The Perfect Use for a Useless Item
He had wondered where on earth he could ever use that useless item, but it seemed it finally had a purpose.
◈ Description: A token imbued with the power of Karbanog.
◈ Effect: Rabbits do not dare to approach any land where this holy token is placed.
'Will it work if I just place this token on the ground for now?'
To think farmers were coming to cultivate his land. Tae-hyun was deeply moved. He had assumed the Valley of Despair and Sorrow would forever be crawling with nothing but shady, chaotic players... but farmers and farmland? Now this was starting to look like a proper, respectable territory!
Of course, Tae-hyun knew that half-baked development wouldn't yield much of a benefit, which was why he had been aiming for a highly specialized territory in the first place. Still, to have well-meaning people volunteer to come and develop his land for him was a welcome surprise.
'I guess living a good life really does bring blessings!'
Tae-hyun decided to look at it that way. Of course, the entire rabbit catastrophe was technically his fault to begin with, but details, details!
"Yong-yong, I've got a job for you."
"Oh! What is it, Master?!"
It had been a while since Tae-hyun last heard Yong-yong's voice. Perhaps because he hadn't been summoned recently, the dragon sounded exceptionally energetic. Actually, Tae-hyun had his reasons for keeping Yong-yong put away. First of all, he couldn't bring Yong-yong into the Arena. While using summons was technically allowed, the summoning skill had to be cast inside the Arena itself. A permanent summon like Yong-yong, who stayed out indefinitely once called, was strictly banned.
Furthermore, Tae-hyun hadn't been able to summon him in the dungeon because they were focusing on stealthy ambushes, and afterward, he couldn't bring him out for fear that the dragon might accidentally attack the rabbits... It was only natural that Yong-yong had been bored out of his mind inside the summon space with nothing to do.
"What is the task? I hope it is something grand and rewarding!"
"Uh... well, yeah. It's definitely grand and rewarding!"
"Oh! What is it?!"
"...Could you go catch some rabbits for me?"
"..."
The atmosphere instantly turned icy cold.
"Rabbits?"
"Yeah. Rabbits."
"Ah... Are they perhaps those incredibly powerful rabbits from the dungeon last time?"
"No. Just the regular, weak rabbits of the Central Continent."
"...Why?! Why must I do such a thing?! Why?!"
"Catching rabbits is a very important job!"
"I have never heard such nonsense in my entire life! Why should I, a proud descendant of the noble Gold Dragon lineage, be relegated to such trivial labor?!"
"Hey, I'm literally an Apostle of a God, and I still do dirty work to get by! A mere dragon has nothing to complain about!"
Since Yong-yong had brought up his lineage, Tae-hyun countered with his own divine status.
"Master, if you do not treat me with more respect, you will face divine retribution."
"I've already got plenty of gods who hate my guts, so I'm not really scared."
If he were to list them, there were probably far more gods who despised the name of Archisus than those who liked it. And that wasn't even counting the demons! He couldn't help but wonder what kind of deity went around making so many enemies...
"I do not mean the gods. The Gold Dragon Elders will be the ones to strike you down!"
At that, Tae-hyun flinched.
Dragons. They were among the strongest monsters in all of Pan-On. To this day, no party had ever successfully hunted a dragon, and none would for a very long time. It was common knowledge that even the weakest dragon was estimated to be well over level 500! Hearing the name of such a terrifying entity naturally gave Tae-hyun pause.
"Do those Elders... care about you a lot?" Tae-hyun asked, his voice suddenly softening.
Of course, Yong-yong wasn't nearly cunning enough to realize this shift and exploit it. If he had been that clever, he would have been born a Black Dragon, not a Gold Dragon.
"No. We dragons only care about our own business."
"Then those Elders aren't going to strike me down, are they?"
"Well, that is true... but if they were to find out, they might get angry..."
"Then go catch some rabbits."
The moment Tae-hyun realized there was no actual threat from any dragon elders, his voice turned ice-cold once more.
"..."
And with that, Yong-yong learned another harsh lesson about the ways of the world.
"Master! What about your transportation?! If I leave, you will have no mount!"
"I have my motorcycle."
"I shall destroy that machine!"
Despite resisting to the bitter end, Yong-yong could not defy Tae-hyun. Ultimately, muttering complaints that sounded more like curses, the dragon departed for the territory. Watching his sorrowful retreating figure, Tae-hyun felt a slight pang of guilt, but he had no choice. There was simply no better candidate for the job than Yong-yong!
He couldn't accurately assess the strength of the recruits Galakpad had brought in yet. Meanwhile, Tae-hyun's core party was all here, and the easily mobilizable members of the Power Warrior Guild generally lacked combat power. He did have the Noble Knights, who had one summon remaining, and the Mechanical Engineering Blacksmiths back in the territory, but he didn't want to use them. The Noble Knights were too precious to waste, and the Mechanical Engineering Blacksmiths were far too unreliable!
In other words, the only one who was currently free and possessed the raw power to defend the territory was Yong-yong. He was incredibly powerful, capable of raining down devastating lightning magic without any cooldowns. While ordinary mages struggled in close combat due to low defense and HP, Yong-yong suffered no such weakness. He possessed the monstrous durability befitting a dragon. Thanks to all the experience points he had snatched from Tae-hyun while leveling up in the Demon Realm, his strength was easily equivalent to a level 200 monster by now.
'It really is a bit awkward to use Yong-yong, though...'
Yong-yong was an exceptionally powerful summon—so much so that treating him like this actually pricked Tae-hyun's conscience. Most normal summons had a closeness stat; if their master mistreated them or ordered them around too harshly, they would rebel or refuse to listen. But perhaps because Yong-yong was a Divine Beast, he had no such mechanics. He was terrifyingly strong, yet completely obedient to his player's commands. Any summoner-class player would drool at the mere sight of him.
The only problem was...
'I'm already dying for lack of EXP, and if Yong-yong is out, I have to share it with him.'
A proper summoner class would have skills that allowed them to grow alongside their summons. But Tae-hyun wasn't a summoner. If he fought alongside Yong-yong, his already scarce experience points would be split with the dragon. To make matters worse, Yong-yong's skills had massive areas of effect, making him a literal vacuum for EXP! This meant Tae-hyun couldn't afford to bring him out during normal hunts. The only times Yong-yong was actually useful were against incredibly dangerous boss monsters or in life-or-death PvP battles.
'Sorry, buddy. I'll bring you back out later.'
"Um... we appreciate the help, but..."
"What... what on earth is that?"
The farmer players, who were currently tilling the fields alongside the (idle) members of the Power Warrior Guild, finally couldn't take it anymore and raised their hands. They were staring at the golden dragon glaring intensely at them from behind.
"Oh, that's just Tae-hyun's summon."
"But why is it here?"
"It's glaring at us like it wants to eat us..."
The Power Warrior Guild members, however, remained perfectly nonchalant.
"Haha! Don't worry, he doesn't bite."
"That's not what we're worried about...!"
The farmer players were utterly bewildered. How could these guild members be so calm?
"L-let's just focus on farming for now."
"Right..."
The territory was certainly hard to get used to. Unlike other cities, the central plaza was filled with half-crazed players running around shouting, "Hehe, enhancement go!" Several essential facilities were completely missing, and the cult NPCs were constantly roaming the streets, chanting, "Believe in Archisus! Believe in Archisus!"
And yet, it was extremely rare to find a territory that handed out land so freely. In major cities, even getting a tiny plot of land to farm required paying gold and clearing tedious quests! There was a reason why farmer players rarely relocated.
"Oh, right. Since we joined the Archisus Church anyway, should we pay some gold and call over a priest?"
"Should we? We did sign up... but what does Archisus actually do?"
"Uh... apparently, it boosts your luck. It makes crafting results better and increases success rates..."
"Does that mean it improves crop yields too? Is it similar to the Demer Order?"
By donating a reasonable amount of gold to a religious order, players could summon priests to bless their land. Farmer players frequently utilized this service. Spending a bit of gold to buff their crops was always a highly profitable investment. However, every order's blessing had different characteristics, and the exact effects of the Archisus Church were still largely unknown to the general public. For now, only a handful of players blinded by the allure of the Luck stat were desperately flocking to it.
"Excuse me, Priest. We'd like to make a donation, so could you come bless our fields?"
"What on earth are you saying?!"
"??"
"Donations? For a faithful follower of Archisus, such a service is absolutely free! Let us go at once!"
"?!"
The eyes of the Archisus priest they met on the street were somewhat unsettling. To be precise, they possessed the intense, unhinged gaze of a fanatic! Though taken aback, the players gladly accepted since it was free. Free stuff was always good, no matter what!
With that, the farmer players began to settle into the territory. Though initially bewildered, they adapted quickly thanks to the various forms of assistance they received. And before long, they began to notice something strange.
"Wait... there are no rabbits here?"
"Right?"
Although they had relocated specifically to escape the rabbit crisis, they hadn't expected the area to be completely devoid of them. Yet, not a single rabbit could be seen in this territory. They were virtually nonexistent! This was all thanks to the token Yong-yong had brought and planted in the ground. Of course, the players had no idea. They simply assumed there was some unknown reason for it, and rumors began to spread rapidly.
"Sir! Shouldn't we sell now?"
"Sir! Prices have skyrocketed! Even if we sell right now, we'll make several times our investment!"
The Power Warrior Guild members earnestly advised Chairman Yoo. The topic of discussion was: When should they sell their hoarded items? Due to a series of unfortunate events, the prices of high-grade crops had soared. Although a few high-ranking farmer players had managed to successfully harvest crops despite the harsh conditions, the overall supply was still severely lacking. Selling now would already guarantee a massive profit.
However, Chairman Yoo shook his head.
"Now is the time to hold."
"But sir! Several rankers have stepped up to resolve the issue! We don't know when it might be fixed!"
"There are even rumors that a quest has appeared within the religious orders!"
Whenever a problem arose, quests would inevitably follow, and eventually, the issue would be resolved. Everyone knew this. The freezing cold spreading across the continent and the rampaging rabbits would both be dealt with sooner or later. That was how it had always been. With so many players in Pan-On, it was only natural.
"Not yet. Hold."
"Sir...!"
The Power Warrior Guild members looked at Chairman Yoo with eyes full of deep respect. Every single copper of gold poured into this venture had come directly from Chairman Yoo's pocket. Yet, he possessed such incredible patience. It was a level of composure they couldn't even begin to fathom.
"This will absolutely not be resolved so quickly. My gut tells me so."
Chairman Yoo's voice carried a heavy, captivating weight—a tone that could only be forged by a man who had navigated countless corporate battlefields. The Power Warrior Guild members nodded in unison. They would follow him! This was a leader they could truly trust and follow to the end.
"Ah, by the way, sir. Did you know that people are starting to farm in the Valley of Despair and Sorrow? Apparently, the farmers are gathering there because of the rabbits."
"In that valley? The rabbit situation must be dire indeed if they are resorting to such a place, no matter how desperate they are."
Chairman Yoo shook his head. In his eyes, the Valley of Despair and Sorrow was hardly a suitable place for agriculture. Furthermore, no matter how urgent the situation, he doubted many farmer players would actually go there.
"Could this become an issue for us?"
"How much crop yield could they possibly produce there? It won't affect the auction house in the slightest. There is no need to worry."
"Give me all the equipment."
"????"
The tournament staff member looked utterly bewildered by Tae-hyun's request. Give him all the equipment?
"You're planning to take everything here?"
"As far as I know, the regulations don't forbid it."
"Well, that's true, but..."
"Then give it all to me."
"Here you go..."
Though completely dazed, the staff member handed it over since Tae-hyun insisted.
'Even if he takes all of that, it's not like he can use it... right?'