Chapter 39

Chapter 39

* * *

In a BBQ restaurant in Gangnam.

In a private room of the restaurant, Seong Jihan shook hands with a man.

"Nice to meet you again, Seong Jihan."

It was Diego Masied, whom he had befriended in the Defense Game.

Seong Jihan had long wanted to meet Diego, who possessed an SSS-grade Gift, but due to his busy schedule, they could only meet today, which was a public holiday.

'I originally planned to watch a Korea-Japan match with Seah.'

The meeting was only possible because Yoon Seah was attending an academy due to her Gift.

"Sorry I'm late today. Living expenses in Korea are high, and my soccer classes aren't enough to cover them, so I had to take on a part-time job."

"You were running soccer classes?"

"Yes. It's a place run by my sponsor, Mr. Cha. It used to have many students, but soccer's popularity has declined, so there aren't many students now."

"..."

Seong Jihan felt a pang of empathy.

'Diego Masied, once on the path to becoming a soccer legend... now teaches soccer in Korea.'

After BattleNet caused professional sports to disappear, Diego Masied was one of the most affected individuals.

He was on his way to becoming a legend in soccer, which was the world's most popular sport, being from one of the top clubs. But now, he had fallen to a point where he had to worry about daily living.

"I can't even remember the last time I had beef."

Tshh!

As soon as the ordered meat arrived, Masied immediately placed it on the grill.

He sneakily glanced at Seong Jihan.

"Can we drink alcohol?"

"Of course."

"Oh!"

As soon as he got permission, Masied shouted loudly,

"Ma'am! Soju and beer! Please!"

* * * * *

Whirl! Thud! Glug-glug!

With experienced hands, Diego Masied mixed soju and beer with a 1:2 ratio.

It was a mix preferred by genuine alcohol enthusiasts.

After preparing the drink with care, he offered it to Seong Jihan.

"Cheers?"

"Cheers."

Clink!

The only time Masied seemed truly happy was when drinking this mix.

He nostalgically looked at the empty glass, then started pouring again.

"Let's have another round."

"Sure."

"Speak comfortably. I find casual speech easier to understand than formal."

"Okay."

Cheers! Cheers! Cheers!

The two men drank straight shots without speaking.

With a slightly flushed face, Masied stared at the empty beer glass.

"So, how much do you know about me?"

"I know you were once considered a living legend."

"...Legend, huh? Feels like a long time ago."

With a distant look, Masied poured more alcohol.

Gulp! Gulp!

"Ma'am-! Two bottles of soju and four beers, please."

After that, Masied went silent.

Seong Jihan recalled the information he had researched before meeting him.

Diego Masied, rising as a living legend from a prestigious club in Spain.

The sudden appearance of BattleNet crushed him.

'FIFA disbanded in 2013.'

The International Soccer Association, FIFA.

Even that massive organization disbanded in less than three years after BattleNet arrived.

And it was one of the last professional sports organizations to do so.

With the dissolution of FIFA, professional sports worldwide ceased to exist, with only BattleNet remaining.

"Ah...!"

Diego Masied had already finished a bottle of soju and two bottles of beer from the additional order.

With a flushed face, he looked at Seong Jihan and said, "Alright, Seong Jihan. Let's get to the ball game."

"What ball game? Slow down with the drinking."

"Main. Topic. Korean is hard. Also, you're supposed to drink when alcohol is served."

Stuttering, Masied asked Seong Jihan, "Tell me. Why does my Gift... match with a Mage?"

With that, Masied started juggling a soccer ball with his feet.

Even while sitting in a drinking place, his skills with the ball were impeccable, as if the ball was an extension of his body.

Masied even entered the restaurant without letting the ball leave his feet.

* * * * *

"What's with him? Is he crazy?"

"Why bring a soccer ball here?"

Despite the glares from the people around, Masied never let the ball leave his feet.

Even if he was a legendary figure in soccer and missed his past glories, this obsessive behaviour seemed excessive.

But there was a reason for it.

'It's because of his Gift.'

The Gift named 'God of Soccer' that Masied publicly revealed for sponsorship had the following abilities:

[Gift - God of Soccer (Rank SSS)]

[While keeping a soccer ball at your feet, all abilities significantly increase.]

['Soccer ball-shaped' equipment's effect increases by 300%.]

[The longer you handle the 'soccer ball-shaped' equipment, the greater the increase in abilities.]

A Gift inseparable from a soccer ball.

Especially due to the last condition, Masied always had to live with a soccer ball.

Be it in the game or reality.

To continue benefiting from the increase in abilities from his Gift, he had to always have the soccer ball with him.

"My abilities... don't match with a Mage."

"Are you referring to your initial stats?"

"Yes. My strength, agility, and stamina were 10, but... my magical power was only 5."

In BattleNet, initial stats indicated the suitable profession for the player.

Considering Masied's superior physical abilities contrasted with his low magic stat, it was credible when he said he wasn't suited to be a Mage.

Hence, Masied had only considered adapting to the Warrior or Archer classes and hadn't even thought about choosing the Mage class with his low magic power.

"I lived as a Warrior for 3 years. I reached the silver rank but found it too inconvenient to fight while keeping the soccer ball with me. So, I gave up on that class."

Masied filled his glass again, looking somber.

"To give up, I downgraded to level 2. I kept dying, finishing last... and continued to fall... then I changed my class to Archer. But that too was tough. No matter how much my abilities improved, I couldn't break through the enemies with a soccer ball."

"Right. A ball is just a ball. Not suitable as a weapon."

"I even tried shooting arrows with the ball attached to my feet. It wasn't effective. I tried various methods. In the process, I got scammed multiple times. My wealth gradually disappeared. I slowly descended into misery."

Masied, seemingly lost in his thoughts, drank heavily without even touching the meat.

"My wife couldn't take it anymore and left me. She took our son and returned to Argentina. I gave most of my remaining wealth to her, promising to return successfully. I vowed to utilize my SSS-grade Gift properly. It's been 5 years since I made that promise..."

With drooping eyes and slurred speech, Masied's voice was filled with defeat.

Seong Jihan nodded slightly, empathizing with the depth of his sorrow.

'...But I know very well how brilliantly he will change in the future.'

Masied eventually finds his way.

He becomes a hero in Argentina and the best Mage.

'And since it's going to happen anyway.'

Seong Jihan felt the urge to help him escape from his pit of despair even a day sooner.

To make the outstanding Mage, Diego Masied, do his part sooner.

For the sake of Earth.

And for himself as well.

"Masied."

"..."

"Look at this."

Seong Jihan held up his smartphone.

I hope this provides a clearer understanding of the story. Let me know if you need further assistance!

The Battle Market page was displayed on the screen.

"What is this...?"

"This is the page after searching for 'Orbs'."

Orbs.

These are accessories resembling beads that are typically used by magicians.

They are usually inserted into an extra slot in a magician's wand to enhance their magical power.

"You're suggesting... using this like a soccer ball?"

Diego Masied, with his eyes glazed over from drinking, focused on the smartphone screen and let out a weak laugh.

"The 'soccer ball shape' that my Gift recognizes must be precisely the size of a soccer ball. Orbs are too small. I can't use them."

"Yes, the orbs available on Earth would be that size."

"Then why are you showing this to me...?"

"But what if we look at this?"

Seong Jihan changed the search term.

To 'Otherworldly Relic - Orbs'.

Different orbs, each of various sizes, appeared, unlike the ones previously seen on the Battle Market.

"What's this...?"

"Otherworldly Relics appear in the search results only when you specifically check for them."

Seong Jihan, who had utilized the Otherworldly Relics extensively, knew that these objects, true to their extraterrestrial origin, came in a variety of sizes. Some were as small as a fingernail, while others were unimaginably large.

"I didn't know such things existed. But the 'soccer ball shape' condition isn't just about the size."

"Yes. The material also has to be similar. And it should be suitable for use with feet."

"H-How did you know all this?"

'Now isn't the time to drink!'

"Hold on... wait!"

Slap!

Diego Masied quickly put his glass down and slapped himself in an attempt to sober up.

"Alright... continue."

Now ready to listen, Masied watched as Seong Jihan added another search term to the Battle Market.

"How about adding 'Arachne' to the search for Otherworldly Relics?"

Arachne.

This term refers to an extraterrestrial race resembling giant spiders.

With this term added, orbs used by the Arachne appeared on the Battle Market.

"This is...?"

"The Arachne race, spider-like in nature. Their orbs are wrapped in spider silk, resembling... a soccer ball."

Masied couldn't remove his gaze from the smartphone screen.

The Arachne orb, with white threads forming its outer layer and a red glow in its center, looked very similar to a soccer ball in shape and size.

"Moreover, the Arachne, being spider-like, naturally use these orbs with their feet."

"How did you... find this...?"

How could Seong Jihan possibly have discovered such an item? It was a natural question for Masied to ask. However, Seong Jihan already had an answer prepared.

"I came across it while I was searching for Relics."

"Now that you mention it... you have always used peculiar weapons."

Remembering, Seong Jihan had indeed used a variety of unique weapons, from regular knives and clubs to even those typically used by Orcs.

Masied then checked the price of the Arachne orbs.

Only three were available, starting from grade B, with the lowest price being 500,000 GP.

"Hmm. 500,000 GP..."

Masied gulped.

500,000 GP, equivalent to 500 million Korean won.

If he had discovered this ten years ago, the price might not have seemed so daunting. But now, living as a foreign worker, it was an unimaginable amount.

"Even if Otherworldly Relics are said to be cheap, given its B-grade, the price is quite steep."

"..."

"Masied, let's get to the point."

Tap! Tap!

Right in front of Masied, Seong Jihan added the Arachne orb worth 500 million won to the cart.

"I'll buy this for you."

"You will...?"

Just like that, offering to buy something worth 500 million won.

Gulp!

Masied swallowed hard again.

"What do you... want in return?"

"One year."

Seong Jihan held up his index finger.

"Sign a contract with me for just one year."