No One Remembers Second Place
Having seized their opportunity, the Archisus Artillery was not about to back down easily. "Fire as if today is your last!"
Gritting their teeth, the two counts ordered their forces to retreat far into the distance. If they stayed here any longer, they would be dead before nightfall.
"M-My Lord. Do we truly have to negotiate with such bastards?" one of their subordinates asked.
Count Scabio almost nodded reflexively but caught himself. "Just you wait. I will make sure to deceive those fools!"
"Whoa! The counts are running away!"
The players cheered as the mighty counts of the Blood Archipelago fled without even putting up a proper fight. Of course, there were complicated reasons behind their retreat, but in the eyes of the players, it simply looked like they had run away out of sheer terror of Kim Tae-hyun!
"They were acting so high and mighty, but they're nothing special!"
"Exactly! Exactly!"
NPCs with the rank of a count were usually hard to even catch a glimpse of. Seeing such figures flee in disgrace was an absolute thrill. Swept up in the excitement, the players pushed even further.
"Boo! Count Scabio! Come back here!"
"Running away after such an insult? You're a disgrace to all vampires!"
Your Reputation has increased!
You have gained experience points.
Count Scabio has committed your name to memory...
Along with the influx of experience points and various rewards, notifications popped up warning that Count Scabio or Count Andalto had memorized their names. Normally, this would have been terrifying, but not this time. They had Tae-hyun on their side!
"Hmph. As if we'd be scared of a little threat!"
"Yeah! We're going to play here from now on!"
Although the area barely had any facilities, the players' loyalty was practically infinite. Once they confirmed that the counts had retreated far into the distance, they swarmed toward Tae-hyun.
"Kim Tae-hyun! Kim Tae-hyun! Kim Tae-hyun!"
"Kim Tae... hyun?"
"??"
The approaching players suddenly realized something was off. The atmosphere was incredibly strange.
"Wait, what's going on?"
"What happened...?"
It was as gloomy as a funeral home. Tae-hyun's party spoke with apologetic expressions.
"We're terribly sorry. We have to leave for a moment..."
"Wait, what do you mean? Weren't we supposed to fight together?!" a newly arrived player cried out in confusion.
They had agreed to defend this place together, so what could possibly force them to abandon it now?
"We have to participate in the grand finals soon."
"..."
Ah...! Well, if it was for that, they couldn't really argue...!
Some muttered, "Who on earth hangs around doing this just hours before the grand finals?!" but the players quickly began discussing how to hold the line.
Although Tae-hyun was temporarily absent, his knights and the Archisus Artillery remained. Their military power was more than sufficient, but... they were still anxious! The difference between having a proper leader and not was greater than one might think. After all, a pack of wolves led by a lion is far better than a pride of lions led by a wolf!
The gathered players began to murmur anxiously.
"What do we do?"
"Well, the castle walls are intact, and the knights are still here, so shouldn't we be fine?"
"I don't know, without Kim Tae-hyun here, I'm getting nervous. Maybe we should run?"
Fear was a terrifying thing. Even in a situation they could easily overcome if they united, it made them want to tuck their tails and run. Worse, it was contagious. Even though the enemy had retreated far away and hadn't even begun their assault, some players were already preparing to flee!
Watching this, Vlad realized the grim reality. If things go on like this, I'm a dead man!
The players could run away and the counts wouldn't bother chasing them, but they would hunt Vlad down to the ends of the earth.
—I don't care about the others, but that bastard Vlad is going to die!
The murderous glares of the counts and their subordinates were still vivid in his mind. He had to keep these players here.
"Kuhahaha... Listen to me, you weak-willed vampires!"
Vlad climbed atop the castle walls, trying his absolute best to look imposing. If his acting failed, he was dead!
"His Majesty Kim Tae-hyun has entrusted me with full authority before his departure. Obey my commands! I, Vlad, a true vampire, shall lead you all to victory!"
"Vlad?"
"Who's that? Never heard of him."
"But if Kim Tae-hyun trusted him enough to leave him in charge, doesn't that mean he's a pretty amazing NPC?"
"Maybe he's some hidden Legendary NPC?"
The vampire players began interpreting things in the best possible light all on their own! Fortunately for Vlad, not a single player realized he was just a shady old vampire who used to run rigged lottery scams on clueless vampires along the coast of the Blood Archipelago. It was an absolute miracle for him.
"Fight! Fight! Fight and drink their blood! Those fools are nothing to fear!"
"Whoa... Whoaaaa!"
As Vlad desperately tried to hype them up, the atmosphere began to heat up. Vlad realized he needed to push the momentum even further.
"My ambitions do not end here! Once we crush these fools, we shall march straight into their territories!"
"Whoaaaa!"
"I shall seize their lands and distribute them among you all!"
"WHOAAAAAAA!"
"Wait, is that actually possible?"
"He must have a solid plan to be talking like that, right?"
"Wow, Kim Tae-hyun is truly incredible. He actually thinks he can defeat the lords of the Blood Archipelago?"
"Well, if it's Kim Tae-hyun, it's only natural to have that kind of confidence..."
Fighting alongside everyone at Knema's Vampire Castle versus watching the grand finals live at the stadium. Evangeline had chosen the latter.
I had no choice!
She looked at the ticket in her hand. How much agony had she endured just to purchase this single ticket?
I just wanted this one ticket so badly...!
"Evangeline, are you crying?"
"N-No, I'm not."
"I heard you're close with Kim Tae-hyun. You must be crying because he made it to the finals!"
"That is absolutely not why."
"S-Sorry."
When Evangeline's face turned dead serious, her friends flinched. Wait, she's not? But they looked so close on the broadcast...?
"WHOAAAAAAA!"
An ear-splitting roar erupted from the crowd. Hearing the deafening cheer, Evangeline realized the players were entering the stage.
Incredible!
The heat in the stadium felt as though it could blow the roof off. It was mind-boggling that a mere tournament about clearing a dungeon in Pan-On could gather such a massive crowd. Right now, Pan-On was the most famous game in the world, and arguably the greatest sport on Earth.
And Kim Tae-hyun is the most famous player in it.
Thinking about it that way made Tae-hyun seem genuinely amazing all over again. Whenever he was right next to her letting his terrible personality run wild, she would always think, Ugh, that evil bastard...!
There were plenty of "somewhat" famous players in Pan-On, but very few stood in such an unrivaled position as Tae-hyun. Evangeline herself had been invited as a representative of Canada, but comparing herself to Tae-hyun was downright embarrassing!
"Kim Tae-hyun! Kim Tae-hyun! Kim Tae-hyun!" her friends chanted, cheering alongside the crowd.
Right! Now is not the time to be distracted.
Evangeline let herself get swept up in the tournament's electric atmosphere. Raising both hands high, she screamed, "Lee Se-yeon! Lee Se-yeon! Lee Se-yeon!"
"..."
Her friends stared at her with bewildered eyes. Wow, they really must not be close!
"Hmm. Can't I just log into the capsule for a quick second to check how things are going at Knema's Vampire Castle?"
"Absolutely not, Mr. Kim."
The tournament organizers were firm. Where did the poster boy of the entire event think he was going?
"What were you guys talking about?" Lee Se-yeon asked, walking over.
"Ah! The enemy!"
"Boo! Go away! Go away!"
"..."
Lee Se-yeon was utterly dumbfounded by the childish reaction. Was this really how a player preparing for a grand final watched by tens of millions of people was supposed to behave?
"The cameras... are rolling, you know..."
"Don't worry. If we keep our voices down, everyone watching will just think we're having a friendly chat."
And indeed, that was exactly how it looked.
"Ah, the captains of both teams have met and are sharing a conversation!"
"They look surprisingly friendly, don't they?"
"It may look that way, but the history between these two players actually runs incredibly deep. It goes all the way back to Pan-On 1!"
"Oh, really? I thought they were close! We've often seen them playing together in Pan-On 2 as well."
"Well, they might be friendly off the field, but when it's time to fight, they draw their blades without hesitation. That is what makes them true professionals!"
The commentators and casters made a massive fuss the moment Tae-hyun and Lee Se-yeon so much as made eye contact. Either one of them alone was enough to guarantee record-breaking viewership, and now they were standing side by side!
"So, how do you think today's match will unfold?"
"Ah, there have been so many predictions. I believe I've seen over several hundred different theories myself."
Manuel, the renowned esports analyst, spoke with a solemn tone. Famous for his deep, analytical breakdowns and uncanny match predictions, fans revered him as "The Prophet."
"Yes! Fans are eagerly anticipating both teams to pull out some bizarre, hidden trump cards they've kept under wraps."
"However, I don't see it that way."
"Oh... is that so?"
Although Manuel's words dashed the fans' high expectations, the casters smoothly kept the conversation flowing.
"Indeed. While everyone loves a wild, unexpected strategy or a secret trump card, the reality is that we rarely see them in high-level play. Why? Because professionals always play at full strength."
Manuel's voice carried immense conviction.
"Furthermore, in a game like Pan-On, these players have been active in the public eye for an incredibly long time. It is virtually impossible to hide anything. No matter what quest they undertake, they are bound to be caught on camera at least once. Now, think about it. To use a secret trump card in the grand finals, they would have had to hold it back during all the matches leading up to this point. Keep in mind, this tournament isn't a direct head-to-head match; it's a solo dungeon-clearing race. If you hold back your best cards and lose, you'll have no one to blame but yourself. And that's not all. You'd also have to refrain from using it in the live game. The moment you use a skill even once, a video of it will be uploaded and instantly analyzed."
Information sharing and analysis in Pan-On were lightning-fast. In fact, the players participating in the tournament were analyzed to an almost obsessive degree. There had been cases where a skill used only once in the live game was clipped, uploaded, and thoroughly dissected! The analysis teams of each professional gaming organization didn't just sit around twiddling their thumbs. They literally did this for a living.
"So, in short, Commentator Manuel, you believe we won't see any bizarre, completely unknown skills popping up today?"
"Yes, exactly. It might sound a bit disappointing to the fans, but I expect a solid, highly refined clash of established strategies and combinations we are already familiar with."
Manuel was brimming with confidence. No matter how he looked at it, there was no other logical conclusion. Hiding a game-changing skill all the way until the grand finals just to catch the opponent off guard? It was utterly preposterous.
Spectacular performances by guest artists, a dazzling hologram show (which even featured a recreation of Tae-hyun's party raiding a dragon), pre-match interviews, more interviews, photoshoots... Even Choi Sang-yun, who usually thrived under the spotlight, was completely exhausted by the end of it. Yet Tae-hyun completed every single schedule without his expression wavering once.
Choi Sang-yun was astonished. Wait, he's not complaining at all? It was a fascinating change the more he looked at him!
"Hey... you okay?"
"Hmm? Ah, of course."
Choi Sang-yun flinched. A fierce, serious fire was burning in Tae-hyun's eyes. He was already fighting the battle in his mind!
Just how badly does he want to beat Lee Se-yeon?
"Guys. The match is about to start."
"Ah! Player Kim Tae-hyun is gathering his teammates. It looks like he's giving them a final pep talk!"
"That is exactly what a captain should do! What a heartwarming sight!"
"Getting this far is already a great achievement."
Cain was momentarily touched by Tae-hyun's words.
"...is what fools say, so ignore them. It's completely meaningless!"
"..."
"..."
"The only thing that matters is beating Lee Se-yeon. We must win! Only by defeating her does any of this have meaning!"
"W-Wait, second place is still a great—"
"Cut the crap! No one remembers second place!"
Cain instantly slumped, falling silent.
"Losing is always a possibility. But we cannot lose to Lee Se-yeon!"
"..."
"Sigh. I am generally a very kind and gentle person, but..."
"????"
????
"...if we lose, my personality might become a little... unpleasant."
Cain was absolutely horrified. Wait, so he's saying he's been kind and gentle up until now?!
"Let's win!"
We have to win! Cain thought desperately. Oh man, if we lose, we're dead...!
And a very similar conversation was taking place on the opposite side of the stage.