A Valley of Miracles

"What are you all doing? Aren't you coming? We have monsters to hunt. The Shadow Elves are waiting."

"Ah! Of course we're coming, Cain!"

"Yeah, that's right! Cain!"

"We're friends, right, Cain?"

The moment they came to their senses, the raid party members immediately tried to cozy up to him! Of course, there was no way Cain would reply with a cheerful, "Of course we're friends!"

"Are you insane? You guys were literally trying to hang me and burn me alive a second ago!"

"...Forget about that! Here, let me carry your bags!"

"Aren't your arms heavy? Rest them on my shoulders!"

"W-what is wrong with you people? Get off me! Get off! I said get off!"

A sudden, overwhelming wave of affection for Cain! The raid party members exchanged glances. ...First, let's survive!

Looking at the message window, Tae-hyun had to choke back a wave of deep emotion. Was this... was this what a real, functioning territory looked like?

It had been such a long journey. How much time had passed since he first received The Valley?

He had built all kinds of Archisus facilities on a completely ruined wasteland, manipulated people into constructing stone walls and defensive structures...

And on top of that, he had gathered and recruited all sorts of different races...

The territory he had painstakingly nurtured, scraping together every single penny, was finally showing explosive growth.

Gold was pouring in like crazy! What made it even more incredible was that this gold was being generated with almost zero territorial taxes.

Just from the usage fees of various facilities in the territory and the profits paid by merchants, money was rolling in simply because of the sheer number of high-level players.

And on top of that, the mirror usage fees!

Those bastards in the Guild Alliance... How did they manage to ruin themselves when they were making this much gold?

Although Auston Kingdom's condition had deteriorated significantly due to the civil war, it was never a ruined wasteland like The Valley. It still had several prosperous cities!

If they had just managed those places properly, gold would have poured in...

Tae-hyun ignored it.

If they had just focused on domestic affairs, they would have lived comfortably. Why did they have to expand so aggressively...

Payday is but a fleeting shadow! Before Tae-hyun could even finish his thought, the newly earned gold began to vanish as quickly as it had arrived.

Tae-hyun immediately reflected on his words. Whew. Right. The Guild Alliance must have gone through the exact same thing. After all, the more you earn, the more you spend...

Actually, that wasn't true. Because the Guild Alliance collected much higher taxes and even received cash investments, they didn't struggle just from construction alone. The real reason the Guild Alliance went bankrupt was their army!

Having recruited so many NPCs only to throw them all into a meat grinder, it was only natural that they accumulated a massive deficit.

The Art Gallery, which he filled up every time he plundered spoils! It was becoming the core building of the territory, providing massive buffs without costing him a single penny.

...Let me think about it a bit more.

Once all the gold drained away, Tae-hyun actually felt relieved. Well, whatever, I didn't expect much in the first place! As long as the territory's population and facilities increase, I'm satisfied! Right now, The Valley was growing at an unprecedented rate.

Countless players were visiting, the Sky Castle above was casting buffs, and various growth buffs were active. If things kept going like this, who would dare call it "that cursed Valley" anymore!

I should go to the King of Erance to receive the quest rewards and get additional compensation for opening the passage. I'm definitely not going back to the Demon Realm.

A swift cut-off. While exploring and developing the Demon Realm further wasn't a bad idea, Tae-hyun decided to give up on it. Honestly, even if he did nothing, all kinds of demons would find their way here anyway...

Before I go, I should prepare the Archisus Artillery again. It's a shame the Giants are missing, but they'll be back soon...

The Giants were currently fighting hard in the Demon Realm alongside Cain, but the rest of the Artillery remained in the territory. Along with the new demons to put in the cages!

At the cages Tae-hyun brought, the Artillery Dwarves marveled.

"Archisus must truly be a magnificent god! To design such a prison!"

"The next era is the era of hell energy emitted by demons! He must have foreseen such a future!"

The Dwarves showered praise upon Archisus's foresight! Pogalo, the Great Demon of Eloquence, looked at Tae-hyun in utter bewilderment.

"I... I did everything you asked, didn't I?"

"Yes, yes. Come along, you demon bastard!"

Without even waiting for Tae-hyun's reply, the excited Dwarves dragged Pogalo away.

"Did you trick me, Avatar of Archisus?!"

"Everyone tricks everyone! We'll treat you real well, buddy! Kehehe!"

The Dwarves dragged Pogalo with sheer excitement. With the new cages, their demonic energy output would multiply several times over.

"Pogalo. I don't particularly plan on killing you... but I can't let you go either."

"What do you mean by that?!"

"Because if Furneus finds you, both of us will be in danger."

When Pogalo had approached Furneus, Tae-hyun had transformed into Edaor and attacked. He had also forcibly seized the items Pogalo possessed.

If the acting had worked perfectly, Furneus wouldn't suspect Pogalo. However, in the midst of it all, Pogalo had managed to survive without taking a single hit. Furneus might get suspicious! And if Pogalo were caught by Furneus, would he remain loyal? Of course not; he would spill everything from A to Z.

"I-if that's the case, you don't have to lock me up! I can just stay by your side!"

"That has its own problems."

What if one of Furneus's subordinate demons came to visit Tae-hyun and spotted Pogalo? Huh? Why is that guy here? They would immediately become suspicious. To pull off a perfect act, one had to be thorough at all times. In other words... he had to keep him locked in a cage!

"As expected of Your Majesty! No one is as deep-thinking and meticulous in planning as you!"

"Kehehe... Thank you so much for the new demon. We can increase the number of cannons now!"

No matter what Tae-hyun said, the Dwarves were just thrilled to have a new demon! Pogalo resisted, but he was no match for the rough, powerful grip of the Dwarves.

"No, wait. If that's the case, you don't need to drain my energy, right—argh!"

"If we don't drain it, you bastards will just try to escape!"

The Dwarves snapped back. Pogalo shrieked as his energy was ruthlessly sucked away.

Meanwhile, the demon in the adjacent cage bowed politely.

"Respected Dwarf elders."

"Ah, Gusion. Did you sleep well?"

"Yes. Is it not all thanks to the wonderful treatment of the Dwarf elders?"

A demon behaving with absolute politeness! Pogalo was utterly horrified by the demon's spineless, subservient voice. To think ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠such a demon existed in this world! Just how low-grade of a demon was he...!

"Are you not ashamed to call yourself a demon—w-wait, wait a minute?!"

Pogalo froze mid-sentence. The appearance of the demon in that cage was far too familiar. Could it... could it be...?

Gusion, the son of Demon Duke Gusirek?!

What on earth was Gusion, a great archdemon so powerful he was feared as the Demon of Ruin, doing here of all places?!

"How dare this bastard!"

"What do you think you're saying to our Gusion!"

The Dwarves, thoroughly enraged, splashed holy water on Pogalo and whipped him with a blessed lash. The Artillery Dwarves were absolute experts at handling demons!

"Argh! It burns! It burns! You damn Dwarves! Do you think you'll get away with this!"

Gusion smiled warmly at the sight. Since that guy is so full of energy, he'll plow a lot of fields for me—no, he'll get his energy drained in my place!

"Look at how lively this one is. He looks like a hard worker!"

"Just like the Dwarf proverb says..."

Even while being thrashed, Pogalo screamed.

"Lord Gusion! Snap out of it! You are not someone who should be subjected to this!"

"This bastard is still at it! Stop talking nonsense to our Gusion!"

No matter how much Pogalo cried out, Gusion didn't budge. The sight of a Demon Duke's son behaving so politely! It was a scene that would have left even angels utterly speechless.

Players stepping into The Valley for the first time were utterly astounded. Dozens of buff notification windows popped up!

On top of that, if they wandered around the territory to receive additional buffs from the temples, or visited the Art Gallery to collect various buffs, their stats would easily double.

Buffs of this caliber were practically impossible to experience under normal circumstances. Usually, one would have to participate in a quest involving an Archbishop of a major order to get a taste of such power!

"W-with buffs like these, I think we could actually survive in the Demon Realm."

"Right...?"

The sheer quantity of buffs was so overwhelming that even players who had no intention of going to the Demon Realm began to seriously reconsider, thinking, Whoa, with this, maybe we stand a chance?

And the ones who were the most shocked were the members of the Guild ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Alliance.

"……."

"...T-this is insane..."

"How on earth did that bastard Kim Tae-hyun manage this territory?!"

Even the capital city of the Guild Alliance, into which they had poured hundreds of thousands of gold, wasn't anywhere near this level.

Everyone knew how crucial buff-granting facilities were for players. Naturally, the Guild Alliance had also placed various artworks all over their territory and established temples of their own order...

Yet, their buffs couldn't even begin to compare! They couldn't comprehend what kind of crazy stunts had been pulled in this territory to stack buffs to this degree. Did he drug the land or something?!

"So this is the territory of the King of Atali."

"I can feel an auspicious energy radiating from beyond. It is indeed fitting for the territory of such an honorable king. Hahaha."

"????"

Honor? Honorable? Hearing the conversation between the noble NPCs participating in the Erance Kingdom Expedition, the Guild Alliance members felt their minds go completely blank.

Hey! Do you even know where this is?! This is "that cursed Valley"! To look at a cursed wasteland and call it "auspicious" and "sacred."

Furthermore, the way they treated Su Ning, the King of Auston Kingdom, and his noble subordinates was completely different.

"You traitorous bas—ah, I mean, Your Majesty, King of Auston Kingdom!"

"What brings you here, you traitorous piece of—cough, I mean, Your Majesty!"

Even though the nobles gathered from Erance Kingdom spat out such insults, the Guild Alliance endured it. Because they had to get their rewards!

But seeing those same nobles come here and shower Tae-hyun with praise, calling him an honorable hero, made them feel incredibly wronged.

How is Kim Tae-hyun a hero?!

Some of those items in that Art Gallery are stolen treasures from our kingdom...!

It was so unfair and dirty! The faces of the Guild Alliance members turned a colorful shade of red and blue.

Just then, Tae-hyun and the NPCs of the Archisus Church could be seen in the distance. They had come out to welcome the Erance Kingdom Expedition.

"Your Majesty!"

"It is such an honor to meet you like this!"

"To think you defeated the demons in the Demon Realm and even established a fortress...!"

"And we heard you even found a path to the Demon Realm. You are truly on a different level compared to *certain* people! Hahaha!"

I must endure...! Su Ning attempted deep abdominal breathing to control his mental state. Do not waver, my mind!