The Rabbit Calamity and the Fearless Beginner

The farmer players took the situation very seriously. No matter what they planted, rabbits would swarm in and devour everything before they could harvest. It was the worst-case scenario, making their very class unplayable! However, the reactions of other players were lukewarm at best.

With the tournament heating up, the farmers' desperate cries of "The rabbits are ruining all our crops!" failed to capture anyone's attention. Meanwhile, the rabbit population in the Central Continent continued to swell at an alarming rate.

Utterly relaxed. That was the exact attitude of Tae-hyun's team right now. The opposing team visible in the distance had only four members! There was simply no way they could lose this. Seeing them completely devoid of any tension, Lee Se-yeon cleared her throat to warn them.

"Ahem. Ahem. Still, we should be careful. People are watching."

Despite her words, a faint smile played on Se-yeon's lips. Everyone was grinning! Tae-hyun, Cain, Lee Se-yeon, Kim Chul-soo, and even Do Dong-su had smiles plastered on their faces. It was all thanks to the anticipation of an effortless victory.

"By the way, why are you smiling so brightly?" Tae-hyun asked, bewildered. Lee Da-bi was beaming exceptionally hard.

"I had a chat with the elder the other day," she replied.

"?" Because Tae-hyun always referred to Chairman Yoo as "the elder," Lee Da-bi had taken to calling him that as well.

"What did you talk about?"

"The elder asked me, 'Are there seasons in Pan-On?' So I told him there are. Then he asked, 'Does crop growth change depending on the season?' and I said yes to that too. And then, guess what he said?"

"What did he say?"

"He said, 'Then if we buy up a massive amount of fully grown crops now, won't we be able to sell them at a premium later when they don't grow as well?'"

"Wait, isn't that highly unrealistic?" Tae-hyun immediately understood what Da-bi and Chairman Yoo had discussed. It was the time-honored tradition of hoarding—cornering the market! Buying up every single unit of a specific item to create an artificial shortage, then driving up the price to reap massive profits.

However, cornering the market in Pan-On was an incredibly difficult technique to pull off. It was practically unrealistic. First of all, because of Pan-On's massive player base, the sheer volume of items listed on the auction house was astronomical. To corner the market, one would have to buy up a significant portion of that volume, if not all of it. That was the first major hurdle.

Furthermore, the type of item mattered immensely. Even if someone bought up a massive stock, if other players could easily produce and sell more, manipulating the price was impossible. This was precisely why hoarding crops was considered nearly impossible. Given the number of farmer players, they could easily resume farming and flood the market in an instant if they put their minds to it.

At best, to even have a chance at cornering the market, you'd have to choose an item ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠with low supply on the auction house that is highly sought after by players. Even then, it's incredibly tough.

Ever since Pan-On 1, plenty of players had attempted to corner the market only to end up ruined. The world wasn't that easy.

There were players who chose the wrong item, thinking, "Huh? Low-grade red herbs are way too expensive?" only for the public to react with, "Let's just use something else then. Other herbs have similar effects," leaving the hoarder bankrupt.

There were also those who chose the right item but got exposed: "Huh? The market price for this scroll is weird. Someone bought them all up! This is market manipulation!" leading to a public boycott: "Let's not buy it! Just hold out!" which completely ruined them.

The shadow of market cornering was stained with the blood and tears of countless players.

"Have you ever tried cornering the market, Tae-hyun?" Da-bi asked.

"Back in Pan-On 1... oops."

"I don't really mind, you know."

"Haha. I have no idea what you're talking about."

Unlike Cain, Da-bi was almost entirely certain of Tae-hyun's true identity. He shared nostalgic conversations with Lee Se-yeon about the past, his PVP skills were top-tier, and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠his old enemies kept chasing him under suspicion... Honestly, she thought Cain was the idiot for not realizing it by now.

Da-bi pouted slightly. Seeing him converse with Lee Se-yeon, it was clear Se-yeon knew about his past in Pan-On 1. Yet he was keeping it a secret from her.

"Anyway!" Tae-hyun quickly deflected. "Yeah, anyway. I've never done it myself, but I know a guy. He found a private mine and hoarded the rare metal that came out of it. Even then, it was a razor-thin margin. If he had been even a little slower, he... I mean, that guy would've been in serious trouble."

In reality, Tae-hyun had infiltrated a mine controlled by another guild, blown them all up with bombs, wiped them out, and seized the mine. Of course, the surviving guild members had returned in a fury, but after being annihilated over and over every time they entered, their attitude eventually shifted.

Thanks to the "cooperation" of the rival guild, Tae-hyun had successfully completed his market cornering and amassed a fortune to use as capital. It was a heartwarming memory.

As Tae-hyun wiped the bottom of his nose with his finger, a nostalgic look on his face, Da-bi stared at him, utterly dumbfounded. No matter how she looked at it, that was not the kind of expression one should make while telling such a story.

"Ahem. Anyway, that's why hoarding is incredibly risky. It's definitely not something a beginner like the elder should be dabbling in. How long has he even been playing Pan-On to try something like that?"

"That's why I tried to stop him too. I explained all the risks... but he just said it was fine. He said he didn't mind losing the money and just wanted to try it."

"Must be nice to have money to burn..."

"Pardon?"

"No, nothing."

There was nothing scarier than a person with too much money, too much time, and overflowing motivation. Kim Tae-san had played games long enough to have some self-restraint. Of course, that didn't mean he saved money, but he at least knew how to distinguish useful items from useless ones. He would never waste money on an impossible plan. Hoarding was something Kim Tae-san would absolutely never attempt.

But Chairman Yoo was different. He was a fearless beginner! Though his level was high, his actual gaming experience was severely lacking. So even when Da-bi tried to dissuade him, he refused to listen. He wanted to try it! In the end, Da-bi had given up. What could she do if he wanted to spend his own money?

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

"So, how did it go?" Tae-hyun asked.

"He wanted to do it so badly that I assigned some Power Warrior Guild members to help him. Hoarding is too hard to do alone, after all."

"What a match made in heaven."

The Power Warrior Guild and market manipulation. It was hard to imagine a more perfect, chaotic combination.

If multiple people split up the purchases, the chances of pulling it off naturally without getting caught skyrocketed. Chairman Yoo might have been a beginner in the game, but he was a seasoned veteran in the real world.

And so, the Power Warrior Guild members received the gold and began buying up high-grade crops. Then they received more gold and bought even more. High-quality wheat, barley, rice, and various other crops quickly began piling up in their warehouses.

"I also thought it wouldn't work when I heard how it was going, but the atmosphere lately has been strange," Da-bi said.

"What kind of atmosphere?"

"Rabbits have suddenly been running wild all over the Central Continent."

"Really? Which idiot caused trouble this time?"

For a split second, Tae-hyun felt a strange prickle of unease as he spoke, but he quickly brushed it off. Must be my imagination.

"Exactly. I thought just the winter season wouldn't be enough to affect things since some farmer players have skills and gear to overcome the weather. But with this rabbit calamity piled on top of it..."

Unlike the other players who dismissed the rabbit situation, Da-bi saw the reality clearly. This was a crisis, but at the same time, an opportunity! If these disasters compounded... cornering the market might actually succeed.

"Then... does that mean a massive jackpot is actually on the horizon?"

"Yes!" Da-bi pumped her fist, her eyes gleaming with the dream of a massive windfall. Of course, Chairman Yoo, who had invested the capital, would take the lion's share of the gold, but the Power Warrior Guild members who contributed the most to the operation would also receive a handsome reward.

Tae-hyun thought it was impressive, but then he paused. "Wait, but you guys did all this without telling me?"

"Huh? Well, yes..."

"I'm a bit hurt. You could've at least asked for my input on something like this."

"You were already so busy with the tournament, I didn't want to bother you with more tedious things. And besides, you..."

"Hmm?"

Da-bi, who was about to say, "And besides, you're busy making a ring to give to Evangeline," suddenly froze. Why on earth was she about to bring that up out of nowhere? It sounded almost like...

Like I'm jealous!

Da-bi shook her head vigorously. Jealousy? That word didn't suit her at all. Get a grip, Da-bi! Get a grip! This is not the time for this!

"What's wrong?" Tae-hyun asked.

"Ah, it's nothing..."

"We should do fun things like this together. We're partners, after all."

"...Right! Partners!" Da-bi's voice suddenly spiked in volume.

Tae-hyun blinked in confusion. Why is she acting like this all of a sudden? But Da-bi paid him no mind, slapping his shoulder with a bright, joyful face.

"Partners! Partners!"

"...Did I say something wrong?"

"No! It means you said it perfectly! And the ri..."

"Ri?"

Riding the momentum, Da-bi had tried to ask about the ring, but she froze again. She had intended to ask in a casual, friendly manner, but the words simply wouldn't leave her mouth. Da-bi was astonished to find such a timid side to herself. It was a feeling she had never experienced before!

"...You must win! The tournament!"

"Well, of course. It'd be harder to lose at this point."

Tae-hyun pointed toward the opposing players. The four-man team was glaring daggers at them—specifically at Cain. Cain averted his gaze as if trying to escape, muttering under his breath.

"I told you, I didn't do it...!"

With the smooth commentary of the caster and analyst, the quarterfinal match officially began.

Before the start, the Chinese representative team pumped their fists in determination.

"Even though we fell victim to their cowardly tricks, we haven't lost yet. Let's give it our all!"

"Let's show those cowardly bastards what we're made of!"

In stark contrast to Tae-hyun's overconfident and relaxed team, the Chinese team was burning with absolute resolve. They were ready to pour their very souls into the fight! The sheer intensity radiating from them even made the spectating fans feel a spark of anticipation.

Could the Chinese team actually overcome this overwhelming disadvantage and pull off a miracle? If they did, they would undoubtedly become the true protagonists of this tournament. The classic heroes who rightfully defeat the villains!

And then, the match ended in the blink of an eye. The final score was 3-0. It was an overwhelming victory for Tae-hyun's team.

"If raw fighting spirit could overcome a five-versus-four disadvantage, why would we have gone through all the trouble of killing Jang Ssu-an in the first place?" Tae-hyun remarked casually.

"Hey, shh! Keep your voice down, please!" Cain hissed, frantically trying to quiet Tae-hyun. The glares the Chinese team was shooting at them were practically firing lasers at this point.