The Birth of a Plan
"How dare this old man?" Jang Ssu-an's eyes flared with rage. To have a backwater NPC he utterly despised drag him down like this made his already simmering irritation boil over. To Jang Ssu-an, Tyrum was nothing more than a starting zone in a weak kingdom!
"I'm already in a bad mood, and you dare..." Jang Ssu-an raised his sword, intending to beat Gurendal half to death before leaving. At that exact moment, an arrow came flying through the air. *Thwack!*
Resistance check failed.
You have been struck by an arrow coated in Sabe Poison. You have entered an abnormal status condition.
...! Jang Ssu-an was shocked. The attack was far fiercer than he had anticipated. What the hell? What level are they?
"There he is!"
"Get him!"
"Tsk!" Jang Ssu-an abandoned his plan to beat Gurendal and quickly fled the spot. However, the Tyrum Hunters were already closing in from all directions.
"Don't let him escape!"
"Form a perimeter!"
Hmph. I'll just ride out of here. With that thought, Jang Ssu-an summoned his mount. A horse with a dazzling mane and coat materialized. And then... *Thwack! Thwack-thwack-thwack!* With a sorrowful neigh, the horse collapsed. The Tyrum Hunters had concentrated their fire on the mount, bringing it down instantly.
"Y-you bastards...!" Only then did Jang Ssu-an realize he had gravely underestimated the Tyrum Hunters. Their attack power, their levels, even their combat tactics—these were by no means weak NPCs. He never expected a place like this! "Kim Tae-hyun...!"
"By the way..."
"...?"
"Where on earth have you decided to go in the end?" Chairman Yoo asked casually. He was dying to know which gaming team Tae-hyun had joined. Currently, the industry was rife with rumors.
— I heard Kim Tae-hyun rejected an unprecedented offer from the New York Lions!
— Apparently, he got an even better offer!
— No way, is an even better offer even realistically possible? He probably chose a domestic team out of patriotism!
With such rumors flying around, Chairman Yoo couldn't help but be curious. Where on earth was Kim Tae-hyun going?!
The Yusung Group's gaming team is still in its preparatory stages, but... Chairman Yoo glanced at Tae-hyun. Even though it was still in development, he believed the Yusung Group's team would have far more powerful backing than any other domestic team. No other team had a conglomerate chairman actively and personally supporting them! If Tae-hyun hadn't made up his mind yet, perhaps he could subtly guide him toward the Yusung Group's team under the guise of giving friendly advice...
"Huh? I haven't really thought about it."
"What? What did you say?" Chairman Yoo doubted his own ears. He hadn't thought about it?
"How can you not have thought about it! If you've decided to walk this path, you should face it seriously and draw up a proper plan!" At Chairman Yoo's passionate advice, Tae-hyun stared back with a suspicious look in his eyes.
"...Why are you so interested, Elder? Are you planning to start a gaming team or something?"
*Cough, hack! Cough, cough.* Chairman Yoo choked on his own saliva at Tae-hyun's words. Watching the elder cough, Tae-hyun shrugged.
"It was just a joke, you didn't have to react like that..."
"Don't make those kinds of jokes!"
"Anyway, it's not like I absolutely have to join a gaming team, right? What matters is one's own skill."
"..."
Strictly speaking, he was right, but there was a massive flaw in Tae-hyun's logic.
"You're not wrong, but there's one major problem."
"...?"
"If you don't join a team, how are you going to participate in tournaments? It'll be difficult to even qualify."
"Ah. That's true." Tae-hyun nodded. There would be countless Pan-On tournaments in the future. To be invited to these tournaments, one needed a reputable name. Famous professional gaming teams possessed that kind of brand value. Their past achievements and the caliber of their players guaranteed their standing. Amateur teams that failed to join such organizations would either have to fight through grueling qualifiers or might be barred from participating altogether.
Is my name alone really not enough? I did win the championship, but most of the winning members have probably changed by now...
"Yes, I'm glad you understand. No matter how much you want to play the lone wolf, there are things in this world that simply don't work that way. In that sense, I have something good to tell you..."
"Hmm... I guess I can just make my own gaming team then."
"...What???" Chairman Yoo wondered if it was time to get a hearing aid. How many times was he going to hear absolute nonsense today?
"If I establish an official professional gaming team, it'll be much easier to enter tournaments."
"Y-you rascal...! Do you have any idea how difficult it is to create a professional gaming team? You don't think this is some child's play, do you?"
"Thinking about the Yusung Group's professional gaming team, your words certainly ring true, Elder."
"..."
Chairman Yoo's face flushed red. *Why, this little...!*
"...T-the Yusung Group's professional gaming team has nothing to do with what we're talking about right now...!" Chairman Yoo stammered, his sore spot thoroughly poked. The former Yusung Group professional gaming team had been disbanded after achieving nothing but terrible results!
"But is it really that hard?"
"Of course! Why are you even asking?"
"I bet you didn't even do it yourself, Elder. You probably just hired people and ordered them around..."
"..."
He was spot on. In fact, that was only natural. There was no way a conglomerate chairman would personally oversee a single gaming team under one of his subsidiaries.
"Even if I didn't do it personally, I know how difficult it is."
"Oh? What's the hardest part?"
"Finding people to run it is one thing, but the costs... It is absolutely not something an individual can manage!"
"But that's only because the Yusung Group's team was massive, requiring a lot of staff and money. If I start one, it'll be a small-scale operation, so it shouldn't cost that much, right? At the lowest, maybe 1 billion won a year? Even if I budget generously, wouldn't 2 to 3 billion won be more than enough?"
Prestigious professional gaming teams required astronomical maintenance costs, starting from various team facilities to the staff. In contrast, if Tae-hyun were to establish one, it would undoubtedly be a small-scale team centered around himself and a few other players. Even now, small Pan-On gaming teams were popping up like mushrooms after rain. Although most of them suffered in poor environments due to a lack of funds and recognition, Tae-hyun's situation was different. I can easily afford that much.
T-this kid is actually planning to do it...! Chairman Yoo was flabbergasted. He had thought Tae-hyun might accept an offer from another team, but he never imagined the boy would establish and run one himself. If it were the former, he could have poached him with a better offer, but if it were the latter, that would be impossible!
"Excuse me... you two? We'd like to proceed now..."
"Ah."
Only then did Chairman Yoo and Tae-hyun raise their heads. They had been whispering with their heads bowed during the award ceremony. Everyone else had been waiting, their faces practically asking, *What on earth are they talking about so intensely?*
I-I'm so jealous of that bastard...! Meanwhile, Do Dong-su was glaring at Tae-hyun with eyes full of envy.
"...?"
"What were you two talking about so much?"
"Oh, the Chairman told me that if I don't want to join a gaming team, I should just make one."
If Chairman Yoo had heard this, he would have demanded, *When did I ever say that!* But Chairman Yoo wasn't here. Tae-hyun interpreted the conversation entirely to his own liking. Lee Se-yeon looked at him with surprised eyes. Starting his own team?
"You're going to start one yourself?"
"It's not impossible. It might be a bit of a hassle, though... Why, do you think it's too much?"
"No. If you have the money, it's doable... Do you have the money?"
"I do."
"What about players?"
"Well, I'll have to think about that starting now."
As he spoke, Tae-hyun glanced over at Cain. He spotted an easily obtainable player.
"It's painfully obvious what you're thinking."
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
"Whatever. What about tournaments? Which tournament are you targeting?"
"Huh?"
"...What do you mean, 'Huh?' Don't tell me... you haven't even thought about which tournament to target?"
"Now, now. As a professional player, one must do their best in every tournament they enter..."
"Cut the platitudes! Strategically!"
"How can I set a strategy when I don't even know what tournaments there are?"
"...Did you not check your email?" Lee Se-yeon asked, utterly dumbfounded. The players who participated in the tournament had received a letter from the Pan-On developers. It was a long letter detailing the future tournament concepts and plans!
"Ah. That. Of course I received it."
"You didn't read it, did you? It lists several tournaments they're planning."
Lee Se-yeon began to explain, folding her fingers one by one. First, there was the 5v5 Arena Tournament, which was guaranteed to be a hit based on existing formats. Then, the 1v1 Arena Tournament, traditionally popular in Pan-On. And finally, the Dungeon Raid Tournament, which was completely different in nature from the arena tournaments.
"Everyone is racking their brains trying to decide what to target based on this. You really didn't know?"
"I told you, I knew! But what's the Dungeon Raid Tournament?"
"If you're going to lie, at least make it believable... It's exactly what it sounds like. Raiding a dungeon. Two teams enter, and whoever clears it first wins."
"Ah. So that's how it is."
In Pan-On, it wasn't just the arena experts who became famous. Dungeon raiding was just as popular as the arena—in fact, in some ways, it was even more popular. Even now, hundreds of new dungeons appeared in Pan-On every day, and players formed parties to clear them. Naturally, some dungeons would earn the reputation of being 'impossible to clear with current player skill levels!' For these notoriously difficult dungeons, which party cleared them first became a matter of immense importance. The moment a party achieved the first clear, they would claim massive rewards and reputation! Even back in Pan-On 1, there were many teams that specialized in dungeon raiding. Explorer classes like Jekas were perfect for this kind of content.
"You did a lot of dungeon raiding in Pan-On 1 too, didn't you?"
"I did, but instead of raiding the dungeons, I usually hid inside them and raided the parties that came to clear them."
"...Anyway, that's the gist of it." Lee Se-yeon decided to ignore Tae-hyun's comment and just stick to her point. "So, do you have a better idea of what to do now?"
"I feel like I could just challenge all of them."
"Aren't we confident? Go ahead if you want. It's your choice." Lee Se-yeon shrugged.
"What are you targeting?"
"I'm looking forward to the 1v1 tournament, of course." Lee Se-yeon stared at Tae-hyun as she spoke. For some reason, her eyes were filled with a murderous glint.
"Why does it feel like you're glaring at me?"
"It's just your imagination."
It was time for a celebratory dinner. Having won the tournament and donated the proceeds to a good cause, everyone was bound to be in high spirits.
"...But why is he here?" Cain whispered to Tae-hyun. Kim Tae-san was sitting next to them with a gloomy expression.
Lee Da-bi spoke up in his defense. "We couldn't just send him away like that."
"No, we definitely could have." At Tae-hyun's blunt remark, Kim Tae-san's eyebrows twitched.
"Ah, ahaha... Lord Tae-hyun, you and your jokes..."
"I'm not joking—*mmpf!*"
"The meat is perfectly grilled! Please eat up!" Lee Da-bi swiftly stuffed a piece of meat into Tae-hyun's mouth. Tae-hyun was making the already chilly atmosphere even colder.
"By the way, what were you talking about with Se-yeon earlier? You seemed to be talking a lot with the Chairman too..."
"Mmpf, mmpf-mmpf."
"...Talk after you finish chewing."
Tae-hyun swallowed the meat and opened his mouth. "Ah, the Chairman asked me if I had any thoughts about starting a gaming team."
"What?!"
"What?!"
"What did you say?!"
As Kim Tae-san reacted, the other three stared blankly at him. Under their gaze, Kim Tae-san awkwardly looked away.