"I'll Call Him Right Now"
The members of the Power Warrior Guild, who had been lying in wait to ambush the fleeing players, stepped forward as the chaos began to settle. They started searching for the finalists.
"Why did so many people join the brawl? It's making them impossible to find."
"Surely they didn't all get wiped out, did they?"
"Come on... Look at how many people were here. There's no way they're all dead."
Even if one or two of the finalists had been forced to log out, it made no sense for every single one of them to have perished.
"Die!"
"Agh!"
Most players who valued their lives had surrendered, but a few stubborn souls refused to give up, hiding amidst the wreckage of the battlefield. When the Power Warrior Guild members approached, these stragglers immediately tried to take hostages.
"Take one more step and he dies! Call Kim Tae-hyun! If he promises to let me go safely, I'll release him!"
"...What is he even saying?"
"I think he's crazy."
The Power Warrior Guild members looked on in sheer disbelief. Who exactly do you think you're holding hostage? Even the guild member who had been grabbed looked utterly dumbfounded.
"Are you... holding me hostage right now?"
"Y-yeah? What of it?"
"Why on earth would you do something so foolish?"
"Uh... because Kim Tae-hyun cherishes the Power Warrior Guild, so if I take one of you hostage, he'll let me go?"
"You are gravely mistaken."
"S-shut up!"
But he really was mistaken. Without a moment's hesitation, the other Power Warrior Guild members drew their weapons.
"We do not negotiate with terrorists!"
"Wait—"
Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud!
Every single Power Warrior Guild member present was Level 1. They were glass cannons who had bloated their attack power with all sorts of wicked items, completely abandoning any notion of defense. They were fueled solely by the desire to drive a bamboo spear through a high-level player, completely unbothered by the prospect of their own deaths. Trying to play a hostage game against people like this was utterly pointless.
"Come on out, you bastards!"
"If we catch you hiding, we're both logging out together!"
Intimidated by the terrifying threats of the Power Warrior Guild, those still in hiding began to crawl out one by one. Having witnessed the previous hostage's swift demise, no one dared to try anything funny. They were simply too terrified.
"...Wait a second. Are there really no finalists left?"
"..."
Silence was their only answer. Slowly, the faces of the Power Warrior Guild members began to turn pale.
Hey, what the hell do we do now?
"If there are no finalists, what can we do? It's not your fault. The audience will understand."
It had started as a small-scale tournament with a modest prize pool anyway. It only felt bizarre because so many spectators had swarmed in... Rather than forcing a solution, Tae-hyun decided to stick strictly to the rules.
"The finals will proceed according to the rules. Any player who fails to show up by the time limit will be disqualified."
"...!"
"?!?!"
The murmuring crowd gasped at Tae-hyun's announcement. Wait, is he seriously going through with this?
"Kim Tae-hyun is definitely a madman."
"I was sure he'd postpone it..."
If this were just a friendly match, it would be one thing, but major broadcasting stations and massive crowds were watching. Postponing the finals to a later date would be a golden opportunity to gather this kind of crowd all over again, multiplying his profits several times over.
Yet Tae-hyun chose to make a clean cut and proceed as originally scheduled. It sounded simple, but it was a remarkably difficult decision to make in practice.
"KingTaehyunNo1! Where are you?! Get out here!"
"Penguin Panda!! If you show up, you win!!"
Shouts from fans searching for their favorite players echoed from all corners of the arena. Unfortunately, there was no way for players who had been logged out to magically reappear.
...Is really no one going to show up?
If it ends like this, it'll become a legendary match in its own right.
The tournament had already garnered massive attention, but the pre-finals brawl had sent hype levels into the stratosphere. The reporters in the press box kept their eyes glued to the arena while their fingers flew across their keyboards.
"No Manners, No Conscience, No Dignity: Chinese Players' Brawl Ruins the Tournament..."
"Is This Acceptable? A Deep Dive into the Sportsmanship of Chinese Players"
"Fists Flying at Someone Else's Feast..."
To be fair, the reporters had thoroughly enjoyed watching the Chinese players beat the living daylights out of each other, but business was business. If they didn't milk this for views now, when would they? It was time for some harsh, righteous criticism!
Some reporters went even further, drafting highly sensationalized articles.
"A Global Free-for-All: Who Was the Strongest on the Battlefield?"
"An In-Depth Analysis of the US Team's Defensive Formations!"
It wasn't just the reporters; the ordinary players felt the same way. A race that devolved into a massive battle royale? There was no way that wouldn't be entertaining. Everyone was buzzing with excitement! In a situation like this, if absolutely no one showed up for the finals, it would truly go down in history as...
"Someone's coming out!!!"
"Is it KingTaehyunNo1?! Please tell me it's KingTaehyunNo1!"
"Since when were you a fan of KingTaehyunNo1?"
"I'm not. I just love watching him make the Chinese players suffer."
"...!"
However, the figure emerging from the tunnel was not KingTaehyunNo1.
"Wait, isn't that the Power Warrior player?"
"No way! How is he still alive?!"
A few fans booed, but the masked Power Warrior player stepped forward shamelessly. While everyone else was tearing each other apart, he had bravely hidden himself in a corner.
"Well, surely the other players will show up soon."
"Honestly, wouldn't it be easier for that Power Warrior guy to win rather than facing those monster rankers?"
The crowd remained relatively calm for the moment. Compared to the other finalists, the Power Warrior player looked... incredibly weak. He had barely scraped his way through the qualifiers, after all...
"Ladies and gentlemen. The time limit has expired, and we have no other participants."
"???!?!"
"Where the hell is KingTaehyunNo1?! KingTaehyunNo1!! I bet my money on you!!"
Only when Tae-hyun stepped forward did the crowd finally grasp the reality of the situation. Are they seriously going to let him win by default?! No matter how you look at it, that's just...!
"Since there is only one participant in the finals, the victory goes to him by default."
"Noooo!!"
"What the hell were those other players doing?! I put money on this!!"
There was no one more terrifying than a gambler who had just lost their wager. They wailed and screamed for the missing players, but no amount of crying could summon people who weren't there.
"Now, please step up to the podium."
"Thank you! Thank you, everyone! I never imagined I would win like this...!"
The masked Power Warrior player spoke in a voice trembling with emotion. At his words, the other Power Warrior Guild members began to clap and cheer like madmen.
"We knew you could do it!"
"Long live Power Warrior!"
As the cheers erupted across the stadium, the neutral spectators began to get swept up in the mood. Aside from the gamblers and die-hard fans of the other players, the average viewer had no reason not to offer their congratulations.
"Well, it is pretty amazing that an unknown player won when all the other finalists were famous rankers and pro players."
"I heard the Power Warrior Guild is incredibly poor. It's a miracle he won. Mounts are super expensive, too."
"Wait, isn't Power Warrior a massive guild?"
"It's huge, yeah, but most of its members are casual, broke players, so the guild itself has no money."
"Come on. Surely the executives are loaded."
"My friend is an executive there, and since they don't collect guild taxes, even the executives are broke unless they work their asses off."
"What? Seriously? Then why do they even run the guild?"
"..."
"..."
Overhearing the spectators whispering nearby, the Power Warrior Guild members wept silently in their hearts. We're not that broke...! We've cleared tons of quests and sold so much loot, we actually have decent money now...!
Tae-hyun, who was in the middle of congratulating the Power Warrior player, suddenly froze. Wait. If it's like this, doesn't that mean we can't even run the special match? It seemed like almost every popular player had been logged out...
Despite the unexpected hiccups, the tournament concluded successfully. It wasn't just a success—it was an absolute, roaring triumph. It was such a massive hit that the broadcasting stations that had previously rejected the broadcasting rights were now desperately clinging to them, begging for a second chance.
"Great job, everyone."
Choi Sang-yun and Jeong Su-hyeok lay sprawled on the floor, unable to move. Hosting a single tournament had left them completely exhausted.
"How on earth does Kim Tae-hyun do this stuff all the time?"
"I'm too exhausted to move, senior."
Sitting nearby, Cain tilted his head in confusion. "Really? It looked like a blast to me."
"...Let's make sure that bastard is dragged into it next time."
"...Agreed."
After whispering to each other, the two turned to Cain with bright smiles. "Of course! It was incredibly fun! You have no idea how much the crowd loved it!"
"But everyone was so disappointed that you weren't there, Cain! You absolutely have to join us the next time we host one!"
"R-really? For real?"
Cain's mood instantly soared. He had been unable to attend because of another quest, but hearing them say this made him feel incredibly appreciated.
"Still, it feels good to see everyone who worked hard get paid handsomely," Choi Sang-yun remarked. Tae-hyun nodded in agreement.
"That's why everything needs to succeed."
"By the way, are you going somewhere today? Ah, are you meeting with the broadcasting stations?"
"I already met them the other day. Why would I meet them again today?"
"Then are you meeting with the sponsors?"
"I could just send an agent for that. There's no reason for me to go in person."
If Tae-hyun were the one desperate for deals, he would have to go and flatter the sponsors himself. But he wasn't the one in a pinch. If anything, the sponsors were the ones practically begging for his time!
"???"
"Then where are you going, senior?"
"I'm going to help Lee Da-bi move."
"..."
"..."
Don't put on such a dead-serious face and get ready to leave for something like that...! Choi Sang-yun cursed inwardly. Anyone looking at him would think he was heading out to sign the biggest contract of his life!
"Well, I'm off. Oh, should I take Cain with me?"
"I-I... I have to do my quest. This quest is seriously huge. It's a massive deal."
"Seeing how you can't give any details, you're definitely lying."
"He stuttered, too."
"...Well, whatever. I'll just check your level when I get back."
"Hey, leveling up isn't that easy...!"
Ignoring whatever Cain was whining about, Tae-hyun walked out the door. Cain slumped back onto the floor. What a heartless bastard!
Are they newlyweds? How heartwarming. Manager Hong of the moving company nodded to himself, wiping his nose. Watching Tae-hyun and Lee Da-bi chat reminded him of his own youth. Back when he had first gotten married, every move was filled with excitement and happiness, simply because they were together. Ah, to be young and in love!
"...?!?!" But when Lee Da-bi's two younger sisters appeared, Manager Hong's eyes nearly popped out of his head. Wait, aren't those kids way too big?! Is she just incredibly youthful-looking? How could her children be that old already?
Well, I suppose young folks do get married early these days... If they married super young, it's possible. Manager Hong nodded, mentally chiding himself for his narrow-minded assumptions.
"M-Manager!"
"What is it?"
"Do... Do you know who those people are?!"