Chapter 19

<Chapter 19: The Warrior Who Regressed to Level 2>

The next day.

Seong Jihan was preparing to participate in an auction organized by the government.

The auction venue was on the second floor of Sword Palace.

It was scheduled to take place in the event hall of this massive mixed-use building.

“Uncle, are you ready?”

Yun Seo-a stood in front of the penthouse dressing room with a large camera in her hand.

It was a camera that looked far from ordinary, possibly one she had acquired when filming the Sword King previously.

“Almost. But are you already filming?”

“Yeah, just checking if it’s working well.”

Then, Yun Seo-a waved in front of the camera.

“Hello everyone~ It’s Seo-a~ Is the screen clear?”

She then checked the messages on her smartphone.

-Yes, it’s clear!

-Wow, my nephew is the truth.

-I’m a high school student. Be careful with your words, everyone.

-Gulp, that’s why I like it.

-Police officer, over here!

The audience's reactions were mostly positive, but.

-A pro-Japanese traitor...

-Seo-a! You shouldn’t be with the person who broke the Sword King’s symbol!

-What gives you the right to sell the Sword King’s connector! Seo-a, you have to stop it!

There were also a fair number of malicious comments.

‘...It seems to be working well. Whatever.’

Yun Seo-a put her smartphone in her pocket and picked up the camera again.

“Okay, okay. As you all know, today is auction day!”

“You’re giving a speech now?”

“Hehe, I’m a camera woman, so it’s natural! And since I picked the auction items myself, I have a significant stake in this broadcast!”

Zoom.

The camera focused on Seong Jihan.

“Uncle, who always wears tracksuits, is dressed up today. I’ve never seen Uncle in a suit before. It’s like the first time I’ve seen it since I was born!”

“Is that so?”

Seong Jihan chuckled and tied his tie.

Indeed, at 27, he used to only wear tracksuits and play around at home, never having a reason to wear a suit.

“Oh, but Uncle, you tie your tie well. Did you practice?”

“Am I a kid?”

Actually, he had become skilled due to his frequent appearances at formal events during his time in the U.S.

Seong Jihan put on the jacket of his suit and frowned.

“Hmm, it’s a bit small, isn’t it?”

“Nah, Uncle has broad shoulders. Not narrow like before!”

“I had broad shoulders before too?”

“No, not really.”

With Yun Seo-a’s sharp denial, Seong Jihan shook his head, took off the jacket, and walked somewhere.

Yun Seo-a followed him.

She looked at the place Seong Jihan was entering and lowered her voice.

“Ah, everyone... This is Dad’s dressing room.”

“Since my brother-in-law had broad shoulders, it should fit me too.”

“I didn’t expect Uncle to wear Dad’s clothes.”

“Clothes are innocent, right?”

Seong Jihan said this and took out a jacket from his brother-in-law, Yun Seo-jin, and put it on.

Yun Seo-a, who had been filming quietly, suddenly thought of something and whispered to the camera.

“Everyone, by the way... When I was choosing items for the auction yesterday, I also came to this room. Dad was a watch enthusiast, so he had many expensive watches.”

Watches?

Seong Jihan, while putting on the clothes, listened to her.

“So, I thought I’d put them up for auction or donate them if any were left.”

She made a zero with her fingers in front of the camera.

“Wow! There were no watches at all.”

Didn’t you take them with you?

Seong Jihan felt absurd.

“Not only that, but rings and necklaces were also gone. Even the couple rings I matched with Mom.”

“...Really?”

“Yeah, pretty impressive, right? Dad left me behind but made sure to take all those valuables. He’s really thorough.”

Seong Jihan quickly approached her, understanding her feelings but fearing the chat would explode.

‘Seo-a shouldn’t attract too much attention from the Sword King’s family already.’

“Let’s go, Seo-a.”

“Okay, Uncle.”

Seong Jihan and Yun Seo-a took the private elevator directly connected to the penthouse and went down.

‘Now that I think about it, this is the first time I’ve left the penthouse.’

This is practically a life of a shut-in.

Thinking he should go out more,

“Uncle, here it is.”

“Okay.”

Seong Jihan entered the event hall on the second floor of the building.

* * *

The event hall, set up as a temporary auction venue, was swarming with numerous journalists.

Click. Click.

“Mr. Seong Jihan! Mr. Seong Jihan!”

“What is the purpose of today’s auction?”

“By selling the Sword King’s items, aren’t you officially declaring that he won’t return?”

Although government officials were trying to block the journalists,

Flashes kept going off towards Seong Jihan and Yun Seo-a.

Perhaps because Seong Jihan had asked for the auction to be exclusively broadcast on his channel,

The journalists, who couldn’t enter the auction venue,

Kept trying to get close to Seong Jihan’s group to get an exclusive story.

Especially since Seong Jihan was passing by coldly without even a glance,

They shifted their target to Yun Seo-a.

“Ms. Yun Seo-a! Ms. Yun Seo-a!”

“The public is curious about the background of your decision to donate.”

“Some suspect it was due to Mr. Seong Jihan’s coercion!”

“Especially, your maternal relatives are calling for Mr. Seong Jihan to be recognized as a fraudster and are urging you to answer their calls...!”

The journalists, who were openly saying this even with Seong Jihan right next to them,

Seemed to be influenced by the exclusive broadcast on Seong Jihan’s channel.

They didn’t seem to have a favorable view of Seong Jihan.

“Uncle is a fraudster? What...!”

“Let it go. Ignore them.”

As Yun Seo-a flared up, Seong Jihan wrapped his arm around her shoulder and moved.

There’s no point in responding; it would only make them more excited.

“Damn, those people. It’s been so long since we last talked...”

Seong Jihan knew who Yun Seo-a was grumbling about.

The relatives of the Sword King, Yun Seo-jin.

Specifically, Yun Seo-jin’s younger brothers.

‘They tried to leech off Yun Seo-jin’s money and committed fraud using his name, leading to a complete estrangement.’

Due to their constant fraud using Yun Seo-jin’s name,

Yun Seo-jin, after enduring it for a long time, held a press conference to declare his estrangement from them.

After that, these estranged relatives, especially after Yun Seo-jin went to Japan, tried to get money from Yun Seo-a.

‘At first, they did, but after the building was seized by the state, they became the vanguard in attacking Yun Seo-jin and Yun Seo-a.’

After Yun Seo-a’s building was seized by the state and she gave up on them, these relatives appeared on gossip shows, criticizing the Sword King and his daughter as national traitors.

It was absurd to hear them call Seong Jihan a fraudster through media interviews.

“Mr. Seong Jihan! Please wait!”

“Ms. Yun Seo-a! An interview...!”

Seong Jihan ignored the journalists’ pleas and entered the auction venue.

“Please give the camera to me, Ms. Yun Seo-a. We’ll handle the filming.”

“Ah, yes, Manager Park.”

Upon entering the event hall, Manager Park Yun-sik of the BattleNet management department spoke to Yun Seo-a.

Since Yun Seo-a had to participate in the auction, she couldn’t hold the camera.

Seong Jihan approached Manager Park and shook his hand.

“It’s been a while, Manager Park.”

“Yes, thank you for coming, Mr. Seong Jihan.”

“It’s not much of a hassle. The building is right above us.”

“Haha, the journalists were quite aggressive, weren’t they?”

“It’s nothing... The government helped block them, so it was smooth.”

Park Yun-sik looked at Seong Jihan with interest.

‘As I thought, he’s completely different from the shut-in he’s known to be. He’s not even nervous.’

Anyone would be a bit flustered with journalists swarming like that.

But Seong Jihan was completely unfazed.

“Then, this way. I’ll guide the VIP, and you can film with this camera.”

“Understood, Manager Park.”

Park Yun-sik handed the camera to a nearby staff member and personally guided Seong Jihan’s group.

The temporary auction venue was mostly empty.

On the stage, the items for the auction were lined up one by one.

Below, there were 12 large round tables, and people were seated at them.

Name tags were placed in the center of the tables, indicating their affiliations.

Most of them were from the top 10 guilds.

However, at the far right table,

The name tag of the three people seated there was different.

[Japanese Embassy]

People from Japan, not Korea.

Seeing this, Seong Jihan’s lips curled slightly.

‘They’re here.’ The people who would bid the highest for these items.

“Now that the seller who submitted the items for this temporary auction has arrived, let’s begin.”

As Seong Jihan and Yun Seo-a sat in the chairs at the far right of the stage, the auctioneer started the proceedings.

“There are three items up for auction today.”

Originally, Seong Jihan only intended to sell Yun Seo-jin’s BattleNet connector.

But during his training, Yun Seo-a had selected a few more items.

First, Yun Seo-jin’s BattleNet connector.

Then, an external hard drive with the previous data of the BattleNet connector.

Analysis materials on top players in Korea and East Asia.

As the auctioneer explained the three items,

The representatives of the top 10 guilds showed interest.

“Hmm.”

“The Sword King’s analysis materials seem quite good.”

“The BattleNet information analysis company he ran was known for its excellent analysis.”

“Wasn’t that company sold to the U.S.?”

“Yes, the Sword King sold the information analysis company that supported him to a U.S. company. It was around that time that things started to feel uneasy... I never expected this to happen.”

The representatives chatted in small groups, showing interest in the data.

The auctioneer observed their reactions for a moment before starting.

“Now, let’s begin the auction. The first item is...”

“Wait, just a moment!”

“...Hmm?”

At the far right table,

One of the three people from the Japanese Embassy slowly stood up.

A middle-aged, bald man with a pointed mustache, smiling broadly.

“What is your business? If it’s related to the auction, please state your affiliation and name.”

The auctioneer asked, and he replied in a light tone.

“Ahaha, yes. I am the recruitment team leader of the New Self-Defense Forces, Takeda Kazuo.”

“The New Self-Defense Forces... you are affiliated with them?”

“Yes, yes.”

Although the auctioneer, being Korean, didn’t sound too friendly,

Takeda laughed and started speaking fluent Korean.

“Also, from our side, we have a proposal for Mr. Seong and Ms. Yun.”

The auctioneer glanced at Seong Jihan.

With a nod indicating he was willing to listen, Seong Jihan agreed.

“Please go ahead.”

“We will offer 5 billion yen for all the items combined.”

“5 billion... yen, you say?”

“Yes, that’s 50 billion won in Korean currency.”

Murmurs filled the auction venue.

To buy all these items for 50 billion won.

The price far exceeded what the bidders had in mind, making it an astronomical sum they couldn’t even consider.

“In return,”

Takeda, despite his seemingly carefree demeanor, rubbed his palms together.

His eyes, however, were fixed intently on Seong Jihan.

“I would like to have a private meeting with Mr. Seong and Ms. Yun.”