The Vanguard of the Demon Realm
The party fell silent for a moment.
"Hmm... I see. So Cain, you'll be away from us for a while."
"Noooooo!"
Cain quickly threw himself forward and grabbed Tae-hyun by the ankles. Throwing oneself into danger in a disadvantageous situation—that was the mark of a true tank! Of course, there was absolutely nothing cool about the way Cain did it.
"Go with me! Please!"
"No way. The Demon Realm is a bit... Honestly, I don't know about anyone else, but if I go there, the difficulty of the subjugation will skyrocket several times over."
Tae-hyun did plan on going to the Demon Realm eventually. After all, he had an Archisus-related quest waiting for him there.
Declare the Return
The great and benevolent god Archisus is a deity who dedicated himself to the order and balance of the world. The demons, who were deeply decei—cough, deeply purified by Archisus, fear and hate his very name. Archisus does not fear evil, nor does he hide from it! He is a god who marches toward evil and exploits it! Go forth to the Demon Realm and declare your return!
📍 Location: Demon Realm
🎁 Reward: ?, ???, Authority of Archisus
Because his Infamy and Terror stats in the Demon Realm had soared so high, and his Holy stat had grown so strong, he had actually received a quest telling him to go to the Demon Realm and declare, "Archisus has returned!"
The quest description made it look incredibly simple, but Tae-hyun wasn't fooled. The reward was an Authority, so there was no way it would be easy! Whenever a quest seemed too simple but offered amazing rewards, one had to be suspicious.
The moment I step foot in there, it wouldn't be surprising if every single demon came clawing for my throat.
He had to expect at least that much.
With that in mind, Tae-hyun couldn't easily bring himself to head to the Demon Realm. Although he could get there by climbing the World Tree, he had put it off for a while to clear other Authority quests first.
Come to think of it, if it weren't for the World Tree, this quest wouldn't even have triggered...
To think the World Tree he had grown without much thought would bring about such a butterfly effect.
"If a subjugation force gathers to invade the Demon Realm, they only have to worry about the demons on that specific floor. But if I go, demons from other floors will swarm in just to settle their grudges. Get it?"
"Ugh... but going alone is terrifying."
Going alone on a Legendary-grade quest like a Demon Realm subjugation was terrifying. No matter how Cain looked at it, he was plagued by the anxiety that the quest would fail! Who could possibly fill Tae-hyun's shoes?
"Come on, they're gathering mages and paladins like crazy..."
"They gathered people like that for Nevuchadnezzar too, but they would've failed if you hadn't been there."
"True."
"And the same goes for Uipoatl."
"True."
"Then isn't there a high chance this Demon Realm subjugation quest will end up the same way?"
"...!"
Wait, did Cain just use a syllogism?!
"Well, it might be easier... And from what I heard, you don't have to kill anything. You just need to go, scout, and hold out. You don't even have to fight a boss monster."
"No! I have a bad feeling about this."
"What kind of feeling?"
"A feeling that if I go as the vanguard, the main force will somehow get delayed, leaving me and whatever stragglers are left to face the boss monster alone..."
"..."
It was oddly specific, but Tae-hyun couldn't deny it. Cain was notoriously unlucky in these kinds of situations.
"Can't I just decline?"
"Even if the 4th Prince seems like an easy target and a pushover, he'll make things incredibly annoying for you if you bail. First off, the Reputation you built up in the Erance Kingdom will go down the drain, your contribution points will vanish... and doing anything in the Erance Kingdom will become a massive pain. Plus, your Infamy might rise a bit in the Atali Kingdom too."
If you made a knightly oath and then ignored the summon, nothing good would come of it. Even in Tae-hyun's own Atali Kingdom, people would whisper as they passed by, 'Hey, look, that's Cain, the oathbreaker.' This was exactly why one should never co-sign a loan or make oaths lightly.
"Argh... That prince...! I only swore an oath to him because our names sounded similar and he seemed friendly, and now he stabs me in the back like this?!"
It sounded like an incredibly dangerous mission. According to rumors circulating the Erance royal court, the 4th Prince was set to lead the vanguard on what was practically a suicidal scouting mission.
And who else could that knight be? It was obviously Cain.
The other party members whispered among themselves.
"No matter how I look at it, didn't Cain put those ideas in his head?"
"I'd cast my vote for that too."
"I mean, what else would a useless prince rely on to pull a stunt like this? He definitely did it because he believed in Cain."
"Hmm... leaving Cain all by himself really does make me a bit anxious, though."
Tae-hyun fell into thought. Even though Cain was a high-ranking ranker, that didn't mean he was entirely reliable. There was always this nagging feeling that he would somehow mess up! Besides, this quest looked dangerous even for a top-tier ranker. Acting as the vanguard in the Demon Realm with only a small squad and no main force? On top of that, Cain was deeply associated with Archisus. If the demons found out, they would line up for a piece of him.
— "The chance to tear that slave of Archisus limb from limb has finally come! Line up!"
— "I, Edaor! I shall be at the very front!"
— "Out of the way! I lost two of my subordinates to that bastard!"
— "Will you all get lost?! My own son is being worked like a dog by him!"
They had truly built up a diverse and stacked pile of grudges.
"Sigh. Fine. We just shouldn't get caught."
"R-Really?!"
The moment he executed the declaration quest, he would have to run away as fast as possible, so he planned to delay it for as long as he could. They would quietly slip into the Demon Realm like innocent, clueless knights, and quietly hold out!
"...Was it rude of me to just leave?"
"No way, unni! Someone of your status is totally allowed to do that! Just look at the name of the sword that suspicious guy made! It's literally called Uipoatl's Regret!"
"Now that I think about it, the timing makes it seem like he was targeting Uipoatl... but there's no way he could have forged a sword like that on the spot."
Lee Se-yeon's reasoning was logical. The other guild members agreed.
"True, it's a bit of a stretch to say he was targeting you, Guild Master."
"But Kim Tae-hyun is always up to something suspicious."
"Exactly. For some reason, it feels like he's totally capable of doing that."
If some random guy came up and said, "In twenty-four hours, I'm going to raid your guild house, empty your guild warehouse, and force your Guild Master to log out," they would have dismissed it as utter nonsense. But if Kim Tae-hyun said it? ...He might actually do it! That was the power of Tae-hyun—he gave weight to even the most absurd statements.
The countless impossible quests he had completed. The tasks that made others scream, "How is anyone supposed to do this?!" Did completing those kinds of quests bestow some kind of special aura upon a person?
Man, that bastard Kim Tae-hyun. If only he had joined us back in Pan-On 1, we would have conquered the world by now.
Seriously, why did he have to reject the offer...
Honestly, is it because our Guild Master won by sheer luck back then? Maybe she should have just let him win.
What kind of nonsense is that? A win is a win. Who told him to be so unlucky?
These were the thoughts running through the minds of Lee Se-yeon's guild members. If Kim Tae-hyun had accepted their offer in Pan-On 1 and started Pan-On 2 together with them, Lee Se-yeon's guild would have already conquered the game! Numbers wouldn't have mattered. With such a stellar lineup...
Lee Se-yeon was currently agonizing over her options. She had intended to enlist Kim Tae-hyun's help to clean up the absolute mess that was the Asbian Empire, but they had parted on awkward terms due to their recent encounter. Should she ask for his help again? Or not? But if she asked now, it would feel like she was bowing down to him...
Wait, why isn't he contacting me first? Shouldn't he be the one bowing down to me here in the Asbian Empire?
While Lee Se-yeon was lost in these thoughts, one of her guild members let out a gasp.
"Ah."
"...What is it?"
"O-Oh, it's nothing."
The guild member quickly closed their screen, but there was no way Lee Se-yeon would miss it. She immediately opened the Pan-On community boards.
• Team KL Joins the Demon Realm Subjugation Quest!
• Demon Realm Subjugation Success Rate Skyrockets... Experts Say 'Over 60%'
• Is Kim Tae-hyun Aiming to Become a Lord of the Erance Kingdom?
"When on earth did he go back to the Central Continent?!"
"Kim Tae-hyun is participating! I had my doubts, but he really is!"
"Does he just join every single Legendary Quest he sees? Hasn't he skipped only one or two Legendary Quests so far?"
"If Kim Tae-hyun is joining, there must be a reason."
"Definitely... It was the same with Nevuchadnezzar."
The large guilds that had been hesitating to join immediately made up their minds upon hearing the news of Tae-hyun's participation. Anyone who still hesitated after witnessing the Nevuchadnezzar quest would be an absolute fool.
If Kim Tae-hyun is doing it, there's a reason!
That was the latest saying circulating in Pan-On. In the past, when Kim Tae-hyun challenged a Legendary-grade quest, the general consensus was: 'Come on, even if it's Kim Tae-hyun, that's impossible~'
Not too long ago, when he challenged a Legendary-grade quest, the reaction shifted to: 'Well... even if it's Kim Tae-hyun, this is a bit much... Though you never know, maybe it's a fifty-fifty chance.'
And now?
"Let's be honest! We were so green with envy when we missed out on the Nevuchadnezzar quest last time. Besides, this isn't even a quest led by Kim Tae-hyun; it's a massive, large-scale quest. There are plenty of opportunities for us to steal the spotlight."
"He's right!"
Even the guilds that had been meticulously calculating their profit margins immediately decided to participate. Seeing Kim Tae-hyun join gave them the confidence that the quest wouldn't end in an utter disaster. The same went for the Guild Alliance and the Midas Guild, who had been at each other's throats.
"Even if we keep fighting this territory war, won't it just get buried once this subjugation quest starts?"
"Considering the costs of territory wars, we can't take this lightly."
"Ugh... those Midas Guild bastards. I was so dumbfounded when they slyly joined the Nevuchadnezzar quest all by themselves. Do they have no pride?"
"But they were the only ones who profited from it. We can't let that happen again."
Various discussions took place within the Guild Alliance. Of course, the Midas Guild had actually tried to monopolize the quest, failed, and ended up helping Tae-hyun without even realizing it, but the Guild Alliance was unaware of those details. From the outside, it simply looked like they had swallowed their pride and tucked their tails to get on Kim Tae-hyun's good side!
"So you're telling me to make peace with Kim Tae-hyun?"
Su Ning grimaced. He would rather die! Although they were currently in a ceasefire, Su Ning fully intended to fight him again the moment he recovered his strength. How could he ever forget his grudges?
"No, we're just saying we should join the quest. It's not like Kim Tae-hyun is leading it, so what does it matter? Besides, you are the King of the Auston Kingdom, Guild Master Su Ning. Unlike those Midas Guild bastards, you'll receive far better treatment in this quest!"
"Oh...!"
Su Ning's eyes sparkled. Come to think of it, that was true. Participating in the Erance Kingdom's subjugation quest guaranteed rewards, reputation, and high viewership. But the most attractive part was his position within the quest! This was the beauty of having a title. While others had to start from the very bottom, holding the position of a King meant he would receive far greater respect.
"But if we fail, it'll be worse than not participating at all."
"Don't worry, Guild Master. Kim Tae-hyun is involved. Honestly, Kim Tae-hyun is unlucky, rude, has the worst personality in the world, and..."
"...His character is completely trash, he has no respect for anyone, and..."
The guild members took turns passing the baton to trash-talk Tae-hyun.
"...But his eye for quests is undeniable. Has he ever failed one?"
"You're absolutely right! Prepare to participate. This time, our Guild Alliance will take center stage!"
"Ah. But this time, seriously... guys. If things look even slightly off, we're running. Got it?"
Tae-hyun was currently the least confident he had ever been about a quest. If everyone knew what he was actually thinking, they would lose their minds! They had all jumped into the subjugation force, blindly trusting in him, shouting, 'Whoa! It's the Kim Tae-hyun train! Everyone climb aboard!'...
In the distance, the 4th Prince and his royal guards came into view. But something was off.
"Aren't there... way too few of them?"