The Price of Pride

Rumble—

The moment Tae-hyun's command fell, the mechanical engineering blacksmiths grinned from ear to ear and began assembling their siege engines. Whoosh! Upon seeing this, the surrounding players didn't just back away—they practically bolted!

"Eek! What the hell are those psychopaths building?"

"Don't make eye contact! Whatever you do, don't look at them!"

"M-Mommy! One of them looked at me!"

The players cowered in terror, acting as if they would spontaneously combust if they so much as locked eyes with one of the mechanical engineering blacksmiths.

While the Expedition made its preparations before the walls of the Capital, the massive city gates slowly ground open. Warriors of the Salavian Order came charging out, riding atop terrifying demonic beasts.

"You rebels—!"

Thwip-thwip-thwip-thwip-thwip!

The moment the enemies showed their faces, the Tyrum Hunters drew their bows and unleashed a relentless hail of arrows without a second thought.

"..."

"..."

The other players watched in sheer dumbfoundment. Usually, when enemies made a grand entrance like that, didn't you at least wait to hear what they had to say?

Tae-hyun was equally flabbergasted.

"Man, those guys really have zero chill. Don't you think so, Ji-su—?"

"..."

Yu Ji-su, who had been drawing her bowstring, froze with an embarrassed expression. She had been shooting right along with the other Tyrum Hunters!

"You've really improved, haven't you?"

"Oh, n-no! I wasn't actually trying to shoot them, I just..."

"Hey, what does it matter? A shot's a shot. Good job."

Of course, the Salavian warriors who had just been pelted with a barrage of arrows did not share his sentiment. Though they had blocked and deflected the projectiles, taking zero damage, their pride had taken a severe beating.

"Cowards! Truly fitting of rebels! Have you no sense of honor?!"

The high warrior of the Salavian Order bellowed in rage, but the Tyrum Hunters couldn't have cared less.

"Boo! Smelly mosquitoes!"

"The Salavian Order is just a bunch of bloodsucking bugs!"

"Vampires are bald! Dominic is bald too!"

Sometimes, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠even the most childish attacks can be highly effective! Tae-hyun realized, taking mental notes.

Having utterly lost the battle of words, the Salavian warrior roared, "Silence! If any of you have the courage to face me, step forward!"

The players, who had been merely spectating, began to clamor as the system messages popped up.

"Me! Me! Let me do it!"

"Tae-hyun! Please send me out! I'm confident I can win!"

"Kim Tae-hyun! I probably have the highest level among everyone here! Pick me!"

Rankers and high-level players who were confident in their skills raised their hands in unison, eager to step forward.

This was a golden opportunity! Not only was it a chance to catch Tae-hyun's eye, but it was also a stage to etch their names into the minds of the millions of viewers watching this siege live.

Whether they were established rankers or high-level players striving to become one, everyone wanted to make a name for themselves. It didn't matter if it was through tournament results or in-game achievements. Fame and fortune! The moment one's name became known, those two things were practically guaranteed.

Tae-hyun, who had hidden his identity throughout Pan-On 1, was a unique exception, but even that had only served to turn him into an idol. He was the player who had most successfully carried over his legendary reputation from Pan-On 1!

In fact, his influence was so massive that some players in Pan-On 2 even copied his mysterious, face-concealing style. That was the extent of Tae-hyun's impact.

"You're not going to send Cain out, are you? Just because you guys are close? That would be totally unfair!"

"Yeah! Kim Tae-hyun, we know Cain is good, but please make a fair decision! We're just as capable!"

To the players clamoring for the duel, Tae-hyun wasn't just a star player—he was an object of envy and deep respect. One day, I want to stand where he is!

As a result, rather than arguing with Tae-hyun directly, they chose to target the easy mark standing right next to him: Cain.

Cain was utterly dumbfounded. He hadn't even thought about stepping up, so why were they dragging him into this?

"Hey, you bastards, I wasn't even planning on going out there, alright?"

"Oh, sure! You say that now, but the moment Tae-hyun tells you to, you'll pretend to be reluctant and jump right in!"

"Yeah! That's so cheap! You do it every single time!"

"I've seen the videos! You always act like you're not interested while taking all the rewards for yourself!"

"Are you guys blind?!" Cain roared, his blood boiling. Couldn't these idiots see that Kim Tae-hyun was always the one forcing him into these things?

Thud!

"Bring it on, you bastards!"

When Cain slammed his foot down, the players flinched. They had been trash-talking him, but they couldn't ignore his raw strength. Countless thoughts raced through their minds.

If I fight him, can I win? It'll be incredibly embarrassing if I lose... But if I win... I'll hit the jackpot!

"Fine! I'll—ack!"

Crash!

A player who had been about to step forward suddenly tripped and faceplanted.

"Who the hell did that?!"

"Me, you bastard."

"H-Heck! Tae-hyun!"

"I'm just standing here, and you guys are already deciding things and having a grand old time. Do you want to handle ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠this yourselves? Should I just back out?"

"O-Oh, no. That's not what we meant..."

Tae-hyun had been speaking in a gentle, polite tone when dealing with the ordinary players of the Expedition. Having grown accustomed to that polite demeanor, the players were thoroughly taken aback. Why the sudden change in attitude?

But in truth, this was Tae-hyun's actual personality—his raw, unfiltered self from Pan-On 1!

Choi Sang-yun swallowed hard as he watched. Then, a voice drifted over from beside him.

"S-So cool..."

Watching Yu Ji-su mumble with sparkling eyes, Choi Sang-yun thought to himself, She's got it bad. Real bad.

When he saw Lee Da-bi unconsciously nodding along as well, Sang-yun was thoroughly horrified. Even you, Lee Da-bi?! I thought you were the only sane one here!

"I'll decide this fairly, so shut up."

"H-How?"

"Well..."

Honestly, Tae-hyun hadn't given it much thought. He hadn't planned on sending Cain out either.

I was actually planning on just going out myself...

But the atmosphere made it impossible for him to step up. If he ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠said he was going, no one would openly object, but they would definitely be thinking, Wow, isn't he being a bit too greedy?

He didn't mind letting someone else have this one, but the method was the problem. How was he supposed to choose just one person out of these dozens of players?

"I have an excellent idea. Heheheh."

"???"

Everyone's gaze shifted. Who owned that incredibly sly, scheming laugh?

It was none other than Pelmas.

"If there is only one seat but many who wish to sit..." Pelmas made a circular gesture with his thumb and forefinger. It meant only one thing.

Tae-hyun nodded. "Perfect. Let's go with that."

"!?!?!??!!?"

In the end, Evangeline backed away, fuming. It didn't matter if they were acquaintances; business was business!

She had wanted to participate in the duel for her Salavian Order subjugation quest, but because there were too many players vying for the spot, she had been locked out.

I should have kept more gold on me...

Having just bought new equipment from the auction house in preparation for this quest, her gold reserves were practically depleted. As a result, she could only watch from the sidelines as other players threw astronomical amounts of gold into the bidding war.

Please lose. Please lose. Please lose...

I feel like Evangeline is casting some kind of curse on me, Tae-hyun thought.

But it wasn't just Evangeline. Every single player who had lost the bid was silently chanting the exact same thing.

Please lose. Please lose. Please lose...

A sudden chill ran down Cain's spine. He shivered, sensing an incredibly ominous, dark energy creeping up from behind them.

"I am the Paladin Mojek! I shall represent us in this duel!"

"Paladin Mojek. I, Zemuban, shall face you! What is your affiliation?!"

"I belong to the Phaitos Church. And my guild is... um..."

"...?"

Mojek, who had been shouting at a perfect angle to ensure the broadcast cameras caught his best side, suddenly hesitated. Zemuban, along with everyone else, looked ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠at him in confusion. Why did he stop mid-sentence?

"...Guild!"

The guild's name echoed loudly across the quiet plains.

"What? The Holy Knight Size King Guild?"

"That public indecency guild? I thought they changed their name. They still haven't?"

"And didn't they fight with Kim Tae-hyun before?"

"Why is a guy like that here? Is he a spy?"

Hearing the murmurs of the crowd, a panicked Mojek waved his hands frantically in excuse. "Kim Tae-hyun! I'm not a spy! T-That fight with our guild was a really long time ago, and our guild doesn't even care about that anymore..."

"Boo! Spy! Spy!"

"He's a mole! Get out of here, public indecency guild!"

The players who had lost the bidding war began to jeer loudly. It didn't matter to them whether Mojek was actually a spy or not. All that mattered was that this bastard had stolen their opportunity!

If it weren't for you...!

Yeah! If it weren't for you!!

Lee Da-bi watched the spectacle and thought to herself, These people would fit right in if they joined the Power Warrior Guild.

Public opinion was a terrifying thing. Once one or two people started a chant, even those who hadn't given it any thought would naturally join in.

"Spy! Spy! Spy!"

"Pervert! Pervert! Pervert!"

"Ugh... It's all because of the guild master! Why on earth did he name it that?!" Mojek wailed. He had paid a hefty sum of gold just to make a name for himself, but all he had earned was public humiliation.

"Insolent fool! How dare you ignore me!"

"!"

Meanwhile, Zemuban, feeling thoroughly insulted by Mojek's distraction, charged forward in a rage.

Slash!

A new pair of arms erupted from Zemuban's back, tipped with razor-sharp claws.

Clang!

Despite being caught off guard by the sudden ambush, Mojek successfully raised his guard. True to his class as a Paladin, his defense was rock-solid once he dug his heels in.

"No! That's a terrible idea!" Evangeline shouted from the sidelines.

Under normal circumstances, hunkering down and defending like that was an excellent tactic. You absorb the enemy's initial onslaught, wait for them to tire out, and then strike back with a devastating counter. It was one of the textbook strategies for Paladins.

However, every single member of the Salavian Order was a vampire. Which meant...

Swoosh!

"Argh!"

The extra arms sprouting from Zemuban's back seized Mojek in a vice-like grip, and he began to drain his life force.

"Oh, no...!"

He should have dodged the attack entirely or used a skill to keep the enemy at bay. Once caught in a vampire's grasp, even a Paladin's massive pool of HP became utterly meaningless!

Damn it!

To defeat your enemy, you had to know them first. In that regard, Mojek had been far too reckless. He had charged in blindly without even understanding the unique traits of the Salavian Order.

If Mojek possessed Tae-hyun's level of adaptability or raw mechanical skill, it might have been a different story, but he simply wasn't on that level.

Phytos's Radiant Resistance! Phytos's...

Only when his HP had plummeted to less than 5% did Mojek finally manage to trigger his skill successfully and break free. But the outcome of the battle was already decided!

The spectating players shouted in panic.

"Mojek! Run! Get out of there!"

"It's already over! Just run!"

"I can't do that!"

"?!"

"I already announced my guild's name! I can't run away like a coward! I won't bring shame to my guild's name...!"

"Mojek...!"

The very players who had been jeering him just moments ago felt a sudden lump in their throats at his display of sheer, stubborn pride. But at the exact same time, a collective thought crossed everyone's minds:

If you care that much about your guild's reputation, shouldn't you have changed the name first?