Thud-
The hair that had been pulled out with Force fell to the ground.
"Y... you bastard...!"
He was already self-conscious about his hair because he was balding. People often thought he was in his early 30s because of his hair, even though he was still in his mid-20s.
"Fuck!! I'm going to kill you!!"
"Wait...!"
"S-senior! Stop!"
The security guard and Hee-soo tried to stop him, but it was useless. In-sik charged toward JiHan like a bull.
He was a level 50 Warrior. Even though one's strength was nerfed in the real world compared to in the game, you were practically a superhuman at that point.
Whoosh!
In-sik's fist tore through the air toward JiHan's face.
A level 50's attack was fast and lethal, and thanks to Stone Skin, his fist was almost like a massive sledgehammer.
Even if both were players, one couldn't predict what would happen if a Bronze player took that hit.
'I… I'm doomed!'
Hee-soo's expression paled.
She'd just wanted to lightly threaten him, but things had escalated too much.
In-sik's Gift was Strong A, so JiHan's head could explode if he took a direct hit.
'Please don't die. Even if you end up in a vegetative state, that would be ok...!'
As Hee-soo was thinking that…
Swoosh-
In-sik's fist started to slow down.
"Wh-what?!"
His body was moving slowly, as if he were stuck in a swamp.
He'd entered JiHan's Absolute Domain, and not even In-sik could shake off the oppressive Force surrounding him.
As In-sik's slowed fist approached, JiHan threw a punch of his own.
"Ugh...!"
Crack-!
A horrifying sound echoed from In-sik's fist, and cracks began appearing in his hardened skin.
'Stone Skin' was breaking.
"Th... there's no way...!!" He couldn't believe it.
The opponent was Bronze. Even if he was rumored to be a strong player, there was a difference of more than 20 levels between them, and with the addition of Stone Skin, JiHan's fist should've been the one to shatter.
Even if the opponent used Telekinesis, the difference between their basic specs was huge...!
Despite that, the result was the exact opposite.
"Are Silvers supposed to be so weak?"
"Eek...!" Veins popped out on In-sik's forehead.
To be humiliated by a Bronze…
He should've felt that there was something wrong when he saw his skill get shattered so easily, but his anger clouded his judgment.
"Die!"
Whoosh!
In-sik attempted a surprise kick targeting JiHan's shin, but his body was already under the influence of Force. Even though he'd tried to deliver a low kick, his leg was moving too slowly.
"It looks like you need a hard lesson." JiHan delivered a low kick directly to In-sik's leg.
Crack!
The Stone Skin on his leg, which hadn't been touched yet, completely broke, and they could hear bones breaking.
"Cough...!"
They weren't inside a game, so not even a Silver could handle direct pain like that.
"AH! AGH!" In-Sik screamed and rolled on the ground.
It hurt way too much.
He was a level 50 Warrior and the main tank of his party, but uncharacteristic tears still formed in his eyes.
"Th-this is a scam! A scam!!! How could a Bronze…?"
'How weak.'
To think that a level 50 Warrior would cry from some broken bones.
JiHan clenched his fist.
Crack!
"Agh...! M-my eyes!!" As soon as he felt pain around his eyes, In-sik covered them in desperation. He was scared that JiHan would try to take out his eyeballs, but his eyebrows were removed instead.
The hair fell between his trembling fingers.
"U... ugh..." In-sik continued to cover his eyes and tremble, completely distraught.
"S-senior! Are you crazy?!"
Hee-soo, who was watching from afar, rushed over while making a horrified expression.
"To think you'd do this to a person! I'm going to sue you for assault!"
"Sue? I just retaliated after he attacked first."
'Self-defense, huh?'
Hee-soo ground her teeth. "You pulled out his hair first!"
"Then sue me for that."
"Do you even realize who you've screwed with? You've just angered the Korea Daily family!"
"Korea Daily?"
"Yes! You should know your place...!" Hee-soo shouted at the top of her lungs.
Even if they were distantly related, In-sik was also part of the Korea Daily family. He wasn't someone that ordinary citizens should mistreat.
"U-Uncle!" Sae-ah, who'd just come out of the Gift Hall, rushed toward JiHan.
She wasn't sure why it happened, but she thought she might be able to mediate.
"Sae-ah, this is all because of you!" Hee-soo angrily shouted at her.
"Because of me...?"
"How dare you refuse the interview! If I offer something, you should consider it an honor and accept it! I even brought my cousin, and look what happened...!"
"I said I wouldn't do it."
"Shut up! If I say we will do it, we will do it! How dare an orphan... OUCH!"
Suddenly, a large chunk of Hee-soo's hair was pulled out. Unlike In-sik's case, a bald spot appeared in the middle of her head like she had circular hair loss.
Her eyes tearing from the pain, she glared at JiHan.
"Just stop."
"Y-you... Are you crazy? You even touched me?"
"Do you want to go bald?"
"You… I'm going to make sure you're buried! Do you think you still belong to the Sword King's family? You're nothing!"
Sae-ah's expression stiffened after hearing that. Hee-soo's comments were menacing. After all, the Korea Daily family was one of Korea's most important media conglomerates.
Hee-soo's family had ties with other families that owned big companies, so it wouldn't be easy to endure their retaliation if they set out for revenge.
On top of that, as Hee-soo said, Sae-ah and JiHan weren't considered part of the Sword King's family anymore.
'We must apologize...'
Sae-ah bit her lip. She was already distressed for having received an F-rank Gift and now had to apologize to Hee-soo, who had stopped acting as her friend and was shouting in a depreciating way.
It really was the worst birthday.
Sae-ah tried to lower her head, but…
'Huh...?'
Her body didn't move.
"It's okay." JiHan moved Sae-ah aside with Force and took a step forward.
Hee-soo gave him a fierce glare.
"Do it," he said.
"You think I can't?!"
"Go on. After all, I just have to take Sae-ah and leave Korea."
"What?!"
JiHan tapped In-sik, who was on the floor.
"A Bronze who can beat a Silver in one attack… There are a lot of countries that want me. The Japanese scouts have been bothering me a lot recently, and I've also been receiving calls from the USA and China."
"You..."
"I will leave the country while saying the Korea Daily was messing with me and harassing me. Seeing how people react after hearing the world's most promising talent left the country due to media tyranny would be fun."
"Wh-who's the world's most promising player?!"
"Me, obviously," JiHan confidently replied.
Although he was too shamelessly confident, Hee-soo felt her heart sink.
'I wouldn't blink an eye at most people... but this bastard isn't just a promising player.'
JiHan was showing insane prowess in the Bronze League. On top of that, he'd easily neutralized a level 50 Silver Warrior.
It was just as he said. He was the world's most promising talent and was probably at least among the top 10 Bronze players.
'Plus, this guy has a lot of Battle Tube subscribers...'
What if he said that he was emigrating because of Korea Daily and developed into an outstanding player after leaving for the United States?
Korea Daily would get a lot of criticism due to Hee-soo's actions.
The country was already at risk of falling to the bottom of the East Asian League after the Sword King left, so they desperately needed an outstanding player.
Criticism directed toward Korea Daily could be much more than she initially imagined. Thinking about that, she cooled down a bit.
"If you apologize here, I will let you go this time..." Hee-soo asked for an apology while biting her lips.
"You should be the one apologizing."
"Are you for real?!"
"Yes, of course." JiHan moved his hand as if he were waving away a fly.
"If you don't want to apologize, take this guy and get lost."
"Eek! Do you think I'll let this... KYAA!"
Thump!
Kim Hee-soo's left eyebrow was completely plucked out.
The security guard, who was watching from a distance, gaped. JiHan didn't care about who he was talking to.
'I... didn't do anything wrong, right?' Such thoughts went through his mind.
"If you scream again, then the right brow goes next."
"You... you... crazy bastard..."
"Hmm. No… maybe I should try to pull another thing out?"
She really believed he would do it. She had to leave the place right away.
Hee-soo flinched and pointed at the middle-aged reporter. "What are you doing?! Help my cousin!"
"Y-yes!"
"U-ugh... Gently... My leg is broken..."
"Ugh, you acted so high and mighty... What the hell is this?!"
Hee-soo's party disappeared without even making eye contact with JiHan.
Sae-ah, freed from Force, blinked. "What just happened...?"
* * *
"That guy was trying to force himself onto me? And she tried to force an interview?"
"Yes."
"Uncle, isn't it bad if we confront the Korea Daily family?"
"It's okay."
Although the Korea Daily was considered one of the country's three biggest media conglomerates, JiHan didn't seem to care.
"Uncle... Korea Daily is a big conglomerate. They aren't just into newspapers. On top of that, they have ties with many other rich families."
"I don't care. If they bother us too much, we can just leave for the USA."
"Huh? When did you get an offer from the USA?"
"I'm going to get one soon, I guess."
His answer was surprisingly nonchalant.
"Huh? So you didn't get an official scout proposition yet...?"
"No, but it's just a matter of time."
"Ugh... Uncle! Aren't you worried?"
"Worried about what?"
"They're the Korea Daily..."
JiHan stroked Sae-ah's hair. "Sae-ah, this is the age of Battle Net. The status of a promising player is much higher than what you think."
"But still..."
"Once the Tutorial Season ends, the value of players will rise even more."
JiHan, who had experienced the future firsthand, was a testament to that. In 2020, the status of a Battle Net player was somewhere between a sports athlete and an entertainer, but when the Tutorial Season ended, players would directly relate to a country's national security.
Countries without outstanding players would disappear.
"Don't worry too much."
"Okay..."
Sae-ah stared at the confident JiHan.
'He can be like this because he has skills. How nice'
Deep inside, Sae-ah felt envious as she looked at her uncle. Just earlier, she wanted to bow to Hee-soo, worried about the aftermath, but thanks to JiHan's unparalleled abilities, he was unfazed by an opponent of such caliber.
Before she received her Gift, she also wanted to lead a confident life like that...
She'd received an F-rank Gift, though, so that was an impossible dream.
"Uncle…"
"Yes?"
"I... I'm ruined. I think I'll have to study for university entrance exams."
"Really...?"
"Yes. I'm going to leave the Academy, too. After all, our grades aren't recognized."
Battle Net academies were established for a specific purpose. Since the curriculum was completely different from that of regular high schools, most universities didn't recognize their grades.
That's why students who didn't get a Gift and wanted to go to University often dropped out and proceeded to study for GED tests.
"Sae-ah…"
"Yes, Uncle?"
"Do you want to see my status window?"
Sae-ah frowned. She was devastated about receiving an F-rank Gift! He wasn't offering comfort. Rather, he was saying he would show her his status window?
"Yes..." Still, she couldn't resist her curiosity.
"Don't be shocked. I'll explain in more detail at home."
Upon seeing JiHan's status window, Sae-ah rubbed her eyes.
"What…? Is this even possible?"