The Cowardly Unicorn
Due to the environment, a massive penalty is applied to the aiming of all ranged skills...
Due to...
True to its nature, the Corrupted Unicorn was absolutely loaded with evasion skills. Just breathing too loudly here would probably make it teleport away instantly.
‘But if it gets close...’
Unicorns were bound to lose their minds when they saw something they liked! If it saw the Raider players with high Infamy stats and fell head over heels, a clear opening would definitely present itself.
‘Come on!’
Ptu!
But the Corrupted Unicorn simply spat on the ground and vanished backward into thin air.
“…….”
“…….”
Carbanog says that's not even close to being enough.
“…Can't we just corrupt a normal unicorn instead?”
“We don't even know how, so when would we…”
“Whew.”
Tae-hyun let out a heavy sigh.
“Well, I suppose it was my mistake to try and get a free ride with other people's help.”
How many quests had he tried to breeze through only to end up doing them the hard way? It was about time he learned. In the end, every quest had to be solved with his own two hands!
Carbanog offers words of comfort.
“Cain. Come out.”
“Gasp… Is it finally time for the bombs?!”
“I-I knew it…! It's a bomb!”
The Raider players behind them gasped in horror. If it was Kim Tae-hyun, there could only be one explanation! He was planning to blow up this entire forest!
‘So freaking cool…!’
“…No, it's not, you absolute psychopaths,” Tae-hyun muttered, staring at the Raiders with pure disgust.
He had always played in a perfectly rational and logical manner. How on earth did he end up with this kind of reputation?
“Huh? It wasn't a self-destruction?”
“Was it not a self-destruction, boss?”
Even Cain and the MC were shocked!
“…Just follow me, you idiot. Ji-su, can you help me out a bit?”
“Yes, Hyung!”
“We need to bring the Tyrum Hunters along too.”
“Okay…”
She looked like she absolutely did not want to bring them along!
Unicorn-type monsters were essentially a version of Tae-hyun with zero attack power. They were escape-specialist monsters with abnormally high evasion! However, just as Tae-hyun would weaken if hit by continuous curses and had to deal with unavoidable curses, the unicorn would be no different.
‘Since it's come to this, I'll use every Authority I have to beat it down by force.’
He would use Divine Foresight to secure the optimal position, and the moment the Corrupted Unicorn entered, he would immediately declare his domain. At the same time, he would summon his slime clone to distract it, then close the distance from behind using Archisus's Charge. After that, whether he used the Spear of Karbanog or…
‘Wait, could the Spear of Karbanog fail to hit? Its evasion is incredibly high…’
Carbanog takes offense! He confidently asserts that a mere unicorn could never block his Authority!
‘Good to know.’
Whether he used the spear or Archisus's Curse, he would bind its feet! Once it was immobilized, they would swarm it from all sides. Besides, Tae-hyun also had Gong-gong.
Spin, spin, spin—
‘The moment it steps in, it's getting hit with a debuff bomb.’
Spin, spin!
‘…I hope this guy actually understood what I said.’
Tae-hyun quickly issued orders to form a tight perimeter once more. His Highest-grade Tactical Skill was as reliable as ever; the buffed containment line divided the forest into a dense grid.
Due to the Highest-grade Tactical Skill, the entire party...
...
“It's not showing up. Should we send the Raider players back in?”
“No. Let's wait rather than provoke it unnecessarily.”
Even before Tae-hyun could finish his sentence, the Corrupted Unicorn revealed itself once more.
The Corrupted Unicorn has revealed itself!
“!”
Everyone present held their breath. The Raider players had failed miserably as bait, but this time, Tae-hyun was here. What kind of performance would Tae-hyun, one of the world's top players, show them?
Gulp.
The sound of someone swallowing hard echoed unusually loud.
‘To think I'd get to see Kim Tae-hyun's skills in person…! I can brag about this for the rest of my life!’
‘If I blink, I might miss it!’
‘I can't believe I'm capturing this on broadcast…’
Just as everyone's thoughts tangled together, the Corrupted Unicorn suddenly began to sprint forward!
“!??”
‘What the?!’
Clip-clop, clip-clop—
The party was stunned. The Corrupted Unicorn, which was supposed to flee on sight at any intruder, was charging straight toward them.
‘Is the Corrupted Unicorn attacking?’
‘Don't unicorns have almost zero offensive capabilities?’
‘Maybe a corrupted one is different…?’
The Corrupted Unicorn falls in love with your Infamy stat!
You are the Avatar of Archisus! The Corrupted Unicorn is deeply moved by your great achievements!
Your Holy stat is extremely high! The Corrupted Unicorn...
...
Swoosh—
The Corrupted Unicorn skidded to a halt right in front of Tae-hyun, quickly darted its tongue out, and licked his hand. Then, as if acting cute, it shook its head with a soft snort. It was a posture of absolute submission!
The Corrupted Unicorn submits to you as your subordinate!
Your Infamy increases significantly!
‘What did I even do…!’
The reputation of the Archisus Church increases significantly!
The Corrupted Unicorn's name has changed to 'Corrupted Unicorn'!
'Corrupted Unicorn' is one of the continent's most notorious demonic beasts, its fame passed down since ancient times. Evil beings will look upon your mount with envy!
'Corrupted Unicorn' is highly cowardly and possesses almost no combat capabilities, but its ability to escape is incredibly powerful.
...
“…….”
-…….
[…….]
Tae-hyun stared at the message window with a lukewarm expression. Despite its grand reputation, the Corrupted Unicorn was surprisingly useless. Of course, he hadn't come here to get a mount, but to get its horn…
‘Above all, being cowardly is a pretty serious issue.’
If it was going to travel with Tae-hyun, what good was a coward? Sure, he understood its escape capabilities were top-tier, but…
‘Isn't this just a downgraded version of me?’
Carbanog agrees.
No matter how good the Corrupted Unicorn was at running away, it could never outrun Tae-hyun! Armed with his absurd Luck stat and various stolen Authorities, Tae-hyun's survival capabilities were unmatched by anyone.
- "Welcome aboard, Unicorn. I am the Black Dragon, Heuk-heuk. You had better serve me well."
Heuk-heuk had already slithered over to the unicorn, putting on airs. He was determined to show this newcomer exactly who was boss!
The Corrupted Unicorn flinched in surprise, then lowered its head.
- "Fufu. Yes. Exactly like th—"
Thud!
And a headbutt!
As it turned out, the Corrupted Unicorn had only lowered its head to build up momentum.
- "How dare this punk—?!"
- *Pffft-hehehe!*
Watching the two bicker, Tae-hyun felt utterly bewildered.
‘Didn't the system say it was cowardly?’
Carbanog guesses that even a coward would find Sadiq's demonic beast an easy target.
‘…….’
He was starting to feel genuinely sorry for Sadiq now…?!
“Well. Sure. I guess there's no harm in having it around.”
Giving up on finding a practical use for the Corrupted Unicorn, Tae-hyun beckoned it over.
“Come here.”
- *Whinny!*
The unicorn trotted over excitedly.
“Let me borrow your horn for a second.”
- *Whinny?*
*Pop!*
- *Screeech!*
The Corrupted Unicorn was startled, but Tae-hyun was a step faster.
You have pulled out the Corrupted Unicorn's Horn!
- *Snort! Snort! Snort!*
The Corrupted Unicorn stomped its front hooves in sheer outrage.
Carbanog relays that he is cursing you, calling this a stunt worthy of Sadiq.
‘Trying to shake my resolve with that kind of insult? You've got a long way to go.’
Meanwhile, a welcome message window popped up.
The Primordial Flame
You have gathered all the materials required for the Primordial Flame!
Blacksmiths who have reached the pinnacle can handle stronger flames, and those who transcend that boundary can wield a fraction of the Primordial Flame that has existed since the dawn of the world. The Primordial Flame is a powerful fire capable of melting any metal! The dwarf Bekelf, an outstanding blacksmith despite his garbage personality, can handle a fraction of the Primordial Flame. However, to complete the Primordial Flame, powerful materials are required. Gather the following materials to complete the Primordial Flame!
✓ Black Dragon's Scale
✓ Corrupted Unicorn's Horn
✓ Siren's Tear
✓ Phoenix's Feather
‘Ohhh…!’
Tae-hyun's eyes sparkled at the welcome message. Finally, he could install the Primordial Flame in the Sky Castle!
‘I need to melt down the Adamantium right away and craft the set items.’
Adamantium Armor! Adamantium Gauntlets! Adamantium Boots! Adamantium Handkerchief!
Carbanog tells you to snap out of it!
‘Don't worry, Carbanog. I'm perfectly sane.’
Tae-hyun looked at the unicorn. If he rode it, it would probably just run away on its own whenever it felt like it…
‘Is using it like Towang-i the answer after all?’
Towang-i had no combat abilities, but its utility outside of combat was exceptional. In that sense, the unicorn was also an outstanding mount!
‘Well, it's not like I can carry someone on my back when I'm running away, so maybe this isn't too bad.’
Tae-hyun found it absurd himself, but the onlookers were even more flabbergasted. They had never seen a unicorn approach someone so easily! The players who knew just how notoriously difficult it was to capture a unicorn were the ones struggling the most to accept reality.
The players were in utter chaos! Regardless of their confusion, Tae-hyun's party leisurely prepared to depart.
“W-Wait, Player Kim Tae-hyun! Just a moment! Please explain what just happened… Oh no! He's flying away!”
“P-Player Kim Tae-hyun!”
Just as agreed beforehand, Tae-hyun coolly departed the moment the quest was over!
“R-Reinforcements have arrived!”
“What? Really?!”
The Woodstock Guild Leader gasped in surprise. Tae-hyun had actually sent reinforcements?!
‘Kim Tae-hyun…! I'm sorry for doubting you!’
“What did I tell you? Kim Tae-hyun might seem like he has a nasty temper on the outside, but…”
“Isn't his temper actually nasty in reality too?”
“Shut up! Don't jinx it!”
The Archisus Church joins the siege!
The Zealots of Archisus join the siege!
“Look at this!”
“Oh…”
“This is a seriously legitimate force, isn't it?”
“Is Kim Tae-hyun actually looking out for our Guild Leader? I mean, why would he? What does he see in him?”
“Right?”
“…….”
Woodstock gritted his teeth and shouted.
“Just get out there and spread the news to the players!”
“Yes, sir!”
‘Wait. Where was the Demon's Forge again?’
It sounded incredibly familiar.
Regardless of Woodstock's musings, the players' reaction was ecstatic. Kim Tae-hyun had actually sent reinforcements!
“If Kim Tae-hyun sent support, it means this siege is winnable, right?”
“Of course! There's no other reason.”
The mere mention of Tae-hyun's name brought back the parties that had been abandoning the siege! Vitality surged back into the siege that had been on the verge of disbanding.
“It's boiling hot out here, I hope we finish this quickly.”
“It's fine at night, but during the day, we're literally roasting alive…”
The players thought the reinforcements stopped there. However, the reinforcements had only just begun.
“The warrior order is entering! They've arrived at the west gate! Let's go watch!”
“By the way, what kind of NPCs are these?”
“Who knows? A holy order of knights? Either way, they can't be bad guys! That's all that matters!”
“True!”