Chapter 57
Chapter 57
Chapter 57: Debut Match (1)
Translation: godtl
"Anyway......"
The luxurious window overlooking Seoul's nightscape.
Leaning against it, Kim Si-mun shook his head as he looked at his phone.
"She's still as tsundere as ever."
What do they call it again? A tsundere?
In the short time since the terror incident.
A faint smile naturally formed on Si-mun's lips as he carefully read through the fifty-some messages Go Mal-suk had sent.
'This really brings back memories.'
Before phones disappeared.
And even after they vanished, Mal-suk had always been like this.
Despite her rough exterior, she was deeply considerate—the type who always looked out for others.
'Thanks to that, she saved my life more than once.'
A Level 1 alchemist with mana disability.
That he had survived until the end was due in part to his own efforts and luck.
But it was also thanks to the help of friends like Mal-suk.
"First, I should connect Mal-suk with the Heavenly Demon as soon as she arrives."
Then naturally, just like in his past life, the Heavenly Demon would pick Mal-suk.
And he could receive the Heavenly Demon Arts 2-Star for free as a quest reward from the Heavenly Demon.
A true win-win situation.
'And the stat boost would be substantial too.'
Even just the 1-Star Heavenly Demon Arts displayed overwhelming power within the same rank, didn't it?
Of course, the higher the grade, the greater the amount of Demonic Energy required.
But with his total Transmutation Power already at 68 or higher, he could handle the 2-Star Heavenly Demon Arts without issue.
Not to mention, he now had the newly added Dragon Body Transformation and Death Eye, right?
There was just one thing bothering him.
'Dragon Body Transformation can be used as soon as the Philosopher's Stone awakens, but... what exactly is the Death Eye?'
Among the two new skills he obtained this time—Dragon Body Transformation and Death Eye.
The Death Eye, tied to Odin's Eye, remained utterly incomprehensible in terms of how to use it.
Thud.
Crossing the wide corridor, Si-mun stood before a mirror and focused his Transmutation Power into his left eye.
Kiiing.
With its characteristic ringing, Odin's Eye activated.
Layers of golden magic circles floated before his vision.
There was no difference from before—except.
Sluice.
The pupil that appeared, splitting the center of the golden iris, was different.
Yes.
Just like that massive crimson eye that had tried to kill him before his regression.
The shape of his eye had transformed into that of a reptile's, boldly asserting its presence.
"I just can't figure out how to use it."
Si-mun tilted his head slightly.
The Death Eye within Odin's Eye also tilted crookedly in response.
'Unless it's an artifact, normally acquired traits or abilities can be used automatically...'
Just as one doesn't need to be taught how to move their body or breathe.
It should be natural to instinctively know how to use an ability.
But this damn Death Eye—he couldn't grasp how to activate it at all.
"Well, I'll figure it out somehow."
Letting out a small sigh, Si-mun deactivated Odin's Eye.
"By the way......"
Then, he turned his gaze back to the dazzling nightscape outside.
To be precise.
"The Gold Debut Match. I almost forgot about it."
Or rather, the message window floating before his eyes.
[Based on accumulated data, Player Kim Si-mun's next Arena will be matched to the 'Gold Debut Match.']
Gold Debut Match.
An Arena exclusively matched for players who have just entered the Gold-rank.
But not just anyone could participate.
'Only the top 500 based on MMR, right?'
Whether they had gone through placement tests or Promotion Matches didn't matter.
Only the top 500 by MMR were selected, and those chosen were then—
[Time remaining until Debut Match: 22 hours 27 minutes.]
—required to wait without participating in any other Arenas until the Debut Match.
Of course, if all 500 weren't matched.
The waiting time wouldn't increase.
After all, the number of participants varied each time.
Depending on the country.
And the players who had been promoted.
"Platinum Debut Matches are usually full matches at the national level, but Korea typically fields around 100 participants, right?"
From Platinum-rank onward, matchmaking occurs globally, so the number of participants is always full.
However, Korea usually averaged around a hundred participants.
The problem was—
'Most will come as three-person parties, won't they?'
Strangely, the Galaxy Arena allowed up to three-person parties for this Debut Match.
Because of this, most participants entered as duos or trios—in other words, parties of two or three.
This led to the bizarre spectacle of players or guilds who were bitter rivals teaming up.
"Well, it doesn't matter much."
Si-mun indifferently swiped the message windows aside.
He had already performed at Platinum-level before.
Hadn't he just leveled up explosively to Lv. 12 in this Arena and further upgraded his specs with the Blood of Tiamat?
It might sound arrogant, but he wasn't particularly intimidated by the parties.
Even if the top Gold-rankers came, they wouldn't be able to do anything to him.
He just felt a little regretful.
'It would've been nice if Mal-suk could've run the Debut Match with me.'
Now that her Mana Disability had been cured—
It was a shame he couldn't fight alongside his old friend.
'Look on the bright side. Time will solve it anyway.'
In his past life, Go Mal-suk had mastered the Heavenly Demon Arts and never missed taking first place all the way to Diamond.
So, as long as she was connected to the Heavenly Demon, she'd quickly catch up to his rank.
"Alright! I'll finish setting up the lab before the Debut Match."
Stretching vigorously, Si-mun headed toward the lab.
Late at night.
In South Korea, it wasn't particularly strange for corporate buildings to remain lit even at this hour.
But if those lights were on the top floor of one of the nation's top guilds—
Especially the Myth Guild, considered second only to the Seongsam Guild—then the story changed.
"Haah..."
A deep sigh.
Though his hairstyle was a classic 8:2 pompadour—
"Is this all the members we have?"
The man, despite being middle-aged, had sharp eyes, a high nose bridge, and a defined jawline that made the term "silver fox" come to mind rather than "old-fashioned."
Before this man's antique desk—
"Yes. For this Debut Match, we only have two members participating."
A man in a neat suit bowed respectfully.
Perhaps because he was tall?
When he bowed, the only thing visible was the nameplate reading [Myth Guild Master Go Chang-jin].
When he raised his head again—
"Hmm."
He saw Guild Master Go Chang-jin, his brow slightly furrowed, tapping the report with his index finger.
The reporting man instinctively felt sweat gathering in his palms.
It wasn't just because the silver fox before him was a First Generation player and a Diamond-rank powerhouse.
'He's in a really bad mood.'
As a First Generation player himself—
He could tell that the man he had served for years was in an exceptionally foul mood.
"Ha Gwang-il."
"Yes."
"What about Choi Jin-su? He's not in the report."
The reason for his absence was obvious, yet Go Chang-jin deliberately pressed further. Ha Gwang-il gulped.
"Well..."
After a pause—
"He said he's putting off his decision to join the guild."
"Putting it off?"
Go Chang-jin's eyebrow twitched at Ha Gwang-il's strained reply.
"It seems the recent Arena was the cause."
"Recent Arena? Ah, that Survival match in the sewers, you mean."
"Yes."
Perhaps because Go Chang-jin was in a bad mood—
Ha Gwang-il didn't even question how the Iron Blood knew about a mere Silver-rank Arena.
"Though he practically took second place and earned his promotion to Gold, he said he felt severely lacking. So he wants to focus more on training."
"Training?"
Not even Platinum—just Silver.
And now, barely promoted to Gold, this brat dares to talk about training?
Even coming from a first-generation player still active in the field, it should have sounded like nothing more than frivolous talk.
Yet Go Chang-jin's gaze suggested otherwise.
"Just so you know, our support conditions only covered up to the last Arena. Guild-level assistance has already expired."
"I like this. As expected, my eyes never deceive me."
"Pardon?"
"Extend Choi Jin-su's support for another year. On the condition that he participates in this Debut Match alongside our promising recruits."
"But Guild Master, a full year is far too costly! He isn't even a guild member—providing him with recruit-level support up until now was already excessive!"
Ha Gwang-il pressed on urgently, but it was futile.
"Then are you suggesting we hire a mercenary instead? Do we have anyone worth fielding as a mercenary for a Debut Match?"
This iron-blooded man had always been unwavering since his youth.
"That's—! Understood."
Having built the Myth Guild from the ground up alongside him, Ha Gwang-il knew that side of Go Chang-jin all too well.
Without another word, he nodded.
Of course—
"However, it's not as if we have no one suitable for mercenary work."
—he wasn't about to agree unconditionally.
A full year of recruit-level support would require significant financial commitment.
"Who?"
"The player who defeated Choi Jin-su one-on-one in the last Survival match."
Even as the relevant documents were just now being retrieved from Ha Gwang-il's possession—
"Ah, you mean Kim Si-mun."
Go Chang-jin's expression suggested he already knew the contents of the file.
Ha Gwang-il blinked in surprise.
"You know this player?"
"Perhaps 'knew' would be more accurate. He was somewhat famous back then."
"Famous?"
Confusion deepened on Ha Gwang-il's face.
And for good reason.
Though he might fall short of Guild Master Go Chang-jin in skill—
Wasn't he, too, a first-generation diamond-rank player?
"You might not be aware. Then again, even the upper echelons kept it hushed up."
Go Chang-jin's chair creaked as it turned slightly.
He gazed down at the glittering cityscape beneath the dim night sky.
"Do you remember the former Association President?"
"How could I forget? He was the strongest player of his time."
To dare call another the greatest in front of the Guild Master himself—
Go Chang-jin let out a dry chuckle at his longtime comrade's boldness.
"Right. Disgustingly strong, that one. And his bloodline was no different."
"If you mean Kim Si-hyeok... Wait. Kim Si-hyeok? Kim Si-mun?!"
Ha Gwang-il's eyes widened.
"Your guess is correct. Kim Si-mun—he, too, is the son of the former Association President."
"B-but... The former president only had one son, Kim Si-hyeok, didn't he? Not to mention, Kim Si-mun is older."
"Obvious, isn't it? He must've fathered the child before marriage."
Ha Gwang-il's mouth fell open at that.
A scandal shocking no matter who heard it—
"Hardly surprising. A man lacking neither ability nor looks—what reason would he have to restrain the passions of his youth?"
"So... you're saying Player Kim Si-mun is the former president's illegitimate child...?"
"Precisely."
Go Chang-jin continued without hesitation.
"But that's not what matters. Whether awakening is truly tied to bloodline or not, that bastard Kim Si-mun was born with extraordinary base stats."
"Base stats?"
"Correct. Magic Class, with a mana stat of 10 right out the gate."
"Good heavens!"
Shock overtook Ha Gwang-il's face.
And for good reason.
"Even now, those who awaken with the maximum stat of 10 are rare, but..."
The coveted Magic Class—
And not just that, but awakening with maxed-out mana, the core stat of magic users?
"Incredible. Do you know what his trait was?"
"No, his trait was never disclosed."
"Eh? Because he was illegitimate?"
"That might be part of it, but... how should I put it? He was broken before anyone could find out."
"Broken?"
"You know of it, surely. That terrorist incident ten years ago. After that, he contracted mana disability, or so I heard."
"Ah."
Ha Gwang-il let out a short sigh.
Mana disability.
The worst of all existing Arena diseases—a rare affliction with only a handful of cases worldwide.
"To awaken with such cheat-like abilities, only to be struck down by that cursed illness...!"
Ha Gwang-il's face, which had been sighing, quickly hardened.
"Wait. What do you mean by that?"
"Exactly. The fact that he's active again means he's recovered from Mana Disability. And that—"
Go Chang-jin's gaze, which had been fixed on the night view, turned toward Ha Gwang-il.
"—is highly likely connected to the Mana Sclerosis Cure that recently appeared on the Black Market."
The timing of Kim Si-mun's resurgence and the emergence of the cure was far too coincidental.
Ha Gwang-il, having also caught onto that detail, nodded in agreement.
"We should try to recruit Kim Si-mun at all costs. Then we might even get information about the cure—"
"Drop it. Focus solely on Choi Jin-su for now."
"May I ask why?"
"Didn't he already send a signal during the Promotion Match? Seems like there's been no response."
"Y-you can't mean—! Did you personally watch Kim Si-mun's broadcast?"
Though no answer came from Go Chang-jin's lips,
Ha Gwang-il, who might as well have already heard the reply, stared blankly at the documents in his hand.
'Chang-jin hyung-nim watched something as trivial as a Silver-rank Arena match?'
Admittedly, Kim Si-mun was currently the most outstanding among domestic Silver-rank players.
Even overseas guilds had reached out for sponsorship deals—not just their own.
It was highly likely that guilds like the Seongsam had already made contact with Kim Si-mun long ago.
But.
'The world is vast, and there are many skilled players.'
At a time when even the player base was undergoing generational shifts, Kim Si-mun might shine, but that was all.
He wasn't someone worth the personal attention of a man who had dominated the First Generation and built the colossal Myth Guild.
That had been Ha Gwang-il's assessment.
'Looks like I'll have to completely revise my evaluation of Kim Si-mun.'
Go Chang-jin never bothered watching Arena broadcasts unless they featured rankers.
The fact that he had watched a mere Silver-rank broadcast was no trivial matter.
As Ha Gwang-il fell abruptly into thought,
Go Chang-jin glanced at the report lying before him.
"Are there any noteworthy competitors against our team in this Debut Match?"
"Currently, only the Scorpion Guild poses a threat. As for Seongsam, their current batch isn't particularly impressive."
"The Scorpion Guild, huh... Kim Jong-jun—that bastard has far better luck than he deserves."
"When you accept anyone without discretion, the odds of that tend to rise, don't they?"
"Fair point."
Go Chang-jin, who referred to the Scorpion Guild's Vice Guild Master like he was some household mutt,
soon added,
"Kim Si-mun will likely participate in this Gold Debut Match as well."
Resting his chin on both hands, Go Chang-jin continued with a grave expression.
"Jang Ji-soo and Cha Hyun-woo alone won't be able to hold their own against him. If we want to defend our ranking at the very least, we must bring Choi Jin-su into the lineup."
"With all due respect, no matter how strong Kim Si-mun is, I don't believe he can defeat our lineup even with Choi Jin-su added."
Ha Gwang-il responded with the same expression.
Naturally.
Aside from the Scorpion Guild,
there were no rookies in this Debut Match who could threaten the Myth Guild.
Even the Scorpion Guild's rookies, while formidable, were only that.
Against Myth Guild's current roster—balanced not just in individual combat prowess but in class composition—they stood no chance.
Except.
"Is that so?"
Did the Iron Blood think differently?
"Then, Gwang-il, how about a wager between us? It's been a while."
Go Chang-jin smirked faintly, one eyebrow slightly raised.
"If I lose, I'll appear in that childish guild promotional video you've been pushing for."
"Agreed, hyung-nim. If I lose, I'll double this year's charitable donations."
"Double? You'll regret that."
"Unlike you, hyung-nim, as Vice Guild Master, I trust our 'children.' I'll take my leave now."
Ha Gwang-il bowed and exited the room.
Huu—
Before he knew it, Go Chang-jin had lit a cigarette, exhaling thick smoke as he slumped heavily into his chair.
"'Our children,' huh... That insolent brat. I ought to hand over the Guild Master position and take a break—maybe then he'd come to his senses.'
The cigarette smoke dissipated quickly.
Through the haze, a photograph drifted into Go Chang-jin's vacant gaze.
A younger version of himself.
And a sharp-eyed girl, cradled in his arms, beaming brightly.
Staring at it silently, Go Chang-jin slowly closed his eyes.