Unstoppable Force
— CurseEnthusiast: Putting the Plague Curse aside, hasn't Kim Tae-hyun's combat power seriously peaked lately?
— RealTalk: For real.
— UnstoppableForce: Whether in the league or in the game, he's basically peerless now. I don't think anyone can stop him one-on-one.
Declaring someone as "the absolute best" was never an easy claim to make. Usually, the moment you said it, people would immediately push back with, "No way, what about so-and-so?"
But Tae-hyun was someone who made that difficult claim entirely convincing. When someone asked, "Isn't Kim Tae-hyun the best?" even non-fans would react with, "Well, if it's Kim Tae-hyun, then yeah, definitely..."
— OldSchoolGamer: Hasn't Kim Tae-hyun always been a top ranker?
— CasualObserver: Yeah. Wasn't he always like this?
— TacticianKim: No, it was a bit different. Originally, Kim Tae-hyun wasn't the type to fight head-on like that.
Tae-hyun's style of fighting was unique and highly irregular—not something just anyone could replicate. For starters, his use of bombs wasn't something just anyone could pull off. And that wasn't all. From bombs to NPCs to the natural environment, Tae-hyun weaponized absolutely everything at his disposal. In fact, out of his countless battles, he had almost never fought the exact same way twice.
Among rankers, players who fought with such versatility were rare. For a ranker, the most crucial element was stability. Fighting as precariously as Tae-hyun did meant risking a sudden, catastrophic downfall at any moment. A few forced logouts were all it took to get pushed out of the fierce competition for a ranker's spot.
Yet, that very tightrope walk was precisely why Tae-hyun was so popular. While other rankers fought safely inside their comfort zones, he was performing a high-wire act alone, delivering a completely different level of suspense.
And in truth, from Tae-hyun's perspective, he had no choice.
If I don't do this, I can't level up!
Other rankers could level up through mob grinding or repeating dungeons, but that was practically impossible for Tae-hyun. He had to hunt monsters two or three times his level just to barely keep up. To defeat such foes, he had to throw stability out the window and put everything on the line every single time.
In any case, utilizing every aspect of his surroundings in irregular combat had always been Tae-hyun's signature style...
— CavalryCharge: But this time, he literally pushed through with raw, frontal power. Look at that charge. It was basically a knightly cavalry charge.
— MindBlown: Now that you mention it... it really was different this time!
After returning to his territory, Tae-hyun had gathered the players and charged straight ahead without any special preparation or setup. A simple charge fueled by pure confidence in his own strength. It might have looked straightforward, but such orthodox methods were often the most terrifying. Furthermore, the outcome shattered everyone's expectations once again.
Leading a hastily assembled party, he had pierced straight through the demon army and decapitated their commander!
— PeakPerformance: Doesn't that mean he's just that confident now? Like they said, his combat power has reached a whole new level...
— NoFear: True. Otherwise, how could he just dive in like that?
People marveled at Tae-hyun's peak combat power. However, there were those who couldn't afford to just stand by and admire him—the rankers who had to compete against him!
— MonsterFeeder: What the hell did that crazy bastard eat? He gets stronger every time I see him...
— PleaseMercy: Tae-hyun-nim, please quit the game and let's meet in Pan-On 3 instead, okay?
— NextVictim: Ah, I'm going crazy. Our next match is against Team KL. How the hell do we deal with them?
— DrawIsAWin: No, but seriously, shouldn't we at least be able to aim for a draw? Is it even fair that we can't even hope for a tie?
The 5-tank or 4-tank, 1-healer composition had quickly become the go-to strategy for weaker teams. It was a strategy focused on stubbornly holding the line to look for a counterattack or force a draw. Fans booed it as a boring tactic, but for the esports teams, it was the only logical choice.
...But that was only under normal circumstances. Even this 5-tank strategy was utterly useless against Team KL.
Tae-hyun was no ordinary damage dealer. Once Kim Tae-hyun forced his way inside and started beating someone to a pulp, maintaining a formation became impossible! To make matters worse, this bastard Kim Tae-hyun seemed to have gained some sort of enlightenment as the league progressed; he was getting better and better at breaking formations and shredding tanks. Once he singled out one target and melted them down, the remaining four couldn't possibly hold out, and the entire team would crumble...
— HistoryBuff: Didn't they say Lee Se-yeon beat Kim Tae-hyun before? How on earth did she manage that?
— PanOn1Veteran: That was back in Pan-On 1. Kim Tae-hyun was a blacksmith then. Honestly, if a Necromancer can't beat a blacksmith, they should just delete their account.
— SilentSufferer: ......
— BlacksmithVictim: ......
The other rankers on the board fell into a collective silence. Then what does that make us, who lost to that blacksmith?
That bastard definitely never played Pan-On 1.
If he had, he wouldn't be running his mouth like that.
— AggroMagnet: You do realize you just insulted every single Pan-On 1 ranker who lost to Kim Tae-hyun, right?
— PanOn1Veteran: Ah, no. I-I didn't mean it like that...
— DarkAlley: Watch your back at night.
— PanOn1Veteran: Ah... No, I'm sorry, everyone.
Realizing he had drawn massive aggro from the entire board, the ranker quickly apologized.
— ScheduleWatcher: When does Yuseong Gaming play against Team KL?
— LuckyYuseong: They have two matches scheduled back-to-back in the latter half of the league. Man, Yuseong Gaming is so lucky.
— HypeTrain: Looks like the organizers know how to put on a show. Saving it for the end to keep the tension high for the final standings...
— RealityCheck: Are you crazy? What tension? Team KL has basically locked in 1st place already!
With nearly half the league schedule completed and an undefeated record, they were practically guaranteed 1st place. Now, headlines regarding Team KL read "Is an undefeated championship possible?" or "Challenging an honorable grand record..." rather than "Can they take 1st place?"
— SilverMedalist: Ah, I didn't mean Team KL, I meant the teams below them lol. 2nd place is still a great achievement.
— ProGamerA: ......
— GrumpyPro: This guy is seriously...
— Doxxer: Someone find his username.
— SilverMedalist: Wait, why?!
The rankers playing as active pros in the league gritted their teeth at the thoughtless comments of those who weren't. Look at this bastard talking smack just because he's not the one on stage!
— LiveViewer: Oh, Team KL's match is starting.
— AntiKL: Please, let Team KL lose just once...
— BigBrain: Actually, it might be better if Team KL wins.
— Confused: Why?
— CrabInABucket: Team KL is already locked in 1st, so it's better if they drag down the other teams in the running.
— Disgusted: How can you say something so trashy with such confidence...?
While the rankers bickered, the league match began. Team KL vs. Hangzhou Wyverns!
Backed by massive capital, most of the Chinese teams were positioned near the top of the standings. The Hangzhou Wyverns were no exception. In a premier league of twenty teams, securing a spot near the top was an impressive feat in its own right... Of course, that didn't stop the fans from getting angry.
— StatNerd: What rank is Hangzhou Wyverns right now?
— HangzhouFan: 6th. If they lose, they'll drop to 7th.
— PlayoffWatcher: Whoa, that's cutting it close. Only the top six make the playoffs...
— HopefulRanker: Let's go, Hangzhou! Please, just expose at least one weakness of Team KL!
While the non-pro rankers watched the match with relaxed leisure, the active pro players watched with anxious, tense hearts. Please... Please let Kim Tae-hyun have a stomachache or a cold so his condition goes down the drain!
Knowing it was over, the fans let out a mixture of screams and groans. No one had ever escaped after being caught like that! The ranker board showed a similar reaction.
— GGWP: They lost.
— OverAndDone: It's over.
— Impossible: How do you even flip that? It's done.
— TankyKL: Hey, putting Kim Tae-hyun aside, has Team KL always been this tanky? How did Choi Sang-yun survive that just now?
— Clueless: Who knows. Probably got a buff.
— BuffChecker: There were no buffs.
— NotMyProblem: Who cares. I don't have to fight Team KL anyway. The guys playing them next will figure it out. Who's their next opponent?
— SilentWatcher: Uh...
— DoomGloom: ......
— PityParty: Man... I feel so sorry for them... Why do they have to face Team KL again right now?
The Beijing Fighters.
They were a team that had been riding high at the start of the league, competing for the top spots, but after their defeat to Team KL, they had suddenly spiraled into a consecutive losing streak. Of course, behind the scenes, there was excessive corporate interference from their owner, the undermining of their coach, and internal team discord—but outsiders had no way of knowing that. People simply speculated, "Wow, they got hit so hard by Kim Tae-hyun that they're still suffering from the trauma!"
In the league, you faced each team twice, and their second match just happened to arrive at the worst possible time. For the Beijing Fighters, it was a situation that made them weep tears of blood.
— CoachSympathizer: What did their coach even do wrong?
— BeijingFighterFan: Watch your mouth. The coach is the one ruining the team right now. Did you see those trash tactics? What on earth was he thinking with that composition...
— BubbleBurst: Exactly. The coach's hype has completely deflated. Where did they even find him?
— Detective: Are all the guys talking right now Chinese?
— Sherlock: Seems like it.
While the Chinese rankers sharply criticized the coach, the other rankers did not. After all, the coach was the one who had revived the crumbling team in the first place!
— BeijingFighterFan: If you don't know anything, stay out of it.
— FireTheCoach: They need to fire the coach! If Beijing Fighters want to climb back up, they have to fire him right now.
— ModerateFan: Sure, the coach has his merits, but they have to let him go now...
— AngrySupporter: If we lose this match, he seriously needs to resign. If he has any conscience left.
Fan sentiment could sometimes lose all reason. Seeing this savage display, rankers from other countries shook their heads.
No matter how I look at it, they're going to regret this...
Just leave them be. It's not like they're the team we support. Let them fire him.
True, that's none of our business.
If they wanted to fire him, there was no reason to interfere!
"Let's check the loot and divide it up. Everyone got their contribution points, right?"
"Yes!!!"
Having returned without a scratch, Kim Tae-hyun and the pursuit squad made their grand entrance, drawing the gaze of every player. They were the very definition of majestic! The players in The Valley looked on with such intense envy that their gazes felt sharp enough to pierce armor.
Let's check the items... The demon commander's drops will probably be good, but the chances of finding something I can use right away are slim.
The Adamantium gear Tae-hyun currently wore possessed absurdly broken stats. On top of that, his weapon boasted extreme capabilities that ordinary equipment couldn't hope to match, making it unlikely that a mere demon commander could drop anything better. Maybe an accessory at best?
Well, since the Plague Curse is the biggest harvest, that's fine.
The curse would serve as Tae-hyun's reliable trump card. A skill akin to a dagger coated in deadly poison!
If push came to shove, I could combine them to use it twice. Although its cooldown is quite long, it's still much shorter than my other major skills.
The Plague Curse possessed one of the longest cooldowns among all skills. Even the Authority skills Tae-hyun possessed, like Terror, had incredibly long cooldowns, but they couldn't even compare to this one...
Carbanog says you probably won't have to use the curse anyway.
I think so too. Unless it's a Demon Duke or an opponent of similar caliber...
"Tae-hyun-nim! Tae-hyun-nim!!"
"???"
"T-The Red Dragon... The Red Dragon is going wild! We have a huge problem!"
"......"
Talk of the devil, and he shall appear!
Carbanog excuses itself, claiming it wasn't its fault.