Media Warfare

“That’s a good article.”

I’d expected things to change, sure, but honestly, I hadn’t thought they’d go this far.

Especially not the part where they’d take aim at Lindel’s chronic problem: the profit-hungry power struggles of the major guilds.

I’d never have imagined they’d do more than attack Jung Yura. They’d gone after the entire mood of the city itself, condemning the social atmosphere that had been allowed to fester for so long.

“Is the major guilds’ abuse inside dungeons really acceptable?”

Beautiful.

That kind of headline really hit where it hurt.

I doubted I was the only one having those thoughts.

Anyone reading the article had probably been through that kind of thing at least once or twice.

And not just inside dungeons, either.

At hunting grounds. In weapon shops. Just walking down the street, only to get shoved around by some asshole with a little too much power.

I’d never been treated like that in Lindel myself, not with my position, but the adventurers in the smaller guilds were definitely suffering in one way or another.

Being affiliated with a major guild in Lindel meant you were basically part of the upper class.

To put it a little dramatically, it was no different from being a director at a conglomerate back on Earth.

And they had force they could use personally, too, so if anything, they were worse.

It only made sense that all sorts of abuse were happening all over the city without my knowing.

There might have been things going on that were even beyond my imagination.

The Red Mercenary and Blue Guild had a relatively decent public image, but Black Swan was a different story.

The public projected my victimhood onto themselves, sympathizing with what had happened to me and burning with shared outrage.

The major guilds with quick enough instincts were already backing away, eager to show they were nothing like Black Swan, while the mid-sized guilds and smaller clans trying to ride the trend were cautiously beginning to voice their opinions.

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Different in form, yes, but it was starting to look almost like some kind of social movement.

Being able to move the masses meant power. Means strength.

No matter how strong an individual’s personal combat ability was, without a group to support it, it meant nothing.

The middle class kept the gears of society turning, and because of that, people like me in the upper class could continue living the way we did.

They bought the potions I made and brought back information about dungeons.

They used the weapon shops run by the Red Mercenary Guild, paid to attend lectures in magical theory at the Mage Guild, bought the cheap information sold by Black Swan, and moved the consumables and material items sold by the other major guilds as well.

Without the common people, the upper class couldn’t exist.

No matter how great you thought you were, the reason you could keep living this life was that the people below were supporting and lifting people like us.

They had probably forgotten that.

This wasn’t Earth. It was a place governed by the law of strength.

That was surely why none of the other major guilds had really bothered reaching for the press. No, maybe they just hadn’t cared for the press in the first place.

The press was a tool that could move public opinion.

They’d left it alone because they thought it would better secure their own vested interests, but the moment someone got there first, the story naturally changed.

I’m sure everyone had realized it by now.

Just how terrifying it is when public opinion turns on you.

The effect was enormous.

Not only did a boycott sweep across every business operated by the Black Swan Guild, but mid-sized guilds, small guilds, and even famous explorers and adventurers publicly declared that they would not take part in Black Swan’s dungeon raids.

Some did it to curry favor with Cha Heera of the Red Mercenary Guild.

Some did it simply to ride the wave of the times.

And some did it to raise their voices for people who had been oppressed and pushed to the margins.

The reasons differed, but everyone rose together.

If a historian from the distant future were to judge this day, I figured they’d have plenty to say. My little pebble had started rolling, and it was swelling into something that looked almost like a cultural revolution.

After I finished my meal and stepped outside for a bit, just as expected, I saw reporters storming in.

Of course, the reporters who showed up weren’t the same ones who had been with me. These were the latecomers who’d caught a whiff of money and come running.

Sure enough, I could see them cautiously hurling questions in my direction.

“May I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠ask you a quick question? About Ms. Jung Yura….”

“I’m sorry, but there isn’t an official statement yet….”

“We know this must be uncomfortable, but is there anything you’d like to say to Ms. Jung Yura?”

“We’ll be holding a formal press conference at a later date.”

“What do you think about the fact that Ms. Jung Yura’s remarks were directed at the collaboration between the Red Mercenary and Blue Guilds…?”

“That’s not something I’m able to answer right now.”

“Hey, don’t crowd him like that!”

“It’s fine, Deokgu.”

You had to be kind to journalists.

The press and the powerful were forever friends.

“What position do you take regarding the current boycott of the Black Swan Guild?”

The one who’d asked the question was a familiar face.

Kim Seonggyeong, was it?

Probably.

It wouldn’t hurt to answer a question like that.

“Whether this incident is true or not, it’s become clear just how much loss and frustration people can feel. This wasn’t something that happened to me alone. It was probably the boil of unfairness that so many people have felt until now, finally bursting. It’s, of course, an understandable reaction, but I do worry that many innocent people may end up suffering as a result. That is all.”

Well, saying it like that was probably the best approach.

“Are you saying the threat that occurred inside the dungeon was real?”

“No comment.”

“So you’re supporting the boycott?”

“In one sense, yes. In another, no. I’m simply worried that this situation may lead to secondary harm.”

This kind of deliberately vague phrasing was pretty convenient.

I wasn’t trying to make enemies of Black Swan.

Honestly, I’d prefer to build a proper channel of communication with them.

The only thing I wanted was Jung Yura.

“Do you have anything to say about Cha Heera?”

“We’ll arrange a meeting at a later date.”

“Please say something to the adventurers who are angry about this situation.”

“This is an awkward position for me, but I’ll say this much. Your actions resisting injustice in society are absolutely not wrong. You are far more influential than you think you are. Don’t yield to outside pressure and keep acting. All of you are valuable people.”

I could see the reporters scribbling furiously, trying to keep up with my words. By tomorrow, I could already see the headlines.

[Understand the anguish of adventurers feeling a sense of loss.]

Or:

[Supports boycott, but worried about secondary harm]

Stuff like that.

They might even make it more sensational than I expected.

That was their specialty, after all.

I was in a pretty good mood.

Even as I slipped past the reporters, questions kept pouring in, but it was only natural to maintain a proper line.

For someone performing the role of a victim, the important thing was to say as little as possible.

The more room I left for public interpretation, the better.

While I was thinking that over, Park Deokgu’s voice came from beside me.

“Huh, I never thought this would blow up this big, hyung.”

“Neither did I.”

“I mean, we’re probably gonna have to be a little more careful from now on and all… so, yeah.”

“We can probably just act like we always do.”

“Come to think of it, didn’t the Red Mercenary Guild say they were making a statement today?”

“Yeah. That’s right.”

They’d probably express regret.

They wouldn’t go so far as to reinforce the image that the entire Black Swan Guild was to blame, but they would naturally say a few words about Jung Yura personally and about her remarks concerning the Mercenary Queen, Cha Heera.

News of Jung Yura’s insult to Cha Heera had already spread, and for the sake of their pride, the Red Mercenary Guild had to make some kind of move.

And probably within a week…

Black Swan would make their statement too.

At this point, it was already too late, really.

I didn’t know what they were saying inside the guild, but it was obvious that Black Swan was rattled by a situation they hadn’t been able to anticipate.

Of course they would be confused. They were people who only knew how to kill and fight, and now suddenly they had to stand before the public and issue a statement.

Even without knowing the details, I was sure things were chaotic inside.

Their response was so slow it was almost painful to watch.

If I’d been in this situation, I’d have assembled a response team immediately and tried to make contact with the other side somehow.

Just the act of trying to make contact would itself be a move.

If Black Swan had had anyone with a competent brain, they wouldn’t have sat still until things got this out of hand.

That was when Sun Heeyoung came over and spoke.

“Mr. Kiyoung?”

“Yes.”

“Someone from the Black Swan Guild is here.”

Right.

It wouldn’t make sense for them to keep doing nothing at this point. So they weren’t entirely hopeless after all.

“Who came?”

“I’m not sure in detail. It looks like they came to apologize.”

“Are they waiting in the reception room?”

“Yes.”

Sun Heeyoung gave a slight nod.

After I offered her a quiet thanks, I headed straight for the guild’s reception room, where several familiar faces came into view.

The first one that stood out was, naturally, Jung Yura. There were ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠also several Black Swan executives I didn’t know.

And since they were chatting amicably with some of Blue Guild’s old guard, including Lee Seolho, who’d recently had his restrictions lifted, it seemed they were considering contact with Blue ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Guild as well.

Crazy old bastard.

I didn’t know whether they were simply trying to jump onto a table I’d already set, but the fact that they were trying to board the train after I’d laid the entire track didn’t sit well with me.

“I really don’t know what to say about all this….”

“Hahaha. No, no. It’s all right. For now….”

My irritation began to rise.

Then I noticed a woman seated off to one side.

Lee Jihye?

The woman who had been managing the shelter Kim Hyunsung created in the Tutorial Dungeon.

She’d once been part of a strategic partnership with us.

She wasn’t incompetent, so I figured she’d been making a decent life somewhere, but I never would’ve imagined she’d end up in Black Swan.

Quietly talking with our own old guard, she looked strangely familiar.

Ha.

She was still flashing that gentle, eyes-arched smile, trying to make a good impression on the old foxes on our side.

And naturally, that meant all eyes were on us.

Lee Jihye turned her gaze toward me and opened her mouth with a cheerful voice.

“Oppa! Long time no see.”

What do you mean, oppa….