The Orc Uncles and the Arena
Kim Tae-hyun knew the arena pretty well from his time in Fantasy Online 1.
Lots of fond memories there.
There had been a time when he ran the arena to get PVP-exclusive items in preparation for hunting rankers.
Of course, back then, nobody had realized he was a blacksmith.
Everyone had assumed he was some kind of heavy-armor warrior.
Tae-hyun had never bothered to correct the misunderstanding either.
But to think there was an arena in Abalab City too.
His heart started pounding all of a sudden.
"Really? So Abalab City has an arena?"
A delighted smile spread across Tae-hyun's face, while terror rose on Cain's.
Why can't I run away like those blacksmith bastards?
If a quest popped up in Genoma City, he could at least make a break for it.
"How often does the arena in Abalab City open?"
"Once a month. But... maybe don't enter that one."
"Why not?"
"The arena in Abalab City is kind of... infamous."
"...?"
Not all arenas were the same.
Every region's arena worked differently.
Some were simple: two people entered, fought one-on-one, and a winner came out.
Others were two-on-two, with the winning team taking the prize.
Some were outright group matches, fifteen versus fifteen.
And in others, the players didn't fight at all. Instead, monsters fought while the players stood outside and bought tickets to bet on the one they thought would win.
In short, every arena made its own rules.
"How infamous can it be? Is it one of those arenas where you bet on monsters or something?"
The arenas where players bet on monsters instead of fighting themselves had a particularly nasty reputation.
Plenty of people had lost their fortunes there.
You paid gold to buy tickets, bet those tickets on the monster you thought would win, then used your winnings to exchange for arena-exclusive items.
It was the perfect setup for going broke.
"Th-this time it'll work for sure..."
"It's coming! I've got a feeling that goblin's gonna beat the ogre!"
Just thinking about it gives me chills. Do I really have to be around idiots like that again?
"No. Not that kind. Players fight each other, but..."
Cain trailed off midsentence.
Wait. Why am I even worried about this guy? If he goes there and dies...
The thought of seeing Tae-hyun die felt like a ten-year-old knot in his chest finally dissolving.
Tae-hyun noticed immediately and, smiling, placed a hand on Cain's shoulder.
"Cain. There's one thing you're forgetting."
"Wh-what?"
"When we first met, things were bad. But now it's very different."
"...!"
For a brief moment, Cain was moved.
So this bastard was capable of saying something warm after all.
After being beaten nonstop, a single kind word was enough to make his chest tighten up.
"Does that mean... we're friends now?"
"No. What are you talking about?"
Tae-hyun looked at him like he had just said the dumbest thing imaginable.
"I'm saying that unlike when we first met, now you're completely under me. So don't even think about hiding anything about the arena. If something goes wrong for me there, it'll go even worse for you. Do you think there are more people there who hate you, or fewer?"
"...!"
A master of threats.
Tae-hyun didn't need curses or blunt words to be terrifying. He was an expert at intimidation all the same.
Cain had made a lot of enemies back in the Red Zone days.
The only reason he was still doing relatively okay even after Red Zone collapsed was because he was glued to Tae-hyun's side.
And Cain knew that very well.
The only reason those former guild bastards aren't hunting me down is because of Kim Tae-hyun...!
Given the temperaments of the former Red Zone members Cain had screwed over, they should have been coming after him for revenge immediately.
The fact that they weren't showing themselves could only mean one thing: they were scared of Tae-hyun.
And the reason other people weren't messing with Cain either was also Tae-hyun.
In the end, the only reason Cain had managed to recover his losses, claw his way back up, and survive this far was all thanks to Tae-hyun.
The moment he broke away, he'd be in danger.
I know that, I know that, but still...!
His heart refused to accept it so easily.
"Right. So quit trying anything stupid and tell me properly about the arena."
"...Okay."
Cain nodded gloomily.
"There's an insolent bastard who said he'd kill me. What do you think we should do about him?"
Kim Tae-san spoke in a stern, grave, serious pose.
The Orc guild members of Choigang Jizon Mussang listened to him with rigid posture.
A vicious atmosphere hung around the rough-looking Orcs.
Other players took one look at the Orc players gathered on the hill and recoiled, backing away in fear.
"..."
"What do you think we should do?!"
No one answered.
Then one of them cautiously raised a hand, reading the room.
"Uh... shouldn't we just stomp him flat?"
"Exactly! That's what I'm talking about! Why's nobody else saying anything?!"
Then replies came from the other guild members.
"Because the other guy is Tae-hyun."
"He's your son, hyungnim..."
"So what if he's my son? That brat would attack me without blinking!"
"Oh, you meant Tae-hyun? I was wondering what this was about."
Even the man who had raised his hand first lowered it after finally understanding the situation.
The guild members' lukewarm attitude made Kim Tae-san flare up.
"You bastards. Am I the guild master, or is he?!"
"You're the guild master."
"Yeah, but isn't a fight between father and son like cutting water with a knife?"
"Isn't that supposed to be for married couples?"
"Close enough."
Murmurs spread instantly.
Once the Orc uncles got talking, the place turned noisy in the blink of an eye.
"Quiet!"
Snap.
The atmosphere silenced instantly at Kim Tae-san's command.
"We're getting strong fast right now. Right?"
"Yes!"
What Kim Tae-san said was true.
The guild's growth rate was no joke.
Even compared to guilds made up of players who considered themselves decent at games, their speed of growth was overwhelming.
It wasn't because Kim Tae-san and the guild members were absurdly skilled.
If anything, their gaming skill was average.
No matter what, at their age, they weren't going to recover the reflexes they had in their prime.
The secret was just two things.
Money and time.
When middle-aged men with endless money and endless free time got serious about a game, the result was terrifying.
If a quest took too long because they needed certain items? They swiped their cards, bought them, and cleared it quickly.
If a raid looked a little risky at their current level? They swiped their cards again, bought expensive equipment, loaded up on potions like lunatics, and bulldozed through it.
They might have lost the raw gaming ability of their youth, but they hadn't lost their brains.
Kim Tae-san and his guild members calculated the most efficient ways to grow, then poured money and time into following those methods without hesitation.
The result was what stood before them now.
Kim Tae-san considered himself somewhere between a highly skilled player and a near-ranker.
For someone who had started late, it was monstrous growth.
And it wasn't just money and time. The guild members had also funneled experience and all kinds of rewards toward Kim Tae-san.
Kim Tae-san spoke firmly.
"That brat Tae-hyun may be showing off on broadcasts and acting cocky, but in front of our united strength, he won't be able to pull any nonsense!"
But the guild members seemed to think otherwise.
"Will he, though?"
"From what I saw on the broadcast, he's insanely fast. Young guys really are different."
"That brat Tae-hyun was never ordinary, even as a kid. I remember seeing him spar once..."
Not a shred of hostility in their voices.
Kim Tae-san stamped his foot.
"You idiots! Do you think Tae-hyun's only going to target me? He'll come after you too. Have some sense of crisis!"
"Aw, come on. You're the one who fought with him. Why would he drag us into it?"
"Right, right."
Kim Tae-san snorted and said,
"Think about Tae-hyun's personality. If you lot are hanging around with me, do you really think he'll bother separating us out and making distinctions? Or will he just attack first?"
"..."
The uncles who had actually met Tae-hyun fell into thought.
And all of them came to the same conclusion.
That brat Tae-hyun really does have one hell of a rotten personality!
The kind of bastard who'd hit first and ask questions never.
"That is... true."
"Right? So don't let your guard down. And don't go easy on him just because he's my son! If you see him, attack him immediately! Then contact me right away! Don't even think about fighting him alone!"
"Understood."
"Let's do that."
"Yep."
The Orc uncles answered halfheartedly.
But among them, one person was burning with motivation.
"I'll definitely catch him!"
Not one of the uncles, but Kim Sang-cheol, a young boxer training at the gym of Yang Sung-gyu, Kim Tae-san's friend.
A young man full of drive, dazzled by Kim Tae-san's extravagant spending.
"Oh! At least there's one useful guy here! Very good!"
Kim Tae-san beamed and praised Kim Sang-cheol.
But the other uncles beside him shook their heads and grabbed Sang-cheol by the shoulder.
"Better not be the first one to step up."
"What? Why?"
"The relationship between those father and son is... pretty complicated."
"Wait, if I catch that Kim Tae-hyun guy, will Uncle Tae-san get mad?"
Even a hedgehog thinks its own child is cute.
Kim Tae-san might be saying all this now, but if someone actually caught Tae-hyun, he might turn around and rage, You laid a hand on my son?!
That was what Kim Sang-cheol was worried about.
But the uncles shook their heads.
"Nah. Hyungnim isn't that kind of person."
"Then why are you saying I shouldn't be the first to step up?"
"Because if you go charging in first, Tae-hyun will beat you until dust comes out."
"Right, right."
The uncles all nodded.
Kim Sang-cheol felt a little annoyed as they all assumed he'd lose to Tae-hyun.
Fantasy Online was a virtual reality game.
Naturally, people who could actually fight and had good reflexes in real life had an advantage.
And Kim Sang-cheol was one of the standout boxers at the gym.
He had carried that into the game and fought very well with melee classes too.
He had never once thought his skills were lacking.
Sure, the game had things like skills, levels, and classes.
But he wasn't alone, was he?
The rest of the Orc guild was there too.
"Then you uncles can just help me!"
"We can help, sure, but..."
"Well... it's just..."
The Orc uncles wore troubled expressions that didn't match their faces at all.
Because they knew Tae-hyun's personality far too well.
"Like father, like son, I guess? Or maybe the tiger's cub is a tiger?"
"Honestly, that Tae-hyun brat is worse than hyungnim."
"I have no idea how he comes off so nice on broadcasts. Did he bribe the station or something?"
The truth was simple.
They had no desire whatsoever to get caught in a clash between Kim Tae-san and Kim Tae-hyun.
Of course, if it came down to it, they fully intended to stand by Kim Tae-san to the end.
Still, if possible, they wanted to avoid meeting Tae-hyun altogether.
Not because he was the cute son of an older friend.
Because he was the terrifying son of an older friend.
"Anyway, don't go acting up on your own and getting yourself looted. Move together. That's the only way you've got a chance."
"He's right. Jumping someone as a group is best."
Kim Sang-cheol nodded at the Orc uncles' words.
But inwardly, he didn't agree at all.
I'll show them something. No matter what.
"That's the guild you were talking about? They look like a bunch of old men."
"They're not ordinary, I keep telling you! Their items are insane! I got the first hit in, and then their HP recovered instantly, and some automatic counterattack kicked in..."
"Yeah, yeah. Means they swiped a little. It's nothing special."
Roy shook his head as he looked over the members of Choigang Jizon Mussang.
Roy was the type of ranker who carried himself with swagger.
There was no way a bunch of old men like that were going to scare him.
More importantly, what the hell are those things? They look bizarre.
Strange, grotesque appearances.
That was Roy's first impression of the members of Choigang Jizon Mussang.