Chapter 212. The Lifesaver I Met Again (2)

"Thank you, hyung. Suddenly giving us this opportunity..."

Some would say Ju-Hyeok was bowing just to kiss ass, but he subconsciously kept bowing today. Not only was the CEO of the top capsule manufacturing company, Divers, in front of him, but he was also his school senior and his father's junior. Furthermore, he offered a priceless capsule to them. How could Ju-Hyeok keep his back straight?

"Kya. Ju-Hyeok, you're working hard."

CEO Park patted Ju-Hyeok on the shoulder with a different look from when he was with Sang-Hyeon. There was a human touch to his sharp image.

"Sorry?"

"It's not even your capsule. Why are you bowing down so much? It's a sign of you working hard."

"Ah... Haha. That's because..."

"If this company was filled with people that had your work ethic, we'd have beaten Aston a long time ago."

Lee Kang-Seok coughed, "A-Ahem! I don't know about Aston..."

CEO Park laughed out loud and told Ju-Hyeok to relieve him, "You don't have to be so thankful. This is a win-win for both of us. How else would we get a player like Almond with this sort of data as a diver? It'll be a huge advertising opportunity for us."

Ju-Hyeok wasn't sure why Park Hyung-Joon was so sure it'd be effective.

𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

"And as you know, this is a first for our high-end lineup. No one's going to be eager to use it. The company image of Divers is..."

CEO Park's company, Divers, was known for budget capsules. In reality, they only made budget capsules that were cheap with useful features. That was why a lot of capsule cafes used Divers’ capsules. However, their brand image wasn't the best. There were rumors of brain damage from the machine and even some reported accidents. Unfortunately, similar accidents were also reported by famous oversea companies, but only their controversies spread.

"I was surprised to find out that you were Almond's manager. How's your father doing?"

Ju-Hyeok knew why the CEO was bringing up his father.

He was asking, 'Did your father give you permission?'

"My father... it's been a while since I've seen him, but I'm sure he's doing well."

"Hmm. He didn't give you permission?"

"Yes."

Ju-Hyeok awkwardly laughed as he nodded.

"I thought so. His pride after hearing his son would work as a manager under someone... I'm not saying there's anything wrong with being a manager."

"I don't want to stop at being a manager. I'm building experience before I can open up a management company."

The CEO's eyes widened as he heard Ju-Hyeok suddenly announcing his goals.

"Really?"

"Yes, our young generation needs to invest in new and upcoming industries rather than staying at old companies like Ahsung.

As a result, he could escape his father's shadows. He didn't tell CEO Park that, but the CEO nodded as if he understood.

"... Alright. You're right. If you try to copy what us old-timers did, it won't earn you enough."

CEO Park went through a similar situation too. Despite all the opposition, he quit the semiconductor company he was doing well at to dive into the world of capsule manufacturing.

"I can't tell you to do this or that, but good luck. This is a large field with a lot of opportunities."

Afterward, the three told jokes about Ju-Hyeok's father. Ju-Hyeok read the room and asked what he'd always been curious about.

"But... does a player’s abilities really change depending on the capsule?"

Lee Kang-Seok butted in, "What? Of course, man. It's like asking, is a sports car and a sedan really different?"

‘No way. The difference is that big?’

Ju-Hyeok was shocked.

CEO Park laughed and reworded Lee Kang-Seok's words, "It's not that much different. Sports cars... anyone can drive it and it'll be the same sports car. However, these capsules will help to unleash the diver’s potential."

"So it's like removing their limits?"

"That's right. It's not that it boosts their abilities, but more like it takes away the ceiling limiting their abilities. Of course, some features help boost their abilities a little, like the brainwave relaxation seat and zero-fan cooling system... but a lot of capsules have that these days."

"That's right."

"All high-end products have this, and they'll also have state-of-the-art synchronization and over sync. This would be impossible on budget models and only exist on custom capsules."

"Ah..."

"After this custom capsule reaches its full potential, we'll start mass production."

"Ah. It'll be the flagship of Divers?"

CEO Park laughed and shook his head, "No. Divers' image as a budget capsule company is already too strong."

"Then..."

"I'm planning to make another company, but specifically for high-end capsules with a new name as well. I think it's the best way to tackle our brand image instead of charging head-on and sinking."

Another brand? That was big news. A solid company already known for budget capsules was preparing for another big shift.

'This is why they're successful.'

CEO Park put up a logo on the screen that looked like it was still in development.

[NOVA]

"The brand is called NOVA."

"Oh..."

Ju-Hyeok could tell from the logo that it was luxurious. He saw it a little differently in his eyes.

'It goes well with... Almond.'

Like how NOVA aimed for the high-end capsule market, Sang-Hyeon was preparing to enter the major scene. The two would have great synergy together. However, this only remained in his thoughts.

***

After around three hours, the custom fitting data came out. CEO Park smiled after he saw the data.

"Sang-Hyeon..."

"Yes?"

Sang-Hyeon sat across from CEO Park and lifted his head.

"You've exceeded our expectations."

Sang-Hyeon didn't know what that meant. All he did was move as instructed in the capsule for three hours.

"Your instantaneous focus, instant speed, and brainwave expansion are top class. The best I've seen with my own eyes..."

A lot of unfamiliar vocabulary was thrown out.

Then...

"... Was there a problem with your brain at one point?" the CEO carefully asked.

"Your medical data will never leak to the public, so you can tell us without worrying. Otherwise, it's impossible for us to make a custom capsule."

"... Ah."

Sang-Hyeon and Ju-Hyeok met eyes and proceeded to tell him everything. Lee Kang-Seok, the capsule cafe owner beside them, already knew the story.

"Ah, your right hand... so it's a neural issue. I guess since it's been going on for a while..."

The CEO nodded as he jotted something down.

"Hmm... I estimated around two weeks..."

The CEO looked at the calendar.

"I think it's going to take a little longer."

"Is there... a problem? The capsule I'm using right now has no issues either."

"There's no problem? That's impossible."

"Ah... There are some tiring things about it."

"Yes, that's probably the case. We're going to try and accommodate your handicap while making this one. We're not sure if it'll be possible, but we'll do some more research."

Will they be able to address the problems with his right hand?

'No way.'

Even JeonJaPa couldn't escape reality. It seemed impossible, but he still felt glad that they were trying.

"Alright, thank you."

"We'll still try to give it to you before the finals. That way, we'll see some advertising effects as well."

"Ah," Sang-Hyeon nodded. "Thank you. The production is faster than I thought."

"The world's a better place now."

This conversation made Yu Sang-Hyeon memorable to CEO Park.

'What an interesting reaction.'

His offer to give the capsule in time for the final was a half-joke, but Sang-Hyeon seemed genuinely unfazed. It was a given to him that he'd reach the finals. CEO Park smiled differently from before and shook his hand.

***

The next day arrived. Today, their match was against Thunder Squirrel.

"Balloon Stars VS. Thunder Squirrel! Thunder Squirrel VS. Balloon Stars! The match is starting!"

Thunder Squirrel wasn't a strong team. During the scrims, Balloon Stars never lost to them. They were in the bottom ranks of the power rankings as well. Because of their difference in strength, the champion pick phase and gameplay went smoothly.

They needed a lot of bans, but Balloon Stars could pick anything and still win.

"Ah...! What a tragedy!"

"Thunder Squirrel, are they going to lose again!?"

"One kill at least, please! Let's try to get at least one kill!?"

The game was boring and too one-sided, which made the casters’ jobs more difficult. They needed to do their best to keep the mood upbeat by shouting so the game didn't seem boring.

Thankfully, Balloon Stars didn’t drag on the matches and dived head-first into the enemy.

— Sorry we couldn't protect you, Thunder Squirrel...

— The difference is too big.

— I'm not even their fan, and I can't bear to watch this...

— Their mid and jungles are bronze and silver. How will they win...

— Their team had the worst picks, LOL

Balloon Stars instantly achieved a 2:0 victory.

"Wow, a clean sweep with 2 to 0! Then, right now..."

#1 High Protein

#1 Solo Is Back

#1 Red Carpets

#1 Balloon Stars

"Regardless, they're first, right?"

"Puhaha! That's right. They're also first for now!"

Four teams in total were in first place and the others were all teams that Almond had played against before. The only unexpected team there was Solo Is Back.

"There's an unexpected team up there!"

"Solo Is Back, right? Just like their name, they're back! Isn't that right?"

"ForeverAlone is often called the natural prodigy. He's already been offered a pro spot at 17 from four different teams."

"What?"

"And all from different games."

"That's incredible."

"But God was fair and didn't give him something."

"A girlfriend?"

"Sorry? N-No, I meant his teammates..."

Other than a Challenger in the mid-lane, their other lanes were full of holes. They somehow salvaged two wins and also placed first along with Balloon Stars. Despite having a good track record, Green Tea Bagging had two losses. Almond was almost curious if they had internal problems within the team.

"Alright, let's play just like this the day after tomorrow!"

"The enemy needs to play like they did today too, Bubblegum..."

"Wahaha! Is that so?"

Thankfully, Balloon Stars didn't have to worry about that. Their team was in good spirits, at least for a week because they had a good track record.

"Balloon Stars! They're annihilators!"

"They're destroying the Cheese Factory!"

"Ah~~~ The factory is on fire! Miho's Solia is burning up the factory!"

"Almond! Almond! He’s playing crazy!?"

"Ran! Almond's Ran is destroying the map! They can't do anything anywhere!!!"

"Balloon Stars~~ They won 2:0 again and maintained first place with a healthy amount of victory points!"

However, good records didn't last long in tournaments. Ultimately, all teams had to eventually face off against each other. Their match against a strong team was inevitable.

***

A couple of days passe, and their match against Solo Is Back arrived.

"Today's match is a big one, right?" the caster asked as he was hyping it up.

OrangeKing readily answered him, "Yes! Solo Is Back and Balloon Stars! These two teams and High Protein are currently all sitting at number one!"

Three teams were still tied for first: Balloon Stars, Solo Is Back, and High Protein.

"It's quite a shocking result, right?"

"Especially Solo Is Back!"

"Is that so? Why's that?"

"Because their scrim results were terrible! Every time they played a match, they did bad!"

"Their mid is a Challenger, but the rest of the team is quite lacking."

Solo Is Back was a team centered around ForeverAlone, their one Challenger tier player. The other teammates only dragged the team down. As a result, all their practice games tragically ended.

"But now! In the actual matches, their combat level is incredible! Even the teams they've defeated were impressive!"

Suddenly, they were doing great in the official matches.

"Green Tea Bagging had a well-balanced team. Red Carpets did amazing in their scrims with BlackTea as their ADC. Gotham City also has a challenger in their top lane. However, Solo Is Back has beaten them all!"

"Wow, they've only faced strong teams."

"Yes! Their experience is like none other! The other players in the team have been slowly climbing the ranks as well! And ForeverAlone's leadership is being highlighted!"

"ForeverAlone drove the players to do that well?"

"That's right! So it's impossible to calculate how good this team is so far!"

Their teammates had ranked up during the tournament. They weren't the same team as they were before.

"Kya... It's incredible! On the other hand, Balloon Stars is undefeated as well. The teams they played were lower tier though, correct?"

"That's right. They’ve met a lot of easy opponents."

Sang-Hyeon's team was also undefeated, but they had easier matchups. It was the complete opposite compared to Solo Is Back.

The caster fixed his earphones and changed the topic, "Ah~ While we were talking, the champion banning phase has started! Let's go and take a look!"