บท 59: Chapter 59
The day after the 25-day Top 100 Promotion Match concluded:
[Seong Jihan becomes the world's strongest Bronze! Top 100 winner!]
[Barren, the 'Grand Mage' lost… He really lost?]
After 4 years, a Korean player won the Top 100 Promotion Match, receiving praise from even the American commentator who streamed the match to the world.]
[What is Seong Jihan's Gift? Experts claim, 'At least SSS-grade'!]
[U.S. commentator Christoph says, 'Seong Jihan should be recruited on a national scale.' All praise!]
[Emerging talent after 4 years! The world wonders, "How much potential he has?"]
[U.S. viewers envy, "Seong Jihan of Korea is truly the Legend of the League!"]
A flood of articles about Seong Jihan inundated Korean portals and social media platforms.
And it was understandable.
It had been 4 years since a Korean player participated in the Top 100 match.
Apart from the Sword King, no one had ever won it.
The sudden rise of a new superstar naturally drew everyone's attention.
– Wow! This is the national pride we've been waiting for!
– I made a treasonous bet of 10 million on the other side and lost all of it… Barren was so weak ㅠㅠㅠㅠ
– It was already surprising he got promoted to Bronze in just a month, but winning in Top 100? What's his Gift really?
– Seong Jihan~~ channel~~ If we reach 1 million subscribers~~ he'll reveal it~~ Everyone, please click 'like and subscribe' ^^7
– Wait, he already has 300k subscribers? He just became Silver, right?
– Literally a 'God' in Silver.
The Top 100 Promotion Match, which was watched worldwide, meant Seong Jihan's channel wasn't just popular in Korea.
He was gaining subscribers at an alarming rate globally.
Additionally, international BattleNet news also highlighted Seong Jihan.
His achievements were prominently featured, indicating the immense global interest.
-But Christoph kept suggesting the U.S. should recruit him. He won't really go to the U.S., will he?
– It's possible. He isn't in a guild, right?
– Right. Maybe he didn't join a guild on purpose to raise his value?
– The Sword King went to Japan. If we lose Seong Jihan too, Korea will be hopeless.
– In that case, just give him Sword Palace.
– Do you even know how valuable that is?
– Then what can we offer to match the Sword Palace?
– At this rate, we'll end up last in the Northeast Asia League.
"Wow, so many comments…."
Kim Heesu frowned, feeling irritated.
Seong Jihan.
She hadn't expected him to win the Top 100 when he first entered.
'Did I offer to manage him in haste?'
She thought about her uncle's advertising agency, affiliated with Korea Daily.
They also managed BattleNet players' entertainment and advertising activities.
The agency wasn't well-regarded due to the CEO's (her uncle's) domineering behavior.
'But I had no other way to stop my boastful uncle from filing a lawsuit.'
If she hadn't intervened, there would have been a significant backlash now.
["From the management, I got a heated call. It seems Seong Jihan was quite rude."]
"...Really?"
["Yeah. They were insisting on releasing an article about Yoon Seah."]
Kim Heesu recalled the conversation she had with her uncle the previous night.
The popularity Seong Jihan received after winning was unexpectedly positive.
Given the lack of national pride after the Sword King incident, this enthusiasm was somewhat anticipated.
While there were stronger players in Korea than Seong Jihan, none had showcased such performance at the same rank.
Winning the Bronze Promotion Match with such a significant margin was an outstanding achievement.
The admiration from the public was justified.
'The article will be released soon.'
The exclusive report from Korea Daily about Yoon Seah's Gift would garner significant attention.
Releasing it would completely sever her ties with Seong Jihan.
Kim Heesu checked the comments on other news articles.
– Can Seong Jihan join the 'Do You Know' Club instead of the Sword King?
[TL/N: Do You Know Club – It's a humours way of saying congratulations. Detailed note at the end of the chapter..]
– Don't compare Sword King and him.
– He's already burning up the global BattleNet community. He's already a VIP in the 'Do You Know' club.
– But that's only meaningful if Seong Jihan remains Korean….ㅠㅠ
– Stop the nonsense, it's getting annoying.
Seeing the comments praising Seong Jihan made her increasingly uneasy.
Kim Heesu's fingers trembled slightly.
Seeing her handiwork on the headlines, Kim Heesu wondered if releasing the article was akin to poking a beehive.
But she reassured herself, "…After all, it's about Yoon Seah, not badmouthing Jihan. What's the big deal!"
Besides, he's only a Silver rank for now.
And how could a big company like Korea Daily be threatened by a mere Silver player?
The article titled [(Exclusive) The Sword King's Daughter Received a Trash Gift?] was posted on the portal site.
Comments poured in:
– Wow, is the Sword King's daughter taking college entrance exams?
– How bad must her Gift be for her to consider college entrance exams?
– Aren't Gifts genetic? Her father had an SSS-grade Gift.
– So, what's her Gift?
Within minutes, the article on Korea Daily was trending alongside Seong Jihan's winning news.
As expected, news related to the Sword King was always a hit.
Kim Heesu smirked as she added a few more comments to fuel the fire.
In the modern age, gossip spread like wildfire.
As news about Yoon Seah went viral, reactions varied.
Some felt sympathy for her, while many mocked her.
Kim Heesu reveled in reading the negative comments about Yoon Seah.
It somehow eased her frustrations from the past.
While she was enjoying Yoon Seah's fall from grace, news came that Seong Jihan was going live on BattleTube.
She quickly logged in.
'Subscribers: 500,000…'
Seeing his rapidly growing subscriber count made her regret not signing him.
"I should've focused more on Yoon Seah," she thought.
But she shook off the regret and tuned into Seong Jihan's live stream, only to be taken aback seeing Yoon Seah sitting beside him, looking quite relaxed.
A bad premonition crept into her mind.
* * * * *
"Hello, everyone. Today, I'm greeting you not from a BattleNet game but in real life," Seong Jihan said, flashing a relaxed smile.
It was his second live stream from Sword Palace, and his demeanor was vastly different from the first time when he had apologized about the Sword King incident.
-It's Seong Jihan!
-Congratulations on your win!
-Seong, you're insane! Mad, I say!
-Give back my million dollars you made me lose on Barren!!
-If subscribers reach 1 million, we can see your Gift, right?
-Why aren't you revealing it yet?
The chat was flooded with messages, not just from Koreans but from international viewers as well. Thanks to the advanced alien technology of BattleTube, translations appeared seamlessly, with each translated message indicating the sender's nationality. The chat atmosphere was completely different from the last broadcast, leaving Korean viewers stunned.
-Is the increase in subscribers for real?
-Why are there so many foreigners?
Indeed, more than half of the chat messages were from international viewers, a testament to the immense attention Seong Jihan was garnering.
"Thank you for the congratulations," Seong Jihan responded to the flurry of comments.
He continued, "The reason for today's broadcast is due to a defamatory article about my niece, released by a media house yesterday."
As Seong Jihan spoke, Yoon Seah bowed her head slightly in greeting.
Her face, adorned with a gentle smile, radiated unexpected positivity.
– Oh, so that's why Yoon Seah is here.
– She's still so pretty…ㅜㅜ ㅜㅜ
– Even with a mediocre Gift, she could easily be a celebrity with that face, right?
– Lol, true. Plus, she's a billionaire lol.
– I'd not be a player even with a decent Gift if I were her lol.
The chat room's atmosphere leaned towards the consensus of 'What's the big deal if it's Yoon Seah?'
There were of course some derogatory comments, but they were in the minority.
Most comments were supportive of Yoon Seah.
It was clear everyone presumed Yoon Seah had an inferior Gift due to the widespread news.
'If they see her Gift of Late Blooming revealed through Hermes's monocle, the tide of opinion will turn,' Seong Jihan thought.
They had a lot of evidence to present.
"Uncle, this is the recording."
From when there was a commotion with the BattleNet Director, Yoon Seah had secretly recorded the conversation.
"And this, from the security guard."
The entire incident where the man from Korea Daily was injured, was discreetly captured by a security guard on his phone.
'Releasing all this would clarify the situation, but…,' Seong Jihan hesitated, feeling something was missing to create a lasting impact.
Then, suddenly:
Ba-ba-ba-ba-bam!
[R.E.Gates has donated 100,000GP.]
[Player Seong. I was deeply impressed by your gameplay.]
Ba-ba-ba-ba-bam!
[R.E.Gates has donated 100,000GP.]
[I am Robert Gates, a scout from the American First Guild.]
Ba-ba-ba-ba-bam!
[R.E.Gates has donated 100,000GP.]
[Please check your private messages.]
A financial bombardment suddenly showered down.
– Wasn't the minimum GP for channel donations 10,000?
– P-up! P-up! P-up!!!
– Lol, say Power-up, you idiot!
– … 100,000 GP? Three times? … 300 million?!
– Lol, life seems so easy for him.
– Proposal from 'America First'… This is a rare treat…
"Interesting," Seong Jihan's eyes sparkled upon seeing this.
Robert Gates was a name he recognized well.
'With Robert's involvement, the stage is now set,' he thought, a sly smile forming on his lips.
[Notes:
'Do You Know' Club – This is a humorous joke that plays on the idea of a 'Do You Know' club, which doesn't actually exist. Whenever a sports star or a popular celebrity achieves success in international competitions like the Olympics or overseas events, people jokingly suggest that they should be inducted into this fictional 'Do You Know' club. It's a way of congratulating and celebrating their achievements in a playful manner.]
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