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Chapter 76: The Sapling With Potential (2)

└ But he does.

└ ^^^Literally.

└ Watch from 10:23. Unknown does it.

Unknown constantly ran away until now. So in boxing terms, as he was continually punched while keeping his guard up, he suddenly threw a straight punch. Moreover, that attack was highly effective against the Orc Lord! That fact alone made the duel between Unknown and the Orc Lord worth watching.

Of course, even those with deep knowledge of the game, like Seol Eun-Yeong, couldn’t overlook this.

His sword attacks aren’t working. At best, it\'s a well-made production... but even considering that, it’s quite something.

She knew that Unknown\'s head-on battle with the Orc Lord was just a show for display. But even considering this, his courage and the agility, judgment, and movement to avoid all attacks were movements that deserved applause hundreds of times over.

What was even more important is that all of this was just the beginning.

-This time he\'s up against Black Bee!

-It\'s Unknown after all! If you\'re going to go crazy, you\'ve got to go all the way like him!

-Last time he went up against some random group called Crimson Fist or something lmao And suddenly he’s up against top ten guilds lol

└ The first round was easy mode, then suddenly the second round is like hell lol

-But is he going at the Orc Lord because he’s confident?

└ I guess we\'ll see.

└ Given that he’s attacking, he must have some safety measures in place.

A fierce battle was taking place between the Orc Sorcerer and the Black Bee guild, and then, without warning, Unknown intervened. He revealed his sharp claws immediately upon intervening, like a predator mingling among sheep.

-Oh! There are gnoll skeletons!

-The Skeletons have appeared! They\'re so cute!

The magic spells they desperately cast decorated the air, and at the same time, Unknown\'s feet moved in a dizzying dance.

Boom, boom, boom!

One step, another step, and then another, dodging all the spells while advancing effortlessly, Unknown\'s presence was comparable to that of an absolute ruler. His overwhelming presence downgraded the Wizards from the world\'s top 10 guilds to mere supporting roles or extras!

-Wow... Is this movement for real?

-This mad movie is insane... I\'m just replaying that section over and over right now.

-I\'m a ranker, but that kind of movement is impossible. It has to be a hack.

└ If it were a hack, why would they confidently upload a video lol The admins would check immediately.

└ Just saw a notice about the query email I sent lol Pegasus stated that the video contains no relations to a hack.

└ Yup, next loser ranker please.

If the first half of the fight with the Orc Lord was a slow Grave tempo[1], the battle with Black Bee and the Orc Sorcerer was like a lightning-fast Prestissimo tempo[2]. The difference in speed between the two battles was incomparable.

In an instant, all members of the Black Bee guild were dead, and what followed was the climax of the video. It was none other than a fierce brawl with the Orc Sorcerer, exchanging blows!

-Daaaang! This guy, Unknown, I thought he was cheeky, but he’s a real man.

└ He dodged a skill right after you said that lol

-What is that spinning blade skill? It wasn\'t shown in the previous video.

└ I\'m certain after watching today’s video. He didn\'t show all his skills last time. There\'s no way his skills could have improved this much in such a short time.

└ Does that mean he might still have some tricks up his sleeve?

└ Thinking about it gives me the chills. Just a while ago, when the Rat Kingdom ranking was updated, Unknown\'s level was 68.

└ That wasn\'t much different from the date of the Glendale raid... So it must have been similar when this video was shot too, right?

└ Mid-60s level and he annihilates two boss raid monsters and Black Bee! Triple kill achieved! lol

Even after the video ended, the community and chat were flooded with discussions about Unknown. There were even people watching the video for the second and third time, analyzing Unknown\'s movements!

"What do you think?" Boyd asked as if he was a child who aced a test and was seeking praise from his parents.

However, Unknown\'s new video fell a bit, or rather, significantly short of eliciting the response he hoped for.

"Amusing."

"...Is that all?"

"And intriguing."

"No, I wasn’t asking for such a brief review."

"What more do you want?"

Seol Eun-Yeong looked annoyed as she glared at Boyd.

Frustrated, Boyd pinched his cheek and furrowed his brows. "Ow, that hurts, so it\'s not a dream... Um, Milady. Aren\'t you going to recruit him?"

"Recruit?" Seol Eun-Yeong blinked several times, looked at the black-filled screen as the video ended, and shook her head. "There will be no recruiting Unknown."

"...Why not?" Boyd asked as if he couldn’t believe it. It was illogical for Seol Eun-Yeong, who loved talent, to pass over such a gem. "When was it again? Oh! When you found out that the top ten guilds were running a project for prospects! You said then that we should also form a prospect team. And Unknown is the best gem among the best new talents, isn’t he?"

"Of course, I acknowledge Unknown is good. He has strong showmanship and star quality."

"But?"

"He lacks what it takes to bear the name of Cheonhwa."

At Seol Eun-Yeong\'s firm tone, Boyd asked in disbelief, "If you’re referring to his level... Milady, do you remember when you first met Yoo Ha-Rin? Her level was 15 at that time, right? But you were desperate to recruit her."

"Get your facts straight. I don\'t get desperate. And Yoo Ha-Rin?" When Boyd mentioned the person she failed to recruit whom she cherished the most, Seol Eun-Yeong scolded him in a slightly angry voice, "How can you even compare Unknown to her?

Yoo Ha-Rin was a masterpiece from the beginning. She was already a finished product. It was a foregone conclusion that she would become a ranker. The only question was how high she would go."

Everyone knew she would do well, but no one had expected her to rise to first place.

Seol Eun-Yeong always thought she should have bet bigger when Yoo Ha-Rin stood out in the novice field. And that thought constantly circled in her mind, leaving a deep sense of regret.

"And the biggest issue is that clear limitations can be seen in Unknown\'s play."

"I see... Is it because of his combat style?" Feeling the same about that part, an explanation naturally flowed from Boyd\'s mouth, "His attacks are certainly too simple. His talent for reading and dodging the opponent\'s attacks is outstanding, but..."

"His attack power is also weak. At first glance, he seems like a Knight class, but he has only reached that level of skill in the late 60s. He might have talent, but he seems like the type who doesn\'t put in the effort. A typical case of being swallowed by his own talent. At best, he\'ll only play around the top 1,000 rankings."

Boyd winced and stepped back at Seol Eun-Yeong\'s harsh criticism.

Even she saw that Unknown\'s talent was considerable, but that was only by rookie standards.

If his level is in the late 60s... honestly, he would be past beginner level.

He wasn\'t sure how Unknown played the game, but with that level and that much talent...

Well, by my standards, he\'s still in the upper ranks.

Boyd glanced at Seol Eun-Yeong\'s flawless white skin, which seemed impenetrable even by a needle.

It seems he’s not good enough for her though.

Reading Boyd\'s dissatisfied gaze, Seol Eun-Yeong immediately furrowed her brows. "If you have something to say, say it."

"No. It\'s not so much that I have something to say... but who knows about the future, right? Even I\'m lazy, aren\'t I?"

"You have overwhelming talent."

"Th-those compliments won\'t bring anything else out of me. Milady..."

"Master," Seol Eun-Yeong corrected Boyd.

The corners of Boyd\'s mouth instantly twitched. He was right, and so was Seol Eun-Yeong.

Boyd indeed was a lazy person who enjoyed loafing around, but his talent for games was overwhelming, and he especially melded remarkably well with the concept of magic.

"Ahem. Master. But in Unknown’s case... what shall I say...his potential for growth is really big. The difference in skills between the first and second videos is unbelievable."

"Show me the first video."

"Just a moment... Here it is. I had it saved."

As soon as Seol Eun-Yeong watched the first video that Boyd brought up, she slightly nodded.

"It has increased. But the fundamental problems haven\'t changed."

"What if he overcomes those shortcomings in the next video?"

Pondering deeply at Boyd\'s question, Seol Eun-Yeong responded, "Unknown and Black Bee. If we put those two on a scale right now, the weight would tilt to one side."

"Obviously to the Black Bee side, right?"

"Right. The damage of engaging in a full head-on battle with the Black Bee guild, is it worth the risk? No."

"But what if he shows a completely changed appearance in a new video?"

"We\'ll have to see the details in the video, but if he shows enough talent to impress me..." Seol Eun-Yeong furrowed her brows again and glared at Boyd. Eventually, sending him a look as if to say, do I have to say this, she finally turned her head and said, "Then we would have to bring him. Only the best can bear the name of Cheonhwa."

"That best Cheonhwa hasn\'t even made it into the world\'s top ten guilds..."

"What did you just say?"

"Nothing. Just talking to myself. Talking to myself."

Leaving an awkward laugh, Boyd looked at the black screen with a strange expectation in his eyes.

I did my best, Unknown.

Boyd thought of Unknown as an interesting person, someone he would like to work with at least once.

***

-Wow, this video is amazing.

-Unknown really took a big gulp of courage and caused a commotion!

-It\'s a buy one, get one free raid boss monster event!

└ Plus, the Black Bee guys are a special bonus! Don\'t miss this opportunity!

The reactions of the users of the community exploded, not in a negative way but in a positive direction. The atmosphere on all sorts of boards and chats was truly a frenzy!

Kai muttered as he watched the users go wild in their discussions, "...It really exploded spectacularly."

Every time he refreshed the page with a dumbfounded expression, the number in the donation section climbed by hundreds of thousands.

How much has come in just two hours since uploading?

Kai had paid 5 million won to edit this video, but he had regained that amount in just twenty-three minutes after the upload. No, to be exact, he had doubled it to 10 million won in those twenty-three minutes. It was the immediate influx of funds after people watched the video once.

Based on the data from the Getting Schooled video...

His first work had brought him 9 million won despite his unimpressive editing skills, and even this morning, donations were still coming in by tens of thousands.

Then what about this Tag of Death video?

It could at least reach thousands, no, maybe even millions.

At this point, Kai started to feel a bit greedy.

Now that I think about it, I\'ve received a lot of sponsorship offers as well...

Since the Getting Schooled

Among them were messages from blacksmiths and tailors. They wanted to sponsor him with equipment they made, asking him to wear them in videos.

Of course, Kai hadn\'t even glanced at those messages.

My current equipment isn\'t bad.

It was true that his first thought was why he should go to such lengths.

If I start communicating with more people, the risk of my identity being exposed increases.

At the moment, there was only one person who could contact Unknown directly. That person was a streamer known as Aris, the only one who knew his virtual message ID. Fortunately, she had not contacted him since asking to inform her of the interview date.

For Kai, it was truly a relief.

It\'s nice she doesn\'t bother me. But I can\'t guarantee everyone will be like her. I need to avoid contact.

As Kai turned his head, he saw messages from guilds as well. Naturally, they were primarily invitations to join Unknown\'s guild. Some were from well-known domestic guilds as well.

Of course, none yet from the big top ten guilds though.

And the most important messages were those offering sponsorships.

Typically, the senders were companies or streaming sites. Among them were places like AmericaTV, Tewitch, and MewTube.

If I sign a contract with one of these, I could make even more money. However...

That would mean he would need to regularly supply videos.

After a moment of consideration, Kai shook his head.

Forget it. I\'m not that desperate for money.

The thought of having to create something under pressure felt like it could choke him.

Whenever he played the game comfortably and felt that the video turned out well, that was when Unknown would appear with a new work.

Now that I’m checking, I\'ve received more interview requests.

[Hello, this is TBM Broadcasting.]

[This is streamer Arirang. If it\'s not too much trouble, I would like to interview you...]

[This is OnGames, the channel for gamers...]

...

This time, not only individual streamers but also cable TV stations had sent messages!

Kai glanced through them and shook his head.

Now is not the time to show myself off.

It was a sentiment he had felt even after posting the Getting Schooled video last time. It was time to hide his claws even more and grow stronger. And more so now than before.

He definitely felt that the summit was getting closer.

But a little more... It\'s not enough yet.

Kai suddenly felt a burning thirst. It was not simply a physical thirst. It was a craving for strength to become a dominant solo player who could compete alongside those at the top of the game.

Kai wanted to become such a person.

1. Slow and solemn, tempo of 20-40 beats per minute ☜

2. Speed and urgency, to play at the highest tempo possible while maintaining precision and control ☜