Chapter 38

<Chapter 38: The God of Martial Arts Reverts to Level 2>

* * *

August 15th.

In Korea, this is the Liberation Day from Japanese rule, a day of great significance.

In Japan, it is the end of the war memorial day, which they do not often discuss in detail.

And the Liberation Day of 2020 held even more special meaning for the two historically intertwined countries.

This was because the Battle.net Northeast Asia League representative team match between the two countries was scheduled for this day.

The Korea-Japan match on Liberation Day!

When the Sword King was still in Korea, the Korean people had been eagerly awaiting this day with great anticipation.

From 2019 to early 2020, the Korean representative team's performance was at its peak, and they had a significant advantage over Japan.

Therefore, most people firmly believed that the Japanese representative team would be utterly defeated on this historic day.

'Well, the situation has changed now...'

Ihayeon sat at her desk, staring intently at the text message sent by Seongjihan.

[Results of the 8.15 Korea-Japan Match]

[1st Match: Korea Win / MVP: Lee Jinwook]

[2nd, 3rd, 4th Matches: Japan Win / MVP: Ito Ryuhei]

'Predicting a Japanese win is a given, but...'

Objectively, without patriotic bias, Japan's victory was expected.

The Sword King, who was the core of the Korean team, had transferred.

Internet public opinion was the same.

If asked where to bet all their money, a hundred out of a hundred would choose Japan, such was the overwhelming difference in strength.

'But a 1-3 score and predicting the MVP... This doesn't make sense.'

The lineup for the 8.15 representative team match was already public.

It was written that the Sword King would participate in all matches from 1 to 5.

Yet, winning one match against Japan, where the Sword King was playing?

'Impossible.'

If the lineup hadn't been announced, it might have been different.

But with the Sword King's participation in all matches, most people expected Japan to win 3-0.

'And the MVP of the first match is Lee Jinwook?'

Lee Jinwook.

Ihayeon knew him well.

He was a diamond player and a representative team member of the Seong Guild.

However, Lee Jinwook's position was a support role, which rarely produced MVPs.

Especially in a disadvantageous situation like this, it was even harder for a support player to become MVP.

"I don't want to lose money on such an obvious match, but..."

Ihayeon rested her chin on her hand, looking at Seongjihan's text message with dissatisfaction.

'Ah!!! Fine, I'll just lose 5 million won.'

She decided to treat it as an investment in Seongjihan and bet the money as he suggested.

"Wait. The odds are only in the double digits?"

The odds should have been higher with a 1-3 score and a designated MVP.

Ihayeon tilted her head for a moment but then shrugged.

'Whatever. It's not like I'm trying to win money anyway.'

It was money she was going to lose anyway.

Or, a 'reasonable purchase' to create more connections with Seongjihan.

"Now that this is settled..."

Having finished her bet as Seongjihan suggested, Ihayeon looked at her smartphone thoughtfully.

'Now, it's time for my real bet!'

Her eyes lit up, and she poured a large sum of money into the expected 3-0 Japanese victory.

She was confident that Seongjihan's prediction was just talk.

* * *

Inside Kim Heesu's car.

"Wow! Seo-ah, your uncle is really amazing!"

Kim Heesu, who had just finished her student council work and was returning home with Yun Seo-ah, exclaimed in amazement at the broadcast.

"He can even clear the Conqueror's Mausoleum like that!"

"Right? It's so incredible."

"Really, for a bronze player... It's hard to believe."

Kim Heesu looked at Seongjihan's image on the screen with curiosity.

"Your uncle, compared to when I visited your house last time, he seems like a completely different person. He looks so cool now."

"Hehe... Really?"

"Yes. Last time, he smelled strongly of alcohol. His hair was messy."

"Probably when he won or lost money from Battle.net match predictions."

"...What's the difference?"

"When he wins, he gets excited and drinks. When he loses, he gets angry and drinks."

In any case, the conclusion was always drinking.

Kim Heesu chuckled and looked at her phone.

'Among the promising players I've seen so far, he seems the most outstanding...'

Seongjihan, the brother of the Holy Sister Seong Ji-a.

I thought he had no special abilities, but he was hiding such talent.

'At this level, he has the potential to become a star player.'

Kim Heesu's eyes sparkled as she looked at Seongjihan.

And this interest...

"Uh..."

"Wow, Uncle, what's going on?"

As Seongjihan dragged his party members, he became even stronger when facing the Conqueror's equestrian statue.

Especially at the end of the video, when he destroyed the Conqueror's bow with a sword strike, Kim Heesu was amazed.

"Is that... really possible?"

"I guess. I knew Uncle was strong, but not to this extent..."

When the video ended with Seongjihan obtaining the Phoenix Arrow, Kim Heesu looked at Yun Seo-ah with envy.

"Seo-ah, you're lucky."

"Why?"

"Your whole family has received great gifts. You'll probably get a good one too."

Yun Seo-ah's father had an SSS-grade gift, and her mother, the Holy Sister, had an SS-grade gift.

From the unbelievable power shown in the video, Seongjihan was definitely of a high grade.

Therefore, in the Battle.net industry, Yun Seo-ah was considered a star among stars.

"Gifts and inheritance are unrelated."

"Come on. With three out of your family members being so good?"

"Um... Hehe. I guess?"

Despite trying not to expect, due to her family background, she couldn't help but hope for a good gift.

"By the way, your birthday is on the 22nd, right? It's not long now."

"Yes. I'm a bit nervous about what gift I'll get."

"Hehe, what do you have to worry about? I'll throw a grand birthday party for you!"

"Ah~ No need for a gift."

Yun Seo-ah waved her hands, saying it was fine.

"No, you must accept it."

Kim Heesu said this with a meaningful smile.

* * *

[You have achieved the top rank in the dungeon game.]

[As a reward for ranking first, your experience and GP gain will increase by 50%.]

[Your level has increased by 1.]

[You have obtained 5,000 GP.]

[You have obtained 1,000 achievement points as a reward.]

Seongjihan began to sort through the delayed rewards.

'This must be because it's the first time I cleared the dungeon mode, so I also got additional achievement points.'

[As the sole first-place winner, you have received all the gold ingots stored in the Conqueror's Mausoleum.]

[You have obtained 40,000 GP.]

[You have cleared the hidden achievement, 'Clear the Dungeon Alone'.]

[You have obtained 3,000 achievement points as a reward.]

The Conqueror's Mausoleum, known for its generous rewards.

However, the GP reward was substantial since he alone claimed the gold ingots that would have been shared among four people.

Additionally, clearing the hidden achievement further increased his achievement points.

[You have cleared the hidden quest, 'Show True Respect to the Conqueror's Statue'.]

[You have obtained 5,000 achievement points as a reward.]

[You have obtained the Conqueror's Arrow, 'Phoenix Arrow', as a reward.]

With the hidden quest reward, Seongjihan harvested 10,000 achievement points from the Conqueror's Mausoleum alone.

'The difference between yesterday's survival reward and this is like heaven and earth.'

A satisfied smile spread across his face.

Although he only leveled up by 1,

45,000 GP, 10,000 achievement points, and the Phoenix Arrow.

For a single game, he received an incredibly generous reward.

'Shall I check the description of the Phoenix Arrow?'

[Phoenix Arrow]

-Grade: A

-Arrow of the Conqueror made from phoenix feathers.

-Emits the strongest power when shot and returns to the owner's hand.

-Sealed with the phoenix's flame, it disappears after 5 uses.

'I thought it would be S-grade.'

Compared to the power shown by the Conqueror's statue, the grade was only A.

Probably because it disappears after 5 uses.

Still, for a bronze-grade dungeon, it was an overpowered item.

'I'll have to use it as a spear for a while.'

As long as he doesn't throw it, he can continue to use it as a weapon.

'And the GP... I'll bet it all on the Korea-Japan match.'

Seongjihan recalled the text message he sent to Ihayeon.

The prediction of 1 win and 3 losses, with the MVP.

This was information he knew for sure from his past life.

It was also the first match where Yun Sejin, representing Japan, plunged Korea into despair.

The match flow was completely different from the general predictions at the time.

'Korea's 1-0 win in the first match was a surprise to everyone...'

Seongjihan logged into Battle.net on his smartphone and placed the same bet as Ihayeon.

The difference was that

While Ihayeon bet 5 million won,

Seongjihan bet all his money.

'37 times, right?'

Even with the correct match results and MVP, the odds were lower than expected.

However, Seongjihan was confident.

'Yun Sejin, you also bet on this, didn't you?'

There's a reason for the low odds.

Either many people bet on it,

Or, like Seongjihan's bet, a large sum of money was placed.

The source of that money was likely Yun Sejin.

Seongjihan recalled the match from his past life.

During the first Korea-Japan match,

Yun Sejin intentionally died to the support player, Lee Jinwook.

He removed all his armor and self-harmed,

Allowing only the final blow to be taken by Lee Jinwook.

'That's how Lee Jinwook became MVP.'

Later, in his interview, Yun Sejin said he did it out of anger due to conflicts with the Japanese team.

However, Seongjihan suspected match-fixing.

Seeing the unexpectedly low odds now, his suspicion gradually turned into certainty.

'But just in case, I won't use Seo-ah's money.'

The 50 billion won Yun Seo-ah received was her nephew's property that must be protected.

There was no need to use that money.

'Instead, I'll bet all my money and any I earn here.'

A week passed.

The day of the final battle.

August 15th, Liberation Day, dawned.