The Drums of War and the Resurrected Empire

Two quests had appeared. One was to increase the number of Orcs in his tribe, and the other was to instigate a war.

While he could accept the first, the second was hard to swallow. Starting a war wasn't exactly easy...

However, Kim Tae-san still hadn't forgotten the humiliation of having to flee the Auston Kingdom as if he were running for his life.

‘Those cowardly bastards. Pushing me back with sheer numbers!’

Originally, Kim Tae-san was also someone who favored overwhelming opponents with sheer numbers, but that was then, and this was now. He could never forgive them for daring to defeat him!

‘Now, it's my turn to pay them back.’

If the Guild Alliance was going to push with player numbers, Kim Tae-san planned to counterattack with Orc NPCs. In any case, to the east of the Uruk Region lay the Mountain Range of Giants, and to the north was an icy, frozen sea. If he were to strike, there was only one direction: west, toward the Auston Kingdom!

"Brother. Those Elf bastards are loitering around again."

"Ah, seriously. How long are those jerks going to stay here?!"

Kim Tae-san snapped irritably.

The Elf Duke, Gellendel, was an incredibly persistent Elf. Tae-san had figured that if he just showed himself occasionally and then vanished, the Duke would eventually give up on his own. Instead, after thoroughly searching the mountain range, the Elf was now trying to cross over.

‘Is he out of his mind?’

"I am still hungry."

Coach Ju of the LK Lions spoke with a cold gaze as he stood before his players.

At his words, Todmer, the team captain, replied, "We're plenty satisfied, though."

"Yeah, Coach. We made the semifinals. We can take it easy now. We've already made a name for ourselves."

The players of the LK Lions all looked content. Reaching the semifinals of this tournament was more than enough for them. Though not to the extent of Kim Tae-hyun or Lee Se-yeon, they had still received a decent amount of media coverage.

"Cut the crap!" Coach Ju barked. "Satisfied? What do you mean, satisfied? Are you all losers? Listen to me carefully. Right now, tens of thousands of people are trying to break into this industry. Hundreds of teams will actually jump in. Sure, even if Kim Tae-hyun gets eliminated in the semifinals, people won't forget him for a long time. He's a guy who constantly generates buzz just by breathing. But what about you guys? I guarantee you, if you get knocked out in the semifinals, you'll be completely forgotten within a month! You think I'm joking? Once the Dungeon Tournament ends, the Arena League begins. How well do you think you'll perform there?"

The players' faces hardened at Coach Ju's venomous words. They had their own pride, so the coach's harsh tongue was highly unpleasant. What made it worse was that his words weren't entirely baseless. In reality, they were a team specialized in dungeon clearing. They had no idea how well they would perform once they entered the Arena.

In other words, if they wanted to engrave their names in the public's mind, this was their last chance of the year. If they won just once, they would be treated as the kings of the Dungeon Tournament!

"Listen up, you bastards. This is the turning point of your lives. If you win, you rise; if you lose, you're forgotten. I've worked in this industry for a long time. Only a tiny handful of people ever become stars here. The rest? They flash for a second and vanish. If you want to be stars, think about winning! If you defeat Kim Tae-hyun, you can become the stars you so desperately want to be!"

The players rebelled against Coach Ju's words.

"No, even if you say that, what can we do when we're at such a disadvantage? Honestly, Coach, didn't you try to shake them up like that because you lacked confidence yourself?"

"He's right. Isn't it your job to come up with a winning strategy, Coach?"

It was the coach's role to devise strategies and tactics so that the active players could focus on the game. Coach Ju had always come up with strategies and tactics in that manner, systematically crushing opposing teams one by one. Yet, for this match alone, he was acting unusually anxious. The players assumed it was because of who their opponent was.

"Shut up. What do you punks know? I'm already fully prepared to face them. I already know exactly what strategy Kim Tae-hyun's team is going to use in the next match."

"Huh? How?"

"Eavesdropping on those fools' conversations is easier than twisting a baby's wrist."

"Is-isn't that illegal?"

"Illegal? It's only illegal if you get caught. How do you think you guys have won and made it this far? Didn't you find it strange how we always managed to pinpoint the opponent's strategy perfectly?"

Coach Ju sneered at his players.

"Wake up! If you guys were actually amazing, other gaming teams would have tried to scout you by now. Your limit is right here. If you want to climb higher, this is no time to be picky about your methods!"

"..."

Having said his piece, Coach Ju turned around. Leaving the players alone after saying this would naturally leave them shaken. Pawns that would do anything to win! That was exactly the kind of players Coach Ju wanted.

‘Ah, seriously, those goddamn bastards...’ Coach Ju cursed inwardly as he walked away.

He had blustered in front of the players, but the situation was truly dire. The problem was the next match! The next match was crucial for the players, but it was just as critical for him. If he could take these second-rate players and defeat Kim Tae-hyun's team?

- Coach Ju's brilliant strategy leads a team of rejects to victory!

- How did Coach Ju transform the LK Lions into a powerhouse?

Articles like that would undoubtedly flood the news!

Right now, over hundreds of teams worldwide were jumping into the Pan-On esports scene, and just as many coaches were popping up, shouting, "Hire me!" From former professional gamers of the old days to arrogant bastards boasting Harvard business degrees.

Strictly speaking, this was the dawn of Pan-On esports. He had to do things right now. Only by leaving a powerful impression and making a name for himself as a legendary coach could he survive in the long run.

But he couldn't see a solution. To begin with, Kim Tae-hyun's team wasn't the type of opponent you could handle just by knowing their strategy. They didn't even bother hiding it in the first place! Tae-hyun's team had consistently pushed the exact same strategy since they reached the main tournament.

Tae-hyun would personally herd the monsters, and then they would use siege weapons and bombs to unleash rapid burst damage and clear the dungeon! It was a simple method, but that was what made it so terrifying. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠It was so flawless that it showed absolutely no openings.

First of all, there was no one else who could craft siege weapons as well as Tae-hyun (in fact, no other team even included a blacksmith player in the tournament), no one who could use bombs as stably as Tae-hyun, and certainly no one who could herd monsters as exceptionally well as him.

The more he looked, the more absurdly broken the guy seemed! From Coach Ju's perspective, it was enough to make him sigh, ‘Ah, if I only had just one guy like that, I could conquer the world league.’

‘But wishing for the impossible is pointless.’

With the LK Lions' budget, this was their limit. Even the fact that Coach Ju—who had a terrible reputation due to past conflicts with players—was hired was only possible because of the LK Lions' desperate situation.

‘I need to shake them up somehow, but they won't budge... Argh.’

If this were the Arena League, he could have prepared counters tailored to the opposing team, but because it was a Dungeon Tournament, his options were far too limited. It was a competition where you had to boost your own team's power rather than block or interfere with the opponent! And the opponent's strategy was something his team simply couldn't replicate...

‘Please, just spit out ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠something useful.’

With a pounding heart, Coach Ju booted up his program. The computer he had hacked belonged to Cain! Cain was the only one gullible enough to constantly install suspicious programs. Any conversations happening on Cain's computer were set to be forwarded to Coach Ju. Although this wouldn't be the entirety of their conversations, Coach Ju prayed that there would be some sort of hint he could use.

Cain had sent the messages excitedly. A moment later, Tae-hyun emerged from his capsule and grabbed Cain by the collar.

"You bastard, do I look like your personal chef? Huh? If you're hungry, get in your capsule and eat in-game food! It gives you buffs, too!"

"Ack, cough, cough! N-no, I was just... just curious..."

After being grabbed by the collar and shaken back and forth by Tae-hyun, Cain slumped dejectedly.

"From now on, I'll just ask out loud."

"...Can't you just feed yourself?" Jeong Su-hyeok muttered.

"But he cooks way better than me..." Cain whined.

‘No wonder he gets scolded every single day...’

Jeong Su-hyeok stared at Cain with a look of utter pity.

‘Lately, the way Su-hyeok looks ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠at me has changed quite a bit.’

"...Is this motherfucker obsessed with food???"

Coach Ju was utterly dumbfounded. Cain was acting like some kind of starved ghost, doing nothing but asking about the menu. To make matters worse, Kim Tae-hyun hadn't even replied. Honestly, Coach Ju would have done the same. Who would bother answering such stupid questions!

‘Could these bastards have noticed and laid a trap?’

He was so exasperated that he even began to suspect this! He had hoped to overhear some hidden skills or secret strategies, but all he got was the team house's daily menu.

‘Hmm... I see. Cain prefers pork over beef... eats a lot of chicken... and Kim Tae-hyun is a good cook... those goddamn bastards!’

Crash!

Coach Ju gave up and threw his equipment.

"Whoa. My computer broke."

"Huh? Senior, I told you not to watch weird things!"

"I... I... didn't!"

"It's completely bricked by ransomware!"

Jeong Su-hyeok checked Cain's computer with an exasperated expression.

"I think we just need to format it..."

"N-no!"

"Is there something important on it?"

Cain ended up letting it slide, completely unaware that his computer had actually been hacked. In the midst of this, Choi Sang-yun suddenly cried out in shock.

"What's on Cain's computer doesn't matter right now! Have you guys seen the forums?"

"What? What's so important?"

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

"I think Lee Se-yeon just pulled off something massive!"

At Choi Sang-yun's words, Cain and Jeong Su-hyeok quickly opened the forums. The forums were completely flooded with posts about the quest Lee Se-yeon had just cleared.

The Asbian Empire.

It was the name of the empire that had been revived thanks to Lee Se-yeon's successful quest completion. An ancient empire located south of the Central Continent and east of the Prica Continent! An empire that had vanished without a trace for ages had been resurrected and brought back to the world map through a player's quest.

The emergence of a new region was always bound to generate massive interest. The players were already buzzing with excitement.

These were the lamentations of novice Necromancers! Someone of Lee Se-yeon's caliber had built up so much reputation and achievements that NPCs wouldn't dare mistreat her, but that wasn't the case for beginners. Necromancer was a notoriously unpopular class! They were gloomy, smelled bad, and were hated by most religious orders... Because of this, novice Necromancers always had to suffer penalties whenever they dealt with NPCs.

"I was wondering what Lee Se-yeon was up to..."

"What are you guys doing?"

"Eek!"

Everyone flinched as Tae-hyun suddenly popped up from behind them.

"L-Lee Se-yeon did something like this..."

"Hmm..."

Tae-hyun silently read through the posts. Watching him, everyone tensed up. They all knew that Tae-hyun tended to act exceptionally petty whenever it came to Lee Se-yeon.

‘Will he be okay?’

‘Come on, Tae-hyun has matured a lot lately...’

"Lee Se-yeon... doing a quest like this in the middle of the tournament. She should be focusing on the matches. How careless!"

‘Look who's talking?!’

While all the other competing teams were pouring every second into practice, he was the one who had cleared all sorts of quests, claiming that "practice is done in real combat"!

"You guys think so too, right?"

"Uh... yeah! Of course."

"Lee Se-yeon is indeed very thoughtless!"