A Ring of Absolute Fortune

It was funny to feel this way after winning, but Cain couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt over what they had done. In a situation like this, people like Tae-hyun and Lee Se-yeon, who could casually look away and pretend nothing happened, were truly amazing! Ordinary people(?) like Cain and Kim Chul-soo simply couldn't shake off their guilt. Besides, maybe it was just his imagination, but the glares directed at Cain felt particularly savage...

The commentators trailed off, letting out awkward chuckles. Naturally, they favored their own. On top of that, most of the fans sitting in the studio audience were supporters of the Korean team. The venue was filled with nothing but people rejoicing over this victory.

Listening to the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠commentators, Tae-hyun remarked, "Isn't it a bit ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠embarrassing to say stuff like that when we won the match five to four?"

"That's the commentator's job," Se-yeon replied.

Once Team Korea's overwhelming match concluded, the next round began. Soon, the next team to advance to the semifinals was decided.

It was the Canadian national team.

Lee Dong-pal, the CEO of SI Entertainment, was humming a tune as he scrolled through internet articles.

"I knew I had an eye for talent. Of course, of course." Lee Dong-pal nodded, looking thoroughly drunk on his own genius. Seeing Tae-hyun's name dominate the esports section of every news outlet lately put him in an incredibly good mood. His decision to hold off on rushing Tae-hyun onto broadcasts and instead wait for the tournament had paid off perfectly. There was no need to force a push or desperately try to get his name out there. When someone had real talent, they were bound to rise to the top like this.

His performance in the Pan-On tournament? The vast majority of fans agreed that there was no player as dominant as Tae-hyun. Even fans of the teams that had lost to Team Korea, like Team Blue, readily admitted it. His on-camera presence? While other players froze under the pressure of being on a live broadcast, Tae-hyun naturally led the conversation alongside Lee Se-yeon. On top of that, his looks—which Dong-pal hadn't expected much from—were a massive hit! At first, Dong-pal had barely recognized him. There were some people who looked incredibly striking with just a touch of light makeup, while others showed barely any difference even with heavy styling. Tae-hyun was undeniably the former. In any case, Tae-hyun had been showing a near-flawless performance so far.

Now was the time to drive the wedge home. Strike while the iron is hot, as they say. While he was naturally the center of attention, it was the perfect moment to get him on television and make his face familiar to the public. Already, PDs he knew were subtly reaching out to him. Considering that other pro gamers usually had to have their agencies pitch them to get on broadcasts, this was truly remarkable! It proved that everyone recognized Tae-hyun as the hottest topic of the moment.

What would be best? What would be best... Lee Dong-pal pondered carefully. The more offers that poured in, the more selective he had to be.

Law of Survival... No, it's too early for that, isn't it?

Law of Survival was one of the most popular network television shows. It was a program where celebrities went to a deserted island and had to survive solely on their own capabilities. Since it was broadcast on KBC rather than SBC, he wouldn't have to worry as much about the MBS director's reaction, and it was highly coveted because it was a great stepping stone for rising stars. However, Lee Dong-pal decided to put it on the back burner.

With the tournament in full swing, doing something so physically exhausting is risky. It seems the PD didn't expect him to do it right away either, since they suggested meeting up to talk after the tournament is over.

There was no rush anyway.

The next one... From Start to Finish. This is pretty good too.

From Start to Finish was an SBC program. The concept was simple: the guests were absolutely not allowed to leave until they cleared a game from start to finish! The show's popularity stemmed from watching guests challenge incredibly difficult games and slowly descend into despair. Although SBC had lost the gaming broadcast war to MBS, From Start to Finish was a highly profitable, core program that had survived the competition and maintained steady popularity.

Kim Tae-hyun would be perfect for this. The gaming concept fits him perfectly. And since they mentioned wanting Se-yeon to appear as well, it might be great to send them both together.

The last option he was considering was MBS's Weekly Live. It was one of the flagship programs of MBS, the traditional powerhouse of gaming broadcasts. The show invited trending figures for in-depth interviews and Q&A sessions. Many viewers tuned in because it offered a rare chance to see pro gamers in real life. Of course, it wasn't strictly limited to gamers; because of MBS's nature, gamers appeared frequently, but anyone who was currently a hot topic could be invited.

After much deliberation, Lee Dong-pal made his decision.

Let's do Weekly Live first, and then From Start to Finish. MBS was the one who introduced him, and the tournament is currently being hosted by MBS, so we should show them some respect.

Deciding to worry about Law of Survival later, Lee Dong-pal selected the two programs they could do right away.

"Fufu. I should call him personally. I wonder if he'll shed tears of gratitude?"

Instead of having a manager contact him, the CEO himself was calling. Tae-hyun would surely be deeply moved!

"..."

Lee Dong-pal did not panic. He calmly called Lee Se-yeon instead.

Tae-hyun isn't picking up his phone. Do you know what's going on?

"Alright. This should do it."

Completely unaware of what was happening in the outside world, Tae-hyun was putting the finishing touches on his work. Cain and Kim Chul-soo had suggested having a celebratory dinner to mark their victory, but Tae-hyun had been resolute.

"We can just have our celebration inside the game."

Of course, Cain couldn't accept Tae-hyun's logic. He had thrown a fit, shouting things like, "Reality exists outside the game!", "If you don't come, what are we even supposed to talk about?", and "Just sit with us so I can get closer to the others!" But Tae-hyun paid him no mind and logged right back in.

All to complete his artifact!

It's my first attempt, so spending too much time on it wouldn't be ideal. I wanted to finish it before the next match anyway...

"Done."

Tae-hyun stopped his hammer, which had been tapping against the ring.

Tae-hyun's eyes flashed.

The basic stats of the item itself were incredibly mediocre. For Tae-hyun, wearing it would be completely pointless! Considering the time and materials he had invested, it was practically a failure.

However, the exact option he had been aiming for had appeared.

Wearer is completely unaffected by bad luck penalties!

I was prepared for just a reduction in bad luck penalties or maybe a luck buff.

But this option was far superior. With this, Evangeline would undoubtedly lose her mind trying to get her hands on it. He could use this to pry back the ring she had taken from him, and even exploit her for extra labor!

"Kwahahaha! Evangeline! Just you wait!"

"..."

Hearing Tae-hyun's maniacal laughter, Lee Da-bi, Chairman Yoo, and the members of the Power Warrior Guild exchanged startled glances.

"Looks like whatever he was making is finished."

"It really seems like he's planning to give it to that Evangeline person..."

The Power Warrior guild members trailed off, casting cautious glances at Lee Da-bi.

Noticing their behavior, Lee Da-bi asked, "Why are you all walking on eggshells around me?"

"W-Well, that's..."

"What? What is it? Hmm?"

"It's nothing!"

The Power Warrior guild members quickly blurted out their denials and turned to flee. They had felt an inexplicable, chilling terror radiating from Lee Da-bi, who was usually so kind and generous. And if there was one thing the Power Warrior guild members excelled at, it was running away!

As her guild members scattered, Lee Da-bi scowled.

"Why did you scare your guild members away?" Chairman Yoo asked. "We still need to discuss the cornering of the market."

"I didn't scare them away," Lee Da-bi replied.

There was a sharp edge to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠her voice that she couldn't hide, no matter how hard she tried.

Sensing this, Chairman Yoo shook his head. "From where I'm standing, that is definitely not the case..."

To Chairman Yoo, there was absolutely no way that ring was meant for a romantic confession. What kind of guy would make a confession with such a diabolical expression on his face?

The problem was that once someone like Lee Da-bi got an idea stuck in her head, rational judgment went completely out the window.

In this world, the one who cares more is always the one who loses out. What does she even see in a guy like him...

Sighing inwardly, Chairman Yoo spoke up. "Tsk. Fine. Dealing with this kind of stuff always falls on the elders. I'll go ask him myself."

"Pardon?"

Click—

"What on earth are you crafting so intently?" Chairman Yoo asked as he walked in.

"Oh. You're here, Elder? Da-bi, you came ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠too?" Tae-hyun waved as he spotted them.

But something felt off. Lee Da-bi seemed slightly awkward.

"Is there a problem? Did something go wrong with cornering the market?"

"Ah, no. It's nothing like that..."

Fearing the conversation would derail, Chairman Yoo quickly cut in. "So, what exactly are you making? Is it really okay to be crafting things like this with the tournament right around the corner? What about practice?"

"Elder, if you keep acting like this, people are going to mistake you for our head coach. Practice is pointless anyway because of Do Dong-su, and if I go anywhere else, Lee Se-yeon will just nag me. That's why I'm staying here. Besides, I'm leveling up my crafting skills..."

"So that's why you made this ring. If you don't mind, would you consider selling it to me?"

"It wouldn't suit you, Elder. If you want a ring for fishing, you'd be much better off wearing something else."

"But this is a unique item, isn't it?"

"Unique or not, it's meaningless if it doesn't fit your build. Besides, I already have a use for this."

"What are you going to use it for?"

"There's a player named Evangeline. I'm going to use it on her."

"Are you selling it to her for gold?"

"No."

In that instant, Lee Da-bi tensely held her breath. Could it be...?!

"I'm going to use it to pry away the ring she currently has, and then put her to work doing various chores for me. She's going to desperately need this ring, you see..."

"..."

Chairman Yoo stared at Tae-hyun, utterly speechless. I knew it!

Meanwhile, Lee Da-bi quietly turned around and walked out of the room.

Watching her leave, Tae-hyun tilted his head in confusion. "Don't you think Da-bi's been acting a bit strange lately?"

"Why don't you try using that brain of yours to figure it out, you punk?"