Chapter 45 of 100
Chapter 45
6 min read1,581 words
<Chapter 45: The God of Martial Arts Reverted to Level 2>
It was a week until Yoon Se-a's birthday.
Sung Ji-han knew the grade of the gift she would receive on her birthday.
‘F-grade. No doubt about it.’
The public perception of F-grade gifts is dire.
‘They say it’s better not to receive one at all.’
There is still a glimmer of hope that one might receive a better gift later if they don’t get one now.
However, once an F-grade gift is received, the player's fate is sealed at F-grade.
‘I know it’s a great gift, but the public doesn’t see it that way. They will treat it as a waste.’
Even if Yoon Se-a won’t face the relentless criticism and merciless disdain she did in her previous life, she will certainly be mocked by the media and netizens.
‘I need to reduce her expectations.’
Yoon Se-a’s expectations for the gift seemed quite high.
She usually waves it off, saying, “Gifts are random anyway.”
But having seen her mother, uncle, and that damn father’s abilities, she can’t help but have high hopes.
‘When she gets the result, she’ll be devastated.’
Especially in her previous life, she almost gave up on life.
It’s only natural to worry.
That’s why, even though a real estate agent showed them several houses in Gangnam, none of them felt right.
“Then I’ll contact you again next time.”
“Sure. Take your time!”
In the end, Sung Ji-han and Yoon Se-a returned to Sword Palace without any success, sighing deeply.
“Uncle... We really lived in such a nice house.”
“Don’t they all seem small?”
“Yeah. Maybe I’m just too picky.”
Despite Yoon Se-a’s budget, the class of houses they could afford was impressive.
However, the penthouse at Sword Palace was in a different league.
It’s not easy for Yoon Se-a, who lived there for a long time, to lower her standards in just one day.
“Can’t be helped. We need to adapt, right?”
“Right. If we keep looking, our standards will lower!”
“Don’t worry about that. I’m more worried about something else.”
“Huh? What else are you worried about?”
“Your gift.”
When Sung Ji-han suddenly threw a curveball, Yoon Se-a blinked.
“My gift? Why?”
“You seem to have high expectations.”
“Nah~ I don’t expect anything. It’s random, right? I might not even get one...”
“Really, you don’t expect anything?”
When Sung Ji-han asked seriously,
“...Yeah.”
Yoon Se-a hesitated before answering.
“Do you want to get an SSS-grade gift and give Itō a taste of his own medicine? Or do you want to change your current situation... Don’t you?”
“That... That’s just a dream, right? I can distinguish between dreams and reality.”
“Is that so? Then I’m relieved.”
Swoosh—
The elevator doors opened, and Sung Ji-han entered the penthouse.
“High expectations often lead to great disappointment.”
“...”
“And people keep talking about bloodlines... There’s no such thing. Se-a, do you know what grade my gift is?”
“What? SS? SSS?”
“It’s F-grade. You saw it before, right? ‘Wanderer’s Eye.’”
“Nah. You’re lying!”
Yoon Se-a shook her head vigorously, saying it was impossible.
F-grade gift, ‘Wanderer’s Eye.’
She knew it was Sung Ji-han’s gift from the past.
She saw him drink himself into a stupor and vomit after receiving an F-grade gift on his birthday.
‘But it can’t still be F-grade now.’
From level 1 to level 22.
An uncle who never missed first place and even broke the Colosseum’s barrier, displaying immense power.
How could such a monster have an F-grade gift?
But.
“Status window.”
Sung Ji-han opened his status window and showed her the gift section.
“Here, look.”
[Gift - Wanderer’s Eye (Grade F)]
You can understand other players well.
“...What? Is... is that real?”
Yoon Se-a looked at the status window with trembling eyes.
A player who performed exceptionally well had a real F-grade gift!
Yoon Se-a’s eyes widened in disbelief.
“...Uncle.”
“Yeah?”
“But why only show me the gift section?”
“This is a promise to my subscribers.”
“Hehe, what’s the big deal?”
“I don’t know?”
“Wow. That’s cheap. Show me! Show me!”
When Yoon Se-a started to whine, Sung Ji-han deactivated the status window.
“I’ll show it to you on your birthday. As a birthday gift.”
“Wow~ Even cheaper! What kind of uncle gives a status window viewing as a birthday gift?”
“Then do you want a different gift?”
“Eh! Give me a gift and show me the status window!”
Sung Ji-han chuckled and nodded.
“Sure. Both. But...”
“But?”
“Your gift. Don’t have high expectations.”
“Ah, really!”
“If any reporters come to interview you about your gift, ignore them completely.”
“Got it, got it!”
Yoon Se-a threw off her shoes and entered the house.
Her movements were rougher than usual.
Sung Ji-han noticed and narrowed his eyes.
‘Her expectations haven’t waned yet.’
Even after showing her his own gift.
‘I didn’t expect a few words to change anything... but there’s nothing I can do.’
Six days until her birthday.
I need to keep talking to her and brainwash her.
* * *
On the way to school on August 17th.
“Se-a. Gifts are random. You know that, right?”
“Yeah, I know.”
“Don’t put too much faith in gift gems. Look at what Lee Hyeon said. She contributed so much to the school as the student council president, but she got a support gift.”
“A support gift? Her?”
“Yeah. Gifts are just luck. They’re just gifts, literally.”
“Got it. I won’t have high expectations.”
Yoon Se-a replied with a bitter smile.
Why has he been talking about gifts so much lately?
‘It’s like he’s saying my gift will be a disaster.’
Of course, she understood her uncle’s concern.
When people around her who knew about her birthday talked about gifts, they often said, “Your parents got good ones, so you will too.”
‘He’s probably worried I’ll be disappointed if the result isn’t good.’
Yoon Se-a thought it was just her uncle’s way of showing concern.
But.
The encouragement continued even after she returned home from school.
“Are you back?”
“Yeah. Uncle.”
“You know, gifts are random. So don’t have high expectations.”
“I... I heard that this morning.”
“You didn’t hear it at lunch, so you need to hear it at dinner.”
“...I know, okay?”
The next morning as well.
“Se-a? Gifts...”
“Stop! I get it! I do!”
“Random, right?”
That evening too.
“Se-a. F-grade gifts can be useful. Look at me.”
“Can you show me your status window and explain?”
“That’s a birthday gift.”
“Fine! If you’re going to talk about randomness, I’m going to my room!”
“Gifts are random.”
“Ah, really!”
And the next morning as well.
“Se-a?”
“Gifts are random?”
“Oh. Repetition learning. It works.”
“Yeah. So... stop...”
“No. I need to engrain this in your mind. Shall I repeat it again? Gifts are random, unpredictable, and have nothing to do with bloodlines.”
“I’ll memorize it. Really.”
“That’s the point.”
During the drive to school.
Yoon Se-a was subjected to repetitive learning about the ‘gift=random’ formula by Sung Ji-han.
“Sigh...”
“Se-a. Why are you sighing?”
When Yoon Se-a entered the classroom and sat down,
Kim Hee-sung, who was sitting next to her, tilted her head and asked.
“Nothing. It’s about the gift.”
“Nah~ What are you worried about? You’ll definitely get an S-grade or higher.”
“No. Gifts are random and unpredictable, and have nothing to do with bloodlines.”
Yoon Se-a answered, startled.
The repertoire she had been subjected to by her uncle for the past few days came out naturally.
Indeed, the effect of repeated learning was undeniable.
“Not necessarily, right? I heard that among the first-generation players, the children of top-ranking players often stand out.”
“...Really?”
“Yeah. As you know, my family is in the media.”
Yoon Se-a nodded.
Kim Hee-sung, the granddaughter of a major media company owner, was well-informed about various gossip and news that hadn’t yet been made public.
“While it hasn’t been statistically proven yet... when you include foreign rankers’ cases, there’s definitely an influence of bloodlines.”
“Still, my uncle keeps saying not to have high expectations. It’s random. He’s been talking about it so much... I think it’s better not to have high expectations.”
“Your uncle? He’s at least SS-grade, right? He’s always first.”
“I don’t know. He won’t tell me.”
In fact, Sung Ji-han’s gift is F-grade, but telling Kim Hee-sung could lead to unforeseen consequences.
It was best to pretend she didn’t know.
“Se-a. By the way, you’re getting your gift on the 22nd, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Then you’ll be at the Gift Hall until midnight, right?”
The Gift Hall.
A place where gift gems are embedded, it is said to bestow blessings on students who haven’t yet received their gifts, helping them get good ones.
Especially, Academy students on the eve of their 18th birthday are given the benefit of receiving blessings all day long.
“Of course.”
“Then... that day, do you want to do an interview with our side’s reporter?”
“Interview?”
“Yeah. You know, self-promotion is important these days. It’s about letting the world know about your outstanding gift!”
“Through your newspaper?”
“Yeah. Hehe.”
Kim Hee-sung smiled brightly, revealing her teeth.
An exclusive interview about the gift of Yoon Se-a, the daughter of the Sword King.
It would be a huge topic, so it’s no wonder she was eager for the interview.
“Nah. Forget it. What kind of interview?”
But perhaps the repeated learning from Sung Ji-han had an effect.
Yoon Se-a immediately rejected Kim Hee-sung’s proposal.
“It’ll be embarrassing if it’s not good.”
“Nah. That’s