The Unpredictable Trap
The two of them had traded blows in the middle of the flames, only to eliminate each other! The crowd fell dead silent at the utterly unexpected outcome. Even the two commentators, who had been shouting with excitement just moments ago, shut their mouths.
"Uh... well, you see..."
"These things happen! Yes! This is Pan-On, after all!"
"Ah, yes! Indeed! Haha! These things do happen! Thanks to both players fighting so fiercely...!"
While the players watching live in the arena and the spectators viewing the giant screens at the broadcasting stations were too flabbergasted to speak, the internet forums were absolutely exploding.
None of them could have possibly imagined that Tae-hyun had simply used Do Dong-su as a sacrificial pawn! Meanwhile, a battle was also brewing in the central zone.
"Why aren't they coming out?"
"They probably think coming out first puts them at a disadvantage, so they're waiting."
The central point was a clearing in the middle of the forest. Of all places, it was a wide, empty clearing without a single tree! If the enemy got caught by the Tae-hyun and Cain duo here, they wouldn't even have bones left to bury, so they had no choice but to play it safe.
"I see them. The enemy... there are two of them as well."
"And?"
"They've probably split up 2-2-1. Since both of those guys in front of us are melee damage dealers... the tank must have gone to Do Dong-su, and the mage and priest went to Lee Se-yeon's side?"
Tae-hyun had hit the nail right on the head. He had completely read the situation just by looking at the players appearing in the central point and analyzing their classes.
"Couldn't they be moving as a group of three instead of a two and a one?"
"My gut says no. If they had split 3-2, they wouldn't have sent two here. They would have sent three."
The team composition that could quickly pressure and end things with a numerical advantage belonged to Tae-hyun and Cain. It was a flashy but fragile composition that would be hard to recover once it collapsed! In contrast, Lee Se-yeon, a Necromancer, and Kim Chul-soo, a Priest, had a composition that could stall for time indefinitely if they set their minds to it. Sending three people to face them would be a waste of resources.
"Couldn't they have misjudged our composition?"
"They don't even know which way our members are heading, so I doubt they'd take such a risky gamble that could easily backfire."
If they moved in a 2-3 split and failed to end things quickly? The remaining point would be effortlessly captured by the enemy team. Then, the rest of the team would have to fight while suffering from a buff disparity.
"They're running a 2-2-1 split too. If my instincts are correct."
"Then you're probably right."
Because your instincts are basically animalistic.
"Did you just insult me?"
"What? No way! Why would I do that during a sacred match?"
"If you say so."
Cain swept a hand over his chest in relief.
Is he actually a wild beast?
Cain quickly changed the subject.
"A mirror match. I wonder if we'll be okay."
"Lee Se-yeon's side will absolutely not lose. The problem is Do Dong-su. If the tank went to Do Dong-su... that's a bad omen."
Tae-hyun smacked his lips. Unlike Tae-hyun's team, Team Blue had undoubtedly done an immense amount of research on them. They must have prepared at least a few strategies to counter Tae-hyun's team. For such a team to clash so honestly with the exact same composition? Usually, that meant they were confident they could win in a head-on confrontation.
It wasn't Tae-hyun's side. The enemy wasn't even showing their faces right now, merely watching from the forest. It wasn't Lee Se-yeon's side either. If there was anyone who could defeat Lee Se-yeon in a straight-up fight, Tae-hyun would love to meet them. That left only one option. Do Dong-su! Team Blue had definitely devised a strategy to take down Do Dong-su. Though he didn't know what it was yet. Nothing else made sense. Eliminate Do Dong-su, have the remaining player capture the point, and then regroup elsewhere!
Ah. Suddenly, I'm getting anxious. Did I set that fire for nothing?
There was no guarantee that Sadiq's Flame would only work in their favor. What if Do Dong-su was fighting well, only to be taken down by the flames suddenly sweeping in from behind? What if the fire he set to take down at least one enemy ended up taking down Do Dong-su instead?
Lee Se-yeon is going to try to murder me...
He could easily picture it.
"Hey, what's wrong?"
"Maybe I shouldn't have set the fire."
"...You can't say that now!!"
Cain growled under his breath. After doing whatever he wanted, how was Cain supposed to react if Tae-hyun started hesitating now!
However, Tae-hyun seemed to draw strength from Cain's words instead.
"You're right."
"...?"
"Regretting something that's already done is just foolish."
"No, you should regret it a little..."
"Alright. Let's focus on the situation at hand."
"..."
Cain stared at Tae-hyun with a complicated expression.
Ugh. This bastard...
Unaware of Cain cursing him in his head, Tae-hyun busied himself.
"What are you doing?"
"Setting traps. Help me out."
"...!"
Traps. They were an element rarely seen in arena tournaments. In the Prika Arena, players had to enter the arena without any items. Under such conditions, the classes capable of crafting traps on the spot were extremely limited. While quite a few combat classes had trap skills, the ones who could truly craft proper traps were production classes! It wasn't that there were no teams with blacksmiths, but those teams had usually been eliminated in the preliminaries. Just because Tae-hyun had hunted down rankers as a blacksmith in Pan-On 1 didn't mean others could replicate it.
However, Tae-hyun was currently the only player in the finals who had invested in both the Blacksmithing Skill and Engineering skill. Advanced Engineering and Advanced Blacksmithing Skill. On top of that, his other skills. The traps Tae-hyun crafted out of wood and stones were remarkably powerful for things made on the fly.
Hmm. Is there a way to bring in more trap materials?
As he crafted, Tae-hyun was already thinking about the next match. The only things allowed into the arena were the basic equipment provided by the organizers. In that case...
I can just ask for more basic equipment and dismantle them!
"Hey, hey, hey!!"
"...?"
Cain frantically pointed to the side. Thick smoke was billowing into the air. Whoosh! The flames that had engulfed Do Dong-su's location were growing larger, surging toward them like a tidal wave. As a result, a terrifying wall of fire was pressing in from the side!
"It shouldn't be that big. What is it? Did the wind blow?"
The correct answer was magic overload.
"Is this the time to be saying that?! Can you control it?!"
"I left the Sacred Ring behind, so controlling it is tough. But I can endure it."
"What about me?!"
"...Well, do your best."
"Hey!!!"
"Ah, the two players are quickly sharing a conversation."
"The situation Player Kim Tae-hyun wanted has finally arrived. The time to move has come. It's only natural for them to exchange opinions like that. This is the decisive moment. Winning here will put them at a massive advantage!"
"Indeed. There are many famous players in this tournament, but isn't the duo of Kim Tae-hyun and Cain particularly famous? They've already proven themselves by clearing countless quests in Pan-On."
"That's right. Oh, they are starting to move now! It seems they've finished exchanging their thoughts!"
In truth, it was just idle chatter completely unrelated to strategy, but to onlookers, they looked like they were rapidly conversing with deadpan, serious expressions. Furthermore, Tae-hyun had already "saved" Do Dong-su, who had been in danger, with his fire attack. In the eyes of the commentators and the audience, he couldn't be seen as anything other than a genius strategist. What kind of strategy would it be this time?
"Player Kim Tae-hyun is mov—uh, is he retreating? He's just backing away?"
"Is he running?!"
"Wait, didn't Player Kim Tae-hyun just come from a place he set on fire? There are flames behind him too! Is there any reason to go that way? Won't he be at a disadvantage if he goes there?"
Although flames were closing in from the side, the fire was already spreading from the direction Tae-hyun had come from as well. Retreating in that direction meant they would inevitably run straight into the blaze!
"Perhaps he judged that backing away is better than facing Team Blue while they are holding their ground. Charging into an entrenched enemy could lead to a worse outcome!"
And the players of Team Blue thought the exact same thing.
"This is our chance, let's chase them!"
"What? Seriously?"
"Now is the time! Look behind them. They're blocked by the flames. They're bound to be at a disadvantage!"
"But our opponent is Kim Tae-hyun..."
Despite clearly having the upper hand, Team Blue hesitated because of Tae-hyun's formidable reputation.
"Now is the time to be bold! Trust me!"
"...Alright! Let's go!"
A fiery determination! Team Blue's damage dealers made their decision. The opponent was at a disadvantage. There was no need to back off and make the outcome uncertain. If they could take down those two right now, victory in this match was guaranteed. This was the moment to settle it!
"Let's gooooo—gah!"
Thwip!
A wooden spear came flying out of nowhere. An utterly unexpected trap!
"What?!"
"There are traps!"
The damage wasn't massive, but the mere existence of traps was shocking. Everyone knew about Tae-hyun's skills, but no one expected him to use the Blacksmithing Skill or Engineering in an arena tournament. It was bizarre to use them when the organizers didn't even provide the materials!
"Watch out!"
"How many did these bastards lay down?!"
Since he had scattered them indiscriminately while waiting, a trap triggered with almost every step. On top of that, Tae-hyun's trap-laying was practically at a master's level. It was a skill for tormenting others that he had honed since Pan-On 1! Tae-hyun knew exactly where to place a trap, and where to place the next one to make the opponent as annoyed and miserable as possible. As a result...
The Team Blue players were practically tap-dancing in a minefield of traps!
And that was exactly what Tae-hyun had been waiting for.
Slave's Chain
"!!!"
The Team Blue players, whose movements had slowed down as they tried to avoid the traps and dodge the encroaching flames, could not dodge the surprise Slave's Chain.
"No...!"
With a scream, one of them was snatched and dragged straight in front of Cain. What followed was practically a foregone conclusion. Tae-hyun, who had repeatedly used his Lucky Strike skill while waiting to maximize his damage! A terrifying amount of damage was dealt.
HP has reached 0. You have died.
"Gah!"
In that instant, the remaining Team Blue player intuitively knew that this match was over. If two players were eliminated here, it would be nearly impossible to turn things around, no matter how hard the survivors fought.
"It's over! It's over! The victors of the central point are Kim Tae-hyun and Cain!"
"We can pretty much consider this match decided, right?"
"Yes. Team Blue only has two players left. It's virtually impossible to turn things around from here."
The commentators' words were true. The remaining two players of Team Blue, who had been holding out while keeping Lee Se-yeon and Kim Chul-soo in check, collapsed helplessly under the pincer attack from Tae-hyun and Cain striking from behind. The first match went to Tae-hyun's team.
"Victory for the Korean team! The Korean team takes the first match!"
"It was puzzling at first, but it was a match where we could truly see the big picture. What an incredibly unpredictable and magnificent game!"
"Now, Team Blue is in a tough spot. How will they respond?"