Chapter 51

Chapter 51

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Lee Hayeon, with her hair tightly tied back, was furiously typing away on her keyboard.

Her face looked more serious than ever.

Watching her from behind, Lim Gayeong was practically trembling with excitement.

And no wonder, because the screen illuminated by Lee Hayeon's monitor was none other than a betting site on BattleNet.

"As expected, these gamblers are quick."

"Are you finally admitting it's gambling?"

"Oh, let me correct myself. These analyzers sure are quick."

"...Haa. So, why do you think that, Miss?"

"Seong Jihan's odds for first place aren't as high as I expected. They're around 1.8 times."

Low odds mean that people have high expectations for Seong Jihan's chances of winning.

Even though the news of Seong Jihan joining the 'Top 100 Promotion Match' had only been out for a day, it seemed like the gamblers had already conducted thorough research on him.

"Is that considered low?"

"Yeah, if you rank by low odds, it's second place. Well, considering how skilled Seong Jihan is, it's not surprising."

"I see. He's never missed 1st place even once, after all."

"Yeah, and if I combine it with most kills for Seong Jihan..."

By adding most kills to Seong Jihan's bet, the odds increased to just over 3 times.

"At this rate, I can recover a significant portion of my lost capital."

"Even tripling your capital won't cover your losses?!"

"...Can you not ask for all the details?"

"Alright, I won't."

'How much money did this gambling addict lose?'

While inwardly sighing, Lim Gayeong decided to comply with her request.

Instead, she redirected the conversation.

"But who's the person with odds even lower than Seong Jihan?"

"The person with the lowest odds? Oh, here they are."

A player highly regarded as the potential winner of the Bronze League Top 100 Promotion Match.

When Lee Hayeon saw his name, she furrowed her brow.

"Barren Williams."

"Barren? He's participating in this promotion match?"

Barren Williams, a powerful mage who dominated New York Area 1, known for gathering only the strongest mages among the Bronze players in the United States.

"He recently revealed his Gift in an interview, right?"

"Yes. He bragged about having an SSS-ranked Gift, 'My Status Window x2.'"

Despite being a Bronze player, Barren's highlight videos were all over the internet.

Each scene was not only well-structured but also meticulously edited for maximum visual appeal.

"Wow, this guy's no joke."

In the videos, Barren appeared to be an overwhelming mage, turning everything into a sea of flames with a wave of his hand.

The ground would flip over, and lightning would strike down.

Warriors would burn to ashes before even reaching him, and Archers' arrows lost their power in mid-air.

"It's impossible to get close to him."

"Is it some kind of special power?... Maybe it's because of his Gift?"

"Yeah, that's definitely not magic."

"Yes. No matter how you think about it, it seems like there's no game balance in BattleNet."

"Gayeong, how can you say that?"

While watching the video, they didn't think that Barren's power was the same as Seong Jihan's telekinesis.

Barren seemed more like a mage blocking enemy approaches.

In any case, Lee Hayeon was deeply immersed in thought.

"Can Seong Jihan win against someone like Barren?"

"I don't know."

Lee Hayeon nervously bit her nails.

"What should I do... What should I do?!"

"Weren't you planning to bet on Seong Jihan?"

"Right. But my nail biting is a jinx. Maybe it's a sign not to bet on Seong Jihan and to bet on Barren instead?"

It was her own interpretation.

In the end, Lee Hayeon placed a substantial amount of money on Barren.

"I should bet on Jihan too, for business purposes."

"Meanwhile, the amount of money bet on Seong Jihan was less than 20% of the amount bet on Barren.

'This reminds me of Independence Day.'

Seeing this from behind, Lim Gayeong discreetly took out her phone.

'I...should bet on Seong Jihan.'

Even though Barren seemed stronger to her, Lim Gayeong believed in the visible difference - 'Lee Hayeon's jinx.'

* * * * *

"Barren is also in the Bronze League..."

Seong Jihan entered the BattleNet betting site, and his eyes widened when he saw Barren Williams' name.

Barren Williams, the world's number one ranked player.

He didn't know that Barren had started in 2020.

'I'll repay the debt from American first.'

Despite being a U.S. citizen on paper, Seong Jihan's nationality on BattleNet hadn't changed from Korean.

'That's why I didn't get nationality bonuses on BattleNet.'

As the tutorial ended, more content began to unlock in BattleNet, including many upgrade factors for players.

One of these was nationality bonuses.

As a result, players from powerful countries like the United States or China received nationality bonuses, making them even stronger.

Meanwhile, players from failed nations couldn't get any nationality bonuses.

The gap in stats gradually widened, and discrimination based on nationality became more severe.

'When I think about it, I reached 7th place without nationality bonuses in my previous life.'

It was miraculous that Seong Jihan, a player from a failed nation, had reached 7th place in the world rankings.

His exceptional skill had made it possible.

So, despite discriminating against Seong Jihan because he wasn't American, Barren found him useful as a hunting dog.

"Still, I'm grateful."

Seong Jihan smiled when he looked at the player with the lowest odds, Barren.

Thanks to Barren's participation in the Top 100 Promotion Match, Seong Jihan's odds had increased.

'I'll gladly take it all.'

Seong Jihan placed the money he had won by betting on the Korean-Japanese match on himself.

By including first place and most kills in the bet, the odds reached just over three times.

'If I succeed, my assets will exceed 10 billion.'

Since he had bet so much money, the return would also be substantial.

"Uncle, what are you doing?"

"I'm self-betting."

"Oh, on the Top 100 matches?"

"Yes."

"I'm certain I'll win first place, so I need to earn money now."

"Uh, what about Barren? He seems quite strong."

Yoon Seah cautiously pointed to Barren Williams, who Seong Jihan was watching on the screen.

"I heard he dominated New York Area 1 like no one else."

"Well, that's true. My 'My Status Window x2' Gift is a scam, after all."

"Yeah."

"But I'll win. He's a 'balcon', you know."

"'Balcon'?"

"You don't know 'balcon'? It means he controls with his feet."

"Well, I do know that." Yoon Seah tilted her head.

What she couldn't understand why her uncle was calling such a player 'balcon'?

"Uncle, if you're so sure...should I bet too?"

"You too?"

"Yes."

"No, I don't want to encourage my niece to gamble."

"How is it gambling when I know you're going to win?"

"No, gambling is gambling."

The feeling of putting money on the line, regardless of victory or defeat, the thrill of doubling or tripling the amount.

Seong Jihan was worried that Yoon Seah might get hooked on BattleNet betting, which was known for its addictive nature.

"It isn't that much convincing coming from you."

"Gambling isn't a good habit in the first place."

Sae-ah had a great Gift called 'Late Bloomer', so money won't be a problem for her when she ranks up.

Exposing her to gambling felt wrong for Seong Jihan.

"You've made the right decision. But, why are you wearing a school uniform?"

"Didn't you quit the academy?"

"Yes, I did. But, I still need to submit the withdrawal papers."

Students who received Gifts and awakened often dropped out of school.

It was common for them to quit and join a guild rather than attending school.

Even though Yoon Seah had been the Student Council President and an honor student, there was no need for her to continue attending the academy if she had made up her mind to live as a BattleNet player.

"So, today is your last day...Let's go then."

* * * * *

"E-Ek! You!"

Kim Heesu saw Yoon Seah coming out of school and exclaimed in shock.

She had gone through so much trouble to cover up her hair and eyebrows se lost on Yoon Seah's birthday.

She had tried her best to show a normal appearance, but the memories of the Seong Jihan mercilessly plucking had subjected her to were still fresh.

Seeing Yoon Seah acting so nonchalant now, her stomach turned.

"Hello. You did a good job drawing your eyebrows. And your hair...is that a wig? It looks better than before!"

"You! How dare you act so nonchalant? Do you have any idea what you guys did?! My brother's leg is completely broken. He needs a cast!"

"Well, then he should get one. But isn't it a bigger problem that a Silver Rank got beaten by Bronze Rank?"

"What?!"

"Or are you going to sue Uncle?"

Yoon Seah asked while looking at Kim Heesu.

"He's a player who made it to the Top 100 in Korea after four years, you know?"

Kim Heesu was momentarily taken aback by that statement.

A player who made it to the Top 100 after four years in Korea.

Even though he was in Bronze, the significance of being in the "Top 100″ was not something small.

Seong Jihan's face was already prominently displayed on the main screen of portal sites, and the media were rushing to cover this fact.

A promising BattleNet player from Korea who had emerged after a long absence since the Sword King!

Even if it were a reputable newspaper, they couldn't easily criticize Seong Jihan.

"...Do you really think we can't do it?"

Kim Heesu asked with effort, but her voice had taken on a pleading tone.

"Yeah. I think you can't."

Yoon Seah chuckled and got up from her seat.

"You... Where are you going?"

"To submit my withdrawal papers. I was going to wait for the teacher to come, but I don't want to sit there any longer. Who knows when hairs start flying around."

Yoon Seah pinched her own eyebrow with her fingers and then calmly left her seat.

Meanwhile, Kim Heesu was left trembling.

To be treated with such disdain by someone as lowly as a commoner.

She was seething with anger.

She looked at her friends who were watching this situation with interest and shouted, "Hey! Are you all just going to watch this?!"

"Why? Do you want us to join in? "

"Are we crazy? Of course, we'll just watch."

If Yoon Seah received her Gift well, what's it to you?

"These people..."

They used to belittle Yoon Seah from behind.

Kim Heesu gritted her teeth.

'That girl and her Gift...!'

The beginning of all these events was probably the attempt to monopolize the exclusive interview of Yoon Seah's Gift.

Kim Heesu recalled that day.

Suddenly, she thought of the CCTV in the Gift department.

'...Is there something I can find there?'

Kim Heesu stood up from her chair and left the classroom.