Every High-Level Player Has a Plan

High-level players in Pandemonium Online usually had a plan. No matter how good or bad that plan was, nobody made a move without one. Well, except for Cain.

Chairman Yoo was currently busy managing his own kingdom, subordinates, and whatnot, so there was no way he had traveled all this way without some sort of agenda.

"...I came to see if I could acquire a city here on Sky Island."

"!"

Tae-hyun gasped in surprise.

"Wait, didn't you say you only play Pan-On for the fishing?"

"To fish properly, you have to become a lord, you rascal!"

That is the least convincing argument I've ever heard.

If anyone else said, "I'm claiming a territory solely to enjoy peaceful, uninterrupted fishing without any greed," they would be asked if they had lost their mind. But Chairman Yoo was dead serious.

Why would a man of Chairman Yoo's age strive to become the strongest player in Pan-On? He didn't even accept outside investments like every other guild did. Why would he need investment when he was the ultimate investor himself?

"...That look on your face is highly offensive."

"No, not at all. I actually sympathize with your perspective to some extent, Elder."

"Y-you do?"

Chairman Yoo's face brightened. Whenever he told anyone else about this, they would scoff, saying, "Oh, come on, stop talking nonsense," or "As if a billionaire actually cares about the common folk." But Tae-hyun truly understood where the elder was coming from.

"Sometimes, to truly enjoy what you want to do, you have to go all out."

In fact, when Tae-hyun first started playing Pan-On 1, all he wanted was to play freely. He wanted to enter any mine he pleased, mine the ores he wanted, and craft the items he desired. It sounded incredibly simple, but it was surprisingly difficult in practice.

Every single mine was occupied by major guilds, high-quality ores were monopolized by high-ranking players, and whenever he tried to craft a specific item, other blacksmiths would interfere... When a person gets pushed to their limit, they naturally resort to force.

"Exactly! I knew the best of the best would understand me."

"The best?"

"...Well, second best."

Realizing his slip of the tongue, Chairman Yoo quickly corrected himself.

"If you don't own the city, you have to pay usage fees, and if a guild-affiliated fisherman shows up, you have to pack up and leave... It must be quite a hassle in many ways."

"Exactly! Exactly! And there isn't even an Archisus Church around here..."

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Chairman Yoo grumbled. On the Central Continent, there were Archisus Temples scattered here and there, allowing followers to drop by and receive buffs. But Sky Island didn't have a single temple!

"Once I become the lord, building a temple is my top priority."

"Ohhh..."

Tae-hyun was deeply moved. So the players belonging to the Archisus Church were actually useful for something!

Honestly, they might be better than that leech Pelmas.

"Go for it, Elder! You can do it!"

"...Why do I suddenly feel dirty?"

Chairman Yoo wore a sour expression. Now that he thought about it, he had forgotten that he and most of his fishermen had joined the Archisus Church. The harder they worked, the more they lined Tae-hyun's pockets! It left a bitter taste in his mouth, knowing he was essentially supporting the very guy who was already running rampant in the league.

"Elder, just say the word, and I'll help you as much as I can."

"No... it's fine..."

"Why refuse? Honestly, claiming a territory without any preparation is no walk in the park."

Defending was always easier than attacking! That was the golden rule of territorial warfare. The major guilds weren't fools; they wouldn't easily surrender what they had already claimed. Furthermore, Chairman Yoo's guild wasn't particularly combat-oriented. They were closer to a crafting guild.

"I was planning to acquire one without fighting."

"How?"

"By buying them out with cash."

"..."

Tae-hyun instantly felt a massive wall of class division. Wow, this man isn't playing the game, he's just pay-to-winning!

"That sounds incredibly boring..."

"Hmph. Since when did business care about fun?"

"This is a game, not business."

"Business is a game. There's no real difference."

Chairman Yoo stood up.

"Anyway, you're really willing to help?"

"In exchange, once you become the lord, you must give my companions special treatment."

"That goes without saying. But honestly, I probably won't need much help."

Chairman Yoo was brimming with confidence. The major guilds in this area were too busy tearing each other apart. He could easily fend off a single guild! All he had to do was secure the territory first.

"Ah, and about the Archisus Temple..."

"?"

"...Never mind. Haha. I'd be grateful if you built it."

Surely an Archisus angel won't descend all the way here, right? The odds are low...

"Are you the Pope of the Archisus Church?"

"...?"

Tae-hyun froze. A figure who looked like an NPC in every way had approached him. Moreover, the stranger was completely draped in a robe, practically screaming, 'I am highly suspicious!'

What is this?

Tae-hyun's mind raced.

...Number 1?

Surely it had to be an assassin from an evil god's cult. After all, heroes with a reputation as high as Tae-hyun's were rare...

Whoosh!

The stranger flung off the robe. Revealed underneath was a warrior sporting massive wings. A warrior of the Garuda Kingdom!

"...!"

Is this really the time for jokes?!

Tae-hyun's hand was already resting on his sword. He was fully prepared to draw and strike the moment the opponent lunged!

"I have come to escort you!"

"..."

[...]

"..."

This was an entirely unexpected recruitment offer! Having spent so much time beating up Garuda warriors, both Tae-hyun and Carbanog were utterly flabbergasted by this sudden scouting attempt.

"We, the Garuda, are wolves. Why should a man like the Pope mingle with a flock of sheep? Let us join hands and devour these sheep together!"

"No, I don't really have any intention of—"

"Do not speak such nonsense! Are you not the wicked wolf who leads the Archisus Church?"

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"..."

"The Pope of the Archisus Church cannot be anything but a wolf! Here, take this."

"You do not have to come right away. But we know. The Archisus Church consists of wolves just like us! We shall be waiting!"

"..."

Having said only what he wanted to say, the Garuda warrior swiftly flew away. Left behind, Tae-hyun fell into deep thought once more. Should I actually pay a visit to the Garuda Kingdom?

"Realistically speaking, we stand no chance of winning right now."

Lee Se-yeon stated flatly. Team KL versus Yuseong Gaming! It was the match of the century that everyone was eagerly anticipating, but the predictions were surprisingly cold and realistic.

A few die-hard Yuseong Gaming fans clung to a sliver of hope, but the vast majority had already given up. With even Lee Se-yeon speaking so bleakly, the players' faces fell in discouragement.

"Our armor won't be ready until next season, and Kim Tae-hyun hasn't shown any weaknesses yet. We also need more time to raise our levels..."

"So, are we playing it safe?"

"Yes. But we do have a chance."

"...?"

The players looked at Lee Se-yeon in confusion. Everyone said it was impossible, yet she claimed they had a chance?

"If the match rules turn out to be Escort, Capture, or Treasure Hunt, we give up cleanly. But if the match is set with Deathmatch-related rules..."

"If it is...? Can we actually win?"

"No. Not that."

"..."

"We can force a draw."

"How? Don't tell me... a 5-man tank composition?"

Yuseong Gaming had never practiced a 5-man tank strategy. That was a tactic reserved for weak teams. There was no reason for a top-tier contender like Yuseong Gaming to practice a 5-man tank ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠strategy that didn't even suit their playstyle.

"No. That won't cut it."

"Then...?"

"Let's wait for the Map announcement for Game 1 first. Once it's out, I'll tell you."

"In my opinion, there are no real factors that could cause us to lose or put us in danger."

Everyone nodded at Tae-hyun's words. Unlike the beginning of the league, they were now fully aware of their own strength. Confidence! The momentum of their continuous winning streak had filled them with absolute self-assurance.

"But if we do lose, I think I'll be incredibly sad and devastated."

"..."

"And if that happens, I don't even know what I might do."

"..."

Shiver.

For the first time in a long while, Tae-hyun's teammates felt a chill run down their spines. He is genuinely terrifying! Even if they lost this match, it wouldn't cost them the league championship. The gap between first and second place was so massive that a few losses wouldn't allow anyone to catch up. Yet, his obsession with perfection was absolute...

"Never let your guard down. Lee Se-yeon has surpassed level 300 and must have acquired all sorts of new skills. A single mistake could cost us the match. Of course, Necromancers are at a severe disadvantage, but still..."

"We get it, so can you just tell us what we need to do?!"

Tae-hyun was speaking at much greater length than usual, which made even Cain nervous.

"Just do what you always do. Got it?"

"..."

"..."

It was the easiest yet most difficult instruction of all.

"So Game 1 is under the General Match rules."

A rule where one team member is designated as the 'General,' and the team must eliminate the opposing General to win.

It's almost certainly going to be Lee Se-yeon.

For Tae-hyun's team, it would be Tae-hyun; for Yuseong Gaming, it would be Lee Se-yeon. They could try to pull a fast ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠one, but they wouldn't. There was too much to lose.

A jungle terrain.

Tae-hyun finished his mental calculations. He would move exactly as he always had. Once the battle commenced, Tae-hyun would be the first to charge forward and target Lee Se-yeon... If they couldn't stop him, Yuseong Gaming would lose. In the meantime, could Lee Se-yeon summon an undead army strong enough to block Tae-hyun, prepare a curse, or have Yuseong Gaming hold him back? Tae-hyun highly doubted it.

Lucky Strike, Lucky Strike, Lucky Strike...

Tae-hyun rapidly dashed forward while activating his buffs. Scaling a high vantage point, Tae-hyun scanned the area to locate Yuseong Gaming's position. And then, he froze in sheer shock.

"...What in the actual hell?!"

Sprawled out before his eyes was a massive horde of undead. But that wasn't what shocked him. For an undead army, quality mattered far more than quantity. The shocking part was that... every single one of those undead looked exactly like Lee Se-yeon.

Clones... No, is that an Undead Deception skill?!

Looking closely, some of the disguises were so shoddy that anyone could spot them, while others looked remarkably convincing. As a Necromancer, she should have been buying time to summon powerful undead, not wasting resources on petty tricks like this. Unless... there was only one possible explanation.

Lee Se-yeon... have you lost your mind?!

Lee Se-yeon clearly intended to run away for the entire duration of the match to force a draw. Setting aside the draw itself, how on earth was she going to handle the wrath of the watching fans?!

And this is a strategy that becomes completely useless if even a single match rule goes wrong... Do you really hate losing that much?!

Honestly, even Tae-hyun found it utterly ridiculous. No matter how he looked at it, this strategy brought far more harm than benefit. Yet, the fact that she had chosen it anyway showed Lee Se-yeon's sheer, unyielding determination not to go down easily. To put it nicely, it was determination. To put it bluntly... it was just a temper tantrum!

"Rain down area-of-effect magic indiscriminately! The weak clones will vanish. We need to find Lee Se-yeon before time runs out!"

Though not as dumbfounded as Tae-hyun, the spectators watching the broadcast were also beginning to buzz with confusion. No way... Surely not? She must have some grand plan behind this, right? She wouldn't actually just stall for time like this, right??