Beijing Fighters!

The Beijing Fighters! It was a gaming team that had crossed paths with Kim Tae-hyun on a few unfortunate occasions—though, in truth, it was just Tae-hyun unilaterally invading their dungeons. In China, they were considered one of the older, more established teams. Their fans even proudly boasted, "We have pedigree!" But being an old team didn't guarantee success. Compared to their long history, the Beijing Fighters' track record was rather dismal.

They were the kind of team that constantly repeated, "We are so sorry, fans! Next year will be different!" and "We are truly sorry, fans! Next year will definitely be different!" Even in Pandemonium Online, their fans had held some hope, but...

Instead of practicing, the players ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠were busy causing trouble, and in Pandemonium Online, the training grounds they had painstakingly built were completely ransacked... It was only natural that the fans were clutching the backs of their necks in sheer frustration.

But you never know how things will turn out in life. Recently, the Beijing Fighters had undergone a transformation so rapid and drastic that even their own fans were stunned. Their parent company changed, their president changed, their general manager changed, their head coach changed, and a flood of new players was brought in to match... Literally everything but the team name had changed!

It was a mind-boggling transformation, but to the fans, the details didn't matter. What mattered to fans was always results! How well they played was the only thing that truly counted. And the Beijing Fighters successfully met those expectations.

In the Chinese gaming scene, it was an unwritten rule to recruit as many Chinese players as possible. While there was no official law dictating this, the government, investors, and fans all subtly expected it and applied pressure. Not many teams could afford to ignore such pressure.

Yet, the Beijing Fighters ignored all of it and bought up players indiscriminately. On top of that, they even selected a foreigner as their head coach! It was the definition of unconventional. Perhaps because of this, the Beijing Fighters showed terrifying momentum even before the Pandemonium Online League officially began. They carried the raw power they had demonstrated in friendly matches and scrims straight into the league, delivering undeniable results.

Their performance was so dominant that even the fans who had grumbled, "Why aren't they recruiting Chinese players?" quickly changed their minds. However, as luck would have it, there was an even crazier team in the exact same league at the exact same time...

That team was none other than Team KL. A team of insane physical beasts that the Beijing Fighters could never hope to match, no matter how hard they tried! From above, the higher-ups kept nagging, "Team KL is just a poorly equipped, amateur, small-scale team. Does it make any sense that you're losing to a team like that?" But the coach held firm to his convictions.

"The opponents we need to watch out for right now are teams like Yuseong Gaming or the New York Lions," the coach explained. "Losing to those top-tier teams would be too fatal in the race for points."

"What about Team KL?!" the general manager barked. "Our next match is against Team KL, so what on earth are you talking about?"

"I've already submitted the analysis team's report, but Team KL is currently a team with no visible weaknesses. Rather than making a reckless move, it would be better to focus our efforts on other matches..."

"Are you out of your mind?! We need to focus on every single match! Are you saying we should just throw this one?"

"I am not saying we throw the match! I am simply prioritizing our matches to formulate a realistic strategy. We will do our best in the match against Team KL, but since they have no weaknesses and we are at a disadvantage, we should prepare a highly defensive counter-attacking strategy. Meanwhile, we can use the remaining time to prepare counters against other teams' strategies..."

"You should be thinking about how to win, but you're already wallowing in defeatist thoughts! How is this team supposed to function with you like this?!"

The coach felt a surge of anger but bit his tongue. There was no need to cause trouble by talking back to the general manager or the president.

"The president watches every single match," the GM continued, "and he recommended a new strategy this time."

"Excuse me???"

An ominous feeling began to creep up the coach's spine. He had never once seen a strategy recommended by a higher-up who didn't actually play the game turn out well.

"Look here. Didn't Team Ran push Team KL to the brink? The president was deeply impressed to see a weak team push them like that. Look at this. The viewership for that match was double that of any other team's. They completely monopolized the spotlight. This... this tactic seems highly viable. Let's go with this for the next match. Our players are much more expensive than theirs, so shouldn't we get an even better result?"

It was a simple, brainless calculation: If we use the tactic they used, since our players are more expensive, we'll do even better! Of course, to the coach, this was absolutely horrifying.

"Absolutely not! A five-tank composition isn't something just any team can pull off! It looks simple, but you need five tanks who have consistently trained and prepared for that specific setup! If they can't heal, buff, and synergize with each other, they will melt instantly under Kim Tae-hyun's damage! Even the Polar Bears tried it and ended up melting from the second round onward..."

"Ugh, if you're just going to keep saying 'we can't, we can't,' why are you even the coach?! Quiet down. If we pay them that much salary, they should be able to pull off at least that much! Make sure you grab a victory in the next match."

"Still, what's impossible is..."

The coach tried to hold his ground until the very end. He had barely managed to gather players from all over, build their teamwork, and teach them tactics. They were finally starting to function as a cohesive unit...

And now, they were suddenly telling him to pick five new tanks and run an entirely new strategy? It was utterly absurd. No matter how he looked at it, this was a recipe for disaster!

That's not something just anyone can do!

"You really have no tact," the GM sneered, clicking his tongue in disapproval. "Are you the one paying the salaries? This is the president's order. Even if the results are bad, do you think they'll hold you responsible? Just go with the flow and stop arguing."

With that, the general manager turned and walked away. The coach stood frozen, completely speechless.

Are they really... are they really telling me to throw five tanks in there and just toss the match away?

"Ugh, why on earth is Kim Tae-hyun... in a place like this...!"

His heart was practically bursting with anxiety, but since Tae-hyun wasn't accepting any whispers, the Woodstock Guild Leader had no choice but to move personally. The Three Visits to the Thatch! He wanted to show his sincerity by personally seeking Tae-hyun out to persuade him.

"Still, if we show this much sincerity, won't even that guy be a little swayed?"

"I... I don't know about that, Guild Leader."

"In times like this, you're supposed to say yes, you idiot! Why are you raining on my parade!"

"N-No, but what am I supposed to do when it really doesn't seem like he would!"

The Zaion Mountains were a place as notorious as the Demon Realm or Frozeland. The members of the Woodstock Guild couldn't help but be on edge as they entered.

"Did Kim Tae-hyun turn on his stream?"

"No, he didn't. Uh... wait, huh?"

"What is it?"

"A post just went up on the New York Lions fan board. It looks like a few of their substitute players are currently in ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the Zaion Mountains."

"...Hey."

"Yes?"

"I told you to find Kim Tae-hyun, not those New York Lions bastards!"

"N-No... it's just... there's a rumor that Kim Tae-hyun is there too..."

"!!"

"Guild Leader! A wyvern! A wyvern ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠has appeared!"

"Everyone, cover yourselves with your cloaks, get down, and use Stealth!"

"I don't think we'll run into the Ancient Giant again, but it does weigh on my mind," Tae-hyun said.

At his words, everyone in the party nodded in agreement. The Ancient Giant was the definition of terror. It was completely understandable why the dwarves had been trembling so much!

"Still, our quest doesn't change. Our original plan was to go underground anyway. We'll head underground, find the Adamantium, persuade the dwarves, and then clear the quest."

Fortunately, thanks to Tae-hyun successfully drawing the Ancient Giant away, the Galkard dwarf tribes were extremely grateful.

"Please forgive us for thinking you were a madman who brought goblins, giants, and demons at first!"

"I honestly thought you were going to burn our kingdom down!"

Even the elderly dwarf elders came forward to apologize, showing just how grateful they were.

"But did you really meet Lee Se-yeon?"

"Yeah. She was doing a quest with the New York Lions guys."

"We should just crush the New York Lions... No, wait. There are still a lot of matches left, so that wouldn't mean much."

The party's true feelings slipped out instantly! Every pro player thought the exact same way: I just wish the opposing team's star players wouldn't show up for our matches!

"She's probably agonizing over whether she should hunt the Ancient Giant," Tae-hyun remarked.

"S-She's trying to hunt the Ancient Giant?!"

"She said she'd give up, but..."

Tae-hyun knew Lee Se-yeon all too well. When a boss monster that seemed impossible to defeat appeared, normal players would back off, thinking, I should come back and hunt it when I'm stronger. But people like Tae-hyun or Lee Se-yeon were the types to cling to it, thinking, No! There has to be a way! People didn't change easily.

"Oh, and I found a pretty decent dungeon. It looked great for leveling up skills. I'll take you guys there later."

"Really? What kind of dungeon is it?"

"It's fine. I cleared it with Lee Se-yeon, and the skill level gains were great."

At Tae-hyun's words, the party members nodded without a shred of suspicion. Having never been there, they had absolutely no idea what kind of dungeon it actually was!

The party returned to Shaft 8, the very mine where Bekelf had been working. Tae-hyun steeled his resolve to find the Adamantium this time. Since they had been chased by the Ancient Giant, they deserved at least that much as compensation!

However...

The mine was far, far too vast.

Even when he used Divine Foresight, the path didn't show up as a single line; instead, it split into several branches. It seemed there were just that many ways to reach their destination.

The problem was...

We have to dig and pave a path through all of this.

Normally, making a path like this wasn't a solo job. It was a quest meant for a group of people who were confident in their pickaxing or shoveling skills to tackle together! But who was Tae-hyun?

"Miners, assemble! I need your help!"

Even without other players, he could easily substitute them with NPCs.

Come to think of it, Cain really... has a natural talent for shoveling.

There was a unique rhythm to the way Cain drove his shovel into the ground and scooped it out. It was a talent that couldn't be easily replicated! Of course, if anyone actually told Cain this, he would absolutely hate it...

"C-Cain. Doesn't something feel off?"

"What's off?"

"No... Group 3... you know! Why are you acting like you don't know!"

"???"

Thinking Cain was playing dumb, the players of the Pioneer Expedition—a name Cain had proudly coined in the meantime—nudged him playfully. Why was he hiding it when he clearly knew!

"What is supposed to be there? Labor and the reward of hard work?"

"No... not that! Come on! There must have been a reason you took charge of Group 3! Some kind of hidden jackpot!"

The players of the Pioneer Expedition had all followed Cain into Group 3. But all they had been doing was shoveling, pickaxing, and sawing.

Moving nearby rocks, digging up frozen ground to fill it with stones and pave roads, cutting down trees to build walls near the village...

It was construction, construction, and more construction! It was a quest that no one except those with the Architect class would ever need to do.

Was this Pandemonium Online or Dudeokri Online?!

"Huh? No, I only took Group 3 to lead by example so you guys wouldn't complain."

"..."

"..."

At Cain's words, the players were struck with utter horror. So, what he was saying was...

They had been doing completely meaningless shoveling all this time?

"Die!!!"

"W-What?! No... you're supposed to be touched right now!"

"Touched, my foot! Why are you doing things you never do, you crazy bastard! Making us misunderstand!"

"Die! Die!"

Ignoring the curses, the players began pelting him with rocks! Although it dealt almost no damage, Cain's heart, for some reason, felt incredibly bruised.