<Chapter 60: The God of Battle Regressed to Level 2>
* * *
Robert Edward Gates.
He was the second son of the Gates family, the 'owner' of American First.
'I didn’t expect American First to make such an overt approach.'
The BattleNet guild had a characteristic that allowed it to divide ownership and operation, much like a corporation.
In the case of a typical guild, the guild master usually acts as the owner of the guild.
However, in large guilds like American First, there were occasional cases where the guild master and the owner did not align.
For this to happen, a significant decision from the 'owner' was required.
- To become the world's top guild, we must give the guild master position to the best player.
- The Gates family will show the best trust for the best results.
This was the philosophy of the Gates family, which governed American First.
The method to implement this philosophy was simple but effective.
They recruited outstanding players with astronomical amounts of money.
Then, they entrusted the guild master position to the most capable player among them.
And every two years, they would re-evaluate the player's abilities to decide whether to maintain or change the guild master.
'In the end, Baron, who had unparalleled abilities, continued to be the guild master.'
So, in the final ten battles of humanity, Baron was seen as the owner and guild master of American First.
However, even then, the actual owner of the guild was the Gates family.
'And Robert is the highest-ranking person in charge of the scouting team that only contacts the best players.'
In the sponsorship message, he referred to himself as just a scout, but in reality, he was one of the most powerful figures within the guild.
Especially when it came to spending money, there was virtually no limit.
"Thank you for the sponsorship, Mr. Gates. Although I don’t usually open my inbox, it seems right to do so given this substantial GP sponsorship. However, is it okay to reveal the content of the message on the broadcast?"
As soon as Seong Jihan finished speaking, another sponsorship arrived.
However...
* * *
[R.E.Gates has sponsored 1,000,000GP.]
[Of course, I would even like to request that it be revealed.]
[Received 1,000,000GP.]
[Completed general achievement, 'Solid Support. (2)'.]
[Received 5,000 achievement points as a reward.]
The number of digits in the sponsorship had changed.
Panicked comments from the viewers flooded in.
- Wait, the numbers got longer. It looks like an extra zero was added.
- 1 billion ㄷㄷㄷㄷㄷㄷㄷㄷㄷㄷㄷ
- ㅁㅊ다 ㅁㅊ어, this is the level of the Thousand Kingdoms.
- ??? : Is he trying to buy my inbox with money!
- No, it’s too much money to scold...
- Holy shit! The American First guild has so much money!
- Of course, it’s the top guild in the U.S. and the Gates family.
- ㅇㅇThe Gates family has the 1st, 2nd, and 5th richest people in the world. It’s real ㄷㄷㄷ
Overwhelming scale.
Seong Jihan, who had received such sponsorships countless times in his previous life, responded calmly.
"Alright, everyone. Let’s take a look at American First’s proposal together."
Seong Jihan opened the system window with a familiar gesture and switched his inbox to public.
Immediately, countless messages from various countries poured in.
Seong Jihan found and opened the message Robert had sent, which was a guild contract proposal translated into Korean.
The contract fee listed in the proposal was, indeed, on a different scale.
"The contract fee alone is 300 million dollars."
300 million dollars. 30 billion won.
This was the amount they promised to pay in a lump sum if he joined the guild and naturalized in the U.S.
For a player who had just reached Silver, this was an absurdly large amount.
And that was not all.
A salary and dozens of various convenience conditions that matched the enormous contract fee.
Seong Jihan read out all these conditions clearly.
The reaction was as expected.
- I can’t stand this... ㅠㅠ
- With this money, I’d leave Korea and go to the U.S. ㅎㄷㄷ
- Ah... This is why people go to the U.S. ...
Korean viewers gave up.
- 300 million dollars? American First spends a lot of money?
- That’s Gates money. And naturalization in the U.S. is a condition.
- Oh! Naturalization? Welcome!
- Team up with Baron Williams... It’s fantastic!
American viewers were cheering.
While acknowledging that it was overpaying, there was a consensus that the best player must be brought in.
"Really, it’s a great contract. However, I can’t give an immediate answer, so I’ll contact you later."
Seong Jihan closed the inbox he had left open.
- Wow... I would have called right away.
- He’s taking a break before diving in ㅋㅋ
The outrageous recruitment offer from American First, initiated by Robert Gates’ sponsorship, gave the viewers a sense of Seong Jihan’s current status.
And then...
* * *
Clap.
Seong Jihan clapped his hands to lighten the mood and spoke.
"Alright, let’s get back to the original topic, shall we?"
- What were you going to say originally?
- Oh, Yun Seo-a’s gift?
- I was in a brain freeze after hearing the contract fee ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
- I’ve been in a brain freeze since the 1.3 billion sponsorship ㅋㅋ
The original topic, the story of Yun Seo-a’s gift, which everyone had forgotten due to Robert Gates, was brought up again.
Seong Jihan snapped Yun Seo-a out of her daze, who had been staring at her inbox.
Tap tap.
"Seo-a?"
"…Huh? Uh?"
"It’s time to show your gift."
It was time to show it.
After opening the inbox and reviewing the recruitment contract,
the number of concurrent viewers had increased dramatically.
There were as many as 50,000!
While it didn’t reach the 100,000 viewers when Seong Jihan broke the dual swords, it was still a significant number.
"…Alright."
Phew—
Yun Seo-a took a deep breath and opened her status window.
* * *
[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
-What does 'a large bowl is made late' mean? Do the South Koreans understand?
-Growing gift, huh? ㅎㄷㄷㄷㄷ
-ㅁㅊI’ve never heard of such a thing
-Even the F grade effect can twist the system ㅋㅋㅋㅋ Is this a broken grade?
Although currently at F grade, the viewers were amazed by the 'upgrade' description, which they had never seen before.
"Even with such a gift, do I still need to take the college entrance exam?"
- College entrance exam? ㅋㅋㅋ You can choose any university without studying ㅋㅋ
- What’s the college entrance exam? A test? Oh, Korean brothers. This person doesn’t need to be judged by a test.
- The Korea Herald has really messed up;;
- The grandmaster has appeared
The viewers’ reactions followed the expected pattern.
"But, aren’t you curious why the Korea Herald reported such a false story?"
- ??? What’s the reason?
- They probably rushed it thinking it was a scoop.
"Actually, there was a conflict with those people at the previous gift ceremony."
Seong Jihan showed the video taken by the security guard.
The unreasonable provocation and subsequent education of the Silver player.
And then,
"Perhaps due to this bad blood, the BattleNet management director came to me."
The recorded voice of the management director, who, under the direction of the Korea Herald, pressured Seong Jihan to sign a contract with the Korea Herald’s advertising agency and management company.
Seong Jihan dropped all the bombs he had on the broadcast.
"This is why Seo-a’s article was published, and the full story of what I experienced."
- ㅅㅂIs this the 1980s?
- Are you crazy? You really crossed the line?
- The management director, what the hell is he threatening with a certificate?
- Threatening to publish an article is really low ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
- What?! The management director is oppressing players for corporate interests! Seong, come to the U.S. quickly!
- wwwwThe original brother’s country’s atmosphere is unmatched wwww
- This guy?
The chat window instantly turned into a chaotic scene of condemnation against the Korea Herald and the management director.
Seong Jihan watched the reactions for a moment and then spoke.
"Originally, I planned to create a guild in Korea. I have some personal experiments to conduct."
- Guild? A Silver player?
- Why create a guild when there are so many places like that? Besides, Korea is already a red ocean, isn’t it?
- Shh! He has experiments to do.
- ㅇㅇIt’s fine to stay in Korea, why the fuss?
- Stop the chat!
"But, with the management director acting like that... I can’t even imagine how a player like me can run a guild in Korea."
Seong Jihan, contrary to his words, shrugged with a relaxed expression.
"I plan to stay and be active in Korea with Seo-a until September. But if large corporations and government agencies continue to oppress me, I have no choice but to go to the country that offers the best treatment."
As if on cue, sponsorship messages started pouring in.
* * *
[R.E.Gates has sponsored 100,000GP.]
[Player Seong, if you create a guild in the U.S., we will actively support you. The U.S. government will also provide full support.]
[★☆Taketchan☆★ has sponsored 100,000GP.]
[Seong, isn’t Japan closer and better than the U.S.? ♥ I’ll prepare everything, just come over! =??? (??? )??]
- Taketchan’s sponsorship amount increased ㄷㄷ
- That means he’s scared ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
- Suddenly, a recruitment competition is starting...
- Please, don’t go to Japan. If you’re going anywhere, go to the U.S. ㅠㅠㅠ
The competition for recruitment was intense, even with the announcement of creating a guild.
If Seong Jihan created a guild in their country, the primary goal of incorporating him into their nation would be achieved.
Whether it was American First or the New Self-Defense Forces,
this was happening because they were closely connected to their respective governments.
"Thank you for the sponsorships. If I create a guild in the U.S. or Japan, I won’t face political pressure."
Seong Jihan smirked.
"I will consider it positively if the Korea Herald and the management director side do not offer an official apology and promise to prevent recurrence."
He demanded a public apology from both parties.
'I want to stay in Korea if possible...'
300 million dollars in contract fees.
And the best treatment in the industry.
The recruitment contract proposed by Robert Gates was filled with incredible conditions.
However, Seong Jihan didn’t really want to leave the country.
After the tutorial, the nationality bonus that would be available.
The only country where he could receive that bonus was Korea.
And he also wanted to crush the Sword King as a representative of Korea.
'But it’s also true that it would be troublesome if these issues keep arising.'
However, the pressure from the Korea Herald and the management director,
who belonged to the old era, was something he couldn’t tolerate.
"But... I love the Republic of Korea, where I was born and raised. I don’t want to leave. For that... I desperately need your support."
To prevent such issues from happening again,
Seong Jihan subtly hinted at a public opinion campaign, even if he didn’t openly reveal it.
- If they apologize, he’ll stay, right?
- Everyone, start a national petition ㄱㄱㄲ
- Shouldn’t we start a boycott of the Korea Herald first?
- Just do both ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
- The management director looks like a complete old-school guy. Will he apologize?
- ㅋㅋㅋㅋ We’ll make him apologize
The viewers were already starting to take action.
Seong Jihan wiped his eyes and bowed deeply.
"Everyone, I am a citizen of the Republic of Korea... I want to be a citizen of the Republic of Korea. I hope this heart doesn’t change due to external pressure..."