Armchair Legends

Count Besgo was an incredibly powerful noble NPC who loved art but possessed absolutely zero talent for it. He was so formidable that even Kim Tae-hyun and Kane felt a slight chill in their bones whenever they stood before him. Compared to the mighty Count Besgo, Dorango was a useless, troublemaking bastard with no real abilities to speak of. And now, a quest had popped up for a useless piece of trash like him to inherit the count's title?

"No... that makes no sense. It must be a reconciliation quest." Tae-hyun had actually received a reconciliation quest himself in the past, but he had promptly ignored it. It was a garbage quest that offered pitiful rewards compared to the sheer amount of effort required.

"If Count Besgo collapsed, shouldn't his other NPC sons inherit the title?"

"His sons marched out to war with him and fell right alongside him..."

"!"

Tae-hyun was deeply shocked. Count Besgo was supposed to be fighting for the Erangs Kingdom army, leading the invasion against the Auston Kingdom. And he fell? Count Besgo and his sons possessed terrifyingly high levels, and the knights under their command were no joke either. For them to suffer a defeat devastating enough to lay them low... who on earth could have pulled that off? Was it Smith?

"Do not underestimate our ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Guild Alliance, you Erangs Kingdom bastards!" Su Ning bellowed, standing majestically atop the fortress wall. Below him, the assembled rankers of the Guild Alliance nodded in fervent agreement. It was, indeed, a grand victory they hadn't tasted in a very long time.

Smith had been sweeping down from the north like a man possessed, while the Erangs Kingdom forces, seemingly having sold their consciences, had been pushing in relentlessly from the west. No matter how vast the Guild Alliance's numbers and influence were, they had been on the verge of collapsing in an instant. It was only after losing more than half of their territory that the Guild Alliance finally managed to mount a counteroffensive. They mobilized every single guild member to the fortress and unleashed all the hidden trump cards they had originally saved to deal with Kim Tae-hyun.

—Scroll of Great Destruction!

—The Bramble Mercenary Group!

—Warriors of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the Blood Curse!

The sheer variety of resources they poured into the battle had finally paid off. Rumble! Against the Erangs Kingdom army that surged forward like a tidal wave, the Guild Alliance had emerged victorious. It was a battle of truly staggering proportions, and an absolute triumph.

The battle was so monumental that even the mainstream media covered it extensively! In Pan-On, a single battle of this scale was an exceedingly rare event.

"With this, haven't we surpassed Kim Tae-hyun's quests?"

"Honestly, you could say we've completely overshadowed him."

The rankers chattered among themselves. There wasn't a single ranker in the Guild Alliance who didn't harbor a deep-seated inferiority complex toward Kim Tae-hyun. Because they were constantly beaten ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and broken by him, the Guild Alliance rankers suffered massive blows to their public image despite their high status. They felt incredibly wronged.

—Hey, the guild got smashed, not me! Kim Tae-hyun avoided us plenty of times too!

—I only held back because I was focusing on my class and level. If I had actually fought him seriously, even Kim Tae-hyun would have...

—Even Kim Tae-hyun would have what?

—...I'm just saying he would've found it pretty annoying, okay?

Of course, they couldn't complain out loud to anyone. After all, it was the rankers themselves who had acted selfishly instead of fighting alongside the guild in the past. But today's victory was enough to wash away all that lingering inferiority. A battle of this scale was far more thrilling than anything Kim Tae-hyun had ever done!

"You worked hard, Lord Su Ning."

"Indeed."

For some reason, Su Ning's voice sounded unusually solemn and dignified. Alcott thought to himself, Was he always this dignified? He was pretty sure the answer was no...

"But Lord Su Ning. We used up our scrolls, our mercenaries, and our cursed warriors for this battle, didn't we?"

"We did."

"What if Smith or those other bastards decide to invade us right now?"

"Do not worry. I have already confirmed that they are resting after their own continuous battles. Besides, we have just demonstrated how powerful we are. Anyone who sees this and still has the audacity to attack us blindly would have to be Kim Tae-hyun, not a human being."

"Oh..."

Alcott was genuinely surprised by the logical response. To think Su Ning could actually give such a reasonable answer! Was he always this smart?

Unfortunately, that peace of mind didn't even last for an hour.

"Lord Su Ning! Lord Su Ning! Smith's knighthood has appeared on the other side of the plains! We need to set up our defenses immediately!"

"...What?!"

In the distance, Smith was charging straight toward them, leading his Royal Guard.

"We are exhausted, but the enemy is even more exhausted! Charge! Charge!"

"N-No, Smith. This really isn't it. The guys are on the verge of collapsing from exhaustion..."

"This is madness! I'm pulling out!"

Slash!

"Anyone who flees will be cut down by my own hand! Charge!"

"Aaaargh! Smith, you absolute psycho!"

"I'm going to kill whoever brought this bastard in as our guild leader!"

Smith's sheer madness forced the players to move. Gritting their teeth through their tears, the players charged forward! Naturally, the members of the Guild Alliance wanted to cry too. Do these crazy bastards never sleep?!

"Isn't this incredibly insulting to our pride?!"

"...?"

"No matter how you look at it, Kim Tae-hyun and Lee Se-yeon are just players like us. Why do we have to be evaluated by other players? This is completely unfair!"

The players gathered together were all candidates for the Pantheon World Cup. Among them, Choi Dae-sung was particularly outraged. Although he had never joined the Pan-On League or any professional gaming team, he was a player whose name consistently appeared on the ranker boards and who was widely rumored to be highly skilled. Naturally, his pride was sky-high.

—What's so great about Pan-On pro players anyway? It's only because other rankers and I chose not to join the league. If we actually fought, I could easily beat them!

The rankers who didn't participate in the Pan-On League were deeply envious of the league players. This was due to the overwhelming disparity in popularity. It couldn't be helped. While being a Pan-On ranker carried some prestige, there were easily several thousand rankers worldwide. Unless someone constantly undertook insane quests to engrave their name into the public consciousness like Kim Tae-hyun did, it was incredibly difficult to gain global popularity.

In contrast, the Pan-On League was a completely different beast. Every single match was broadcast worldwide, thrusting the participating players into the spotlight. Even the benchwarmers in the league were more famous than the average Pan-On ranker. Of course, the non-league rankers still lived comfortable lives in their own right, and some didn't envy the league at all... but there were quite a few who looked at the league's popularity and felt a belated pang of regret. Choi Dae-sung was one of them!

"Well, I don't mind being evaluated by Kim Tae-hyun."

"If it's Kim Tae-hyun, I can accept it."

"..."

However, no one agreed with Choi Dae-sung's outburst. Honestly, only someone who didn't watch the league at all could make such a foolishly bold statement. Anyone who had ever tried out for a professional gaming team or even served as a trainee for a domestic team would never dare utter those words! When professional teams trained, Tae-hyun's gameplay was the most frequently used textbook material. They weren't teaching trainees to mimic his unorthodox plays; rather, they were studying and copying his damage cycles. His damage cycles were optimized to the absolute limit!

—Take a breath here, strike, activate the skill, strike, and strike again. You must maintain your balance without faltering to keep this damage cycle going...

The players gathered here had absolutely no complaints.

"Is everyone ready?"

The staff members from the association called out to the players. Since they couldn't test everyone at once, they were calling in players who were highly rated domestically in small groups to have the two superstars evaluate them. The association staff members were more than happy to run errands and cooperate.

—Please, let us cooperate!

—We want to cooperate so badly!

—We have absolutely not been threatened in any way!

—...

"I have something to say! Is it really appropriate for fellow players to evaluate us?"

"Huh? Of course it is."

The staff member stared at Choi Dae-sung as if he were speaking gibberish. What is this guy even talking about? Choi Dae-sung was taken aback. He had assumed that even if the other players were walking on eggshells, an association staff member would listen to his grievance.

"I mean... aren't we all players?"

"You're not the same kind of player, are you?"

"We are!"

"Oh, please..." The staff member let out a chuckle. "Players like Kim Tae-hyun and Lee Se-yeon are once-in-a-century talents. Players like Choi Dae-sung pop up about a hundred times a month. What are you even saying..."

Choi Dae-sung's jaw dropped. It was the most humiliating insult he had ever received in his life! The players standing next to him bit their lips to keep from bursting into laughter.

"O-On what basis can you say such a thing?!"

"Player Choi Dae-sung, have you ever played in the league?"

"...No, I haven't."

"Have you played in any domestic tournaments, or even event matches?"

"I didn't participate in those because there was no need to! I am a ranker!"

"Everyone here is a ranker, Dae-sung."

"Yeah, you're not the only ranker here."

"I even got an International Ranker Certificate."

"Wait, there's such a thing?"

"They were selling them on the street."

"You idiot! You got scammed!"

"Yeah, I know, but it looked pretty, so I bought it. It's great for showing off."

Choi Dae-sung ignored the nonsense chattering beside him and pressed on. "I've never lost a 1v1 duel in Pan-On, and my level is nearly 300. I've even faced off against active league players in-game and won!"

"Ah... is that so?" The staff member nodded. "Then you should have proven yourself in the tournaments. Why are you complaining to me instead of joining the league?"

The staff member's tone was gradually growing colder. It wasn't because Choi Dae-sung was particularly obnoxious, but because...

"Player Choi Dae-sung. I might seem rude to you right now, but you are literally the tenth person like this I've had to deal with today."

He wasn't the first! No matter how politely the staff tried to behave, it was utterly absurd to watch someone with zero professional career act all high and mighty just because they had a decent level and a good class in Pan-On. Every single player in the Pan-On League had a great level and a great class. The league players were those who had been refined through actual competition. These guys who had never even set foot in the league were overflowing with unearned confidence, acting as if they were Kim Tae-hyun himself. More like armchair Kim Tae-hyuns! It was pathetic to watch people who didn't even comprehend how monstrous Kim Tae-hyun was spout nonsense like, "If I had the chance, I could do just as well as Kim Tae-hyun."

"If you're so skilled, why didn't you just initiate a PK duel with Kim Tae-hyun and beat him 1v1?"

"T-That's... because I had no real reason to..."

"No matter what you say, Player Choi Dae-sung, Kim Tae-hyun is a player who has already established an undeniable career in his very first season. Go ask any foreign team. If they had the chance to hire Kim Tae-hyun as a head coach, what do you think they'd say? Every single one of them would jump at the opportunity. If you still have a complaint, Player Choi Dae-sung..."

"If I do?"

"Well, you should probably just go home. What, did you expect me to say something else?"

Speechless, Choi Dae-sung sat back down, huffing in anger. The staff member sighed and shook his head. People like him usually reacted in one of two ways. One was acting tough and storming out, saying, "Screw this, I'm leaving!" The other was entering the test with a burning desire to prove themselves, thinking, Fine, I'll show you what real skill looks like! ...Only to end up like this.

Thud! Thud! Bam! Crash! Thwack!

"..."

Choi Dae-sung emerged from the arena looking completely hollowed out, as if his soul had escaped his body. What... what did I just experience?

The Equalization Arena was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a place where players fought with their levels fixed at Level 1. With all their stats and most of their skills sealed, it was a place designed solely to test raw control! Because of this, Tae-hyun had rented the venue for the evaluations.

But...

I don't get why every single guy who walks in here has such a confident look on his face, only to walk out completely devastated.

When the challengers saw those system messages, they all had the exact same thought:

Oh! If our levels are fixed at Level 1, doesn't that mean I actually have a chance to beat Kim Tae-hyun? If I beat him... then I'll...

...Of course, it was the delusion of all delusions.