After a few days had gone by since the launching of the new server, the name Cruel Invader had become the number one most talked about in the server. Taeyeon’s character name had appeared on countless system announcements. The name was there for first kills. It was there for hidden boss kills. It was there for first dungeon clears. It also there for the wild boss kills. 

Wild bosses were different from hidden boss. They do not appear in the dungeons, they appear in different leveling areas of the game randomly. It was impossible to predict when they would spawn but they would only be spawned once a week. It is of course, that the materials dropped from the wild bosses would be the most valuable and that’s why every single guild is fighting over the wild bosses whenever they appear. 

Back to the story, Taeyeon was frequently invited by many guilds to join them but she would only decline their invites and join random teams she sees. “Just give it a try for once Invader-ssi” the leader of the guild E.L.F in the new sever, Bluish Salamander pleaded to Taeyeon. 

Taeyeon had no choice but to sighed and accept the offer. After all the guild leader had been bugging her for days. He gave Taeyeon the date and time before Taeyeon decided to log off the game to get some rest. “Heechul-ah, I'll be using one of the rooms.” She informed before going off to sleep. Taeyeon has been frequenting Heenim Café ever since she left the pro scene. During this time, she had done a lot of research about the games other than strategies and playstyles. The most researched topic was equipment and material, in this period of time. She had come up with many different strategies, playstyles and ideas for equipment. 

All of this was done in Heenim Café. Although Taeyeon had all the equipment needed for gaming at home, she preferred the atmosphere of a cybercafe even though she shouldn’t be exposed to the public as her retirement was sudden and the reason was kept in secret. If fans saw her, it would have caused a ruckus at the cybercafe but Taeyeon was slowly being forgotten by the rapidly growing professional scene day by day so these days, she didn’t really need hide herself anymore. 

Heechul was close to Taeyeon so her time spent was free of charge and there was room specially provided for Taeyeon if she wanted to get some rest.  

When she woke up after sometime, she came downstairs to get something to eat at the lounge for staffs when they take their breaks. But, Heechul had come and dragged Taeyeon back upstairs. “Yah! What do you want?!” Taeyeon who was annoyed complained. “You’ll see Taeyeon-ah" Heechul replied. When they reached to second floor, Taeyeon saw Krystal and a stranger talking to each other.  

Krystal Jung was a regular and vip customer at Heenim Cybercafe. Taeyeon had accidentally met her one time when she was careless but they somehow became good friends and spent a lot time together at the cybercafe. With the guidance of Taeyeon, Krystal was also able to play the game outstandingly. Taeyeon had even recommended her to enter the pro scene but Krystal rejected saying she needed to focus on her studies.  

“Taeyeonnie!” Krystal exclaimed and ran to give Taeyeon a squeezing hug. “Yah! I’m dying” She struggled to get out from the giant.s tight hug. When Krystal finally released Taeyeon, Taeyeon turn to look at the stranger standing there awkwardly.  

To say she was pretty was an understatement. She was beautiful, a true beauty, Taeyeon at least. Every single angle you look at, she would still be the ethereal beauty you heard of from legends. Even if she’s just wearing casual. “I forgot! Taeyeon, this is Jessica. My big sister!” Krystal introduced her sister excitedly. “Sis, this is Taeyeon.” 

“I want you to try out Taeyeon.” Taeyeon was dumbstruck. Tryout? What did she mean by that? Have a date with Jessica? “Sigh, I don’t understand you Soojungie. Why do you keep finding people for me to try out?” Jessica sighed. “Come on sis, this is the last time!” With a ‘fine’ as an answer, Krystal finally turned to Taeyeon.  

For the past few months, Krystal had been finding opponents for Jessica to battle with. Truth is, Jessica was a former professional player for another online game, Elysium Online but she wasn’t just any normal pro player, she was a former champion. After Jessica had won the league, she had lost interest in the game claiming it was easy and boring. Krystal wanted to reignite the passion her sister had for games once again so that they can both play the game together but it wasn’t an easy journey. The players that she had found for her sister were not just any players, they were at least veterans of Phantasia. 

At first, Jessica had loss to an opponent but after she had asked some techniques and skills from Krystal, she practically wrecked her opponent. Krystal was desperate to prove that Phantasia was not an easy game. And so, Taeyeon was her last choice. ‘I mean what else could go wrong? A former champion losing to a person who doesn’t play the game?’  She thought to herself. 

“Taeyeon, I want you to fight a round with her.” Krystal said with excitement to which Taeyeon replied with a dumbfounded” Huh?” 

“What? You thought I was gonna ask you to date her?” Hearing this, Taeyeon blushed. “She can play?” Taeyeon asked back. “Nope” Jessica replied. “Yes, she can! Sit down now you two!” Krystal pushed both of them towards two computers with Heechul following along.  

“She will use my account.” Krystal announced. “I didn’t bring my full leveled account card today...” Taeyeon replied. “It’s okay, you can use mine Taeyeonnie.” Heechul said and as he was about to go downstairs and get his account card. “Nevermind I can use my new account.” Taeyeon replied him.  

“You sure? Isn’t your account only level 21?” Heechul asked back. “There’s always the training field Heechulie”  

“Even so, wouldn’t you be at a disadvantage? You don’t have enough skills.” 

Taeyeon didn’t reply and just logged into her account waiting for Jessica. The latter quickly sat down and logged in after seeing Taeyeon having logged in already. 

Training mode in the battle arena is as the name states, they were used for training so they wouldn’t be counted in a player’s win rate. Since it’s a training field, all attributes and equipment would be fixed to become equal so everything would be fair for both sides. Even so, Krystal’s account was max leveled and compared to Taeyeon’s level 21 account, the difference in skills they have was very large. 

“Choose the smallest arena there at the corner, yea that one.” Krystal directed her sister to choose the training field and make a room while Taeyeon waits for them.  

“Krystal, come here.” Taeyeon called out. “What?” Krystal asked when she arrived beside Taeyeon. 

“Why did you suddenly want me to fight her? Are there any motives?” Taeyeon asked suspiciously. “Do I need to lose?”  

“No need, Taeyeon. My sis thinks this game is too easy. I want someone to show her it isn’t.”  

“Huh, did you battle her then?” Taeyeon questioned Krystal. “Oh yeah! Why didn’t I think of that?” 

The battle arena was a joint server so players from different servers can actually battle against each other. So, even though Krystal’s account was max leveled and from another server, they could still fight Taeyeon’s newly created account. “Invite Cruel Invader. Right, that one.” 

Once Taeyeon enters the room they start the match. The scene changes and both of them spawned at opposite sides. The training field was the smallest map in the game and was pretty straightforward. No obstacles and buildings, just two characters.  

“Taeyeon’s using a spitfire account which is a gunner class like my account.” Krystal explains to her sister. “Then what’s that thing she’s holding.” Jessica questions. No matter how you look at it, the weapon in Invader’s hands did not look like a gun. “Is that a spear, Taeyeon?” Heechul asks. 

“Yup.” 

“Why are you using a spear when you’re a spitfire. Are you crazy? Just because you’re a gunner doesn’t mean you can actually use a spear you know.”  

In Phantsia, there were a total of six classes with twenty-one subclasses. The classes, nightwalkers, mages and swordsmans had four subclasses while the other three classes, gunners, knights and fighters only had three sub classes each. Before a player reaches level 20, they can try out the skills of all the subclasses and after they reach level 20, they would have to choose which subclass to play but the below level 20 skills of other subclasses can still be used. 

This is where the unfairness comes in, three classes with four subclasses while the other with only three subclasses. The developers decided to make things fair by making the players of the gunner, knight and fighter class to be able to choose to learn level twenty below skills from one subclass of their choice. In this case where Taeyeon’s character is holding a spear, she had chosen the battle mage class. 

“Here I come!” Taeyeon announces as she sprints towards Jessica. Jessica quickly reacted as expected and held up her cannon. She moved her mouse and shot accurately at Taeyeon. Although accurate, Taeyeon moved pass the shot as if she had flickered. Both Krystal and Heechul who were watching from the side both knew what Taeyeon had done. It was a simple move but was extremely hard to pull off at the same time. She was basically moving in a zig-zag pattern. 

As Taeyeon closes in, she s her spear forward. Jessica quickly jumped backwards but what happened next was something that should’ve never happen in the entirety of Phantasia.  

The front part of Taeyeon’s spear folds back and forms a muzzle of a gun. Her hands moved nimbly as she controls her mouse to shoot at Jessica. Everything had happened way too fast for Jessica so she wasn’t able to react timely. Although she was shot, she didn’t disappoint and had tried to moved quickly to recover but she was stuck by the tip of Taeyeon’s spear as she activates the skill Circle Swing. 

Taeyeon flipped the handle of her spear and drew an arc similar to a semicircle. Jessica was swung and slam to the ground by Taeyeon for a full 180 degrees. The two spectators were beyond shock when they saw what was being played out in front of them. “What the is going on Taeyeon?! Your spear literally changed into a gun and change back!” Krystal exclaimed. At this moment, both Taeyeon and Jessica had heard Krystal’s cussing “Watch your language!” They both retorted.  

The weapon was definitely something that had certainly never happened before. In Phantasia, there was no weapon that could change forms and even in the professional scene, no team has ever produced such a silver equipment.  

Although it was a shocking scene for Phantasia players, Jessica wasn’t shocked by the weapon but was shocked by playing slower than Taeyeon on another level.