NOVEL NEXT Chapter 37
Chapter 37
The contract was complete.
They decided to handle other formalities and further instructions the next day, so the two of them left the guild for now.
It was getting late, and Jo Jin-hwi looked too tired to continue any further conversations.
Thus, Suho and Jo Jin-hwi went straight back to Kaiser Cheongdam.
As Jo Jin-hwi reached for the steering wheel again, Suho spoke up.
“I’ll drive.”
“No, it’s fine. I should do it.”
“But you’re not my manager, so I can’t keep hitching rides from you.”
“I am your manager, though.”
“What?”
“Well, isn’t it kind of true? You’re supplying me with exclusive news regularly, so I should at least act like a manager if I have any shame. Honestly, I’m perfectly fine with it. After driving a Ferrari all the time, handling a sedan feels comfortable. I’m even considering switching to a sedan now.”
Suho let out a small laugh at his words.
“I think I prefer sedans too. By the way, you didn’t go to the office at all today—are you sure it’s okay to keep being away?”
“Don’t worry about that. Today alone, I’ve secured several big exclusives. Who would dare say anything to me?”
“True, that makes sense.”
It was a good scene.
This was the kind of arrangement Suho had wanted from the start.
At that moment, as he was driving, Jo Jin-hwi asked casually.
“So, I’ll go with the sealed gate strategy as the first article. Technically, it makes sense to start with the Nexus recruitment, but who knows how long the government will maintain the embargo.”
“That’s true. Go with whatever’s most convenient for you.”
“In that case, I’ll have to head back to the office right away… But, by the way, Suho.”
“Yes?”
“There’s something I’ve been wanting to ask—how were you so confident about the Nameless Sword Gate strategy?”
“Oh, that?”
Honestly, Jo Jin-hwi had been curious about it for a while.
He had only given CEO Bae Dong-hyuk a vague answer, like he’d ‘just killed it,’ but he couldn’t do the same with Jo Jin-hwi.
‘Everything I tell Jo Jin-hwi could end up as detailed information in the article, so I need to be thorough.’
Suho replied.
“There’s the Sword Emperor inside the Nameless Sword, right?”
“Yes, the nameless swordsman.”
“I was already well aware of his reputation. He forces all players to engage in sword combat through skill use. That’s why many have died, and a significant number of them were sword-wielding players. So, I was confident.”
“Confident?”
“I figured that if it came down to a pure sword fight under the same conditions, I would definitely win. You know that I’m technically a healer, but my main skill is swordsmanship.”
“…And that’s your entire reason?”
“Why not?”
“Well… the guy killed over 200 people… and some of them were ranker-level swordsmen. Weren’t you afraid at all?”
“What’s the point of being a ranker-level swordsman? Under the Sword Emperor’s skill effect, his status window is copied, so his physical condition would be identical to mine. The key strategy against the Sword Emperor lies solely in swordsmanship. The core is to stay unaffected by item effects or skills and focus purely on the excellence of swordsmanship. I just focused on that and trusted in my skills.”
“Do you have a swordsmanship skill?”
“I do. S-rank, actually. It’s a unique skill, so I’m the only one who has it.”
Jo Jin-hwi’s eyes widened even further.
“S-rank?! When did you pick that up?!”
“Not long ago. But there’s no rush—I’m not going anywhere, so feel free to ask slowly. To keep people excited, news should be released periodically and in sequence. It’s more thrilling that way. Just ask whatever you’re curious about.”
“Ha… Suho, you really know how to drive me crazy. I never thought there’d be a day when I’d get so hyped over another guy… Now I understand why people obsess over idols or singers. I never got it before.”
“Oh, come on, it’s not that serious.”
“No, really. So, let me thank you again for calling me first and giving me the scoop. And I apologize for not believing you immediately.”
“Haha, don’t mention it.”
Jo Jin-hwi, as loyal as ever.
After dropping Suho off in front of Kaiser Cheongdam, Jo Jin-hwi headed straight back to the office.
Thanks to him, Suho arrived home comfortably and immediately relaxed on the sofa.
“What a long day.”
The gate strategy itself hadn’t been exhausting.
It was only the long-distance travel that was tiring.
Even with abundant stats, that part remained difficult.
After briefly closing his eyes, Suho checked his status window.
[Ahn Suho]
– Lv: 52
– Class: Healer
– Trait: New Blood
– Strength (R): 14
– Stamina (R): 14
– Magic (R): 14
– Sense: 96
– Bonus Stats: 7
Seeing that he had accumulated 7 bonus stats, Suho smiled.
It felt like a magic trick of compounding benefits, accumulating so quickly whenever he didn’t check for a moment, as if the bonus stats were somehow duplicating.
As planned, Suho invested 4 points into his Sense stat, reaching 100.
[Your Sense stat has reached 100.]
[Your Sense stat grows further.]
[Congratulations! Your Sense stat level has risen to Red rank!]
Finally, his last remaining stat, Sense, had reached Red rank.
And with his fourth stat reaching Red rank, the system notified him of yet another alert.
[All stat ranks have reached Red rank.]
[As a reward, the Unity Effect has been granted.]
[All remaining bonus stats will be used to unify the values of all color-coded stats.]
[Your stat information has been updated.]
It was an announcement of the Unity Effect, and Suho immediately checked his updated status window.
[Ahn Suho]
– Lv: 52
– Class: Healer
– Trait: New Blood
– Strength (R): 14
– Stamina (R): 14
– Magic (R): 14
– Sense (R): 14
– Bonus Stats: 0
Seeing his updated status window, Suho felt a rush of satisfaction.
Thanks to the Unity Effect, he had raised his Sense stat by an additional 11 points using only 3 bonus stats.
“The Unity Effect only applies when all stats are the same color, and when one stat is just one point away from being unified.”
Thus, obtaining the Unity Perk was challenging.
The requirements were numerous, and even if all conditions were met, if he had no bonus stats available, the perk wouldn’t activate.
“This is what you’d call a hidden perk.”
After organizing his status window, Suho could finally rest.
He took a light shower, then checked his now-main secondary phone.
Jo Jin-hwi had messaged him, notifying him that the article about his Nameless Sword strategy had been published.
“Let’s check the reaction.”
Suho opened his laptop in the living room.
Not only on internet news but also on YouTube, social media, and various forums, he saw his story had flooded every corner.
– Who the hell is Ahn Suho?
– It hasn’t been that long since he cleared the Tower of Challenge, and now he’s conquered the Sealed Gate?
– Wow, how did he even take down the Sword Emperor?
– I once tried challenging the Sword Emperor… that guy is seriously insane… and now someone’s actually defeated him…
└ How is he even alive?
└ You can escape the Nameless Sword Gate midway.
└ Ohh.
– So, does that make Ahn Suho the new Sword Emperor?
– Just because he defeated the Sword Emperor doesn’t mean he is one—he’s above that now.
– What’s above the Sword Emperor, then?
– I dunno… Sword God?
– Yeah, Sword God it is.
– Sword God Ahn Suho. But what level is he? Isn’t he under 100?
– Does level matter? It’s skill that counts. Just because you’re older, you don’t get extra respect, do you?
└ True that.
└ Totally true.
– Ahn Suho is a god. Ahn Suho is a god. Ahn Suho is a god…
– Mom! When I grow up, I want to be Ahn Suho! Mom! When I grow up, I want to be Ahn Suho!…
– But how did he even get into a Sealed Gate, which major guilds can hardly enter? Isn’t the Nameless Sword managed by the government?
– He probably got some special opportunity from the government after clearing the Tower of Challenge.
– Ask the Korean Hunter Association.
└ On it right now.
└ Sending the inquiry.
The public opinion was generally favorable.
It was only natural.
There hadn’t been any scandals or so-called “anti-fans” yet.
“Still, with fans come anti-fans.”
Suho figured it wouldn’t take long for detractors to appear.
The world wasn’t purely filled with kind people.
With this in mind, Suho turned on his main phone, which he had powered off earlier.
A flood of messages poured in, and as he scrolled through, one name stood out with an unusually high number of messages.
It was none other than Park Pyungsik, the top scout in the industry from “Prime.”
“This man really is persistent.”
It made sense.
He had been the first to spot the gem that was Ahn Suho and tried to recruit him.
But he had only offered him the best terms by rookie standards—imagine the regret he must feel now.
In an effort to redeem himself, he had been calling Suho nearly all day long.
But what wouldn’t work simply wouldn’t work.
“I know you’re talented, but maybe we’ll get a chance to work together next time.”
Suho turned off his main phone again.
Just then, a call came in on his secondary phone.
He checked the caller—it was a familiar number.
Suho answered with a smile.
“Well, how have you been?”
– …You sound pretty relaxed.
The voice on the other end belonged to none other than Gu Yeonhwa, leader of Banshee.
As soon as she saw the article about Suho, she had called him.
“So, your answer?”
– Let’s meet first.
“Is that necessary? I only need a yes or no.”
Meeting in person once had been enough.
Meeting her repeatedly would give her the impression of holding the upper hand, and Suho had no intention of allowing that.
He was confident.
Having proven his ability, it was clear who was at a disadvantage.
Gu Yeonhwa replied.
– You’re pretty confident, aren’t you? You know we haven’t accepted your offer yet, right?
“Then forget it.”
– …What?
“I’m not desperate. If you don’t want it, leave it.”
– Wait, why are you suddenly…?
“But keep this in mind. Do you think it’s a good idea to go against me? I could easily come after you all again.”
After a brief silence, Gu Yeonhwa responded.
– Ha… So, what do you want us to do now?
Suho smirked.
They weren’t exactly submissive, but the hierarchy was clearly set.
In response to her question, Suho answered.
“It’s late today. Let’s meet tomorrow. Around lunchtime at Nexus Academy in Paju—how about it?”
– All of us?
“Of course.”
– That’s a bit difficult. Two of our team members have regular jobs, so they can’t make it during the day. And I have classes.
“So? If living your daily lives matters more than revenge, just keep doing that. Maybe I misjudged your desperation.”
– …Fine. See you at Nexus Academy tomorrow at lunch.
“Good.”
Suho chuckled as he ended the call.