A Reunion in the Depths
Lee Da-bi whispered to him. "What's wrong?"
"I heard there are players gathering at the dungeon entrance right now."
"Those guys from earlier? They're still there?" Tae-hyun tilted his head. Given the atmosphere, they should have fought each other and split up by now.
"No, a new group. Apparently, they're waiting for us after trash-talking our party."
"Ah, that guy from earlier must have called his friends."
The guy Cain had grabbed and forcibly infected with the plague curse! Since their party leader had ended up like that, the party must have disbanded... It was only natural for them to hold a grudge.
"What a petty guy, right?"
"Yeah. Totally petty."
"..."
Listening to Lee Da-bi and Tae-hyun's conversation, Cain shook his head. Those two were way too in sync when it came to doing bad things!
"Oh? They're coming in now."
"I guess they'd rather fight inside than wait. But how do you know what's happening outside?"
"One of our guild members is watching from out there."
"Why are your guild members literally everywhere?"
The Power Warrior Guild members seemed as common as pebbles on the side of the road. In any city or village, if you asked, "Is there a Power Warrior here?" at least one person would always pop up.
"Well, it's better for me if they come inside." Tae-hyun shrugged. He needed to level up anyway, so he was only grateful that players who could serve as free experience points were rushing in on their own!
Unaware that Tae-hyun had already caught wind of them, the players outside were plotting their scheme.
"I'm telling you, one of them uses a weird skill. He hooks you with chains to close the distance, and it's impossible to dodge. If you get caught, you're forced into contact, so watch out. You'll get infected with the plague curse."
"A weird guy? Is he famous?"
"What does he look like?"
"He has this kind of gear, and looks roughly like this."
"Never seen him before. Must be a nobody."
"That's probably why he used the plague curse to threaten people. He threatened them with self-destruction."
"True. That makes sense."
"Byeong-guk. Are we doing this?"
"Of course. We have to make a killing while the plague curse is active."
Kim Byeong-guk and Choi Eun-cheol nodded at each other. To some players, the plague curse was an opportunity. Especially for those trying to rip off items through PVP!
"Hey, but is it true that Kim Tae-hyun spread the plague curse?"
"I told you not to talk about Kim Tae-hyun! It's bad luck!"
"S-sorry..."
Choi Eun-cheol flinched at Kim Byeong-guk's anger. In the past, they had underestimated Tae-hyun when he was quietly doing quests and tried to PK him. They ended up getting utterly stripped of everything!
Of course, considering Tae-hyun's current reputation, their past actions were so reckless they wanted to go back in time and beat up their past selves to stop them. Their desire for revenge had long since vanished. They just hoped they would never cross paths with him again!
"Let's just focus on what we came to do."
Both of them were quite confident in their PVP skills. And if the opponent was infected with the plague curse, it would be even easier. It was a golden opportunity to get expensive gear for free!
"But..."
"It's a bit..."
"Are these guys lost?"
Cain voiced the hesitation that Tae-hyun and Lee Da-bi were feeling.
Indeed. Since they had to search the entire underground dungeon of the Espa Kingdom to find the dungeon related to the plague curse, it was like looking for a needle in a haystack. Even after clearing Room 1 and Room 2, they hadn't achieved any significant results.
"I-I'm sorry. I looked around, but I can't seem to find it..."
The party's Explorer player hung his head, thoroughly discouraged.
"It's okay, it's okay. We didn't expect to find it on the first try anyway."
"Exactly!"
The other party members cheered up the Explorer. It was a warm, heartwarming atmosphere that could almost bring tears to one's eyes.
"..."
"..."
But to Tae-hyun, Lee Da-bi, and Cain, this atmosphere felt incredibly foreign and distant.
"Why are they being so wholesome?"
"I'm more suited for a brutal, greedy atmosphere where we bicker and fight..."
"Hey, don't complain when you've got it good. Other parties wouldn't even accept you guys."
"That goes for Tae-hyun-nim too— mmmph!"
"This won't do. I should use a skill."
It might be different outside, but since they were inside a dungeon, his skill should have some effect.
"But we have an Explorer in the party. Will they even listen to you?"
"Look at the mood. They'll listen to whatever I suggest."
"T-that's true."
Cain nodded. What a friendly and warm atmosphere!
Cain, a former PK player! Lee Da-bi, the guild master of Power Warrior! And Tae-hyun, the original PK player of Pan-On 1! It was bound to feel awkward for them.
"Let's turn this way."
"Yes!"
"This time, it's this way."
"Will do!"
"Shall we turn over there this time?"
"Sounds good!"
"...Wait, didn't we just come from there?"
"Haha, everyone makes mistakes!"
"..."
Tae-hyun wore a bewildered expression. The type of people Tae-hyun was weakest against were those with such nice personalities. A party where no one complained even when he guided them without explaining his skills!
In truth, the party members were simply following him because they had witnessed his skills earlier. Since he had melted the monsters in an instant, they were thinking, Ah, a ranker must have gotten infected with the curse by mistake and ended up here.
Well, he was a ranker. Though he wasn't cursed...
Meanwhile, the party leader kept tilting his head. Looking at Tae-hyun, Cain, and Lee Da-bi, he felt a strange sense of familiarity.
A chain skill, and under level 100... Huh? Why does this feel so familiar? Was there a famous player under level 100 like that?
An itchy sensation of being on the verge of remembering, yet not quite getting it!
In the meantime, Tae-hyun was rapidly traversing the dungeon.
"From here, if we turn and go in...!"
The path was clearly indicated by his Divine Foresight skill!
Tae-hyun confidently opened the entrance inside the dungeon.
Du-dun!
A bronze treasure chest appeared!
"..."
Tae-hyun's expression turned sour. Of course, a bronze treasure chest was one of the dungeon rewards, and normal players conquering a dungeon would have been thrilled. But what Tae-hyun was looking for was a clue for his quest, not a treasure chest like this.
"Wow! A treasure chest!"
"How did you find it?"
"You're amazing!"
Unaware of Tae-hyun's inner thoughts, the party members rejoiced.
"An earring with an MP recovery speed boost option dropped!"
"Should we roll dice?"
"Sure!"
Amidst the wholesome atmosphere, Tae-hyun's sprint continued. He possessed a ghost-like ability to find treasure chests wherever he went!
Is this dungeon completely devoid of clues?
Tae-hyun was starting to doubt the dungeon itself.
Regardless of his frustration, Lee Da-bi was grinning from ear to ear, absolutely thrilled.
"Tae-hyun-nim, let's set a date and go dungeon exploring together sometime!"
"Are you happy? Huh? Are you that happy?"
"Ow, ow! Gold is dropping, of course I'm happy! Do you know how much this gem is worth? It's basically real-world jewelry!"
Thanks to her merchant class perks, Lee Da-bi was scooping up only the best items from the treasure chests.
"When are those guys coming? Huh? I'd rather just fight."
"W-well, I don't know either... It's not like they can track us inside the dungeon."
"Do you see how wholesome the atmosphere is over there? I'm suffocating. I just want to finish this dungeon quickly and get out—"
CRASH!
At that moment, the sound of a door shattering echoed through the wide room they were in, followed by the sound of players rushing in.
"Did you think we wouldn't find you if you ran around! Die, you bastards— ack!"
"Thanks, guys!"
The moment Tae-hyun saw them, he immediately pulled out his musket and fired! With a metallic click, a deafening roar erupted.
The target has fallen into a state of attacking their own allies due to the effect of Luck Bestowal.
"W-what..."
"What do you mean 'what,' you bastards! You came to fight! Let's fight!"
Tae-hyun excitedly lunged forward. The ones who were actually taken aback were the ambushers! They had broken down the door intending to deliver their prepared villainous lines to a panicked party, but the moment the door shattered, they were hit with a relentless assault without even a moment to breathe.
The enemies were all stuck outside the entrance. Tae-hyun saw no reason to let them inside.
"Yong-yong, come out!"
He had kept Yong-yong summoned away when entering the Espa Kingdom to hide his identity. Of course, Yong-yong grumbled, Master, surely you aren't doing this just for experience points, but Tae-hyun shamelessly insisted. He had to hide his identity, after all!
"What? Yong-yong..."
BZZZZT!
Having devoured even the experience points Tae-hyun was supposed to get in the Demon Realm, Yong-yong's strength was now at a level that could not be ignored. It was practically like a boss monster unleashing a wide-range area-of-effect skill in an instant!
"Are you cra—"
The player who had been stunned by Tae-hyun's musket took a direct hit from Yong-yong's attack and collapsed. Stepping over the fallen player, Tae-hyun drew his sword.
"T-T-That..."
"??"
"It's Kim Tae-hyun!!!!"
Kim Byeong-guk and Choi Eun-cheol's screams echoed loudly throughout the room.
"Ah, truly wonderful."
Chairman Yoo stroked his chin as he gazed at the lakeshore. He had looked down on virtual reality games, but experiencing it firsthand was entirely different. It was so vivid, as if reality itself had been transplanted! He could see why Pan-On was a global sensation these days.
The joy of angling while admiring the surrounding scenery felt even more satisfying than in real life.
Sip.
"The food is delicious, too."
The food left behind by the two kind players. He had heard it wasn't particularly expensive, but it had a wonderfully savory flavor.
Rustle.
"...!"
Of course, there was the minor inconvenience of having to shiver whenever he spotted a rabbit moving in the distance...
You have caught a Yellow-Scaled Fish. Your Fishing skill has increased.
You have fished in a single spot for over 24 hours. You have acquired a Title.
Title? What is this? Chairman Yoo tilted his head. Well, since they were giving it to him, he might as well accept it!
"Wait, mister, are you still fishing?"
"...!"
The two kind players who had brought Chairman Yoo here reappeared. Chairman Yoo waved his hand in delight, welcoming them.
"Ah, you're back?"
"We're heading to our village now. Would you like to come with us?"
"I'd like to fish a bit more..."
"..."
The two players stared at Chairman Yoo with fed-up eyes. No matter how they looked at him, it seemed he had done nothing but fish here the entire time!
"Don't you ever get tired of it?"
"No, I like this. If you boys tried it, you'd understand the appeal. Want to give it a shot?"
"Ah, no. Fishing is a bit..."
"Yeah. We actually have somewhere to go right now."
"Where are you going?"
"It would probably be too tough for you to go there, mister. There's another continent called the Prica Continent if you go down below this Central Continent. We heard a pro league for the arena is being held there, so we're going to try and participate."
"A pro league?"
"Do you know about it, mister?"
"No, it's my first time hearing of it. Though I've heard of pro leagues for other games."
"Oh, like what?"
"It was... what was it called..."
Chairman Yoo furrowed his brows. Indeed, in the past, Yuseong Group had attempted to dive into esports and created a gaming team.
How did that turn out again?
If Chairman Yoo's memory served him right, that team had only achieved mediocre results before being disbanded. The performance was so poor that rumors circulated that the manager in charge of the project had to write a mountain of apology letters!
"I don't remember clearly..."
"Well, there were plenty of game leagues in the past. It's just that Pan-On is so overwhelmingly dominant right now."
"So you boys are heading there?"