Chapter 9 : Chapter 9

Chapter 9 - The 11th Floor (1)

Baek Sang-cheol. He was not a player, but his presence felt even stronger than mine.

‘Has he been through thick and thin.’

Since the Association managed most things related to players, they also needed to have players they could command.

Baek Sang-cheol was the one who made that possible from a non-player position. He was a man with many admirable qualities.

‘It seems the Association is really in a hurry, just like the rumors said.’

No, that aside.

“The contract……?”

As I hesitated, Sang-cheol tilted his head.

I was currently in a desperate crisis.

All because of that red-eyed swordsman who was of no help whatsoever.

“Th-the contract, you see. So……”

“Ah, by any chance, has another guild already contacted you? So you are comparing offers!”

Sang-cheol shouted as if he had figured something out. He had been barking up the wrong tree since a while ago.

“It is only natural in a capitalist society. Of course, you should go to the place that gives you a lot of money and good treatment. Isn't that right? You don't need to feel uncomfortable about that. Even I received offers from several guilds, but I’m here because the Association’s conditions were the best!”

There was a saying that if you kept your wits about you, you could survive even in a tiger’s den.

At those words, I instantly came to my senses and found a clue to overcome this situation.

“Th-that’s right! I was having a lot of trouble deciding, but you came at the perfect time.”

“That’s a real relief. We were worried that we might have been too forward.”

I nodded my head eagerly and, just in case, took out another insurance policy.

“But, I’m sorry, the contract isn’t in this house right now.”

“Do not worry. We are not interested in other guilds’ contracts. By the way, if you don’t mind, could we move to a different spot……”

“Please come in.”

“Then, excuse us.”

The spot was not suitable for talking about a contract. We could not just keep standing in front of the door and talking.

I let them into the house for now. It was a house with nothing to clean up anyway. It was just humble.

“I can feel a strong magic power from inside the house.”

Sang-cheol had a flushed expression.

“How on earth did you gain such power as soon as you awakened……. This must be why you were able to set the shortest record of 2 minutes and 18 seconds.”

“It hasn't even been 2 hours since I set the record, but you already know.”

“Because the message appeared. I knew it was you, Mr. Si-hoo, as soon as I saw it! Do you know that all the player-related communities are in an uproar right now?”

“Communities?”

“Yes.”

He took out his phone and turned on the internet. At the same time, he muttered to himself.

“You must have met the scouters, so you must know. You are a very hot topic in South Korea, Mr. Si-hoo.”

Training-Avalon-Sleep. Since I had been living only in this pattern, it was a fact I was completely unaware of.

“It’s an unprecedented move.”

SWOOSH.

He thrust his phone screen at me.

The post with the most recommendations in the player community came into view.

How on earth did he do 2 minutes and 18 seconds? I looked at the homepage and it said he’s a player who only awakened a week ago.

⤷ holy shit; a player who awakened a week ago broke the shortest record set by an S-Class???

⤷ Wow, how many talented people are coming out of this small land? We don’t have to worry about a berserk state. Flutter~.

⤷ The scouters must be shitting their pants lol. If it were me, I’d even give him a stake in the guild to recruit him. At this point, isn’t he practically an S-Class?

⤷ I know who that person is. He’s actually a regressor and is getting stronger through a route only he knows.

And so on.

Along with numerous comments praising me.

Isn’t it an error? Does this even make sense?

⤷ Seems like it’s fabricated.

⤷⤷ no it’s not fabricated. He appears in the lobby at the same time every day. If you time it right you might be able to see him?

Of course, there were also comments that did not believe it.

“This is the extent of it. ……But, you’re not really a regressor, are you?”

“Do you think I am?”

“Hahaha! I was just joking.”

Sang-cheol awkwardly put away his phone.

When I did Chun-sik’s homework, all thoughts of the internet disappeared, so I had not even thought of looking at this stuff.

It seemed my fame was greater than I thought.

However, there was one thing that bothered me.

‘I knew there would be comments like the last one. It’s a good thing we went separately.’

The habit of meticulously checking my illustrations when drawing them came in handy here.

Summoning Chun-sik, that is.

I did not move with the guy. The summon was always done on the 1st floor, and we came out separately. Just a while ago, it was the same. Thanks to that, there was no mention of Chun-sik.

“Anyway, this is undeniably the shortest record. The talk of you being a regressor didn't come out just for laughs. That's how unbelievable it is. Even I, who am looking at you right now, can’t believe it.”

I nodded my head with an awkward expression. I was not sure how to play along.

“Aren’t the scouters begging you? They’d risk their lives to bring you in.”

I barely managed to swallow the words, ‘It seems like you’re doing the same.’

My mouth was itching. It was even more so now that I could roughly see the situation.

In a word, I was the super-alpha, and Sang-cheol was the super-beta.

“By any chance, which guild’s scouter have you met? What about the conditions? You’ve met the Tae-yang scouter too, right?”

……What should I say? I quickly racked my brain. Do your best, 4090.

“That……. is difficult to say.”

“Ah, right. Then, would you like to take a look at the new contract we brought for now?”

“Yes, well. Let’s do that.”

It was a relief that I had gotten through it well. I did get through it well, right?

I had recalled the conditions of the previous contract to some extent, so I thought I could compare them.

“If you sign, about 5 billion won will be deposited after withholding tax.”

“Crazy…….”

I muttered without realizing it and quickly covered my mouth.

5 billion won for just one signature? Was this a dream or reality.

“As you will know if you read it through……”

Provision of a top-class penthouse, free use of the Association's equipment store, unlimited use of the physical training center, and so on.

Sang-cheol, who had even underlined the last paragraph, gloated.

“If you convert it all to money, it would be about 20 to 30 billion won. ……This is the best we can do.”

“Oh my god.”

“Depending on your performance, the compensation will of course increase. I can guarantee it. Although we may give less money than the guilds, we will treat you with the best welfare.”

Sang-cheol held both my hands tightly and proposed as if begging. Th-the hands, please let go.

“This much means you expect that much from me in return, doesn't it? Since it’s a capitalist society.”

“There is only one thing we want from you, Mr. Si-hoo!”

The moment I was nervous about what words would come out of his mouth.

“Just be a player under our affiliation. Not a guild.”

“Pardon?”

“You can climb Avalon as you please, and you only need to visit the Association when necessary. We will absolutely, absolutely not! interfere. You just need to be a player affiliated with the Association. While living your life as usual.”

“……Really?”

“Yes! I mean it. Since you are a player, you will have to help when things like a berserk state occur, but that’s the same even if you join a guild, so it doesn’t matter.”

I remembered the comment I had seen earlier. It had been written that S-Class was practically a given.

Sang-cheol was not dealing with the current me, but with the me who would become strong in the future.

Later, as my standing grew, there would be more benefits. Even as time passed, the fact that I was the alpha would not change.

“For now, I’m positive.”

“R-really!?”

“I don’t see any particular reason to refuse either.”

It was all thanks to Chun-sik. He was so dead set on breaking the record.

‘I should buy him a lot more chicken skewers.’

I read the contract one more time. There was no harm in reading something like this carefully.

“I’d like to add one more clause here.”

“Just say the word!”

However, I could not bring myself to speak easily.

It was a kind of insurance and a kind of power play. I thought they would not do it because they were the Association, but.

‘There’s no harm in doing it.’

It was not a contract worth a penny or two.

However, as I brought it up first and then hesitated, Sang-cheol cautiously urged me on.

“What is the clause you would like to add……?”

“It is a clause related to contract termination.”

Sang-cheol had just revealed his weakness to me, and I was sorry, but I intended to grab that weakness and shake it.

‘Even if the Association doesn’t work out, I can just go to the scouters.’

To put it bluntly, private companies would give me more money. From my perspective, it did not matter even if the current contract fell through.

Sang-cheol, who heard my words, contemplated for a long time before opening his mouth.

***

The next day.

“So, did you sign the contract?”

“Yeah, I did. And I even did it with better conditions than the original ones.”

At Chun-sik’s words, I said confidently.

Sang-cheol, who had felt uneasy, had arbitrarily improved the contract conditions, allowing me to receive a little more of a premium.

“Congratulations, my lord. They have excellent foresight. To recognize your strength in advance and conclude such a huge contract. They are not the Association that encompasses all players for nothing.”

It would not be so bad to think like that.

“When did they say they would give the signing bonus?”

“Since the amount is what it is, it’s difficult to do it right away, but they said they would send it within this week.”

“I see.”

“And we’re moving next week. To a very nice place. They said there’s a training ground and stuff in the basement.”

“I hope the training ground is sturdy.”

“They said it’s a place even S-Classes use, so it must be sturdy.”

Chun-sik swung his sword while having a trivial conversation with me.

Chun-sik, who had defeated the 10th-floor Death Knight, urgently turned his gaze to me.

“How long did it take!?”

“It took 1 minute…… and 58 seconds.”

CLANG!

The guy struck a nearby rock hard.

“I am very pleased. It would have been impossible without my lord's feedback.”

Which meant.

[Park OO has achieved the shortest record (1st~10th floor)!]

[Final Time 1 minute 58 seconds.]

That he had broken the record again, following yesterday.

‘It’s going to be noisy again.’

After hearing Sang-cheol’s words yesterday, the Avalon lobby looked different.

Those standing around silently were scouters, and they were all looking for me. Thanks to wearing a mask and a hat pulled down low, I was able to enter Avalon avoiding their gazes.

“We’re going up to the 11th floor today.”

“I am always ready.”

Chun-sik, who expressed his joy, retrieved his sword.

Soon after, we entered the 11th floor.

For now, you could still easily find the gimmick-solving method by searching the internet.

“It is a Golem.”

“I know.”

“We must find its core.”

These were hard rock lumps that would hurt my hand more if I struck them with an ordinary sword attack.

In order to cut them, one had to know how to use magic power properly. If you could not properly imbue magic power into your weapon, you would not even be able to scratch them, let alone defeat them.

“Now, my lord. Try to catch just one.”

“Huh?”

“I will test whether you have trained properly until now.”

That guy was trying to reverse the relationship between lord and summon again.

“I believe that you, as my lord, will surely succeed. Hurry! Show me the results of your training.”

“I can’t kill it anyway if I can’t break the core, right?”

“I will just see if you are capable of hunting.”

After finishing his words, the guy stepped back. It seemed he really had no intention of stepping in.

CRASH-!

A fist the size of me shot out from the ground.

“It’s bigger than what I saw on the internet.”

A Golem several times larger than me. A Golem with a brilliant blue light in its eyes looked down at me.

“But do not worry too much. If I judge that it is dangerous, I will step in.”

I felt a little relieved at those words and nodded my head.

Right, let’s think of it as a practical exercise! Even if I had received lectures from the Association, I would have definitely done this kind of practical exercise.

‘Phew……. I’m nervous.’

My first battle in my life.

But I had been taught so many things by Chun-sik until now. It was time to test them.

THOOOM!!

The Golem struck the ground hard with both fists. The impact was so strong that I staggered and almost fell.

I looked up at the guy with a flushed expression.

……You’re telling me to fight that thing?