The Silver Wyvern and the Corporate Pride
"Pardon? Ah, no. But Yuseong Gaming is under Yuseong Planning... and besides, there's no rule saying we can only use our own gaming team as advertising models, is there? If they're a hot topic, someone who can become an icon, shouldn't we be able to use anyone?"
Chairman Yoo groaned at the logical argument. It was true! Obviously, an advertisement like this wasn't just thrown together by a few random employees. The planning and marketing teams must have made this decision after a meticulous analysis. They had concluded that, in the current situation, appointing this player as their promotional ambassador would bring the greatest profit!
And that was what made it so infuriating.
To think Yuseong Gaming had lost! Even though Tae-hyun was exploding in popularity and drawing all the attention, Yuseong Gaming had also been steadily winning their matches.
"Urgh... Just you wait... Kim Tae-hyun, you rascal...! The league is long...! With your flimsy support staff, you'll trip up eventually...!"
"Ch-Chairman?"
"You certainly seem to have a fondness for wyverns, just like last time."
"Haha, I'm just hiking the mountains to find a wyvern while I'm at it."
"Oh... Do you really love hiking that much?"
Tae-hyun looked at Chairman Yoo with surprise. Of course, Chairman Yoo's eyes screamed back, No, you idiot! But Tae-hyun completely misread the signal. Hmm. He must really love it. What an intense gaze!
"What brings you here, Player Kim Tae-hyun?"
"We came to completely conquer the mountain range this time."
"!"
The uncles were shocked by Tae-hyun's words. It hadn't been long since he opened the Demon Realm, and now he was already trying to pioneer the Zaion Mountains. As expected of Kim Tae-hyun! The ranker who always unlocked new territories in Pan-On!
"That's truly amazing. If it were me, I'd just stay in the Demon Realm for a while."
"He must still be hungry for more. Ah... my son needs to look at him and learn!"
The uncles whispered among themselves in sheer excitement. Just as players had swarmed the Demon Realm, they were thrilled at the thought of players flocking to the Zaion Mountains. Unlocking and expanding new territories was the ultimate dream of any Pan-On player!
"Hmm. In that case, will these maps sell for a higher price?"
"Right? Maybe we should make some maps in advance..."
Even though Tae-hyun hadn't given it any thought, the uncles were absolutely convinced a boom was coming!
"Well, I wouldn't get your hopes up for a trend..."
"No! It's coming. This uncle can feel it!"
"Bitcoin might have crashed, but the Zaion Mountains are going to the moon!"
"Should we scout out a few decent spots beforehand?"
Chairman Yoo clicked his tongue. The uncles were practically glowing, blinded by their own greed.
"When are we going to catch the silver wyvern?"
"Ah, my bad. Player Kim Tae-hyun even lent us his camp, so let's regroup here for a bit before we head out."
Meanwhile, Choi Sang-yun and Lee Da-bi whispered to each other.
"If it's silver, R183 G183 B178 would be best, right?"
"I think R184 G184 B178 would look better."
Did I come here for nothing? Chairman Yoo tried to calm his troubled mind and looked at his granddaughter. Seeing her laughing and chatting warmed his heart. ...It would be even better if she weren't hanging around that fellow, though. Ahem.
"How have you been lately?"
"The lecture I took last time was really interesting."
"No, not your college life. I mean Pan-On."
Chairman Yoo asked casually. It was because of a book he had recently read, How to Get Closer to Your Grandchildren. It had advised:
— Find a common interest! A game like Pan-On, which has no generational gap...
Reading that, Chairman Yoo had slapped his knee. Since he was already playing Pan-On, they were bound to get closer! And indeed, the usually quiet Yu Ji-soo was now speaking animatedly, her eyes sparkling.
Beside them, his son, President Yu, cleared his throat. He was worried his father might get angry because Yu Ji-soo was only talking about games.
"Father, you've probably already received the report, but our sales performance for this quarter is extremely go—"
"Shh. Quiet."
President Yu, who had been trying to brag, slumped his shoulders. He had wanted to receive some praise for once...
"...So, back then, Senior... stole a castle and made it float..."
Eighty percent of her story was about Kim Tae-hyun! Well, since she hung around him, it was only natural that his name came up constantly. Of course, Chairman Yoo's stomach burned as he listened. Frankly, the stories were vivid and entertaining, but still...!
That was that, and this was this! Can't you hang out with Yuseong Gaming instead? He had a feeling that if he asked his granddaughter which team she supported, she would say Team KL.
His clueless son opened his mouth again.
"Ah, Kim Tae-hyun? You mean that Pan-On player, Father? That young man is truly remarkable. From what the employees say, he's absolutely peerless over there... I wonder why Yuseong Gaming didn't recruit a player like him."
"We tried, you idiot! We just couldn't!"
"I-I'm sorry."
Having spoken without reading the room and receiving a harsh scolding, President Yu shrank back, thoroughly intimidated.
"My dear granddaughter. Are you not interested in any other players? For example, the one called the world's greatest Necromancer... someone like that..."
Chairman Yoo tried his best to persuade Yu Ji-soo. Granddaughter! Let's cheer for Yuseong Gaming together!
"Nope."
"...I... I see."
Yu Ji-soo remained completely unswayed by any coaxing or persuasion. A true model fan! Chairman Yoo wept in his heart. He was already sorrowful enough, but to make matters worse, Team KL was currently acting as Yuseong's promotional ambassadors...
"We found an underground tunnel!"
The Underground Alliance Goblins have discovered an [Underground Tunnel]!
Your Tactics skill has increased!
Your Engineering skill has increased!
"They found it?"
Tae-hyun, who had given the command, was the most surprised by the result! No matter how skilled they were, he hadn't expected them to find it this quickly. Of course, underground races and monsters had carved out all sorts of passages beneath a mountain range like this, but the area was incredibly vast. It wasn't something you could just stumble upon by digging blindly.
The goblins are truly competent. Even though he didn't want to compare them to the NPCs of a certain church, he couldn't help himself!
"Alright. I'm going down now. Ah, would you like to come along?"
"An underground tunnel is a bit..."
"Since we're not climbing a mountain..."
The uncles certainly had clear preferences!
"We'll rest here for a bit and then head back out to look for the wyvern. If we find a silver wyvern, we'll gift you an egg, Player Kim Tae-hyun!"
"No, that's too generous. I'd feel bad..."
"In exchange, could you spare a [Temple Pass]...?"
"...Wait, not a crafting machine?"
Tae-hyun was surprised. The [Temple] was exactly that—the temple located atop the mountain range, made of blue metal, where players could contact the entity to undergo a racial transformation! Even though Cain had ended up with six arms, there were still people willing to challenge it?
Ah. Well, Cain did put on a great show, so that makes sense. Cain had certainly left a strong impression in the Pan-On League. All he did was tank, but that was more than enough. What else did a tank need to do besides tanking well?
And many believed the secret to his strength lay in his race. A race born for tanking! While starting tanks who had a lot to lose hesitated, backup tanks from several teams were closing their eyes and taking the plunge.
"I want to have arms like Player Cain. Ah, wings would be nice too."
"I-I see. Well... that much is easy enough..."
As Tae-hyun's party descended into the passage, the remaining uncles chatted excitedly.
"Isn't he such a fine young man? To be so successful yet so humble."
"If I had a daughter, I'd want to introduce her to him."
"Even if I had a son, I'd want to introduce him."
"???"
"Stop babbling and tell us the plan to climb back up."
"We'll head out as soon as it's light. It's nice that we get to rest comfortably thanks to him, isn't it?"
Tae-hyun's party had the ability to leap into the air and deal with a wyvern the moment it flew in, but ordinary players did not. Wyverns had to be fought in a proper party formation! If they made a mistake and got pushed back, they would fall to their deaths, making it an incredibly troublesome task.
"Hmph. That may be true, but..."
"Oh, come on, Elder. It's rare to find a ranker you can feel safe around when you meet them in the remote corners of Pan-On. You have to admit Player Kim Tae-hyun has a great personality."
"Great personality, my foot!"
Are their rose-colored glasses glued to their faces?! Chairman Yoo was dumbfounded.
"On the other hand, they say Player Lee Se-yeon attacks you the moment you lock eyes with her. She's terrifying."
"Terrifying indeed."
"???"
Chairman Yoo's eyes widened at the bizarre rumor.
"Where did you hear that rumor?"
"People on Kim Tae-hyun's fan cafe were talking about it."
"That's a baseless rumor!"
"Oh. Is it?"
"But she's always glaring at Player Kim Tae-hyun whenever they meet, so maybe there's some truth to it."
"That's because..."
Swoooosh—
The sound of something flying through the dark night echoed. The group immediately lowered their stances.
"It's a wyvern!"
"Wait... I don't hear any screeching?"
The uncles hadn't hiked mountains just once or twice. They were highly familiar with the wyvern-type monsters that frequently appeared in mountainous regions. Normally, a wyvern should fly in while letting out an ear-splitting screech!
"Wait... it's a Bone Wyvern!"
"What? An undead?"
When the uncle with the best vision spoke, the others panicked and began swapping their gear. To control a Bone Wyvern made of skeletal remains, it had to be a fairly powerful Necromancer. If things got truly dangerous, they might have to call Player Kim Tae-hyun for help...
But there wasn't just one Bone Wyvern. There were dozens of them!
"...Let's go down!"
"If we fight them head-on, we'll be wiped out! Elder! Come this way. Keep your head down!"
Changing their strategy, the uncles pulled out stealth-type items designed to make them difficult for monsters to detect.
"What are you doing over there?"
"...??"
The uncles looked up. There was a very familiar face.
It's Player Lee Se-yeon!
...S-She didn't come because we were just badmouthing her, did she?
It's because you were talking smack, you idiot!
Hey, we both did it, don't pin it all on me!
Lee Se-yeon wasn't looking at the uncles; she was looking at Chairman Yoo. The same went for Kim Hyun-ah, who was riding right beside her.
—Isn't that the Chairman?!
—It is the Chairman...?
—W-What do we do? Should we get down and kneel?
—Hyun-ah... stop watching those weird dramas.
—...
Dramas that gave people bizarre prejudices about chaebols!
—I got on his granddaughter's bad side last time because I said something weird! What if she told him?!
—I told you, she's not the type of person to tattle like that...
—A-Are you sure? If I get kicked off the team...
—If that happens, I'll take responsibility, so don't worry.
"Are you... Player Lee Se-yeon?"
"Yes, that's right. What brings you here?"
"I came because I heard there was a silver wyvern."
The uncles were shocked when Chairman Yoo stepped forward. Could they actually know each other?
"Did they know each other?"
"Ah, now that I think about it, I think he was a fan of Yuseong Gaming."
"Aha. So they met because he's a fan."
"Didn't he tell Yuseong Gaming to lose earlier...?"
"...Let's be a bit more considerate of the elder from now on."
I can hear you, you rascals!
Lee Se-yeon nodded and spoke.
"Well, if it's a silver wyvern, that can't be helped."
Color was a very important matter!
"We came to clear a quest in the Zaion Mountains. There's something we need to find for an Empire quest..."
"Hello there."
Behind her, players riding not Bone Dragons, but pegasi and various other flying mounts, greeted them.
Chairman Yoo recognized them, his eyes widening.
The New York Lions players!
Since Chairman Yoo personally kept tabs on all the players in the Pan-On League, he recognized them instantly. It was Smith and the rankers playing for the New York Lions' reserve team. They were clearly traveling together due to their team connection.
Chairman Yoo was about to say, If we knock those guys down, that's one win...! before catching himself.
...How did I become so shameless...
It was a reflection that came far too late.
And even if I knock them down now, it won't give Yuseong Gaming a win anyway.