Chapter 129: Gate Reward (1)
At 11 a.m., the DG Guild had gone viral.
Numerous articles were posted across online portals. One featured a photo of Kim Ji-Hee and Aylphirane as the main image. Another showed the representatives of each guild seated at the table on stage. Yet another article included shots of Kim Ki-Rok confidently striding out of the building in bright pink armor.
Despite the range of coverage, the article featuring Kim Ji-Hee and Aylphirane ultimately claimed the front page.
"Hmm... I really thought the one about the Revival of the World Tree would top the list."
That article didn't even come in second. The runner-up was a piece showing Fairy Flower striking a pose after their dazzling performance.
"Thank you! Thank you!"
"Two, three!"
"We were!"
"Fairy!"
"Flower!"
"Thank you!"
The Elemental took a deep bow before stepping off the stage.
"Phew! Representative Kim, give me a towel."
Elementals didn't sweat, of course. Still, at Aeple's request, Kim Ki-Rok pulled a small handkerchief from his subspace pocket and played along. "Oh my, you've done well. Look at all this sweat."
"What sweat...?"
Ignoring the grumbling from Jang Baek-San nearby, Kim Ki-Rok and Aeple continued their earnest discussion.
"So, Representative Kim."
"Yeah?"
"Prepare the second album quickly."
"Already?"
"We don't have enough songs to hold a concert. We need more tracks."
"A concert?"
"Yeah."
"Oh?"
Jang Baek-San and Baek Min-Hyuk had just returned and were caught off guard by the word "concert."
Kim Ki-Rok, however, responded differently. "You were more popular than I thought."
"Right? We made it! We've got to keep the momentum going. But a full concert might be too much for now, so let's go with a fan meeting first."
"Got it."
Aeple cheerfully raised her hand. "Okay, then... peace!"
She flew off to rejoin her colleagues.
"Ki-Rok."
"Yes, Brother Baek-San?"
"You're really going through with this?"
"Well, they're more popular than I imagined. If the response here is weak, we can always test the waters in the Yuashiel Dimension."
Jang Baek-San could already picture it: enthusiastic elves waving light sticks, buying idol merch, and heading home delighted. There might be real business potential here.
"You really are crazy."
"Thank you for the compliment," Kim Ki-Rok replied, taking Baek Min-Hyuk's "praise" at face value.
"Haa... So, are we now nearing the main event?"
Kim Ki-Rok checked the time and nodded. "That's right."
It was almost time to announce the creation of the Permanent Gate.
Kim Ki-Rok continued, "Hmm, there's still time. I don't see any reporters around... They must've stepped out for a smoke."
The reporters had split into two groups: one had gone outside to stimulate their brains with nicotine, and the other had headed to the convenience store to refuel with sugar and calories.
"Fifteen minutes..." Kim Ki-Rok muttered.
"Ki-Rok, I'm drained. My social battery is running low. Can't we just stay quiet and let the time pass?"
"We can't. That would be unfair to all the people who showed up for this press conference so early in the day."
"No, these people have already had their fun."
"I haven't had enough fun yet."
"Ah, I see. You haven't had enough fun, even after stirring up all this trouble."
Leaving the exasperated Baek Min-Hyuk behind, Kim Ki-Rok stepped back onto the stage. Those who had rested and regained some energy turned their attention once again to the front.
"Ah, testing, testing. Ah. Are you all having fun?" Kim Ki-Rok asked.
"Yeeess!" the crowd responded enthusiastically.
Kim Ki-Rok bowed. "I've seen the great articles the reporters have published. Thank you for your hard work."
The reporters chuckled and resumed typing.
"And now, finally..." He turned his head. "Hunters, are you enjoying yourselves too?"
The Hunters awkwardly smiled and nodded their heads. Some of them had come to the DG Guild directly, either to gather intel or to arrange meetings. A few were still on phone calls, while others were busy texting.
"I came up here because we still have about fifteen minutes left in our break. The thing is, I prepared two activities..."
There's more? The audience looked visibly surprised.
"Due to time constraints, we can only choose one. The first is an unreleased video that hasn't been edited or uploaded to the DG Channel yet. The second is bingo."
"Bingo?" asked someone from Hunter World.
"That's right, Reporter Kang Seok-Hyun. We have prepared a bingo game and various prizes."
They could either watch an unreleased, unedited video or play a bingo game with prizes. The former would likely be released in a few days at the earliest, a few weeks at the latest. But the latter? That was immediate, and it came with prizes.
"Oh, by the way," Kim Ki-Rok added, "the unreleased video is about the elves, the reason for today's conference."
That changed everything.
"Alright! Those who want to watch the unreleased video, raise your hands!"
Hands shot up.
"Now, those who want to play bingo, raise your hand!"
Another wave of hands rose.
The crowd was split. Members of the general public leaned toward the bingo game, while reporters chose the unreleased video. Hunters were evenly divided.
"Based on the votes here, the unreleased video wins... by just three votes."
"Awwhh!" the general public groaned.
To their disappointment, Kim Ki-Rok declared, "Then, we'll play bingo after the conference!"
"Yeaaaah!"
"That's what I like to hear! Now, let's watch the video!"
***
The exhausted camera director had been expecting to finally take a break and set down the station's broadcast camera. Just when he thought he could rest, he had to pick it back up to film Fairy Flower's performance.
Then, as soon as that ended, Kim Ki-Rok walked back onstage.
"Ugh..." the director groaned, hefting the camera once more.
A large screen suspended from the second-floor ceiling slowly descended. A woman, presumably a staff member from the DG Guild, activated the beam projector from a distance.
"Wow!"
The camera director gawked at the stunning garden blooming across the screen, then snapped back to focus and began recording. Shot in first-person, the footage swayed with each step, the scenes shifting as the figure moved forward.
In the video, a young tree stood at the center, and four men and women were squatting in front of it.
—Everyone.
It was Kim Ki-Rok's voice.
Realizing that the video was filmed from Kim Ki-Rok's first-person perspective, the audience refocused their attention on the screen.
"Wow!"
"That's crazy!"
Gasps of admiration broke out at the beauty of the four men and women. As Kim Ji-Hee and the others turned at the sound of his voice, the scene came alive.
—Um, Hero Kim Ki-Rok, what are you doing?
—Oh, I'm filming.
Kim Ki-Rok casually replied to the question from the beautiful female elf.
—Filming?
—That's right. I'm filming so I can introduce you all to our dimension.
—Ah, the people who will help us.
—Exactly. Would you mind introducing yourself to the viewers?
At his request, the female elf stood up.
—Ahem! I'm a bit embarrassed... Hello, I'm High Elf Serena.
***
Rather than showing Hunters in battle alongside elves, the video focused on something quieter—daily life in the elven realm. It captured an elf sharing a meal, chatting with a friend, and training alone. These quiet, mundane moments made up nearly half the footage.
As word spread, the reporters who had stepped out for a smoke rushed back inside, snuffing out half-burned cigarettes. They stared at the screen, spellbound. Some Hunters and civilians had already managed to record the footage on their phones. It was only a matter of time before the video circulated online.
"It's already been fifteen minutes," someone from the crowd pointed out.
The video froze on a frame of smiling elf children as Kim Ki-Rok stepped back onto the stage.
"Ah..."
Many people frowned.
"I'll replay the video after the meeting, before we start the bingo game. I would've shown the full clip now if today's board meeting included only DG Guild members, but since we have representatives from other guilds, we need to stay on schedule."
The journalists picked up their cameras or returned their hands to their keyboards.
"Now, to resume the meeting, I'll take questions."
The moment Kim Ki-Rok finished speaking, several hands shot up.
"The first hand I saw was from Mr. Kang Seok-Hyun of Hunter World. Yes, Mr. Kang, please go ahead."
"Yes, hello. My name is Kang Seok-Hyun. I have a question for Guildmaster Kim Ki-Rok. I watched the video posted on the DG Guild's video platform before the meeting. Although your team was fortunate to clear the Gate without any casualties, that only seemed possible thanks to the elves' swift and active support. Is that correct?"
"Yes. Without the help of the elves and the reinforcements from the Temple Alliance, we likely would have suffered casualties."
"Then why were only Hunters from the Golden Lion Guild, Shine Guild, Baekdusan Guild, the government, and the Association involved in clearing the Gate? If you knew the Gate could pose such a high risk, why not coordinate with more guilds?"
Was this a veiled attack on the DG Guild? While others in the room looked either startled or uncertain, Kang Seok-Hyun maintained a calm, serious expression.
Kim Ki-Rok's expression shifted subtly. "First, I'd like to correct something."
"Was my question wrong?"
"No, not inaccurate. But there's a misunderstanding. As soon as the DG Guild discovered the Gate and identified its dangerous nature, along with its potential for high casualties, we did request cooperation."
"Yes, from the Shine Guild, Golden Lion Guild, and Baekdusan Guild."
"No," Kim Ki-Rok quickly corrected.
"No?"
"I requested cooperation from all the major guilds in South Korea."
Huh? That changed the entire narrative.
"But we were turned down. To be fair, I didn't have time to explain everything in full, but most guilds rejected us from the very start of the conversation."
"What was their reasoning?"
"Because a newly designated B-Class guild had labeled the Gate 'very dangerous.'"
It was certainly a reasonable misunderstanding.
"Well," Kim Ki-Rok continued, "some guilds told us to relinquish the Gate to them if it was truly that difficult. But once they heard that two other guilds were already on board, they said it would be hard for them to join in."
As soon as Kim Ki-Rok finished speaking, a heavy silence settled over the room.
"You didn't contact us!" a Hunter shouted, raising his hand. He was from a guild that had unexpectedly shown up for the press conference.
"Ah! Right, allow me to clarify. Only Hunters above Level 70 were eligible to participate. So we contacted guilds with an average level of 70 or higher."
The Hunter lowered his hand. His guild was classified as C-Class, and their average level didn't meet the threshold.
Reporter Kang Seok-Hyun followed up with another question. "Then why did you request cooperation without providing a proper explanation?"
"The reward was too significant to risk leaking any details," Kim Ki-Rok answered plainly.
"Now that the Gate has been cleared, can you tell us what the reward was?"
Kim Ki-Rok smiled. After a brief pause just long enough to draw everyone's attention, he continued. "The Gate reward was the seed of the World Tree."