Sincere Advice and Awkward Encounters
Thinking about it made him hesitate. His superior at the Guild Alliance always walked around with his shoulders puffed up just because he joined a bit earlier, constantly nagging and scolding him... Even if he reported this, they would probably just rip into him, saying, "You couldn't even sabotage them, and instead you helped Kim Tae-hyun?" Was there any reason to stay in the Guild Alliance while putting up with that?
They told all the Chinese players to join the Guild Alliance, so I did... but there aren't even any decent benefits... Zhang Shan grumbled, nodding his head repeatedly.
Because so many other players in the Auston Kingdom had pulled out, the lower-tier members of the Guild Alliance now had virtually no difference from ordinary players. They paid taxes, couldn't enter dungeons, and faced restrictions on using facilities... The more I think about it, the madder I get!
A whisper flew in while Zhang Shan was lost in thought.
Zhang Shan made up his mind.
"Fuck off!"
"Wh-what? Have you lost your mind?"
You have blocked this user.
Contrary to Tae-hyun's worries, the territory was running surprisingly well. Aside from Gabriel, the remaining eleven members of the council were mostly sane, rational people. Even Mojek of the Holy Knight is King guild was no exception. In fact, Mojek was the one who put forward the most sensible proposals.
"First, we need to lower taxes and strengthen public security to reduce the NPCs' discontent. Right now, rebuilding the castle walls must be our top priority, and after that, the fortress... Why is everyone looking at me like that?"
"Ooh..."
"No, it's just... honestly, we expected you to say something like, 'Let's give special treatment only to Paladins!'"
The other rankers whispered among themselves. Mojek was acting completely different from what they had anticipated. This made Mojek flare up.
"What do you take me for?!"
"Well... you can't blame us for having a bit of prejudice against someone who joined a guild with a name like that..."
"Yeah, exactly."
"The Holy Knight is King guild is a great guild! Everything about it is great, except for the name!" Mojek genuinely believed his guild was a good one. Except for the name.
"Didn't you just admit it yourself?"
"He even said the name out loud."
"Shut up!"
In any case, the meeting went smoothly. Everyone was simply thrilled and delighted by the mere fact that they were participating in the management of the territory.
I absolutely cannot let an opportunity like this slip away!
The governing council meeting has concluded.
Until the next meeting, the territory will operate under the following rules:
[...]
And it wasn't just the council members. The players who participated in the expedition were all given some sort of official title, big or small. And those titles set their hearts ablaze with motivation.
"I'm... I'm going to do the repairs! Out of my way!"
"No! I'm the one who's going to do the repairs!"
"Hoho. Do not fight, children. Can you not both do the repairs together?"
"Oh, that makes sense!"
Pelmas resolved the dispute between the two players and strolled past. Of course, he didn't lift a single finger himself.
"But how are we supposed to find the Archbishop of the Salavian Church?"
Unaware that he had been made one of the twelve members of the governing council back in the territory, Choi Sang-yun put his head together with Evangeline to brainstorm.
"Don't worry. Who do you think I am?"
"Ah, sh—"
"What?"
"Ah, no, nothing."
The nickname Tae-hyun always used to call Evangeline had almost slipped out of his mouth! Choi Sang-yun quickly shut his trap. Fortunately, Evangeline didn't seem to notice.
"My class is Vampire, after all. I can track down the Salavian Church."
One of the vampires under Evangeline's command stepped forward and activated a skill.
"It is this way, Master."
"Great! Let's head this way."
"Whoo-hoo!"
Not only Choi Sang-yun, but also the expedition players who followed Evangeline cheered in excitement.
One hour later...
"It is this way, Master."
"Um..."
"Just how much longer do we have to keep chasing them?"
"..."
Choi Sang-yun and the expedition players stared at Evangeline with resentful eyes. They had been tracking for an hour, but they hadn't even seen the tail end of the enemy!
"Ahaha, hahahaha..." Evangeline let out an awkward laugh. "It seems the enemy fled faster than expected... I guess we're just too slow."
"Couldn't you have realized that an hour ago?"
"Alright. Everyone, repeat after me."
"I will not go out there and talk nonsense."
"Again. Just Cain this time."
"I will not go out there and talk nonse—Hey, why only me?!"
"Because you're the most dangerous one, you idiot!"
Tae-hyun sternly warned Cain, who stood before him. "Don't get all excited during the interview and say weird things. Even if it's not a live broadcast, those broadcasting people will air any ridiculous story you give them. Got it?"
"Ah, I got it, okay? I'm not a child."
"..."
"..."
Every single team member except Cain had the exact same thought: Is he really going to be okay?
"How about we agree on a signal? If Tae-hyun pokes you once with his finger, you shut up. If he pokes you twice, you can speak..."
"Lee Da-bi, why are you joining in on this too?!"
Tae-hyun checked his team members in the waiting room once more. Their outfits look good, and Cain's attire is... hm, decent. Not weird.
This was a domestic Pan-On gaming team interview hosted by MBS. Although it was an interview featuring only Korean teams, considering South Korea's massive weight in esports, it was by no means a minor event. In fact, nearly half of the teams in the finals of the Dungeon Conquest Tournament were Korean, and even the foreign teams often had one or two Korean players on their rosters. MBS was absolutely certain that even though this was a domestic broadcast, countless viewers from overseas would tune in to watch. There's no way they wouldn't be interested!
"Oh! Kim Tae-hyun! I'm a huge fan. Could I get an autograph?"
"Mr. Kim Tae-hyun, it's a pleasure to meet you in person."
"Kim Tae-hyun, s—"
Every time they passed by Team KL's waiting room, other players would spot Tae-hyun and try to strike up a conversation. While other teams also had famous rankers and players, Tae-hyun's popularity was on an overwhelmingly different level! Not only that, but the other members of Team KL were also highly popular.
Except for Cain.
"Do... do you guys not know who I am?" Cain asked the other players on the sly.
The players tilted their heads in confusion.
"Uh... I feel like I've seen you somewhere."
"Who is he?"
"Is he Team KL's manager?"
"A training coach?"
"I'm Cain! Cain! You bastards are doing this on purpose, aren't you?!"
Watching this exchange, the PD whispered to his staff, "Hey, you're filming this, right?"
"Of course, hehehe."
Team KL was truly a walking guarantee of high ratings, generating entertainment value all on their own. Not only Tae-hyun himself, but every single team member had a distinct, vivid character! Unaware that a camera filled with such wicked intentions was rolling right next to them, the other players answered in a panic.
"Ah... Ah! Cain! I'm a fan!"
"If you're a fan, why couldn't you even recognize my face?!"
"Well, that's because..."
Cain was the only one whose real-life appearance differed so drastically from his in-game character! Since Choi Sang-yun had also stopped crossdressing after entering the tournament, it was only natural that everyone failed to recognize Cain.
"Hmph. Forget it."
"No, really, I'm a genuine fan. You were so cool during the last Arena Tournament."
"R-really? For real?"
"Absolutely. Oh, by the way, my friend and I actually had an argument about this. Could you settle it for us?"
"Settle what?"
"During that tournament, was that self-destruction move planned from the start, or were you forced into it? I'm positive it was a carefully coordinated strategy. But my friend insists it wasn't... I mean, does that even make sense? There's no way something like that could be improvised on the spot..."
"..."
Meanwhile, Tae-hyun was experiencing a rare moment of awkwardness.
"H-h-hello."
"Uh... yes. Hello."
"..."
"..."
A heavy, awkward silence descended upon them.
Tae-hyun was currently facing Ryu Tae-su, the former captain of Team Eight during the Arena Tournament and now a member of Yuseong Gaming. Ryu Tae-su had once yelled at Tae-hyun, accusing him of being an impostor cheapening the legacy of the legendary Kim Tae-hyun from Pan-On 1! As a die-hard fan of the original Kim Tae-hyun, the sheer embarrassment of calling the actual man a fake was something Ryu Tae-su simply couldn't shake off.
"S-so, how is Yuseong Gaming?"
"It's g-good. Lee Se-yeon is an excellent leader, and..."
"I s-see. The Chairman is also wonderful, isn't he? He has a lot of interest in the gaming team."
"I-I didn't know that. I've met the Chairman before, but I just thought of him as a very serious gentleman..."
Watching this conversation, Lee Da-bi felt suffocated on their behalf. Someone, please save this conversation!
Click—
"Ryu Tae-su, the broadcast is about to start, so come review the script one more—What are you doing there?"
"Lee Se-yeon!"
"Se-yeon!"
"?!"
When both Tae-hyun and Ryu Tae-su brightened up and welcomed Lee Se-yeon with immense relief, she flinched and took a step back. What are these guys plotting?
"W-what is this? What are you up to?"
"Nothing, nothing. Come on, get over here."
"...?"
Tae-hyun excitedly dragged Lee Se-yeon inside. Finally, they could have a normal conversation!
Lee Se-yeon shot a pleading look at Lee Da-bi, asking for help.
Lee Da-bi used hand gestures and body language to explain the situation. Lee Se-yeon understood instantly.
These idiots...
Tae-hyun and his die-hard fan who had once insulted him—dragging her into their awkward mess just because they couldn't talk to each other!
"I'm leaving."
"Why?! Just a bit! Let's talk a bit more! Let's talk about dungeon conquest!"
Prick—
Even the other players nearby perked up their ears. The leaders of the two top teams competing for first and second place in the tournament—just listening to them could yield invaluable information.
"No thanks. You two can keep having your awkward chat."
"Awkward? What are you talking about?"
"Y-yes, exactly. It wasn't awkward at all. I had a wonderful time."
"As if!"
Lee Se-yeon tried to push Tae-hyun away. However, Tae-hyun grabbed her hand and refused to let go.
"I promise I won't tease you about the bombs on broadcast!"
"Really? You swear?"
"Yeah. Just stay here a bit longer!"
Watching this unfold, the PD closed his eyes in sheer admiration. Although Kim Tae-hyun denied it every single time, the PD was absolutely convinced: Kim Tae-hyun was born for broadcasting!
"This might be a bit of a mischievous question. Hahaha. Ahead of this tournament, is there a team you dread facing the most?" the MC asked with a cheerful laugh.
As soon as the question was posed, laughter erupted among the players seated on stage.
"Hey, write down our name."
"What if we don't get a single vote?"
It was a tricky question, but the atmosphere remained warm. Because the broadcast was proceeding in a comfortable and friendly manner, everyone could laugh off such a provocative prompt.
"Alright. Has everyone finished writing? Now, let's reveal them one team at a time!"
The format required them to write down the team they were most wary of on a whiteboard and hold it up. Each team consulted among themselves and wrote down a name.
Our name is Team KL, not Team Kim Tae-hyun... Tae-hyun thought to himself, but there wasn't much he could do about it. The MC must have shared his thoughts, as he chuckled.
"Everyone, it's Team KL. Not Team Kim Tae-hyun."
Yuseong Gaming received a similar number of votes as Team KL. If Chairman Yoo had seen this, he would have shed tears of deep emotion. Lee Se-yeon also held up her whiteboard.
Honestly, Lee Se-yeon herself hadn't particularly wanted to write Team KL, but her teammates, including Ryu Tae-su, had strongly insisted.
⊳ Ryu Tae-su: "Isn't Team KL our biggest rival?"
⊳ Lee Se-yeon: "But it feels so annoying to write his name..."
⊳ Teammate: "Captain! You shouldn't let personal feelings get in the way!"
⊳ Lee Se-yeon: "The one getting caught up in personal feelings is you... Fine, fine. It's not that big of a deal anyway."
Lee Se-yeon gave up and wrote down Team KL. It would indeed look strange not to write down the runner-up team. It was true that they were keeping a close eye on them. Besides, if she chose any other team, she would have to make up some forced excuse...
Kim Tae-hyun must have written our team's name too.
With that thought, Lee Se-yeon turned her gaze toward Tae-hyun.
Tae-hyun was the last in line.