The Path We Walk
Carbanog solemnly declares that the path one walks is what defines who they are.
'Try all you want to sound profound, Carbanog, but it's not actually teaching me anything.'
Tae-hyun wasn't fooled by Carbanog's solemn tone. That was that, and this was this! If they went by that logic, half the players in Pan-On shouldn't be able to learn skills either. Why, out of all the countless people playing this game, did Tae-hyun have to go through this? No matter how he looked at it, Archisus was...
"Sigh. Fine. There's no need to get so obsessed with skills."
Tae-hyun quickly regained his composure. He wasn't the type to get shaken up just because he ended up with a weird skill. The path he had walked so far was far too thorny for that. Having survived all of it, his mental fortitude was practically made of Adamantium!
"Metal magic is still better than nothing, right?"
Carbanog points out that just because trash on the street is "better than nothing," it doesn't mean you should go out of your way to pick it up.
"..."
Tae-hyun ignored it.
"I shall return your black magic to you."
"Do you really have to?"
Tae-hyun grimaced. He hadn't even wanted Nebuchadnezzar's Blackmagic in the first place, and worse, it was the ultimate culprit behind his inability to learn other magic.
"If you do not accept it, will this wicked black magic not wander the world in search of a new master?"
"Well, wouldn't that just be the unfortunate sucker's problem?"
"...I shall return it to you."
The slime spirit pretended not to hear and returned the black magic to Tae-hyun.
Flash!
With that, he had received all the skills he could get from the spirit.
'Should I focus on other quests until more information about the Ancient Empire University piles up?'
Other players were practically foaming at the mouth, pouring all their time into the game with the mindset of 'I have to clear this before anyone else!' High-level players and rankers alike were no exception. The sheer impact of the Ancient Empire University quest was just that massive. However, Tae-hyun, who had gained entry before anyone else, was starting to get a feel for the place.
'There isn't actually that much of an advantage to getting in early.'
Everyone was rushing forward, terrified that they would miss out on learning skills if others beat them to it, but in reality, there was no such penalty. It was closer to a massive misunderstanding born from rumors that had spun out of control among the player base.
'Instead of wasting time searching for quests that might not even exist, it might actually be better to let others find them first and then use their progress as a reference.'
Tae-hyun came to a decision. He would clear his class quest first and then come back!
⊳ [Tae-hyun]: I'm going to go clear an Archisus Church quest.
⊳ [Evangeline]: Huh? You don't need to learn any more skills?
⊳ [Tae-hyun]: I can put off the swordsmanship skills for now. I've got a decent lineup of magic skills, and there's no telling what I'll get even if I dig deeper into Engineering right now...
⊳ [Choi Sang-yoon]: I think it's going to take me some time to finish learning this black magic.
⊳ [Lee Da-bi]: I'm also in the middle of learning a skill, so I can't move right away either.
⊳ [Tae-hyun]: I'm actually pretty curious about what skill that is...? Anyway, you guys keep working on yours. I can handle this on my own.
The other members of his party were still in the middle of their quests. It didn't matter. He was more than capable of clearing this on his own anyway.
"Yong-yong. Let's go."
"Master. It is a shame you could not learn lightning magic."
"Tell me about it. Honestly, shouldn't my scam—er, contract with the Gold Dragon count for something?"
"..."
"Before the match begins, let's look at the experts' predictions. 2-0, 2-1, 2-0, 2-0... Wow. It seems the predictions are heavily skewed to one side, aren't they?"
"It can't be helped. The gap between the two teams is simply too wide."
The commentators explained in calm, measured voices. The group stage match between the Chinese national team and the Canadian national team was just about to begin.
One side was 1-0, while the other was 0-1. Furthermore, the Chinese national team was stacked with big-name players. With so many of them active in the 1st Division, even their substitutes were formidable.
In contrast, the Canadian national team had a much shallower player pool. It was so dire that Evangeline, who had been serving as their head coach, had to return to active play just to fill the roster. In terms of raw star power, it was an overwhelmingly one-sided matchup.
"But a match isn't over until it's over. As I always say, in team-based arena matches, individual skill isn't the most important factor! The entire team has to perform well! Think about it. What would it take for a single player to carry a game? They'd have to draw monster aggro, draw the opposing team's aggro, dive into the enemy backline to disrupt their formation or assassinate key targets, and simultaneously pump out consistent damage... Doing all of that alone is..."
The commentator suddenly paused. A certain someone had just crossed his mind.
"...practically impossible, isn't it?"
"Didn't you just stutter a bit there?"
"Ahem. In any case, contrary to what the fans might think, the arena is a place where individual skill gaps can absolutely be overcome. After all, anyone who has made it to this stage is a player capable of pulling off a clutch play."
Fans usually cheered for easily recognizable classes, skills, and levels. This player has this broken skill! They're definitely going to win! ...and so on. But in an arena where various restrictions were imposed, there was a limit to what a single person could achieve. Overcoming that limit was the essence of teamwork!
"The key will be how the Canadian team overcomes their disadvantage in raw power."
Before the match started, fans from all over the world were chatting away in anticipation. The vast majority predicted an easy victory for China. It was so one-sided that even the Canadian fans had virtually given up hope.
The Chinese fans scoffed. There was no way they would fall for such a blatant lie just because the Canadians dropped Team KL's name. However, fans from other countries found the rumor highly intriguing.
The public remained skeptical. How could one person possibly handle all of that on his own!
The spectators watched in awe as Penguin Panda, one of the Chinese national team's star players, made his move. As one of the players heavily promoted in China, his skills were undeniably top-notch.
The combo skill Penguin Panda was executing was the signature move of the Chinese national team. It was infamous for being an inescapable chain once it successfully connected.
The viewers were left utterly bewildered. Penguin Panda had clearly unleashed his signature skill... but instead of connecting, it had been deflected away. What just happened?
Penguin Panda was visibly shaken by the unexpected turn of events. It was only natural to feel flustered when your most reliable skill was shut down. It was even more devastating when the counter came from players you had completely written off as inferior, like the Canadian team.
Li Chao, who had been preparing to follow up with a chain skill, froze as his teammate's attack was neutralized. What do we do now?
"Penguin Panda's skill has been blocked! This is completely unexpected!"
"The Canadian players came far better prepared than anyone anticipated! This is the beauty of Pan-On! The Chinese players must not let this shake them! There is a counter to every strategy!"
Penguin Panda grit his teeth and roared, "It doesn't matter! Just wipe them out!"
They had already invested a massive amount of MP and high-cooldown skills into this engagement. They had pushed forward with the intent of securing at least two or three kills in this team fight. If they failed to get those kills and ended up stalled, the heavy investment would immediately backfire on them in the form of depleted MP and long cooldowns. Even if the Canadian players were technically less skilled, they could easily turn the tables under such favorable conditions! To prevent that, the Chinese team had to secure a kill at all costs.
"The Chinese players are pushing even harder! Are we going to see an AoE skill? Is it coming? Yes, it is! Two players have completely emptied their MP pools! It looks like they're dumping every single high-tier skill they've been saving!"
The Chinese players unleashed their ultimate area-of-effect skills. Activating them would leave their MP pools completely dry, but now was not the time to hold back.
"Mana Fortification, Mana Overload, Shattered Boulder Bombardment!"
With a deafening roar, the surrounding terrain began to collapse, obliterating everything in its path. It was like a localized landslide.
The spectators were stunned. To pull off such a massive AoE skill with virtually zero cast time! The Chinese team was far more monstrous than they had realized.
"Incredible! The Chinese team! To think they were hiding a trump card like this! The Canadian players had no way to dodge, they've taken it head-on... Wait, what? What is that?!"
The commentators rubbed their eyes in disbelief. A small hole had suddenly popped open a short distance to the left, and the Canadian players were crawling out of it one by one. None of them had died, though they all looked somewhat embarrassed for some reason.
It was the burrowing skill they had learned from the goblins! Having clashed with Chinese players both in the arena and within Pan-On itself, Tae-hyun was practically an expert on their playstyle.
'The AoE skill those guys are going to use is likely an earth-attribute projectile bombardment from above, so dodging underground is the perfect counter.'
'How do you know that?'
'Because I've been hit by it before?'
'...Ah, right.'
"They're completely fine! Unharmed! The Canadian players are launching a counterattack! The Chinese team is in deep trouble! They've spent way too much MP! They need to disengage immediately!!"
The spectators were in utter shock. This... was this about to be a massive upset?!
Fans from all over the world united in cheering for Canada. After all, it was a hundred times better to see the underdogs advance than the Chinese team, who were notorious for their unsportsmanlike behavior and held an overwhelming advantage on paper!
The Chinese fans wailed in despair, but with two of their players completely out of MP and the rest battered with their skills on cooldown, even Tae-hyun himself wouldn't have been able to salvage the situation.
"It's a wipe! Ah!! The Chinese team has been completely wiped out!!! What an unbelievable turn of events! The Canadian players have seized victory with an unimaginable counterattack in this team fight!"
The caster's ecstatic voice echoed through the arena, while the atmosphere among the Chinese fans turned ice-cold.