Chapter 75 – The Calm Before the Storm (6)  

Content advisory: This chapter contains depictions of racism.

Clink. Clink.

With a scarf covering his neck, a man led hundreds of players in neatly formed rows, flooding the area with the sounds of metal being dragged. Nearby, numerous players acted as spectators and cheered them.

“Iron Guild! Iron Guild!”

“Show them the power of America!”

“U.S.A!”

When the scarf-wearing man paused to wave at the crowd, it cheered even louder in excitement.

‘Not bad.’?Rogers Han thought with a smirk. He was a promising player, a world-class guild’s branch manager, and so on—why wouldn’t he have the smirk?

‘Ahh… When was the last time I felt this good? Everything changed when that idiot almost killed me.’

Inside the Maze of Heryond, he let his guard down for a second, which almost cost him his life. Had he known something like that would happen, he would’ve killed his prey much quicker. After all, who knew taking your time torturing your hostage could be deadly?

Once Rogers was rescued, he drank several great potion bottles, but for some reason, his wound refused to heal fully; he still had a horrid scar on his neck.

Tremble…

Rogers shivered in anticipation: He was so close to getting his revenge. While many cheered him on, some insulted Rogers Han, an Asian player.

“Ugh! Damn that monkey!”

“Does he really think he’s American now?”

“Chink!”

One Caucasian player muttered, “Ironshield must’ve lost his mind. How could he assign an Asian as a branch manager? We should’ve known things would go bad the moment he began hiring the Asian players.”

Suddenly, an Iron Guild member approached the mutterer. Since many here were players, they all heard the man’s “mutter.” The mutterer turned blue and stammered, “W-what do you want?!”

In a full-body steel armor, the player warned in a firm voice, “Do not insult our guild master or our guild.”

“But it’s the truth! That monkey over there…” The mutterer began arguing, but he couldn’t finish his sentence because he noticed Rogers Han approaching them. Many civilians and association agents were around them, so the mutterer didn’t fear this guild member. After all, how could a player hurt him, a non-player? However, the world pivoted on exceptions: One such exception was a?powerful branch manager.

The mutterer held Rogers Han in contempt till a moment ago; now, he was quaking in his boots. Standing close to the rude man, Rogers Han showed the man his pearly white and said with a raspy and unpleasant voice, “You should be careful of what you say from now on.”

Then, Rogers put his arm around the Iron Guild member and pulled him back toward the group. “Kekeke…”

“Branch Manager, are you going to let that man get away after he insulted you?” the Iron Guild member asked in confusion.

“What do you mean?” Rogers asked quietly.

“That bastard insulted you and our guild—”

“How was that an insult?” Rogers looked at the guild member with a blank face as he continued, “He is just some trailer trash jealous of me. I take it as a compliment.”

Rogers quickly moved up to the front of the group to lead again. Racism was a constant in his life, so he was desensitized to it. Sadly, it distorted his values heavily.

Rogers believed in white supremacy. And the racism he faced birthed intense self-hatred and a twisted worldview.

‘It’s perfectly normal for the strong to destroy the weak. This is how the world works…’

So, Rogers derived great pleasure from the jealousy of some white man. With an ugly smile, Rogers announced, “It’s time!” ***

The Incheon International Airport was jam-packed today since the central figures leading the new Iron Guild branch would arrive in Korea. Such ceremonious arrivals were rare, so many civilians came to enjoy the show.

Apart from civilians, numerous players and even executives from various Korean guilds were present, hoping to form a close relationship with the Iron Guild branch.

And then, there were, of course, several players from the Korean Players Association (KPA).

“Step aside! Make room!” The airport employees yelled to create a clear path for the arriving players. The hustle and bustle inside the Incheon International Airport was an incredible sight to behold.

Suddenly, the reporters began to shout, “They’re here!”

The reporters swarmed to get as many photos of the Iron Guild branch members as possible. The camera flashes blinded everyone, but the cheers didn’t stop.

“Uwaaah! It’s the Iron Guild!”

“Rogers! You’re our hero! We can see you!”

The civilians welcomed the Iron Guild with open arms.

Clink.

Normally, no one was allowed to bring weapons through an airport, but, don’t forget, the world pivoted on exceptions. The Iron Guild players, in their steel armors, proudly walked on the path the people made for them.

Leading the armored knights, Rogers walked with a blank face. The excited reporters shouted, “Please say a few words!”

“What is your plan for this branch?!”

“What is your guild master doing currently?”

The reporters yelled in hopes of getting a scoop. However, unlike in the US, where he maintained a faint smile, Rogers kept an emotionless expression and continued to walk.

‘Dirty Asians.’?Despite being Asian himself, Rogers felt they were disgusting. When the Iron Guild first selected him, the entire nation cheered for him with pride. However, love for his nation was the last thing in his mind; he didn’t even want to talk to these filthy animals.

Suddenly, Rogers heard people gasping and shouting another name.

“Oh! It’s the association president, Oh Tae-Gu!” one civilian yelled.

“Wow! I’ve never seen the association president in person before!” his companion replied with excitement.

“I’m so glad I came here today!” a reporter nearby announced.

Indeed, President Oh Tae-Gu led several of his men and was walking toward Rogers.

‘The president of the Korean Player Association…’?Rogers planned on ignoring every Asian here, but even he couldn’t disrespect Oh Tae-Gu. One couldn’t get that position by simply being a good businessman or an excellent leader: Only the strongest could sit on that throne. In most countries, a player only lasted a few years in this position, but in Korea, Oh Tae-Gu had been maintaining his power for decades. Rogers had also heard that the KPA’s president kept himself hidden until recently.

Even Ironshield, whom Rogers feared the most in this world, warned before he left, “Beware of the Korean association president.”

“Nice to meet you.” Oh Tae-Gu offered his hand as he stood in front of Rogers Han. The president was an elderly man, but his aura was crushing and nothing but extraordinary.

Gulp.

Rogers gulped audibly and took Oh Tae-Gu’s hand. He murmured, “I’m the Iron Guild’s Korean branch manager, Rogers Han.”

Flash!

Click, click, click!

Dozens of cameras went off simultaneously to capture this momentous occasion. Suddenly, an association agent yelled, “Stop her!”

Somehow, a little girl escaped the association agents’ blockade and ran toward Rogers. The agents tried to stop her, but Oh Tae-Gu raised his hand, gesturing to let the little girl go.

The child held a crown made of flowers. Raising it shyly with her trembling hands, the little girl whispered, “Please protect our country…”

“...” A heavy silence fell as Rogers gazed at the child coldly. He would have accepted the crown in the past and even hugged the child to maintain his reputation. But after what had happened in the Maze of Heryond, he didn’t care anymore. Rogers looked down at the child with disgust, making the girl take a tentative step back in fear. Leering, Rogers said to Oh Tae-Gu, “Is this the best KPA can do? Letting a civilian in like this…”

Rogers did not try to hide his annoyance. The truth was, he was frustrated that he felt threatened by President Oh Tae-Gu, so Rogers wanted to insult him by using the girl as an excuse, but that didn’t do anything. Giving Rogers a relaxed smile, the association president replied, “I guess the Iron Guild’s branch manager can’t read other people’s power. A grown man being wary of such a child…”

Although Oh Tae-Gu’s voice was kind, Rogers could feel the elderly man’s fury, so he shut his lips firmly. Rogers finally accepted the flower crown, and the girl smiled brightly before running back to her parents. The camera flashes continued to go off.

“Please, right this way.” President Oh Tae-Gu ushered the Iron Guild members out of the airport.

***

Dozens of black vans ran on the highway.

“Dammit!” Rogers shrieked in his cracking voice as he stomped on the flower crown. He swore, “How dare a stupid Asian insult me like that…!”

Rogers couldn’t believe what had just happened. Originally, he was supposed to ride with the association president, but he asked to be in a separate van, so only the Iron Guild members were with him now.

Leaning back in his seat, Rogers ordered, “Go straight to the Iron Guild branch headquarters.”

“Pardon?” the driver, another Iron Guild member, asked in confusion.

“Tell them I need to check the headquarters building first. I don't care what they say. Just head straight to the Iron Guild branch.” When Rogers ordered firmly, the driver knew he had no other choice. He answered, “Of course.”

Going to the branch building instead of dropping by the association building first was an incredibly rude gesture; it was the best revenge plot Rogers could concoct for the association president. Rogers wondered how the news channels would report what he was doing now in tomorrow’s news.

Watching out the window, Rogers whispered in resentment, “Kim… Kim?Gi-Gyu.” Before arriving here, he had done thorough research on Kim Gi-Gyu. Rogers knew he was the “player who couldn’t level up,” he worked as a guide for the association, and that he even had a close relationship with the general manager of the Department of Gate Maintenance. Rogers gathered a decent amount of information on this unknown player, but…

“It’s not enough,” murmured Rogers in frustration. For some reason, gathering info on Gi-Gyu was proving itself very difficult. Consequently, he had no idea what Kim Gi-Gyu had been doing lately or which guild he belonged to. Rogers wanted to monitor his enemy closely, but it seemed someone was protecting Kim Gi-Gyu’s information from being leaked out.

He muttered, “He has ties to that damn Lucifer, so I guess this makes sense.” Anger clouded Rogers’ eyes as he fantasized about killing them both.

Although Rogers didn’t have much information on Gi-Gyu, he was confident he would find his enemy. When he raised his hand, one of the guild members handed him a document when he raised his hand. On it were the names, photos, and addresses of two people.

“Kim Yoo-Jung and Lee Su-Jin…” Rogers murmured as he smirked in pleasure.

The guild member sitting in the passenger seat informed Rogers, “I’ve just informed the KPA that we’ll be heading straight to the guild branch building.”

“What did they say?” When Rogers asked, the guild member replied, “They said it’s fine.”

“Did they say anything else?”

“No, nothing.”

The association's response surprised and confused Rogers since he expected them to protest or get angry at him. Instead, he saw the association vans ahead of them take an exit while his own van continued on the highway.

Rogers grinned in satisfaction and announced with excitement, “Finally, they are treating me with the respect I deserve. They can’t even protest against my rude gesture because they are afraid of the Iron Guild and me.”

The Iron Guild branch building wasn’t too far away now, and Rogers already had a game plan in mind. First, he would find Kim Gi-Gyu’s family and torture them until Gi-Gyu came out of whatever hole he was hiding in. Then, he would torture Kim Gi-Gyu, to death this time.

Schwing!

Rogers carefully unsheathed his sword and murmured, “With Nine, I can do anything.”

The biggest reason Ironshield was so powerful was because of these holy swords. Now, Rogers had Nine: A green holy sword. He felt confident that he could kill anyone in Korea, except Lucifer.

The driver announced quietly, “Sir, we’ll be arriving shortly.”

His revenge and ambition were on the cusp of being fulfilled. Ready to do what he came here for, Rogers sheathed his sword and readied himself.

When he looked out the window again, he noticed the streets were unusually empty. He wondered, “Hmm? Why are the streets so empty? Did everyone go to the association building to wait for me there?”

While the Incheon International Airport was flooding with people, no one was here waiting for them. Officially, Rogers was supposed to visit the association building first, so he deduced the crowd must be waiting for him at the association building.

Creak!

Before long, all the vans carrying the Iron Guild members stopped.

Clink.

One by one, the steel armored knights exited the black vans; sadly, no one was here to enjoy the sight.

Suddenly, the warning alarms went off.

-A gate break has occurred. All civilians must evacuate immediately.