Just Thinking About It Made Him Dizzy

Just thinking about it made him dizzy. It wasn't even about participating in the Arena League; it was about what Lee Se-yeon might do... She'd stab me in the back at least ten times!

If Tae-hyun was a case of someone whose image as a "good person" was created by accident despite his best efforts to avoid it... Lee Se-yeon was a case of highly deliberate image crafting. She was someone who calculated and guarded her every single action! Having clashed with her in Pan-On 1, Tae-hyun knew the truth. Lee Se-yeon was by no means the kind, polite person she portrayed on broadcasts. She was someone who, just like Tae-hyun, could stab you in the back with a smile on her face!

Besides, now that Tae-hyun thought about it, there was no way Lee Se-yeon harbored any good feelings toward him. Hadn't he rejected every single proposal she had ever made? No, wait, the more I think about it, the more unfair it is. Didn't she win back in Pan-On 1? It's not like I disputed the results. I cleanly quit the game, so why is she chasing me down and tormenting me like this?

Even if countless other rankers could be considered Tae-hyun's victims, Lee Se-yeon was absolutely not one of them. While Tae-hyun was lost in thought, Lee Se-yeon whispered in a warm, gentle voice right beside him.

"So, you'll join me, right?"

"Are you insane?"

"..."

An answer that came without a single second of hesitation! But Lee Se-yeon was no pushover either. Her facial expression didn't even flicker. Instead, the grip of her hand on Tae-hyun's arm ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠only tightened!

"Hey, that hurts."

"This is Pan-On. There's no way it hurts."

"It feels like it hurts. For some reason, it really does, so let go."

Tae-hyun gently pried his arm out of Lee Se-yeon's grasp. If he left it there, she looked ready to rip it right off!

"Are you really not going to do it?"

"I'm really not."

"Right. I figured you'd say that, so I came prepared with a few ways to persuade you."

"What are you going to do?"

"I thought of a few things... like launching an all-out assault on your territory with an undead legion..."

Shiver! Tae-hyun flinched. An undead invasion on his territory, which had just barely recovered from the great Orc offensive and was finally starting to build things up!

"But that's a bit inefficient, isn't it? Besides, it's the headquarters of the Archisus Church. I figured throwing all my undead at it would be too much of a loss for me."

"..."

"So I was just going to threaten to attack you and the people around you..."

"Ha! You miscalculated. No matter how much you attack the people around me, I will never waver."

"...Don't say such trashy things with so much confidence..."

Lee Se-yeon stared at Tae-hyun in sheer disbelief. It was truly a talent to say something so despicable with ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠such a cool, dignified air.

"And could you please let me finish? I was going to do that, but I changed my mind."

"?"

"I realized there was a much better way. I was watching a stream while waiting for you. Want to guess what I saw?"

Lee Se-yeon beamed as she pulled up a broadcast window. Watching her, Tae-hyun suddenly felt a wave of anxiety wash over him. What was this?

"Tada!"

What Lee Se-yeon opened was Jekas's stream. Normally, he would have been logged into Pan-On, streaming from a player's perspective, but due to the penalty from being killed by Tae-hyun, he couldn't log in. He was broadcasting with his real face!

"..."

Jekas was giving a passionate speech, literally spitting at the camera! It hadn't even been an hour since he died, yet he was already gathering a party to raid Tae-hyun. Tae-hyun felt a sudden headache coming on.

"What's wrong? Got a headache?"

"..."

Having his inner thoughts read so easily by Lee Se-yeon, Tae-hyun slowly lowered his hand from his forehead.

"Right now, because there's no hard evidence, the public reaction is split fifty-fifty."

No matter how famous Jekas was, trying to convince people by saying, "My gut tells me that guy is the Kim Tae-hyun from Pan-On 1!" was a hard sell. The fact that it was even split fifty-fifty was already an impressive feat.

"But what do you think will happen if I step in and back him up?"

Lee Se-yeon's voice drew closer. She was practically whispering directly into his ear.

"Hmm? Well?"

"..."

Without saying another word, Lee Se-yeon extended her hand. Her intention was crystal clear!

Tae-hyun clicked his tongue. He had lost this round. While he had been completely absorbed in his quest, Lee Se-yeon had come fully prepared. If even Lee Se-yeon stepped forward to confirm that he was indeed the infamous Kim Tae-hyun from Pan-On 1, public opinion would spiral completely out of control.

Slap! Tae-hyun grabbed Lee Se-yeon's hand.

"I've always wanted to fight alongside you as a team!"

"I knew it! I knew you'd see reason! You should have just agreed from the start!"

"Haha! Hahaha!"

"Hehehe!"

The two of them laughed harmoniously, facing each other with bright smiles!

"Why don't you just join my guild altogether?"

"Don't push your luck."

"Alright, alright. I'll drop that one."

If she pushed him too hard, Tae-hyun might just self-destruct. Sensing this, Lee Se-yeon backed off gracefully.

"We can do this!"

"We can do this! Let's go!"

"Though I don't know if we actually can!"

Jeong Su-hyeok was practicing coordination with his friends at the Frika Continent Arena. The area surrounding the arena was swarming with players who had gathered to prepare for the qualifiers!

"Whoa, isn't that the ranker Jarette over there? This is a Korean tournament, why is ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠he participating?"

"I heard he couldn't make it onto his own country's invited team, so he came here to fight his way through the qualifiers."

"Why the hell is a foreigner coming all the way here?"

The Korean players grumbled as they watched foreign rankers arrive to prepare for the qualifiers. Everyone present could feel it—the distinct sensation that this Arena League was going to be absolutely massive!

"Su-hyeok, you're our only hope!"

"Yeah! Since we're lacking in skill, you're the only one we can rely on!"

"But is it really okay for you guys to win like that?"

In response to Jeong Su-hyeok's question, his friends answered confidently.

"A win is a win, who cares how we get it!"

"Exactly! Let's win first and worry about the rest later!"

"Whoa, my stats plummeted."

"How long has it been since we've seen stats like this?"

"Are those the broadcasting station staff over there?"

In the distance, they could see players dressed in matching uniforms. The way they were efficiently organizing the other players made them look like MBS staff.

"Players participating in the qualifiers, please gather over here! You can pick up your equipment here!"

"There is a strict limit on the number of consumables and other items you can bring in without equipping them! Any items not on the approved list are strictly prohibited! If you are caught with them later, you will be disqualified for cheating!"

The catchphrase for this Frika Arena League was [A Fair Fight]. Realizing that the arena league in Pan-On 1 had lost its tension due to the massive gaps in player levels and equipment, the broadcasting station had gone all out to ensure perfect balance. This arena would be a true test of skill, decided purely by the players' classes, skills, reflexes, and strategies!

"Hey, do you really think anyone would try to cheat in a place like this?"

"There are all kinds of people in the world, so maybe. You'd be surprised how many gutsy bastards are out there."

Hearing his friends chatter, Jeong Su-hyeok chimed in casually.

"Yeah. I bet Tae-hyun-sunbae could easily pull it off."

Jeong Su-hyeok had said it with absolutely zero malice, out of pure, unadulterated admiration!

"...?"

"Bwahahaha!"

"Did Su-hyeok just make a joke? Okay, that was actually pretty funny."

His friends completely took it as a joke!

...But I was being entirely serious...

Jeong Su-hyeok didn't bother correcting them. His friends still held onto their illusions about Tae-hyun! If they ever spent any real time with him, those illusions would shatter in an instant.

"Alright, let's go!"

"We've got Su-hyeok on our side!"

Jeong Su-hyeok's friends shouted high-spiritedly as they marched toward the arena entrance. At that moment, they spotted the opposing team's players on the other side!

"..."

"..."

The opposing players stood there in dead silence, radiating a bloodthirsty aura!

"W-what's with them?"

"Why are they acting so intense?"

They were clearly players who looked a bit older. Since they had stripped off their usual gear and were wearing the standardized equipment provided by the broadcasting station, it was impossible to guess who they were... but the sheer pressure they exuded was no joke!

"Who are those old guys?"

"Hey, I just looked them up. They're legendary players from Pan-On 1!"

Jeong Chan-woo, who had quickly searched them on his phone, spoke in a rushed whisper.

"They say they were pros who were preparing for the Arena League back in Pan-On 1!"

"What?! Why are people like that here?"

"Well, obviously because the league is opening up again, so they're challenging it..."

"..."

Even though it was just the qualifiers, the competition was incredibly fierce. The hope that they might easily breeze through since it was just the preliminary round vanished in an instant!

"D-don't wimp out! We won't lose either!"

"Yeah! Just remember our practice!"

If it's our practice...

It was a high-stakes gamble: protect Jeong Su-hyeok as much as possible, and if they started losing, bet everything on his random magic!

...That doesn't bring me much comfort at all.

"What did you guys talk about? Huh? What did you talk about? Just tell me a little bit. Did you actually accept her guild offer? If you did, you're taking me with you, right?"

"..."

Tae-hyun, who had been silently listening to Cain's endless badgering, began to scowl. Seeing this, Lee Da-bi quickly backed away. Standing next to an unlucky bastard was a surefire way to get caught in the crossfire!

Sure enough, the sparks flew right at Cain.

"Argh! Why?! What did I even do?!"

After venting his frustration on Cain, Tae-hyun spoke calmly.

"I've decided to participate in the Frika Arena League."

"What?! The qualifiers?!"

"No. As an invited team from the broadcasting station. Together with Lee Se-yeon."

"!!!"

Cain's eyes went wide. Could it be that Lee Se-yeon's visit earlier was actually to invite him to join her team?

"Me too!"

"?"

"Please take me too...! I beg of you...!"

Faced with reality, pride meant absolutely nothing. Cain clung to Tae-hyun and pleaded desperately.

"What are you even going to do if you participate?"

Tae-hyun asked, genuinely puzzled. Lee Da-bi answered the question in Cain's place.

"He told you before, remember? He's getting a lot of pressure from his family."

"Ah..."

Tae-hyun looked at Cain with pitying eyes. His lucrative income from the Red Zone Guild had been cut off, and his personal stream—which had been doing reasonably well—had been shut down out of sheer embarrassment ever since he started hanging out with Tae-hyun. Cain's financial situation was bound to be dire. This Arena League was a golden opportunity!

If I can show them a truly great performance, I'll finally be able to hold my head high in front ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of my family...!

He could no longer live his life hearing things like, "Go get some fresh air!" or "Get a real job instead of playing games!"

"Hmm... Alright. I'll ask them."

"?!??!"

Cain was utterly shocked. He hadn't expected Tae-hyun to actually agree.

"For real?"

"What, was it a joke? Never mind then."

"No! No!!! Please let me join!!!"

"Well, since everyone's level will be normalized anyway, it'll just come down to class and reflexes. It's not like you're a bad tank..."

With Lee Se-yeon and Tae-hyun on the team, the tank only needed to perform at an average level. Besides, Cain's class was one whose power was maximized when he was paired with Tae-hyun.

"I'll talk to the PD."

"R-really? Will they actually accept me?"

"If they don't, I'll just tell them I'm not participating either."

"You... you magnificent bastard...!"

Cain looked at Tae-hyun with eyes full of deep emotion.

He always nags and torments me, but he really does look out for me in the end!

If they don't accept him, it's the perfect excuse for me to back out, right?

The two of them were thinking completely different things! Watching them, Lee Da-bi thought to herself:

I'm pretty sure they're both completely misunderstanding each other.