Chapter 34 034

The lights in the small town of Berne showed no signs of turning off deep in to the night. The change was unbelievable considering the town was on the verge of collapse just a few days ago. Some of the broke players who wasted all of their money on loot boxes were crying rivers, but most players were satisfied and enjoyed the content in the town. The townspeople were also energetic.

"Take it, take it! It's a bonus for our regulars, have a safe trip!"

"It's a one-plus-two product, we don't rip off adventurers who work hard for our town."

The townspeople were generous and players undertook quests joyfully. Even more players flooded into the town as rumors spread. The more generous the townspeople were, the more income they received. It almost seemed like a miracle. It was an ideal cycle, and its size grew even larger thanks to the online communities.

-Any noobs still going to Ilynea? Lol

-Berne has still got a lot more left! It's not too late, so come here already!

-Thanks for the two rare gears!

The general mood was positive and it was only natural since Seojin hadn't written a single lie. Everyone also seemed to be curious about who exposed this goldmine after they discovered it.

-Who made that first walkthrough?

-It was anon, lol.

It didn't matter who uploaded the walkthrough first, the players realized that they had to be quick to follow the guide if they wanted to reap the most rewards. However, the one who uploaded it seemed to live up to people's expectations.

I made an ID (+proof)

He took a screenshot of himself surrounded by residents of Berne and posted it. His nickname was "Anti-Mainstream." The online communities cheered as they sensed the hipster temperament of the ID. Within thirty minutes, it became the top post and tens of thousands of players clicked on it. The huge number of upvotes proved just how much people liked it.

'This is how you roll the snowball.'

Seojin closed the community page, satisfied with his work. Robert's source of power was the online communities. He ensured that public opinion was on his side, so even the devs, let alone other gamers, couldn't cross him easily. In fact, it was safe to say most players were potential members of Ironblood Knights.

'I'll just have to build up my own power to fight them.'

This was a battle for influence. Seojin was planning to chip down on Robert's followers one by one. Of course, he would have to make 'guides' to back himself up.

'I kinda declared war on the Ironbloods, but they probably won't respond.'

Just as Berne was not a big loss to Ironbloods, Seojin was not a big threat to the Ironbloods yet. Rather, there was a high possibility that they would just think of him as a user who is somewhat talented and likes to receive attention. But if it happened again? From then on, the Ironbloods would definitely start sniffing around.

'My next walkthrough will be decisive. The better my performance, the more support I'll gain, but the Ironbloods will look into me even more.'

A half-baked reputation was a risk factor. However, the overwhelming popularity would be a safeguard to protect Seojin. Public image was the driving force behind the Ironbloods.

'It wasn't bad for a start. I should be satisfied.'

Seojin lifted his butt off the soft bed. Now, he just had to meet the people who were waiting for him to come out.

* * *

BunnyRabbit, aka employee of Hailstorm Co Korea who got a hidden class offer from Seojin, was staring at the scene around her dumbfoundedly.

"Everyone has already gathered."

The townspeople were excited and out of control just an hour ago. Mac had to walk around frantically, stopping folks from drinking any more alcohol and dragging them to their seats. The singing drunkards were being chastised to keep quiet too. However, the inn was quiet as a graveyard the moment Seojin passed through the door. They remained silent and focused all of their attention on Seojin as he walked down the stairs.

'Is this really a game?'

She felt a similar feeling after receiving her class change quest not too long ago. Midgard was too authentic to treat it as a mere game. Every word and expression of the NPCs felt as if it was real.

'…I don't know yet.'

However, she couldn't afford to think about it as her plate was already full between her job, the hidden class, and her relationship with Seojin.

'Let's just wait and see.'

That was all she could think of at that moment.

"You've been waiting for a long time, haven't you?"

"No, your job is more important than anything else."

Mac offered Seojin a seat with a wide smile. Seojin and Mac Gray sat face to face, and the rest of the townsfolk listened to their conversation quietly.

"My work in Berne is done, now you must speak for the town."

Mac Gray was going to replace the old, lethargic town chief. The decision had been approved almost immediately through Baron Bolton and the blessing of most residents.

"…"

"Once a representative, always a representative. I'll lead this town from now on, but we'll also remember you as a leader of the people here, including me."

"If it's honorary, then I don't mind."

"I'm sure the other folks wouldn't mind it either, don't you think so, lads?"

Mac smiled as he looked around and the residents responded straight away.

"That's right! If it weren't for you, we would have gone under by now!"

"We aren't shameless bastards!"

"Mac decided to always leave your room empty! Come and rest here anytime!"

"He's the chief, but you're…"

Everyone was sincere, even Mac, who was usually busy grumbling, had a happy smile on his face. The townspeople of Berne eventually revived their home. The heat and passion they were radiating made Bunny forget that it was just a game.

"Ah…"

Bunny let out a slow, surprised sigh. They were still talking but she couldn't focus, as the atmosphere of the inn alone was making her emotional.

"Boss, we are…."

"…Thank you. I'll never forget…."

"Berne will be here for you adventurer… any time."

The overlapping voices were almost thunderous and Bunny almost felt deafened.

Someone had even burst into tears. The middle-aged man was shedding tears like a child, but his lips formed a smile. Seojin consoled them, but then someone else burst into tears. Many others were barely suppressing their emotions and had tears welling up in their eyes.

"…"

Bunny realized that her eyes had been throbbing before she even knew it. It was only a village in a game, and she had nothing to do with it, yet she was emotional about the bunch of code and pieces of graphic data that were crying like little kids.

"Everyone, everyone. Calm down, Kane! Hamilton! Let's calm down and sit down, okay?"

Bunny only came to her senses after Seojin clapped his hands and calmed the crowd down. She wiped the tears off her cheeks with her sleeve. A sense of shame crawled over her for behaving so irrationally, but it only lingered for a moment. She didn't have to be self-conscious as she was the least emotional one in the room.

"Hurry up and get to work! Now is not the time to be dilly-dallying like this. They say well begun is half done, but we all know that the other half is much more important, don't we?"

Seojin got the mood back on track. The shroud of emotions had now lifted and the residents finally came to their senses. Bunny finally felt like it was a bit easier to breathe.

"I don't care if you remember me or not, but always keep this in mind: remember where you came from and the circumstances you were in, and the first resolution you made when adventurers came in."

"I'll never forget those words."

They all said similar things with a look of passion in their eyes. Seojin smiled and nodded.

"I'll visit whenever it crosses my mind, I can't promise that I'll come often."

"I know, you're busy!"

"You promised! I'll cry a lot if you forget about us!"

"Oh, my God, Kane. What's with the dramatics…?"

Seojin stood up with a smile and shook hands with each resident of Berne. It seemed that he had memorized everyone's names. He knew everything down to their personality, or what he'd been through with the resident before.

'What a guy…'

Bunny covered her face with both hands, to hide her smile. Manager Kim and Team Leader Baek acted as if they had total control of Seojin, but what she felt now was the opposite.

'You should've come yourselves instead of sending a rookie like me.'

However, it was too late for that. Bunny was now indebted to Seojin and she had seen what Seojin achieved. She was even thinking of Seojin as a best-case scenario of going nuts.

"Now, go to work! Gotta beat the iron while it's still hot! No slacking!"

The townspeople laughed as Seojin waved his hands as if he was annoyed and followed his instructions.

"Thank you, adventurer!"

"I'll do my best!"

Residents left the pub, each giving a final farewell. Soon only Mac, Seojin, and Bunny remained in the bar.

"Oops, Bunny."

"…Yes."

"Sorry for leaving you alone. Come and sit down."

He looked really apologetic. Bunny had no other choice but to say that it was okay.

* * *

"…That sums it up. Do you understand?"

The savior of Berne finished talking as if it was not a big deal. However, the one listening didn't think so.

"You mean we have to part ways?"

Seojin suggested to Bunny that they should act separately, even after she finished the apprenticeship in Berne. She couldn't understand him at all, but Seojin responded calmly.

"Should I explain the reason again?"

"No, I understand why, I just don't know if it's necessary… to be honest, I have no idea how to report this to my superiors."

Bunny quit hiding her thoughts and spoke truthfully. Maybe it was because of what happened in the inn. It was not easy to lie to Seojin as he stared at her.

"Did you see my plays during Asgard?"

"I did."

Back then, Bunny had only thought about winning Kim's favor somehow. She already double-checked the data that Team Leader Baek sent.

"Do you remember how many companions I had back then?"

"About twenty guild members and about four actual companions."

"Didn't you think that it was too little?"

"That's… right."

Bunny agreed. She was curious about that too. Back then, Seojin was a bigger hotshot than Robert was nowadays. He was the type to solo an entire encounter and crush everything by himself when he was playing Asgard.

"Why do you think I did that? Because I was strong? Because companions were useless to me?"

"…That's what I thought."

"No way. I could deal with the combat alone, but you can't be a jack-of-all-trades in Asgard. That's how it was meant to be."

"That's true."

Bunny was ashamed that all she could do was agree. She had to come to that conclusion, but she had honestly thought it was odd. Then, Seojin brought up something unexpected.

"I had about forty people whom I could call my real companions."