Holding Back the Rampage

"I am holding back the rampage, so draw near quickly."

Tae-hyun approached warily. He was fully prepared to activate his skills and flee at the first sign of trouble.

"Do you... remember my tomb?"

"Yes."

The tomb the prince had burst out of. The colosseum of the Ancient Empire where the charioteers had challenged them to a race!

"We must go... there. My chariot is there. It is the chariot I kept to pass down to my successor."

"!"

"Your Highness!!"

The charioteers cried ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠out, looking at the tightly bound prince with faces on the verge of tears.

"Step aside! Had I not been bound like this, I might have slain you with my own hands."

"But Your Highness...!"

"You have shown me absolute loyalty. Now, return! You may rest in eternal peace!"

No...

Tae-hyun wanted to stop them, but the atmosphere was far too solemn.

What a waste!

These ghost-horse-riding charioteers boasted formidable combat power, fitting for those of the Ancient Empire. If they swarmed an enemy in a massive horde, even the kingdom's knighthood would crumble. Seeing them unsummoned and sent back made Tae-hyun's heart ache. But he couldn't bring himself to interrupt such a touching farewell.

"Your Highness!!"

"You... have come as well..."

This time, the elders rushed over. Elder Krasbi and Elder Shuraik were horrified to see the bound prince.

"What in the world is the meaning of this?!"

"Step aside! I requested this myself."

Tae-hyun didn't even need to use his Speech skill. The prince took the lead. Tae-hyun felt deeply moved. Where else could you find such a sensible and polite NPC! To step forward like this to save Tae-hyun from a useless, annoying fight...

"Only now do I understand your words. I am indeed possessed by the power of the Hungry Chaos. Urgh!"

"It is not your fault, Your Highness! That fiend's wicked power is tormenting you!"

"I shall overcome the power of the Hungry Chaos and return. Trust in me!"

"Your Highness!!"

"We believe you! We are your loyal subjects, Your Highness!"

"But must you remain confined in such an uncomfortable manner?! You look like a common criminal!"

The elders had a point. The prince being dragged along in chains looked incredibly pitiful.

"Ah, I told you, I'll build him a decent carriage later."

"Ugh...!"

"We... entrust His Highness to your care!"

The elders finally gave up and backed off. Since the prince himself had spoken, they had no choice but to trust Tae-hyun.

The difficulty must be insanely high.

The new quest wasn't surprising. He was supposed to kill the prince but didn't, so a new quest branching off made sense. The issue was the difficulty. Just reading the description screamed, "I am an insanely difficult quest."

"Well, it's not like I have to purify him right this second."

"True, that's also a point," Tae-hyun muttered, nodding as he dragged the prince along.

The surrounding players watched in absolute shock as Tae-hyun majestically dragged the prince along in chains.

What in the world... is going on?

"Whew. That was seriously terrifying."

"Me too, senior."

Choi Sang-yun and Jeong Su-hyeok let out sighs of relief and scanned their surroundings. Of all times, right before the tournament, the prince had suddenly burst from his tomb and occupied the city, giving them a massive fright. Fortunately, the quest was resolved much faster than expected. It seemed there would be no issues with the tournament.

"Hello! I'm here to register for the tournament."

"Ah, yes. Please fill out this preliminary registration form..."

"Hahaha. Come on, aren't we all professionals who understand how things work?"

"?"

The player subtly slipped a bribe and whispered.

"Going through the preliminaries from the very beginning is too exhausting. Just slide me up a bit. No one will even notice."

"Oh... I see. Thank you. I'll keep that in mind."

Sang-yun nodded and pointed to the side. Believing the bribe had worked perfectly, the player walked off with a broad grin.

"Are you really going to let him skip ahead?"

"No. Are you crazy? Let's just split this among the staff. Free pocket money."

The players of Team KL were the ones who had watched Tae-hyun from the closest distance. A dog at a schoolhouse can recite poetry after three years, and even Cain could play intelligently after three years—there was no way these guys would just sit still. They remained calm and unbothered, handling various situations with ease.

"The broadcasting stations are here!"

"We set ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠up seats for the reporters over there. Tell them to go sit down."

"They say they want a private interview."

"As we stated beforehand, unscheduled interview requests are denied because they interfere with the match."

"They won't listen!"

"Ask which company that reporter is from! Tell them if they never want another interview with Team KL, they can keep throwing a fit!"

So... so cool!

The staff helping with the event looked at Choi Sang-yun and Jeong Su-hyeok in awe. So this was how Team KL players operated! If they belonged to some mediocre domestic gaming team, they would have to walk on eggshells around the broadcasting stations and reporters. But not Team KL. If a problem arose, they could just call in foreign reporters. There were countless foreign journalists who would rush over at a single request from Team KL. Furthermore, in an era where it was easy to voice opinions through personal streams or social media rather than traditional articles, there was no need to care about the reporters' whims.

"Aren't they being too arrogant? It's not like this is some major tournament. They should be grateful we're here to promote it..."

"You've been at this company for years and you still have no situational awareness? Shut your mouth. People with far more experience than you are waiting quietly right now."

"But honestly, isn't it true? It's not like this is the Pan-On League..."

From the reporter's perspective, it felt unfair. Usually, when a tournament was held, the hosts treated the press with respect. If it were a massive event like the Pan-On League, where major global gaming organizations poured in cash, that would be one thing. But for a small-scale tournament like this, the role of reporters was crucial. Promoting and spreading the word was entirely up to them. Yet, the Team KL players treated them like uninvited guests, essentially saying, "Oh, you came? We didn't really need you to, but since you're here, just wait over there, do your reporting, and leave."

It was bound to feel unfair to the reporters! But they couldn't throw a tantrum or complain here. They could literally get PK'd.

In the past, there was a guy who wrote a bad article about Kim Tae-hyun and got completely ruined.

Getting PK'd in Pan-On was the least of their worries. If threats like "I've memorized your name, you reporter bastard! Watch your back at night!" started flying in real life, it was no laughing matter.

"So we just have to keep waiting like this?"

"You've finally figured it out. Yes. Just keep waiting, take your footage, do the interview, and then we can leave."

"……."

The reporters sat in a daze. Meanwhile, participants began walking up one by one.

"Gomez."

"Gomez??"

Gomez was a famous player from the US. With her outstanding skills and movie-star looks, she was one of the faces of the New York Lions alongside Smith. However, her arrogant personality often caused various controversies...

"Why would Gomez come here? Must be someone with the same name."

"Haha, true."

"…???"

Another reporter listening to the conversation blinked.

Wait, that really looks like Gomez, though?

The equipment she wore and her back profile were almost identical. What was going on? Did she really come to participate in this tournament??

It didn't end there. Gonzalez from the US. Penguin Panda, who was highly active in China. Scott and KingTaehyunNo1 from Canada, and so on. Players who had made a name for themselves globally were submitting their registration forms and passing by.

"…!!!"

"I have to get this scoop even if it kills me!"

One of the reporters jumped up from his seat and ran forward.

"Out of the way! Just one! Just let me get one!"

"You can't do this!"

"Well, I have to! Out of my way! Move!"

The reporter leaped high and dashed forward. The other reporters were slightly impressed by his agility.

I guess risking your life in Pan-On pays off at times like this!

Should I level up more to prepare for fights with other reporters?

Since covering Pan-On usually required entering the game, reporters needed a certain level and decent equipment. In particular, having high stats was advantageous when physically jostling with other reporters. Some reporters had even researched tactics to form parties and push through with brute force!

"We finally get to use this. Catch him!"

Clank!

"Aaargh!"

The reporter who was rushing toward the players' entrance tripped on the trap and fell flat on his face. Members of the Power Warrior Guild swarmed over, grabbed him, and lifted him up.

"Thought you could get away!"

"W-Wait. I think I made a mistake! Let me go!"

"We can't let you go until you pay the fine."

"...How much is it?"

"Whoa, not just the New York Lions, but players from the Texas Cowboys and Boston Tigers are here too. Even Chinese pro players slipped in to register. Isn't that insane?"

"…Did you have a dream like that?"

Tae-hyun asked back, utterly dumbfounded.

"It's true!"

"Why would Chinese pro players participate here? The New York Lions or Boston Tigers players have connections, so it makes sense for them to join."

Having met them as judges, Tae-hyun knew their reserve players would be allowed to participate. Of course, Tae-hyun didn't know that not just the reserves, but the main roster players were also coming to participate.

"The Guild Alliance is working so hard on their own tournament right now. If they join a tournament like this, they'll get torn to shreds by their fans. You must have misseen."

"Look, Penguin Panda is right over there! And that's Zhang Wei next to him!"

"…????"

Tae-hyun blinked and looked again. No matter how many times he looked, they were indeed Chinese players. Why are you guys here?

"Wait... why did those guys register?"

"Uh, should we kick them out?"

"No need to kick them out, but this is quite baffling. Aren't their Chinese fans going to flame them?"

"Would they really flame them over something like this?"

"Oh, Chinese fans absolutely would."

Jeong Su-hyeok looked puzzled, wondering what Tae-hyun meant, but Tae-hyun thought differently. Having run a gaming team, he had analyzed and heard about the styles of various countries. Chinese fans were notoriously sensitive about their players participating in tournaments hosted by other countries instead of their own. Wouldn't they get flamed?