A Reserve's Pride and a New Recruit
"Are you sure this is okay?"
"What is?"
"Putting him on the reserves when he's on your team..."
"It's fine."
Lee Se-yeon was worried that Tae-hyun might have hurt his feelings. It was only human, after all. Of course, to select the national team, they had to pick the absolute best members. But if their teamwork broke down in the process...
—Hey. You've been picked as a reserve.
—What?! Really?! D-did you pull some strings to get me in??
—Don't go around saying things like that.
—O-of course! I'd never! I'll warm that bench with everything I've got! I'll make it scorching hot!
—Right. Work hard. Don't slack off in your free time. I'm hearing everything from the coach.
—Beep, beep, beep, beep...
—Don't make dial tone noises with your mouth.
—...Okay...
"......"
Lee Se-yeon, listening from the side, had a dumbfounded expression. He really didn't get hurt at all...!
"No, maybe he's just pretending not to be hurt even though he is..."
"I told you, Cain isn't that delicate."
"Hell yeah!! I made the cut!!!"
"What? Seriously??"
"That makes no sense!"
Choi Sang-yun and Jeong Su-hyeok were dumbfounded. Choi Sang-yun didn't care much that he wasn't picked. The competition for the national team's damage dealer spots was incredibly fierce. While Sang-yun was a high-ranking player, he was far from extraordinary. His strength lay in being a stable, textbook dealer. He was skilled enough to fit into any party, but the national team needed something more powerful—something unique that others didn't have.
Besides, if you get on the national team and mess up, you'll get torn to shreds by the public. Why bother...?
Thus, Choi Sang-yun had little interest. Jeong Su-hyeok felt the same. While Tae-hyun had carried him like crazy in the league, he couldn't expect that at the World Cup. Besides, Su-hyeok's magic was far too dependent on luck.
Neither of them cared, but... Cain got picked?
No way.
Something is fishy.
"Did you go on a hunger strike or something to Kim Tae-hyun? Threatening not to eat if he didn't pick you..."
"Cain, isn't that a bit too pathetic?"
"No, I didn't! What do you take me for?!"
Cain was indignant. How could they suspect him of threatening Kim Tae-hyun like that?
"I was picked as a substitute. A reserve player."
"Ah..."
"Wait, don't just say 'ah'. Shouldn't we be suspicious of how he even got picked as a reserve?"
"Ah. That's true too."
"Didn't he just put you in to use as a human bomb?"
"Well, there really isn't anyone else suited for suicide bombing besides Cain..."
The two whispered and nodded in agreement. Indeed, having at least one wild card to shake things up made sense!
"But Cain, aren't you disappointed about just being a reserve?"
"Not at all?"
Cain actually looked delighted.
"I actually prefer being a reserve."
"...I'm almost too scared to ask, but why?"
"Think about it. If I'm a starter and I make a single mistake, I'll get absolutely roasted online."
"True."
Shouldn't you be thinking about doing well instead?
Thinking about what would happen when he messed up rather than trying to do well was classic Cain.
"But as a reserve, I'm much more free from that kind of pressure."
"......"
"......"
What a pathetic, small-minded guy...!
"Plus, I still get the honor of being selected for the national team! Even a reserve is technically a national representative!"
"You really are... a man born to be a reserve."
"Cain, you really aren't a starting player. You're more of a water boy..."
Tae-hyun and Lee Se-yeon decided to give the healer spot to Lee Da-bi. They hadn't told her yet, but they had an undeniable reason.
"Her class is too broken."
"We can't pass up on her."
If they put Ryu Tae-su as a sub-dealer, along with Tae-hyun, Lee Se-yeon, and Lee Da-bi...
Now, only the tank spot remained.
Of course, they could select multiple starting tanks. In fact, hadn't they already picked another ranker from Power Warrior as a dealer? But Tae-hyun and Lee Se-yeon had to think of the absolute best lineup. The five-man composition that represented their peak power!
To do that, they needed a truly exceptional tank.
"We don't need to look at level anyway. Don't fall for stereotypes."
"Right. It doesn't matter even if they're under level 100."
"...W-wait, no. That's a bit much. Isn't that going too far? We have to care about public perception..."
"Let's just look at their class and skills. The skills we can actually utilize."
As a result, the person they selected was highly unexpected.
"Her level is only 204, but her skills are incredibly good."
Her class was none other than a Legendary Class!
"But I've never heard of her?"
"Well, you... if someone isn't important to you, you just tune them out. Honestly, do you even know any other Legendary Classes besides mine and Smith's?"
At Lee Se-yeon's question, Tae-hyun nodded. When it came to fighting, he would just ask Lee Da-bi if he needed to know; he never bothered to look things up himself.
"Anyway, back to her skills. They're incredibly good."
There was a reason Lee Se-yeon said this.
[Sacred Renewal]
A legendary-grade buff skill that resets the cooldowns of all party members' holy skills.
Tae-hyun nodded. "To think a follower of Phytos would have a skill like that. It's almost surprising."
"...I-is that so...?"
The Phytos Church was actually a very powerful order...
In any case, Sacred Renewal could be chained with Tae-hyun's skills as well as the healers'. A tank who didn't just absorb damage but actively supported the rest of the team! That was exactly the kind of tank they needed.
[Atonement]
A skill that redirects and absorbs incoming curses or magical attacks onto the user's own body.
"Even if her level is a bit low, I think she's definitely worth recruiting."
People generally wanted to pick high-level, famous rankers. That was stable and safe! But Tae-hyun and Lee Se-yeon had absolutely no intention of being swayed by such things. They had to look strictly at objective data.
"Alright. Come on in."
Thud!
The door opened, and a face they had never seen before walked in.
"...Hello. I'm Ryu Da-young."
"Ryu Da-young?"
"She's Ryu Tae-su's younger sister."
"Ah. I see."
Even in plain, unassuming clothes and with a cold gaze, she exuded a charm that naturally drew everyone's eyes. Anyone looking at her would have mistaken her for a celebrity.
She's really beautiful, Lee Da-bi thought as she looked at Ryu Da-young.
"I assume you've heard the news? We're considering you, Player Ryu Da-young, as the tank for this national team."
"......"
"How do you feel about it?"
"...Good."
She doesn't look very happy, though?
Did we pick the wrong person?
The two were flustered. Seeing her icy expression made them feel like they might have made a mistake!
"Tae-hyun. Player Ryu Da-young is always like that. She's famous for being quiet and cold."
"Really? How do you know?"
"She's a highly popular player. Her personal streams easily rank near the top."
"Oh... Is she doing better than Power Warrior?"
"Yes. Sometimes she even outperforms us... I hope we can use this opportunity to get close to her."
Lee Da-bi's eyes sparkled at this unexpected recruitment opportunity. Due to her cold personality, Ryu Da-young rarely partied with others. If they could get close now...!
Lee Se-yeon spoke to Tae-hyun with a troubled look.
"Still, we can't just stay silent. Say something to her."
"Me?"
"Your Speech skill is higher than mine."
"...Lee Se-yeon... if you start confusing reality with the game..."
"I was joking!?"
Lee Se-yeon cleared her throat and spoke.
"Player Ryu Da-young. Since you're joining the national team, do you have any goals or mindset you'd like to share?"
At that, Ryu Da-young pointed her finger directly at Tae-hyun.
"......"
"......"
Lee Da-bi and Lee Se-yeon instantly turned serious.
"...It's not Kim Tae-hyun."
"Ah. I see."
"Did you really have to point at me just to say that?"
"...My brother talks a lot of nonsense, so I wanted to apologize."
"Ah."
Tae-hyun nodded. Ryu Tae-su was indeed... a bit much. He was a very intense person.
Ryu Da-young looked at Lee Se-yeon and spoke.
"...My goal is Player Lee Se-yeon."
"...Huh?"
Lee Se-yeon was taken aback. Me?
Tae-hyun looked at Lee Se-yeon and shouted as if he had figured it out.
"I knew it! Lee Se-yeon, you killed Player Ryu Da-young back in Pan-On 1, didn't you?"
"I did not!?"
Who was she comparing her to?! Lee Se-yeon flared up.
Ryu Da-young also shook her head in denial.
"...That's not what I meant. I want to surpass Player Lee Se-yeon one day and become an even more famous player."
"Ah..."
"I see."
"Is there really a need for that? You could just walk your own path..."
The last comment was from Tae-hyun, but everyone ignored him as if they hadn't heard a thing.
Lee Se-yeon looked straight at Ryu Da-young. She was young, but her bold ambition was refreshing to see. It was only right to accept such a challenge!
"I'll be waiting whenever you're ready. Come on up."
"...I'll make sure you're waiting," Ryu Da-young replied shortly, perhaps not expecting Lee Se-yeon to respond so readily.
With that, she spun around and walked out.
Slam!
"Wait, why is she leaving?" Tae-hyun asked, bewildered. They had called her in to discuss the national team...
As if realizing her mistake, Ryu Da-young walked back in a minute later. Her cold face was flushed red. She seemed slightly embarrassed.
Let's pretend we didn't see that.
Yes, let's pretend nothing happened.
"But is it really okay for her to harbor that much hostility toward the captain?" Tae-hyun suddenly asked, remembering.
You of all people shouldn't be saying that...
Lee Se-yeon gave him an incredulous look. He was the type to throw manners out the window and charge headfirst whenever things didn't go his way, so what was he talking about?
"...I was merely stating my motivation," Ryu Da-young said, looking extremely wronged.
She was trying to maintain her composure for the sake of her pride, but her face looked like she was on the verge of tears.
"O-of course we trust you. Don't misunderstand. Kim Tae-hyun is just worried about me."
"I know the two of you are dating... but still, when leading the team, I hope you can do so without personal feelings..."
"Do you want to get kicked out? Watch your tone."
"...!?"
"My power... power is overflowing... Mwahahaha!"
"Is he really going to be okay?"
"We can't back out now anyway."
The rankers whispered among themselves. They were players who had spent all their Kingdom Contribution Points to join the 1st Prince's faction. They believed it would be worth the investment for this war!
But looking at the 1st Prince from afar, his state was completely bizarre. No matter how they looked at it, he seemed to have drunk some weird potion or fallen into complete corruption!
But they had invested too much to back out now. They had to get their money's worth somehow!
"What do you think, Crawford?"
"Me? Well... I was thinking it's a bit too late to back out now."
At the words of the Fire Mage ranker, Crawford, the other rankers nodded. To a ranker, what mattered wasn't justice or evil. What mattered was experience points!
"Chaos... Hungry Chaos...!"
"...Didn't he just shout 'Hungry Chaos'?"
"Let's pretend we didn't hear that. For now."
"At least until we get something out of this..."