The Birth of a Hideous Masterpiece

'Hmm. Couldn't Paitos's angels look ugly like that?'

'Then what about Akisus?'

"What do you think?" the Count asked, turning to Cain this time.

Cain answered immediately. "It is absolutely beautiful! A masterpiece among masterpieces!"

"Really?"

"Yes!"

"Ah." Cain gasped in horror. Oh no...!

"Wrong!"

Count Besgo's face suddenly contorted into a hideous scowl, and he crumpled the drawing in his hand.

The paper was instantly pulverized!

"This is trash! Absolute trash!"

"A-Ah... N-No..."

Cain swallowed hard. Please tell me I won't end up like that drawing.

"Everyone around me is deceiving me! They're lying to me, telling me my paintings are good!"

"I-I'm so sorry!"

Oh dear, Tae-hyun clicked his tongue. You shouldn't admit defeat there!

Once you've committed to a lie, you have to stick to it to the bitter end, even if it means converting to Sadiq. Even if you actually end up converting to Sadiq.

'But the one who folds first loses.'

If it had been Tae-hyun, he would have denied it to his dying breath.

"You deceived me too, didn't you?!" Count Besgo glared at Tae-hyun, his eyes wide.

But Tae-hyun was on an entirely different level than Cain. He was a man who could spin a web of lies without batting an eye!

"I have spoken only the truth, Count. I am an honorable man who has never told a lie in his life."

Ever since meeting Count Besgo, Tae-hyun had found plenty of lucrative opportunities to level up his Speech skill. He hadn't exactly planned for this, but...

"...Is that true?"

"Yes. I am different from that two-faced liar over there." Tae-hyun pointed a finger at Cain.

Cain's blood boiled. Hey...! Aren't you supposed to be on my side?!

"Indeed. You possess an honorable and divine aura, unlike that villain over there."

"Hehe. You have keen eyes, Count."

"But objectively, my paintings are terrible. Not just paintings, but songs, sculptures—I'm terrible at all of them."

'It'd probably be better if you just went out and beat people up...' Tae-hyun thought to himself. No matter how he looked at it, why was a man clearly suited to be a Magic Swordsman trying so hard to be an artist?

"In your opinion, what do you think I should do?"

"Maybe just give up on painting?" Cain chimed in thoughtlessly from the side.

Instantly, Count Besgo swung his hand. Even though it was a bare-handed swing, a sharp sonic boom split the wall right next to Cain.

Cain trembled, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠quickly changing his tune. "...Then again, maybe you should keep painting...!"

"Hmm." Tae-hyun pondered.

'Should I just tell him he has no talent?'

Cain had low reputation and low Speech, but Tae-hyun had enough reputation and Speech that even if he co-signed an NPC's loan, ran away, and came back to apologize, he could make up with them with a good excuse.

If he said, "You have no talent for painting," Count Besgo might burst into tears, but at least this annoying situation would end. Then Tae-hyun could get a small reward, enter the city, and look for the Archisus Temple again.

But this was also an opportunity. It wasn't an opportunity Tae-hyun had actively sought out, but it was still a chance to deal with a high-ranking noble NPC!

"How about... changing your perspective?"

"?"

"Right now, you are only trying to paint cool and grand heroes."

"Indeed."

"But what if that path doesn't align with your talent?"

"???"

Count Besgo looked utterly bewildered. What on earth was this adventurer talking about?

"Some people have a talent for swordsmanship, some for magic, and some for becoming bombs."

"Wait. That last one sounds a bit strange..."

"Your talent might not lie in painting those heroes, but in painting much more vulgar and ugly bastards!"

"!!"

It was absolute nonsense, but Count Besgo was intrigued. Wait... that actually makes sense?

People are naturally inclined to believe what they want to hear.

Count Besgo slapped his knee and cried out, "Yes! Come to think of it, I did feel like I painted much better when I was drawing that villain. Look at this part. This is the drawing of that villain."

"It is truly wicked and disgusting."

Count Besgo beamed with pride at Tae-hyun's praise. The drawing of Cain looked like a mix of a Demon Realm Hellhound and a Demon Duke. The epitome of all the world's ugliness!

"Heh... really... do I have this kind of talent...?"

"Yes, Count. You have a talent for painting like a dog... I mean, painting wicked beings."

"But I can't only paint wicked beings. I have my honor to consider."

"Then paint those who aren't evil, but just look hideous."

"Do such beings exist?"

"There are plenty of them in this world. I shall introduce them to you."

Count Besgo wondered where these honorable yet fierce-looking people were.

'Hmm. I'd love to introduce my father, but he'd probably grab me by the collar immediately.'

A dutiful son! But Kim Tae-san was currently busy in Uruk hunting down the remnants of the Idergo Plague Cult. Plus, several guilds were slowly trying to advance into the Uruk region...

"First, there are the Archisus angels."

"Archisus angels?"

"What I said earlier wasn't a groundless rumor, Count. Trust me. The Archisus angels... really look like that!"

"No way...?!"

Count Besgo was shocked. Could such hideous beings really exist in this world?

"Try drawing them as I describe. Come on."

"Y-Yes. Let's give it a try."

"First, they have three heads."

"..."

"And six arms."

"..."

"They breathe fire from their mouths and throw lightning..."

"Are you sure that's an angel????"

A collaboration between someone who had never painted and someone who couldn't paint!

'My Beginner Art skill. Count Besgo's Intermediate Art skill. Combined, we must create the effect of an Advanced Art skill.'

In the first place, was Count Besgo's Art skill even Intermediate?

But the skill had already been activated. Tae-hyun did his best to describe the Archisus angel, using Tactics to guide Count Besgo.

"Count! Raise your arm! Not there! Higher!"

"H-Here? Here?"

"Yes! It feels like we're lacking some color here. Do you have any gems?"

"I have some here..."

"Let's use them generously! Here, I'll hold onto these for you!"

Cain, who was watching quietly from the corner, was amazed.

'He's pocketing the gems in the middle of this! What a madman!'

The gems of the Erangs Kingdom were famous for their quality and beauty, especially the ones Count Besgo possessed. But still...

The league schedule was over. The first season of the Arena League was a massive hit, breaking dozens of records.

It completely shattered the doubts of those who wondered, 'Will this go well?'

And the league created dozens of stars. Even in weak teams, strong players stood out.

Fans of various teams were already campaigning: "General Manager, please sign Player A," "President, please bring in Player B."

The one whose name was mentioned the most was, of course, Tae-hyun!

Some teams' fans even started campaigns like "Fundraising to recruit Kim Tae-hyun."

However, very few fans seriously believed they could recruit Tae-hyun. Why? Because realistically, it seemed utterly impossible!

In the first division where prominent, massive global gaming organizations competed, a tiny team with zero backing took first place all on their own. It was too absurd to believe.

Even when their first-place finish was confirmed, tens of thousands of articles were published, but people still found it hard to believe.

It was a fact that those in the know already knew, but hearing it again was still shocking!

Confirming that Team KL would never fail, fans of other teams anxiously worried about Tae-hyun.

Kim Tae-hyun...! Don't suffer like that! Just live comfortably as a player! Please, let your team get acquired!

'Am I being scammed?'

Sabet, a coach looking for a new job, sat with a dazed ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠expression.

He was the coach who got fired after the incident at Beijing Fighters and his clash with the front office.

Afterward, a whistleblower exposed the internal issues at Beijing Fighters, and their performance plummeted, leading to a re-evaluation of Sabet.

But that was that, and finding a new job wasn't easy. Gaming organizations wanted a coach who didn't cause noise, not one with "baggage."

Still, he had interviewed with a few teams, and Yuseong Gaming was showing a fairly positive response.

Sabet was holding back his excitement, thinking, 'Oh? Is this actually happening?' If he got his hopes up and failed, it would be devastating.

"Let's meet in Pan-On..."

Out of nowhere, he received a message. It was a polite proposal asking if he wanted to meet and talk inside Pan-On.

It was an absurd proposal that didn't even reveal the sender's identity, but the person who delivered the message was so famous in the industry that it couldn't be a joke.

'Could it be that Yuseong Gaming rejected me, but they felt too bad to just send a notification, so they called me like this?'

It was possible. The recruiters at Yuseong Gaming had seemed confident, but maybe the higher-ups ultimately...

"Thank you for coming despite such a rude proposal."

"?????"

Sabet was shocked. The person who appeared before him was Kim Tae-hyun.