A Map to Misfortune

"Huh?" Tae-hyun tilted his head in confusion as he opened his in-game map after reading the maps handed over by Priest Hugo. Every single one of them pointed to a slightly different location. Those Power Warrior bastards... Just how half-assed did they make these maps?

However, Tae-hyun kept his expression perfectly neutral, nodding with a look of deep admiration. "Magnificent, Priest Hugo! I never expected you to retrieve these maps so ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠flawlessly. From now on, I'll have to entrust all my errands to you!"

It was a compliment, yet it sounded suspiciously like an insult. Priest Hugo ground his teeth in frustration. Meanwhile, Tae-hyun spotted one of the locations marked on the maps. Ah, there it is.

It was the map showing where the undersea kingdom had been discovered! Since the members of the Power Warrior Guild had drawn them, there were quite a few maps pointing to similar coordinates. Tae-hyun planned to use this map as an excuse to head near the undersea kingdom. Going straight to The Exile to break the curse and rescue those noble souls would be fine, but he couldn't let these gathered church NPCs go to waste. He would drag them to the undersea kingdom, squeeze every ounce of utility out of them, and then head to The Exile!

He had been racking his brain trying to figure out how to drag them to the undersea kingdom, but Priest Hugo had made things incredibly easy by bringing these fake maps on his own. "Priest Hugo, it seems we must head to the location marked on this map. Hmm, but I must admit, I find it hard to trust this map... since you were the one who procured it, Priest Hugo..."

"What nonsense! Are you questioning the work of my subordinates?!" "No, I'm just saying, what if it's a fake?" "Stop making ridiculous excuses, Count Kim Tae-hyun! ...My Lord!" "Is that so? Then if this map turns out to be wrong, it won't be my responsibility, correct?" "Of course! Just give the order already!"

Too easy. Manipulating Priest Hugo was child's play. If he just sailed near the undersea kingdom and then casually slipped over to where the dragon was... Wait, even if I go there, nothing really changes, does it? Come to think of it, even if he wanted to use the church's forces, the situation was a bit awkward. If he made a wrong move, he might end up throwing away these precious church NPCs by feeding them straight to the dragon! Hmm... Maybe I should send in only the Phaitos Church first to test the waters...

Tae-hyun stared at the Phaitos Church forces with the eyes of a fisherman admiring high-quality bait. After all, what better bait was there than sturdy, resilient paladins? Shiver! The Phaitos Church NPCs felt a sudden, inexplicable chill run down their spines.

Chairman Yoo cast his fishing rod. Feeling the thrilling tug on the line, he nodded with a satisfied expression. This place is much better than the undersea kingdom! The fish biting here were excellent, and most importantly, there were no noisy players around. He didn't have to listen to the Power Warrior Guild members shouting things like, "Whoa! There's gold floating over there! Let's go save it!"

"...I'm telling you... the guys here look like total pushovers..." "Right? ...So we just hijack one of their ships..." "??" Ominous whispering drifted from behind the ship's cabin. Chairman Yoo furrowed his brows. Those voices definitely belonged to the guys the Power Warrior Guild members had just fished out of the water! Save a drowning man, and he demands your ship instead of just his bundle.

Chairman Yoo quietly called over some Power Warrior Guild members. "Do you boys know what those guys are plotting back there?" "...!" The guild members looked utterly shocked at his words. "No way!" "You practically extorted gold from those players to rescue them, and you think it's impossible for them to backstab you?" "...Actually, now that you mention it, that makes total sense!" "Yeah, we'd probably try to backstab us too, right?" The Power Warrior Guild members looked at each other and chuckled sheepishly.

"So, what should we do?" "Should we just sink the whole ship with them on it?" "Maybe we can let them off if we squeeze some more gold out of them..." "...Forget it. I'll handle this myself." If I rely on these idiots while trying to fish, I'll die of high blood pressure! Chairman Yoo cleanly gave up on them and decided to take charge. But it was already too late. Splash! "??!" Suddenly, one of the ships broke away from the fleet and began speeding away at full throttle. "We did it!" "Floor it! Step on it!" The players had successfully hijacked a ship.

"We did it! What did I tell you? I said it'd work! Those guys are total marks!" "Still, they did rescue us, so isn't this a bit too..." "What? You wanna get off?" "N-No, never mind." "We can't just end things like this! We have to go back to the undersea kingdom and fight!" "But what if that fleet chases us?" "They might have a lot of ships, but the guys sailing them are complete pushovers. Besides, even if they chase us with their fleet, what are they going to do once we enter the undersea kingdom? Are they going to follow us inside?"

Not all the players rescued by the Power Warrior Guild were good-natured. Naturally, some of them were shameless and greedy. Though initially intimidated by the sheer size of the fleet, as time passed, they quickly ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠figured out what kind of people the Power Warrior Guild members were. They're pushovers! Once they realized that, they quickly hatched a plan, hijacked a ship, and made their escape. They had been a bit worried about the Red Sea Pirate NPCs, but by targeting a ship with only a few of them on board, the heist went surprisingly smoothly. "Let's go! Back to the undersea kingdom!" "Uh..." "...?" "W-What is that ahead of us?" For a moment, they thought they had gotten their directions mixed up. There was a pirate fleet behind them, but now, another massive fleet had appeared right in front of them.

"Well now! Priest Haron! Where on earth is this Exile supposed to be?! Is my eyesight failing me? Hmm?" "U-Um, Count Kim Tae-hyun. Please, spare us such mockery..." The priests of the Demer Church stepped forward with anxious faces, but Tae-hyun refused to stop. "This doesn't look like The Exile at all!" "Urgh..." Priest Hugo was on his knees, his face twisted in sheer humiliation. He couldn't comprehend what was happening. They had followed the map exactly, so why had they ended up in this strange place?

Tae-hyun spoke with a deeply sorrowful expression. "To think we ended up in a place like this after placing all our trust in Priest Hugo. Do any of you have anything to say? Anyone who agreed with Priest Hugo's opinion?" "...N-No, not at all." "In the first place, that was entirely Priest Hugo's unilateral decision... Haha..." The other church priests instantly cut ties with him! Tae-hyun nodded in deep satisfaction. It was always much easier to play with them when they were busy tearing each other apart.

"Very well. Then let us investigate this area a bit further." "Is there really any need to go that far?" "Ah, now! We must consider Priest Hugo's honor! If we just turn back after coming all this way, what does that make Priest Hugo? He'd look like an absolute fool who brought us a fake map!" "..." "..." Having easily subdued them, Tae-hyun set off in a lighthearted mood toward the coordinates provided by the Power Warrior Guild members! Splash! "??" However, as they neared their destination, a single ship suddenly broke away from the front and came rushing toward them at full speed. Looking at the flag, it did seem to be a Red Sea Pirate ship, but... "What are they doing? Tell them to slow down." "Yes, sir!" The paladins shouted, but the ship showed no signs of stopping. Tae-hyun responded simply. "Phaitos Church, front and center!" If they needed to block a ship with another ship, the Phaitos Church was the perfect tool for the job! "..." The Phaitos Church NPCs looked extremely disgruntled, but they complied with Tae-hyun's command.

"Whoa!" The fleeing players gasped in horror as their path was completely blocked, desperately trying to steer the ship away. But it was already too late! "Board them!" As the Phaitos paladins swarmed the ship alongside Tae-hyun, the players panicked even more. "Why did you call the Power Warrior Guild members only to ignore... Huh? Who the hell are you guys?" "W-We're also members of the Power Warrior Guild..." "Cut the crap." Tae-hyun cut them off instantly. The players were startled. How did he realize? The Power Warrior Guild was so massive and diverse that they figured they could easily bluff their way through, but...

"Power Warrior Guild members don't wear gear that looks that good." "...!!" To think they were exposed for a reason like that! The players were utterly dumbfounded. Hey, what are we going to do?Shut up, I'm thinking. What kind of excuse could they make to escape this situation? "Hmm. You're not Power Warrior Guild members, yet you're pretending to be them, and you're riding one of their ships... That just makes you thieves." Tae-hyun reached a simple conclusion! We're busted!Dammit, then attack! We have to break through! "Everyone, at—" "Count Kim Tae-hyun! There is another fleet over there!" a paladin rushed over and reported. The players froze upon hearing that name. Kim Tae-hyun?...K-Kim Tae-hyun?

Tae-hyun stared at them and asked, "Everyone, at—?" "At... At ease! We shall politely lower our weapons and show our utmost respect... to Lord Tae-hyun..." "Wow. Your ability to change your tune is even better than Cain's."

"There seems to have been some misunderstanding..." "Yeah, I know, I know." "No, it's not that..." "I said I know. Why do you keep clinging to me like this? Do you not trust me?" When Tae-hyun's face turned serious, the player instantly shrank back. No matter what excuse they tried to make, Tae-hyun simply responded with a smiling "I know, I know," which actually made him far more terrifying.

"You guys can stay here with the Phaitos folks." "May we... ask why...?" "Well, it's much easier to keep the guys I'm going to use as bait... I mean, the guys I'm going to move with, tied ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠up together." "You definitely just said bait..." "Why do you keep talking back to me? Do you have a grudge against me? Are you from the Guild Alliance?" "What? No, of course not!" "Good. Then watch your step from now on. Don't do anything that might cause another misunderstanding."

As Tae-hyun dragged the players over, the Power Warrior Guild members rushed out to greet him, not even bothering to put on their shoes—though, in truth, most of them ran around barefoot anyway! "Waaaah! We've been waiting for you, Lord Tae-hyun!" "Please punish those wicked bastards!" "No, after talking with them, I realized they had their reasons. I've decided to be understanding." "...?" "???" "Is that really Lord Tae-hyun?" "I don't think so..." The Power Warrior Guild members immediately began whispering among themselves. For Tae-hyun, who was practically the incarnation of vengeance, to speak of "talking things out" and "understanding" was utterly baffling to them.

"Hmm... So you ended up all the way here because of some guys you fished out of the water while angling..." Tae-hyun listened to the explanation of the situation once more and looked at Chairman Yoo. "Sir, your luck is truly..." "Look who's talking!" "Hey, mine is all effort and skill. Anyway, it would be a waste to let a newly discovered dungeon go to waste, so let's send in a vanguard again." "A-Are we going?" "No. We have much better talent right over there." Tae-hyun pointed behind him. There stood the Phaitos paladins and the hijacked players, standing in awkward, tense postures.

"Count Kim Tae-hyun. This place... doesn't seem to be... well, The Exile." "The map Priest Hugo brought clearly showed this location. There must be a clue inside this dungeon. Don't tell me... you don't trust Priest Hugo? He is a priest of your own church, is he not?" "N-No, it's not that..." "Then get in there, double-time!"

The players who had been caught trying to flee asked tentatively, "Do we have to go in too?" "You don't have to." "Phew..." "Unless you want to die." "...We'll go in." "Remember, I never forced you." "Ugh..." Holding back their tears, the players headed toward the dungeon alongside the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Phaitos Church paladins. Watching their retreating backs, Cain thought to himself, I have a feeling another post bashing Kim Tae-hyun is going to pop up on the community boards...

Unbothered, Tae-hyun handed a letter to the paladin leading the group. "Oh, right. If something attacks you inside the dungeon, tell them you came to deliver this letter. I don't know if it'll work, though." "W-What is this? Wait. Do you know what's inside the dungeon?" "No, I don't. But they say sincerity always gets through. Just try your best to deliver this without fighting." The letter looked like it had been written with chicken scratch! The paladins wondered what kind of bizarre letter this was, but it was actually a letter written with great care by two dragons. Of course, there was nothing they could do about the handwriting!