Chapter 36: Declaration of War
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 36: Declaration of War
8 PM.
I started the stream considerably later than usual, having spent some time organizing my thoughts and materials.
[Lee Do-hee has started a stream: 101 Reasons Why Joining a Great Guild Will Fuck You Over]
"Hoo, hello everyone."
- Doha
- That stream title is fucking destructive, omg
- Whoa.... What is happening?
- Do-hee, what's with the title? lol
- You're calling out the Great Guilds? For real?
- Do-hee, I'm scared...
- I'm rooting for you, Lee Do-hee!
As expected, the viewers showed a wide range of reactions.
They knew.
They knew the Great Guilds were fucked up, but they also knew that Korea could no longer survive without them.
They understood instinctively that as citizens of the Republic of Korea, they had no choice but to kneel.
- Do-hee… you can't mess with the Great Guilds.
- Ah…
- Protect Do-hee T_T
- Is it because of those trash reporters?
- What made you decide this in just one day?
- Shit, are the Great Guilds really that strong?
- They're crazy strong;;
The Great Guilds.
They were an alliance of six guilds in total.
The most prominent, the ‘Ohsung Guild,’ was backed by the global conglomerate ‘Ohsung Group.’
The ‘White Night Society,’ a guild of healers and clerics, had swallowed up doctors and pharmaceutical companies.
The ‘Red Magic Tower,’ a coalition centered around mages.
The 'Steel Alliance,' a gathering of sweat-soaked men like warriors, fighters, and tankers.
The ‘Black Veil,’ a group of thieves, archers, and assassin-type Awakeners.
And finally, the ‘Golden Dawn Society,’ which coordinated them from behind the scenes and was deeply involved in Korean politics.
As I investigated their activities, I came to one conclusion.
‘They act like they’re fighting, but they’re united.’
It was as if they shared a single objective. They would seem to squabble over their own interests, but the moment an external challenge appeared, they would swarm together and lynch their target.
Whether it was a newly formed small guild, an individual Awakener, or a politician, they would unite.
At first, I considered a strategy of turning them against each other and picking them off one by one, but I couldn't find an opening.
‘Openings appear when they are weakened.’
It was no exaggeration to say their influence had swallowed Korea whole.
That’s why they had no need to fight amongst themselves. Their fields were slightly different, and there was plenty to go around without needing a monopoly.
But what if their foothold in Korea were to shrink?
If the pie they could eat in Korea got smaller, they would likely start fighting each other for it.
So, the first step was to reduce the total size of the six Great Guilds' pie.
And this was the first step.
This time, it wouldn't end with just clearing Choi Tae-soo's name.
"Yes! It looks like many viewers have already arrived."
It was Sunday evening.
It was the peak time for internet broadcasting, and with the massive controversies surrounding me breaking one after another, people were flocking to my stream.
[Current Viewers: 112,322]
- What's with the title?
- With this many viewers, isn't it time to film porn?
- It's been a while since we've seen a serious Do-hee.
- Her outfit is normal today too.
"First, you all remember the bulletin board I made a while back, right? The Fabricated Articles board. Let's go there."
Remember? Something similar had happened before.
Right after I cleared the 3rd floor, I had achieved the world's first SS-rank accomplishment, but a lot of false information spread, which led me to create this board.
Although I hadn't managed it myself for a while, my fans were still posting there and kindly refuting the false claims on their own.
- Honestly, the reporters crossed the line yesterday.
- For real, who pulls down someone's pants and takes pictures?
- Time for a harsh lesson~~!
[Fabricated Articles Board]
YBN: [Shocking, World's First SSS-rank Reward Obtained Through Prostitution?]
The content wasn't even worth reading.
It was so full of fabrications that it was a mystery how such an article could be on the main page of a portal site.
They even photoshopped their own hand out of the picture, cleverly manipulating it to look like I was caught enjoying public exhibitionism.
"First up is this one. Well, refuting this fabrication is incredibly simple. Status Window!"
If I opened my status window and went into the details of my Lewd Power, it was all there.
"Haa… I didn't think I'd have to show this again, but you see this, right?"
[Prostitution Experience: 0 times]
This place recorded all my sex-related experiences like a history book.
- No one believed it anyway lol
- We didn't, but I saw some regular people who read the article and believed it.
- Wow… it gets cleared up this easily.
- The status window can't lie, so the clarification is instant.
Of course, if I was just going to clear my name and end it there, I wouldn't have even started.
"Now! Let's see who the reporter who wrote this is, shall we?"
- lolololol
- Time for a public execution~
- The counterattack begins!!
- This is grounds for a lawsuit for spreading false information, isn't it?
I followed the link and looked up the reporter's information.
[YBN Reporter Oh So-young]
A photo showed a woman with short, light brown hair, looking neat and proper.
"Reporter Oh So-young!! Wow, this person… you're the one who pulled down my pants and took pictures early yesterday morning, right? Let's see what you usually do, shall we?"
Of course, I had already looked into what kind of bitch she was.
This was a form of public execution.
If she was watching my stream, she would feel the same amount of shame I felt yesterday.
"Now… I wonder?"
[Ohsung Guild Announces New Strategy.]
[The Only True Top Guild of This Era is Ohsung Guild.]
[Lee Do-hee, Owner of the World's First SS-rank, Turns Out to be a Distributor of Illegal Pornography!?]
[The Identity of the Female Awakener Who Only Used Her SS-rank Reward to Enlarge Her Breasts?]
[Let's Explore the True Potential of the Ohsung Guild.]
[Ohsung Guild Master Han Seung-yoon to Marry the Eldest Daughter of Ohsung Group!?]
[Ohsung Guild's Master Han Yong-woon, Who Makes Japan Tremble in Fear.]
"What is all this? Wow~ At this point, isn't she just a member of the Ohsung Guild?"
I didn't know if she was actually an honorary member of the Ohsung Guild or not. But it was clear she was doing this after receiving money or something else from them.
And it wasn't just me.
Looking at her older articles...
[Yoon Sung-hwan, Caught in a Secret Tryst with a Bar Hostess!!]
[Promising Star Yoon Sung-hwan, Suspected of Tax Evasion!?]
Like this, besides me, she had also diligently targeted a person named Yoon Sung-hwan.
"Yoon Sung-hwan... It says here he has now joined the Ohsung Guild. And since he joined, not a single negative article has been written about him."
No physical evidence, you say?
"Yes~ I have physical evidence right here. They even kindly confessed in an email sent to me, saying they would take down the articles if I joined their guild."
I showed the viewers the email that had arrived in my Pantheon TV account.
- Wow… that's truly pathetic.
- They must have done this so many times to be so brazen... Disgusting.
- Did the Ohsung Guild order this? Omg
- Great Guild (Uses female reporter to commit sexual assault and fabricate false articles)
- This is so fucking shameful. How is that the #1 guild?
- Sigh… the true face of Korea's Great Guilds is so embarrassing.
- They do this so openly?
"Did you think I was just someone who would stay quiet because I don't sue when I'm sexually harassed and insulted, Reporter-nim?"
- Don't tell me, finally?
- The kingly response has arrived.
- They need to face some real-world consequences to learn their lesson lol
"Yes. First, I will be suing this reporter for spreading false information, defamation, and indecent assault. You're surely aware that sexual assault can be established even between women, right?"
Actually, I wasn't going to do it right now. When I eventually create a guild or join an agency, I'll have them handle it. When would I have the time to do it all myself?
But at the very least, a clear warning would be sent, and the truth behind the fabrications would be revealed.
- Wow…
- Suddenly this feels real.
- She's really doing it?
- Feels like a splash of cold water…?
- Do-hee, it's okay that we sexually harassed you, right…?
"Of course, I don't care if you viewers spew shit in the chat or on some weird community site. I will only be suing the 'Great Guild lackey reporters' who spread false information."
- Lackey reporters lol
- Their work was too obvious.
- Come to think of it, promising rookies were always noisy until they joined a Great Guild, and the moment they did, everything went quiet…
- This is actually scary. It's giving me chills…
- We can still sexually harass her, sweet lol
How overflowing with confidence must they be to attack promising rookies with articles that leave a permanent record?
It was because there was no opponent strong enough to defeat them, and individual Awakeners, feeling hopeless, would have had no choice but to join a Great Guild.
This reporter wasn't the only one engaged in such acts.
White Night Society, Red Magic Tower, Steel Alliance, Black Veil, Golden Dawn Society.
One by one, I rounded up and executed all the reporters I had prepared.
I was able to find them easily because I had already identified these articles and reporters during my daily research sessions in the afternoon.
- Wow;; Fuck, the evil deeds of these Great Guild bastards are nauseating.
- The fact that they don't even try to hide it is even scarier.
- I didn't know it was this bad. I thought they were at least human, but they're just beasts.
- This is tragic and horrifying...
- For real, I'm gonna puke. So fucking disgusting;;
But there was no point in just cursing the Great Guilds here.
What good would it do for powerless citizens to curse them? They couldn't stop buying Ohsung Group products, nor could they refuse the medical services of White Night Society.
The most important thing was something else.
A way to reduce their power and influence.
"The reason I'm exposing this isn't because of such trivial fabrications."
- You call this trivial?
- Fuck, what else is there?
- You were preparing for this, Do-hee.
- Is this related to Daddy-Long-Legs?
- This is trivial...?
"To all the Awakeners in Korea. Please listen carefully!"
The most important thing was the Awakeners themselves.
"Never, ever join a Great Guild!! And if you have already joined, please leave right now, no matter what penalty you incur."
This was something I had emphasized in my past life as well.
Once you enter a Great Guild, no matter how promising you are, your growth will be stunted.
"I will now explain why you shouldn't join, and tell you about the structure of the Great Guilds that you don't know."
- What, did she really come here with a plan today?
- Daddy-Long-Legs..... T_T
- Looks like Lee Do-hee had her own reasons...
- Is that finally being exposed?
- Wow... to think there was someone who could say this...
- The structure of the Great Guilds...?
To understand the structure of the Great Guilds, one first needs to understand the Constellation system.
Constellations are currently divided into two types.
Upper Constellations and Lower Constellations.
The difference between the two is whether or not they can grant an Awakener the authority to form a Provisional Contract.
A Provisional Contract is a link-like contract where an Awakener directly contracted with a Constellation can connect another Awakener to that same Constellation.
To put it simply, it's like what you'd call multi-level marketing, or a subcontract of a subcontract.
And the guild masters of the Great Guilds have all made contracts with Upper Constellations that can grant Provisional Contracts.
The guild masters use this power to personally form Provisional Contracts with rookies below the 10th floor who haven't yet contracted with a Constellation, granting them good stats.
Hearing just this, one might think that the rookies are simply getting better stats and skills, right? But the reality is different.
The moment you sign a Provisional Contract, it's no different from stamping your thumbprint on a lifelong slave contract.
The biggest reason is that the guild master can unilaterally terminate the Provisional Contract at will. Of course, you don't die if the contract is terminated.
However, you lose everything related to the skills and traits you've accumulated under the Provisional Contract.
Using my current traits as an example, it would be similar to my unique stats disappearing, along with [SSS-rank Sacred Onahole Body] and [SS-rank Lewd Lee Do-hee's Divine Power]. The moment the contract is terminated, you lose most of the abilities you've built up.
So, if you don't want to lose your abilities, you end up becoming the guild master's slave, willing to do anything.
'Truly, a vicious method.'
What do these bastards do with this power?
Contribution manipulation.
Just as Yoon Seong-gi and I were almost forced into a 7:3 split on the 8th floor, the guild masters and the initial core members take everything in a 10:0 ratio.
They feed them the false hope that one day, if they train hard enough, they too can earn an executive position, all while sending them to their deaths. The members have no choice but to agree, even knowing it's wrong.
The moment they disagree, it's over for them. Especially as they climb to higher floors, more of their traits become entangled with the Constellation, making it impossible to escape.
At first, they might think, 'I can probably cut ties and leave after this,' but at some point, they realize they can't do anything without their Constellation skills or traits.
Even if they don't want to get entangled, the large guilds order them to choose traits that will forcibly entangle them.
Thinking, 'I just have to do this,' or 'I just have to endure this one time,' they sink into a swamp from which they can no longer escape.
This is the system of the Great Guilds in the Republic of Korea at this moment.
All the newly emerging promising rookies become meat shields for the old guard of the Great Guilds, slaves who offer up their contribution.
"It's cruel, isn't it? But this is the truth. The reason why no new high-ranking Awakeners are emerging in Korea! The reason why Korea keeps falling behind other countries!!"
My voice rose without me realizing it, filled with anger.
This was my true feeling.
I was angry that they had betrayed me, but I was even more furious that the thing they did after betraying me was to find an easier way to suck the marrow from the bones of new Awakeners... I couldn't help but be enraged.
"It's because of the tyranny of the Great Guilds. And by the time you realize this for yourself, you'll already be as good as dead."
I was only able to gather these people because of all my perverted acts and world-first achievements. If someone were to leave a Great Guild and try to expose them, where would they do it?
A stream? A small-time stream with not a single viewer?
Or the police or prosecutors, who are in on it with them?
A community site full of trolls?
The politicians are, of course, all on the same side.
The only people they could talk to are their acquaintances, but the moment they tell them, those acquaintances are put in danger.
In the end, believing they can achieve their once-brilliant past, they have no choice but to become slaves marching to their own suicide.
And that's not even the biggest problem.
[Lugia has donated 10,000 won]
So what? Korea is doomed without the Six Great Guilds. If Seoul becomes a sea of fire because the next floor isn't cleared, are you going to take responsibility?
That donation message was a painful truth that hit the core of the issue.
The fact that there was no one to replace them.
Do you think there has never been an exposé like this before? Of course, there are always people with a strong sense of justice everywhere.
But the public, while knowing in their heads that the Great Guilds are doing fucked-up things, deliberately looks away.
'I wasn't harmed.'
'It can't be helped.'
'I'm not the perpetrator...'
'In fact, it has to be the large guilds, or it won't work.'
'Just one or two people.....'
'Is there anyone in the world who hasn't been wronged?'
They brainwash themselves like this, and even when they see the pitiful victims, they turn a blind eye.
But I am different.
I have confidence.
I have courage.
I have the will.
And I have the 'ability' to do it.
"Yes. I will take responsibility. The 78th floor, right? You've done a shit job climbing... I cleared it two months ago, so there are ten months left?"
[Current Viewers: 215,567]
And I have hundreds of thousands of viewers watching me.
- No way....
- Uh oh...?
- Holy shit;;
The corners of my mouth curled up into a slight sneer before falling.
This wasn't arrogance.
It was confidence.
I kicked my chair back and stood up.
I clenched my fist, raised it high, and shouted with all my might.
"The 79th floor! I will conquer it!!!"
- Crackle...
For a moment, as I put strength into my hand, a bit of purple mana was released.
- Is this for real...?
- Holy shit;;
- lolololol So satisfying~~
- The "shit job climbing" part was the kicker lol
- If it's Lee Do-hee, it might be possible...?
- A declaration of war against the Great Guilds... my dopamine is pumping like crazy.
- Is this real?
- Heu-eung, divine power pouch...
- If there's someone who can do it, we don't really need the Great Guilds.
- Do-hee, you've really gone crazy.
- Crazy bitch... a truly crazy bitch...
- Chills...
"Someone has to do this. Fellow Awakeners. How much longer will you live cowering under the tyranny of the Great Guilds!!!"
An emotion welled up from deep inside me.
"It's not too late. All Awakeners, leave the Great Guilds. Stop being their slaves of your own accord. You were all promising stars who were meant to shine brightly!"
I was so angry.
Because of the vested interests of the Great Guilds, our Korea alone had made no progress.
How could there be any progress when all the new Awakeners were being turned into mass-produced clones tailored to the guilds' tastes?
"Resist!! Struggle!! Decide your own destiny!"
Despair.
Anger.
Hope.
And the thirst for freedom!
The fundamental instincts of humanity must erupt.
I stared straight ahead and shouted.
"Citizens of Korea. We no longer need the Great Guilds that are eating away at this country. I will do it!!!
"I, Lee Do-hee, will make Korea great again!!!!"
Make Korea Great Again.
The first speech to set things right in this land.
A mere 10th-floor Awakener, discussing the future of Korea.
'Now then, you bastards from the Great Guilds. What will you do now?'