The Rabbit's Secret Weapon
The forces that had poured out of Tae-hyun's territory were truly formidable.
'We absolutely shouldn't underestimate him.'
'I thought his territory was only safe because it was part of the Atali Kingdom, but the territory itself is monstrous.'
Yet, despite the high praise from the onlookers, the general consensus on the battle itself remained pessimistic.
They had realized that despite taking such a relentless beating, Gardu was still moving perfectly fine. If they couldn't deal real damage, it was only a matter of time before the containment line collapsed! The onlookers desperately prayed in their hearts.
'Please fail!'
If the Gardu raid succeeded, the participating players would gain too massive of an advantage. The top-tier rankers were already there, and if they managed to take Gardu down... the gap between them and everyone else would widen even further.
Please fail!!
Tae-hyun made up his mind.
'Alright. Let's try Carvanrog's Sincere Curse first.'
Even though Gardu was running wild, the containment line was still holding. Even if Tae-hyun's attempts failed a few times, the rankers here would hold the line.
...Probably!
"Is... is it just my imagination, or is Kim Tae-hyun glaring at me? Someone please tell me it's just my imagination!"
Cain yelled as he frantically pummeled and taunted Gardu. For some reason, he felt like Tae-hyun was glaring at his back, thinking, 'You useless tank, you can't even hold aggro properly!'
"It's probably not your imagination, so focus! We need to—huh?"
Since Gardu kept keeping his guard up against him, Tae-hyun tried a different approach.
Tap!
"Hey!"
Tae-hyun, who had been hiding behind Evangeline, suddenly stepped on her head and launched himself into the air.
"Insolent fool! Did you think I would fall for such a cheap trick?"
Gardu, who had been swinging his weapon at the other rankers, quickly spun around and unleashed a barrage of curses at Tae-hyun. It was a terrifying reaction speed, born of pure, relentless obsession. Even with dozens of other rankers present, his eyes were locked solely on Kim Tae-hyun today!
Those who disliked Tae-hyun slapped their knees in delight as they watched the broadcast.
'That's how you do it!'
'That's exactly how you have to deal with Kim Tae-hyun!'
'Please, Lord Gardu! Kill Kim Tae-hyun!'
But Tae-hyun used another skill to leap once more, grabbing onto the space right above Gardu's head.
"More petty tricks! You tiresome pest!"
Gardu quickly activated a skill to seize Tae-hyun. It would have been one thing if Tae-hyun were dodging around on the ground, but suspended in midair like this, there was no way he could escape.
"Archisus's Curse!"
"...?"
*Thud! Thwack!*
The skill Gardu was trying to cast was abruptly canceled, and his tentacles burst apart.
Skill activation failed. As a backlash effect...
"You...!"
Though he had taken a hit, Gardu didn't panic. He knew that even if he got stabbed by that spear, it would only knock him down at worst. Go ahead, stab me! The moment you do, I'll tear you apart!
But Tae-hyun didn't thrust his spear. Instead, he activated a skill.
"Carvanrog's Sincere Curse!"
You have used Carvanrog's Sincere Curse.
The target will transform into a rabbit for 1 minute.
The target's stats and skills will remain unchanged during the transformation.
*Note: This skill cannot be used on targets that were originally rabbits.
'...'
Tae-hyun could hardly believe his eyes. 'What a piece of absolute garbage...!' He had expected at least some kind of penalty—whether to defense, stats, or skills—when the target turned into a rabbit. Was turning them into a literal rabbit really all it did?
Right at that moment, another message window popped up.
The target's equipment has been entirely unequipped.
*Clatter—*
With the metallic sound of clashing gear, the equipment Gardu had been wearing fell in a heap right where he had been standing.
"..."
"..."
"...!!!"
"Ed-an!!!"
"Yes, sir!!"
Everyone present was stunned, but Tae-hyun's reflexes were the fastest. The instant he grasped the situation, he bellowed Ed-an's name. Ed-an, who had been waiting on standby in the rear, bolted forward the second he heard the call. There was only one reason Tae-hyun would call him right now. 'It's looting time!'
Before the battle had even begun, Tae-hyun had given Ed-an an order: 'Look for an opportunity, and if you can steal Gardu's equipment, do it.' Of course, Tae-hyun hadn't held high expectations when he gave the command. Gardu was a boss monster on high alert; trying to steal his gear while he was wide awake and glaring seemed practically impossible. But now, an unexpected opportunity had practically fallen into their laps.
*Pitter-patter-patter!*
Ed-an dashed forward with a speed that made the other players' eyes spin.
*Snatch, grab, scoop!*
"S-so fast!"
"What the hell?!"
While the players were still wondering what had just rushed past, Ed-an was already scooping up the equipment as fast as his hands could move.
"Kyu-kyu-kyu-kyu-kyu! (I'll kill you!)"
The rabbit that used to be Gardu shrieked in fury. Though, of course, it sounded incredibly adorable.
You possess Carbanog's Authority. You can understand the language of rabbits.
Having been turned into a rabbit, Gardu made a critical mistake. In his frantic state, he tried to use a skill! Since only his form had changed while his stats remained intact, simply charging and body-slamming Ed-an would have sent the thief flying. However, Gardu was currently afflicted by Archisus's Curse. As a result...
The skill has failed!
*Poof!*
Black smoke billowed around Gardu as he took backlash damage from the failed skill.
"Kyu-kyu-kyu! (Argh!)"
"Why is he so cute?!"
"Get a grip! We have to attack now!"
Ed-an shouted as he made his getaway, clutching his haul.
"I got everything, Master Tae-hyun!"
"Good. Well done."
"I shall make my escape now!"
"How shamelessly proud of yourself."
Without even bothering to reply, Ed-an scurried away just as quickly as he had arrived. Tae-hyun shook his head. He couldn't have asked for more anyway. 'This is a far better outcome than I anticipated.'
Carvanrog's Sincere Curse possessed an unexpectedly potent effect. Unless the target was wearing equipment specifically designed for rabbits, it forcibly stripped them of everything! Tae-hyun looked down at the rabbit that was Gardu. His skills were sealed, and the various overpowered items that had made him so monstrous were gone. No matter how high Gardu's level was, or how absurd his base stats and HP were, this was now a highly winnable fight.
"Everyone, attack!"
"Wait, hold on—!"
Tae-hyun tried to stop them in a panic. Regardless, the gathered players charged forward in excitement. They, too, had realized that this was their golden opportunity!
'This is our chance!'
'I need to land as many hits as possible to get the rewards!'
'If I make a big play here, I'll hit the jackpot!'
The only ones who stopped at Tae-hyun's words were the top-tier rankers. Smith, Evangeline, and Cain stopped because they trusted Tae-hyun. Alcott and Roy stopped because they were terrified of him.
'Since Tae-hyun said to wait, I should stop.'
'Kim Tae-hyun must have a plan.'
'I wasn't thinking of anything, but he told me to stop, so I stopped. Why did he tell us to stop, though?'
Only Cain's inner thoughts were different, but the result was the same.
*Whoosh!*
The rabbit suddenly vanished, only to slam directly into a player's solar plexus.
"Gwahhhk!"
"Fools..."
It was an unimaginable strike from a rabbit!
You have learned Rabbit Combat Style. A new ability has been added to your skill.
The level of Carvanrog's Sincere Curse has increased.
Tae-hyun wore a deeply conflicted expression at the unexpected growth of his skill.
*Bam! Crash!*
"Argh! It's a crazy rabbit!"
"Wasn't he supposed to be weaker as a rabbit?!"
There was a very good reason Tae-hyun had told them to stop. Even though Gardu had been turned into a rabbit, stripped of his gear, and cursed, his level was still his level. In Pandemonium Online, where level was king, one could never underestimate raw numbers. Furthermore, because Gardu was now a rabbit, his hitbox had shrunk drastically. It was the perfect setup for most attacks to miss! Charging in recklessly would only lead to getting beaten to a pulp and knocked out, just like this.
*Thud! Thwack! Whack!*
Gardu tackled a player to the ground and began furiously pummeling them with his front paws. The sight was cute, but the sound and sheer momentum were utterly terrifying.
HP has reached 0. Player has been logged out.
"Everyone, stop attacking! Keep your distance and buy time!"
The curse would wear off in a minute anyway. Tae-hyun shouted the command as he prepared to back away. However, the players who had rushed in, underestimating the rabbit, were already being thrashed left and right. The players further back couldn't even provide proper support for fear of hitting their own allies!
*Poof!*
Carvanrog's Sincere Curse has ended. The target returns to their original form.
With a puff of smoke, the rabbit vanished, and Gardu reappeared. His face was burning red with pure rage.
"I will slaughter every last one of—"
"Alright. Let's take him down now!"
Ignoring Gardu's words, Tae-hyun thrust his spear forward. Having just reverted from his transformation and still afflicted by Archisus's Curse, Gardu couldn't mount a proper defense.
*Thud!*
"You son of a—!"
"Attack!"
At Tae-hyun's command, the surrounding rankers began pouring their attacks onto him.
Since his base HP was so massive, it depleted slowly, but the crucial difference now was that he couldn't regenerate. Having lost his armor, his skills, and his items, Gardu had nothing left to rely on but his raw base stats.
*Whoosh!*
"Gah!"
You have been hit by Monstrous Strength.
The shoulder portion of your armor has been shattered.
"Seriously, how did you get hit by that, you idiot?! You should have easily dodged that!"
When Cain got clipped by a punch while charging in, Tae-hyun scolded him in disbelief. How on earth could anyone get hit by such a telegraphed attack?
"I-I wasn't the only one who got hit..."
The other rankers and players flinched. Honestly, they felt like they would have been hit by that attack too. Only someone like Tae-hyun could casually say, "You should have easily dodged that!"
"The damage is going through! We've shaved off 7%!"
"Good. We just need to drag it out like this."
Tae-hyun swapped to his Dae-man-bul-gang-geom and began stabbing relentlessly.
Alcott's eyes widened as he watched. 'This guy... his damage output... what on earth...?'
It was one thing for his damage to be higher than the tanks, but right now, he was outdamaging Alcott, and even the high-level fire mage Crawford. By several times over, at that!
'Is he using some kind of skill? No, it doesn't look like he's casting anything special... The sword? The sword looks incredibly cheap, too...'
Aside from a strange, faint glow, the sword looked completely ordinary—so much so that it was hard to believe someone like Kim Tae-hyun was using it.
'Wait, is it actually an incredibly powerful Legendary-grade weapon that just looks like that?'
*Thrust!*
"Blade Detonation!"
While Alcott was lost in thought, Tae-hyun drove the sword deep into the boss and detonated it. It was a sight that would make any class that cherished their weapons scream in horror!
'It really was just a disposable weapon!'
Alcott was stunned once more. There was no way anyone would use a Legendary-grade weapon as a single-use explosive. If so, did that mean this overwhelming damage output was purely a result of Tae-hyun's raw skill?
"...!!"
Alcott wasn't the only one in shock. Among the high-level players still remaining nearby, some possessed skills that allowed them to monitor Gardu's HP. Naturally, those players were broadcasting the fight live... and the viewers could clearly see the staggering chunks of damage carved out every single time Tae-hyun struck.
The grueling assault continued, repeating over and over and over again... until finally, Gardu's HP fell below 5%. Although a few more players from the raid had been forced to log out, the core force remained largely intact.
'We've got this!'
"I will absolutely... not die alone!"
Gardu began channeling a skill. Sensing an ominous chill, Tae-hyun quickly backed away. He knew that Archisus's Curse would cause any skill to fail. But surely Gardu had realized by now that his skills were blocked?
"Everyone, back off for a second!"
'Kim Tae-hyun is being underhanded again.'
'Is he trying to steal the last hit for himself?'
Most of the gathered players thought exactly that. That split second of hesitation decided their fate.