The Art of Disguise

Most people thought the Korean national team would play it safe in Round 2. The difference in skill had already been proven in Round 1. Even if they didn't push themselves in Round 2, going to Round 3 would practically guarantee a victory. Why take unnecessary risks in a situation like this? It would only give the opponent a chance to build momentum.

...But the players of the Korean national team weren't the type to worry about such things.

"Are you ready?"

"Of course!"

Great Axe Warrior immediately activated his prepared skill.

If it had been any other country's national team, the players might have tried to stop him, complaining, 'Why are we using such a cheese strategy?' But when Tae-hyun and Lee Se-yeon heard Great Axe Warrior's idea, they simply said, 'Sounds fun! Go wild!' and gave him the green light. After all, even if they lost this round, they were completely confident they would win in Round 3!

...Either way, Great Axe Warrior was deeply moved. To think those legendary rankers actually trusted him!

Flash!

Poof! Great Axe Warrior's appearance suddenly transformed into one of the Japanese national team players.

"How does it look?"

"Not bad at all."

"At this rate, they won't suspect a thing!"

The other players showered him with praise. In the heat of the moment, it would be nearly impossible to tell him apart!

Lee Se-yeon thought to herself.

'Now that it's actually happening, I almost feel like it's a waste.'

Should they have saved such a good strategy for later? But both Tae-hyun and Lee Se-yeon had already agreed on this choice.

"It's better to use this kind of strategy early on. Trying it later when the score is tight would be too much pressure."

"True. No matter how novel a strategy is, there's always a risk. It's better to test it out once beforehand to see if it actually works."

Even if the opponents found out, it didn't matter. It wasn't like they were going to use it every single time anyway.

"Let's head to the capture point! We need to secure it!"

"Yes!"

The Korean national team's formation was completely different from when Tae-hyun was present. Tae-hyun was a melee dealer capable of assassin-style play. Even among melee dealers, playstyles varied wildly. To pull off assassin plays, several conditions had to be met: high mobility, tenacious survivability, and explosive burst damage! Having rare skills on top of that was the icing on the cake, and Tae-hyun was someone who checked every single one of those boxes.

Even players of a similar archetype as Tae-hyun didn't play as extremely as he did. Because of the high risk, they usually moved with their team. Thinking back to Tae-hyun's plays in the first season of Pandemonium Online, it was honestly absurd!

Lee Se-yeon sent her undead forward in droves to draw their attention, then conjured a thick, choking fog. Meanwhile, Ryu Da-young prepared to tank at the front, and Ryu Tae-su readied his damage-dealing skills. At the same time, Lee Da-bi cast various buffs on the team.

The Japanese players couldn't understand why Lee Se-yeon was spreading the fog.

"What is this? What are they planning?"

"Aren't they trying to hide inside and advance?"

"Even if they hide, it doesn't make much sense. Unless Kim Tae-hyun is sneaking in..."

"Wait, is Kim Tae-hyun coming out?"

"He's banned, you idiot! How could he come out?!"

"Quiet! The fog is clearing. We need to secure at least a draw in Round 2 to have any hope in Round 3!"

As the fog cleared, the Korean national team was revealed, charging forward behind a vanguard of undead. It was a standard composition! No Kim Tae-hyun, nothing out of the ordinary... What was going on?

At that moment, Great Axe Warrior swung his weapon. The Japanese players fell into utter chaos as they suddenly found themselves fighting their own teammate.

"Are you insane?!"

"What are you doing?! Stop! ...Wait, why are there two of you?!"

The sight of two identical players fighting each other left the rest of the team completely bewildered.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

"I'm the real one! Me! Help me!"

"No! I'm the real one! Help me!"

When hit with an unexpected situation, people naturally panic. No matter how well Great Axe Warrior had disguised himself, they might have been able to tell them apart if they had calmly asked a question only the real teammate would know. But in the midst of such panic, such ideas didn't easily come to mind. Furthermore...

"Rare-oni! I'm the real one! Remember we cleared that quest together last time?!"

"!!"

"He's the real one! He's the real one!"

Startled by those words, the Japanese players immediately attacked the other one. This guy was the fake!

"No, you idiots! Don't fall for it! Arghhh!"

"This bastard is still trying to bluff!"

"Get him! Get him!"

Meanwhile, the fully prepared Korean national team players descended upon them. With their formation shattered, the Japanese players were suffocated by the brutal, relentless onslaught of the Koreans.

"Kill the fake first! Once we take down the fake, we can catch our breath!"

"Okay! Got him!"

The Japanese players unleashed their skills and focused their damage to eliminate the "fake." Immediately, the Korean players erupted in cheers.

"...?"

"Huh?"

The players couldn't hear it, but the commentators and fans were practically dying of laughter. It was a mudfight of epic proportions! The Japanese team had fallen hook, line, and sinker for the quest information Great Axe Warrior had prepared in advance.

And just like that, the match against the Japanese national team came to an end. A flawless victory!

The match completely shut the mouths of those who had spoken too hastily beforehand! For better or worse, the Korean national team was drawing the most attention of all.

"We lost..."

"We have one loss now, so what do we need to do to advance to the Round of 16?"

"We probably have to win both of our remaining matches, right?"

"...That seems impossible."

"Maybe a win and a draw..."

The Japanese players calculated their remaining scenarios with bitter expressions.

Reporters from all over the world were currently swarming the Arena waiting room. While some approached the Japanese players, the sheer volume and nature of the questions were completely different. On one side, a barrage of questions like, "How did you win?", "How do you feel?", and "Who ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠do you think is your biggest rival in the Round of 16?" poured in endlessly...

While on the other side, only infuriating questions like, "How does it feel to lose?", and "How does it feel to get tricked by Kim Tae-hyun?" flew their way. If you're going to ask such stupid questions, don't ask at all!

"Was there any player who left a strong impression on you in this match?"

"!"

At the question directed to Tae-hyun, Rare-oni's ears perked up. Regardless of the defeat, it was a question that naturally caught his attention!

Before the match started, Rare-oni had told his teammates:

"Even if we lose the match, I want to land a blow on Kim Tae-hyun."

"Are you crazy?"

"...N-No, I mean, even if we lose, I want to leave a strong impression on Kim Tae-hyun. Something memorable."

"We shouldn't lose the match in the first place..."

"But I get what you mean. It would feel pretty good to be acknowledged by him."

Since they knew from the start that the odds were against them, the defeat wasn't entirely devastating. The team had lost, but he hadn't personally failed! Regardless of that, he still wanted his individual skills to be recognized. Especially if that recognition came from Tae-hyun. If the absolute best player in Pandemonium Online evaluated him highly, his value would skyrocket!

"He might mention my name."

"Rare-oni. I wasn't going to say this, but... stop talking nonsense."

"...Why are you always picking on me, you bastard?!"

"Because you're dreaming of the impossible!"

Meanwhile, Tae-hyun began to speak.

"The player named Rare-oni left a strong impression on me."

"!!!!!"

Rare-oni blinked in sheer shock.

"Did you hear that? Did you hear it?!"

"Maybe he misspoke?"

"Did you threaten him or something?"

"Maybe it's a translation error..."

Rare-oni paid no mind to his teammates' jealous attempts to downplay it.

"None of your names were even mentioned, but mine was! He said my name!"

Seeing Rare-oni grinning from ear to ear, the other players cursed him in their minds.

'What's so great about this guy anyway...!'

'Didn't I play better?'

'It's only because he's a tank. If I were a tank, I would have left a much stronger impression.'

"Player Kim Tae-hyun. What was the reason Rare-oni left such an impression on you?"

"Even ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠though he's a tank, his ability to tenaciously survive using various mobility skills was highly impressive."

"Ah, I see!"

Tae-hyun had meant it as a genuine compliment, and Rare-oni accepted it with pride. However, his teammates immediately twisted his words.

"In other words, he's saying you left an impression because you're good at running away."

"Ah. If I were in his shoes, my name would have been mentioned instead."

"Isn't he totally overrated?"

"..."

The Japanese national team coach let out a deep sigh as he watched his players bicker. Their overall strength was already weak, so what were they going to do if they kept fighting amongst themselves like this...!

On the mysterious island, Tae-hyun was running two projects simultaneously. One was to uncover the true identity of the island while searching for the Idergo Cult and the 1st Prince of Erangse. The other was to devise a way to escape the island.

"By the way, what's up with Silved's face?"

Silved's face had grown incredibly gaunt. Seeing Silved—who was usually nothing but a walking ball of (unfounded) confidence—looking like that, Tae-hyun couldn't help but wonder.

"They're saying they can't stand the sight of some rootless, flash-in-the-pan, nobody ranker sucking up to Kim Tae-hyun just to leech off his quests."

"...Wait, isn't that a bit too harsh?"

Tae-hyun was taken aback. Were the members of the Black Rock Sect always this savage?

"Ah, no. Kim Tae-hyun. Those aren't my words. That's what people are posting on the community boards."

"Ah. I see."

The number of rankers had grown exponentially, and the competition among newly emerging rising rankers was fierce. Since they were using every means possible to break through the existing rankers, seeing Silved hanging around Tae-hyun naturally made them green with envy.

"...And here I thought we were friends, those bastards..."

Silved muttered with a shell-shocked expression. Although some players preferred solo play, no one played as extremely solo as Tae-hyun did back in Pandemonium Online 1. Usually, players maintained friendly relations with a few guilds or parties and played together. ...But all of his so-called friends had flatly told him, 'If you don't share information on Kim Tae-hyun, you're blocked.'

"Why didn't you just explain the situation to them?"

"I did, but those bastards won't believe me!"

"Tsk tsk... That's why you should have joined a guild."

The members of the Black Rock Sect teased him playfully. We have a guild, after all!

Feeling a bit sorry for Silved, Tae-hyun asked,

"Do you want to join Power Warrior? I can put in a good word with the guild leader."

"..."