Chapter 64: Sign Contracts Carefully
A few hours later.
Mu-yeong, whose schedule had been abruptly filled, stepped outside accompanied by the Iron Blood Witch.
"Sorry for the sudden call. Unlike the last contract, they insisted on meeting face to face."
"Oh, not at all. Just being of help to Young Lord is more than enough for me. Besides, setting up a same-day meeting like this—they must have been quite desperate over there."
"Park Seong-jun did sound rather pleading on the phone, I'll admit. Said he'd match any time I gave him. When I said today worked, he practically jumped for joy."
At Mu-yeong's words, the Iron Blood Witch covered her mouth and laughed heartily.
"That's because Young Lord hit it huge this time around. My guess is it's the External Ad deal—thirty million Won, at least, is all but certain."
"Let's hope so. Though my gut tells me that's not the only reason they called. There's something bigger."
"Whatever it is they bring up, I'll squeeze out every last drop for you. Don't worry—just trust me."
"Thank you."
Before long, they arrived at a café in Gangnam.
A rather upscale establishment, even from the outside.
They pushed open the door and stepped in.
Ding-ding.
Along with the clear chime of a bell, every head in the café snapped toward the entrance.
"Whoa, what the—"
"Wait, is that a celebrity?"
"He's ridiculously good-looking......."
"Good thing I didn't stay home and study today."
Every person who laid eyes on Mu-yeong's face dropped their jaw.
At the sudden commotion, even the people further inside turned their heads.
Their expressions were identical across the board.
"Huh? Isn't that Mu-yeong?"
"It is him."
"Damn, he's something else in person."
Just as Mu-yeong was drawing the attention of the entire café, a man in a suit came rushing out in a fluster.
"N-nice to meet you! I'm Park Seong-jun, Marketing Team Leader at Monster World headquarters. You must be Mu-yeong?"
"That's right."
"Please, come on in. I've got a table set up for us."
They followed Park Seong-jun inside, guided along by his bright smile.
Shortly after, he came back from placing the order and set coffees down in front of Mu-yeong and the Iron Blood Witch.
Then he scratched the back of his head with practiced ease.
"I apologize for the abrupt scheduling. I hope the trip here wasn't too inconvenient?"
"It wasn't far from where I live, so it was fine."
"Glad to hear it. Let me formally introduce myself once more."
Park Seong-jun reached into his jacket and handed something to Mu-yeong.
A business card.
"Pleasure to meet you. Before we get into the main matter—there's some good news. You've been selected for this round's External Ad."
As expected.
Mu-yeong gave a small nod, the corner of his mouth lifting slightly.
"We've confirmed the video was uploaded to Newtube, and the contract deposit of thirty million Won will be transferred within the week. The ad itself is scheduled to begin running from next week......."
Park Seong-jun rummaged through his bag and slid a few sheets of paper across the table.
"Our department has been tremendously impressed by Mu-yeong, and we'd like to propose an additional contract. We'd be grateful if you could give it a read."
Mu-yeong glanced over, and the Iron Blood Witch cleared her throat with a quiet ahem and took the papers.
As she read through them, her brow furrowed.
"The External Ad is set to run for roughly a month—and there's a clause that requires fifty hours of Monster World gameplay within that period?"
"That's right. Given that the ad itself is tied to our game, it only makes sense. You don't have to, of course—but if you do, we'll add an additional thirty million Won."
Mu-yeong, listening in, let his mouth go round.
Promotion and payment?
And not a small sum, either.
There was the constraint of having to play Monster World, but honestly—fifty hours over an entire month wasn't all that much, was it?
Just as Mu-yeong was about to say something, a Transmitted Voice came from the Iron Blood Witch.
—Young Lord, the terms are certainly favorable, but let me push back a little more. The math doesn't add up quite right here.
—Doesn't add up?
—It seems like they're trying to lock Young Lord in because of your status as a star player. That man's demeanor is slightly suspicious.
At her words, Mu-yeong began to observe Park Seong-jun.
Information about the man, buried under the ambient music, started to filter in.
Tak-tak-tak.
A shoe tapping the floor in an irregular rhythm.
Deol-deol-deol.
A leg that wouldn't stop shaking.
Du-geun-du-geun.
A heartbeat that had grown subtly faster, and pupils that couldn't stay still for even a moment.
Mu-yeong laughed inwardly.
—Anyone could see he's hiding something. The man hasn't been able to sit still for a second.
—Indeed. It seems he's worried Young Lord might refuse. If we hold out once, a better offer will come—I'm certain of it.
—But is that even possible?
—The urgency is on their side. Setting up a meeting the very same day means they're willing to bleed for this deal.
Of course, Park Seong-jun might simply be nervous.
But who was the Iron Blood Witch?
The Head of the Hao Family—the woman who oversaw all of the Sect's intelligence.
Not only was she an expert at distinguishing truth from falsehood amid a sea of tangled information —
She had reached a level where a single second of observing someone's expression told her exactly what they were thinking and feeling.
Someone like that speaking with absolute conviction could not be wrong.
Jjok-jjok.
Mu-yeong deliberately sipped his coffee slowly, drawing the man's gaze.
When their eyes met, he unhurriedly wiped the corner of his mouth.
"I can't accept these terms."
"P-pardon? Could I ask why......."
"I've been losing interest in Monster World lately. I've already taken down two Special Bosses, and regular monster hunting isn't doing it for me anymore."
"If you mean the Special Bosses, there are four more currently discovered! The one after the Stone Golem is a Level 48 Chimera—!"
"How much time would I have to sink in to get there, exactly? I just hit Level 22 after beating the Stone Golem. To take on the Chimera, I'd need to gain at least sixteen more levels. The way I see it, fifty hours would be the bare minimum just to make that happen—am I wrong?"
At Mu-yeong's words, Park Seong-jun went quiet.
Apparently, that was true.
—Young Lord, press a little harder. He may raise the deposit.
"In any case—I've fulfilled my previous contract, so for the time being I'm thinking of playing other games."
"Th-then—what if we raised the deposit to forty million Won?"
He actually raised it.
A jump of ten million in one shot—but perhaps because he'd earned seventeen million in a single day of donations, Mu-yeong's bar had been raised considerably.
It didn't quite satisfy him.
Mu-yeong stroked his chin and let the silence stretch.
"Hmmm......."
At that, Park Seong-jun sank into deep deliberation.
Because before the meeting, Division Head Choe Min-seok had given him a direct order.
—Whatever happens, match his conditions no matter what. Without Mu-yeong, everything we're planning right now is dead in the water!
And this wasn't just any project—it was tied to the Martial Alliance itself.
There was even a rumor that the Alliance Leader had personally visited the company.
If this fell apart right here?
The fallout would be more than he could handle.
"Very well. Then—fifty hours of gameplay within the month, and we'll pay seventy million Won. Would that be acceptable?"
"Young Lord's—pardon, Mu-yeong's streams are only going to grow from here, and Newtube itself is just now beginning to explode in popularity. Rather than the present, wouldn't it be wiser to look at the future and invest accordingly?"
"......Seventy million Won. Seventy million—would that work? That is the absolute maximum I can offer."
The Iron Blood Witch sent a Transmitted Voice.
—That felt like he truly squeezed out the last of what he can give.
—Then let's wrap it up here.
He'd extracted more than double the original amount—a resounding success.
Mu-yeong smiled broadly and signed the revised contract.
Only then did Park Seong-jun's face, which had looked half-dead, finally return to something resembling normal.
"I look forward to working with you. Oh—and since we've signed the contract now, this is something I'll share with Mu-yeong ahead of everyone else......."
He cupped his hand over his mouth as if telling a secret.
"A Sparring Tournament is scheduled to be held one month from now."
"......A Sparring Tournament?"
"We're planning to hold it on a grand scale in partnership with the Martial Alliance. Total prize money—a staggering one billion Won. A massive tournament where first place alone earns seven hundred million."
Seven hundred million.
Mu-yeong's eyes went wide.
"Is that true?"
"Yes. Starting tomorrow, announcements and promotions will begin. Registrations will open through the homepage in a week."
"What are the entry requirements?"
"Open to absolutely everyone—no restrictions whatsoever."
At Park Seong-jun's words, the Iron Blood Witch raised her hand slightly.
"Wouldn't the tournament become too chaotic, then? Back in the Martial World, only those of the same generational standing would face each other to determine results. But with no age restriction, it sounds like even masters of a previous era could participate."
"Correct. That is precisely the intent of this tournament."
"Pardon?"
"Since the Great Unification, there hasn't been a proper Sparring Tournament, has there? Everyone's been itching for one—and this is the signal flare that finally scratches that itch. The whole company is on high alert because of it right now. Ha ha!"
The moment Park Seong-jun finished speaking, countless plans began turning in Mu-yeong's head.
First place. First place, no matter what.
I'll have to pour even more into training for the time remaining.
Mu-yeong slipped his phone under the table and opened KaKaotalk.
[Mu-yeong]: Tonight. Get ready to head to a training hall right now.
.
.
.
.
—This is your in-flight announcement. Our aircraft will shortly be arriving in Seoul, so please fasten your seatbelts.......
Swiiish.
At the announcement, a woman with long silver hair removed her sleep mask.
It was a breathtaking face—one that seemed to brighten the very air around her just by being revealed.
A flight attendant making her rounds to wake the first-class passengers caught sight of the woman's face and flinched.
Snapping out of it, the attendant spoke quickly.
"Bing Ye-hwa. We'll be arriving at Incheon Airport shortly. Please keep your seatbelt fastened until the aircraft has come to a complete stop."
"Got it."
Bing Ye-hwa gave a nod, then turned to look out the window.
The skyline of Seoul reflected in her sapphire-blue eyes.
So Mu-yeong is here.
A man who had coldly ignored every sparring request she'd sent, no matter how many times she'd tried.
She wasn't particularly upset about it.
A person of that caliber of Martial Prowess had every right to.
Paaat.
Bing Ye-hwa quietly bloomed an ice flower in her palm.
He's the first man I've ever met who can match my father's strength.
And someone who appeared to be around her own age, at that—how was that even possible?
For her—someone who had defeated every warrior in the Northern Sea Ice Palace—he was an enigma.
In the end, her curiosity had gotten the better of her, and she'd bolted.
To meet Mu-yeong in person.
Not that she'd snuck away without a word.
She'd left a short note so her father wouldn't worry.
So it would be fine.
After all, she'd written:
[Going to have a match with Mu-yeong, back soon]
Paaat!
She burst the ice flower again and settled back against her seat.
She murmured just low enough for only herself to hear.
"Just wait a little. I'll be there soon."