A Perfectly Calculated Heist

Many people used to misunderstand Tae-hyun. This was especially true back in Pandemonium Online 1.

But Tae-hyun felt deeply wronged by this reputation. Although he appeared to act recklessly without a care for the consequences, he always calculated every move meticulously. Even when he laid traps all over a dungeon and fought as if he were on a suicide mission, it was all part of a precise plan! The truly reckless one was someone like Gabriel, not him.

In that sense, the Erangs Kingdom Bank, located right in the heart of the royal capital, was a place he should normally never dream of touching!

'If anything goes wrong, everyone from the royal knights to the mages of the Magic Tower will descend upon this place within a minute.'

What if he got caught? He didn't even want to imagine the penalty. If he were just an ordinary player with nothing to lose, he would merely get a bounty on his head, and NPCs in every town would shout, "Look! It's the criminal Kim Tae-hyun!" and chase him away. But now that he was a king, it could escalate into a full-blown international diplomatic crisis. It was an act he absolutely should not commit under normal circumstances, but...

'The odds of success... aren't completely zero.'

There was the self-proclaimed Great Thief, Ed-an. And there was Tae-hyun, who could perfectly impersonate the Archbishop of the Salavian Order.

"Karung!"

And on top of that, there was Towangi... Wait.

"Huh?"

Tae-hyun blinked in confusion at Towangi's growl. Why are you chiming in?

"...No, wait."

The vault of the Erangs Kingdom Bank was no place for a Level 1 rabbit. If it stepped on a single trap, it would be vaporized instantly!

"If you die, my heart will break..."

"Karung!"

Towangi looked deeply moved by Tae-hyun's words! Of course, Tae-hyun was only thinking about the astronomical amount of gold and rare materials he had invested in the rabbit.

"Master... Why do you only show affection to that rabbit..."

"Think carefully, Gold Dragon. Read between the lines."

Heuk-heuk nudged Yong-yong, trying to bring him back to reality. No matter how you looked at it, those words did not stem from genuine affection!

'Well, that's true.'

Indeed, no creature was better suited for stealthy infiltration than a tiny rabbit.

'...You're supposed to be a rabbit god, right?'

Tae-hyun decided to double-check his inventory and skills. First, he had the disguise mask. It was an incredibly reliable item that Tae-hyun had acquired in the early stages of the game and was still using to this day! Compared to its utility, penalties like increased Infamy were practically nonexistent. Frankly, the Infamy gained from wearing the mask was a drop in the bucket compared to the Infamy he racked up from burning, exploding, and wrecking everything in his path.

And then there was the Authority of the Salavian Order. He could at least mimic the Authority. The real issue was just how tight the bank's security was.

'Rumor has it they even keep a dragon inside. What is this, Harry Potter?'

The biggest problem was the complete lack of information. Occasionally, rogue players with nothing to lose attempted crazy heists, but most were caught right at the front entrance.

'There must be countless magic wards inside. Will my disguise unravel? How much can I cover up with my Speech skill?'

While his Speech skill could resolve many issues, it wasn't omnipotent. If his disguise dissolved right before their eyes, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠even the highest level of Speech wouldn't save him. The safest method would be for Tae-hyun to create a distraction at the front while Ed-an slipped inside to steal the goods, but...

'Would Towangi really be better?'

If it came down to it, wouldn't Towangi have a massive advantage over Ed-an?

"Ed-an, what do you think?"

"Wait, hold on a moment, Your Majesty! Was the plan originally for me to go in alone?!"

Ed-an gasped in horror upon hearing Tae-hyun's explanation. They weren't going in together?!

"I was planning to accompany you as far as I could, and then leave the rest to you."

"But why..."

"Because you're the Great Thief."

"...Your Majesty is no less of a—"

"You're the Great Thief."

"Yes, sire."

"Anyway, I'm debating whether to send Towangi in."

"...I think that is an absolutely magnificent idea."

"You're only saying that because it spares you from going in, aren't you?"

"O-Of course not, Your Majesty!"

Ultimately, they decided to go with Towangi. Sending Ed-an alone carried far too much risk.

It was a near-flawless disguise! Ed-an disguised himself as an attendant serving the Archbishop.

"Your Majesty, but what about the ring?" Ed-an whispered.

To withdraw anything from the Erangs Kingdom Bank, one needed a specific ring. It was a unique token crafted individually for each client—an absolute proof of identity embedded with powerful, unforgeable magic. Without this ring, they wouldn't let anyone pass, even if the actual account owner showed up in person.

"Did you somehow find it?!"

"How could I find it in that raging inferno? It's completely incinerated."

"..."

"I plan to stall them as long as possible using my Speech skill. In the meantime, we'll slip Towangi inside."

"Will that really work?"

"If it doesn't, well, you'll just have to go in yourself."

"..."

Ed-an felt a cold sweat break out. Please, Towangi! You have to succeed!

While Ed-an was highly confident in his thieving skills, that confidence relied entirely on meticulous planning. Charging blindly into an unknown vault with his life on the line was sheer madness!

'Whoa. This is quite a haul.'

The path leading down to the bank's vault was breathtakingly opulent, adorned with all manner of priceless art and exquisite crafts. On top of that, ancient magic barriers were already woven into the air. Ed-an's mechanical fingers twitched. If it were up to him, he would have swiped everything in sight!

The bank employee guiding Tae-hyun and Ed-an was a goblin.

"Heh-heh. Strangely enough, Your Grace looks exceptionally robust and dignified today. Kehehe."

It was the affinity bonus from his Engineering skill! For some inexplicable reason, the goblin clerk felt an immediate, strong liking toward Tae-hyun.

"Now, Archbishop, please present your ring."

"Ah... just a moment."

Tae-hyun began rummaging through his robes. The acting had to be flawless.

"?"

"It's not here? Wait. You! Did you make sure to pack the ring?"

"What? Yes, I packed it!"

"Then where on earth did it go?! Argh! You useless fool!"

*Smack!*

"Aargh!"

"You useless vampire! You can't even handle a simple task like this!"

"Y-You go too far, Your Grace!"

"Nothing has gone right since I took you lot in!"

"..."

Ed-an flinched. Wait, did that last part sound a bit too sincere?

The goblin clerk waved his hands in a panic.

"Keke. Archbishop, please, you cannot cause a scene here."

"But this mere servant can't even do his job properly!"

"If you do not have the ring, you must return another time."

While they bickered, Towangi quietly slipped out of Tae-hyun's robes and hopped toward the vault. Tae-hyun's heart raced. Can he really bypass the ancient magic barriers installed here?

*Whoosh—*

He did it!

Towangi phased right through the barrier as if it weren't even there! Tae-hyun was deeply moved. My boy! Every single expensive material I fed you was worth it!

"By the way, Your Majesty."

"Hmm?"

Having been escorted back outside, Ed-an turned to Tae-hyun and whispered, "That rabbit... how much can he actually carry out?"

"Huh?"

"Well, he's tiny. And he has to sneak out without being noticed..."

"..."

Ah, right.

Tae-hyun suddenly realized a major flaw in his plan. Even if Towangi could carry things, there was a physical limit to his size!

"...If all else fails, we'll just have to do it a few more times."

"But the more we do it, the higher the chance of getting caught..."

"..."

The two sat on a bench in tense silence. Being a bank, countless players were constantly bustling in and out. None of them paid any attention to the shabby-looking duo sitting in the corner. Who would ever suspect that the legendary Kim Tae-hyun was loitering right here?

*Pitter-patter—*

"!"

After what felt like an eternity, a familiar, rapid pattering sound reached Tae-hyun's ears. Towangi had emerged.

"Towangi!"

"Karung."

"Huh? Someone brought a rabbit here?"

"What a unique pet."

Passing players glanced over with curiosity. Tae-hyun stared at Towangi with a mixture of anxiety and anticipation.

"So, how much did you get?"

"Karung... *cough, hack!*"

Towangi let out a wet, heavy cough, and then—

*Clatter-clatter-clatter-clatter!*

"!!!!!"

"!!!!!!!!"

Tae-hyun and Ed-an's jaws hit the floor. Towangi was violently vomiting a torrential flood of gold coins and priceless treasures! While it was mind-boggling ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠that his tiny body could hold such an astronomical amount...

They were currently standing right in the middle of the bank lobby!

"Hey! Grab it! Grab it!"

"Put it back! Put it back in!"

Ed-an's hands became a blur as he frantically scooped up the treasures, while a startled Towangi began vacuuming them back into his mouth.

"G-Gold?! It's gold!"

"Who's throwing gold around?!"

*Roar!*

The bank lobby, already packed with players, instantly erupted into chaos. The moment they saw gold coins scattering across the floor, their eyes rolled back in greed, and they charged forward like wild beasts.

"Grab it!"

"Get out of the way, you bastard! I saw it first!"

*Thud! Whack!*

A massive brawl broke out in the blink of an eye!

"...Run!"

Losing a few gold coins was a negligible price to pay. They had secured the real treasures! Even if the bank staff grew suspicious, the deed was already done. As long as they didn't get caught, it was a victory!

"Long live Towangi!"

"Please lend him to me next time, Your Majesty! Fufu!"

"Are you insane?!"

The two men and one rabbit sprinted down the grand avenue of the Erangs Kingdom in sheer jubilation. Passing players stared at them, twirling their fingers around their temples. Look at those lunatics!

"Greed really is a bottomless pit. Now that we've pulled this off, I can't help but wonder if we should have cleaned out the rest of the vault too."

"Fufu. Your Majesty, that very desire is the true heart of a thief."

"Shut up."

"Yes, sire."

"Well... greed will be our ruin if we aren't careful."

Tae-hyun knew all too well the dangers of overreaching. The only reason they could safely steal the treasures deposited by the Archbishop was because those treasures originally belonged to the Atali Kingdom, and the Archbishop was dead. In other words, no one would ever come to the bank to claim them. It was a perfect crime with zero chance of exposure.

But what about the other treasures in the bank? Their owners were very much alive and well. Stealing those would carry far too much risk. There was no telling when they would be found out.

'Magic is just too broken in this game.'

In Pandemonium ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Online, perfect crimes were virtually nonexistent. Even if you thought you had pulled off a flawless heist, a system message would inevitably pop ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠up one day: [A pursuit has begun!]

Avoiding detection in the first place was always the best policy.

'My Advanced Stealth is already Level 8.'

Just two more levels, and it would reach Master! He wasn't even a thief class, and this wasn't a primary skill like Engineering or swordsmanship, yet it had already reached Advanced Level 8. The growth rate was unbelievably fast. It was proof of just how many high-stakes, dangerous quests Tae-hyun had cleared. A thief grows fastest when tackling the most perilous tasks!

"Ed-an."

"Fufu. Yes, Your Majesty?" Ed-an replied, happily fondling the stolen treasures.

"Do you know of a thief guild called the Guides of the Night?"

*Clatter!*

The treasure Ed-an was holding slipped from his fingers and crashed to the ground.

"Wh-What?! How do you know about them?!"