Take It Off!
"Excuse me, everyone?" At Lee Se-yeon's single call, countless players in the vicinity froze in their tracks and turned to look at her.
Lee Se-yeon was a household name, famous not only among Korean players but also internationally. Her immense popularity had carried over seamlessly from Pan-On 1.
"I have a rather interesting story. Would you like to hear it?"
Se-yeon's strategy was simple. She planned to gather the massive crowd loitering around the arena and use them as witnesses.
No matter how shameless and unpredictable Tae-hyun could be, even he wouldn't dare break a promise if she secured his word in front of a massive audience!
Do I really have to go this far? No, I absolutely must!
It was a testament to the deep-rooted distrust they shared. Fortunately, the area around the arena was teeming with players who had nothing better to do and were practically begging for entertainment.
Se-yeon recruited them with effortless ease. In the blink of an eye, a massive expedition force to subjugate the Sadique Order was assembled. It was an outcome that even Tae-hyun, who had initiated the persuasion, could never have anticipated.
"Let's have a fair and square fight."
"...!"
While Lee Se-yeon was playing the Pied Piper outside, leading a massive horde of players, another fiery confrontation was brewing inside the arena building. It was the match between the Holy Knight Size King Guild and Jeong Su-hyeok's team!
"F-Fair and square?"
"Yes! Fair and square!"
"...Do you bastards even have the right to utter those words? You crazy sons of bitches!" the Guild Leader roared in fury.
The fateful day when several prominent guilds had crumbled to dust, completely manipulated by Tae-hyun's silver tongue! Just thinking about that day made him kick his blankets in frustration and clench his fists in rage.
And now, a member of that very same bastard's crew was asking to fight "fair and square." It felt exactly like a cornered thief shouting at a police officer, "Let's settle this fair and square!"
As the Holy Knight Guild Leader hopped madly in anger, Choi Jin-hyuk stepped forward.
"Is it a crime to ask for a fair fight? We're just saying we should fight head-on without any cheap tricks."
"Not when it comes to you lot! You bunch of scammers!"
"Tsk. Looks like they're chicken. Forget it, Su-hyeok. Let's go back."
"...!"
A simple yet highly effective provocation! Su-hyeok marveled inwardly. Unlike himself, who lacked confidence in verbal sparring, Jin-hyuk was incredibly witty. Sure enough, a thick vein bulged prominently on the Holy Knight Guild Leader's forehead.
"W-Who's chicken?! Huh?!"
"We're offering to clash head-on at the central base instead of wasting time with petty tricks, so why all the whining? Whatever. No wonder you guys lost to Kim Tae-hyun."
A double whammy! Having suffered immensely at Tae-hyun's hands, the Guild Leader was utterly powerless against such a targeted jab.
"Fine! You're on!"
"Guild Master, no!" The Holy Knight guild members gasped in horror at their leader's reckless response.
"They're openly mocking us! You expect me to just sit back and take it? Huh?!"
"You fell for the exact same trick last time!"
"..."
The guild members hit him with a brutally heavy dose of reality. Struck squarely in his metaphorical solar plexus, the Guild Leader fell silent. Seeing this, Jeong Su-hyeok quickly intervened. They had fully expected the enemy to be skeptical. They needed to offer some form of reassurance.
"We will head up to the central base first. You can make your move after you confirm we're there."
"...!"
The arena featured three bases—top, middle, and bottom—but entering them didn't grant instant capture. A team had to hold the position for a set duration to claim it, and the capture progress would halt the moment an opposing player stepped inside. Thus, entering a base first wasn't necessarily a massive advantage.
Of course, entering first allowed a team to set up a defensive perimeter. However, in Pan-On, such advantages could vanish in an instant depending on the opponent's skills and classes. In particular, securing a base first against Holy Knights was practically meaningless. They would simply rely on their high defense and charge straight in. Yet, they were offering to go to the central base first?
"The five of you are going up to the central base first? How can we trust that?"
"We'll make sure all five of us are clearly visible from below."
Because the arena map was massive, it offered plenty of terrain to hide. The central base sat atop a hill, meaning anyone hiding behind the rocks or bushes on the slope would be invisible from below. To eliminate that suspicion, they were offering to stand in plain sight where they could be easily spotted.
"????" Even the Holy Knight guild members were taken aback by Su-hyeok's proposal. He was essentially offering to lay bare their entire strategy before the fight even began.
"I-Is it a trap? Maybe they have a way to hold out while capturing the central base..."
"If they had a trick like that, wouldn't they just use it instead of telling us?"
"Oh, right." It made perfect sense when they thought about it!
"No, wait. What if they lay traps to keep us from climbing up..."
"Man, you guys are paranoid as hell," Choi Jin-hyuk said, tagging back in for Su-hyeok.
"We're going to head up to the central base and show you all five of us. Do whatever you want after that. If you don't want to believe us, don't. If you don't want to come up, then don't."
With that, Jin-hyuk turned around. A proper provocation had to be cut off at just the right moment! It was best to leave the opponent thinking, Wait, are they actually serious? As he walked away, Jin-hyuk whispered loudly to his teammates.
"Let's record this and upload it."
"Yeah, they're such cowards. Imagine having five Holy Knights on a team and being too scared to fight head-on."
Though it was an incredibly blatant attempt to be overheard, it worked wonders on the Guild Leader.
"...!" The Holy Knight Guild Leader looked as though he had made a solemn, unshakeable resolve.
"Hey, look over there."
"Whoa... she's gorgeous."
"Gorgeous, my foot. That's just the Pan-On avatar customization. She probably looks totally average in real life."
"Do you want to die? How dare you insult Ju Ga-yeon?"
"Exactly! Ga-yeon is definitely a goddess in real life too!"
The players gathered at the Prika Arena loved catching glimpses of famous rankers. In fact, half of them had come solely for that purpose! And Ju Ga-yeon, who was currently walking right past them, was one of the most popular Archer players in the game.
Even though she didn't actively promote herself or stream, rumors about her had spread far and wide through word of mouth. It was all thanks to her incredible skills and stunning looks.
"Unni, everyone is staring at us."
"Once we start competing in the tournament, they'll stare even more. Get used to it."
Walking alongside Ju Ga-yeon naturally drew a flood of attention to Yu Ji-soo as well. For Ji-soo, who had always preferred quiet, uncrowded places, this spotlight was highly uncomfortable. Indeed, Ju Ga-yeon was the Guild Leader of the Pied Guild, which Ji-soo had recently joined.
Pied, an elite, small-scale guild, had decided to participate in this arena tournament. And surprisingly, Ji-soo had managed to secure a spot on the roster. It was a position she had earned through her Epic Class, Tyrum Ranger, and her own blood, sweat, and tears! No one in the guild doubted her capabilities.
"By the way, is that Kim Tae-hyun guy not here?"
"Yes. Hyung—I mean, Tae-hyun Oppa is usually too busy with quests..."
"I thought you cleared up the misunderstanding last time. Why do you still call him 'Hyung'?"
"I-It just rolls off the tongue so naturally... Is it really that weird?"
"It's not weird per se, but other people might get the wrong idea if they hear you."
"It's fine! I don't mind that much!"
"So we won't get to see this Kim Tae-hyun until the main tournament? I really wanted to meet him. Both you and Sang-yun praise him to high heaven..."
Ji-soo let out a subtle sigh of relief. Seeing this, Ga-yeon tilted her head in confusion. Why does she look relieved? Normally, wouldn't you be disappointed that you can't meet him here?
"Aren't you disappointed?"
"Pardon?"
"I figured you'd be sad that you missed him."
"Ah... well, I can always see him outside the game. And more importantly..."
"...?"
"If Hyung keeps showing up in crowded places, other people might start clinging to him..."
"..."
Ga-yeon stared at Ji-soo with a look that was equal parts dumbfounded and pitiful. The only reason she didn't snap, Listen to yourself, was because she was kind-hearted and older than Ji-soo. Yes, people in love were prone to acting incredibly foolish! In that regard, Ga-yeon was exceptionally understanding.
"I... don't think that would happen."
"No, it absolutely would! Do you have any idea how handsome he is?!"
To Ga-yeon, Tae-hyun's appearance screamed "intimidating thug" no matter how she looked at it. Yet, whenever Ji-soo described him, she stubbornly insisted on minority opinions like "handsome" or "rugged and striking." She was wearing some seriously thick rose-colored glasses!
"And I'm already stressed enough about the people he hangs out with these days..."
"R-Really? They didn't seem like that to me at all."
As far as Ga-yeon could tell, Tae-hyun's party didn't seem to have even a shred of romantic tension. When a couple was dating within a party, they naturally exuded a distinct, unmistakable aura. Tae-hyun's party possessed absolutely none of that. Ga-yeon, who was highly sensitive to such social cues, was absolutely certain of it.
"Though, I suppose that player Lee Da-bi might be a bit concerning. She is quite pretty."
The notorious reputation of the Power Warrior guild often overshadowed it, but Lee Da-bi was actually quite popular in her own right. After all, popularity was almost always proportional to looks! While she frequently drew jeers and criticism due to the toxic image of the Power Warrior guild, that very notoriety had ironically garnered her a dedicated fanbase.
"What? No, I'm way more worried about Cain than her."
"Him?!"
Ga-yeon gasped, completely blindsided by the unexpected answer.
"I-I mean, no matter how open-minded I try to be, surely Cain isn't the threat here? Shouldn't it be Lee Da-bi?"
"Unni, you just don't get it! Back when I was traveling with them, Cain was treated like some random mob or a slave. But lately, Oppa has been strangely nice to him! And he even joined the arena tournament with him! Come to think of it, Oppa has always been weirdly sweet to guys!"
"Isn't that just because he's only surrounded by guys...?"
Ga-yeon's perfectly logical reasoning fell on completely deaf ears.
"And that Choi Sang-yun guy too!"
"Well, those two are indeed very close."
"And his university junior too!"
"..."
Ga-yeon stared at Ji-soo, feeling slightly exhausted. Ji-soo wasn't even jealous of potential romantic rivals; she was simply jealous of anyone receiving Tae-hyun's attention! Otherwise, there was absolutely no reason for her to harbor such intense hostility toward Cain or Tae-hyun's college junior.
"Hey, the match is starting. Let's hurry."
"It's just the preliminaries, does it really matter if we miss it?"
The voices of passing players drifted into the duo's ears.
"No, this one is actually worth watching. It's the Holy Knight Size King Guild versus..."
"What? There's a guild with a vulgar name like that? Don't tell me they fight with their armor off?"
"That's what I heard! Just look at their guild name. That must be why they chose it. Otherwise, what kind of lunatic would name their guild that?"
It was a rumor that had somehow mutated into something bizarre as it spread!
"And listen to who their opponents are. Apparently, it's a party featuring a Mage who used to travel with that infamous Kim Tae-hyun. I hear he casts some really bizarre spells."
"Bizarre spells?"
The gossiping players hurried off to secure good seats. Mage-type classes always drew a crowd, and an unusual, unorthodox Mage was bound to attract even more attention. And Jeong Su-hyeok was the absolute epitome of an unpredictable Mage!
Glancing at the retreating backs of the players, Ju Ga-yeon asked,
"It sounds like that college junior you mentioned is competing. Want to go watch?"
"Absolutely!"
Ji-soo nodded with a solemn expression. She wanted to see exactly what this Jeong Su-hyeok was made of.
I'm definitely stronger than him!
Her competitive streak was flaring up in the strangest of places.
"For a preliminary match..."
"Isn't the crowd unusually massive?"
The members of the Holy Knight Size King Guild murmured anxiously, sensing that something was off. The crowd was undeniably larger than usual. Preliminary matches never drew this many spectators. As they stood there bewildered, the voices of the audience drifted down to them.
"What gives? Why aren't they stripping?"
"I came all this way because I heard there were Holy Knights who fight with their armor off!"
"Take it off! Take it off! Take it off! Take it off!"
"..."