Chapter 115

Beep-

The two got off the elevator and entered their home. A subdued atmosphere surrounded them.

"My Gift rank increased when you were receiving the award at the event earlier," Sae-ah said.

"Really?" JiHan asked.

"Yes. It happened after Ariel left me for a few moments and… when that Chinese woman died."

He turned and looked at her. She'd figured it out despite the lack of clues. Was it intuition? She seemed strangely confident.

'There's no need to hide it.'

Maybe he would have never revealed it if she hadn't asked, but he didn't bother denying what she had already figured out.

"Yes, I did it," he admitted.

"Really…?"

"That stalker from the other day was from the Chinese embassy."

"The person from yesterday…?"

JiHan nodded. "I confirmed she had a gun designed for use against players on her. I just took preventive action before anything happened, but I didn't expect your Gift rank to increase."

He couldn't say that he knew about her in advance, so he twisted the truth a bit.

Sae-ah slowly nodded. "So that's why you killed her."

"Yes."

She gave him a concerned look and said, "Uncle, are you okay?"

"Why do you ask?"

"You killed someone."

"I'm okay." He truly felt nothing. The world before his regression was no different from hell, and he'd killed quite a few people. His life was too brutal for him to be traumatized by killing someone. Not only that, but he'd killed someone who was trying to kill his niece, so he felt no guilt at all.

Unfortunately, Sae-ah didn't seem to feel that way. She embraced him with a somber expression on her face and said, "I'm sorry…"

"Why are you sorry?" he asked.

"You had to bloody your hands because of me…"

Although he had changed, the JiHan she knew was a kind person who'd never killed anyone or gotten involved in a violent incident. That kind of person had to kill someone because of her, and she felt so guilty she couldn't even meet his eyes.

'Even though I'm okay, she's blaming herself,' he thought as he saw her bowing her head. He thought he'd fully adapted after his regression, but he definitely felt different morals.

Swish-

Ariel exited his left arm and said, [Master only gave the order. The blood's on my hands.]

"I… I'm sorry to you as well, Ariel, because of me…"

[Don't feel so sad just because a human was killed. Don't you kill people in Battle Net?]

"That's just a game."

[Well, how long do you think things will stay that way?] Ariel ominously said, [The tutorial will end soon, and once it's over, a game won't be just a game anymore.]

"What will happen…?"

[Games will be similar to how they are now, but players will die if they don't have GP.]

"Die… In real life?" Sae-ah's eyes widened in shock. People dying in Battle Net and real life at the same time was something she hadn't imagined before.

[Yes. The players you kill in the game could actually die if they don't have enough GP after the Tutorial Season ends in three months.]

"So you need a lot of GP to avoid dying?" she asked.

[At first, not much will be needed, but the cost to resurrect varies depending on your rank in the Space League.]

"So GP is basically your lifeline… But can't you just exchange it for dollars? One GP is one dollar."

[That exchange rate will change after the Tutorial Season. It's best to exchange all you're earning before then.]

"The rate will fluctuate like currency exchange rates?"

[Exchange rates? The fluctuation will be much greater than that.]

"Woah…"

JiHan silently listened to their conversation, reminiscing about the past. The influence of Space League rankings on Earth wasn't just related to how frequently dungeons appeared. The exchange rate of GP also skyrocketed to the point that even exchanging $50 for one GP was difficult. On top of that, resurrection costs significantly increased as the ranking changed.

'That's why many ended up dying in Battle Net.'

You would think that many people would simply choose not to participate because they feared death, but they hadn't been given the luxury of choosing. 

For the moment, Battle Net had many entertainment elements, but it would become true to its name after the Tutorial Season.

Ariel whispered some advice to Sae-ah. [If you're weak-hearted, you won't be able to survive later. If you want to quit, it's better to do it now. That's the easier path.]

"I have no intention of quitting…"

[Then don't make that expression. Be happy. Your enemy died, and your Gift grew, right?] Ariel glanced at JiHan. [Also, your uncle is more of a monster than you think. You don't need to feel sorry at all. Make the most of him.]

"Hey, my Uncle isn't a monster!" she protested.

[I've felt much while being wielded as his sword. He's not someone you need to worry about.] It seemed she somewhat understood him thanks to her experience as his weapon.

JiHan chuckled and said. "Sae-ah, Ariel is right."

"But still…"

"If you feel sorry for me, aim for the 2nd place spot in the world rankings, even if you have to use me to the fullest."

"2nd place?" she asked.

"Yes. I'm obviously going to be first," he declared.

Sae-ah's face softened at his unchanged demeanor. She still felt guilty, but she resolved to not be too gloomy in front of him.

"Uncle, don't worry. I'll be 1st place so I can repay your kindness and show my loyalty."

"What are you talking about? Hey, if someone heard you, they might think we have a 20-year age difference."

"Hehe, that just shows how much I respect and admire you as the elder in the family."

Seeing how relaxed she was, JiHan shrugged his shoulders. "If you're talking about surpassing me, it seems like your Gift's upgrade effect is pretty great. How is it?"

"Ah, that? Check it out." She showed him her Gift. "

[Gift - Late Bloomer (Rank D - Upgrade Condition Not Met)]

- Upgrades the basic Battle Net system.

- F-rank Effect: Increases daily game participation by 1.

- 100% increase in natural stat growth.

- E-rank Effect: Extra stat effects changed to +2.

- D-rank Effect: Upgrades an existing stat to the next rank every time you receive a League promotion.

- A special condition must be met to upgrade the Gift.

The D-rank Gift could upgrade stats? 'What a scam-like effect,' he thought, 'How could it only be ranked D?'

Something like 'Agility D' only increased your Agility stat by 10, so it was easy to see how the Gift allowed YouHua to become the world's 2nd in the past.

"Did any of your stats receive an upgrade, or does it only apply to future promotions?" he asked.

"Ah, it was retroactively applied to when I was promoted from Bronze to Silver, so one of my stats changed."

"Which one?"

"'Agility' changed into 'Precision', but I'm not sure what that does."

[Precision is a higher form of Agility that elf Archers have from birth. It's best for the Archer class,] Ariel explained. [In addition to having the effects of Agility, it corrects the accuracy of projectiles and extends their range. You'll feel a difference if you try using a bow.]

"Ah, really? Ariel, you seem to know everything."

[I used to have Precision as well. I was quite the marksman in the past.]

"Really?!" Sae-ah looked at the shadow elf with sparkling eyes. 

Ariel seemed a bit flustered. [Why are you looking at me like that?]

"Teach me how to use a bow! Teach me elf archery!"

[I'm not an elf. I'm a shadow elf.]

"Regardless! Teach me the way elf Archers are taught!"

[Hmm… Humans have different senses compared to us.]

The differences between the two species were huge, so Ariel seemed reluctant and thought it might not work.

"Can't you try? You have nothing to do while waiting to be summoned, right?" JiHan asked.

[Okay… If she doesn't mind feeling inferior over the differences between species, I'll teach her,] Ariel reluctantly agreed.

"Alright!" Sae-ah exclaimed.

"Sae-ah, what are the upgrade conditions this time?"

"To C-rank? I think the conditions seem better than last time." Upon saying so, she showed him the C-rank upgrade condition.

[Rank C Upgrade Condition]

- Win a 'Top 100' promotion match.

- Play more than 500 games while maintaining a win-rate of at least 60%.

* One of the two conditions must be met.

'Winning the Top 100 seems difficult,' JiHan thought, despite having won it twice.

Many great effects were added with the Gift going to rank D, but her abilities were still lacking compared to naturally strong players with SS or SSS-rank Gifts.

'The other condition is also difficult, but it seems achievable with enough attempts. Playing 500 games means…'

Sae-ah could play two matches a day, so it would take her about 250 days. 

"Hmm. Sae-ah, let's not rush it this time and take it slowly."

"Slowly? I'm planning to get promoted right away."

"Winning a 'Top 100' isn't easy… The condition is to win, not just participate."

"No, no. I feel like I can do it. I'm getting confident. Once I enter the 'Top 100, I think I could bet all my assets on myself, just like you."

"Sae-ah… only I can do that."

"I think I could pull it off too!"

Where did she get such unfounded confidence from? Had he shown her too much success? He felt he'd set a bad example for her.

"When the time comes, you should bet on me as well~ Your bets won't yield much anymore, but mine will guarantee a good return, right?" she asked.

"Let's see when the time comes…" He replied while avoiding his niece's gaze. No matter how precious his niece was, betting was a different story. He didn't have a hobby of betting money on sure losses.

"Ah, Uncle~! So you don't trust me! It seems like you won't even bet a penny!"

"Sorry, but when it comes to betting, I'm strictly merit-based."

"Ariel! The archery skills of the shadow elves are being belittled!"

[You haven't learned anything yet…]

"Let's go. Teach me quickly!" She grabbed Ariel's hand and hurriedly ran into the penthouse.

'Does she really think she can get first place?' JiHan thought. It seemed unlikely, but her visible determination was commendable.

He smiled and followed her into the penthouse.

* * *

October 1st…

[The mission is 'defense'.] 

[You've been summoned to 'One Bridge']

JiHan's first Gold League game was the one he'd been unable to progress from a certain point on: 'One Bridge'.