A Truly Devilish Idea
"How about making him drink demon blood?"
"What an idea...!"
Tae-hyun was deeply impressed by Lee Da-bi's suggestion. What a remarkably fresh concept! It was far more effective than spinning some half-baked lie, and wouldn't the results be instantaneous? Besides, demon blood was incredibly easy to get. Unlike other players, Tae-hyun could squeeze demon blood out of his surroundings whenever he wanted.
Carbanog shudders at your terrifying thoughts.
Carbanog warns that doing such a thing will not just corrupt him, but turn him straight into a demon!
Ah. Is that so?
Tae-hyun smacked his lips in disappointment. To think he wouldn't just be corrupted, but actually turn into a demon.
Wait, does it really matter if he becomes a demon? As long as his skills remain intact...
Carbanog is utterly dumbfounded. It asks who Yohas would kill first if he became a demon.
Well, that's true.
Even Tae-hyun had to admit that if Yohas became a demon, his very first target would be Tae-hyun himself. All that pent-up resentment would explode at once! In the end, this meant he had to trap Yohas using nothing but pure words and deception. And of course, he had to make sure Yohas never found out he was the one behind it!
"By the way, Tae-hyun. Shouldn't we start getting ready?"
"For what? The deception? The trap?"
"...N-No. For the tournament."
"!"
The Dungeon Conquest Tournament. The main tournament, where the teams that survived the qualifiers would face off in 1v1 matches, was just around the corner.
"The reason we've gathered here today..."
Tae-hyun and his crew were gathered not inside Pandemonium Online, but at their real-world team house. There was a specific reason they had to meet offline like this: Choi Sang-yun was currently tracking the Salavian Order alongside Evangeline.
"It's because of the main tournament starting in a few days."
"Ah. That."
"Oh, shoot. I completely forgot."
"Don't worry! We just need to play exactly like we practiced."
Jeong Su-hyeok encouraged Cain.
"As long as you do what you usually do in practice, we can easily win, no matter what elemental attributes the dungeon has."
"Exactly. Su-hyeok is right. We just need to execute what we've been practicing," Choi Sang-yun agreed. "Besides, our first opponent is the team that passed the qualifiers in second-to-last place. The gap between us is massive."
First place was Yuseong Gaming, second place was Team KL. Below them, the gap in skill was indeed substantial. That was why most people predicted these two teams would make it to the finals.
— Yuseong Gaming vs. Team KL! A rivalry stretching back to Pan-On 1!
— The rock-solid composition of Yuseong Gaming vs. the master of unorthodox play, Team KL!
— How did Yuseong Gaming become such a powerhouse?
There was a reason Choi Sang-yun wasn't worried. However, Cain's reaction was entirely different from the others.
"Did... did you guys actually practice?"
"Huh? Of course we did. Isn't that obvious?"
"We did. Tae-hyun told us to."
"I practiced too."
"......"
Cain's face turned pale.
"Don't tell me you..."
"I-I did too! Of course I did!"
He didn't.
I don't think he did either.
He definitely didn't.
The group stared at Cain with pity. Tsk, tsk...
"Alright, alright. Honestly, I'm not too worried either," Tae-hyun said. "Even though there was some time between the qualifiers and the main tournament, it's not like they could have drastically shaved off their clear times in that short span. Just play like usual, and don't make any mistakes."
As Tae-hyun spoke, he stared directly at Cain. The others nodded, their eyes also locking onto Cain.
Why is everyone looking at me like that...!
Hmm. I should keep my newly acquired skill under wraps for now.
Much like the public's predictions, Tae-hyun expected to face Yuseong Gaming in the finals. Though he didn't know what methods they had used, the Yuseong Gaming team led by Lee Se-yeon was currently posting results very close to his own. If anything, they would only shave more time off, not lose it. Considering that, Tae-hyun needed to prepare in advance. The skill he had recently acquired would serve as that preparation.
Monitoring Team Leader Choi Myung-sung looked at the tournament bracket and spoke.
"Team KL might actually struggle."
"Pardon? Team KL? You're joking, right?"
"I'm not joking."
"But Team KL's first opponent is... the Osaka Dragons! I mean, no matter what, would Team KL really lose to a team like that?"
Japan was traditionally a weak nation in esports. In contrast, Korea was a traditional powerhouse! There was even a running joke that "a team's strength is determined by how many Korean players they have." In fact, several of the top-ranked teams in the world right now were based in Korea. Compared to the US and Chinese teams backed by overwhelming capital, it was a truly remarkable feat.
"Let me finish. I didn't say they would lose, I said they might struggle."
"Why?"
"Tournaments aren't decided by raw skill alone. Surprisingly, many other factors come into play."
"...??"
"Well, you'll see soon enough."
You have entered the Dungeon Conquest Tournament Arena.
PVP is disabled inside the arena.
......
For some reason, Tae-hyun felt like that warning message was targeting him specifically.
Don't fight before the match starts!
Well, it's probably just my imagination.
There were far more important things to focus on. For instance, the crowd gathered before his eyes.
"Did every single Japanese player gather here today?" Tae-hyun muttered, utterly dumbfounded.
A deafening roar was erupting from the stands near the arena.
"WAAAAAAAH!"
Although China had the largest player base in Pandemonium Online, today felt different.
"This isn't the finals, right? It's just the first match of the main tournament, isn't it?"
"Even if Pan-On is incredibly popular, this is a bit much..."
The other team members, entering shortly after, looked equally bewildered. While there were plenty of Team KL fans in attendance, none of them were as organized or as loud as the massive wave of Japanese supporters.
"Heh. Kim Tae-hyun. You look flustered."
"You are...!"
Tae-hyun turned his head toward the player who had spoken.
"Who were you again?"
"I'm Crawford, you bastard!"
Crawford, the high-ranking fire mage. Though he had narrowly failed to pass the qualifiers this time, he wasn't a player to be ignored. In fact, Jeong Su-hyeok's eyes lit up the moment he saw Crawford.
"It... It is an honor!"
"Haha. See, this friend here knows who I—wait, aren't you Jeong Su-hyeok? What do you mean, 'honor'..."
"Pardon?"
"Cut it out! We're competitors, there's no need to be so humble!"
Normally, Tae-hyun would have shut Crawford down instantly, but he refrained. He knew that deep down, Crawford was a pusho—no, a decent guy. Even though he had just brushed off Jeong Su-hyeok, it was out of respect for him as an equal competitor, not out of arrogance. Of course, the fact that PVP was disabled in the arena also played a part.
Completely unaware of what Tae-hyun was thinking, Crawford continued, "I heard about you from Alcott, so I was on guard. I knew psychological warfare was your specialty, but to think you'd almost get me..."
"No, I seriously didn't remember you."
"I told you, that won't work on me, you jerk! Stop it!"
I think it's working perfectly... the rest of the team thought silently.
"Anyway, you look shaken by this. Don't tell me you didn't expect this? If so, I'm a bit disappointed."
"Expect what?"
"How many fans the Osaka Dragons would bring. Look, Japan doesn't have many teams. Even if they do, most of them are amateur squads. But suddenly, one team made it to the main tournament."
"So... the reception is hot?"
"Hot? That's an understatement. Look at all those reporters over there. They're busy as bees trying to get interviews."
"......"
Tae-hyun and his team turned their heads. A crowd of Japanese reporters had surrounded the Osaka Dragons, shouting questions.
— How do you feel ahead of this match...
— This is your first time making it to the main tournament of a Pan-On event...
— Facing such a strong team, we will do our best...
The earnest-looking players were answering the questions politely. When their eyes met Tae-hyun's group, they hurriedly bowed in greeting.
"Ah! Team KL is entering the arena!"
"Captain Kim Tae-hyun of Team KL! What strategy have you prepared to face the Osaka Dragons in this match?"
"Uh..."
Tae-hyun was about to say, "We didn't prepare anything," but stopped himself. The opposing players' eyes were simply too bright and full of hope. Tae-hyun was notoriously weak against this type of pure-hearted person!
"We have simply prepared to do our best."
"Are you saying you can easily defeat the Osaka Dragons without any special strategy?"
"I never said that. Is your translator broken?"
"So, in the eyes of a player like Kim Tae-hyun, the Osaka Dragons are just a bunch of amateurs?"
"You guys are doing this on purpose, aren't you?"
The reporters were clearly fishing for clickbait! They wanted to frame the match as the "Evil Giants vs. the Underdog Challengers." Noise marketing always sold well. Nearby, fans holding banners and wearing matching team shirts began to boo.
"BOOOOOOO!"
Hmm...
Yet, the more hostile the environment became, the colder and more analytical Tae-hyun's mind grew. He was the type of person who performed best under pressure. However, his team wasn't entirely made of cold-blooded pragmatists like him.
"Sniff... *sniff*!"
"Why are you crying now?" Tae-hyun asked, utterly exasperated as Cain suddenly began to snivel.
"Their story is just... so touching!"
"??"
Beside them, a host from a Japanese broadcasting station was passionately narrating the dramatic backstories of the Osaka Dragons' players to the crowd.
"Shokawa of the Osaka Dragons was raised solely by his grandmother. Today, he promises to show his absolute best performance for his grandmother, who is watching from home..."
"......"
Tae-hyun didn't know what show this was, but he could guess the format.
Shouldn't these guys be on a documentary channel instead of an esports tournament?
From what he could hear, every single member of the opposing team had some deeply moving, desperate backstory.
"If... if we win this match, I plan to propose to my fiancée."
"WAAAAAAAH!"
"I want to show my grandmother that I can win!"
"WAAAAAAAH!"
With every emotional statement from the players, the crowd's cheers grew louder. Watching this, Cain was completely swept away by his emotions.
"Sniff. They deserve it so much more than—ow!"
Smack!
Tae-hyun delivered a crisp slap to the back of Cain's head.
"Stop talking nonsense and focus."
"W-Why?"
"Alright, everyone focus. Sure, our backstories might not be as heartwarming or tear-jerking as theirs. We don't really have a tragic tale, do we?"
"Actually, my backstory is quite touching..." Lee Da-bi spoke up softly.
Cain waved his hand dismissively. "Come on, compared to theirs, yours is probably nothing—ow! D-Did Da-bi just hit me?"
"No, I didn't."
It was a rare display of aggression from Lee Da-bi!
"Da-bi's story is touching, but it's not the kind of thing we go around broadcasting to the world."
"What happened to her? Ow!"
"Listen up. All we need to know is this: the team that wins isn't the one with the most fans, nor is it the one with the saddest story. The team that wins is the stronger team. Period."
"Player Kim Tae-hyun? Could we get a quick interview?"
In the meantime, reporters from the Korean broadcasting stations had also approached. Tae-hyun declined with a smile.
"Let's talk after the match."
"Pardon?"
Tae-hyun pushed past the crowd and walked forward with his team. If Tae-hyun were the type of person to care about how pitiful or sad his opponents were, he wouldn't have earned such a notorious reputation in the first place.
We win first, think later!
No matter how tragic or unfortunate the opponents' circumstances were... facing them with his absolute best was the greatest respect Tae-hyun could show.
One hour later. Team KL was conducting their post-match interview, having marked the first round of the tournament with an overwhelming, crushing victory.