Chapter 161

'Already conceding?'

Seeing Brahma show such a weak side, Seong Jihan was inwardly surprised.

While most players would feel regret not getting more out of a Constellation's sponsorship, Seong Jihan had an attitude of taking it if given, and not minding if not. So he had intentionally acted strongly, but...

'He must really covet Crimson Thunder.'

The Crimson Thunder's power created by fusion of Phoenix Flame and Divine Thunder clearly surpassed normal Celestial Judgment.

But as the God of Thunder, Brahma should be able to create Crimson Thunder too...

"Why does the God of Thunder covet Crimson Thunder so much? Can't you make it yourself?"

When Jihan straightforwardly asked, the system messages stopped appearing for a while, but then they continued.

[Brahma states that the Crimson Thunder and the Thunder God's powers cannot be mixed.]

[Only you, possessing the abilities of a star, can fuse them]

[He asks again for you to complete Crimson Thunder, saying he will fulfill what he can within reason, so please fuse them.]

"What I want..."

Seong Jihan contemplated deeply about what to ask from Brahma.

'Nothing's really coming to mind.'

In the past, during the time of martial power and force, he might have asked for stat points or something like that.

But now, he had surplus points left over since he had to modify skills to raise his Martial Soul anyway.

He had enough GP to operate Daegi Guild for now as well.

'The only usable thing might be items. But with him coveting Crimson Thunder so much, it feels unsatisfying to just take an item for it...'

While thinking about what to ask for, Seong Jihan threw a question at him.

"Let's talk about what I want later. Why do you need Crimson Thunder so much?"

[Brahma answers that it's a question he can't answer through the system.]

Then, a new message appeared in the system window.

Ding!

[The special dungeon map 'Divine Throne - Brahma' opens for Player Seong Jihan.]

[The special dungeon can only be entered by the permitted player Seong Jihan and his party members.]

[The special dungeon can be entered once per week.]

[The special dungeon is not included in the 1 game per day limit.]

'Oh?' A special dungeon suddenly opened.

Seeing a map exempt from BattleNet's normal restrictions appear, Seong Jihan realized Constellation Brahma was no ordinary existence.

He hadn't seen any Constellations capable of this in his previous life.

[Brahma says if you reach the Divine Throne, he will answer directly. He tells you to think about what you want in the meantime.]

"Alright."

And with that, Brahma, who had given the rare stat Hellfire and the special dungeon, disappeared.

Seong Jihan organized the rewards he had obtained from the Promotion Match.

He had earned 1.8 million achievement points and his level had risen by 20 for surviving the Promotion Match.

'At this rate, I might reach Diamond by December. I should pace myself a bit.'

He needed to be a Platinum player by December to qualify for the Space League opening match. Seong Jihan thought about the opening match from his previous life that had astonished the world, the result that Earth had accepted, and the need to turn it around for the World Tree Alliance, who had been their opponents.

'The achievement points are hard to use.'

The Achievement Shop allowed upgrades only after donating five times. The "All for One" category, the most useful one, had already been upgraded to the maximum level. The other categories like Status Screen Expansion, had no immediate utility.

'Regardless, I'll have to upgrade them eventually. Let's raise them to LV4 for now.'

So, he used 1.05 million achievement points to upgrade all the items in the shop to LV4. With over 700,000 points left, he contemplated how to use them.

'Should I try opening a random box?'

There was a monthly changing "Random Box of the Month." The items for October were related to items. Seong Jihan had not been interested in them until now, but since he had no immediate use for his points, he decided to open a box.

And...

"Huh..."

[Donation Reset Voucher]

- Grade: F

- Allows you to donate to the achievement store again.

- You are a donation angel!

Seong Jihan chuckled, seemingly disappointed. It was truly an item fitting for F-grade, a trash item. However, it had immediate utility.

'Upgrading the Achievement Shop will be a month faster now.'

By using the Donation Reset Voucher, Seong Jihan donated 10,000 points again.

[You have donated 10,000 points to the system!]

[Vitality envelops your body. Fatigue will accumulate more slowly for one month.]

'Now I only need to do this three more times, once a month, and it'll take three months but...'

He didn't want to drag this out until next year.

'Let me pull the Donation Reset Voucher one more time.'

Seong Jihan reached into the random box again.

* * *

"...What's all this, Uncle?"

Yoon Seah asked, looking at the scattered items in the living room, her voice filled with confusion. A long tapestry and a statue with a flame engraved on it were among the items, which didn't match the rest of the house.

"Seah, don't do gacha."

"Suddenly, what's with the gacha?"

"It's not just gambling that's highly addictive..."

The random box requires 30,000 points each time.

The 700,000+ achievement points disappeared in a flash.

'Thank goodness I managed to get one more Donation Reset voucher in the end...'

If he hadn't had that, he might have ended up with nothing at all.

However, most of the items that came out of the box were practically useless.

[Statue of Divinity]

- Grade: C

- A statue carved depicting divinity.

- An aura of fire gently emanates from it, warming the household.

"What's this? This was an item? But... heating effect? Why is it a C-grade?"

"I don't know, but let's throw it away."

"Well, it's cute. I'll use it as an interior decoration. The banner... I'll throw it away."

While some small items could be utilized, there was no place to put the long banner in the home.

"No need to throw it. I'll get rid of it right now."

As Yoon Seah tried to organize the banner, Seong Jihan stretched out his hand.

And the banner ripped to shreds.

The torn cloth instantly turned to dust and disappeared.

It seemed to disappear faster than normal, as if quite a bit of emotion was mixed in.

"What else should I get rid of..."

"Hmm... Except for the two statues, everything else looks useless honestly... Oh, isn't this a dagger?"

"Ah, right."

While rummaging through the junk, Yoon Seah's eyes lit up.

A crimson dagger sheathed in a red scabbard.

[Vampire's Fang]

- Grade: S

- A dagger made from the fangs of a vampire.

- When you stab an opponent with this dagger, the bleeding effect is significantly amplified.

- It can absorb the opponent's blood to restore your own vitality.

"This one looks good, doesn't it?"

"Well, it's somewhat useful."

It wasn't an item that he would draw at the cost of over 700,000 achievement points, but for Seong Jihan, who had Eclipse and the Phoenix Flag, it was unnecessary equipment.

After examining the dagger here and there, Yoon Seah looked at Akari who was standing behind her.

"I don't use daggers, so... Akari unnie, do you want it?"

Yoon Seah spoke comfortably with Akari, who now conversed fluently in Korean, maintaining polite speech.

"I, is that okay?"

"Yeah, you need a dagger."

At Jihan's encouragement, Akari was handed the vampire's fang dagger.

Akari's eyes widened after reading the item description.

"This, such a good item...! I can't accept it!"

"Ugh,you're exaggerating. Unnie's Diamond player, so S-rank equipment is basic."

"But still..."

"Just use it."

With Seong Jihan strongly recommending it as well...

Akari received the dagger with both hands and repeatedly bowed her head to Yoon Seah.

"Thank you very, very much. I'll repay this kindness with my life!"

Previously, she had lost even her ownership rights to Shizuru and continued to follow her blindly. Now, she was following Yoon Seah, even to the extent of vowing her life for a dagger. She was devoted to her young master.

'Giving up 3 Vitality was a good deal.'

The loyal bodyguard she became after sharing the World Tree leaf and becoming a Diamond Assassin was a profitable trade.

Seong Jihan, thinking this, asked Akari, "By the way, what's your level?"

"It's 212."

"Levels really don't rise after becoming Diamond. Unnie has been playing continuously and her level went up by only 1."

"Well... To become a national representative, you need to reach level 225. I need to ask Haeyon for Focused Growth."

"A national representative, huh..."

Akari asked in a trembling voice.

Akari asked with a trembling voice, "I heard that the archers in Korea are strong. Is there a place for an assassin like me?"

It was a valid question since assassins didn't seem very useful against Korea's strong archers, who took out players with precise shots.

However, Jihan had a different perspective.

"Even if there are strong archers, it's okay for one of them to be replaced. More importantly, when the assassin class is properly established in the national team, it can be used for various tactical purposes."

Currently, the national team matches are primarily focused on head-to-head power struggles. However, with changes in the game map, the dynamics could shift at any moment.

"So for now, just focus on reaching level 225. I'll handle your entry into the national team."

"Understood!"

Akari's eyes sparkled as she listened to Seong Jihan's words.

* * *

After the Top 25 match, the media, which had been praising Seong Jihan, shifted their focus to the upcoming November's first match.

[November's first match is Korea vs. Japan. Will we overturn the humiliation of August 15th?]

[The situation is different now! Seong Jihan has emerged as the core of the national team.]

[Seong Jihan vs. Sword King. Whose hand will the goddess of victory favor?]

[BattleNet betting sites are favoring Sword King.]

-Oh, it's a pity. If Seong Jihan had grown more and played Korea vs. Japan, the betting results would have been different.

-I can't even imagine Jihan losing now...

-Yeah, seriously, he's never lost an individual match even if the team was struggling.

-Sword King is still considered the world's best warrior. I watched the Japan vs. Russia match last time, and he was still amazing.

-Since Seong Jihan is still Gold, I think the Sword King will win.

-True, even on global BattleNet forums, there are similar opinions.

While Koreans continued to support Seong, many believed it might still be challenging to defeat the Warrior ranked first in the world, especially the Sword King.

Especially BattleNet fans worldwide...

-No matter how strong Seong Jihan is, he won't stand a chance against Sword King.

-If this big match happened next year, I would bet on Seong Jihan

-Thanks to Seong Jihan, I got a Gift, but now it's time for him to lose to the Japan's Sword.

-Seong Jihan and the Sword King. What's with the East Asia League? Why doesn't China have such warriors?"

-Both are technically Korean. Is that place the land of warriors? Is it because of conscription?

-Then we should have warriors in Israel too.

-Anyway, this time, the Sword King should win. Don't know about the next one

Most people bet on Sword King, but surprisingly, experts were more cautious in their judgments. Japanese analysts, in particular, had a more reserved attitude.

"Hmm... he's really strong."

The Japanese coach furrowed his brow as he looked at Jihan's Gold-level data.

What the hell happened in Gold?

Comparing the Sword King's training data and Seong Jihan's performance, the Sword King had a slight advantage, but...

'What he's shown so far doesn't seem to be his limit...'

If Seong Jihan is hiding some more cards, the fight between the two warriors could be very close.

"Shizuru, if only she had recruited that person as well, it would have been great. What a shame."

The Japanese coach smiled wryly.

The Japanese coach let out a bitter smile. Seong Jihan and Ito Ryuhei, both on the Japanese national team, would guarantee a championship in the Champions League. Looking at Seong Jihan's data, he couldn't help but feel disappointed by Shizuru's failure.

"Coach, Sword King has arrived."

"Oh? Go down and greet him."

"But Miss Shizuru is here too. She insists on delivering a message to you, and she says she has a surefire plan to subdue Seong Jihan."

"For me?"

"Yes, she believes there's a strategy to definitively subdue Seong Jihan."

Upon hearing this, the Japanese coach's eyes lit up. Shizuru had a plan, and it was something he needed to hear.

"I'll go down right away."

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