Death to All Emperors
"Da-bi. Da-bi."
"Yes?"
"Look at this."
"...!!!"
Lee Da-bi's eyes widened in shock as she looked at the fortress's ledger. How could a fortress sitting in the middle of a barren desert generate this much revenue?!
"H-How on earth...?"
"This is just from hunting, right?"
It was the tax revenue generated from the gold that players spent, bought, and sold while hunting. Even though they had set the tax rate to the absolute minimum, the sheer volume of players was so massive that it brought in an astronomical sum.
"Wait, didn't I completely wipe out the undead here once?"
With a bewildered expression, Kim Tae-hyun climbed up to the fortress walls. He had previously brought Paladins, Priests, Mages, the Archisus Artillery, and various other forces to completely scorch the surrounding area. And yet...
"This is insane."
The horizon was pitch black. In the short time since his purge, the undead had already respawned in droves. They didn't dare approach Pantheon's Fortress, but they roamed freely in every direction.
The variety of undead was staggering. It started with basic skeletons and ghouls, but quickly escalated to dullahans, banshees, wraiths... and here and there, naturally spawning Death Knights and even Bone Dragons could be seen.
That lunatic Nebuchadnezzar...
Just how deep and persistent was his corruption that undead kept blooming like weeds in the place where he died?
While Tae-hyun was busy checking his items and preparing for his class advancement, rumors had already spread like wildfire among the player base.
Pantheon's Fortress is the absolute best leveling spot right now!
Someone I know joined the Nebuchadnezzar quest and gained 40 levels!
The Nebuchadnezzar raid quest was too damn dangerous to join, but Pantheon's Fortress seems like a place any level can join if you just watch your positioning. Plus, there are so many Paladins and Priests that you barely ever die.
It was rare to find a field in Pandemonium Online that gathered monsters of all levels—from low to high—in a single location like this.
Tae-hyun felt a sudden wave of self-pity wash over him.
I worked myself to the bone running the Valley, and it never brought in this much revenue...!
What was all that effort for?!
Whew. Let's calm down.
Tae-hyun quickly accepted reality. Having an unexpectedly high income was a good thing, not a bad thing. The real issue was management.
This place was far too distant from the Atali Kingdom. Surely Lee Se-yeon wouldn't be crazy enough to attack this fortress, right?
...Ah, for some reason, I have a bad feeling about this.
"Oh, come on, no way..."
"Exactly. No matter how much of an Emperor Lee Se-yeon is, she wouldn't attack this place. Do you know how many religious orders have set up here?"
Fortunately, it wasn't just the Archisus Church; every famous order on the continent had established their own temples here. The moment Se-yeon attacked, she would have to prepare for war against every single church in the Central Continent.
But Se-yeon is a Necromancer anyway, so would she even care?
She already ruled the Asbian Empire, so she wouldn't miss the Central Continent... Tae-hyun figured the chances were fifty-fifty.
"If Lee Se-yeon has a conscience, she wouldn't attack the fortress after she got the Emperor's throne thanks to you."
"She has no conscience."
"..."
"..."
"Your personal stream is off right now, right?"
"Yes, it's off."
"Thank goodness."
If those words had reached Se-yeon's ears, war would have broken out instantly!
Da-bi also didn't think Se-yeon would attack. Se-yeon wasn't like the Guild Alliance.
"Since Ms. Lee Se-yeon obtained the throne of the Asbian Empire, wouldn't she be too busy managing it? It's not exactly a peaceful place; tribes are rebelling all over. Even you, Tae-hyun, struggled immensely managing the nobles after you got your kingdom."
"True, that's true."
This bastard...?!
He listens to Lee Da-bi immediately?!
Cain and Choi Sang-yun felt a surge of indignation. What about what we said?!
"Excuse me... *cough*."
"?"
Someone cleared their throat behind them, prompting them to turn around.
"Who are you?"
"I am from the Midas Guild. We made a significant contribution to this Nebuchadnezzar raid..."
"Huh? The Midas Guild was here?" Tae-hyun asked, genuinely puzzled.
The others were equally surprised.
"Was there a Midas Guild?"
"Huh? I don't remember seeing them..."
"Maybe because there were so many mages. They were probably buried in the crowd."
"True, they didn't have much of a presence..."
"..."
The rankers from the Midas Guild trembled with rage. At least whisper so we can't hear you!
"So, what about the Midas Guild? Are you planning to select rankers to help me out the next time I do a quest?" Tae-hyun asked with a hint of expectation.
The Midas Guild rankers looked at him as if he were absurd.
Why would we help you? Who do you think we are? Does this guy think we're some kind of volunteer organization?
"Of course not! What guild would help you for free?!"
"Ah, really? Since you said you came from the Guild Alliance, I thought helping me was your hobby."
The Midas Guild members' jaws dropped.
What a lunatic...!
What on earth did the Guild Alliance do to make Kim Tae-hyun say something like that?!
"So, if you didn't come to help, why are you here?"
"Our Midas Guild made a significant contribution to this quest, and we came to receive some of the rewards."
"?"
Tae-hyun looked surprised. Seeing this, the Midas Guild rankers waved their hands dismissively.
"It's not a massive reward. Just the usage rights to a few of the fortress's facilities..."
"No, no. I'm not surprised because I'm worried about the reward." Tae-hyun waved his hand. "I'm surprised by the part where you said you made a 'significant contribution.' What exactly did you guys do?"
"Look at the video! Look at how much damage our mages dealt..."
As the ranker tried to show him, Tae-hyun shook his head.
"I don't care about that. Did you do anything decisive when we fought Uipoatl?"
"Well, no, but..."
"What about when we fought Nebuchadnezzar?"
"Not that either, but other than that..."
"And I don't recall inviting you guys anyway. I asked Lee Se-yeon, not you."
As Tae-hyun took a hostile stance, the rankers' expressions hardened.
"Mr. Kim Tae-hyun. This is a mutually beneficial deal."
"...W-Wait a minute. I've heard those words somewhere before." Tae-hyun placed a hand on his forehead, lost in thought. "Ah. Right. In Pan-On 1, large guild members used to say that to me right before they died. They'd block a dungeon entrance and tell me to get lost because they'd spare my life. They called that a 'good deal.' Are you guys out of your minds?"
"That's not what we meant!"
"Then what did you mean?"
Tae-hyun drew his weapon. Seeing this, Choi Sang-yun and Cain exchanged glances and drew their weapons behind him.
To think a famous player like Kim Tae-hyun would openly threaten to PK them in a place watched by thousands of people! The Midas Guild rankers nervously gripped their staffs. They weren't bad at PK, but Tae-hyun was simply an anomaly.
"Mr. Kim Tae-hyun. There are many eyes watching. Doing this will only damage your image."
"If you keep running your mouth, it's your account that's going to suffer. I thought you guys might be different since you split from the Guild Alliance, but you play the exact same dirty tricks. No, actually, you've gotten even sleazier. At least the Guild Alliance had the balls to fight; you guys just play media games, huh?" Tae-hyun sneered.
"What, are you going to tell people that the famous ranker Kim Tae-hyun is acting like a thug if I don't accept your deal? Go ahead, tell them. Ha. It's hilarious. I never got threatened like this back in Pan-On 1, but now that I'm famous, everyone wants a piece."
Tae-hyun was genuinely pissed off by their pathetic tricks for the first time in a while.
"Do you think I won't PK you here? I know your accounts are streaming right now, but I don't give a damn. Draw first."
"W-Wait..."
"I said, draw."
The rankers, who hadn't expected Tae-hyun to be this reckless, panicked. At this rate, they would lose everything and just end up humiliated. Should they just patch things up and leave? But looking at Tae-hyun, he seemed completely intent on PK'ing them.
What should we do?
Do we have to fight?
Crazy bastard. How can anyone think of fighting him after seeing that?
Tae-hyun had defeated Uipoatl and Nebuchadnezzar. The shock felt by the players who witnessed it firsthand was immense. How can a human fight that well?! And this was Kim Tae-hyun's territory. With a single gesture, countless players would rush to help him.
"If you don't draw in five seconds, I'm striking first."
"W-Wait..."
"We were wrong! Mr. Kim Tae-hyun, let's make peace!"
"Sure. I'll forgive you after I kill you." Tae-hyun said with a deadpan expression. If they offered up their items nicely, he might forgive them even more!
"Whoa, whoa! Please calm down...!"
"Did you guys only learn how to taunt? You're just begging for it..."
"...What are you doing?"
Lee Se-yeon, who had arrived late, looked at the chaotic scene in bewilderment. The Midas Guild rankers were holding their hands up in front of Tae-hyun, shushing him as if they had encountered a wild beast.
"Isn't that a bit too humiliating?"
"People only realize their mistakes and change after they've been thoroughly humiliated. Just like Cain."
"..."
Lee Se-yeon looked to the side with a complicated expression.
The rankers were kneeling with their hands up, holding a sign.
I am a shameless parasite who tried to steal credit.
The ultimate humiliation!
Though they had already turned off their personal streams, quick-witted viewers had caught on to the situation and were demanding answers.
What's happening with Kim Tae-hyun?!
You're getting beaten up by Kim Tae-hyun right now, aren't you? Bro! Show us the beating! You gotta stream that!
"Anyway, what brings you here?" Tae-hyun stared at Se-yeon with 100% suspicion. Surely she wasn't here to attack the fortress, right?
"To put it bluntly, I need help managing the Asbian Empire."
"...Like, if I hand over this fortress, it'll help you manage the empire...?"
"What are you talking about? Not that. I mean managing the rebellions of the empire's tribes. They get along with you much better than they do with me."
"Ah... so you want me to tag along and give endorsement speeches for you?"
"...T-That's not exactly what I meant."
The nuance completely changed! Tae-hyun fell into thought.
Well, it must be tough for Se-yeon.
How much blood, sweat, and tears did Tae-hyun have to shed just to get the Atali Kingdom running properly? Even after all that, the southern nobles were still acting up. Se-yeon's starting point was several times worse!
Oh, this is a great bargaining position. She's the one who's desperate.
Tae-hyun realized the situation was much better than he thought.
Thud—
"Where is His Majesty Kim Tae-hyun?"
"Ah. We should have talked inside the temple. Why did we have to talk on the fortress wall and attract all these solicitors..." Tae-hyun grumbled. Why were there so many guests today?
"If you're from a large guild or a player asking for rewards I never promised, you'd better turn back right now. Otherwise, I'm throwing you off this wall."
Shiver—
The kneeling Midas rankers trembled in fear.
However, Tae-hyun's guess was wrong.
The ones who appeared were Goblins.
Goblins he had never seen before looked at Tae-hyun and cried out in shrill voices.
"Are you His Majesty Kim Tae-hyun?"
"Yes, I am."
"We came after hearing the rumors, Your Majesty! You are worthy of being the rightful master of the Demonic Sword. You must take the sword and slay all emperors!"
"Death to all emperors!"
"Death to all emperors!"
"..."
At the Goblins' shouts, Lee Se-yeon's expression turned extremely sour.
Surely the 'emperor' you guys are talking about doesn't refer to me, right?