Chapter 271
“Welcome.”
As Seojun stepped into the hotel lobby, Team Leader Lee, who had been sitting there, rose to greet him.
“Hello.”
“I’ll show you to your room right away.”
“Sure. But does the team leader normally do the escorting?”
When they’d told him to come, Seojun had initially refused and then arrived separately, yet Team Leader Lee had specifically asked about it and waited like this.
“Usually there are managers to assist participants, but you, Seojun, are special.”
“I’m not special.”
“Not special? You’re very, very special.”
“……”
“There’s no helping it. Just accept it.”
That was what Team Leader Lee seemed to be saying.
He had already been marked.
From Seojun’s perspective, it was absurd.
Being marked didn’t mean he’d suffer any disadvantage, but why did it leave such a peculiar feeling?
It felt like being the student whose name the professor knows.
“Now, now. Step carefully into the elevator. You might break it, after all.”
Team Leader Lee said it playfully.
So Seojun answered seriously.
A joke, so he took it seriously.
“Should I really give it a try?”
It had the desired effect.
Team Leader Lee flinched and averted his gaze.
“Haha. We truly, truly know nothing about that. We won’t take responsibility.”
“Your game company called me here.”
“If calling a monster was our fault, then it’s a fault. The important thing is that the monster went on a rampage, tore through the door, and barged into content all by itself.”
“Haha. It was a joke.”
“Right?”
“Yes.”
“Well, the Sword God is only human, after all.”
So he wasn’t human?
They were joking around like that, and Seojun suddenly remembered something he’d forgotten.
‘Oh right. The punching machine.’
This was a disaster.
He’d left it broken and just walked away.
So while the elevator was going up, Seojun quickly explained the situation to Team Leader Lee and asked for help.
“You’re a manager, right?”
“……”
“Just connect me with the owner. I’ll handle everything myself. Then shall we go see the room?”
“……”
Pshhh.
The elevator opened, and leaving the stunned Team Leader Lee behind, Seojun stepped out and made his way to his room.
Team Leader Lee still had things to do, like checking the capsule inside the room and passing on a message, but he was so flustered he couldn’t leave the elevator, just standing there dazed and processing Seojun’s words.
Pshhh.
“He said he was bored, hit the punching machine once, and really, completely unintentionally, broke it? Just now?”
Is he really the King of Destruction?
Do machines really break that easily?
***
“You took your time.”
Seojun was waiting in front of the door. Team Leader Lee hadn’t handed over the key yet.
Sighing, Seojun looked at Team Leader Lee, and she glared right back at him.
“Deal with the machine yourself. I don’t know anything about it.”
Too bad.
Seojun decided he’d go meet the shop owner later.
“Please open it quickly.”
“Yes, yes.”
The lodging had three rooms.
One was a bedroom, one was empty.
Another was for the capsule—the production team’s intention to separate work, sleep, and rest.
Even if it wasn’t for long, they wanted to consider the participants’ health as much as possible while they were confined.
“You’ll be staying here, and this is your capsule. Please check it by tomorrow and send an OK sign. If you need anything, you can ask the manager.”
“How do I get the lounge bar or breakfast?”
“We’ll guide you before it starts.”
“I see.”
“Did you prepare clothes for the pre-party?”
“Party clothes?”
“Yes. If not, rentals are possible.”
“I prepared some.”
“Alright. Then we’ll meet later. If there’s any inconvenience at all, please let us know anytime.”
“Understood.”
***
In the participants’ hotel, a monster lives.
No matter which pro you grabbed and asked, Yon of Denmark, the descendant of Vikings, was named as physically the strongest.
A strange rumor began to spread that a certain monster had taken the wind out of his sails.
Because that being was so terrifying, no one dared to utter its name out loud, and they didn’t gossip about it lightly—but words without feet travel a thousand li.
In truth, posts uploaded by a streamer spread across the community in an instant.
[That ‘bastard’ ghost story popped up again lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol]
[Turn on the outdoor stream! Turn it on! Turn on the outdoor stream! Turn it on! Turn it on! Aaaaaaaagh!]
[Just what is he doing that overseas streamers call him He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named? lol lol lol]
[What happened? I heard Yon just got wrecked? lol lol spoiler]
==
(Yon next to an ordinary person)
(Yon standing tall alone on a New York street)
(Yon holding an axe in real life)
He beat this guy? For real? Simply? What the hell?
Seriously, what the hell?
If it were virtual reality, maybe, but this is ridiculous.
==
–Proof that he’s the streamer?
└If you can’t say the name, it’s definitely him lol It just is
└For real lol
–Turn on the outdoor stream! Aaaaaaaaaaah I feel like I’m going crazy
[The real-life strength stat is real.]
==
I’m nothing but real-life strength stat!
(Famous skinny gangster meme)
==
–lol lol lol lol this is too compressed though?
└Just compressed lol lol lol
–How did he beat him, goddammit!!!!!
–No one tells us, that’s even scarier ㄷㄷ
–Streamer, what did you really do
[Whenever he goes offline lol lol this bastard makes legends lol]
==
I’m going crazy, seriously
==
–Hmm, is it that bad?
└(A picture of Yon frowning and about to strike down with an axe)
└That bad, I see
└lol lol lol lol lol
└That’s epic... truly epic...
Regrettably, starting three days before the History Book event, nothing like the ghost story that had appeared four days prior surfaced.
For an hour, posts with 30 upvotes popped up saying Seojun had betrayed the community users’ expectations.
[Why no news of free-diving from the hotel rooftop? lol Did our streamer chicken out?]
[Strange... no news of a guy slicing and eating sashimi at the aquarium.]
[The hero who stopped a car with his bare hands!]
[Viewers... just what is the streamer to you guys? lol lol lol lol lol]
–Simple. He still hasn’t turned on his stream, the crazy bastard.
Seojun showed no intention of streaming.
And around the players’ lodging, sightings of many players poured out, but Seojun alone never appeared.
[Just post a photo of yourself enjoying a hotel stay and eating delicious food…]
What he did remained a mystery as the day two days before the History Book event dawned.
The day of the pre-party, the party, the dinner show.
The venue wasn’t the hotel ballroom, but a building a short drive away.
Close locations were ruled out to avoid contact with pedestrians during travel.
Hotel ballrooms were too flat, so they were excluded.
Thus, lucky chosen ones, streamers each invited by one pro, and pros who wished to attend began to enter the party.
And naturally, the pre-party became a stage for outdoor broadcasts.
“Where is he, that bastard.”
Inside the party hall, a man muttered in Korean as he searched for someone.
–lol lol lol lol
–Taewoo, let’s find him quickly
–If you don’t find him, are you gonna start a riot again?
–I’m seriously freaking pissed, okay? Let’s do this right.
Because of one streamer’s furious viewers, a Korean streamer’s broadcasts over the past three days had been swept up in a hopeless mess.
Sadly, because the normally nuisance-avoiding Seojun made an exception only for Taewoo.
“Where is he? I’m taking reports. Quick, someone go into some foreign streamer’s chat and find that bastard. I’ll buy you fried chicken.”
–lol lol lol
–Wreck him!
–We need eyewitness accounts
–wanted lol lol lol
–But if you find him, what’re you gonna do? For real lol
“Ha. That bastard definitely said he’d show. Oh, hello. Hi. Hi. Nice to meet you. And you?”
Having entered thanks to Seojun’s invitation, Taewoo began greeting countless people and mingling.
“Do the pros gather separately? Doesn’t seem like it. Second floor? Go to the second floor? What’s on the second floor?”
On a tip from viewers, Taewoo headed for the stairs to go up to the second floor, and at that moment, Seojun was coming down the stairs.
Seojun was dressed no differently from anyone else, in a simple suit and blazer.
“Ayy.”
His visuals were annoyingly decent, so Taewoo swore.
–Finally! Finally!
–It’s the streamer!!!!!
–Have a drink~
–The magnificent Seojun’s shirt lol lol lol lol
–Why is his face shining
–Looking at viewer reactions, you can tell why they date handsome guys. If you're handsome, all is forgiven
–Nope? I’m not forgiving him?
“What are you doing.”
“Sightseeing.”
“Why the orange juice in your hand?”
“Because it’s tasty.”
“Right... No, that’s not the issue. You rotten bastard! Post a notice at least! Why are you ignoring all my messages!”
Still holding the selfie stick for his stream, Taewoo reached out to grab Seojun by the collar.
Seojun surprisingly let him grab without a fight.
Then he spoke.
“Shake me.”
“?”
“If you shake me, I might just, purely by accident, have no choice but to spill this orange juice on you.”
“Ayy. You rotten bastard.”
Taewoo let go at once. No matter how much he joked, this guy wouldn’t really do that, but he’d get him back in some other way.
“Good. So what’ve you been up to, Seojun?”
“I just got here and was looking around.”
“As expected, securing the perimeter first.”
Taewoo was one of those who knew well that the first thing Seojun did was scope things out.
Seojun was simply a menace.
“When it comes to that mischievous stuff, knowing your surroundings helps a lot, and it’s easier to plan escape routes. That’s how he is.”
–lol lol lol lol
–Why does that sound so real?
–So he wasn’t just looking around, as expected!
“So what’s on the second and third floors?”
“Seems like there’s a performance on the second floor. The third floor feels like an arcade?”
Being gamers, they had prepared an arcade too.
“Oh, let’s go up.”
“Sure.”
Seojun said he’d follow Taewoo.
And they went up to the third floor.
There were all sorts of retro arcade machines and air hockey and basketball game machines.
“Oh, want a round of hockey…? Ah. Right. I won’t play with you. Definitely not. Absolutely not.”
–lol lol lol how many times have you been wrecked, Taewoo
–Just face him once lol lol lol
–Let us see that ghost story too
“Sure.”
Seojun said casually, sipping his orange juice.
“Take this. I’m off to find an opponent. Your viewers came to see you anyway, so it’d be better if you stream.”
Taewoo immediately went off to find an opponent.
–Kim Taewoo! Kim Taewoo! Kim Taewoo! Kim Taewoo!
–Finally, the streamer’s outdoor stream!
–Hurry and grab the selfie stick lol lol
–Wait. I’m watching the Divine Sword’s stream, and he’s coming up to the third floor?
Seojun held Taewoo’s selfie stick and checked the chat.
Amid the loud music, his eyes narrowed.
‘Come to think of it, I haven’t met that guy yet.’
Looking toward the stairs, that face was gradually ascending.
The Divine Sword.
As soon as he reached the third floor, he spotted Seojun and walked straight toward him.
Around them, attention began to converge as if sensing the situation.
“Our business isn’t finished yet. Isn’t that right?”
The Divine Sword wore a greasy smirk and held his phone out toward Seojun.
It was a translation app.
After checking the message, Seojun held the selfie stick toward the app.
–lol lol lol lol
–It wasn’t over?
–The bastard who even dodged Verdure talks a lot
–For real lol
The Divine Sword held out his phone, gesturing for Seojun to use the translator to answer, and Seojun gave a small laugh before turning away.
Then he called someone.
“Hey, Yon. Take care of this.”
Seojun said it in English.
“Yes, hyungnim.”
Yon, who had been standing a short distance away, answered in Korean as if he’d heard Seojun perfectly.
–???
–??????
–Yon speaks Korean well? lol lol lol lol lol lol lol
–Come to think of it, there weren’t any Yon sightings yesterday either, so maybe lol lol lol
–He studied Korean in a wholesome way! Seojun taught him!
–You didn’t inject etiquette into him, did you? Streamer?
–I’m... scared lol lol lol lol
Three days before it all began, a ghost story related to that unknown day had arisen after all.
And then.
As the hulking Yon approached, the Divine Sword began to waver visibly.