Chapter 867

“I’ll kill you... Han Tae-Sung... You son of a whore!”

Alexei’s face twisted in fury after learning that Tae-Sung was having fun basking in attention from his female fans.

The difference between their situation couldn't be more drastic.

Alexei had to endure being surrounded by rough burly men hurling crude insults and screaming at him to crush Tae-Sung for hours. Meanwhile, Tae-Sung was surrounded by friendly smiles and was posing for pictures with stunning women clinging to him.

It was a comparison as stark as that of a prince and a pauper.

Of course, there was a reason for this huge difference between them.

Tae-Sung was strikingly handsome for an East Asian man, as he possessed sharp, defined features and a solid build that naturally drew attention.

On the other hand, Alexei defied the stereotypical image of a rugged Russian man. His face was so delicate that he bordered on being prettier than handsome, and his short and slender frame made him look quite feminine.

In other words, he lacked the kind of appeal that would attract female fans.

However, Alexei did not have the luxury to dwell on such things. He was already seething with rage from being humiliated by Tae-Sung again and again. He had lost all sense of reason to think about such trivial things.

‘I’ll win no matter what. Even if it kills me!’

Just like that, Alexei burned with both fury and determination to win... alongside his rugged, burly-looking male fans.

***

Tae-Sung was quite satisfied with his time in Russia.

There were a few occasions when Russian men—true to their reputation as hardened men—hurled insults, provocations, or even racist remarks at Tae-Sung. However, Tae-Sung didn't let a few rotten individuals tarnish his view of Russian gaming fans as a whole.

“Hey! I want to shake your hand!”

“I’ve always wanted to meet you!”

“I am a huge fan!”

Countless Russian gaming fans admired him purely as a professional gamer and expressed their genuine support. Wherever he went, people would eagerly ask for his autograph, a handshake, or a photo.

Despite being the opponent of their homegrown player, Alexei, Russian gaming fans gave Tae-Sung a warm and enthusiastic welcome.

‘

I should go on overseas tours more often,’

Tae-Sung thought, moved by the love and support he received. He promised himself that he would visit other countries if the opportunity came.

His promotional events were finally over, and the day of the match finally arrived.

Tae-Sung arrived at the stadium and gave a brief interview before the entire world.

“Can you share your thoughts going into the match?”

“I was deeply moved by the Russian gaming community. To be honest, I was worried before coming here, but so many of you gave me a warm welcome. I’m incredibly grateful for everyone, and I’ll make sure to win this match for them!”

After the quick interview at the photo zone, Tae-Sung entered the stadium with his teammates.

It was then...

“W-What?! Why is it so big?!” Tae-Sung shrieked after seeing the sheer scale of the stadium.

The V-Sports arena in Moscow was nearly the size of an entire football stadium.

However, that was not the only surprising thing about it...

The venue was enormous, and all one hundred fifty thousand seats were filled. The deafening roar of the massive crowd was simply overwhelming, and their cries were a testament to the fan’s immense interest in the match.

One hour before the match...

Tae-Sung gave a pep talk to his teammates inside the waiting room.

“Just relax and rest up as much as you can before the match starts. Make sure to stock up on calories, too.”

The match was set to go on for up to twenty-four hours, much like the

24 Hours of Le Mans

.

In other words, adequate rest and stamina were absolutely crucial, and any issues like hunger or a sugar crash mid-game could be disastrous.

Thus, Tae-Sung’s teammates took his advice and started munching on high-calorie snacks like chocolate bars, avocados, and digestive biscuits while waiting for the match.

Meanwhile, on the stage, there were live performances by famous Korean idol groups and Russian musicians.

However, Tae-Sung paid no attention to any of that and focused solely on conditioning himself for the match. Mental preparation and physical condition were a vital part of his work.

Gaming was his profession, so he was always serious when it came to official matches.

Besides, he felt that the Russian fans who warmly welcomed and cheered for him deserved nothing less than his best, and the same was true for the fans rooting for him back home in South Korea.

And so, time ticked by...

Knock! Knock!

“Red Team players, please proceed to the stage!”

The event staff knocked on the door and guided Tae-Sung’s team to the stage, where rows of VR capsules awaited them.

***

The stage was massive and so dazzling that it would mesmerize most people who laid eyes on it.

All one hundred fifty thousand seats were sold out, and the packed stadium had an electrifying atmosphere that was far greater than anything Tae-Sung had experienced back in South Korea.

‘

Ugh... This is so nerve-wracking...’

Tae-Sung groaned inwardly.

He could not help but feel tense as the deafening cheers of the massive crowd roared throughout the stadium.

— The Red Team players are entering the stage! Han Tae-Sung stands at the helm of them!

Tae-Sung calmed his nerves and strode confidently across the stage before stopping in front of his designated VR capsule.

Waaaaaah!

Thunderous cheers erupted, and they were directed solely at him.

A jolt of electrifying excitement coursed through Tae-Sung as he soaked in the crowd’s cheer.

Of course, not all one hundred fifty thousand spectators were cheering for him. Around sixty percent supported Tae-Sung and the Red Team, while the remaining forty percent were Alexei’s fans. No, rather, they were anti-fans of Tae-Sung rather than Alexei’s fans.

However, Tae-Sung didn't care about the booing or the jeering.

Why?

It was all because he was receiving more support than the home team during an away match, which was truly surprising.

— Here comes Kim Seung-Gu!

Following Tae-Sung, Seung-Gu, Yong Seol-Hwa, Gosran, and the rest of the team members entered the stage one after another.

Once the Red Team, led by Tae-Sung, and the Blue Team, led by Alexei, were all on the stage...

— Please board your capsules!

Following the announcement, Tae-Sung entered his designated VR capsule.

Click...!

Whirrr!

The VR capsule’s lid closed automatically, and the upright capsule slowly reclined back.

[Alert: Connecting...]

[Alert: Loading... 24%]

[Alert: 67%... 81%... 99%... 100%!]

[Alert: Loading Complete!]

[Alert: Connection Successful!]

[Alert: Welcome to Brave New World!]

Tae-Sung opened his eyes, and the in-game landscape unfolded before him.

— Ladies and gentlemen! We are underway! First, we have the Red Team on the offensive! Han Tae-Sung is leading the Head Crusher Guild while being supported by their allies, the Mandate of Heaven Guild!

— Han Tae-Sung boasts an undefeated record so far! One hundred percent win rate! Can he maintain his perfect streak?!

—And now, we turn to the Blue Team on defense! Led by the Heart of Russia, Alexei!

— He does seem a bit tired...

— But his spirit is steadfast and unshaken!

The commentators immediately got to work and started hyping up the match, causing the already electrifying atmosphere to become even more electrifying.

Adding to the hype was the fact that this was the first time NPCs were going to appear in a live match, further attracting people’s interest.

Meanwhile, Tae-Sung—or rather, Siegfried, seemed exceptionally calm.

[Nurburg Continent: Eastern Region]

[Location: Near the Eastern Great Rift]

A message displaying his current location popped up in front of his eyes.

Shwoong! Shwoong! Shwoong!

One by one, his teammates appeared beside him.

“Let’s move.”

With those words, Siegfried led his team forward and headed straight toward enemy territory, where they were greeted by Alexei and the Blue Team’s artillery barrage.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Kaboom!

The five hundred artillery cannons of the Palom Kingdom unleashed a coordinated volley, sending shells flying through the air.

Siegfried continued walking as if he were out for an evening stroll with his teammates following closely behind him. Surprisingly, none of them showed any signs of fear despite the sky being covered by mortar shells.

Whoooosh!

Shells rained down from above...

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Kaboom!

The Blue Team’s artillery continued firing and rained down chaos upon the battlefield like a destruction storm.

***

Meanwhile...

— Ah! What’s happening here?!

— The Blue Team is unleashing a massive barrage of artillery fire right off the bat!

— Wait, why aren’t Han Tae-Sung and the Red Team running?! Are they planning to maintain swagger until the end?! Is this what they call

Swagger Meta

[1]

?!

— What

Swagger Meta

are you talking about? What’s the point if they die?! They should be scattering their forces and running for cover right now!

— Forget walking! They’d be better off praying to the heavens if they wanna survive that barrage!

The commentators were so shocked that they passionately debated among themselves, questioning the actions of Han Tae-Sung and the Red Team.

It went without saying that their shock was shared by the viewers watching the match from around the world, too.

Walking through artillery fire? This could only mean that they planned on taking every incoming shell head-on! This was a completely baffling tactic that defied all logic!

— Are we about to witness the shortest match in history?! A one-minute match! Are we all going home early today?!

— Han Tae-Sung’s pride has turned into arrogance!

Boom! Boom! Kaboom!

— What’s happening now?! How bad is the damage?!

Everyone looked on with tense anticipation, wondering what happened after the shells exploded upon impact.

However, the explosion of thousands of shells kicked up a huge cloud of dust and flames that obscured everyone's vision.

Nothing could be seen for about ten seconds.

— W-Wait! Han Tae-Sung is...!

— He’s walking out from that?!

The commentators exclaimed in shock when Tae-Sung casually walked out from the cloud of dust.

But that was not all...

The rest of his teammates walked out, following closely behind him.

The Red Team suffered no casualties from the barrage.

— What in the world is going on?! Not a single casualty! Only one player, Seung-Gu, seems to have lost a bit of HP! That’s the extent of damage the Red Team took!

— No! Seung-Gu wasn’t even hit by a shell! Look at the replay!

The massive screen displayed the clip of Seung-Gu striking a pose, only to end up tripping over a rock and falling flat on his face.

𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

— Ah! Seung-Gu creates a legendary moment right from the start of the match!

—

Pfft!

Thanks for the laugh, Seung-Gu!

Seung-Gu's unintended comedy skit helped ease some of the tension in the stadium, but the respite only lasted for a moment.

Everyone was asking the same question. How did the Red Team survive the relentless barrage of cannon fire and walk out from it unscathed?

— Did they really withstand all of those shells? Just how high is their defense?

—It’s not their defense! Look!

— What? W-What is that...?

The answer to everyone’s question finally revealed itself.

Wooong...!

Above Tae-Sung and the Red Team was a massive semi-transparent barrier that was barely visible on screen. The camera crew quickly zoomed in on the barrier until they perfectly captured a wizard gripping a skeletal staff with both hands.

“

Ghot... Chakun Vat’ru... Khyen drek’avoni...”

The wizard was chanting, seemingly channeling a spell that maintained the enormous barrier that protected the Red Team from the cannon barrage.

— Who is that NPC?!

— This is incredible! A Level 320 NPC has joined the fray!

— Han Tae-Sung! Wow! He brought along a Great Wizard!

This was the reason Tae-Sung and his team could walk so calmly through the cannon fire. He decided to go all-in for this war and deployed his most powerful trump cards without hesitation.

And the first of those trump cards was none other than Duke Decimato...

‘Quality over quantity,’

Tae-Sung thought with a smirk as he advanced toward the enemy’s defensive lines.

Meanwhile, in the Blue Team’s camp...

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding

meee!

” Alexei screamed, hurling a stream of curses the moment he saw his artillery barrage fail completely.

This was beyond comprehension.

What kind of barrier could withstand thousands of shells without so much as a scratch on it? A normal shield would show signs of being battered before eventually shattering after withstanding thousands of artillery fire, but this massive barrier remained strong.

This was the might of a Great Wizard’s barrier.

The ultimate defense.

A barrier cast by a Great Wizard was incomparably stronger than any barrier an ordinary magician—no, even a group of magicians could cast.

1. Author used Noble Meta, but I went with swagger instead because noble whuuut? ☜