What Do You Mean, Already?
"What? Already?"
"What do you mean, 'already'? If anything, we're on the slower side."
The other teams participating—or planning to participate—in the finals had finalized their rosters ages ago and were already deep into training to build teamwork. Deciding on the final members only now was incredibly late!
"Is that so? Then how did you pick them? Drawing straws?"
"..."
Lee Se-yeon stared at Tae-hyun, her expression rapidly morphing into one of utter disbelief.
"There's no way we'd draw straws. Why do you think we put this team together in the first place?"
"Because you wanted to torture me?"
"Haha! Anyone listening would get the wrong idea! Stop spouting nonsense!"
"But it's true."
Lee Se-yeon quickly scanned their surroundings to see if anyone had overheard. Fortunately, no player was brave enough to linger near them while they were talking in private.
"Keep your voice down, will you? Who do you think is the reason I'm here suffering like this?"
"The other players did all the suffering, not you."
Sensing she was losing the argument, Lee Se-yeon quickly changed the subject.
"Ahem. Anyway, there's only one reason our team was formed: buzz."
The Arena Tournament had flopped hard back in Pandemonium Online 1. Naturally, the broadcasting station reviving it was bound to be anxious. No matter how meticulously they calculated and convinced themselves, 'This time, it's a guaranteed hit!' they couldn't entirely mask their unease.
That was why they had cast the team consisting of Tae-hyun and Lee Se-yeon.
When it came to generating buzz among domestic players, those two were always at the very top.
One was a ranker among rankers, renowned for her sheer skill since the days of Pan-On 1.
The other was a player who had suddenly burst onto the scene in Pan-On 2 (though he had actually played Pan-On 1 as well), monopolizing the attention and curiosity of the entire player base by being the first to clear massive, high-profile quests.
Even now, countless players were still desperately trying to guess what Tae-hyun's class actually was.
With those two on board, they had become the broadcasting station's ultimate trump card. Naturally, the remaining players had to be selected with popularity and buzz in mind as well. Of course, Cain was more of a package deal throw-in.
"Buzz, huh..."
"Do you ever watch other players' streams?"
"No, never."
Tae-hyun answered instantly. Lee Se-yeon wasn't even surprised.
"Yeah, I figured."
"I'll probably watch them if I ever need to hunt down rankers again."
"...That's a joke, right?"
"Of course."
Even though Tae-hyun claimed it was a joke, it somehow didn't feel like one at all.
"Well, since you don't watch, you wouldn't know. The fourth member we recruited is Kim Chul-soo."
"Who's that?"
"A Priest player. He has a great personality and his skills are proven, so there shouldn't be any issues."
Though Tae-hyun had no idea, Kim Chul-soo was a fairly famous player in his own right. He was evaluated as having decent skills among domestic Priest players, and his streams were considered quite entertaining... He was a player who, in many ways, was the very definition of 'decent'!
Since Priest players usually relied heavily on party play, many of them tended to have amiable personalities. In that regard, Kim Chul-soo was highly experienced, which gave Lee Se-yeon peace of mind. He was a player who would never clash with someone as notoriously difficult as Tae-hyun, even if they were on the same team.
After listening to Lee Se-yeon's explanation, Tae-hyun nodded and summarized, "So, in short, he's average?"
"...Did you even listen to a word I said?"
"If he's not the absolute top Priest in the country, then he's average. Be honest with me. Do you or do you not consider yourself the top Necromancer in Korea?"
"I—I do, but..."
Lee Se-yeon stammered at Tae-hyun's blunt question. In truth, by Tae-hyun's standards, almost every player was just average.
"I figured that if someone was being scouted for this team, they'd at least be a player hailed as the top Priest in Korea."
"Just don't say things like that in front of him."
"Why would I ever say that to his face?"
"Because I'm afraid you'll sabotage things on purpose..."
"Ah. What a brilliant idea!"
"If you dare sabotage this on purpose, I swear I'll call a press conference with all the gaming journalists!"
"..."
Lee Se-yeon was no pushover either. Tae-hyun smacked his lips and backed down. They both knew each other's weaknesses all too well!
In truth, there was only one reason Kim Chul-soo had been chosen over other prominent Priest players. The truly elite Priests had already formed teams with other players and were seriously aiming for the finals!
Naturally, MBS had no choice but to choose from solo players who weren't affiliated with any guilds, and the result of that search was Kim Chul-soo.
A solo player, a decently skilled Priest, and a decently popular streamer to boot!
"Fine. I'll make an effort to be polite when I meet this Kim Min-soo guy."
"...It's Kim Chul-soo."
"Same difference. So, who's the last remaining member?"
"That's the problem..."
Lee Se-yeon trailed off.
Out of the five members, four of them—Lee Se-yeon, Kim Tae-hyun, Cain, and Kim Chul-soo—were players who wouldn't cause friction with Tae-hyun. In other words, they would have no trouble playing as a team!
But the final player was a completely different story.
"Do you know Do Dong-su?"
Do Dong-su. He was a Thief ranker who had been famous for two things in Pan-On 1.
Before fighting Tae-hyun, he was known as an outstanding domestic Thief ranker.
After fighting Tae-hyun, he became known as 'the Thief who lost a 1v1 to a blacksmith lol'!
Naturally, the man himself had been grinding his teeth in resentment ever since. It was so bad that if anyone even mentioned words like 'Kim Tae-hyun', 'Tae-hyun', or 'blacksmith' in his personal stream's chat, they would be instantly banned!
Lee Se-yeon had once watched Do Dong-su play in Pan-On 2. He had been fighting perfectly fine, but the moment a blacksmith player approached him from behind to offer repairs, he had jumped out of his skin and drawn his daggers on them.
It was a trauma engraved deep into his very bones!
Of course, since bringing up Tae-hyun's name to Do Dong-su would trigger a fiery rage, no one dared to mention it around him...
"Never heard of him. Who's that?"
"Of course you forgot... He's one of the rankers you defeated."
"...?"
Naturally, just because Lee Se-yeon mentioned it didn't mean Tae-hyun would suddenly remember. If he were the type of person to remember such things, he wouldn't have gone around accumulating so many grudges in the first place!
"That Do Dong-su was chosen as our final team member."
"Oh, really?"
"What do you mean, 'Oh, really'?! Show some panic! Aren't you flustered at all? That guy absolutely loathes you!"
"Well, when someone dislikes me, I usually prefer to give them a reason to hate me even more thoroughly."
Lee Se-yeon was utterly dumbfounded by how shamelessly Tae-hyun said this with a straight face.
"Oh, what a thing to be proud of!"
"Besides, if he hates me that much, isn't it the broadcasting station's fault for picking him? And it's not like he knows I'm that same guy anyway, right?"
"The station probably had their reasons. Do Dong-su is incredibly popular."
"Is he?"
"He's top-tier among Thief players. His skills have improved significantly compared to Pan-On 1."
The driving force behind Do Dong-su's rapid growth was actually his burning grudge against Tae-hyun, but Lee Se-yeon had no way of knowing that.
Since his skills were undeniable and he had won an overwhelming number of votes in the popularity poll, it would have been highly burdensome for MBS to exclude him. On top of that, Do Dong-su was a solo player unaffiliated with any guild!
The station executives, completely unaware of Do Dong-su's deep-seated trauma, had pressured the staff, saying, 'Just put Do Dong-su in,' and 'Who else could possibly match his caliber?' In the end, Do Dong-su was selected.
"And while he might not know you're the Kim Tae-hyun from Pan-On 1... he still hates you quite intensely..."
He was a man who would practically have a seizure at the mere mention of the letter 'T', and would preemptively attack any blacksmith who dared approach him from behind!
"Just the suspicion that you might be him will be enough to make him incredibly prickly."
"Jecas is really turning out to be a massive pain in the neck," Tae-hyun muttered, shrugging his shoulders. Then, he added in a quiet whisper, "I need to find that bastard and beat him to a pulp soon..."
"?!"
"Anyway, that's all, right? Kim Chul-soo doesn't hate me, and Do Dong-su does. Simple."
"..."
Tae-hyun dismissed a situation that was anything but simple as if it were the easiest thing in the world. Watching him, Lee Se-yeon felt a growing sense of dread.
He'd better not cause any trouble...
"You seriously can't cause any trouble, okay?"
"I won't. Trust me."
With completely different thoughts swirling in their minds, the two finished their preparations to head to the Arena.
"Unni, do I look okay?"
"That's the tenth time you've asked me that... You customize your appearance in Pan-On anyway, so what are you so anxious about?"
"B-but still... does this armor look better, or does this one?"
"..."
Ju Ga-yeon patiently answered Yu Ji-soo's endless stream of questions. Anyone else would have lost their temper several times over by now!
Despite having just made a massive contribution to the subjugation of the Sadiq Church, Yu Ji-soo was hesitating.
How should she make her appearance to be the most dramatic?
How could she leave the deepest, most lasting impression?
The result of her agonizing was the current situation: holding Ju Ga-yeon hostage and bombarding her with questions!
"Ji-soo... please... You're incredibly pretty, so you'll look fine no matter what. Just go already!"
"R-really? Then..."
Yu Ji-soo cleared her throat a few times and finally began walking toward where Tae-hyun had been. However, there was already no one there.
"...?"
Yu Ji-soo tilted her head, unable to immediately process reality.
Yu Ji-soo grabbed a nearby player and asked, "Where did player Kim Tae-hyun go?"
"That bas—cough, I mean, Mr. Kim Tae-hyun flew off on a wyvern with Lee Se-yeon."
"..."
Setting aside the player who clearly looked like he had suffered immensely at Tae-hyun's hands, Yu Ji-soo stood frozen, completely dazed by the unexpected turn of events.
The entire reason she had endured such hellish suffering here had vanished in an instant!
Watching from the side, Ju Ga-yeon shook her head. How could someone possibly have such terrible luck?
"T-this can't be..."
As Yu Ji-soo sank into despair, a sudden clattering noise echoed in front of her.
"...?"
The Sadiq Church's stronghold had been completely subjugated. Aside from a few curious players wandering around to see if there were any hidden storehouses, there was absolutely no reason for such a sound to suddenly echo here.
"What is that?"
Ju Ga-yeon tensed up and drew her bow. At that exact moment, the sealed door of the abandoned mine ahead shattered into pieces.
Stepping out from the dust was none other than Chairman Yoo!
"Where is that bastard Kim Tae-hyun?! Show yourself!"
His appearance was completely different from when they had last seen him! Back then, he had looked like a textbook beginner who had just started the game. Now, however, Chairman Yoo exuded the formidable aura of a battle-hardened veteran who had been playing for years.
"Mister, what are you doing in there?"
"?!"
Chairman Yoo stared at Yu Ji-soo in sheer panic. Why on earth was his granddaughter here?
Since he had already burst out shouting Tae-hyun's name, a half-baked lie wouldn't cut it. Chairman Yoo had no choice but to explain what had happened—while doing his absolute best to keep his true identity hidden!
"So, what I'm saying is, that guy is an absolute scoundrel!"
"Oppa is not that kind of person."
"..."
Yu Ji-soo's response was so sharp and decisive it felt like a physical blow to Chairman Yoo's chest. The atmosphere instantly turned icy.
That... That bastard Kim Tae-hyun...!
His heart was filled with nothing but sheer injustice! But what could he do? His granddaughter was already completely blinded by affection. Swallowing his tears of blood, Chairman Yoo quickly changed his tune.
"Ah, no... I mean, he is quite thoughtful, in a way. He did leave me in there so I could level up safely. If I had stayed outside, I might have died in the crossfire."
"Right?"
The moment he praised Tae-hyun, Yu Ji-soo's icy demeanor melted away instantly. Seeing this, Chairman Yoo's heart burned with even greater agony.
"Yes. Well, I should be on my way..."
Afraid that staying any longer would either give him an ulcer or blow his cover, Chairman Yoo tried to make a quick exit. However, Yu Ji-soo showed unexpected interest.
"Where are you heading?"
"I'm planning to head to the Arena."
Since Tae-hyun had reportedly gone to the Arena, Chairman Yoo was determined to go there too. I will absolutely smack that bastard's back with my fishing rod at least once!
"Would you like to go together?"
"...!"