Kim Tae-hyun Has Gone Mad!
"Kim Tae-hyun has gone mad!!"
HP reached 0. Logging out...
The players who had harbored doubts, thinking surely not, were utterly blindsided by the sheer scale of Tae-hyun's rampage!
"Kim Tae-hyun, stop! Do you really think the rankers gathered here can't handle you?!"
"If that's the case, why don't you try catching me instead of wasting your breath?"
Tae-hyun spoke with casual disbelief as he logged out yet another player.
Thud, thud, thud, thud, thud!
Once Tae-hyun grabbed hold of someone, he never gave them a chance to escape. He melted them down with an relentless onslaught of burst damage, landing critical hits with obsessive precision.
The rankers who used to watch the Pan-On League and scoff, "Man, why can't those guys dodge that? Seriously, even I could do better than that!" finally understood exactly why the pro players couldn't dodge Tae-hyun.
◈ Archisus's Charge
◈ Archisus Swordsmanship
◈ Critical Explosion
◈ Small Paralysis Bomb
◈ Archisus's Third Attack
◈ Medium Paralysis Bomb
◈ Advanced Cold Curse
Charging in to grab them, unleashing burst damage, throwing a stun when they try to escape... and if they try to block, simply shattering their guard to open them up before melting them again with dazzling control!
Unless you clashed with him directly, it was impossible to comprehend the sheer delicacy of Tae-hyun's micro-control.
Locked in a grapple close enough to lock eyes, in a span of less than a single second, he would assess his opponent, calculate the most optimal skill, and construct a devastating combo on the fly. That was his decision-making.
On top of that, his adaptability allowed him to weave in several feints to keep his opponent completely off-balance.
And his reaction speed—when a battered opponent desperately threw out a skill or a basic attack, he didn't even bother blocking with a skill; he simply dodged it with his eyes. Having maxed out all of these attributes, Tae-hyun was nothing short of a terrifying war machine.
"How can a tank die that fast?!"
The gathered players cried out in sheer disbelief, but there was nothing they could do. Unless a tank properly blocked with their shield to endure the assault, even a massive HP pool made them nothing more than a glorified scarecrow! And when he knocked them flat on their backs without giving them a single moment to breathe, how were they supposed to stop him?
"Cast curses and lay down area-of-effect spells!"
"Ranged dealers, focus fire! Ranged dealers!"
Tae-hyun was human, so naturally, there was a strategy to defeat him. Especially since he had been famous for quite some time.
A: Hit Kim Tae-hyun once, then wait until he quits Pan-On. Once he gets bored of Pan-On and logs off for good, it's your victory.
A: Does Tae-hyun oppa like useless people? I don't do any housework, but if I go to him, will he take care of me?
↳ LoveTaehyun: Wait, seriously?? Why does he have such a perverted taste? Shouldn't he like the Rank 1 player of Pan-On more? If the Rank 1 player makes a proposal, shouldn't he accept it?
↳ WhatIsThis: What kind of nonsense is this?
↳ WhoAreYou: Who is the Rank 1 player? Who even are you?
A: What about targeting the real-life Kim Tae-hyun? If you hit Kim Tae-hyun really hard on the head, won't he pass out?
A: Ah, these answers are all garbage. Kim Tae-hyun's weakness is ranged dealers. Most of his offensive skills are melee. Just bind his feet and melt him from a distance. If you actually watch Kim Tae-hyun, he goes out of his way to avoid getting hit by ranged dealers.
↳ EvasionKing: Doesn't Tae-hyun have a ton of evasion skills anyway?
↳ CurseSpammer: You have to throw curses. Once curses stack, his feet will be bound, and his defense and evasion will drop. Mages specializing in curses are a must.
↳ KeyboardGeneral: Exactly. If the tanks bind Kim Tae-hyun's feet, the mages throw curses, and the rest melt him with AoE spells, it's over. Everyone is just too scared of Kim Tae-hyun. If those idiots in the Guild Alliance put me in charge, I'd take down Kim Tae-hyun in a heartbeat. What a bunch of scrubs.
↳ AllianceRecruiter: Looking for tips on this guy's in-game location. Report him to the Guild Alliance.
Ultimately, the standard strategy was to bind his feet by any means necessary and melt him with area-of-effect spells before he could dodge.
However, there was a very good reason why countless players had failed to execute this method. Tae-hyun was miraculously skilled at evading and breaking through such nets. He was a specialist in one-versus-many combat, a skill honed since the days of Pan-On 1!
"Curses incoming!"
"Kim Tae-hyun, you bastard... let's see if you can walk away from this!"
Players frantically tore open wide-area curse scrolls. Curses erupted from the scrolls, blanketing the entire area. An unavoidable AoE attack!
"You crazy bastards, we're still in here!"
"Sacrifice yourselves!"
"You absolute pieces of trash...!"
[You have resisted the curse.]
[You have reflected the curse.]
[...]
While others writhed and floundered under the weight of the curses, Tae-hyun moved with leisurely ease. His Adamantium Armor had blocked the vast majority of the debuffs. It was truly worth every single gold coin spent on crafting it!
◈ Food effects are reduced by 1%.
◈ Magic Defense is reduced by 1%.
And that was it!
"Carbanog remarks that a 1% reduction in food effects is a truly catastrophic crisis."
My thoughts exactly.
Tae-hyun charged straight through the barrage of curses. The players who had gathered to unleash ranged attacks shrieked in terror as Tae-hyun closed the distance.
"I thought you said he was cursed!"
"T-This was an expensive scroll...!"
"Come here."
Tae-hyun began to systematically demolish them, one by one. Ranged damage dealers were notoriously fragile, melting far more easily than the tanks.
As he was beating them down, a loud shout echoed from behind him.
"?"
— Help the temporary lord!
— Look at that valiant figure!
— Honestly, we can at least acknowledge his effort...
— Not yet!
— Understood. Charge! Charge!
The Ancient Empire Deserters had been deeply moved by Tae-hyun's combat prowess and joined the fray.
⊳ The Ancient Empire Deserters are deeply moved by your battle! Affinity has increased!
⊳ Contribution Points have increased!
"..."
Tae-hyun paused mid-swing and looked back.
An entirely unexpected high evaluation!
Wait, I didn't fight to make you guys happy...
"Carbanog notes that the Ancient Empire Deserters seem to be exceptionally moved."
Though the castle had only recently fallen, the sight of their temporary lord fighting so fiercely seemed to have touched the hearts of the highly disgruntled deserters.
— Don't misunderstand. We didn't come out to help because we like you.
— You still have a long way to go before you earn our respect.
The knights clad in plate armor spoke gruffly as they lent Tae-hyun their aid.
Should I just sweep them all away together?
"Carbanog advises you to hold back."
◈ Kim Tae-hyun, All-Out War on Sky Island!
◈ Major guilds including Hannibal, Breeze, Morning Glory, Prism, and Broken Arrow declare war...
◈ Is the power dynamic of Sky Island shifting? In-depth analysis of the Sky Island War!
◈ Guild Alliance flees Sky Island!
◈ The pathetic display of the Guild Alliance's leader...
◈ Absolute humiliation for the Guild Alliance!
"...A few of those knights are incredibly obnoxious, but still, this is a highly joyous day!"
"Indeed, Guild Leader!"
Having returned safely, Su Ning raised a celebratory toast.
Above all, what brought him the greatest joy was the fact that Kim Tae-hyun had clashed with those arrogant major guilds on Sky Island!
The moment Su Ning heard the news, his entire body trembled with delight.
There was truly nothing more satisfying in the world than watching someone else make the exact same mistake you did!
"Hehehe... foolish bastards..."
Su Ning muttered wickedly. To an outsider, he might have looked like a villain plotting a grand, sinister conspiracy, but in reality, he just possessed the petty mindset of wanting others to suffer the exact same humiliation he had endured.
"Those pathetic guilds strutting around, bragging about becoming lords, was an absolute eyesore. Now they're going to get exactly what they deserve. Fall all the way to the bottom!"
"By the way, Guild Leader."
"?"
"Where is your nephew?"
"...Eh?"
Su Ning's face turned pale.
Though it was a situation no one had anticipated, now that a conflict had erupted, they had to prepare for an all-out war.
The guilds that had only recently acquired territories frantically summoned their members and hired NPCs.
"Kim Tae-hyun might come! Bolster the defenses!"
"Couldn't he target other territories instead?"
"If he comes here, are you going to take responsibility? Raise the castle walls! Create distance so Kim Tae-hyun can't get close!"
The guilds bent over backward to prepare for Tae-hyun.
If he dared to approach for a siege, they would rain down attacks from afar!
Starting from the moat, the narrow pathways leading in were packed with various curses and ranged attacks. As if that weren't enough, countless scrolls were laid out. It was a level of preparation capable of crushing a man under the sheer weight of curses alone!
"Phew. With this much, even Kim Tae-hyun will melt away."
"Excellent preparation, sir."
"Right? We spent a massive amount of gold, but this should be more than enough. We have a territory now, after all."
"We can just raise taxes to make up for it."
While the guilds were busy preparing their ultimate defenses, Tae-hyun was dealing with the deserters.
Reclaim the Ancient Empire's Wealth
📍 Objective: Go plunder the nearby village! Plunder! Unlike the Ancient Empire Deserters, who are the rightful owners of Sky Island, the current residents occupying Sky Island are cowardly betrayers. They possess the wealth that belongs to the Ancient Empire Deserters! Attack them and seize their wealth!
🎁 Reward: ?, ??, ????
What is this? Are they telling me to raise my Infamy?
Tae-hyun had come to Sky Island to find hidden knowledge and skills related to the Ancient Empire, not to become sworn enemies with the entire population.
"Should we confiscate their weapons?"
"Do you think they'll listen if we try?"
"Should we just ship them off somewhere else?"
"Oh. That's actually a great idea."
Just like the noble warrior squads of the Asbian Empire, sending annoying troublemakers far, far away was a time-honored tradition of the Archisus Church.
"Carbanog wonders if such a tradition ever existed."
Traditions are things we forge ourselves.
"..."
By the way, what were those noble warriors up to right now?
They probably don't even know the Emperor is dead yet...
He had sent them to retrieve an Archisus Church Authority, and seeing as there was still no word from them, they were undoubtedly lost. If they heard the news that the Emperor had died in the meantime...
Hmm. When they return, I'll just tell them it was all Lee Se-yeon's fault.
It was Se-yeon's fault!
While he was contemplating, a message window popped up.
[The Ancient Empire Deserters have mobilized on their own accord!]
[They are attacking the nearest enemies!]
"...Never mind."
Tae-hyun changed his plans. What do you mean, ship them off?
"I need to beat some sense into these bastards first."
"...!!"
It was time to teach the Ancient Empire Deserters exactly who Kim Tae-hyun was. For guys like this, a good thrashing was the only cure!
"Are you going to be okay? There are a lot of them, and their levels are quite high..."
"If I leave them be, there's no telling what kind of disaster they'll cause. I might as well handle them now."
The deserters carried a scent that was even more pungent than the Archisus Church. Tae-hyun could feel it in his bones. If left to their own devices, these lunatics would literally try to pluck a dragon's whiskers!
"Carbanog excitedly shouts that they should show these Ancient Empire Deserters what the Archisus Church is truly made of!"
You think you're the only ones from the Ancient Empire? The Archisus Church was part of the Ancient Empire too!
— Mwahahaha! We have come to reclaim what is ours!
— T-Those crazy bastards!
The residents of Sky Island shrieked in horror as the deserters, who had previously remained holed up in their castle, suddenly charged out. An emergency quest titled Defend against the Ancient Empire Deserters even popped up for the players!
However, having done nothing but grind their levels inside the castle, the deserters possessed terrifying strength. It was not a force that players who had hastily gathered upon receiving an emergency quest could hope to stop.
"Retreat to the castle for now! We can't possibly fight them in the open field!"
— Capture them all! Drag them back to the castle as prisoners, gah!
"???"
"W-What?"
The players were thrown into confusion by the sudden appearance of a new party. Who was it? Reinforcements from the guild?
"Those six arms... it's Kim Tae-hyun!"
"What? Kim Tae-hyun has six arms?"
"No, you idiot! Not that!"
"Ah, I see! It's Kim Tae-hyun! Kim Tae... wait a minute. This isn't something we should be cheering about, is it?"
Aren't we currently in a state of declared war?!
Realizing this, the players' faces stiffened. They had cheered out of sheer habit.
However, Tae-hyun did not attack them.
— Argh! What do you think you're doing?! Have you lost your mind?!
— Do you want to be stripped of your title as temporary lord?!
"?????"