Chapter 48

Chapter 47: Press Conference (2)

‘Behind…!’

It’s a long-range attack!

Jinhyuk moved his body reflexively.

A red flash appeared.

Kwaang!

A massive creator appeared where Jinhyuk had been just a second ago.

“How dare you… turn Do-hyun into a rag? Do you even know how much effort I put into this day!”

The one shouting was Hong Deokpyo, who was in the audience.

His cherished younger brother, the hidden card who was supposed to be the star of today, had been ruined, and he couldn’t help but feel devastated.

Hong Deokpyo’s face, which had turned red, now became pale as he ground his teeth.

At the same time, a terrifying aura emanated from his body.

Kukukukuk!

The magic power shook the entire floor.

Hoo.

Indeed, an S-rank is an S-rank, isn’t it?

Still, his magic power control is better than the others. There’s definitely less unnecessary waste.

Although his sense is still lacking, if he hones it for about three years, he might grow to a level where he can be somewhat useful.

Jinhyuk activated his ‘Eye of Truth’ once again.

——————————————————

Name: Hong Deokpyo

Gender: Male

Age: 41

Level: 34

Strength 38 Agility 33 Vitality 20 Magic 15

Available Stat Points: 1

Available Coins: 25,850

Occupation: Berserker

Unique Ability: Blood Demon Qi (血魔氣)

Skills: Lv5 ‘Rage’ (狂暴化), Lv5 ‘Blood Coagulation’, Lv4 ‘Full Body Reinforcement’, Lv4 ‘Friend or Foe Identification’, Lv4 ‘Decapitation’ (斬首)

——————————————————

[Copy Condition: Take away what Hong Deokpyo values most. If you do, you can copy his unique ability.]

Jinhyuk’s heart raced as he read the copy condition.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

Yes, this is why I got Fusion.

Because I can use the abilities that others worked so hard to obtain.

‘What he values most…’

It’s obvious.

I already know the answer.

Jinhyuk spoke again.

“I understand you’re angry, but can’t we avoid fighting?”

“Why? Are you scared now?”

“No, I’m just worried that it would be embarrassing for a guild master to be defeated in front of so many people.”

“You, you damn brat! I’ll crush you to pieces!”

Hong Deokpyo kicked the audience stand.

Kwaang!

The chairs were shattered, and he quickly closed the distance to Jinhyuk.

A red aura enveloped the 2-meter-long greatsword.

It’s different from a sword beam.

It’s called Blood Demon Qi (血魔氣).

The heterogenous power, using blood, gushed out in streams.

[Unique Ability ‘Grave of Swords’ activated!]

Jinhyuk also infused his sword with magic power.

Patsutsu!

A black aura rose.

He lowered his center of gravity and put strength into his feet.

And at that moment.

Kwaang!

The two auras collided.

Crimson sparks flew in all directions.

Kwakwakwakwakwakwak!

The ground began to crack like a turtle’s shell due to the rampant magic power.

“Ohh!”

“Indeed. Mr. Hong. This magic power. Just looking from afar makes me shiver.”

“Look at the aura on the sword. I’ve only seen it in videos. Who would have thought I’d see it in real life?”

The journalists gasped in unison.

However, as the battle continued, a strange sense of disharmony was felt.

Something was off.

A female journalist realized the anomaly.

“Since Mr. Hong is using Blood Demon Qi, he’s not holding back at all… How is this guy holding up?”

With that short question, the other journalists also snapped back to reality.

Indeed.

Even though Hong Deokpyo used his trademark skill, Jinhyuk was fighting on equal terms.

“T, That’s right.”

“I was distracted, but it’s true.”

“Goodness. I knew he was impressive, but to be on par with an S-rank?”

To them, Jinhyuk seemed to have a similar level of strength to Hong Deokpyo.

Of course.

The reality was far from equal.

At least, due to this one exchange, the balance of power had already shifted.

“Guh!”

Hong Deokpyo frowned.

He had been pushed back in the first exchange, which was meant to gauge each other’s strength.

And it was one-sided.

‘Could it be… He’s stronger than me?’

That’s absurd.

The raid where he cut off the breath of the ‘Giant Soldier’ on the second floor of the Tower of Trials.

He had proudly taken charge of the right flank of the first formation, and yet he was being pushed back by a mere F-rank?

It’s impossible.

However.

The sharp pain in his shoulder and wrist was proving who was stronger and weaker.

“Are you already tired? If you’re really tired, you can put on a band-aid or something.”

Jinhyuk adjusted his grip on the sword with a light movement.

“Don’t… laugh. I haven’t even shown my true strength yet.”

“Your voice doesn’t sound very steady for someone who says that, does it?”

“…”

Hong Deokpyo tightly shut his lips.

No matter how much he tried to act tough, he knew better than anyone else what the outcome of this fight would be if it continued.

But if he backed down here, he would be utterly humiliated in front of everyone.

A no-win situation.

Right then.

Creak!

The door that separated the arena from the outside opened.

＊＊＊

[Han Sangjin activates Lv4 ‘Mediation’ (仲裁)!]

A force that calms excitement and refreshes the surroundings.

It was a skill possessed by Han Sangjin, the president of the Korean Awakened Association.

“It’s the president!”

“What? I thought he rarely attends external events?”

“It’s true! Look over there!”

At the entrance, a middle-aged man and employees in black suits appeared.

Jinhyuk’s eyes narrowed.

‘Is this the person who leads the awakened in Korea?’

A middle-aged man with a sharp beard.

This time, it wasn’t a fake created by the minds.

The atmosphere was completely different, exuding a sense of responsibility.

“President Han Sangjin! You came just in time. This guy has turned our guild player into a rag! A promising player who received an AAA rating!”

Hong Deokpyo shouted as if he had been waiting for this moment.

However, Han Sangjin responded to Hong Deokpyo’s complaint with a hearty laugh.

“Haha. Well, in a match, such things can happen. I hope Mr. Hong understands.”

“Huh?”

“It’s not a primary school competition. Injuries are a given, right? Oh, by the way, I’m a bit busy, so I’ll have to excuse myself for a moment.”

“Wait, just a moment…!”

Hong Deokpyo shouted, but Han Sangjin ignored him and approached Jinhyuk.

“Pleased to meet you, Player Gang Jinhyuk. I am Han Sangjin, the president of the Korean Awakened Association.”

“Do you know me?”

“To be honest, until 20 minutes ago, I knew nothing about Player Gang Jinhyuk. But I received an urgent call from Park, who was in charge of the ball. He said I had to come here myself.”

Indeed, with all the commotion, it was natural that the news reached Han Sangjin.

Unexpected events had been happening one after another.

“So, we investigated, and we were able to confirm the past information about Player Gang Jinhyuk’s rating. How should I put it? There were some special points.”

Han Sangjin continued.

Then.

The journalists around them swallowed hard.

Finally, the reason why the F-rated Jinhyuk was so strong was about to be revealed.

“I congratulate you on receiving the 16th S-rank in Korea. And I apologize for the incorrect rating you received due to our mistake.”

A short conversation.

But the content was shocking.

“Huh!?”

“S! …S-rank?”

“His rating was S-rank?”

“Goodness… I didn’t expect to see a new S-rank here.”

“No wonder the A-rank players couldn’t even make a sound. No wonder they couldn’t stand a chance.”

The journalists almost dropped their cameras and screamed.

Of course, they couldn’t help it.

So far, over 7 million people in Korea have taken the awakening test. This was the result of the full operation of the headquarters of the Awakened Association and the 32 branches scattered across the country.

Among them, only 15 were S-rank.

Moreover, considering that most of the people who took the test were in their 20s to 40s, it was safe to say that almost all the major new talents that could emerge in Korea had already done so.

Flash! Flash! Flash! Flash! Flash! Flash!

Camera flashes went off like crazy.

“Quick, take a picture!”

“Gang Jinhyuk. Yes, it’s Gang Jinhyuk. I just heard it from the president’s mouth!”

“Publish the article quickly. I’ll tell you the details later. Just get the article out now!”

“Call everyone in the press conference room upstairs. What? An interview with a new player from the Black Cloud Guild? Damn it! Is that important now? An S-rank has appeared! Throw away your dirty underwear and get over here immediately!”

All attention was suddenly directed at Jinhyuk.

Cheers and applause filled the ballroom as everyone celebrated the birth of a new S-rank.

“This… What the hell is this…?”

Hong Deokpyo, with a sour expression.

“Cough… Cough! Gag! Choke!”

Except for Do-hyun, who was still vomiting.

‘Damn it. I have to somehow fix this situation.’

Hong Deokpyo wiped the sweat from his forehead.

It felt like pouring boiling metal down his throat, but he had to grasp at straws.

“Wait, just a moment! Journalists! Actually, our Black Cloud Guild has something special we’ve been preparing for the tower raid, and we can give you a taste of it…!”

“Ah, sorry. I’ll come back for an interview another time. I’ll listen then.”

“Always supporting you, Mr. Hong. And that… promising player? AAA rating, right? Sure.”

“T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T