The Black Tiger's Debut
The second son of the LS Group chairman, Seo Jeongmin.
The master of the Baekho Guild furrowed his brow at the unexpected report.
“My brother—Seo Jeongmin—used the guild’s name to recruit Yu Jinho?”
“Yes. The team-building exercise is scheduled for tomorrow.”
Seo Hyunmin leaned back in his chair.
“So my dear older brother has been cooking up something interesting behind my back.”
A flicker of conflict passed through his eyes.
Right after the Tower of Babel had appeared across the globe, the chairman of LS Group, Seo Mujin, recognized its potential and poured enormous resources into recruiting players.
Among the owner family, the first to awaken was the youngest, Seo Hyunmin.
—Create a player guild. The group will support you with everything it has.
Seo Mujin refused to let this golden opportunity slip through his fingers.
Until then, being the youngest had left him with little influence inside the group. But after receiving the Tower’s invitation, his position among his siblings completely reversed.
Full backing from one of the country’s top conglomerates!
On top of that, Seo Hyunmin’s own abilities were outstanding.
His rank was Gold. It fell short of the nation’s highest, Platinum. Yet the Baekho Guild had risen to become one of the most prominent guilds in Korea thanks to his exceptional management skills.
But recently, a second player had been born into the family.
The second son, Seo Jeongmin.
‘I know he’s been wary of me.’
Born into the family of a major conglomerate owner, competition was inevitable.
Luckily for him, Seo Jeongmin had been gifted with an outstanding unique ability.
[High-Speed Calculation].
It was a talent classified as top-tier for long-range dealers.
Thanks to that, he was receiving massive support not only from the guild but from the entire LS Group.
‘This is getting troublesome.’
The plan to ride the rising fame of the newcomer Jinho and boost the Baekho Guild’s reputation had solid justification.
The risk wasn’t particularly high either.
Unless Jinho refused to participate, that is.
The team led by Seo Jeongmin had already reached their level cap after repeatedly clearing low floors for over half a year. With the guild’s full support, they had even surpassed the limits of Unranked.
They were skilled enough to have taken the Iron promotion match long ago and climbed past the eleventh floor without issue.
Seo Hyunmin pressed his temples firmly with two fingers.
At the same time.
The second son of the LS Group chairman and older brother of the guild master, Seo Jeongmin, wore a wide smile across his face.
“He accepted the offer?”
“Yes, young master.”
“Good. I’ll give you a separate reward.”
“I will devote myself completely to your endeavors, young master.”
Im Yuri bowed her head and withdrew.
“You all heard that, right?”
Seo Jeongmin glanced at the players waiting behind him.
“Yes, young master.”
The four answered in crisp, disciplined voices.
They were the team members he had recruited using corporate resources after receiving the Tower’s invitation.
Each possessed outstanding unique abilities and exceptional combat sense.
Before officially climbing the Tower, they had also received training under the guidance of Baekho Guild’s top-tier trainers.
Because they had deliberately avoided public activity, they weren’t well known. But in terms of pure skill, they surpassed even the promising new talents nurtured by the Phoenix or Hwarang guilds.
The corners of Seo Jeongmin’s lips curled upward.
‘I was wondering how to stage my debut. This worked out perfectly.’
There was one major weakness in his youngest brother, Seo Hyunmin.
Unlike Phoenix or Hwarang, the guild master’s own personal strength was lacking.
The fact that he still remained at Gold despite being an early Tower player was proof of that.
On the other hand, Seo Jeongmin had received an outstanding unique ability.
If he became an even greater player, stealing everything Seo Hyunmin had built wouldn’t be impossible.
Swallowing his laughter, Seo Jeongmin looked at his team members again.
“This is the debut stage for Team Black Tiger. Don’t make any mistakes.”
“Yes, team leader!”
The members reignited their resolve and resumed training.
The next day.
The Baekho Guild sent a car to the studio apartment before the sun had even properly risen.
“We’re here to escort you.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
I climbed into the back seat of the sedan wearing casual clothes.
Im Yuri scanned me up and down with a puzzled expression.
“You don’t have any equipment?”
“My body is my weapon.”
“The Baekho Guild has plenty of equipment. We can lend you some.”
“It’s fine.”
I waved my hand dismissively.
How unnecessarily kind.
It was obvious she was worried I might find an excuse to back out after they had already set the stage.
When we arrived at the training ground, a group of players wearing the Baekho Guild emblem were already there warming up.
Click! Click!
The sound of camera shutters echoed from all directions.
Reporters the Baekho Guild had pre-arranged.
—They seem to be welcoming your arrival!
Nyx sounded delighted as she watched the camera flashes popping everywhere.
You’ve already forgotten everything I explained yesterday.
“Everyone, rest.”
At the man’s relatively quiet command, the players who had been training stopped moving.
“Yu Jinho player?”
“Yes.”
I walked toward the man who appeared to be the team leader.
Men in suits spread their hands to block my path, but—
“He’s my guest.”
At the man’s single sentence, the guards stepped back.
Through Eagle’s Eye, I could see they were all radiating deep red auras.
At least Silver rank, huh.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Seo Jeongmin, leader of Team Black Tiger.”
Seo Jeongmin.
The older brother of the Baekho Guild master and the bastard responsible for the incident known as the ‘Black Tiger Rebellion.’
An internal power struggle within the Baekho Guild.
Because of the aftermath, the guild—which had once been counted among Korea’s top three—lost a massive amount of influence and was eventually kicked out of the rankings entirely.
Just as I expected.
If I use the situation well, I can put the Baekho Guild master in my debt.
Seo Jeongmin smiled confidently and extended his hand.
“I look forward to working with you.”
I shook his hand and returned the smile.
“Oh, and since I look older, I’ll speak casually from now on.”
Wow, look at him just deciding on his own.
Do whatever you want.
Seo Jeongmin must have taken my silence as agreement, because he continued speaking.
“Before we start the team-building exercise, I’d like to check your combat ability, Yu Jinho player.”
“Should I just recite my specs?”
“Haha, that’s private information. Same for our team.”
Seo Jeongmin put on a seemingly friendly smile.
“In that spirit, how about a spar?”
He went straight to the main point.
“A spar, you say.”
“You’ve cleared past the fifth floor, so you must have a position, right?”
Tank, close-range dealer, long-range dealer—those kinds of roles.
In other words, he was asking whether I had the ability to properly fulfill the position I would be assigned.
“We’re short one member due to an injury, so we need all positions filled.”
“You’re saying you want to test my combat ability regardless of position?”
“Hahaha. This guy’s really easy to talk to.”
“I’m an Irregular, so I don’t have a fixed position.”
“Still, you must have one you specialize in, right?”
“I’m the type who can cover any role on the battlefield.”
Seo Jeongmin’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“They said you were famous, but you’re pretty confident.”
“Then we should verify it, shouldn’t we? Don’t you agree, team leader?”
The people behind Seo Jeongmin—Team Black Tiger’s players—stared at me with burning eyes.
Nice.
Since they created this stage purely to exploit my fame, it’s about time they showed their true colors.
Even though his team members were openly showing their fighting spirit, the fact that Seo Jeongmin wasn’t stepping forward made his intentions obvious.
“Instead of that, why don’t all four of you come at me at once?”
The words left my mouth in a calm tone.
The entire Black Tiger team froze with dumbfounded expressions.
A heavy silence wrapped around the group.
They seemed unsure whether I was joking or serious.
Seo Jeongmin spoke a beat late.
“You have quite the sense of humor. Let’s do it one by one instead—”
“I said I can respond to every position. So four people coming forward to test me makes sense.”
“Are you out of your mind, Yu Jinho player!”
“Ah, and since you spoke casually first, I’ll do the same.”
I crooked my finger at the Black Tiger team.
“Come on.”
No need to deal with you one by one.
I’ll take you all at once.
—Barrier activated.
—Impacts below level 5 will be completely nullified.
—If the set impact threshold is exceeded, the barrier function may malfunction.
The interior of the training ground was covered in a pale green light.
It was the same defensive magic I had seen at the private training center before.
I rolled my neck from side to side.
With a satisfying crack, a refreshing sensation spread through my nape.
—Those wretches truly intended to use you.
“Goddess, you held back for quite a while without interfering?”
—Judging by the atmosphere, it didn’t seem like a situation where I should get involved.
“It wasn’t really like that.”
—Hohoho, if that’s how you feel, then next time I won’t hesitate to join in.
Nyx laughed, covering her mouth with one hand.
—Do you not require my help?
“Not for now. If I start getting pushed back, I’ll tell you right away.”
—Understood.
While I was casually chatting with Nyx, Team Black Tiger finished their battle preparations.
“Yu Jinho player, are you really not going to regret this?”
“Regret? Please.”
“It seems I’ll have to teach you that there is always a sky above the sky.”
Seo Jeongmin struck a pose from the rear of their formation.
Who that ‘sky’ is, we’ll find out once we fight.
“Is that ‘sky’ perhaps referring to the talent of running your mouth?”
“You… arrogant bastard!”
The smile vanished from Seo Jeongmin’s face.
His heavily distorted expression was filled with eyes gleaming with contempt.
So that’s the real nature of the guy called Seo Jeongmin.
“Don’t hold back! Black Tiger team! Suppress Yu Jinho!”
At Seo Jeongmin’s shout, the entire Black Tiger team assumed combat stances.
A stable composition with one of each position.
The supporter in the rear began casting buff spells one after another.
[Lesser Strength]
[Agility Up]
[Hard Armor]
Layer upon layer of support magic.
This is good enough to pass for an Iron-rank supporter.
I poured mana into the Ring of Flames.
Flames gathered in the gem.
With a light flick of my finger, a fireball flew straight forward.
“Mana Barrier.”
“Ice Wall!”
A milky-white membrane and a wall of ice covered their front.
The ice magic was Seo Jeongmin’s.
The barrier belonged to the player in the supporter position.
The moment the fireball touched the barrier, a loud boom erupted.
The blazing flames shattered the mana shield and penetrated the ice wall behind it, but—
It hesitated against the cold energy wrapped around the wall, melted about half of it, and then extinguished.
“Earth Spike.”
Kwa-kwa-kwa!
Several stone pillars surged up and shot toward the Black Tiger team.
“T-Team leader, that mana is…”
The supporter’s face turned deathly pale as he gasped for breath.
“I’ll block it. Catch your breath.”
Seo Jeongmin hadn’t been idle while I rearranged my mana either.
White energy floated in the air.
It was the cold air generated when preparing ice magic.
“Ice Pillar!”
The rearranged mana was released.
The spell’s coordinates were set along the path of my Earth Spike.
Ice pillars erupted from the ground and bound my mana.
It was similar in principle to how I had used Greed’s Protection to dye a Mud Trap and trap an orc mage’s Earth Spike.
I didn’t hesitate to cut off the mana supply.
I could probably win if we dragged it into a battle of concentration or mana.
That is, if my only opponent was Seo Jeongmin.
“Yu Jinho’s magic skill is considerable. Don’t give him any openings.”
“Yes!”
The close-range dealer and tank broke away from the group, splitting left and right as they charged.
Mud Trap
The area within a ten-meter radius turned into mud.
I placed the Mud Trap in front of the tank to obstruct his path.
Their coordinated assault timing was thrown off.
The close-range dealer seemed to hesitate for a moment before increasing his speed even further.
“Charging in without anyone to cover you? How reckless!”
The close-range dealer kicked off the ground.
His entire body was wrapped in a faint red glow.
It was the skill Valiant Strike, which increased destructive power in proportion to strength and agility, right?
He must have thought of me as a long-range dealer and closed the distance.
Unfortunately for him, close combat is my specialty.
Watching the Black Tiger team member charging at full speed, I said,
“Bite down hard on your teeth.”
I clenched my right fist tightly.