Surfing Champion and a Slave's Resolve
The preliminaries of the Plesto Surfing Tournament had ended, and the 15 finalists entered the arena.
"Alright! Now it's time for the finals! Introducing the 15 survivors who clawed their way through the brutal preliminaries."
The announcer called out each contestant's number and gave a brief introduction. Then it was Namgung Seojun's turn.
"Contestant number 332 is making his debut this year!"
Seojun raised his hand indifferently in acknowledgment, and the crowd erupted in cheers.
"This guy's a dark horse! He lasted a full five minutes in the preliminaries' fever time—a real powerhouse!"
"Whoa!"
The audience gasped at the announcer's words, and a few sharp-eyed bettors rushed to place their money on him even now.
Once all the finalists had been introduced, the announcer raised his hand.
"Get ready!"
As the contestants prepared, the announcer's hand dropped.
"Go!"
Waves began crashing into the arena.
Splash... splash...
"Woo!"
"Yeah!!"
"Win! Win!"
Amid the roaring crowd, the contestants started riding the waves. Namgung Seojun joined them with his usual impassive expression.
Song Kang shouted himself hoarse.
"332! 332! 332! Win! Win!!"
Like a man at the horse races clutching his betting slip, he watched intently, praying only for Seojun's victory.
As time passed, contestants began dropping one by one.
"Number 77, tough break."
"Number 238 is still pulling off some slick tricks."
"Number 298's showing off flashy surfing skills too."
"Number 130's out."
"Number 332 looks rock-solid stable."
"Number 411, eliminated!!"
"Number 487's in trouble—hanging by a thread! Out!"
Ten minutes into the match, the announcer bellowed.
"Time for the real showdown! Fever time!!"
The waves in the arena grew ferocious at his call.
"Yeah!!!"
The crowd's cheers swelled with the raging surf.
In the frenzy, more contestants wiped out.
"Number 238, eliminated!"
"Number 513 goes down in style—out!!"
Through it all, Namgung Seojun held on. He was one of the final three.
"Down to the last three! It's number 298 versus 332 versus 684."
Even massive waves couldn't topple them; the trio kept their balance.
Five more minutes ticked by.
"Ah...! Number 298, last year's runner-up, finally drops. Now it's 332 versus last year's champ, 684! Rookie versus champion!"
The two rode together, but 684 gradually closed in on Seojun.
"Number 684 approaching 332—is he trying to interfere?"
Seojun didn't yield an inch, so they ended up surfing nearly shoulder-to-shoulder.
Then a massive wave loomed.
'Let's see you handle this!'
684 bumped Seojun's board, but Seojun didn't budge, maintaining perfect balance.
"Whoa! 332 holds steady despite 684's interference!"
684 kept harassing him, but Seojun used his Super Sense to counter, slamming back against 684's board.
Thwack!
The boards collided with a sharp crack.
"The two clash hard!"
The impact unbalanced 684, sending him tumbling. Seojun wobbled but recovered, riding on.
"684 wipes out! A new champion is born! Number 332 wins!!"
And so Namgung Seojun claimed victory in the surfing tournament.
"332! 332! 332!"
The crowd chanted the winner's number, and Song Kang cheered wildly with them.
"19 gold 40 silver."
Collecting his winnings at the betting stand, Song Kang's jaw dropped. A fortune he'd never dreamed of. Betting his entire savings on Namgung Seojun had been the best decision ever.
That evening, Song Kang asked around for the city's biggest tavern. Most pointed him to Fever Time. He headed there and found familiar faces already inside.
"Song Kang!"
Nine people sat at a table—slaves from Namgung Seojun's party. They'd agreed to meet at the city's top tavern on the first night of vacation and drink together.
"Cheers, everyone!"
Once all had gathered and glasses were filled, they toasted and chugged cool beer.
"Ahh!"
"That's the stuff!"
"Man, booze tastes best when you're free like this."
Without their master looming and no one holding them back, the liquor hit different.
As the drinks flowed, gossip naturally spilled out. Bashing higher-ups was practically tradition.
"Don't you hate looking at Lee Guho these days?"
"Inviter or not, he just sits around doing nothing every day..."
"Acts all high and mighty 'cause he's a mage."
"Li Zhangwei's a total asshole too."
"What? 'If you can't cut it, you're out'?"
"He was a 2nd Class Slave himself—acts like he doesn't get our desperation."
"Gisohee's always 'Seojun-nim this, Seojun-nim that.'"
"That bitch... such a nasty personality."
"Pinara's kinda weird too."
"Yeah, skilled but off."
"That Pharos guy with his creepy constant laughing."
"Lucky he doesn't mess with us... but still sucks."
"Right? Doesn't do much, but he's just weird."
"Dmitri's a crazy bitch too, right?"
"Swears like it's her job."
"The captain barking orders in casual speech all the time—annoying."
"The crew looks down on us as slaves... bugs me a bit."
To the slaves, everyone above them was scum. But one person escaped the trash talk.
"Namgung Seojun-nim, though..."
"Yeah... he's the master..."
"I mean... let's just be grateful for the master."
"Dude's incredible. Scary to even gossip about."
"Giving us a shot makes him our benefactor."
Even the slaves saw Seojun as extraordinary.
As they got buzzed, talk turned to the next spot.
"Time for round two?"
"Guys and girls split up."
"We'll hit a spot with girls."
"Yeah! You dicks go ahead—we girls are doing our own thing."
"Us too, a bar without guys."
Men and women split off, and Song Kang joined the guys heading to the red-light district. Everyone had a great time.
The festival's final day doubled as vacation's end. Song Kang checked his pouch.
"12 gold 90 silver."
He'd spent freely during the fest, but plenty remained. Staring at the coins, he pondered.
"What to do with this?"
A hefty sum—nearly half his 32-gold body price.
After agonizing, Song Kang decided: invest in raising his own value.
First stop: the shopping district.
"What can I get you, sir?"
At a temple-certified shop with good deals, Song Kang requested his planned item.
"Show me Rare-grade daggers."
"Right away. Let me show you our selection."
The merchant led him to a display of about 100 daggers, 70 Rare-grade. Song Kang inspected them carefully and picked one.
"How much for this?"
"Excellent choice! A versatile dagger enchanted with Sharpness—for just 7 gold."
After some haggling, Song Kang paid 6 gold 50 silver and bought it.
Next: the temple.
"Welcome."
The priest greeted him, then noticed his 2nd Class Slave status and gave a pitying look.
"A 2nd Class Slave, huh. We can't really help you, though..."
"Not that kind of help. I want to buy a skill."
A 2nd Class Slave buying skills solo was extremely rare. The priest double-checked.
"You have the money?"
Song Kang flashed six gold coins. The priest found it odd—a slave with cash, spending it on skills?—and pressed on.
"Well... mind if I overstep? Save it to buy your freedom instead. Our temple takes deposits from slaves too. Wouldn't gathering your body price be better?"
Song Kang firmly stated his resolve.
"I'd rather be a better porter than buy freedom now. This is an investment in myself."
The priest didn't get it but proceeded.
"Skill books are usually Merit Points, but for 2nd Class Slaves like you, we sell for gold. Normal-grade only, though."
Song Kang nodded and named his pick.
"Taming skill, please."
Skill: Taming
Grade: Normal | Mana Cost: 0
Attempts to tame any kind of animal or monster. Impossible if the target's level is too far above yours. Great for porters taming donkeys, horses, and other pack beasts.
"Normal-grade Taming is 5 gold."
Song Kang paid and acquired the skill.
The next day, festival and vacation over, Namgung Seojun waited on the ship for his party and crew.
"No trouble?"
"Welcome back."
He greeted them while checking statuses with God's Eye. Song Kang's window surprised him.
What? New skill? And a Rare-grade weapon added.
Keeping a straight face, he asked.
"Good to see you back safe, Song Kang. New dagger?"
Song Kang grinned.
"Sharp eyes as always. Got myself a new one. And a skill too."
Seojun beamed proudly.
"Impressive. Where'd the money come from?"
Song Kang admitted betting big on Seojun's surfing win, earning a cough.
"Ahem... you saw that, huh."
Curious, Seojun probed.
"With that much cash, why skills and gear? Wouldn't saving for your freedom make more sense?"
Song Kang replied with conviction.
"I trust Master. Serve loyally, do my role—freedom will come. So I'm investing in myself for that day."
Seojun smiled, rewarding the faith.
"Keep at it. Effort like that, fulfilling your role—I'll make it worth it."
Namgung Seojun and Song Kang shared satisfied looks.