* * *
There was one week left until Yoon Seah’s birthday and Seong Jihan knew the rank of the Gift she would receive on her birthday.
‘It’ll definitely be F-rank.’
The public’s perception of an F-grade Gift was pitiful.
They say it’s better not to receive it at all.
If one hadn’t received it, there’s hope of getting a better Gift in the future. But once you receive an F-rank Gift, your fate as a player is sealed with that rank.
‘I know it’s a Gift is very valuable, but the public doesn’t see it that way. They probably see it as trash.’
Although the backlash and ridicule towards Yoon Seah won’t be as harsh as previous life, it’s clear that she will still face some mockery from the media and netizens.
‘I need to lower her expectations.’
Seah’s anticipation for her Gift seemed quite high. On the surface, she dismisses the importance of the Gift, saying, “It’s all random anyway”, but having witnessed the abilities of her mother, uncle, and her detestable father, she undoubtedly has expectations.
‘The disappointment will be immense once she receives her Gift.’
Especially considering how she almost gave up on life in their previous life, he couldn’t help but worry.
For some reason, none of the houses introduced by the real estate agent in Gangnam seemed appealing.
“So, I’ll contact you again later.”
“Yes, take your time!”
In the end, Seong Jihan and Yoon Seah returned to the Sword Palace without any fruitful results, letting out a heavy sigh.
“Uncle… we really live in a great house.”
“They all seemed so small, didn’t they?”
“Yeah. I guess my standards are too high.”
While the houses they could afford were impressive, the penthouse in Sword Palace was on another level.
Having lived there for so long, adjusting her standards in just a day wasn’t easy for Seah.
“We have no choice but to adapt, right?”
“Right. The more houses we see, the more realistic our standards will become!”
“I’m actually more worried about something else.”
“Huh? What else is there to worry about?”
“Your Gift.”
When Seong Jihan bluntly brought up the topic, Seah blinked in surprise.
“My Gift? Why?”
“You seem to have high hopes for it.”
“Come on~ I’m not expecting much. It’s all random, right? I might not even get one…”
“Are you really not hoping for something great?”
When Seong Jihan asked seriously,
“…Well.”
After a brief pause, Seah replied,
“Of course, I dream of an SSS-rank Gift to get back at Ito, or to change our current situation… but those are just dreams, right?”
“Good to know. But remember, the higher the hopes, the bigger the disappointment.”
“…”
“And people keep talking about lineage but there’s no such thing… Seah, do you know the rank of my Gift?”
“What is it? SS? SSS?”
“It’s F-rank. Remember ‘The Wanderer’s Insight’?”
“No way!! Stop joking!”
Seah vehemently shook her head.
She knew that it was Seong Jihan’s Gift in the past, F-rank ‘The Wanderer’s Insight’. She had seen him drown his sorrows in alcohol after receiving it.
‘But there’s no way his Gift is still a F-rank.’
Considering he had reached Level 22 without ever losing first place and even shattered the Colosseum barrier, how could he have an F-grade Gift?
Yet,
“Status window.”
Seong Jihan showed her his status window directly.
“Look here.”
[Gift – Wanderer’s Insight (F-rank)]
[Able to see the details of other players.]
“…Really?”
Yoon Seah stared at the status window with trembling eyes.
It was unbelievable that the Gift of a player, who had shown such outstanding performance, was truly an F-rank!
Seah, who seemed to be in disbelief while staring at the status window, finally responded.
“…Uncle.”
“Yes?”
“Why are you only showing me the Gift section?”
“It’s because of a promise I made to my subscribers.”
“Hehe, are you hiding something?”
“Who knows?”
“Wow, you’re stingy. Show me! Show me!”
As Seah started to whine, Seong Jihan deactivated the status window.
“Then I’ll show you on the day you receive your Gift. As a birthday present.”
“Wow~ How stingy can you be? Who gives a ‘Status Window viewing’ as a birthday Gift?”
“Should I Gift you something else then?”
“Ugh! You should give a Gift and also show the status window!”
Seong Jihan chuckled and nodded.
“Okay. I’ll do both. But,”
“But?”
“About your Gift, don’t get your hopes up too high.”
“Ugh, seriously!”
“If there’s any media coverage about your Gift, just ignore it.”
“I got it, I got it!”
Seah took off her shoes with a flourish and entered the house. Her actions seemed a bit rougher than usual.
Watching her, Seong Jihan narrowed his eyes.
‘She still hasn’t let go of her expectations.’
Even after showing her his own Gift.
‘Well, I didn’t expect her to be completely convinced with just a few words… Nothing to be done.’
There were still six days until her birthday.
He’d need to continue the conversation and convince her.
On the way to school on August 17th,
“Seah, Gifts are random. You know that, right?”
“I know.”
“Don’t rely too much on the Gift gem either. I heard that Lim Hayeon, while being the Student Council President and contributing a lot to the school, got a supporting Gift.”
“She have a supporting Gift? Really?”
“Yes. Gifts are just a matter of luck. They’re literally just Gifts.”
“I get it. I won’t expect too much.”
Seah replied with a bitter smile.
Why was he only talking about Gifts so much since yesterday?
‘It’s like he knows that my Gift will be a failure.’
Of course, she could understand her uncle’s concerns. Whenever the topic of her upcoming Gift was brought up by those around her, they would often say, ‘Your parents got good ones, so you’ll get a good one too,’ which was becoming a repetitive and annoying sentiment.
‘He’s probably just trying to prevent me from being disappointed if the result isn’t good.’
So Seah thought of her uncle’s words as encouragement meant to make her feel better.
But,
Even after returning from school, the encouragement continued.
“Back home?”
“Yeah, uncle.”
“As you know, Gifts are random. So, excessive expectations are harmful.”
“I heard that in the morning, you know?”
“But you didn’t hear it at lunch, right? You will hear it in the evening too.”
“…Okay, I got it.”
The next morning,
“Seah? About the Gift…”
“Enough! I got it!”
“It’s random, you know that right?”
And in the evening,
“Seah, even a F-rank Gift can be useful, as you can see. I’m proof of that.”
“Say that after showing me your status window without hiding anything.”
“That was supposed to be a birthday present. Remember?”
“Ugh, forget it! If you’re going to keep repeating that, I’m going to my room!”
“Hmm… Gifts are random.”
“Ugh, seriously!”
And again, the next morning.
“Seah?”
“What are you going to say? ‘The Gift is random’, right?”
“Oh, repetition really does work.”
“Yes, so stop it…”
“No. It’s important to drill it into your mind now. So, shall we go over it again? The Gift is random and it has nothing to do with lineage.”
“I’ll memorise it, really.”
“That’s why I’m saying it.”
Even during the drive to school Seah kept getting lectured by Jihan about the ‘Gift=random’ theory.
“Sigh…”
“Seah, why are you sighing?”
As Yoon Seah entered the classroom and took her seat, Kim Heesu, who sat next to her, tilted her head and asked.
“Oh, it’s about my Gift.”
“Why are you worried? You’ll surely get at least an S-rank.”
“No, the Gift is random and has nothing to do with lineage.”
Yoon Seah replied and then realised something.
The narrative she had been subjected to by her uncle over the past few days had come out naturally.
Repetition really was effective.
“Not always. Among the first-generation players, I heard many of the top rankers’ children have been outstanding.”
“…Really?”
“Yeah. You know my family is in the media business, right?”
Yoon Seah nodded.
Kim Heesu, being the granddaughter of a major media company, knew many inside stories, including news not yet revealed to the public.
“I’ve heard that, while it’s not statistically proven… when considering cases from foreign rankers as well, lineage seems to play a role.”
“Even so, my uncle keeps telling me not to expect too much because it’s random. I think I’d feel better not expecting too much.”
“Your uncle? Isn’t his Gift at least SS-rank? He always the ranks first.”
“I don’t know. He won’t tell me.”
Though she knew Seong Jihan’s Gift was an F-rank, she couldn’t tell Kim Heesu. Who knows what would happen if she did.
It was best to play dumb.
“Seah, you’re receiving your Gift on the 22nd, right?”
“Yeah.”
“So, you’ll be in the Gift Hall before midnight?”
The Gift Hall.
A place packed with Gift gems, it was believed to bestow blessings upon students yet to receive their Gifts.
Especially for academy students turning 18, they were given the privilege of receiving blessings there all day.
“Of course.”
“So… would you like to do an interview with our reporter that day?”
“Interview?”
“Yeah. It’s an era where self promotion is important. It’s about publicising your amazing Gift to the world!”
“Through your newspaper?”
“Yes. Hehe.”
Kim Heesu grinned brightly.
An exclusive interview about the Gift of the Sword King’s daughter, Yoon Seah, would be a massive topic of discussion.
It was natural for her to be eager about the interview.
“Nah, There’s no need for that.”
Perhaps Seong Jihan’s repeated teachings had had an effect and Yoon Seah immediately declined Kim Heesu’s offer
“It’ll be embarrassing if it’s not a good one.”
“Come on, There’s no way that will happen. It’s not yet proven… but there seems to be a correlation between parents’ and their children’s Gift ranks.”
“I’ll do the interview if I get a good one, okay. That should work.”
“Come on, Seah…”
But Kim Heesu, with a bright smile, seemed to ignore Seah’s words.
The smile seemed to say, “Yoon Seah, you opinion does not matter.”
The atmosphere was slightly different from usual.
“No…”
Yoon Seah felt something was off and was about to firmly express her refusal.
“Everyone!”
But the classroom door opened and the homeroom teacher walked in, ending their conversation.
“Ah, the teacher’s here.”
“Right. Let’s talk again later.”
As Yoon Seah turned to face forward,
Kim Heesu nodded with a smile and adjusted her posture. However, the look in Kim Heesu’s eyes, as she faced forward, had turned cold.
‘The thread has already been cut. I don’t know why she’s still holding onto it.’
Although she had been friendly with Yoon Seah up to now, it was only because of her relationship with the Sword King.
When the Sword King went to Japan, she continued to maintain her relationship with Yoon Seah because she wasn’t sure if he had genuinely abandoned her…
‘I’m acting like her friend despite having no need to do so anymore… Doesn’t she know her place?’
‘She doesn’t understand that an interview will be useful to prove her worth.’
She clicked her tongue thinking, ‘Well, there’s no need to get her permission anyway.’
‘What could she do if I decide to go ahead?’
Kim Hee-su smirked.
‘Which would be the bigger scoop? If Yoon Seah gets a good Gift? Or if she gets the worst Gift?’
‘It just shouldn’t be a mediocre rank. Either it should be the best or the absolute worst.’
‘It would be great if she got something like an F-rank.’
With that thought, Kim Heesu eagerly looked forward to Seah’s birthday.
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