Chapter 13 of 100
Chapter 13
9 min read2,348 words
<Chapter 13: The Warrior Who Regressed to Level 2>
The day after Seong Ji-han's broadcast.
[Did the Sword King go to Japan for a woman?]
[The Sword King's daughter declares she will donate her father's legacy!]
[The Sword Palace's dual swords trophy shattered by the brother-in-law.]
All Korean news outlets covered the broadcast-related content as breaking news.
'As expected, the impact of BattleTube is tremendous.'
Since the content was about the Sword King, Yun Se-jin, the public's interest was enormous.
[50,000 dislikes collected.]
[Normal achievement, 'Even if the world hates you (3)' cleared.]
[5,000 achievement points earned as a reward.]
[50,000 likes collected.]
[Normal achievement, 'I... I love you (3)' cleared.]
[5,000 achievement points earned as a reward.]
Even after the broadcast ended, the number of views on the video left on BattleTube continued to rise as people read the articles.
Through the likes and dislikes they pressed, normal achievements were cleared even after the broadcast ended.
'This broadcast alone earned me 33,000 achievement points.'
While gradually earning points by completing urgent quests in the game, he managed to earn a large amount of points at once.
'At this rate, we might hit 100,000 likes and dislikes.'
The number of viewers flowing in from the articles was enormous.
[It's also an urgent breaking news in Japan...]
[Japanese netizens are puzzled about who the Sword King has fallen for...]
Because viewers from Japan, where the Sword King, Yun Se-jin, had naturalized, were also flowing in.
No, breaking the 100,000 achievement is just a matter of time, and it seems we can aim for even more.
"Wow, it's really chaotic."
Yun Se-ah looked at the article on her phone with a worried tone.
"But there are a lot of insults against Uncle... Shouldn't you avoid the news for a while? People's reactions are really intense."
"Hehe... I find it amusing?"
Seong Ji-han chuckled and looked at the comments.
While people presumed to be from the Sword King's family were spewing colorful curses,
Seong Ji-han was actually pleased.
It was a clear sign that the aggro was directed at him, not Yun Se-ah.
"And the Sword King's family keeps sending texts. How did they get my phone number?"
Seong Ji-han frowned at her words and thought.
'At this point, even if I joked that half the nation hates the Sword King's family... getting my phone number exposed is inevitable, right?'
Yun Se-jin, the Sword King.
Since 2010, when all professional sports disappeared from the world,
His status was higher than the combined status of all Korean sports stars in history.
BattleNet is the world's only professional sport, and the national rankings within the game are crucial enough to determine a country's fate.
'In the hellish Northeast Asia League, the reason Korea managed to navigate smoothly was because of Yun Se-jin.'
BattleNet Northeast Asia League.
Korea, Japan, Eastern Russia, Eastern China, Taiwan.
This regional league, which includes these five countries, is known for being one of the most competitive in the world, alongside the Western European League.
Korea's ability to hold its ground was entirely due to the Sword King, Yun Se-jin, who ranks third in the world.
Because of this status, there was even a national petition to erect a statue of the Sword King in Gwanghwamun Square, which almost came to fruition.
Even after the Sword King announced at a press conference that he would go to Japan, people couldn't let go of their hopes due to this background.
"Sword King's family. What do they say in the texts?"
"While asking me to persuade my father... they say not to trust Uncle, calling him a fraud."
"Once your head is firmly set, you can say such things even after listening to the recording."
"Anyway! I obviously trust Uncle..."
Yun Se-ah propped her chin on her hands and looked up at Seong Ji-han.
"Uncle, why have you changed so much?"
Seong Ji-han chuckled.
"What was I like before?"
"Just... you know."
"Why did a pathetic man who only gambled at home change so much?"
"Hey, who would look at our Uncle like that? I never thought that way. Hehe."
Seong Ji-han recalled himself at that time.
Back then, he was an ordinary man of his age.
Unlike his sister and brother-in-law, who soared in the BattleNet world after being born with special gifts,
He neither excelled in studies nor showed outstanding abilities as a player.
He just lived idly with his successful sister.
- Little brother, do you want to take over a business?
While rolling around at home and only predicting BattleNet matches, Seong Ji-a tried to give him a job.
- This is my calling.
Seong Ji-han replied like that and continued to loaf around at home.
The reason he could say that was because of the F-grade gift he was given, 'Wanderer's Eye,' which allowed him to understand other players well.
His high prediction accuracy was enough to make him a loafer at the time.
Seeing the pitiful younger brother, Seong Ji-a sighed many times.
Yun Se-ah, who grew up seeing Seong Ji-han's such behavior, knew very well how irresponsible he was.
'But now, it's so different, it's understandable that she's puzzled.'
But he couldn't reveal everything.
'Maybe I should mention the existence of the power stat. It will be revealed eventually anyway.'
While thinking this, Seong Ji-han heard an alarm from the wall pad.
"Who is it?"
"Se-ah, sit down."
As Yun Se-ah tried to get up, Seong Ji-han stopped her.
"It might be the Sword King's family."
"Oh..."
In his previous life, the Sword King's family and many others caused all sorts of nuisances, including ringing the doorbell.
So, he eventually turned off the power.
'I need to take care of this in advance.'
While thinking this, Seong Ji-han turned on the wall pad and saw a middle-aged man in a suit.
It was a familiar face.
"Who are you?"
[Hello, I am Park Yun-sik, a section chief at the BattleNet Management Bureau.]
Hearing the name, Seong Ji-han remembered Park Yun-sik.
'This person was a good man.'
While the management bureau chief, who used to visit frequently when the Sword King was in Korea, suddenly stopped coming after he went to Japan,
This person, Section Chief Park Yun-sik, sympathized with Seong Ji-han and Yun Se-ah's situation and helped them a lot.
'Visiting just a day after the broadcast. That's quick.'
Anyway, there were things to discuss with the government side.
"Come in."
Seong Ji-han opened the door.
* * *
Section Chief Park Yun-sik of the BattleNet Management Bureau stared at Seong Ji-han.
'He has changed.'
He had seen Seong Ji-han a few times when he visited the Sword Palace with the management bureau chief.
In his memory, Seong Ji-han was basically a loafer who stayed cooped up in his room.
The management bureau chief also had the same impression and spoke quite ill of him in the car.
- Tsk tsk. I don't understand why the Sword King keeps such trash at home. He should just find him a room and kick him out.
That was the perception of Seong Ji-han, a parasite living off his capable brother-in-law and sister.
But yesterday's broadcast, and now...
"Please sit down."
The Seong Ji-han who greeted him now was completely different from before.
Unlike the gaunt figure he saw before, he looked relaxed.
And in that relaxation, there was an indescribable confidence.
'Seong Ji-han. His gift is F-grade, but... did he gain some special ability?'
Before visiting, Park Yun-sik had already gathered information about Seong Ji-han.
According to government records, his gift was F-grade.
But considering that he topped the tutorial in the famous Gangnam 1 Area, there seemed to be something special about him.
Park Yun-sik decided to investigate this later and began speaking.
"We at the Management Bureau were shocked by yesterday's broadcast. Although the Sword King has done a lot for the country, we thought the government had treated him well... but after listening to the recording, his naturalization in Japan seemed very real."
Seong Ji-han nodded, and Park Yun-sik continued.
"Especially the 'Japanese woman' mentioned in the call... we have a person in mind."
"What? Who is it!?"
Yun Se-ah, who had been listening quietly, suddenly stood up and asked. Park Yun-sik, with a stiff face, replied.
"The BattleNet Management Bureau collects information not only on domestic players but also on players from other countries. We gather more detailed information on countries in the same Northeast Asia League."
"Of course, that makes sense."
"While gathering information on Japanese players, I heard a rumor. There is a user in Japan with an SSS-grade gift."
"Wait, wasn't SS-grade the highest in Japan? They were even arguing about it a month ago..."
The argument between the two countries that Yun Se-ah mentioned was, in fact, a comedy.
When Korean BattleNet users mocked Japan as a 'country without SSS-grade' on Japanese internet forums, the Japanese government formally protested.
Yun Se-jin, Korea's pride, had the SSS-grade gift, 'The Ultimate of Dual Swords,' and Japan indeed had no SSS-grade users.
"The name of the rumored SSS-grade gift is... 'Beauty that Can Topple a Nation.'"
"Beauty that Can Topple a Nation...?"
The beauty that can topple a nation.
Such a gift being SSS-grade!
Yun Se-ah looked bewildered.
"Just being pretty, and you get an SSS-grade?"
"It's not just being pretty, that's the problem. Actually..."
Park Yun-sik glanced at Yun Se-ah and continued.
"The Sword King did have women. After Seong Ji-a passed away, he met several famous actresses. The Management Bureau provided private places to prevent these from becoming public."
"Is that so..."
Yun Se-ah, with a somewhat stiff face, sat back on the sofa, and Park Yun-sik continued.
"Despite freely dating many women in Korea, he chose to naturalize for a foreign woman... We at the Management Bureau suspect that the rumored 'Beauty that Can Topple a Nation' was involved in the Sword King's naturalization plan."
An SSS-grade gift, 'Beauty that Can Topple a Nation.'
Seong Ji-han, hearing this story, recalled his past memories.
'I heard this story from Park Yun-sik before, but her identity was never revealed.'
Even until Korea's downfall, the identity of the Sword King's woman was never known. After that, the Sword King himself went into hiding.
"An SSS-grade gift, 'Beauty that Can Topple a Nation'..."
"Still, we haven't given up hope and are trying to persuade the Sword King again. So, the government has a proposal regarding this donation."
"What is it?"
"The government prefers to operate the Sword Palace on a consignment basis rather than accepting the donation. We would return it to the Sword King if he comes back."
"..."
"And we would like you to continue living in this penthouse."
The government's stance of not accepting the donation despite the offer puzzled Yun Se-ah.
But Seong Ji-han, listening from the side, couldn't help but chuckle.
"The higher-ups must really not want to be criticized."
"..."
"Your confidence in persuading him seems to be lacking, doesn't it?"
"Indeed, it seems difficult."
"But if we accept the donation, it would be like admitting to the public, 'We couldn't persuade the Sword King.' It would be a way to avoid responsibility."
Seong Ji-han's words made Park Yun-sik shudder.
Currently, the BattleNet Management Bureau was suffering from a barrage of protest calls.
Roughly, 'Why isn't the government bringing the Sword King back with the taxpayers' money?'
If the government accepted the Sword Palace donation in such a situation, it could be seen as giving up on the Sword King.
'Then, the already low approval ratings would hit rock bottom.'
If the Sword King couldn't be persuaded, the public needed to be the first to give up on him.
"By the way, the Korea-Japan match is less than a month away, right?"
"..."
"At that time, if the Sword King, now named Ito Ryuhei, comes out and destroys our country, public opinion will turn against the Sword King. So, the government plans to operate the Sword Palace on a consignment basis until then, right?"
Seong Ji-han's analysis made Park Yun-sik break out in a cold sweat.
His prediction was spot on.
Still, he tried to deny it verbally.
"That's not the case. We will do our best to persuade the Sword King."
"Alright. I understand that position."
Seong Ji-han, with a relaxed expression, crossed his legs.
"I don't particularly want to be at odds with the government. I just have one condition."
"Please tell me what it is."
"You said I can continue living in this penthouse, right?"
By now, Park Yun-sik was caught up in Seong Ji-han's pace and just nodded.
"We will accept the government's position, but we would like a small favor in return."
"What kind of favor?"
"It's simple."
Seong Ji-han smiled and said,
"I'm going to sell some of the Sword King's collection. Can you arrange an auction for me?"
"An auction?"
"Yes. One that foreigners can also attend. Especially, the Japanese."
"Surely not!"
Hearing Seong Ji-han's specific mention of Japan,
Park Yun-sik's eyes widened.
Surely, what he was going to sell was...!
"Yes. The Connector."
The top-tier BattleNet Connector with a 99% pain reduction.
Just the market value of this item is as expensive as a house in Gangnam.
If it belonged to the Sword King, its value would be even higher with a premium.
Especially since the Sword King, Yun Se-jin, had used it well and left activity data.
'If he doesn't want to hand over his data, he'll participate in the auction.'
In the past, when the government confiscated the Sword Palace and auctioned off the items in the penthouse, the Japanese ambassador to Korea bought everything.
It was likely that the ambassador bought them on behalf of Yun Se-jin.
"I'm going to sell this. The government should guarantee it. The proceeds should be deposited into Se-ah's account. And..."
Seong Ji-han drew a square in the air.
"This auction should be exclusively live-streamed on my BattleNet channel."
Why let the chicken eat alone?
The egg should also get a share.
Thinking of earning achievement points, Seong Ji-han's smile deepened.