A True Fan's Despair
"What nonsense are you spouting? Are you trying to confuse me? If so, it won't work!" Ryu Tae-su charged forward as he spoke.
He had already watched all of Tae-hyun's tournament match videos. Although he found Tae-hyun unpleasant, he didn't deny his skill. Tae-hyun was the type of person who, if left to his own devices, no one knew what he might pull off! There was no need to listen to his words.
"Man, when someone tries to be considerate, you should at least have the decency to listen..." Tae-hyun clicked his tongue and prepared to face Ryu Tae-su.
Clang! Clang!
Neither entered close quarters, instead trading blows from a medium distance.
'He's definitely good.'
Just from exchanging a few clashes of their swords, Tae-hyun recognized his opponent's skill. Ryu Tae-su knew very well that getting too close to Tae-hyun meant death. Tae-hyun's specialty was unleashing burst damage instantly boosted by various Archisus skills! That was a terrifying advantage for a damage dealer. Knowing this, Ryu Tae-su fought while keeping his distance as much as possible to prevent Tae-hyun from closing in.
'Tsk. It would be much easier outside the arena...'
Unlike outside, the evasion rate granted by high Luck was significantly reduced inside the arena. Because of this, he couldn't just recklessly dig into his opponent like he did in the open world. He had to exploit the situation and use his opponent to land a decisive blow. Or use Cain.
The two stared at each other from a medium distance, testing the waters.
Ryu Tae-su glanced around.
"What, do you think I hid Cain somewhere?"
"..."
Ryu Tae-su, his inner thoughts laid bare, shut his mouth. He had indeed been wondering if Cain was hiding somewhere around the ruins.
"I told you he's not here, man. Just trust me for once."
"I only trust people who are trustworthy."
"I can't deny that, but he really isn't here."
"Fine... I understand!"
With those words, Ryu Tae-su immediately activated a skill. Aura bloomed from the tip of his sword, forming a ring that flew forward at incredible speed.
Tae-hyun laughed in disbelief. To think he would launch a surprise attack right after speaking with such a straight, serious face. That was...
'Exactly what I used to do in Pan-On 1!'
Seeing it done to him made him feel retroactively embarrassed!
The ring of aura flew at a breakneck speed. Since Ryu Tae-su was charging right behind it, getting hit would undoubtedly lead to a devastating combo. However, Tae-hyun did not panic.
Circle of Counterattack
'He deflected that?!'
Clang!
With a chilling screech, the attack was redirected right back!
Ryu Tae-su threw himself to the side in sheer shock. He knew Tae-hyun possessed such a counter skill, but he understood it to be a highly difficult technique with tight timing, viable only in strict 1v1 situations. To think he could react to a surprise attack launched with his fastest skill mid-sentence!
"Kim Tae-hyun... I'll give you some credit. You really are a true fan."
"..."
Tae-hyun covered his face with his hand. His embarrassment was reaching its absolute limit.
"What's with that reaction? Aren't you happy?"
"Not even a little bit."
"You should be! Once we fight, you'll realize that I studied him far more seriously than you ever did!"
"Ah, yes, yes."
Tae-hyun replied in a flat, unenthusiastic voice as he dodged Ryu Tae-su's incoming strike.
He had indeed studied well. The underhandedness of launching a surprise attack mid-conversation, analyzing the opponent to use skills he normally kept hidden...
'That aura-flinging skill was something he saved just for me.'
Tae-hyun was just a monster for reacting to it; Ryu Tae-su's calculations were actually spot on. And finally, his sheer persistence in choosing to do exactly what his opponent hated most.
'Is his focus on using basic attacks to pressure me while conserving skills also my influence? He didn't need to copy that part.'
Ryu Tae-su was conserving his MP as much as possible, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. It was a style modeled after Tae-hyun in Pan-On 1!
But the only reason Tae-hyun had played like that was because the Blacksmith class was so terribly weak. If Tae-hyun had possessed ample MP back then, he would have spammed skills too. In a way, it was a complete misunderstanding, but Ryu Tae-su was actually benefiting from this style in the arena.
The level cap of 100 and the ban on items—these two traps were difficult even for high-level players to adapt to. Many would spam skills as usual, only to run out of MP and ruin themselves. Such sights were surprisingly common.
"Here's a present."
"?!"
Boom! Boom!
Tae-hyun pulled out and threw a volley of bombs. Ryu Tae-su used a skill to leap backward and evade.
"By the way, if you're copying Kim Tae-hyun, why didn't you learn any Blacksmithing skills?"
"...You bastard! I'll kill you!"
"??"
Why was this guy, who hadn't reacted to any of his previous provocations, suddenly flying into a rage? Tae-hyun was bewildered, but Ryu Tae-su charged with a face flushed bright red. It was a completely different reaction from before!
"Hey, I was just asking..."
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Vicious attacks flew at him instead of an answer. Of course, Tae-hyun wasn't one to be intimidated by that.
Time for the next bomb!
Boom! Crash!
"!"
Only after nearly taking a direct hit from the explosion did Ryu Tae-su seem to regain his senses. He broke out in a cold sweat, catching his breath inwardly.
"...Impressive. To provoke me by targeting my deepest insecurity. No wonder you've won all your matches so far."
"No, I was literally just curious..."
"But that won't work on me anymore!"
Tae-hyun shook his head. There was no point in asking further. Besides, it looked like Cain was ready.
Right on cue, a massive explosion echoed.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
"?!?!"
Ryu Tae-su jumped, thinking the explosion had occurred right next to him, but it hadn't. It came from the direction Cain had gone.
"Uh...?"
"An opening!"
"Urgh!"
A massive explosion had just erupted where his four teammates had gone, so even Ryu Tae-su couldn't help but panic.
The moment he allowed Tae-hyun into close range, Ryu Tae-su knew it was over. He tried desperately to escape using his skills, but before he could, Tae-hyun's attacks rained down like a tempest.
Bam! Crash! Boom!
Since he wasn't a tank class, his HP wasn't very high, and Ryu Tae-su quickly reached his limit.
'This is absurd... How? What did he do? There's no way he could craft those bombs on the spot here! Did he make them beforehand?! Is it an Authority skill?!'
With a mind full of chaos, Ryu Tae-su was eliminated from the arena.
And with that, the match ended. The other four had been eliminated even before Ryu Tae-su.
Ryu Tae-su's mind was a tangled mess. Only the final fifth match remained. He needed to meet up with his teammates to discuss what had just happened—and how they were going to handle the next round.
"...?"
Buzz, buzz—
The surrounding area was incredibly noisy. He could see his teammates whispering among themselves.
"What's going on?"
Ryu Tae-su had no idea. He never could have dreamed that something far more mind-boggling than what had just happened in the match was waiting for him!
If there was a place even more chaotic than Team Eight's waiting room, it was Tae-hyun's.
It was currently the most awkward place on Earth.
Do Dong-su sat in silence, his face a hollow mask of injustice, anger, hatred, and utter disbelief.
Ignoring him, Tae-hyun spoke.
"The fifth match is going to be tough. Relying on Cain to get an easy win is going to be risky now. The opponents won't just blindly surround Cain like they did earlier."
The four members of Team Eight had made things easy by surrounding Cain to capture him. But they wouldn't do that in the fifth match.
"Ryu Tae-su seems pretty skilled, so we have to do the best we can. Let's use every method available, pull out all our hidden cards, and win this. If we win this match, it's over. Come on! Let's join forces and do this!"
"That was a touching speech... but considering what you just did, it doesn't hit the same at all..."
At Lee Se-yeon's words, Kim Chul-soo almost nodded unconsciously before catching himself.
Still, Cain took Tae-hyun's side.
"Hey, we won anyway! And you really are amazing, but are you going to be okay with the aftermath?"
"...?"
Cain whispered in a low voice.
"What if you get caught impersonating him later? What if the real Kim Tae-hyun actually shows up?"
"...I'm not impersonating anyone, you idiot."
"Haha, what are you talking about? Of course you are."
"I told you, I'm not."
"He's not impersonating him. I can guarantee it."
Lee Se-yeon, who had been listening to their conversation, chimed in with a weary voice.
"...What? He's not?"
"Think about it. Do you really think there could be two people like him in this world?"
Lee Se-yeon pointed her finger at Tae-hyun.
At that moment, the color of Cain's face began to shift rapidly through a spectrum of emotions.
"Uh... You...?"
"Honestly, it's weirder that you guys didn't notice sooner. His name is exactly the same, and his playstyle is identical."
"But you said you weren't him!!"
"Only an idiot would believe that."
Cain quietly walked over to Do Dong-su. He sat down next to him, wearing the exact same dazed, hollow expression.
"...Hey! How could you break him like that right before the match starts? We're already down one player!"
"Oh? Were you planning on actually playing with Do Dong-su without PK'ing him? I didn't really think about that."
"..."
"Just kidding. Of course I was planning to PK him."
"Can you please let me hit you just once?"
Cain's reaction was unexpected even for Tae-hyun. Cain had been a fan of Tae-hyun back in Pan-On 1, but usually, he would go around shouting, "Lee Se-yeon is the best!"
So Tae-hyun had expected Cain to react along the lines of, 'Oh? You were the Pan-On 1 Kim Tae-hyun? Haha, I knew it! I had a feeling!'
'This is getting a bit worrying. Will the fifth match be okay?'
Tae-hyun walked over to Cain and spoke to him.
"Cain. Listen carefully."
"...?"
"The fifth match is going to be the hardest one yet. Do Dong-su is going to die."
"..."
"We'll have to start with four players."
If anyone else heard him, they would think the opposing team was the one killing Do Dong-su.
"You're the one who's going to kill him...!"
"Shut up. That's not important. We've used almost all our cards, and we have very few left. The opponents won't fall for the same tricks anymore. So, what do we need?"
"What do we need?"
"We need to perform at our absolute limit. Do you want to win?"
"Of course I want to win..."
"Then focus and get your head in the game! You need to play twice as well as you usually do!"
"Y-Yeah... I have to..."
Cain pulled himself together and stood up.
"But are you really the Pan-On 1 Kim Tae—"
"Just shut up and move."
"Okay..."
The chaotic finals. After countless incidents, only one match remained.
Both teams had a rough grasp of each other's strength, and it was clear that they would throw everything they had into this final fifth match!
The spectators clenched their fists in anticipation. What kind of legendary match would unfold?
Considering the previous rounds, everyone felt that the fifth match would bring something that surpassed everything before it.
Everyone in the venue felt it. They might be about to witness the birth of a new legend today!
Thump, thump.
The final match is about to begin...
And the fifth match ended.
With Team Eight's defeat.
It wasn't a close, hard-fought battle that ended in a narrow defeat. It was a complete, one-sided slaughter.
With their captain, Ryu Tae-su, completely out of it, they collapsed far too easily.
Voices of fury erupted from the spectator stands!
The match play was so clumsy and filled with errors that even the commentators were flustered.
'Sure, they lost the third and fourth matches, but was their mental state shattered that badly?'
'It makes no sense.'
At the end of each match, the highlights were displayed on a massive screen.
The highlight of the fourth match was, of course, Cain taking down four opponents with his self-destruction.
And now that the fifth match had just concluded, its highlight was being shown.
"..."
"..."
It was a video of Tae-hyun's team of four immediately surrounding and beating Do Dong-su to death the second the match started.
"Turn it off! Turn that off right now!"
"W-Wait a minute..."
"Did you guys upload this highlight without even checking it first?!"
"I-It's automatic! I didn't do it, the AI did!"