11 pm at the Battle Net academy…
JiHan frowned when he saw the reporters gathered before the entrance.
‘This brings back unpleasant memories.’
He remembered his first life when they forcibly interviewed Sae-ah, who wasn’t in her right mind after she received her F-rank Gift.
The relentless pressure from the reporters had forced Sae-ah to blurt out that she’d received an ‘F-rank’ Gift.
‘I watched that unfold from home…’
Back then, her useless uncle had been of no help.
In the end, Sae-ah’s interview spread far and wide on the internet, becoming a hot topic.
‘I should deal with this immediately.’
JiHan parked his car and walked toward the reporters. His presence drew their attention.
“If you’re waiting for Sae-ah, you’ve come in vain. There will be no interview, so please… leave.”
The reporters, especially the ones who’d faced JiHan’s anger before, hesitated at his words.
‘Being restrained like that again would be terrifying…’
‘If I provoke him again, who knows how long I might be paralyzed.’
‘Should I pretend to back off for now?’
A few who hadn’t experienced JiHan’s ruthlessness bravely approached, asking for interviews.
“Uhm… Mr. Sung? Could you give us an interview?”
Slide-
JiHan extended his hands.
“No.”
Force, the strength that could manipulate space, activated, and the reporters were pushed back.
“U-understood…”
Most of those who were pushed back gave up, but…
“Y-you shouldn’t do this! How dare you use Telekinesis?!”
“To think a player would use his power recklessly! And to a reporter…! You’re ignoring the people’s right to information!”
Two reporters continued to protest even after being pushed back.
“How annoying.”
Tap.
As JiHan lifted his finger, their mouths were frozen, and their bodies stiffened at the same time.
They stood like statues before the school’s gate.
“Why did they do that?”
“That’s really… terrifying.”
“Damn it. There aren’t going to be any interviews today.”
The reporters had no choice but to retreat, their frustration evident on their faces.
Soon, the gate security guard approached with a weary look.
“These people… When will they be released? They will be released, right?”
“Yes. They’ll be free once I enter the building.”
“I’m glad to hear that. I wonder what would happen if they were kept frozen like that.”
“Is the school going to just let them stay out here like this?” JiHan crossed his arms and glanced at the security guard.
“I’d prefer not to see them when I come out with Sae-ah.”
“The reporters were too insistent…”
“We won’t give any interviews. Does the Battle Net academy prioritize reporters over students?”
“No, but…”
“If the reporters block our car…” A cold smile appeared on JiHan’s face. “I can’t predict what kind of accident might happen.”
A shiver ran down the security guard’s spine. Although the words weren’t polite, the aura pouring from JiHan wasn’t ordinary.
“Understood… I’ll make sure to send them away.”
“Thanks.”
* * *
The Gift Hall was quiet.
In contrast to the school’s gate, nobody was there except for a security guard.
“Are you Ms. Yoon’s guardian?”
“Yes.”
“You can wait at that table over there.”
Following the security guard’s instructions, JiHan sat at the designated spot beyond the Gift Hall corridor. He checked the time. It was already 11:30 PM.
Sae-ah would soon receive her Gift.
‘I should’ve searched for more information on Sae-ah’s Gift during my previous life.’
JiHan held Sae-ah’s Gift in high esteem for a simple reason…
There was a ranker in China who had the same Gift. She was the world’s 2nd-ranked player and had perished with Baron during the final demotion match.
‘Whenever I heard about her Gift, I was reminded of Sae-ah’s death, and I decided not to look for more information…’
Of course, he had a rough idea of how the Chinese ranker had grown, but that was the extent of his knowledge.
He turned away from the painful memories that kept resurfacing.
‘The only good thing is that I know how to cultivate her Gift…’
That was enough.
JiHan was lost in thought with his eyes closed when a familiar voice rang beside him.
“Hello~ You’re Sae-ah’s uncle, right? I’m Hee-soo.”
“Is that…?” A man’s voice followed alongside hers.
“…?” JiHan turned his head.
There were three people approaching him. Hee-soo, a middle-aged man with a camera, and a muscular young man in a sleeveless shirt with his hair spiked up.
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“Sae-ah’s coming out soon, right? We have an interview appointment.”
“We aren’t going to receive any interviews.”
“No. Sae-ah said she’d do it exclusively with us.”
JiHan’s eyes became colder. Sae-ah definitely didn’t have any friends left in his previous life, but she’d maintained a close relationship with Hee-soo until recently in his second life, so he thought things might have changed.
Was it all an act for this moment?
“There’s no need for that,” JiHan responded firmly, and Hee-soo’s smile deepened.
“We. Are. Doing. The. Interview. Right, Cousin?”
“Ah~ Yes. So he’s that Bronze?”
Tap, tap-
The young man in the sleeveless shirt walked toward him, and JiHan could see his muscles moving unnaturally and then solidifying, thus turning rock-hard.
It was a transformation that couldn’t be reached with regular exercise.
Among players, only Warriors could do such a thing.
“Stone Skin…”
“Oh~ Bronze~ You have good eyes!”
Stone Skin was one of the skills a Warrior could learn at level 50. It was known for being a necessary skill if you wanted to be a tank.
That meant that the young man with the sleeveless shirt was at least a level 50 Warrior.
“Hey~ Threatening reporters with Telekinesis? You shouldn’t be that harsh to common people just because you have some abilities.”
“…”
“Stay still until the interview’s over. Got it?”
“Ha.”
“Also, your niece will be hanging out with me for a while.” In-sik crossed his arms while standing in front of JiHan. “Since it’s after her birthday, she’s already an adult, so we can do whatever we want. Yes, we might even stay up together all night. Hehehe…”
JiHan’s eyes turned cold at those words. Whether it was Kim Gyu-hyuk or the new guy, why did so many people cross the line?
At least Kim Gyu-hyuk did it for money, but the guy in front of him was beyond redemption.
JiHan stretched out his finger.
“Oh. You’re going to show me your Telekinesis?” In-sik confidently said.
“Do you think it won’t work?” JiHan chuckled as if amused. “Well, how about now?”
As JiHan pulled his finger back…
“Huh…?”
Thud-!
A tearing sound echoed from In-sik’s head.
* * *
[You’ve turned 18 years old and awakened as a player.]
[You’ve obtained a Gift.]
“Haa…” Sae-ah sighed.
Thankfully, it seemed like she’d gotten a Gift. The chances of getting a Gift were no more than 50%, even for students of Battle Net academies.
Given that half of all players awakened without a Gift, getting one was a good omen.
“Status window…”
Sae-ah’s eyes widened after she saw her status window. Her Strength, Agility, Vitality, and Magic Power all had a value of 10.
They were perfect stat values!
Sae-ah felt a boost in her confidence, but that joy was short-lived. The most crucial section still remained, the Gift slot, located at the very bottom of the status window.
Of course, initial stats played a vital role in determining a player’s talent, but the rank of her Gift would decide if she would remain an amateur or become a professional.
“Huh…?”
When she saw her Gift, Sae-ah’s eyes widened once more. Then, they started to shake.
[Gift – Late Bloomer (Rank F)]
“F…”
Even if the Gift’s rank was random…
She didn’t expect to receive such a rank.
Thud-
Even if her body felt healthier than before after awakening as a player, Sae-ah collapsed, unable to stand.
She couldn’t understand it.
Even though it was summer in August, it felt cold.
Her whole body shivered.
She couldn’t believe the results in front of her.
She rapidly blinked, wishing it was all a dream, but her status window showed that she had an F-rank Gift.
[Gift – Late Bloomer (Rank F)]
– Great vessels take time to mature.
To top it all off, it had an insincere description.
She couldn’t believe it.
“Ha…” Yoon Sae-ah’s head dropped.
“Haha…” A hollow laugh left her body.
Her dream was shattered, and it felt like the whole world was crumbling, piece by piece.
‘The worst birthday ever…’
What was she supposed to do?
She honestly hadn’t considered the possibility of getting an F-rank Gift.
‘I won’t be able to become a player now.’
The Battle Net player industry wasn’t a place where one with a suspicious Gift called ‘Late Bloomer’ could easily succeed.
‘Maybe I should study for college entrance exams.’
It was a relief that she’d maintained her grades so well to not tarnish the name of the Sword King.
She sighed once again. She just wanted to lie down and do nothing.
‘Why did the Gift gems shine so brightly if this was going to be the outcome…?’
The Gift gems had shone even more brilliantly than when her senior had received an S-rank Gift.
That had caused her expectations to grow unnecessarily high.
She couldn’t help but tear up because of how foolish her previous self looked.
“I won’t cry…”
After taking a deep breath, Sae-ah stood up. What was done was done.
Her uncle was probably waiting outside. She couldn’t stay there forever.
‘Come to think of it… did Uncle know something?’
As she left the Gift Hall, Sae-ah recalled how much JiHan emphasized that Gifts were random.
He’d said it so frequently that it felt hurtful at times, but since she’d really received an F-rank Gift, she felt fortunate that those words were drilled into her head.
If those words hadn’t prepared her, her disappointment would’ve been bigger.
‘First… let’s get out of here, and… I need to say thanks to Uncle.’
Tap, tap-
Sae-ah composed herself and slowly left the Gift Hall while rubbing her eyes.
Whir-
As soon as the door opened…
“…”
She saw something floating in the air and took a closer look.
“H-hair…?”
Short, yellow hair, which was clumped together with wax, was floating in the air as if it were a clump of weeds that had been plucked out.
Beyond the man’s head, which looked like a Japanese samurai’s…
“It works.”
Her uncle was smirking and gesturing with his finger.
