Chapter 871

‘I have to preserve my level and items. That’s the only way I can lessen the blow from losing this match!’

This was the only thing running in Alexei’s mind as he ran, ran, and ran.

As heartless as it might seem, the observer continued to follow him around, broadcasting his every move.

— Oh! He’s running away!

— Is he trying to save his own skin?! How disappointing!

— What a disgrace! This is the moment he lost his pride as a pro gamer!

The commentators unleashed scathing criticism the moment Alexei started running away.

Booooo!

Booo! Hiss! Boooo!

Even the Blue Team fans cheering for Alexei started booing, throwing their drinks, and hurling insults at him.

“

Haha!”

“Catch that little rat!”

On the other hand, the Red Team fans jeered and mocked Alexei as much as they wanted while thoroughly enjoying the spectacle.

However, Alexei couldn't care less about what others thought of him. He sprinted toward the warp gate located deep within the Blue Team’s territory, determined to escape from the battlefield alive.

Shiiing!

However, a flurry of radiant swords suddenly descended from the skies above Alexei, slamming into the ground and cutting off his path of retreat.

The swords stabbed into the ground, encircling Alexei.

“...!”

Alexei's eyes widened in shock upon realizing that he was now trapped within a cage of aura blades.

“

Woooaaah!”

“That’s crazy!”

“What the hell is that skill?!”

The crowd erupted in awe as they witnessed swords raining down from the sky like a storm.

However, it was still too early for them to be amazed.

Wooong...!

The swords sticking out of the ground began to glow brightly.

And three, two, one second later...

KABOOM!

A massive explosion erupted, rocking the ground, as the radiant swords detonated simultaneously, engulfing Alexei in a raging inferno.

WOOOAAAAH!

The crowd roared and shot up to their feet, screaming and applauding, stunned by Siegfried’s skill.

The sheer destructive power of the skill and the fact that such a skill even existed stupefied everyone present.

“Siegfried...” Shakiro watched the scene from afar, and he was smiling brightly just like a proud father. “Well done. It was truly worth teaching you.”

He was filled with immense pride after seeing Siegfried create a brand-new skill from the Transcendent Torrential Flower Rain.

Trapping an enemy with aura blades and detonating them to inflict massive damage was not a skill Shakiro taught him. Yet the fact that Siegfried managed to create it entirely on his own was a testament to his talent.

This was the moment where the student surpassed his teacher, and Shakiro was nearly overwhelmed with joy at his disciple’s achievement.

Meanwhile, the cloud of dust kicked up by the explosion eventually faded away.

“

U-Ugh...”

Alexei groaned, struggling to his feet.

Shockingly, he survived the massive explosion. He survived, but he didn't escape unscathed.

[Alexei]

[HP: □□□□□□□□□□]

He only had one HP left, and even a single touch—no, even a light breeze was enough to kill him.

‘Hmm... I’ve used the forehead flick trick before, so maybe... I should see if spitting on him will kill him? No, wait... That’s not something I should do on a match broadcast live for the world to see...’

Siegfried briefly considered spitting on Alexei to finish him off, but then he remembered the battle was being broadcasted for the entire world, so he decided against it.

Instead...

Swoosh!

Siegfried pointed his +16 Vanquisher’s Grasp while putting on a serious look. Alexei had run away disgracefully, but Siegfried opted to show him respect in his final moments rather than humiliating him any further.

Of course, he was only doing this because of the cameras...

“Han Tae-Sung...!” Alexei growled, gnashing his teeth.

Unfortunately for him, that was the only thing he could do, as he was utterly powerless to do anything else.

“It’s over,” Siegfried said.

With those words, he transformed his +16 Vanquisher’s Grasp into a saber and swung it at Alexei.

Shwik! Thud...!

Alexei collapsed to the ground.

As soon as he died, the Red Team surged forward, completely overrunning the Blue Team’s base.

— GG!

— G-GG!

And so, the live match ended with Siegfried leading the Red Team to victory.

***

The match was over, but Han Tae-Sung’s day was far from over.

He emerged from his VR capsule and bowed to the fans after securing victory, and it went without saying that he was greeted with thunderous cheers from the crowd.

WOOOAAAH!

The crowd erupted, their cries and clapping sounding like crashing waves.

Tae-Sung felt a shiver run down his spine as the cheers of one hundred fifty thousand people thundered throughout the stadium.

‘

I-Is this why pro gamers do what they do...?’

he thought.

For the first time in his life, he began to understand why gamers aspired to become professionals competing before a live audience. Of course, Tae-Sung was not the only one basking in the euphoria of victory.

“

Sniff...!”

“Hic...!”

“Arghhh...”

“Sniff! Sniff!”

“Mmm...”

The Legends, despite their age, began crying tears of joy while standing on stage.

Others would probably call this sight embarrassing, but the gaming community knew better.

This was no surprise, as none of these legends had ever thought they would set foot on such a grand stage ever again, as their days of glory were now nothing but a fleeting memory after their prime had long passed.

But today, it was different...

The Legends once again stood on the stage they longed for and tasted the sweet victory they had once believed they could no longer taste.

It did not matter if they were not the main protagonist of the victory, as being able to savor this moment alone was more than enough for them.

Everyone would call this a triumphant return for the old legends.

One of the hosts approached Tae-Sung and asked, “May we please have a few words from you, Mr. Tae-Sung?”

“Ah, sure,” Tae-Sung replied. Then, he stepped up to the mic and said, “I would like to thank all the fans who came here today, as well as those who cheered for me back in Korea! I would like to dedicate this moment to my family—

Ah,

and to the fans in Russia who warmly welcomed me and supported me... I was truly moved by your support!”

After a heartfelt speech, Tae-Sung joined his teammates in raising the trophy high.

On the other hand, Alexei refused to give an interview and hurried off the stage.

Booo! Boohoo!

The crowd behind him booed, cussed, and threw objects at him.

‘

Tsk... You could’ve lost with some dignity if you were going to lose anyway,’

Tae-Sung clicked his tongue and shook his head while watching Alexei leave in disgrace.

With the event concluded, Tae-Sung headed back to the waiting room to prepare for his return to the hotel.

On his way to the waiting room, he heard surprising news that people from the developer and distributor of BNW, Hive Games Entertainment, were waiting to see him.

“What? People from the beehive are here?”

𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

“Yes, sir. They are asking if you could spare a moment of your time.”

“Well, sure? I don’t see why not.”

Although he agreed nonchalantly, he could not help but be curious.

Why?

It was all because Hive had been silent for the past two years. The last contact he had with them was when they gifted him the Ogre after he obtained his hidden class.

After that, there had been no further communication or even any attempt to reach out to him.

‘

What’s this about, though? Why are they here all of a sudden?’

Puzzled, Tae-Sung made his way to the waiting room where the people from the beehive were waiting for him.

***

The Hive employee that came to meet Tae-Sung was none other than Cha Hye-Mi, whom he had met before. She was the same person who had accompanied him to a store to buy him the Ogre.

“Oh? Ms. Cha Hye-Mi?”

Tae-Sung recognized her instantly, even though two years had passed since they last met.

“Hello, long time no see, Mr. Tae-Sung. It is an honor to see you again,” Cha Hye-Mi greeted him with a bright smile, extending her hand toward him.

“An honor? Please, you flatter me. Anyway, it is really good to see you again,” Tae-Sung replied, shaking her outstretched hand. Then, he sat down and asked, “So, what brings you to see me?”

“I have a business proposal for you.”

“A business proposal?”

“Yes.”

“What kind of business are we talking about?”

Tae-Sung was curious why a global corporation like the beehive would propose a business deal to him.

“It is a project to market the NPCs in the game.”

“Huh? The NPCs...?”

“Please take a look at this. It will contain the details of the proposal,” Cha Hye-Mi said, handing over a document.

Tae-Sung took a moment to skim through it and found the proposal to be quite straightforward.

The idea was to create merchandise featuring in-game NPCs or produce films set in the Nurburg Continent.

“But why do you need me for this? I thought the beehive owned the rights to all of this?” Tae-Sung asked, tilting his head in confusion.

“Yes, we own the intellectual property rights, but not the right to publicity of the NPCs,” Cha Hye-Mi replied.

“Wait, what? If the beehive doesn’t own the rights to the NPCs, then... who does?”

“The NPCs themselves.”

“...Excuse me?”

“Hive has legally ensured that the right to publicity of the NPCs belong to them as individuals.”

“What?”

“In other words, we cannot proceed with any commercial projects involving the NPCs without their consent.”

“What kind of logic is that? Why would you guys make things complicated for yourselves?”

“The headquarters made this decision because...” Cha Hye-Mi said, hesitating for a moment. Then, she bit her lip before continuing, “...They view the NPCs not as mere data or pixels but as individuals.”

“...!”

“Well, not all shareholders were happy with this philosophy.”

“Wow...”

Tae-Sung was speechless. Hive Games Entertainment was a corporation, so it was only normal for them to prioritize profits. Yet here they were, sticking to their own philosophies even at the cost of their own interest.

Others might think that it was easy for a company to stick to their ideologies, but Hive Games Entertainment was not just any company. It was a global giant with countless shareholders.

“If you read the proposal, you will see that all rights of the NPCs are transferred to the gamer who gains their consent.”

“

Eh?”

“To put it simply, if you managed to obtain an NPC’s consent, for example, maybe...” Cha Hye-Mi said before she trailed off. Then, she slightly blushed and continued, “Perhaps, Gringore, then you'd gain rights to his image being used commercially.”

“Did you just say Gringore?” Tae-Sung scowled, his face twisting at the mention of the name.

“Yes, Gringore.”

“Why him of all people?”

“Because he is perfect. His looks embody perfection.”

“...Huh?”

“I mean, you should be aware of it too, right? No one in the world—whether in reality or in the game—can match Gringore’s striking looks.”

She wasn't exaggerating at all. Gringore could be considered a masterpiece created by BNW’s artificial intelligence system, and his looks were unparalleled even by the most attractive people.

Not to mention, his artistic talents were far beyond anything a real human could achieve.

“What do you think about producing an album, short film, or a photo book featuring Gringore?” Cha Hye-Mi asked.

“Well... I guess that would sell like crazy,” Tae-Sung replied.

“Exactly. Our company will handle production and distribution. All you need to do is sit back and collect the royalties.”

“What?!”

“Half of the net profit will be yours if you manage to obtain Gringore’s consent.”

“I’ll do it!”

Tae-Sung accepted the proposal without any hesitation.

There were bound to be intense debates, negotiations, and legal battles between lawyers before the project could officially proceed, but it was indeed a lucrative proposal for him.

“Great. Let’s make this work, Mr. Tae-Sung.”

“It would be an honor for me.”

Thus, Tae-Sung entered into a partnership with the beehive to commercially use the images of the NPCs under him.

***

The next day, Tae-Sung returned to South Korea and took a day off.

Meanwhile, in the Proatine Kingdom, the hostage from the war, Duke Kagon, was about to meet his new master.

“So you’re the new slave of this great one, aren’t you?”

“What...?”

Duke Kagon was taken aback when an old man suddenly called him a slave out of nowhere.

‘

How dare this decrepit old man call me, Duke Kagon, a slave! This is outrageous!’

he growled inwardly.

He was so enraged by being called a slave that his displeasure was written all over his face.

“Are you deaf? I asked if you’re the servant of this great one,” Deus asked.

“I am no such thing. I am here as a hostage representing the soldiers of my homeland,” Duke Kagon retorted, his tone laced with anger.

“What did you say?”

“Listen here, old man,” Duke Kagon growled. Then, he calmed down and reasoned, “While it is true that I am here as a hostage, I am not someone who deserves this kind of treatment. So, I suggest you stop before you cross a line you would not want to cross.

"I believe you possess some sort of status in this kingdom, but I cannot guarantee anything if I lose my temper. So, if you wish to spend the rest of the little days you have in peace, then I suggest—”

It was then.

“

Gasp!”

Duke Kagon suddenly felt a strange warm feeling spreading through his lower body that quickly grew damp, leaving him utterly baffled.

However, that was not all...

His legs began to tremble uncontrollably as if he was suffering from tremors.

‘

W-What’s happening to me?’

Duke Kagon wondered, confused by his body’s sudden change.

Just as he was trying to process the situation,

Deus rolled up his sleeves without saying another word.