“What the… f*ck…”
Seong Jihan, who rarely used profanity, couldn’t help but let some slip when he saw the game defeat message. His frustration was palpable.
In just 15 minutes, he had broken through 108 Arhat Formation, so why was the home base already taken?
-Oh, Seong Jihan!
-Shh… The bread noise. It happens!
The commentators politely filtered Seong Jihan’s expletives, but the audience was already on fire.
-Wow, this match is truly eye-catching, LOL.
-He only said one word, and he’s being an angel, LOL.
Seong Jihan was the only one worth watching when he broke through 108 Arhat Formation… The rest were just getting beaten one-sidedly. What’s up with the national team? Can’t they hold their own?
After the intense confrontation with China came to an end in the fifth match, the MVP of this game came to mind.
-The MVP of the fifth game is… Je Galheon.
-In the first and fourth game, the MVP was Seong Jihan, and in the second and fifth games, it was Je Galheon.
-In the third game on the Train map, the MVP was the Chinese supporter, Joo Ryung-Ryung. So, today, Seong Jihan and Je Galheon are tied for the number of MVP awards in this match.
-So, who will be the player of the day?
-Usually, the player comes from the winning team, but…
-We have some expectations. Seong Jihan’s performance today was outstanding!
However, to the surprise of the Korean commentators, Je Galheon, the MVP of the winning team, was chosen as the ‘Player of the day.’
-Oh… It’s quite disappointing. Seong Jihan single-handedly led the team today, though.
-It seems like Je Galheon led the team to victory in the end, which led to a significant bonus.
-He did play a significant role in the five games. The Chinese Grand Mage, Je Galheon, is truly a formidable player.
Returning to the Korean BattleNet Center in the in-game chat, Seong Jihan headed to the strategy analysis room to review the replay of the fifth match.
-Oh, Je Galheon! Did he getting ‘Li?’ again?
-To draw the same divination three times in a row… Does this even make sense in terms of probability?
-When I calculated it, the probability of drawing the same divination three times in a row is less than 0.2%!
Je Galheon drew the divination ‘Li’ three times in a row. As soon as the game started, he launched meteors and successfully used Eight Trigrams Overlap every 7 minutes, sending fiery meteors three times in total.
Each time, the Korean base was destroyed.
-Oh, Korean warriors are sacrificing themselves to block the meteors…
-They’re all dying! They can’t stop it! They’re just being beaten one-sidedly!
The Korean national team, caught in a long-range meteor shower, eventually met its demise.
If Je Galheon hadn’t drawn ‘Li’ three times in a row, they might have endured a few more meteor impacts, but there was no way to withstand the powerful sorcerer who stacked seven sticks appropriate for meteor shower, breaking through the 0.2% probability.
“No dignity left. I’m sorry. Jihan…”
Coach Noh Youngjun apologized to Seong Jihan, who was watching the replay with a stiff face.
“I thought we could hold out for 20 minutes, as you said. I never expected three meteor showers to end it.”
“Who could predict drawing ‘Li’ three times?”
That guy. During the Space League, he kept drawing blanks, but in the national team match, he’s on fire.
Seong Jihan looked at Je Galheon, who was chosen as today’s player and thought, “If we had a player like him, we could have won.”
He had given his all as a solo player, but he couldn’t completely overturn the game played up to the fifth match.
Certainly, to raise Korea’s BattleNet ranking, they needed better players to support him.
“Should I wait for Seah to grow up?”
Considering the power Yoon Seah showed, she could have easily grown into a powerful player in her past life. Plus, she gained a new evolution class, Void Archer, so there was more hope.
‘Anyway, it will be difficult to enter the Champions League this season.’
In the second half of 2020, the Korean national team had been losing continuously since the season opened. Even if they kept winning from the next game onwards, it would be challenging to secure a spot within the top two in League 2, where qualification for the Champions League was granted.
If they had won today’s game, there might have been some possibilities to consider, but with the defeat against China, all hope for this season had vanished.
At that moment, a message arrived, “Seong Jihan.”
The leader of the Archer team, Ha Yeonjoo, approached with a stern face. “I’m really sorry for today. I let you down.”
“There’s nothing you could have done. The Archer team isn’t very compatible with the Golden Dragon support skill they used.”
“No matter how well golden dragon can block arrows, there’s no excuse for not getting any kills. Just the other day, Joo Ryung-Ryung wasn’t this strong… I keenly felt my own shortcomings.”
Joo Ryung-Ryung, with the SSS-grade gift ‘Golden Dragon Summon’. Until recently, she was undervalued, as her Golden dragon control skills were considered insufficient to warrant her SSS-grade rating. However, today’s golden dragon control was very timely, successfully blocking most of Ha Yeonjoo’s sniper shots.
“So… What I mean is, is there room in Daegi guild?”
“Yes, with the Chinese players leaving, there is room.”
“Can I join…? I want to grow more.”
Perhaps due to the great powerlessness she felt in this match, Ha Yeonjoo, the highest-level player among Koreans right now, expressed a strong desire to further her growth.
“It’s because of this game, isn’t it? Well, there’s always room for you in the guild.”
Seong Jihan briefly looked around. There were hardly any players left in the BattleNet Center’s power analysis room.
“Aren’t they planning to review and analyze the game at all?”
Moreover, among the 10 or so remaining players, there were no Warrior players, and they all belonged to the lowest rank.
“It seems like the players who need improvement don’t even care… I should focus on supporting players who are willing to put in the effort.”
He decided to encourage players like Ha Yeonjoo who showed the desire to grow instead of raising unmotivated Warrior players.
“Alright. I’ll reserve a spot for you. I’ll let the Guild Master know.”
“Yes, thank you.”
After Seong Jihan and Ha Yeonjoo had their conversation, some players from the analysis room came over hesitantly.
“Um, Seong Jihan… Can I also join the guild?”
These were the players who had been inspired by today’s defeat.
If there was anything to be salvaged from today’s loss, it was these players.
“Yes, you can join.”
Seong Jihan smiled slightly as he looked into their determined eyes.
* * *
On the other hand, despite their victory, the mood on the Chinese side wasn’t particularly bright.
“Il-ryong, how did 108 Arhat formation get penetrated so quickly?”
Je Galheon, who was selected as the player of the day, glared at Il-ryong with cold eyes. If he hadn’t drawn three consecutive ‘Li’ cards, the course of the fifth game might have been turned upside down.
“Uh… That bastard is a monster.”
Il-ryong, who was sitting in his chair with his head bowed, shivered. The crimson lightning that pierced his chest had completely incapacitated him, even though he was nearly invincible within the 108 Arhat Formation. Even though there were no status numbers, the eerie sensation of being pierced still lingered in his body.
“How should we approach the next game? I… I don’t have confidence. That guy is going to become stronger than the Sword King…”
Seeing Il-ryong, who was despairing, Je Galheon gritted his teeth.
Shinsong Il-ryong, the world’s second-ranked warrior and the leader of China, was far from sufficient.
“I hope Wang Lin grows quickly.”
Wang Lin, who possessed the SSS-grade gift Heavenly Demon’s Physique, had to grow as soon as possible to replace Il-ryong.
“At least I should put Wang Lin back in the Seong Jihan’s guild to feel him out.”
Je Galheon, who had considerable influence in the People’s association directly affiliated with the Chinese government, thought that way. He knew that the People’s association had withdrawn players in order to discover Seong Jihan’s martial art, but he was optimistic that money can get Jihan to change his mind.
Meanwhile, at the Gates Building in the United States.
“C… bal? What does that mean?”
“You can think of it as ‘What the fuck.'”
“That’s the kind of word that comes out.”
Robert Gates had a Korean interpreter with him, and he watched the entire game from start to finish.
In the in-game language, most of the conversation was translated into English, but there were still some discussions and chat between players that came out in their native languages when the game ended, so he had prepared the interpreter in advance.
“Seong Jihan… He’s really an insane player. An All-Class, he’s Gold-ranked, but he has that kind of power. We should have recruited him last time.”
He wished he had made a 300 billion won offer back then.
Robert Gates regretted his actions so much.
At that moment, the door opened, and a secretary entered.
“Sophia is going to South Korea again.”
“Why?”
“It seems like there are rumors of her being in a relationship with Seong Jihan. Since the national team match is over, she said she’s going to see him.”
“Hmm.”
Robert furrowed his brow. At first, he thought Sophia’s actions were simply due to being a fan of an outstanding warrior.
“It seems more serious than I thought.”
He was starting to worry that if things continued this way, she might even establish roots in the Korean guild.
To prevent such a situation, he needed to bring Seong Jihan to the United States.
“After seeing the level of the South Korean national team today, he might have changed his mind.”
The South Korean national team, which had been hanging by Seong Jihan’s performance alone, needed strong support. Even if one player was at the highest level, without a team to back them up, they couldn’t claim the champion’s position.
After today’s game, Seong Jihan was likely to have many realizations.
Robert Gates decided to invest in that player once again.
“Provide a private jet for Sophia. And when you meet Seong Jihan, tell him this story.”
“What story are you referring to?”
“If he naturalizes as a U.S. citizen and joins American First… tell him that I’ll give him the Guild Master position.”
“The Guild Master?”
“Yes. And I’ll transfer at least 10% of the guild’s ownership to him.”
“10%? Are you serious?”
“Yes.”
The world’s top guild, American First. The ownership of this guild was of astronomical value. Giving away 10% of it to a single player?
Was Seong Jihan really worth that much?
“At 10% and the Guild Master… are you sure you want me to convey that message?”
The secretary asked again just to be sure. But Robert Gates nodded as if it was obvious.
“Compared to his value, this is cheap.”
He couldn’t afford to make the same mistake as before. Robert was going all in to bring Seong Jihan to the United States at this point, especially after South Korea’s loss.
* * *
Inside the limousine, leaving the BattleNet Center and heading back to Sword Palace, Yoon Seah, who had stayed with Seong Jihan at the BattleNet Center, checked her phone and smiled.
“Uncle, Sophia is coming in two days.”
“Why?”
“After the dating rumors, she wanted to come right away. I told her to come after the national team game ends, but she insisted on coming as soon as it’s over.”
“Doesn’t she have anything better to do?”
“Uncle, you’re her number one priority~”
As she chatted with Sophia, she suddenly widened her eyes.
“Wow, Uncle… I heard that Mr. Robert is offering you the position of American First Guild Master?”
“AF Guild Master? The current world-ranking first place holds that title, right?” Jihan also seems a bit shocked at this news.
“Exactly! I thought they meant Vice Guild Master, but no! It’s Guild Master! And on top of that…”
Getting excited and about to continue her words, Yoon Seah stopped as Seong Jihan brought his finger to her lips.
A gesture for her to be quiet.
Seong Jihan discreetly looked toward the front of the limousine.
“Let’s discuss this at home.”
“Okay, okay. Sorry, I got too excited.”
“No, it’s fine.”
The chauffeur was affiliated with the BattleNet Association, so they had to be cautious about what was discussed in the car. Especially when it came to discussions about offers from the United States, which would likely be reported directly to the association.
“Hmm. Maybe I can use this situation to my advantage.”
Seong Jihan thought that since the situation had come to this, he might as well try to negotiate a favorable deal for himself.
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