A Battle of Exploits
Among them, there were those who went beyond denying reality and resorted to this:
"Isn't this a rigged host map?!"
"..."
Occasionally, there were indeed such arenas in Pan-On. Ominous, shady arenas tucked away in the most remote corners! Arenas where only players close to the NPC host received special privileges. In those arenas, no matter what you did, the host always had the upper hand.
...Of course, anyone suspecting Tae-hyun of such a thing in this situation was completely out of their mind.
"I think he's lost his mind."
"Hey. Stop being pathetic and just get out of there."
The other players behind him spoke up, looking thoroughly embarrassed on his behalf. More than dozens of players were taking the test, and he was the only one throwing a tantrum like that. Wasn't he embarrassed?
But if he were the type of person to feel embarrassment, he wouldn't have made such a scene in the first place.
"Let go of me!"
"Nobody's holding you, dude. You're just shouting by yourself."
"I said let go! This makes no sense! How could I not land a single hit! Our skills are sealed and our stats are equalized!"
"That's because you're..."
The player who was about to speak hesitated. The shouting player glared at him and snapped, "What! What is it!"
"No, I was holding back because it sounded too harsh, but..."
"Just say it! What!"
"...Maybe it's because you're a total scrub?"
"..."
"..."
It was the very thought everyone present had shared but couldn't bring themselves to say!
"Do... do you want to die?!"
"I don't think a guy who couldn't even graze Kim Tae-hyun would do any better in a duel..."
The players gathered here were all quite formidable in their own right. They weren't about to back down just because someone threatened them. In fact, they saw this as an opportunity.
Wait. If I show off here, won't I get a high evaluation from Kim Tae-hyun?
Right?
"Hey! Fight me!"
"No! Let's go, you and me!"
"???"
Faced with the sudden, aggressive enthusiasm of the players raising their hands, the troublemaker was flustered. What was going on? Normally, they should have backed off in intimidation...
"Get out of the way, you bastards! I'm fighting him first!"
"I couldn't land a single hit on Kim Tae-hyun either! I need to score points here!"
"Hey! Are you the only one who missed? I missed too! We're all in the same boat!"
Crash! Clang!
Tae-hyun, who had been waiting inside, stepped out when no one entered. He found the players planting flags and engaging in 1v1 duels with each other.
"...What in the world is...?"
"W-well, you see..."
The staff members who had come to assist were sweating profusely in embarrassment. How on earth were they supposed to explain this situation?
Tae-hyun settled the situation with a simple, "Stop fighting, you lunatics!"
The troublemakers were thoroughly thrashed by the others and quickly fled.
"Player Kim Tae-hyun! I defeated that guy!"
"I beat him too!"
"...And what do you want me to do about it?"
Tae-hyun was dumbfounded. Were they expecting a prize or something?
"Uh... well..."
"Doesn't it show how strong we are?"
"At least stronger than him??"
"Y-yes. I get it. Just send the next person in."
The players slumped their shoulders in disappointment. Aw... beating up that trash outside didn't amount to anything!
Sigh. I need to show him something.
I have to... I have to show him something.
It was only natural for the players to feel anxious. Most of them had been completely overwhelmed by Tae-hyun without landing a single blow. It was a shocking reality check!
Honestly, if their opponent hadn't been Tae-hyun, they would have been the first to cry out, "Isn't this a rigged host map?!"
They had assumed that once stats and skills were sealed, the gap in control wouldn't be that massive...
But their own attacks were read instantly, while Tae-hyun's movements were completely unpredictable. No matter how many times they clashed, they were just one-sidedly beaten.
"Everyone's control is actually quite decent," Tae-hyun remarked.
"Really?"
Tae-hyun nodded. As expected of players who had come all this way to be tested, their control was solid. Their fundamentals were robust.
"You can tell they've practiced the textbook forms a lot. For example, with a sword-and-shield combo, they swing the sword, raise the shield, sidestep, and swing again to create a cycle..."
"I'm a magic user, so I wouldn't know about melee dealers..." Lee Se-yeon said with a lukewarm expression. Just as Tae-hyun didn't understand the complex spell cycles of a mage, Lee Se-yeon was the same with physical combat.
However, Tae-hyun ignored her remark and continued.
"You're only saying that because I brought up mages earlier, aren't you?"
"No, I'm not. Anyway, it's clear they've practiced the standard forms, but I actually liked the players who built on those basics to pull off creative moves."
"They all seemed pretty depressed about not landing a single hit, though..."
"That's only because they've barely fought me. If they keep at it, they'll eventually land one."
Shouldn't landing more than one hit be the bare minimum? Se-yeon thought.
Tae-hyun was exceptionally gifted at reading and predicting his opponent's movements. His dynamic visual acuity and reflexes were indispensable assets in Pan-On. Because he never relied on textbook movements, constantly adapting to his opponent to counter and feint, those facing him for the first time couldn't help but feel like they were fighting a ghost.
But with enough exposure, they would gradually get used to it and manage to land at least one blow.
"Did you pick out the ones with the best control?"
"No."
"??"
Lee Se-yeon looked puzzled. Wasn't the whole point of using his sharp eyes to select the players with the superior control?
"I was actually trying to observe their mindset."
If anyone had managed to defeat him, they would have received an automatic pass. But since no one did, he wanted to look at other aspects. For instance, whether they chose to evade and stall for time instead of fighting head-on, or if they tried to win through alternative means...
Hearing this, Lee Se-yeon stared at him as if he were absurd.
"Who else but you would think like that?!"
To think he was harboring such crazy expectations!
"I mean... if you think you're going to lose, isn't it only natural to try a different approach?"
The players, when faced with an impossible wall, only tried to show how hard they were trying. From Tae-hyun's perspective, it was utterly baffling. Just fight! Provoke me, or make it a two-on-one...
Hearing Tae-hyun's reasoning, Lee Se-yeon's expression shifted as she found herself swayed.
"Well, when you put it that way, it does make sense."
"..."
The staff member listening nearby lamented inwardly. Someone stop them! Birds of a feather really do flock together...
"It seems like a good test. You definitely need that fighting spirit to keep pushing forward."
"Exactly. And in my opinion, the World Cup is going to be a battle of exploits."
"A battle of exploits?"
"A competition of who can pull off the most broken scams."
"Ah..."
Lee Se-yeon agreed. After a year of the Pan-On League, people had generally grasped what was needed.
What did it take to win? A broken strategy spearheaded by flashy, overpowered skills! Already, rumors were circulating that various national teams were hunting down quests to acquire broken skills.
"Aren't the two of us basically a team of broken skills ourselves?"
"I suppose we are."
Both Tae-hyun and Lee Se-yeon possessed Legendary Classes. However, the number of Legendary Classes in the world was steadily rising. If they let their guard down, they had no idea when or where some broken skill might pop up.
"First, I need to make sure I master Meteor..."
"That really is a broken skill."
"I hope we can gather more people with broken skills."
Lee Se-yeon nodded. Whether they were a dealer, a tank, or a healer, possessing a broken skill was enough to birth an entirely new strategy. They needed to find those broken skills!
The ones you two have are already more than enough. What more are you looking for... the staff member thought, sighing.
"Hello! I am Great Axe Warrior. I look forward to working with you!"
"I see. Great Axe Warrior..."
Since there was no rule saying one's in-game name had to match their real name, Tae-hyun didn't mind.
"Oh! Player Kim Tae-hyun. What is that behind you?"
"?"
Tae-hyun turned his head. At that exact moment, Great Axe Warrior lunged.
Swish—
Unfazed, Tae-hyun spun back, evaded the attack, and delivered a counter.
Thud!
"Urgh! So close!"
"...It was a novel attempt, but if you're going to pull a feint, shouldn't you make it a bit more believable?"
"I see! I will keep that in mind for the fut—"
As he spoke, Great Axe Warrior whipped out a dagger and threw it. It was a sheer display of tenacity, determined to land a single hit by any means necessary!
And his weapons aren't even axes, they're dual swords!
Tae-hyun was dumbfounded. What kind of Power Warrior-like player was this?
Wait.
"By the way, what guild are you in?"
"I am in Power Warrior!"
"...Ah. I see."
Tae-hyun felt a profound sense of the passage of time. To think a Power Warrior ranker had made it to the reserve list! The Power Warrior guild had truly grown massive.
Once the duel ended, Great Axe Warrior bowed his head in regret and stepped back, his eyes still scanning for any opening until the very last second.
"He's not bad, is he?"
"I figured you'd like him."
Lee Se-yeon, who had been watching from a distance, nodded. He was clearly Tae-hyun's type of player!
"Player Choi Do-hee... Guild: Power Warrior... The Power Warrior guild is actually quite decent."
"...?!"
Tae-hyun was startled by her words. Was she... was she serious?
"Power Warrior is decent?"
"They are, aren't they? Why?"
"No, it's nothing."
Tae-hyun and Lee Se-yeon continued to evaluate the players. A player like Choi Do-hee was a rare case; usually, the highly skilled players were already signed as professional athletes for domestic or overseas gaming teams.
"H-how... how was it?"
And the one who achieved the best result was Ryu Tae-su. A dealer from Yuseong Gaming! He had actually managed to parry Tae-hyun's attack and successfully deal damage.
Despite achieving a feat that would have made anyone else marvel, Ryu Tae-su was stammering nervously. Because...
He didn't just memorize the patterns, did he?
Lee Se-yeon eyed Ryu Tae-su suspiciously. Those in the know were well aware that Ryu Tae-su was an absolute fanboy of Tae-hyun. He likely had almost every single one of Tae-hyun's battle scenes memorized! It wouldn't be surprising if he had simply memorized the patterns.
Still, a result was a result, and Ryu Tae-su was indeed one of the top dealers in the world. Above all, given his immense fanboyism toward Tae-hyun, he was bound to follow orders perfectly...
But why is the melee dealer lineup so full of... unique personalities?
Lee Se-yeon prayed that the tanks and healers would be calm, stable, and outstanding individuals.
"To think Count Besgo collapsed and Dorango has to take over his position."
Tae-hyun spoke in disbelief.
"Is the Erangs Kingdom going to ruin?"
"W-well, surely it won't go that far..."
"No. Dorango is exactly that incompetent. That's why he's a Power Warrior. What is Dorango doing right now?"
"Uh..."
"Is he running wild with excitement?"
"Actually, we haven't told him yet."
"...!"
Tae-hyun was taken aback. How!?
"The envoys must have come to deliver the news. How could he not know?"
"Well, we've been stuffing him with food and keeping him completely drunk..." the Power Warrior guild chefs said, looking sheepish.
They had figured it was best not to let Dorango find out, so they kept feeding him and pouring drinks. They just weren't sure if they had done the right thing.
"...Excellent work!"
"Right?! We did do the right thing, didn't we?!"
At Tae-hyun's reaction, the guild members were overjoyed, practically jumping with glee. Yes! This was it!
"See! I told you we should do it!"
"I was about to smack him because he only drank the most expensive wine, but I'm glad I held back!"
Lee Se-yeon, who was listening nearby, asked in confusion.
"What's the plan after keeping him drunk and asleep? Won't he find out eventually anyway?"
"There's something we need to do before that."
"??"
Tae-hyun and Lee Da-bi pulled out some fabric and began cutting and sewing it together. In no time, they fashioned a crude replica of the clothes Dorango usually wore. Its stats were abysmal, but since that wasn't the point, it didn't matter.
"How is it, Da-bi? Do I look like Dorango?"
"Yes. You look incredibly pathetic!"
"Perfect. It's a success."
"...!"
Lee Se-yeon was struck with horror.
This... this man...
He was planning to disguise himself as Dorango!