Chapter 139
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Dongbangsak turned around, and in his inscrutable eyes, he saw a man with a lively expression and white hair gripping a spear, rising.
"...Someone is trying to imitate and steal my skill. How dare he? I will go kill him."
At the mention of stealing his skill, Dongbangsak grimaced.
He could understand Longinus's anger, but as a loyal servant of the Martial God, he had to intervene here.
"Stop, Longinus."
"Even you can't stop me. Especially when it comes to my skiil!"
"Master is watching over us."
"...Doesn't matter."
"He possesses the 'Soul'."
"..."
With those words, Longinus's body suddenly froze.
He gathered his life force, then slowly spoke.
"Then he's the one who can... kill our master?"
"Well, it doesn't seem likely. Our master is quite indulgent with him."
"...Is that so?"
Dongbangsak's master, and also Longinus's master.
The "Wandering Martial God," told Dongbangsak that he's quite lenient with Jihan.
"Right. And at the moment, he's just a Gold. Is it necessary to point the 'Spear of Divine Slaying' at him?"
"Huh. Just a Gold?"
Longinus opened his eyes wide.
A mere Gold, and he managed to use his skill!
Excitement filled his eyes.
"The possibility is not zero."
"Right. I've been keeping an eye on his talents, but I didn't know he'd rise to this level."
"Kang Sang, you're quite carefree. After all, you're in the same boat as me, right?"
"...."
Dongbangsak, Used to be known as Kang Sang.
The hand that touched his beard paused for a moment.
"I'm now called Dongbangsak."
"Ah, was that the name? You used many names, but you settled on that one."
"Among the new names, Dongbangsak was the best. Kang Sang... is a name I don't like."
With that, DongBangsak chuckled heartily.
"And Longinus, why do you think I'm in the same boat as you?"
"...."
"I have no regrets about having lived for so long."Life is enjoyable. There is always more enjoyment to be had no matter how long you live."
"Hmm. It's the opposite for me...."
Longinus embraced the spear.
"I wasn't born. I want to disappear even now. If it weren't for the Martial God... I would have already finished my karma."
"Tsk tsk... frustrated, aren't you?"
Dongbangsak shook his head in pity.
If Longinus had achieved his karma, he would have died two thousand years ago. Why does he want to die so quickly? Is death that regrettable?
"Get a smartphone. Then living for a long time will be enjoyable."
"...What's that?"
"You don't know what a smartphone is?"
"The last time I woke up was 150 years ago..."
"Ah."
I'll have to teach him from the beginning, it seems.
The joys of this world.
"Come with me to Earth once."
Dongbangsak laughed as he looked at Longinus.
Still, with one more of the Martial God's servants awakened, he felt relieved.
The others were all asleep, making it difficult to handle the Martial God's orders alone.
"Now, I don't have to do it all by myself."
Dongbangsak showed Longinus some newspapers and promised not to put him to sleep again.
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The score for Korea - Russia was 2:0.
The victory on the South Gate map, which was regarded as the most difficult, sent the entire Republic of Korea into a frenzy.
-Seong Jihan! Seong Jihan! Seong Jihan! Seong Jihan!
Did he really do it all by himself?
-Ah... since the Sword King, it's been a while since I've felt like this...
-Did you hear what Vladimir said? Is he even making sense? Lol, the whining mode is so much fun, isn't it?
- Lol, lol, lol, lol, lol. Did he get pushed back in South Gate after rushing in as a Warrior?
-After cutting off the Warrior's First team, our performance is skyrocketing!! Lolololol!
The moment Blood Cross, Seong Jihan's Skill, turned warriors into dust.
Kim Dongwoo frowned deeply.
He lived in a top-class mansion.
Just opening the front door could lead to encounters with famous celebrities and businessmen, in a luxury residential area where property prices exceeded 10 billion won as the starting point.
-Woah!
-We won! We won!
-Save me, Seong Jihan!
Every time Seong Jihan pierced through the enemy, cheers erupted.
These cheers were a sound of memories that Kim Dongwoo had preserved since he was a child, a sound that had spread throughout the entire apartment complex during the 2002 World Cup.
And now, it was resounding in this mansion.
And.
"Wow!!"
"Seong Jihan!! Seong Jihan!!!"
"How can this be??"
"This is insane..."
The four women he brought with him also.
With their eyes fixed on the TV screen, they couldn't take their eyes off Seong Jihan.
And why would they not?
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In a team-oriented BattleNet match, he dominated the game alone.
He carried the game while drawing the Blood Cross (made of blood and iron), causing Vladimir, the 6th-ranked Warrior in the rankings, to scream.
It was a situation similar to when the former Sword King was active.
"Damn it...!"
In fact, Kim Dongwoo was just as excited when he saw that.
Wow...
How can someone be like that? He wondered.
But along with that, there was another emotion rising.
'If I were in that position...!'
Instead of the 2nd team of Warriors, if he had been in that position.
He could have received at least half the audience's cheers.
Why am I here, being a viewer, and pouring a glass of alcohol?
"Now, one more win, and it's over, right?"
"What should we do, guys?"
"Be quiet! Damn it... we're screwed. Let's just have a drink."
"YoonGi keeps trying to make us drink alcohol!"
Even amidst this, Lee YoonGi was trying to give alcohol to the girls somehow.
And Kim Dongwoo couldn't even open his mouth due to his stiff expression.
-Now, the 3rd round is Korea's favorite map! It's the Train map!
-The Train map! In a nutshell, let me explain the map; two trains run side by side, and players from each team shoot each other down!
-This map is where the archers of South Korea shine the most!
-That's right! Our country's archers are the strongest in the world!
The South Korean national team, was evaluated as the weakest team in the East Asian League.
Still, if there was a glimmer of hope for the South Korean national team, it was the archers.
Led by Ha Yeonjoo, ranked 3rd in the world archery rankings.
All of South Korea's national archers were over level 240.
-Korea! We're finally close to our first league win...!
The outcasts were on the verge of tears during this.
"Ugh. Why does that guy have to drink and ruin the mood?"
Lee YoonGi heard the voice and expressed his annoyance.
But Kim Dongwoo drank alcohol heartily as his insides burned.
Why am I not there in that spot right now?
If only there hadn't been an accident back then...!
And the game.
It flowed more one-sidedly than expected.
-Ah, there's really not much for warriors to do on this map. The distance between the two trains is very far, and unless you're an archer or a mage, you can't reach the Lich!
-Yes. The only thing the warriors have to do is to take down the neutral monsters and zombies that get on the train! Even if they're second-team warriors, it's an easy job.
-Yes. That's right. Seong Jihan will help you with the zombies, so you don't have to worry! But...
Whoosh!
Seong Jihan, who was standing in front to block the zombies.
Suddenly threw his Phoenix Spear into the sky.
No matter how high he threw it into the sky, the Russian national team's train was too far away.
Everyone was briefly taken aback by Seong Jihan's sudden action.
The spear disappeared after burying itself in the clouds.
Nameless Divine Arts, Divine Thunder Decree - Striking Thunderbolt.
In the upper sky above the Russian team's train, the clouds split apart in a circular pattern, revealing a space filled with pure white light.
-Uh... what is that...?!
Shooooo!
A huge lance of light struck the Russian team's train.
Although the protective magic the Russian team supporters had prepared in advance was strong,
It couldn't completely block the Heavenly Judgment.
Zzzzzz...
"What, what is this...?!"
"Heal! Heal us!"
"Warriors, what are you doing? Protect the archers! Throw yourselves in front to block it if you have to!"
The Russian team's formation turned into chaos.
One by one, people began to die.
-Uh... Seong Jihan!! Achieved 7 kills in an instant!
-W-what...! I-Is it possible to attack from that long a distance?
-Y-Yes, of course! Of course! Because it's Seong Jihan! It's possible!!
And that's how he achieved a total of 7 kills. While it might have been a dream score for other warriors, Seong Jihan tasted it with a hint of regret.
'Indeed, when the opponent is at the level of a national team, even the striking thunderbolt can't completely break them apart.'
That's why his instant kill skill, Blood Cross, was so great.
With a tinge of regret, Seong Jihan turned to look behind him.
"Aren't you shooting?"
"Ah..."
Ha Yeonjoo, who had been watching the falling thunderbolts from the sky with a vacant look, suddenly snapped back to reality.
"Ev-Everyone, prepare for sniping!"
With a trembling voice, she gave orders to the archers.
She couldn't help but glance at Seong Jihan with astonishment.
'Even though Yoori said that Seong Jihan is better than the Sword King Yoon SeJin, it was unbelievable.'
Back then, when her younger sister Ha Yoori had confidently asserted that "Seong Jihan is better than the Sword King," Ha Yeonjoo had scolded her, saying that she didn't know because she hadn't seen the Sword King in person.
As a fellow national team member, Ha Yeonjoo knew that the Sword King was a monster, beyond imagination.
However.
'The Sword King used his sword to fly to the other team's train...'
At that time, the Sword King was at the highest level, Diamond, not Gold like Seong Jihan.
If Seong Jihan were at the same level as the Sword King, how strong would he be?
"I'll provide support."
With the spear back in his hand, Seong Jihan shot lightning toward the enemy team's train.
As Russian players fell one by one under the direct hit of lightning, Ha Yeonjoo couldn't help but be amazed.
This isn't support-level damage, is it?
'The MVP of this game is definitely Seong Jihan.'
Ha Yeonjoo's prediction was on point.
=The MVP of the 3rd match is Seong Jihan!
=1, 2, 3 matches. He got the MVP in all of them!
=In that case, today's Play of the Game (POTG) will also...
=Of course, it's already decided for one person!
Seong Jihan's debut game.
Despite the controversy and rumors surrounding the national team, he ultimately proved his worth through his results.
=Finally, it's a win for South Korea!!
=It's 3:0. Seong Jihan's prediction has come true!
=He won the MVP for matches 1, 2, and 3, and was also named the Player of the Day. Among BattleNet players, is there anyone who had a more shining debut?
=You are witnessing a new legend being born right now!
The commentators were singing praises for Seong Jihan.
This was a sentiment shared by all Koreans.
A rookie who broke the streak of consecutive losses in the league.
-Is this rookie... Gold?
-If he continues to grow, he'll be unstoppable.
And then.
"Who is that player?"
"No, is he crazy? Gold?"
"Do we need to change our game strategy against South Korea?"
Other countries in the East Asian League were alarmed.
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[Achievement Unlocked: 'Debut as a National Representative']
[Received 10,000 Achievement Points as a reward.]
[Special Achievement Unlocked: 'Achieving League Game MVP']
[Received 10,000 Achievement Points as a reward.]
[Special Achievement Unlocked: 'Player of the Day']
[Received 50,000 Achievement Points as a reward.]
"I earned quite a bit." I needed achievement points lately, so this worked out well.
Seong Jihan glanced at the messages and continued the 'Player of the Day' interview. The announcer, who had been continuously praising him, was now getting ready to wrap up the interview.
"Seong Jihan, as a final question! How would you rate your performance today?"
"70 points out of 100."
"Only 70 points?"
"Yes. There were some disappointing moments."
"What match was disappointing?"
"The third match. Maybe it was because of the level difference, but I didn't get as many kills as I had hoped. I should have completely destroyed the enemy base."
"I see..."
The announcer nodded in understanding, her voice full of concern.
Receiving the MVP in all three matches, yet still not satisfied. She didn't know how to react to that.
"So, I guess I have to level up again today."
"But don't you have a national team match?"
"Yes. I just leveled up by 4 during the national team match. I'm planning to gain one more level today."
"Wait, you level up during national team matches?"
"It seemed like it."
With that, Seong Jihan finished the interview. Already, there were numerous comments on the video.
-Is it true he leveled up by 4?
-He's leveling up because he's defeating Diamond players???
-Just level up quickly. We'll give you plenty of experience points, hahaha. He's the one destroying the balance for real.
-He's a hard worker... He became the Player of the Day, and he's still going for more levels.
-He's different from those dumbass warriors lol. After today's game his fame will spread far and wide.
Now, the public opinion in Korea about Seong Jihan was almost like a religion. He was now at a level where he could compete with the Sword King from the past.
'Now I can't see any negative comments.'
Yoon Seah chuckled as she approached Seong Jihan, who had just finished the interview. But before she could reach him, someone was waiting for him.
"Um... Seong Jihan, May I have a moment."
It was Ha Yeonjoo, the leader of the archers.
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