The Human Stepping Stone
A facility like a training ground was not something easily unlocked. Why else would guilds go through such immense trouble to conquer cities? It was because they could monopolize the city's core facilities! Who in their right mind would put in all that effort to claim a territory, only to give it away to others?
...And yet, here was someone doing exactly that.
Those who had been busy trashing Cain on the internet were suddenly bewildered by the abrupt shift in the atmosphere. Trashing Cain was supposed to be a national pastime! It wasn't that people genuinely hated him; it was just that on Team KL, Cain was the only one who fit that kind of punching-bag role. He was the guy who got weirdly criticized even when he played well!
But now, a sudden wave of genuine Cain fans had appeared, leaving the haters completely flustered.
Cain's fans dealt with irrefutable arguments by spamming the report button! But regardless of this pointless bickering on the internet, quick-witted players were already packing their bags.
Anyone who had played a decent amount of Pan-On knew exactly how crucial these training facilities were. Just by clearing them, you could obtain various stat points and skill rewards for free! Normally, these were rewards you couldn't get even after completing dozens of linked quests, but here, they were handed out just for clearing the trial. Such generous spots were incredibly rare in Pan-On.
'If there are too many people, I might not even get in!'
'There might be a first-come, first-served limit...'
The players ran like madmen. Facilities like this were bound to be popular, drawing massive crowds. On top of that, since there were no entry restrictions, the rush was even worse! If they were unlucky, they wouldn't even get a turn!
...However, the training ground of Nodranche opened its doors equally to everyone.
“Right this way! Come on in!”
“You’re here for the training ground, right?”
“Huh? Wait...”
Members of the Power Warrior Guild were standing along the shores of Nodranche, holding up welcoming banners with bright smiles.
“Uh... can we still get in?”
“Of course!”
“Everyone! Buy your Nodranche souvenirs! Only one silver!”
“Selling local delicacies you can only taste here in Nodranche!”
“Selling items that may or may not help you in the training ground!”
Having already rushed over upon hearing the news, the Power Warrior Guild members were fully prepared to happily fleece the crowd.
“Oh, Power Warrior popcorn? Now that’s legit.”
“Maybe I should grab some of their popcorn.”
Even if they ignored the other suspicious goods, players bought the popcorn. The guild's popcorn-making skills were legendary. Since the early days, many members had done nothing but make popcorn, resulting in incredibly high cooking skills specialized in that one snack! Other guilds had tried to compete, but none could match them when it came to popcorn. Cheap, fast, and delicious!
“Won't you buy a souvenir, everyone?”
“Come on, what do we need souvenirs for...”
“Who knows? The hidden secrets of the Ancient Empire might be inside! It might even help you in the training ground!”
“...Really?”
“Well, if you put it that way...”
Swayed by the guild members' smooth talking, the players began buying them one by one as if possessed.
“Hey, why are you buying that junk?”
“When I went to the Demon Realm before, I didn't buy the souvenirs the giants were selling, and I still regret it to this day. It's always better to just buy these things.”
“...True!”
Experienced players caught on to the vibe and bought a souvenir. Even more experienced players started hoarding them. Of course, they were completely useless.
“????”
“There are no enemies?”
“No monsters either?”
“Who are we supposed to fight?”
Dozens of players muttered in confusion. It was completely different from a normal training ground! From far ahead, Tae-hyun shouted to them.
“This isn't a place for fighting!”
“Ah! Player Kim Tae-hyun!!”
“Kim Tae-hyun is over there...!”
The players were shocked. They never expected to see his face here!
“Player Kim Tae-hyun! Please give me an autograph!”
“How am I supposed to autograph something from this distance...”
“Ah, right.”
“More importantly, Player Kim Tae-hyun! What is this training ground anyway?”
“Ah... you don't fight here. You just cross it with your bare body.”
“!!!”
“There will be traps along the way, so make sure to dodge them.”
“What? That doesn't sound too hard.”
“Why isn't Kim Tae-hyun clearing it? Why is he just standing there?”
“He's probably waiting to explain it to the newcomers.”
“Wow... can a person really be that kind?”
“His character is incomparable to that jerk Cain...”
“......”
Squeezed in among the crowd, Cain wore an extremely uncomfortable expression. Hey...! I'm right here, you jerks...!
“Alright, here I go!”
One player ran forward with immense confidence. And then, a jump!
“Uwaaaah!”
And a plunge!
“......”
“......”
A chilly silence filled the air.
“...W-what was that?”
“Is he just an idiot?”
“My turn! Jump!”
And another plunge!
“W-wait, this distance is way further than it looks!”
Only then did the dozens of players realize. This was completely different from their usual jumps, which relied heavily on stats and skills! They had to squeeze out every ounce of their physical strength!
“I-I made it!”
“Ohhh...!”
Still, with dozens of people trying, one or two eventually succeeded. Tae-hyun looked at them and shouted, “Watch out!”
“He said watch out?”
“Haha! Kim Tae-hyun! We already made it! What is there to watch out for—urgh!”
A flying stone pillar slammed into the player, sending him plummeting!
“...I told you to watch out!”
“How were we supposed to know it would be something like that?!”
Tae-hyun sighed. He needed these guys to make it over here so he could move forward...
As the number of participants grew to hundreds and then thousands, everyone began to clear the first jump. And slowly, human nature began to rear its ugly head.
“Hehehe, you’re not going anywhere!”
“You crazy bastard!”
Players started grabbing the ankles of others who were trying to jump!
'Th-this is fun!'
'This is totally going to work!'
Some players even started using the training ground in entirely different ways. Clearing it might be hard... but they could still have plenty of fun without clearing it!
“I will not log out of Pan-On until I clear the first floor of this training ground! Everyone, watch me!”
“To jump across this section, I have analyzed the optimal path...”
Even streamers who did personal broadcasts rushed in! Tae-hyun let out an even deeper sigh.
“When are they ever going to get here...”
Instead of jumping, they were all just fooling around! Still, since they were slowly making progress, he figured he just needed to wait a bit longer.
*Tap.*
“Phew... finally, on my thirtieth try...!”
“Look, Kim Tae-hyun is waiting over there.”
“...Hey. Hold on. Isn't this an opportunity?”
“What opportunity?”
“An opportunity to beat Kim Tae-hyun!”
“...Don't you mean an opportunity to die the moment we leave the training ground?” his friend asked with a fed-up expression. Did this guy say that even after watching videos of rankers getting absolutely thrashed by Kim Tae-hyun?
But the player was brimming with confidence.
“Hey, would Kim Tae-hyun really attack us over something like this? He's not Cain.”
“Well... it's not PK, it's just a training ground...”
“This is our chance to become stars! Think about it. What do you think will happen if a video of us beating Kim Tae-hyun gets uploaded to the forums?”
“I think the comment section will be filled with absolute vitriol.”
Considering Kim Tae-hyun's massive fanbase, 'go die' would probably be the mildest insult!
“...Don't be so negative. It'll definitely draw attention, right?”
“Well, it would certainly make us famous...”
“Besides, our skills and stats are sealed here! We have the advantage!”
The listening players looked intrigued. Seeing this, the player decided to drag the others in as well.
“Hey, you guys join in too!”
“In what?”
“Attacking Kim Tae-hyun!”
“...You want us to die together??”
“No, you idiot! Listen closely!”
*Whisper, whisper...*
Tae-hyun tilted his head as the players who had finally reached his pillar huddled together and whispered instead of jumping to the next one.
Carbanog says those guys look suspicious.
'Yeah. Looks like they're planning to attack me.'
...Carbanog asks how you could possibly know that.
'There are only two kinds of players: those who are currently attacking me, and those who will attack me eventually.'
......
Tae-hyun stretched. Having waited for so long, he was getting a bit bored himself. Since this was a training ground, there was absolutely no penalty for falling or dying. That was probably why those guys were being so bold.
'But did they really not think about me retaliating afterward?'
Normally, they would. Were they just fearless? Tae-hyun never imagined that his public image was so pristine that they weren't even worried about such a thing. What an absurd situation...!
*Tap.*
“Player Kim Tae-hyun! We’ve arrived as well!”
“Hehe... please take care of us!”
“Sure, sure.”
Tae-hyun smiled and extended his hand. It was a handshake to acknowledge their hard work. At that moment, the players' eyes gleamed.
“Grab him!”
“Push him!”
“Khehe! Kim Tae-hyun, don't resent us! This is just how this training ground is!”
“Yeah. I was thinking the exact same thing.”
“?!”
After dodging their rush, Tae-hyun grabbed the player at the very front and shoved him hard.
“Whoa, whoa, wait...”
In an instant, the player was pushed to the very edge of the pillar! Tae-hyun planted a kick right on his back.
“Uwaaaah!”
The player involuntarily jumped forward! Tae-hyun quickly dashed right behind him, stepped on the falling player's shoulder mid-air, and leaped.
*Tap.*
Perfect.
Arriving safely on the next pillar, Tae-hyun turned around and waved.
“Thanks, everyone.”
“......”
“Hey!!”
“Kim Tae-hyun! H-how could you do this?! Using a person as a stepping stone!”
“This is so different from your image!”
“Even if it's you, you shouldn't do this! You're a pro!”
Tae-hyun ignored them as if they were barking dogs. Fortunately, the next pillar was a spot he could reach on his own without needing to step on anyone. Tae-hyun ran, jumped, kicked a flying platform, did a mid-air flip, grabbed the next pillar, dodged a blast of flame, and landed perfectly.
“......”
“......”
The players who had been cursing Kim Tae-hyun suddenly forgot their anger and stared with their mouths agape. It was an absolutely flawless sequence of movements.
“D-did you just see that?”
“H-he must have brought his stats in! How can anyone do that without stats!”
*Thud!*
“Uwaah! You crazy bastard, why did you push me!”
“I’m going too!”
“!!!”
Only then did the gathered players realize why Kim Tae-hyun had been waiting here! To cross this section, at least one person had to be sacrificed!
“You bastard!”
“Get out of the way! I’m going!”
“Don't grab me! Uwaaaah!”
The players desperately lunged at each other, trying to throw one another off!
Hmm. Da-bi is going to love this video.
Tae-hyun made sure to record their struggle clearly from a distance. Da-bi had made a request earlier.
“Tae-hyun, if a lot of people gather at the training ground, I bet we'll get some really funny footage. If you see anything worth posting on the Power Warrior account, could you record it for me?”
“Of course.”
The sheer, unadulterated ugliness of humanity!
“Anyone... anyone but me!”
“You sacrifice yourself, you jerk!”