The Power of High-Level Tactics

Of course, such attempts had no chance of working. It was a sad effort that only drew more ridicule the more they tried!

Meanwhile, Tae-hyun, having said everything he wanted to say, looked over at Lee Da-bi.

"I've said everything, right? Can I turn it off now?"

"...You can, but since you've already turned it on, why not do something else?"

"Uh... like what? There's no one to attack right now."

"...You don't always have to attack someone to make people happy! I'm sure they'd find it entertaining even if you just stood there breathing."

"Entertaining just by breathing? Come on. That can't be true..."

From Tae-hyun's perspective, a broadcast was a place where he had to show something substantial.

'I should at least show myself fighting the Guild Alliance alone!'

Of course, the fans felt completely different.

'Please, just let us watch you breathe! Honestly, you barely ever stream!!'

As Tae-hyun and Lee Da-bi whispered to each other in low voices, staring only at one another, the viewers watching the stream grew curious.

Whenever any kind of rumor popped up, Kim Tae-hyun's hardcore fans would spam the chat with "Isn't Kim Tae-hyun too good for them?" It was their consistent attitude, whether it was about Lee Se-yeon or anyone else!

"Wow, player Kim Tae-hyun is streaming right now to clarify things. Team KL must be really close!"

"Y-yes! We're close! We are very close!"

"Hearing you say it like that makes it sound rather unconvincing, Player Cain."

Usually, the phrase "We're close, right?" only came out when there was actually a problem!

"We really are close!"

"Haha, I was just joking. It's wonderful to see everyone getting along so well."

The MC smiled warmly. They had initially thought Cain wasn't the type of character who could carry a broadcast on his own... but they were wrong. Cain showed surprising potential! Of course, Cain himself was thinking, 'I am never coming on a broadcast again!'

Meanwhile, Lecia, who was sitting next to him, was inwardly marveling.

'The members of Team KL really are close.'

Among pro gaming teams, it was rare to find one as tightly knit as Team KL. Usually, because players had to compete with each other for starting positions, check-and-balances and jealousy were inevitable. In comparison, Team KL was truly...!

'Though Kim Tae-hyun doing all the housework is a major exception!'

When rumors circulated on the forums saying, "Hey, the owner of Team KL cooks for them," she had honestly thought it was a joke. Finding out it was true only made her like them more.

'I will definitely become friends with them...!'

As Lecia stared with burning intensity, Cain flinched.

'Is she... is she a fan of Kim Tae-hyun? Is she mad because I said something stupid??'

"How about taking some questions? It's something most streamers do often," Lee Da-bi suggested.

Everyone cheered at Lee Da-bi's suggestion, which scratched exactly where they itched. While taking questions was common for other streamers, Tae-hyun was an exception. Aside from brief, limited questions during official interviews, they had almost never seen him answer anything directly.

"Is that really fun?" Tae-hyun asked.

Whenever Tae-hyun started a stream, the viewer count easily began in the tens of thousands. After a short while, it would multiply several times over. With so many people typing at once, the chat window naturally flew by at an insane speed. Even so, people desperately tried to get their questions in. Please... please answer me...!

"Uh... let's see. 'Who is the biggest troublemaker in Team KL?' ...Let's skip this one."

"Are you on bad terms with Lee Se-yeon? Ah, that. We've made up. Our relationship is fine now."

"Are you aiming to win the league? Actually, when we started, the plan was just to make it to the top tier, target the post-season, and win from there. But looking at things now, first place in the league seems entirely possible, so we're working hard. Teams we consider rivals? Aren't they all rivals? No matter which team it is, we face them with everything we've got."

"Are you dating anyone? Right now, I really don't think I have the time..."

"Can you visit your university? Ah. I think this is because I'm currently getting attendance waivers for the tournament and only taking exams, but I'm graduating next year, so I will be going."

"What do you think of Power Warrior? ...Wait, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠did a Power Warrior guild member ask this?"

Tae-hyun looked at Lee Da-bi as he asked. Lee Da-bi subtly avoided his gaze.

"Power Warrior is a reliable guild."

"Power Warrior always helps us in every way they can, and they're all very capable..."

However, the wishes of the Power Warrior guild members were not to be fulfilled. An interruption had arrived.

"Lord Tae-hyun!"

"Player Kim Tae-hyun!"

"???"

Players from the Prica Continent had somehow managed to track down Tae-hyun and Lee Da-bi!

Feeling puzzled, Tae-hyun decided to turn off the stream for now.

"I'm going to turn it off for a moment."

A sudden lightning bolt of fury struck the completely innocent Guild Alliance!

"Are you assassins?"

"N-no! We're not!"

"How could we ever dare!"

The players pleaded, but Tae-hyun didn't believe them. In his mind, Pan-On players were divided into two categories: active assassins, and players who would soon become assassins!

Tae-hyun pulled Lee Da-bi behind his back.

'Yong-yong. Heuk-heuk.'

'Yes, Master!'

'Master. I am listening.'

'If any attack comes toward Lee Da-bi, block it with your bodies.'

'Yes!'

'Understood!'

'If a single attack touches her, I'm peeling off your scales.'

'...'

'...'

'Master. As for me...'

'You should know to block it even without me telling you! Did you put on that Death Knight form just for show?'

"My HP is actually quite high, so I'm fine..." Lee Da-bi murmured.

In truth, Lee Da-bi's HP was higher than Tae-hyun's. Rather than starting as a priest, she had originally been a merchant. It was only natural for her HP to be higher!

"No. You never know what kind of tricks they might pull. A Pan-On player must, by default, be extremely cautious."

"I don't think you're one to talk, Lord Tae-hyun."

He was easily the most fearless player in all of Pan-On!

"I'm incredibly cautious. And Da-bi, top-tier rankers might seem arrogant, but they are all fundamentally cowards."

"Even Lee Se-yeon?"

"Lee Se-yeon? She's the biggest coward of them all. On top of that, she's meticulous. Last time, even after her debuff wore off, she kept sticking right next to me to use me as a human shield. Her personality is truly... Ah, wait. We formed an alliance, so I should watch my mouth."

"...??!"

Lee Da-bi wore a startled expression. Tae-hyun nodded and continued.

"Now you see how calculating she is, right?"

"I... I see."

Lee Da-bi subtly nudged closer to Tae-hyun's side. Well, if even Lee Se-yeon did that, I suppose I have no choice!

"Uh... excuse me. You two. May we speak now?"

For some reason, the atmosphere between the two seemed so good that the players had been waiting quietly.

"Go ahead. We're listening," Lee Da-bi permitted.

At her approval, the gathered players cleared their throats and spoke. Tae-hyun was still glaring at them, but surely they would be fine since the guild master of Power Warrior had given them the green light.

"We are players who are working hard here on the Prica Continent!"

"Ah. Yes. Is that so?"

"We were so shocked to hear that the two of you from Team KL had come here, so we came looking for you!"

"To assassinate us?"

"No! We came to help!"

"To make us let our guard down and then assassinate us?"

Infinite distrust! However, these players had truly come with pure intentions to help. Gesturing wildly with their hands and feet, they desperately explained their sincerity. Hearing this, Tae-hyun was left thoroughly puzzled.

"...But why?"

Coming to help with someone else's quest for absolutely nothing? Were they perhaps of the Demon race?

"Aren't there usually people who ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠join out of pure fandom?" Lee Da-bi asked.

"There's that, but more than anything, wherever Player Kim Tae-hyun goes, it's bound to be a massive jackpot! Just clearing the path is an absolute win for us!"

Indeed. The players gathered here weren't particularly greedy for the quest rewards or the items Tae-hyun would get from defeating monsters.

'If we just follow behind Tae-hyun, secure new territory on the Prica Continent, and find a village, it's a massive profit!'

They had learned a valuable lesson from the Demon Realm conquest quest.

'The Prica Continent is still largely unexplored territory... We don't know what kind of places are out there. But a place like the Karp Mountains is far too difficult for a small guild like ours to clear.'

'Just helping Kim Tae-hyun and mapping out the surrounding terrain is enough to break even! If there's a village nearby and we get entry permission, it's a jackpot...!'

Hearing their explanation, Tae-hyun nodded. He finally understood their motives.

'Ah. So that's what it is.'

Only when there was a clear, self-serving reason like that did he feel at ease. If they had just said they came to help out of the goodness of their hearts, it would have been far too suspicious!

"I'm planning to head to the volcanic region south of the Karp Mountains. Is that fine with you?"

"Of course it is!!"

"We can even act as suicide bombers if needed!"

"I don't plan on making you go that far."

Even for suicide bombing, level was important!

"Ah. Is the bomber role really something only Player Cain can do?"

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

"Is the character class important for that?"

The gathered players whispered among themselves. It certainly felt a bit strange that only Cain ever handled the bombs!

"No, it's not like that... Anyway, shall we head out? I'm glad you're all prepared."

Tae-hyun checked the classes of the gathered players and began to divide them into simple groups. He didn't intend to micro-manage this impromptu party with extreme precision, but they still needed to cover the basics. Tanks on the outside, damage dealers in the middle, and healers in the center.

An overwhelming flood of buffs poured over them! The gathered players were struck with sheer astonishment. It was only natural, as this was their very first time playing in a party with Tae-hyun.

'Wait, why is his Tactics skill at the Master rank...?'

'This is my first time seeing someone with a Master-rank Tactics skill.'

'Kim Tae-hyun isn't even a guild leader, is he?'

'He's not the leader of some massive guild, so how on earth did he level up his Tactics skill that high?'