Tae-hyun's Prediction Was Spot On
Tae-hyun's prediction was spot on. In truth, it wasn't a difficult situation to read. Why else would a player of Lee Se-yeon's caliber be completely alone, without a single summon or party member in sight? The only logical explanation was the Ancient Giant.
'Still, she got wrecked way harder than I expected.'
Someone of Lee Se-yeon's level should have dozens of elite summons ready to deploy at a moment's notice, and even without them, she should be able to raise various elite undead on the spot. Seeing her wandering around completely bare-handed meant her summons had been entirely wiped out, or she had been hit by some kind of magic from the Ancient Giant.
'...He's not going to suddenly attack me, is he?'
A sudden wave of anxiety washed over Lee Se-yeon. Just as Tae-hyun had guessed, she was currently in an extremely weakened state.
Even under normal circumstances, Se-yeon's compatibility against Tae-hyun was terrible. Unlike in Pan-On 1, Tae-hyun in Pan-On 2 was an unprecedented damage dealer capable of unleashing astronomical burst damage at any given second! Mage classes were inherently squishy, making them naturally wary of burst dealers like assassins or rogues. And Tae-hyun was the ultimate dealer among dealers.
Normally, she would have surrounded herself with a thick wall of bodyguards and summons while layering multiple defensive spells over her own body just in case. But right now, she was completely defenseless.
'Since I beat him back in Pan-On 1, he probably holds a pretty big grudge against me...'
If Tae-hyun had heard her thoughts, he would have snapped, "Damn right I do!" and stabbed her out of sheer spite. Regardless, Se-yeon couldn't help but worry. If she fell here, the Yuseong Gaming Team would be thrown into chaos as well.
Of course, Yuseong Gaming wasn't a crazy team like Team KL that ran wild without any bench players, but the weight Se-yeon carried as their captain was immense.
"I will never forgive them...!"
Kim Hyun-ah ground her teeth, absolutely seething with rage. Their party had been utterly shattered while attempting to retreat from the Ancient Giant.
'My call wasn't wrong...!'
She had undoubtedly made the right decision. Without a moment's hesitation, the remaining players had reorganized their formation and retreated. Yet, the Ancient Giant had lunged at them with stats that defied all expectations. On top of that, it had relentlessly pursued Lee Se-yeon as if it knew exactly who the leader was.
Se-yeon had tried to create distance and distract the giant by scattering her party members one by one, but the monster didn't fall for it. Instead, it crushed and devoured every single one of her summons, countered her spells, and completely overwhelmed her.
In the end, she had ordered even Kim Hyun-ah to slip away and retreated entirely on her own. It wasn't a decision just anyone could make. It was a choice born purely out of her sense of responsibility as a guild leader and party leader.
Knowing this only made Hyun-ah angrier. She was furious at herself for failing to even stall the Ancient Giant, and she was furious at the players of the New York Lions who had recklessly charged in on their own.
'Once this is over, I'm absolutely leaving malicious comments on their pages...!'
"Hyun-ah. We are currently gathering the remaining party members."
"We're sorry. We should have protected the Guild Leader..."
Smith, along with Azar and Gefail—who had been brought along as Se-yeon's bodyguards—bowed their heads. Smith, in particular, looked deeply apologetic. He had come to help with the quest in exchange for obtaining permission to use a training ground in the Asbian Empire, yet he had accomplished absolutely nothing.
"We will set off as soon as everyone is gathered. Se-yeon hasn't been logged out yet, right?"
"She hasn't. But even if we leave now, it's already too late, and we don't even have a way to stop it anyway!"
Hyun-ah's words were the harsh truth. The party gathered here had no viable way to deal effective damage to the Ancient Giant. Going back with this lineup would only result in them getting blasted and scattered by the giant's attacks all over again.
"...That is true. However, I still have a few skills I haven't had the chance to try yet. I will use them to draw the creature's attention."
"...Fine. Let's do that. Anyone got a problem with that?"
"Smith, what about the league...?"
One of the players asked in a flustered voice. While they felt bad about Se-yeon potentially dying, that was Yuseong Gaming's problem. If Smith died, however, that would be a massive issue for them. How absurd would that look to the New York Lions? Even if no one could openly criticize Smith since he was one of their franchise stars, the fallout would inevitably rain down on the bench players!
"I must take responsibility for what I promised. Do not worry. I will take responsibility for my own life."
"No, but still..."
"There is always a 'what if,' isn't there?"
"Do you want to 'what if' your way into a grave right here and now?!"
Hyun-ah growled with a murderous glare. If it weren't for Smith, she would have launched an attack on them first. 'I'm going to upload all of these bastards' pathetic antics online...!'
"Hyun-ah. We aren't members of your guild. Aren't you taking things a bit too far?"
"He's right. We aren't your subordinates."
"I'm asking if you want to die precisely because you aren't in my guild. You aren't in my guild, and you aren't family members of the chairman who pays my salary, so what gives you the right to run your mouths? Are you begging for a PK?"
The players gasped in horror as Hyun-ah approached them, her sword drawn with lethal intent. This woman... she was actually going to fight them!
'What is wrong with this crazy chick?!'
'How does she plan to handle the aftermath of this?'
Just then, Hyun-ah suddenly paused.
"...Wait, my sister met Kim Tae-hyun...?"
"??????"
"Ah, so they really are dating, and he came to rescue her?"
One of the New York Lions players blurted out without thinking. Once a false rumor spread, it was incredibly hard to kill.
"...Die!!"
"Aaargh! She actually swung! This crazy woman!"
Lee Se-yeon decided she should at least offer Tae-hyun some praise. After all, didn't they say praise could make even a whale dance?
'But what do I praise him for?'
Forcing a compliment was far more difficult than she had anticipated. Ultimately, she decided to talk about Tae-hyun's skills. That seemed like the easiest route.
"Ahem. *Cough*."
"?"
"Your performance in the league was quite impressive."
"...???"
"Your entry timing was amazing, the way you sealed the opponent's skills was incredible, and melting down the healer first before slipping away was also superb. Anyway..."
She rattled off whatever came to mind, but surprisingly, she hit every single key point perfectly! Tae-hyun stared at her with a deeply uncomfortable expression before replying.
"Lee Se-yeon."
"What?"
"It's genuinely creeping me out, so could you please stop?"
"..."
She wanted to punch him so badly. Se-yeon clenched her fists tightly behind her back. If she did it in front of him, Tae-hyun would definitely notice.
"You're not doing this because you're afraid I'll attack you right now, are you?"
"O-Of course not!"
"I'm pretty sure you are."
"I said I'm not! Do you really see me as someone who would resort to cheap flattery?!"
"Yes."
"..."
"..."
A brief silence fell between them. Well, it made sense. After all, both of them viewed the other as a bastard who would do absolutely anything to win...
"You don't need to worry about useless things. I have absolutely no intention of launching a preemptive strike here."
"..."
"Let's fight when we're both fully prepared. Otherwise, it's obvious you won't accept it even if you lose."
Flinch! Se-yeon winced. His words had hit the nail right on the head. If they didn't fight at 100%, winning would feel hollow in more ways than one—just like how frustrating it had been for Se-yeon even after she won in Pan-On 1.
"You've changed a lot compared to the past. The old you would have attacked immediately."
"Haha. Want me to attack you right now?"
"I was joking!"
"I was being serious."
"..."
"Well, people change. I've softened up a bit myself after leading a party and traveling around."
"???"
[????]
— If this is him being 'softened up,' then what on earth was he like before?!
Of course, Se-yeon didn't press the issue. When your opponent offered to let you live, the smart move was to stay quiet and behave.
"You were just cursing me out in your head while thinking about Pan-On 1, weren't you?"
"I-I was not."
"Really? Strange. Usually, anyone who clashed with me in Pan-On 1 curses me out."
"..."
"Anyway, I've been finding a different kind of fun while playing in a party. I think I finally understand a bit of why you suggested it back in Pan-On 1."
"...!!"
Se-yeon was genuinely startled. At his words, a sudden wave of emotion washed over her, deeply touching her heart. It felt as if all her accumulated resentment was melting away. Why on earth was she getting so emotional over something like this?
If Kim Hyun-ah had been by her side, she would have yelled, 'Sister! Do you know how much you suffered because of that bastard?! How can you let yourself be swayed by just that?! Don't fall for it!' But unfortunately, Hyun-ah was nowhere to be found.
"I..."
The moment Se-yeon opened her mouth, a thunderous roar erupted from behind them.
"Did you think you could escape?!"
[Carbanog screams that you should have lured it faster instead of wasting time chatting!]
'I lured it at the exact same pace, okay?'
"...That goddamn motherfucker!"
"You must have suffered a lot. You don't usually swear like that."
"...Of course that's the only reason!"
"Everyone who has joined me on this beautiful day!"
"..."
"..."
He had tried to start on a high note, but the only response he received was a barrage of icy glares. Cain thought to himself, 'How on earth does that bastard Kim Tae-hyun endure these kinds of looks?'
Tae-hyun possessed the sheer audacity to remain completely unfazed even when stared down by crowds dozens of times larger than this one. It was impossible for Cain to mimic that. Thus, Cain decided to simply change his strategy.
"Hmph. From now on, anyone who doesn't listen to me is getting thrown into the ocean."
He was the picture of pure, unadulterated confidence!
"...You bastard...!"
"How shameless...!"
"There is no viler scoundrel on earth!"
"Look at him, gloating just because he's got us by the throat!"
"Just because his league performance is going well... He's so incredibly obnoxious! I don't even know how to curse him anymore!"
"I hope your league results crash and burn!"
"Even if they do, he's already made a fortune! Besides, how can a team with Kim Tae-hyun in it ever fail?!"
"I hope you live a lonely life forever!"
"Ooh, that's a good one!"
"That actually sounds highly plausible!"
"Live a lonely life forever, you bastard!"
"Live a lonely life forever!"
The players who had been dragged by their noses to the remote northern island of Nodranche by Cain united as one and roared in unison:
"Live a lonely life forever!"
"W-What is wrong with you guys?! Have you all lost your minds?!"
Cain was utterly flabbergasted by their sudden solidarity. These people were never this cooperative!
"Argh! All of you, shut up! Keep talking and you'll get a penalty!"
"..."
"Hmph. No matter what you say, it doesn't change the fact that you have to follow my orders for the designated duration! From there to there, Group 1! From the next person to over there, Group 2! And from here to here, Group 3! We're dividing into three groups!"
As Cain split the gathered players into three groups, everyone looked puzzled. Why was he dividing them?
"Group 1 will start by clearing out the monsters! If you discover a dungeon, map it out!"
"..."
Group 1 wasn't actually that bad. Nodranche was isolated, but the monsters here weren't weak. If they managed to find a decent dungeon...
'This is actually okay.'
'He's not making us do anything as weird as I expected.'
"Group 2 will handle the quests around Nodranche Village! Organize all the available quests you can find and share them! If there's one you can't clear, we'll clear it together."
Group 2 wasn't bad either. Since almost no players ever visited Nodranche, they could monopolize all kinds of lucrative quests and reap the bonuses.
'What the... Cain, this bastard... is actually giving us normal tasks?'
'I thought he was going to make us pull a bunch of monsters so he could solo-hunt them.'
'I thought he was going to levy a ninety percent tax on us.'
To players who were all too familiar with the tyrannical abuse of power by major guilds, Cain's brand of coercion was practically cute. It was all a matter of perspective! Since they had been terrified and tense, the reality was a pleasant surprise.
'But what about Group 3?'
'Is it something even better?!'
"Group 3 is going to dig up the ground and reclaim the sea with me. The area around here is such a disaster that the residents' dissatisfaction level rises just from breathing!"
"..."
"..."
'Absolutely not Group 3!' every single player thought in unison.