Chapter 260

Like a wildfire tearing through the dry California hills, the controversy spread fast, eventually reaching Do-Jin’s ears.

“So... you are saying people are losing their shit because of the tournament, Team Leader?”

—Yes... Honestly, I don’t even know what to say, except that I am really sorry, Do-Jin. You only agreed because we asked you to, and now you got dragged into this pointless mess. I truly feel awful about it.

The apology came wrapped in a tone far more formal than usual, and it caught Do-Jin off guard. Kim Young-Hee normally gave off the vibe of an older sister who teased him more than anything, so hearing her speak this seriously made him feel weirdly tense too.

“Is it that bad?”

He had been busy grinding in-game when Theresa messaged him, so he had stepped out and still didn’t fully understand how ugly things had gotten.

Without a word, Chun Ji-Hyun handed him a tablet from the side. Multiple browser windows were open, each one filled with people arguing, swearing, and throwing opinions around like grenades. In the middle of all that, Kim Young-Hee chimed in.

—It’s definitely not a good situation. We will handle it, though. At the very least, we will make sure you don’t take any more damage personally... no, that sounds wrong. You are already getting hit by this. I will do everything I can to keep it from getting worse. I am really sorry.

“You didn’t do anything wrong, so you don’t need to keep apologizing like that,” Do-Jin replied.

—No, this is on us. We were the ones who asked you to join the event, and we were the ones who decided how the tournament would work.

“That may be true, but I still chose to accept after hearing the plan. I agreed to it too, so I am partly responsible.”

As he spoke, Do-Jin scanned the comments on the tablet and let out a quiet sigh. The world had become full of people ready to complain about any little thing.

Maybe it’s just that too many people get pissed off about everything these days... Still, some of what they are saying is not complete bullshit.

The critics were not entirely wrong. If they were just trash talking for no reason, he would have ignored them, but depending on how someone looked at the situation, their arguments actually made sense.

└ Even if the tournament doesn’t have prize money, putting Do-Jin front and center means it’s going to draw more attention than the finals. That basically turns the real champion into nothing more than a prop to hype Do-Jin up, doesn’t it?

Staring at that comment, Do-Jin couldn’t come up with anything solid to fire back with. Before he could even speak, Kim Young-Hee spoke up again.

—No, Do-Jin. You trusted us and agreed to go along with this. The responsibility is entirely ours.

Do-Jin let out a bitter laugh. “If we keep going like this, we will be apologizing to each other all day. Let’s just call it fifty-fifty and move on to figuring out how to fix this.”

—Not fifty-fifty... Haah... Alright, I understand.

Kim Young-Hee decided there was no point getting stuck in a stubborn back-and-forth, so she moved straight to the main issue.

—A statement will be posted soon. It will be an apology along with our official stance. We will bow our heads without making excuses. We will apologize for the clumsy planning and for dragging you into trouble after you agreed to participate as a friendly guest. We plan to say that you were busy with personal schedules and were not fully aware of the detailed event structure. That feels like the safest way to wrap this up.

“Hmm... do you think that will actually be enough?”

—Well, once a controversy catches fire, it’s hard to put it out completely. But still, your image has been extremely positive so far, and you have never looked like someone who enjoys this kind of spotlight, so...

“Team Leader, hold on a second.” Do-Jin cut her off mid-sentence.

He knew interrupting someone like that was very rude, but a thought had just sparked in his head and he felt like it would slip away if he didn’t grab it right now.

“The people aren’t pissed because of the tournament itself, but because it’s set up against the winners of each tier, right?”

—Huh? Ah... yes. That is right.

“They are saying the spotlight that should land on the finals and the champions is obviously going to shift to me instead, even though I am not an official participant. They think the whole thing was designed to hype me up, and that the actual contestants are just props for the last tournament. That is basically the shit people are saying, is it not?”

Kim Young-Hee nodded as Do-Jin summed up the mess on the tablet screen with brutal clarity.

—Exactly. And honestly, it’s hard to argue against some of those points.

“Then maybe an apology alone is not enough. What if we give them a reason that makes the format unavoidable, a reason why the tournament had to be structured that way?”

Kim Young-Hee blinked, trying to piece together what he meant.

—Are you suggesting we announce that your personal schedule had only allowed that specific time slot or something like that?

“No. That kind of half-assed excuse would just piss people off more. These people are basically waiting to ignore anything that sounds like bullshit the moment they hear it.”

Do-Jin didn’t plan on avoiding the controversy with some flimsy justification.

“What I am saying is, instead of making excuses, we give them a reason they can’t help but accept. Even the people who have already shut their ears and decided they will not listen would be forced to accept it, and... oh, that actually makes sense.”

—I am sorry... I am having a hard time understanding what you mean by creating a reason.

A mischievous grin spread across Do-Jin’s face. It was completely different from the bitter smile he had worn just moments ago.

“Let’s tweak the announcement a bit. Instead of appearing as a guest, I will be officially joining the tournament. I’ll also post my own statement on my channel. I will apologize and say I didn’t think things through enough, and that I am canceling a personal commitment I had lined up so I can participate properly.”

—What? Ah... well, of course it would be great if you officially joined... No, honestly, that might be the best solution. People will still complain, but there’s nothing we can do about that part.

Truthfully, they hadn’t even dared to ask him to enter officially after things got this messy. Hearing him bring it up first left Kim Young-Hee both stunned and deeply relieved.

—But... how does officially entering the tournament create a reason people can accept?

“I will show you that part myself. Before that, though, I think we need to adjust some of the tournament rules.”

Once Do-Jin decided to participate, he immediately started discussing specific changes. The organizers would prepare standardized tournament gear for each tier. On top of the automatic penalties for level gaps, participants who wanted to could voluntarily choose even lower-level or lower-grade equipment.

—Why would you want rules like that... Wait, don’t tell me, Do-Jin...

“Yeah. No matter who I face, I am going in wearing only C-grade gear. Let’s set it up that way.”

***

The announcement dropped. Do-Jin was officially entering the tournament. His fans, who had been fighting tooth and nail against waves of outside hate, erupted in pure celebratory screaming.

└ OHH MYY GODDD! To everyone who talked shit about him, thank you, thank you, thank you!

└ Holy shit... Were those haters actually secret dark knights all along?

└ That is fucking badass. The clean apology, the fact he didn’t add any excuses, and just stepped up to prove it himself. That is next-level rizz.

Of course, the people who had already been throwing insults kept looking at everything through a twisted lens.

Comments like “So now you decide to join?” and “If you were going to do this anyway...” flooded in nonstop, but Do-Jin ignored them. He didn’t even bother checking what people were saying. All he did was wait for the tournament to start.

***

「Hello, everyone! Welcome to the Rael Group LOST PvP Tournament, the very first Colosseum L! I am Ji Yeon-Woo, your commentator for today!」

「And I am Han Mi-Yeon, your caster!」

「This event has been on fire with hype even before it started, has it not?」

「Absolutely. Ever since the news broke that one of LOST’s biggest celebrities would be participating, the excitement and attention have been insane.」

The cheerful voices of a young male commentator and a young female caster filled the broadcast as the opening ceremony kicked off.

「And what an incredible twist of fate, right? The bracket could not have been more dramatic if someone scripted it. The two figures at the center of the biggest controversy since the announcement are facing each other in the opening match!」

It really did feel like fate had pulled some strings. Out of all the randomly drawn matchups, Do-Jin ended up standing at the center of the opening game, and his opponent was none other than Hex, the former Blood Soul pro turned streamer.

This was the very same Hex who had been going around boasting that his chances of beating Do-Jin were over fifty percent. With drama like that tying them together, the viewers’ reactions were boiling hotter than a volcano.

└ HEEEEX! You better fucking win! Show them what PvP pride looks like!

└ Break the noses of those idiots who think beating monsters means they actually have skill!

└ Hex! Hex! Hex! Hex! Hex! Hex! Hex!

└ Please, just fucking destroy him from the opening match! Goddamn it, please!

The participants’ stats flashed onto the screen.

Hex

Tier: 1

Level: 180+

Equipped Gear: Lv. 180 A+ (One S-grade item equipped)

「He’s a well-known player who used to compete professionally in the brutally difficult game Blood Soul. It’s Hex!」

「Hex was actually one of the first players I ever interviewed as a caster. I really hope he shows us an amazing match today.」

Then, his opponent’s information flashed onto the screen.

Do-Jin

Tier: 1

Level: 190+

Equipped Gear: Lv. 170 C

「And next we have Do-Jin! A player who needs no introduction to anyone who plays LOST. Wa... wait a second. Am I seeing this wrong? His equipment looks a little... strange. Did the level adjustment not already balance things out when Hex equipped an S-grade item?」

「Is this correct? Level 170 C-grade gear? That is not just a level penalty. That looks like an insane handicap!」

「Oh my! It looks like Do-Jin himself requested a downgrade in gear. The level and gear choice were both made voluntarily by Do-Jin!」

The moment his specifications appeared, the commentators, the caster, and the viewers all exploded.

└ At this point, it’s not even confidence anymore. He’s straight up arrogant as shit.

└ This is insane. What the fuck is this decision?

└ Even a single step difference in gear level or rank blows the performance gap wide open, and he volunteered for that shit???

└ This makes no fucking sense. It’s not like the level gap is only twenty or thirty. With that kind of difference, does a mage’s damage even go through, or would it just tickle them?

└ And he is a mage on top of that. Unless casting speed is cranked to the ceiling, what the fuck can a mage even do in PvP???

Do-Jin planned to show everyone exactly what would happen if he entered a PvP tournament right now, proving through his own performance why his event match was better left for the very end of the schedule.

There would be no debate left after that, no more whining about balance, no more nervous speculation about whether this tournament was fair. Do-Jin intended to massacre all of the participants.