Crashing the Training Ground
"How long did that take?"
"Nineteen minutes and twenty-three seconds."
"Good. Let's break into the eighteen-minute mark."
"Yes, sir!"
Following the coach's orders, the players began running through the dungeon's first sector once more. A systematic and rational training method! The current drill focused on maximizing teamwork by repeatedly clearing the exact same sector.
Following a manual designed by their coach—a former pro gamer—the players cleared the dungeon with rapid efficiency.
"Don't get comfortable just because you're on the starting roster. The reserve players can replace you at any moment."
Major esports organizations didn't just maintain a starting lineup for tournaments. They also kept reserve players on standby for emergencies, using them as a second-tier roster to foster healthy competition and growth. This constant pressure kept everyone focused and drove up overall performance.
"Dong-su! Front!"
"I'm on it! It's dead! Move in!"
"Coming from the side! The monster is casting a curse on the ground! Watch your step!"
Boom! Crash!
A flurry of skills chained together in a fraction of a second. The monsters leaping from all directions melted instantly under the devastating skill combos.
In dungeon speedruns, the boss monsters of each sector devoured the most time. Conversely, that meant they had to shave off every possible second from the trash-mob sections to lower their overall time. Clearing the monsters in these narrow corridors had to be optimized to the absolute limit.
"Dong-su, nice moves!"
"Hehe..."
"Thanks to you, I saved my skills for later. You're the best, Dong-su."
The teammate showering Do Dong-su with praise wasn't necessarily Chinese. These days, rosters composed entirely of a single nationality were actually quite rare. However, Do Dong-su was the only Korean on the team.
"It was a basic play. Why make such a fuss? If you have time to chatter, swing your sword again."
Of course, not everyone liked Do Dong-su. With a large roster, personalities naturally clashed. While some teammates praised him, others were incredibly prickly.
"Come on, Chang. There's nothing wrong with a little praise."
"Praise? Please. I never liked the idea of foreigners joining our team anyway. We were perfectly fine on our own."
"Are you saying that for my benefit?"
"Calm down, both of you. Chang, Dong-su isn't the only foreigner here. John is right there too. Don't make things awkward."
Chang snorted and turned his head away. Seeing that, Do Dong-su felt a surge of anger.
Man, I've really mellowed out.
Ever since he caused that massive incident during the Arena Tournament, Do Dong-su had been walking on eggshells. He had barely managed to sign with a Chinese organization, but given his notorious track record, he had to watch his step. When he signed his contract, the management had given him a stern warning: do not cause any trouble like you did in the last tournament!
"Besides, what's so great about that Kim Tae-hyun guy anyway?"
"Come on. He's amazing."
"He really is..."
"Isn't he incredible?"
The immediate, unanimous responses from the others only seemed to irritate Chang further.
"It's because everyone hypes him up that he acts like he owns the place! It was the same during the Arena Tournament. He only won and advanced by playing dirty."
Although Chang hadn't participated in the tournament himself, he had watched every single match. Thinking of Jang Ssu-an, who had fallen victim to Tae-hyun's underhanded tactics, still made his blood boil. If they had fought with raw skill, Jang Ssu-an would have won!
"And this guy was right there with him back then!"
"Hey, that was all that bastard's idea..."
"Hmph. How can we believe that? Are you just shifting the blame to Kim Tae-hyun because he's not here to defend himself?"
"It's the truth, you jerk!"
Do Dong-su, who had been holding back his temper, finally snapped and barked back.
"You only say that because you've never met him. If you actually faced him, you'd understand!"
"Understand what? Hmph. If I ever meet him, I'll crush him on the spot."
Ah, this bastard is talking big just because this is a dungeon tournament...
Do Dong-su cursed Chang inwardly. Since there was no PvP in a dungeon speedrun tournament, Chang could talk as big as he wanted without any risk of being proven wrong. Sure, they might run into each other in Pan-On, but there were countless people badmouthing Tae-hyun. Why would Tae-hyun go out of his way to hunt down some random guy just for talking trash? Besides, there was no way Tae-hyun would ever find out what Chang was saying...
"In my opinion, Kim Tae-hyun is incredibly overrated. And it's because of cowards like you that his hype keeps growing. You guys get scared for no reason, fail to fight properly, and lose in the most pathetic ways."
"Why don't you actually fight Kim Tae-hyun before you open your mouth, you punk?"
Although Do Dong-su's grudge against Tae-hyun pierced the heavens, he still acknowledged his skill. No, he had no choice but to acknowledge it. Facing Tae-hyun was qualitatively different from facing any other player. The moment your eyes met his, an overwhelming pressure weighed down on your entire body, and your skin prickled with tension. That wasn't a sensation just anyone could project. It was a truly suffocating pressure.
"I told you. Unlike a loser like you, if I ever cross paths with Kim Tae-hyun..."
"Don't you feel a little bad?"
"About what? They should feel bad to me. Since they used my name to draw attention, the least they can do is let me use their dungeon."
The Beijing Fighters had previously targeted Tae-hyun in their press releases! Tae-hyun still remembered that clearly.
Currently, Tae-hyun had returned to the Salz Kingdom for the first time in a while. The Salz Kingdom, home to Tyrum City where Tae-hyun had first started his journey! He hadn't come here to visit Tyrum City, of course. It was because the Beijing Fighters' training dungeon was located in the Salz Kingdom.
By Tae-hyun's standards, it was completely incomprehensible. Of course, the Beijing Fighters hadn't explicitly announced, "We are training here!" But because of the fans constantly trailing them, the location was practically public knowledge. Among the many mountainous regions of the Salz Kingdom, the Beijing Fighters had claimed one of the dungeons as their own.
In truth, contrary to what Tae-hyun assumed, the Beijing Fighters had taken some precautions against external attacks or ambushes. After all, anything could happen in Pan-On. However, the reason they didn't desperately hide the dungeon's location was sheer confidence. Most of their starting and reserve players were rankers or high-level players. And the guilds those players belonged to were formidable forces in their own right. Who would dare attack a dungeon being used as a training ground by such players? No such lunatic could possibly exist.
The occasional attention-seekers who launched suicidal attacks were logged out before they could even set foot near the entrance. Thanks to that, Tae-hyun's job became several times easier.
"This is the place."
Murmur, murmur...
However, a crowd of players had already gathered in front of the mountain where the dungeon entrance was located. Cain muttered in confusion.
"Huh? Why are there so many players here?"
"They look like fans."
"Ah. I thought we were busted."
"Shh."
Just as Lee Da-bi said, the players gathered in front of the dungeon entrance were mostly low-level. Most of them were fans who had come just to catch a glimpse of the pro players! Of course, they couldn't actually enter the dungeon, but they were perfectly content just watching from the outside.
"That's actually kind of heartwarming."
"My thoughts exactly," Choi Sang-yun agreed.
Cain and Choi Sang-yun chatted idly. Lee Da-bi, however, saw things differently. I smell a business opportunity!
"Da-bi."
"Yes?"
"If we mobilize the Power Warrior Guild members, don't you think we could sell some stuff here?"
"I was just thinking the exact same thing!"
Tae-hyun nodded and began walking forward. The fans waiting in line grew annoyed as Tae-hyun pushed past them.
"Excuse me! Get in line!"
"Can't you see we're waiting here?"
Despite their protests, Tae-hyun kept advancing, prompting the team staff standing at the front to step in.
"You cannot enter this area."
"The Beijing Fighters are currently practicing."
"I know. Move."
"I said, you can't go in."
"If you keep pushing, we will attack you."
The staff members' names were glowing red, likely from having chased away fans multiple times already. They were in a high-infamy state, meaning they would suffer severe penalties if they died!
"You should've attacked first before talking."
"?"
Thwack! Stab!
"Aaargh?!"
"...?!"
While there had been fans who tried to sneak in, they had never seen a "fan" who straight-up assaulted the staff without warning. They were so utterly flabbergasted that they didn't even realize their colleague had been logged out in a single blow.
"At-Attack!"
"We have a situation at the dungeon entrance! A situation at the entrance! Send backup immediately!"
After sending another staff member to the graveyard with a swift swing of his sword, Tae-hyun shouted at the top of his lungs.
"We have the right to watch too! Open the dungeon to the fans!"
"??!"
"Yeahhhhh!"
The fans waiting in the back, wondering what the commotion was about, erupted into cheers at Tae-hyun's declaration. In their eyes, Tae-hyun was a heroic fan standing up for their rights.
"Everyone! Let's go! You all deserve to watch them play!"
Shuffle, shuffle...
As soon as Tae-hyun finished speaking, one or two fans from the back of the line began to hesitantly step forward. That spark ignited the crowd, and suddenly, everyone charged forward.
"Oh, crap... Block them! Cast barriers! Use magic! Knock them all down!"
"But they're our fans!"
"I don't care if they're fans! They can't enter the dungeon while the team is practicing!"
The coach frantically rallied the staff to form a defensive line at the entrance. But Tae-hyun was already right in front of them.
"Do you think you'll get away with this?! Stop right now!"
"Feel the wrath of the fans!"
"Why you...!"
Infuriated, the coach drew his axe and swung. Though he was a retired pro, as the coach of a major Pan-On team, he was still a high-level player himself. He could easily sweep away a few mediocre fans in the blink of an eye!
Clang!
The target's weapon has been destroyed!
"?!"
Seeing Tae-hyun shatter the opponent's weapon with his hammer, Lee Da-bi cried out in distress.
"Tae-hyun! If you break it, we can't sell it!"
"Ah, right. My bad."
Tae-hyun quickly swapped his weapon and bashed the coach. The coach tried to block, but his reflexes were far too slow against Tae-hyun.
Thud! Crack!
The moment the sword struck him a few times, his vision darkened, and a system message popped up.
Your HP has temporarily dropped by more than 50%!
You are temporarily immobilized due to the massive impact!
What kind of damage is this?!
The terrifying damage output shredded the HP of the coach, who possessed a tank-type class, in an instant! This wasn't a level of power you encountered every day. This was... at least a ranker!
Wait... Tae-hyun? Where have I heard that name before...?
With that final thought, the coach was logged out.
Once their leader, the coach, was logged out, the rest was child's play. Tae-hyun ran wild like a beast, sweeping away every last staff member.
"Haha! Die!"
Choi Sang-yun watched, utterly appalled.
"He's acting exactly like he did back in Pan-On 1."
"Was he different back in Pan-On 1?" Cain asked.
"Well, his class was different, and a lot of other things were too... but he was way more ruthless back then than he is now in Pan-On 2."
"...R-Really?"
Cain asked, his voice trembling with dread. If he was even more ruthless back then, just what kind of absolute monster was he?
Having wiped out everyone, Tae-hyun roared triumphantly.
"Everyone! Let's go! The dungeon is ours to enter!"
"Yeahhhhh!"
"Wait, who is that guy?"
"Who cares? Just run in!"
"W-Wait. Even if we're fans, won't we get in the players' way if we barge in like this?"
Fortunately, there was at least one rational fan in the crowd. But Tae-hyun didn't even bat an eye as he replied.
"That's just an excuse the organization made up! The players don't mind at all. In fact, they love it!"
"R-Really?"
"Is that true?"
"Of course! Who wouldn't want their fans cheering them on in person? They'll be incredibly grateful. If they aren't, they don't deserve to be called pro players! Who knows? They might even run the dungeon with you!"
"Ohh!"
"Ohhhhh!"
"Now, let's go, everyone!"
"Yeahhhhh!"
Before anyone knew it, Tae-hyun was perfectly leading a mob of nameless players he had met just seconds ago! Anyone else witnessing this scene would have found it utterly hard to believe.