaught from the two vampire counts, Vlad bellowed at the top of his lungs. "Shut up! You know nothing!"
It was a cry filled with genuine, raw emotion.
"I will... I will absolutely Archisus the likes of you!"
Carbanog marvels at how quickly he has mastered the use of 'Archisus' as a verb.
"To use 'Archisus' as a threat! You truly have no filter!"
"Do not dare act arrogant just because His Majesty looks upon you with favor!"
The two vampire nobles were utterly outraged. Other insults could be tolerated, but threatening to "Archisus" someone was the ultimate taboo! It was a curse one wouldn't even utter to their mortal enemy.
"Ahem. So, when are we starting this one-on-one duel?" Tae-hyun asked, looking at Count Andalto. To Tae-hyun, Count Andalto was currently nothing more than a walking pile of experience points. How could he devour him to make the most glorious headline?
"There is no need, Your Majesty."
"...No need for what?" Sensing something amiss, Tae-hyun spoke with an unusually gentle tone. Hearing this, Cain felt a sudden shiver run down his spine.
"I surrender. It would be highly improper for someone of my standing to challenge a person of your noble stature to a duel."
Even in the hierarchy of the undead, order must be maintained. A mere count could not dare challenge the King of Atali! Count Andalto bowed deeply, apologizing for his insolence.
Count Andalto has surrendered!
Your Honor has greatly...
......
......
"Wait, no. I want to duel. A true warrior must fight!" From Tae-hyun's perspective, this was absurd. Was this bastard trying to deny him his experience points? I'll hit you gently, I swear!
"No, Your Majesty. How could I possibly..."
"......"
Tae-hyun scowled. Looking at Count Andalto's submissive posture, he realized it was already a lost cause.
Sigh... let's look on the bright side. Tae-hyun consoled himself as he took Count Andalto's subordinates prisoner and gathered the items scattered around the camp. Although it was a shame he couldn't duel, it wasn't a total loss. He had managed to secure the camp's loot without accidentally burning it this time, and he had firmly established his ownership over Knema's Vampire Castle.
"Hmm. I've gathered the feed, but..."
Karreung!
Towang-i hopped up and down in excitement. Even without Carbanog's translation, Tae-hyun knew exactly what the rabbit was saying. Give me the food, quick!
Is this really worth it? Tae-hyun felt skeptical. Surely this rabbit wouldn't just pull an eat-and-run on him, right? Unlike common items, Towang-i's feed consisted of extremely high-grade materials that could be used for many other valuable purposes.
"Fine. Here."
Chomp, chomp, chomp!
Towang-i began to feast with absolute delight. Considering the ingredients ranged from Wyvern's Hearts to Ancient Vampire Blood, it wasn't exactly a pleasant sight. It was a bloody, gruesome spectacle of a meal! Tae-hyun and his companions watched Towang-i intently, waiting to see what would happen.
"Is it just me, or is it getting really fat...?"
"Its body is expanding!"
Towang-i's size ballooned rapidly, looking exactly like a multiplying slime!
Plop.
"!"
"I-It split in half?!"
The rabbits were multiplying just like slimes! After devouring everything in sight, Towang-i continued to split. In total... there were now four of them!
"...?"
"???"
Belch.
Having cleared out the entire crate of premium feed, Towang-i let out a satisfied burp and lay down comfortably.
"...I-Is that it?"
Karreung!
Carbanog relays that it is only natural, asking if you have any idea how difficult it is to multiply...
I've been scammed! The thought flashed through Tae-hyun's mind instantly.
Carbanog quickly makes an excuse, suggesting that it m-might not be a scam.
Yeah, right! No matter how amazing these rabbits were, consuming that many legendary materials just to produce four of them was an atrocious return on investment. Even Count Scabio and Count Andalto probably hadn't realized how terrible the cost-efficiency was.
Dammit... Tae-hyun smacked his lips. Even if it was disappointing, he couldn't back out now.
Considering how obsessed everyone is with these rabbits, they must be useful for something... He had already invested too much to quit! (In truth, this was the exact same sunk-cost fallacy trap that countless players fell into while ruining themselves on gacha mechanics...)
"Everyone, gather round! Let's pool our resources!" Tae-hyun called his companions over. Gathering materials was always faster when done as a team.
"I'll have our guild members gather the herbs and reagents around here," Lee Da-bi offered.
"Thanks. As for the Wyverns, I can just hunt them down myself... What else is on the list that's difficult?"
"How do we get the Ancient Vampire Blood?"
"...Good question."
The other materials, whether rare or common, were obtainable one way or another. Wyvern's Hearts? Though they were rare drops, they would eventually fall if they kept slaying Wyverns. But Ancient Vampire Blood literally required them to find an ancient vampire...
"......"
"......"
The group fell silent as a sudden realization struck them, and they slowly turned their gaze toward Heuk-heuk.
Why are you looking at me like th—gasp! Currently, Heuk-heuk was a hybrid of a Black Dragon and an ancient vampire!
"Heuk-heuk. Grow as big as you can."
N-No! I refuse!
"Come on now! If you eat well, your blood will replenish in no time!" Tae-hyun grabbed Heuk-heuk. "Oh, right. Lee Da-bi, could you call Evangeline over?"
"Huh? Why?"
"She's an ancient vampire too. Let's get a quick blood donation."
"......"
"......"
"Sob... It's a real vacation! A real vacation!" Cain cried tears of joy as he bolted out of the hotel. Thanks to the completion of the vampire castle quest (though Tae-hyun was currently busy drawing blood), he had finally secured some precious free time!
Even my high school field trips weren't this exhausting! Cain thought as he sprinted down the street. From today until the day he boarded the flight back home, he was going to live a life of absolute, unrestrained freedom!
"Argh! It's Kim Tae-hyun!" Cain shrieked the moment he stepped outside. Tae-hyun was standing right in front of him. And not just one, but dozens of them!
Is... is this a nightmare? Am I dreaming?! Cain thought he had finally lost his mind. To think he was being haunted by that man in his dreams after being tormented so much in the game!
But it wasn't a dream. Upon closer inspection, they weren't the real Tae-hyun, but people wearing masks of his face or dressed up to look exactly like him.
"What the hell..." Anger flared inside Cain. How could they play with his emotions like this?! What kind of malicious...
Wait, is this a hidden camera prank?! Cain scanned his surroundings. Sure enough, there were numerous cameras set up. To think some jobless broadcasting station had followed them all the way to the United States just to pull a prank...
Wait, no! Am I actually popular now?! As that thought crossed his mind, a familiar sight caught his eye. There were people dressed up as his own in-game character.
Hey, I'm here too! Looking closely, while there were indeed many Tae-hyuns, he could also spot people cosplaying as himself, Lee Se-yeon, Jeong Su-hyeok, Lee Da-bi, and Choi Sang-yun—all the players who had shone in the tournament. With the tournament successfully concluded, the gathering fans had turned the surrounding area into a massive festival. And the cameras weren't from Korean stations either; they were local broadcasting crews covering the event!
Now that I think about it, they're speaking English. He didn't know which specific network they belonged to, but he could tell it was an English-speaking broadcast. Cain hastily turned on his translator.
"...!" Cain's eyes widened. Oh my god! My fan is right there?! Cain slowly crept closer. Surely people would recognize him if he got near, right?
"Excuse me, could you step aside for a moment?"
"Uh... no... I mean... don't you know who I am...?"
"?? Who are you?"
"Apologies! We are currently interviewing this gentleman, so could you please step out of the frame?"
The broadcasting crew was trying to interview a fan while the actual pro player was standing right in front of them!
"......"
The polite demeanor of the staff only made his heart ache more. Cain thought to himself, I should have brought that bastard Kim Tae-hyun with me...!