Better Than Dying Alone

Anything was better than a friend dying as a lonely old man. At least, that was what Choi Sang-yun believed.

If things continued like this, Tae-hyun would end up as a miserable old man with nothing but piles of money to keep him company... Wait. Actually, that doesn't sound half bad.

...In any case, Sang-yun ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠fully intended to support Lee Da-bi.

Sorry, Ji-su. Da-bi is my friend too!

After silently apologizing to Yu Ji-soo, Sang-yun paused. But what on earth were they supposed to gift Tae-hyun? Seriously, what do we get him?

"Hmm..."

While Sang-yun was lost in thought, Tae-hyun was looking around the store with Cain.

"How about this one?"

"Tacky."

"This?"

"Ugly."

"Thi—"

"I said, it's ugly."

"You didn't even look at the last one!"

"Don't pick anything yourself. Just ask someone else to choose for you."

"Ugh... why..."

Cain grumbled, looking thoroughly dejected. Tae-hyun offered a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠carrot to soothe him.

"I'm not doing this for my own sake. The tournament is coming up, and you'll be showing your face on broadcast soon. Do you want to be labeled as 'Fashion Terrorist Cain' or 'Cain, the Guy with Style'?"

"T-the guy with style..."

"Exactly. So don't pick anything."

"...?"

Cain tilted his head, wearing a puzzled expression, unsure whether he had just been complimented or insulted.

In the meantime, Tae-hyun walked around to find clothes that would fit Lee Da-bi's younger sisters.

"Welcome, sir. What kind of style are you looking for? What are their sizes?"

"Um, let's see..."

Come to think of it, he hadn't asked for their sizes. But Tae-hyun possessed a special pair of eyes—his extraordinary observational skills, which allowed him to discern a player's class and equipped gear with a single glance in-game!

"You didn't ask?"

"Hold on. I can probably guess..."

"What? Did you ask beforehand?"

"No. I'm calculating it in my head right now."

"...You really waste your talents on the most useless things."

Sang-yun had felt this during the last broadcast too, but this guy possessed an uncanny knack for demonstrating incredible talent in completely pointless areas!

He should have just gone to the Olympics or something...

"Oh! Hyung!"

"?"

"??"

At the voice from behind, Tae-hyun and Cain looked at each other. Who was calling them 'Hyung'?

"Is that your brother?"

"No, I only have younger sisters... Isn't he yours?"

"I'm an only child, dude."

Since a complete stranger was calling them 'Hyung', Tae-hyun and Cain tried to pass him off to each other.

"We met last time!"

"Maybe he's your fan?"

"Can't he be your fan?"

"My appearance in-game is pretty different from real life... The chances of him being my fan are..."

Cain trailed off, turning dejected again.

"Come on. You saw me at the after-party last time."

"?"

"You know, at the department's general assembly..."

"Ah. That time."

Tae-hyun recalled the memory. The event he had been dragged to by his professor... There had been plenty of people throwing all sorts of questions at him, but none of them had left a lasting impression.

Cain whispered, "What's going on? Who is he?"

"I think he's a junior from my department."

"Ah, so he goes to the same university as my younger sister?"

"I guess so. Though our majors are different."

The junior looked at Cain and asked, "By any chance, are you Cain-nim?"

"Ahem. Yes, indeed. I am Cain."

"Ohhh...!"

"You may admire me more. Haha."

"No, actually, I'm a fan of Tae-hyun hyung..."

"......."

Cain's face crumpled. Tae-hyun patted his shoulder.

"Are you close with him?"

"I'm seeing him for the first time today. Well, not literally the first time, but let's just count it as the first."

"Then why is he acting so friendly? Calling you 'Hyung' and all."

"I guess that's just his personality."

"Ugh. I hate dealing with guys like that. I'm practically allergic..."

Cain slunk backward. He felt intimidated by Tae-hyun's brightly smiling junior. The overwhelming aura of an extreme extrovert radiated from his entire body!

"Are you here to buy something?"

"Yeah."

"That's great! Let's look around together, hyung!"

"Um, it's a bit awkward to ask now, but... what was your name again?"

"I'm Yu Je-geon!"

Cain was amazed. To have someone tell you to your face that they forgot your name, yet not a single muscle on his face twitched.

"You can just remember it from now on, hyung!"

"Sure, sure."

"When are you coming to the next gathering?"

"Don't know."

"We should play Pan-On together sometime!"

"Maybe."

"Speaking of which, last time in our department..."

Tae-hyun kept responding in a completely soulless tone. Cain was impressed once again. The junior's persistence was one thing, but Tae-hyun was on another level. To remain so utterly unfazed!

If it were me, I'd be getting goosebumps all over my body!

"Oh, this jacket looks pretty good. Should I buy it for you as a gift?"

"No, I'm fine. But more importantly, why would you?"

"Haha, no need to be polite. Well, actually..."

As Yu Je-geon lowered his voice, Cain and Tae-hyun leaned in closer. What was he about to say?

"I'm actually a bit of a silver spoon."

"......."

"......."

Cain was shocked in a completely different way. A guy who actually says that about himself with his own mouth really exists! No, but seriously, wasn't that incredibly embarrassing? Surely even Tae-hyun would be a bit flustered by such a statement...

"Ah. I see."

"!"

Tae-hyun didn't flinch in the slightest! Cain whispered from the side, "Hey. Is it really okay to let a guy like that hang around?"

"Well, I just think of him as someone who's a bit sick in the head. Think about Pan-On. There are plenty of guys way weirder than him."

"...True!"

Cain was instantly convinced. Compared to the bizarre individuals Tae-hyun had encountered and dealt with, this guy didn't even qualify as strange! Of course, Cain had no idea that he was included in that list of weirdos Tae-hyun had dealt with.

"My dad is a company president, you see."

"Sure. And I know an old grandpa who's a conglomerate chairman."

"Hahaha, what a joker..."

Tae-hyun listened to his junior's words with a gentle demeanor. He felt he had become remarkably generous lately. Why bother scolding him here? It was enough to just look at him with warm, benevolent eyes.

It was Cain who watched their conversation (though it was actually just Tae-hyun listening one-sidedly) with bated breath.

Kim Tae-hyun isn't going to lose his temper and throw a punch, is he? Shouting, 'You punk! Where do you think you're showing off your money! Do you have any idea how much more money I have than you?!'

Cain silently resolved to send this guy's name to his younger sister and tell her never to associate with him.

"Ah! Tae-hyun-nim!"

"Who's that next to you?"

Choi Sang-yun was flustered to see an unfamiliar face. Cain silently mouthed to him:

"Um, Tae-hyun-nim. This is..."

Lee Da-bi held out a scarf. Choi Sang-yun and Lee Da-bi had put their heads together (and later, Jeong Su-hyeok had joined in to brainstorm) to think of a gift, but the results had been disastrous.

In the end, after much agonizing, Da-bi had decided to just choose something on her own.

"Hmm?"

"I thought you might get cold."

"Ah. Thank you."

Tae-hyun smiled as he took the scarf and wrapped it around his neck. Seeing this, Yu Je-geon tilted his head and asked, "It looks a bit too chea—ack."

"Junior."

"Y-yes?"

"Let's stay quiet when it's time to shut up."

Tae-hyun smiled as he gripped Yu Je-geon's shoulder. Though Tae-hyun was smiling, Yu Je-geon felt pure, unadulterated bloodlust radiating from his eyes.

He's terrifying!

"Y-yes, sir!"

Watching Da-bi present her gift, Choi Sang-yun said to Jeong Su-hyeok, "I don't think we were of much help in choosing a gift."

"I agree."

"An interview?"

"Yes, yes. As you know, there ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠are many Korean teams among those who advanced to the finals in this Dungeon Conquest Tournament."

Traditionally, Korea was an esports powerhouse! That held true in Pan-On as well. Among the teams that made it to the finals, the Korean teams stood out. Furthermore, even if they weren't strictly Korean teams, players of Korean nationality were easy to find. In some foreign teams, three out of five players were Korean!

"So, we'd like to take this opportunity to gather the qualifying teams and players for a brief broadcast. We'll do some interviews and run a simple program, so you can just come with a light heart."

It had been quite a while since PD Bae Jang-wook of MBS had contacted him directly like this. Although the Arena Tournament and other professional leagues had transitioned to being hosted directly by the Pan-On corporation, MBS still maintained its lead in domestic gaming broadcasts. They didn't fall behind even when compared to major public networks!

The secret lay in their aggressive program planning and creative ideas. And it was PD Bae Jang-wook who had hit the jackpot by casting Tae-hyun in the first place!

"I saw your appearance on The Law of Survival last time. Sob. I suppose it can't be helped since we can't produce a show like that..."

"You don't have to cry like that. I'll participate, so don't worry."

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

"Oh, really?"

Bae Jang-wook brightened up. He had worried that Tae-hyun might reject the offer, claiming he didn't have time to play Pan-On.

"Since I'm leading a gaming team now, I should at least fulfill my duties."

"Ah, of course."

Bae Jang-wook smiled. Tae-hyun had changed quite a bit since they first met. Was it true that the position makes the man?

"With you and Lee Se-yeon-ssi on board, high ratings are practically guaranteed, and other players will definitely clamor to join. You two are special, after all."

"Hmm. Maybe I shouldn't go..."

"?!"

After ending the call with Bae Jang-wook, Tae-hyun climbed back into his capsule. It felt like he had only just mentioned the possibility of appearing on a broadcast, and now he was actually going to do it. And as a team, no less.

How many days are left until the first round of the finals... I want to conquer the royal palace before then...

"Argh! I needed to make lava bombs! What a waste!"

"Well, we gathered plenty, so we should have enough to craft a few times."

He saw the Mechanical Engineering Blacksmiths walking past, muttering in disappointment. Tae-hyun felt it once again: there truly was power in numbers!

Since he had mostly played solo in Pan-On 1, he rarely had the chance to mobilize people like this. He could finally understand why players established and ran large guilds. With a single command, tasks were resolved in the blink of an eye...

Of course, Tae-hyun's case was highly exceptional; even in typical large guilds, members rarely worked together with such absolute unity.

"Whoa, an army led by nobles? This is my first time seeing one."

"How did Kim Tae-hyun summon them? There's no way normal contribution points would be enough for this..."

The players watched in awe as the noble armies marched toward them in orderly ranks from the distance. An army led by nobles was a rare sight indeed in Pan-On!

"Fufu. Count Kim Tae-hyun. Since fate has brought us together like this, I would like to treat you to a meal. I have brought my personal chef along."

I'm so jealous! Tae-hyun thought as he stared at the chef NPC brought by the noble. His own territory didn't have an NPC like that!

The chef NPC, Devuel, was a textbook culinary master. He wasn't some weird chef with bizarre cooking skills; he was a chef who had mastered orthodox culinary arts and possessed a vast repertoire of traditional recipes!

"Wait, Devuel? The Devuel?"

"Isn't he one of the legendary chefs who possesses a secret cooking skill?"

The whispers of the player chefs in the territory drifted clearly into Tae-hyun's ears.