章 61: Chapter 61
Crash!
"You… you crazy bastard!"
Inside the office of the BattleNet Administration Director, Kim Namtae threw a glass cup in fury.
'How did the situation change overnight…!'
His trembling eyes stared at the headlines flashing across the main page of the portal site.
[Seong Jihan's Shocking Confession! "Might go to the US or Japan…"]
[The vile cartel between Korea Daily and the Administration Director revealed through recordings!]
[Seong Jihan, who received a "300 billion" offer from America First, will he leave?]
[Seong Jihan's plea: 'I want to be a Korean…']
[What is the world's first growth-type gift, 'Late Blommer', possessed by Yoon Seah?]
Thanks to Seong Jihan releasing the audio recordings and videos, various media outlets were competing to report yesterday's events with the most sensational headlines.
"This… this mere Silver…!"
America First, the world's top guild, had reportedly made an offer of 300 billion.
The signing bonus was an objective measure of a player's value.
The massive amount revealed Seong Jihan's worth to the entire nation.
Ring!
Click!
"Stop calling!"
Kim Namtae shouted in frustration due to the continuous calls from reporters.
But the next call he received was different.
[Director of Administration, this is the Office of the Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs.]
Soon a cold voice settled in his ears. Office of Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs, Blue House.
The call came from the secretariat, the most powerful person in the government.
"I'm… I'm sorry!"
[VIP does not want this issue to escalate further.]
"But… but…"
[Settle it amicably with Seong Jihan.]
"You want me to bow down to a Silver Rank player?"
Kim Namtae complained, but the answer was cold.
[Or are you considering resignation?]
After the Sword King's naturalization in Japan and the negative public opinion towards the government, they couldn't afford to have a top prospect like Seong Jihan clash with the Administration Director.
Kim Namtae, once a politician, understood the implications and felt a chill run down his spine.
"Understood."
[Also, give him the Excellence Award and the commendation without any conditions.]
"I'll follow your instructions…"
[Thank you, Director.]
Click!
"…"
Kim Namtae stared blankly at the phone.
'I have to apologize?'
Yes, he acknowledged Seong Jihan as a promising player.
But he was just a silver rank.
To think that he, the Administration Director, would have to apologize in front of the entire nation.
'It would've been less embarrassing if I got slapped…!'
Wasn't he the one who got splashed with juice?
Aside from his comments about Korea Daily, had he done anything wrong?
Kim Namtae was consumed with frustration and resentment.
Similarly, Korea Daily felt the same frustration and resentment.
Inside the Korea Daily building's CEO office, Kim Heesu stood with his head bowed, resembling a criminal.
"Kim Heesu."
"Yes, grandfather…"
"Are you even a journalist?"
"No, I'm not."
"Then why did you step out and create such a mess?"
The 70-year-old CEO of Korea Daily glared at Kim Heesu with icy eyes.
"We are Korea's top media outlet. We should be manipulating public opinion, not being swayed by it."
Silence.
"Yes, if you had published the article before Seong Jihan became a sensation, there might have been room for negotiation. But you watched everything unfold in the media and still released such an article!"
Bang!
The CEO of Korea Daily, his face red with anger, slammed his fist on the desk.
"Even I, in my 70s, understand that BattleNet players have become the center of the world!"
"But, sir…"
"Sports have integrated with BattleNet. Their role in national security isn't insignificant either. Shouldn't you, attending the BattleNet Academy, know the importance of a player's role better?"
Unable to meet her grandfather's accusatory gaze, Kim Heesu lowered her head.
The public opinion, which had turned around in just a day, was fervently criticizing both Korea Daily and the Administration Director.
'Who would have thought Seong Jihan would react like this…!'
Seong Jihan was not just a player with high stats.
He knew his position well and could sway public opinion.
He had rallied the public through his channel which had already crossed 500,000 subscribers.
'The threat of possibly moving to the US hurt the most.'
The term "abuse of power" had always been associated with the Korea Daily family and the Administration Director.
They had never imagined being on the receiving end of it from a mere Silver Rank BattleNet player.
"Kim Heesu, you caused this. Solve it on your own."
"I tried, but… he's not taking my calls…"
"If he's not taking your calls, then find him and beg on your knees!"
The CEO of Korea Daily angrily crumpled a newspaper on his desk.
"Take Kim Insik with you and make sure he apologizes properly."
"But brother still has a cast on?"
"Good. Then maybe Seong Jihan will take pity on you guys."
Silence.
Kim Heesu was at a loss for words.
Even towards his injured grandson, the CEO was ruthless.
"Resolve this within a week. If the company faces any more damage, I won't stay silent."
Kim Heesu felt her vision darken.
* * * * *
At Sword Palace's penthouse.
"Mr. Seong Jihan… The Director feels deeply responsible for the recent discord and… wishes to convey his apologies."
Park Yoonsik, the Manager who had come again, delivered the Director's message.
"And he mentioned the award ceremony will proceed as planned. He would appreciate your presence to grace the occasion…"
Seong Jihan smirked.
'As expected.'
That man would never come to apologize personally.
He'd be seething inside at having to send a representative for such a half-hearted apology.
"What I want is a formal apology. The person responsible should come and bow down in front of me and also release a statement to the media."
"But…"
"If that doesn't happen, I won't accept any awards. I'm not particularly interested in anything from the Administration."
"But… If you decide to establish a guild, we can help! If you can settle this issue amicably, maybe…"
"It's alright. I can establish it from my home. I'm sorry, but I'd prefer if you leave now."
Park Yoonsik, his face pale, was shown the door by Seong Jihan.
The latter felt no particular resentment towards the Administration Director or Korea Daily anymore.
Under normal circumstances, he might have accepted their apologies.
'But they need to understand the consequences of messing with me.'
They were an example.
An example of what happens when someone crosses him.
Even if Kim Namtae personally came to apologize today, Seong Jihan wouldn't have accepted it immediately.
The Director needed to suffer public criticism for a few days to understand the gravity of his mistakes.
'The current issue can wait. The important thing now is to establish the guild.'
Seong Jihan clicked on the 'Guild Establishment' option, which had been activated after he reached the silver rank.
[Would you like to establish a guild?]
[To create a guild, you need 10 million GP.]
The cost of establishing a guild was equivalent to 10 billion Korean won.
Seong Jihan would need to invest all the money he won from betting, an enormous sum.
'The Administration could provide financial support…'
Government support isn't free.
If they provided GP for guild establishment, the government would demand a stake in the guild.
Seong Jihan felt more comfortable establishing the guild with his own money rather than giving away part of it.
He boldly paid the GP and proceeded to the next step.
[Please name your guild.]
"Guild name…"
He pondered the reason for establishing the guild.
Firstly, he aimed to complete guild-related achievements to earn achievement points.
Secondly, he wanted to create a 'Nurturing Guild', a concept not yet established during the tutorial phase.
'Like America First's secondary guild.'
Such Nurturing Guilds would lose their importance once Seong Jihan and Yoon Seah reached their growth limits.
And at the pinnacle of the guild's growth would coincide with the completion of Yoon Seah's latent potential.
"Let's name it 'Daegi'."
Thus, Seong Jihan named the guild 'Daegi', symbolizing the realization of latent potential.
[TL/N: Guild Name – 'Daegi' is taken from 'Daegi Manseong' which is a Korean idiom that means "great talents mature late" or "good things come to those who wait". The closest translation would be 'Waiting' or 'Great Talent'.]
[The guild has been established. Your guild rank is silver.]
[You have established a guild.]
[Special achievement, 'Guild Establishment' cleared.]
[You have earned a reward of 10,000 achievement points.]
As expected, immediately after establishment, he received achievement points.
Though it seemed small compared to the recent 50,000 points he earned, it was still a significant amount.
He anticipated more points as he completed more guild-related achievements.
[Please distribute guild points.]
[You have 10 points available for distribution.]
For the second purpose, distributing guild points was essential.
[Guild Member Expansion (1/10) – LV.1]
[Stat Increase (All stats +1) – LV.1]
[Growth Rate Increase (+10%) – LV.1]
Typically, guilds first invested in 'Guild Member Expansion'.
Increasing the member count was vital for guild expansion and growth.
'No need for that.'
Seong Jihan, aiming for an elite Nurturing Guild, had no intention of investing in member expansion.
The most crucial aspect of a Nurturing Guild was the 'Growth Rate'.
The Growth Rate Increase option, without any point investment, allowed for stat and skill growth through training.
This option wasn't popular during the tutorial phase.
Still, as humanity continued to decline post-tutorial, the necessity for Nurturing Guilds grew, leading to the re-evaluation of the Growth Rate Increase option.
And Seong Jihan was well-acquainted with this knowledge.
'This option alone isn't very effective.'
To be a Nurturing Guild, another factor was needed to boost the growth rate.
'A supporting Gift.'
The guild master of America First's secondary guild possessed a supporting Gift known as 'Nurturing'.
The only reason an immigrant from the devastated Korea, who couldn't even show his face, became a guild master was because of that gift.
Seong Jihan took out his phone and searched for Lee Hayeon.
'Although I didn't know she was the daughter of a conglomerate…'
'She must have made some money from the Top 100 Promotion Match.'
He assumed she'd be somewhat receptive to his proposal.
Confident that Lee Hayeon would have earned a profit, Seong Jihan dialed her number.
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