The Swiftest Prince of the Ancient Empire

The two who had shouted looked at each other.

"??"

"Ahem. It is nothing."

"It doesn't sound like nothing," Kim Tae-hyun said, highly suspicious.

For starters, the very fact that McKinley's players wanted to participate in the tournament was baffling. Of course, from a player's perspective, competing in as many tournaments as possible was always beneficial. While the Pan-On League was the most prestigious stage, not just anyone could play in it. Major gaming organizations like the New York Lions had multiple rosters, ranging from their primary team to second- and third-tier academy teams. For substitute players, getting a chance to play on the main stage was nearly impossible.

Under those circumstances, it was only natural for them to want to participate in other mid-to-small-scale tournaments, but...

The Sky Island Racing Tournament is hardly a small-scale event, though?

Calling the tournament "small-scale" was almost embarrassing. Since Team KL was hosting it, it was on a level that simply couldn't be compared to other minor events.

"More importantly, Mr. McKinley. The prize pool isn't even that large. Why would players from another country be so eager to participate in a tournament held here?"

"They seemed very keen on it, actually."

"Well, if that's the case, I don't mind..."

Tae-hyun had no reason to stop them if they wanted to join. When Tae-hyun gave his permission, McKinley nodded with a look of pure joy.

"Thank you!"

"No need to thank me. Anyone is free to participate."

"...We would also like to participate," Ames chimed in.

At this point, Tae-hyun was starting to get suspicious.

Did they smear honey on this tournament or something?

Both of them represented massive American gaming organizations, so there was absolutely no reason for them to be this desperate to join a small event in Korea. It was actually quite baffling.

What was going on?

'This will be a great opportunity for the young players who can't make it to the main league.'

'The exposure will be far more valuable than the prize money.'

In reality, the two coaches, with their professional esports backgrounds, understood the value of Tae-hyun's popularity far better than Tae-hyun himself. Prize money? They didn't care about that. While it might be a nice bonus for the younger players, something else ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was far more important.

Even if Tae-hyun hosted the tournament in Korea, the entire world would be watching. If their players put on a good show, they would gain massive recognition. For a professional player, popularity was just as vital as raw skill.

As the three judges huddled together, deep in focused conversation, the Guild Alliance executive who was helping run the event spoke up with a delighted expression.

"Seeing you all discuss so passionately warms my heart. Are you planning the next mission?"

"Huh? No. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠We were talking about the Sky Island Racing Tournament."

"......."

Kim Tae-hyun, you absolute bastard!

Another enemy had appeared, but Tae-hyun's party did not panic.

"We'll attack as soon as they charge. Ready?"

"Yes."

"......."

"......."

The party's faces stiffened. What kind of cheat skill was this?

This has to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠be a joke...!

Skills that granted temporary invincibility weren't entirely nonexistent in Pandemonium Online. However, they were usually restricted to powerful dungeon bosses as a rare, phase-specific mechanic. It was not the kind of skill a mere mid-boss should be using.

"You've done a number on my subordinates, intruders! Let us see your speed!"

"...This dungeon is seriously annoying."

It would be so much faster if they could just fight. Why did it have to force a race on them at every turn?

Rumble!

"Nantione, run!"

"Ki-it!"

Having been thoroughly trained on various high-altitude racetracks, Nantione accelerated without a single stumble. The Ghost Chariot Captain, chasing closely behind, marvelled at her speed.

"To think a wicked Basilisk could reach such speeds. Impressive! But as the Vanguard Captain of the Empire, I cannot lose!"

"Ki-i-it!"

Nantione hissed in anger at the insult thrown from behind. She was a princess of the Erangs Kingdom, yet she had to listen to herself being called "wicked."

"Nantione, don't let his words get to you. Everyone here knows you possess noble blood!"

"That's right, Lady Nantione! Few here are as noble as you!"

Tae-hyun and Lee Da-bi joined hands to shower Nantione with praise. If praise could make a whale dance, it could certainly make a Basilisk run like the wind.

Watching this, Farel thought to himself:

She doesn't exactly look noble...

A massive, steel-plated Basilisk breathing fire was the very definition of terror. Of course, he kept his mouth shut because he had no desire to end up inside the Basilisk's stomach.

"Ki-it."

"Aaargh...! For me to lose! Forgive me, Your Highness!"

"......."

The moment he lost the race, the Chariot Captain collapsed without even putting up a fight. It was a truly absurd dungeon.

"By the way, Farel. Come to think of it, did you say you were a rising ranker?"

"Yes. Why do you ask?"

"Are you streaming this quest?"

"Uh... No, I'm not."

Normally, Farel would have jumped at the chance to broadcast to the entire world that he was doing a quest with Kim Tae-hyun, but he hadn't been able to find the right timing. He simply didn't know at what point he should start the stream.

I wanted to start when I looked cool...

So far, all he had done was suffer utter humiliation in a bizarre race. Farel wanted to be recognized as a cool, talented rising ranker, not a comedian.

"Oh dear, Farel. You don't understand the importance of personal streaming. Especially when you lack recognition, streaming is incredibly important."

"She's right, Farel. I've been running guild streams since Power Warrior was small. Streaming is truly crucial."

"......."

Farel was dumbfounded. Lee Da-bi had every right to say that, of course. She was the guild master who had built Power Warrior from scratch. But Kim Tae-hyun...

You don't even stream at all!

Knowing full well that Kim Tae-hyun never streamed, Farel found this advice utterly ridiculous. Even when people practically begged him, crying, "Please stream! Just turn it on once!" Tae-hyun would just ignore them, saying, "Nope, not gonna happen. Just watch Power Warrior's channel, I'll show up there occasionally."

"Yes... Thank you. I was short-sighted."

"Well, it's natural not to know if you've never done it. Let me teach you how to stream. Look, you can link your stream to your Pan-On account like this..."

Ugh, I want to punch him.

Despite his respect for the man, Tae-hyun was incredibly annoying. If they compared actual streaming hours, Farel's would be dozens of times longer than Tae-hyun's.

"And communication is key. You have to stream consistently when people ask for it."

"I-I see."

"Then why don't you turn it on right now?"

"Huh? Right now?"

Tae-hyun smiled understandingly.

"You wouldn't know ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠since you haven't tried. Consistency is what matters in streaming."

"I... I see. I'm learning so much..."

"But why aren't you turning it on?"

"Well, I wanted to show a more... important scene."

Since entering the dungeon, it felt like they had spent all their time running and being chased rather than actually fighting the enemies properly.

"You shouldn't only show the cool parts. Just like a story has a beginning, middle, and end, you should show a quest from start to finish. That's how people find it interesting."

That's only because you look cool even if you show everything!

Farel felt a surge of resentment. Sure, Kim Tae-hyun would look amazing no matter what, but if Farel showed everything, more than half of it would be embarrassing moments. His nickname would probably end up becoming some joke.

"Now, you understand?"

"Yes... I understand. I'll turn it on, okay?"

As Farel reluctantly agreed, Tae-hyun whispered to Lee Da-bi.

"Seeing how much he dislikes streaming, it looks like he'll have a hard time gaining popularity, right?"

"He does seem to need a bit more diligence."

"......."

While Farel started his stream with a slightly teary voice and greeted his viewers, Tae-hyun and Da-bi inspected their surroundings. The massive colosseum ruins were so vast that they still hadn't explored the entire area despite all their wandering.

"This must have been the spectator stands."

"Seeing how luxurious that section is, do you think it was the VIP seating?"

"!"

In that instant, a shared vision began to unfold before Tae-hyun and Da-bi.

"......."

"......."

Tae-hyun and Da-bi stared at each other. Akisus? Here?

Regardless of their bewilderment, the vision continued to play out.

Prince Persotelton of the Ancient Empire took immense pride in being the fastest warrior. After falling in battle against the Hungry Chaos, he was buried in the colosseum and left a will for his legacy to be passed on to the swiftest. Though the prince has died and the empire has vanished, his subordinates faithfully guard his final wishes.

So that's what this quest was about.

Tae-hyun finally understood why this Ancient Empire ruin was here. It made sense; a city that had enjoyed racing since the days of the Ancient Empire was bound to become this mad.

I see. Then was the lordship a right to challenge the prince?

It was clear that becoming the lord of this city granted the right to challenge the prince.

"I think we should back off. Honestly, I have no idea how fast this prince is going to be."

"Should we retreat then?"

Tae-hyun nodded. Any other ranker would have tried to push through out of greed, but Tae-hyun was a man who could walk away even right before the finish line. If Cain were here, it might be a different story, but with Da-bi by his side, he couldn't risk doing something stupid and getting them both killed. He wouldn't be able to look her in the eye.

"...?!"