Fortunately, neither of the two YouTubers was particularly stupid.
“They really are discontinued items from overseas servers.”
“Judging by your level and the items, you definitely seem to have some connection with people from other countries.”
They understood him well.
“If you wish, I can connect you with the China branch leader and the Southeast Asia branch leader. It is possible right now.”
“U-umm.”
“Wait a second.”
But they hesitated.
Naturally, it was far too sudden.
He did not have time to indulge that. He had to push.
“I will not force you.”
There was no need to receive an oath of loyalty.
Cooperation alone would do.
“The guild has everything prepared, so I can give you a fair price as much as needed.”
―Flutter.
After the Gold Ingots, Han Woo-hyun took out something more intuitive.
As if to show them clearly, he waved 100-million-won cashier’s checks and cash.
It was emergency cash he had made by stopping by the gold shop once more on the way and disposing of finely cut Gold Ingots.
“Gold Ingots will be difficult to use, so wouldn’t this suit your tastes better? And not only money, but items and social positions as well. The guild can guarantee everything.”
“O-one hundred million? I-it’s not that I don’t believe you.”
“It’s just too sudden. Please give us a moment, just a moment.”
But even if the reward and his identity had been confirmed.
The two of them were not so thoughtless that they would accept such an offer immediately.
“Fine, I understand. I will give you a little time to discuss it. Though I cannot wait long.”
Han Woo-hyun understood that as well, so he nodded while pretending to be relaxed.
Inside, however, he was anxious.
He could feel the pulsing waves of Force spreading.
Already, ten ranker-class players above level 290 had gathered in front of the PC café.
Because he had not used a domain declaration skill, he had not precisely grasped the radius of several hundred meters around him.
But he could clearly feel the intense presence of their pineal glands.
He did not know when they might run wild.
―I-impossible!
―Half of southern Seoul has become ruins!
―Player skills have this much power?!
Before his regression, the Gangnam District Civil War had shown just how great the aftermath of a serious fight between players could be.
It was a civil war that devastated not only Gangnam and Seocho Districts, but half of southern Seoul itself.
Thousands of players and hundreds of thousands of ordinary people died.
As a result, until boss monsters emerged outside the dungeons, players generally avoided fighting one another as much as possible.
“···Then···.”
“···But···.”
“···Trust···.”
―Munch, munch.
―Gulp.
This taste is too monotonous. It won’t pair well with tea.
With that brief evaluation, Han Woo-hyun swallowed the pineapple cake he had bought in Taiwan and made his decision.
Fifteen minutes had passed.
He could not wait any longer.
At least thirty players had already gathered in front of Cha Jung-hoon’s PC café. Perhaps more. Fifty? Around that many.
And one bastard was leaking Yggdrasill Force full of hostile emotion.
Moreover, he was giving off an extremely powerful aura.
That had to be him.
Assassin King.
One of the Four Great Korean Villains.
Cha Jung-hoon’s stalker, who was said to have started the first attack in the Gangnam District Civil War.
“Cha Jung-hoon, Kim Jae-seung.”
Han Woo-hyun decided to change the plan.
Originally, he had intended to persuade the two with words, make them the representatives of Korea, and then have those two enroll their devoted viewers.
Because they were such famous World of Yggdrasill influencers, that alone would let him enroll at least 10% of the upper rankers, and if lucky, 20%.
Then he had planned to use that as a foothold, packaging the guild to the whole world as if it were the prevailing trend through bluff and empty showmanship.
―...!
―...!
“Listen carefully. It seems guests have come outside. Quite a lot of them, too.”
But there was something Han Woo-hyun had overlooked.
The rankers who had been rulers of overseas servers before his regression were, from the start, people with intense desire for power.
Therefore, they easily decided it was beneficial to join based on his plan, abilities, items, and money.
The YouTubers who had died futilely before his regression were not like that.
They were merely internet streamers who liked receiving attention from others.
They were not the type of people who sought to rule others and become powerful.
In any case, he had planned to use their fame, put them forward as puppet leaders, and directly manage the Korean players himself.
But if their dispositions were fundamentally like that, they would be difficult to persuade in a short time.
Before his regression, the Gangnam District Civil War began around 7:00 PM. There were less than thirty minutes left from now.
“They seem to be your fans, but judging by how they are speaking, they do not seem to have only good intentions.”
―...Hey···!
―...!
―The door...
―...Open it!
At Han Woo-hyun’s words, the two, looking puzzled, frowned for a moment and tried to listen.
But they seemed unable to hear anything at all, and only silence continued.
“Focus.”
“...Ah.”
“This is.”
Sharpening one’s senses was the most basic original skill of a player.
“Focus your nerves on your ears. Imagine your surroundings growing quiet.”
When he briefly taught them the not particularly difficult knack of sense enhancement, Cha Jung-hoon and Kim Jae-seung quickly became able to enhance their hearing.
―Cha Jung-hoon! Cha Jung-hoon! Cha Jung-hoon! Cha Jung-hoon!
―Cha Jung-hoooon! Cha Jung-hoooooon!!!!
―Come out! Please come out! I’ve watched since the first day of your stream!
―Kraaagh! If you don’t come out, I’ll break it! You said your loan wasn’t paid off yet!
A YouTuber who operated a PC café.
The color drained from Cha Jung-hoon’s face as he properly recognized the uproar.
“Fuck, I only said that in passing, and they remembered it.”
Cha Jung-hoon muttered with a pale face.
“It seems we should go out.”
“We’d like to think about your proposal a bit more. We may be rankers, but telling us to lead those bastards is a little.”
“I was even exempted from military service in the first place. If we do that, there might be fights between players using skills, right?”
Han Woo-hyun raised his hand and blocked the two as they tried to move.
“I am not telling you to decide now. I will help first.”
At those words, a slight relief settled in both of their eyes.
“Earlier, you called them your viewers, your fans. Though judging by the way they speak, I have doubts as to whether they are truly fans.”
“Yes, yes. They’re complete lunatics.”
“I heard that bastard say he would break it if you did not come out as well.”
Han Woo-hyun lowered his voice, trying to make himself look as trustworthy as possible.
“Neither of you has much experience fighting in reality, correct? Let alone after becoming like this.”
He had sufficiently grasped what kind of people the two were.
They might be rankers in the game, but they were not the type who enjoyed fighting in reality at all.
Nor did they have proactive personalities.
Then he would overturn the board entirely.
“I will help you. I will block the dangerous ones. I am a Paladin, the only tank class in the game.”
Naturally, he had no intention of only blocking them.
“It is not only my class. I also have much combat experience, so trust me once. Not in the game, but in reality.”
Han Woo-hyun’s mind spun sharply, creating a new strategy, revising plans, and discarding them.
“Among them, my specialty is fighting while protecting others. This is pure goodwill, so there is no need to feel burdened.”
As a result, a fairly plausible draft was created.
“...”
“...”
The two, worried about the threat, could not refuse Han Woo-hyun’s proposal.
***
“Waaah! It’s Cha Jung-hoon!”
“I love you!”
“Cha Jung··· huh?”
“What is that?”
“Warrior equipment?”
“Who is that?”
When the door of the PC café opened, an enormous cheer rang out like a fan club welcoming an idol.
That cheer soon quieted when, instead of the real-world appearances of the two characters they had expected.
A handsome blond-haired, blue-eyed Westerner came out.
“...”
Han Woo-hyun quickly captured the players with his naked eyes.
More precisely, only their levels and Force values through [Sharp Eyes], which could be used weakly without speaking.
At first, he had planned to put the two YouTubers forward and monitor the players from behind.
But both Cha Jung-hoon and Kim Jae-seung wanted him to stand entirely in front.
They asked if he could pressure them a little like that, and he gladly accepted.
If things went according to his plan, that was even better.
Of course, if Cha Jung-hoon and Kim Jae-seung had known the plan in detail, both of them would have refused.
But the most important thing for the future of the world was the unification of Korean players, and he had no room to ask for such permission.
“They seem all right. Cha Jung-hoon, Kim Jae-seung. Speak.”
Han Woo-hyun deliberately.
Spoke while arrogantly looking at Cha Jung-hoon and Kim Jae-seung, as though he were their superior, then stepped slightly aside.
"...?"
"?"
“What, who...?”
Naturally, the gathered subscriber players clearly recognized that as well.
―Glance.
Cha Jung-hoon glanced at Han Woo-hyun as though slightly uncomfortable, but he could not protest.
If someone who said he would block danger in an emergency acted slightly rude, it was difficult to make an issue of it on the spot.
“Ah, uh, everyone! It is good to see you! Your appearances have changed greatly, but···”
“Waaah!”
“They really look like their characters!”
“So fucking cool!”
“Skills! Please use skills!”
Cha Jung-hoon smiled awkwardly.
“U-using skills is a bit··· dangerous, isn’t it? Seeing that you all came here, I suppose you live nearby?”
“No! Really fucking far!”
“I just flew here because I wanted to see you!”
“Me too!”
“I used [Dimensional Gate]! I came straight here!”
“No, why would you go that far···”
And, as befitting a YouTuber, he began skillfully handling the scattered questions of the crowd.
“But why is Kim Jae-seung here?”
“We were planning a collaboration stream! It is impossible right now, but···”
“Didn’t you two fight yesterday?”
“W-well, you fight and make up, that’s how it goes!”
“Isn’t that deceiving your viewers?”
“No, does fighting once mean we have to fight forever?”
“Is that so?”
Kim Jae-seung also began talking.
Since this was Cha Jung-hoon’s PC café, there were far fewer of Kim Jae-seung’s fans.
But in the first place, except for the two of them, every Yggdrasill YouTuber had quit, so most subscribers overlapped.
Han Woo-hyun felt relief and unease at the same time.
Relief because the two’s viewers were less aggressive than expected.
Unease because of the player with hostile emotion who had suddenly disappeared.
Where did he go? Han Woo-hyun rolled his eyes, searching diligently for places an assassin might hide.
Even then, unable to tell, he spread Yggdrasill Force as thinly and widely as possible.
But nothing was caught.
Had he simply withdrawn? If so, that was a good thing in this moment, but bad in the long term.
Han Woo-hyun’s plan needed that assassin.
More precisely, to forcibly drag in the subscribers gathered here and the two YouTubers.
Just as his nerves were stretched taut.
Han Woo-hyun felt the temperature drop slightly.
Because the clouds moved and covered the sun.
“No, then are you not going to stream anymore?”
“Streaming isn’t the issue! Everyone’s become superhumans now.”
“You’re YouTubers! You can broadcast playing the game in reality!”
“The skills are too strong, so I think we’d have to use them at sea or in the desert.”
“My defense is high! I’ll be your opponent!”
“No, are you insane?”
Clouds. Sky. Above.
“Ha.”
Only then did Han Woo-hyun remember what he had overlooked.
Before his regression, boss monsters had turned the entire world into a desert.
In the ruined world, there was no such concept as tall structures.
So for the final ten years, Han Woo-hyun had fought only on flat deserts. He had grown accustomed to horizontal battles.
“...The rooftop.”
Along with that realization, Han Woo-hyun’s Yggdrasill Force, which had been spreading outward by width, spread upward as well.
It spread in an instant, soon climbing throughout the entire building of Cha Jung-hoon’s PC café.
“Bingo.”
On the rooftop, he felt powerful Yggdrasill Force.
How powerful was it?
It was Force filled with such thick malice that it reminded him of the moment Li Haoran had sworn to devour the Communist Party.
And he had quite a bit of skill.
The moment Han Woo-hyun read the other party’s will through Force, he felt that the other party had also read his will.
The original skill developed in reality, [Mental Resonance].
A technique through which someone with overwhelming Yggdrasill Force operation ability could read the emotions and surface consciousness of an immature player.
Astonishingly, the other party also sensed it faintly.
Han Woo-hyun and the assassin read each other’s wills.
In an instant, two sets of emotions swept past.
Rage, loathing, hatred, irritation, inferiority, madness···
The two read each other’s hostility. Feeling the transmission of that emotion, Han Woo-hyun sneered. He provoked him.
His delicate operation of Yggdrasill Force transmitted the emotion of Han Woo-hyun’s “mockery” intact to the assassin.
The assassin’s Force value was far higher than Han Woo-hyun’s, but that flowing operation overturned the assassin’s emotions.
“[Absolute Defense].”
As he raised his head to look at the black figure leaping down from the rooftop, the Paladin used his skill.
Because it was time for a show.
And one that would leave a powerful impression in a very short time.
When he drew his Force up to the maximum, the time he could fight was five minutes.
That was enough.
“Spread out.”
At the same time, he displayed a feat that could never be shown at the level of merely reproducing a game skill exactly.
[Absolute Defense], a skill that originally could only target himself.
―SHIAAK.
―SHIAAK.
―SHIAAK.
It was overlaid onto every player around him.
Although its power was weaker than [Absolute Defense] cast on himself.
It was strong enough to block the strike of a single assassin.
“...?!”
The assassin’s eyes filled with shock.