Chapter 92

“Really?!”

Yoon Seah’s eyes sparkled.

She hadn’t been very hopeful, but she found a glimmer of hope from Ariel, a being from another dimension.

“Enchantment is, after all, just one type of abnormal state in BattleNet. You just need to release this state.”

“The problem is that it’s an abnormal state that doesn’t recover through normal means…”

“Only the World Tree possesses the trait to release all abnormal states.”

“World Tree…?”

“It’s a tree on the Elf planet that constitutes the foundation of the world.”

“To release the abnormal state, how much of the World Tree do we need?”

“Not much. You can eat a leaf from the World Tree, or even just get hit by its branch.”

Ariel responded casually, almost absurdly so.

“Really? It sounds easy to obtain then…”

“It’s not. To the elves, the World Tree is both their only god and the world itself. Every fragment is cherished. To trade even a single leaf, you’d have to pay a considerable price. Especially now, during the Tutorial phase of this world, it’s absolutely unattainable.”

“…Is that so?”

“But I’m not sure how things will change when the Space League starts. However, the crafty elves won’t easily hand it over.”

Even though Ariel was a type of elf, she had a rather critical view of them.

“The elves are crafty?”

“Why wouldn’t they be?”

“From the fantasy I know, elves live in forests and prefer peace over war.”

Elves.

In popular fantasy lore, they were known for having large ears, long lifespans, beauty, and kindness.

Naturally, this was all Yoon Seah knew about elves.

She hadn’t ever really seen one.

“Hmm. The World Tree Alliance’s instigation… Here, it’s called propaganda. It seems to have been effective.”

“P-Propaganda?!”

“Why should elves be kind?”

“Well… because that’s their nature?”

“What does kindness even mean? Being kind to other species? Or is it being completely dedicated to one’s own kind?”

As Ariel smirked and posed the question, Yoon Seah hesitated to respond.

When considering the subject as humans, the answer wasn’t so straightforward.

“Elves are kind. To their own kind.”

“I see…”

“And at the same time, they’re cruel. To other species. And… to heretics.”

“Is that so?”

Yoon Seah, who had never actually seen an elf, just nodded at Ariel’s words, a bit overwhelmed.

But Seong Jihan’s expression was frozen solid.

The Elf League, the World Tree Alliance.

He remembered the havoc they wreaked in the previous life’s Space League.

‘In the end, five elf planets from the World Tree Alliance took the top spots from 1st to 5th…’

The elves were terrifying.

And powerful.

They were perfect superiors to humans in every aspect.

From aesthetics to lifespan.

Physical abilities, magic power, and even spirit.

All were far superior to humans.

‘Come to think of it…’

Seong Jihan recalled a time from his past life when the Sword King, Yoon Sejin, had disappeared.

Even after Yoon Seah’s suicide and Korea’s annihilation.

The Sword King, who was still active in Japan without any hesitation, was called as Earth’s warrior representative to face the Elf planet in the Space League.

He was brutally beaten by the best warrior of the elf race with a wooden sword.

– “This isn’t right.”

– “This can’t be. It can’t be…!”

Back then, Yoon Sejin had a panicked expression that was never seen on him.

At the time, it was assumed that the Sword King was just overwhelmed by his defeat, filled with self-loathing.

‘That wooden sword wielded by the elf warrior back then…’

While silently listening to Ariel, Seong Jihan decided to verify if his suspicion was correct.

“Ariel.”

“Yes?”

“You said that being hit by a branch of the World Tree can release the abnormal state. So, what if you’re hit by a wooden sword made from the World Tree?”

“Of course. If it’s a wooden sword made from the branches of the World Tree, it wouldn’t have just ordinary divine power within it. It would be far more effective than just consuming a few leaves.”

“Is that so……”

“However, it’s better to give up on the idea of getting that wooden sword. Because a wooden sword made from the World Tree’s branch is a treasure bestowed only upon the finest warrior among the elves.”

The wooden sword of the World Tree given to the elves’ greatest warrior.

Yoon Sejin, who was struck with it, shouted in disbelief…

‘And since then, he never showed himself in a match representing Japan…’

After he disappeared, Seong Jihan, who took refuge in America, could reach 7th in the world ranking and the position of the strongest Warrior.

If the Sword King had been active, Seong Jihan would not have been the undisputed strongest among warriors.

‘And, Japan’s ranking was unstable too.’

Just before the world’s demise, Japan’s world ranking was between 8th and 9th.

Almost last among the final 10 countries.

If the Sword King had remained active, they should have been ranked 5th or higher.

‘But reality wasn’t so.’

At the last moment, Japan managed to maintain its ranking thanks to the points they had earned earlier, and was a nation slowly declining in ranks.

‘Maybe the Enchantment was broken when he was struck with the World Tree’s wooden sword?’

No one knows what happened after the Enchantment was lifted, but considering the Sword King became inactive since then, something definitely went wrong.

‘…Honestly, I don’t care about that brother-in-law’s life or death.’

Seong Jihan looked at Yoon Seah.

Even when she was driven to the brink of suicide, the Sword King indulged in luxury in Japan, holding the world’s most beautiful woman by his side.

In Seong Jihan’s life, he had many enemies.

But the one person he would feel no guilt over killing and would feel refreshed by was undoubtedly the Sword King.

However,

– “Jihan. Please take care of Seah…”

Before sacrificing herself, his sister, Seong Jiah entrusted her daughter Yoon Seah to him.

Yet he neglected Yoon Seah’s misfortune, engrossed in his own gamble.

Ironically, it was Yoon Seah who took care of Seong Jihan.

Their relationship flowed in a direction opposite to what Seong Jiah had imagined.

‘If it’s Seah’s request, I will do whatever she wants.’

To Seong Jihan, Yoon Seah was a dear sister and the only blood relative of his precious sister.

The one who took care of trash-like him, his weak spot.

If Seah wants to give her father a chance,

‘Alright. I’ll do it once.’

Just once.

“So, Ariel. If we go by what you said, we need to obtain leaves or branches from the World Tree. And we’ll use that on Ito.”

“That’s right.”

“With our current Silver and Bronze Ranks, it seems impossible.”

“Probably.”

But everything they discussed so far,

Was not applicable to the two of them, who are currently only at Silver or Bronze.

“Seah. What should we do then?”

As Seong Jihan smirked and asked, Yoon Seah let out a deep sigh.

In the end, the conversation came down to one conclusion.

“…Train?”

“You know it well.”

“Sigh… Uncle, you’re obsessed with training.”

“To catch up, there’s no other way.”

“Ahhh…”

“If it’s too hard, then don’t. Can’t I just support you?”

Seong Jihan knew very well how tough training was.

He subtly suggested an easier path for his niece.

“Forget it!”

Yoon Seah immediately shook her head.

“Be prepared, later I will support you, Uncle.”

“Haha… That’s impossible. But, hmm… Maybe you can beat Barren. But against me? It’ll be tough.”

Suddenly, in Seong Jihan’s mind, Barren became a measure of combat capability.

“Ugh. How can you compare me to Barren.”

“Seah, if you gain the skills, you can crush him.”

“Geez… When you’re not in the picture, suddenly you’re praising him?”

Yoon Seah sighed as if it was ridiculous.

But a faint smile danced on her lips.

It felt good to know that before Seong Jihan became this popular, she could beat Barren, who was undisputedly ranked No.1 in the world’s promising list.

Then.

Buzz!

Yoon Seah’s phone vibrated.

She checked the incoming message and looked at Seong Jihan.

“Uncle, Hayeon says she wants to apologize to you. What should we do?”

Seong Jihan tilted his head.

‘Why would Lee Hayeon apologize to me?’

“Tell her to come for now. I’ll see.”

In the reception room of the penthouse.

Lee Hayeon bowed deeply to Seong Jihan, almost as if she was about to kneel.

“Owner! I’m really sorry…!”

“Why? What are you sorry for?”

“I misjudged someone! I didn’t know Joo Eunji was like that, and I almost…!”

“Ah.”

Only then did Seong Jihan realize why Lee Hayeon had come to apologize.

She was the one who hired the employee, so she must have felt responsible.

“How would you have known if she deliberately infiltrated our ranks?”

“When you think about the importance of the Daegi Guild and the owner, we should have thoroughly checked the backgrounds of everyone entering our guild… I was too careless.”

It’s not like they were selecting a secret task force; why would they background check an editor?

Although Seong Jihan was taken aback, the serious expressions on both Lee Hayeon’s and Yoon Seah’s faces made him nod in agreement.

“What’s done is done. We can always start now.”

“Yes. From now on, even the National Intelligence Service said they would actively cooperate.”

“The National Intelligence Service?”

Seong Jihan was surprised.

“Yes. They were also on high alert after watching the broadcast yesterday.”

Upon further explanation by Lee Hayeon, Seong Jihan understood the government’s position.

Despite their decline, the powerful Sword King, along with Seong Jihan’s new fan club ‘The First’, began pouring complaints and grievances to the government.

Asking, “What is the government doing?”

Accusing them of just standing by while Japan tries to steal a player.

Moreover, the light fans of ‘The First’ used to be pure nationalist fans of Sword King, and they were leading the public opinion blaming the government for not dealing appropriately with the spy.

“So, for Joo Eunji… or rather Ito Shizuru’s position, I’ve decided to fill in.”

“You, Hayeon?”

“Yes! As the guild master and the editor, I’ll work hard! I have to make up for my mistake!”

Was that really necessary?

The Daegi Guild existed mainly because of Lee Hayeon’s gift.

Unlike Seong Jihan, who didn’t seem to have any specific thoughts, Lee Hayeon was very passionate.

“So, Owner, how will we handle the achievement of 1 million subscribers?”

“1 million subscribers… right. It happened so quickly.”

“It seems that being in the global spotlight is a special event. After the news spread that a Silver Rank beat a Diamond Rank, our subscribers surpassed 1 million in no time.”

When he competed in the global Top 100 promotion to Silver, it surged once, and the second surge happened when he defeated the Diamond Rank Ninja Akari.

“Owner, if you’re not thinking of revealing your status window… I’ll make sure to cut it appropriately. As an editor, it’s my duty!”

“I’m okay with showing it.”

“Of course, right? I’ve prepared all sorts of excuses. Like having a unique status window that can’t be disclosed to use abilities… what?”

“It’s fine. You can reveal it.”

Seong Jihan’s status window was entirely different from ordinary players, uniquely unparalleled.

But Seong Jihan had no reservations about disclosing it.

‘The attention of the public becomes a player’s strength.’

Especially in the chaotic world right now, hiding strength unnecessarily was foolish.

Instead, disclosing it appropriately would help in future endeavors.

“Well then…”

“Good timing. Since we surpassed 1 million, let’s reveal the status window now.”

Although he had calculated everything internally, Seong Jihan said it lightly with a smile.