Chapter 214
Chapter 214
Chapter 214: Diamond Promotion Match (1)
Translation: godtl
The vicinity of Ranker Palace.
This area, boasting the highest real estate prices in South Korea simply because it housed the Ranker Palace, naturally had countless infrastructures tailored to the wealthy residents, including those of the Ranker Palace itself.
And in one such café—
Inside a private room designed to cater to the needs of the affluent—
"It's a relief to see you in one piece."
A sharp-eyed, handsome middle-aged man was conversing with a woman who looked strikingly like him.
To be precise—
"Ha! You dragged me all the way here just to ask that?"
"Wasn't it a guild war with dozens of casualties, including rankers getting killed?"
"What do you want me to say?"
"Even though I heard the news, I wanted to see with my own eyes that you were truly unharmed."
"Damn it!"
It would be more accurate to say the middle-aged man was the one unilaterally steering the conversation.
The woman, who bore an uncanny resemblance to him—
"Don't pretend to care. It's disgusting."
Go Mal-suk glared at the man without even touching her coffee, which cost tens of thousands of won per cup.
Yet, despite her venomous words—
"Yes. It's a relief you look healthy."
Go Chang-jin, the master of Myth Guild—one of South Korea's top guilds—and a first-generation ranker, wore a gentle smile.
Considering his epithet,"Iron Blood"—
And given the image he projected both in the Arena and in reality—it was an astonishingly warm smile.
But to Go Mal-suk, it might as well have been worth less than a pebble on the street.
Bang!
"Hey! Are you even listening to me? Huh?!"
She slammed the table so hard that the expensive coffee sloshed, her anger palpable.
Yet, even in the face of her fury—
"Of course. I haven't forgotten a single word you've said."
Go Chang-jin replied with an unshaken smile.
A demeanor truly befitting his "Iron Blood" moniker.
But whether it displeased her—
"...Oh?"
Go Mal-suk's eyes narrowed further.
"Then you must still remember what you said to me ten years ago?"
She tilted her head slightly as she asked, and for the first time since their meeting—
"......"
Go Chang-jin lost his composure.
Was it a reaction she liked?
Or was it the emotions surging from that memory?
"You definitely said it, didn't you? That no matter when or where, you'd come running—no, flying—to me if I called."
Go Mal-suk's voice gradually morphed into something akin to a beast's growl.
"So. Was that why you ignored my call back then? Mom's call too?!"
Her gaze, too, burned with hatred.
"......"
Go Chang-jin couldn't speak.
His smile long gone, his expression wasn't just serious—
"About that... I can only say I'm sorry."
It was a face filled with self-reproach and guilt.
Why was it?
Even though she had successfully shattered his composure—
"...Don't make that face."
Instead of satisfaction, Go Mal-suk clenched her fists tightly, discomfort twisting her insides.
Soon—
"Whatever. Don't ever use Yu-jeong like this to approach me again. I warned you."
With those icy words, she kicked back her chair and stood.
Bang.
She stormed out, slamming the door behind her.
As Go Chang-jin silently watched her leave—
"My, my... She's the spitting image of you."
A tall middle-aged man stepped into view behind him.
"Especially that fiery temper of hers."
"Ha Gwang-il. You've grown bold. Talking smack right to my face. Maybe it's time I passed the Guild Master title and retired."
"Haha! Come on, boss! That was a compliment—praising how strong-willed and decisive she is!"
Ha Gwang-il, the vice Guild Master of Myth Guild, shrugged and chuckled lightly.
To which—
"Anyway, I'm just glad she's safe."
Go Chang-jin let out a sigh of relief.
"Indeed. Kim Si-mun's help must've been significant, no?"
At Ha Gwang-il's question, Go Chang-jin nodded.
"Most likely. The Galaxy Arena even went as far as silencing people. The Russian Federation's representative and even rankers were assassinated, weren't they?"
"It must've been an extraordinarily dangerous situation, no?"
"Obviously. So, Gwang-il. Do your best to investigate this matter thoroughly."
At Go Chang-jin's order—
'When even the organizers are keeping their mouths shut, what kind of investigation can I possibly conduct?'
Ha Gwang-il barely swallowed those words.
Because he knew exactly what was going through Go Chang-jin's mind as he stared at the door Go Mal-suk had left through.
Thus—
"Understood."
Regardless of the outcome, for now, he gave a simple "Yes" as his answer.
Click.
Go Chang-jin took a sip of his now-cold coffee.
'It won't happen again. Never again...'
As if reciting a mantra to himself—
He repeated those words silently, over and over.
With a farewell from the staff—
"Have a nice day."
Go Mal-suk stepped out of the cafe with him.
'Nice day my ass...'
Pouting her lips, she trudged away with heavy footsteps.
Watching her go,
"Mal-suk."
A clear, melodious voice called out to her, instantly drawing all eyes.
Lee Yu-jeong was smiling at her.
Several passersby seemed to recognize her.
"Hey! Isn't that Lee Yu-jeong?"
"N-no way, it's really her!"
"I heard she returned from Russia... What? Go Mal-suk's here too?!"
"Hope she's not hurt. I heard Rankers are getting assassinated these days."
The surroundings quickly buzzed with whispers.
Noticing this, Yu-jeong gave Mal-suk a knowing smirk and gestured with her chin toward the back.
"Get in."
The luxury sedan parked behind them looked impossibly expensive.
As more eyes gathered on them,
Mal-suk quickly slipped into the passenger seat.
Then—
"Wait. You're driving?"
Her eyes widened comically as she saw Yu-jeong take the driver's seat.
"Why not?"
Yu-jeong started the engine with an expression that said 'obviously.'
"No, I mean... Shouldn't someone at your level have, like, a personal chauffeur or something?"
"Do I look like a princess to you?"
"Aren't you?"
"What nonsense."
Yu-jeong chuckled at Mal-suk's words but kept her eyes on the road.
"Well, I do have a driver, but I prefer being alone."
"Yeah, I guess..."
Mal-suk nodded absentmindedly.
Resting her elbow on the window frame and propping her chin on her hand, she stared outside for a long moment before asking without turning her gaze,
"How long have you known?"
"Since that time we went to the Black Market with Oppa."
Yu-jeong answered just as evenly, eyes still fixed ahead.
"Haah..."
Mal-suk let out a long sigh.
Yu-jeong merely glanced at her before silently continuing to drive.
"I'm sorry, Yu-jeong."
Mal-suk soon offered her apology.
"There won't be anything like this again."
Though her words lacked a direct object,
Yu-jeong seemed to understand perfectly.
"No. If anything, I should be the one apologizing."
Instead, Yu-jeong was the one cautiously watching Mal-suk's expression.
"I didn't realize it weighed on you this much. I just—"
Fortunately,
"Ah, don't even say it. That bastard obviously bulldozed his way into setting this up. I already know, so don't worry about it."
Mal-suk brushed it off casually.
"But keep it a secret from Kim Si-mun, okay? If it comes up, I want to be the one to tell him."
"Okay. Got it."
Silence settled over the car once more.
Then—
Ding.
Both Yu-jeong and Mal-suk's phones chimed simultaneously.
Since Yu-jeong was driving, Mal-suk checked hers first.
"Damn. Some people just can't catch a break."
She scoffed and shook her head.
To be precise,
"He just got back from the Guild War, and now the Are— Wait!"
She had been about to dismiss it.
"What the hell? A Diamond Promotion Match?!"
That was before she saw the title of Si-mun's broadcast.
Hearing her shock, Yu-jeong—
Screech!
"W-what? Seriously?!"
Slammed on the brakes, bringing the car to an abrupt halt.
[Would you like to assign your Promotion Match to a standard Arena? (Yes / No)]
The selection window floating before his eyes.
After a brief glance, Si-mun answered without the slightest hesitation.
"Of course it has to be standard."
He tapped the 'Yes' option.
His reasoning was simple.
'Even if it's a Promotion Match, the rewards differ between standard and non-standard Arenas.'
All the Arenas he'd fought in so far had been non-standard.
Meaning, they didn't involve life-or-death stakes.
This already reduced the notoriously meager rewards of Promotion Matches even further.
Of course,
'Well, it's not like standard Arena rewards are that much better...'
The rewards didn't drastically increase just because it was standard.
But since standard Arenas involved risking one's life, they were fundamentally different from non-standard ones.
Most crucially,
'Since the Sub-Regulations were implemented, I'm the first one attempting a Promotion Match, aren't I?'
Which meant there should still be untouched first-achievement rewards related to Promotion Matches.
[Your Promotion Match will be assigned to a standard Arena.]
[Synchronizing.]
[Please wait a moment.]
Perhaps because he was nearing Diamond-rank?
The matchmaking for his Promotion Match required a brief waiting period.
After watching the silent message for a while, Si-mun muttered,
"Taking longer than expected. Might as well turn on the broadcast."
He activated Arenia's livestream.
-No way? King Si getting a notification?
-Dude, it's only been a few hours since he got back!
-Is this guy made of iron?!
-More like beyond iron lol. Isn't he practically a human Golem at this point?
-For real, he's transcended humanity.
-Siha!!
As if they'd been waiting,
Viewers flooded in like a tidal wave.
"Nice to see you all."
Si-mun offered a light greeting.
-No way! Si-mun-nim, you just went through something huge—you should be resting!
-Seriously. Didn't they say even the Galaxy Arena had to intervene?
-You barely took any time off. Are you really okay to stream like this?
-You haven't even gotten matched yet, right? Hyung, take a break.
The viewers immediately flooded the chat with worried messages.
Of course,
-They turned on the stream real quick before the Guild War aggro died down lol
-They're just chasing viewer numbers.
-Pfft, as if they've only been streaming for a day or two~
There were also scattered sarcastic comments here and there.
-You already have more viewers than most Diamonds, what's the point lol
-Just ignore them. They're just fishing for attention.
-Ban them already.
But Si-mun's viewers, having weathered plenty of trolls before,
[Manager 'Black Goat' has banned dlfjsdkdlel.]
[Manager 'Odin' has banned aksemsmsrp.]
[Manager 'Baal' has banned wpdlfdjfudnj......]
were unfazed—especially with high-ranking Constellations acting as moderators.
"Ah, as for the Guild War, I'm fine. I didn't really do much, after all."
Si-mun answered with an easygoing smile.
And it wasn't a lie.
'The Tsar Guild... I could've handled them alone anyway.'
It was an awful thing to say, but—
The Tsar Guild's rising stars hadn't even been worth an appetizer.
On the other hand,
'As for Etra, the real problem, Aracrea took care of her.'
Etra, an Ancient Dragon, had been a genuine threat even to Si-mun.
But hadn't an even more monstrous existence wiped her out cleanly?
So, considering the scale of the Guild War's damage,
Si-mun himself hadn't suffered much at all.
At his response,
-Even so...
-If hyung says he's fine, why are you guys freaking out?
-Deadass lol, haven't you watched his streams? This guy isn't human.
-Haha, calling him not human is a bit much, no?
-I mean... he's not wrong. Dude's already up for Diamond promotion lol
-Facts. I saw the title and thought my eyes were playing tricks on me.
The chat soon set aside their worries
and returned to normal, cracking jokes left and right about Si-mun.
Then—
[Synchronization complete.]
[Matchmaking finalized.]
A notification from the Galaxy Arena floated before Si-mun's eyes.
And then—
Whoosh.
The empty waiting room transformed in an instant.
Blue skies.
A place so fitting of the word "firmament" that it seemed like a corner of paradise.
Pale blue stretched endlessly in all directions.
Had that blue not rippled ever so faintly—
'This is... underwater?'
—no one would have guessed they were submerged.
-Wow......
-Where the hell is this?
-This is insane. This is supposed to be underwater?
-Hyung's a small-regular, right? Maybe it's a new map we don't know about?
-Wait, they're doing Promotion Matches in small-regular now?
Even the viewers couldn't hide their awe at the overwhelming sight.
But Si-mun's amazement lasted only a moment.
'Wait. If the water's so clear it's indistinguishable from the sky... don't tell me...'
His brow furrowed slightly as a memory from his past life surfaced.
'Azshita?'
As if to confirm his suspicion,
[Welcome to the Diamond Promotion Match.]
[Location: The entrance to the 'Blood-red Abyss' in the dimension Azshita.]
[This Arena's mode is 'Survival,' with 1,000 participants.]
[The Arena will begin once all players have loaded in.]
The message gave the exact answer Si-mun had expected.
But—
-WTF! 1,000 people?!
-Look at the scale lol it's 10 times Earth's size lol
-Deadass insane.
To the viewers, the number "1,000" was the only thing that stood out.
And for good reason.
-Since when do Diamond Promotion Matches have a thousand people?
-Is this the standard match class or what?
-Guess when you add other races, even Diamonds hit numbers like that lol
-Well, if they're pulling 100 per dimension like Earth... damn. That's wild.
After all, wasn't Si-mun in a Diamond Promotion Match?
Even the first Promotion Match in small-regular was one thing,
but for there to be a full thousand Platinums competing for Diamond—
it was nothing short of astonishing.
But.
There was an even bigger surprise waiting.
[Due to the player's synchronization status, this broadcast will be streamed in some standard Arena dimensions where similar media exists.]
A sudden flurry of messages.
[Chat channels will be separated.]
[Player Kim Si-mun belongs to a non-standard Arena dimension.]
[Until promoted to a standard Arena dimension, cross-dimensional communication is impossible.]
[Only in dimension Earth can you view chats from other dimensions.]
Along with that notice—
-Huh? The chat split in two!
-What? They're splitting the chat in real time?
-What the hell, lol? What kind of insane spectacle is this?
-Is this...... the technological prowess of the Galaxy Arena?
Si-mun's chat window had split into two in real time.
And in less than ten seconds.
=?????...... What kind of species is this?
=???...... It's a Diamond Promotion Match, so why are there so few viewers?
=?...... Wait. That's a human, isn't it?
=A human?
Unfamiliar scripts rapidly translated before their eyes,
appearing simultaneously before Si-mun and the viewers.