Out of the Frying Pan, Into the Fire God's Village

"Crawford? He's a ranker mage."

"Really? I feel like I've heard that name somewhere..."

Cain stared at Tae-hyun as if he were looking at a pathetic creature.

"He's the ranker who was there during the Sadiq demonic beast subjugation quest."

"Ah. Was he? Hey, cut me some slack. Do I have to watch every single ranker's stream? Huh?"

"Exactly. It's totally possible not to know!"

Faced with the double-teaming of Tae-hyun and Lee Da-bi, Cain replied with a sour expression.

"...Have you two gotten closer or something?"

"Have we?"

"My annoyance level has doubled."

"Oh, come on. It's only at about three Cains right now."

"Wouldn't it be closer to four Cains?"

Now his very name was being used as a unit of measurement for annoyance! Cain gave up on arguing with the duo and shut his mouth.

If I keep talking, I'll just get dragged into their pace!

Meanwhile, Crawford was rummaging through his inventory and pulling out an item.

"Ah!"

"Th-That's...!"

"It's a scroll!"

The players reacted to Crawford's every single move. Watching them, Tae-hyun muttered,

"He didn't hire those guys to react like that, did he?"

"Your fans react the exact same way whenever you speak, you know?"

"Shut up, fanless loser."

"I-I have fans too!"

"More importantly, what kind of scroll is that?"

Crawford stared at the scroll with a look of deep regret.

This scroll wasn't originally meant to be used in a situation like this.

A Group Teleportation Scroll!

In Pan-On, magic related to teleportation or spatial movement was incredibly expensive and rare.

Add "Group" to it, make it a "Scroll," and the price would naturally skyrocket several times over!

It was a scroll where the seller could practically name their price.

Crawford shook his head.

There are too many players on this ship. This is the perfect time to use it.

Do a good deed, gain some popularity. Crawford decided to use the scroll for the sake of the players on board.

"Don't worry, everyone! I'll use this scroll to perform a group teleportation. We're going straight to the port of the Prica Continent!"

"Ohhh! Crawford! Ohhh!"

"Hurrah for Crawford!"

Hearing Crawford's declaration, Tae-hyun spoke in a low voice.

"Does such a good person actually exist in this world?"

"There are plenty of players like that. He's probably doing it for popularity."

"What? Using a scroll like that just for popularity? Why on earth?"

"Popularity is money, after all."

"If you need money, wouldn't it be better to just shake down other players?"

"And if you do that, you end up accumulating dozens of mortal enemies, just like you have now, Tae-hyun."

"Are you subtly stabbing me while smiling?"

Tae-hyun couldn't find a single word to refute Lee Da-bi's sharp point.

Boom! Crash!

"Sink that ship! Drag every single bastard who falls into the sea and make them kneel before me!"

"Looks like I have to use it now! Activating it immediately!"

As the distance closed and heavy magic ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠spells began crashing down around the ship, Crawford quickly gripped the scroll.

Seeing this, Chairman Yoo asked,

"By the way, I have a question."

"You have questions even in a situation like this?"

"No, it's not that... Didn't you say earlier that flying away was impossible? Then wouldn't escaping with magic also be dangerous? They must have blocked it."

"That's true."

"?!"

Chairman Yoo was flabbergasted by Tae-hyun's casual admission.

"Aren't you going to stop him?"

"Well, it's not my scroll. If it succeeds, great. If it fails, it's still not my scroll."

"..."

He was the polar opposite of Crawford, who was selflessly pulling out a scroll for the other players!

Why on earth is this guy popular?

Chairman Yoo pondered this seriously. No matter how he looked at it, this guy shouldn't be popular, yet he was. Why??

Has the trend changed lately? Is the 'world's nicest guy' out, and the 'world's worst guy' in?

Crackle!

Meanwhile, Crawford tore the scroll.

Tae-hyun watched Crawford with eyes full of anticipation.

I believe in you, Crawford! We barely just met, but I believe in you!

Tae-hyun also knew that Gardu traveled with a legion of pirate mages.

Information about the great pirate Gardu, the boss monster of the Espa Kingdom's seas, wasn't widely known, but Tae-hyun had met him in person.

That was why he thought that, with bad luck, even teleportation magic could be blocked.

However, Crawford was also a ranker mage. If luck was on his side, he might just bypass the interference and succeed.

In Tae-hyun's mind, the odds were fifty-fifty!

And yet, the reason he didn't say anything or offer advice to Crawford was...

Because it's not my scroll!

Crackle, crackle!

"?!"

Crawford looked up at the sky in shock.

Right, the pirates had mages too!

He had completely overlooked that fact due to their pirate image!

"!!"

"Gather round!"

Tae-hyun reacted instantly the moment he saw the message window. His reaction speed was on a completely ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠different level compared to the other panicked players!

It was because he had already anticipated the possibility of failure.

"Hold hands! If we're unlucky, we'll get scattered to different places."

"Wh-Where are we going?"

"We'll only know once we land."

"Surely we aren't going to the Demon Realm... mghph!"

"Don't jinx us."

Tae-hyun covered Lee Da-bi's mouth to shut her up and prepared for the teleportation.

A massive light emanating from the scroll enveloped the ship, growing brighter and brighter before starting to fade.

And faintly, from the distance, Gardu's voice echoed.

"Those bastards are running away! Catch them! Kim Ta—..."

"Kim Ta...?"

Chairman Yoo instantly turned his head to look at Tae-hyun.

But Tae-hyun replied without a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠single change in his expression.

"I think you misheard."

Swoosh—

Feeling the texture of sand, Tae-hyun landed gracefully on the beach.

Lee Da-bi and Chairman Yoo also managed to land without looking too unsightly.

"Pfft-pfft-pfft!"

Only Cain had faceplanted onto the beach, eating a mouthful of sand!

"Pfft, cough... Where are we?"

"It looks like the Prica Continent, but..."

Tae-hyun looked around. The scenery was definitely not the Espa Kingdom.

It's probably the Prica Continent.

Tae-hyun believed in his Luck stat.

He had been incredibly unlucky in Pan-On 1, but in Pan-On 2, Tae-hyun was a ridiculously lucky man!

Naturally, even with a random teleportation like this, there was a high probability that the worst-case scenario had been avoided.

So, the important thing is where exactly we are...

Neither Tae-hyun nor the others were particularly worried. After all, they had successfully escaped Gardu!

Besides, the surrounding area didn't look particularly dangerous.

They just needed to take their time, figure out where they were, and head toward the traces of the Sadiq Church.

"Oh? There's a village over there."

"Perfect. Let's go to the village, check our location, buy a map, and then move out."

Now that they had found a village, things had gotten much easier. Once they bought a map, the geography of this area would automatically be added to their mini-map!

Tae-hyun's party walked toward the village with light, refreshing steps.

Crackle, crackle—

"...?"

A massive bonfire was blazing fiercely in the center of the village.

"What's with the fire?"

"It's not even cold weather."

The current weather was warm—no, actually on the hotter side. And yet, they had a fire like that burning!

"Maybe the village is holding an event?"

"Seems like it."

"Look, the villagers are coming out. Let's ask them what kind of event it is."

Rustle, rustle—

"Hurry, move it!"

"Yes, for the sake of the great Lord Sadiq!"

The villagers emerged carrying a massive wooden statue on their shoulders.

Then, they began walking toward the bonfire in the center of the village.

"Didn't they just say 'for the sake of' someone?"

"Their voices were too low, I couldn't hear clearly."

"They're bringing out a statue."

Thud—

With a heavy thud, the villagers set the statue down on the ground.

"What kind of statue is that? Da-bi?"

"Hoo, it's my time to shine again!"

Lee Da-bi quickly activated her skill. The Merchant class possessed a massive advantage when it came to identifying items like this.

While Lee Da-bi was using her skill, Tae-hyun also stared at the statue. But the face looked incredibly familiar.

"...?"

"Hey, doesn't that look like..."

Cain whispered, having noticed something strange as well.

"...Doesn't that look like your face?"

"N-No. It must be a misunderstanding."

No matter how he looked at it, the face of that statue bore a striking resemblance to Tae-hyun!

"I identified it! It says it's the Statue of Count Kim Tae-hyun!"

"It is you!"

Tae-hyun's jaw dropped in sheer disbelief. What in the world was this?

"Why is your statue here?"

"What is going on?"

"Could it be that the Archisus Cult has spread all the way here? Maybe the people carved a statue to worship you."

"No... that makes no sense. There's no way it could have spread this quickly."

"Well, given the achievements you've pulled off... Ah."

Lee Da-bi abruptly shut her mouth.

The villagers had picked up Tae-hyun's statue and thrown it straight into the bonfire in the center of the village.

"..."

"..."

"..."

All three of them fell silent at the same time. No matter how they looked at it, that was definitely not how you treated someone you worshipped.

After tossing Tae-hyun's statue into the flames, the villagers began to wail loudly.

"O great Lord Sadiq! You who became the flame itself!"

"We offer this wicked Count Kim Tae-hyun as a sacrifice, so please watch over us!"

"It's not the Archisus Cult..."

"...It's the Sadiq Church!!!"

To be precise, it wasn't a formal branch of the Sadiq Church, but rather a village that worshipped Sadiq. Not that it made much of a difference!

Tae-hyun suddenly felt a massive ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠headache coming on.

I raised my Luck stat all this way, only to teleport to a village like this?

Of all the places to be swept away to, it had to be a village on the Prica Continent that worshipped Sadiq.

While Tae-hyun was agonizing, Cain and Lee Da-bi were whispering next to him.

"Wow, the Sadiq Church must really, really hate you. To think Sadiq worshippers on a completely different continent are burning your effigy."

"It's only natural. I completely understand how they feel."

"What? You want to burn Tae-hyun? How could you even think that?!"

"N-No, that's not what I meant... Seriously, did Kim Tae-hyun bribe you with something?!"

Tae-hyun actually felt a rare pang of self-reflection. To think Sadiq worshippers he had never even met before were praying while burning his statue.

At this point, he was practically the public enemy number one of their entire religion!

"Let's go."

"Huh? We're fighting?"

Cain reached for his weapon. From the looks of it, the villagers' levels didn't seem that high. It was a level they could easily defeat in a fight!

"Fight? Are you stupid? How do you know how many of those Sadiq bastards are lurking around here? Use your brain. Is your head just a decoration? A helmet stand?"

"Th-Then what are you going to do?"

"Just watch me and copy what I do."

Tae-hyun spoke confidently as he walked up the hill. Then, he waved his hand at the villagers.

"...!"

"Who goes there!"

The villagers spotted Tae-hyun and began rushing toward him. Watching them approach, Tae-hyun shouted:

"Long live Sadiq! Praise the great Lord Sadiq!"

"..."

"..."

Crouching behind him, Cain, Lee Da-bi, and Chairman Yoo stared at Tae-hyun with their mouths agape.

"Hey, even for you, that's too much! You're telling a lie that'll get exposed instantly!"

"You can't cover that up with your Speech skill! Sadiq's divine skills are completely different, so they'll find out immediately!"

No matter how well he disguised himself or how high his Advanced Rhetoric skill was, if they asked him to use a Sadiq-related skill, he would be exposed instantly.

This was exactly why scamming religious groups was so difficult!

As expected, the villagers didn't fall for Tae-hyun's words and only grew more guarded.

"Who are you! Reveal your identity!"

"You foolish fools. Behold! This flame!"

Whoosh!

A flame blazed to life above Tae-hyun's hand!

It was the Abyssal Flame, obtained through Sadiq's Authority!