The Gathering of the Unfortunate

But there was no turning back now. The party took their steps forward with heads held high.

The World Tree's Plain, where Heaven and the Demon Realm met. With light surging from one side and darkness from the other, it was one of the most peculiar locations in all of Pangaea Online.

Because demons frequently spawned near the World Tree, it was a must-visit destination for players looking to try their hand at demon hunting. And standing majestically right before that very World Tree was a certain temple... none other than the Temple of the Archisus Church.

"Arghhhhh! Why?! Why is it always me?! Why only me?!"

"I'm quitting this trash game!"

"It feels even more intense here than back in the Valley..."

"Shh. Don't make eye contact."

Cain looked at the screaming players in front of the World Tree with a look of profound pity. He, too, had once had every last coin of his gold plundered by the World Tree.

Even thinking about it now, it was an utterly absurd, insane prayer system! While praying was free, misfortune accumulated with every attempt, and once it exploded, the price to pay was beyond imagination.

Consequently, the players near the World Tree were divided into ninety-nine happy souls and one miserable wretch. The ninety-nine who got what they wanted left with smiles on their faces, while the single loser remained in front of the World Tree, chanting, "Trash game! I hope this game rots!"

In other words, those gathered before the World Tree right now were the unfortunate souls who had triggered the explosion!

"Huh?" Tae-hyun muttered.

A branch sprouted from the massive trunk of the World Tree, stretching out toward Tae-hyun like an offering hand to deliver the items.

Currently, the World Tree was in an unstable state, having only extended its branches to parts of each realm. The World Tree wished to properly anchor its roots even further to connect the worlds.

Although Tae-hyun was the one who had planted the World Tree in the first place, he hadn't expected it to come to him with a request like this.

"Isn't that an easy quest?" Cain asked.

"Maybe for anyone else, but not for me..." Tae-hyun smacked his lips.

The moment he planted a World Tree seed, every demon in the vicinity would surely turn their heads and think, Whoa, what is that giant tree? How could that possibly be easy? It was practically begging to be slaughtered.

Well, once I declare the Archisus Decree, I'll be drawing all the aggro anyway. Planting the seeds then won't make much of a difference. Compared to the chaos of the Archisus Decree, this was a mere drop in the bucket. Tae-hyun quickly organized his thoughts.

"Kim... Kim Tae-hyun..."

"Eek! Another Chimera?!" Cain shrieked, jumping back. The trauma he had suffered in the Blue Metal Mine was evidently deeper than expected.

Of course, it wasn't a Chimera. The ones approaching were the very players who had been wailing in front of the temple just moments ago!

"Sob... Help us...!"

"Get our fortunes back for us...!"

These were the players who had hit that one-in-a-hundred jackpot of pure misfortune and completely ruined themselves! They had been cursing the World Tree, but upon seeing Tae-hyun arrive, they had rushed over in a desperate scramble.

Cain shouted coldly, "Hey, you guys did this to yourselves of your own free will! Isn't it a bit much to beg for help now?"

At Cain's righteous words, the players reflected on their actions and felt ashamed... Not. Instead, they looked at him in confusion and began to whisper among themselves.

"Who is that monster knight?"

"He looks like the knight the 4th Prince drags around... What race is he anyway?"

Standing next to the 4th Prince was this mysterious, giant knight. Cain trembled with rage. However, he held back from revealing his name. He knew that doing so would only be spitting in his own face.

Meanwhile, Tae-hyun, who had finished checking his items, spoke up. "What do you want me to do about it? I can't return what the World Tree took. The tree just swallowed it whole."

"Waaaaah! Sob, sob!"

"This is ridiculous...! That damn tree...!"

Wait. Their levels look pretty high, don't they? Tae-hyun was taken aback. Usually, the ones gambling everything away in the Valley were low-level players who had nothing to lose! But the people gathered here all seemed to be of a remarkably high level.

Although one or two were completely naked, having apparently lost all their gear, the equipment worn by the others was mostly high-level gear that only elite players could equip.

Ah. Now that I think about it, that makes sense. Unlike the safe Valley, players had to be high-level just to fight their way through the demons to reach this plain. Furthermore, unlike the random gacha in the Valley, praying to the World Tree here allowed players to obtain specific, concrete rewards.

It wasn't strange at all for rankers to come here and pray. Even a small bonus to their stats would be incredibly valuable to them. ...Of course, they also ran the risk of absolute ruin like this...

"Wait, isn't that the ranker Johansson?!" Choi Sang-yun gasped, recognizing a face. The barbarian ranker Johansson! He was a famous warrior ranker who excelled as both a damage dealer and a tank, so what on earth was he doing here? And completely naked, having lost all his gear!

"Senior, I think that person over there is the archer ranker Suana from the Guild Alliance...?" Yu Ji-soo recognized the archer ranker and gasped in surprise. To think even a ranker from the former Guild Alliance was here!

"She hasn't been streaming lately, so I thought it was because of the Guild Alliance's situation!"

"Wait, that person is a ranker too..."

"All the rankers who went off the grid were here?!"

It was sheer shock and horror! The party was utterly dumbfounded by this unexpected gathering of elite rankers.

"Wow. I thought only low-level players with nothing to lose, or maybe someone like Cain, would fall for a gacha trap like that. You really never know what life will throw at you," Sang-yun remarked.

"But since the World Tree offers specific, albeit minor, stat boosts, it actually makes sense that high-level players would use it more. Especially given the location."

"So, what exactly did they lose?"

"The naked ones obviously lost all their gear. The others probably lost all their gold, or maybe their levels and stats..."

"...They even lost their classes."

"What?!"

Once again, shock rippled through the group! Could the system really strip away a player's class too?!

Wait. Could it even take away the Avatar of Archisus?

How dare a mere World Tree try to touch Archisus!

Thanks... Tae-hyun thought. There were times when he resented being the Pope of this ridiculous cult, but at moments like this, he was strangely grateful.

These rankers and high-level players had lost everything—their gear, gold, levels, dreams, stats, hope, classes, and futures. Tae-hyun extended a warm, benevolent hand toward them.

"...Shall I help you?"

"K-Kim Tae-hyun...!"

The rankers found themselves grasping his hand before they even realized what they were doing. It was an act they never would have committed had they been in their right minds.

When Tae-hyun and his party departed for the Demon Realm via the World Tree, the community naturally erupted into a frenzy. Although people had heard that Tae-hyun would participate, no one expected him to take the vanguard so nonchalantly.

Setting off with absolutely no backing, accompanied only by a handful of NPCs! To the vast majority of onlookers, this was a display of supreme confidence.

It was as if he was declaring: I am Kim Tae-hyun! This much is child's play!

To dive headfirst into such a perilous quest alone, right on the eve of the Arena League! It was something only a player with absolute confidence could pull off. While other players were playing it safe just in case, Tae-hyun didn't care in the slightest.

The schedule for the Arena League was indeed brutal. Over a span of about three months, players had to teleport to the in-game arenas of Pangaea Online and play consecutive matches every few days.

Any player participating in the league was bound ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to be an elite ranker! This meant they had to go about their personal quests and, when the time came, teleport to the arena to play their matches.

Although the game developers provided a system that allowed players to teleport to the arena instantly from anywhere at any time, teams with robust support networks naturally held a massive advantage.

There was a world of difference between a team that received scientific analysis, feedback, and support after every single match, and a team that had to figure everything out on their own. A single match might be anyone's game, but when the league spanned dozens of matches...

A dark red sky. A barren land without a single blade of grass. The chilling shrieks of demons echoing the moment one closed their eyes! The realization that they had truly arrived in the Demon Realm hit them with full force.

"The destination is supposed to be random when traveling via the World Tree... We got lucky." Tae-hyun breathed a sigh of relief. A lawless land with no master was far preferable to the alternative.