A Generous Offer and a Lazy Landlord
"Guild Master, you shouldn't say things like that in front of him. We barely managed to schedule this meeting," Jang Ssu-an's subordinate said anxiously. They were the ones in a tight spot right now.
"I know, I know. You don't need to worry."
Is it really okay not to worry? Jang Ssu-an's attitude was anything but reassuring. He wore his usual arrogant expression, practically begging for a fight!
Still, the subordinate felt a sense of relief. After the humiliating defeat at the tournament, everyone in the guild had been deeply worried about Jang Ssu-an.
He got humiliated so badly, is he going to quit the game?
What if he deletes his account...?
But Jang Ssu-an had bounced back instantly.
—To punish that cowardly, wicked Kim Tae-hyun, I must become stronger!
The equipment Jang Ssu-an was currently searching for was the Sword of the Black Wind. Since it was tied to his class quest, he had been searching for this weapon relentlessly. Hadn't he been tricked by Tae-hyun precisely because of this? If he could just find it, he would become incomparably stronger than he was now.
During his relentless search, a piece of information reached his ears: there was a player who possessed the Sword of the White Wind! After barely managing to get in touch, he had finally arranged this meeting.
"There he comes."
A well-equipped player was walking toward them from a distance. It was Gu Sung-wook. He was a member of the Black Rock Guild, and a man with painful memories of running ragged just to obtain a Gurendal's Blacksmith Pass from Tae-hyun. He had even mobilized his entire guild for it!
"He looks pretty strong."
"Black Rock is quite famous as an elite, small-scale guild. Their members are highly skilled. Guild Master, there's absolutely nothing to gain from picking a fight, so please watch your words..."
"Yeah, yeah, I get it. I don't know why you keep nagging me." Jang Ssu-an was genuinely baffled. Why does everyone always tell me to watch my mouth? Shouldn't other people be watching themselves around me?
"You asked to meet?"
Gu Sung-wook recognized Jang Ssu-an. It wasn't because he was a famous ranker. It was because he had left such a vivid impression during the tournament.
...Isn't that the guy who got scammed by Kim Tae-hyun?
In a way, they were fellow victims! Of course, he didn't voice this thought. That would be rude.
"Yes. I am the one who requested this meeting."
"...?"
Gu Sung-wook tilted his head. What was with this guy's terrible attitude right off the bat? Hadn't his side been the ones practically begging for a meeting?
"W-We are terribly sorry. Our Guild Master's way of speaking is always like this, so please understand..."
"...Forget it, let's get straight to the point. Why did you call me here?"
"That sword you're wearing. I called you here to ask how you obtained it."
"This sword? Why do you want to know? And why should I tell you?"
"Haha, no need to be so shy. I know meeting a ranker like me isn't an everyday occurrence, so it's natural to feel intimidated, but let's not drag this out. I'm a busy man."
"..."
Gu Sung-wook blinked. He wondered if he had actually heard correctly. But looking at the pale face of Jang Ssu-an's subordinate, it seemed his ears hadn't deceived him.
Ah, he's a lunatic.
Gu Sung-wook quickly reached a conclusion! In the past, he would have flared up instantly, challenged the guy to a duel, or simply walked away. But Gu Sung-wook had grown a lot. Kim Tae-hyun was like a natural disaster, and surviving such an ordeal had a way of forcing a person to mature.
Let's hear him out and see what nonsense he spouts. It might be useful information.
"This is an incredibly rare sword. I don't really feel like telling you for no good reason."
"Hmph, it's only natural to be curious about a ranker of my caliber. You must have wondered about me all the time... Fine. I shall be generous and enlighten you."
Squeeze!
Gu Sung-wook clenched his fists. The man was unbelievably obnoxious. Still, he's better than Kim Tae-hyun. He's definitely better than Kim Tae-hyun... Repeating that mantra made him feel much more at peace.
"I am currently searching for the Sword of the Black Wind. It is an equipment piece related to my class. While searching for it, I discovered that there is a sibling weapon called the Sword of the White Wind. And if I possess that sword, I can obtain the Sword of the Black Wind. Does that answer your question?"
"...!"
Gu Sung-wook was surprised. If what Jang Ssu-an said was true, then Jang Ssu-an's class was almost identical to his own. The only difference was likely the attribute.
"Now, since I have generously shared my circumstances, hurry up and tell me how you obtained the Sword of the White Wind."
"I went through hell to get this. You expect me to just hand over the information?"
"Instead of considering it an honor... Fine. Will gold suffice?"
"Hmm..."
Gu Sung-wook fell into thought. Normally, he would have said, "Screw off, you lunatic!" and walked away. There was no need to show consideration to such an arrogant bastard. But a much better idea crossed his mind.
"Fine. It's information I stumbled upon by chance anyway, so I'll sell it to you for some gold."
"You should have said so from the start."
After receiving a generous amount of gold from Jang Ssu-an, Gu Sung-wook smiled and spoke.
"The blacksmith NPC in Tyrum, Gurendal, knows how to craft the Sword of the White Wind."
"Oh...! Tyrum! No wonder I couldn't find any clues. I never imagined it would be in a backwater place like the Salz Kingdom."
Jang Ssu-an nodded in admiration. Tyrum City in the Salz Kingdom. It was such a barren, empty place that he hadn't even thought to suspect it.
"I must head there immediately."
"Yes, yes! Go right away!"
"...?"
Jang Ssu-an felt something was slightly off. It felt as though Gu Sung-wook was egging him on. Hmm, he must be a fan of mine, cheering me on.
"Very well. I shall be on my way. Thank you for your hard work in informing me."
Once Jang Ssu-an departed, Gu Sung-wook smirked. A guild member who had been watching from behind just in case deactivated their stealth and appeared. They had been on standby in case it was a trap!
"Why are you grinning like that?"
"I'm just so happy thinking about how that guy is going to get wrecked too..."
"...I completely understand!"
"Right? Right?"
When he went to Gurendal, the dwarf would surely say: "Haha! I already entrusted that blueprint to my most brilliant disciple, Kim Tae-hyun." He was dying to see the look on Jang Ssu-an's face when he heard those words.
Bwahaha! Go get a taste of your own medicine!
"Wait a minute. Come to think of it, don't we have that blueprint too?"
"We do."
It was the blueprint they had received after going through absolute hell for Tae-hyun.
"But if we told him that, he'd try to squeeze it out of our guild. No way. He needs to get it from Kim Tae-hyun too."
Go suffer like the rest of us!
Having wrapped up a major quest, Tae-hyun was out of his capsule for the first time in a while. Because he spent so much time focusing on Pan-On, he tended to handle all his real-world chores in a single go. Which meant today was...
"Hello, Mr. Kim Tae-hyun."
"Hello."
Tae-hyun bowed slightly toward the man entering the cafe. A Black man dressed in an impeccably tailored suit walked inside. His stylish appearance immediately drew the eyes of everyone in the cafe.
"Huh? Isn't that Kim Tae-hyun?"
"Yeah, I think it is...?"
Thanks to the commotion, a few people even recognized Tae-hyun's face.
"Here is my business card."
Tae-hyun accepted the card the man handed over.
Global Talent Acquisition & Esports Operations
"You mentioned you didn't need an interpreter, but are you sure you'll be alright?"
"I can understand everything, so you don't have to worry."
McKinley spoke in English, but Tae-hyun understood him perfectly without even needing to turn on a translator. Seeing this, McKinley gave him a big thumbs-up.
"Adapting to life over there won't be an issue for you at all."
"Adapting, huh..."
McKinley had come for one reason: to recruit Tae-hyun to the New York Lions. Normally, they would have met at the team's Korean branch office, but Tae-hyun had said, "It's a hassle, so could you just come to the cafe in front of my house?" and so McKinley had traveled all this way!
Under normal circumstances, a recruiter might have found this offensive, but McKinley didn't mind. Kim Tae-hyun is a player who has earned the right to act like this. There were players whose arrogance and cheekiness were tolerated simply because they possessed the skills to back them up. And Kim Tae-hyun fit that description perfectly.
McKinley recalled Tae-hyun's performance in the tournament once more. Putting aside profit and loss, he wanted to bring him to his team and watch him play, no matter what! As a fan!
"Mr. Kim Tae-hyun. I believe you are already familiar with the detailed terms, as we have sent over the contract. Is that correct?"
"Yes."
Honestly, Tae-hyun had been too lazy to read it line by line, so he had dumped it on his father's friend, Attorney Jung.
"Is there anything weird in here?"
"Nothing weird."
"Then that's fine."
"Hey! You need to listen to the details—"
Click.
"I can guarantee that the salary we are offering is the highest among all current Pan-On players. No player will be paid more than you."
"Oh, is it that much?"
Come to think of it, he hadn't actually looked at the figure offered in the contract. Tae-hyun suddenly grew curious. Is it somewhere between a hundred million and a billion won? Even that much would be...
"Yes. An annual salary of three billion won is rare even in the history of esports. Although the professional scene for Pan-On is still in its infancy, we highly value your potential. If you perform well, your salary can go even higher."
"Oh. Three billion won?"
Tae-hyun was surprised. It was more of a Wow, they're spending way more than I thought kind of surprise. He wasn't shocked by the sheer amount of money. After all, he already had that much sitting in his bank account.
Seeing Tae-hyun's reaction, McKinley suddenly felt a sense of cognitive dissonance. ...What is this? Tae-hyun's response was strange. He wasn't thrilled about the massive salary, nor was he agonizing over the decision. It was something else entirely. It was... indifference! But why?!
"Um, Mr. Kim Tae-hyun. Is the salary not to your liking?"
"No, three billion won is more than enough. Honestly, I'm a bit surprised. I didn't expect you to invest this much when there haven't even been that many tournaments yet."
"The New York Lions are that kind of team. While others hesitate out of fear, we look to the future and invest boldly. Think about it. Once the Pan-On tournaments kick off in earnest and a professional league is established, you winning just two or three championships will easily justify that salary. The market is that massive."
"Well, that's true."
"I'm not just saying this because it's my company, but the New York Lions are the absolute best team for players. As a prestigious club with a long tradition, we have our own corporate campus and dedicated player housing. Players can focus entirely on the game there."
"That housing is in the United States, right?"
"Pardon? Yes, of course."
"And if I join, I'll have to move there?"
"Yes..."
McKinley wondered why Tae-hyun was even asking this. Wasn't it completely obvious?
"Hmm... Then I can't do it."
"What?!"
McKinley had truly never imagined Tae-hyun would refuse. It wasn't out of arrogance. It was pure confidence—confidence that he had brought an offer far superior to anything anyone else could present! Yet he had been rejected. For the first time in a long while, McKinley was utterly flustered.
"I-If it's not too rude, may I ask the reason, Mr. Kim Tae-hyun?"
"Ah. I'm too lazy to go abroad."
"..."
McKinley's jaw dropped. He hadn't misheard, had he?
"S-So... the reason you are turning down all the benefits, facilities, and that massive salary of the New York Lions is..."
"Yes. That's correct. I don't want to go abroad."
"M-Mr. Kim Tae-hyun. Perhaps you should think about this one more time..."
"Mr. McKinley."
"?"
"Look out the window. What do you see?"
"...I only see buildings."
"Those buildings you see out there are either already mine, or they will be."
"..."
"Does that explain things a bit?"
McKinley nodded, looking completely soul-crushed.