A Plump Golden Rabbit
The players erupted into cheers once more. Tae-hyun let out a sigh of relief. Well, that was easy.
The use of the Goblin Universal Maker was temporarily suspended, and the news that usage passes would be distributed to those participating in the upcoming territory defense battle spread like wildfire. The player base reacted with absolute fervor. Even players who weren't currently in the territory logged in immediately to prepare for the defense battle!
Even those who didn't really know what was going on flocked to the territory, thinking, Oh? Is it something good?
On top of that, there was one more crucial detail: the fact that Tae-hyun had pulled a solid gold statue using a mere stone. Hundreds of players on the scene had witnessed it with their own eyes! That fact set the players' hearts ablaze.
"I've never seen people so blatantly driven by greed," Crawford muttered.
"Hmph. Fools," Alcott sneered.
Yet, Alcott felt a lingering bitterness deep down. Hadn't he also suffered like a dog because of Tae-hyun? If he had known Tae-hyun possessed such a thing from the start, he wouldn't have bothered going in the first place...
"Why is Kim Tae-hyun trying to gather these guys anyway? There are tons of them who aren't even level 100."
Over several hundred players looked like they hadn't even reached level 100. Some weren't even combat classes!
"Probably because he's short on numbers. Kim Tae-hyun doesn't have a guild."
"Unlike your precious 'Guild Alliance'?"
There was a hint of mockery in Crawford's voice. Crawford didn't particularly care for the Guild Alliance. Large-scale guilds like that were bound to threaten other rankers the larger they grew.
"Yeah. Unlike the Guild Alliance."
"I heard the Guild Alliance is in quite a state lately. Isn't Su Ning running wild like a madman?"
"That bastard must have eaten something bad."
Su Ning was aggressively expanding his influence within the Guild Alliance, and he was actually seeing results. He was constantly waging territory wars in the Auston Kingdom to expand their lands, while simultaneously engaging in internal power struggles. To an outsider, it seemed incredibly reckless, but the Guild Alliance was somehow holding together. That was just how massive they were.
"Anyway, since Kim Tae-hyun doesn't have something like the Guild Alliance, he has to gather people like this. Besides, it's not just low-level players. There are plenty of high-level players too."
"You call that plenty?"
Compared to the hundreds of low-level players, the high-level combat players numbered only a few dozen at best. That was barely five or six parties! It might be enough to clear an easy dungeon, but it was woefully insufficient for a large-scale battle like this.
Clang! Clang!
Near the shore, a fortress was rapidly taking shape. Led by architect players, the crowd was gathering materials from everywhere they could find to build the fortifications.
"Well, with so many hands, construction is fast at least."
"Yeah. I suppose they're useful for that much."
If Tae-hyun had overheard their conversation, he would have scoffed at them as 'clueless fools.' Just as high-level players had their own strengths, low-level players had advantages unique to them. It was because Alcott failed to realize such obvious truths that he kept getting played by Tae-hyun, whether in Pan-On 1 or Pan-On 2.
Tae-hyun pondered what to do with the gold statue. While a gold statue was an expensive and rare item, it was practically useless to him right now. He hadn't really leveled up skills like sculpting or painting. So...
"You called for us!"
At Tae-hyun's summons, several sculptor players residing in the territory came running.
"Yeah. Glad you're here. I have a favor to ask. Could you make a statue for me? I'll pay you handsomely."
"A... statue? Of course!"
"It's an honor to be entrusted with this!"
"No need to go that far."
"But what material should we use? Wood? Bronze? Iron? Brass? If you have any gems, we can embed a few as well."
The sculptors' eyes sparkled with anticipation. Tae-hyun was a top-tier ranker. He was bound to have plenty of excellent materials. Just having the chance to craft a statue with such materials was a massive opportunity!
"No. Melt this down and use it."
"...!"
You have discovered the Solid Gold Statue.
Your Reputation has increased significantly!
Your Sculpting skill level has increased.
Your Metal Sculpting skill level has increased.
...
"...!!"
A statue that raised their skills just by looking at it!
"Where did you get this... Ah! Don't tell me this is what you pulled from the Goblin Universal Maker?!"
"Yeah. I don't have any use for it, so I figured I'd melt it down..."
"Eek!"
"Gasp!"
"What?"
"You're melting this?! Such a beautiful work of art?!"
"This is a crime! A crime!"
"I don't have any use for it, so I might as well melt it down and use it as raw material. It's solid gold."
"Uwahhh! Please don't do this!"
The sculptors hugged the statue as if protecting their own child! Tae-hyun stared at them, utterly dumbfounded. This was a reaction he had never anticipated.
"If you don't want to do it, leave."
"Urgh! If someone else has to do it... then we... have no choice but to do it ourselves..."
"But what are you planning to make?"
"I'm thinking of having you make a statue of Carbanog."
A statue crafted from luxurious solid gold! Considering that even Tae-hyun's own statue or the statue of Archisus weren't made of gold, this was an immense gesture of consideration.
Tae-hyun had his reasons for doing this. One was that Carbanog kept pestering him through system messages, and the other was...
He figured that since he was completing the quest anyway, doing a thorough job might yield a better reward. Of course, since it was Carbanog—who usually gave the same skills—he didn't expect too much, but the Spear of Karbanog was surprisingly powerful. Hadn't it completely screwed over Gardu?
"Who... is Carbanog?"
"You know, the one that looks like this."
"Excuse me, but... this looks like a rabbit."
"Yeah. The Rabbit God."
"...You want us to melt down something this beautiful just to make a rabbit?!"
Carbanog is furious!
"Not a rabbit, the Rabbit God. If you guys are going to keep complaining, I'll call someone else."
"N-No! Please let us do it!"
"There's no one in this city who can do a better job than us!"
The sculptors scrambled to appease him. It broke their hearts to melt down such a beautiful piece of art just to make a rabbit, but they couldn't let the opportunity slip away.
"Ah. But to melt this, we need a blacksmith..."
Precious metals like gold could only be handled by a blacksmith of a certain skill level.
"Gold? I'll melt it for you."
With access to Sadik's Flame and an Advanced Blacksmithing skill, Tae-hyun could easily handle it.
"?!?!"
The sculptors were shocked, but when Tae-hyun actually lit the furnace and began melting the gold, they realized he wasn't joking.
"There. Done, right? Let's start crafting."
"Ah, by the way, about the payment..."
"Right. I forgot to mention the reward. What would you like?"
The moment Tae-hyun spoke, the sculptors' eyes lit up, and they shouted in unison.
"Please give us more Goblin Universal Maker passes!"
Their response was so swift and resolute that even Tae-hyun was taken aback.
"S-Sure."
What's with this name?
"It's finished! Take a look!"
"Isn't it cute and plump?"
Carbanog is feeling conflicted.
"Hmm... Anyway, thanks. Here, your passes."
"Ohhh!"
"Time to go roll!"
Watching the sculptors run out in excitement clutching the scraps of paper labeled 'Universal Crafter Pass,' Tae-hyun wore a complicated expression. He felt like he was scamming them.
N-No. It was a mutually satisfying transaction...
Tae-hyun carefully carried the golden statue and placed it inside the Archisus Church temple.
But it really stands out.
In the relatively modest temple, the golden rabbit stood out like a sore thumb.
Quest Completed!
Acquired Title: Friend of Carbanog.
The Rabbit God Carbanog has realized that you cannot become Carbanog's Avatar because you are already the Avatar of Archisus. Though saddened, Carbanog is a generous god. Instead, he has decided to be satisfied with placing a statue of himself in a corner of your church's temple. If you reject even this proposal, Carbanog will be truly heartbroken.
Reward: Title Acquired. ?, ???, ???? Quest Completed!
In truth, compared to the quests he had done so far, a quest that simply required placing a statue was practically a freebie. That was why he had accepted it.
At that moment...
Flash!
Carbanog descends upon your temple! Carbanog takes his place in a corner of your temple.
Your Holy Power has increased significantly!
This temple is declared a sanctuary of the Carbanog Church.
Power is infused into the Spear of Karbanog!
Huh?
Tae-hyun was taken aback. He had only intended to get the title, not let this guy freeload here!
Carbanog's Holy Power begins to permeate the territory.
By Carbanog's Blessing, the rabbits in the territory become highly intelligent.
By Carbanog's Blessing, crops grow rapidly without any interference.
...
These bonus windows popped up because the temple had been declared a sanctuary of the Carbanog Church. These abilities were far more suited for territory development than anything Archisus had to offer.
A very long time ago, when all the gods and demons left the continent for the heavenly realm, a few entities chose not to leave, casting aside their power to remain behind. Carbanog was overwhelmingly weaker than other gods, but he possessed a knack for hiding his presence, allowing him to sleep undisturbed on the continent for a long time.
Ah. That's why, unlike Archisus, he can express his thoughts through these system messages.
He could communicate because he was still physically on the continent!
Wait. Even if he's weak, he's still a god, right? Can't I borrow his power? If I could borrow some of his strength in battle...
As if reading Tae-hyun's hopeful thoughts, the quest window continued to update.
Protect the Rabbit God
However, his concealment has now been shattered. Adventurers have set foot in his dungeon, and the established churches of the continent have become aware of Carbanog's existence. With no priests, no church, and no divine power to speak of, Carbanog is an easy target. The continental churches seek to retrieve Carbanog's sacred relics to absorb the holy power within them.
Though you are not Carbanog's Avatar, you are his chosen one. Protect Carbanog's sacred relics and defend his divine authority! (Though Carbanog won't be of much help.)
🎁 Reward: Carbanog's Authority, ??, ???
Damn it.
Just when he thought he might get some help, the system had to go and spell out his uselessness.
Carbanog: "I'm not much help!"
Carbanog looks at you with expectant eyes.
The various churches of the continent have caught wind of this situation. From now on, members of other churches may arrive at any moment to demand Carbanog's sacred relics.
Tae-hyun frowned. He hadn't asked for Carbanog to end up like this, but he had no intention of just handing over a free windfall. He was the one who had done all the hard work, so what right did those other churches have to just waltz in and snatch it away?
The Archisus Church's reputation is probably already in the gutter, what with the pirates and the dark magic.
As a newly established church, system messages had constantly popped up because of Tae-hyun's antics, warning him that other religious factions didn't look kindly upon them! Though he had managed to avoid any direct clashes so far, he would inevitably clash with them now because of Carbanog. The system was practically warning him that they would be knocking on his door.
Archisus, Sadiq, and now Carbanog... Somehow, I keep getting tangled up with divine NPCs.
Tae-hyun smacked his lips. What was done was done, and now was the time to figure out his next move. First, he decided to check the Spear of Karbanog. How exactly had it changed?