novelraw Chapter 209 : Berserk Charm - (3)
Chapter 209 : Berserk Charm - (3)
Chapter 209: Berserk Charm - (3)
“This is how you can share the vision of the spirit world. It’s easier with physical contact, but it’s totally doable without it. It just consumes a bit more mana, that’s all.”
“That’s creepy.”
“But just not fainting is already above average. Most people faint just from seeing this guy up close.”
“This guy? Do you know him?”
“Bayrek. A ghost that keeps following me around. He died on the California coast a year ago after being attacked by players from Inferno.”
“……”
Sophia spoke with a resolve completely different from any player Sanghyun had ever seen.
Sanghyun couldn’t adapt easily either, falling silent for a moment.
There had been players with a mental specialization in his previous life too.
They usually participated in high-level dungeon raids or received a lot of attention from other players.
Because of that, someone like Sanghyun, who lived scraping the bottom of the barrel at the time, had almost no connection with them.
He knew such players existed, but had never experienced their abilities this vividly.
“Shall we go to the window? Just seeing things from a close view isn’t enough.”
“Honestly, it’s a bit scary, but I do feel it’s a necessary task.”
“You’ll have to get used to it. The gate we’re heading to is practically filled with only spiritual entities.”
“I think I understand now why Frederick said you were essential.”
“I was also told by Frederick Oppa that this gate can’t be conquered without you, Sanghyun.”
Frederick had never said that directly to Sanghyun, but hearing he’d told Sophia made Sanghyun proud.
Was this what it felt like to be recognized by someone powerful?
He felt the weight of his value, and an endless pride in himself surged up—so strong it fueled his fighting spirit.
He wanted to live up to that expectation.
Not because he wanted to look good to Frederick, but because he wanted to prove Frederick’s judgment was right.
Together with Sophia, Sanghyun moved to the window and began the full experience following her “Link.”
Countless spirits wandered aimlessly through the clearly visible cityscape.
Some ascended into the sky as if being drawn by something, while others disappeared underground.
Someone outside the window wept while watching a person inside, and others screamed in agony.
It wasn’t a pleasant experience at all.
It was a necessary ability for dungeon clearing, and that’s why he was experiencing it—but he didn’t want to see this all the time.
He also wondered just how mentally exhausting it must be for Sophia.
Her world was completely different from that of ordinary people. She must see a lot of things she’d rather not.
After that—
Returning to their seats, Sanghyun and Sophia sat across from each other and began reviewing the gate intel.
Using information secured by the Nobility Guild, Sophia explained her intended movement path and plans.
In the process, she described the abnormal status effects needed and checked what Sanghyun had.
Since they’d eventually see everything inside the gate anyway, Sanghyun didn’t bother to hide anything.
Every time a circle was drawn on the checklist for the effects Sanghyun possessed, Sophia’s expression changed.
“You have this too?
It’s rare to see a modified gravity enhancement that presses down from above.”
“Yeah, I’ve got it.”
It was a downdraft.
A skill conceptually opposite to updrafts—not used often, but definitely part of Sanghyun’s arsenal.
“What about freezing?”
“I’ve got that too. I can even guarantee its activation.”
“You’re talking about absolute options, right?”
“That’s right.”
“You’re seriously amazing. How much can you even cover? I’m embarrassed I ever doubted you.”
There wasn’t a single X mark on Sophia’s list. All the status effects were within Sanghyun’s abilities.
At least up to the three-quarters mark of the gate—everything could be resolved with his current debuffs.
The remaining part was still a problem, but just having the possibility of getting that far was encouraging.
For Sophia, who had repeatedly met with failure until now, it was impossible not to have hope.
After finishing their detailed information sharing, Sophia left behind a written guarantee from Frederick.
It was a document promising a chance at the Endless Dungeon raid, signed by both Frederick and the guild.
Of course, the promise would only be valid if they successfully conquered the gate.
For Sanghyun, this meant he now had a very real reason to give everything he had to this raid.
“Let’s each finish our final preparations and coordinate the schedule. Once the two of us are ready, we can enter the gate anytime.”
“I’ll contact you as soon as my setup is done.”
“I’m thrilled. Feels like I’ll get to see a swordsman with a concept I’ve never encountered before.”
“Thanks to you, I think I’ll get more than enough experience of the spirit realm. Let’s do our best.”
“See you soon then.”
“Thanks for today.”
With that, their meeting ended, and Sanghyun went straight to sleep.
Tomorrow morning, he’d meet Han Hyunjeong to finalize a deal, and by afternoon at the latest, they’d enter the gate.
Starting tomorrow, things would get overwhelmingly busy. This was the only time he had to truly rest.
The next morning—
Han Hyunjeong visited Sanghyun right away. Their meeting was held in a secret house she had personally rented.
As the name suggested, it was a place perfectly secure against eavesdropping or surveillance.
The hourly rental fee was astronomically high, but to her, it was mere pocket change, so she didn’t care.
Lee Yeon stood guard outside just in case, leaving only Sanghyun and Han Hyunjeong inside the house.
They started with tea time early in the morning.
The Ssanghwa tea Han Hyunjeong personally brewed and served tasted surprisingly good.
Ssanghwa tea as part of an American morning—life really was unpredictable.
Just as Sanghyun was taking a sip of the tea—Han Hyunjeong, having lightly moistened her throat, abruptly spoke up.
“A new sponsorship contract. How about signing a new one? We’ll terminate the current one right away. Of course, I won’t ask for the return of the original signing bonus.”
“All of a sudden?”
On paper, it was a favorable offer for Sanghyun.
Terminating the current contract meant the obligation to return the bonus immediately disappeared.
And signing a new contract meant she was willing to offer much better terms than before.
“I just want to make you a better offer.”
Han Hyunjeong was the type to always charge ahead when she wanted something, but this was almost impulsive.
Sanghyun could sense impatience in her. It felt like she’d received some major external stimulus.
“Let’s hear the conditions.”
Sanghyun took another sip of tea and leaned deeply into the sofa, projecting a sense of ease.
“One year. And 600 billion won.”
“If you give me that much, will you even have anything left?”
She was offering 50 billion won per month in sponsorship.
Rather than being shocked, Sanghyun wondered if this was financially sustainable for her.
He had no experience in running a guild or organization, neither in this life nor the last.
“Sanghyun, you’ve been pretty hot in the media lately, haven’t you?
The Jamsil Station fissure incident, the deathmatch with Ma Dongho, and all that.”
“Yeah, that’s true.”
“Since then, our corporation has seen 200 more player signups than usual.”
“Compared to the usual?”
“Yes. When you think about what those players can bring as they grow in the corporation, it’s a profitable business.”
“Even if each one only brings in 3 billion won…”
“Exactly. That kind of simple math can be applied.”
The organization holds the rights to sell the byproducts that affiliated players obtain in dungeons.
While the distribution ratio can differ, the organization always acts as the primary seller.
Just like Han Hyunjeong said, as the number of players increases, the sales and distribution of those byproducts follow naturally.
It seemed she proposed the current amount boldly, believing it was easily recoverable.
It was a tempting offer.
And not a small sum either.
So much so that Sanghyun wondered if it was even a realistic amount.
But he decided to turn it down.
There was the upcoming gate raid, and several events likely to increase his value significantly.
Seeing how urgently Han Hyunjeong was pushing, it felt like there was competition involved.
Looked at another way, that competition could drive up his value even more.
Waiting would be advantageous.
“Let’s talk about this later. It doesn’t seem like something we need to rush.”
“Heh, just as I thought… Alright, let’s do that.”
Han Hyunjeong nodded, as if she had expected it.
She didn’t insist twice or show any regret.
She had already anticipated Sanghyun’s reaction to some degree.
If she were in his shoes, she would’ve done the same.
She changed the subject.
“Before I left the country and after I returned, I spoke with Frederick Villain twice.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yes.He kept praising you. It seems your teammates had great things to say too.”
“Well, I did show them a lot. I also showed them I wasn’t dependent on the team.”
“Personally, if you ever consider expanding your stage to the global level, I think Nobility Guild would be a great choice.”
“I think so too.”
She was right.
Of course, Nobility Guild wasn’t the number one guild in the world.
The throne belonged to someone else.
But in terms of composition, infrastructure, and the guild master’s capability, Nobility Guild was an excellent choice.
“He asked me a lot of things. That’s a good sign. Extract whatever you can from Nobility Guild while you have the chance.”
“That’s what I plan to do. Thank you for your advice.”
“No need to thank me. I’m a player who’s fallen for your charm, and at the same time, your sponsor.”
In his past life, Han Hyunjeong had only been someone he could watch from a distance.
But now, she stood by him as one of his most reliable sponsors.
That’s why he felt a little bad about turning her earlier offer down.
But a contract driven by loyalty or feelings wasn’t something good.
Such contracts, when looked back on later, always led to regret.
If you make decisions emotionally rather than rationally, you end up stuck with something you didn’t truly want.
“Sanghyun. Then shall we talk about the talisman now? We’re scheduled to meet the seller within three hours.”
“Are you handling the deal yourself?”
“To be exact, I’ll handle the transaction. There’s no chance your identity will be exposed.”
“I’d like to take a look at the talisman options.”
“I’ve already listed them all out. The seller is trustworthy, so there shouldn’t be any mistakes in the info.”
The file folder Han Hyunjeong handed over contained neatly organized information.
Each one was a talisman with a different concept, including ones that weren’t related to the Berserk Slash he originally wanted.
He appreciated her thoughtfulness in preparing broadly just in case.
It must have taken quite a bit of time investment.
Sanghyun stayed silent, carefully going through the contents.
This wasn’t about spending 6,250 won—it was about deciding whether to drop 625 billion won on a legendary Artifact.
It would’ve been strange not to be cautious.
Sanghyun found himself unable to take his eyes off one talisman on the list.
“Madness, Radiance, Fury…”
The words he unconsciously muttered were the special skills listed as options on that talisman.
Just the name alone screamed “Berserker.”
It seemed like the perfect match for who he was now.
All the options were like they had been handpicked—each one something he urgently needed.
It was the perfect choice.
No other talisman could even compare.