Side Story 34. The Day of the Auction - Seon-Hu and Joshua

They didn’t know when it started, but there had not been any conversation between Seon-Hu and Joshua for a while. Both were staring at the monitor with slightly wrinkled noses. They looked strikingly similar.

However, it wasn’t just the conversation between the two that was missing. They only pressed the keyboard in front of them to use skills and items, and even when criticized by their teammates, they didn't rebut.

Right then…

[kingdino has killed gamer_butler.]

They started the round with a determination to end their losing streak, but they once again gave the first kill to the opposing team's bottom lane.

Bang!

Joshua slammed his fist onto the keyboard, making a loud noise. The keyboard shattered in that instant, and keycaps flew in all directions. Some of them even reached where Seon-Hu was sitting.

However, Seon-Hu had no time to care about Joshua. The battle was not over, and the opposing team from the same lane was pursuing him. The opposing team's support mainly used a binding skill. If he could just dodge that skill, then he could make it to the safe zone!

Seon-Hu began to move his character around, expecting the trajectory of the opponent's binding skill. Nonetheless, this movement inadvertently brought him closer to the opponent. The opponent's support used the skill as soon as they got closer, and Seon-Hu, with widened eyes, found no way to evade.

Eventually, the enemy's damage dealer exerted a fatal blow to his character.

[kingdino has killed gamer_ethan.]

[(All) kingdino: Don't mess around.]

As always, criticisms from allies began.

[snowgol: My expectation of both of you trolls was pretty low, but how could you lose with two dealers?]

While waiting for his character to respawn, Seon-Hu tried not to get angry as he glared at the chat window below his hand resting on his forehead.

However, it was futile, as he was more conscious of the silent anger from Joshua. What a disappointment it was to bring Joshua along and only show him a series of defeats.

***

The internet cafe manager moved when he heard the loud noise.

“You broke the keyboard.”

The manager approached while picking up the fallen keycaps. Yet, the customer who had broken the keyboard was just staring at the monitor.

“Stop the game. What are you going to do with this? You need to compensate us!”

Even when the manager raised his voice, the customer continued to stare at the monitor. The manager leaned in closer, resting his arm on the customer's table.

"Hey, can't you hear me..."

He was initially planning to be more forceful, but the moment he saw the customer's profile, specifically the anger-filled gaze, he was taken aback and went silent. Goosebumps appeared all over his body. The customer was a strikingly handsome young man in a sharp suit and was someone you'd expect to see in TV commercials or movies.

However, the raw, carnal rage in his eyes was something the manager had never seen before. If he had to describe it, it would be primal, filled with anger. The manager cautiously pulled his hand back from the customer's table, feeling as if he could taste blood in his mouth.

He felt that if he further provoked the customer, the illusion might become a reality.

What kind of person is this...

Just as the manager was about to turn away in fear…

“Please replace his keyboard. This should be enough."

The voice came from an Asian man who had entered with the angry customer. He was wearing an eye patch and looked notably similar to Him, which was intriguing.

The manager was caught off guard and took the bills the man handed over before returning to his desk. Only after sitting down did he look at the notes in his hand and realized there were more than ten one-hundred Euro bills.

After deducting the cost of the keyboard, he had to give the rest back, but he didn't have the courage. What if something went wrong? He bit his nails and looked at them, only thinking about the emergency police number '110.'

It wasn't too long before he noticed the customer who broke the keyboard beginning to stand. The man was approaching the desk. The manager couldn't bring himself to meet the man's gaze, so he looked down. He only saw the man's black suit, trousers and shoes coming closer. It felt like death was approaching.

He tried to pretend to be doing something else, but a thought crossed the manager's mind.

Ah! The keyboard!

There was a spare keyboard in the storage room, but the manager couldn't think further. In a rush, he pulled out the desk's keyboard and handed it over without ever looking the customer directly in the eyes. There was no actual threat, just a mere gaze. He couldn't explain why he felt such immense fear. Maybe it felt like being prey in front of a predator.

The manager thought if there were ranks of predator and prey among humans, then this customer would surely be a predator, as he nervously bit his nails.

When he finally felt relieved from the intimidating situation, curiosity began to overshadow his fear.

How can a person induce such dread with just a look?

It was such pure curiosity. The Asian who overpaid for the keyboard and the eerie man, even though they emanated a vibe like they were in a deathmatch, were actually engrossed in an AOS game.

Despite his instincts telling him it was dangerous, the manager's curiosity got the better of him. After attaching another keyboard, he displayed the eerie man's game on his desk monitor. Preparing for the possibility the man might come over, he turned the monitor away from the customers' sight and began to watch.

[gamer_butler]

It was the customer's gaming nickname.

The current score is…….

[0 / 4 / 0]

The game had only been going on for less than ten minutes, but he had already died four times. He was playing in the bottom lane, along with the Asian man, both as dealers without a support.

[(All) kingdino: Let’s lane longer~ It's so fun.]

The opposing team kept provoking.

[snowgol: Our bottom players are idiots. Why do you even play?]

Even the customer’s team members were swearing at them.

Only then did the manager start to vaguely understand the situation. Not just the eerie customer, but also the Asian man who came with him weren't ordinary gamers. Their aura was different from the get-go.

At first, they seemed like businessmen using the internet, and the impression he got while guiding them to their seats was that they were more than just businessmen. It was quite surprising to find out they were here to play a game.

[firemoney: Bottom duo, the lowest of humans.]

The manager discreetly observed them and wondered, had they never experienced failure in their lives? Had they never been criticized by others? Tasting failure and criticism within the game might have felt like intense anger and shame for those who were only used to success.

Looking back, they did not talk all night, nor did they even take a sip of a drink. They were fully immersed in the world inside the monitor.

𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

But…

[kingdino has killed gamer_ethan.]

[kingdino has killed gamer_butler.]

They're so bad.

Watching their gameplay was frustrating. Their game records said the same. Somehow, they stubbornly stuck to a strategy of having two dealers at the bottom, which led to a continuous losing streak. It would have been understandable if it was their first time playing, but the problem was their excessive immersion.

The manager remembered the eerie look of the customer. Then three new customers entered. They were dressed in suits and coats, giving off a similar vibe to the eerie and Asian customers. The manager greeted them, suspecting they might work for the government. They could be colleagues of the eerie customer.

"How can I help you?"

Instead of replying, one of them showed an ID towards him. The manager was startled and double-checked the ID, which clearly had a seal from the World Awakened Association. They were members of the World Awakened Association, hence unaffected by German laws. It was the first time he saw their IDs in person.

As the manager was gazing at the ID, the person asked, "Is gamer_butler here?"

"He's right there, but...."

The manager couldn't finish because he saw a pistol inside their coats. It seemed they had come to arrest the eerie customer. Of course, the eerie customer was no ordinary person.

Could he be an unregistered Awakened? I thought all were expelled to outer space.

But then a strange scene unfolded. The aggressive agents approached the eerie customer and suddenly knelt before him!

Huh?

When the agents left, the manager noticed expressions he had never seen before on their faces. Their emotions seemed incredibly complex.

What on earth is going on…

The manager felt as if he'd fallen into a dangerous fantasy.

***

[Placed in Bronze V]

Bronze, bronze, bronze!

Even though it was just a game rank, the word ‘bronze’ itself carried an unshakeable shame., considering what kinds of players were in bronze in the Stage of Advent.

Joshua said, "If only they hadn't interfered... Master wouldn't have ended up in this rank..."

His voice was filled with accumulated anger and shame. While continuous losses were a factor, that wasn't the only reason.

He couldn't tolerate how the master was facing criticism and how the master had to bear that criticism because of him.

"We may have overdone it. It's just a game,” Seon-Hu said as he sensed the tension.

"No. Please give us a chance to redeem ourselves. However..."

"..."

"The despicable comments from the civilians..." Joshua continued while remembering the infuriating chat, "I wish you didn't have to bear it because of me."

"We have to admit our shortcomings. But don't you think we can do better now?"

"I think so too, Master."

"But I regret exposing you to so much criticism in a game. I wonder why people are so reckless with their words... I feel sorry about it, Joshua."

"Master..."

"We should switch servers. Let's abandon this tainted ID and start over. Bronze is not a rank befitting you."

"Which server do you have in mind?"

"Korea."

「Prepare a private jet, Amanda. We're heading to Seoul.」

Seon-Hu sent the message and got up.

"It is a great decision. Korean civilians are probably more polite."

Seeing Seon-Hu's smile, Joshua inquired about the reason.

Seon-Hu replied, "Koreans are the world's best gamers. Korea is the homeland of games."

"The real game hasn't even started yet. So far, it was just practice."

Seon-Hu and Joshua nodded at each other.