The Monarch's Sparring Match
The rhythmic thump of helicopter rotors hammered against my eardrums without pause.
Still, it was better than trying to drive through Manhattan traffic.
“Looks like the Guild Master of Gold Moon doesn’t have to worry about gridlock.”
“Don’t misunderstand. I only use the helicopter when it’s truly urgent.”
“Really?”
“Do you have any idea how much fuel costs per flight?”
“I’m guessing it’s in the tens of thousands of dollars.”
“It’s basically throwing bundles of cash into the sky.”
“Says the man who claims every minute and second is money.”
“I can still handle business inside a car, can’t I?”
William snorted.
What a perfect slave to capitalism.
No, wait.
He might not carry a whip, but this man was a fine bourgeois. Better to call him the master than the slave.
“You seem curious why I’m going along, so I’ll tell you.”
“I’m not curious, though.”
“The gate we’re heading to is currently being raided jointly with World Eater.”
“What does World Eater even do?”
William Rockefeller looked at me with an odd expression.
What’s with that face?
Before the regression, when I paid attention to American affairs, there was no such guild. It didn’t seem to leave any significant mark on history either. Did I really need to memorize every little detail?
“You really don’t know.”
“It’s not even a Korean guild. I don’t bother remembering every American one.”
“World Eater is the second-largest guild in America after Gold Moon.”
“Master, David from World Eater is a ranker said to be on par with Sister Ellen.”
Even with Jiyoung’s added explanation, nothing came to mind.
Before the regression, I only started paying attention to American affairs about ten years from now. At that time, there was no guild called World Eater, and no player named David.
Either he died inside a gate, or he lacked the backing and faded into mediocrity. One of the two, probably.
“I don’t think I need to remember him.”
“Hah. Confident, aren’t you?”
“Since the opponent is the Guild Master of Rockefeller, I feel a bit sorry for this David guy.”
“You even know how to flatter?”
No. I’m being completely sincere.
I know exactly how exhausting it would be to have you as an enemy, which is why we’re maintaining this cooperative relationship.
William seemed pleased with my answer and let out a hearty laugh.
“Even if it’s empty flattery, it still feels good.”
I told you it wasn’t empty.
“David is the player with the second-highest RP in America after Ellen.”
I see.
“Our guild does have one flaw, doesn’t it?”
“That the Guild Master is trash?”
“Do you want me to drop you off right now?”
“Then I’ll just spread my wings and fly. Please give me the address.”
“You really never let me have the last word.”
After the Tower appeared and player organizations known as guilds were established, an unspoken rule took root: the Guild Master must be the strongest member of the group.
Even in places like Gold Moon where the Guild Master wasn’t number one, it often led to a loss of influence, whether openly or behind the scenes.
Of course, this man’s organizational management skills were so outstanding that it never became an issue… but it was still an easy target for outsiders to criticize.
“Since you insisted on coming, I suppose this is the perfect chance to show them who’s on top.”
So that’s why he came along.
As expected of capitalism’s slave—no, its master. His judgment was perfectly on-brand.
As I listened to the situation, we soon arrived near the site.
“Everyone, try not to cause any trouble.”
“When the Guild Master says that, it doesn’t exactly inspire confidence.”
“Even you, Hyung-nim?”
“I’m joking.”
It was a joke… right?
The guild members burst into laughter, but I couldn’t bring myself to smile.
* * *
The gate had appeared in a park near the riverbank.
The advantage was the large parking lot nearby, which made the raid logistics smoother.
“I heard Director Ellen is already at the gate.”
“Then we’ll have to wait.”
“Why don’t you go get some fresh air?”
“I’m fine. I’d rather hear what’s going on.”
“U-Us too?”
“Go stick your noses in the wind for a bit.”
Jiyoung let out a short, cheerful “Yay!”
I could hear everything.
“Master, then I’ll also…”
“Go grab some coffee. We’ve got plenty of time.”
I waved my hand dismissively and followed slowly behind William.
“Does Yeokcheon deliberately cultivate such a free-spirited atmosphere?”
“Well, everyone has such strong personalities.”
I had gathered High Rankers and future Monarch candidates.
As long as I set the general direction for their growth and gave them room to breathe, they would improve on their own.
Tightening the leash too much would only stifle their potential, which would be the real loss.
“Heh heh heh. Recruiting such talented individuals is a skill in itself.”
“In terms of guild management, I don’t think I could ever match the Guild Master of Gold Moon.”
“You’ve been polishing my ego nonstop since we left.”
“I’m being sincere.”
“I can’t tell if you’re good at flattery or terrible at it.”
I simply stand on the side of truth.
***
After chatting casually with William for a while, I received a general briefing from the waiting raid team.
The gate raid was roughly fifty percent complete.
The internal terrain was rugged, so progress was slow. On top of that, while it was called a joint effort, the competitive relationship with World Eater meant neither side was willing to commit full strength, which slowed things down even more.
William let out a quiet sigh.
“Looks like I’ll need you to step up.”
“Yeah, I figured as much.”
World Eater?
A guild that couldn’t even leave its name behind in my previous life. Clearing them out quickly would be the smart move.
Since I’d bought up every Rockefeller coin on the market, doing at least this much was no problem at all.
Anyway.
The rest of the group should be returning soon. Time to head back.
“Call me when Ellen comes out.”
“Will do.”
I walked in the direction they had gone to explore the area. It wasn’t long before a hostile atmosphere made me frown.
The air felt thick and stagnant, pressing down heavily.
Two groups stood facing each other in a standoff.
One side was my people.
The ones standing opposite them were… probably from World Eater.
–Do you recognize any of them?
“Not a single one.”
Judging by the aura they gave off, they seemed to be at the Platinum rank, but I didn’t recognize a single face.
Just as I had initially thought, none of them seemed to have accomplished much in my previous life.
I slowly approached my group.
“Ah, Uncle.”
“What happened?”
“Sorry. I caused trouble while you were gone.”
Just from the atmosphere I could guess, but it was better to hear the story directly.
“Explain.”
“These bastards! They started spouting nonsense about how Uncle only managed to kill those dragons because he got lucky!”
When Enrique growled, the other side snorted in response.
“That’s a misleading way to put it.”
“I simply meant that I hadn’t personally witnessed the savior of Paris, so I couldn’t be sure.”
Look at that arrogant expression.
I didn’t even need to ask why they’d picked a fight with my people. It was obvious from the VOD.
But still.
This was unexpected.
I unconsciously glanced at Ping Lei.
“I see you’re surprised I didn’t cause the incident.”
“Yeah. What a miracle.”
“If I spoke out of turn, wouldn’t that tarnish Master’s reputation?”
Oho.
Ping Lei, you’ve finally developed some tact!
Hyung is a little moved.
“Huh? I-Is that how it is?”
“We can forgive adolescent boy Enrique, so don’t be too hard on yourself.”
***
“I’m not in puberty!”
The way he suddenly exploded was proof enough.
I reached out and ruffled Enrique’s hair.
“You did well.”
He looked up at me with puzzled eyes as I gently stroked his head.
“I… did well?”
“You got angry when they insulted the Guild Master. I’m so grateful that you think of me that much.”
“Hehe. Heh.”
“Still, try not to fly off the handle so easily next time.”
It was fine to go wild as long as it stayed within a range we could clean up afterward.
With those words, I turned my gaze toward the World Eater players.
I wondered how I should deal with these friends so that the story would spread as a good example.
They didn’t seem worth bothering with if they were just small fry.
Thud. Thud.
Heavy footsteps echoed from a distance.
“I heard there was a commotion. It seems we’ve caused trouble for the Yeokcheon Guild.”
A man with a shiny bald head approached with exaggerated movements. He wore armor decorated with skull motifs on the shoulders and had monster skulls lined up along his belt.
Was this the end-of-the-century fashion trend?
‘That’s David. He’s the Guild Master of World Eater.’
Jiyoung whispered in my ear.
“It’s good that you at least recognize you’ve caused trouble.”
“So you’re Mr. Yu? I’ve heard a lot about your exploits.”
“Sorry, but this is the first time I’m hearing your name.”
“You’ll be hearing it often from now on, so it’d be wise to remember it.”
I doubt it.
Ten years from now, no one would even remember this guy. Wasting brain cells to store his name felt like a waste.
“Since this is fate, may I ask you for a lesson?”
“For someone asking to be taught, your attitude is rather overbearing.”
“Having the world’s strongest player right in front of me, I simply can’t contain my excitement.”
If he got excited two more times, someone was going to die.
The eyes of both Gold Moon and World Eater personnel were now focused on us.
The stage both sides wanted had been perfectly set.
“Enrique, in Korea we have a saying called ‘resolution of one’s own knots.’”
“I have no idea what that means, Uncle.”
The Tower of Babel translated everyday conversation, but it didn’t bother interpreting complex four-character idioms.
I cleared my throat lightly.
“It means you must take responsibility for the problems you create.”
“Huh?”
“The bald uncle over there says he wants to fight you.”
I gave Enrique’s back a gentle push. He stepped forward unsteadily.
“If you can beat this kid, I’ll spar with you.”
“Are you serious?”
“I am the world’s strongest, after all. I can’t just fight anyone.”
I shrugged lightly and snorted.
“Shouldn’t I at least verify whether you’re a worthy opponent?”
“So you want to test my skills, David.”
Crack.
***
His teeth were going to break. They were definitely going to break.
“If you don’t like it, you can refuse.”
“U-Um, Uncle.”
“If you think you can’t win, you can say no.”
“Really?”
“But from what I see, I think you’ll win.”
I spoke quietly enough that only Enrique could hear.
“That bald guy is supposed to be an American ranker.”
“You can do it.”
I lightly patted his shoulder with my right hand.
Enrique had joined the guild last and was the youngest by age.
Yet when it came to pure potential, he was the best among all of us.
The title of ‘Monarch’—the player who had reached the pinnacle of humanity—wasn’t something you could get just by being good at poker.
He hadn’t been one of the early frontrunners like Rene Davis, Ellen, or Sergei.
The kid standing in front of me had started as a latecomer and still become a Monarch.
The stage was set.
Let’s show the whole world.
Just how outstanding the members of our guild really are.
“I’ll do it.”
Enrique clenched his fists tightly.
“What do you say?”
“Kuk kuk. I don’t know the meaning of holding back. Is that still okay?”
“As long as you leave him breathing, it’s fine.”
“You’ll regret this.”
“Someone’s going to regret it, that’s for sure.”
I didn’t think it would be me.
The park had grown noisy.
The dispatched players formed lines on both sides, using us as the center.
Gold Moon and World Eater.
True to their rivalry, they growled at each other.
William Rockefeller stood among the Gold Moon personnel, watching the situation unfold.
I gave him a light wink.
This is what you wanted, right?
“If both sides are going to use their full strength, we should change locations.”
“We’re in the middle of a gate raid. We can’t go too far in case something happens.”
“Perfect. I have business in there too.”
I pointed at the blue rift situated deeper inside the park.
“We’ll spar inside there.”
“Kuk kuk kuk. Then we can fight without worrying about holding back.”
David’s face twisted into something resembling a demonic war god.
He certainly had a talent for facial expressions.
“U-Um, is this really okay, Uncle?”
“Don’t worry.”
If it looks like you’re about to die, I’ll jump in immediately.
I didn’t say the rest out loud.
I couldn’t break our kid’s spirit, after all.