My Heart Fluttered... No, I Was Just Startled!

"My heart fluttered... No, I was just startled!" Lee Se-yeon grumbled to herself.

She felt incredibly embarrassed for misunderstanding, all because Tae-hyun had spoken with an unusually serious look on his face.

Is Lee Se-yeon really acting suspicious?

Tae-hyun took Carbanog's advice seriously. Even though Carbanog was a god who had lost most of its power and barely managed to maintain its existence, it was still a god. Its sharp insight and intuition had always been helpful to Tae-hyun. If Carbanog said she was suspicious, he might need to reconsider!

Carbanog was utterly dumbfounded. Why did Tae-hyun's usually sharp brain drop to the level of an Aykisus's Slave at times like this?

If not that, then what? Ah. Is it that Lee Se-yeon looks like she's struggling? Well, she did get hit directly by an ancient giant's curse. It's only natural to feel anxious when you can't use your usual skills or stats.

Tae-hyun was quick to notice other things, yet so dense here!

??

...You really are a rabbit god, aren't you?

A rabbit god in the most negative sense! Rabbits were animals that never failed to be associated with reproduction and fertility. If Carbanog's blessing was cast on a territory, there was a reason why the number of territory NPCs and livestock skyrocketed.

There was no way Carbanog would miss the negative nuance in Tae-hyun's words.

Sure, sure. Pinkbanog.

Tae-hyun had found the rabbit suspicious ever since it watched Johansson and Suana bickering and declared, "They're totally going to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠date." Carbanog's mind was clearly filled with nothing but rosy romance. A rabbit that loved love stories way too much!

Well, Father was like that too, so there's no need to be embarrassed.

Kim Tae-san thought he had hidden it well, but Tae-hyun knew very well that the secret space behind the study bookshelf was packed with romance manga. Even the middle-aged guild members took turns reading them!

Ah, I get it, I get it. Quiet down. Lee Se-yeon values talented people, so I suppose that could be it.

Ever since Pan-On 1, Lee Se-yeon's eye for talent had been famous. In ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠fact, several of her current guild members were former guild leaders who had fought against her in Pan-On 1. They had been scouted after losing to her!

"Ahem. Cough."

Lee Se-yeon composed herself and cleared her throat. Then she spoke.

"I think it's a good proposal."

"Then why did you reject it last time...?"

"Because you made it sound so suspicious!"

"Haha. I told you, that was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a misunderstanding. It's just the name. Just the name."

"...Anyway, I think an alliance is a very good idea. Honestly, the situation isn't looking too good right now."

Pan-On had already attracted too much capital to be called a mere game. This was only natural, given its dominant position worldwide. It was an open secret that major guilds were receiving investments from all over the globe!

"You know where the most money is gathering right now, don't you? One is tournament-related..."

"And the other is territory wars?"

"Exactly."

Tournaments. Needless to say, the Pan-On League's popularity was beyond imagination, starting from the 2nd Division all the way down to small-scale national tournaments. It was impossible for investors not to pay attention!

There was a reason why the gaming teams who had initially protested, "Our team in the 2nd Division? We'd rather not participate!" suddenly changed their tune to, "Please let us in, even if it's the 2nd Division!"

And these investors were people who always wanted a lot. In particular, the massive Chinese capital consisted of aggressive investors who wanted to participate in management and operations, not just passive investment!

Yet, surprisingly, there weren't many places to put money in Pan-On tournaments. Of course, investing in, advertising with, and sponsoring various gaming teams generated astronomical profits, but it wasn't enough to gain a say in management or operations.

American and European gaming teams knew exactly what it meant to give away company shares, so they defended them fiercely, and the company behind Pan-On itself was completely unlisted. It possessed the sheer audacity befitting the world's most successful gaming company! There was absolutely no room for investors to sink their teeth in.

In the end, investors actively poured money into other in-game entities to seek profits, but they couldn't possibly be satisfied. It was like being forced to invest in B-tier teams while leaving the A-tier teams alone.

However, in-game guilds were a different story.

Unlike gaming teams that had a long history and solid organizational structures dating back to before Pan-On, the newly created guilds within Pan-On had almost no concept of defending managerial rights.

Once a guild reached a certain size, its revenue rivaled that of a decent corporation, yet its operations were amateurish at best! To investors, they were nothing but delicious prey.

The guild leaders, who were just gamers, had no reason to refuse when offered money. Most of them eagerly snatched it up...

Currently, the majority of large guilds were heavily backed by investors.

"Investors keep pushing us to establish territories and wage territory wars. Because that's where the money is."

Large guilds made money in various ways, but the most explosive source of income was territory wars. Once guilds clashed, public attention gathered on an immense scale. If it was a truly crucial battle, the hype could even eclipse the Pan-On League itself.

"Come on. Doesn't the League still get more viewers?"

"No. According to the analysis I saw, the number of people watching when you raided the Guild Alliance was higher than the average viewership of League matches."

"...I-Is that so?"

Tae-hyun was slightly flustered by the sudden mention of his name. Then again, when he was fighting the Guild Alliance, every forum and broadcast had been hyper-focused on that war.

"Right now, the ones fighting the hardest are the Midas Guild and the Guild Alliance, right? Investors are nagging other large guilds, asking them what they're doing."

The Guild Alliance and the Midas Guild were fighting a brutal, life-or-death war, but it was true that they had secured massive advertising revenue and viewership because of it. Other large guilds couldn't help but feel envious!

"...So they're going to start establishing territories in earnest?"

"Yes. It'll happen soon."

Even the large guilds that had previously shrugged and thought, Do we really need a territory? were now shifting their stance to, We must secure a territory at all costs!

It wasn't that these large guilds lacked the power to obtain territories. They had simply hesitated out of fear of suffering losses in the process. If they set their minds to it, they would undoubtedly find a way!

"Ugh. Thinking about more groups like the Guild Alliance popping up is a bit..."

"...Have you ever considered that you're the one who draws an unusually high amount of aggro?"

"Ah, yes. I'm sure our dear Lee Se-yeon hasn't drawn any aggro at all. Honestly, you have plenty of enemies too, don't you?"

"Ugh."

Lee Se-yeon flinched, looking guilty. Honestly, while she might not be on Tae-hyun's level, she had plenty of enemies of her own.

Lee Se-yeon is definitely right. The large guilds have been acting strange lately.

Those who used to lounge comfortably in the Erangs Kingdom or Dungland Kingdom were moving to the Espa Kingdom, searching for vacant land in the Auston Kingdom, and scouring the Uruk Region...

As if that weren't enough, they were even eyeing the southern Prica Continent and the far eastern Asbian Empire. They were clearly lusting after territories.

Pan-On 2 has actually been pretty peaceful. Only the Guild Alliance was overly greedy for territories... which meant I was the only one constantly fighting them. Is a full-scale world war finally coming?

A total war spanning all known regions of Pan-On—the Central Continent, the Southern Continent, the Eastern Continent, and beyond!

The players are going to be absolutely thrilled.

It might interfere with quests and bring unknown penalties, but a gamer wouldn't be a gamer if they didn't get excited over such a massive event.

"We need to prepare for the territory wars in advance. The Guild Alliance isn't our only enemy."

"Fortunately, thanks to my many enemies, the Atali Kingdom is already well-prepared."

"......"

Lee Se-yeon wore a complicated expression.

From the northern region that Tae-hyun controlled down to the center, the kingdom boasted terrifyingly robust defenses. Especially 'The Valley'—it was a natural fortress! One look at it made anyone think, How on earth do you crack that?

In contrast, the Asbian Empire was vast but had far too many vulnerable spots to defend.

I am jealous. Honestly...

"If the two of us form an alliance, most people won't even dare to touch us."

"That sounds good."

Tae-hyun extended his hand. After all, wasn't this the very reason he wanted to join hands with Lee Se-yeon in the first place? He wanted to prepare in case the Guild Alliance went crazy and targeted him again...

If they could prepare for other threats in advance, it was even better.

Where would the large guilds set their sights after securing their own territories? They might target easy territories, but more than that...

There's a high chance they'll target me.

The reason was simple. Tae-hyun was too famous!

If they captured some obscure little village, only a few thousand people would watch. But if they attacked Tae-hyun, hundreds of thousands, even millions would tune in! There would definitely be bastards willing to attack him even if they took a loss. That was the burden of fame.

"Great. It's an alliance!"

Lee Se-yeon shook his hand. Yielding their practice facility to the New York Lions had been a preparation for times like this. However, an alliance with Tae-hyun was far more reassuring. He was incredibly annoying as an enemy, but there was no ally more dependable!

"Sell our territory? Are you insane?"

"With this much money, it's by no means a bad deal—"

"Forget it. We don't need it."

Kim Tae-san snorted. The Uruk Region was a vast land built on the blood, sweat, and tears of himself, the other older players, and the Orcs. He wouldn't sell it for any amount of money!

"If you want it, try taking it by force."

"I-If you accept, we will throw in this Legendary-grade equipment set we found..."

"...S-Still, no!"

"Boss, didn't you just waver for a second?"

"His eyes totally twitched."

The player from the Korean-affiliated guild, Advance, asked with a troubled expression.

"May I ask the reason for your refusal?"

They needed some kind of dialogue to negotiate, but Kim Tae-san was refusing to communicate entirely!

"If you were in my shoes, would you sell territory to someone who could become your enemy? Who knows what kind of scheme you'd cook up there?"

"No! We have absolutely no such intentions."

"Boss, Advance actually has a pretty good reputation as a guild."

"Whether they're Advance or Retreat, how can we trust them to the end?"

"Well, that's true."

"He has a point."

The guild members nodded at Kim Tae-san's words. If they gave away a piece of wasteland in the southern Uruk Region only to get backstabbed later, how painful would that be?

"If you cannot trust us, we are willing to become a subsidiary guild under Choigang Jizon Moossang Guild."

"...!!"

Kim Tae-san was startled. This was a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠completely unexpected proposal!

If they wanted to backstab him, they would have to bow their heads to some extent, but if they became a subsidiary guild, they couldn't even attempt to strike.

What are they thinking?

Was there really a need to rush to obtain such a wasteland even if it meant submitting to another guild??

"Hey. Is there something on that land? Like gold...?"

"We checked multiple times, though?"

"I-It's nothing like that. We are on the verge of receiving an investment, but the condition for the investment is securing a territory... We need a stable territory, regardless of where it is. We truly have no ulterior motives! Even if a territory war breaks out, we will never touch Choigang Jizon Moossang Guild."

"Sigh... You really need to be careful about who you take investments from."

Understanding the situation, Kim Tae-san cast a pitiful look at them. Indeed, there weren't many territories in Pan-On that could be easily obtained right now. One had to either take it by force or start from scratch.

A subsidiary guild... That is quite tempting.

Just like in classic MMORPGs like Lineage, the sheer majesty of having dozens of guilds rally at a single call! Why had the Guild Alliance been able to win? Wasn't it because of their sheer numbers?

"The answer is Kim Tae-hyun."

"Huh? Why him of all people...?"

"Unlike the Auston Kingdom, the Atali Kingdom has barely had any civil wars, so it's in great shape. Plus, unlike the Erangs Kingdom, a player is the king! It's the most stable territory we can get!"

"B-But the opponent is Kim Tae-hyun...?"

Why did negotiating with the King of Erance seem like it would be easier?