Chapter 47: The Press Conference (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 47: The Press Conference (2)
'From behind...!'
It was a ranged attack!
Jinhyuk moved reflexively.
A red flash flickered, and then—
Boom!
A massive crater formed right where Jinhyuk had been standing just a second ago.
"How dare you... beat Do-hyeon to a pulp? Do you have any idea how much effort I put into him for today?!"
The one shouting was Hong Deok-pyo in the spectator seats.
His beloved younger brother—the hidden card meant to be today's star—had been ruined, so it was only natural that his world was crumbling.
Hong Deok-pyo, whose face had turned from flushed red to deathly pale, gnashed his teeth.
At the same time, a terrifying aura erupted from his body.
Rumble!
Mana that shook the entire floor.
Ho.
So an S-Rank is still an S-Rank, huh?
Unlike the others, his mana control is actually decent. There's definitely less wasted energy.
He still lacks intuition, but if he polishes his skills for about three years, he looks like he could grow to a respectable level.
Jinhyuk activated the 'Eye of Truth' once more.
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Name: Hong Deok-pyo
Gender: Male
Age: 41
Level: 34
Strength: 38 / Agility: 33 / Stamina: 20 / Mana: 15
Stat Points Available: 1
Coins: 25,850
Class: Berserker
Unique Ability: Blood Demon Qi
Skills: Lv5 'Berserk', Lv5 'Blood Coagulation', Lv4 'Full Body Enhancement', Lv4 'Friend or Foe Identification', Lv4 'Beheading'
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[Copy Condition: Deprive Hong Deok-pyo of what he treasures most. If you do, you can copy the target's unique ability.]
Reading the copy condition, Jinhyuk felt his heart race.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Yes, this is exactly why I acquired Fusion.
Because he could use the abilities others had bled and sweated to obtain, just like that.
'What he treasures most, huh...'
That was obvious.
He already knew the answer.
Jinhyuk spoke up again.
"I get that you're angry, but could you hold off on the fighting for a bit?"
"Why? Are you getting scared now?"
"No, I'm just worried it'll be embarrassing for a guild master to get trashed in front of all these people."
"Y-you arrogant bastard! I'll chew you up, bones and all!"
Hong Deok-pyo leaped from the spectator seats.
Crash!
The chairs shattered completely as he closed the distance to Jinhyuk in an instant.
A reddish energy could be seen flickering along his two-meter-long greatsword.
It was different from sword qi.
It was what they called Blood Demon Qi.
Strands of an alien power derived from blood erupted from him.
[Unique Ability 'Grave of Swords' has been activated!]
Jinhyuk also channeled mana into his sword.
Crackle!
A black Aura surged.
He lowered his center of gravity and planted his feet firmly.
And at that exact moment—
Boom!
The two energies clashed.
Dark red sparks flew in all directions.
Rumble!
Under the pressure of the rampaging mana, the ground began to crack like a turtle's shell.
"Whoa!"
"As expected of Representative Hong. Just looking at this mana from afar sends shivers down my spine."
"Look at the energy gathered on his sword. I've only ever seen that in videos. Who would've thought we'd see it in real life?"
The reporters gasped in unison.
However, as the battle dragged on, a strange sense of incongruity began to settle in.
Something was off.
A female reporter was the first to notice the anomaly.
"Considering Representative Hong is even using his Blood Demon Qi, he's definitely not holding back... So how on earth is that man holding his ground?"
At her brief question, the other reporters snapped out of it one by one.
She was right.
Even though Hong Deok-pyo was using his trademark skill, the opponent was fighting him on equal terms.
"Y-yeah, now that you mention it?"
"I was so distracted I didn't even realize, but you're right!"
"My goodness. I knew he was strong, but to think he's on par with an S-Rank?"
In their eyes, Jinhyuk appeared to be of similar caliber to Hong Deok-pyo.
Of course, the reality was far from equal.
At least between the two clashing swords, this single exchange had already decided their joy and despair.
"Ugh!"
Hong Deok-pyo grimaced.
He had been pushed back in the very first clash to gauge each other's strength.
And overwhelmingly so.
'No way... Is he stronger than me?'
That was absurd.
The raid that had put an end to the 'Colossus', the monster on the 2nd floor of the Tower of Trials.
He, who had proudly commanded the right wing of the vanguard in that raid, was being pushed back by a mere F-Rank reject?
It was impossible.
But the throbbing pain in his shoulder and wrist was proof enough of who was stronger.
"You're not tired already, are you? If it's too hard, you can put on a pain relief patch before we continue."
Jinhyuk adjusted his grip on his sword with a casual flick of his wrist.
"Don't... make me laugh. I haven't even shown my real strength yet."
"For someone saying that, your voice sounds a bit shaky, don't you think?"
"..."
Hong Deok-pyo shut his mouth tight.
No matter how tough he acted, he knew better than anyone what the outcome would be if he kept fighting.
But if he tucked his tail and ran now, he would be utterly humiliated in front of everyone.
He was caught between a rock and a hard place.
Right then—
Creeeak!
The doors separating the arena from the outside swung open.
* * *
[Han Sang-jin activates Lv4 'Arbitration'!]
A power that cooled heated emotions and cleared the air.
It was a skill possessed by Han Sang-jin, the president of the Korean Awakeners Association.
"It's the Association President!"
"What? I thought he rarely attends external events?"
"It's really him! Look over there!"
A middle-aged man and staff in black suits appeared at the entrance.
Jinhyuk's eyes narrowed.
'So this is the man who leads the Awakeners in Korea.'
A middle-aged man with a neatly trimmed beard.
This time, it wasn't a fake created by the Demonic Humans.
The heavy aura of responsibility he carried made it clear he was the real deal.
"President Han Sang-jin! You've come at the perfect time. This guy beat one of our guild's players to a pulp! A promising prospect who received an AAA-Rank!"
Hong Deok-pyo shouted, as if he had been waiting for this exact moment.
However, Han Sang-jin merely responded to Hong Deok-pyo's grievance with a hearty laugh.
"Haha. Well, these things happen during matches. Please be understanding, Representative Hong."
"Excuse me?"
"It's not like this is some local elementary school tournament. Injuries are bound to happen, aren't they? Ah, more importantly, I'm a bit busy, so please excuse me."
"W-wait a moment...!"
Hong Deok-pyo called out, but Han Sang-jin ignored him and walked straight up to Jinhyuk.
"It is a pleasure to meet you, Player Kang Jinhyuk. I am Han Sang-jin, head of the Korean Awakeners Association."
"Do you know me?"
"To be honest, I knew nothing about you until twenty minutes ago. But I received an urgent call from Manager Park, who was in charge of the ball. He said I had to come here personally."
Indeed, after causing such a scene, the news was bound to reach Han Sang-jin.
Unforeseen anomalies had occurred one after another, after all.
"So, we conducted an investigation... and we were able to verify the records regarding your past evaluation, Player Kang Jinhyuk. How should I put it? There was something rather peculiar about it."
Han Sang-jin continued.
At his words, the surrounding reporters swallowed hard.
The reason why Jinhyuk, an F-Rank, was so powerful was finally about to be revealed.
"Congratulations on being evaluated as South Korea's sixteenth S-Rank. I would also like to take this opportunity to apologize for the incorrect rank you received due to our mistake."
It was by no means a long speech.
But the revelation it contained was earth-shattering.
"Gasp!?"
"S! ...S-Rank?"
"His rank was S-Rank?"
"My goodness... To think we'd witness the birth of a new S-Rank here."
"No wonder the A-Rank players couldn't even squeak. They weren't even in the same league."
For a moment, the reporters almost dropped their cameras and screamed.
And for good reason.
To date, over seven million people in Korea had taken the Awakening test. This was the result of running the Awakeners Association headquarters and its thirty-two branches nationwide at full capacity.
Among them, there were only fifteen S-Ranks.
Furthermore, considering that most of those tested were young adults in their twenties to forties, virtually every major rookie Korea could produce had already emerged.
Flash! Flash! Flash!
Camera flashes went off like crazy.
"Take the pictures, quick!"
"Kang Jinhyuk. Yes, it's Kang Jinhyuk. I heard it straight from the Association President's mouth!"
"Get the article out first! We can fill in the details later. Just publish it now!"
"Call everyone down from the press conference room upstairs! What? The Black Cloud Guild's rookie interview? You idiot! Does that even matter right now? An S-Rank just appeared! Drop whatever you're doing and get down here right now!"
All attention shifted to Jinhyuk in an instant.
Amidst cheers and applause, everyone in the banquet hall celebrated the birth of a new S-Rank.
"W-what kind of bullshit is this...?"
Except for Hong Deok-pyo, whose face had completely soured, and Jeong Do-hyeon, who was still retching up his guts.
Cough... Ugh! Hack! Gag!
'Damn it. I have to salvage this situation somehow.'
Hong Deok-pyo wiped the sweat pouring from his forehead.
It felt like molten iron was being poured down his throat, but he had to grasp at any straw he could find.
"W-wait a minute! Reporters! Actually, the Black Cloud Guild has prepared something special for the Tower raid, and we can give you an exclusive sneak peek...!"
"Ah, sorry. We'll come back for an interview next time. We'll hear it then."
"We're always rooting for you, Representative Hong. And, uh, what was it? The prospect? Anyway, that player. AAA-Rank is great. Yes, indeed."
"Um... haha. Next time, let's clean up the vomit first. I have a bit of a weak stomach."
Even the few remaining reporters rushed over to Jinhyuk's side.
* * *
By the time three hours had passed, quite a lot had changed.
[Korea's 16th S-Rank Emerges]
[Super Rookie: Association President Personally Delivers the News]
[Flooded with Love Calls from Major Guilds: What is Player Kang Jinhyuk's Next Move?]
Perhaps because it was a breath of fresh air amidst a constant stream of bad news lately, the media was completely plastered with stories about Jinhyuk.
Well, it didn't feel too bad.
Most of all, he liked that the S-Rank announcement came at the exact moment he wanted.
'By the way, who uploaded this?'
Jinhyuk chuckled as he watched a video uploaded by an anonymous user.
[No-Name Prospect Gets Schooled After Cockily Challenging an S-Rank]
It was the exact video of Jeong Do-hyeon acting cocky and getting utterly destroyed.
Ironically, the view count of this video was almost neck-and-neck with the official S-Rank announcement video.
The response was explosive.
The Black Cloud Guild's image had undoubtedly taken a fatal blow from this incident.
'They reap what they sow, so it's none of my business.'
Now that he had copied the unique abilities and skills of both individuals, he couldn't care less whether their guild crumbled or not.
Sink...
Jinhyuk leaned back into the soft, cushioned seat.
The feeling of the seat gently wrapping around his body made his lips curl upward.
As expected, first class was the way to go.
'So this is why everyone tries so hard to get a high rank.'
Thanks to Association President Han Sang-jin's special consideration, Jinhyuk was able to fly to Las Vegas, USA, for free.
And in a first-class seat that cost over ten million won for a one-way ticket, no less.
He had already secured the Black Market invitation from Cheon Yu-seong, and Lee Tae-min and Yu Yeon-hwa had agreed to handle the minor matters back in Korea.
Now, he could focus on his business in the US with peace of mind.
But right then—
[That man up ahead... watch out for him.]
Alice, who had been quiet inside the ring, spoke up for the first time.