A Cursed Abyss and a Rabbit Feast
Gardu is casting a skill.
Failed to cast the skill due to the Eternal Exile.
The players sighed in relief at the skill failure notification.
'Now all that's left is for me to land the final blow!'
But that was a delusion.
"All of you! I'm dragging every last one of you to the Eternal Exile!!" Gardu roared.
"!!!"
Feeling a sudden chill, Tae-hyun retreated at full speed. Seeing this, Cain quickly followed suit.
'When in doubt, copy Kim Tae-hyun and you'll at least survive!'
Evangeline and Smith also noticed and backed away. Tae-hyun wasn't one to make pointless moves. However, rankers like Alcott, Roy, and Crawford refused to back down this time. Instead, they closed the distance. Landing the final blow on a boss monster like Gardu was simply too tempting to resist.
Due to the failed skill activation, Gardu's soul is dragged to the Eternal Exile.
Those nearby have been caught in the vortex!
Flash!
The Nightmare of the Espa Kingdom, the Great Pirate Gardu, has fallen forever.
His soul, cursed by the sea, will find no rest even in death. In the end, he failed to lift the curse.
'Did they really need to emphasize that last part...?'
Tae-hyun's conscience was perfectly clear. If Gardu wanted the map, he should have paid gold for it!
'Eight levels at once...!'
As if proving Gardu's absurdly high level, Tae-hyun's level shot up by a whopping eight. It was the largest single jump he had ever experienced.
'Finally, level 99.'
It was a bit depressing that he had only just reached the threshold of level 100 while other rankers were in their late 100s and top rankers were pushing past 200...
'But hey, I'll take it!'
Tae-hyun deliberately avoided looking at the other players' reactions. If he had gained eight levels, it wouldn't be surprising if the others had gained twenty.
Your Reputation has increased significantly.
Your Divinity has increased significantly.
For spreading the name of Carbanog far and wide, you have unlocked a skill...
"...!"
Tae-hyun's eyes widened. Leveling up was great, but nothing got the heart racing like a skill reward. At first, he had thought Carbanog's... was a trash skill, but it had proven surprisingly useful. Could it be another decent skill?
You have acquired the skill <Carbanog's Rabbit Feast>.
Blessed by the Rabbit God Carbanog, you can now prepare the most exquisite rabbit dishes in the world.
"..."
Tae-hyun's face instantly contorted. Sure, it was a good skill... but for someone who already had plenty of cooking skills, this passive was practically useless!
'Wait, why does a Rabbit God grant a skill for cooking rabbits in the first place?'
Between choosing Tae-hyun, who held the title of 'Rabbit Slayer', and this, Carbanog was definitely bizarre. A god with a loose screw! Even Tae-hyun, who was well-accustomed to gods like Archisus, found this one hard to wrap his head around.
"Um, Kim Tae-hyun..." Cain called out hesitantly.
He had just gained an astronomical amount of experience from the successful Gardu raid, but Tae-hyun's face was twitching through a rapid succession of grimaces and forced smiles, making him terrifying to approach. Was he mad because Cain hadn't tanked properly earlier? Or because he failed to dodge when told to? Honestly, nobody had been able to dodge that...
"What?"
"Well, the players from the expedition who were over there... they're gone."
"...!"
The historic moment of defeating the boss monster Gardu!
The players who participated in the raid let out cheers as dozens of system messages flooded their screens. Except for the players who had been standing closest!
They...
Transporting to the <Eternal Exile>.
They had been swept up in Gardu's final self-destructive act and dragged to some strange place.
"?!?!"
"Where the hell is this?!"
Realizing their predicament, the players looked around in utter panic. They had arrived in a place surrounded by water on all sides, somewhere deep in the abyss. An exile zone where the outside was nothing but water, making escape impossible!
You are in the deep sea. Your HP begins to deplete rapidly.
HP has reached 0.
A few impatient players tried to swim out, only to drown instantly. What was worse, their resurrection point was now locked to this very exile zone!
"How did this happen?!"
"Figure out where we are first! Where on earth is the Eternal Exile?!"
Fortunately, the players trapped here weren't novices. They were rankers and high-level players. They knew exactly how to handle such situations: information gathering!
While escaping into the ocean was impossible, the exile zone itself was vast and even had a village.
"Heh... fresh meat. How long has it been since I sailed the seas... Cursed by the ocean, I was locked away here..."
"Keke... a way out? There is no such thing... We are trapped here forever... It's all because of the curse..."
"..."
"..."
The ghost pirate NPCs they met in the village only spoke of chilling despair. By then, even the players trying to maintain their composure realized the gravity of the situation. They were in deep, deep trouble!
"Tr-trapped..."
"No! Not yet!"
"I think we really are trapped..."
The Eternal Exile! It truly was an eternal exile.
"Sorry, guys," Crawford said.
"Crawford?"
"I'll be heading out first."
"Hey! You selfish bastard!" Alcott gnashed his teeth, realizing Crawford's plan. He was clearly trying to escape using a scroll he had kept for himself. This was why you could never trust mages!
The curse flowing through the Eternal Exile destroys the scroll.
"..."
"..."
"Well... I couldn't possibly leave you guys behind. Ahem."
"You bastard, we all saw your scroll turn to dust!"
While the two bickered, the other players desperately searched around, talked to NPCs, went out into the field to fight deep-sea monsters, and did everything they could to gather information. As a result...
"You want to leave this place? Hahaha... It's impossible, but... if you truly wish to escape, you'll need the <Exile Map>. The Pirate King recorded the way out on that map. Trying to leave without it is practically suicide..."
"Kekeke... greenhorns... soon you'll be just like us..."
"Ah, shut up!"
"Look for this item! It must be around here somewhere!"
"Just in case, search the outside too! Mobilize our entire information network! Alcott, you're always bragging about the Guild Alliance. Let's see some of that influence now!"
"Do I owe you something, you bastard?!"
"Is this the time to argue?! Do you want to be trapped here for the rest of your life?!"
"Oho... so a place like this existed."
"Fascinating, isn't it?"
"It seems to be underwater. *Crunch, crunch.*"
Tae-hyun, Cain, and the other surviving players were sitting together, watching a stream. It was a live broadcast hosted by one of the players who had been dragged away!
Crunch, crunch—
"Hey, pass me some popcorn."
"Go buy some from the Power Warrior guild members over there."
Nothing in the world was more entertaining than watching other people suffer when it had absolutely nothing to do with you! Although the rankers and high-level players had been dragged to the Eternal Exile, no one was mourning.
'Fewer competitors for me. Heheh.'
'Stay in there for a long, long time!'
The players watching the stream felt the exact same way.
Everyone loved a good exile! Tae-hyun watched the stream with an intrigued expression.
'Wait, the map?'
Tae-hyun tilted his head at the mention of the item. The item they were talking about was definitely...
'Well, they said they'd find it on their own, so there's no need for me to tell them. There might be multiple copies anyway. Or they might find another way to escape.'
It was a cold-blooded lack of camaraderie. You guys chose not to dodge and got dragged away, so deal with it yourselves!
- Tae-hyun-nim.
- ...?
- Um... by any chance...
It was a whisper from one of the Power Warrior guild members. Tae-hyun tilted his head. They sounded like they wanted to ask for a favor.
- Can we sell the Fake Map we made last time?
- You guys...
- Ah, if we can't...
- How did you come up with such a brilliant idea? Go ahead and sell it!
- ...!!! Thank you!
The Fake Map they had crafted to trick Gardu! Since they hadn't been able to use it properly on Gardu, they might as well put it to use like this.
"Time to wrap things up."
Having assessed the situation of the exiled players through the stream, Tae-hyun stood up. The trapped players were trapped (and more than anything, it had nothing to do with him), but the important thing was that they had defeated Gardu and secured the safety of the territory.
Victory!
Tae-hyun raised his fist high.
The players holding the line at the fortress and those who had fought near Gardu all erupted into cheers.
"Waaaaah!"
"We won! We actually beat Gardu!"
"Kim Tae-hyun! Kim Tae-hyun! Kim Tae-hyun!"
"Kim Tae-hyun! Kim Tae-hyun! Goblin!"
"Huh?"
"Universal! Maker! Goblin Universal Maker! Kim Tae-hyun! Goblin Universal Maker!"
"..."
There was something highly suspicious mixed into the chants, but Tae-hyun did his best to ignore it.
"Great job, everyone! Today's victory is all thanks to you!"
"Waaaaah!"
"I plan to distribute all the spoils of war we gathered today equally among everyone!"
Tae-hyun pointed toward Gardu's pirate ships anchored along the coast. They were clearly treasure troves packed with gold and items! Offering to share that with everyone present was an incredibly generous reward.
"Waaaaah..."
"Amazing... Kim Tae-hyun... as expected of Kim Tae-hyun..."
"...???"
However, the response was only a smattering of cheers from a few high-level players. The volume was so low it was practically drowned out by the wind.
'Wait, is this not enough?'
"And passes for the Goblin Universal Maker will also be distributed based on contribution points..."
"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!"
"..."
No matter how he looked at it, the items on the pirate ships had to be better... but Tae-hyun decided to be understanding.
Splash!
"...?!"
"Huh? What's that??"
A fleet appeared in the distance. The players were startled. They thought the battle was completely over, so where did this fleet suddenly come from?
"More pirates?!"
"No! That's... the Atali Kingdom's fleet!"
Recognizing the kingdom's flag, the players let out sighs of relief. It wasn't pirates, but the royal navy.
"Count Kim Tae-hyun!"
Admiral Brangsong, sporting a thick mustache, called out Tae-hyun's name from the deck. The players, who had been busy hauling items off the pirate ships, watched with curious eyes. Even in Pan-On, nobles and royalty were rare NPCs to behold.
"It has been a while since the Caterand Pirates incident. Just like back then, you are truly magnificent! While the other lords were busy hesitating and hiding in their corners, you led your forces alone to stop the pirates! And to think your opponent was Gardu himself!"
Admiral Brangsong holds you in extremely high regard. Your Reputation has increased significantly!
Your achievements are spreading throughout the Atali Kingdom. Nearby lords feel deeply ashamed of their inaction.
The King of the Atali Kingdom will summon you in the near future.
Tae-hyun spoke with a solemn, righteous expression.
"It was a duty that someone had to fulfill."
Naturally, Tae-hyun omitted the part about his personal grudge against Gardu.
"As expected...!"
Admiral Brangsong's mustache trembled as he was moved to tears.