Unprecedented Authority

He didn't use to be like this...

Lee Se-yeon remembered him being much cooler and colder in the past. Seeing how much he had changed left her with mixed feelings. She even felt a little envious of Lee Da-bi.

"What's wrong?" Kim Tae-hyun asked.

"Ah, it's nothing."

"...You're eyeing the dragon egg, aren't you?" Tae-hyun eyed her suspiciously.

Se-yeon flared up. "I am not!"

"Tae-hyun, Se-yeon isn't the type of person to do that," Da-bi chimed in gently.

"Is that so?"

The way he immediately accepted Da-bi's word made him even more annoying!

"Hmm..."

The egg wriggled once more, and a system message popped up. Tae-hyun was starting to get worried. This thing isn't going to hatch and immediately pull a "Succeeding you, Father" on me, is it?

"I'll open the door for you."

"??"

Tae-hyun climbed into the limousine with a bewildered expression. Se-yeon was already sitting in the back.

"Se-yeon, did you arrange this?"

"...Why on earth would I arrange something like this? Of course not." Se-yeon looked utterly dumbfounded by the absurd misunderstanding. "The Association prepared this vehicle."

"..."

This time, it was Tae-hyun's turn to look dumbfounded. What in the world...?

He had heard about the chaos unfolding within the Association through the news. Apparently, a video had leaked of the Association President grabbing the Secretary General by the collar during a fistfight...

"I heard those two had a massive brawl. Is it true?"

"Yeah. Apparently, they really went at it."

"The President fights surprisingly well. His striking fundamentals seemed solid."

"I-Is that so?" Se-yeon was taken aback by his analytical response.

"When they give us this kind of unnecessary royal treatment, it actually makes me more anxious."

"You don't need to worry."

Se-yeon knew the details from Chairman Yoo. If the people at the Association had any brains left, they wouldn't dare pull any more crazy stunts. Not after their entire organization had been turned upside down and shattered to pieces...

However, the Association's actions far exceeded Se-yeon's expectations.

"Ahem. We would like the two of you to take charge of the player selection."

"..."

"..."

Tae-hyun and Se-yeon stared at each other. They held a silent conversation with their eyes.

—Didn't I tell you I was feeling uneasy?

—How was I supposed to know they'd do this?!

No, seriously! No matter how desperate they were, letting active players select the rest of the roster was unheard of!

"Isn't this... completely unprecedented? Player selection is the director's authority. I don't wish to encroach upon that."

Tae-hyun could speak perfectly normally and professionally when the situation called for it. Se-yeon nodded beside him. Well said!

But the Association staff member answered fluently, as if they had prepared for this exact objection.

"Not at all, Player Kim Tae-hyun!"

"Ah... is it not?" Tae-hyun was momentarily thrown off by how confidently the staff member denied it. Am I the weird one here? Is the modern trend for players to recruit other players...??

Poke, poke.

Se-yeon nudged Tae-hyun's thigh from the side. Get a grip!

Ah. I almost lost my train of thought.

"Player Kim Tae-hyun, players are no longer restricted to just playing the game. In fact, if you look at foreign gaming organizations, top-tier players exert a massive influence on player selection and scouting."

"But isn't that strictly in an advisory capacity...?"

"Look here. This new player for the New York Lions was actually recommended by—"

"No, like I said, that's just advice—"

"There are even teams where the captain acts as the director, coach, and owner all at once."

"..."

"..."

Tae-hyun was left speechless. Se-yeon was honestly impressed. They're bringing up ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Team KL here?

"Well, that team has a separate director now..."

"In any case, what I want to say is that we are in an era where it's not unusual for players to participate in team management. Don't you agree, Player Lee Se-yeon?"

Why are you dragging me into this? Se-yeon was startled when the arrow was suddenly aimed at her.

"It is a bit burdensome. We don't want to be accused of overstepping our boundaries."

"Do not worry. We will ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠never leak this to the public. It will simply be framed as us receiving advice from the two of you."

The staff members were desperate. They were ready to offer up their very souls just to secure Tae-hyun and Se-yeon's cooperation! It was impossible to even guess how wildly Chairman Yoo must have raged to make them this terrified.

"So, if we select the players however we want, the Association will take full responsibility for the outcome?"

"Yes!"

"Oh..."

"Don't be impressed by that!" Se-yeon hissed.

"No, but seriously. For a second, I was tempted."

Tae-hyun was already half-swayed. Having the authority to select the national team roster? Honestly, that was a highly enticing prospect!

"Kim Tae-hyun, get a grip. We shouldn't take on something like this. We have to refuse." Se-yeon was the realistic and level-headed one. There was no reason to take on an unprecedented task. Being selected as a player was already prestigious enough; why take on extra work?

"Se-yeon, let's do it together. I think it'll be fun."

"...!"

"And isn't it better for us to choose players who fit our playstyles rather than playing with whoever the Association throws at us?"

"Normally, players don't get to handpick their own teammates, you ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠know?"

Despite her words, Se-yeon was already half-swayed as well. She had honestly been shaken by Tae-hyun's logic.

"We look forward to working with you, then!"

"Wait, hold on..."

"We should probably select about ten to fifteen players, right?"

"I don't think we need to fill all twenty slots. The Association can fill whatever is left."

"We'll need to divide them into DPS, Tanks, and Healers."

"What should our criteria be?"

"First, we should pick people who don't hold a grudge against me. That way, our teamwork will be smooth."

"If we do that, we won't be able to choose eighty percent of the player pool..."

"True. I guess I couldn't even pick you, then."

"I don't hold a grudge against you!" Se-yeon glared at him.

"Really? I thought you hated me."

"I don't hate you. Though I do want to punch you whenever I see you..."

"Isn't that the literal definition of hating someone?"

The two of them bickered playfully as they mapped out their plan.

"First, one stable DPS, one high-potential but unstable DPS, and one wild-card DPS..."

"For Tanks, let's prioritize Constitution over Defense."

"I agree."

Defense versus Constitution. It was an ongoing debate among Tanks. Both Tae-hyun and Se-yeon believed that Constitution was superior to Defense. It made it much easier to adapt to various unexpected situations.

"We ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠should call the candidates to a training ground and test them ourselves."

"Yeah, we need to see their mechanical control in person to really judge... And you'll have to evaluate the melee classes."

Se-yeon's mechanical expertise was focused on magic. Tae-hyun would have to be the one to judge melee combat mechanics!

"Where is the training ground?"

"Yuseong Gaming has a few training grounds inside Pan-On... Wait. Are we allowed to reveal those to outsiders? I should ask the higher-ups."

"We can have the Association summon the players to the training ground for the tests. Ah, right. Se-yeon, didn't you say you'd help me with my singing skill?"

"Ah. Sorry, I forgot."

It was only natural that she had forgotten. Considering how dynamically Tae-hyun had been running around lately, there had been absolutely no time to teach him a singing skill!

"Now that we have a moment to breathe, I'll help you."

"You're not going to teach me yourself, are you?"

"Of course not. When would I have the time to level up a singing skill..." Se-yeon trailed off. Come to think of it, wasn't Tae-hyun currently leveling up his singing skill?

"...Anyway... my cousin majored in vocal music. She class-changed into a Bard in Pan-On and is incredibly high-level."

People who brought their real-world professions into Pan-On usually performed exceptionally well. After all, their real-world experience carried over directly.

"Oh... a true professional."

"Don't act like your usual self in front of her, okay?" Se-yeon warned him, looking concerned. Her cousin was strict and cold. If Tae-hyun tried to butt heads with her, they might end up grabbing each other by the collar!

"Of course I won't. I'm always polite and well-behaved."

"Right. I'll trust you."

After saying that, Se-yeon felt a strange sense of cognitive dissonance. *Wait... then why do you act like such a menace in front of me...?*

"It'll take some time to test the players, so I'll learn how to sing and nurture the egg in the meantime."

Tae-hyun didn't ask for much. He just hoped whatever hatched from the egg would have a normal personality! As long as it didn't hatch and immediately scream, "I will burn this world to ashes!" he would be satisfied.

"Should we each draft a few tests?"

"That's a good idea."

They exchanged thoughts and quickly drew up a simple plan. They would design their own testing methods and share them with each other!

"Yeah, Se-yeon. Right. Prepare the tests. One of them is the training ground in the underground of Nodranche. You've probably heard of it. It's a great place to purely test mechanical control."

"????"

Cain, who was about to heat up some instant rice, looked at Tae-hyun's phone call in confusion. *Did he just say 'Se-yeon'?*

"Hey. Did you just say Se-yeon? It sounds like you're on the phone with Lee Se-yeon."

"You must have misheard 'Se-hyun'. I had an old classmate named Lee Se-hyun."

"What did that friend do?"

"...He tried to drag me into a pyramid scheme and then vanished... Wait, why would I be in contact with him?"

Choi Sang-yun also realized something was off. *Is it really Lee Se-yeon?*

"Can't Senior speak with Player Lee Se-yeon?" Jeong Su-hyeok asked, looking puzzled.

At that, Choi Sang-yun and Cain shouted in disbelief.

"Are you out of your mind...?"

"What kind of absurd nonsense is that... you idiot. Do you have any idea how much Lee Se-yeon hates Kim Tae-hyun?"

"???"

Sang-yun stared at Cain as if he were talking nonsense. *Wait, that's not quite right either.*

Cain eagerly began to lecture Jeong Su-hyeok.

"You might not know this, but Lee Se-yeon has held a grudge against him since Pan-On 1..."

"Actually, I know all about that."

"...So, you see..."

Ignoring Cain, Su-hyeok turned to Sang-yun. "But still, isn't it possible for them to talk?"

"Both of them have massive egos, so they aren't the type to contact each other unless they have a reason. If there's no business... Ah."

Come to think of it, they had overlapping quests recently, and with the Pan-On World Cup coming up, they had plenty of reasons to be in touch.

"I guess it is possible."

"See? I told you," Su-hyeok said triumphantly.

Cain slumped.

Wait. Come to think of it, this might be a chance to see that bastard Kim Tae-hyun get flustered.

Cain slapped his knee.

"?"

"Hey. This is an opportunity!"

"An opportunity for what?"

"It's probably more nonsense..."

"An opportunity to fluster Kim Tae-hyun! We can tease him about why he was on the phone with Lee Se-yeon!"

"...Wow. Isn't this guy honestly amazing?"

"I, too, find his mental fortitude truly remarkable."

No matter how much he was scolded and beaten down, his spirit recovered like a phoenix!

"Hey! Aren't you guys frustrated too?!"

"Cain. Um... you're the only one who gets teased here."

Since Cain had the most pathetic romantic track record, he was the primary target of their teasing! The other two didn't really care.

"Y-You wanted to date someone too!"

"I did, but watching you, Cain, taught me a valuable lesson: it's not good to lose yourself for the sake of romance."

"..."

Though Su-hyeok's tone was polite, his words pierced Cain's heart like a dagger!

"Was I really that pathetic...?"

"Quite a bit, yeah."

"To be honest, you still are. I wish you would date more coolly. Stop asking us for advice every single time you make a phone call..."

"..."

Meanwhile, Tae-hyun returned and sat down. Cain didn't give up and casually pried.

"Were you on the phone with Lee Se-yeon?"

"Yeah."

"You two seem pretty close lately."

"Yeah. We were discussing player selection to prepare for the World Cup."

"...!!!!!"

Cain's eyes widened. *Wait, what?*

"Hey. Didn't you say you were going to tease him?"

When Sang-yun pointed this out, Cain panicked and frantically waved his hands.

"Shh! Shh!"

"Tease me about what?"

"He was boasting about how he was going to tease you the moment you got back."

At Sang-yun's betrayal, Tae-hyun looked at Cain with utter pity.

"Cain... at your age, how can you still be so childish...?"

"N-No! It's a misunderstanding! A misunderstanding!"

"I know your love life isn't going well lately, but taking it out on others isn't a good look. If she's busy, you should just wait patiently."

"..."