Chapter 206
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Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 206
Chapter Title: Fun Broadcast Filming
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"...Yes? Yes?!"
"What did you say?!"
The cast members all wore shocked expressions at Minguk's words. And it was only natural.
Minguk might not have known it, but Shin Ji-min was a promising hero prospect who had tacitly been slated for coaching by Han Da-mi.
No matter how rough Shin Ji-min's past life had been or how nasty her temper, Han Da-mi was a veteran among veterans—a current hero active in the Ranker clan, Pear Blossom Clan, who had battled Dark monsters on the brink of life and death for over a few years.
She could crush Shin Ji-min's abrasive personality with a single finger. If anything, when it came to foul tempers, Han Da-mi—who had rolled through nearly years of combat with Dark monsters—had the edge, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say so.
It wasn't just the cast that was stunned. Shin Ji-min, who had been standing quietly while mindful of the cameras, flinched in surprise, clearly caught off guard.
"Hero Shin Ji-min is a Dealer, right? And one who uses daggers at that?"
Han Da-mi glanced at Shin Ji-min and spoke up.
Minguk chuckled inwardly at how obviously Shin Ji-min's behavior gave her away. He could guess exactly what Han Da-mi's actions meant.
In any case, there was zero issue with dagger techniques or Dealer coaching.
They knew him as the Raid Leader who conquered Garai and a Healer hero, but there was one more fact acknowledged by all the heroes in Team GGW.
Minguk's dealing prowess with the Blade of Malice class was so outstanding that calling it "top-tier" felt like underselling it.
"I'm actually pretty damn good at dealing, too."
While his main character was a Healer, his favorite alt had been a dagger Rogue. Naturally, he was—no, had been—a powerhouse who ranked in the world top 100 even as a dagger Rogue.
"What do we do about this?"
The main writer’s words made the PD watching the shoot stiffen up.
The situation was unfolding in a way completely contrary to their intentions. No clue what was going through his head, but Han Minguk seemed to have zeroed in on Shin Ji-min hard.
"Is there something between Han Minguk and Shin Ji-min?"
"No way."
"Then why's he suddenly showing interest in her? Because she's a bad girl?"
"How should I know? Anyway, what are we gonna do? At this rate, Hero Han Minguk's gonna end up as Shin Ji-min's mentor."
"Uh, um... The cameras?"
"They're still rolling. But if we pair Hero Han Minguk with Shin Ji-min, I'm telling you—something's bound to go wrong."
As the program's main writer, she couldn't stomach seeing Han Minguk—noble beyond measure, practically Korea's national treasure—chatting with a thug like Shin Ji-min.
What's more, during the one-on-one coaching, the cast and heroes would meet sporadically to overcome each other's weaknesses.
That was the point of this coaching segment: showing how heroes with issues grew differently from the start. Meaning, for the sake of filming, Shin Ji-min and Han Minguk would have to stick together constantly.
"A broadcast mishap... For now, what's her deal with guys? Her past?"
"She's got one boyfriend right now who's pretty built... And before her Mana Awakening, she ran with a rough crowd. The worrying part is she got punished back in her thug days for messing around with a guy."
"Does Hero Han Minguk know about that?"
"We saw him check her profile... Not sure. Maybe he doesn't care since it's old news."
"...That's a big problem."
The PD smacked his lips. He'd pegged her as a loose cannon, but she was worse than imagined.
Even with broadcast cameras everywhere, Shin Ji-min's posture screamed nonchalance. And after hearing the main writer's story, her expressions toward Han Minguk felt anything but innocent.
Leave them alone, and she'd strip him bare in a heartbeat—that's how she looked.
"Wouldn't Hero Hong Ye-na, being a fellow Healer, be better suited for coaching?"
Sua, snapping out of her shock, asked Minguk again. So-dam and Ji-su were desperately trying to stop her from beside.
Minguk burst into inward laughter once more at the cast's antics. Their worries were so transparently obvious.
'If that was your concern, you should've picked quieter personalities.'
Besides, this exact scenario—the one freaking them out—was precisely what Minguk welcomed. Shin Ji-min throwing herself at him was exactly what he wanted.
'Her profile mentioned getting punished over a guy, right?'
She was man-crazy even as a civilian; as a hero now, it had to be worse. Sure, she had a boyfriend, but that didn't seem like a real issue. From the looks of it, it wasn't some future-planning relationship anyway.
Still, it seemed necessary to ease their anxieties right here.
Not just the cast—the production staff looked uneasy too. If things stayed like this, he might face constant interference during Shin Ji-min's coaching. And while at it, generating some footage wouldn't hurt.
"Alright, then let me show you my dagger skills."
"...Pardon?"
"If I'm gonna fix Hero Shin Ji-min's issues hands-on, I at least need to fight better than her, right?"
"How?"
So-dam asked, eyes wide.
"Hmm... To compare directly, maybe a light spar with Hero Shin Ji-min?"
Bullying newbies wasn't his hobby, but if needed, he'd play along. Bonus of showing everyone the pecking order.
"You wanna go a round with me?"
Shin Ji-min popped forward at Minguk's suggestion.
Han Da-mi, next to Minguk, scowled at Shin Ji-min's brazen move. She barely swallowed her harsh words since they were filming.
But Shin Ji-min ignored Han Da-mi completely.
Her one-track mind: if things soured with Han Da-mi, just avoid clashing with Pear Blossom Clan. Worst case, revert to scamming men like old times.
She was on the show to snag a hero license and join a clan for the big bucks.
That's why she spoke bluntly to Han Minguk—Vietnam's national hero and genius—without any filter.
"Stats gap's a bit wide, but you're a squishy Healer—sure you're okay? I fiddled with blades a bit before my Mana Awakening, y'know?"
"Uh, um..."
Minguk scratched his head at Shin Ji-min's slightly cocky tone.
Seeing her smug face, he figured it was time for a skill check. With a slight shrug, he moved.
Boom!
In the blink of an eye, a deafening crash echoed through the set. Shin Ji-min was crumpled against the wall in an unsightly heap, slammed into it by Minguk—who had closed in instantly, hoisted her up piggyback-style, and hurled her.
"Son of a—! Thought I'd go easy 'cause you're a guy!"
Predictably fiery, Shin Ji-min wasn't about to stay down. Especially since she'd eaten the first hit.
Blinded by rage, she charged Minguk. A woman's pride wouldn't let her take a beating from a man quietly.
If this aired, her friends would roast her for sure. But Minguk wasn't some average joe who’d just take it. He was damn familiar with scraps like this.
"You fucking—!"
Han Da-mi moved to intervene at Shin Ji-min's line-crossing. Minguk held out a hand to stop her and advanced on Shin Ji-min.
"Take this...!"
With a short yell, Shin Ji-min swung her fist.
"Blindly charging like a wild boar..."
Minguk sidestepped effortlessly and snapped out a quick jab.
A whoosh rang out as his fist grazed her ear—specifically, brushing her piercings. The speed was so insane she wouldn't have noticed without the sting.
Lightning-fast punches followed, disrupting her eyes and ears.
"Wha—what..."
Only then did Shin Ji-min snap to her senses.
He'd definitely pulled his punches. If those had landed proper? Considering he was a top hero, minimum blackout. If he'd used a weapon instead of fists? Horrifying to imagine.
Sensing her fear, Minguk raised both hands and addressed the others.
"As you can see, I'm way tougher than I look. Plenty qualified to coach Dealers, not just Healers."
"Top heroes live up to the hype. Combat skills are no joke. You're 7-star now, right?"
"Yeah. With help from the Imperial Guard Corps."
"Whoa... First time seeing a guy as strong as you, bro! Incredible!"
The set buzzed at Minguk's instant takedown of Shin Ji-min.
It was near-mishap territory, but good editing could spin it as fun chaos. And so, Han Minguk took over Shin Ji-min's coaching. With that skill gap, her bothering him seemed impossible.
Afterward, the real coaching footage shoot kicked off.
Minguk and Han Da-mi, as heroes, headed to the dungeon with drone cams. The civilian cast split off to meet their connections.
"We gotta film this ourselves...?"
Minguk muttered, eyeing the drone cam inside the dungeon.
Without Han Da-mi, no one on the crew had Mana Awakening, so they couldn't enter. All the program's gear was this drone. Kinda ridiculous.
"No biggie. Just coach by sharing your know-how. Throw in some monster fights, and they'll package it nicely."
Han Da-mi said. Having been there since the show's early days, she was a pro at this.
"That works? Well..."
"Obviously go all-in. Helping them earn licenses is the whole point of our show."
"Making proper heroes out of them, got it."
"Exactly. Bonus if they've got talent to join Pear Blossom Clan where I am. Truth is, that's why I do the show—scouting hidden gems."
"Ahh..."
Minguk nodded.
Solid talent, especially leadership potential, would massively boost a clan.
Lately, with Dark monsters stirring ominously, clans were scooping up heroes to bulk up. Minguk's TV stint was for Rose Shield promo too.
"Anyway, I'll coach around here. What about you, Hero Han Minguk?"
"Heading deeper, past the Named spot."
"That deep?"
Han Da-mi asked, face uneasy.
She knew Minguk was strong, but his partner was a female hero. A thug with zero qualms about hitting on men.
And Shin Ji-min looked shocked too.
She'd figured it'd be light monster pokes at the entrance, point out flaws, done.
"Yes."
But Minguk's reply was firm.
No special reason. Just get distance from Han Da-mi. Otherwise, nothing would happen. She had that vibe where even doable things wouldn't fly nearby.
Thus, Minguk led Shin Ji-min deeper into the dungeon.
Clearing a path was easy. A generic dungeon without even B-rank, its Named mobs were toys to Minguk, now a Blade of Malice main.