Chapter 64
[The guild is now open.]
On Seong Jihan's channel, which has now reached 650,000 subscribers, as the broadcast began, viewers flooded in.
- First!
- Is this a broadcast announcing Seong Jihan's transfer to the US? Neither the Korea Daily News nor the association guys have issued an apology.
- Didn't you see the title? It says it's a guild opening broadcast.
- Wow, he was offered a 300 billion won signing bonus and still didn't go, lol.
- If it was me, I would've already been in the U.S.
While the viewers felt relieved that despite the jaw-dropping financial offer, he chose to stay in Korea and establish a guild.
- He could have opened the guild in the US., lol.
- Turns out the broadcast location is New York~
- What if it's actually Tokyo?
- Just thinking about it gives me chills, lol.
Perhaps because of the sponsorship messages from Robert Gates and Takeda offering to assist with the guild's establishment, the viewers couldn't hide their unease. But that anxiety was short-lived.
"Hello, dear viewers."
Suddenly, a woman in a neat suit appeared, and the chatroom was ablaze. She was stunningly beautiful.
- Wow...
- Oh my god!!!!!! I'm dead!!!!!!
- Who is she? Is she perhaps a celebrity?
- Did I accidentally enter a female streamer's room?
- I prefer this, actually.
"I'm Lee Hayeon, the guild master of the Daegi Guild. Owner Seong Jihan appointed me personally."
- Guild master? Appointed by Seong Jihan?
- She's gorgeous...
- I'm so envious of Seong Jihan.
- I feel like I've heard the name Lee Hayeon before.
- I think I saw her in a special broadcast about the Divergent Guild, where she was introduced as a 3rd division goddess.
-Oh, I remember! lol. I even saved a screenshot.
The Divergent Guild, one of the top ten guilds in Korea, made headlines last year when they posted a video about their recruitment direction for the year. The reason? Lee Hayeon, who appeared briefly, was incredibly beautiful.
- What's going on?
- Is she possibly his girlfriend?
To the audience's questions, Lee Hayeon responded with a smile and a wave.
"I'm not his girlfriend~ The owner recognized my abilities and appointed me as the guild master."
- What abilities?
- If she was a division head before, isn't she a player?
- Seems like he chose her for her looks.
The questions were relentless. Some reactions seemed rude, but they were understandable. After all, Lee Hayeon becoming the guild master was a sudden revelation to the public.
"You'll understand my abilities once I explain the concept of our guild."
- Concept?
- Aren't guilds just guilds? They have a concept?
- Is it a troll-specialized guild? lol.
In response to the viewers' questions, Lee Hayeon promptly displayed a screen.
[List of Buffs for Daegi Guild Members]
- You receive a growth rate increase effect. The growth rate increases by 220%
.
- Experience gained increases by 30%.
What appeared on the screen was a capture of the guild buffs applied in the Daegi Guild.
"This is the guild buff received by a player who joined our guild yesterday."
- ...220%?
- And an additional 30% experience gain?!?!?!
- What is this? Does this even make any sense?
- He's definitely using some cheat codes!!!!!
The overwhelming buffs of a 220% growth rate and a 30% experience boost were unheard of in other guilds. Viewers were collectively astounded. Especially those in the BattleNet industry were completely baffled.
- Did he invest guild points in increasing the growth rate? But how did he achieve that figure?
- There's no provision for a 30% experience boost...
- The experience boost bought with GP is a maximum of 10%...
Everyone had their theories, but no one could fathom how such a buff value was attained.
"Are you all Curious about the source of that buff? While I can't disclose everything due to company secrets, my abilities play a part in it."
After addressing the curiosity about her skills, Lee Hayeon began to introduce the guild.
"Our Daegi Guild will only recruit a total of ten members, focusing on nurturing them. Starting with our owner, Seong Jihan..."
Lee Hayeon proceeded to introduce each guild member individually. Seong Jihan and Yoon Seah were introduced first, followed by Diego Masied and Lim Gayeong.
"And with me included, our Daegi Guild currently consists of five members."
- Just 5 members?
- The guild master doesn't seem to be a player. So, there's only one silver player and three bronze players, lol.
- If there were any other guild introducing these players, no one would watch. But there are already 60,000 viewers watching this, lol.
-The ripple effect is real, lol.
The broadcast became a hit primarily because of Seong Jihan, who had become the world's top prospect. Otherwise, a guild introduction video like this might not even get ten viewers. However, due to the shocking buffs revealed by Lee Hayeon, the public began to take an interest in the Daegi Guild itself.
- But the guild's concept is really unique.
- Those buffs are just unbelievable.
- Even if the growth rate isn't that useful, 220% means... you can gain a few more stats, right?
- Yeah, even if only 5 stats grow naturally, it's like getting 5 levels for free.
- But can they achieve that?
- Training to increase stats is so hard.
Amidst the ongoing debate among viewers about the growth rate, those who knew about the Divergent Guild raised another question.
- But why is Lim Gayeong there? Wasn't she the most promising prospect in the Divergent Guild?
- Exactly?
Lim Gayeong, possessing an S-class gift and touted as the most promising player in the Divergent Guild, seemed out of place in the Daegi Guild. Lee Hayeon, who was monitoring the chat, addressed this question as if she had been expecting it.
"Guild member Lim Gayeong is a player we've temporarily borrowed from the Divergent Guild for her training."
- Training? Borrowed?
- So, it's a nurturing guild?
- Oh... I think I get it now!
"Yes, that's right. Our Daegi Guild focuses primarily on nurturing the best players."
Soon after, Lee Hayeon disclosed the guild's point investment status.
[Expansion of Guild Members (1/10) - LV.1]
[Stat Increase (All stats +1) - LV.1]
[Growth Rate Increase (+110%) - LV.11]
"We don't accept just anyone into our guild. We only recruit the most promising players, aiming to mold them into 'large vessels', as our guild's name suggests."
- But if the stat increase is only at level 1, won't there be no growth?
- Lol, they need to win first for anything else to matter.
"Of course, I'm aware that the silver rank players do not benefit from the increased stat bonuses. However, considering the nature of our guild that I mentioned previously, what's your opinion regarding it?"
"We aim to be a guild for the most promising players who can prove their worth in the silver league and advance to gold."
The stat increase option was a feature present in every guild. Even if it didn't apply to bronze players, the all-stat + effect applied at 50% for silvers and 100% for golds, making it incredibly efficient. However, the Daegi Guild chose to invest all their points into the growth rate increase.
"And once their training is somewhat complete, we will send them back to their original guilds. Our goal is to assist in nurturing the best players through our buffs."
With confidence, Lee Hayeon pointed to the screen displaying the stats of the three introduced guild members: Diego Masied, Lim Gayeong, and Yoon Seah.
"We'll monitor the growth of our guild members' stats over a month. Please understand that our owner hasn't surpassed a million subscribers yet, so he can't publicly display his stats~!"
- Show it! Show it!
- I really want to see Seong Jihan's stat window.
- Jihan... I lost 500 million because of you... Please... show it...
"Ugh... I've also lost a lot of money... It wasn't just you guys."
- Lol, so the guild master also bet on Barren.
- Well, that's just fate (nodding emotes).
- Who could have known a Korean would beat the top player in the U.S.?
- Exactly, a person should be reasonably strong.
- Lol, I've been in sync with Seong Jihan since the promotion match!
When the chat started discussing the betting, Lee Hayeon smoothly shifted the topic.
"Alright, let's stop discussing our financial losses... and look forward to what's coming in a month. In the meantime, keep an eye on the growth of our guild members' stats."
After a few more explanations, the guild's PR session came to an end.
The news stirred up quite a buzz.
- So, Seong Jihan is currently in Korea, right?
└ Yes, but who knows how long. Since the guild was established without national support, they can move to another country anytime.
└ What's the administration director doing? Why hasn't he issued an apology?
└ My friend who works at the Administration Bureau says they tried to apologize but got completely ignored, lol.
└ Lol, they still don't grasp the situation.
- I subscribed to the guild channel because of Hayeon. Please broadcast often...
└ Me too, lol.
└ Are you ignoring Yoon Seah and Lim Gayeong?
└ Why are there only women in the guild?
└ Are you ignoring Masied now?
On community platforms, there was a mix of relief in confirming Seong Jihan's presence in Korea and a focus on Guild Master Lee Hayeon's beauty. The astonishing stats buff of the Daegi Guild took a backseat to discussions about Seong Jihan and Lee Hayeon. However, industry insiders of BattleNet paid considerable attention to these stats.
"Oh, owner!"
Not long after the broadcast ended, Lee Hayeon approached Seong Jihan with a surprised expression.
"The America First Guild contacted us through the official channel. They want to know the secret behind our growth rate! We also received an inquiry from the People's Association in China!"
"Hmm, from China too?"
"Yes. The America First is willing to pay 100 million GP."
100 million GP is equivalent to 100 billion won. Given this huge amount, it was probably suggested by Robert Gates.
'The secret behind the growth rate...'
The simple secret was having someone with the 'Nurturing' supporting gift as the guild master. They would have found out eventually. Accepting the 100 billion offer was tempting, but...
'They might try to poach Hayeon if they find out.'
America First was already willing to pay 100 billion just to know the method. If Hayeon's secret was revealed, there's no telling how much they'd offer her. Moreover, they couldn't afford to lose her at this stage, especially for her growth abilities.
"We cannot disclose the method for now, no matter how lucrative the offers."
"That's right! After all, this is the very identity of our Daegi Guild!"
Not knowing that her nurturing gift was doing all the work, Lee Hayeon admired Seong Jihan's decision. Despite a deal worth 100 billion on the table, he promptly refused, showing how much hope and ambition he had for the Daegi Guild.
"Then, I'll reject all their offers."
"Please do."
As Lee Hayeon left, Diego Masied approached Seong Jihan.
"Owner, this Daegi Guild is truly effective. It feels like I should have paid to join."
"Don't worry about money. As promised, you'll get your salary on time."
"Receiving such buffs and a salary..."
Masied scratched his cheek.
"I feel insignificant, unable to contribute as much. But this isn't the time for pride... I'm grateful."
"You're already helping plenty."
Seong Jihan recalled the system message he received earlier.
[You have recruited a guild member with an SSS-class gift.]
[You have cleared the guild achievement, 'Gathering the Stars (1)'.]
[You have been rewarded with 10,000 achievement points.]
Simply recruiting Masied gave them 10,000 achievement points.
[Your guild channel has surpassed 10,000 subscribers.]
[You have cleared the guild achievement, 'Gathering Subscribers (1)'.]
[You have been rewarded with 1,000 achievement points.]
Recruiting Masied was ten times more rewarding than hitting 10,000 subscribers.
'I should start using the achievement points.'
Since winning the 'Top 100' promotion match, the accumulated achievement points had been piling up. Seong Jihan decided to use them before the Silver League starts.
He opened the Achievement Store.