Chapter 44

Chapter 43: The Swordsman's Proposal (1)

[Chun Yuseong has requested a video call.]

[Do you want to accept?]

The screen displayed a familiar name.

Jinhyuk dragged the call icon on the screen.

"Hey, you're still alive?"

Considering how formidable the Minions were...

It seems the Swordsman was indeed one level above.

"You damn brat! Do you know how much I suffered all night because of you? I couldn't even get a wink of sleep dealing with those damn Minions!"

Chun Yuseong raised his voice.

"I know. But everything I did was for you. You're good at everything else, but you lack practical combat experience against other players."

"Is that what you call a reason!"

"Also, I wanted to teach you the meaning of 'putting yourself in someone else's shoes.' I believe you've learned what it feels like to be chased by Minions this time."

"Seriously... You will definitely go to hell after you die."

"Um. That seems hard to deny."

If the world were divided into good and evil, I would probably be closer to evil.

If I had to choose between heaven and hell, hell might be a bit more interesting.

Anyway.

"It doesn't seem like you contacted me just to curse me. What do you want?"

If you really wanted to take revenge for the Minions, you wouldn't be having this conversation.

You would have come directly and swung your sword.

Having fought over a hundred times over several years, Jinhyuk understood Chun Yuseong better than anyone.

"You're quick on the uptake. Actually, I have a proposal for you."

"Did you bring up the Minions to lay the groundwork so I couldn't refuse your proposal?"

"Think what you will."

"Alright. I'll listen to what you have to say."

Jinhyuk nodded.

Then, Chun Yuseong spoke.

"In an hour, an event will be held at the Awakened Association. Players who have been rated AA or higher, including myself, will gather to hold a martial arts tournament."

Well...

A martial arts tournament.

"Times are good. While we keep failing to clear the boss, the association is holding a martial arts tournament?"

"That's why they're holding it."

"What?"

"People are anxious due to repeated failures, and the credibility of the association and guilds is declining. They want to show through this martial arts tournament how strong and reliable the players are."

"Hmm. That makes sense."

A demonstration of the diverse and impressive abilities of the players.

While raids to hunt monsters are often seen on Vtubers, opportunities to see player-versus-player combat are rare.

It's definitely not a bad way to ease the tension.

Just like how Roman emperors used the Colosseum to satisfy the masses.

Well, whatever.

I understand the intention.

"But what does that have to do with me? I didn't get an AA or higher rating."

"The winner of the martial arts tournament has the right to choose one of two things. They can choose one replica of a holy relic from the National Central Museum, or..."

Chun Yuseong's voice dropped low.

It feels intense.

"Or they can get the right to challenge a player who didn't participate in the tournament to a duel."

Damn.

Why is my bad feeling never wrong?

Jinhyuk pressed his temples with his fingers.

"Are you trying to say you want to fight me?"

"Knocking you down is the only reason I want to climb the tower. It would be even better if everyone could see it."

Wow. Who would have thought you were such a battle maniac?

You really know how to pick your fights.

Maybe the true middle school syndrome is in that guy.

"But, if I refuse, that's it, right? What about that right to challenge?"

"Of course, you can refuse. But if you do, you might be branded as a coward. If you don't care about that, it's fine."

"Then, I'll refuse. I hate inconvenience more than being branded a coward."

Fortunately, there's a way out.

Just as Jinhyuk let out a sigh of relief,

"You won't be able to refuse."

Chun Yuseong pulled out a black ticket from his inner pocket.

A ticket with golden letters and a hologram, which looked far from ordinary at first glance.

"What's that?"

"It's an invitation from the black market. With this, you can participate in the auction in Las Vegas, USA, at midnight tomorrow."

"......!?"

Jinhyuk's eyes narrowed at Chun Yuseong's words.

It couldn't be helped.

An invitation to an auction hosted by the black market is not something you can easily get, even if you want to.

There are only rumors that you need to pass extremely strict conditions to obtain one.

The exact method of obtaining it is unknown.

But he managed to get one.

'That's quite a tempting bait, isn't it?'

Unlike the 'Coin Exchange' where players can trade, cash is the primary currency, making it a very attractive opportunity for those with a lot of cash.

The items up for auction are likely to be quite useful.

In three days, we need items to clear the fourth floor.

At the auction, we can probably get even better ones.

"In exchange, if you don't win, you'll have to give the ticket to me for free, right?"

"Don't worry. That won't happen."

Chun Yuseong put the ticket back in his inner pocket.

And added one more thing.

"Come in your best condition. I don't want to hear excuses like you lost because you were tired."

The video call ended there.

Leaving a typical remark at the end.

***

On the way to the Awakened Association from the first basement floor.

Jinhyuk finished what he couldn't do in the basement.

——————————————————

Name: Kang Jinhyuk

Gender: Male

Age: 27

Level: 19

Strength 8 Agility 8 Vitality 8 Magic 41 Gap 100 Luck 10 Adaptability 10

Available Stat Points: 54

Available Coins: 2740

Occupation: None

Unique Abilities: Fusion, Tomb of Swords, Blessing of the Stars, Anubis' Judgment

Skills: Lv4 'Fire Element', Lv3 'Eye of Truth', Lv3 'Empathy', Lv3 'Seal of Fiery Soul', Lv3 'Feast', Lv3 'Shallow Breath', Lv1 'Ice Sculpture', Lv1 'Daylight'

——————————————————

'54 points...'

Seeing this, it really hits home.

How crazily I hunted all day.

Moreover, with the densely written unique abilities and skills, Jinhyuk's lips curved upward.

Especially the new 'Ice Sculpture', 'Daylight', and 'Anubis' Judgment' obtained in the basement have endless potential for future use.

I'm insane.

There's no other way to describe the insane growth rate compared to others.

Jinhyuk's gaze returned to the stats.

'I need to distribute the stats evenly, focusing on those I haven't invested in so far.'

While specializing isn't bad, it's better to meet the minimum standards in other stats to handle various environments.

The higher up the tower, the more unconventional the climate and monsters become.

[Strength 8 → 16]

[Agility 8 → 16]

[Vitality 8 → 16]

He invested 8 points in each of the three stats.

Now, let's see...

Jinhyuk picked up a pebble from the ground.

And applied a light force.

Crack.

The pebble split into two.

Clearly, his grip strength has improved. Thanks to the increased agility, his senses are also sharper.

'I'll have to wait and see the effect of the increased vitality in a prolonged battle.'

Just as he was thinking this,

[Congratulations! Your uploaded video has been selected as a 'HOT issue' video.]

A golden status window appeared before his eyes.

Oh.

It's already gone viral?

I thought it would take more time, but given the content, it seems to have spread much faster than expected.

Jinhyuk quickly clicked on the video.

It showed himself in a mask, along with Patrick, Teresa, and other high-ranking members of large guilds.

Of course, the part about the Minions was edited appropriately.

The purpose of this video wasn't to tarnish the guild's image.

And even without such attention-grabbing tactics, the reaction was explosive.

-Hellin is crying: To go to the boss alone and for free? Is this real?

-Sound off and pant: Wow. I thought you were just skilled, but your character is amazing too.

-Be an orc: So cool. You're risking your life to help people.

-kd1004: All the high-ranking players, are you watching? Learn from this. This is noblesse oblige.

-Yasuo is science: But is it even possible to clear the boss solo?

-Lie detector: If someone else said this, I would have cursed them, but given this player's achievements, it might be possible.

-Songga-in2 arrested: Yeah, I somehow believe it.

-Dimian Peter: Bro, just show your face once. I'll boost your video views from now on.

-Hulk is Hulk: 222222

-Lamjoo Thunder: 33333

As expected, the reactions were as predicted.

A mysterious player everyone was curious about.

Announcing a bold boss clear attempt, the atmosphere couldn't help but heat up.

Supporting this, the views had already skyrocketed.

[Views: 50,536,988]

Considering that tower residents can only watch one video per day, 50 million views is an unprecedented number.

100 coins per 10,000 views, so 50 million means 500,000 coins.

With 90% taken as a fee, he could settle for 50,000 coins.

'If it weren't for the insane 90% fee, I could have earned 500,000 coins...'

It's disappointing, but there's nothing he can do.

This applies to all players worldwide.

'Still, 50,000 coins is a staggering amount.'

In Korea, there's no one to compare it to.

Even popular overseas high-ranking players couldn't gather 50,000, let alone 10,000 coins.

Even heavy users who upload videos daily could only get a few hundred to a thousand views per video.

'I'll save the coins for now.'

After receiving the settlement amount minus the fee, Jinhyuk stopped walking.

He had arrived at his destination while handling various matters.

***

At the main gate of the Awakened Association.

Chun Yuseong, dressed in a black suit, was visible.

What's with that outfit for a guy who's going to fight today?

Surely, he didn't mistake a fighting martial arts tournament for a dancing one.

While Jinhyuk shook his head, Chun Yuseong also spotted him.

"You're late."

Chun Yuseong raised one eyebrow.

His face was full of irritation, as if he had been waiting for a long time.

"I'm not late. There's still one minute left until the agreed time."

Jinhyuk shrugged.

At the same time, he scanned Chun Yuseong from head to toe.

'You've gotten much stronger since we met in the ruins.'

His aura is sharper.

His physique is more solid.

It's no wonder he wants to challenge me again.

With such remarkable growth, he must believe he can win this time.

However.

Contrary to Chun Yuseong's hopes, the gap hasn't narrowed at all.

If anything, it's widened even more.

'I feel sorry for him.'

No matter how much time passes... and no matter how hard he tries, the result doesn't change.

The quality of information we have is just too different.

Right at that moment.

"What? You're Chun Yuseong or something? You look way too skinny."

A muscular man, whose suit seemed about to burst, approached.

The tattoo on the man's neck.

A familiar tattoo.

'Hmm.'

Jinhyuk let out a small exclamation.

This is going to be quite an entertaining spectacle.