An Offer You Can't Refuse

Vincent pretended not to hear. Whispers of that level didn't even register as a minor humiliation in the cutthroat world of sports agents. To a man who had survived and climbed to the top of that bloodless, tearless industry, this was practically a lullaby.

"Whoa. His expression didn't even flicker."

"Do you think he can't understand us?"

"The auto-translator is active, dummy."

Cain and Jeong Su-hyeok were genuinely impressed. If either of them had been subjected ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to such blatant whispering, their hearts would have wavered, and they might have even shed a tear!

He's seriously amazing.

Is he a robot?

Bathed in their admiring gazes, Vincent smoothly extended a business card. Printed in an elegant, sophisticated font was the name of his agency along with his title: Agent. Tae-hyun looked at it, his eyes widening in surprise.

"Ah!"

"Fufu... As expected of Mr. Kim Tae-hyun. I knew a world-class player of your caliber would recognize my name. Allow me to formally introduce myself. I am Vinc—"

"No, I was just surprised that people actually make business cards in Pan-On. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Anyway, nice to meet you, Mr. Vincent."

"..."

It seemed he hadn't been surprised by Vincent's fame at all. Still, unable to let go of his lingering hope, Vincent pressed on.

"Have you really never heard of my name? Or perhaps my agency...?"

"Vincent... Oh!"

"Fufu, as ex—"

"Vincent van Gogh?"

"...He's a historical figure."

And a dead one at that!

"Then I don't know you."

"I... I am Vincent, a professional esports agent."

"Right. So, what brings you here?"

"I came because I wanted to have a serious discussion with you, Mr. Kim."

"What kind of serious discussion?"

Tae-hyun was puzzled. Before he had founded his own gaming team, he had been inundated with offers from all over. Scouts from various organizations had reached out, and even team owners had contacted him directly, so an agent showing up wasn't particularly shocking. But that was before he formed his team! Once he established his own organization, most of those contacts had dried up, presumably because they assumed he was no longer recruitable.

"What else could it be? Naturally, it's about recruiting you, Mr. Kim."

"I appreciate you coming all this way and giving me your fancy card, but I'll have to apologize. I'm not interested."

"Please, at least hear me out!"

Cain, who had been listening intently, chimed in. "Hey, mister. Tae-hyun already runs his own gaming team. Trying to recruit him now? Where are your business ethics? Are you telling the rest of us to just go get fired?"

Couldn't you just join another team? A player of Cain's caliber should be fine... Jeong Su-hyeok wondered silently, but chose not to voice his thoughts.

"I'm not just trying to recruit Mr. Kim. Do you really think an elite agent like myself would bring such an absurd, half-baked proposal?"

"...?"

"Several major gaming organizations are currently interested in ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠acquiring Mr. Kim's team in its entirety."

"...!!"

Everyone gasped. Recruiting one or two players was one thing, but acquiring an entire gaming team was on a completely different scale.

Whoever they are, they operate on a completely different level. Lee Da-bi was genuinely astonished. Is this how big-time businesspeople operate? Making such bold, aggressive proposals out of nowhere.

Naturally, Cain was having none of it. "No way! Absolutely not! I don't want to get fired! Tae-hyun, you're not going to accept that, right?"

"No one is getting fired, Mr. Cain. Think about it. Who wouldn't covet a player of your caliber?"

"Huh?" Cain blinked in confusion. Really?

"I know you're humble, Mr. Cain, but it's important to recognize your own worth."

"...Is this guy making fun of me?" Cain immediately grew suspicious. It was a chronic paranoia he had developed from hanging around Tae-hyun! Whenever someone praised him or claimed to be a fan, his immediate reaction was: Is this a trap?!

"I'm sure he's not teasing you."

"R-really? Am I actually that good?" Cain's face lit up, but he quickly caught himself. He couldn't let himself be swayed by a few sweet words.

"C-cough. Still, no. What about the other team members...?"

"We have already discussed that as well. We are well aware of Mr. Kim's strong sense of responsibility. If the acquisition goes through, every single player on the roster will be brought over."

"Y-you say that now, but you'll just fire us later!"

"I assure you, that won't happen. If you wish, I will personally act as your agent and draft the contracts myself. We can secure a long-term guarantee, ensuring your salary is locked in until retirement, with various performance options included."

Vincent was an agent prepared for every possible objection! The group finally understood why ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠he called himself world-class. His thoroughness was truly impeccable!

"H-mph! Even so, we have our pride as a team that built everything from the ground up. We won't throw that away for a few measly pennies," Cain declared. The pride and satisfaction of creating something out of nothing! He couldn't abandon that just for a slightly bigger paycheck.

"Even if you offered a hundred million, we wouldn't—"

"You wouldn't?"

"Of course not!" As Cain spoke, he realized just how much his financial perspective had expanded. In the past, a hundred million won would have made his hands shake...

Wow, have I really made it this big? Tournament prize money, various commercial deals, sponsor support, and more... Tae-hyun was a team owner who went beyond ideal—he was practically a saint. He funded the team's operations entirely out of his own pocket while distributing all other revenues with absolute fairness.

Vincent looked visibly flustered by Cain's rejection. "Hmm... I didn't expect a hundred million to be insufficient..."

"...?" Lee Da-bi tilted her head. Why would people proposing an acquisition of an entire gaming team offer a mere hundred million won? Something felt off.

"Wait a moment. By a hundred million... is there any chance you mean... dollars?"

"Of course it's dollars. What else did you think it was?"

"..."

"..."

"..."

Clang. A heavy sound echoed. It was the sound of Cain dropping his weapon.

"O-one... one... hundred..." Cain stammered. A hundred million dollars—over a hundred billion won! It was an astronomical sum so far beyond his wildest imagination that his brain completely short-circuited.

Tae-hyun furrowed his brows. Faced with such a shocking proposal, his mind actually grew colder and more analytical.

They're playing hardball. Is this the legendary 'offer we can't refuse'? This wasn't some petty trick from a small-time company. This was a massive, explosive bid that practically screamed, We are a powerhouse organization!

A hundred billion won was no joke. Only a handful of legendary, historic organizations worldwide operated at that financial tier. In the entire history of esports, such teams were exceedingly rare.

To be honest, our team is worth maybe a billion won at best. It was a team Tae-hyun led practically on his own, with almost no facilities, infrastructure, or staff. There was no way the team itself possessed that kind of value. Which meant this sum...

This is an offer to buy me... using the team's acquisition as a pretext. Though Cain and Su-hyeok are decent players too... It was a price tag meant to purchase Tae-hyun, not the team!

As long as we get Kim Tae-hyun, we don't care if we take a loss on the rest. We can absorb it. He could practically hear the voice of the acquiring organization whispering those words in his ear.

Tae-hyun asked, "If I accept, is it a long-term contract?"

"Yes, Mr. Kim. That is one term we cannot compromise on. However, your annual salary will be negotiated separately. If you wish, we can pre-negotiate performance-based bonuses and options into the contract. I can guarantee that the organization will make massive concessions for you."

It was only natural. If they spent that much money to acquire the team and bring Tae-hyun over, only for him to leave shortly after... every executive involved in the deal would have to jump off a bridge. This was the absolute red line the organization had to maintain!

The acquisition fee is basically a signing bonus for a lifetime contract. They'll pay a separate salary, but at this point, does it even matter? An organization offering that kind of signing bonus wouldn't lowball his salary. Even if his performance dipped and his salary decreased, what difference would it make when he already had a hundred billion won in the bank?

This was a monumental gamble. In the early days of Pan-On esports, they were betting over a hundred billion won just to secure a single player named Kim Tae-hyun!

If we can secure Kim Tae-hyun until his retirement with this investment, it's worth every penny! The organizations had deemed him worthy of that astronomical value. Even the pragmatic Tae-hyun felt a slight shiver down his spine at their sheer audacity.

"W-we... we have to buy! No, we have to accept!" Cain rushed over to Tae-hyun, whispering frantically. "We have to take this deal! When will we ever get an offer like this again?!"

"Mr. Kim, please keep in mind that a hundred billion won is just the starting point. It can go up depending on negotiations. Since you can't sign any contracts until this tournament is over anyway, I believe we can push the price even higher depending on your performance."

"He says it can go even higher! We absolutely have to do this!" Cain's eyes blazed with fiery passion. Annoyed, Tae-hyun simply pushed Cain's face away.

Vincent watched them with admiration. "You all truly have incredible solidarity. It's on a completely different level compared to other teams."

"Oh, it's nothing..."

"To think you would advocate so passionately for Mr. Kim, even though not a single penny of this acquisition goes to you, Mr. Cain. Even with guaranteed contracts, changing teams and starting fresh is always a risk... This is truly a beautiful friendship."

"...?" Cain tilted his head. "Uh... wait. I don't get anything?"

"Do you happen to own any shares in the team?"

"Uh... no."

"Then of course you don't." Vincent stared at him with a look that said, Why is this guy asking such an obvious question?

"...Tae-hyun. I respect your choice. Do whatever you want!"

"...?!"

"Tsk. What a waste of excitement." Cain grumbled as he shuffled back to the corner with Jeong Su-hyeok.

Vincent asked, thoroughly bewildered, "Why did he even ask that?"

"Don't worry about him. Anyway, I've heard your proposal. I'll give it some thought."

"Yes! I will await your decision." Vincent's face brightened. Unlike the other agents who had been coldly rejected, getting a "I'll think about it" was a massive victory.

"Um, Your Majesty. Are we not disembarking?"

"Ah." While they had been talking, the ship had quietly docked at the harbor.

As if welcoming him to this newly discovered empire, a massive cascade of bonus system windows popped up.

"Thank you, Tae-hyun!"

"Mr. Kim Tae-hyun! We will never forget your kindness!"

The players disembarking from the ship bowed deeply to him before scattering to go about their business.

"Kim Tae-hyun! Just you wait!"

"You jerk, Kim Tae-hyun! You can't live your life like this!"

"Hey, shut up. What if he actually hears you?"

"I don't want to die the moment I get here, so keep your mouth shut!"

The members of the Guild Alliance, who had spent the entire voyage rowing in the ship's belly, also scurried away as fast as their legs could carry them.

Watching them flee, Admiral Brangsong spoke with a hint of regret. "Those men are natural-born rowers, Your Majesty. Perhaps we should capture them again and..."

"There will be other opportunities. Don't worry, Brangsong. I'm sure we'll have a chance to round them up again."

As Tae-hyun's party, who were the last to disembark, stepped onto the docks, a player approached them.

"Mister Kim?"

"...?" Tae-hyun was puzzled. Who was this?

"Mister Kim. You entry is impossible."

"What is she even saying?"

It was a bizarre way of speaking, as if she had intentionally turned off her auto-translator. Tae-hyun immediately sized her up, from her equipped gear to her stance. She's a ranker.

"Go back. Go back, I say."

"Hmm. I don't really get it, but she's picking a fight, right?" Tae-hyun asked, looking back. Of course, he wasn't actually waiting for an answer. "Must be."

Shlick! Tae-hyun instantly drew his weapon.

Startled by the sudden draw, the player cried out in panic. "No violence! No violence!"

"What a peculiar assassin," Cain whispered cautiously from behind. "Though she doesn't really look like one."

"I am assassin not!"

"Denying she's an assassin... Yep, she's definitely a highly trained one."

Just then, Kim Hyeon-ah, a member of Lee Se-yeon's guild, appeared from down the street. "Nadia, what are you... Gasp! Kim Tae-hyun! Why are you here?!"

"Hey, I haven't even done anything yet."