I'm Asking in All Seriousness

"I'm asking you in all seriousness."

"They were obviously too scared to butt in. Even I would have hesitated."

The raid on Igoloyak had proceeded in a way no one could have ever anticipated. Who could have imagined that the Expedition would display such overwhelming combat power? Anyone watching from afar, no matter how fearless, would have had no choice but to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠hesitate before trying to intervene.

If they jumped in blindly, they risked being ground into dust right alongside Igoloyak!

"Ah. Really? Just for that reason?"

"What other reason could there be?"

"I just never imagined those freeloaders would be too scared to butt in over something like that."

...You're just the one who has absolutely no fear...

"So, what do you want to do? Should we kill them?"

Tae-hyun looked puzzled at Lee Se-yeon's question.

"Don't you care about your image? You have Yuseong Gaming's reputation to think about."

It sounded amusing, but players signed to professional esports teams competing in the league actually had to maintain a decent public image. As long as they were part of a corporate team, they couldn't just go around PK'ing random players.

"The rule is not to attack innocent players. There's no law saying we can't deal with people who came to hijack our quest. If they want to complain about this, let them."

Yuseong Gaming was not the kind of stuffy organization that would harass its players over something like this. Of course, some prestigious gaming teams had rules so ridiculously detailed and strict that players often complained, crying, "I can't work under these conditions!"

But Se-yeon was a player who had a direct line to the Chairman himself. If the general manager came up to her and said, "Isn't your playstyle a bit too savage?" she could immediately relay that complaint straight to the Chairman.

"I suppose that's true. Then should we kill... No, wait. We don't have time to waste, so we should put them to work instead."

"?"

Tae-hyun turned to the approaching parties and called out.

"Dear fans! This is perfect. Since you've made the trip all the way out here, we might as well do a little task together."

"Huh? What would that be?"

"Go into the labyrinth and find the items."

"...Why on earth do we have to do that?"

One of the rankers blurted out without thinking. In their haste, their true feelings had slipped through their "passionate fan" facade.

You crazy bastard! What are you doing!

If you want to die, do it alone!

S-Sorry...

Tae-hyun offered them a warm, benevolent smile.

"That is an excellent question. It's because if you don't, you will die."

"..."

"...We'll search our absolute hardest."

"Ah! I remember who she is!"

"?"

Lee Se-yeon clapped her hands. She had finally recalled who Tegosa was.

"She's one of the rising rankers. There were a few articles calling her a highly promising Necromancer rookie."

"Lee Se-yeon."

"Yes?"

"I honestly don't care who she is in the slightest. Can we just focus on finding the items?"

"..."

Se-yeon pouted at Tae-hyun's dismissive reaction.

"My golems and Death Knights are already searching so hard..."

"If you help search too, it'll go much faster."

"Fine, aren't you Mr. Smarty-pants."

Sensing that Se-yeon was slightly miffed, Tae-hyun felt a bit guilty and tried to placate her.

"Sorry, sorry. So, what's this promising rookie's deal anyway?"

"Her name is Tegosa. You know how reporters love to write comparison articles between players of the same class, right?"

"Yeah. I've seen those pop up from time to time."

Reporters were people who would risk their lives for a few extra clicks.

"Even though the Necromancer class isn't particularly advantageous in the Arena League, she kept getting articles written about her, so I followed them out of curiosity. I really wanted to face her if the opportunity ever arose."

Even if she tried to play it cool, Lee Se-yeon was the absolute incarnation of competitiveness. She was just as obsessed with winning as Tae-hyun! Since the media had hyped her up so much, Se-yeon ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠had genuinely wanted to test her mettle against her if they ever crossed paths.

"Oh dear. Did you miss your chance because of me? I can go tell her right now if you want to go have a duel."

"No, it's not that serious... There'll be another chance. I just thought it was neat to run into her like this. But more than that, her personality is completely different from what I expected."

"How so?"

"I heard she was incredibly rough around the edges."

According to the articles, Tegosa possessed decent skills but was highly arrogant, constantly causing various controversies. Yet, despite that reputation, she had been remarkably polite.

"Maybe the articles got it wrong?"

"Well, you can't really trust the media anyway."

Se-yeon nodded in agreement. There were far too many things that got blown out of proportion in the news.

"Hey. Kim Tae-hyun and Lee Se-yeon are glaring right at us."

"...Aren't we doing a good job?"

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

"There must be someone among us who looks like they're slacking off."

"So do it right!"

The rankers dug and searched through the dirt, whispering and blaming one another. Originally, they had come fully prepared to clash with Tae-hyun's expedition, but any such resolve had completely evaporated after witnessing the battle. You could only muster the courage to fight if there was a boss monster left to contest. With the boss already dead, what was the point of picking a fight?

"Kim Tae-hyun is walking over. Avoid eye contact! Avoid eye contact!"

As Tae-hyun approached, the rankers quickly averted their gaze to avoid giving him any excuse to target them. Based on what he had said earlier, it was obvious Tae-hyun hadn't fallen for their "passionate fan" act. It was a clear warning: I'll let you off this time, so watch your step.

"Tegosa?"

Tae-hyun called out. Tegosa instinctively clasped her hands behind her back and turned around with a polite posture.

"Yes?"

"I see you're a pretty famous Necromancer. Is that right?"

"...!"

The other rankers looked on in surprise at Tae-hyun's words. They knew Tegosa was well-known among the rising rankers, but they hadn't realized she was prominent enough to warrant Tae-hyun's attention. Though they had gathered in the same party, they were still rivals. The rankers stared at Tegosa with eyes full of jealousy.

"That is correct," Tegosa replied, trying her best to sound calm. However, a hint of smugness had slipped into her voice.

"I read some articles saying you're strong enough to rival Lee Se-yeon."

Tae-hyun had skimmed through a few articles on his way over.

"So you've read the articles?"

"Yeah. But they kept focusing on your looks, so it was hard to find the information I actually wanted. There were just endless claims about you having superior looks to Lee Se-yeon..."

"Well, the media does tend to exaggerate things quite a bit."

"Right? I think so too."

"..."

Tegosa's expression stiffened at Tae-hyun's response. What did he just say?

If there was one thing Tegosa took immense pride in, it was her skills and her face. She couldn't be entirely sure about her skills since she had never fought Se-yeon, but she firmly believed she didn't lose to her in the looks department. And yet, he dared to agree so easily?

"Well, that's not really important. I just have something I'm curious about."

"What is... it, sir?"

"You can speak comfortably if you want. I don't mind."

"I think there's a misunderstanding. I am always polite."

"Really? You can really speak casually. Anyway, what I'm curious about is... do you have any intention of fighting Lee Se-yeon?"

"..."

Tegosa was left utterly speechless by the absurd proposal. What kind of completely random offer was this?

"What... do you mean?"

"No, the articles said you rival her, so I was curious. As far as I know, there shouldn't be anyone in the Necromancer class who can match Lee Se-yeon."

Tae-hyun genuinely wanted to know. If Tegosa was truly on par with Se-yeon, he would seriously have to consider recruiting her for the national team. No, he wanted to recruit her for Team KL! If she was a talent capable of defeating Lee Se-yeon, Tae-hyun would gladly drop to his knees to bring her aboard.

Tegosa was so thoroughly flustered that she completely abandoned her polite register.

"I have no intention of fighting her."

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

"Why? Don't you want to prove your skills?"

"...Did Lee Se-yeon send you?"

Tegosa asked, staring at Tae-hyun with eyes full of suspicion.

"No. Lee Se-yeon doesn't really care, but I'm curious. If you want to fight, I'll help set the stage, so let's make it happen."

Naturally, when someone rolls out the red carpet and tells you to do something, you immediately lose all desire to do it. Moreover, since Tae-hyun—who was actively partying with Se-yeon—was the one making this offer, Tegosa immediately suspected a trap.

Is he angry because they compared me to Lee Se-yeon?

If so, it made perfect sense. Tae-hyun was probably planning to crush her after making thorough preparations. Countless people would watch, record the duel, and post about it all over the forums. If she accepted this, she wouldn't be entering a duel—she'd be walking straight to a public execution!

"I only fight people I run into during quests or conflicts. I don't do 1v1s just to prove my skills."

"Really? That's a shame."

Tae-hyun smacked his lips. He had hoped he might have discovered a promising Necromancer talent...

"What the hell are you talking about, Tegosa? You absolutely love fighting."

"Whenever you're bored, you pick a fight, do a 1v1, and then compile the video to post on the forums."

Tegosa was a Necromancer who excelled at 1v1 duels using various curse spells, and she thoroughly enjoyed it. The rankers who had grouped with her knew this all too well.

Tegosa maintained her smile as she spoke.

"I think there's been a misunderstanding. When did I ever do that?"

"Eleven days ago on the forums..."

"..."

At Tegosa's icy glare, the ranker who had spoken up felt a deep sense of sorrow. Look at her! She's acting all submissive because she's terrified of Kim Tae-hyun, but she treats me like an easy target!

Tae-hyun, who was about to walk past, suddenly paused when he spotted Icarus, the Orc ranker from the Guild Alliance.

"Wait a minute. You guys aren't just random players, are you? I almost missed you because you're an Orc."

Damn it.

"Aren't you part of the Guild Alliance? I recall clashing with you before."

"...We might have had an unfortunate past, but dwelling on such things might not be a good thing, Kim Tae-hyun."

"I haven't even said anything yet, and you're already making such a long excuse?"

Tae-hyun found it fascinating. A ranker from the Guild Alliance had participated in this as well?

"Are there other rankers from the Guild Alliance here?"

"No! I joined entirely on my own as an individual!"

Icarus spoke up urgently, fearing Tae-hyun was misunderstanding the situation. After all, the Guild Alliance had strictly warned everyone not to provoke Kim Tae-hyun, yet he had ignored the warning and come anyway.

Tae-hyun nodded at his words.

"I see."

"Yes!"

"Su Ning ordered you to say that, didn't he? What a cunning bastard."

"...No!! It's not like that!"

Regardless of his denials, Tae-hyun didn't believe a word. They had too much of a track record for him to fall for that.

"The Guild Alliance is as consistent as ever. Secretly sending a ranker like this to try and get a free ride."

It was called a truce, but he had never expected them to actually get along until Pan-On ended. Still, seeing them subtly send a ranker to interfere with his quest like this only made him admire their persistence.

I should learn from that kind of diligence.

He wasn't angry. He had never trusted or expected anything from them in the first place. Instead, it prompted Tae-hyun to self-reflect. If even the bastards of the Guild Alliance were working so diligently to keep him in check, shouldn't he be working even harder?

"Tell Su Ning. I'll work hard too."

"No... No... Seriously, Kim Tae-hyun! Don't do this! I was wrong!"

"What's wrong with you? Have you lost your mind?"

"I was really wrong!!"

Icarus clung desperately to Tae-hyun's ankles. It was the legendary skill normally only witnessed among low-level novices! Seeing a high-level ranker resort to this was an incredibly rare sight.

"I swear, I did this entirely on my own initiative!"

"Su Ning has gotten incredibly meticulous and terrifying. Did he really tell you to go this far? I don't plan on holding him accountable right this second, so cut it out."

"I said no! Seriously!"

Icarus beat his chest in sheer frustration. He had only wanted to get a small piece of the quest, and now look at the absolute mess he had gotten himself into!