A Fierce, Despicable, and Filthy Compliment

"Get your AoE skills ready!" Tae-hyun shouted to Jeong Su-hyeok. In this situation, Su-hyeok was the best suited to unleash wide-range attacks.

"I'll spam my magic!"

"Right. I'll use bombs too."

"Hey! Are you sure she isn't setting a trap to catch us off guard?" Cain asked, flustered.

Clones and undead were multiplying exponentially by the second. Individually they were weak, but the rate of their reproduction was no joke. What they feared most was the possibility of Lee Se-yeon or other Yuseong Gaming Team players hiding among them to launch a surprise attack!

"No. Se-yeon is the type of person who *would* do something petty like that... Actually, she totally would, but that's not what's happening right now!"

"Is she doing it or not?!" Cain yelled, even more confused by the contradictory answer.

"If she were planning to hide and ambush us, she would have pressed the attack more aggressively. And don't worry! Even if you take a few hits from a surprise attack, you guys won't die instantly!" Tae-hyun remained unfazed. He knew that making them hesitate like this was probably exactly what Lee Se-yeon wanted.

If we keep worrying about a hidden ambush, our movements will naturally slow down. But I won't fall for it, Lee Se-yeon.

Even if they did ambush them, Tae-hyun's party could easily endure it. Equipped with their flawless Adamantium Armor, the moment they were attacked, Tae-hyun could cast an Authority on them, making it impossible for the enemy to take them down within dozens of seconds. If they could hold out for just that long, Tae-hyun could return and obliterate whoever dared to strike. In short, Team KL was currently un-killable by a simple ambush.

"Wipe them out!"

Rumble, crash!

Tae-hyun set the area ablaze, even utilizing Sadiq's Authority. He had briefly considered using Word Magic, but he wanted to conserve his MP as much as possible. To burst down Lee Se-yeon the moment he spotted her, he needed to maintain a decent reserve of mana!

Whoosh!

The moment Sadiq's Flame touched them, the undead melted away. Holy plus Fire! With Jeong Su-hyeok and Lee Da-bi ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠spamming their spells on top of that, the undead disintegrated in all directions. Yet, despite the devastation, there were still far more undead remaining. What was worse, their numbers were continuing to swell.

"This is driving me crazy. Lee Se-yeon! Are you going to keep this up for the entire match?! Show yourself!"

-Don't answer.

-.......

-.......

The players of the Yuseong Gaming Team were moving stealthily among the undead, wearing highly awkward and sheepish expressions.

-Keep your Deception up. If you look even slightly out of place, they'll spot you.

-As long as you don't get caught, Sis, the match ends in a draw anyway, right?

-That's true. But it's still better to maintain our disguises. It might make them hesitate out of caution.

-Looking at how wildly he's rampaging right now, I don't think he's hesitating at all...

Kim Tae-hyun was rampaging with absolute ferocity, as if completely certain that Lee Se-yeon hadn't laid any traps. In fact, he was practically baiting them.

-He's leaving himself wide open. Can't we just strike? No matter how strong Kim Tae-hyun is, if he keeps spamming skills like that and drains his MP, he won't be able to do anything.

-Don't fall for it. He's doing that on purpose to lure us out. The moment we attack, he'll instantly restore his MP and counterattack.

"Lee Se-yeon! I told you to come out! Are you too scared of losing?!"

-.......

Lee Se-yeon's face contorted. Even though this was a calculated strategy born of their disadvantageous situation, she couldn't help but feel deeply frustrated.

Uggghhhhh...

"Lee Se-yeon! If you don't come out, I'm counting this as my win!"

He shouted, but no response came. Tae-hyun realized that provoking her any further was useless.

She's completely committed.

No matter how much he mocked her, and no matter how much the viewers criticized her for being cowardly, she was determined to avoid defeat at all costs! It was classic Lee Se-yeon.

But Se-yeon, even if you hold out like this, if we get a Capture Map for the second or third match, all of this will have been pointless.

If that happened, she would face the worst possible outcome: getting dragged through the mud by the public while still suffering a defeat.

I believe in my luck. It definitely won't be drawn!

Lee Se-yeon believed. Or rather, she had no choice but to believe. Even if the odds were slim, if it was her best move, she had to bet everything on it!

...Unfortunately for her, the second match was indeed a Capture Map.

When the first match ended in a draw, even the commentators were at a loss for words. That was how baffling and shocking the match had been.

-Uh... well...

-It was... a truly unique match.

-Yuseong Gaming Team's strategy was... novel... and quite impressive. Although there are still matches left, securing a draw in the first round is quite an achievement, isn't it?

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

The commentators held back their criticism. As professionals, they couldn't easily bash the players on air! But the fans were a completely different story.

The community exploded with fury after the first match! Even Yuseong Gaming's own fans were questioning whether securing a draw was worth resorting to such tactics. Hiding and running away for the entire duration of the match without a single fight—no matter how one looked at it, it was an excessively shameless strategy.

To make matters worse, they suffered consecutive defeats in both the second and third ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠matches, meaning Yuseong Gaming took a loss anyway, rendering their first-round strategy utterly pointless. It was a match where they lost everything and gained absolutely nothing!

"Player Kim Tae-hyun! What are your thoughts on today's match?!"

The moment the game ended, reporters swarmed him like hungry wolves. Unlike the commentators, their eyes were gleaming with anticipation.

Bash them! Please bash Yuseong Gaming!

Call them unprofessional! Help us get those sweet, sweet clicks!

It was the perfect clickbait. The reporters knew exactly how much backlash Yuseong Gaming was currently facing. All they needed was a scathing quote from Tae-hyun to deliver the final blow!

"Today's match? I thought Yuseong Gaming did quite well."

"Pardon? No, but wasn't their strategy in the first match a bit... unprofessional?"

"Then is a strategy where you blow up your own players professional? You should use whatever tools are at your disposal. Anything permitted by the rules is fair game. Simply rolling over and losing without trying anything is what's truly foolish."

The reporters' faces went blank. They had expected Tae-hyun to deliver a harsh, satisfying criticism of Yuseong Gaming, but he was actually defending them.

"B-but still, it made the match so boring..."

"Then why did everyone let the team running five tanks slide? If people hated that so much, they should have adjusted the rules beforehand."

"But as professionals..."

"As professionals, you either win or at least do everything in your power to try and win. Besides, they managed to secure a draw in the first match, didn't they? There are plenty of teams that can't even manage that. Are you saying all of those teams are sub-professional? Wow, reporter. That's a bit harsh, don't you think?"

"No, when did I ever say—"

"In gaming, you win some and you lose some. To treat them as sub-professional just because they lost a game..."

"Wait, when did I—?!"

"Well, I suppose it *is* rather embarrassing when a team brings out a poorly prepared cheese strategy and ends up losing. There certainly are teams like that. But I hope you can find it in your heart to understand them, reporter. Even if you absolutely despise the Beijing Fighters..."

"I never said that! I never said that!!" the reporter cried out in a panic, feeling the sudden, heavy gazes of everyone around him. A few reporters who were fans of the Beijing Fighters were already glaring daggers at him. He hadn't said anything of the sort, yet the atmosphere made it seem as though he had just insulted them!

Taking advantage of the chaos, Tae-hyun casually slipped away.

Man, that was a close one.

Though he had appeared perfectly composed, he was actually breaking out in a cold sweat. He had never expected Lee Se-yeon to pull out such an utterly shameless strategy. While he wasn't obsessively fixated on achieving an undefeated championship, every record carried value. If there was a record to be made, he would take it! There was no reason to let a blemish ruin it.

"Whoa. This is intense..."

A small fortress was floating silently above the ground! Around it, dozens, even hundreds of winged warriors were flying in chaotic, sweeping patterns.

"Halt! Who goes there?!"

"I am the Pope of the Archisus Church! I have come in response to your request."

"Ah! No wonder you look so rugged and fierce! You are indeed the Pope of the Archisus Church!"

"Enter. That six-armed fellow over there looks exceptionally powerful."

"Even among us Garuda warriors, none possess multiple arms."

"..."

Cain walked in with an incredibly complicated expression on his face. Don't envy me for something like this, you idiots!

"You have arrived! O fierce, despicable, and filthy leader of the Archisus Church, Pope of Archisus!"

"..."

Compliments among the Garuda race! Words like fierce, despicable, and filthy were all used as high praise.

"You look quite Cain-like yourself."

"Cain? What is a Cain?"

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"This six-armed warrior here. He is the most valiant warrior among us."

"Ohhh!"

"You must have come here wishing to fight alongside our Garuda Kingdom. Normally, you would have to start from the very bottom to prove your worth, but..."

"A fierce, despicable, and filthy Pope of the Archisus Church has no need for such trivial trials! I shall grant you command of the Garuda warriors. Go forth and prove your might!"

Whenever one joined a new faction, they typically had to prove themselves from the absolute bottom, starting with trivial fetch quests and slowly working their way up. However, there were rare exceptions to this rule... and this was one of them! The Reputation, Infamy, and achievements Tae-hyun had accumulated thus far were simply too immense. Right from the start, he was in a position to mobilize the Garuda warriors!

While being able to mobilize Garuda warriors based on his Reputation, Infamy, and titles was incredibly advantageous, he still had to choose a target worthy of such a force.

Hmm. The Auston Kingdom... even if I go there, the rankers are barely over level 300, so that's a bit awkward.

A dragon? That would be outright suicide.

Maybe I should look for a suitable boss monster on Sky Island. Something over level 500... If there isn't one, I can always head down to the Central Continent to find one.

The eastern sea of the Atali Kingdom. This sea, which bordered the Uruk region, was a popular spot for beginners. The inner sea was calm and peaceful, making it an easy place for low-level players to hang out and enjoy themselves.

"Move it! This is our spot."

"What do you mean, your spot? There's no such thing as reserved spots here!"

"There is now. Get lost! You're getting in the way of our nets!"

However, competition in this area had recently grown fierce. As major guilds began securing vacant land in the Uruk region, they had started encroaching on these waters as well. Normally, the low-level players would have simply backed down, but those hanging around here had a reliable card up their sleeve.

"Do you guys... even know who I am?"

"Who are you? What, are you some high-tier ranker?"

"I'm a member of the Power Warrior Guild! Let's see if you can get away with doing this right in front of the Atali Kingdom!"

"...!!!"

The guild members gasped in shock. The... Power Warrior Guild?

"Ah, wait. Hold on. We didn't know you were with the Power Warriors!"

"Hey, are you seriously getting scared of the Power Warriors of all guilds?"

"Of course we should be scared, you idiot! Do you think they're the same Power Warriors as before?"

While the guild members bickered among themselves, an ominous, low rumbling began to echo from the sea behind them.

Ruuuuuumble—