A Coward's Facade
Chairman Yoo was taken aback by the unexpected proposal. Of course, he loved the idea of traveling with his precious granddaughter, whom he doted on endlessly. But...
If I go with Ji-soo, I won't be able to freely tear into that bastard Kim Tae-hyun...
If Yu Ji-soo was right next to him, he wouldn't even be able to let out a single satisfying curse at Tae-hyun!
"Do you not want to?"
"Ah, no, no. Of course I do. Thank you. Ahem. I'll be in your care."
Despite his reservations, Chairman Yoo couldn't bring himself to reject Yu Ji-soo's offer. He was utterly powerless against his granddaughter!
Sigh... I'll just watch the arena match first and figure things out.
Chairman Yoo decided to wait. Even with Yu Ji-soo around, surely there would be a moment where he could slip away and curse Tae-hyun out!
Besides, he was genuinely curious about the arena matches. The players he had met in the mountains near Tyrum, Kim Jun-su and Kim Jun-hyeong, had talked endlessly about the Prika Arena.
And now, both Yu Ji-soo and Kim Tae-hyun were participating in it!
Chairman Yoo was slowly but surely starting to take a real interest in Pandemonium Online. Naturally, his curiosity was piqued.
I should watch at least one match. Let's see what all the fuss is about...
Chairman Yoo had no idea. He didn't know just how deeply he would fall into Pandemonium Online because of the match he was about to witness today!
"Sob, sob..."
Burford had survived once again. Being captured by the Sadiq Holy Knights under the suspicion of being a spy had actually turned out to be a blessing in disguise.
Once he stripped off his gear and covered his face, the players of the subjugation force simply assumed Burford was an innocent player captured by the Sadiq Church and let him go.
But Burford couldn't bring himself to rejoice.
Their entire headquarters had been wiped off the map!
And the even bigger problem was that the Sadiq Church had completely vanished.
Burford had seen the system message too. The notification announcing the downfall of the Sadiq Church!
To Burford, it was like a bolt from the blue. For someone holding a class tied to the Sadiq Church, the order's existence was absolutely vital. Without the church, his entire path of progression—starting from quests—was completely blocked!
No matter how long he waited, no normal quests appeared. Instead, a different quest popped up.
Rebuild the Fallen Order
The Sadiq Church has suffered a devastating blow and retreated into the shadows. However, not all Sadiq believers have perished. If you gather the faithful and combine your strength, you may be able to resurrect the fallen order.
Gather strength and resurrect the church!
📍 Requirements:
— Sadiq's Sacred Ring
— Gather at least three individuals who possess Sadiq's Authority
🎁 Reward: Resurrection of the Sadiq Church, Class Advancement to a Higher Tier, ??, ???
How am I supposed to find any of this?!
The Sadiq Archbishop was dead, and the Sadiq Holy Knight Commander had vanished without a trace.
Even if he did manage to find the Sadiq Holy Knight Commander, he doubted it would go well. The Commander already suspected Burford of being Tae-hyun's spy!
I was already part of Antonio's faction, and after being threatened by Kim Tae-hyun into acting as a hostage, I'm definitely marked for death now...
Burford slumped to the ground with a gloomy expression.
Even when his assassination attempt failed, or when his Sacred Ring was stolen, he hadn't felt this utterly hopeless.
Should I just change my class entirely?
Burford began to seriously contemplate changing his profession. But the answer didn't come easily. As someone holding a Sadiq Church class, transferring to another holy order was practically impossible.
Is there anywhere I could transfer to... wait...
As he racked his brain, a sudden thought flashed through Burford's mind.
It sounded like a completely insane idea, but the more he thought about it, the more incredibly tempting it became!
The Archisus Church...!
"Ptu!"
"..."
As soon as Do Dong-su met Tae-hyun, he spat on the ground right next to him.
Lee Se-yeon immediately slipped behind Tae-hyun and grabbed both of his arms. She could clearly visualize what would happen one second later!
"Don't beat him up! You can't PVP here!"
"...I'm not even doing anything?"
But Tae-hyun's voice was perfectly calm. Hearing that, Se-yeon let go of his arms with an embarrassed look.
"I thought you were going to pounce on him right away..."
"Sometimes I really wonder what you think of me."
Tae-hyun said as he scanned Do Dong-su from head to toe.
A Thief player wearing a flashy, red set of gear with extravagant decorations, sporting an incredibly arrogant expression! He practically radiated a vibe of 'Look at me, I'm a ranker.'
But seriously, where have I seen him before?
Of course, that didn't mean Tae-hyun could immediately recall Do Dong-su from his memory. Tae-hyun was the type of person who completely erased anyone he had beaten up from his mind!
It's not like I've only fought one or two Thief players. How am I supposed to remember them all?
Tae-hyun furrowed his brows, trying to jog his memory.
This actually made Do Dong-su anxious. He had openly provoked him, yet his opponent was just standing there silently with a scowl on his face.
"What? Why aren't you saying anything? Are you scared?"
"Huh? Oh, sorry. I was thinking about something else."
"..."
Watching the battle of nerves from the side, Cain was filled with admiration.
Tae-hyun was truly peerless when it came to provoking others. He possessed a natural talent to infuriate people whether he spoke or remained silent!
Indeed, Do Dong-su's face was turning red and blue from being caught off guard.
"Y-You're just making excuses because you're scared..."
"What are you talking about? I told you I was thinking about something else. Are your ears clogged?"
Do Dong-su's provocation didn't work at all.
In the first place, this battle of nerves was overwhelmingly disadvantageous for Do Dong-su. Tae-hyun had beaten him to a pulp and forgotten his very name, while Do Dong-su trembled with rage at the mere mention of Tae-hyun's name! Their perspectives were completely different.
"And if you want to fight that badly, should we plant a duel flag right now? I don't mind."
"...!"
Do Dong-su flinched at Tae-hyun's words.
To suggest planting a duel flag immediately just because of a little provocation!
Usually, high-tier rankers avoided PVPing with other rankers. Unless the opponent was completely weak, a fight between rankers was always unpredictable. It was only entertaining for the spectators; the participants had too much to lose in an uncertain battle.
Yet Tae-hyun had immediately offered to plant a flag over a few words of provocation. He was on a completely different level from other rankers who constantly worried about their characters and calculated their profits. His hostility was such that if he felt insulted, he would plant a flag first and ask questions later!
The surrounding area was teeming with players who had come to watch the arena, as well as broadcasting staff. Yet he was proposing a fight right here.
Damn it...! Is he really that confident?
Do Dong-su bit his lip.
Originally, he had planned to fight Tae-hyun the moment they met, regardless of the situation. But...
He couldn't bring himself to speak.
He couldn't say, 'Fine, let's plant the flag, you bastard!'
His mouth felt frozen shut.
Only then did Do Dong-su realize. He was afraid!
No matter how much he tried to deny it, his body was honest.
"What are you doing? I said let's plant a flag. Don't want to?"
"Stop it. What are you doing right before the tournament?"
It was Lee Se-yeon who saved Do Dong-su's life.
"He's the one who provoked me first."
"Even so, you can't fight now! Don't you see all these people? What will they think if they see this?"
"They'll probably think we're doing some real-combat training."
"..."
"And they'll actually love it."
"Do you think they'd love it in a good way? Anyway, don't fight. And Mr. Do Dong-su, if we're entering the tournament as a team, please show some basic manners. I know you hate the Kim Tae-hyun from Pan-On 1, but the Kim Tae-hyun here just happens to share the same name and has nothing to do with him."
Thanks to Se-yeon's intervention, Do Dong-su was barely able to catch his breath. He was able to back down without making an absolute fool of himself.
"Hmph. Do you think I'm his friend or something?"
"Wait, you actually had friends?!"
"..."
Do Dong-su clenched his fists even tighter.
Se-yeon nudged Tae-hyun in the ribs.
—Stop provoking him!
—Hey, he's the one who picked a fight first!
—That's because you beat him up so badly in Pan-On 1!
—...
Even Tae-hyun had nothing to say to that.
"Kim Tae-hyun, watch closely."
"...?"
"I believe what Jecas said."
Jecas's claim that the Kim Tae-hyun from Pan-On 1 was indeed this Tae-hyun. Believing those words meant only one thing.
"Look, I told you, that guy got beaten by me and is just trying to drag me down out of pettiness."
"I used to think that might be the case."
Do Dong-su glared at Tae-hyun.
Although Jecas had claimed so, there was no evidence, and since Se-yeon had denied it, he had been somewhat skeptical. But seeing Tae-hyun face-to-face today, he knew. Jecas was telling the truth.
There was no way two people like this existed in the world!
"I have absolutely no intention of cooperating with you."
"Yeah, whatever. I said let's plant a flag. Are you chicken?"
A vein popped on Do Dong-su's forehead.
The most primitive way of provoking someone: Are you chicken?
"I only showed up because MBS asked me to..."
"Hey. Are you chicken?"
"Don't you dare expect me to cooperate with you and make things easy for you!"
"He's chicken. Look at him. He's totally chicken, right?"
Do Dong-su stormed off, trembling with rage.
Se-yeon pressed her hand to her forehead and sighed. It seemed the tournament would turn out to be completely different from what she had envisioned.
"Do Dong-su is truly consistent, isn't he?"
"Pardon?"
Team Leader Choi Myung-sung pointed at Do Dong-su on the screen.
"He's exactly the same in Pan-On 2 as he was in Pan-On 1."
"Didn't Do Dong-su get a lot stronger in Pan-On 2?"
"In terms of stats, skills, and gear, sure, he's gotten stronger. But his core remains unchanged."
"??"
"He gets scared and can't throw everything on the line at crucial moments. That's why he lost to a blacksmith while playing a Thief class."
Choi Myung-sung clicked his tongue and shook his head.
In Choi Myung-sung's eyes, Do Dong-su was a coward. Pan-On players thought Do Dong-su was a rough, fearless, and powerful player, but that was merely a facade. How could anyone achieve greatness when they shrank back like that at critical moments?
In contrast, Tae-hyun was the exact opposite. He was someone who could throw himself into the fray no matter how disadvantageous the situation!
Hearing Team Leader Choi Myung-sung's words, Yoon Ju-hwan thought to himself:
Isn't that just because he has a terrible personality?
"No, it's not."
"Gasp!"
"You were just thinking that he just has a terrible personality, weren't you?"
Yoon Ju-hwan stared at Choi Myung-sung with his mouth wide open.
"I've worked with you for years. Do you think I don't know what you're thinking? Of course, Kim Tae-hyun does have a terrible personality."
If Tae-hyun had heard this, he would have flared up in denial, but Choi Myung-sung didn't deny that part. Objectively speaking, Tae-hyun's personality was indeed terrible!
"But having a terrible personality and being able to throw yourself on the line at crucial moments are two completely different things. Even if a coward has a terrible personality, they can never do that. Usually, people like Tae-hyun are the ones who excel in major matches."
"I-I see."
Yoon Ju-hwan hesitated before asking, "Still, wasn't what Kim Tae-hyun just did a self-destructive move?"
"Why?"
"There was no reason to pick a fight with a teammate he'll be entering the tournament with soon. If he had just spoken nicely and cleared up the misunderstanding..."
"Even if Kim Tae-hyun had been nice to him, Do Dong-su would have suspected him anyway."
"That might be true, but..."
"Forget it. It wouldn't be Kim Tae-hyun if he backed down there. Besides, Do Dong-su won't be able to get in Kim Tae-hyun's way."
"Pardon? Why is that?"
"They are built differently."
"...No, I know Kim Tae-hyun is amazing, but the situation is different now! It's a 5v5!"
"Whether it's a 5v5 or a 10v10, nothing changes. Want to bet on it?"
"Ugh..."
Yoon Ju-hwan flinched at his team leader's absolute confidence.