Chapter 23

[Welcome to the Bronze League - Gangnam Area.]

[The mission is 'defense'.]

After returning home, JiHan logged into the game in his suit.

'This time, it's a zombie mission.'

They had to survive while defending against the zombies climbing up the tower until only five teams were left.

The quest he hadn't been able to clear before was still there.

[Chain Quest - Zombie's Source (!)]

- Single-handedly eliminate 1,000 zombies.

[Reward: 3,000 achievement points]

- Upon completion, you'll unlock Zombie's Source (2).

'Back then, it was impossible, but now, I can easily accomplish it.'

The first time, his Martial Power was low, but it had grown a lot since then. Not only that, but he'd also obtained the unique stat of Force.

With that kind of power, he could go down the tower and sweep away the zombies on his own, and he'd also prepared an item that was perfect for the match.

"Inventory." JiHan opened his inventory and took a weapon out—a massive sword the size of a person.

[Other World's Relic - Urk Priest's Execution Sword (C-rank)]

- A sword urk priests use when they offer sacrifices at the altar for the gods.

- Excellent for cutting the stomach.

When his Divine Power reached 10…

[From now on, you can only absorb Divine Power from relics that are C-rank or higher.]

He'd bought the sword to do some tests after he'd received that message.

'Will my Force increase if I absorb Divine Power from other worlds' relics?'

The unique stat Force resulted from the combination of Divine Power and Magic Power, and JiHan had to see if absorbing Divine Power could potentially increase his Force, so he'd used all his GP to buy a C-rank weapon.

'It's huge.'

Even though its rank was C, it hadn't cost much.

After all, the Urk Priest's Execution Sword was too big and heavy for human use, so he could understand why the Warriors had ignored it.

Swish. Swish.

'It's usable.'

However, JiHan rotated it as if it were a wooden stick, which was possible because he became stronger after Martial Power got linked with Force.

'Since I'm ready, I wish I could start right now.'

A defense map only started after all other team members were summoned. JiHan turned on the stream while waiting for his team members to appear.

- Oh? JiHan is gaming.

- He's playing right after returning from the auction? He's still wearing a suit.

- Kingsman.

- That's just like him. He often plays wearing a tracksuit.

Viewers came in as soon as he turned on the stream. Maybe it was because the auction had just ended, but there were more people than expected.

JiHan could see the chat window because the game hadn't started yet, and he checked the chat so that he could properly assess the viewer atmosphere.

- A zombie map, huh?

- He'll show the power he used in the auction… right?

- This is Kim JinHwan, the scout who greeted you earlier. I was impressed by the Telekinesis you showed today. It's a pity that we didn't get to talk more. Could you open your inbox?

'The atmosphere isn't bad.'

Many of the messages seemed to have been written by scouts, but the chat window would've been full of hate comments in his previous life, so the atmosphere was okay.

- Mr. Sung~ Good luck! It's Take-chan ♥, I'm ready to send some more donations. ♡♥ Could you open your inbox…?

- Ugh…

- Stop trying to look cute, damn it!

- Korean people are too harsh with words. Sob.

He was bothered by Takeda's messages, but they were quickly buried due to the huge number of viewers.

- How did you tear up the business card earlier?

- What was that ability? Does anyone have any guesses?

- I have no idea.

- Maybe he's using some kind of telekinesis?

What most people were curious about was the ability he had shown. Despite it being a simple performance, it wasn't a standard power within the Battle Net classes.

There were also scouts watching him.

'I should make a bet.'

JiHan checked his subscriber count—12,000.

It could have been due to the events in the auction, but his subscriber count had increased by over 4,000. As a result, he completed an achievement.

[You've obtained 10,000 subscribers.]

[You've cleared the normal achievement 'Subscriber Recruitment (1)'.]

[You've earned 1,000 achievement points.]

'It won't be easy to gain more subscribers from now on.'

Until then, he'd been gaining a lot of subscribers because he was at the center of incidents that were of public interest, but he was still a Bronze player. He was a bottom ranker who stood outside of the world's attention.

Of course, he had a lot of potential. so he could quickly reach the higher Leagues and increase his subscriber count…

'Rather than waiting idly until then, I'd rather do my best now.' JiHan decided to take advantage of the situation.

"Hello, everyone." He greeted everyone while looking at the chat window.

- Oh, JiHan is looking at the chat!

- It seems like it's because the game hasn't started yet.

- Hello!

- Hi~

"It seems like many people are curious about my abilities."

- Share it.

- Show your status window.

- Mr. Sung~ ♡♥ If you share your status window, I might want to donate again…

- Why is that guy so great at writing Korean in such a disgusting way?

- I will donate 10K GP!

Many people were saying that they would donate if he revealed his abilities, but JiHan let it slide while making a relaxed smile.

Instead…

"I'm sorry… but I won't reveal my status window."

- Boo.

- Why not?

- Show it, show it, show it, show it, show it.

- 火火火火火火火火火火火火火

He fell into thought for a moment and then raised his index finger. "But I'll create a condition… I'll reveal it if I reach 200K subscribers."

- 200K? Are you joking?

- That means he won't do it.

- Just do it!

- Mr. Sung… ♡♥ I'll donate 50K GP, so just show it slightly to me!!! ^o^

The mood quickly turned hostile at the mention of 200K subscribers.

JiHan fell into thought and made an 'a-ha' expression. "Then I'll make another condition. If I cannot finish 1st, I'll reveal it. How about that?

- ?

- ????

- ????????

While the viewers were sending question marks, JiHan, as if confirming the statement, said, "If that happens, I'll do it. Agreed?"

The chat started to fill with laughter.

- Not just a winning streak, but 1st place? Lol.

- LOL.

- Does he think finishing 1st is easy?

- He's bluffing to attract attention. It seems like he's become too arrogant after finishing 1st consecutively.

Finishing 1st in Battle Net was something even the most talented players couldn't easily guarantee because obtaining victory in a game often depended more on your skill than luck as long as you were in the top 50%.

That being said, 1st place required skill but also luck.

- If he talks like that, he will end up meeting a troll and shedding bloody tears.

- Really, lol.

- This game is a team game, right? I feel like he's going to meet one right away.

Flash!

As everyone was gossiping about JiHan's declarations, the participating players began appearing.

"Everyone~ Nice to meet you! I'm Streamer Golden Light. I'll once again explore the deep sea with everyone! Today's stream was a bit late, right? I was looking at the auction… Huh… Mr. S-Sung?!"

A Warrior whom he'd met before in the survival map, Streamer Golden Light, appeared.

"Cough… S-Sung JiHan…"

Mage Kim Gyu-hyuk, whom JiHan had defeated on the defense map, appeared.

"…"

Then the Archer appeared—a foreign man with a long beard who silently juggled a soccer ball.

Thump. Thump.

- ???

- Is this real?

The chat window exploded.

* * *

- Today's going to be legendary, hahaha.

- Gangnam League's top three problems are all gathered together.

- How dare you try to finish 1st again!

- You shall not finish 1st!

- This is K Battle Net!

Did Battle Net want to teach JiHan a lesson for his arrogance? His summoned teammates were all flashy and were the so-called 'Gangnam's Top Three Troublemakers'.

Streamer Golden Light, a person obsessed with fame…

Kim Gyu-Hyuk, a person who was a bully to the weak…

And…

- The God of Soccer!

- Diego Massid!

- The Archer who shoots soccer balls instead of arrows!

Diego Massid was an Archer who was considered the worst team player.

Despite his position as a long-range damage dealer, he was a legendary troll who only shot soccer balls instead of dealing damage. His play pattern was simple—he shot the 10 soccer balls that he loaded in his inventory slots, and once those 10 were all consumed, he stood still until he died.

If another Bronze player did that, one might think he did it for comedy, but what if he acted like that in the most serious and competitive Gangnam Area?

He drove the players around him insane whenever he appeared, but…

JiHan's eyes shone when he heard that name.

'Massid?'

As Argentina's top player, Diego Massid was a powerful player who held up Argentina's ranking by himself, although his country didn't make it to the final 10 and eventually collapsed.

Still, thanks to his unique way of playing, his fame remained even after he died.

'But… that person was a Mage.' JiHan tilted his head as he recalled Diego Massid's footage.

Massid looked different from the neat and clean image he remembered from the videos. His face looked dirty because of his long beard, and he looked too thin.

Massid raised his head as JiHan stared at him.

"Don't mind me." Massid, who spoke in awkward Korean, began kicking the ball again.

'So this is how you have to be to obtain the label of 'problematic'. It seems like he doesn't intend to communicate.'

There was no need to waste time on someone who didn't want to converse.

Deciding that he would gather information about him later, Sung JiHan turned his head.

"Mr. Sung! I never thought I'd see you here! It's nice to see you again!" Streamer Golden Light approached JiHan with a smile.

"…"

Mage Gyu-hyuk stood while making a dissatisfied expression. 'To think I'd end up in the same game as this guy again.'

He wanted to give him advice as his League senior, but that cheeky JiHan had thrown him off of the tower, and remembering that made him want to attack right away.

'One doesn't avoid feces because it's scary but because it's dirty…' Gyu-hyuk mentally claimed victory and decided to hold back. After all, if he picked up on him, he would die again.

"Everyone, today's broadcast is going to be huge! Not only am I with Mr. Sung, but all three of Gangnam's troublemakers are also together…!"

"Tsk, Gangnam's Top Three Troublemakers, who came up with that name? I want to sue the guy who coined it."

"Haha, you're right. Mr. Kim, you're a Mage, right?"

Gyu-hyuk looked at Streamer Golden Light, who was covered in A-rank equipment. He wasn't someone who could be taken lightly.

He naturally spoke to him respectfully. "Yes… Why?"

"That's strange. I thought Mr. Sung was also a Mage… since he used Fire in the broadcast earlier."

"That bast… No, that person… When he was summoned with me, he appeared as a Support."

"Really?? Mr. Sung, what's going on? Could you give an answer to the viewers that are watching?" Streamer Golden Light looked at Sung JiHan with sparkling eyes.

JiHan dismissed it lightly. "That'll be hard. After all, I made a bet on my channel."

"Come on~ Don't be like that."

"More importantly…" JiHan cut off Streamer Golden Light's interview and brought up the main topic, "I'm going down the tower, so please take care of things up here."

"Huh…?"