Debuff Master

Chapter 45

“Me? Money,” Cheon Woo-Jin replied, and then he added, “I have a lot of money. I have a lot of cash, to be exact. Her father’s money is going to dry up if I get upset, and she left without uttering a word because she knows that very well.”

“…”

“How dare she judge my guest when she isn’t all that great herself? Damn it,” Cheon Woo-Jin grumbled.

Tae-Sung was curious about just how much money Cheon Woo-Jin had for him to be able to treat the daughter of a chairman that way.

“Anyway, it’s nice to meet you, Han Tae-Sung,” Cheon Woo-Jin said as he extended his hand toward Tae-Sung.

“…”

Tae-Sung shook his hand, but he could not afford to respond to Cheon Woo-Jin’s greeting.

Instead, he asked Cheon Woo-Jin, “What is the reason you called me, and how did you know me?”

“Here,” Cheon Woo-Jin said as he poured a drink for Tae-Sung before adding, “Let’s take our time and talk while we enjoy our drinks.”

That was how the conversation between Tae-Sung and Cheon Woo-Jin started.

***

“The reason I called you is to ask you to join our organization,” Cheon Woo-Jin said.

“I refuse,” Tae-Sung directly rejected the offer and said, “I hate anything remotely similar to a guild.”

“But it’s not a guild. I can’t expose the name of my organization just yet, but it’s nothing like a guild,” Cheon Woo-Jin said.

“What is it then?”

“Hmm… something like the Avengers?”

“What the hell are you talking about…” Tae-Sung muttered. He almost spat his champagne out.

“I’m giving you the closest example to it. We are fighting against the evil forces that seek to destroy the peace and order of the Nürburg Continent, which is also the stage where BNW is playing out,” Cheon Woo-Jin explained.

“That’s cringey… aren’t you being too immersed in a game?” Tae-Sung asked with a grimace.

“Yeah, I’m currently a hundred percent immersed in the game,” Cheon Woo-Jin coolly admitted, and then he said, “Real life is too boring for me. I have a lot of money and time, and I can get and do anything I want on top of that. In fact, I have already done everything and anything I wanted to do, but it’s different in BNW. I’m just a rich guy dying of boredom in real life, but I have to roam around the entire continent in BNW busily. And that’s why I’m so immersed in it.”

In short, he was saying that he was trying to relieve his boredom from real life by immersing himself in BNW.

“So… how did you find out who I was?” Tae-Sung asked.

“I have been observing you ever since you picked a fight with the Genesis Guild. It just turned out that way that I continued observing you in the game—and in real life,” Cheon Woo-Jin replied.

“Even in real life…?”

“Yeah.”

“Aren’t you just a stalker, you bastard…?”

“C’mon, don’t be so harsh on me. It’s nothing like that. I just happened to see you since you kept popping up wherever I look.”

“What the hell are you trying to say?”

“I can’t tell you everything right now. I have a lot of things I want to tell you but now is not the time to tell you about them. I will tell you later so just continue to focus on the game. You don’t really have a choice but to focus on the game, right?”

“What if I have to find out?” Tae-Sung asked while thinking, ‘I’m not going to dance on the palm of your hands.’

Cheon Woo-Jin was holding Tae-Sung’s weakness—a weakness that could send his life spiraling down once again.

“Don’t worry,” Cheon Woo-Jin said.

Fortunately, it did not seem like Cheon Woo-Jin had any plans to threaten or shake Tae-Sung up.

“I have no plans to toy with you so just relax.”

“How can I trust you?”

“Do you really think you will just obediently sit still if I tell the Genesis Guild about you? You look like you are about to smash that alcohol bottle into my head at any moment now.”

“Nah, I’m not thinking of anything like that,” Tae-Sung feigned ignorance.

“No, you can do worse than that,” Cheon Woo-Jin said. He seemed to have an accurate grasp of Tae-Sung’s personality.

“That is because the game is your life. There is no way you are just going to sit still if someone is about to ruin your life, and I have no plans to do that and get stabbed on the way home,” Cheon Woo-Jin added, and then he clarified, “Ah, I’m not calling you a game addict or anything like that so don’t misunderstand. After all, BNW is a game worth risking your life for, don’t you agree?”

“It’s the only thing I have left…” Tae-Sung muttered.

He didn’t bother bluffing by saying something like ‘I have other things than this game’ since he thought that someone like Cheon Woo-Jin would have already checked his background by now.

“Don’t worry; I’m not so fond of them, too. Frankly, I’m just letting them do what they want since they haven’t caused any trouble yet, so… just believe me, will you? Ah,?also…”

“Also what?”

“Why are you so obsessed with the head? You seem to only aim for the head when attacking.”

“Ah, that one? It’s perfect to kill the enemy in one hit, and it also feels different when you hit the head,” Tae-Sung replied nonchalantly.

“Are you a psychopath or what…?” Cheon Woo-Jin muttered while shaking his head, and then he said, “Anyway, I will tell you the ‘behind the scenes story’ about you once you become strong enough. Come and find me once you hit Level 200.”

“But I’m curious—” Tae-Sung was about to ask.

However, Cheon Woo-Jin cut him off. “I told you I can’t tell you anything right now, and I will keep your secret so don’t worry about that.”

“I’ll just have to trust you, then...” Tae-Sung muttered with a shrug.

“In return…” Cheon Woo-Jin started.

“In return?”

“Why don’t you help our organization out from time to time whenever you’re free? It’s nothing difficult, and we will handsomely reward you for your time. We have a mountain of tasks to do, but we don’t have enough helping hands.”

“That’s not difficult, but why me? There are a lot of other Rankers out there.”

“Why do you even have to ask? You are Deus-nim’s disciple. What other reason do you need aside from that? You will soon crush most of the Rankers in a bit, so being strong or weak is not important right now.”

Cheon Woo-Jin was referring to Tae-Sung’s potential.

“So, what do you think of my offer? Well, I won’t call it an offer, though…”

“It’s not bad at all.”

“Then, let’s toast to that,” Cheon Woo-Jin said as he extended his glass.

Tae-Sung extended his glass and clinked Cheon Woo-Jin’s while thinking, ‘I have no idea what the hell this guy is, but let’s wait and see…’

***

Ten minutes later…

“I’ll get going now,” Tae-Sung said.

Tae-Sung chatted with Cheon Woo-Jin before finding out that they were of the same age.

“Why? Why don’t you hang out for a bit longer? Isn’t this place awesome?” Cheon Woo-Jin asked.

“I’m not interested. If I have time to waste here, I’d rather hunt in a dungeon,” Tae-Sung said with a shrug.

“I like your passion.” Cheon Woo-Jin grinned.

“I’m just doing my best. I’m not a pro gamer, but the game is my job. Isn’t it just natural for someone to work hard on their job?” Tae-Sung asked.

“I agree,” Cheon Woo-Jin said.

“See you later. Ah, and can we meet at a café if we really have to meet in real life? Or let’s just meet in the game,” Tae-Sung said.

“Let’s do that if you find this place uncomfortable,” Cheon Woo-Jin coolly replied.

“I’m off,” Tae-Sung said. He waved before leaving the VVIP room.

The club was bustling with people since it was currently peak hours.

There were all sorts of people in the club from celebrities, athletes, pro gamers, famous streamers, criminals who made their money from operating illegal gambling sites, drug dealers, models, and people working in the ‘entertainment’ industry. They partied like there was no tomorrow as they drank and danced the night away.

The clubbers might come from all sorts of different backgrounds, but there was one thing in common among them—they were high-income earners.

‘They look like they’re enjoying themselves,’?Tae-Sung thought while looking at them.

He had no desire to mingle with them, but he wanted to become successful like them.

‘Let’s work hard. Let’s become successful… It’s all for the sake of not being looked down on if ever I come back here…’ Tae-Sung thought as he steeled his resolve before leaving the club.

***

When Tae-Sung left the club, a beautiful woman passed by him.

‘I wonder if I’ll get to meet Tae-Sung…’?she thought.

The bouncers did not dare to block her or ask her for her ID.

Why?

It was because she was a beauty who could enter Club Heaven without paying or even showing her ID.

***

The next morning, Tae-Sung hopped into his VR capsule.

He would sleep at two in the morning, get up at nine in the morning, and log in to BNW at ten in the morning. He stuck to this daily routine as if he was in the military.

“Where should I go…” he muttered while standing on top of the gateway.

“I’ll have to go to a huge city if I want to dispose of all of these…” Tae-Sung muttered while staring at his Inventory.

He had a mountain of items to sell like the Gorgo’s hide and blood, Albino Goblins’ hide, and the various loot and items he had gained from the Lightning Python.

“I have to upgrade my gears as well…”

He had to upgrade his gears as soon as possible since the gears he had been using were basically scrap metals now.

He pondered for a while before he finally decided on his next destination.

“Let’s go there,” Siegfried muttered before activating the gateway.

Flash!

***

[City of Pleasure, Dondegiri: North Gate]

~

Siegfried decided to go to the place where adult content could be found in BNW—the City of Pleasure, Dondegiri.

After paying, players would gain access to adult content. However, they could only access it once a week.

“Oh, an Adventurer,” the guard in front of the gate muttered. He blocked Siegfried’s path and said, “Show me your ID.”

“Here,” Siegfried replied and extended his Mercenary License.

“Hmm… Siegfried… Silver III…” the guard muttered while inspecting the license for a while before saying, “Alright, you may enter.”

“Thank you,” Siegfried replied.

He was able to easily enter the City of Pleasure thanks to his Mercenary License.

‘I’ll sell all my loot on the black market, then upgrade my gears before moving on to the next area,’?Siegfried thought.

The reason he came to the City of Pleasure, Dondegiri, of all places, was that he was aware that a large black market existed at this place. There were all sorts of items on the black market, and it was the place where illegal things were traded. In addition, there were some good items sold at a cheaper price here more often than not. It would also be possible for Siegfried to sell the rare items he had obtained as loot for a higher price, and he would also be able to upgrade his gears here.

‘The black market is quite far… I’ll have to go straight along this road and…’?Siegfried thought while checking the map.

While he was measuring the distance until he reached the black market, he was interrupted by someone’s shout, “Catch that bastard!”

‘What’s going on?’?Siegfried thought as he turned around.

“Got you!”

“Hi? Where are you going?”

“It has been quite a while.”

“Wow! I thought you quit the game. I never expected to see you here, of all places.”

A group of Adventurers surrounded Siegfried.

There was a V-Shaped emblem engraved on their clothes, and Siegfried immediately recognized them from the emblem.

‘The Genesis Guild…’?

The name of the Guild, which was his mortal nemesis, popped up in his head.