Weirdos with Grit

"What's the matter?"

"No... it's just... that's a foolish thing to do..."

"Of course it's foolish if others do it. But aren't we professionals?"

Chairman Yoo was brimming with confidence. He was no longer the complete novice he had been when he first started playing Pan-On. Back in the old days, he didn't even know how to use skills or drink potions, holding a bottle and asking, 'How do I drink this?' only to be treated like a lunatic! Those days were long gone. Chairman Yoo was now considered a ranker in his own right—especially among fishermen.

"That is... certainly true."

The player agreed with Chairman Yoo. Unlike others, Chairman Yoo had the right to say such things. He had built a ship far more expensive than anyone else's through a massive pay-to-wi—no, a bold investment. He also wore equipment that was vastly more expensive than what others had.

Isn't that Adamantium Armor?

Ever since Tae-hyun ran wild in the first season of Pan-On, the goal of every gaming team had shifted to acquiring Adamantium Armor. Before that, players had been content with whatever gear they managed to find on their own, but the standard had suddenly skyrocketed. At the very least, we need to reach that level! Countless blacksmiths had thrown themselves into crafting, pouring astronomical amounts of real money into the process. Along the way, the quality of armor circulating in the Pan-On auction house had risen significantly. Chairman Yoo had benefited from that trend as well.

"Besides, people with sailing skills as outstanding as ours are rare, aren't they?"

"That's true, but I still think it might be too difficult."

"Well, it would indeed be tough to do it with just me and my friends."

The numbers were a bit lacking if it was just Chairman Yoo and his usual fishing buddies. While a group of fifteen or so could manage to fish up rare sea monsters nearby, setting off to find the island where Kim Tae-hyun had gone missing was a cause for concern. Of course, Chairman Yoo's friends had nothing but free time after retirement and spent all of it fishing, so their skill levels were extremely high. However, in the grand scheme of Pan-On, their overall combat capabilities weren't particularly outstanding...

"We can just recruit people."

"Everyone has their own ambitions. Unless they're leading the expedition themselves, would they really join us?"

"Hoho. Don't worry about that."

"?"

"If you pay enough, talented people will gather on their own."

The young player fisherman working under Chairman Yoo in the Arantis Kingdom did not ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠know the chairman's true identity. He figured the man was just a wealthy older guy, but he had no idea he was the chairman of a major conglomerate. It would actually be stranger if he did know!

Even so, with everyone trying to set sail on their own ships right now, will they really gather?

...They did.

In Pan-On, ships were among the most expensive items. The larger and sturdier they were, the more astronomical the price!

It wasn't. Not only did the expedition organizers prepare everything, but the moment players qualified and joined, they were paid an astronomical sum of gold! There was no need to work hard farming views; simply converting the gold received here into cash would be more than enough. With an amount of gold that made even rankers perk up their ears, people began to flock to the recruitment.

Players gathered, steeling their resolve. They had to join this expedition no matter what!

"See? Aren't they flocking to us?"

"...!"

"But the real problem is how to endure the voyage..."

Chairman Yoo fell into deep thought. He could prepare for the ship breaking down due to durability loss during the voyage. He had onboarded blacksmiths, loaded plenty of repair tools, and made the ship itself incredibly sturdy. However, there was nothing he could do about running out of food and water during the journey. In particular, the further out into the deep sea they went, the faster these resources depleted, and the harsher the penalties became.

Players who had never been out to sea before would set sail in ignorance, only to collapse in shock. How could they prepare for this?

"Is there really no way?"

"I do have one idea in mind."

"Oh...! What is it?"

"Recruit chef players who have mastered Abnormal Cooking."

"...!!!"

And just like that, the Arantis King's Fleet instantly emerged as the dark horse of this rescue quest. A scale on an entirely different level compared to the fleets of other guilds or parties! Already, countless people were watching with bated breath, creating a massive stir. Whether this event succeeded or failed, it was bound to garner colossal attention. Everyone wanted to participate somehow, even if just to upload a video!

"Whoa! The crazy bastards are here!!!"

"We're rooting for you guys!"

"..."

Choi Sang-yun and Jeong Su-hyeok walked forward with sour expressions. Sky Island, Spada City. This was the place where the massive racing event known as the Sky Island Race took place! Currently, the two of them cleared dungeons by day, and by night, they teamed up with the engineering blacksmith, Daniel, to participate in the races. Daniel would craft mechanical mounts—which possessed the Unstable option—and they would ride them. Even if the mounts exploded mid-race, it still served as valuable practice that raised Daniel's crafting skill. Of course, in the process, Choi Sang-yun and Jeong Su-hyeok's racing skills also steadily improved.

...Along with a bizarre fanbase!

"Wow. At first, I thought they were just weirdos. But they're weirdos with real grit."

"It's rare to see people challenge themselves so consistently."

The first time the two of them exploded and flew through the air mid-race, people laughed. The second time they exploded and flew, people laughed again. But as they kept exploding and flying, over and over again...

The crowd grew solemn.

The sight of the two silently continuing to challenge the race and explode touched people's hearts. Now, those who ridiculed them had practically vanished. Instead, the number of supporters had grown.

"Fighting! Fighting!!"

"I'm filming a video series called Explosion is Art. Could I get an interview...?"

"How on earth do you keep participating after ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠blowing up every single day?!"

Go party with Kim Tae-hyun and see if you still ask that...

Honestly, compared to playing with Kim Tae-hyun, this race wasn't even difficult. Sure, it was a bit embarrassing to get disqualified by exploding every day... but they were hiding their faces anyway! Choi Sang-yun and Jeong Su-hyeok were also players of Team KL. When it came to mental fortitude, they were incredibly resilient.

"But don't those guys look like Team KL players? Their gear looks really similar."

"They're probably just copycats. Hey, I dressed up similar to Team KL too. Doesn't this armor look like the color Kim Tae-hyun wears?"

"...Don't tell me those four rods on your back are copying Cain?"

"How did you know? Cool, right?"

"You look like an idiot..."

"Hey!"

Choi Sang-yun and Jeong Su-hyeok flinched. The fans were far sharper than they had anticipated.

"One win! One win! One win!"

"We're looking forward to the Explosion Brothers' first win!"

"Here! Please eat this!"

"Take this too!"

Receiving a passionate welcome, the two walked inside. The other competitors participating in the race grumbled.

"Our records are way better, so why are those Explosion Brothers so popular?"

"They're just bottom-tier trash who haven't even won a single race!"

You're dead meat if I meet you outside.

Choi Sang-yun thought to himself. A guy who wouldn't last a minute against me in the open world dares to talk smack...!

"Are you ready?"

"I'm ready, but I can't help but think it would've been better to just call Tae-hyun here."

At Choi Sang-yun's words, Jeong Su-hyeok cleared his throat. Honestly, wouldn't that have been much easier than trying to level up Daniel?

"But we've gotten quite popular ourselves."

"I don't need this kind of popularity...!"

As Team KL players, they had already been fairly popular, even if not to Tae-hyun's level. They didn't need nicknames like the Self-Destruct Brothers, the Explosion Brothers, or Boom and Boomer. Besides, they were currently in disguise, so it had nothing to do with their actual popularity anyway...

"Ready! 3. 2. 1. Go!"

Please let it be a good skill, please let it be a good skill!

The Sky Island Race didn't allow players to fight using all of their own skills. Instead, at the start of the race, players were given a few race-exclusive skills tailored to them! While it was influenced by their class or existing skills, it ultimately came down to gacha luck.

Frenzy, Rampage, Wave of Wrath... Wait, I'm not even an Archisus class, so why are they giving me these?

Choi Sang-yun was dumbfounded, but he decided to look on the bright side. It was his first time drawing this skill, and above all, it was an area-of-effect (AoE) skill. In races, AoE skills were usually highly rated.

Wrath... It probably inflicts a frenzy state to disrupt their racing, right?

- Jeong Su-hyeok. What did you draw?

- I got Flame Dash, Flame Wall, Meteor Strike...

- Most of them are offensive skills. Movement skills are better, though.

Attacking others was fine, but it was meaningless if you weren't fast yourself.

- I'll support you, so you run ahead. Let's at least get one of us to win!

- Yes, senior!

Rumble!

Suddenly, pillars erupted from the perfectly flat ground. Players focused their minds, weaving left and right to dodge between the pillars.

"Die!"

"You die, you bastard!"

Clang, clang, clang!

In the midst of it all, fierce attacks flew the moment anyone got slightly close.

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

"Why isn't anyone hitting those two?!"

"Are you a newbie? There's no need to hit those two! They'll die on their own anyway!"

"..."

"..."

Infuriated, Choi Sang-yun steered his mount and rammed straight into them. Die, you bastard!

Crash!

"Aaaargh! I was going easy on you, you jerk!"

"Hmph."

Choi Sang-yun snorted and sped forward. He would definitely get his first win this time!

...Are you kidding me?

Participating in this race only made him realize the sheer greatness of his friend, Tae-hyun. How on earth had that bastard crafted a motorcycle using the Engineering skill? And he had done it when his level was far lower than theirs was now...

"The suicide bombers are coming! Get away!"

"Getting caught in their explosion is just a loss for us!"

"Stop being a nuisance and just die quietly!"

To their competitors, Choi Sang-yun and Jeong Su-hyeok weren't rivals; they were obstacles. Volatile bomb obstacles that would disqualify you if you were unlucky enough to get caught in their blast!

"...Even if I blow up, I'm taking you bastards down with me!!"

Choi Sang-yun let out a rage-filled roar as he sped forward. He was going to show them the spicy flavor of Engineering!