The Ghost of Pan-On 1

"H-how?" The words slipped from Jekas's mouth before he could stop them.

No matter how strong Tae-hyun was, there was no way he could have broken through all of Jekas's companions to reach this place. His friends were skilled enough to hold their own even against Rankers. Besides, he had heard that they had successfully wiped out Tae-hyun's party members during the ambush earlier...

"You'll have to ask your friends about that." Tae-hyun looked somewhat exhausted. His expression made it utterly impossible to guess what had transpired. Tae-hyun flicked his gaze around the room. The ability to assess a situation instantly without a single word—Tae-hyun was just as experienced a player as Jekas.

"Looks like that demon was the key."

“You are quick-witted, adventurer.”

"Haha, Lord Demon! I shall finish this bastard off and rescue you shortly! Loyalty, loyalty, loyalty!"

"..." Jekas stared at Tae-hyun with utter disdain as he watched him flatter Esla. Lies did not work on demons. Furthermore, given the personality of Esla that he had just grasped, such blatant flattery was highly likely to backfire.

“Mwahaha! What music to my ears. For a mere human, I find myself quite liking you.”

"!?!"

"What's with that face? Never seen someone who's tight with demons before?"

"Ugh..." Tae-hyun sneered, noticing Jekas's bewilderment. Jekas realized his inner thoughts had been completely read.

How did he do that? Is ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠his Speech skill higher than mine? No, that's impossible... Jekas thought. Explorers were a class specialized in clearing quests. Naturally, their Speech skill was bound to be higher than other classes. Even if Tae-hyun's class was an unrevealed, secret one, there was no way his Speech skill could surpass Jekas's.

“What an intriguing adventurer. I sense various energies within you... I even detect the aura of a demon.”

"To tell you the truth, I am actually best friends with the Demon Duke, Edaor."

"That's a lie! Don't believe him, Esla! He's lying through his teeth!"

"Excuse me? How dare you address the great Lord Esla so insolently? Lord Esla! Look at how disrespectful this punk is! This sword—this is Edaor's sword. Do you recognize it, Lord Esla?"

"Y-you bastard..." Tae-hyun's tongue was working at lightning speed! Jekas gritted his teeth. He was clearly at a disadvantage now. How could he turn this around? It was Esla who threw Jekas a lifeline.

“What utter nonsense.”

"...!"

“Edaor is a fellow who could never, under any circumstances, become friends with a human. He is petty, narrow-minded, and incredibly cheap. He can't even get along with other demons. And that sword—no matter how close they became, he is not the type to ever hand his weapon over to someone else. Which means you defeated Edaor and plundered his sword. Am I correct?”

A flawless analysis! Tae-hyun clicked his tongue. He had successfully swindled so many demons by now that he had grown complacent. Trying to pull a scam without first testing the waters to see what kind of demon Esla was—it was a blunder.

"See! I told you not to believe him, Esla! He's a dirty liar!" Jekas practically bounced with joy at Tae-hyun's misstep. His usual dignified demeanor was nowhere to be found; he was hopping up and down like a giddy child. That was just how much pressure Tae-hyun had been exerting on him!

"You're awfully thrilled, aren't you? Happy now?"

"Bwahaha! Of course I am! Esla! Surely a liar like him has no right to pass your trial?"

“On the contrary, I find him rather to my liking.”

"..." The atmosphere flipped in an instant!

"Haha! Don't you know that in front of a demon, a good liar is always the favorite?"

"T-that makes no sense... Why would you favor a liar like him?!"

“You possess neither Engineering nor Blacksmithing skills, nor do you have any connection to demons. You simply do not interest me. In contrast, this adventurer is highly entertaining. He carries the auras of multiple gods and clearly has ties to our kind.”

"Actually, Edaor and I are bitter enemies." Tae-hyun pivoted his stance in a heartbeat, catching on to the fact that Esla and Edaor did not get along.

“Now that is music to my ears.”

"I've also fought a guy named Adad."

“Adad as well? Truly marvelous.”

As Esla grew increasingly amused, Jekas's anxiety spiked. In all his time clearing quests, he had never been pushed into a corner like this! A profound sense of helplessness and humiliation washed over him. Is this how it ends?

“There is no need to despair, adventurer. Though I favor him, I am a fair demon. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Only one of you shall pass this trial. Only one of you will obtain what you desire from me.”

"...!" The moment those words left Esla's mouth, both players swung their weapons at each other. Boom!

“Hahaha! Splendid! Yes, that is how it should be! Eliminate the other, and you shall pass the trial!”

"Quick on the uptake, aren't you? I thought you'd just take the hit."

"Trying to ambush me?! You annoying bastard!" Jekas spat curses at Tae-hyun as he uncoiled his whip. While the Explorer class might not seem particularly strong in combat at first glance, that was only true for low-level players. As an Elite Ranker, Jekas's combat prowess was formidable. In fact, he was a highly troublesome opponent for Tae-hyun. The Explorer class did not specialize in a single skill tree; instead, it offered incredible versatility, allowing players to utilize a wide array of skills to adapt to any situation.

"Living Whip, Summon Ancient Statue, Phantasmal Mist!" Massive stone statues began to erupt from beneath the floor of the dungeon's deepest chamber. Crash! Boom!

True experts could read each other's intentions without exchanging a single word. Looking at the sequence of skills Jekas had just unleashed, Tae-hyun realized: He knows my fighting style. Tae-hyun was so famous in Korea that anyone could easily look up his information if they wanted to. There were countless broadcasted videos of him. He had hoped that an overseas player might be in the dark, but Jekas clearly knew his stuff. He would have to brace himself.

Whoosh—

"Circle of Defense!" Clang!

"..." The whip sliced sharply through the mist from behind. Tae-hyun spun around like lightning and deflected the strike. Since I don't know if I can afford to take a hit, should I just parry everything for now?

Controlling his whip from among the statues, Jekas flinched. To think such a perfect ambush had failed. He glanced at the statues. It was time to launch his main offensive. I paid a fortune for this magic, so it better do its job!Crash! Boom! The statues began to spew ominous, colored light from their mouths.

Tae-hyun let a few attacks slide, evaded some through sheer Luck, and redirected others using the Circle of Counterattack.

What kind of monster is he? Jekas, weaving through the statues while keeping his eyes locked on Tae-hyun, shook his head in disbelief. This was a magical trap that would have instantly melted any ordinary high-level player, yet Tae-hyun was smashing through them and closing the distance in the blink of an eye.

"Boiling Whip!" Another whip strike came flying in. Tae-hyun instinctively sensed danger. To attack again even after seeing me evade... It meant Jekas was confident he could pierce through Tae-hyun's evasion! Tae-hyun immediately activated Shadow Leap and vaulted into the air. The whip slammed into the spot where Tae-hyun had been standing a millisecond ago, and fierce flames erupted. Sizzle!

He was taking damage even though the whip hadn't made direct contact. It was terrifying to imagine how much damage he would have suffered from a direct hit. Tsk. The Explorer class really is a pain. Unlike other classes, they have so many different skills that you can never let your guard down... Tae-hyun pulled back and activated Divine Foresight. Even if Jekas was hiding deep within the mist, Divine Foresight would undoubtedly show him the way!

Wait, has something like this happened before? Tae-hyun suddenly felt a wave of déjà vu. A strange sensation that he had experienced this exact scenario once in the past! Of course, it was because he had slaughtered his way through the Rankers of Pan-On 1. However, since Tae-hyun's attitude was, Why bother remembering every single insignificant Ranker? he had wiped those memories from his mind, making it impossible to recall immediately...

"Damn it! This is why I hate Koreans!" Jekas cursed as he lashed his whip. He had been held back by Koreans in Pan-On 1, and now it was happening again in Pan-On 2. His irritation was boiling over.

"What? Are you a racist now? Should I clip this video ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and upload it?" Tae-hyun's mocking voice drifted through the mist.

"Shut up!"

"Found you."

"...!" Bang! Tae-hyun whipped out a makeshift musket and fired instantly. It was a single-use weapon, but that was more than enough.

"Kh!" Jekas gritted his teeth as a critical hit notification popped up. A musket, of all things. He never expected to face a player who actually used such an obsolete weapon—something usually wielded by dwarf monsters at best...

Wait...? This is definitely... Memories of Pan-On 1 began to resurface in Jekas's mind. Back then, there was definitely a player who fought exactly like this.

"Ugh! Shield of Gataqua!" Jekas hastily activated a skill. He could sort out his memories later. The priority right now was blocking the incoming attack! He didn't know how Tae-hyun had located him, but letting him land any more hits was extremely dangerous. The damage from that musket was no joke.

I heard Kim Tae-hyun's most dangerous weapon is ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠his burst damage. Letting him get close is suicide, but... A defensive barrier materialized in front of Jekas. Tae-hyun immediately swapped his weapon, pulling out the Ancient Hammer. Whoosh—Boom! He couldn't afford to give Jekas any breathing room. Tae-hyun closed the distance instantly, preparing to unleash his burst damage. His critical hit stacks were fully charged. The same went for Lucky Strike.

Swoosh! As Jekas activated a skill, his whip split into four separate strands, thrusting toward Tae-hyun. Tae-hyun dodged two, redirected the third with the Circle of Counterattack to cancel out the fourth, and narrowed the gap even further. Just a few more steps, and Jekas would be within his striking range!

...? Tae-hyun felt a sudden prickle of unease. It felt as though his opponent was intentionally baiting him in. Ah, why does this déjà vu keep happening? I swear something like this happened before...

Swish! Another attack from Jekas flew in. Tae-hyun easily tilted his head back to dodge it. With that, the enemy's offensive was completely spent. All that was left was for Tae-hyun to strike now that he was in range.

"Never do..."

"...?"

"...what your enemy wants you to do!" Tae-hyun feigned a sword strike, only to abruptly pivot and leap backward. Instead of committing to his burst damage, he opted for a defensive spell.

"Dark Arrow!" The spell shot forward at blinding speed. Jekas's eyes widened in shock at the sight. Tae-hyun realized his instincts had been spot on. He laid a trap!

Crackle—Splat! The Dark Arrow struck Jekas dead-on. In that instant, accompanied by a chilling sound, dark purple tentacles erupted in all directions around Jekas. The speed was terrifying! Had Tae-hyun been anywhere near him, he wouldn't have even had time to react.

"Y-you..."

"Nice trap."

"This... I've definitely..."

"...?"

"...seen this before..."

"What are you babbling about? Hey, aren't you going to block?" Tae-hyun approached Jekas, who was completely defenseless and muttering to himself.

"...I know."

"That you're about to die?"

"I know who you are! Kim Tae-hyun!"

"Uh... yeah. My name is pretty hard to figure out, isn't it?" Tae-hyun assumed Jekas was just throwing a desperate tantrum. But he was wrong.

"You're the Kim Tae-hyun from Pan-On 1!!"

"...I think you have the wrong person?"