Falling Together
Watching Do Dong-su's retreating back as he charged amidst the undead, Tae-hyun nodded with a pleased smile. "It's always so heartwarming to see someone who falls for things so easily."
"..."
Cain wore a complicated expression. For some reason, he felt a sudden prick of conscience!
He's not talking about me, is he?
The plan was solid, but there was one minor issue. How were they supposed to give Do Dong-su instructions without actually telling him the plan?
"What are you going to do?"
"Just watch and learn."
Tae-hyun had stepped forward with absolute confidence. Right before the match started, he had approached Do Dong-su and said:
"Hey. We're going to do an undead rush as soon as Match 2 starts, so you just sit back and watch. Don't go acting on your own like you did in Match 1. It's too dangerous."
"Screw off. I'll do whatever the hell I want!"
And with that, Do Dong-su had charged right out.
"See? Easy."
"...."
The undead army surged forward with terrifying momentum. Of course, compared to what Lee Se-yeon could summon outside the arena, this was a rather modest crowd.
Even so, the title of the server's top Necromancer wasn't just for show. Se-yeon masterfully compensated for their lack of numbers with various buffing and control skills!
Naturally, this was only possible because she was dumping her entire MP pool into them without a single thought for what came next.
"Death to the living!"
"By my master's command!"
With three Death Knights lunging at them, even the mighty Evangeline couldn't easily break through. To make matters worse, buffed Ghouls and flying undead swarmed in right behind them.
"Cast Turn Undead!"
"I am! I'm trying...! But it's barely working on these guys!"
Having received Se-yeon's buffing spells, the undead were holding their ground remarkably well against holy magic.
What is it? What are they aiming for?
Evangeline wondered as she clashed with the undead. What could the opposing team possibly be planning with this?
Crash!
"What do we do? Should we force our way through?"
"Let's take it slow! Once we stop this undead rush, they're finished anyway!"
Her teammates' voices echoed, but Evangeline couldn't bring herself to agree. Their opponents weren't fools; they wouldn't pull a stunt like this for no reason.
What is it? What on earth are they after...
Before she could find an answer, the battlefield shifted.
Pitter-patter!
Do Dong-su fully revealed himself.
Shadow Stretch
Shadow Raid
Storm Flurry Slash
His target was the Priest. If they lost even a single Priest, the Canadian team's entire strategy would fall apart.
The Canadian representative team's Priest was the one who kept the rampaging Evangeline alive and supported her from the rear. His importance was undeniable.
Protection of the Advanced Shield
Swaying Serpent's Fang
The Priest raised his defenses, and the Spearman immediately rushed over to assist.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Thanks to their quick reaction, the attack was blocked, and a counterattack immediately followed. Do Dong-su gritted his teeth and retreated.
"How dare this bastard!"
"We wondered if he'd actually pull this, and he really did?"
The Canadian players shouted in disbelief as they lunged at him.
After Match 1, they had discussed it: "Do you think Do Dong-su will act on his own again?" "If he does, let's target him immediately."
But in the back of their minds, they had thought, No way. Surely Do Dong-su has a brain. He wouldn't keep acting alone unless he thinks we're complete pushovers...
Yet, Do Dong-su had actually charged in.
Furthermore, the other Korean players were nowhere to be seen. He had charged in relying entirely on the undead summons Lee Se-yeon had called!
This only made the Canadian players even more furious.
"Get him!"
"Did letting you off easy earlier make you think you're hot stuff?!"
A fierce, relentless onslaught ensued. Aura exploded in the air, cutting off Do Dong-su's escape routes.
It was a 1-on-5 situation. At equal levels, victory was absolutely impossible.
Yet, Do Dong-su smirked.
Secret Art of Puppet Swap
A Low-grade undead suddenly appeared where Do Dong-su had been standing, while Do Dong-su materialized in the undead's original position. It was one of the Shadow Dancer skills that allowed the user to swap places with an ally.
Do Dong-su wasn't completely brainless. He was greedy, yes, but he only charged into a 1-on-5 fight because he had a safety net.
What Do Dong-su relied on was the undead army. As long as he could hit and run while using the undead as meat shields, he could fight indefinitely. His class was perfectly optimized for that exact playstyle!
Whoosh—Thud!
Hiding behind one of the undead, he successfully landed a clean blow on the Archer.
A stream of curses erupted, but Do Dong-su successfully evaded once more.
Hit and run, hit and run. He wasn't dealing massive damage, but it was more than enough to disrupt the enemy team and drive them up the wall.
As he moved with flashy agility, Do Dong-su began to feel a rush of pure ecstasy.
Yes, this is it! This is exactly what I wanted!
This was the kind of performance he had envisioned for himself in the tournament!
He was sick and tired of charging in alone only to hear comments like: "What is that guy doing?" "Why are they just leaving Do Dong-su alone? Are they ignoring him because they'd lose if they fought?" "Who even picked Do Dong-su? Everyone who voted for him needs to go face-plant into a wall."
Do Dong-su's unexpected performance left the Canadian team bewildered, the audience stunned, and even Tae-hyun and Lee Se-yeon thoroughly taken aback.
"We finished setting up the traps... but what is he doing?"
"I have no idea...?"
Using the undead army as shields, Do Dong-su was still holding his ground. To survive this long in a 1-on-5! Even Lee Se-yeon was impressed.
Well, he gets constantly bullied by Kim Tae-hyun, but Do Dong-su's skills are actually...
"What? Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Nothing. So, what are you going to do? If we leave him like that, our plan is going to get messed up."
"We just have to call him back."
"You think he'll come just because we call?"
Lee Se-yeon tilted her head. There was no one on their team who could make Do Dong-su listen. Especially not when he was riding high on such a favorable situation.
"Unsummon all the undead."
"..."
Lee Se-yeon's jaw dropped. As a top ranker in both Pan-On 1 and Pan-On 2, she prided herself on rarely being surprised, but...
Tae-hyun was always completely beyond expectations!
"Bwahaha! Come on! Who's next?!"
Do Dong-su shouted in sheer excitement, pointing his sword.
"Ugh, that absolute mosquito of a man..."
"If I catch you, you're dead!"
The Canadian players gnashed their teeth, and Evangeline bit her lip. The longer this dragged on, the worse her bad feeling became.
At that moment...
Fsssssh—
Every single undead in the vicinity dissolved into darkness.
"..."
"..."
The air suddenly fell dead silent.
"...Get him! Kill him!"
"Aaaagh! What the hell?!"
No matter how hard he tried to keep his cool, it was impossible in a situation like this. For all the undead to vanish so suddenly!
Did their summon duration run out?! No, if that were the case, they would have warned me or explained it beforehand!
Do Dong-su's panic was entirely genuine—so much so that he fumbled his evasion skill!
Seeing this, the Canadian team was absolutely certain. This situation was not something Do Dong-su had planned.
"Something went wrong on their end! That reckless undead rush must have messed up their skill rotations!"
"Get him! If we don't take him out now, he'll just keep being a nuisance!"
In gaming, you must press the advantage when the opponent makes a mistake. They all lunged forward to capture Do Dong-su before he could regain his composure and flee.
Patter-patter-patter!
"Crazy, crazy, crazy...!"
Do Dong-su ran for his life, utterly terrified. It felt as though every ranged attack in existence—arrows, spells, ranged spear skills—was flying at his back.
He dodged the first. He tried to deflect the second but failed, taking partial damage. The third struck his leg, slowing his movement speed, and the fourth hit him dead-on.
"Urgh!"
"Die, you bastard!"
Seizing the opportunity, the Spearman rushed in, aiming to slam his spear right into Dong-su's back.
At that exact moment...
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
A massive explosion erupted from beneath the bridge.
"I'm so glad they fell for it. I was worried they wouldn't."
Lee Se-yeon let out a sigh of relief. She had exhausted her entire MP pool early on to summon that undead army. If the ruse hadn't worked, they would have been in for a very difficult fight.
"Well, Do Dong-su's acting was top-notch."
"..."
Lee Se-yeon remained silent. Now that it was over, she felt a slight pang of guilt!
Tae-hyun, however, felt no such remorse. He stood tall, with a conscience as clear as day!
"&*%#$@!*&%#$..."
"The system isn't even translating this. What language is he speaking?"
"If you listen closely, he's cursing you out."
The moment they met in the waiting room after Match 2, Do Dong-su unleashed a rapid-fire rap of curses that sounded like they had been dragged straight out of the depths of hell.
Until now, Do Dong-su had tried to maintain an attitude of: Hmph, I won't stoop to your level, or Hmph, I won't let myself be shaken by the provocations of a guy like you.
But this incident was truly... beyond anything he could have imagined!
What infuriated him even more was their conversation before the match. He felt utterly humiliated that he had charged out so readily just because Tae-hyun had told him not to!
Never again. I will never let myself be fooled again!
Watching Do Dong-su completely shut himself off, Cain spoke up with concern.
"Hey, but what are we going to do about Match 3?"
Winning was great, but Match 3 was a worry. Do Dong-su definitely wouldn't fall for any more tricks.
Honestly, if I were in his shoes, my mental state would have shattered and I'd be throwing a fit.
"Ah, Match 3 will be fine."
"Huh?"
"We had a way to win the third match from the very beginning. We just used the other plan first because we couldn't pull it off twice, and we wanted to secure two wins."
"???"
Cain was surprised by Tae-hyun's absolute confidence. Tae-hyun wasn't the type to lie about things like this.
But they still had a way to win? Even when the opponents would be completely on guard?
Pat—
Tae-hyun placed a hand on Cain's shoulder and smiled warmly.
Ah, this bastard is about to make me do something incredibly weird...
The moment Cain saw that smile, he had a premonition of his impending doom.
The atmosphere in the Canadian team's waiting room was heavy. It was the exact opposite of how they had felt at the start of Match 2.
They were confident they could win. After all, the Koreans wouldn't be able to use the same trick twice.
And yet, an undeniable sense of anxiety lingered!
It was all because their opponent was Tae-hyun.
What kind of scheme is he going to pull this time?
Does he seriously have something else up his sleeve?
We absolutely cannot lose this match...
If they lost three times, it was over. That anxiety refused to fade, tormenting their minds.
Noticing the heavy mood, Evangeline shouted:
"Everyone, focus! What's wrong with you all, acting like this already?!"
Evangeline's shout snapped the other teammates back to reality. They all nodded.
What they needed to do right now was simply play their absolute best!
They had analyzed most of Tae-hyun's team's skills and prepared counterstrategies. As long as they didn't fall into any traps and responded properly, they could win.
Yes. Let's do this!
We've worked so hard to get here! Let's believe in ourselves!
"Let's go!"
Evangeline charged forward with a battle cry.
It was a charge similar to Match 1—an open invitation of: Hit me if you dare. It was a powerful stance that would trigger an immediate, devastating counter the moment she was struck!
"Whew... Whew... Whew..."
Meanwhile, Cain let out a tense breath. From a distance, the charging Evangeline looked like a runaway car.
Since she's red... a sports car? Come to think of it, I think Kim Tae-hyun used to drive a sports car...
Cain was desperately trying to escape reality!
"Look ahead! Snap out of it!"
"I—I know!"
Cain began to sprint forward to meet her.
"?!"
The Canadian team was stunned by his actions. To charge head-on like that. What on earth gave him such confidence?
Patter-patter—
Cain sprinted, then suddenly leaped to the left, landing squarely on the narrow railing at the edge of the bridge.
"Huh...?"
Hop!
Slave's Chain
Clatter!
Leaping into the empty air, Cain unleashed his Slave's Chain, catching Evangeline dead-on.
Evangeline was yanked forward, flying straight toward Cain...
This is insane!
Evangeline desperately tried to break free. But Cain was too quick, wrapping his arms around her in a tight grip.
Cain wore the expression of a man who had achieved complete, peaceful enlightenment.
"Ha... haha. Hahaha... We're going down together...!"
"You crazy bastard!!"
Accompanied by Evangeline's piercing shriek, the two of them plunged straight down into the abyss below the cliff.