Chapter 87

Temper 14 - Chapter 13

Yura, praised as one of the world's most beautiful women, indeed lived up to her reputation. Her beauty transcended taste and race, as they said. It was truly deserving of her fame. In person, she was hundreds of times more beautiful than on TV or in school newspapers. Just looking at her made my eyes hurt as if I would go blind.

The most shocking part was that she had no makeup on.

“……”

Director Lee Guk-rae, captivated by Yura's beauty, was completely entranced.

He was forty-five this year.

Twenty years ago, after successfully marrying his first love, he had never cheated. This was the first time his principles were being tested.

“Hem! Hem!”

Director Lee suddenly came to his senses. After a false cough to compose himself, he put on a bright smile.

“Miss Yura, your visit to our station is the greatest honor since our opening. May I ask what brings you here?”

“I’ve come to demand Young-woo’s ransom.”

“Young-woo…?”

A person naturally came to mind.

‘Grid.’

His real name was Shin Young-woo.

The relay team members were surprised.

“Did you get Grid’s permission to broadcast his live stream?”

“Permission? I didn’t even know it was Grid.”

“Phew, we could have had a big problem.”

“But why is Yura involved in Grid’s affairs?”

“It seems the rumor that they are dating is true.”

“…Didn’t Grid date Jisuka? There was a scandal last time.”

“There was a scandal with Yura too.”

“……”

The men shuddered. They were incredibly envious of Grid, to the point of shedding tears of blood.

‘In my next life, I will definitely be born as Grid!’

Though if he were actually born as Grid, he would probably beat his chest in regret and cry, they didn’t know this and held onto their futile hopes.

“Let’s move to another place.”

Director Lee led Yura to his office.

In the programming director’s office, Yura’s posture on the sofa exuded grace and dignity. Even the way she held her teacup was so refined that it made one think of a noble.

After taking a sip of tea, Yura got to the point.

“Pay 30% of the advertising revenue generated by this broadcast to Young-woo. Then there will be no objection to broadcasting him without his permission.”

“30% of the advertising revenue?”

It was an absurd amount.

It was a level that broke the norms of the broadcasting industry.

“You’re joking.”

Yura was the top star in South Korea.

Even she, whose fee was uniquely high, did not receive a fee proportional to the advertising revenue for her appearances.

While Grid was a major trendsetter, Yura’s demand was too unrealistic.

“I’ll give you 3.5 billion.”

It was an amount equivalent to Yura’s. This could also be seen as showing more than necessary sincerity.

But it was far from satisfying Yura.

“Do you know that using someone’s gameplay video for commercial purposes without permission can result in serious legal consequences?”

“……”

“Moreover, this broadcast is quite violent, and the broadcasting commission is already on the lookout. Don’t make a big deal out of this. Excessive greed can be a poison.”

Yura was one of the wealthiest people in South Korea, and top lawyers were by her side.

Director Lee knew she was not ignorant.

So he thought carefully before answering.

“We understand our position is unfavorable, but 30% is too much.”

The estimated advertising revenue from this live broadcast was close to 150 billion won, a new industry record.

Handing over a third of that as a personal appearance fee was out of the question.

It was an unprecedented situation and not something he could decide alone.

“Initially, we didn’t know the masked man was Grid. There’s no evidence that we intentionally exploited Grid, and since Grid didn’t reveal his face, there’s no issue of violating his right to publicity. Additionally, the filming location was an official event venue. We have the right to broadcast everything that happens in a public place….”

In fact, if you looked at it in detail, OGC’s position was not significantly unfavorable. Director Lee started to elaborate, but the one holding the knife was Yura.

“Handle it flexibly. If you show sincerity, I’ll adjust my broadcasting schedule to focus on OGC. Who knows? This might make Young-woo like OGC too.”

“Oh!”

It wasn’t about immediate gains and losses.

Grid and Yura.

Wasn’t this a golden opportunity to form a relationship with two of South Korea’s top stars?

If they could plan broadcasts centered around them, OGC could consistently generate profits comparable to today’s.

“I’ll contact you after the meeting. If the advertising revenue is to be transferred, we’ll also need to draft a few contracts. Please review them with a willing heart.”

“Alright. Now we’re getting somewhere.”

Yura smiled brightly, satisfied with Director Lee’s wise decision.

As she stood up, Director Lee asked cautiously.

“By the way… you recently disappeared from the ranking list. Is it true that you obtained a hidden class, as everyone speculated?”

“Maybe I’ll talk about it in detail in an interview with OGC News someday.”

“Oh! That’s great! Just thinking about it makes me happy!”

He was beaming!

Director Lee’s cheeks were still flushed as he personally escorted Yura to the building’s entrance.

Click.

Yura’s expression was bright as she got into the limousine.

She was very satisfied, having successfully negotiated more easily than expected.

‘This would have been impossible with a major broadcasting station.’

It was fortunate that it was OGC. As a station that only dealt with the game genre, they valued her and Grid more highly.

‘Young-woo will be pleased too, right?’

<Devil Slayer> was a class that opposed the Yatan religion and the demon race. By nature, it had to form a relationship with the Rebecca religion.

Therefore, Yura took an interest in the papal candidates.

She ended up watching the live broadcast of the papal candidate speeches on OGC.

But what happened?

The main character of the broadcast turned out to be Grid.

While watching, Yura worried.

Since Grid was still unfamiliar with the broadcasting industry, he might suffer a loss.

Concerned, she immediately took action.

She visited OGC to ensure that Grid not only avoided a loss but also gained a significant advantage.

The reason was simple.

Yura wanted to impress Grid.

Knowing the importance of luck, as someone who had ranked 5th in the integrated rankings, she hoped to join the Luck Team.

She needed a place to rely on after her level was reset.

There was also a bit (or a lot) of personal emotion mixed in.

***

The Vatican.

“What a pitiful guy, beyond imagination.”

Camiang, still an inexperienced young man, I knew, but I didn’t think he would die from a punch.

A disgrace to the Red Knights.

Phlegethon couldn’t mourn Camiang’s death. Instead, he felt only anger.

“This is all because of a fool. The situation has become awkward.”

After Piaro betrayed the empire.

The Red Knights newly trained by Swordmaster Limit were only a facade.

The imperial citizens belittled the current Red Knights, saying they were inferior to the previous generation.

If it became known that a Red Knight died from a punch, what would happen?

The already diminished prestige of the Red Knights would be completely shaken.

Phlegethon had the duty to prevent such a situation.

“I’ll wait until the event ends.”

After the event, Grid would also be able to use his weapon.

“At that time, I will restore the prestige of the Red Knights by defeating you at full strength.”

“Huh.”

It was good news for Grid.

Phlegethon’s combat power was immeasurable. He was incomparably stronger than Camiang.

Relying solely on Raphaël’s blade, he could never be defeated.

Not knowing how to deal with him, it was fortunate that the kid gave him a chance out of misplaced pride.

The audience was cheering.

- Wow, that Red Knight Phlegethon must be really strong. To give Grid time after seeing his comrade killed by bare hands. Amazing.

- His confidence is incredible. Is he a Solo Number Knight?

- No, I heard Solo Number Knights wear gold shoulder badges.

- Hmm… then maybe a Number 10.

- If you become a Number 20 Knight, you’re several times stronger than a Number 30 Knight, so he might be a Number 20.

Amidst various speculations, illegal gambling sites were thriving.

<Grid vs. Red Knight Phlegethon>

Bettors started placing their bets on who would win.

Surprisingly, many bettors predicted Phlegethon’s victory.

Considering that Phlegethon calmly watched Camiang die and gave Grid time to use his weapon, he seemed to have the confidence of a strong person.

From any perspective, Phlegethon believed he was stronger than Grid, and the winner of the battle would naturally be Phlegethon.

- The chicken should be here by now.

- I already got my chicken 5 minutes ago and ate two drumsticks.

- Phew… When will this start? I’ll finish a bottle of soju waiting.

- The papal candidates talk too much.

- Ah, right. This broadcast was originally about the papal candidate speeches. Haha.

While Grid waited for the event to end, OGC’s channel ratings had surpassed 43%.

Rumors of the upcoming battle between Grid and the Red Knight were spreading like wildfire.

Millions of foreign viewers flooded OGC’s web channel, nearly causing the server to crash.

In such a situation, watched by the entire world,

[The papal candidate speech event has ended.]

[The restrictions on weapons, set to be unusable for safety, have been lifted.]

[+9 Failed Work equipped.]

[+8 Doppleganger’s Greatsword equipped as a secondary weapon. Dual-wielding penalty applies, reducing weapon attack power to 50%.]

Grid gripped two greatswords in his hands.

The audience was abuzz.

- Dual-wielding?

- Is he an idiot? Using greatswords for dual-wielding? He’s really stupid.

- Dual-wielding large weapons will have severe restrictions... and his stance will easily collapse.

- Nah, he’ll probably only use one sword in battle. It’s just for show.

The gambling site community was in chaos.

Those who had bet on Grid out of hope were cursing.

_Ah, I’m screwed.

- I’m the fool for believing in him. Sigh...

- I thought he had improved, but it was a mistake.

- Is this the start of another Balcon nightmare...

Does he even know he’s being laughed at?

Without a word, Phlegethon charged, and Grid responded with dual-wielding.

Clang!

He blocked the attack with the Doppleganger’s Greatsword.

Pah!

He counterattacked with the Failed Work.

Unlike Camiang, who activated <Keen Senses> as an active skill, Phlegethon’s movements were incredibly agile as a passive skill.

He dodged Grid’s counterattack and followed up with a skill.

“Limit Sword.”

It was a skill with far more power than what Camiang had used.

Defending would result in significant damage, and dodging was impossible due to its perfect trajectory.

What should be done in such a situation?

The grown-up Grid knew the answer.

“Pagma’s Sword Dance, Turn (回).”

Clang!

It was a perfectly timed counter.

The power of the skill increased thanks to the Doppleganger’s Greatsword.

Blood spurted from Phlegethon’s chest.

‘What!’

Phlegethon was shocked.

Grid was much stronger than when he fought Camiang.

It made sense.

<Pagma’s Sword Dance>, which increases attack power, critical hit chance, and skill power, only applies when wearing a sword or blade.

Equipped with greatswords, Grid was far beyond Phlegethon’s expectations.

- Wow, dual-wielding is amazing.

- Ka~ As expected, God Grid.

As always, the audience’s shift in stance was quick.

Those who had been ignoring and cursing Grid just a minute ago were now praising him.

OGC’s channel ratings had surpassed 45%, and 50% was not out of reach.

A historic record in the South Korean broadcasting industry for decades.

Grid was once again writing a new legend.