Max Talent Player

A sovereign/archer memorialized as a hero by the survivors of the Dewinged Angel Statue Gate, a Player who didn’t hesitate to sacrifice himself for others. And just like Kang Somyi, a Player who had a yellow light above his head. That was all the info Hyukjin had on Schultz.

‘I don’t know what to think.’

Hyukjin hadn’t thought Schultz would come out so boldly with such an absurd statement.

“Did you just ask me to give you the Immortal Fleet? Did my ears hear wrong?”

“No, as shameless as it is, you heard right.”

“I’m glad you know it’s shameless.”

Thankfully, Schultz seemed to know how ridiculous this request was. If he hadn’t, things would have been extremely troublesome.

“For now, get up. I’d like to hear a bit more on why you want the Immortal Fleet.”

Schultz wasn’t supposed to still be alive, and the Immortal Fleet was supposed to go to Song Junghye.

Schultz, the Immortal Fleet, and Song Junghye… They didn’t seem very related, but they were all connected to the variable ‘Kim Hyukjin’. So instead of immediately rejecting him, Hyukjin probed Schultz’s intent.

“I will complete the Immortal Fleet.”

“Complete the Immortal Fleet?”

“Ah.” Schultz quickly backtracked. “It’s not that I’m saying the Immortal Fleet in your possession is incomplete. Please don’t misunderstand.”

“That’s what it sounds like to me.”

Schultz apologized. “That wasn’t my intention. But I understand it can come off that way to you. I’m sorry. I’m really sorry.”

Hyukjin looked at the still kneeling German Player in amazement.

‘Even though he’s kneeling, he doesn’t look servile.’

How should he put it? He was… proud? It was incredible that Schultz could look proud while asking for someone else’s special ability, but Hyukjin liked his attitude.

‘He’s not trying to be underhanded or anything, at least.’

Hyukjin could tell from the few sentences they had exchanged. Schultz had been fully honest with him the whole time and hadn’t tried to lie. His actions, words, and expressions, everything was true.

‘And it’s true the Immortal Fleet isn’t complete yet.’

He was also only level 44. There was a limit to how amazing a level 44 Player’s special ability could be. Plus, he was in the middle of enhancing it right now. If it could be enhanced, that also meant it hadn’t been enhanced yet. Saying it was incomplete wasn’t all that wrong.

“Let me apologize again. I really didn’t intend on insulting you.”

“You seem sincere, so I’ll accept the apology.” Hyukjin shrugged. “And it’s true that it’s incomplete.”

“...”

At Schultz’s silence, Hyukjin continued, “I know what conditions are necessary to enhance the Immortal Fleet.”

“Enhance… it?”

“Yes. For this enhancement, your ability is an absolute must.” Hyukjin narrowed his eyes. “If I can borrow your power, my Immortal Fleet will become one level stronger.”

“...”

“So why do I need to give it to you?”

“Well…” Schultz squeezed his eyes shut. “That’s because the Immortal Fleet you wish to enhance and the Immortal Fleet I want to complete are very different.”

“So you’re saying my Immortal Fleet is weak, and the one you’re making is strong?”

“...I apologize.”

Hyukjin could only laugh, dumbfounded.

‘Is he socially inept, or just way too honest?’

Honest, truthful. Such qualities weren’t always good and desired. Sometimes, it was necessary to lie, and there were situations that called for euphemisms or roundabout ways of putting things. Especially when asking for something, like Schultz was doing now.

‘He’s really unable to lie.’

He was stupidly honest to the point of foolishness. He said things knowing he would have to apologize, and then really apologized for saying them.

‘I like him.’

Schultz was a completely different type of person from Hyukjin.

“If it were me, I would have first done my research on what it is that the other person wants, what would make him agree to this proposal.”

“...You’re completely right.”

“Just saying that you can complete the Immortal Fleet isn’t all that appealing a proposal to me.”

Schultz nodded, fully acknowledging Hyukjin’s words.

“You’re right.” So he made a proposal. “I will make sure the whole world knows of your name.”

“...”

Hyukjin was taken aback once again.

‘Eh?’

It seemed… conversing with this man would take some getting used to.

‘Does he really think that’s a good thing?’

The scary part was that Schultz was dead serious. Throughout this entire conversation, Schultz hadn’t spoken a single lie. Everything was sincere.

“I will complete the Immortal Fleet without fail…”

“...”

“And let everyone know that the true ruler of the sea is you, the Korean Kim Hyukjin.”

“...”

“Naval dominance is the most important factor for winning a war.”

It was true that naval dominance was important. Why else would the world’s strongest countries, like the US and China, invest so much into making aircraft carriers and commanding the seas?

“But naval dominance isn’t necessary if there’s no war, is it?”

“The world is changing. Mankind will require naval dominance. The skies are becoming dangerous because of flying monsters, and the sea routes are being blocked by sea monsters. Accidents are occurring all the time.”

* * *

* * *

In just ten years, the sea routes of mankind would be greatly obstructed, even more so than the airways. That was because underwater monsters were harder to deal with than flying ones.

‘Hold on.’ Hyukjin thought for a moment. ‘The sea routes didn’t open up as much as you’d expect from Player levels going up.’

In particular, the Pacific would become the most dangerous ocean in the world.

‘If the Immortal Fleet had been properly awakened and had protected Korea’s waters… Things might have been a little different.’

If Song Junghye had been a proper Player, she would have been able to awaken the Immortal Fleet’s full potential. That might have allowed her to gain dominance over the Pacific Ocean via the East Sea, opening up safe sea routes by repelling the countless monsters living in the Pacific Ocean.

“I’m not all that interested in opening the sea routes.”

He heard a notice at that.

[The ‘Lady of the Scales’ is disappointed by your words.]

It was the sort of message you would expect from a Guardian who was good and just to a fault. Sea routes were basically directly linked to commerce. Even with Warp Portals and open airways, there was no denying that the sea was a massive route for goods.

Hyukjin hid a smile. He had said those words on purpose to disappoint her, and sure enough, she had taken the bait. There had to be a little frustration for a satisfying catharsis.

“Moreover, I have zero desire to become a hero.”

“...”

It was Schultz’s turn to stare at Hyukjin with eyes of incomprehension. He didn’t say anything, but Hyukjin’s Eye of Perception read his mind.

‘It’s only natural… for those who have the strength to become heroes?’

That was apparently what Schultz thought. As long as he didn’t force that opinion on others, it was a pretty admirable way of thinking. Conviction was necessary to become a hero, after all.

Schultz asked, “You don’t want to become a hero?”

“Not at all.” Hyukjin smiled. “How strong do you think I am, Schultz?”

The German Player was one of the few people who had seen Hyukjin’s true strength. He responded honestly, “I think of you as one dimension, no, two dimensions above me. Both as an archer, and as a sovereign. I’m far below you in every single aspect.”

And he was being honest. 100%, unabashed and completely without pretense, honest.

“It’s embarrassing to say, but I’m confident I’m one of the top ten Players in Germany.”

This, too, was sincere.

“So I know that if you had been born in Germany, you would have been our number one Player.”

“Why do you think someone you judge so highly would be unknown to the world?”

“That’s…”

Schultz’s train of thought ground to a halt. That was something he hadn’t ever considered. He just thought Taeguk Shield was incredibly strong, since they were so well-regarded.

And it wasn’t wrong for him to have thought so. The public was told that Taeguk Shield had eliminated all those overwhelmingly powerful Red Devils. Additionally, Song Kiyeol was credited with stopping the Fire Giants. The prominent hero Song Kiyeol was already well-established in Korea.

‘It’s true that Song Kiyeol is extremely strong,’ thought Schultz.

Going by official feats alone, Song Kiyeol was probably one of the strongest Rankers in the world. At least according to what Schultz knew.

‘But Kim Hyukjin is strong, too.’

A Player like Kim Hyukjin might not be as strong as Song Kiyeol, but he still should have been known to the world. But he was strangely low-key, to the point that hardly anyone knew about him.

‘This meeting was also officially set up by Taeguk Shield.’

That was all the public was told. Cold sweat suddenly ran down his back.

‘But how come I don’t see hide or hair of Song Kiyeol?’

He was finally getting true information after a bunch of distorted information. Schultz’s intel might have been wrong, but he was confident in his ability to judge the situation.

With that one shift in critical information, the fog over his eyes lifted.

‘The true owner of Taeguk Shield… is Kim Hyukjin!’

His head reeled with realization.

‘The real heavyweight is Kim Hyukjin!’

Kim Hyukjin was hiding behind the front that was Taeguk Shield. But why? Why did he do such a thing?

‘Him not taking the limelight probably means he places more value on practical benefits than honor or fame.’

He was the complete opposite of Schultz, and the kind of person Schultz had the hardest time dealing with.

‘What can I offer him?’

‘Doing the right thing’ or a ‘noble cause’ wasn’t good enough. It had to be something real, something practical.

“I was a fool and didn’t know anything,” said Schultz at last.

“...”

He got up.

“I have no great wealth or treasures to offer you.”

“It sounds like you’re giving up on this trade.”

“I haven’t given up.”

Hyukjin liked how straightforward Schultz was. They might be two completely different kinds of people, but maybe that was why he was more drawn to the guy.

“Please give me a little time. I don’t know what you want, but I will definitely find something equal to the Immortal Fleet in worth.”

“What I want is the Immortal Fleet’s enhancement.”

“I’ll help you with that.”

Schultz didn’t stop to weigh benefits and losses. His approach was to do everything he could, no matter what it was. Even so, he still didn’t seem at all servile.

Hyukjin asked, “Why do you want to protect the sea routes so badly?”

He already knew the answer.

“Because that is what I should do.”

“...”

“Because it’s something I can do. If I do that, more people will be able to enjoy delicious meals at home. With their families.”

It was a very Schultz-esque answer. Hyukjin scanned Schultz again with Eye of Perception and was unsurprised to find that he was once again being sincere.

The two of them met eyes. Hyukjin looked directly at this man, this great hero in the making who shouldn’t have existed in this world.

He had already finished his calculations. To be honest, he hadn’t seen this development coming. Before meeting Schultz, the only thought in his head was enhancing the Immortal Fleet.

‘Let’s go for something a little different.’

In a direction even he, the producer, hadn’t predicted.

‘And we’ll get the Guardians hyped while we’re at it.’

He began to draw out a path that would lead to profits even greater than he had expected.

“I’ll give you the Immortal Fleet.”