A Secret Invitation

Everyone in the party heard Cain, but they all pretended not to and ignored him.

"Oh, this gear set looks really good."

"Dabi, I think a merchant-priest hybrid would be much better than just a pure merchant!"

"Guys? Hey, guys. You're not ignoring me, right?!" Cain was flustered. Why the sudden silent treatment?

"Do you really have to throw cold water on us while we're trying to persuade Miss Lee Da-bi? Just shut up for a second."

"Yeah, keep your mouth shut. If she refuses because of you, you're going to get Archisus'd."

"..."

While Cain was getting scolded, Tae-hyun was busy coaxing Lee Da-bi.

"The Priest class isn't hard at all. Sure, you'll have to participate in combat more than you would as a merchant. But basically, all you have to do is monitor the party's HP, check for any debuffs on our allies, predict the enemy's next attack, and cast the appropriate healing or defensive spells at the right moment. Easy, right?"

"..." For the first time, Lee Da-bi felt a sudden, strong urge to smack Tae-hyun. Is this man serious right now...?!

Yu Ji-soo grabbed Tae-hyun by the shoulder and pulled him back.

"Senior. Let me talk to her. Just stay in the back."

"Wait, why..."

"Stay. In. The. Back."

"O-okay." Tae-hyun meekly retreated.

"Don't you think Ji-soo's been a bit cold lately?"

"She probably learned it from someone..." Choi Sang-yun muttered under his breath. Since she looked up to Tae-hyun as a role ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠model, it was only natural that her personality was warping. I hope her family doesn't come complaining to us later, accusing us of corrupting her...

"Sir, why are you sighing so much on such a beautiful mountain?"

"I watched the video of the Nevuchadnezzar raid yesterday, and..."

"Ah, that was truly spectacular! Man... my blood was boiling so much I wanted to join in myself, even if it's unbecoming of my age."

"My goodness, if you say that, what does that make me?" Lee Jung-seop and Chairman Yoo laughed together in harmony.

"I thought you were sighing because you were getting tired of hiking, sir."

"Well, there's a bit of that too..."

"Haha, I'm just joking. There's no way you could ever hate the mountains, sir!"

"..." Chairman Yoo resisted the urge to smack him. The middle-aged men of Lee Jung-seop's guild, the Thin and Long Guild, were genuinely good-natured and great company—aside from their obsession with hiking. It wasn't easy to find friends who would follow him to go fishing without a single complaint whenever he asked.

"But why did watching the Nevuchadnezzar raid video make you sigh? You could have participated if you wanted to."

The older men hadn't joined the Nevuchadnezzar raid. It was a quest that completely clashed with the philosophy of the "Thin and Long" Guild! They had sold various anti-undead items to the players participating, but they themselves had stayed out of it.

"No, it's not that I wanted to join... Well, maybe a tiny part of me did, but seeing my granddaughter there made my feelings quite complicated..."

"Oh... playing Pan-On together. Isn't that a good thing? Ah, is she playing too much?"

"She's a sensible girl who takes care of her responsibilities, so I don't care how much she plays. It's just... I don't like the person she's hanging around with."

"Who on earth is it?"

Chairman Yoo hesitated. Even if he told him, Jung-seop probably wouldn't believe it...

"Even if you take a Priest class, you won't need much mechanical control anyway. There's barely anyone to heal."

Lee Da-bi couldn't help but agree. That was definitely true! Almost no one in their party actually needed heals or buffs. They were all highly skilled players who could manage their own health perfectly fine.

"It might feel daunting because it's different from the Merchant class, but you'll adapt in no time."

"...What if I disappoint him?"

"We have Cain right over there. Senior isn't the type of person to get disappointed by something like that..."

"...!"

A master of persuasion! Yu Ji-soo displayed an overwhelming level of persuasiveness, as if she had been taking private tutoring in the art of negotiation. The moment Cain was brought up as the baseline, Lee Da-bi realized her worries were completely unfounded. Indeed, Tae-hyun was definitely not the type of person to get disappointed by something like that!

"Right?"

"You're right." Lee Da-bi smiled softly and nodded.

Equip!

"...???" Lee Da-bi was utterly bewildered. What was up with that last class name? Was it a bug? Of course, there was no such thing as a bug in Pan-On.

S-select.

It felt incredibly sketchy, but she ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠couldn't not choose it. After all, wasn't she technically the administrator of the Archisus Church?

Lee Da-bi felt a deep sense of dread as she read the skill names. Surely it's not what I think it is!

Consuming gold to restore HP...

"!!!!!"

"Lee Da-bi looks really conflicted. Is she going to be okay?"

"Why don't you just ask her yourself if she's okay..."

Tae-hyun responded to Cain's complaint with a swift jab to his ribs.

"Gah!"

"Do you have no consideration at all? How would you feel if someone pestered you with questions when you were already in a bad mood?"

"If you asked me, I'd probably say I'm fine even if I felt like absolute Archisus crap..."

"Sigh. Forget it. It's my fault for asking you." Tae-hyun shook his head, waving him off.

Cain felt strangely humiliated. "N-no! Ask me! Ask me instead!"

"I think it'd be faster to just ask someone else."

Rather than listening to Cain, Tae-hyun decided to take a direct approach. In the first place, consulting an idiot like Cain when worrying about Lee Da-bi's condition was a terrible idea!

"Da-bi. Was there some kind of problem during the class change?"

"No. I just checked my class, and it actually looks quite good."

Though the initial shock of the gold consumption was massive, the skills were generally powerful and highly effective. There ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was a clear reason why it was a hybrid Priest-Merchant class! Usually, hybrid classes suffered from penalties like fewer skills, weaker effects, or slower leveling. However, the Golden Death Merchant Priest of the Archisus Order bypassed those penalties by requiring gold consumption instead. She had plenty of skills, and each one was incredibly potent—at the cost of raw gold! It was a penalty she had dealt with back when she was a regular merchant, but now it had multiplied several times over.

In the past, she would have suffered immensely, unable to afford it, but now it wasn't a major issue. Lee Da-bi was no longer the struggling player of the past. The Power Warrior Guild was now one of the largest guilds in Pan-On, and gold was piling up from various revenues and streams. She no longer had to tighten her belt to pay off debts, and as a professional gamer, she had plenty of sponsorships and income... She had more than enough gold to burn on skills.

The reason her expression had stiffened was simply because she was analyzing her new class and figuring out how to utilize it. Unlike Cain, who had become the Avatar of Archisus's Slave, or Jeong Su-hyeok, who had transitioned to an Erance Magic Tower Mage, Lee Da-bi's class required a lot of practice. She had to work even harder to avoid becoming a burden to Tae-hyun!

However, Tae-hyun, misinterpreting her serious expression as dissatisfaction, was deeply worried. This was the first time he had ever seen Lee Da-bi look like this!

"Then do you have some kind of skill or stat penalty?"

"Huh? No, nothing like that."

"...Is there something you're unhappy with lately, or is there anything you want?"

"No, there's noth—oh." Lee Da-bi realized what Tae-hyun was misunderstanding. He clearly thought she was dissatisfied with something. Just as she was about to clear up the misunderstanding, she hesitated. Suddenly, a temptation from Archisus—no, a truly devilish temptation—crept into her mind. It was a downright demonic thought!

I-is this really okay? It feels so shameless...!

After a brief moment of internal conflict, Lee Da-bi finally made up her mind.

"C-could... could you..."

"Could I what? If there's anything you want, just say the word! Whether it's a building or Cain's head, I'll bring it to you."

"Hey...!" Cain yelled, deeply offended. That was way too much!

"There's a place I want to go next weekend... Would you like to go with me?"

"Huh? Sure, why not. Where is it?"

"Ah." Lee Da-bi panicked. She had only blurted out the invitation to go out together, but she hadn't actually thought of a place!

"It's... it's a secret!"

"...?!??!"

Tae-hyun fell into utter confusion. A secret? Where on earth was she planning to take him?

Did I do something wrong to Lee Da-bi? Is this a trap?

"Titles! Titles! Titles! Titles!"

"Guys, let's maintain some dignity." Lee Se-yeon cleared her throat as she spoke. Of course, she too was incredibly, ecstatically happy to have obtained the position of Emperor for free. And she was even happier that she had gotten it thanks to Kim Tae-hyun. By now, Kim Tae-hyun was probably so green with envy that he was kicking his blankets in frustration.

This is barely a hundredth of what I felt back in Pan-On 1!

The thought of Tae-hyun squirming in jealousy brought her more satisfaction than the actual throne itself. But that was that, and reality was reality. Lee Se-yeon had to figure out how to manage the Asbian Empire. If she were leading a massive guild, it would be one thing, but her guild was a small, elite force. She had to draw up the plans and delegate the rest to others. Which meant, yes—giving every single guild member a title!

"Titles! Titles! Titles!"

"...I told you to maintain some dignity!"

Lee Se-yeon opened the empire's status window to check the situation.

...It's an absolute shitshow.

Among the empire's stats—military, diplomacy, economy, technology, population, public sentiment, divinity, security, culture, and development—almost everything except military power was at rock bottom. Public sentiment, security, and culture were especially disastrous! There was no way the tribes who had originally hated Uipoatl would suddenly like Lee Se-yeon. On top of that, the nobles were rebelling, taking their tribes with them and shouting, "Who do you think you are to stand above us! Bring back Lord Uipoatl!"

In reality, Lee Se-yeon only controlled the area immediately surrounding the capital.

Seeing this situation, she felt a sudden, begrudging respect for Kim Tae-hyun. How on earth did that bastard take over the Atali Kingdom empty-handed and stabilize it so perfectly?

"It looks like..."

"?"

"We might need Kim Tae-hyun's help."

"Imposter! You are not our Guild Master!"

"Guild Master! Snap out of it! What on earth are you talking about?!"

"Begone, foul demon! How dare you masquerade as our Guild Master!"

"...Do you all want to die?"

At Lee Se-yeon's icy tone, everyone instantly shut their mouths.

"Kim Tae-hyun is close with the nobles of the Asbian Empire, and he's on good terms with the opposition tribes too. Besides, his Reputation is so absurdly high that he gets treated like a hero wherever he goes..."

The guild members all nodded in agreement. It was true that if Tae-hyun helped, this chaotic situation would be resolved in no time. What was truly surprising was that Lee Se-yeon had proposed this strategy herself!

Guild Master... I respect you!

To think she would borrow the strength of her sworn enemy for the greater good...!

The guild members looked at her with eyes full of respect and admiration. This was exactly why they followed Lee Se-yeon.

"Wait. Why is this fortress raking in so much money?"

Tae-hyun checked his message window with a bewildered expression. For some bizarre reason, the tax revenue collected from this fortress was higher than that of both the Valley and the Capital combined. Even though the tax rates in the Valley and the Capital were set to the bare minimum, the fortress's rates were similarly low. In the first place, this was a stronghold built for warfare, not a commercial hub meant to generate profit.

Yet, its revenue was absolutely slapping his other two territories in the face!

Just how many tens of thousands of gold is this... Is it because of the hunting grounds?