by Park Saenal
‘Why is she sitting next to me when there are plenty of empty seats?’
It felt good to touch Yura’s soft skin. From the side, her nose was as beautiful as a sophisticated artwork. There were no spots on her white skin, making her look like a pure snow field.
Thump thump thump thump.
Youngwoo’s heart started beating faster as he became conscious of Yura.
‘Remain calm, calm.’
The nervous Youngwoo formed tight fists. He was worried about what might happen if he moved a finger by mistake and touched Yura’s body.
***
The Korean team travelled 40 minutes by taxi from Charles de Gaulle airport and arrived at their hotel.
Shang X Lila Hotel. It was a 5 star hotel located 600 meters from the Eiffel Tower. The luxurious interior was reminiscent of a palace from medieval times, and the guest rooms had a view of the Eiffel Tower and Montmarte.
“Furthermore, the restaurants in this place made it into the Michelin Guide?”
“The rate for the rooms is probably ridiculously expensive.”
“I heard that the cheapest room rate is 2 million won per night, while the expensive rooms are priced at 30~40 million won.”
“30~40 million? F-For one day…?”
“Yes.”
“…”
A total of 224 people were participating in the 2nd Satisfy National Competition. The S.A. Group provided accommodations at 5 star hotels for all of them. It was for 16 days. Indeed, this was the power of the world’s number one group.
‘It would’ve been great if Sehee could participate in this tournament.’
Youngwoo admired the luxurious room assigned to him and was reminded of his sister Sehee. He imagined how delighted Sehee would be to see this place.
‘Well, there’s no urgency. I will be with her starting from next year’s National Competition.’
Currently, Sehee was a student. She had little time to play Satisfy because of her studies, and her level was low, so she couldn’t participate in the National Competition. But it would be different starting next year. Sehee had a good understanding of the value of Satisfy and her Saintess class. Therefore, she was planning to concentrate on Satisfy after she entered university.
“By the way, what are these clothes?”
Youngwoo frowned as he unpacked his clothes. It wasn’t the training clothes and slippers that he normally wore. Instead, there were sneakers, slacks, cotton shirts, and jeans. There were even nice shoes.
‘You want me to wear something like this?’
Youngwoo dressed just for convenience. Style? He had no interest in that.
He was traumatized by being ignored by his first love Ahyoung after wearing fashionable clothes to pursue her, and he didn’t pay attention to fashion after that. In particular, he hated the cramped nature of the collared shirts.
Sehee knew these tendencies and still packed these clothes?
“Sehee, this girl…”
She pretended that she wanted to pack because he would be gone for a while, but it was just a trick? Youngwoo complained as he showered and changed clothes.
He selected one of the coordinated sets that Sehee had arranged from 1 to 19. He chose the 1st set because it had number 1 on it. Today was his first day in Paris. He would wear set 2 on the next day.
[Roll your shirt up to your elbow and tuck it in your pants! Wear this watch!]
“…Wow, the man who will be her husband later on will really be tired.”
Youngwoo checked the note that Sehee left and dressed according to the contents of the note. He stood in front of the mirror and his eyes widened.
‘Don’t I look very handsome?’
In the past, Youngwoo had heard many times that he was ugly. The protruding cheekbones, high T zone, and eyes without double eyelids gave him an overall nervous impression. His skin was rough and his shoulders were hunched over, so he gave off a bad impression.
But in the past year and a half, Youngwoo had gained weight and trained his body through exercise. His features also matured as he got older and his skin care was good compared to the past.
No, even if he didn’t compare to the past, he looked good when compared to the average Korean male. His high T zone and filled up cheeks emanated a Western charm, while his wide shoulders accentuated his masculinity. In particular, his eyes were sexy to women.
Due to Sehee’s styling, Youngwoo was able to show off his charms.
Knock knock.
Youngwoo was staring blankly in front of a mirror and became astonished at the sound of knocking.
“Come in.”
“Are you ready?”
Peak Sword came into the room and felt amazed.
“Ohu, you’re dressed properly for once.”
Peak Sword raised his thumb. Youngwoo felt better and left the room. The two people headed to the ground floor of the hotel, where the press conference would be held. The US, British, and Turkish teams, who were also staying at the same hotel, were seated already.
“Grid!”
Regas waved from where he was sitting as the representative of the British team. On the other hand, the US team leader Zibal was indifferent to Youngwoo, and Bubat, the Turkish representative, was staring at Youngwoo.
“Huh? I’m South Korea’s representative?”
He was confused when he saw ‘Shin Youngwoo’ as the Korean team leader and Yura belatedly explained.
“We decided that at the meeting.”
“Why? Heok.”
Youngwoo swallowed his breath at Yura’s appearance. Yura appeared wearing a dress, looking like the goddess of beauty had descended. Youngwoo couldn’t take his eyes off the neckline that was revealed by her tied up hair.
“You are the strongest among us, and aren’t you also the master of Overgeared? Who else would be the representative?”
‘Do I have leadership?’
As the master of Overgeared, all he did was make items and hunt. Youngwoo wasn’t convinced, but Yura’s evaluation was different. During the Elfin Stone raid, Youngwoo showed unexpected leadership that minimized the damage to his colleagues.
Yura was very appreciative of Youngwoo’s potential as the leader, so she aimed to train this potential in the National Competition.
“Yes… Eh… Um…”
Youngwoo was swayed by the unexpected praise and Peak Sword pushed him.
“What? Everybody is waiting for you, God Grid.”
“Kuk.”
In the end, Youngwoo sat in the seat of the Korean team’s representative. At that moment.
‘His expression changed?’
The hundreds of reporters and staff gathered at the meeting place were surprised at the same time. Youngwoo’s silly expression changed as soon as he sat down. His eyes gazed sharply as hundreds of eyes focused on him.
“Sorry I’m late. I am Shin Youngwoo, also known as Grid, the Korean team’s representative.”
An ordinary person would be nervous in front of the public. It was hard to maintain their spirit while being burdened by the many gazes focused on them. Especially the Youngwoo of the past.
He lacked confidence, so he had trouble communicating with someone in front of his eyes. He always looked at the ground. But he had developed since starting Satisfy. He realized his value and found his confidence. He became familiar with the public gaze as duke, hero of the kingdom, and head of Overgeared.
Grid was the leader of more than 20,000 people and hundreds of guild members. How could he shrink back in front of hundreds of journalists? It was impossible.
“Is this a live broadcast? I would like to say hello to all the people who are watching me right now.”
Relaxed eyes and stable intonation. It was incomparable to the Youngwoo from the 1st National Competition.
“God Grid, this is why I decided to follow you.”
Peak Sword knew how rare it was for a person to grow and change quickly. Peak Sword once again felt inspired to follow Youngwoo.
>
“Great.”
Today, from Youngwoo’s style to his attitude, everything was Yura’s favorite. On the other hand, the Korean people watching the press conference live on TV and on the Internet were impressed.
“Was Grid’s personality always so intense?”
“Last year, he seemed like a child, but now he clearly isn’t.”
“Doesn’t he look handsomer than before? Plastic surgery?”
“How is that plastic surgery? He used to look like that from the beginning, but it was just his style. You should go in front of a mirror and look at yourself. You look stupid.”
“I think he did a lot of exercise.”
“A diamond in the rough…”
Satisfy had a culture beyond a simple game. And the representative of Satisfy in South Korea was Grid.
Ttiring~
Ttiring~
The rankings of the search portals were renewed about Grid. Youngwoo’s parents watching the TV in their vegetable store was also impressed.
“Our son has become more dependable… Our son is the representative of South Korea for two consecutive years…”
“We gave birth to such a good son. Right?”
The National Competition hadn’t even started yet. However, Youngwoo had already become prominent. Not as Grid, but as ‘Shin Youngwoo.’
One foreign reporter didn’t like it and threw a provocative question at him from the beginning.
Chapter 410
Chapter 410
“Mr. Grid, you didn’t fight back despite the one-sided damage caused by this patch. Are you admitting that it’s reasonable for you to be nerfed?”
Last year, Grid was able to play a role in the National Competition due to his class and items. The result wasn’t due to Grid’s skills. This patch was to eliminate that unreasonable thing, so even Grid couldn’t complain if he had a conscience.
The reporter interpreted it this way according to his taste.
From Youngwoo’s position, it was an unpleasant attitude. He had great pride in himself, so if it was one year ago, he would’ve immediately become angry at the reporter. He would’ve snapped angrily.
But now Youngwoo didn’t do that. He represented Overgeared and South Korea, and this press conference was a live world stage. Therefore, Youngwoo took a deep breath and watched the reporter. The ID hanging from the reporter’s chest had their name, the name of their media company, and their country.
‘French.’
One of the candidates to win in the 1st National Competition. The French pointed out Bondre as the person to win the championship for their country. However, Bondre was defeated in four seconds after meeting Youngwoo in PvP. This shocking disgrace moved France further away from the championship.
The antagonism that originated at that time, as well as vigilance and anxiety that the same thing might occur this time, dominated the French reporter. The enlightened Youngwoo felt more sympathetic towards the reporters.
‘His self-esteem is low.’
Just like Youngwoo in the old days. As a strong winner, Youngwoo was able to respond to the reporter in a calm tone.
“Everyone seems to have misunderstood. I’m not a victim of this patch.”
“Huh?”
The French journalist was embarrassed and the audience was agitated.
A confused Chinese reporter asked.
“Mr. Grid, isn’t your greatest strength your unbeatable attack power? Due to this patch, you lost that strength and will inevitably be in a disadvantageous position in PvP. Compared to the other rankers, isn’t your control relatively lacking?”
“Why is my strength seen as attack power?”
“You’re the one who logged out Hurent of the United States in just 5 seconds and Bondre of France in just 4 seconds. Attack power is naturally your greatest strength.”
“Hrmm.”
A smile appeared on Youngwoo’s face. The people watching the broadcast and the reporters couldn’t understand the meaning of this smile. But Yura, Peak Sword, and Regas knew the meaning of Youngwoo’s smile.
‘It’s ridicule.’
‘How absurd.’
‘The worst personality.’
Youngwoo enjoyed the questions spreading through the reporters and opened his mouth.
“You are pure.”
“Yes?”
Suddenly calling them pure? That smile seemed to be laughing at them. Youngwoo asked a Chinese reporter who had an unpleasant expression on his face.
“What is the source of my strong attack power?”
“It’s obviously your strong items.”
“In other words, the power of items. That is the right answer.”
“…?”
Youngwoo explained to the bewildered reporter.
“My strength isn’t attack power, but items. And items aren’t just limited to weapons.”
“…!”
The eyes of the Chinese reporter widened. He understood the meaning of Youngwoo’s words. Youngwoo turned his gaze away from the reporters and declared towards the camera.
“If I can’t reproduce the strongest attack power because of the patch, then I will show the strongest defense. I will thoroughly use this patch to look much better than last year.”
The nerf sniping at him? He would easily pass through it.
“Pfft!”
The reporters laughed. Youngwoo’s words were too ridiculous.
“The blacksmith class is known to have low defense and because of the inherent limit of production classes, I don’t think a legendary blacksmith will be much different.”
“I’ve never seen you use defensive skills.”
“It’s common sense that you can’t play as a tanker by just relying on armor, without any defense skills?”
“You might’ve overcome the limitations of your class with items during the 1st National Competition, where there were only second advancement users, but this year will be different. Other participants have grown stronger by leaps and bounds.”
“Mr. Grid, you are too obsessed with items.”
The reporters weren’t wrong. The reporters were experts in Satisfy and had a basis for their words. However, the problem was that Youngwoo was a special case.
“You will soon see. Ah, I will tell you this ahead of time.”
Youngwoo scanned Zibal and Bubat with ridicule.
“I don’t think anyone who participates in this competition isn’t equipped with items. The high rankers received a lot of money from sponsors, so it is irresponsible if they don’t have good items. Don’t use bad items as an excuse later on if you have a conscience.”
The tone was provocative.
Bubat responded to the taunt.
“Aren’t you the one who relies on items? Don’t speak nonsense! I bet that this year, you will earn 0 gold medals!”
Zibal was the same.
“A person who only relies on items is saying this… I guess there isn’t a lot of talent in South Korea. There is a rumor that Yura, who disappeared from the rankings after obtaining a hidden class, isn’t as good as before. Well, I think it is good enough for South Korea to maintain a low profile in this competition.”
After that, the reporters didn’t ask Youngwoo anymore questions. It was an attitude like they were no longer interested in South Korea. Thus, a Korean reporter asked Youngwoo a new question.
“Grid, do you plan to participate in the blacksmith production competition? As a legendary blacksmith, you will surely get a gold medal if you participate.”
The reporter wanted to show to the world that Korea could also get a gold medal. The international reporters read his intentions and stiffened.
“A gold medal doesn’t have the same value.”
“Winning a gold medal in a non-popular event isn’t a big story.”
“So what… Whether it is a gold medal in a popular or non-popular event, it still shows in the score. It looks like South Korea won’t leave completely empty.”
“No
, that’s wrong as well. Have you seen the performance of the items made by the top ranking blacksmiths lately? There’s no guarantee that Grid can get a gold medal, even if he’s a legendary blacksmith.”
“…”
The Korean reporter’s face reddened with shame as the reaction was different than what he thought. It was a fact that anyone knew, but most of the Korean people watching the press conference were angry at the insult.
Knowing this, Youngwoo abandoned his patience and revealed a bit of his true nature. He would give a thrill to the Korean citizens, as well as enhance the image of himself and Overgeared.
“If I participate in the blacksmith competition, isn’t this too unfair?”
“…?”
It was natural for blacksmiths to participate in the blacksmith competition. But it was too unfair? Grid was extremely arrogant. Just because he was a legend, he assumed that all blacksmiths were below him. It was a higher assessment of himself than necessary.
In front of the frowning reporters, Youngwoo raised five fingers.
“This is the minimum number of gold medals South Korea will be able to win in this National Competition without me participating in the blacksmith tournament. Expect it.”
“What…?”
Everyone was silent from the crazy nonsense.
***
[Grid, he declared that he will win at least 5 gold medals.]
[Grid won’t participate in the blacksmith competition. Can South Korea win a gold medal?]
[The importance of representatives… South Korea will suffer a great disgrace due to Grid’s arrogance.]
The media headlines of each country were dominated by Grid. On the other hand, there were only a few small articles about the 2nd ranked Zibal.
“Grid, this guy…”
Originally, he was supposed to be the main character of the press conference, but that changed due to Grid. His ego was badly hurt as he threw the newspapers to the side with a red face. Then he asked the young man with silver hair who was enjoying his tea.
“What do you think are the five events Grid is talking about?”
“Boss raid, target match and siege.”