A Benevolent Leader's True Agony
Tae-hyun and his party ignored the Sky Island and the bishops, making the absolute most of their spare time. They cleared out the remaining monsters from the monster wave, visited areas where the knights dispatched by Tae-hyun were struggling to help out, and worked on grinding titles and leveling up their skills. Unsurprisingly, Tae-hyun was the busiest of them all. To raise his Engineering skill, he built and sold airships, while simultaneously training every usable skill he had—like swordsmanship and Speech—at a breakneck pace. And on top of all that, he still played every single league match!
It was a much-needed reorganization period for Team KL, who had been running non-stop until now. Of course, whenever he called it a "reorganization period," his party members would snap back, "What reorganization? We haven't rested for a single second, you lunatic!" But a reorganization was a reorganization.
On the 1st Division community board, where fans of all teams gathered to chat, Team KL fans were public enemy number one. The 1st Division teams were essentially divided into two categories: those who had already been beaten to a pulp by Team KL, and those who were about to be! Just managing to scrape a draw and drag the match to the next game was considered proof of a team's elite skill. Naturally, the resentment of other teams' fans pierced the heavens.
With the top two spots in the 1st Division firmly locked down, the battle below them was a bloody free-for-all. The race to enter the upper ranks! But the competition wasn't just fierce at the top. The battle at the bottom was just as intense. In fact, in some ways, it was even more cutthroat—because the bottom few teams would be relegated to the 2nd Division at the end of the season!
While Tae-hyun's team was setting a new league winning streak record, the Beijing Fighters were setting a new league losing streak record. As if their early-season momentum of aiming for first place had been a complete lie, they were plummeting endlessly to the bottom! But what was even more despairing was the team's internal state. The players had zero synergy, the coaching staff was completely fractured, the fans were constantly hurling curses, and management was busy bickering with the former head coach, claiming none of this was their fault. No matter how you looked at it, they were the textbook definition of a ruined team. There was simply no hope!
Cornered, the desperate fans lost their minds and talked nonsense. A broad mind that would accept an opposing player as a coach! ...Of course, that was impossible. No matter how generous and free Tae-hyun was, there was absolutely no way he would help boost the performance of a rival 1st Division team!
The fans tried desperately to believe it. But they couldn't shake their anxiety. Honestly, the top teams of the 2nd Division weren't much different from the 1st Division teams! The players were all high-level rankers anyway, and they fought fiercely whenever they ran into each other in Pan-On...
The mysterious old man protested passionately, but people didn't pay much attention. Since it was LK Galaxy, they probably brought him in using money or whatever! However, from the perspective of the old man who actually knew the circumstances, it was utterly absurd.
Did they really take him hostage?
"Phew..."
Tae-hyun let out a heavy, agonized sigh. At his sight, Cain, Choi Sang-yun, and Jeong Su-hyeok were flustered. Why was he acting like that?
"Hey, what's wrong with him?"
"It's definitely because you, Cain, neglected your skill training. That's why I told you to work hard. Why are your arms always slacking off?"
"Have you ever had six arms?! I'm not slacking off on purpose!"
"Isn't it because of the Sky Island? He must be deeply troubled right now," Jeong Su-hyeok offered a plausible opinion.
While Tae-hyun's team was reorganizing, the hype around the Sky Island was burning hotter and hotter. At first, guilds were dismissive, thinking, How long will that last? But soon, their reactions shifted completely: Wait, wait, this is dangerous. Tell the guild members not to go there.They're not listening? ...We need to go there and make a statement too. Call back the guys who went to the Demon Realm. What? They're on a quest? Tell them if they don't come back right now, I'll kill them!
The Sky Island was much better than expected. It wasn't a hellscape like the Demon Realm where people couldn't rest at all, nor was it a barren place like the Prica Continent with zero facilities. Empty cities, castles, and villages were scattered everywhere. It was much easier because they could go in, rest, or craft there.
And one more thing: those empty castles and cities had no owners. Seeing this, the players' eyes rolled back.
"—That's... that's ours!"
"—No! It belongs to our guild!"
The first to arrive planted their flags, and those who arrived later drew their swords and attacked. An ugly struggle was constantly unfolding. Of course, to Tae-hyun, who was already a king, this fight was meaningless.
"—Why do people fight like that? They could just have a kingdom on the continent."
"—..."
"—..."
"—I'm joking, guys."
"—Ha... Hahaha! Right? It was a joke, right?"
"—You made me think you were serious!"
It was understandable that they rushed in when they saw free territory right in front of them, but anyone who had run a territory would know... a territory is a gold-devouring monster until it reaches a certain track!
Besides, those sky castles don't even have NPCs to pay taxes, so they'll have to squeeze them out of the players?
The guilds that acquired territory for the first time would soon experience firsthand just how much blood, sweat, and tears Tae-hyun had shed to gather gold!
"Troubled because of the Sky Island? Tae-hyun said he wasn't really interested. He has more than enough with just his kingdom..."
"But if other guilds grow their power there and run their territories well, they will eventually become a threat to you, Senior. Not all guilds are as benevolent as you are."
"...Benevolent? Bene-what?"
"True, Tae-hyun only focuses on his own quests, but guilds usually expand. But we can't exactly go there and intervene either. Even if we get territory, it'd be hard to manage."
"Then it's probably not the Sky Island."
"Then it must be Lee Se-yeon breaking through level 300. Usually, when this guy acts weird, it's because of Lee Se-yeon."
"That definitely sounds plausible. Player Lee Se-yeon is terrifying right now. Since she even hunted the ancient giant, her undead army must have become even stronger."
"Plus, rumors are rampant that she obtained the treasures held by the ancient giant. Guilds are already trying to gather Adamantium to craft gear, so if Lee Se-yeon got her hands on it..."
"That is indeed a massive problem! He must be agonizing over this!"
"Urgh... My friend is worrying about this, and here I was doing nothing and playing around..."
"I am reflecting on myself as well!"
Cain watched their conversation blankly from the side.
"Aren't you reflecting, Cain?"
"Huh? What?"
"...Never mind. Anyway, let's go to Tae-hyun! We need to cheer him up!"
"You're right. We must let him know he's not alone!"
The three of them swarmed over to Tae-hyun. No matter what he was worrying about, they would be a great source of strength!
"Phew..."
"Senior! You don't have to worry too much! We've grown stronger too!"
"Yeah. Even Cain, whom you scold so much, honestly doesn't fall behind among rankers."
"..."
Do you have to praise me so stingily? If you're going to do it, do it properly...
"What are you guys talking about?"
"?"
"Uh... Weren't you worrying about Player Lee Se-yeon's rapid growth and the expansion of other guilds?"
"No. Lee Da-bi's birthday is coming up soon, so I was trying to figure out what to get her."
"..."
"..."
"..."
The three fell silent. Tae-hyun, on the other hand, reproached them.
"Did you guys not even know the birthday of a teammate?"
"N-No... How were we supposed to know when she didn't say anything...!"
"Well, she did say she didn't want to burden anyone, so she kept it quiet."
Then how do you know? Cain wanted to ask but held back.
"Hmm... A gift that celebrates her birthday but doesn't make her feel burdened, something she'd be genuinely happy to receive... This is tough."
"By the way, Kim Tae-hyun. What did you get me for my birthday?" Cain suddenly remembered and asked.
The other two were shocked.
"You have the nerve to ask for another gift after receiving all that?"
"Is that a human or is it Cain?"
"No, I was just asking!! I was just curious, you bastards!"
"I sent gift certificates to your house. I sent some separately to your younger sibling too."
"...??????"
Cain was startled. This is the first I'm hearing of this?!?!
"G-Gift certificates? When did you send them? No, my parents never told me?!"
"Hmm..."
"Huuuum..."
"Mmhmm."
"??"
"Looks like your parents wanted to spend them all by themselves..."
"..."
Cain realized. Come to think of it, around his birthday, he had received texts from them saying, "Our son is the best!" Could it be...!?!