Chapter 75: The Sapling With Potential (1)

Kai bowed his head deeply. “Thank you so much for the teachings over the past two weeks.”

“It was all for the sake of us merfolk.”

“Still, it doesn’t change the fact that I received your kindness.”

As he lifted his head, the confidence that wasn’t there two weeks ago shone in Kai’s eyes.

Watching this, the white-bearded master stroked his beard and chuckled, “Seeing you, I realized how amazing humans are. You may not have a unique trait of their own, but you absorb other cultures, civilizations, and technologies at an incredible speed.”

“I’m honored,” Kai responded as he scratched his cheek with a shy expression.

The white-bearded master reached out his hand to Kai as he said, "Though it's a lot to ask, us merfolk are putting our future into your hands."

Kai shook his hand as he replied confidently. “Just leave it to me.”

Then he left the training hall, organizing his thoughts.

Tardal’s quest has about two weeks left. Logically, I should enter the dungeon at least one week from now.

And he also had to think about a way to breathe in the dungeon for a week.

I should go to Cyrus and ask him about that first...

Ding!

Suddenly, a notification sound rang in his ear, and Kai tilted his head.

The interface window was flashing with an email icon. It meant he had received an email at the address linked to his

MID Online

account.

“An email at this hour?”

It was already early morning. A time when even spam texts were unlikely to come!

Kai quickly checked his inbox and let out a brief exclamation, “Oh!”

It was the edited video from Michael Reynold, which he had been waiting for!

Kai couldn’t contain his excitement seeing it had arrived.

Did it turn out well? It must have, right?

He had paid a whopping 5 million won to hire the best in the industry. Of course, he couldn't ask for detailed requirements due to his limited English skills, but...

In a hurry, Kai downloaded the file and played the video, and he was left speechless.

After watching the video that was about twenty-minutes long, Kai immediately replayed it from the beginning without a break. The second viewing felt different from the first. More importantly, he watched the same video continuously for forty minutes without stopping.

Some people may not see it at all, but no one will see it only once...

That was Kai's honest impression after watching his video.

It was a flashy, movie-like video that made it hard to believe he was the one in it!

At the same time, something close to intuition flashed in his mind.

This is going to be a hit.

***

The site, Miracle Dream Online Community, also known as MDOC, was a site that even people who didn’t play the game occasionally visited out of curiosity because of its fame.

Because people from all over the world used it, the number of simultaneous users never dropped below 50 million at any time, and it had a state-of-the-art system that could instantly translate into any language at the user's request. It was no wonder why it was called an ocean of information!

Even in today’s peaceful community chat room, those who wanted to argue argued, and those who wanted to chat chatted.

Then, a new chat log appeared in that room.

-Hey! It’s out!

└ What, did a Rare item drop?

└ Is it a hidden quest?

└ Did you get caught by your mom?

└ No, not that! I meant the new video from Unknown is out, you morons!

Unknown’s reputation in this community wasn't particularly high.

Sure, he had gained some popularity through the getting schooled video, but it was just like a pebble tossed into a lake. And the small ripples it created were enough to catch the attention of those tired of watching the same patterns from top-ranking players. Therefore, it was natural for those people to become fascinated with Unknown's new kind of videos.

However, this also negatively impacted his overall evaluation.

-Well, guys like Unknown are sort of a meme. Kind of like PPAP from back in the day.

-The

Getting Schooled

video was somewhat fun, but... this new one, I'm not so sure how it’s gonna be.

-I realized after rewatching a few times, but Unknown isn’t even that skilled.

-If this new one is similar to the one before, it's not worth watching.

After Unknown’s video, countless copycats—people who wanted to get on the trend, people who wanted to become famous—had emerged. To them, the

Getting Schooled

video felt like a gateway to a new world.

Even excluding those who failed, hundreds of videos showing someone single-handedly defeating a guild were uploaded. So, the players who got their fill of these videos were more than satisfied.

And it wasn’t easy to satisfy customers who were full, even for the best chefs.

-Well, I’ll at least take a look since it’s Unknown, after all.

-I found the last one pretty interesting, so I guess it's only polite to watch the next one.

-But if it’s the same as before, I’m canceling my subscription right away.

A low level of expectations was paired with a strict and rigorous standard of judgment. Overcoming these conditions to satisfy the clients was almost impossible.

-But isn't the new title kind of strange?

-Tag of Death?

-It’s not gonna be about rounding up a bunch of monsters and running away, is it?

Of course, if someone could pull that off, they would gain attention whether they wanted it or not, as a powerful contender aiming to become the next top-ranked player.

***

“Damn, amazing.”

At the same time, in the luxurious guild house that the Cheonhwa guild rented in Muria Castle, a man lying on the large sofa in the lobby laughed as he watched the video playing in midair.

“Dang, he’s so good! Smash those Black Bee bastards! Yes, that's it!”

The man yelled loudly as if the guild house was his own home.

He appeared like a nobody on the outside, but anyone who knew him would never underestimate him. The second-in-command of the Cheonhwa guild, the queen's right hand, and the seventh-ranked Wizard, were all titles that would receive respect even on their own. And the one who held all of these titles was Boyd.

“Wow, it feels like all the stress I've had for ten years is melting away.”

That was why no one could stop him from making so much noise in the guild house lobby. Except for one person.

“Shut up. If you have time to idle around, you should be hunting.”

“Oh... Milady.”

Boyd immediately stood up, sensing the cold gaze coming from above his head. Of course, being a top-level Wizard, he quickly thought of the best excuse for this situation!

“Milady, something big happened.”

“What,” Seol Eun-Yeong replied with a blank expression.

Her eyes suggested that any big news from him probably meant nothing more than a bathroom break.

“Have you seen this video?”

Boyd quickly shared the link of Unknown's new video with her.

The first thing that caught her attention was a name that anyone who watched videos couldn’t ignore.

Producer Michael Reynold?

They had tried to hire him for the Cheonhwa guild's video editing team but were rejected because he didn't want to be tied to a company.

Her gaze grew a bit colder as the intro began.

What she saw first was a wall of large wooden logs, and Wizards in black robes walking leisurely toward it. Anyone who saw the emblem on their chests would know who they were.

Black Bee.

They were the guild that surpassed the Cheonhwa guild with overwhelming power to claim the title of one of the world's top ten guilds. In the past, and even now, it was a guild they always watched closely, considering they were a rival they must eventually surpass.

The man leading them said in a relaxed voice,

—Alright, now let's also get out of here.

Leaving all the cornered NPCs and players behind as if they were trash, the Black Bee guild members leisurely walked away from the battlefield.

Even an outsider could deduce the situation, and the words 'dirty' and 'despicable' were on the tip of Seol Eun-Young’s tongue, but they never came out of her mouth. Instead, they went back down her throat.

Just like she swallowed her words, the sword literally shoved its way through as it pierced the throat of one of the members. At the same time, the screen turned black and white, and the scene froze.

Thump, thump, thump.

A song with a heavy beat that could awaken every cell in one’s body began to play, and someone slowly walked out from the burning logs. It was the only person with color in the black-and-white world.

"Who?"

"Milady?"

"I said, who is that?"

"Oh, that's Unknown. He's like a rising star in the community video board. I guess he’s finally made a name for himself with this video."

Seol Eun-Yeong barely listened to the explanation and directed her gaze back to the video.

The video showed Unknown from various angles, almost like a movie hero making an entrance.

Unknown then slowly raised his left hand and snapped his fingers.

—Snap!

Before anyone could understand what had happened, the scene changed.

Then an enraged Orc Sorcerer charged at the Black Bee guild, while Unknown ignored them and ran toward the Orc Lord.

The pounding music gradually softened until it faded completely.

And Unknown, having driven off all the NPC knights, stood confidently before the Orc Lord. His voice was muffled, making it impossible to understand what he said, but it was clear he would have delivered a cool declaration of war!

At least, that was the common thought among those watching the video.

After all, the Orc Lord had said,

—Are you challenging me, Urghan, the chieftain of the Jagged Boulder tribe, to a duel? Bwahaha! This will be fun!"

A clash followed immediately after the acceptance of the duel.

A giant ax and sword collided in midair. The determination to destroy each other emanated from their weapons.

At the same time, the song changed, and the video began to play a bit slower.

"This song..."

Seol Eun-Yeong's previously expressionless eyes slightly widened.

The new song that played was édith Piaf's "Non, Je ne regrette rien." It was often known as the soundtrack from the movie

Inception

, and was a song released in 1960 by France's greatest singer at the time.

Due to its slow pace, the song generally didn't fit with combat scenes.

Why this song?

Even Seol Eun-Yeong, who had acknowledged Michael Reynold's skill and once attempted to recruit him, was puzzled at this moment.

Then the combat shifted unexpectedly. The intense fight where they seemed ready to kill each other like gladiators in a colosseum disappeared. And now, it was just a deadly game of tag between the hunter and the prey!

Meanwhile, Unknown dodged every attack from the Orc Lord as if they had prearranged it.

Most people would accept it and move on, but Seol Eun-Yeong and Boyd saw the truth. Then they silently looked at each other.

He's dodging the Orc Lord's attacks by anticipating them... in advance.

Awesome, right?

Even the great Seol Eun-Yeong had to acknowledge the move.

Then Boyd, watching the video beside her, suddenly said what came to mind, “But do you think this Unknown guy will be okay? He just messed with the Black Bee guild.”

“You’ve already heard the answer to that.”

“Milady?”

Instead of responding, Seol Eun-Yeong crossed her arms and gestured to the video with her chin.

They could still hear it in their ears, the timeless classic left by édith Piaf, "Non, Je ne regrette rien" (No Regrets).