Chapter 101: A Skyrocketing Value
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 101: A Skyrocketing Value
The moment they arrived at the clearing in the heart of the bamboo forest, the opposing players they had slain were summoned back.
The only difference from their first meeting in the waiting room was their attire.
Stripped of the flashy gear they had once worn, they were now dressed in mundane, everyday clothes. Seeing this, a satisfied smirk played across the lips of Seo-un’s teammates.
Thump!
A heavy vibration shook the earth, drawing everyone’s gaze toward the source of the sound.
A massive stone statue in the likeness of a female warrior holding a sword plummeted from above, leveling its blade toward Seo-un’s squad.
[Judgment! Jin Seo-un’s squad is the winner!]
“That’s quite the flashy production,” Gi-chan remarked, unimpressed.
Seo-un nodded. “Tell me about it.”
Unlike Seo-un’s team, the reaction of the Japanese players was one of pure despair. They collapsed to their knees as if the strength had been sapped from their bodies, their eyes reddening with bitter regret.
[Commencing execution. Battle Condition 1: The losing team is stripped of their right to participate in Cloyd Survival.]
Along with the notification, the massive statue swung its sword through the air.
Slash!
With the sound of something being cleanly severed, the Japanese team’s rights were revoked.
[Battle Condition 2: The losing team shall surrender all possessed items to the opponent.]
The statue swung its sword once more.
Slash!
Simultaneously, eight boxes materialized in front of Seo-un’s team.
[Battle Condition 3: The losing team shall surrender all abilities to the winner.]
Slash!
At that sharp sound, sobbing finally broke out among the Japanese team. Gi-chan shook his head as he watched several players weep in sorrow. He could feel their presence fading—a clear sign that they had been stripped of their powers.
While the teammates wailed in uncontrollable frustration, Hashio approached Seo-un’s group. He stared at the boxes placed before them with a lingering, desperate gaze before speaking to Seo-un.
“Mr. Jin Seo-un. I will pay whatever amount you ask for those eight boxes.”
At his words, a flicker of hope returned to the faces of the players crying behind him. Seo-un looked at the eight boxes and curled his lips into a smirk.
“One trillion.”
In an instant, everyone froze—including Seo-un’s own teammates. Hashio, in particular, stared at Seo-un with a stiffened face.
“How much did you just say…?”
“Why act like you didn’t hear me? You can hear just fine even without your abilities. I said one trillion.”
Seo-un didn’t miss the flicker in Hashio’s eyes as the man pondered with a grim expression.
“F-Fine. They might not be worth that much objectively, but to us, they are worth even more. One trillion won. We’ll pay it!”
Hashio spoke as if he were making a grand resolution, his fists clenched tight. Watching him, Gi-chan spoke up from behind.
“Hyung…”
Seo-un raised a hand to cut Gi-chan off and replied.
“Won? I never said won. I meant yen.”
!!!
At those words, Hashio’s jaw dropped. He was left utterly speechless.
“Why the silence? Are you buying or not? Decide quickly. If you’re not buying, I’m opening them now. You know the value drops the moment they’re unboxed.”
Realizing that Seo-un had no intention of selling the items from the start, Hashio ground his teeth.
“Jin Seo-un! Are you playing with me?! You bastard…”
“And what are you going to do? Hey, civilian. You’d better learn your place.”
As Seo-un stepped toward Hashio, the barrier separating the two factions thickened.
Screeeech!
When Seo-un touched the tip of his finger to the translucent barrier and dragged it across, the wall shook, emitting a piercing, unpleasant noise. That alone was enough to overwhelm Hashio, who collapsed backward under the sheer pressure.
“Civilians should play with other civilians.”
As Seo-un turned his back on him, a notification rang out.
[Execution complete. The losers will be expelled.]
With the announcement, the Japanese players vanished from the waiting room.
“Well then, shall we start opening these?”
At Seo-un’s words, Dump, who had been staring at him blankly, muttered, “He definitely has a nasty personality.”
Jin Long nodded in agreement. “It is not good to insult the defeated.”
Ignoring the two, Seo-un opened the first box.
[Black Dragon’s Armor Set. A full set consisting of armor, helmet, pauldrons, gauntlets, leggings, and boots. Equipping the set significantly increases Strength and Stamina.]
The chest piece alone provided +50 Strength and +50 Stamina, while the other pieces added +20 to each. It was a set specialized for raw power and endurance.
“No wonder he didn’t back down a single step during the fight,” Nam Sa-gwang noted as he checked the stats.
“The defense alone is broken, but with these options…” Seo-un trailed off, knowing full well what ‘significantly increases’ meant in this context.
Looking at the armor, which was undoubtedly the crown jewel of the loot, Jin Long spoke. “Junior. Congratulations. You have obtained a magnificent treasure.”
“It’s nice, but I’m used to moving without anything weighing me down.”
At those words, Dump and Juriel stared with wide eyes and open mouths, while the martial artists nodded in sympathetic understanding.
“Still, it would be better to wear at least the armor,” Li Lingwei suggested.
Seo-un tilted his head as he touched the uniquely designed plating. No matter how compact the armor was, it felt cumbersome to him, as he was used to fighting unencumbered.
“I’ll carry it for now. I might need it eventually.”
After stowing the armor set into his subspace, a double-handed sword split in half appeared, possessing an elegant form.
[Broken Gleaming Reinforced Seirun’s Two-Handed Sword. When used, increases Strength by 30 and Agility by 30. Allows the use of the skills Seirun’s Roar and Seirun’s Frenzy.]
“It has a Strength option and built-in skills. If it’s this good even when broken, I wonder how great it was originally.”
After checking the sword, Seo-un shook his head. “If it’s ‘Gleaming Reinforced,’ just how much did they reinforce it?”
“Probably three times or more, right?”
“Can we still sell it even if it’s broken?”
“Since we have the broken piece too, it should be perfectly usable if repaired.”
Seo-un held out the broken two-handed sword to Dump, who was staring at it in a daze. “Close your mouth. You’re drooling.”
“Huh? Wh-What?! You’re giving this to me?”
“I thought you were going to cry if I didn’t.”
Dump’s jaw dropped. He hadn’t dared to dream of the armor out of a sense of conscience, but he had truly coveted that sword.
After roughly stowing away the miscellaneous recovery items and named accessories, Subaru Jin’s skills appeared.
[Seirun’s Secret Sword Manual. Earth Barrier. Battlefield Roar. Steel Skin…]
After looking through the numerous skill books, the 4th Circle Stones, and various spells, Seo-un pushed all the skill books toward Dump.
“Take them and get stronger.”
As the only knight in the squad, Dump couldn’t hide his ear-to-ear grin at monopolizing almost all the knight-class items. In addition, Gi-chan and Juriel split the expensive mage items, and the remaining loot was distributed among the other teammates.
In particular, Li Min, who had claimed Hashio’s Masamune, asked Jin Long, “Are you truly okay with letting such an item go?”
“Unless it is a sword, it is an object with which I have no affinity anyway.”
Knowing well that as a fellow martial artist, it was impossible not to feel greed upon seeing such a weapon, Li Min seemed deeply moved by Jin Long’s character.
“Juriel. Can you deliver these items to Lyle?”
“Don’t worry. I’ll take responsibility and make sure Lyle gets them.”
Seo-un hadn’t forgotten to set aside a portion of the loot for Lyle. Since this was an opportunity for the entire team to grow, the distribution was carefully calculated for maximum efficiency.
Once the distribution was over, Seo-un noticed Li Lingwei glancing at him repeatedly and hurried to wrap things up.
“Then, I’ll see you all in the next game! If it’s a 9-player or larger game with a difficulty of Mid-High or High-Low, make sure to participate.”
Just as he was about to press the exit button for the waiting room, Juriel approached him.
“Before that, I have something to say to you, Seo-un.” With a blush on her face, she subtly tugged on Seo-un’s arm.
“Wh-What is it?”
“I’d rather not say it in front of everyone. I want to talk to you privately.”
At her words, Li Lingwei bristled and stuck close to Seo-un’s side. “Me too! I have a lot to say.”
“Lingwei. I brought it up first. There’s an order to these things.”
“Do you have one of these?” When Li Lingwei waved the World Escape Ticket scroll she had obtained in the previous game, Juriel’s brow furrowed.
Amidst the tension between the two, Seo-un quietly pressed the exit button. His vision shifted rapidly, and he returned to his house in Wonju.
A few seconds later, Gi-chan appeared and looked at Seo-un. “Hyung. Why did you leave in such a hurry?” Gi-chan looked like he was dying of amusement.
“…”
“Ah… but Lingwei-nuna came dressed up so pretty today. Someone like her is more than you deserve, hyung…”
At the sharp aura piercing his skin, Gi-chan quickly trailed off.
“Seeing how your mouth is running wild today, Gi-chan, I think you need some realistic sparring.”
Most of their time in Wonju was spent on sparring or practicing linked techniques. The two of them handled those hours as if they truly enjoyed the grind. Having stripped off their shirts and worked up a sweat, the two sat on the floor, gasping for breath.
“Using the Cloning Technique is just unfair.”
Seo-un smiled as Gi-chan grumbled while massaging his swollen arm. “Practice like it’s real. Fight like your life is on the line. That’s how you survive.”
“Whew. This should be enough preparation for the next game. Let’s rest for a few days and wait for the next match.”
“I hope the next game is a bit more normal.”
“It seems like the maps and rules change as we move into higher-tier games.”
“I don’t know if it’s just because it’s a high-tier match or because it’s a squad game, but well, we’ll find out when we get there.”
After descending the mountain and riding his bike through the night, Seo-un returned home to find even more men in black suits in the first-floor parking lot.
Is there a dress code that says it has to be a black suit?
With that thought, he got off his bike. No sooner had he taken off his helmet than players from various countries in black suits swarmed him.
“Mr. Jin Seo-un! I am from the UK…”
“Mr. Jin Seo-un! We in Sweden…”
“Mr. Jin Seo-un. Please give us just a moment of your time…”
The sight of unfamiliar Westerners speaking fluent Korean felt awkward.
“Shh.”
Seo-un brought a finger to his lips, and as if he were dealing with children, everyone’s mouths shut as if by magic.
“I know why you’ve all come to see me. But I have no intention of becoming a dog on a leash. So, please go back.”
Seo-un tried to enter his house, but the people in black suits were more persistent than he expected.
“Please give me just one minute! We from the UK aren’t here to give you some cliché talk about joining a government-founded guild.”
At those words, Seo-un stopped in his tracks. Since it wasn’t a request to work under them, his interest was naturally piqued.
The blond man who said he was from the UK stepped forward and continued. “We know that for someone who has formed such an excellent regular squad like yourself, an offer that feels like a restriction on your freedom would never work. I have been delegated full authority by the British government. Our proposal is simple. If you immigrate to the UK, we will support your future plays with everything we have. That is all. If you simply become a citizen of the UK, we promise to specify and fulfill numerous supports in a contract.”
Having finished, the man tilted his chin at the other players from different countries. He seemed to take pride in the fact that he had not only stopped Seo-un but had also made what he considered a magnificent offer.
Then, a blue-eyed woman who said she was from Sweden stepped forward with a smirk. “Now, please listen to Sweden’s proposal just once.”
Naturally, the eyes of Seo-un and all the other players turned to her. Their gazes were filled with doubt, wondering if she could make an offer even more impressive than the UK’s.
“When a promising player like Mr. Jin Seo-un participates in Cloyd, the added value generated is astronomical. It will have a profound impact on future Cloyd-related businesses. To invite someone of such immense value to our country, wouldn’t mere ‘support’ be somewhat lacking?”
She glanced at the British player while saying ‘mere support’ and paused for effect. As everyone swallowed hard and focused on her, she looked directly at Seo-un and continued.
“Sweden promises Mr. Jin Seo-un more specific and better support than any other country, as well as tax exemption and legal immunity for you, your family, and your teammates. The offer I am making now has already been agreed upon by the government. We promise legal immunity that will free you from income tax, all consumption taxes, and all civil and criminal laws.”
When she finished, all the players stared at her with their mouths agape. But her proposal wasn’t over yet.
“I understand that it currently takes time for you to dispose of items brought from Cloyd. Our government also promises to purchase every item you bring at the highest possible price. You will be able to earn as much income as you want without paying a single cent in taxes. Furthermore, as long as you acquire our nationality, we promise to support you so that you can continue to live in Korea without any inconvenience.”
Even Seo-un couldn’t help but gape at her proposal.
“Of course, our government will also look after your status so that you can receive legal immunity similar to that of a diplomat even here in Korea.”
As her final words fell, the remaining players pulled out their phones, busy reporting to their superiors.
“This is no time for that kind of talk! It’s not about the money! Right now, the UK and Sweden are…”
“We need tax exemption and legal immunity too…!”
“No, I’m telling you, it’s not at a level where we can do anything as a government-affiliated entity! We misjudged his value!”
Amidst the chaotic noise around him, Seo-un nodded at the woman from Sweden. “That is certainly an enticing offer. You said you’re from Sweden?”
“Yes. I am Karina Aguilar from the Swedish Department of Homeland Security.”
“I will seriously consider that proposal.”
As Seo-un reached out his hand, she took it. Seeing this, it was only natural for the other players to grip their phones and raise their voices.
“Please take your time to think it over and contact me. Even if you decline, I believe we can still maintain a good relationship and help each other in various ways.”
Having finished, she handed him her business card. “I will be on standby 24 hours a day at a nearby accommodation, so please contact me anytime.”
“I will.”
Taking the card, Seo-un went up to his house. Thinking she had done quite well, she left the front of Seo-un’s house, but even more players gathered there afterward.
* * *
A week had passed since Seo-un received the offer that was hard to refuse.
“Wh-What did you just say?”
The newly appointed supervisor of the department trembled slightly after receiving Jeong Su-hwa’s report.
“It is exactly as I reported.”
“Legal immunity and tax exemption?”
“Yes. Not just Sweden, but the UK and other European countries are competitively offering better conditions to take Mr. Jin Seo-un. In the midst of this, trying to incorporate him into a state-affiliated organization with such… a pathetic strategy is the same as handing him over to another country. We must reconsider his value.”
The middle-aged man, who had just joined the Department of Homeland Security as the new head—a department that had collapsed along with the previous administration as most of its talented players left—snapped to his senses at her report.
There was no reason for other countries to offer such unprecedented terms unless they were crazy. If he lost him to another country due to an outdated stance and this later leaked to the public, he might be branded as incompetent, and the administration itself could collapse.
“I-I will report this directly to the President. Follow me.”
“Yes, sir!”
With the stubborn, clueless supervisors and bosses cleared out, Jeong Su-hwa finally felt like she had a reason to work.
[Ding! A new game has been matched. Difficulty: High-Low. Game Version: 10-Squad Version. Would you like to participate?] (O) (X)
Before she could even take a few steps, the notification rang out, and she moved her hand toward the (O) button.
* * *
A small uninhabited island in the middle of the blue sea.
Players were arriving one by one around a familiar statue on the firm white sand. As she quickly scanned the faces of the players to find her teammates, a familiar face entered her field of vision.