Chapter 34

Chapter 34

* * *

Black Eagle Guild.

While it didn't rank among the top 10 guilds, it was a renowned guild that sat comfortably among the high ranks.

The Black Eagle Guild members, who had entered the Gangnam 1st Division, were the rising stars, aiming to potentially become professionals in the future.

However, even for them...

"A million GP..."

"Ten...billion?"

10 billion was an astronomical sum.

"You can't play around with viewer missions. If you don't have money, you can't set such stakes. 10 billion... is it for real?"

Gulp.

The warrior involuntarily swallowed.

10 billion.

Even if he was considered a promising talent within the guild, for someone under a bronze contract like him, this was an unimaginable amount.

Perhaps, if he climbed up to the gold league, that amount might feel attainable.

'But... getting to gold isn't easy.' the Warrior thought.

Having spent several months in the Gangnam Area, he realized the pro barrier was not easily surmountable.

If he had a top rank Gift, he would have joined a top 10 guild, not the slightly inferior Black Eagle Guild.

He considered himself talented but an average amongst the elites.

Could he, having possibly passed the silver promotion match, overcome the barrier to gold?

Never.

"If I commit suicide now, my reputation might take a hit, but..."

10 billion was an enticing figure.

"For all I know, the hit to my reputation might not be as bad as I think."

Having watched Seong Jihan's channel a few times, the warrior was familiar with the channel's dynamics.

There were probably quite a few people hoping that Seong Jihan wouldn't secure the top spot so they could see his status window.

The more spectacularly Seong Jihan displayed his powers, the more viewers grew curious about his abilities.

So, even if he commits suicide here, he might just get some flak, and it would die down.

"Yeah, let's do it!"

The warrior looked around.

He noticed his fellow guild members acting suspiciously.

The archer took out an arrow and discreetly moved it toward his own throat.

The mage, despite no monsters being around, seemed to be preparing a spell.

The warrior felt a rush of urgency.

"Did those fools... also get missions from the Sword King?"

Those crazy bastards!

Did all three of them really get a 10 billion GP mission?

Then, if they all die, who gets the money?

"...I don't know how it will turn out, but I need to die first."

He was determined, and turned the tip of his sword towards his own throat.

He had never imagined he would consider suicide in BattleNet, but he needed to quickly clear the mission.

Swish!

"Huh...?"

Just as the sword was about to pierce his throat, it suddenly halted.

"Why... can't I move?"

Only a slight push was needed to end it, but his entire body felt restrained by an unknown force.

And then...

"As expected."

Seong Jihan, who was walking ahead, had turned around, a cold smile playing on his lips.

Thud! Thud!

The sound of footsteps thundered in his ears like a storm.

The warrior's eyes darted around.

Not just him, all the guild members seemed paralyzed, unable to move.

"Telekinesis...! Did he anticipate something like this?"

Thinking back, something had been bothering him.

Given Seong Jihan's power, he could have simply progressed through the game alone, clearing the path ahead. Yet, he had always ensured he didn't stray too far from the party members.

Even when confronting enemies, he always maintained a certain distance.

At that time, they had assumed he was doing so to protect them...

'He was monitoring us!'

This realization sent shivers down his spine.

"If you were going to do it, you should have done it earlier."

Tap! Tap! Tap!

Seong Jihan's fingers lightly tapped various points on the warrior's body.

His sturdy armor felt like it was being pierced with ease.

"Wha..."

Suddenly, the warrior lost control of his body.

No. To be precise, he could only move his face and neck.

"My arms and legs..."

It was a completely different sensation from earlier.

Before, he had felt forcefully restrained by a powerful external force, but now his body simply wouldn't obey him.

"This... this is!"

The warrior suddenly recalled the martial arts techniques used by the higher job class 'Martial Artist' for warriors.

"Could it be... Acupoint Sealing?"

Clang!

His sword and shield dropped uselessly as the warrior collapsed, drained of strength.

It wasn't just the warrior.

"Ah...!"

"Why... why are you doing this?!"

Turning his neck with great effort to look behind, he saw the other two guild members collapsed, limp as if their strings had been cut.

Seong Jihan, looking down at them with an icy gaze, coldly remarked, "Was 10 billion that desirable to you?"

"How... how did you know about it?"

The warrior asked, surprised.

Even if he had anticipated it, how could he specify the exact amount?

"I had someone inform me."

Seong Jihan's gaze turned to the void.

Specifically,

[Streamer Golden Light has donated 10,000GP.]

[Be careful, Seong Jihan! Those guild members want to commit suicide for 10 billion!]

He looked at the donation message that had popped up in his view.

* * *

Just moments ago.

-"I want to be your editor, Jihan! Please let me!"

-"No thanks."

After being rejected so quickly by Seong Jihan,

"Sigh..."

Streamer Golden Light was feeling downcast after skipping his streams for two days.

"If I had collaborated with Jihan, we could have become legends on BattleTube... To let such an opportunity slip away..."

He had a dream.

To be the very best on BattleTube.

Though he was currently trolling and doing deep-sea exploration content. One day, he vowed to be the top broadcaster!

That was Streamer Golden Light's grand ambition.

"But it's too much for me alone."

Streamer Golden Light was well aware of his own limitations.

Though he had good looks and an A-grade Gift, it wasn't enough to be the best on BattleTube.

Only top-tier players like Sword King could reign supreme on BattleTube.

"I saw that potential in Seong Jihan... To let it slip away like this..."

It was depressing.

'So depressed!'

Just as Streamer Golden Light was wallowing in his self-pity,

Ding!

[Seong Jihan has started streaming.]

His phone buzzed with a notification.

"Huh? At this hour?"

Streamer Golden Light looked at the clock in surprise.

Early morning.

It was the time when viewership was at its lowest as everyone would be heading to work or school.

Who streams at such a crappy time?

"This is why I need to be there to advise him!"

With a sigh of lament, Streamer Golden Light accessed Seong Jihan's channel.

Seong Jihan, now at Level 15 and navigating the dungeon map, was clearing the dungeon with his usual overwhelming power.

The game was progressing smoothly.

"With this pace, he'll definitely rank first. If only there aren't any issues..."

Streamer Golden Light suddenly remembered the trolling incident with Kim Gyuhyuk from before.

Back then, there was the influence of the Sword King.

"Maybe I should check their channel once."

Streamer Golden Light's expression became more solemn.

While watching Seong Jihan's channel on his phone, he connected to other channels on his computer.

Suddenly, the Sword King users invaded the Black Eagle Guild members' channel.

[Immediately commit in-game suicide to hinder Seong Jihan from achieving 1st place.]

[Reward: 1,000,000 GP]

The reward was astonishing.

"A million GP? This is unbelievable!"

Streamer Golden Light's face turned stern.

The amount was too excessive to be just a grudge donation from the Sword King Fan Club.

Furthermore, the simultaneous entries into the party members' channels were suspicious.

"I need to take a screenshot..."

Streamer Golden Light thought quickly.

He had to inform Seong Jihan about this as soon as possible.

To do that, he had to send a donation message.

The minimum donation amount set by Seong Jihan was 10,000 GP, which required a hefty 10 million won. But that was okay.

Streamer Golden Light was a former gold league player. To him, earning Seong Jihan's trust was more valuable than 10 million won.

He quickly typed the message.

[Be careful, Seong Jihan! Those guild members are trying to commit suicide for 10 billion!]

This was the third donation message on Seong Jihan's channel.

* * *

Seong Jihan remembered the time during the defense game when he felt slightly uneasy after hearing the entire story from Kim Gyuhyuk who had betrayed him.

"50 million won to destroy the crystal?"

50 million won.

It was a lot of money, and it was not collected by the Sword King Fan Club. It was a single donation from a big spender with the ID Sword King 898.

Even if his loyalty toward the Sword King was exceptional, it wasn't something easily understandable.

"Actually, the person who made me curse at Sword King seemed more like a fan."

However, a single case was not enough to draw conclusions.

But the 10 billion figure, informed by Streamer Golden Light, crossed the line.

"Doesn't it seem strange to all of you?"

Even though he had disabled in-game chat, Seong Jihan could still communicate with his viewers.

"I thought 50 million won was plausible. After all, considering it's 'that' Sword King. Someone could have been generous enough to donate that much."

- Yeah, 50 million is possible...

- When Streamer Golden Light received the mission to kill Seong Jihan, they must've gathered several thousands, right?

- But that time, it was because the Sword King Fan Club flocked together. Isn't it different from a single person donating?

- I agree

"10 billion, on the other hand, is a different story. Specifically..."

Seong Jihan pointed to each player.

"It's 30 billion."

The chat exploded.

- 30 billion is over the line!

- Spend 30 billion just to troll Seong Jihan? Even its a Sword King's fan, isn't that crazy?

- Maybe a second-generation chaebol?

- Nah, all the chaebols have cut ties with the Sword King.

Previously, many chaebols claimed to be fans of Sword King.

However, after he moved to Japan, they all deleted their posts showing their association with him and withdrew their s.

They decided to distance themselves before getting caught in any controversies.

- So, who could it be?

- It's not Sword King, is it?

- It wasn't collected by a group; it was a single donation.

Not 50 million won, but 30 billion.

No matter how wealthy the Sword King's fan was, this amount was unfathomable.

"We can't simply see this as the act of the Sword King Fan Club. Rather, a much larger power is at play. A group with enough financial strength to invest 30 billion won for such a cause and a burning desire to view my status window..."

Hmm.

Seong Jihan pondered, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

"I wonder who it could be?"

A contender fitting the criteria Seong Jihan listed.

Both Seong Jihan and the viewers seemed to have one individual in mind.

- Uh... Could it be?

- Take-chan?????

-The Neo Self-Defense Force has a ton of money.

-Exactly! They're always asking him to open his DM and reveal his status window. It's suspicious!!!!

- No, it could be China.

- China? No way!

The chat was ablaze with debates.

Seong Jihan paused for a moment before making a declaration.

"I will change the condition I proposed."

- Condition?

- Is he talking about the status window revealing conditions?

- He's going to cancel the 1st place promise!

- Ah! Just reveal it! He's making a big deal out of it!

- He's not making a big deal, he's genuinely expensive(referring to his worth).

When the viewers were busy making their speculation that he would cancel his promise to maintain the 1st place for this opportunity...

"For the subscribers count..."

Contrary to their predictions, Seong Jihan stated,

"I'll change it to 1 million instead of 200,000."

He raised the number of subscribers he aimed for.