The Korean Standard

Following Ryu Tae-su's words, Ryu Da-young began to see Tae-hyun in a slightly different light.

She knew he was a world-class competitor, but his playstyle strayed so far from the textbook that she had wondered, Is that really the right way to play? But if what Tae-su said was true, every single move Tae-hyun made was meticulously calculated.

To think all of that was planned! It was hard to believe, but perhaps that was the level of dedication required to become one of the best players in the world.

Amazing...! Even top rankers usually just clear class quests or go to places with good EXP, but he deliberately raises his own difficulty to speed up his growth. I never would have thought of that.

Of course, to Tae-hyun, who was listening to all of this, it was the most absurd nonsense he had ever heard.

If he raised the difficulty on purpose, did he make enemies with Archisus just to grow faster too?!

"Player Ryu Tae-su."

"Yes?"

"...I don't think you need to go around saying everything was planned..." Tae-hyun said, staring at Ryu Tae-su.

For some reason, Ryu Tae-su exuded a distinct scent of Cain.

He was far more capable and sharp-witted than Cain, but he troubled Tae-hyun in an entirely different way. If left to his own devices, there was no telling what kind of nonsense he would spout at the upcoming tournament!

"No, not at all! I know you're humble and not the type to boast, Player Kim Tae-hyun. But in this day and age, if you don't actively promote yourself, you get buried! Didn't you suffer losses in Pan-On 1 because you didn't step forward to clarify things?"

"Wait, what exactly did I fail to clarify in Pan-On 1...?"

Did he leave anything unclarified? If a guild picked a fight, he beat them up. If he saw a ranker, he fought and won... He was already as famous as could be.

"You fought for the sake of the suffering ordinary players, didn't you?"

"...No, I didn't??"

"You don't have to hide it from me."

"No, really, I didn't..."

Ryu Tae-su only heard what he wanted to hear! He was a formidable opponent in an entirely different sense.

"Kim Tae-hyun. It's highly entertaining to watch you squirm under Player Ryu Tae-su, but I'd appreciate it if you remembered we have a lot of enemies right in front of us," Lee Se-yeon shouted, swinging her staff.

What are you doing, chatting with players piled up in front of you?

Indeed, the enemies looked utterly dumbfounded. Chatting right in front of them...

"Ah. My apologies." Tae-hyun spun around. "Let's refocus."

"Wait, no, that's not what we wanted—!"

And then ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠he swung his weapon, threw bombs, and detonated skills indiscriminately.

"Aaaaargh!"

Players were swept away in an instant. They prided themselves on being high-level, but their opponents were too monstrous. The combination of Kim Tae-hyun and Lee Se-yeon, backed by the solid support of Lee Da-bi, Ryu Tae-su, and Ryu Da-young, possessed a terrifyingly destructive force.

Once Tae-hyun dove in and shattered their formation, Lee Se-yeon's elite undead slipped into the gaps to pin the players down. Ryu Da-young comfortably tanked to prevent them from escaping, while Ryu Tae-su unleashed his damage...

It was incredibly smooth!

Ryu Tae-su and Ryu Da-young were amazed. They had partied with other rankers countless times. Tae-su was a pro for Yuseong Gaming, having played with starters and subs alike. But Tae-hyun and Lee Se-yeon were on a different level. It felt as comfortable as riding in a luxury sedan!

Wow, to feel like a beginner again at this level.

It felt exactly like when a high-level player carries a newbie. Total free ride!

"Is... Is that... Is that Kim Tae-hyun?!"

The battered players finally began to realize. To be pushed back so helplessly, their opponents had to be legendary.

"Kyahooo...!"

"Oh. Bulbul-i. You don't need to come out."

Tae-hyun stopped mid-swing. Bulbul-i had popped out and started roaring.

"!"

Fwoosh!

"I'm using undead here! Why are you casting a wide-area Holy magic?!" Lee Se-yeon yelled from behind, utterly dumbfounded.

Tae-hyun apologized on the dragon's behalf.

"Kyaho?"

"No, you did great."

"Wait, Master. Isn't this double standard a bit too severe?!" Heuk-heuk cried out, deeply aggrieved.

If Heuk-heuk had done that, Tae-hyun would have nagged: You're a Black Dragon, can't you do basic math?! Casting Holy magic when undead are right next to you?! Typical Sadiq worshipper!

"He's still a baby."

"Urgh... Just wait until that brat grows up...!"

"Kyaho."

Bulbul-i snorted and turned his head. He didn't seem to like Heuk-heuk much either.

"Tae-hyun, didn't we agree to only show Bulbul-i good things...?" Lee Da-bi asked.

"...We can start next time."

Tae-hyun said so, but he was starting to realize. Was that even possible?

"Look at that dragon pet, it really is Kim Tae-hyun!"

"Then is that guy Cain?"

"No, he only has two arms... Wait, wait, wait. That's Lee Se-yeon! Holy crap! Why are they together?! Are they insane?!"

Tae-hyun alone was suffocating enough, but the Necromancer behind him was Lee Se-yeon. They were the most terrifying Korean players in the world!

"Isn't that Ryu Tae-su?!"

"Lee Da-bi... No, what the hell... All the famous Korean rankers are gathered here!"

There had been a lot of talk that Korea was past its prime, and that the US and China, with their massive capital investments, had become the new esports powerhouses. But Korea always produced a few outstanding players. Even in the first season of the Pan-On League, where people said "The Korean team won't make it to the top," didn't Korean teams sweep the championship and top spots?

Because of this, Korean players generally received highly inflated evaluations without much basis.

Of course, being thought of highly wasn't bad, but the higher the expectations, the greater the disappointment.

The foreign players, whose standards had been raised to the sky, expected every Korean player to be on the level of Tae-hyun or Lee Se-yeon.

"Is, isn't that the Korean national team? That lineup is terrifying."

"Why on earth is the Korean national team in a place like this where only chefs come...?"

The murmuring player gasped. Could it be... they came to practice?

"Did they come to practice PK?!"

"No. You go to the Arena for 5v5 practice. What kind of crazy person comes to a place like this to practice?" another player retorted, dumbfounded.

Currently, several national teams were revealing their entire lineups and posting training videos. In the videos, they showed very exemplary training. Finding practice partners in the Arena to duel, practicing skill combos...

Actually, this was normal. What crazy national team goes out into the field to practice by fighting dozens of players? If someone accidentally gets logged out, the penalty is massive.

"But it's Kim Tae-hyun!"

"...Good point! Call for backup! Call for backup!"

"Kim Tae-hyun! What do you think you're doing?! Attacking people weaker than you!"

One of the players pointed at Tae-hyun and shouted. It was such an absurd statement that even his own allies stared at him.

What is this crazy guy talking about?

Is that really something to say right now?

Did he think Kim Tae-hyun would hear that and say, "Ah, I see. My mistake"?

"What is this crazy guy talking about?"

"I knew it... Aaaaargh!"

Tae-hyun unleashed another barrage of attacks as if he had heard something utterly unworthy of consideration. Over dozens of players had gathered, but they melted away in an instant, and the remaining players began to flee in a panic. They didn't want to fight a life-or-death battle against top-tier rankers when they weren't even prepared.

"This won't do. Ask the Guild Alliance for help!"

"Aren't we on bad terms with the Guild Alliance lately? Even our Guild Master ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠isn't contacting them..."

"Is this the time to worry about that?! Call them quickly! We have to get them to stop those crazy bastards! What if they come all the way to our Guild House?!"

People with a guilty conscience are naturally prone to getting scared on their own. Tae-hyun's group only planned to clear this area and head straight to Sky Island, but the high-level players they beat up were terrified that Tae-hyun would chase them to their Guild House. Kim Tae-hyun was absolutely the type ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of person who would do that!

The player tearfully appealed to an executive of the Guild Alliance. They might be chaotic lately, but as an executive of the Guild Alliance, surely he had the power to do this much.

The Guild Alliance and Tae-hyun had fought so often it was sickening. Though it felt like Tae-hyun had just unilaterally beaten them up... Tae-hyun didn't ignore the Guild Alliance either. He was sufficiently wary of them. If the Guild Alliance stepped forward, Tae-hyun would probably back off and go somewhere else!

The cold rejection left the players bewildered.

The executive clicked his tongue. Outsiders couldn't possibly know. Right now, Su Ning and the executives were focusing entirely on the tournament they were hosting to invite Tae-hyun. In such a situation, there was no way they could do anything to displease him.

An employee sent by the investors applauded Su Ning's judgment.

Su Ning felt proud at the employee's praise. It was the first time that picky guy sent by the investors had looked so satisfied.

In other words, he was good at brown-nosed flattery.

Su Ning's face contorted. He thought it was a compliment, but...!

"Those Guild Alliance bastards are useless as always! No wonder they're failing!"

"Hurry up and contact everyone to run away... Huh? They're just leaving??"

The players were dumbfounded as they watched Tae-hyun's group coolly depart.

Wait, really??