From Today, I'm a Player

Chapter 57: Returning in Glory Pt. 3

A Golden Return.

It was an acrostic poem used to describe someone who returned to their hometown covered in gold.

“AHHHHHH!”

What Lee Jun-Kyeong was experiencing was something quite similar. As he was exiting the private plane and about to depart the airport, he was suddenly met with a huge crowd.

"Underdog! Underdog! Underdog!"

"Take a picture!!"

"Look over here!"

The airport was packed with people, and most of them were there to see him. It was a crowd full of all walks of life, irrespective of age or gender. Reporters, young women, men, and many people were cheering and chanting his moniker.

“AHHHHH!”

Flashes flared in his eyes like miniature explosions, making it difficult for him to notice something he had never seen before.

“Greetings to the Heracles defeating… Underdog?”

He was sure someone in the crowd was holding that on a written sign. He couldn’t help but be flustered by the sudden situation, and he stared helplessly at Yeo Seong-Gu.

“Why don’t you wave at them?” suggested the bald man.

Looking at Yeo Seong-Gu's grinning face, it seemed that he had already been aware this was waiting for them when they landed.

Then, in a careful manner, Yeo-Seong-Gu leaned over and whispered in his ear. “It’s one of the things we discussed with Athena."

The pieces started to come together in Lee Jun-Kyeong’s mind. Fame was one of the prerequisites to becoming a Hero. He didn’t know if it was because his fame was lacking, but it was a fact that he hadn’t earned a title yet. So this spectacle must have been organized in consideration of that.

Heracles was a world-famous Hunter. Announcing that Lee Jun-Kyeong had beaten him was an opportunity to increase his fame significantly. Furthermore, Asgard was also at odds with Olympus. From the standpoint of Asgard, which had been entrenching itself within Korea, it would have been easy to organize this by announcing that their enemy had taken a considerable blow.

“I made it seem as though he had challenged you to a duel. Make sure you remember that,” Yeo Seong-Gu said.

“Why didn’t you tell me about this? Lee Jun-Kyeong replied.

“It was a surprise,” Yeo Seong-Gu blithely said as he waved his hand.

“AHHH! Bald Hero!”

“You’re so handsome!”

Though, the Hunter’s face seemed to harden sharply at the screams from the fans. Then, there was another there as well.

"Ha… Ha… Ha..."

Someone who no one seemed to recognize. Next to Lee Jun-Kyeong, Jeong In-Chang was waving with a stiff expression.

As the three of them greeted the people, an unusual sign caught Lee Jun-Kyeong’s eye.

-Welcome to DoUNo Club!

[<The Sky of the Apocalypse> looks at you and laughs.]

[<The Prince on a White Horse> claps with the front hooves of the white horse.]

Lee Jun-Kyeong wondered what that message was about.

***

"Do you know Underdog?" Jeong In-Chang joked.

"…"

Lee Jun-Kyeong counterattacked with his own barb, “Do you know Jeong In…”

“You’re right. It’s a little regrettable that nobody knows me.”

But Jeong In-Chang avoided Lee Jun-Kyeong’s anger by choosing to destroy himself first. It really was regrettable, however.

Lee Jun-Kyeong comforted him, “You also were a great aid in the Battle at Catalyon Mountain, Mr. Jeong.”

“Well…”

Unfortunately, one was aware of his performance. Jeong In-Chang’s performance had been stellar, but Lee Jun-Kyeong’s story had buried it. The Association didn’t include a single line about Jeong In-Chang in the report.

The reason was easy to guess.

‘It was on purpose.’

Jeong In-Chang was from the Northern Army Guild, and now the Northern Army Guild had become a criminal group treated as a group of traitors within Korea. They must have made that decision after deciding that it wouldn’t ever be beneficial for Lee Jun-Kyeong, who was now renowned, to be linked with a Hunter from the Northern Army Guild.

Finally, there was one other reason.

‘They’re also saying that he hasn't reached their standards yet.’

Lee Jun-Kyeong had received Odin’s attention and was close to Heimdall, and had shown tremendous growth. However, unlike how he had grown, Jeong In-Chang’s improvement hadn’t been enough to catch the attention of the great seniors yet. Since they believed that Jeong In-Chang hadn’t shown any reason to have them invest any further in him yet, it was clear that they had driven all of the achievements to Lee Jun-Kyeong.

Jeong In-Chang asked, "What are you going to do now?"

"Well…"

Lee Jun-Kyeong wasn’t able to easily answer Jeong In-Chang’s question. It wasn’t because he didn’t have any goals or plans.

‘The problem is that I have too many.’

Now that they had returned to Korea, there was a mountain of work to do. He had to prepare for the upcoming cataclysm and focus on clearing gates. Furthermore, he also had to meet with and formally join Asgard as he had successfully completed Odin's test,

'I also have to get my weapons maintained and inspected.'

If he also told that brat the news about Park Yu-Jin, he would most likely be pleased as well.

Furthermore, there was another pressing matter.

‘I have to ascertain the state of my body.’

The clash between the Dragon’s Bloodstone and the red ore had left behind side effects. The black beads resulting from it still remained in his body. Although there hadn’t been any significant problems stemming from them so far, it was impossible to tell if any problems would arise in the future. He also had to find a solution for it.

‘Nile.’

Then there were also still issues that remained with the Nile. He didn’t know what he would be able to do about it due to all the other things he had to get done.

Those were the problems in front of him.

"Ah."

At that moment, Lee Jun-Kyeong spoke as if he had thought of something. Jeong In-Chang’s eyes lit up in anticipation.

"I want to move."

"Pardon?"

Lee Jun-Kyeong clarified, “This house is a rental apartment. It’s not bad, but I’ve always wanted to own my own house since I was little.”

"…"

As if it was a completely unexpected answer, Jeong In-Chang stood there frozen, his eyes open wide like the mouth of a goldfish. But he soon came to his senses and said, “That’s good.”

“...?”

Jeong In-Chang must have come to a decision about something.

“Let’s move separately for the time being."

Lee Jun-Kyeong stood up in shock at his sudden words. "What brought on this decision?"

Jeong In-Chang explained, “There’s what George said, as well as… raiding gates with you, Mr. Lee, is more than enjoyable and highly efficient. However, there are things that I wanted to try on my own.”

There was something different. Jeong In-Chang’s gaze seemed to indicate that he had found a clue. After thinking about it for a while, Lee Jun-Kyeong nodded. "All right."

There was nothing bad to come of it. He was already beginning to feel as though he would have to start hunting again by himself anyway. If anything, it was becoming a concern that he had barely used his full strength while hunting with Jeong In-Chang. The trust he had in the sturdy iron wall protecting him had become a shackle for him.

“Although it's a little sad… it’s not like we can’t meet at all,” said Jeong In-Chang.

Lee Jun-Kyeong smiled. “That’s right.”

“And…” Jeong In-Chang continued with a meaningful expression as if he was saying farewell at a momentous parting, “...next time, you have to introduce me to a woman too.”

"…"

***

When Jeong In-Chang left, Lee Jun-Kyeong had to welcome another guest.

"Long time no see."

A man stood in front of the door with a teary-eyed expression, staring directly at Lee Jun-Kyeong.

"Mr. Lee…"

Lee Jun-Kyeong was flustered by the stare, so he took a step back at the sight of the man, who seemed as if he was about to rush forward to hug him.

“Are you okay?”

He wondered if maybe something had happened while he wasn't there. Perhaps it could have been Odin. He wondered if that person had gotten a hold of the man in front of him. But no matter how many scenarios he ran through, he couldn’t figure it out. He was speechless. Just why was the man in front of him, Kim Su-Yeong, crying?

“You’re not throwing me away just because you’re famous, are you…?” the other man sobbed.

“Yes?”

Kim Su-Yeong continued tearfully, "Is that so… Now, Mr. Lee’s reputation has reached Hero Grade, you've become too big to rely on a low-end employee like me..."

"Ha…"

Lee Jun-Kyeong sighed at Kim Su-Yeong’s severely hurt reaction and wondered to himself, ‘I mean, why is it that all of the men around me are like Jeong In-Chang?’

He didn’t know Kim Su-Yeong was like that as well…

Lee Jun-Kyeong sighed and said, “It’s not like that. As long as you handle your work well, I’ll continue to request you to be assigned to me in the future, Mr. Kim.”

“A… Are you sure?” Kim Su-Yeong asked hesitantly.

Lee Jun-Kyeong restrained the urge to roll his eyes. “Of course.”

As if he had resolved himself, Kim Su-Yeong changed his expression and bowed forward deeply.

“I’ll be in your care from now on as well!”

It wasn’t as if Lee Jun-Kyeong didn’t understand the other man’s reaction either. His fame had risen to where it should have been, and he would soon become a part of Asgard. As such, his salary and the level of his dedicated staff would rise accordingly.

However, he couldn’t trust any of these new benefits.

In the first place, he had no intention of swapping out Kim Su-Yeong. All of those who would come in the future would be Odin’s people. Even now, Odin most likely was trying to keep an eye on him at all times. He didn’t want to keep a spy next to him all the time.

"But what did you come here for?" Lee Jun-Kyeong asked. He had only just returned and hadn’t even had the opportunity to unpack his luggage properly. There was no reason for his manager to have come to see him so suddenly.

"Ah,” Kim Su-Yeong said as if he had just remembered the task he had been assigned. “I’ve received orders to take you to the Association President.”

‘If that was the case, you should have told me when you got here.’

“Mr. Kim.”

Lee Jun-Kyeong soon got ready and spoke to the manager.

"I told you that you had to handle things properly if I was to continue relying on you, right?”

“Yes!”

Although it was a threat made in jest, Kim Su-Yeong responded with a determination that felt as though he was about to even salute. Because the growth of the managed Hunter was hugely beneficial to the association staff in charge as well, he had no intention of letting Lee Jun-Kyeong go.

***

"Wait, he defeated Heracles?"

"Didn't they say he was a complete monster?"

"Apparently, they tremble just by hearing his name in Europe."

As if they had nothing better to do, people had been talking about the hot issue all the time these days. The internet was buzzing as well.

–I mean, didn’t they say that he’s only been a Hunter for less than a year?

–They say that it hasn’t even been half a year.

–POG… And he even beat Heracles? Is this for real?

–It could just be fake news by the Association.

Lee Jun-Kyeong was on everyone’s lips, riding the stream of gossip. The Underdog was everywhere. The era of Heroes had just begun, and Hunters and Heroes attracted the same attention and popularity as celebrities, maybe even more so. They were like heroes who could only be seen in cartoons or movies.

People were going crazy about these real-life Heroes.

–By the way…

And among them, there was one issue that was the hottest of them all.

–Is the Underdog’s title, Underdog?

–Probably not. That should be a nickname.

–That's what I’m saying. Is he really a Hero? Does he really not have a title?

–That’s true.

It was a story about the Underdog’s title.

The birth of a Hero was signified by the title bestowed by their Sponsor. Therefore, when a hero was born, the Association of the country to which they belonged announced the birth of the Hero alongside the title they had been bestowed.

However, this time it was different.

The Underdog’s title hadn’t been announced. It was a strange thing in the current situation where the media was widely reporting that he had defeated Heracles.

–OMG.

–Then does he not have a title?

Then, an article posted by someone became the hot topic of conversation for a short while.

–He’s that strong even without a title, and he’ll only get stronger once he gets a title.

The Underdog hadn’t been bestowed a title yet. He had defeated Heracles without the massive boost that a title offered.

The article had become a forum for the interest and discussion of many people.

–This post has been deleted.

But, it soon disappeared. People couldn’t understand why the article had disappeared. Eventually, they concluded that it had no credibility, so they searched for a new story.

***

“So…”

It was a handsome middle-aged man in his forties, the eye patch he wore on one side as stylish as a high fashion item. However, that description would only be given by someone who wasn’t aware of his identity. Anyone who knew his true identity would describe him as someone revered and respected.

"What’s your title?" he asked Lee Jun-Kyeong.

It was the Association President, Jang Hyo-Jin. He had called Lee Jun-Kyeong over immediately after the Hunter had returned home. When asked what was going on, Jang Hyo-Jin just asked Lee Jun-Kyeong for his title.

“Even when I asked Yeo Seong-Gu, he wouldn’t say anything. His eyes seemed to say he didn’t know…”

Jang Hyo-Jin’s single eye widened a little.

“By chance, do you not have a title?”

Without a need for Lee Jun-Kyeong to say a single word, the Association President had hit right on the mark.

“...”

He chuckled at Lee Jun-Kyeong’s silent appearance.

"Haha… The rumors were true."

He was a Hero without a title. It meant that he hadn’t even received a proper Hero’s power yet.

However, the report was unmistakable.

‘He definitely defeated Heracles.’

It meant that he had really defeated Heracles without the strength of a Hero. Lee Jun-Kyeong’s potential was truly that amazing.

‘Bae Sang-Su…’

The Association President remembered the words of the man who had been in charge of Lee Jun-Kyeong’s tutorial, that if it was Lee Jun-Kyeong, he might be able to reach the goal of the Association President.

However, after having gotten the answer he needed, Jang Hyo-Jin brought up the main topic.

“I didn’t call you over because of your title.”

The light in his eyes had changed. Now, he wasn’t the middle-aged man who had joked about whether or not Lee Jun-Kyeong had earned a title, nor was he the head of the Association in charge of all of Korea or even the head of a large organization.

Now, he was…

“How did you break the restriction?”

…the King of Asgard.

Odin.

1. In Eastern countries, various four-character poems tell idioms and fables, generally taken as a form of advice.

2. The term ‘Do You Know’ is a famous phrase in Korea. When older Koreans who don’t know any English meet foreigners, they only know the words, Do you know, so they’ll ask about Korean things to feel pride in their nation. The most famous ones are: Do you know Psy? Or, Do you know BTS?