The Human Bomb

If Jekas had approached Do Dong-su and coaxed him, it would make perfect sense. Since both of them had been humiliated by Tae-hyun, they would have easily found common ground.

'How annoying...'

Back in the waiting room, Tae-hyun had kept his eyes closed, deeply lost in thought. Lee Se-yeon had assumed he was just in shock from the defeat, but that wasn't the case. Tae-hyun had been harboring suspicions about Do Dong-su's highly questionable behavior. There was no way Do Dong-su had suddenly lost his mind and made such a reckless decision on his own.

'There is a way, but the aftermath is the problem.'

He had already come up with a few ways to win the finals. The real issue was what came after. How would he handle the fallout? Tae-hyun's pride wouldn't allow him to drag himself down into a mudslinging fight with a pathetic loser like Do Dong-su. He didn't care about his public image getting a bit scuffed, but he absolutely refused to let Do Dong-su drag him down with him.

'If bastards like Jekas and Do Dong-su are joining forces, the old rankers from Pan-On 1 will keep crawling out of the woodwork. No matter how much I try to patch things up, there's a limit to how long I can keep a lid on it if they keep running their mouths. I suppose... I have to prepare myself.'

Tae-hyun steeled his resolve. It wasn't a secret he had expected to keep forever anyway. It was a secret he had planned to reveal once his Pan-On 2 character had grown sufficiently!

The second match was also a defeat.

Lee Se-yeon pulled Tae-hyun aside to speak privately.

“You said earlier that you had an idea. Care to share?”

“I don't mind telling you, but I'm worried you'll get angry.”

“...Just what kind of method are you planning to use...?”

“A method that will make the relationship between Do Dong-su and me even worse.”

“I won't judge. I'm incredibly furious right now too. Fine. What do you need me to do?”

“Just play as you normally do, but you can be a bit more aggressive. Move toward the base with Kim Chul-soo. If no one is there, leave Kim Chul-soo behind and move on to the next base. The opponent will likely only have one person defending anyway.”

To counter a two-man or three-man split, Team Eight's composition would likely be split into a one-four formation. If that was the case, Lee Se-yeon was more than capable of handling a one-on-one fight, so there was no point in letting her sit idle.

'The ones tracking our positions are probably their priests. Once the match starts and we scatter, it'll be hard for them to keep tabs on us.'

“Who would have thought the Korean national team would lose the first and second matches so helplessly! The Korean team, which seemed completely invincible with their undefeated streak, has been pushed into a corner!”

“At this rate, will Team Eight be the ones to lift the glorious trophy ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of this inaugural tournament?”

“It certainly looks that way. The Korean team has been completely unable to find a countermeasure.”

Former pro-gamer and current commentator Bae Joong-hwan grimaced as he spoke.

“To be completely honest, I am deeply disappointed in the Korean national team. To collapse like this without even being able to break through their defense...”

“Ahaha. Commentator Bae Joong-hwan, your words are a bit harsh.”

“But if they just stayed calm, Team Eight's strategy clearly has weaknesses. Yet, Do Dong-su keeps charging in blindly. He's basically begging to be killed! When he gets taken out first like that, the rest of the team can't do anything. It's the absolute worst, the worst!”

Bae Joong-hwan spat out his criticism with intense passion. Caster Kim Su-a and his younger brother, Bae Joong-yeol, tried to rein him in, but Bae Joong-hwan refused to stop his sharp tongue.

“Even before the tournament started, there were rumors floating around MBS that there was a problem with the selection criteria for the Korean national team. People were saying the players were chosen too recklessly without proper communication. If they show this kind of performance, doesn't that just prove those rumors were true?”

'Hyung, are you crazy?!'

Bae Joong-yeol kicked Bae Joong-hwan's shin in sheer terror. It was an exquisite strike, completely hidden from the camera's view! For a commentator to say something like that during an official MBS tournament broadcast could cause a massive controversy, no matter how true it might be!

'Sorry, little bro!'

Having his shin kicked brought Bae Joong-hwan back to his senses. The flustered Kim Su-a quickly stepped in to smooth things over.

“We don't know yet! The Korean national team is a squad with incredible potential.”

“That's right. The true strength of a powerful team always shines in moments like this. Just as he has shown us bizarre and brilliant strategies in the past, I believe player Kim Tae-hyun might find a new way to turn things around.”

However, the online community boards were already exploding with posts.

As soon as the third match began, the first thing Tae-hyun did was start cooking.

“????”

“We need to get every buff we can. I've been gathering cooking ingredients during the first two matches, so let's eat before we head out.”

“...R-Right.”

Lee Se-yeon was dumbfounded, but remembering what Tae-hyun had said earlier, she nodded. Kim Chul-soo and Cain also obediently waited for the food.

Tae-hyun whipped up a simple stew in a makeshift stone pot, but his cooking skills always shone brightest in these exact situations. He possessed the miraculous ability to create incredible results even with scarce and limited ingredients!

Of course, Do Dong-su ignored them and prepared to walk away. Seeing this, Cain snapped and shouted.

“Hey! Aren't you going to eat?”

“...”

Do Dong-su didn't even bother to reply as he kept walking.

“This bastard seriously... He went through all the trouble of making this to give us buffs, and you... Hey! Are you a spy for the enemy team?!”

Cain had accidentally hit the nail right on the head!

Tae-hyun almost burst out laughing. Cain had no idea, but his outburst was steering the situation in a perfect direction.

“Just eat it, you bastard! Don't get mind-controlled again and ruin everything... Wait, actually, if you're just going to get mind-controlled, it's probably better if you don't eat it. Don't eat it.”

“Give it here.”

Tae-hyun had been pondering how to force Do Dong-su to eat the food, but Cain had made it incredibly easy. Do Dong-su didn't suspect Cain, whose emotions were always written plainly on his face.

'If I refuse to eat the food here, it'll look too suspicious.'

Even if he could excuse his reckless charges in the first two matches as a desire to hog all the glory, refusing to eat the buff food now would be hard to defend. Do Dong-su planned to team up with Jekas and manipulate the media after the tournament ended. To do that, he needed to make sure he looked like he was doing his best on the surface!

He grabbed the bowl and began to eat.

Chomp, chomp, chew, chew!

'It actually tastes good.' Do Dong-su thought it was unnecessarily delicious for the situation they were in.

“???”

Do Dong-su blinked. What did that notification just say?

Ignoring his confusion, Tae-hyun walked over and slung a friendly arm around Do Dong-su's shoulder.

“I spent the first two matches running around like a headless chicken just to gather those paralysis ingredients. I was worried you wouldn't eat it.”

“You crazy bastard...!”

“Haha. You shouldn't get so worked up when we haven't even started yet.”

“?!”

Tae-hyun immediately placed his hand on Do Dong-su's body and activated the skill. Cain watched in absolute horror. So that was the trap hidden in the food!

“You cooked that just to use Do Dong-su as a bomb?!”

“We get the buffs, and we get to use Do Dong-su as a bomb... By the way, your acting was superb.”

Hearing Tae-hyun's words, Do Dong-su glared at Cain with bloodshot eyes. Cain frantically waved his hands in panic.

“I didn't know!”

“Come on, stop acting. Sometimes I think you're even more evil than I am.”

“I seriously didn't ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠know!”

But to Do Dong-su, Cain's desperate denials looked like nothing more than a disgusting act of pretend innocence.

“Carry him, Cain. We're moving. We don't have time!”

“...Ah, whatever!”

Cain quickly scooped up Do Dong-su and began to run. He was just glad that he wasn't the one being turned into a bomb this time!

Lee Se-yeon and Kim Chul-soo watched the three of them rush off. They exchanged a look and let out a collective, heavy sigh.

“Do Dong-su, Kim Tae-hyun, and Cain are moving together.”

“They're moving the exact same way even after losing the last round? Are they idiots? They never learn.”

“Shut up and focus. Do you want to get chewed out by Tae-su?”

“No, but seriously. Isn't this a bit much? Are we just too strong?”

The two priests snickered and laughed. It was understandable. Before the finals began, the Korean national team had been the strongest contender for the championship with an undefeated record, yet they had suffered two crushing defeats in a row. Naturally, Team Eight's tension had completely dissipated.

“I think the rumors about the Korean players having terrible teamwork are true. There's no other explanation. Did you see Do Dong-su? No matter how greedy you are, you can't charge in like that if you have a brain.”

“They're here!”

The four of them tensed up and took their stances. Although they had won easily so far, their opponents were still highly skilled players. If they had one wish, it was for Do Dong-su to charge in blindly like before and easily fall into their crowd control skills!

“Above us! Look up!”

“Trying cheap tricks...!”

Spotting something flying rapidly toward them from above, the players of Team Eight reacted instantly.

“...It's Do Dong-su! Grab him!”

A tank raised his shield and slammed it into the falling Do Dong-su.

Thud!

It was a skill that struck close-range targets to stun them. It was the perfect skill to subdue Do Dong-su and prepare him for mind control.

“Got him! Haha!”

“Bind him quickly! Cast Mind Control!”

The Team Eight players shouted in excitement. It looked like the third match would be just as easy as the second!

As long as they could mind-control Do Dong-su, they couldn't lose even if they tried.

“Mmph! Mmph-mmph!”

“?”

However, Do Dong-su's mouth was stuffed with a crude, makeshift gag.

Was there a basic equipment item like that?

Before they could even process the question, Do Dong-su's body began to glow with a blinding light.

“Uh...”

“Well, we barely scraped through that round,” Tae-hyun muttered with satisfaction as he watched the massive explosion erupt in the distance.

Since all four of them had gathered to subdue Do Dong-su, they had taken the full force of the human bomb. Cain watched the explosion with a highly conflicted expression. Knowing that this was usually his role, he couldn't bring himself to laugh.

“Hey. If they die like that, does it count as Do Dong-su's kill, or mine?”

“Is that really what's important right now?!”

“This is it! This is exactly what we expect from him! Kim Tae-hyun always has something up his sleeve!”

“Well, technically, Do Dong-su was the one who did it...”

Kim Su-a tried her best to calm the excited commentator and keep her commentary neutral. Even to her eyes, it was obvious Tae-hyun had strapped a bunch of bombs to Do Dong-su and used him as a suicide weapon, but as the host, she couldn't just heap praise solely on Tae-hyun.

“It truly is incredible. He accurately pierced the opponent's weakness. What's even more amazing is that he has made it extremely difficult for the opponent to use mind control skills in the future. If they try to capture him while he's carrying a bomb like that, they'll be the ones taking damage. Team Eight is going to find this very tricky to deal with.”

“With this, the Korean national team has recovered their momentum. I wonder if the match will turn into a tight, tense battle once again.”

However, Ryu Tae-su remained unfazed.

“Don't worry. That was just a fluke. They won't be able to pull it off twice.”

“Pardon?”

“It's obvious the Korean team has terrible teamwork. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠There's no way I'm wrong about this. A team like that pulling off a strategy like that? Yeah, right. They were definitely forced into it, and it'll only make their relationship even more strained.”

“But what if they set another trap using Do Dong-su in the next match?”

“Then we'll just subdue him from a distance. It might take a bit more time, but subduing him from range is completely doable.”

Thanks to their reliable captain's reassuring words, the team members quickly recovered from the shock. Having a match they had practically won suddenly flipped on them because four of their players were eliminated at once was a massive blow. Without Ryu Tae-su's leadership, they might have crumbled right then and there.

“In the next match, we'll end it before they even have a chance to try any of their pathetic tricks.”