"What contract…?"
"I'm thinking of creating a guild once I reach Silver… You just have to stay as a guild member for a year."
Massid's eyes widened. "You're thinking of making a guild?"
Making a guild was possible once you reached Silver, but hardly any Silver players actually established one.
It'd been 10 years since Battle Net appeared on Earth, so who in their right mind would join a guild led by a Silver?
If JiHan wasn't the one saying it, he would've brushed it off as an obvious scam.
'But… I'm sure he has some kind of plan.'
Based on everything he'd seen JiHan do, he could believe he had some big plan in mind. He didn't know JiHan just wanted to make a guild for the achievement points.
"One year is really enough…?"
"Yes. I'll also pay you a salary. If you want to stay longer, you can, of course."
It was a great deal.
Given Massid's situation, he would've even accepted a five or ten-year contract, but Jihan was only asking for a year.
"Why… are you treating me so well?" Massid asked with a shaky voice.
JiHan confidently replied, "Because I know you're going to become the strongest Mage."
"…"
"I won't bind the best player with a multi-year contract."
He was only thinking of making a guild for the 'Guild Master' achievement; JiHan wasn't thinking of running it long-term.
'And it's better to maintain a good relationship with Massid.'
Having the best Mage owe him a favor was something he ultimately wanted.
"I just… don't get your confidence. How do you think I will become the best Mage with such a useless Gift…?"
"Massid, do you have any other way to get 500K USD?"
"No…"
"Right. Then use me. After all, you have nothing to lose."
"That's true… but you don't have much money either, right? I heard you were using an old car."
JiHan laughed. The power of mainstream media was amazing.
It hadn't been long since he started commuting with that piece of junk, yet even the busy Massid had heard about it.
"Money isn't a problem."
Slide-
JiHan brought something else up on the smartphone.
"Have you heard that the Korea-Japan match will take place today?"
"Yes. I bet my salary on it."
"You too…?"
"Yes. I'm sorry for Korea, but I bet on a 3:0 win for Japan. I need to get at least a 10% return."
The payout for Japan winning all three matches wasn't much, which showed how confident people were in Japan's victory.
"There's no need to be sorry. It's a logical decision, but… the world's often illogical."
JiHan smiled and showed him his bet.
"Are you crazy?! What an insane bet…!"
"Haha, do you think it's crazy?"
Beep-!
JiHan turned on the private room's TV.
They saw Battle Net players getting ready for the first match on the screen.
"I'll show you how I print my money."
* * *
The odds of Japan winning 3:0 were 1-1, so the public's judgment was reasonable. Korea's key player had left for Japan, after all.
Not only was it a loss of half of the team's strength, but that strength had also gone to the enemy.
A 1-1 situation had become 0.5-1.5.
If the Sword King played in every game, a complete defeat was expected, but…
Sometimes, the world was unreasonable.
The Sword King, Ito Ryuhei, suddenly quarreled with his Japanese teammates during the first match.
[If you aren't going to listen to me, I won't play,] he said before removing his armor and wounding his body with his swords.
His T-shirt was torn to shreds, and bloodstains appeared on his upper body.
"Why… is he doing that?"
"I'm not sure."
[Mr. Ito!]
[What are you doing?!]
The Japanese players were trying to stop him.
[You're bothering me.] Speaking fluent Japanese, the Sword King pushed the Japanese players away and charged toward the Korean team.
[S-stop him!]
[I'm not sure what's going on, but this is an opportunity!]
The Sword King's sudden, mad action gave the Korean team an opportunity, and they focused their attacks on him.
Even if the Sword King had removed his armor, he still held his twin swords.
[Too weak.]
His crimson swords moved like water.
[Ugh…!]
He effortlessly neutralized the Korean team's attack with his SSS-rank Gift, Twin Sword Peak.
His sword movements alone overwhelmed the Korean team. With or without armor, he was still the world's best Warrior.
'As expected, he's strong.'
Members of national teams were basically superhumans who'd reached Diamond League or higher, and their games were often shown in slow motion to ensure ordinary people could see everything.
The Mages and Supports, who had lesser physical capabilities, moved slowly, but the Sword King still moved at an incredible speed.
'Even with Nameless Divine Arts, it won't be easy…'
JiHan had never faced the Sword King in his past life.
As Battle Net reached the latter half and most of Earth's countries disappeared, Sword King Ito Ryuhei, Battle Net's strongest Warrior, suddenly disappeared.
JiHan, considered the second era's strongest Warrior, had never crossed swords with the Sword King because of that, but there was no nervousness on JiHan's face.
'I'm not the same as before.'
He could acknowledge that the Sword King was stronger than he thought, but he never thought he would lose to him.
[Sword Flight.]
A blue sword landed at the Sword King's feet, and he jumped on it and began flying through the sky. It was a sword technique that allowed you to fly through the air while controlling a sword.
[It… it's Sword Flight!]
[Use defensive magic…!]
The ex-allies of the Sword King knew his strength better than anyone.
Sword Flight wasn't a technique that simply allowed him to fly. It was also a rushing technique that shattered the opponent's defensive formations.
The Korean team did their best to deploy defensive magic, but…
[Too slow.]
The Sword King plummeted down like a meteor. The speed difference was just too drastic.
BOOM!
The defensive barrier created by the Korean Supports was pierced like paper, and the Sword King landed before the Supports, the players who needed to be protected the most.
Tap, tap-
The Sword King slowly walked forward.
[Stop him! Form a defensive line!]
The Warriors aligned to protect the Supports, but…
Swosh-!
[Ugh…!]
They were sent flying as the Sword King's twin swords moved.
The difference in strength was clear—the Sword King was a monster.
By the time he reached the core of the Korean team, he had no injuries except for self-inflicted ones.
It looked like they would be defeated by an overwhelming margin.
On the day of their independence… the Koreans would get mercilessly trampled by one of their own.
- Damn it! What's wrong with that bastard?!
- Why did he get stronger?!
- The difference is too big…
Even though the private room was soundproofed, they could still hear people shouting.
Everyone knew they would lose, but no one expected the game to be so one-sided.
Despair descended upon South Korea.
[Ah…! The players need to get ahold of themselves! Even if the Sword King is right before them, they can't let the Supports die so easily!]
[But we can't stop him… He's even stronger.]
[Ugh…! If we're defeated in the first game, we will be helpless in the next one! If we're overwhelmed by one person, we won't stand a chance on any of the maps, not just the invasion one!]
The commentators on TV shouted in disappointment, but the Sword King had already gotten to where the Supports were standing.
The game was practically over.
The Sword King's first target was Lee Jin-wook, who futilely resisted like a bug wriggling to survive.
[D-Divine Punishment!]
A hammer of light appeared in the air and dropped onto the Sword King.
It was the Support's offensive magic, Divine Punishment. The skill was powerful for a Support, but it was just a tickle against someone like the Sword King.
Everyone gave up.
They expected him to block it and kill him instantly, but the result was unexpected.
[Eh… what?!]
[The Sword King… allowed the attack?]
The commentators were puzzled when the hammer of light hit the Sword King's head.
Boom!
A loud noise resonated from the Sword King's unarmored head, and a bit of blood spurted out.
It was the first attack the Korean team had managed to land on the Sword King in the game. The Sword King wiped away the blood and smiled.
[Good job.]
Stab-!
He then used his twin swords to stab himself in the chest.
[Wh-what the?!]
[What's going on?!!]
"Wh-what?!"
"Why would he commit suicide so suddenly?!"
Mumble, mumble-!
It wasn't just the commentators. Everyone in the restaurant was also confused.
Massid couldn't hear the chaos. "No way. How…?"
His eyes weren't fixed on the TV but on the smartphone in JiHan's hands. He was focused on JiHan's bet and the prediction of Korea's win in the first match.
'Although the Sword King committed suicide…'
The kill would be credited to Lee Jin-wook. After all, he was the only one on the Korean team who had managed to land an attack on him, albeit a weak one.
To the system, Lee Jin-wook was the one who eliminated Japan's strongest Warrior, so the MVP result was obvious.
"How… did you know who the MVP would be?"
"I saw it in a dream," JiHan casually replied.
"N-no way."
"My dreams are special."
It was ridiculous. Who would bet such a huge amount of money based on information they received in a dream?
'Does he have some special Gift?'
JiHan hadn't revealed his status window yet, so maybe he had a special ability.
But what could be said if he claimed it was from a dream? He had no way of finding out the truth.
"You also appeared in that 'special' dream."
"I… I appeared?"
"Yes. You became the world's best Mage."
Massid's eyes were shaking. JiHan was confidently saying he would become the world's greatest Mage after accurately predicting such an unbelievable situation.
"Even if you don't make a contract with me, you'll find a way to become a Mage."
"…"
"But if you make a contract with me, you could walk that path much faster. Don't you agree?"
"Yes… you're right." Massid nodded.
Since he'd found the path, he could somehow save money to buy an Arachne Orb either way, but it would take him a lot of time.
He could skip that long amount of time with JiHan's help.
'Moreover…'
What if he took JiHan's astonishing predictive power into account?
Massid made a decision. "Sung JiHan, I'll make a contract with you."
"An excellent choice."
Massid, the person who had the talent to become the world's best Mage, shook JiHan's hand and realized his potential far faster than he originally would have.
'This is the best possible outcome.'
JiHan made a satisfied smile.