CH 201

“Haa… Haa… Haa… I’m so tired… It feels like I ran a full football game…”

Siegfried was finally done dealing with the monsters, and he was trying his best to catch his breath. It wasn’t strange that he was tired. After all, he had around at least four or five times more than anyone else who had participated in the battle.

He even played the role of support without the help of his skills.

“Drink this.”

Someone offered Siegfried a murky-white liquid potion.

“Ah, thank you very much,” Siegfried replied.

“Drink up.”

“I will.” Siegfried drank the murky-white potion, which was a Stamina Potion of the highest tier. Siegfried felt invigorated. He was no longer having a hard time breathing. In fact, he started to feel relaxed.

‘What the? Isn’t this a Stamina Potion of the highest tier? Isn’t this really expensive…?’ Siegfried was surprised after discovering the identity of the potion he had just drank. He looked at the person who gave him the potion.

Smirk…

It turned out that they were the legendary gamer Yong Tae-Pung.

Yong Tae-Pung was smiling at him as well.

“Huh? Senior Yong Tae-Pung-nim?” Siegfried muttered.

“What, senior?” Yong Tae-Pung said with a smile, “Are you a pro gamer?”

“Ah! I apologize!”

“Just call me hyung-nim.”

“How can I call senior—I mean, how can I call you that, Yong Tae-Pung-nim? We are at least thirty years apart, as far as I know. Hahaha…”

“Then, call me uncle.”

“Haha…”

“I saw that you are quite skilled. It felt like I was looking at my younger self.”

“Huh? No way!”

“It’s true. Your control was just that amazing. You’re the only youngster I’ve seen with such skills. You were truly amazing,” Yong Tae-Pung said. He seemed emotional, and Siegfried could feel that he was reminiscing the glory days.

“T-Thank you very much!” Siegfried exclaimed and bowed. He had no idea what to do.

‘H-he praised me? Me? A piece of trash like me?’

Siegfried couldn’t help but think that he was dreaming. After all, both Deus and Daode Tianzun had regarded him as a talentless piece of trash. In other words, it was Siegfried’s first time being praised for his talent.

Of course, Deus and Daode Tianzun had transcended humanity, so Siegfried was probably trash by their standards—maybe?

“So I was thinking…”

“Yes?”

“Are you already in a guild? If not, then what do you think about joining our guild?”

‘W-What’s with those eyes? Those eyes look exactly like Elder Blockhead-nim’s eyes whenever he was staring at me…’ Siegfried immediately recognized the burdensome look Yong Tae-Pung was giving him, and he felt like throwing up from the immense pressure after seeing Betelgeuse’s silhouette overlapping Yong Tae-Pung’s figure.

“Do you want to go eat something yummy, my lovely Siegfried?”

“Or do you want me to buy you an item? I’m pretty rich, you know?”

“Don’t be like that. Just hear me out. Just an hour will do—no, thirty minutes will do…!”

“Let’s go and have a drink somewhere nice—no, a cup of tea will do since we’re going to seriously discuss our future.”

The memories of when Betelgeuse was trying his best to force him to become his disciple suddenly popped up in Siegfried’s mind.

“I’ll treat you well, so if you join our guild—”

“I apologize. I am grateful for your words, but I do not wish to be affiliated with any guild right now,” Siegfried refused politely.

“Why? Our guild is great. There are only a few of us elites, and we don’t really mind what you do with your own time. We share items with each other and raid boss monsters together. On top of that, it will be extremely easy for you to debut as a pro gamer if you join our guild.”

“I will still have to refuse.”

“Ah…”

“I cannot stand being under someone else, and I have a country to run, so I cannot commit myself somewhere else.”

“You have a country to run…?”

“Pardon me?”

“Hold on… wasn’t there a king among players? If I’m not mistaken, then…”

Siegfried immediately realized that he had messed up.

‘Ah… This damn mouth of mine… This damn mouth…’

He ended up revealing his identity unknowingly.

How?

It was all because there was only one player who was a king among all three hundred million users.

“Wait… are you that gamer? The one who uploaded that viral video? Are you the one who has been assassinating the Genesis Guild members these days?”

“Y-you watched it…?”

Yong Tae-Pung smiled and exclaimed, “I certainly did! You were quite amazing, I must say. I couldn’t really tell how good you were from the video, but you were quite brave with a good head between your shoulders!”

“Haha…”

“Hmm… it turns out that you’re brave, smart, and strong as well…”

“Haha… not really…”

“Anyway, it is truly a shame… I would’ve loved to abduct you and force you into our guild… tsk…”

“I am grateful for your thoughts.”

“It is truly a shame… It has been quite a while since someone appealed so strongly to me… tsk…” Yong Tae-Pung clicked his tongue once more.

Then, he thought, ‘Heh, do you really think I’m going to give up on you? Punk, you have no idea what I’m capable of. I’m going to make sure you will join our guild one way or another. I like—no, I love you already. Hehehe…!’

He seemed quite determined to make Siegfried join the Mandate of Heaven Guild…

“Anyway, you have to clear this dungeon, too, right?”

“Yes…”

“Then let’s go together. It’s much more difficult than I thought, so we’ll need your help clearing it.”

“It will be my honor to assist you.” Siegfried bowed slightly.

Yong Tae-Pung invited him to their party, and they set out to clear the Temple of Purgatory together.

***

The fight continued, and everyone fought valiantly even though their mana was sealed.

However, the ones who shone the brightest in the battles were Yong Tae-Pung and Siegfried.

Yong Tae-Pung used his +15 weapon with great dexterity and proficiency, and he proved that he wasn’t in any way behind the young gamers these days when it came to control and battle sense.

Meanwhile, Siegfried didn’t possess an enhanced weapon, but he supported the Mandate of Heaven Guild members with his ability alone. Thanks to that, the Mandate of Heaven Guild members put their complete trust in him.

‘Wow… I thought he was just a lunatic when I heard that he picked a fight against the Genesis Guild…’

‘He’s really good. How is he doing all these with those crappy items…? He can bulldoze through everything once he gets his hands on an enhanced weapon…’

‘I wonder what his class is? I don’t think he’s a Poison Mage…’

The Mandate of Heaven Guild members initially thought that Yong Tae-Pung was overestimating Siegfried, but as the battle went on, they couldn’t help but admit that he was worthy of such recognition.

Why?

Siegfried’s level was lower than they expected, and his items were complete crap in their eyes, but the effect he had on the battlefield was nowhere lacking compared to Yong Tae-Pung himself.

This meant that Siegfried’s skills were on par or far above a pro gamer's.

‘I can’t stop loving him the more I see him… I wonder what I can do to force him into our guild… What can I offer…? Should I tell him that we will fight the Genesis Guild to the death if he joins us?’ Yong Tae-Pung was in a serious dilemma.

The Mandate of Heaven Guild was one of the most powerful guilds on the continent, but declaring war against another one of the top ten guilds was still a burdensome thing to do. However, Yong Tae-Pung found Siegfried attractive enough to go to war against another one of the top ten guilds.

‘I need to come up with a way to recruit this guy… That’s the only way our guild can rise up the ranks…’ 

Yong Tae-Pung was salivating at the thought of bagging Siegfried.

Of course, he still had to level up and gear up, and Yong Tae-Pung still had no idea just what exactly was Siegfried’s class. However, all those didn’t really matter. Siegfried had already captivated the old pro gamer.

They arrived in front of a large door while the old pro gamer was busy thinking of ways to make Siegfried join their guild,

“Hyung-nim! I think that’s the boss room!”

“Check your gears and rest up! Recover your HP and Stamina before we enter!” Yong Tae-Pung immediately said to the party.

He looked at Siegfried and called out to him. “Hey, youngster.”

“Yes?”

“Where do you live? Do you live in Seoul?”

“I live near Gangnam City Hall.”

“Really? I live near the city hall. Do you know Brown Castle?”

Brown Castle was a luxury condominium near Gangnam City Hall, and it was known as the most expensive residential condominium in the area. A single unit in the Brown Castle was at least seven billion won.

There were numerous celebrities, professional athletes, and successful entrepreneurs living there.

It was a condominium that only the top one percentile of South Korea’s population could even think of purchasing.

“Yes, I know. I had no idea you were living there.”

Search bit.ly/3iBfjkV for the original.

“So I was thinking…”

“…?”

“What do you think? How about we get a cup of tea sometime or grab something yummy to eat? A senior can treat his lovely junior to a meal, right? But if it’s too burdensome to you, then—huh?”

“Now, now! Listen up!” Siegfried sensed that the old man was trying to pull something, so he immediately changed the subject. “Let’s go! I will open the door in three, so please get ready!” Siegfried shouted as he urged the party members to get ready.

‘That little weasel dares to play hard to get?! I’ll teach you a lesson!’ Yong Tae-Pung thought.

However, he felt the exact same thing Betelgeuse felt before.

An iron wall…

Siegfried was putting up a wall between himself and the old man to protect his body.

‘Just wait! I will have you for myself soon! Huehuehue!’

However, Yong Tae-Pung’s obsession with Siegfried only grew stronger.

***

Creak…!

The doors to the boss monster room opened.

“Who dares to awaken this eon of hell…?”

The boss monster appeared.

[Guardian of the Eon: Taecilius]

[A demon guarding the Temple of Purgatory]

[An ancient demon swept up by the dimensional rift. He is as powerful as the God of War.]

[Type: Monster (Demon)]

[Rating: Boss]

[Attribute: N/A]

[Level: 300]

[Additional Information: A demon famous for his fighting prowess even among demons. He is a legendary figure in the demon world for defeating other demons without using any abilities and by relying on his physical prowess alone.]

“Kekeke! A bunch of weaklings dared to come here? Sure, I will grant you death today and make sure your souls will be trapped forever in this Eon of Hell!” Taecilius smirked smugly and cackled.

The boss battle quickly commenced.

“Ack!”

“Crazy bastard! Why is he dealing so much damage—Aaaack!”

“Kuheok!”

And the Mandate of Heaven Guild members started dying one by one…

‘He’s too fast!’ 

Siegfried couldn’t even support the party members because they died so quickly.

At the sight, Siegfried and Yong Tae-Pung thought of the same thing.

‘I think I’ll just be a burden if I try to step in. I should probably leave this to Yong Tae-Pung ahjussi.’

‘I guess it’s time for me to step up.’

Siegfried looked at Yong Tae-Pung and said, “Senior-nim, I think you will have to fight it alone.”

“I think so, too,” Yong Tae-Pung replied and nodded. He was once again impressed by Siegfried’s ability to read the flow of the battle.

Yong Tae-Pung finally stepped in front of Taecilius’ path.

“You look like a worthy opponent… However, you seem a bit too old,” Taecilius said.

“Ha! A monster actually dares talk about age? Haven’t you heard of the phrase—an old ginger is spicier?” Yong Tae-Pung retorted.

The fight between the two titans began.

They fought toe-to-toe, and it was difficult to tell who had the upper hand between the two of them.

‘A legend is a legend, after all,’ Siegfried thought while watching the battle in awe.

He couldn’t help but wonder how the old man, who was way over fifty years old, was able to perform such movements.

‘It would be impossible for me to display such movements if I were his age, right? That ahjussi is truly a legend for a reason…’ he thought, acknowledging that the old pro gamer was truly a one-of-a-kind figure.

After all, nobody above the age of fifty could make similar movements as Yong Tae-Pung. It seemed that the phrase—form is temporary, but class is permanent—truly suited him.

However, the stalemate was soon shattered.

Paaak!

Taecilius’ fist slammed into Yong Tae-Pung’s abdomen, and he flew almost twenty meters into the air.

“Kuheok!”

“Maybe it’s because you’re old, but your concentration is hopeless,” Taecilius said as he lifted the old pro gamer in a chokehold.

“You dare…! If I were only ten years younger…” Yong Tae-Pung growled.

“There’s no point in holding on to the past. How foolish,” Taecilius replied with a sigh.

“But it’s not over yet, you damn demon.”

“Nonsense, you are going to die soon, and no one else is powerful enough to fight me.”

“Do you really think so?” Yong Tae-Pung said with a smirk.

He threw his +15 weapon away.

Whoooosh!

Tak!

The +15 weapon—Hwaryongdo—landed in front of Siegfried’s feet.

“Hey, junior!”

“Yes…?”

“I’m sorry, but can you teach this insolent bastard a lesson for me?”

“W-What do you mean…? What am I supposed to do…?”

“My weapon is in front of you! Use that and beat this bastard up!”

Yong Tae-Pung decided to lend his +15 weapon to Siegfried.