A Reflection That Doesn't Quite Feel Like One

The New York Lions were a team widely considered to be strong championship contenders, having consistently put on impressive performances. If their next opponent had been Yuseong, Chairman Yoo wouldn't have hesitated for a second to send the signal: "Eliminate them!"

The Asbian Empire. In terms of sheer size, it was a nation that overwhelmed the other kingdoms of the Central Continent. It wasn't called an "empire" for nothing. However, more than half of its land was desert and wasteland, and except for the areas near the capital and the ports, loyal tribes and rebellious tribes were scattered everywhere, leaving an endless mountain ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of work to be done.

In other words... all glitter and no gold!

Still, its potential was immense, and the situation wasn't nearly as brutal as the one Tae-hyun faced when he inherited the Atali Kingdom. There were plenty of loyal tribes, and Lee Se-yeon's guild was packed with highly capable players.

Lee Se-yeon's guild members formed parties through their personal networks and scattered to various parts of the empire, rapidly completing quests and expanding the empire's influence. Furthermore, Lee Se-yeon had intended to ask for cooperation from Tae-hyun, who enjoyed significant support from several tribes in the Asbian Empire and even possessed the fortress where he had fought Nevuchadnezzar.

...Or at least, she had intended to, until she overheard him discussing ominous things like the Emperor Slayer with goblins and immediately fled!

Thinking about it now, I don't think he was actually trying to assassinate me.

Reflecting on it calmly after the fact, if Tae-hyun had truly intended to assassinate her, he wouldn't have summoned the goblins in such a sloppy, conspicuous manner. There must have been some sort of misunderstanding!

However, there was no real way to clear up the misunderstanding now, and swallowing her pride to ask Tae-hyun for help made her stomach churn even more.

"Your Majesty! We must teach a lesson to the tribes ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠that dare defy you!"

"Oh. How?"

"Give me an army, and I will march upon them immediately! I shall slaughter every last member of their tribe, burn their lands to the ground, sow the earth with salt, and reduce it to a barren wasteland!"

"...Someone throw this man into the dungeons!"

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty! Why?! I only...!"

The Asbian Empire was home to many highly capable NPCs. These were noble warriors from tribes confident in their combat prowess, who had originally served the former Emperor! Their loyalty was unquestionable, and they were noble commanders who, at a single command, would lead high-level mounted warriors from their respective tribes. They were on par with the knight commanders of the Central Continent!

If Tae-hyun had seen this, he would have wept tears of blood in sheer envy. Some of us have to jump through endless hoops just to get a single order of knights...! he would have cried.

However, there was one glaring issue. They were just a little... too bloodthirsty.

"The citizens' discontent is high, and tax revenues are low."

"We shall solve this by decapitating anyone who complains and confiscating all their assets, Your Majesty!"

"...I have received reports that undead are continuously running rampant at the southwestern port..."

"If we execute all the fools who cannot even handle a few undead with their own hands, the undead will have no one left to terrorize! Where could they possibly hide then?!"

"..."

Though they were prone to running wild, it was still better than having incompetent subordinates... at least, when compared to the Atali Kingdom or the Auston Kingdom. Having dealt with Kim Tae-hyun since Pan-On 1, Lee Se-yeon had developed an incredibly robust capacity for anger management. To someone like her, the noble warriors of the Asbian Empire were mere children!

It's fine. They aren't even a tenth of a Kim Tae-hyun...

Lee Se-yeon was literally using Tae-hyun as a metric for her anger index.

...What did I even do? Lee Se-yeon was honestly trying her best to rule peacefully. It was just that the NPCs under her kept causing chaos!

...No. I really don't think that's the answer??

Although she went around telling everyone, "I don't watch Kim Tae-hyun's streams! I have zero interest in him! Seriously!" there was no way Lee Se-yeon would actually stop paying attention to him. She had been purchasing detailed information to monitor how Tae-hyun's territory was developing and how his kingdom was running.

How did Tae-hyun, who had received nothing but a single crown, manage to seize control of the Atali Kingdom? It was through immense patience and endurance. Even when the nobles of each territory declared, "You are not my king!" he had endured and persuaded them! Of course, the persuasion process had been a bit rough, but by Pan-On standards, it was an incredibly peaceful approach.

Lee Se-yeon had been quite impressed by his methods and had resolved to do the same when ruling the Asbian Empire. Yet, the quests she received as the Emperor of the Asbian Empire constantly urged her to rule through brute force. A rebellion is brewing? Crush them with power! Taxes aren't coming in? Force them with power...

The Asbian Empire was vast, and traveling straight north brought one to the borders of the Zaion Mountains. Of course, no sane person would attempt to reach the Central Continent by crossing the Zaion Mountains. It was far easier and less painful to travel by sea than to endure such hardships.

This is a doable quest.

A hunting quest. Of course, the giants of the Zaion Mountains were no easy opponents, and judging by the fact that they had names, they seemed several times stronger than normal... but Lee Se-yeon's forces were also formidable. She could mobilize everyone from top rankers to the warriors of the Asbian Empire. The noble warriors who swept across the deserts were incredibly fast and powerful damage dealers.

"A proposal from the New York Lions?"

"Yes. It seems they can no longer use the dungeon they were using for practice."

While professional gaming teams naturally had physical facilities in the real world, Pan-On also required in-game practice locations. The most popular spot was, without a doubt, the Erangs Kingdom! Security was high, and it was perfect for renting guild houses or open lots to practice. However, the Erangs Kingdom was so popular that all the viable dungeons had already been claimed by various guilds.

Not every guild picked fights like Tae-hyun, who would respond to "This spot is taken" with "Taken? Are you talking about your grave?" Instead, most preferred to reach a reasonable compromise.

The New York Lions' practice ground was a ruins dungeon located on the border between the Erangs Kingdom and the Auston Kingdom! It had many floors and spawned a wide variety of monsters, making it an excellent practice site... but ever since the Midas Guild took control of the area, they had sent a notice declaring that the Lions could no longer use it.

"They tried to negotiate with the Guild Alliance, but it seems the Midas Guild flatly refused, stating they had no obligation to accommodate them."

"It's not like the New York Lions would refuse to pay, though?"

"It's likely a form of sabotage. None of the rankers in the Midas Guild belong to the New York Lions."

It sounded a bit petty, but it was a fairly common occurrence. If a guild didn't have any players from a specific gaming team, they had no reason to do that team any favors. They would rather seize it for themselves! Any dungeon suitable for a practice ground was highly coveted.

"If it were me, I would have fought them."

I'm sure you would have.

Our Guild Master is lowkey just like Kim Tae-hyun.

The guild members kept these thoughts to themselves, knowing their heads would roll if she heard them.

"So they want to come to the Asbian Empire?"

"Yes. Honestly, there's no better place to find a practice ground than the Empire."

The player population was relatively small, there were still many undiscovered dungeons, and the territory was unimaginably vast... From a gaming team's perspective, they probably calculated that if they could find a single dungeon and secure it, they could use it indefinitely without any hassle. True to their reputation for clean and efficient operations, the New York Lions had moved swiftly!

"There's not much point in refusing, is there?"

"I think it's best to accept. It's not like a team like the New York Lions won't be able to find a practice ground eventually anyway."

"If we sabotage them before the match..."

"I thought of that too, but I couldn't bring myself to say it out loud. Isn't Kim Tae-hyun the only one who can pull off that kind of stuff? Anyone else would get absolutely dragged for it."

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

"Why on earth does Kim Tae-hyun never get dragged for it?"

"Try building up a brand like his first."

Listening to her guild members' useless banter, Lee Se-yeon made her decision.

"The New York Lions are worth having as allies. Fine. Tell them we accept."

Since not only their starting roster but even their substitutes were essentially all top-tier rankers, a single professional gaming team was practically equivalent to a powerful ranker ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠party or a small-scale elite guild.

"And perhaps we can put them to work right away?"

The result of that decision was the current gathering. Having received a generous approval, the New York Lions couldn't very well refuse her request, so Smith had personally led a squad of substitute players to provide support.

Of course, Lee Se-yeon welcomed them with open arms. Smith was an incredibly useful suck... excuse me, tank! Both in terms of class and personality, Smith was no match for Lee Se-yeon.

Lee Se-yeon's party quickly finished their preparations. She summoned Bone Wyverns to deceive the wild wyverns' eyes and allow easy travel through the mountain range, and she informed the New York Lions players of their destination so they could equip gear suited for mountain combat.

Backed by the army of elite undead monsters summoned by Lee Se-yeon and mobilized alongside top-tier rankers, even giants would be easy to handle!

"Thank you. Thanks to you, we were able to secure a practice ground."

"It's not like I lent it to you for free. I watched the New York Lions' match. You guys did great."

"It wasn't just me; it was thanks to the rest of my teammates."

Smith replied with a bright smile. Being able to say such things with genuine sincerity was Smith's greatest strength. Diligent, kind, and trustworthy! A man standing at the complete opposite end of the spectrum from Tae-hyun!

Ugh. Dealing with him for too long would definitely be mentally exhausting. Lee Se-yeon thought.

If she were dealing with Smith alongside Kim Tae-hyun, the two dark-hearted schemers could have joined forces to tease him. But dealing with Smith alone was incredibly draining. It made her feel like she was the only bad person in the room! As expected, being with Kim Tae-hyun was much more comfortable. Even if it did raise her blood pressure a bit...

"I... I see. That's good."

"I watched the Yuseong Gaming match as well. I was deeply impressed by your sheer numbers. To summon such a massive horde in a restricted arena..."

"It's a strategy that wouldn't work against a truly skilled opponent."

"You are far too humble. Ah, by the way, did you watch Kim Tae-hyun's match?"

"Why would I?!"

"...?? But he's a player in the same league..."

"...Ah. Right. Y-yes. I meant I watched it in that sense."

"It was truly magnificent. I was genuinely filled with admiration."

Lee Se-yeon couldn't deny Smith's words. It was true that she had been impressed as well. Honestly, he seemed to have reached an even higher peak than during Pan-On 1.

Is it because he has companions now?

During Pan-On 1, Tae-hyun had always been a player who strictly pursued solo play. She had wondered what kind of sudden whim had possessed him to drag companions around in Pan-On 2... but seeing him change like that left her with mixed feelings. She was happy for him, yet she also felt a twinge of loneliness, as if the person she once knew had vanished.

Most of all, it pisses me off that he got even stronger!

She had preferred when he played solo, but he had gone and gotten even stronger. If he was the type of person to turn things around like that, he should have just accepted her offer back in Pan-On 1...

"Kim Tae-hyun must have received a positive influence while honing his skills alongside his teammates. Yes, indeed."

"...It's surprising to hear you use a phrase like 'honing skills,' but Kim Tae-hyun? Absolutely not."

No matter how generous she wanted to be, that was definitely not the case!

"Then why is that?"

"I think he just feels like he absolutely has to carry more than his own weight."

Unlike Smith, Lee Se-yeon hit the nail right on the head. They were birds of a feather! Of course, if either Tae-hyun or Lee Se-yeon had heard that comparison, they would have jumped back in absolute horror.