Chapter 2

Chapter 2

* * *

On a certain day in the year 2010.

-Inviting Earthlings to the Battle Net.

A single invitation from space turned the human way of life upside down.

"Did you watch the game yesterday?"

"I did. We won against Mexico pretty easily."

"The Sword King swept everyone. Their tanks are weak against us."

The Battle Net League unfolds worldwide. A combat game consisting of these four modes: Survival, Invasion, Defense, and Dungeons.

It made all professional sports like the Olympics and World Cup disappear.

Kids in Brazilian alleys, once playing soccer, began to treat swords as toys.

Promising members of American baseball teams threw daggers instead of baseballs in the air.

It had been just a year since Earth was invited to Battle Net, and yet such a peculiar shift in perception had occurred.

And now, after a decade, in the year 2020.

[The tutorial season of Battle Net will end after this year.]

[Starting from 2021, humanity will participate in the Space League - Bronze League.]

The time for humanity to stay in the cradle had come to an end.

* * *

A vast and splendid living room.

Seong Jihan, lying on the sofa, opened his eyes.

'Where is this...'

His head throbbed with pain, and the smell of alcohol vibrated in his mouth.

Typical hangover symptoms.

This was an experience Seong Jihan hadn't had a single time for the past few years. But he was so pleased with this feeling.

"I really have returned to the early days of the league."

A chance to challenge the system again.

Even when he saw the last system message, he didn't believe he would actually return.

He had truly gone back in time.

He quickly got up from the sofa and looked around. A spacious living room big enough to kick a ball around. It was a very familiar place to him.

This was his sister's house and Yoon Sejin's house.

Until now, Seong Jihan had been living in this house.

'And...'

Even the numerous bottles of alcohol on the coffee table in front of the sofa.

'That's right..'

This time, It was a period of upheaval in his life, the time when he had become a Level 2 and participated in the Bronze League for the first time.

"Now once again, let's listen to the press conference of the Sword King Yoon Sejin..."

Meanwhile, a somber voice was spreading from the TV.

When Seong Jihan turned his gaze in that direction, a video of a journalist conference with a man was playing on the TV, filling the entire wall.

"Ladies and gentlemen of the nation.

As soon as Seong Jihan heard that voice, he clenched his teeth.

That journalist conference video.

A scene he couldn't forget for a lifetime.

July 31st, 2020...

He even remembered the date perfectly.

"I, Yoon Sejin....

The Sword King Yoon Sejinwas Seong Jihan's brother-in-law and the strongest player in Korea.

Ranked 3rd among the world's top 11 players, he was known to be the most powerful among the Warrior class.

He, who was called Korea's pride and national treasure. On the screen, he stood with a proud expression.

"Regarding the rumors circulating across space, I've come today to reveal the truth.

Confidently, he continued speaking.

"First, about the rumor of me transfering to Japan's Divine Self-Defense Force.

That part is true."

'Of all times, just as I return to the past, to see that bastard's face again.'

Yoon Sejin's press conference.

This was the turning point that shook Korea and led to its downfall.

Him moving to Japan had a cascading effect, causing Korea's league ranking to plummet rapidly.

"And our country... perished."

Seong Jihan twisted his expression while contemplating future events.

The journalists on the screen, momentarily wearing disappointed looks, eagerly raised their hands.

"Mr. Yoon Sejin! Mr. Yoon Sejin!"

"Defecting to Japan's Divine Self-Defense Force? Is that really true?"

"It is true."

"The Divine Self-Defense Force is a guild directly under the Japanese government! It's known to select representatives for the league nations, and they only accept Japanese nationals."

"Well, then...?"

"I'm aware of that too. The Divine Self-Defense Force only accepts Japanese people."

Click. Click. Click.

The press conference hall was enveloped in silence.

The sound of camera flashes continued to reverberate.

"So, I, Sejin... am changing my name to Ryuhei and naturalize as a Japanese citizen. Please call him Ito Ryuhei from now on."

Murmurs. Murmurs.

The unsettled voices of journalists reached beyond the TV screen.

"W-what?! Mr. Yoon Sejin!"

"What are you saying... Sword King!"

"Becoming a naturalized Japanese citizen!"

"Are you saying you're retiring as a national representative too?"

"Yes. I, Ito Ryuhei, will be representing Japan in the World Champions League from now on. See you then. Well then."

Even a cool smile circled around Yoon Sejin's lips as he spoke of becoming Japanese.

Countless journalists had such cold expressions that it seemed as if their emotions froze.

He, who had been called Korea's hero and gained popularity with his gentle image, now appeared completely contrary to that image.

"Wait, wait a moment!"

"Mr. Yoon Sejin! Has there been any consultation with the Korean government?"

"To change even your name..."

Journalists rushed towards Yoon Sejin, but suddenly, a black shadow rippled around him, and he was engulfed in it.

"What... what is this?"

"Where did he go?!"

And the screen shifted.

Below the scene of a gloomy discussion hall, a bold headline was written.

[Sword King's Departure. What will happen to South Korea's league ranking in the future?]

"Well, even watching it again... it's quite... bewildering. It was a story that hadn't been discussed in advance by the government, right?"

"Yes. The government's stance is that they will calmly persuade Mr. Yoon Sejin, but his current whereabouts are uncertain."

"Sword King going to Japan of all places..."

A moment of lamentation for Sword King's departure.

A panel of BattleNet experts began discussing the future.

"The best outcome would be for the Sword King to return to South Korea..."

"Even if he doesn't return, our league ranking should remain stable."

"The East Asia League is so competitive that our immediate ranking might drop, but overall, we'll still be among the top nations."

"That's right. 'Dungeons' tend to emerge from the bottom 10% of nations."

"Hmph."

Upon hearing the phrase 'bottom 10%', Seong Jihan snorted.

"They are still running their happiness circuits."

The significance of Battle Net's league rankings was that they were directly linked to a nation's security.

"Once dungeons start appearing, It's over, Look at North Korea."

More accurately, it was due to the phenomenon of dungeons, previously seen only in Battle Net games, manifesting in reality.

And the country that directly faced the consequences of this dungeon phenomenon was North Korea.

Concerned about its impact on their regime, North Korea banned player cultivation and boycotted participation in Battle Net altogether.

As a result, North Korea, which eventually became overwhelmingly at the bottom of the league rankings, was devastated by dungeons appearing across its territory.

"But still, South Korea is maintaining its position within the top 20."

"That's right! Even without Sword King, we won't drop below the top 30."

"Actually, Japan might be the one that paid an unreasonable price to persuade the Sword King. This will ultimately backfire on them."

It's okay. We can survive.

In fact, it's Japan that suffered losses.

Click-

Hearing the victory in the panelists' voices, Seong Jihan turned off the TV in annoyance.

"Japan suffered losses? What a joke."

Seong Jihan thought about future events.

"Thanks to his joining, Japan could proudly remain one of the last 10 countries."

Sword King Yoon Sejin.

If his talents were considered without personal ethics, they were unparalleled.

Of course, the price Japan paid was undoubtedly significant.

At the time, there were criticisms about why they would burden themselves with acquiring just one player.

"But in less than three years, that evaluation completely turned around."

After Earth's tutorial ended and the world plunged into chaos, the acquisition of the Sword King became known as a divine intervention.

"But..."

Seong Jihan got up from the sofa and walked steadily towards the family photo of Yoon Sejin hanging on the wall.

His sister and young nephew.

And the family photo of Yoon Sejin smiling brightly.

Thump!

His fist mashed Yoon Sejin's face.

"It won't be like this time."

He had returned after witnessing the end of the game.

* * *

After Earth was invited to Battle Net, all humans over the age of 18 awakened as 'players' with the right to play games in Battle Net.

"P, players...!"

"I can see a status window!"

As if taken from games or novels, the status window that people had seen in those settings appeared, causing a great confusion on Earth for a while.

But the changes didn't stop there.

"Huh?! Channel 0... There's such a thing?"

"I've never installed this program!"

Battle Net broadcasts were shown on TV's Channel 0.

Regardless of internet connectivity, all computers and phones were installed with Battle Net-related programs.

"They said we were invited by a space civilization..."

"Is this for real?"

In the strange events that unfolded overnight, people couldn't hide their astonishment.

And naturally, there were those curious about this phenomenon.

"Battle Net... Where should I try it?"

One peculiar aspect was that almost everyone accessed this Battle Net system.

Actually, it would have been common sense to be cautious about the sudden appearance of Battle Net, but in 2010, people were not like that.

That's how things were set up.

"People who joined Battle Net were designed to accept this game without questioning it."

Seong Jihan briefly recalled the facts revealed in the future and recited them in a calm voice.

"Status Window."

[Name: Seong Jihan

Level: 2

Affiliation: Bronze League - Gangnam 1 Area

Strength: 5

Agility: 5

Stamina: 5

Mana: 5

Class: Classless

Gift: Wanderer's Insight (Rank F)

- Able to see the details of other players.

Title: None

Achievement Points: 100,000]

Seong Jihan let out a small sigh.

"It's quite pathetic."

His stats were at the lowest value of 5, and he also had no class. Although there existed the talent of Gift given to a small number of humans.

"At that time, I thought that my Gift was useless and got caught up in gambling."

An ambiguous ability to "analyze opponents."

However, because it had an effect even beyond the screen, Seong Jihan cleverly utilized Battle Net's gambling system.

"But the true value of this Gift wasn't that."

Thinking it was just a useful Gift for gambling, Seong Jihan's life took a dramatic turn due to a certain "incident."

This F-rank Gift completely transformed him.

"However, right now, the conditions for awakening the Gift aren't favorable."

For now, he decided to leave this Gift alone and explore other things.

There was one value that caught his attention.

At the very bottom of the status window was an achievement point of 100,000.