Chapter 167

The Paladin, Merhen, sat high up above at a height from which he could overlook the entire Kingdom of Valaran. He sat perched on the airship's deck railing as they soared high above the sky.

"So this is how it ends."

His murmurs were so low that they almost felt disheartening. It had all ended. Any trace of the Ironblood's presence in Valaran had now disappeared, and the founding king, who had been causing turmoil, had peacefully returned to his tower. And at the forefront of it all was Seojin, just as it had been from the beginning.

"He's not even a combat class."

Despite being up so high and away from the battle, thanks to broadcasts and party chat, Merhen was aware of everything that was happening. Heinrich Valaran had reached a peaceful agreement with Osh, the special division commander of the empire. They seemed to be resolving any misunderstandings, agreeing to move past any wrongdoings.

"I thought we'd have to fight those guys."

"Same here."

Merhen's voice was followed by a similarly dazed reply.

Dozens of others were on the airship—men and women of all ages, each one a top-tier player from the Kingdom of Valaran. Though they felt drained of energy at the outcome, they all nodded with understanding faces.

"Well, that's our guild master for you. He is the Blue Dragon, after all."

"I agree."

"I would've rushed over if he had contacted me sooner."

"It's been five years. Do you really think he'd still have anyone's contact info?"

"He had Merhen's."

"That guy was always special. Remember how we all envied him?"

"Still do."

"I was the one who got him into the game, remember? Bought a controller and went to him directly…"

"Yeah, this is the fifth time you've told that story."

"Ahah, keeping count huh? Must mean you're willing to hear it again. Go on."

"…Insisting on him doing it, even though he didn't want to, telling him how much money he could make…"

As the tense situation had ended, everyone could relax, and listen to Merhen's boasting about the time he persuaded Seojin.

The dozens of players listened intently to the now sixth iteration of the story.

They admired Seojin's feats and applauded. None of them were in disbelief of it.

"As expected of our guild master. He's still got it."

A matter-of-fact reaction.

These were people who had been with Seojin since the Asgard days.

A 5-year gap.

They had lost touch over the years, the thrill of those days settling somewhere in their memories.

Then Midgard was released. They were people who worked to earn money just for gaming, sitting for long hours in front of computers. Their skills hadn't rusted. Each one, under their own ID and in their own guilds, had quickly risen to the top.

"I always found him curious. But to think that he was our guild master. In hindsight, how did we not realize it?"

Anti-Mainstream, aka Seojin, was just a topic of interest to them. After all, compared to the achievements they had made alongside the Blue Dragon, what Seojin did seemed pale in comparison.

They had just thought of him as an interesting person. But then, that interesting person made waves against Ironblood. He didn't stop at jabs, he delivered a heavy, final blow to the back of the head.

It was unbelievable, but when Seojin's identity was revealed on the broadcast, their jaws all dropped at the realization.

"To think we were fighting against our own guild master. Crazy. I used to think Seojin was insane."

"We called the guild master crazy."

"That was before we knew."

A man in heavy armor, wielding a mace as big as a human head, hastily explained.

He was a member of Ironblood, and one from the main guild as well. Until Seojin revealed his identity, he had been one of those pointing his mace at the rogue Seojin.

"…Lucky for us that Robert lifted the restrictions. I was wondering whether or not to give up all this equipment and switch sides," muttered another person, who was also ex-Ironblood.

When they were cornered by Seojin, Robert had told all Ironblood they could leave the alliance if they wished. Those who immediately left were the ones who had been with Seojin in Asgard.

"Robert probably never expected us to actually leave."

"I do feel a bit sorry, though."

"Well, what can you do? We were just using each other."

"I couldn't believe it when you all left. Never thought it would be people I knew."

"But then…"

Gulp.

The man, who had been eagerly sharing behind-the-scenes stories, spoke.

"We're gonna get scolded, right?"

"Won't he let it slide? Knowing the guild master's personality. Merhen, what do you think? Is he still the same?"

The dozens of eyes turned to Merhen, sparkling with hope. Merhen confirmed their expectations.

"The same as always. It's only his name that has changed."

"I knew it."

"What about a guild? Isn't he going to make one?"

"Could any one of us ever guess what he's thinking?"

A piercing question. The expectant players shrugged and sighed briefly. Blue Dragon was such a man, and now this man was now playing under the name Seojin.

"Nothing has changed, huh."

They had always been the ones watching from behind. Occasionally, when Seojin needed them, they would joyfully rush over to take up arms.

The players, chuckling at the strange sense of déjà vu, gathered around Merhen and began to chat.

In any other situation, they usually would be at odds with each other, due to their positions.

But the moment they realized they were all guildmates from Asgard, all that ceased to matter.

"Maybe we can all have fun like old times."

"That would be great. I've saved up enough to pay the penalty fee to leave the guild."

Blue Dragon.

That name was their strongest common bond.

* * *

The Midgard Valaran community was abuzz. The game company's forum was flooded with only one topic: Blue Dragon.

Who was Blue Dragon? What had he accomplished? How would it affect Valaran?

Exaggerated memories poured onto the forum, providing enough detail for even those completely oblivious to grasp the situation.

-So, Seojin is that Blue Dragon?

-His community ID is Anti-Mainstream

Interest in Blue Dragon naturally shifted to Seojin.

Strategies he wrote under the name Anti-Mainstream, his appearance on broadcasts, and evidence of the Ironblood's misdeeds.

Seojin had captivated the players' attention.

Most players enjoyed the game casually, and would continue to do so.

But at this moment, they all felt as if they were unraveling the secrets of the nation of Valaran together.

-Should we investigate the other top 10 guilds too?

-I doubt the Ironblood are the only ones

-We fought together this time. Why bother?

-It's already out that they fought for money lol

-You believe that? How much money are we talking about?

-If the guild master is the Great Red, I believe it lol. He's the type.

-I wish they'd reduce taxes or something

-Anti-Mainstream can handle it

-Destroying guilds and the royal family… why not?

Self-proclaimed experts popped up everywhere.

They analyzed Valaran's domestic situation and summarized the power relations amongst the major guilds.

The discussions snowballed, leading to logical questions neatly listed on the recommended posts.

-Current State of Valaran (img)

-Anti-Mainstream's Next Targets (img)

-List of Corrupt Lords

Amidst all this, Odie Park sighed deeply.

"…This is a bit humiliating."

Less than 1% of the numerous posts had any mention of Odie Park or Kim Hyesun.

Even the comments were few and far between.

Given the situation and the opponent being Seojin, the lack of interest was surprising.

"Even when I broadcasted, hardly anyone showed up. They all came for the 'Blue Dragon'. But hello? I'm Kim Hyesun!"

"There were plenty of articles about you, though."

Haydall, smiling, was browsing through online articles.

This plan had been a huge success.

Articles flooded in about Kim Hyesun and SMU Entertainment's CEO.

Rankers sure received celebrity treatment, but that was only if they revealed their real identity.

'It's not like they can show game characters on entertainment channels, after all.'

Casual players took more interest in Odie Park over Seojin. However,

"This is an in-game community. Most people here couldn't care less about celebrities. You were bound to be overshadowed."

"Overshadowed is an understatement."

"Supporting role, remember?"

"I wasn't supporting at all!"

"Yeah, I guess your part was too minor to…"

Odie Park's gaze turned sharp. Haydall quickly switched to a defensive mode.

"The main character naturally overshadows everyone. The prince and Sephiro or whoever that muscular guy was, got some screen time. You need to be on screen to show off your acting skills."

"…Right."

"If this had been a movie… Oh, it's like that film you did with Director Park Inhyuk. They tried to make it work with just you and the male lead because of your name value and…"

"It flopped."

"Exactly."

Odie Park stared blankly at the sky, then sighed.

"…I was wrong. Thinking I could be a good supporting role. I should've been grateful for any little part."

This wasn't a movie set.

Instead of people catering to her, there were passionate individuals, each with their own agenda.

"I need to work harder."

"At what?"

"Leveling. Let's go right after the royal coronation. This won't do. I need to spend more… Hey didn't we get an ad offer recently?"

"Yes."

"I'll take it. I don't think this is the time to be picky."

It was an ad for a fried chicken brand. She had previously turned it down, but the money could buy decent in-game items.

"I'll catch up to him no matter what. I can't keep up with him playing this casually."

"How much are you planning to spend?"

"As much as I have. What is Seojin doing?"

"He said he'd write a post in the community."

"…He's not going to do a livestream? Just a community post?"

At that moment of Haydall's confusion.

-Anti-Mainstream here.

A post with a simple title appeared right before their eyes.

* * *

Thank you for your hard work, everyone. Thanks to your help, we were able to deal with Ironblood smoothly. Let's get to your questions first.

I'm not interested in the top 10 guilds. Even if I were, there's nothing much I can do about them. What I care about is ensuring that all players can freely enjoy the game's content.

That was his first declaration: he would not intervene in the game's user factions. As long as no one was deleting quests or hiding rewards like Ironblood, he wouldn't get involved.

Heinrich Valaran was a decent prince. There's no use in me meddling in state affairs. I'll leave the NPCs to their own devices.

The second point addressed the Valaran royal family. Similar to the first, it meant he wouldn't interfere, whether with players or NPCs.

I'm not going to create a guild, and don't try to find me. Crowds around quest-giving NPCs cause confusion. I also won't be livestreaming much, unless there's a special situation… something that all Valaran players need to know, like this time.

That was his third point. Seojin had no intention of acting like a celebrity.

Crowds around adventurers lead to NPC confusion, making normal quest progress difficult.

I'm just a player who wants to enjoy the game, like you. And I was annoyed because Ironblood hindered that.

Leveling up, collecting equipment, finding hidden achievements, or good eateries might be a better use of your time than meeting me for a pointless chat.

But if I come across something good, I'll share. You can join me then. That's all I have to say. Once again, thank you all for your hard work.

A simple and brief post.

He would continue to share useful information, like strategies, with players but asked not to be bothered. He just wanted to play the game.

Seojin's intentions were clearly conveyed to the players, and an unexpected response came back.

Anti-Mainstream Fan Club (formerly Blue Dragon)

"Not this again."

Seojin, browsing the community at the palace, let out a sigh of incredulousness.