Just a Walk in the Park

"Well, it was no big deal," Tae-hyun replied nonchalantly. Was it any surprise that the noble NPCs were cheering and wild with excitement? They did this every single day; there was absolutely nothing to be shocked about! His casual attitude only made the Guild Alliance members seethe with jealousy. My stomach... my stomach hurts from pure envy...

"I barely did anything. My subordinates did all the work." To be fair, this was half-true. After all, who had actually built the fortress?

"And so humble, too! As expected of Your Majesty... Unlike a certain traitor, cough, a certain someone..."

"I truly hope a certain someone feels a shred of shame watching this! Not that I'm specifically referring to a traitor or anything..."

The noble NPCs stole glances at Su Ning. Seeing this, Tae-hyun realized, Ah. The 'traitor' they're talking about is Su Ning. I thought they were talking about me!

Me too. Come to think of it, Tae-hyun was someone who had ascended to the throne by catching a traitor, whereas Su Ning was someone who had directly chased the king out to take over. There was a slight difference! Well, we both basically look like traitors, but... since they're looking at me favorably, I'll just keep my mouth shut.

"Su Ning." "Kim Tae-hyun." The two giants of Pan-On locked eyes. The guild members tensed, their faces hardening. The atmosphere was so suffocating it felt as if their breath would stop just from watching! What kind of conversation was about to unfold?

Our guild leader wouldn't lose his mind and pick a fight, right?If we fight Kim Tae-hyun here, even the Erangs Kingdom bastards will take his side.Surely our guild leader wouldn't do that? I mean, his mental state has been a bit touch-and-go lately, but still... Su Ning's credibility had truly hit rock bottom.

"It's been a while since we last met. How have you been?" "I would have been doing great if it weren't for a certain someone," Su Ning replied, grinding his teeth. You signed a peace treaty and then completely cleaned out my mine?! In that moment, Su Ning looked up at the castle floating in the sky. Just how much did this bastard plunder...?!

"Hey, the Salz Kingdom lost their mine and was practically begging me for help. How could I just sit back and do nothing? My hands were tied," Tae-hyun lied shamelessly. He claimed he had no choice because of a quest! Of course, he hadn't received any such quest, but details like that didn't matter.

"I'm sure you were." "Su Ning, you're not mad, right? Right?" "I'm not mad." "Are you really not mad?" "I said I'm not mad!"

Guild leader...Please, save some face...! Countless players were watching them right now! Su Ning glared at Tae-hyun and spoke.

"Are you even allowed to be here when you're playing in the league? Shouldn't you be preparing for your next match?" "Of course I'm preparing for it while doing this," Tae-hyun said, lying through his teeth without batting an eye. But he looked so incredibly confident that everyone actually believed him.

Wow. He's actually preparing.Well, he completely crushed them in the first match, so of course he's preparing. His slacking off must have been a deceptive strategy. When the results are good, the process gets beautifully packaged. Tae-hyun was the textbook definition of this phenomenon. Because his performance was so overwhelmingly dominant, all his past complacency was now being reinterpreted as, Wow, that must have been a strategy all along! If they had lost, the media would have been flooded with headlines like "Team KL, Underestimating the League."

"By the way, Su Ning. If you happened to be a fan of the Shanghai Pandas, I'm kind of sorry about what happened." "I... I am not a fan of the Shanghai Pandas." Huh? Wasn't he a Shanghai Pandas fan? Just during the Shanghai Pandas' match, hadn't he been shouting, "Go, Shanghai Pandas! A scrim is just a scrim!"?

"Ah, really? Well, since there are so many Chinese teams, you wouldn't necessarily be a Shanghai Pandas fan. Then are you a fan of the Hong Kong Gladiators?" "W-what kind of nonsense is that...!" Su Ning practically jumped out of his skin. Currently, there were over five Chinese teams in the Arena League. Considering there were only twenty teams in the first division, it showed just how much the Chinese esports scene had grown. In comparison, South Korea had only four teams (though four first-division teams from a single country was still a lot)! It was no exaggeration to say that the United States and China, backed by massive capital, were leading the Pan-On League. Naturally, Chinese fans cheered for and supported all Chinese teams... with one exception. The Hong Kong Gladiators! With ongoing anti-China protests in Hong Kong, the players of the Hong Kong Gladiators had released a statement supporting Hong Kong. Claiming to be their fan could lead to massive misunderstandings! Especially now, when the Guild Alliance was barely surviving thanks to generous investments from Chinese corporations...

"Why would you think I'm a Hong Kong Gladiators fan?!" Su Ning reacted several times more violently than before. Was this bastard trying to get him killed?! "Oh? I just asked about the first team that popped into my head." "..." "Then whose fan are you?" "I am, uh, well, yes, a fan of the Beijing Fighters." It was a rushed answer, but not a bad one. Among the Chinese teams, the Beijing Fighters possessed the most solid roster, had performed well in friendly matches, and had won their first game. They were a reliably strong team!

"Hmm... I see. Got it." "...Why did you ask? Are you planning to go easy on them when you face them?" "Oh, no. I just asked without thinking. Actually, now that I think about it, I don't even know why I asked." "..." Would it kill you to say something nice for once? Su Ning gave up on continuing the conversation. He knew from multiple painful experiences that he was always the one who ended up losing whenever he talked to Tae-hyun.

"Hmph. You'd better not get too greedy when we go to the Demon Realm. You'll have to keep logging off because of the tournament, but we can dedicate all our time to the quests." "That's right, Kim Tae-hyun! None of our starting members are playing in the league!" "...Y-yeah. Good for you guys." Tae-hyun gave them a look of genuine pity for the first time. Su Ning internally cursed the guild member who had just opened his mouth. You absolute idiot...! Is that something to brag about?!

"And I think there's been a misunderstanding. I'm not going to the Demon Realm." "...?" "What?" The Guild Alliance members flinched. They had naturally assumed that Tae-hyun would participate in the expedition as the King of the Atali Kingdom. Wasn't that why he had revealed the portal created by that rare artifact in the first place?

"I need to manage my territory. I've neglected it for so long that there's a mountain of things to do." From managing territory construction to overseeing the Archisus Church and dealing with the church's heroes, every time he completed a massive quest, his to-do list piled up. He had automated some of it by delegating tasks to the church NPCs, but even that had its limits! Besides, Tae-hyun's territory was incredibly... eccentric. With all kinds of races gathering there, trouble was bound to brew! Every other day, a quest like this would pop up.

On top of that, he had to prepare for potential demon invasions, so he needed to defend his territory for a while.

"Y-you're really not going?" Su Ning was bewildered. He should have felt relieved that a powerful competitor was out of the picture, but... he felt strangely uneasy! Ugh... this bastard is annoying whether he goes or not! He had been so sure Tae-hyun would go, but hearing that he wasn't going made him anxious in a completely different way.

"Good luck, Su Ning! Give it your all in the Demon Realm!" "...Y-yeah, thanks." Su Ning walked away with a lukewarm feeling, not knowing whether he had won or lost. He had originally planned to say, "Let's see who comes out on top in the Demon Realm!" but...!

"Uuuhhh, sob, sob..." "Ah, stop crying already." "D-do you, as my knight, have no consideration for my feelings?!" "...I did everything I was supposed to do in the Demon Realm, okay?!" Cain grabbed the 4th Prince by the collar with his six arms—a feat only possible because of his multiple limbs!

"Do you have any idea how much I suffered because of you?!" "B-but you are my escort knight, so naturally..." "You bastard, is that your excuse? Hey! Nothing in this world is natural, you punk! Just try bringing back another weird quest and see what happens." Cain fumed. Currently, the 4th Prince and Cain were returning to the Valley from Erangs Kingdom. Ah! The sweet, fragrant air of the Central Continent! The air itself was completely different from the Demon Realm!

A cascading waterfall of level-up messages! Excluding Tae-hyun, everyone in his party gained an astronomical amount of levels every time they cleared a major quest. This was especially true for someone like Cain, who had been dragged through the mud the most! It wasn't for nothing that they had all entered the ranks of high-level players.

Phew. This is the stuff. Cain closed his eyes, basking in the satisfaction of the message window. Following Tae-hyun around was incredibly exhausting, but the rewards were always guaranteed. While other top-tier rankers struggled to level up, Cain could experience a massive growth spurt just by tagging along on Tae-hyun's quests. If I keep going like this, I might even be able to aim for the absolute top-tier rankers...!

Cain left the temple alongside the 4th Prince, who was still weeping tears of gratitude. The atmosphere of the Archisus Temple, where the mirror was located, was strangely tense. Huge cages and prison cells could be seen here and there... It looked as if they were preparing to capture someone! What was that about? Eh, whatever. Let's get out of here quickly and claim our rewards.

Upon stepping outside, they saw the expeditionary force of the Erangs Kingdom. High nobles who had brought their own knight orders, high-ranking holy knights from various churches summoned by their call, and bishop NPCs. The sheer scale of the lineup was breathtaking just to look at.

"Uh, where is His Majesty the King?" "What are you talking about? There is no way my father would participate in an expedition. Naturally, he would be at the royal palace." "Ah." Seeing the 4th Prince's look of utter disbelief, Cain had an epiphany. Come to think of it, why ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠on earth would a king participate in such a dangerous expedition unless he was insane! Kim Tae-hyun has completely warped my perception of common sense...!

"...But why are you participating?" "Ahem... what's past is... huh?" The 4th Prince trailed off, his expression turning to one of bewilderment. He had spotted some familiar faces ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠in the distance. "W-wait, brothers?" "Hmph...!" The 2nd Prince and the 3rd Prince were both part of the expeditionary force. The moment they saw the 4th Prince, they turned their heads away as if they couldn't stand the sight of him! Cain felt a strange sense of kinship watching them. Why do those guys feel so familiar to me...? Ah! They were forced to participate even though they didn't want to!

"Because of your useless thirst for glory, we had to...!" "You tactless fool!" "Wait, what did I even do?" The 4th Prince was flabbergasted. Why were they acting like this?

When Tae-hyun sent an envoy to report, "I have built a fortress and secured the passage alongside the 4th Prince," the King of the Erangs Kingdom was absolutely overjoyed.

-Behold! The King of Atali has achieved yet another great feat. Not only did he bring back the antidote that no one else could retrieve, but he has also ventured into the perilous Demon Realm and accomplished another great deed! Where else on this continent could one find such a hero!

-Father. The King of Atali is a greedy and barbaric man.

-Oh, my son, Thomas, the 2nd Prince, who fled the royal palace out of fear of catching the poison when I was afflicted. What did you just say?

-...It is nothing, Father.

The King of the Erangs Kingdom, true to his royal nature, held a massive grudge. He harbored deep resentment toward his children who had fled the palace out of fear of contagion when he was poisoned by the demon's venom! He had been so disappointed that he had even mentioned adopting Tae-hyun as his foster son. Of course, the princes had nearly lost their minds and immediately blocked that idea from ever leaving the palace walls. It was an absolutely unacceptable, insane proposition.

-And Prince Cain, the 4th Prince, is also truly commendable.

-Hmph. He was undoubtedly carried by the King of Atali.

-Relying on the strength of his escort knights...

-Then you two should be able to show me your own capabilities.

-Pardon?

-If it is so easy, surely you two can do it as well, yes?

-A-ah, no. Father. Wait... just a moment...!

When someone was angry, one had to watch their mouth. A single wrong word could end up shifting the blame onto them. The perfect examples of this were the 2nd Prince and the 3rd Prince! They were already in deep trouble over the antidote incident, and by badmouthing Tae-hyun, they had dug their graves even deeper. As a result, they had been forced to join the expedition! Of course, it wasn't a small vanguard; they were traveling with a massive force of high-level knights, holy knights, and bishops, and a fortress had already been established, so it wasn't exceptionally dangerous. Compared to the 4th Prince's situation, they were in a much better position. However, there was no way the pampered princes would be satisfied with such a fate! After hearing the explanation, the 4th Prince and Cain looked at each other.

"...They brought this on themselves, didn't they?" "W-what did you say? How dare a lowly commoner like you...! Where do you get off running your mouth with such an ugly appearance!" "...Y-you bastard, attacking someone's ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠face like that is playing dirty!" Cain fumed, completely forgetting about the extra ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠arms dangling from his back. His face was already a major source of insecurity!

"I don't think he was talking about your face... Brothers! What is the meaning of this rudeness toward my knight?!" "Shut up! This is all because of you!" "Not only did you tactlessly step forward, but you actually went and achieved merit there! You thoughtless fool!" At the continuous stream of abuse, the 4th Prince's other knights also seemed to take offense. Though few in number, they were knights who served the 4th Prince with absolute loyalty! There was no way they would stand by and watch such insults.

"It's fine. Hold back." "Sir Cain! But..." "They aren't even worth dealing with." I haven't received my rewards yet, so there's no reason to pick a fight with high-ranking NPCs of the Erangs Kingdom. Cain stopped the knights with that thought. He didn't care about the insults the 4th Prince received; his only goal was to avoid starting a fight before he got his rewards.

"Ugh..." "How dare a lowly, hideous creature act so noble... Just you wait!" The 2nd Prince and the 3rd Prince stormed off in a huff.

"What insolent people! Sir Cain, even if they are princes, they have crossed the line this time!" "Don't worry! I have a plan." "Ah, what kind of plan...?" "I'm going to tattle to Kim Tae-hyun!" "..." "..." "What? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"You