Fan Club Phantoms and Hidden Seleade Deals
“Am I even allowed to be here?”
“I never imagined we'd end up face-to-face like this.”
At Kang Hanbit's request, they'd moved to a nearby tavern. Seated at the table, Kim Jaeha and Avant-garde stared across at Luna.
The sheer absurdity of the situation was evident right there in the chat window.
-Is this legit?
-Only someone like Black Dragon could chat with Luna.
-Heard she's super prickly.
-Saw her roast that pioneer squad right to their faces. lol
-Nowaki? He got shot down trying to hit on her.
-Chaebol heirs don't stand a chance in her eyes.
-Go check her pics. She's legit celeb-level.
-Chaebol + stunner + pioneer squad ㄷㄷ
-Black Dragon, go for the confession!
-Nah, he's too mentally drained rn.
The viewers unleashed a torrent of known info. The combo of chaebol heir, looks, and pioneer squad was bound to draw eyes.
“Hm.”
Luna's gaze locked solely on Black Dragon straight ahead. Studying his expression, she flashed a grin and asked,
“Not much resistance to fan clubs, huh?”
“...Got some bad memories.”
Hanbit took a deep breath, trying to shove the placard horde out of his mind. Cheers or praise for him? Fine, whatever. But when it turned into action, who knew what freakish shit would go down.
I really don't wanna remember that crap.
Back in the day, Hanbit had possessed the king of Edipenov, a puny kingdom at the northeastern edge of the continent. Total population: 20,000. Out of that, 2,000 had jobs worshiping and praising the king.
Imagine every step you take shaking the heavens with blaring music.
How's it feel if your ministers weep in awe at “Nice weather today”?
What if 2,000 people bombard you all day with their custom hymns, festival plans, titles, and tributes?
Picture the whole nation decked out in clothes stamped with your face.
Or statues of your naked ass popping up nationwide.
Hanbit wanted zero part in those vibes.
“What the hell did you go through?”
“To think even Black Dragon would end up like this...”
Watching from the side, Kim Jaeha and Avant-garde eyed Hanbit's state again. He looked utterly deflated.
-Dark history unlocked;
-Nick checks out.
-But who are those placard weirdos?
-Bootleg merch vibes.
-Black Dragon and the Guardians of Truth (Black Dragon unaware)
-Unofficial fan club. lmao
Viewers started buzzing about the placard crew's identity too.
Rubbing his furrowed brow, Hanbit turned to Avant-garde. “You mentioned people researching RP's truths. What were they like?”
“Folks like me who question Adventure A's guides, or try decoding the whole worldview. Office worker meetups, uni clubs, that sort.”
“...They're the real deal.”
Nothing wrong with geeking over this world. The placards were probably just begging to see the true RP reality.
It's maddening.
No malice, so hard to even get mad. Should he demand they drop “Black Dragon” from their name? Nah, that might fan their flames hotter.
“Haa.”
A deep sigh escaped at the no-win scenario. Watching him, Luna tapped the table. “Better get used to it.”
“Huh?”
“As you know, Black Dragon, attention comes in all forms. Fan clubs are just a weird one.”
She added she'd dealt with similar crap. Daughter of a mega-corp chair, with overflowing talent and a public face as a pioneer—prime clickbait.
“How'd you handle it?”
“Froze the fan club prez solid till they disbanded.”
“...?”
-Oof;
-Iceblade Swordmage top tier as expected.
-How you beating a chaebol pioneer? lol
-Wanna taste the legal team?
-Social suicide ㄷㄷ
Cleaner than expected. Viewers kept harping on the chaebol angle, but Luna's confidence stemmed elsewhere—raw talent and ironclad self-belief.
“That's a solid play.”
“Right? If they piss you off, just smash 'em.”
Luna stretched as she spoke, her advice raw and earnest.
Whew.
As they talked, Hanbit's headache faded. Follow your gut, like she said—best policy.
Shaking off the worry, he sorted his thoughts quick. “Sorry for the spaced-out show. Wasted your time.”
“Not everyday stuff. Kinda refreshing.”
She smiled, glancing toward the tavern's back. Then back to him: “So, why'd you reach out? Seemed like you had questions.”
“Ah, hold up. Muting viewers first.”
-?
-Why tho;
-Don't ditch us.
-ㅠㅠ
Ignoring the chat explosion, Hanbit killed the stream audio. Straight to business.
“Abrupt, but got questions on Belmora.”
“Belmora? Starting city, right?”
“Yeah. Looking to sell its episode攻略.”
“Ahh.”
Short explanation, but Luna got it. Clear why a pioneer like her was the contact.
“What ya curious about? Buyers? Price?”
“Opinions on both would be gold.”
“One sec.”
She fiddled with her system. Astra, the invite-only pioneer community—prime intel hub.
“Belmora's vibe is iffy right now.”
A beat later, she spoke up.
“Iffy how?”
“Episode reset happened, yeah? Corps heavy on Belmora starts mostly switched to Edlen.”
“...Ah.”
Crystal clear. All Hanbit's episode guides, hidden skills—Edlen-based. Any biz watching would salivate.
“Tough sell then?”
“Your info? Anyone'd bite. But they'll demand extras. How's it stack vs. Edlen? Any Raven Kingdom bonuses?”
Practical advice as she broke it down.
Listening, Hanbit asked, “If those extras suck, what's the payout?”
“You'd get Black Dragon connection value. Plenty'd offer eight figures like me, but it'd get messy. They're buying the link to you, not just data.”
Unlike solo deals, corps meant strings. Her warning nailed it.
“Thanks. Need to mull it.”
No interest in shackles. Time to pivot plans.
But—
“Oh, forgot one thing.”
Luna stood abruptly.
“Yeah?”
“That was the general view. Exceptions exist.”
“What do you—?”
Her odd words left Hanbit puzzled. Smiling, Luna strode off.
Thud, thud—
Straight to a corner table. She grabbed someone's arm.
“Eek!”
The seated woman jolted. Wide-brim mage hat hiding her face, but identity clear fast.
“Thought you were sneaky?”
“Ah...”
Called out, the woman looked up slow. Hanbit clocked her instantly.
“...Rapina?”
-Huh?
-That's Rapina, right?
-??
-Why's she there?
-Turn audio back on plzㅗㅗㅗㅗ
Viewers who recognized her spammed chat.
“Huh?”
“Rapina... the spirit mage pioneer?”
Kim Jaeha and Avant-garde gawked too. Situation too bizarre.
“Lu-Luna! Wait!”
Rapina got dragged to their table by the arm. Now two pioneers sat opposite.
Collecting his thoughts, Hanbit voiced genuine curiosity. “Spirit mage pioneer, right? So why hide here?”
“Ah...”
Rapina averted her eyes. Nothing like the mature, warm smile she'd shown folks back in Edlen.
Luna, gauging Hanbit's reaction, asked, “Where'd you see her?”
“Edlen, once. From afar.”
“Huge diff from her public mode, huh? This is the real her.”
Luna poked Rapina's face. Hat pulled low, she just took it.
Fascinated, Hanbit pressed. “But seriously, why here?”
“She's a Black Dragon fan. Super jealous and admiring as a spirit mage, right?”
“Don't just blurt it!”
Shocked Rapina clapped over Luna's mouth. Puzzle solved for Hanbit.
Stuck at 3-rank, she said.
Rapina, mid-4000s pioneer. Even she stalled at 3-rank Hero spirit skills. Hanbit's 5-rank Epic was a gulf, niche as it was.
“Contracted lower spirits of two elements, yeah?”
“Ah... yeah. Water and wind.”
“Proficiency? Heard it's not filled.”
“It's been... over 10 months...”
Rapina's voice sank. Time dumps wouldn't fix it.
“Want some help?”
“Huh? For real?”
Her head snapped up, eyes sparkling. Hanbit laid terms.
“Not free, of course. Luna, she's the exception you meant?”
“Spot on. Her company, Bestige, needs it bad. Been all-in on Belmora from day one. Right?”
“Yeah. CEO's dead set.”
Rapina nodded. Belmora-focused corp? Decent offer likely.
“Selling Belmora episode攻略. Can you pitch to your company?”
“...One sec.”
Rapina messaged her firm. Reply in under a minute.
“Ah.”
Troubled look as she read. Turned to Hanbit.
“Um... CEO wants to meet you in person.”