The Soul Partners

Still, through thick and thin, the only ones who truly looked out for Cain were the 4th Prince and his knights.

"How dare these scoundrels!"

"How dare they lay a hand on my knight! Wipe them out!"

The knights charged in a fury, and the players fled in surprise.

Why on earth is that bastard Cain so popular?!

Is he only popular with NPCs?

But now that I think about it, Cain always did have a lot of fans...

The rankers and high-level players who actually had to deal with Cain cursed him, calling him "a lucky bastard who hit the jackpot by meeting Kim Tae-hyun!" But regardless of that, Cain was incredibly popular.

In this world, no matter how trashy your personality is, if you have the skills, you'll get fans. On top of that, Cain was kind to his fans, and his skills were—at least on the surface—undeniable. Even his occasional self-destructions looked like brilliant strategies to the general public!

As long as he was dedicated to his fans and possessed solid skills, there was no way he wouldn't be popular! Thanks to that, even the clumsy, embarrassing mistakes Cain made were packaged as endearing human charms.

"If you commit such insolence once more, you will not be forgiven!"

"Whoa, whoa. Why is everyone so worked up? Calm down! They aren't actually bad guys!"

If they die, who's going to do all the work?!

It was a bizarre sight: Cain holding back his own escort knights! But since he had saved them from a near-death situation, even if it was Cain, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the players couldn't help but feel a swell of gratitude.

That bastard Cain... he really is a pushover, but I guess he's not a completely bad guy...

Well, since he's so good-natured, that's probably how he managed to survive under Kim Tae-hyun for so long.

I heard Kim Tae-hyun doesn't even get mad at Cain. They say he's not his right-hand man for nothing.

If Cain had heard this, he would have roared in fury: "You crazy bastards, do you have any idea how much I get nagged?!"

Waking up in the morning to eat the breakfast Tae-hyun prepared, only to get nagged: "Cain, you're raising your skill levels, right? ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Surely your swordsmanship level isn't lower than mine?"

Coming out of the capsule at lunchtime to eat the lunch Tae-hyun prepared, only to get nagged again: "Cain, you don't even have a level-up penalty, so why is your level so low? Lee Se-yeon next door and Smith are already aiming for level 300! You should try a bit harder!"

And when Cain, utterly terrified, tried to skip dinner and run away, Tae-hyun would lay out a feast of Cain's absolute favorite dishes, making him think, Gasp, that's... I have to eat that! and lure him right back. Tae-hyun was a truly vicious boss!

Of course, only Cain knew the truth of this torment. To everyone else, the two of them were a match made in heaven—soul partners.

"Ca... Cain."

"?"

"Thanks."

"...What are you guys plotting?!"

"This ungrateful bastard, even when we say thank you!"

"I take it back!"

"What is the most popular subject these days?"

"Pan-On, sir."

"What is the easiest subject to pull ratings with?"

"Pan-On, sir."

"What is the reason our MBS has recorded recent growth despite being at a disadvantage compared to other broadcasting stations?"

"Pan-On, sir."

"Exactly. For the next ten years... no, honestly, it feels like it'll keep going like this for twenty years. I can't even imagine another game rising up to beat Pan-On."

MBS, a broadcasting station specializing in gaming. Despite its smaller scale compared to other major networks, the reason it had achieved such remarkable growth recently was simple: Pan-On! Pandemonium Online had become an unexpectedly massive hit. It didn't just dominate the gaming industry; it monopolized headlines across all sectors of society. Thanks to being the first and most frequent to cover Pan-On, MBS reaped astronomical profits. In fact, MBS was the very first to host an Arena tournament! They were also the ones who dragged the superstar Tae-hyun onto the screen. Perhaps recalling the immense profits they made back then, the president of MBS wore a wistful expression.

"Those were the good old days..."

"Indeed they were, sir."

The PDs all nodded in agreement. Nowadays, the Arena League was hosted directly by Pan-On's parent company, and Tae-hyun was focusing entirely on tournaments and in-game quests. Even his rare public appearances were handled through his personal streams. Although Pan-On compensated them with broadcasting rights fees, how could that compare to the days when they produced the shows themselves? Furthermore, the void left by a star like Tae-hyun was massive. If Tae-hyun so much as showed his face, the ratings would literally double, driving advertisers wild. Once, an advertiser had seriously asked if they could pay any amount of money to have Tae-hyun star in a commercial or just use their item in Pan-On.

...The problem was that it was an ad for hair loss treatment! And that was on the tamer side. Even for products that had absolutely nothing to do with Kim Tae-hyun, requests flooded in from all directions.

He doesn't even have to shoot a separate commercial! Just have him hold something that looks like our product in Pan-On! We'll pay whatever it takes!

"But sir, the ratings for our current shows aren't bad either. Our regular programs have successfully established themselves, and the new show we just launched is getting a decent response..."

"That may be true... but it's hard not to feel a lingering regret." Once you've tasted peak ratings, a moderate success just doesn't satisfy anymore.

"What is Kim Tae-hyun up to lately?"

"He's probably busy playing in tournaments and doing in-game quests. He hasn't uploaded much on his personal channel since that Demon Realm quest."

"Is there no way to persuade him?"

"His agent was very reluctant. He said the players' own wishes are absolute."

"Hmm."

"What if we follow Kim Tae-hyun around and make a show out of it? Without getting in his way, of course."

It was a proposal completely devoid of any actual program concept, yet the PDs in the room found it highly plausible. Honestly, even if Kim Tae-hyun just showed up, breathed, and slept, the ratings would easily surpass their average!

"Wouldn't that backfire? The reason Player Kim Tae-hyun isn't streaming is likely because he's on a quest that shouldn't be made public yet."

The president had somehow become a Pan-On expert! The PDs were astonished to see the man who used to say, "Pan-On? I don't really know much about it..." transform like this. Truly, money changes people!

"Besides, for a player of Kim Tae-hyun's caliber, the difficulty of his current quest must be insane. Is our broadcasting team's level even high enough to go there?"

"!??!"

Wait, President...?! When did you learn all of this?

"President, I have some good news!"

PD Bae Jang-wook raised his hand. He was the one who had discovered Tae-hyun and produced several broadcasts with him. Thanks to those achievements, he had received a special promotion within the company. When he raised his hand, everyone looked at him with either anticipation or jealousy.

"Oh, Jang-wook. What is it?"

"I heard that Player Cain is currently acting on his own. It ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠seems he's away to pioneer a newly acquired territory... In this situation, appearing on a broadcast shouldn't interfere with his gameplay too much. We can go there directly and film in a way that doesn't disrupt him."

"Where is this place?"

"It's an island called Nodranche, located north of Frozeland..."

"Ah, I know that place. The climate is extremely cold and barren, and the monsters that spawn there are Snow Golems and..."

"...!??!"

Seriously, President?!

"It's not a low-level area, but our broadcasting team is high enough to handle it. Furthermore, it won't just be Cain; there will be multiple players gathered for the pioneering effort, so you don't have to worry about safety."

"As expected, PD Bae is the best. That's a great plan! Send the proposal immediately and get his approval!"

Though approval from the higher-ups had been granted, Bae Jang-wook fell into deep thought. Cain, who was almost as popular as Tae-hyun. And the barren land of Nodranche. What kind of broadcast could extract the absolute best out of this?

I have to produce the ultimate show...!

"PD-nim, you don't need to feel so pressured. It's an unexplored territory, and we have Player Cain! Just following him around will guarantee tons of footage, just like with Player Kim Tae-hyun."

"Monsters and dungeons people have never seen before! ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Hidden rewards! The viewers will love it!"

"That's true, but..."

Unlike the other staff members, Bae Jang-wook felt strangely uneasy. Why was that? Was it because Cain was the main star this time?

"...Just in case, let's bring some celebrities along."

"Huh? But you usually say we don't need them."

Bae Jang-wook usually maintained that "what a Pan-On broadcast needs is people who know Pan-On well, not celebrities." And he wasn't wrong. Pan-On programs that blindly cast famous celebrities without any game knowledge never lasted long. Ultimately, the game itself was what mattered!

"I'm not saying we should bring people who know absolutely nothing about Pan-On. We can bring celebrities who actually play a lot of Pan-On."

"Ah, I see what you mean. Understood."

"Those dwarf miners really work hard... Wait, hold on."

Tae-hyun stopped mid-sentence.

"We don't necessarily have to call the dwarves only when there's a war, right? Wouldn't it be better to call them for construction?"

"...Y-yes, I suppose so?"

It was something that Tae-hyun, his companions, and even Karbanog had all overlooked! Dwarves were naturally excellent at architecture and construction! Because they had been fighting so much, they had only thought about whether they could use them in battle.

"......"

"Well, as long as we realized it now, it's fine!"

The monstrous strength of the dwarf miners was truly incredible. Tasks that would have taken Tae-hyun's party ages to complete were finished in a flash as the dwarves swarmed the area. The blocked passage from moments ago was cleared in an instant, the ground was leveled, and walls were erected on the ceiling and sides—a literal miracle!

There are so many buildings to construct in the territory.

Tae-hyun pondered whether he should borrow the dwarves for construction instead of battle. Currently, The Valley was continuously expanding, pushing its boundaries outward. Players and various races kept flocking to the area outside the triple stone walls built for the previous siege! Even the mountain range backing The Valley was no exception. Players were carving away at the mountains and building whatever they could on top. If they had the dwarves, they could build several times more structures.

And that wasn't all. The kingdom's Capital also needed expansion. Of course, unlike The Valley, the Capital already had all the necessary buildings, but human greed knew no bounds. More buildings, a wider territory!

Rumble—

"?"

While he was lost in thought, a wall crumbled, revealing the entrance to a new passage.

"???"

"?????"

Tae-hyun's party froze in sheer absurdity. They had only been looking for a legacy, but they stumbled upon an unimaginable conspiracy!

Wait... so the reason he was embezzling Adamantium was because he had some ulterior motive?

And come to think of it, the place where Bekelf had built his warehouse was where the Ancient Giant lay sleeping. Looking at it now, it was suspicious in a completely different way!

Did this bastard plan to do something with the Ancient Giant?

Are you crazy?

—Decline!

There was absolutely no reason to listen to a dead dwarf. He would gladly pocket Bekelf's legacy, but he had no intention of fulfilling his dying wish!

"W-what... Bekelf-ssi was that kind of person?"

"Well, he did always mutter to himself and curse the elders..."

The dwarf miners were murmuring in shock. Seizing the opportunity, Tae-hyun quickly spoke up.

"No need to worry, everyone! I will take care of Bekelf's conspiracy. I shall go in myself and uncover whatever plot he was hatching."