The Power of Reputation
"Chesia. Do you have any more information about the resurrection? Like the location or time?"
"I have none. However, seeing as my dreams are becoming increasingly vivid, it is clear that the resurrection is not far off."
As a powerful archmage, Chesia was bound to be affected by Nevuchadnezzar's resurrection. At this point, Tae-hyun couldn't help but worry seriously.
It's not like Chesia has gone mad, so is this resurrection actually happening? Wait, it's not because I planted the World Tree, is it? This is really bothering me.
Carbanog comforts you.
No matter how much he thought about it, it had to be a coincidence, but he couldn't shake the uneasy feeling! How could he have known that beating up demons would lead to such a resurrection?
Right. It can't be my fault.
Carbanog says that Nevuchadnezzar is a persistent bastard, so he would have resurrected eventually even if left alone.
"For now... let's prepare. What about the other archmages of the Magic Tower? Have you spoken to them?"
According to Chesia, Nevuchadnezzar was a massive raid boss. A powerful enemy whose level wouldn't be surprising even if it were in the 800s or 900s! What made him particularly tricky was his ability to use all kinds of magic. It meant he could adapt to any situation.
For someone like Tae-hyun, who relied on control and skills to cover for his relatively low HP, this was extremely dangerous. A few spells could wipe him out instantly.
Fortunately, Tae-hyun wasn't alone. He had the status, position, and connections he had built up so far! Moreover, Nevuchadnezzar's resurrection would be an emergency for other NPCs on the continent, so he would be able to secure maximum cooperation.
The first step was the archmages of the other schools in the Magic Tower! Considering the strong bond of friendship within the Magic Tower, they would surely receive maximum support...
"They ignored me."
"...Why?"
Tae-hyun was taken aback. When the demons appeared, they had joined forces and fought so well together!
Carbanog tells you that they only joined forces because demons were released in the exam area, leaving them with no choice.
They only fought because it was dangerous not to, not because they were particularly close!
"Is it not because they lack the eyes to see greatness?"
"Are you sure it's not because your explanation was absolute garbage?"
Tae-hyun stared at Chesia with highly skeptical eyes. By now, Tae-hyun was slowly getting a grasp on the dark mages of the Magic Tower. Arrogant, rude bastards!
Thinking about it that way, Chese-do was truly a decent person. Hadn't he followed Tae-hyun around, a mere newcomer, and loyally helped him?
And the one who turned that Chese-do into a Lich was Tae-hyun! Well, to be precise, Chese-do had become a Lich of his own accord, but...
Ugh. I didn't realize Chese-do was the only sane one.
He missed Chese-do! Wouldn't he come back?
"My explanation was garbage? Your words cut deep, Your Majesty. What am I supposed to do if those other Masters are too stupid to understand?"
"I'll acknowledge that, as long as you didn't say that to their faces."
"How could I not call those insignificant fools insignificant to their faces..."
"......"
The schools didn't get along to begin with. With no one like Chese-do to hold him back, Chesia acted even more insolently, which naturally led the other archmages to ignore him.
- I'd rather listen to my backyard dog than to you.
- If dark magic is so great, why don't you stop it yourself?
- I hope Akisus drags you away!
- Isn't that a bit too harsh?
The Masters of the Magic Tower growled and hurled severe curses at each other whenever they met! Tae-hyun sighed.
"I'll have to go and persuade them myself."
"How may I assist you, Your Majesty?"
"Keep your mouth shut."
"......"
"Where are you from?"
"From the Dark Magic School..."
Slam! The door shut instantly.
"...is not where I'm from, but rather, I am the King of the Atali Kingdom!"
Flung! The door swung open again.
The Fire School NPC mage spoke with a relieved face.
"Whew, my apologies, Your Majesty. I thought you were from the Dark Magic School..."
Do they not know I'm the successor of the Dark Magic School?
Logically, Hero of the Continent ≠ Successor of the Dark Magic School in the eyes of the public!
I need to get inside first, so I'll keep quiet.
"Kim Tae-hyun."
"?"
Crawford, who had been waiting and joined Tae-hyun, spoke up.
"Since it's the Fire School, wouldn't it be better if I spoke?"
Ah. Right.
"...Don't tell me you forgot about me?"
Crawford was appalled. He had been tagging along even after the Lalgrgal quest ended, thinking, Hmm, does he need my or Alcott's help? But...
Did this guy seriously just forget he was there?
"Of course not. I was just waiting for the right moment for the Magic Tower quest. Where else could I find a mage as great as you?"
"Se-Senior..."
Jeong Su-hyeok stared at Tae-hyun with sorrowful eyes. I'm a mage too!
"You're... an Archisus Mage, so it's a bit..."
"Urgh!"
It was sad, but he couldn't refute it! Jeong Su-hyeok hadn't walked the path of a conventional mage either.
"Now, Crawford. Go inside and bring the Archmage out quickly."
"Do you think he's some neighborhood dog you can just call out whenever you want?!"
Crawford shouted, dumbfounded. The Archmages of each school were high-ranking NPCs who were normally hard to even catch a glimpse of. You had to accumulate Contribution Points and clear quest after quest just to see their faces once!
It was Tae-hyun who was abnormal, walking in and out of their quarters like it was his own living room.
"Ah. K-Kim Tae-hyun?!"
The elf pyromancer, Baher, stared at Tae-hyun in shock. He was the player who had cleared a quest with Tae-hyun alongside his father, Baha, when Tae-hyun previously came to the Magic Tower.
Even now, Baher bragged about that incident whenever he opened his mouth! Having experienced something most players wouldn't experience once in their lives, it was only natural to brag. His friends couldn't even close their mouths in envy whenever he brought it up.
It had gotten to the point where players running around the Magic Tower would approach strangers and ask, "I haven't seen your face before, are you perhaps Kim Tae-hyun? I'll keep it a secret, so just tell me."
Since it was widely known that Tae-hyun was skilled at disguise, they would ask just in case. Of course, most of the time it ended with, "What are you talking about!" Though occasionally, some would insist, "Stop acting! I know you're Kim Tae-hyun!"
"Ah. Were you that pyromancer? The one who partied with his father."
"Y-You remembered!"
"Yeah. Is your father doing another quest right now?"
"Ah. My dad made some other friends, so he's been going hiking lately."
"Hi... king?"
"There's actually a hiking club inside Pan-On."
Cain, who was listening from behind, looked disgusted. What kind of club is that?
I'm so glad our team doesn't have anything like that.
Usually, they just lazed around the gaming house on their days off! The more he heard about how hard his other friends had it at their companies, the more loyal he felt toward Tae-hyun. What did a little nagging matter? The welfare benefits here were absolutely perfect!
Baher cried out in an expectant voice.
"What quest have you come for this time! I want to help!"
"Ah. I need to meet the Master right now..."
"C-Crawford-nim?!"
"...Did you seriously just recognize me now?"
Crawford felt like his soul had drifted five meters away before snapping back. He could understand anyone else, but a mage specializing in the Fire School only recognized him now?! Even though Kim Tae-hyun was roughly disguised while he was wearing his usual gear?! How did that make sense?!
"S-Sorry... Tae-hyun-nim was just so impressive..."
Pfft!
A laugh leaked out from behind. It was undoubtedly Alcott's laugh.
"That... can happen... grit..."
Crawford struggled to maintain his composure. If he showed an ugly side here, he would be no different from Alcott.
"Well, it's possible not to recognize Crawford."
Tae-hyun spoke as if it were no big deal.
That's because he recognized you, you bastard! The words rose to Crawford's throat, but he held them back. Dignity! He had to maintain his dignity!
"Anyway, Crawford, go meet the Master..."
"No, I told you it's not that easy!"
"What? You can't do it?"
"I can!"
You could meet the Master by spending Contribution Points or using a meeting pass item. Crawford had accumulated quite a lot of them while clearing quests here.
"Then just do it."
"......"
For some reason, he felt like he had been scammed! Crawford thought as he spent his Contribution Points.
"Is there anything I can help with?"
"Hmm. Other than the Master... Ah. I'm planning to gather players and instigate... no, persuade them. Want to help?"
"Yes! I will instigate them with my life on the line!"
"Persuade! I said persuade!"
"Everyone. There is a new Legendary Quest."
"????"
"Wasn't that cleared not too long ago?"
"I heard Kim Tae-hyun cleared it... what is he talking about?"
"My friend said he cried when Kim Tae-hyun cleared it."
"Ah, that guy's friend?"
"Yeah. He was crying so sorrowfully. Is it really something to cry about? The rewards must have been plenty."
"Right. Strange."
"When I asked, he said it wasn't because of the rewards..."
"Anyway, I really don't get what those high-level players are thinking."
Among the murmuring players, Tae-hyun calmly continued.
"You can forget about the Lalgrgal quest! This has nothing to do with that. This is a new Legendary Quest!"
"...!!!!"
At the mention of a new Legendary Quest, the players' ears perked up. Players were bound to react the moment they heard the word "quest"!
"Who are you... Kim Tae-hyun!! It's Kim Tae-hyun!!!"
"Gasp!"
"Kyaaaaah! Kim Tae-hyun! It's Kim Tae-hyun!"
That's a bit scary.
The intense reaction, shouting as if they were going to kill someone, made even Tae-hyun flinch. They weren't going to attack him, were they?
Now's the time. Baher. Instigate... no, persuade the players.
The role Tae-hyun wanted from Baher was simple. If a fellow Fire School mage player said the quest was good and tried to participate, others would naturally be intrigued.
Huh? Should I try it too?, I might regret it if I miss this chance. Creating such reactions was Baher's role!
But the people around Tae-hyun always defied expectations.
"Arghhh... Kim Tae-hyun... to think it's Kim Tae-hyun...! Kim Tae-hyun!!"
Baher trembled like a madman, acting with incredible realism. It was to the point where the players who had been shouting Kim Tae-hyun's name backed away, thinking, What is wrong with this crazy guy?
"Kim Tae-hyun! To think it's a quest from Kim Tae-hyun...!"
"I-Is this guy okay?"
"Looks like he's having a heart attack?"
"N-No. I'm perfectly..."
"Let's take him outside to rest first!"
"N-No, I said I'm fine!"
Baher was dragged away! Watching this, Tae-hyun let out a sigh.
"...Anyway! I wanted to ask if anyone wants to participate in this Legendary Quest..."
Raise! Unanimous!
Every single player in the Fire School room raised their hand. It was a swiftness that didn't require even a second of hesitation.
I didn't even need to instigate them.
Carbanog points out that it is "persuading."
Ah, right.
Indeed. Planting shills to persuade people was a rookie move. For someone of Tae-hyun's caliber, even if he said, "Everyone! I want to quit the game today, so I'm going to break all my gear and log out. Who wants to join me?" people would flock to him like clouds. Such was the power of reputation and popularity!
I did unnecessary work.
Then, a quest window popped up for everyone present.
The Resurrection of Nevuchadnezzar
As ominous signs continue and evil entities threaten the continent, the Dark Mage Master Chesia foresees the resurrection of Nevuchadnezzar!
If Nevuchadnezzar, who desires the death of all living things, is resurrected, the continent will be shrouded in the energy of death. Gather your strength to prepare for Nevuchadnezzar's resurrection!
🎁 Reward: ?, ???, ?????