"Woah, his subscriber count passed 20,000!"
"Has it already risen that much?"
It was at 8,000 not long before, but it had more than doubled.
Interest in JiHan was growing day by day.
HaYeon was starting to feel anxious. "Ugh… Why is it skyrocketing? If it goes on like this, people from the USA or China will also try to recruit him."
"The baldy from the Neo Self-Defense Force is still trying hard to recruit him as well."
"Right?! His chats are disgusting. Even if it's just because of the Sword King, JiHan at least won't go there. What worries me are the American and Chinese guilds. The amount of money they throw around is on a different level."
"That is true." HaYeon, feeling anxious, started to bite her nails. It was a habit that popped up whenever she was on the edge.
GaYeong shook her head. "Miss, don't do that."
"What?"
"Biting your nails… That habit has never helped you."
"Ugh… That isn't necessarily true."
Despite saying that, she pulled her hand out of her mouth and abruptly stood up.
"GaYeong, I can't stand still and do nothing!"
"…"
"Let's go to the parking lot early and set up a tent over there!"
"Do I need to go too?"
"Of course! Are you saying that I should go alone? That's too scary!"
"You used to always grind your teeth whenever a Battle Net academy was mentioned…"
GaYeong recalled an instance of HaYeon drinking whiskey while complaining about the academy's expensive tuition fee and how she was given a shitty Gift.
Just the other day, she even said that she wouldn't go anywhere near a Battle Net academy ever again.
'JiHan is worth it.'
Why would she need to sleep there, though? She could just go early in the morning.
GaYeong stopped HaYeon. "Miss! If you sleep there, you'll look terrible. You should get ready before going."
"What are you talking about? My face is fine without makeup."
"That's why you were rejected."
"Tsk…!"
She was saying that, if she wanted to convince JiHan, she should be in her best possible condition.
"Fine, but didn't he say he didn't know his phone number?"
"He just gave it to the guy who was kicking the soccer ball."
"Ugh, that guy. Does he like men?"
"We need to be prepared to test that out."
"Okay… cancel the tent."
In the end, HaYeon's tent plan was safely dropped.
[The mission is 'survival'.]
It was the Colosseum again, a game that JiHan had already overwhelmingly dominated.
- It's over.
- Another massacre~
- Ah, survival. It's too boring.
- For real. It ends too quickly.
JiHan's viewers predicted the game's outcome as soon as he entered.
He'd cut a flesh golem in half, so he probably wouldn't have any issues with Bronze players.
Players participating in the survival game thought in a similar manner.
"Ah. It's Sung JiHan…"
"Damn it!"
"Why's he playing at such an hour…?!"
The players frowned when they saw JiHan, who was wearing a training suit instead of armor.
[The game is starting.]
"Run!"
As soon as the game started, they ran off in all directions.
The first to die would inevitably finish last, so they were doing their best to avoid that penalty, but…
"I'm sorry."
Nameless Divine Arts Footwork Technique: Lightning Thunder Step.
Not looking sorry at all, JiHan quickly caught up to them.
"E-eek…! He was definitely over there!" A player screamed in surprise when he saw JiHan suddenly appear before him.
Paf!
JiHan stole his weapon and increased his score before he began chasing the other players.
- He's one-sidedly crushing them.
- Damn it… Gangnam 1 players… Can't even… Resist… Let alone… They're-fleeing! -Tsk!
- Even if you fight, you'll end up being cut in just a second. Lol.
- For real. You at least get a one in ten chance of survival if you run, hahaha.
JiHan was massacring them as if he were a wolf among a flock of sheep.
The result of the game was obvious.
[You finished 1st in a survival game.]
Since that day's map was survival, the result was inevitable, and the viewers had a very lukewarm reaction.
- As expected. 1st~ We won't be able to see his status window today, either.
- It's a survival map, so this result was expected.
- Did you see how everyone ran away as soon as JiHan appeared?
- I would run too, hahaha.
After the game ended, when JiHan could see the chat again, he read a message from Takeda asking him to open his inbox.
- Mr. Sung… You're too strong! You aren't someone who should be here ♥. If you open your inbox, I'll make a proposal that will surprise you… ♥
- ㅡㅡ;;
- That bastard was silent when JiHan was playing… He's really trying hard to recruit him.
- They already took the Sword King, and now they're trying to take the other promising players. That's wicked.
- If you're Korean, please don't go to Japan!!
JiHan read the chats for a while and answered the viewers with a short sentence.
"I'm not leaving."
* * *
[As a bonus for finishing 1st, experience and GP gained will be increased by 50%.]
[You've achieved 1st place 5 times in a row.]
[Experience and GP gained will be increased by 200%.]
[Your level has increased by 2.]
[You've earned 3,000 GP.]
After receiving the impressive reward, his level increased from 13 to 15, but JiHan was still not satisfied.
'I didn't obtain any achievement points.'
Maybe it was because he'd cleared the 10-kill achievement in the last survival map, but he only received level-ups and GP.
Still, he decided to not be disappointed.
'Things are different now.'
[You've reached level 15. The 'dungeon' game type has been unlocked.]
Unlike the survival and defense maps that were available the first time you logged in to Battle Net, the third game type was unlocked once you reached level 15.
'This is where teams really come into play.'
A dungeon wasn't something you could clear by yourself. You needed to progress by breaking through traps, mazes, and puzzles, so having a well-coordinated party was important.
Maybe that's why another feature was unlocked at level 15 as well.
[Guild content has been unlocked.]
[From now on, you can party up with and play games with guild members.]
'A guild is almost mandatory from this point on.'
If you compared a party composed of guild members with an open one composed of a mixture of general players, it would be easy to guess which would perform better.
If another troll received the support of the Sword King Fan Club and came out like last time, it was possible that he would be completely unable to clear the game.
Still, JiHan wasn't considering joining a guild yet.
'I need to clear the guild master achievement.'
There were many other ways, besides playing games, to get Battle Net achievement points.
He'd been obtaining lots of achievement points through the Battle Tube, and going for guild-related achievements would be the next-best way.
'I can create a guild once I reach Silver, so I must refrain from joining any guilds until then.'
Joining a guild would make things comfortable, and with JiHan's skills and potential, he would certainly receive astronomical signing bonuses, annual salaries, the best equipment, and all sorts of conveniences, but those were things that would naturally come with ability anyway.
JiHan had no intention of giving up on a guild master's achievements for things like that.
'I'll have to enter the dungeon without a guild for the moment.'
JiHan searched up August's dungeon.
If the dungeon was based around a trap or a maze, he could easily break through with just strength, but if it had something where cooperation with party members was necessary, he would need to devise a plan.
[August's Bronze Dungeon]
- Conqueror's Tomb
'Conqueror's Tomb? I don't remember this that well.'
He'd been one of the world's strongest, so there was no way he would remember a Bronze dungeon after 10 years passed.
JiHan smiled bitterly and began reading about the dungeon.
[The Conqueror's Tomb is a high-difficulty dungeon where strong monsters appear.]
[The Warrior's role as the primary damage dealer at the front is very important.]
[Although there are a few traps and mazes, there are almost no puzzle elements. All party members must survive while standing before the conqueror's statue on the 7th floor underground.]
JiHan's expression stiffened when he read that all four party members needed to survive to clear the dungeon.
'How annoying.'
If the Sword King Fan Club kept interfering like the last time, finishing 1st might be out of the question. Not only that, but he might not be able to clear it at all.
JiHan pondered it for a moment and soon smiled.
'It might be possible with these conditions.'
JiHan thought of a plan only he could imagine.
* * *
Within the Neo Self-Defense Force's Korean branch, Takeda was on a call with his higher-ups.
[Takeda, we cannot do what you've asked.]
"B-but didn't you see the video I sent?!"
[Are you talking about how he cut the flesh golem?]
"Yes! Even if he received a buff, that isn't something a Bronze should be able to do. He's a target we must recruit with all our might!"
[That was surprising for me as well, but the 'method' you mentioned cannot be used at the moment.]
The general manager's voice was resolute.
[That method should only be used as a last resort. Your request can only be accepted with a solid justification.]
"Are you talking about the status window…?"
[Yes. That's right.]
'What a stubborn old man.'
Takeda barely managed to hold back his anger.
[Still, I'm personally interested in that player named Sung JiHan.]
"That means…"
[I'll support you financially out of my own pocket. Get his status window information. Once you get this information, depending on the situation… We might use that last resort.]
Takeda bowed at those words.
As expected, the general manager was wise! There was a reason he'd been working in the HR department for such a long time.
"Understood. I'll get that information, no matter how!"
[Good. I believe in you.]
Click.
After Takeda hung up the phone, his eyes shone.
'I failed with the defense map… but I'll definitely make you slip in that dungeon, Mr. Sung!'
If he could get his status window information, and if 'that' method could be used… Japan could get both the 'present', the Sword King, and the 'future', Sung JiHan!
"Fufu… This is going to get exciting."
Takeda laughed as if he were enjoying the situation.