Translator: rainbowturtle
Editor: LD & Jyazen
The blonde stunner stood on the street and looked at the watch on his wrist. At this moment, the young manâs pocket vibrated. His smartphone was shaking violently.
âAh, Brother. Where are you?â
The young manâs name was Mason Rockefeller. He was the successor to Rockefeller, Americaâs top conglomerate, as well as a young man on the verge of making his pro gaming debut.
-Iâm almost there.A red car.You got it?
âI know. A Panamera. Ah, I can see it,â Mason said as Hyeonuâs red Panamera entered his vision. The red Panamera stopped exquisitely in front of Mason.
âGet in. We are going to be late,â Hyeonu urged the dawdling Mason.
There was still some time left until the appointment time, but it was tight. During the day, Gangnam was like a full parking lot. Mason didnât know this and was relaxed. âBrother, we arenât late. There is still an hour left. Moreover, itâs in Seoul.â
In Masonâs mind, they would get there in 10 minutes, 20 minutes, or 30 minutes. He didnât know the reality of South Korea.
âYour thoughts will change when you go there.â Hyeonu gestured with his chin to a small hill. Beyond that was the beginning of the road parking lot. Unsurprisingly, cars were continuously lined up beyond the hill.
âHow are you? Are you doing well in the hunts?â Hyeonu asked about Masonâs recent situation in order to use this travel time properly.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
âEveryone is doing a good job. Isnât it really good? I was surprised. Uncle Dwayne is also doing well. Brother Heder is good, and Yuri... Leah? Sheâs doing well too. Sunny... She is a bit nervous...â Mason replied.
He had also entered New World. To be precise, all the players of Crescent Moon now belonged to New World. They signed up to use the infrastructure that New World had built as well as to establish a cooperative bond early on.
âEverybody is better than I expected,â Mason thought as he recalled the hunt that occurred before he came to South Korea.
Heder was a tanker with a solid yet soft style, while Dwayne armed himself with heavy equipment. There was no need to talk about Yuriâs use of skills, and there was Masonâs own powerful magic. As for Sunny, Hyeonu asked: âStill, isnât her class really good? It seems like a much better class than those of the rankers in the videos Iâve seen or the necromancers of other guilds...â
Mason nodded at Hyeonuâs question. âHer class is better than anyone elseâs. It was the first time I knew there was such a fraudulent class. Honestly, the classes of our party all work together well. It is truly unique.â
Despite Sunnyâs close-to-atrocious level of skill, her class was very good. The undead she summoned were more powerful than other undead. She couldnât produce huge quantities of them, but every undead she summoned was powerful. In addition, the occasional outburst of Sunnyâs magic was bizarre.
âYou and Yuri should help her. If itâs like this at a low level, her strength will be beyond imagination once her skills improve,â Hyeonu said.
He believed in Sunnyâs potential andin her rare class, âMidnight Sun Witch.â He also believed in Felionâs Skeleton Staff that he had given her. It was the unique-rated staff that the black magician Felion dropped during the 5th main scenario. The staff had effects that could be called the best, so it was enough to complement Sunnyâs skills.
***
Everyone else made it through the traffic jam and arrived at the meeting point. It started with Moon Doyeong, the owner of Crescent Moon, and followed with Dwayne, Yuri, Sunny, and Heder. Hyeonu and Mason arrived the latest.
âWhy is it so awkward?â Hyeonu wondered. The atmosphere in the room was too awkward and quiet. It was as if all the awkwardness of the world had gathered together in this place. Five people were sitting around a huge round table, but no one spoke a single word. Everyone was just drinking the drinks in front of them with closed mouths.
âIt is understandable for Dwayne because he is a foreigner, but what about the rest?â
Dwayne was American, and he couldnât speak the language. So it was fully understandable. However, the rest were Korean. Why were their mouths shut? It didnât make sense.
âHow are all of you? You came too early. By the way, why is it so quiet?â Hyeonu gave a greeting to break the silence.
Only then did people greet Hyeonu.
âI was waiting.â
âWhy did you only come now, Oppa?â
Moon Doyeong and Yuri greeted Hyeonu in a warm manner. It was because they were both friends with Hyeonu.
âIt has been a while, Hyeonu-ssi.âLee Hoon extended his hand with an awkward smile and asked for a handshake.
âYour complexion has improved a lot. Iâve been watching your stream enjoyably. Letâs get along well in the future,â Hyeonu said, shaking Lee Hoonâs hand with a bright smile. Then he turned to Sunny and continued, âSunny-ssi is next? I hope to get along well with you in the future tooâ
âYes, yes! I am the same.â Sunny barely managed to receive Hyeonuâs greeting as she fanned her red cheeks with her hand. It wasnât her normal behavior at all.
âDwayne, it is an honor to meet you. Welcome to Korea. Iâm glad we will be working together in the future.â
âThat is what I want to say, Mister Gang. It is an honor to meet and be with you.â
Dwayne and Hyeonu looked at each other and laughed loudly. Hyeonu shared greetings with everyone and controlled the atmosphere. Otherwise, he felt they wouldnât be able to finish the contract signing today.
âI have to step forward. Then I can eat and go home.â
âCEO Moon-nim, please give me the contracts that you have prepared. Iâll hand them out myself. Ah! The food will arrive once the contract signing is over. So if you want to eat, sign quickly.âHyeonu led them humorously like he was streaming.
Moon Doyeong pulled out the pre-arranged contracts and handed them to Hyeonu. Hyeonu was like a teacher in an elementary school as he handed a contract and pen to each person.
âThere is also the contract with Nike. Please check them carefully and sign,â Hyeonu said, alternating between English and Korean in consideration of the two foreigners.
The inside of the room was filled with the scratching sound of the pens on paper. After a long period of revising and reading, they confirmed that it was the contract they saw previously and immediately signed it.
âIt is good to decide coolly. Letâs talk while eating.â The moment he finished talking, Hyeonu lightly pressed the bell on the side of the huge round table.
The firmly locked door opened smoothly, and the waiters started to enter with Chinese food.
âIâm not paying for it, but please enjoy. Talk to the people next to you. You will be together for 3 to 4 months,â Hyeonu spoke while grabbing his chopsticks.
His eyes were already fixed on the food the employees had put down, and he quickly reached out his chopsticks to a dish of stewed pork that was giving off a delicate aroma. Originally, Hyeonu would never eat meat first in such a place. He would always start off with light vegetables and then meat. Was it Tang-Eâs influence? Unknowingly, Hyeonu only touched the meat.
âUm... Delicious.â
Hyeonuâs chopsticks were gradually moving faster.
***
After the quiet meal ended, Hyeonu sent off Moon Doyeong, and only the five players were left. They stared at Hyeonu with wide eyes like young birds staring at their mother bird.
Hyeonu laughed at them and stated, âThere is nothing else to say. I just wanted to thank you.â
He picked up a cup on the table and drank water. Then he opened his mouth again, âI know everyone has joined Crescent Moon with a certain goal. Some people are dreaming of becoming pro gamers, and others did it because of my request.â
Starting from Yuri on the far left, Hyeonu made eye contact with Lee Hoon, Sunny, Dwayne, and Mason in turn. Everyone who made eye contact with Hyeonu smiled.
âI am doing it for a very personal reason. It isnât for money or honor. That is why I am even sorrier. It is because there is nothing I can do for you. However, I promise you this. Before spring comes, we will be in a position where weâre looking down on everyone,â Hyeonu declared and put down the cup of water with a loud sound.
He stopped talking, and silence once again dominated the room. Just then, Dwayne clapped and opened his mouth to say: âIt doesnât matter at all. Mister Gang gave me hopes and dreams. You even provided an opportunity like this. Why are you apologizing?â
Mason also stood up and added, âThank you for making my dreams come true. If it hadnât been for Brother, I wouldâve remained an ordinary player. There is no need to worry about this. I am already satisfied enough.â
Lee Hoon, Sunny, and Yuri didnât say anything, but they nodded like they were thinking the same.
Hyeonu smiled when he saw it.âThank you. Iâve also made some plans for you. There are around two months until the fall league ends and the winter league starts. I will make it so everyone will have specifications that rankers are envious of.â
This was the beginning of the full-fledged spec-up for the Crescent Moon players.
***
After separating, they all gathered virtually in Yusma, the capital of the empire, according to Hyeonuâs instructions. When Hyeonu confirmed that all five people had gathered, he took out four pieces of paper from his inventory and handed one to everyone except Mason.
âBrother, why arenât you giving it to me?â Mason asked. Despite Masonâs complaint, Hyeonu just kept handing out the papers.
He stated, âYou donât need it. You already have it.â
Mason cocked his head at Hyeonuâs words. Something he already had...?
âIs there such a thing?â
Mason was thinking about it while Hyeonu turned his head to look at the other four.
âThis is a scroll to a place called Laek,â Hyeonu said.
The eyes of Mason and the other four widened. The former was astonished while the latter questioned it.
âThatâs right, there is that.â Mason praised Hyeonuâs choice. Then he lamented his memory. Why hadnât he thought about it?
âBy the way, it wonât be very good if Sunny goes there...âMason murmured to himself as he recalled the stages of Laek.
Hyeonu shook his head when he heard it. âYou donât know that. It will be a big help as long as she passes stage 3. Isnât that enough?â
Mason nodded. Laek was a place that didnât have any great risks. It just ended if it failed. There was nothing to lose. It was even possible to challenge it again. Of course, challenging it again wouldn't turn a failure into a success. The other four listened to the conversation and blinked with eyes full of confusion.
âWhat is it? Why canât I do it?â Sunny shouted at Mason with a slightly reddened face.
âThat...â Mason couldnât say the truth. It would be too shocking for Sunny.
âYou will know when you go there. In any case, Laek is a place where you can upgrade your specs according to your abilities. It is the first step in the spec-up.â
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