Chapter 168

‘KYAAAAH!’

Deep down, Han Yuna was celebrating wildly even as her live broadcast kicked off.

A hundred hopeful interns had competed.

Out of that crowd, a mere four individuals had made the cut, and she was counted among them!

Furthermore.

• Feel free to continue your streams. Your only real job on that front is making sure the world knows just how incredible SKY truly is.

She had received explicit approval from none other than Yu Jia, the very woman she had idolized for so long.

Wow.

It felt completely surreal.

Her joy was impossible to contain, leaving a massive, unstoppable smile plastered across her face.

• Oh, by the way, we need to make the official announcement for the second-generation rookies, correct? Dealing with formal press conferences is always such a tedious chore, so why not just break the news on your stream today?

Han Yuna nodded with such intense enthusiasm she nearly strained her neck.

Over the course of this past month of rigorous training, she had come to a clear realization.

It was Yu Jia who was truly steering the ship at SKY.

“I am going to deliver the most incredible… no, the absolute GREATEST broadcast you have ever witnessed! I promise you that!”

Han Yuna executed the most deeply respectful and polite bow she could possibly manage, and then she immediately fired up her streaming software.

Which brought things to this exact moment.

[‘Aso Love’ has sent a donation of ‘500,000 won’.]

[Break the news! Break the news! Break the news!]

[‘Active Reporter’ has sent a donation of ‘100,000 won’.]

[I am currently waiting on standby for an exclusive scoop. Please hurry up. The anticipation is making me dizzy.]

[‘Question Mark Man’ has sent a donation of ‘300,000 won’.]

[Is this second generation going straight to the national roster? Are they going to hold internal competitive matches to decide?]

A relentless barrage of donations flooded the screen one after another.

Not that the monetary value meant a whole lot to her at this point.

Han Yuna was a legitimate member of SKY now.

Even receiving a tiny fraction of the standard guild bonuses would be more than enough to comfortably support three generations of her family.

To ensure the chat and stream ran smoothly without turning into complete chaos, she had deliberately set the minimum donation alert threshold to a high 100,000 won.

“Alright, alright, everyone please hold on for just a second! This is a historic, first-ever exclusive reveal, right? Let me give it just a brief moment for more viewers to pack into the room. Just give me one second.”

She dragged out the time with the practiced skill of a seasoned professional.

The actual number of people watching was already staggering.

[Current Viewers: 121,440]

It had already easily surpassed the 120,000 mark.

Yet, her instincts told her exactly what to expect.

If she simply shot the breeze and chatted idly for about half an hour, roughly five times that initial amount—somewhere around 600,000 people—would gather.

This is genuinely mind-blowing.

More than half of the people tuning in right now were likely individuals who normally didn’t even understand how online streaming worked.

That was a testament to just how massive the general public’s obsession with SKY had become.

And precisely as she predicted.

[Current Viewers: 351,120]

The metric steadily marched upward.

[Current Viewers: 552,165]

The sheer volume of traffic was finally high enough to cause the server to experience noticeable lag.

The perfect moment had arrived.

Lock the room down.

Deliver the grand announcement.

It didn’t particularly matter if the server capacity locked some people out.

The absolute second the words left her mouth, the news was going to instantly ripple across the entire planet regardless.

“Phew.”

Han Yuna let out a steadying breath, gazing intently at her own reflection displayed on the monitor.

An immeasurable crowd of viewers was watching her every move, completely locked onto her image.

“You have all been waiting so patiently for this, haven’t you? Here it comes!”

└ HURRY UUUP!

└ Wait, did you even manage to pass the test yourself? lollll

└ She is literally broadcasting from inside right now, so obviously she passed. It isn’t like SKY is some random, small-time operation.

└ Well, if you look strictly at the actual member count, they technically are a tiny guild lol. It’s just that every single individual member happens to be an absolute titan.

└ honestly true lmao

└ Let’s GOOO~~~!

└ LET’S GOOOO!

“First things first.”

She extended her thumb upward, then flipped her wrist around to confidently point it straight at her own chest.

“Of COURSE I managed to pass! Oh man, I seriously felt like I was going to drop dead during the process, you know?”

└ HELL YEAH!

└ Absolutely insane!

└ That’s exactly our girl!!!

└ Wait, for real? You actually made the cut?

└ lmaoooo there is no way lmaooo

“Yu Jia herself gave me the explicit green light to host this stream. I will be personally managing SKY’s official public communications moving forward, so make sure you stay tuned!”

└ whoa

└ So she’s basically the official news correspondent for SKY now?

└ Honestly, having Luna take charge of the news makes the whole guild feel a lot more approachable.

└ That is massive news

└ I really can’t get used to this…. my favorite little indie streamer…. climbing all the way up to becoming a candidate for the national team!

A candidate for the national team.

Whether she would truly get the chance to step onto the stage and compete in the upcoming 5th World League was still a major question mark.

However, considering the breathtaking speed at which Song Yeonhui and Hwang Jiwoo had developed their abilities, absolutely nothing was out of the realm of possibility.

The commentary feed instantly erupted into complete chaos.

The chat window shifted into a state of absolute frenzy as a massive wave of donations poured in.

Following a brief period of casual banter and a detailed breakdown of her interaction with Yu Jia, Han Yuna shifted gears to formally introduce the fellow rookies who had made the cut alongside her.

“Everyone, please welcome Seo Iyun, Unni!”

Whoosh.

Seo Iyun, who had been quietly waiting just out of sight behind the recording equipment, stepped smoothly into the camera’s field of view.

└ Oh.

└ Whoa.

└ Who exactly is she??

└ Seo Iyun? It looks like she’s a non-ranker?

└ This is my very first time seeing her, and wow, she is gorgeous?

└ Classic SKY behavior, recruiting entirely based on physical appearance!

The running joke about the guild “recruiting based on looks” had basically become an established meme among the public at this point.

Hong Ari, Oh Seonyeong, Song Yeonhui, Hwang Jiwoo…

Literally every single individual affiliated with the guild possessed stunning aesthetics.

“Hello, everyone.”

Seo Iyun offered a gentle, soft smile and gave the camera a modest little wave.

└ Wow;;

└ The absolute future of our nation is looking incredibly bright!

└ This is definitely going to spark yet another massive international debate.

└ MY EYES! IT’S TOO RADIANT! ALL HAIL THE QUEEN!

The collective reception from the viewing audience was overwhelmingly enthusiastic and positive.

Han Yuna engaged her in a brief, talk-show style conversation before transitioning to introduce the next successful candidate.

“You guys keep going on and on about good looks, but the female lineup concludes right here! Now it is finally time for our very own Daehyuk Hyungnim! Please step on out!”

“Sure thing.”

The camera’s perspective adjusted, zooming outward.

The newcomer possessed a towering stature and physical frame that instantly made both Han Yuna and Seo Iyun appear completely miniature by comparison.

His body was packed with immense, powerful muscles.

“I am Kang Daehyuk.”

└ Oooh.

└ This guy looks absolutely terrifyingly TOUGH.

└ Hold on, is he also classified as a non-ranker?

└ Actually, he is quite well-known within the professional industry.

└ Wait, seriously?

└ Yeah, an acquaintance of mine belongs to a major guild. He took a look at the applicant list and noted that the perfect people made the cut. He mentioned that this guy’s mechanical control skills are on an entirely different level. I’m pretty certain he was affiliated with Baekho at some point in the past as well?

└ Ahh!

“And finally, we have arrived at our very last member!”

Han Yuna shifted her line of sight.

└ The last one?

└ So that means there are only four people in total?

└ Wow, a mere four individuals accepted out of an entire year…. securing a spot is brutal lmao

“A person that literally EVERYONE among you already knows! The human Data Machine! Jeong Siwoo!”

└ I knew it!

└ GOD Siwoo!

└ Completely called it lmao

└ Jeong Siwoo is simply constructed differently from normal humans

The outcome was something the entire community had anticipated from the start.

He had easily been one of the most fiercely discussed and analyzed figures throughout the duration of the evaluation process.

That was simply the reality of who Jeong Siwoo was.

Holding the 11th spot in the national rankings.

He was the deeply unfortunate individual who had been left stranded right at the threshold, nearly locked away from the national team roster permanently due to the overwhelming presence of SKY.

Yet, he had shattered his own preordained destiny and violently forced open the heavily guarded gates of SKY.

“Therefore! These three exceptional individuals will be my fellow recruits moving forward into the future!”

The live stream pressed onward.

Han Yuna.

Seo Iyun.

Kang Daehyuk.

Jeong Siwoo.

The official roster for the second generation of SKY spread across the internet like a wildfire through dry brush.

Han Yuna was strictly permitted to host live streams only during her designated personal downtime.

As for the official training hours?

Nothing short of absolute, unyielding concentration on their development was tolerated.

And it was incredibly intense.

“Haaah, hff!”

The very morning following their official acceptance.

They weren’t even granted the luxury of a proper celebratory gathering before their grueling physical conditioning regimen commenced.

Such was the reality of existence as a card-carrying member of the SKY guild.

That was the standard daily expectation.

Despite the intensity, not a single individual offered a word of complaint.

You treated your training with the same necessity as breathing and consuming food. It was simply the fundamental fabric of your existence.

To put it more accurately, only the specific breed of people capable of living that exact way survived long enough to secure their position in this place.

Nonetheless.

“Hmm.”

Hong Ari observed their efforts from a short distance away, her arms tightly crossed over her chest and her chin resting in her palm as she drifted deep into contemplation.

We currently lack the presence of the Drill Sarge.

As a result, proper specialized consulting wasn’t taking place.

The duo of Baek Jinwoo and Drill Sarge were entirely irreplaceable components of the SKY ecosystem.

Regardless of how remarkably talented the initial generation of members was, they were all fundamentally Baek Jinwoo’s personal students when you traced it down to the root.

Whenever Baek Jinwoo provided expert advice regarding which specific summons perfectly complemented an individual’s style, or what exact combinations they should look to execute?

The organization would immediately purchase those assets utilizing the collective guild treasury.

Furthermore, Drill Sarge’s unique and rigorous training frameworks were designed to draw out the absolute limits of their dormant capabilities.

But at this present moment, executing any of that was an impossibility.

Understandably, the only activities they could realistically assign the rookies were basic physical conditioning and foundational mechanical control exercises.

We made the choice to recruit them, which is fine, but…

Thrusting them directly onto the front lines of the upcoming 5th World League felt like a massive stretch.

The core issue was that Baek Jinwoo had still not made his return.

Or perhaps that wasn’t entirely true?

Then again, who could truly say for sure.

Didn’t the likes of Song Yeonhui and Hwang Jiwoo originally join the ranks toward the very tail end of autumn?

It was entirely possible he might reappear at a later date and forcefully whip these raw recruits into top-tier, ranker-level condition practically overnight.

She let out a heavy, anxious sigh.

Genuinely.

She tightly squeezed her eyes shut.

When on earth are you planning to finally show your face again, Baek Jinwoo?

Inside the executive headquarters of Iron Bear, within the guild master’s private office.

Thud!

Beskoff, having freshly concluded his early morning physical regimen, collapsed heavily onto the surface of the couch and pulled up a video clip on his device.

So this is the second generation of SKY, is it.

Some young woman from the East was laughing and chatting away on screen, loudly proclaiming the names of the applicants who had been accepted.

And THIS is the exact topic that is currently dominating the global trends.

Calling it a trend was honestly a massive understatement.

It had completely captured the undivided attention of the entire world.

Evidently, the general population found it highly entertaining to catch an early glimpse of future global powerhouses while they were still nothing more than unpolished rookies.

Toss.

Unable to tolerate watching any more of it, he aggressively cast his phone off to the side.

The broader public remained entirely oblivious to the dark reality.

They had no idea that both Rachel and Baek Jinwoo had been completely missing in action for three full months now.

In a global landscape where being delayed by even a single solitary day from the Tower of Trials was enough to spark a massive national emergency.

A reality where a mere week’s absence was effectively viewed as a definitive death sentence.

Managing to keep an absence of three entire months shrouded in complete secrecy?

That was a status quo that simply couldn’t be sustained indefinitely.

Beskoff reached out and retrieved his phone once more.

He swiped past the irritating video footage and opened up the exclusive communications channel dedicated to the Five Emperors.

Ilcheon Oje.

What a thoroughly embarrassing and juvenile title.

Fortunately, none of the individuals who comprised the group were actual idiots.

[Sugoi: Rachel?]

[Sugoi: What is the reason behind Rachel’s total lack of response?]

[Sugoi: Has anyone attempted to reach out to her through a separate channel? She isn’t answering her private direct lines either?]

Following the transmission of those specific messages during their previous interaction, the members had collectively deduced that something was seriously amiss.

It was entirely obvious.

The version of Rachel they all knew would have fired back a reply almost instantaneously.

[Xenos: Rachel. It strongly appears that some sort of incident has befallen her.]

[Sugoi: I conducted an independent investigation into the matter as well. Her people are doing an exceptionally thorough job of keeping it hidden, but from what I gathered, absolutely no one has laid eyes on her since her last entry into the Tower of Trials.]

[Baekcheon (白天): Well, well. This is quite difficult to fathom. How could an unfortunate incident possibly happen to someone of Rachel’s immense caliber…]

That old hypocrite.

Still fully committed to putting on a fake performance, I see.

Heh.

Beskoff let out a quiet, mocking smirk and proceeded to initiate his own private communications entirely separate from the main group.

He reached out to Xenos, Sugoi, and Baekcheon, contacting them one after the other.

The reigning figurehead was out of the picture.

If that was truly the case, the time had arrived to select a brand-new leader to steer the direction of the world.

MoscowMan was fundamentally driven by pure curiosity.

He wanted to discern exactly what thoughts were circulating in the minds of his peers.

The concrete outcomes of those conversations soon materialized.

• Heh heh, so if I am understanding your point correctly… your suggestion is that we ought to distribute the upcoming league rewards exclusively among ourselves moving forward, in a perfectly cooperative and friendly manner?

Baekcheon—Zhuo Longtai—showed an open willingness to entertain the notion.

• To be perfectly fair, every individual who holds any real significance was already well aware that the grand prize for securing first place in the league was an S-rank summon, correct? Rachel continuously monopolizing that asset all to herself was getting a bit excessive, even taking her status into account.

“Precisely my point.”

• Well, feel free to act as you see fit. However, if Rachel does happen to make a return… we will absolutely need to revisit the terms of this particular discussion.

“Heh heh, that is more than enough of a commitment for me.”

It was a satisfactory outcome.

Securing this specific level of compliance was perfectly adequate for his current goals.

But what about Sugoi?

If he genuinely desired to reshape the existing global order, securing Sugoi’s explicit alignment mattered far more than anyone else’s.

In a direct, one-on-one engagement that excluded the overwhelming power of Rachel, Sugoi stood uncontested as the single most powerful figure.

• It isn’t merely a matter of Rachel being gone, but Baek Jinwoo has vanished from the face of the earth as well? Doesn’t that strike you as an incredibly grave and perilous predicament?

“It is a highly serious matter indeed.”

• Hmm, the proposition you have laid out isn’t entirely terrible, however. Permit me some time to thoroughly deliberate on the matter first.

“Of course.”

Beskoff refrained from applying any unnecessary pressure.

Merely extracting the admission that “the proposition you have laid out isn’t entirely terrible”—that solitary phrase alone was a massive victory.

Following that, he connected with Xenos.

• Exactly what kind of incredibly hazardous and volatile idea are you trying to push here, Beskoff?

Well, look at that.

An unmistakable note of profound irritation and displeasure saturated the man’s tone.

Despite the hostile reception, Beskoff maintained a perfectly composed and tranquil demeanor.

“I am merely stating plain and simple that I was never a fan of the specific manner in which Rachel dictated terms to the rest of us.”

• I absolutely despise the direction of this conversation. Divide up the earned rewards? Hearing that makes me feel like I am participating in some sort of communist regime. I am a citizen of the United States, Beskoff. That particular methodology goes against everything I stand for and how I have conducted my entire life.

“Is that truly how you see it.”

Tch.

Beskoff clicked his tongue in clear annoyance.

What a spineless, pathetic coward.

Rachel stripped away every single thing you could have claimed, and here you are, what, desperately convincing yourself that she rightfully earned every bit of it through fair play?

“You represent a drastically different breed of American compared to the ones I am familiar with. An empire that will stop at absolutely nothing to secure its own overarching national interests—isn’t that the true face of America?”

• I’m sorry, what did you just say?

“Instigating violent conflicts across the globe whenever it proves profitable, and casually discarding long-standing alliances the moment it becomes convenient to do so. You are acutely aware, damn it, that the concept of the free market America treats with such holy reverence is in reality nothing more than a rigged system where the entities seated at the very apex completely clear the table of all spoils. At this precise moment in history, WE are the entities seated at the apex. I am not initiating a debate regarding communism, political ideology, or any such nonsense, Xenos. I am quite simply stating that the dominant powers should naturally carve up the plunder among themselves.”

• ……

The line fell into absolute, heavy silence.

Paying close attention to that lack of response, Beskoff calculatedly categorized the man, separating potential allies from future enemies.

Discerning clearly whether this individual would serve as a valuable asset down the road, or if he would become an active liability.

The global landscape had simply remained far too tranquil for far too long.

Ultimately, an explicit verbal reply wasn’t even necessary.

“If that is the definitive hill you choose to stand on, then so be it, Xenos. I certainly wasn’t looking to instigate a pointless debate between us.”

There was no need to actively antagonize the man further. It was best to conclude the interaction without making a scene.

For the time being, at least.

Click.

Beskoff severed the connection at the exact opportune moment, his eyes gradually hardening into an expression of chilling, calculating coldness.