Chapter 186

Hwang Kang-Woong had invited Baek Hyun, Park Hye-Won, Kang Ji-Hoon, and Shin Ha-Neul to his house, so they were all gathered there.

"Wow... Mr. Hwang really is a CEO," Baek Hyun muttered.

"But, Oppa, he said he’s not one anymore,” Park Hye-Won replied.

"Still, he used to be a CEO, no?” Kang Ji-Hoon commented.

"If he were the CEO of Daehan Construction... Wow... It's my first time seeing someone this rich," Shin Ha-Neul muttered in amazement.

The four of them admired the Han River view from the 50th-floor apartment.

"Let's eat now." Hwang Kang-Woong served the food from the kitchen.

"Oh, Mr. CEO! I'll do it, so please have a seat." The cook, a lady, tried to stop him.

"It's all right. I’ll do it." Hwang Kang-Woong smiled and refused.

"We'll help too!"

"Yeah, if I help—”

"

Shh!

Stay seated. You're the guests." The four of them obediently took their seats after seeing Hwang Kang-Woong's firm attitude.

"Now that we know he’s rich, he seems more refined.”

“Yeah, indeed! He even looks cool serving food.”

"Are you jealous?

Hahaha.

"

"Of course I am! Aren't you? I want to live as a rich man like him."

Hwang Kang-Woong served all the food, and they sat down to eat. When they turned on the TV, they heard the shocking news.

[China and Italy are currently under attack by monsters…]

They immediately put down their spoons and seriously watched the TV.

"Sami Harrison's broadcast?"

"Go to that channel quickly!”

"Let me do it," said Hwang Kang-Woong.

Hwang Kang-Woong hurriedly turned on UTV and selected Sami Harrison's broadcast.

"This is insane..."

"Oh no! That can’t be happening…"

It was a vivid broadcast depicting monsters brutally attacking humans. The accompanying chat room overflowed with comments echoing their shared sentiments.

"Huh? Is that Master?”

"Oh yeah! That’s him!"

"Oh, thank goodness! With our Master there, they should be fine.”

"I guess he was nearby."

After Sami had asked May to film, new broadcasting channels had emerged. Hwang Kang-Woong connected more TVs to see all those scenes and placed them side by side.

"Wow, it feels like we are there," Baek Hyun muttered as he watched the broadcast.

The commenters in the chat room seemed to share similar thoughts as Baek Hyun, as they commented the same.

***

"

Ugh!

Damn it! Why is this happening to us!"

"P-please..."

"Help us!"

Three people huddled in a corner of a building trembled as they watched the Water Beetles approaching them. They had no strength left to run, and they had no escape route. For some unfortunate reason, they could only focus on the beetle’s razor-sharp mandibles and think about how they were about to die. Suddenly, they heard a loud noise.

Whoosh— Thud!

Swoosh—

"

Siiik—!

"

A pure white Skeleton fell on top of the Water Beetle, stabbed its head with their sword, and then beheaded it.

"

Ahhh!

" A startled woman screamed as the Water Beetle’s yellowish blood splattered on her.

"W-w-w-what is that!"

The Skeleton warrior with glowing red eyes glanced at them and turned around.

"My subordinates will guide you and lead the way, so don't worry," said Warrie in a deep voice.

The Skeleton, wholly immersed in its coolness, brushed off the blood on its sword and walked off.

# Hahaha LOOOOL

# What's up with that Skeleton? He is so full of himself.

# Look at those people! They look so confused.

# But that Skeleton must be really strong. He killed that huge Water Beetle with just one strike.

# I know! But isn’t he, like, one of Lee Shin’s ordinary Skeletons?

# Isn’t he cool, though? He’s so strong. What’s your name, Oppa?

# Damn… Are you really calling a Skeleton Oppa? Then I’ll say Hyung. Hyung! I want to be your fan!

# Ugh… You guys are crazy.

Lee Shin's arrival transformed the chat room's atmosphere entirely. As Skeletons dispersed, annihilating Water Beetles and saving lives, the viewers breathed a sigh of relief. And when another camera-operating Skeleton made a cameo, the chat went wild.

# Hahaha LOOOL

# The legendary director—Mr. Skeleton!

# He is surprisingly good at handling a camera, huh? Was he really a director in his past life?

# Haha, that's funny.

As viewers chatted while watching the broadcast, a Water Beetle abruptly swooped in from a distance, darting toward the Skeleton operating the camera.

# Huh? Huh? Hey! Be careful! Watch your back!

# The Water Beetle is coming for you!

# What are the other Skeletons doing? The camera Skeleton is about to get killed!

The startled viewers frantically typed in the chat. Warrie, who they thought had disappeared, reappeared, cut down the Water Beetle, and struck a pose again.

"

Ha!

Continue to do your job. I'll do mine," said Warrie, patting the shoulder of the Skeleton responsible for filming as he passed by.

Then, oblivious that another camera was capturing him, Warrie engaged in small talk with May.

"I think I was born to be a TV star,” Warrie said to May with pride.

"Where did you even learn such a saying?" May mocked.

"Don't you watch TV?" Warrie replied.

"You watch it too much, you empty-headed fool," May replied.

"What! What did you say?" Warrie said.

The viewers burst into laughter. These two Skeletons were different from the others. Their heightened intelligence, human-like behavior, and impressive combat prowess drew attention. The viewers engraved their names, May and Warrie, in their minds.

# I bet May and Warrie will have fans from now on.

# I'll start a fan club for them.

# Warrie is kinda cute, no? Haha.

# What do you mean, cute? Isn’t May better? He’s a Skeleton Mage. Besides, their Master is a wizard too.

# Bro, you know nothing. Swordsmen are cooler!

# You could just hit a swordsman with magic from afar. And then they are done.

# Just shut up.

# Why are you guys fighting about something so childish?

As the Skeletons smoothly saved Naples, Sami Harrison focused on capturing Lee Shin’s actions. Lethocerus attacked a building with dozens of people with its massive claws.

'Oh my gosh. What should I do? Should I turn the camera away?'

While Sami believed in comprehensive coverage, this scene's brutality made her question its necessity for public consumption. Did she have to capture it when the audience could understand the implication? She thought about it briefly while her audience gave their thoughts about it.

# What do we do!

# Dammit! I don’t want to watch this anymore!

# What the hell are the challengers doing?!

# My daughter is in there! Ms. Sami, please help them! Please!

# If there is a god, please save them.

The chat room exploded. And seemingly responding to their desperate pleas, Lee Shin’s steel spear flew incredibly fast, piercing the Lethocerus and killing it instantly.

# Oh, shit! This is insane!

# Thank goodness they survived! He literally killed Lethocerus with just one strike.

#OMG… I pissed in my pants.

# That was really amazing...

# Wow... there was a god in Korea!

# Lee Shin! Was he a god from birth?

# Thank you! Thank you, Sir!

Sami Harrison was transfixed by the unfolding spectacle, momentarily forgetting her journalistic role. Lee Shin possessed an extraordinary blend of strength, integrity, and handsome looks. Every move that he made sent chills down people’s spines.

‘I… I can’t believe I’m falling for him like this…’

Sami quickly regained her senses and looked up, noticing a helicopter descending. Lee Shin's Skeletons had decimated the Water Beetles that had once been blocking the skies, and most of them were now dead on the ground.

"Hey! Sami!"

Sami Harrison grabbed the descending rope, her camera capturing the panoramic view of Naples. Emerging from their hiding spots, people cautiously ventured outside the buildings. Soon after, the Italian army entered different structures, clearing away bodies and rescuing survivors.

She vividly conveyed the emotions of those who had returned alive from the brink of death. Being alive was such a precious and overwhelming experience for them. Everyone must have felt it.

‘If it weren't for that person, the damage would have been much worse.’

Sami stared blankly at Lee Shin. When the camera stopped moving and zoomed in on Lee Shin, the chat room started teasing Sami.

# What's up with Sami? Why is she only focusing on Lee Shin?

# This is the first time I've seen Sami Harrison like this.

# Yeah, me too.

# What's going on? Did she fall in love with Lee Shin?

# Hahaha, it seems like it.

# It seems like she can't take her eyes off him.

# She isn’t even denying that!

# I mean, it’s Lee Shin. It’s understandable.

# True that.

***

The Naples crisis was nearing its end, and the situation in China was simultaneously being resolved. Due to the Orcs' attempt to invade Tianjin, there were significant casualties and property damage. Nevertheless, swift action from the Chinese Challengers Association curtailed the extent of the catastrophe.

Thanks to Zhuge Yun’s formation, the Orcs could not go beyond a certain point, which contained the damage to a small region and allowed for swift handling. Although the Orc General managed to injure some challengers, the challengers eventually managed to capture the General, and none of them died.

"Challengers' status will skyrocket after this incident," Jeon Jae-Yong said.

"Yes, that's right. The number of people who said they would enter the Tower has rapidly increased," Shin Hyun-Woo replied.

Jeon Jae-Yong and Shin Hyun-Woo were worried due to this recent incident. It had been a week already since the second Gate crisis. Earth was no longer a safe haven in the eyes of many, so they wanted to enter the tower to gain strength.

However, this definitely was not a good situation. How many of those could actually reach the 50th floor? Besides, before Lee Shin created Undermost on the 1st floor, the survival rate was abysmal—a mere 3%.

And that number was actually greater than their initial survival rate, which was in the unit interval. To survive and climb the Tower, one needed to prepare in advance by thoroughly studying the tactics and steadily increasing their strength. Otherwise, most would die before reaching the 50th floor.

And more than that, one had to have the right temperament and aptitude to survive in the tower. Hence, having people blindly rushing into the Tower was not a good situation. Fortunately, the Korean challengers had a relatively higher survival rate, which had increased significantly after Lee Shin's Undermost. If people prepared well, the enthusiasm for challenging the Tower might play in Korea’s favor.

"By the way, this is a big problem. I did not expect Italy to respond like this," said Jeon Jae-Yong.

"They say the internal situation in Italy is not so great. I’m assuming the internal discord likely led to this miserable decision," Shin Hyun-Woo replied.

Italy made a shocking announcement regarding the Naples attack two days ago. They claimed exclusive rights over the monster corpses, including the Lethocerus’, and insisted that Lee Shin should shoulder the property damage. People protested vehemently, but their protests were disregarded.

And even Sami Harrison was included in the claim when all she had done was broadcast the situation. Their demands were as unreasonable as could be.

- Challenger Lee Shin caused significant damage to the city's buildings and citizens’ properties while dealing with the monsters. Therefore, we request compensation for the damages, and since the monsters appeared in Naples, Italy has exclusive rights over their corpses.

They had boldly made that statement. The South Korean government and the Challengers Association had sent people for negotiations, but they failed due to Lee Shin's involvement.

- I'll go too.

The Association did not want the situation to escalate, so they had told Lee Shin that they would handle it themselves. Unfortunately, he refused to budge and made an official declaration through Sami Harrison’s UTV channel during the negotiations: He refused to give in to their absurd demands and stopped negotiating.

"I’ll give you all the profits from this video, Mr. Lee Shin," Sami Harrison said.

"Do whatever you want," Lee Shin replied.

As Sami became involved with Lee Shin due to this incident, she suggested that he should speak through her broadcast, and Lee Shin accepted. Since the last broadcast, Sami's subscriber count had surpassed 10 million, and her live viewership far exceeded most broadcasting stations' ratings.

"Let me know when you're ready," Sami said.

"Sure," Lee Shin replied.

Lee Shin organized his thoughts about what he wanted to say.

'It seems like many people still haven't come to their senses. I think it's time to let them know who the boss is here.’

The statement made Italy’s motives clear: They wanted complete control over the challengers, extending beyond mere compensation. It appeared that they were unaware of their own standing.

"Let's begin," Lee Shin signaled to Sami Harrison.

Sami Harrison started the broadcast. Viewers numbering in the hundreds of thousands were already waiting as this was a scheduled broadcast.

"Hello, this is Lee Shin." Lee Shin started by introducing himself to the viewers.

As Lee Shin's face appeared on the screen, donations poured in like a torrent. The viewers, angered by the Italian government’s unjust demand for payment, sent their support to Lee Shin.

[Mr. Crazy Bastard donated 100,000 won.]

# Ugh, damn crazy Italian government! Stay strong, Mr. Lee Shin!

[Mr. Lloyd donated 380,000 won.]

# I survived this incident thanks to you, Mr. Lee Shin. Thank you so much! Don't be discouraged!

[Mr. Happy Virus donated 210,000 won.]

"Wow..." Sami could not hide her amazement, seeing the rapidly increasing donations to Lee Shin.

‘With this much donation… he can easily make the compensation.’

Amidst the smaller donations, larger amounts of hundreds or even thousands of won were also being contributed. Sami Harrison was particularly impressed by Lee Shin's composure, as he remained unfazed by the substantial sums flowing in.

"Thank you all. You can stop donating now. Please, listen to my story. I won't make it too long," Lee Shin said.

As soon as he said that, the donations stopped. It wasn’t because everyone had stopped, but simply because Sami had stopped the donation app.

"I will address the demands made by the Italian government. I will compensate for the damages I caused by destroying their cars and buildings," Lee Shin said.

The people expressed their frustration at Lee Shin and shouted disapproval, asking why he must fulfill such unreasonable demands. However, Lee Shin continued as if he did not notice their comments.

"And, of course, I will also give them all the monsters' corpses. Well, since they claimed it was theirs, what can I do?" Lee Shin said.

“Yes, that’s right. Powerless individuals like us must comply if the government demands something,” Sami Harrison added.

Sami Harrison also made supportive remarks because she had also received damage compensation claims. She aimed to appease people’s emotions. Lee Shin observed the viewers’ reactions and knew it was time to give his conclusion.

"So, I've decided to stop supporting Italy. And as you all know, I don't have much money. I went there to help people in danger, but now I don’t think I’ll be able to do that even if I want to," Lee Shin said.

Lee Shin’s declaration made the chat room explode with rage, especially the Italian viewers. They were furious.

"I sincerely apologize for this. Oh, and this applies to other countries as well. From now on, I won't support any country without consent to avoid unfortunate incidents. I am sorry for causing harm to others without their consent," Lee Shin concluded.

“I am sorry too,” Sami Harrison added.

Lee Shin and Sami Harrison apologized together, and the broadcast ended. Therefore, the viewers' frustrated outbursts were now directed toward the Italian government.