Chapter 34

<Chapter 34: The Warrior Who Regressed to Level 2>

* * *

The Black Eagle Guild.

Although it didn't rank among the top 10 guilds, it was a well-known and highly respected guild in the upper echelons.

The Black Eagle party members who entered as players in the Gangnam Area 1 were promising individuals who could seriously aim for professional status in the future.

But even for them,

'Million GP...'

'Ten billion?'

Ten billion was an astronomical amount.

'There’s no room for jokes in the viewer mission. If you don’t have the money, you can’t make such a bet. Ten billion... it’s real.'

Swallow.

The Warrior involuntarily swallowed.

Ten billion.

No matter how much he was a rising star in the guild, as someone with a Bronze contract, it was an amount he could never even dream of.

Of course, if he continued to rise and eventually reached the Gold League, that huge sum would feel more manageable.

But...

‘...Reaching Gold won’t be easy.’

The Warrior thought.

After rolling around in the Gangnam Area for a few months, he knew the wall to becoming a pro was not easy to break.

If he had the top-tier Gift, he would have joined one of the top 10 guilds, not the Black Eagle Guild.

He was talented, but among the truly elite, he was just average.

The Warrior assessed himself as such.

Even if he passed the Silver promotion match, could he really break through the Gold barrier?

No.

‘If I commit suicide now, my reputation might drop a bit...’

Ten billion was a sum that carried real weight.

‘Just in case. My reputation might not drop as much as I think.’

The Warrior had watched Seong Jihan’s channel a few times and understood the atmosphere.

There were quite a few people who didn’t want Seong Jihan to be number one, just because they wanted to see his status window.

The more amazing power he displayed, the more people became curious about his abilities, and their numbers grew exponentially.

So, even if he committed suicide here, he would probably just get a bit of hate.

‘Yeah, let’s die!’

The Warrior looked around.

He noticed his guildmates acting suspiciously.

The Archer had taken an arrow and was stealthily bringing it to his own neck.

The Mage was preparing to cast a spell, even though there were no monsters around.

The Warrior’s heart raced.

‘These guys... they must have received a mission from the Sword King’s family!’

What a bunch of lunatics.

Did they all bet ten billion on this mission?

If they all died, who would get the money?

‘...I don’t know what will happen, so I have to die first.’

With a firm resolve, the Warrior turned the tip of his sword toward his own neck.

He never thought he would commit suicide while playing BattleNet.

But it’s just a game.

He had to die quickly to complete the mission...

Swish!

“Huh...!”

The sword, which he was about to thrust into his neck, stopped right in front of his throat.

‘It... it’s not moving?’

Just a little deeper...

His whole body was suppressed by an unknown force, preventing him from moving.

And then.

“Of course.”

Seong Jihan, who had been walking ahead, turned around and had a cold smile on his face.

Thud, thud—

The sound of footsteps echoed like thunder.

The Warrior’s eyes darted around.

Not only himself, but all the guild members were completely suppressed and unable to move.

‘Telekinesis...! Did he prepare for this? ’

Now that he thought about it, there were some things that didn’t add up.

Seong Jihan could have just progressed through the game alone and cleared the path, but he didn’t try to distance himself from the party members.

Even when dealing with enemies, he always maintained a certain distance.

At the time, the Warrior thought it was to protect them...

‘It was to monitor us!’

The thought sent shivers down his spine.

“Do it if you’re going to.”

Tap, tap, tap.

Seong Jihan’s fingers tapped various parts of the Warrior’s body.

His thick armor was pierced like paper.

“Ah...”

Instantly, the Warrior lost control of his body.

No, to be precise, he could only move his face and neck.

“My... my limbs...”

A completely different feeling from before.

Earlier, he was forcefully suppressed by a powerful external force, but now his body simply wouldn’t respond.

‘This...!’

The Warrior finally recalled the technique used by the upper-class Warrior, the ‘Wulinren’.

‘Could it be... pressure points...?’

Clang!

The sword and shield made a pathetic sound as the Warrior fell helplessly.

Not only the Warrior, but the other two guild members were also rendered helpless.

“Ah...!”

“Why... why are you doing this!”

Turning his barely moving neck, he saw the other two guild members collapse like puppets with their strings cut.

Seong Jihan, looking down at them with a cold gaze, said,

“Did you really want ten billion that much?”

“H-how did you...”

The Warrior was surprised.

Even if he had prepared, how could he have known the exact amount?

“There was someone who told me.”

Seong Jihan’s gaze turned to the air.

Specifically,

[BJ Goldlight has donated 10,000GP.]

[Mr. Seong Jihan! The guild members are trying to commit suicide for ten billion! Be careful!]

The donation message that appeared in the corner of his vision.

* * *

Just a moment ago.

-Seong Jihan, me! I want to be your editor!

-It’s fine.

After being rejected outright by Seong Jihan,

‘Ah...’

BJ Goldlight had been depressed for two days, skipping broadcasts.

“With Seong Jihan, I could become a legend on BattleTube... but to lose this opportunity...”

He had a dream.

To become the best on BattleTube.

Although he was currently just a deep-sea exploration content creator, he aspired to be the best as a broadcaster.

That was BJ Goldlight’s grand ambition.

‘But I can’t do it alone.’

BJ Goldlight knew his limits.

He had a decent appearance and an A-grade Gift, but that wasn’t enough to be the best on BattleTube.

Only a top-tier player like the Sword King could reign supreme.

‘I saw that potential in Seong Jihan... to lose it now...’

He felt depressed.

So depressed!

While he was lying on his bed, sighing,

Ding!

-Seong Jihan has started a broadcast.

His phone alarm went off.

“Huh? At this time?”

BJ Goldlight looked at the clock in surprise.

Early morning.

The time when most people were either going to work or school, the time with the fewest viewers.

To broadcast at such a terrible time!

“I should be there to give advice...!”

Despite his lament, BJ Goldlight quickly entered Seong Jihan’s channel.

Seong Jihan, now level 15, was in the dungeon map.

As usual, he was clearing the dungeon with overwhelming power.

The game itself was flowing smoothly.

‘If nothing goes wrong, he’ll definitely be number one...’

BJ Goldlight suddenly remembered Kim Kyouhyuk’s trolling from the past.

Back then, it was also due to the Sword King’s family.

‘Should I check out their channel?’

BJ Goldlight’s expression became unusually calm.

He watched Seong Jihan’s channel on his phone and the others’ channels on his computer.

Suddenly, people with the Sword King’s family IDs appeared in the Black Eagle Guild members’ channels.

[Commit suicide immediately to stop Seong Jihan from being number one.]

Reward: 1,000,000 GP

It was an absurd reward.

‘A million GP? Unbelievable!’

BJ Goldlight’s expression hardened.

It was too much to be just a grudge from the Sword King’s family.

Most importantly, the simultaneous appearance in the party members’ channels was suspicious.

‘I should take a screenshot...’

BJ Goldlight’s eyes sparkled.

He needed to inform Seong Jihan of this fact as soon as possible.

To do that, he needed to send a donation message.

The minimum donation amount set by Seong Jihan was 10,000GP.

It required a million won, but,

‘It’s fine.’

BJ Goldlight, who was once a Gold Leaguer, knew that getting Seong Jihan’s trust, which could help him achieve his dream, was more important than a million won.

His fingers moved quickly.

[Mr. Seong Jihan! The guild members are trying to commit suicide for ten billion! Be careful!]

This was the third donation message to Seong Jihan’s channel, following Takeda and Yun Se-a.

* * *

When Seong Jihan heard the details from Kim Kyouhyuk, who had betrayed him during the defense game, he felt a slight unease.

‘To bet 50 million on breaking the crystal?’

50 million.

It wasn’t even a sum collected by the Sword King’s fans.

It was a mission amount thrown in by a big spender, Sword King 898.

No matter how devoted the fans were, it was hard to accept.

‘...The guy from the Sword King’s family who asked me to curse at him seemed more like a fan.’

However, even with suspicious circumstances, it was too early to jump to conclusions based on a single case.

It could just be a fan with a lot of money and a deep devotion to the Sword King.

But.

The 10 billion mentioned by BJ Goldlight in the message crossed the line.

“Everyone, isn’t this strange?”

Although Seong Jihan had blocked chat during the game, he could still speak to the viewers.

“At 50 million, I thought it was possible. ‘That’ Sword King’s family, after all. I thought a big spender might donate.”

-50 million is nothing...

-When Goldlight received the mission to kill Seong Jihan, a few thousand were collected, right?

-But that was when the Sword King’s fans gathered. It’s different when one person donates.

-A valid point.

“But 10 billion is a different story. Specifically...”

Seong Jihan’s finger pointed at the three players.

“30 billion.”

-30 billion is over the line.

-30 billion to make Seong Jihan eat dirt? Even the Sword King’s family wouldn’t throw away that much money.

-A second-generation tycoon?

-Yeah, the tycoons have cut ties with the Sword King.

Many tycoons who once claimed to be fans of the Sword King had deleted posts and removed ads to distance themselves after he went to Japan.

Public opinion would turn against the Sword King over time, so they cut ties before it was too late.

-Then who is it?

-Not the Sword King’s family?

-It’s not a collection from the fans. It’s a one-time