The Unintended Stream

Even under normal circumstances, Tae-hyun was an incredibly popular player. Yet, his persistent refusal to stream his personal gameplay left people feeling utterly neglected, driving them to leave angry comments on his posts.

Despite these comments, Tae-hyun rarely streamed unless absolutely necessary. It was a deeply ingrained habit from his days in Pan-On 1! He believed it was far better to keep his activities hidden than to stream them and invite unnecessary ambushes.

But the current situation was on a completely different scale. Tens of times more people than usual were swarming in, begging and pleading for him to turn on ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠his stream! The crowd was even denser on the Power Warrior guild account, which people viewed as their best shot at reaching him.

The comments were only the beginning; serious, official proposals were pouring in from all directions. Guilds that had previously dismissed Power Warrior as a classless band of newbies were now desperately throwing offers at them. Just once! Please, give us a chance!

It was only natural for everyone to be so anxious. No one knew when the Ancient Empire University would open, and even if it did, someone else might get in first and snatch all the rewards. What if the chance to acquire Arcane skills was on a first-come, first-served basis? To avoid the brutal competition, they absolutely had to get in first!

"Wow. I don't think Power Warrior has ever been this popular," Lee Da-bi muttered, dumbfounded. Of course, by working alongside Tae-hyun, Power Warrior had grown into a respectable guild and gained a decent amount of popularity, but the current reaction was on an entirely different level. Dozens of the most prominent guilds in Pan-On were contacting them! Massive guilds like the Guild Alliance, the White Knight, and the Midas Guild had reached out, and even unaffiliated rising rankers who roamed as solo players were sending messages...

"Weren't you guys already pretty popular?"

"Well, the giant guilds usually look down on Power Warrior..." At Lee Da-bi's words, Lee Se-yeon's eyes flared with anger. How dare they!

"Tell me who they are. I'll crush them for you later."

"Ah, no, there's really no need for that," Lee Da-bi said, placating Lee Se-yeon. There was no reason for Lee Se-yeon to go out of her way to fight them. Besides, Lee Da-bi's mental fortitude wasn't so fragile that she would be shaken by a little disrespect. In fact, she was already planning to use this opportunity to squeeze gold out of them!

"But with so many people contacting us about Kim Tae-hyun, we can probably make a killing off this, right?"

"Huh? Oh, I don't lie when it comes to Tae-hyun-nim. I wouldn't want to cause him any trouble."

"..." Lee Se-yeon felt incredibly embarrassed. Lee Da-bi had spoken without any ulterior motive, but Lee Se-yeon couldn't help but feel a flush of shame. Wait... ugh. To an outsider, wouldn't it look like Lee Se-yeon was the bad guy here?

"Captain, you were definitely in the wrong this time."

"Shut up."

"Yes, ma'am." Ryu Tae-su quickly backed off after ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠getting scolded for his needless intervention. The charisma of the Yuseong Gaming captain was not just for show!

"Anyway... shall we head inside?" Lee Se-yeon said, looking around. She didn't know exactly where Tae-hyun was right now, but he had readily given them permission, telling them, 'Go ahead and check out the Ancient Empire University first.'

Tae-hyun's dead-serious warning to "look for the Archisus Church but absolutely do not get involved with it" was enough to leave even Lee Se-yeon thoroughly bewildered.

"I'll go in later with Tae-hyun-nim."

"..." Lee Se-yeon looked at the others. Even so, she didn't want to leave Lee Da-bi behind. Besides, with players currently running around like madmen shouting, "We have to find Kim Tae-hyun!", leaving Lee Da-bi alone was a recipe for trouble.

Ryu Tae-su accepted his fate. Indeed, when the boss orders, you obey!

"Da-bi-ssi, even Tae-hyun-ssi told you to go in first. If you wait and end up missing out on something important, wouldn't that be a huge loss?" Ryu Tae-su said, nudging his sister in the ribs. Ryu Da-young grimaced, but she opened her mouth anyway. If it was for the sake of their healer, Lee Da-bi, she had to help!

"Um, Da-bi-nim... Tae-hyun-ssi did say you should go in first..."

"...Sister, that's literally the exact same thing I just said."

"Shut up. ...I just think that as a player, one should always strive to make the optimal play..." Lee Se-yeon sighed at the siblings' utterly abysmal persuasion skills.

Hearing about the situation, Tae-hyun looked puzzled before sending a message to Lee Da-bi.

Tae-hyun then whispered back to Lee Se-yeon.

Lee Se-yeon asked in shock, but Tae-hyun, likely focused on the hunt, didn't reply. It wasn't that there were no monsters in Pan-On capable of bypassing Tae-hyun's evasion, but for a common field rat wandering around to do so was simply unbelievable. Where on earth did he go?

"Hmm..." Seeing Tae-hyun sitting solemnly at the table in their lodging, the other members of Team KL grew tense.

"Is there really a reason you can't reveal your location?"

"I told you. If Tae-hyun is going this far, there has to be a reason. It's probably a top-secret quest. The kind where if it gets leaked, it ruins everything." The chaos had spilled over to the rest of Tae-hyun's party as well. Whenever any of them were spotted, players would rush them, screaming, "Where is Kim Tae-hyun! Where is he?! You have him hidden in your house, don't you?! Sob! Please let us in on it! Just tell everyone I helped search for him too!!" It was exhausting.

Because of this, the other members of Team KL asked Tae-hyun, "Can't you just tell people where you are?" But instead of answering, Tae-hyun just sat there, lost in deep thought. What on earth was going through his head?

"There's a problem."

"?"

"I don't know where I am either."

"..."

"...Come on. Stop joking."

"I'm not joking. Do you want to teleport to my side?"

"A-Ah, no thanks." Cain, scolded for speaking out of turn, shrank back. He was already being run ragged in one-on-one training sessions with the coach, but if he joined Tae-hyun, the difficulty would multiply tenfold! He was constantly reminded that there was always a hell hotter than the one you were currently in. And Tae-hyun was the man who proved that every single time.

"Well, you wouldn't be able to come even if you wanted to. There's something weird about this island; teleportation magic doesn't work here..." If teleportation magic had worked, Tae-hyun would have ripped a scroll and escaped immediately. However, the island's mysterious energy interfered with such spells. He had to unravel its secrets to get out! He also had to claim the head of the 1st Prince of Erangse... Whew, thank goodness, Cain thought.

"Senior, Cain-ssi looks relieved."

"What? This punk is relieved? How dare he!" Jeong Su-hyeok and Choi Sang-yun pounced the moment Cain let his guard down! Cain gnashed his teeth. These bastards...

"Hmph. What have you guys even been doing lately? I bet you aren't working half as hard as me."

"We've been enjoying the scenery on Sky Island and having a great time in Pan-On."

"That's right. Have you ever heard of work-life balance?"

"..." Of course, it was a blatant lie. The two of them were currently running dungeons like madmen on Sky Island while participating in the race. Dungeons by day, racing by night! But in front of Cain, they had to pretend their grueling schedule was pure bliss. There was no real reason to do so, they just wanted to. As Cain's face fell, the two of them pumped their fists in silent victory. It worked!

"Kim Tae-hyun, they get to do all the fun stuff while I'm getting tortured by the coach..."

Ignoring him, Tae-hyun said, "Anyway, since I don't even know where I am, I can't reveal my location."

"What if you just upload a video?"

"?"

"If you just upload a video, won't people find the way here on their own?"

"...!" Tae-hyun was genuinely surprised. Since when did Cain have such useful ideas? "Did you actually think that through before coming here?"

"How could Cain-ssi come up with an idea like that...!"

"...I should be happy, but why do I feel so insulted?" Cain muttered. It felt like he was being roasted!

"Not bad. Hmm... Yeah. If I show them I'm in an unknown place, they'll find a way to get here themselves. And that might help me gather more information too." Tae-hyun planned to reveal that he was on an isolated island along with the Black Rock Sect and Silved. That should alleviate some of the public's frustration, right?

When Tae-hyun finally opened his personal streaming channel after a long hiatus, the system's response was instantaneous.

Only after several attempts did the stream finally manage to stabilize and start. The broadcast revealed a bizarre, never-before-seen island! The sight left everyone utterly bewildered.

The chat erupted into a frenzy. While Tae-hyun's location was important, who would be the one to hold his hand and stand before the King of Erance was of paramount concern. Yet, there were already people right next to him...

Rather than the Black Rock Sect, Silved—a rising ranker who had recently shot to fame—drew far more attention.