The Martial God who Regressed Back to Level 2 Novel

* * *

Bright and clear!

"This... this crazy bastard!!!"

Battle.net Administration Office.

Kim Namtae threw a glass cup.

"How did the situation change so drastically overnight...!"

With trembling eyes, he looked at the article title that appeared on the main portal site.

[Sung JiHan's shocking confession! "Might go to the US or Japan..."]

[The vile cartel between Daehan Ilbo and the Administration Office revealed in the transcript!]

[Sung JiHan offered "300 billion" by American First, will he leave like this?]

[Sung JiHan, who delivered the final blow saying "I want to be a Korean!"]

[What is the world's first growth gift possessed by Yoon Sae-ah, what is "waiting immortality"?]

Because Sung JiHan exposed the transcript and video.

Various media outlets were competing to see who could come up with the most provocative headlines and were extensively covering yesterday's events.

"This... this bastard... on the Silver topic...!!"

American First.

The world's top guild bought him for a contract fee of 300 billion.

The contract fee is the most objective measure of a player's value.

The enormous amount made the entire nation realize just how valuable Sung JiHan is.

Ding-!

Beep.

"I told you not to call me!"

Kim Namtae, who was tormented by reporters, shouted in frustration.

However.

"Director. This is Min Jeong's office."

A cold voice soon settled in his ears.

Cheongwadae (Blue House) Min Jeong's office.

The call came from the most influential office in the government, even among the government's influential figures.

"Ah... I'm... I'm sorry!"

"The VIP does not want this incident to spread further."

"Well, um..."

"Handle Sung JiHan peacefully."

"Are you telling me to bow down to that Silver guy?"

Kim Namtae complained with a sense of injustice, but...

"Or would you prefer to resign?"

The response was cold and merciless.

After the Japanese naturalization of the Sword Emperor.

In a situation where public opinion towards the government had worsened, Sung JiHan, who could be considered the most promising talent, was in conflict with the Administration Office?

They couldn't continue to show such an unfavorable situation.

As someone who had once been a politician, Kim Namtae realized his intentions and felt a chill down his spine.

"...I understand."

"And please award him with an Excellence Award and a Commendation without any conditions."

"I will follow your instructions..."

"Please, Director of the Administration Office."

Thump- Thud- Thud- Thud-

"......"

Kim Namtae stared at the phone with blank eyes.

"Do I... have to apologize?"

Yes.

Sung JiHan is indeed a promising talent.

But even so, isn't he just a silver player?

To apologize in front of the whole nation to someone like him, who could only become a manager?

"If I had at least hit him, it wouldn't have been so unfair...!"

He was the one who got hit while trying to spray juice.

Other than the stroke of luck with Daehan Ilbo... did I really do something so wrong?

Kim Namtae felt frustrated and wronged to the point of going crazy.

Similarly, Daehan Ilbo was also feeling frustrated and wronged.

* * *

Daehan Ilbo headquarters, Chairman's office.

Kim Heesoo, who was called there, stood with his head bowed like a criminal.

"Kim Heesoo."

"Yes, Grandfather..."

"Are you a journalist?"

"...No."

"But why did you unnecessarily step forward and create such a mess?"

The Chairman of Daehan Ilbo, a man in his 70s, glared at Kim Heesoo with sharp eyes.

"We are the best media company in Korea. We should be influencing public opinion, not being influenced."

"..."

"That's right. If you had sent the article before Sung JiHan became popular, there would have been room for consideration. But instead, you sent such an article even after watching and observing the media!"

Bang!

The Chairman of Daehan Ilbo slammed his fist on the desk, his face turning red.

"Even I, in my 70s, know that the existence of a BattleNet player has become the center of the world!"

"Well, that's..."

"Sports have been integrated into BattleNet. And even in security, their role is not insignificant. You, who attends the BattleNet Academy, should know better how important the role of a player is."

Kim Heesoo couldn't lift his head in response to his grandfather's criticism.

Within a day, the public opinion had completely turned around, pouring heated criticism towards Daehan Ilbo and the manager.

How much damage did Daehan Ilbo cause in pursuit of a mere exclusive?

"I never expected Sung JiHan to turn out like this...!"

Sung JiHan was not just a player with strong abilities.

He accurately understood his position and knew how to manipulate public opinion.

Before he knew it, he openly incited public opinion on his channel, which had surpassed 500,000 subscribers.

"...The threat of going to the US if I make a mistake was too painful."

Bullying.

That was a word that suited the Daehan Ilbo family or the manager's side.

He never imagined that he, a mere silver BattleNet player, would be on the receiving end.

"Kim Heesoo, this is a problem you caused, so solve it on your own."

"I, I was planning to do that... but I haven't been able to contact him..."

"If you can't contact him, then go find him yourself and kneel down and beg!"

The Chairman of Daehan Ilbo growled as he crumpled the newspaper on the desk.

"And take that Kim Insik with you and make sure he apologizes properly too."

"Oh, is Oppa still in a cast?"

"That's fortunate. Then maybe I can at least show some sympathy."

"......"

Kim Hee Soo was at a loss for words.

Even to his injured grandson, the chairman remained cold.

"Get better within a week. If the company suffers any more damage, I won't stay quiet."

Kim Hee Soo's vision went dark.

* * *

Sword Palace penthouse.

"Sung JiHan-nim... I... Director Kook asked me to convey that he takes responsibility for the previous discord..."

Returning once again, Manager Park delivered the director's apology.

"And the award ceremony will proceed as planned. We hope you can attend and grace the occasion..."

When Manager Park spoke cautiously, Sung JiHan smirked.

"As expected."

That person wouldn't come personally to apologize for something like this.

He must be boiling inside, having to give an apology that doesn't even seem like an apology.

"What I want is an official apology. The person responsible should come and apologize in person, and also make their position clear to the media."

"Well, um..."

"If that doesn't happen, I won't accept the award. I don't really want anything given by the management office."

"Ah..."

"Well then, I have to create a guild now."

"F-for the guild establishment! Our management office can help. After resolving this issue smoothly, you can establish it through the management office..."

"It's okay. I can do it from home. I'm sorry, Manager Park... It would be nice if you could leave now."

"......"

Sung JiHan dismissed Manager Park, whose face had turned pale.

In truth, he hadn't had any feelings towards the management office or the Daehan Daily since yesterday.

Normally, he could have just accepted such an apology.

"But I need to show them that they'll regret it if they mess with me. This is a good opportunity."

They were a good example.

A good example to show what happens if they mess with him.

That's why even if Kim Nam Tae had come to apologize in person today, he wouldn't have accepted it right away.

There would be a realization after a few days of struggling with public opinion.

"But let's put that problem aside. What's important now is the guild establishment."

After becoming a Silver, Sung JiHan clicked on the activated "Guild Establishment" option.

[Would you like to establish a guild?]

[To create a guild, you need 10 million GP.]

The cost to create a guild was 100 billion Korean won.

It was an enormous expense that required all the money Sung JiHan earned from betting.

"If I receive support from the management office, I can receive funding here. But..."

Government support wasn't free.

If he received GP support for guild establishment, the government would demand a certain portion of the guild's shares.

To save some money, it was more comfortable to create it with his own funds.

Sung JiHan boldly paid the GP and proceeded to the next process.

[Please choose a name for the guild.]

"The guild's name..."

Sung JiHan thought of the reason for creating a guild.

The purpose of creating the guild this time was, first, to complete guild-related achievement quests and obtain achievement points.

Secondly, it was to create a "development-oriented guild" that had not yet been established during the tutorial period.

"Like the American First 2nd Division guild."

Such a development-oriented guild would gradually become less necessary as Sung JiHan and Yoon SeA's growth reached a certain limit.

And when the utility of the guild was maximized, it would be the moment when Yoon SeA's latent potential was completed.

"Wait. Let's name the guild 'Latent'."

So Sung JiHan named the guild "Latent," symbolizing the completion of latent potential.

[The guild has been established. The guild rank is Silver.]

[The guild has been established.]

[Special achievement, 'Guild Establishment,' has been cleared.]

[Obtained 10,000 achievement points as a reward.]

Indeed.

Immediately after its establishment, achievement points came in line with the first objective.

Perhaps because he had recently continuously cleared 50,000-point achievements, 10,000 points seemed small, but in fact, those were hard-to-obtain points.

If he continued to clear guild-related achievements in the future, he could expect additional achievement points.

[Please distribute guild points.]

[You have 10 points available for distribution.]

And the second objective.

There were guild point distributions remaining to achieve the "development-oriented guild."

Guild member expansion (1/10) - LV.1

Stat increase (All Stats +1) - LV.1

Growth rate increase (+10%) - LV.1

Originally, the first item that existing guilds invested points in was "guild member expansion."

First, the guild needed to expand its members in order to expand and enable growth.

"I don't need this."

However, Sung JiHan, who had intended to create a strictly "elite development-oriented" guild, had no intention of investing points in member expansion.

"The most important thing in a development-oriented guild is growth rate increase."

Although stat increase was also an essential option for winning battles in the BattleNet competition, the most important thing in a development-oriented guild was undoubtedly the "growth rate."

The growth rate increase option allowed for growth in stats and skill through training, even without point investment.

This option did not have a noticeable effect compared to member expansion and stat increase options, so it did not receive much attention during the tutorial season...

"During the final 10-country period, most guilds created 2nd Division guilds to operate development-oriented guilds."

After the end of the tutorial, as humanity continued to fall into decline, they struggled to overcome it in any way possible.

As the know-how of operating development-oriented guilds developed, the growth rate increase option was reevaluated.

And Sung JiHan was very well aware of this knowledge.

"This option alone doesn't have a significant effect."

To become a development-oriented guild, another element was needed to boost this growth rate increase.

"Supporting Gift."

The guild master of the American First 2nd Division guild, Zero, had the Supporting Gift-Development.

The reason why an immigrant from the fallen Korea, who couldn't even reveal his face, became the guild master was solely because of that.

Sung JiHan took out his phone and searched for Lee HaYeon in his contacts.

"Although I didn't know she was the daughter of a conglomerate..."

Still, she helped him make some money during the TOP 100 match this time.

She would probably listen somewhat favorably to his proposal.

Naturally, Sung JiHan called Lee HaYeon, thinking that she must have made some money.