<Chapter 49: The Martial God Who Regressed to Level 2>
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"Uncle, were you and I playing a different game?"
This was the first thing Yun Seo-a mentioned after returning home.
"Power... Force... What are these?"
"Unique stats."
"Unique stats? I didn't know there were such things! Rare stats... I know. Dad, or rather ItΕ, also had dual swords."
Rare stats were widely known among the public.
When a player reaches the Diamond League, new stats are added to their stat window.
These stats are tailored to each player, providing even better effects than the original stats.
These are the rare stats.
"How can you have such stats without being in the Diamond League?"
However, Seong Ji-han, despite being in the Bronze League, had not one but two unique stats.
"There's a way."
"Can I do this too?"
Yun Seo-a asked with a glimmer of hope.
Even though her Gift was rated as F, if she had such special stats, she could play a role in the league like her uncle.
Or, if she could be like her uncle, she might even dominate the league.
"Hmm. I don't think these two are possible."
Seong Ji-han shook his head.
Unique stats, such as Power, require the brush of Dongfang Shuo.
And, more importantly, the Gift, 'Wanderer's Eye.'
Force, on the other hand, requires the player to be a Mage and a Supporter.
Neither of these conditions applied to Yun Seo-a.
"...That's a shame."
"However, I know a way to get other rare stats."
"Really?!"
"Yes. If you get it, you'll become an amazing player."
Seong Ji-han said this matter-of-factly.
"But it will be tough."
"A bit? I can handle that."
"Hmm. Let me correct that. 'A bit' was from my perspective. It will be very tough."
"Of course... right? By your standards, it would be incredibly tight."
Seong Ji-han smiled at the worried Yun Seo-a.
Even though she said that, he already knew how determined his niece was.
"Still, if it's you, it's possible. But... what about your Gift? What is it?"
Seong Ji-han recalled that he had never seen Yun Seo-a's Gift.
He had pretended not to know until now, but it was time to find out.
"...This."
In response to Seong Ji-han's question, Yun Seo-a showed her Gift.
[Gift - Late Bloomer (Grade F)]
- A large vessel is formed late.
"Is that the end of the description?"
"Yeah. I thought it was a dictionary of idioms."
"Hmm..."
Seong Ji-han pretended to think deeply.
He already knew the description of the Gift.
With such a lackluster content, it would be hard to see the true value of Late Bloomer.
'If you keep this Gift, you won't have much motivation.'
That's why he had prepared something in advance.
"Here."
"...What is this?"
"It's your real birthday gift."
Without any wrapping, Seong Ji-han took an item from his inventory and handed it to Yun Seo-a.
Seong Ji-han gave her a monocle with a golden hue.
[Hermes' Monocle]
- Grade: A
- This is the monocle of the Olympian god Hermes.
- It reveals the true nature of a Gift.
- It is a one-use item.
The Hermes' Monocle, which reveals the true nature of a Gift, is an item obtained by repairing the C-grade item 'Herald's Broken Monocle' from the Battle Market, which costs 100 GP.
It was the repaired monocle using the emergency repair from the achievement shop.
Actually, after the tutorial, using the complete repair kit from the dungeon in the Diamond League would have been enough without needing the emergency repair.
'But I couldn't wait that long.' Since it was a birthday gift for his niece, he could easily invest 10,000 achievement points.
"What is this?"
"It's your birthday gift."
Yun Seo-a looked at the monocle with a puzzled expression.
The lens glowed brilliantly, making it clear that it was not an ordinary item.
"Now that you've received your status window and awakened as a player, you can use your inventory, right?"
"Yep."
"Put it in your inventory and check the item description."
"Inventory."
Following Seong Ji-han's instructions, Yun Seo-a put the Hermes' Monocle in her inventory and read the item description, her eyes widening.
"Wow. Such an item exists?"
"Yes. It's a one-use item, though."
"Wow... It's an A-grade item?! Isn't it expensive?"
Yun Seo-a felt it was a waste to use this item on her useless Gift.
"Don't worry, use it."
Seong Ji-han said calmly, and Yun Seo-a nodded.
She knew A-grade items were not ordinary, but she was genuinely curious about the true nature of her Gift.
She immediately used the Hermes' Monocle.
"Huh...?"
The description of the Gift, 'Late Bloomer,' had completely changed.
[Gift - Late Bloomer (Grade F - 50 game participations required for upgrade)]
- Upgrades the basic BattleNet system to the next level.
- To upgrade, you must participate in BattleNet games.
-F Grade effect: 1 additional game participation per day
- 100% increase in natural stat growth rate
"This is...?"
Yun Seo-a blinked her eyes.
What is this?
The Gift... can be upgraded?
Until now, all Gifts had fixed grades and could not be upgraded or downgraded.
The fact that it could be upgraded was unimaginable.
"Why? How did this happen?"
"Look at this...!"
She quickly opened her status window and showed her Gift entry.
"Oh... So the Gift can be upgraded? And the F-grade performance is not bad?"
Seong Ji-han recalled the Chinese ranker, Jin Youhua, who had the Late Bloomer Gift in his previous life.
No wonder he participated in games twice a day.
This effect must have been the reason.
'And a 100% increase in natural stat growth rate... That means...'
Strength, health, agility, etc.
Even without allocating remaining points, the stats that could be increased through training would grow much faster.
Perhaps this was the effect that truly matched the name 'Late Bloomer.'
"Good effect?"
"Y-Yeah?"
"Yes. With the 100% increase in natural stat growth rate... it will be easier to obtain rare stats."
"Really? For real?!"
"Really. Wow, our niece got a good Gift."
Hearing this, Yun Seo-a slumped to the ground.
She had tried not to cry even after receiving an F-grade Gift.
"A... Ah."
But now, with the improved result, tears streamed down her eyes.
Swoosh-
Several tissues automatically popped out and floated in front of her.
"Thank you... Uncle."
"It's my duty. Anyway, are you going to be a player?"
"Of course! I have to, after receiving this."
With a growing Gift, she no longer needed to study for the college entrance exam.
Seong Ji-han nodded lightly and said,
"Good. Then let's eat."
"Food...?"
"Yeah. You were in the Gift room all day, right? You must be hungry."
"I'm fine..."
Rumble!
But as soon as she finished speaking, her stomach growled loudly.
Yun Seo-a's face turned red.
"Your body is honest."
Seong Ji-han brought bread and soup.
"Didn't you say you wanted a course meal last time?"
"Ah."
"I'll grill a steak too, so fill up with this for now."
"When did you start cooking?!"
Utensils, including spoons and forks, flew over and set the table in an instant.
A magical scene.
Yun Seo-a had a bewildered look on her face.
She thought it was going to be the worst birthday, receiving her Gift at the academy.
But the situation had completely changed.
'Did Uncle know this would happen?'
Before receiving the Gift, he kept telling her not to expect much.
But when she brought back an F-grade, he seemed to have been waiting for it, giving her the Hermes' Monocle to erase her despair.
No matter how she thought about it, Uncle seemed to know everything.
'Does he really see the future?'
Yun Seo-a had a fleeting thought but didn't dwell on it further.
If Uncle wanted to tell her, he would.
For now, she just wanted to... feel grateful.
"Uncle, this is really... delicious?"
She smiled brightly while eating the soup.
It was not the forced smile she had been putting on recently but a genuine, bright smile that seemed to have shed some of her worries.
'It's been a while since I've seen this expression.'
Seong Ji-han smiled slightly at the sight.
He hadn't seen this smile since Seo-a's days before the Sword King left Korea.
'I want to see it more often.'
***
22nd morning.
Seong Ji-han logged into BattleNet as soon as he woke up.
-Another 1st place
-What are you saying, of course
-This guy needs to get to Silver quickly??
-Where's the promotion match!!!!!!!!
Seong Ji-han easily took 1st place in the defense map, which had become a routine.
After the game ended, while casually watching the chat, a notification message appeared.
[You have reached level 25.]
[You have reached the level cap in the Bronze League. Your level will not increase further.]
[You can now participate in the league promotion match.]
"Hey, everyone? I've reached level 25."
-Oh, really?
-cccccccccc
-Wow... Finally getting promoted!!!!!
-Already? Isn't it less than a month to the promotion match?
-ckckckckck
-(A rough surprised emoticon)
When the news of Seong Ji-han reaching the promotion level spread, countless congratulatory messages started to appear.
Along with this, a system message appeared.
[You have finished the Bronze League with the highest win rate.]
[You have earned the title 'Ruler of Bronze.']
[You are eligible to participate in the TOP 100 promotion match.]
"I can also participate in the TOP 100 promotion match."
-TOP 100? hddddd
-So Seong Ji-han is in the top 100 Bronze players worldwide?
-Of course;;; 100 players, what's that? He's the best,