* * *

August 15th.

In Korea, it is celebrated as Independence Day, marking the countrys liberation from Japanese colonial rule.

In Japan, its a day they prefer not to dwell on too much, the day they commemorate the end of the war.

And the Independence Day of 2020 held an even more special meaning for the two historically entwined nations.

Thats because there was a scheduled match between the two countries in the BattleNet Northeast Asia League.

The Korea-Japan match on Independence Day!

When Sword King was still in Korea, the Korean people eagerly anticipated this day.

From 2019 to early 2020, Koreas national team was in top form, especially against Japan, where they had a significant advantage.

Hence, most people never doubted that they would witness the Japanese teams crushing defeat on this historic day.

Well, the situation has changed now

Sitting at her desk, Lee Hayeon stared intently at the text Seong Jihan had sent.

[8.15 Korea-Japan match results]

[1st Match: Korea wins / MVP Lee Jinwook]

[2nd, 3rd, 4th Matches: Japan wins / MVP Ito Ryuhei]

Predicting Japans win is obvious

From a purely objective standpoint, without letting national pride cloud judgment, Japans victory was expected.

After all, Koreas core power, Sword King, had transferred to another team.

The online sentiment was the same.

If one had to bet all their wealth, Japan was the overwhelming choice, highlighting the vast difference in team strength.

But a 1:3 score and even predicting the MVP This doesnt make sense.

The lineup for the 8:15 national team match had already been announced.

Sword King was set to participate in all matches, from the 1st to the 5th.

Yet, theyre saying Korea will win the first match against a team with Sword King?

Impossible.

Before the lineup was revealed, maybe.

But now, with Sword Kings participation in all the matches, the majority predicted a 3:0 victory for Japan.

And the 1st match MVP is Lee Jinwook?

Lee Jinwook.

He was a player Lee Hayeon was quite familiar with.

Being a Diamond League player that the Twin Star Guild boasted about and a national team member.

However, Lee Jinwooks position was a supporter, a position that rarely wins MVP.

Especially in a match as unfavorable as this one, its even harder for a supporter to become MVP.

I dont want to waste money on such an obvious match

Looking discontentedly at Seong Jihans text, Lee Hayeon decided,

Ah! Lets just waste 5 million won.

She decided to just think of it as an investment in Seong Jihan and bet as he had predicted.

Huh, the odds are only in double digits.

Given the 1:3 score and even specifying the MVP, she expected higher odds.

Lee Hayeon briefly tilted her head but then showed an indifferent expression.

It doesnt matter. Its not like Im going to win anyway.

It was money shed already written off.

No, it was a rational purchase to increase her connection with Seong Jihan.

Now thats settled

After making her bet based on Seong Jihans prediction, Lee Hayeon, staring at her smartphone, thought,

Now for my real bet!

She quickly lit up and poured a large amount of money on the universally expected 3:0 victory for Japan.

She was certain that Seong Jihans prediction was nonsense.

* * * * *

Inside Kim Heesus car.

Wow~! Seah, your uncle is really amazing~!

Returning home after finishing Student Council work, Kim Heesu exclaimed as she watched the broadcast with Yoon Seah.

He could clear the Conquerors Mausoleum like that!

I know, right? Its so fascinating.

Its hard to believe hes just Bronze Rank

Kim Heesu looked at Seong Jihan on the screen with amazement.

Your uncle seems completely different from when I saw him at your house. Hes become really cool, hasnt he?

Hehe Really?

Yeah. Back then, he reeked of alcohol and had messy hair.

It might have been after he won or lost a bet on BattleNet.

Whats the difference?

If he won, he drank out of excitement. If he lost, he drank out of frustration.

Anyway, the conclusion was about alcohol.

Kim Heesu chuckled as she looked at her phone.

Among all the promising talents Ive seen, he seems the most outstanding

Seong Jihan, the younger brother of the Priestess Seong Jiah.

She thought he lacked any special abilities, but who wouldve thought he had this talent hidden?

With that level of skill, he has every potential to become a star player.

Kim Heesus eyes sparkled as she looked at Seong Jihan.

And her interest grew even more when

Uh

Wow, uncle, whats that?

As Seong Jihan, who was dragging his party members around, faced off against the Conquerors statue, he was growing stronger.

And at the end of the video, seeing Seong Jihans sword break the Conquerors bow, Kim Heesu couldnt help but be astonished.

Is is that even possible?

Well, I knew my uncle was strong, but to that extent

As the video ended with Seong Jihan acquiring the Phoenixs Arrow, Kim Heesu looked at Yoon Seah with envy.

Youre so lucky, Seah.

Why?

Your whole family has received high-grade Gifts. I bet youll get one too, right?

Yoon Seahs father had an SSS-grade gift, her mother, Priestess, had an SS-grade, and considering the incredible strength displayed by Seong Jihan on screen, he undoubtedly had a high-grade Gift too. Thats why Yoon Seah was considered the crown jewel in the BattleNet industry.

Gifts and genetics arent related.

Come on. Still, three people in your family turned out great, right?

Um hehe. I guess so.

Even if she tried not to expect much, given her familys history, she couldnt help but have high hopes for her gift.

Speaking of which, your birthday is on the 22nd, right? Its not far off now.

Yeah. I wonder what gift Ill receive Im a bit nervous.

Hehe, what do you have to worry about? Great! Ill get you a grand birthday gift!

Come on~ What gift?

Yoon Seah waved her hands dismissively, saying it was fine.

No, you must accept it.

Kim Heesu said so with a meaningful smile.

[Youve achieved 1st rank in the dungeon game.]

[For achieving 1st place, your experience and GP acquisition rate increased by 50%.]

[Your level has increased by 1.]

[Youve acquired 5,000 GP.]

[Youve acquired 1,000 Achievement Points as a reward.]

Seong Jihan began to meticulously go over the rewards he had postponed.

Given it was my first time clearing dungeon mode, I even got additional Achievement Points.

[As the sole 1st place, youve acquired all the gold bars stored in the Conquerors Mausoleum.]

[Youve acquired 40,000 GP.]

[Youve cleared the hidden achievement, Solo Dungeon Clear.]

[Youve acquired 3,000 Achievement Points as a reward.]

The Conquerors Mausoleum, infamous for its stingy rewards, gave out a significant amount of GP when he claimed all the gold bars, typically split between four players, all for himself. Additionally, clearing the hidden achievement boosted his Achievement Points significantly.

[Youve cleared the hidden quest, Show True Respect to the Conquerors Statue.]

[Youve acquired 5,000 Achievement Points as a reward.]

[Youve acquired the Conquerors arrow, Phoenixs Arrow, as a reward.]

From the Conquerors Mausoleum alone, he was able to harvest 10,000 Achievement Points.

The rewards from yesterdays survival game dont even compare.

A satisfied smile naturally formed on his face.

Even though he only leveled up once, with 45,000 GP, 10,000 Achievement Points, and the Phoenixs Arrow, the rewards he received for a single game were incredibly substantial.

Should I check out the description of the Phoenixs Arrow?

[Phoenixs Arrow]

[Grade: A]

[An arrow made from the feather of the Phoenix and belongs to the Conqueror.

When shot, it exudes immense power and returns to the owners hand.

The Phoenixs flames are sealed within, and the arrow disappears after being shot 5 times.]

I thought it would be grade S. Compared to the power the Conquerors statue showed, its grade was only A.

Perhaps its because the arrow disappears after being shot five times.

Yet, considering it came from a Bronze-level dungeon, it was an item that could be described as overpowered.

Ill need to use it as a spear for a while.

As long as its not thrown, it can be continually used as a weapon.

And for the GP lets bet it all on the Korea-Japan game.

Seong Jihan recalled the message he sent to Lee Hayeon.

The prediction of one win, three losses, and the MVP.

It was information he was certain of from his past memories.

It was also the first game where Yoon Sejin participated as a member of the Japanese team and led Korea into a downfall.

The flow of the game was also markedly different from the general predictions at that time.

Korea winning the first game was against everyones expectations

Seong Jihan logged into BattleNet on his smartphone and placed the same bet as Lee Hayeon.

The difference between him and her was:

While she only bet 5 million won,

Seong Jihan poured in all his assets.

1:37, huh.

Even after correctly predicting the games outcome and the MVP, the odds were lower than expected.

However, looking at this, Seong Jihan was sure.

Yoon Sejin. You also bet like this, didnt you?

Theres always a reason for low odds.

Either many people placed bets,

or, like Seong Jihans bet, a large sum was poured in.

The source of that money was probably Yoon Sejin.

Seong Jihan recalled the game from his past life.

During the first Korea-Japan game,

Yoon Sejin deliberately died at the hands of the supporter, Lee Jinwook.

He took off all his armor and inflicted self-harm.

He only allowed Lee Jinwook to deliver the finishing blow.

Thats why Lee Jinwook was able to become the MVP.

In his later interviews, he said he did it deliberately due to conflicts with the Japanese team.

But Seong Jihan suspected match-fixing.

And seeing the lower-than-expected odds now, that suspicion gradually turned into conviction.

Still, just in case, I shouldnt use Seahs share.

The 50 billion won Yoon Seah received was the nieces assets that he must absolutely protect.

There was no need to mobilize that money.

Instead, I should bet all of mine or whatever I earn on this.

And so, a week passed.

The day of the final showdown.

The 15th of August, Independence Day, dawned.