Chapter 48
Chapter 48
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 48
Chapter Title: Team Leader and Team Name Selection (2)
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Dokgo Hyun spoke in front of his status window, which was visible only to him, as if proudly showing off the knowledge he had gained from Lee Hyun-jun before his regression.
"I, Dokgo Hyun, swear that if I become the leader of the team I'm on, I will stake my life and give it my all as team leader until the very moment my duties end."
"Ah?"
"Ooh!"
"W-What was that system message just now?!"
The other three, excluding Dokgo Hyun, were all stunned.
Dokgo Hyun smiled faintly.
"That settles it, right?"
"Y-Yeah, of course we trust you. But how did you know about that [Oath] thing? I had no idea something like that was even possible..."
"I gathered info through my own channels. Among them, an [Oath] made to the system has far greater power than a regular one."
"Hmm. Impressive."
Choi Han-pung was genuinely admiring him.
"Dokgo Hyun, you're really something. Staking your life on an oath like that—most people couldn't do it even if you asked them to in front of others. Even adults struggle with it, but you pulled it off so casually. You've got a big vessel and even bigger ambitions."
"Thank you for the recognition."
"And your information network is better than mine, even though I'm older. If I didn't acknowledge you here, I'd just be a stubborn old geezer. Let's make Dokgo Hyun here our team leader!"
"I agree!"
Eun Jua shouted.
Kang O-su nodded in agreement as well.
"Alright, now we need to decide on a team name."
Dokgo Hyun said, holding a white sheet of paper and a ballpoint pen.
"Everyone, do you have any team name ideas?"
"......"
The three fell silent.
They weren't the type to step forward eagerly, so no one spoke up.
"Doesn't the team leader decide this kind of thing?"
Eun Jua asked, and everyone agreed.
"Fine. Then I'll come up with the best team name. First..."
Dokgo Hyun turned to the TV Man.
"Excuse me, Supervisor. Can team names include special symbols?"
"Uh...?"
"Like, for example, 'Strongest♠ Meteor☆ Fantasy♤ Star★' or something."
"H-How do you even read that team name?"
"Huh? Do I need to be able to read it out loud?"
"Of course! When the mission time limit ends, I'll call out the team lights and team leaders to confirm."
Calling out team names and leaders was essential.
Not just for the supervisor, but so other players could hear and know too.
"Hmm. What about English, French, or Arabic for the team name?"
"......"
"And is there a character limit? If I want to make it cool, it might need to be long."
Dokgo Hyun chattered on with questions, while his teammates listened in disbelief.
Meanwhile, the other teams perked up at Dokgo Hyun's questions and started paying attention.
The TV Man grew annoyed.
"Ugh, fine. As long as it can be read and fits on that paper, anything goes. Happy now?"
"Heh heh. Thank you."
Dokgo Hyun flashed a triumphant smile.
'In that case, this is it!!'
Dokgo Hyun scribbled the team name on the paper in one swift stroke.
"Cha-ha!!"
A battle cry full of spirit as he wrote the team name.
The surrounding teams jumped and stared in shock.
"Eek!"
"That team's leader has some serious energy."
"What kind of team name could inspire that...!"
"Let's make our team name super cool too!"
Stimulated by Dokgo Hyun, players from other teams focused more on team names than electing leaders.
"We gotta make it really cool."
"They say good ones get bonuses."
"Huh? Really? Never heard that."
"I don't know for sure, but it feels like it. Like when they picked the first three 'Handshake Masters'."
"Oh, yeah?"
The mood heated up instantly.
Watching this, the TV Man chuckled inwardly.
'Idiots. Team names don't matter.'
The key was electing the leader.
Remaining Phase 1 missions often involved team efforts, so a strong, smart leader was crucial.
That's why they dedicated an entire mission to leader selection.
'Getting obsessed over team names. Such childish fools.'
Team names were just symbols for the TV Man to call out and distinguish teams.
The TV Man sneered at the players and glanced at Dokgo Hyun.
'Probably asked those questions loudly on purpose to steal time for team names—a clever ploy.'
Moments later, the TV Man shouted.
"One minute left!"
"Ack, one minute?!"
"Already?"
"We wasted time on team names first!"
"Let's just do rock-paper-scissors for leader!"
"Ugh, arm wrestling for us!"
In a flurry, team names and leaders were decided.
Often, leaders were chosen casually, but team names got all the effort.
Rumble...!
Soon, all players submitted papers with team leaders and names.
Dokgo Hyun deliberately went last, placing his at the bottom.
"Hmm. Everyone submitted successfully."
The TV Man skimmed the papers.
"I'll confirm clears after checking everything. I'll call them out one by one, so respond when I say your team name and leader. Got it?"
"Yes!!!"
"Then, let's read them in order..."
The TV Man's voice cut off abruptly.
His TV face showed no expression, but he seemed frozen.
Flip! Flip!
He flipped through the papers faster and faster.
"Ugh, these guys really...!"
He yelled in disbelief.
"Team leader of 'Let Us Unite with the Heart of the Great慈 Great慈'! Come forward!"
"Heh heh. Calling upon this humble monk?"
A young man in monk robes, clearly Buddhist-looking, stepped forward with a smile.
"I am So-seung, also known as Museng-hwa. Good to see you again. Feeling like scolding me?"
"Scold? More like, are you seriously using this as your team name?"
"Of course."
"Why make such a weird team name?"
"Weird? In this game full of competition, it's a call to overcome delusion together and walk the path of great compassion."
"Ugh, you're serious?"
"Heh heh, all is fated by karmic law. Haha."
"You're not even a real monk, just cosplaying? Whatever, next!"
The TV Man picked up another paper.
"This one's nuts too. 'Lord, Sending Another One Your Way.' What is this! Writer, come out!"
"Dissatisfied?"
A middle-aged gentleman in a pitch-black pastor's robe and shirt stepped forward.
Behind him stood nine players in white shirts with black pants or skirts.
"I'm Han Seong-cheon. These are the youths following me."
"Unbelievable. First a Buddhist monk gimmick, now Christian?"
"We follow the Lord, but we're not Christians."
"Huh?"
"Anyway, we've overcome by faith so far, and this name shows our will to keep doing so. Problem?"
"N-No, I don't know your religion, but if you want to show faith, pick a normal name."
"Whom we serve as Lord is first His will, second our free choice. How we express faith is our right. For example..."
"Ugh, fine, whatever."
The TV Man, frustrated by the troublemakers, checked the next.
"...Next, 'Heaven and Earth, I Alone Am Venerable' team, come forward."
"Heh. Cool name, right?"
"You sure about this?"
"Absolutely!"
"...Fine."
More absurd names followed.
'Supervisor, please let our team live.'
'If you're gonna rush in, just suicide.'
'Let's offer fire ants. Fire ants are my mortal enemies team.'
'꿸뺅륣홁훑봙콅쫚콶퍍 team.'
'Tenacity Group Pppbang team.'
"Ugh, you people! On purpose! All deliberately weird!!"
The TV Man raged.
Some players snickered.
The supervisor wanted to yell about how they could treat life-or-death team names so casually.
But making weird names was their only resistance, their freedom.
Swallowing his anger, the supervisor continued calling.
"...Alright, next!"
Soon, only one paper left.
He hesitated.
The supervisor couldn't bring himself to read the team name.
"Y-You bastard...!"
His hand trembled.
"Oh, is that our team?"
Dokgo Hyun stepped forward with a grin.
"Call it out. We need to finish."
"H-How am I supposed to read this...!"
"Huh? Why?"
The team name Dokgo Hyun wrote was:
'I, Supervisor TV Man of Preliminary Round Phase 1, swear upon the system, staking everything including my name, that I will kill the Total Administrator. Reconfirming this is not an oath forced or joked by others, I swear before the system... Team.'
That's right.
Dokgo Hyun had written a team name that royally screwed over the TV Man.
"Change it."
The TV Man said stiffly.
"Huh? Change what?"
"What do you think! Change the team name!!"
"Why?"
"Because it's inappropriate!!"
"Hmm? Nothing in the mission rules against it."
"You little shit! Think it's funny because I'm asking nicely!!"
The atmosphere turned hostile.
Snickering players sobered up and watched.
"Think the mission's a joke? This is too far. Change it before I kill you."
Whoosh!
The TV Man threw the paper at Dokgo Hyun.
An unprecedented rough reaction.
Dokgo Hyun calmly picked it up.
"You're awfully sensitive. Like a slave facing high treason."
"What?"
Dokgo Hyun carefully crumpled the paper into a ball without tearing it.
"The team name is already set. And deciding team names and leaders is the players' exclusive right under the mission."
Dokgo Hyun was right.
Missions demand lives constantly, but achieving—or failing—goals is the players' right and responsibility.
"So, I've never treated the mission as a joke, and I have no intention of changing the name."
Whoosh!!
He threw the paper back harder.
"You...!"
"Warning you—be careful. Or you'll die."
"You bastard!!"
Rip! Rip!
The TV Man grabbed and tore the paper.
"How dare you! Against the great Total Administrator!! Such insolence!! Aaaah!!"
The TV Man lost control in rage.
Players were shocked.
They knew he revered the Total Administrator, but not to this extent.
Flash!
Tat-tat-tat-tat...!
A laser pierced his head.
Not Dokgo Hyun's—but the TV Man's.
"Wh... Why...!"
Thud!
The supervisor TV Man died.
"Gasp!"
"Why him?"
In the midst of everyone's shock, only Dokgo Hyun smirked.
'Rule violations are fatal even for supervisors.'
That's right.
Dokgo Hyun had submitted the team name within the time limit per the rules.
It was overly long and bizarre, but not a violation.
He had even asked about character limits and such, and the supervisor approved everything.
If the supervisor wanted to object, he should have imposed restrictions beforehand with his authority before time ran out.
But he didn't, and in tearing the paper out of provoked anger, the TV Man violated the rules instead.
'Result: death for rule violation.'
"My God. Provoking the supervisor...!"
"Acting like that."
"What happens now?"
"Yeah, what?"
A vacuum hit with the supervisor's death.
Click-clack, click-clack.
High heel sounds echoed from one side of the stage.
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