A Warm Welcome

"What do you think? Do you think it would be a good idea for me to learn other skills too?"

"Do whatever you want. Why are you even asking me that?"

"Well... if I want to get stronger..."

"What happened to the gentleman who said he was only going to fish...?"

"..."

Chairman Yoo looked away, his face flushed with embarrassment. Tae-hyun decided to stop teasing him. If he pushed any further, the old man would probably just lose his temper.

"If you want to get stronger, it's definitely better to learn a wide variety of skills."

"R-really?"

"Yes. When it comes to skills, the more the merrier. Since the old days, focusing on just a few main skills has been considered the standard, but that's actually wrong."

"Is that so?"

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

Chairman Yoo tilted his head. He, too, had always believed that mastering just a few key skills was the correct approach.

"You just have to master those few key skills, and then master all the other ones to the same level."

"...That's easier said than done!"

"Well, it's not like you're short on time, Chairman."

Chairman Yoo had already stepped back from the front lines of his company, only receiving reports on major matters. Still, hearing this made him feel strangely indignant.

"Y-you cheeky brat. It's not that I have too much time on my hands..."

"Anyway, let's get moving. Cain! What are you doing? Hurry up!"

"I'm coming! I'm coming!"

Cain, who was pulling out his motorcycle, suddenly froze.

"Hey, wait a minute. Didn't this thing teleport us last time?"

"Well, that's your bad luck. I clearly recommended a different one."

"...!!"

Come to think of it, he was right. Tae-hyun had definitely recommended something else!

"Y-you bastard... Did you set a trap, predicting that I would ask to change it...?"

What is he even talking about?

Tae-hyun stared at Cain as if he had lost his mind, but Cain's expression showed he was already fully convinced of his own conspiracy theory.

"You jerk! I'm never falling for your tricks again!"

Vroooom! Cain hopped onto his mount and sped off first.

Lee Da-bi, who arrived a moment later, tilted her head.

"Where did Cain go?"

"He went ahead."

In Pangaea Online, there were many ways to travel from one region to another.

In prosperous kingdoms like the Erangs Kingdom, players could visit the Magic Tower to teleport to other cities within the realm.

Of course, this required a certain amount of contribution points with the Erangs Kingdom, a clean record with no active bounties, and a hefty fee in gold.

Still, busy players gladly utilized these services.

Players who couldn't afford such luxuries relied on carriages or hired NPCs who offered rides on their mounts.

In that regard, the Prica Continent had far fewer transportation options compared to the Central Continent.

Fortunately, players capable of venturing to the Prica Continent were usually high-level enough to possess at least one personal mount.

Perhaps because of this, quite a few flying players could be seen in the sky.

"Wow... Did you see that? That one? That's the horse that went for six thousand gold at the auction house the other day!"

"Yeah, yeah. I see it."

Tae-hyun nodded blankly at Lee Da-bi's words.

For the past ten minutes, Lee Da-bi had been rattling off the market prices of every single mount in their vicinity.

"And the price of that one is..."

"Right, right. But you do realize the mount you're riding right now is actually more expensive, don't you?"

Tae-hyun spoke without much thought. He had only blurted it out because he was getting tired of the commentary.

Ah, shoot.

"O-oh my...!"

"Hey, don't sell it! You can't sell that!"

"I-I won't sell it!"

Cain, who had been listening to their conversation, asked Tae-hyun.

"Hey, is it just me, or are there a lot of people staring at us?"

"Well, it makes sense."

Even if Tae-hyun disguised himself, riding around on a flying motorcycle was bound to draw ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠attention.

It was practically screaming, "I am Kim Tae-hyun!" to the entire world.

Because of this, Tae-hyun had already dispelled his disguise.

Tae-hyun spoke dismissively, telling him not to worry.

"We're going to keep getting stared at like this anyway, so ignore them and just focus on driving."

"Was it really a good idea to leave Burford behind?"

Cain's worry was actually quite reasonable. Upon returning to the territory, the thing that had shocked Cain the most was seeing the Paladins of Sadiq wandering around.

"For Archisus and Sadiq! For Archisus and Sadiq!"

"For Archisus! And slightly less for Sadiq!"

For ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a split second, Cain had genuinely wondered if he had ended up in the wrong place.

"The Sadiq Church is practically ruined, so they won't be able to do anything. Just like how they don't do anything to you even when you're left alone."

"I guess that's tr... wait, what?"

"Wow. Look at that boat passing by down there."

"..."

Cain glared at Tae-hyun before turning his gaze away. He could see players crossing the sea in boats.

Even players who weren't high enough level to actually hunt on the Prica Continent were traveling there just to spectate.

"It's not snowing anymore?"

"It seems it's only falling on the Central Continent."

"It's snowing in Frozeland too! It's falling in Frozeland as well!"

Cain shouted as he overheard the conversation between Chairman Yoo and Tae-hyun.

His time in Frozeland had been brief, but the memories were deeply engraved in his mind.

Cain had played Pangaea Online for quite a long time, but he had never encountered a crazy NPC like Galakpad before.

Wait, that lunatic Galakpad is heading to our territory, and the territory is currently filled with Sadiq Paladins...

Shiver! A cold sweat broke out down Cain's spine.

Cain stopped thinking. There was no point in stressing over it now; nothing would change anyway!

It's not my responsibility! Kim Tae-hyun is the one who brought those guys here!

To be precise, it was actually Pelmas who brought them, but still.

While Cain was having an internal crisis, Chairman Yoo continued the conversation.

"This Pangaea Online game is truly fascinating. To think it snows even in the middle of summer."

"Well, all sorts of bizarre things happen in Pangaea Online."

"Does it cause changes in the environment, just like in reality?"

"I suppose so?"

"Hmm..."

Chairman Yoo fell into deep thought. What kind of phenomena would occur if it snowed in the summer?

"Hrmmm... Excuse me, Miss Lee Da-bi."

"Yes?"

"Miss?"

"Miss??"

Tae-hyun and Cain whipped their heads back in shock. For the dignified Chairman Yoo to address someone so politely?

"There is something I am curious about..."

Thud. Dismounting from their rides, Tae-hyun's group looked toward the arena building standing in the distance.

Crowds of people were already packed tightly around the area.

Lee Da-bi gazed at the massive crowd with a deeply satisfied expression.

"This is so heartwarming."

"Why are you the one feeling warmed by this?"

"Don't you see the Power Warrior guild members over there?"

"..."

Lee Da-bi was truly a business genius who stayed several steps ahead of everyone else.

The members of the Power Warrior Guild were busily peddling goods to the spectating players.

The only difference from before was that they were now proudly displaying their guild name!

Thanks to Tae-hyun's "promotion" on his stream, the brand value of Power Warrior had skyrocketed.

Consequently, the number of players applying to join the Power Warrior Guild had surged.

Compared to their humble past, the difference was enough to bring tears to their eyes.

Usually, large guilds were cool and aloof. Got a complaint? Then leave! We'll run perfectly fine without you! That was their typical attitude toward members.

But Power Warrior was the exact opposite. Even if you have complaints, please don't leave! If you leave, our guild will collapse!

Power Warrior was a guild that proudly wore its desperation and clinginess on its sleeve!

"Oh my god, is that Kim Tae-hyun?"

"Whoa! It's Kim Tae-hyun! Cain is here too!"

"I'm a huge fan!"

Players who recognized Tae-hyun's group rushed over in a swarm.

A pretty Elf player grabbed Cain's hand and smiled, causing his face to instantly stretch into a goofy grin.

"I'm really looking forward to your performance in this tournament!"

"T-thank you...?"

Female fans also crowded around Tae-hyun, cheering enthusiastically. Seeing this, Lee Da-bi subtly puffed out her cheeks.

At that moment, Tae-hyun sent a whisper to Lee Da-bi.

Tae-hyun pointed toward the fans gathered in front of them.

Lee Da-bi stared at Tae-hyun in disbelief, but he was dead serious.

"Here! Please drink this! It's a beverage we made ourselves!"

"Huh? Food buffs don't apply in the tournament, though?"

"Ah, is that so? I'm so sorry...! And we worked so hard to make it!"

"No, it's fine! I'll drink it!"

Seeing the Elf player's crestfallen face, Cain eagerly reached out to take the drink, looking ready to chug it in one go.

Tae-hyun possessed both the Appraisal and Identification skills. Yet, nothing unusual popped up when he looked at the beverage.

If this was a trap, it was an incredibly well-crafted one!

However, Tae-hyun possessed a cheat-like skill that could instantly detect such traps.

I knew it!

The Divine Foresight skill was warning him that the beverage was extremely ominous.

Tae-hyun felt a wave of relief at Cain's reaction. At least he's finally growing up!

Tae-hyun briefly considered just letting him drink it and suffer. But he held back. What a troublesome bond they shared!

Good grief. There really is no one as kind-hearted as me.

Cain stared at the players in front of him with bewildered eyes.

Tae-hyun was a foul-tempered, underhanded, despicable, and petty bastard, but he didn't lie about things like this.

Which meant this was a genuine trap!

A-all of these people?

"Now, now! It would be rude for Cain to drink all by himself! Since we received such a warm gift, shouldn't we offer something in return?"

Tae-hyun immediately pulled some drinks from his inventory bag and handed them to the fans.

"Huh? Oh, we're fine..."

"No, no! We must drink together! If he drinks alone, Cain will be far too embarrassed! Come on, try it! Give it a go!"

"..."

The fans were flustered, but they reluctantly accepted the drinks Tae-hyun thrust into their hands.

Well, nothing bad should happen, right?

We can just drink it together.

"Now, a toast to the Arena Tournament!"

Clink! Tae-hyun pressed them forward, giving them absolutely no time to hesitate.

Watching from behind, Lee Da-bi couldn't help but marvel.

He is so incredibly skilled at leading people into traps!

Gulp.

"...What kind of beverage is this???"

The target looked utterly bewildered, evidently having received a system ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠notification of their own. What on earth is a Monster Beverage?

"It's a precious drink that not just anyone can taste."

"Aaargh!"

"Kyaaaah!"

Along with terrified screams, the players who drank the beverage instantly collapsed into a state of total paralysis.

Tae-hyun walked over, holding the drink that had been given to Cain.

"Oh dear, it seems I made a mistake while brewing it. My deepest apologies. Please drink this to recover."

"Mmph! Mmph-mmph!"

"The paralysis will wear off on its own eventually, but seeing you all suffer like this breaks my heart. Here! Bottoms up!"

Gulp.

The faces of the paralyzed players instantly turned a ghastly shade of pale blue.

"Cough!"

"Ack! Urgh!"

"Whoa, crazy. Just how much poison did they put in this?"

Tae-hyun watched in sheer awe as their complexions cycled through red, blue, and green before they were forcibly logged out of the game.

If the poison is that potent, it has to be at least an Artisan-grade toxin!