Chapter 48

Thud!

The Hair, yanked out by the force, fell to the ground.

"This... this bastard...!"

He was already self-conscious about his hair because he was balding.

People often thought he was in his early 30s because of his hair, even though he was still in his mid-20s.

"Damn it! I'll kill you!"

"Wait...!"

"Bro, stop!"

Ignoring the security and his cousin's attempts to restrain him, Kim Insik charged at Seong Jihan like a bull.

He was a Level 50 Warrior.

Even though in the real world, players' powers are nerfed compared to in the game, at that level, he was essentially a superhuman.

Whoosh!

Kim Insik's fist, splitting the air, flew towards Seong Jihan's face.

A Level 50 attack is both fast and deadly.

His fist, toughened into stone-like hardness by the Stone Skin, was akin to a massive hammer.

Even another player of the same ranking wouldn't stand a chance against that attack, not to mention one with just a Bronze ranking.

'We're doomed!'

Kim Heesu's face paled.

She had only intended to threaten Jihan a little, but things escalated.

Especially with Kim Insik's Rank A strength, If Seong Jihan took a direct hit, his head might explode...

'Its okay if he loses a leg or two but don't kill him...!'

As Kim Heesu was thinking this,

Swish!

Kim Insik's charging fist began to slow down.

"Ugh, wh-what?"

Kim Insik's body wasn't responding as it should, as if stuck in a swamp.

He had entered the Absolute Domain controlled by Seong Jihan's Force.

The pressing force from all around him was too much for even the Silver League player Kim Insik to handle.

As his slowed fist moved forward, Seong Jihan threw a punch of his own.

"Heh...!"

Crack!

A horrifying sound came from Kim Insik's fist, and the stone-like skin showed cracks.

It was the effect of the 'Stone Skin' breaking.

"This... this can't be...!!" He couldn't believe it.

The opponent was Bronze.

Even though the opponent had been rumoured to be a strong player lately, there was a 20-level difference between them. Even using telekinesis, the basic stat difference was enormous...!

However, the reality was the opposite.

"Are Silver players supposed to be this weak?"

"Damn you...!"

Kim Insik was enraged.

How could he be humiliated by a Bronze player?

He should've felt that there was something wrong when he saw his skill get shattered so easily, but his anger clouded his judgement.

"Die!"

Whip!

Kim Insik attempted a surprise low kick at Seong Jihan. However, he had already entered the domain of Seong Jihan's force.

Though he tried to land a powerful low kick, his leg moved sluggishly.

"You're just asking for a beating."

Seong Jihan countered with a low kick of his own to Kim Insik's leg.

Snap!

The 'Stone Skin' on the leg shattered, and the sound of breaking bone echoed.

"Gah...!"

Unlike in the BattleNet game, the direct pain was unbearable, even for a Silver League player like Kim Insik.

He rolled on the ground, screaming in pain.

"It hurts!"

It hurt way too much.

For a Level 50 Warrior, a tank in his party, it was out of character for Kim Insik to have tears in his eyes.

"This... this is cheating! Cheating! How can a Bronze...?"

'How weak.'

Just from a broken bone, a Level 50 Warrior was whining like this.

Seong Jihan clapped his hands and then clenched his fists.

Thud!

"Ah, ah! My... my eyes!"

Feeling sudden pain near his eyes, Kim Insik instinctively covered them, fearing that the monster might pluck them out.

But it wasn't his eyes that were plucked. It was his eyebrows.

In between his trembling fingers, tufts of eyebrows fell.

"Ugh... ugh..."

Kim Insik, still covering his eyes, shivered uncontrollably.

He had lost all his earlier bravado.

"You!! Have you lost your mind?!"

Kim Heesu, who had been watching from a distance, hurriedly rushed over.

"How can you hurt someone like this? I'll sue you for assault!"

"Sue? I've just defended myself from his punches."

'Is this called self-defence?'

Kim Heesu gritted her teeth.

"You started by pulling out his hair!"

"Then go ahead and sue me for that."

"...Do you even know who you're dealing with? You're messing with the Korea Daily family!"

"Korea Daily?"

"Yes! You should know your place, you ignorant commoner..." Kim Heesu's face turned red with anger as she shouted.

Kim Insik, her cousin, was from the Korea Daily family, even if he was from a side branch. He is not someone who should be treated so poorly by a mere commoner.

"Uncle!!"

Yoon Seah, who had come out of the Gift Hall, quickly approached Jihan.

She had no idea why this had happened, but she felt the need to mediate.

Kim Heesu shouted at her, "Yoon Seah, this is all because of you!"

"Because of me?"

"I offered to do the interview for you! You should've just accepted it! Why did you bring my brother into this mess?!"

"I said I wouldn't do the interview."

"Shut up! It's for me to decide that! How dare an orphan... Ahhh!"

Suddenly, a chunk of Kim Heesu's hair was plucked out.

Unlike with Kim Insik, the centre of her head was bald, reminiscent of alopecia.

She teared up from the pain and glared at Seong Jihan.

"Quiet!"

"You... you're insane! How dare you touch me!"

"Do you want to go bald?"

"You... I'll bury you for sure! Do you still think you still are a part of the Sword King family? Ignorant fools!"

Yoon Seah's expression stiffened after hearing Kim Heesu's threat.

The Korea Daily, one of the top three newspapers in Korea.

Kim Heesu's family was connected to various conglomerates, and if they decided to retaliate, it would be hard to fight them.

Moreover, as Kim Heesu said, Yoon Seah and Seong Jihan were no longer part of the 'Sword King family'.

Without their powerful backing in Korea, they were vulnerable.

'We should apologise...' Yoon Seah bit her lip.

Today really was her worst birthday.

Seah bit her lip.

She was already distressed for having received an F-rank Gift and now had to apologise to Heesu, who had stopped acting as her friend and was shouting in a depreciating way.

But when she tried to step forward...

'...Huh?'

Her body stiffened and wouldn't move.

"It's okay."

Seong Jihan used Frce to push Yoon Seah back and stepped forward.

Kim Heesu, with her fierce eyes, glared at Seong Jihan.

"Try it."

"You really think I can't do it?"

"Yeah. Go ahead. I can just leave Korea with Seah, that'll be the end of it."

"What?!"

Seong Jihan tapped Kim Insik, who was lying on the ground.

"I'm a Bronze player who can take down a Silver player in one blow. There must be countries eager for someone like me. These days, scouts from Japan are pestering me daily. Lately, I've even been getting offers from the US and China."

"...You."

"I will leave the country saying the Korea Daily was messing with me and harassing me. Seeing how people react after hearing the world's most promising talent left the country due to media tyranny would be fun."

"Who said you're the world's most promising talent?!"

"Obviously, me." Seong Jihan spoke without changing his expression.

He was outrageously shameless, but witnessing this made Kim Heesu's heart drop.

'I wouldn't blink an eye at most people... but this bastard isn't just a promising player.'

Seong Jihan's performance in the Bronze League was insane.

And right now, in front of her eyes, he had effortlessly neutralised a Level 50 Silver Rank Warrior.

At this rate, isn't he truly one of the world's promising players?

At least among the world's Bronzes, he should be counted in the top ten.

'Plus... he has a lot of BattleTube subscribers too...'

If he were to announce on his channel that he's leaving the country due to Korea Daily, and then excel as a player in the US, Korea Daily would only get unnecessary criticism due to Kim Heesu's actions.

The country was already at risk of falling to the bottom of the East Asian League after the Sword King left, so they desperately needed an outstanding player.

She could face much greater backlash than she had anticipated. Considering this, her boiling rage cooled a bit.

"...If you apologise to us here, I might let this slide."

Kim Heesu demanded an apology, trying to compromise as much as possible, but...

"You should be the one apologising."

"You want it to be this way?!"

"Of course."

Swish! Swish!

Seong Jihan made a swatting gesture with his hand.

"If you don't want to apologise, just take that guy and get out."

"Eek! Do you think I'll let this... KYAA!"

Thump!

Kim Heesu's left eyebrow was completely plucked out.

The security guard, who was watching from a distance, gaped. Jihan didn't care about who he was talking to.

'I... didn't do anything wrong, right?' Such thoughts went through his mind.

"If you scream again, then the right brow goes next."

"You... you... crazy bastard..."

"Hmm. Or should I pluck something else next?"

This guy would really do it. For now, they had to retreat.

As Seong Jihan added that remark, Kim Heesu shuddered and then signalled to the middle-aged reporter.

"What are you doing?! Help my brother up!"

"Yes, yes!"

"Ugh. Ugh... My leg is broken..."

"You acted so cocky... what the hell is this?!"

Kim Heesu, without meeting Seong Jihan's eyes, left with her cousin.

Yoon Seah, who had been released from her paralysis, blinked in confusion.

"...What on earth happened?"

Seong Jihan explained everything that happened here to Seah.

"That guy was trying to force himself onto me? And she tried to force an interview?"

"Yes."

"But Uncle... If you do that to someone from Korea Daily, won't that cause big trouble?"

"It's fine."

Even though Korea Daily was among the top three newspapers in Korea with immense societal influence, Seong Jihan seemed unconcerned.

"Uncle... Korea Daily family is very powerful. They don't just run the newspaper. They are also connected to various conglomerates through marriage."

"It doesn't matter. If they become too bothersome, We can just move to the US."

"Huh? When did you get an offer from the US?"

"I'm going to get one soon."

His reply was so nonchalant, it was almost absurd.

"Huh? So... there hasn't been any scouting offer yet?"

"Yeah. It's just a matter of time, right?"

"Ugh...Uncle! Aren't you worried?"

"Why should I be?"

"It's Korea Daily..."

Seong Jihan gently patted Yoon Seah's head.

"Seah, we're living in the era of BattleNet. The stature of a promising player is much higher than you think."

"Even so..."

"Moreover, after the tutorial season ends, the value of a player will rise even more."

Seong Jihan, who had experienced the future, was a witness to this fact.

In 2020, the stature of a BattleNet player felt akin to a combination of a professional athlete and an entertainer.

However, after the tutorial ended, the calibre of a player became directly linked to a country's national security.

Nations without outstanding players perished.

"So, don't worry too much."

"...Okay."

Seah stared at the confident Jihan.

'He can be this assertive because he has skills. How nice' Yoon Seah felt a deep envy towards her uncle.

Just moments ago, she considered bowing her head to Kim Heesu out of concern for the aftermath.

But Seong Jihan, with his unparalleled abilities, wasn't fazed by such an opponent.

Until she received her Gift, she had wanted to live a life filled with such confidence...

But having received an F-rank, that dream now seemed impossible.

"Uncle"

"Hmm?"

"I... I think I'm ruined. I should probably start preparing for college entrance exams."

"...Really?"

"Yeah. I should also drop out of the academy. Our internal grades aren't recognised anywhere, after all"

The BattleNet Academy, established for a specific purpose, had a completely different curriculum from regular high schools, so most universities didn't acknowledge its internal grades.

Thus, students who didn't receive a Gift and wanted to attend college often dropped out and took the General Education Development test instead.

"Seah."

"Yeah, Uncle?"

"Do you want to see my status window?"

Yoon Seah's brow slightly furrowed at those words.

She was utterly distressed about receiving an F-rank Gift! Instead of comforting her, he's suddenly offering to show his status window.

"...Alright." Still, her curiosity was insatiable.

"Don't be too shocked. I'll explain in detail at home."

Soon after, Yoon Seah gazed at the status window that Seong Jihan presented.

Her eyes widened.

"What...? Is this... even possible?"

[Notes: 'Sword King family' and 'Korea Daily family' are not actually families but they refer to those who are blood relatives of the Sword King or the Korea Daily's CEO.]