Chapter 31
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An empty players’ waiting room.
The room, now quiet after the jeering spectators had all left, was where Eric Yoon was sitting alone.
With a towel covering his head, his bowed figure resembled a seeker, or a prisoner awaiting execution.
He almost died. Literally.
He almost died as a player, and he almost died as a person.
But Mason let him go.
He was literally in the grip of his hand…
The moment he was released from his grasp, the moment Mason walked out of the ring on his own… It was a moment of mixed emotions.
“Heh, hehehehehe…”
He laughed. He didn’t even know what he was thinking or feeling, but laughter just came out.
At that moment, a man walked into the players’ waiting room.
An Asian man in a sharp business suit, but with glimpses of tattoos on his wrists and the back of his neck.
It was Sugiwara Ryohei, the boss of the player gang ‘Outcast’.
He was also Eric Yoon’s boss.
“Eric.”
“Boss.”
Sugiwara sat down next to Eric.
“You were utterly humiliated, weren’t you?”
“Yeah, I was…”
Eric mumbled, his head still bowed.
“How much do you think we’ll lose?”
“Forget about renewing the CF contract. As for the sports equipment… Well, I think we’re going to take a big hit.”
“Heh…”
Eric was a pretty good commodity for Outcast.
Because he was a gateway to earning clean and problem-free money from legitimate sources, not the kind of money that needed to be laundered from the shady side.
And that’s not all. As a young sports star, he was a great help in establishing connections in the sports and entertainment industry.
“Everything will change now.”
“Because of Mason.”
“Yeah, because of Mason.”
Mason would be the eye of the storm.
Not just Korea, but the entire world would be watching him.
Eric would still have the champion belt around his waist, but it would no longer shine.
“Boss, I…”
Eric hesitated for a moment before speaking.
“…I want to wash my hands of this.”
“Why?”
“I just… I want to go back to the field and start from the beginning.”
Sugiwara looked at Eric.
“You won’t be the best.”
“I know.”
“You won’t even be above average.”
“I know that… too.”
Sugiwara’s eyebrows twitched.
“You’re saying this knowing the rules of the organization, right?”
“Of course… I know.”
Eric extended his left arm towards Sugiwara.
Sugiwara ran Outcast the Yakuza way.
Eric had shared a drink with Sugiwara as a full member of the organization, and for him to leave the organization… he had to offer a part of his body.
A finger used to grip a knife or a gun… or the arm itself.
Eric’s outstretched arm trembled.
“Just do it quickly. I’m a cowardly and pathetic man, so I think I’ll change my mind if I have a little more time…”
Sugiwara placed his hand on Eric’s arm.
“…Boss?”
“Someone else already paid the price for your arm.”
“Who? No, why?”
“He said he would give you a chance.”
Something flashed through Eric’s mind. A large and immense… shadow of a man.
Sugiwara pressed down on Eric’s arm.
“Eric, you’re free. Live as you wish.”
He rose from his seat.
“But if I hear you’re back in this business, I’ll crush your core first.”
“Thank you…Boss.”
“We’re both wrong. I’m no longer your boss…”
Sugiwara brushed off his pants.
“And the person you should be thanking isn’t me either.”
Sugiwara walked away. The days of splendor, but also emptiness, were fading away.
Eric leaned back against the wall.
“Heh…”
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The next day.
While Mason dominated the front pages of sports and player newspapers, a small, short article was mixed in.
KPC Middle Level Champion Eric Yoon announced his retirement.
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Each country had a different language.
But the numbers remained the same.
Those who were even remotely involved with the player system received a single chart that day.
And they were filled with awe.
“What is this…”
Regardless of nation or organization, the name of a single person swept across the world.
“This is… a number beyond human, isn’t it?”
Even ‘Captain America’ Steve Queen with his strength stat of 23 was a physical monster who could lift two tons in the big three lifts.
Mason’s numbers were several times higher by simple calculation alone. Considering the actual correction factor, it meant it was dozens of times higher.
It meant that his pure physical ability alone was comparable to that of a giant monster.
This was astonishing enough, but what was truly amazing was that such immense physical power was contained within a small body of only 2.3 meters tall.
It was like a trowel having the horsepower of an excavator, or a cat engaging in a power struggle with an elephant.
It was like compressing an excavator to make a trowel, or compressing an elephant to the size of a cat. Naturally, it required technology beyond the original.
The technology required for this was beyond the realm of human capability, no matter how conservatively estimated.
“Isn’t this a mistake or a measurement error?”
Everyone asked ‘realistic’ questions and double-checked.
But the numbers, the numbers remained the same.
Mason was a superhuman.
And that superhuman was walking among humans.
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When a drop of water falls into clear water, ripples spread, and when a storm arises in the distant sea, it becomes a typhoon. A single chart and a single name were now summoning a storm.
People who knew Mason were being offered tens of millions of won just for sharing his contact information.
Sung Kijun turned off his phone with a tired expression.
“Did you have to handle things this way?”
Mason wore a sheepish look.
“Sorry.”
Mason had a poor understanding of the world where many people lived. In the 28th century, he knew all of humanity, and all his relationships were direct.
He lacked the understanding of the indirect impact of his actions.
“I was a bit reckless.”
“It’s fine as long as you understand.”
Sung Kijun didn’t complain any further.
Because he, too, was pleased with how Mason handled things.
Punish rudeness, rebuke wrongdoing, and give people a chance.
If Sung Kijun had been in the same situation, he would have done the same.
“Well then… now we need to think about what comes next.”
“What comes next?”
“You’ve created a typhoon in the trade market, and this typhoon won’t just go to sleep.”
Sung Kijun said in a calm voice.
“Not until your position is settled.”
Sung Kijun respected Mason, and Mason respected Sung Kijun.
Because they were both men with a sense of justice.
Both Sung Kijun and Mason knew.
Sung Kijun’s justice was to protect the weak, and Mason’s justice was to defeat powerful enemies.
Both were good and righteous, but… they could not coexist.
“Can you give me some advice on my position?”
“You’ll have to create a raid team. For now.”
“Where?”
Sung Kijun thought for a moment before speaking.
“Like it or not, Korea is at the forefront of the player system. It would be easier to…”
“…supply technology and manpower if I’m in Korea?”
“Yes.”
Large countries with vast territories, like China or the US, were still relying on conventional military power.
There was no other country that went all-in on the player system for national defense like Korea.
Conversely, it meant that the largest investment in the player system was being made in Korea.
“Because it’s the smallest and worst-off country among the developed nations.”
“That makes sense.”
The nation had high expectations for players, and players had a lot to gain from the nation.
That’s probably why Yekaterina chose to settle in Korea out of all the countries.
“After that… it’s your decision.”
“My decision? What do you mean?”
“How you will gather the remaining 39 members.”
Mason wasn’t max level either. Gathering talented individuals and growing together was one way, and hiring those who had already reached max level was another.
“That’s the problem.”
What Mason desired was an organization like the Holy Knights.
An organization bound by goodwill and conviction, not by profit and loss.
However, such people were only a few dozen among the tens of thousands of players in Korea.
The Holy Knights remained the Holy Knights because no one else, except for those few, aspired to be like them.
“For now, start step by step.”
“How?”
“Start with who you want in your raid team.”
The first people that came to Mason’s mind were Seo Yeonhee and Deroa. But after that, his mind went blank.
If he were to use Seo Yeonhee and Deroa, there would definitely be backlash from Yekaterina’s side.
It would make it difficult to recruit healers.
Mason’s fame was currently spreading across the world.
It would be possible to recruit people from overseas.
Naturally, it would also be possible to bring in healers from overseas.
However…
‘Would communication be possible?’
If possible, it would be smoother to form a team with Koreans, or members who could speak Korean.
Then the discussion returned to square one.
Just as a restaurant owner would be wary of a delivery app, if he were to create a raid team, he would inevitably have to be wary of Yekaterina.
‘This is complicated…’
Just then, a message came from the entrance of the Holy Knights’ headquarters.
Sung Kijun checked the message and looked at Mason.
“Mason, you have a visitor.”
“Who? Seo Yeonhee?”
“No.”
Sung Kijun said quietly.
“Masika Karembe.”
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Masika Karembe.
She was the raid leader of the Under Dark Legion, which was the fourth-ranked raid team in Korea.
As was typical of Korean raid teams with their many experimental compositions, her Under Dark Legion also had a rather unique composition.
It was a raid team that focused on crushing opponents with sheer damage, with a ranged team of all A-rank dealers and a small number of close-combat specialists just to buy time.
However, it was also a raid team that had been disbanded a few months ago due to a disaster in which they lost their main tanker and all their close-combat specialists.
“Long time no see. It’s our first time meeting since the National Cemetery, right?”
“That’s right.”
He was acquainted with Masika.
She had participated in the National Cemetery operation to support the Holy Knights.
Although it was such a chaotic situation that they hadn’t even had a chance to properly greet each other.
“I didn’t know you were such an intelligent beauty.”
Chocolate-colored, healthy skin with eyes that sparkled with intelligence.
Dressed in a business suit, she was a rare talent even among players.
An experimental idea of filling a 25-member team with ranged dealers, the most stable type of dealer, and using tankers and other close-combat specialists only for dealing with unexpected situations. A raid leader who climbed to the fourth rank in Korea with that idea.
Considering that the three raid teams ranked higher than the Under Dark Legion were pseudo-human raid teams owned by Yekaterina, composed of beings with specs beyond human, Masika’s competence was worth remembering.
“Let’s get straight to the point. Why don’t you hire us?”
“Hire us.”
“The ranged dealer team, ‘Phalanx’.”
Under Dark Legion’s unique tactic, Phalanx, was a special tactic that utilized a wide battlefield.
Only one main tanker would be assigned to the main monster, and the healers would be positioned behind them. The ranged dealers would pour out their damage from the limit of their effective range, and the close-combat specialists and mages would provide support if any problems arose.
There was only one reason why this tactic was possible.
It was because all the ranged dealers in the Phalanx tactic, the core of the strategy, were the best ranged dealers in Korea, all above level 50.
It meant that they could guarantee the best firepower if they were properly managed.
