Chapter 10

<Chapter 10: The God of Martial Arts Regresses to Level 2>

* * *

Seong Jihan scratched his head after logging out.

When Lim Ga-young asked for his number, the one that came to mind was the one he used in the United States.

He could barely remember the number he used in Korea.

If he really wanted to contact her, he could have asked Lim Ga-young for her number instead.

'But I don't really need to join a guild right now.'

They say a thirsty man digs a well.

Seong Jihan didn't feel the need to get Lim Ga-young's number.

More importantly,

'The rewards are promising.'

When he was ranked 7th in the world, even becoming first in a game only gave him a tiny bit of experience.

But in the low-level Bronze range, there was a definite taste of growth.

Seong Jihan looked at the system's message window.

[You have completed the limited quest: 'Achieve first place in 10 towers.']

[You have earned 1,000 achievement points.]

[You have recorded a first place in the defense game.]

[Your experience and GP gain from first place rewards have increased by 50%.]

[Your level has increased by 2.]

[You have earned 1,500 GP.]

Although he didn't grow as much as during the tutorial, the first-place reward itself was quite good.

With the divine power and GP (Game Point) he obtained, the harvest from one game was considerable.

'If I keep doing this, I can reach the promotion match without playing much longer.'

The first-place reward in the Battle.net game is enormous.

Not only is the reward itself large, but there's also a 50% increase effect.

If Seong Jihan continues to place first, he should reach level 25, the requirement for the promotion match, in less than a month.

'Well, the game structure isn't that easy, though.'

When you perform well in a game, your next match is inevitably against a higher-level player.

This makes it difficult to maintain a streak of first-place finishes.

The level difference in Battle.net is quite significant.

'I don't think I'll lose in Bronze, though.'

If he can maintain a streak of first-place finishes and finish the Bronze League,

This would be a notable achievement, and he might earn additional achievement points.

Seong Jihan decided to aim for first place in every game and opened the Battle.net market.

'With the GP I got as a reward, I can buy relics...'

But he soon closed the market.

Even though relics were cheaper in 2020, there were no relics he could buy with 1,500 GP.

Even F-grade relics required at least 3,000 GP.

'...I need to explore more rooms.'

After using the points he gained from leveling up to increase his physical strength,

Seong Jihan decided to calmly search the house.

This spacious penthouse still had many unexplored areas.

'Let's go, then.'

Seong Jihan left the room and headed towards his sister's room through the living room.

In a high-rise mixed-use building in Gangnam,

Yoon Se-jin's house, which he had converted the top floor into a penthouse, was quite large, so it took him a while to pass through the living room.

As he passed the living room, his eyes were drawn again to the family photo hanging on the wall by the sofa.

Was this a photo taken 10 years ago?

In the frame where Yoon Se-jin, his sister, and the young niece were smiling, only Yoon Se-jin's face was broken.

'Maybe I should just tear it out.'

When he first broke it, his stats hadn't changed to physical strength, so Yoon Se-jin's image was still there.

Seong Jihan walked up to the photo.

He didn't want to leave any trace of his face in this family photo.

Then,

Beep beep. Beep-

The sound of the front door opening came from beyond the living room.

"I'm here~. The Jeju Island retreat ended early for me."

A high, cheerful voice.

At the sound, Seong Jihan flinched.

"Hey. Uncle... did you drink all that alcohol?"

A girl in a school uniform took off her shoes and walked into the living room.

She looked at Seong Jihan with a smile.

"Huh..."

She noticed the broken family photo and quickly moved to his side.

"Uncle."

"Uh?"

The niece, who noticed her father's face was broken, smiled meaningfully.

"Why did you break it first?"

Bang!

In an instant, she smashed Yoon Se-jin's face in the photo.

"I was going to do it."

* * *

Yoon Se-ah, the niece who mercilessly smashed her father's face.

Seong Jihan's gaze was a mix of joy and guilt.

'Se-ah... you're healthy.'

Yoon Se-ah, 18 years old, was 9 years younger than the 27-year-old Seong Jihan.

They had always gotten along well, like siblings with a significant age gap.

'When my sister's belly swelled less than a year after our parents passed away, it was really shocking.'

After Seong Jihan's parents died in an accident,

His sister, who had to take care of her 10-year-younger brother and manage the household, met Yoon Se-jin while working multiple part-time jobs.

Falling deeply in love, his sister had a baby at the young age of 20.

At the time, Yoon Se-jin also took responsibility, had a small wedding, and moved into Seong Jihan's house.

Since they couldn't afford a new home, they moved into the apartment the siblings had inherited.

'With both of them working, I saw a lot of this kid.'

Seong Jihan, who had taken care of Yoon Se-ah since she was a baby,

Considered her a special presence.

'...But in my past life, I didn't take care of her.'

What happened to Yoon Se-ah in his previous life was horrific.

A memory he didn't even want to recall.

'It must never happen again.'

Seong Jihan, who had been looking at Yoon Se-ah with a pained expression, reaffirmed his resolve.

"Uncle? Why are you so serious?"

"Nothing, just... you did well. But, what about the retreat?"

At Seong Jihan's question, Yoon Se-ah smiled bitterly.

"Didn't you hear the commotion the day before yesterday? The teacher sent me home early."

"Commotion... the press conference?"

"...Yeah. You know, before the press conference, Dad called me."

"What did he say?"

"He said he fell in love."

Fell in love...

Seong Jihan gritted his teeth.

Did that man, Yoon Se-jin, really say that to his only daughter?

"That guy... is that all?"

"...I'm sorry, but he said he won't ask me to understand him. And he can't take me with him..."

Bang!

Seong Jihan's fist shattered the fragments of Yoon Se-jin's face in the photo and punched through the wall.

In the real world, he couldn't fully utilize his stats from Battle.net,

But his physical strength of 12 was still powerful.

Yoon Se-ah's eyes widened.

"Uh... Uncle? Why are you so strong?"

"Sorry. I couldn't control my anger. Keep talking."

"Okay. Instead, he said he would leave his property in Korea to me and told me to live well with Uncle."

"Ah, what a real piece of trash..."

Property?

Yoon Se-jin had already liquidated most of his assets and fled to Japan.

The reason rumors spread that he was going to another country was because he had quickly liquidated his guild shares and other assets.

The only thing he didn't liquidate was this building where Yoon Se-ah lived and Sword Palace.

'But this building will be confiscated by the government later.'

When Yoon Se-jin first fled to Japan, the government was cautious.

To persuade him to return to Korea, they didn't take any action against the building he left behind.

But after Yoon Se-jin, representing Japan, devastated Korea, public opinion turned completely.

-That guy made our country the bottom of the East Asia League.

-He's a modern-day Lee Wan-yong.

-What? He's worse than Lee Wan-yong! He betrayed his country for a woman!

Their anger was directed at his family in Korea.

-Why did his daughter stay in Korea?

-That's suspicious too!

-And the Sword Palace he left behind... wasn't that all funded by the taxpayers?

-We should confiscate the building!

Public sentiment was at its worst, and Yoon Se-ah's personal information was widely spread throughout Korea.

Laws protecting personal information didn't apply to Yoon Se-ah.

The National Assembly passed a bill in response to the public's anger.

It included measures to revoke tax exemptions and recover taxes from players who renounced their citizenship.

As a result, the government confiscated the building,

And Seong Jihan and Yoon Se-ah were evicted from their home.

'...It was hell.'

Seong Jihan was also fingered by the entire nation because of this incident.

But since he wasn't directly related to Yoon Se-jin and had his sister Seong Ji-a's achievements, he was somewhat less affected.

-But that person is still Seong Ji-a's brother.

-That's true. Seong Ji-a saved us from the North Korean dungeon and passed away. It's hard to blame her brother.

-Right. He's not related to Ito.

If you consider that, Yoon Se-ah was also Seong Ji-a's daughter.

But people judged her more as the daughter of a traitor than the daughter of a saint.

'...I need to avoid such a situation as much as possible.'

The one who abandoned the country was the despicable Yoon Se-jin, not his niece Yoon Se-ah.

She was also a victim.

To prevent the horrific events of the past from recurring, he needed to do his best.

First,

'I need to be a reliable adult who can support her.'

The Seong Jihan of the past was young.

He was too busy dealing with the public's criticism and comforting himself to pay attention to Yoon Se-ah.

Seeing how composed and strong Yoon Se-ah seemed,

-You're amazing, Se-ah. Uncle, it was really hell...

He used to say such things.

Only after everything was irreversibly over did he realize how much her heart had been eaten away.

But now it's different.

"Se-ah."

"Uh-huh, Uncle."

"I'm always on your side."

"...What? Suddenly."

"Even if I wasn't reliable before..."

The Seong Jihan of 2020.

He was far from being a reliable adult.

He had no decent job except for predicting Battle.net matches with the Gift 'Wanderer's Eye.'

The house and car were all provided by his brother-in-law and sister.

To young Yoon Se-ah, her uncle must have seemed like a lazy freeloader.

But,

"Now it's different. I'll be an adult you can trust. So, don't keep everything to yourself. Rely on me."

"..."

At his words,

Yoon Se-ah's expression changed for a moment.

Her forced smile twisted, and her eyes moistened.

For a brief moment, she looked like she was about to cry.

But,

"I'm fine. I am."

The expression quickly disappeared, and Yoon Se-ah smiled slightly.

"Of course. I rely on Uncle."

Despite the major incident, she smiled as if nothing had happened.

It was as if she was wearing a carefully crafted mask.

A mask that always smiled.

Seong Jihan smiled bitterly at the sight.

"...Right."

Words of reassurance wouldn't reach her now.

She couldn't fully express the feelings of being abandoned by her father.

'I'll earn her trust through actions... step by step.'

Until his niece, who hides her emotions behind a smile, opens up her heart,

Seong Jihan decided to wait silently.

"By the way."

As if the brief change in expression was a mirage, Yoon Se-ah smiled brightly and pointed at Seong Jihan.

"Rather, Uncle! Now that you're living in my house, you're the one relying on me."

"This house?"

"Right. Dad said he would leave his property in Korea to me. So, he's giving this to me too."

Seong Jihan looked around the house at her words.

A spacious penthouse in the heart of Gangnam.

If you consider the value of the building below, Yoon Se-ah is one of the richest people in Korea.

But,

"Se-ah, I have something to say about that."

"What...? If it's Uncle, I can give you half the building!"

He chuckled.

To give half of this huge building, what a kind child.

But that wasn't Seong Jihan's intention.

"No, that's not it."

"Then what?"

"Let's donate this building to the country."

"...What?"