The Healing Solaris Cleric

Chapter 151: After the War (4)

Jet and Grang recovered from the shock quicker than expected.

"Get off of us, you bastards!"

"You summons dare to block our way?!"

As expected of players who called themselves experts, they easily shrugged off Blizzard and Mimic and glared at Unknown while remaining on their guard.

Unknown...

The most famous player in MID Online right now.

Swallowing hard under the pressure of that reputation, Jet asked, "Since when did Unknown start playing the hero of justice?"

At that question, Kai’s brows furrowed. "Hero of justice? I already told you, I just have an appointment to get to. Move aside."

The moment he finished speaking, Kai drew his sword from its sheath. In one fluid motion, he swung it in a clean draw.

Slash!

The sword slashed deeply across the chests of both men before returning to its place, having fulfilled its purpose. The speed was so incredible that Jet and Grang could hardly react.

H-he’s really fast!

The attack power is... Damn, it's strong!

Facing Unknown’s sword directly felt several times faster than it had appeared in videos.

"... Nice," Kai muttered with a satisfied smile.

Advanced Swordsmanship of the Dawn. It’s definitely good.

Kai was very pleased with the swordsmanship that had ascended to a new level through the war.

[Advanced Swordsmanship of the Dawn LV.1 Passive.]

Rank: Unique

Does 300% damage when attacking enemies with a blade.

Attacks do additional holy damage based on Holy Power stat.

Regenerates a certain amount of Holy Power with each attack.

Proficiency: 0/100

When he first learned it from Master Huey, it was just a Normal-ranked skill. However, when it reached the Intermediate rank in Aquaria, it became a Rare skill. And through this war, the swordsmanship that ascended to the Advanced rank became a Unique skill.

The effect is outstanding.

The additional holy damage that triggered with each attack had proven highly effective when facing the Church of Muldine, and that wasn't all.

The Holy Power regeneration is no joke either.

With each attack, his Holy Power replenished by at least 500.

Lately, I have been feeling a shortage of Holy Power, so I've been putting a lot of focus on my Holy Power stat, but...

This was truly like giving wings to a tiger! The endless supply of Holy Power would undoubtedly multiply Kai's combat power.

"Oh dear, only forty seconds left."

Checking the time, Kai casually walked forward and bid them farewell. "I gave you two warnings to move aside. There won't be another."

***

A-amazing!

Aris was completely captivated by the sword dance the Cleric had just performed before her eyes.

When the player in cleric robes first appeared, she had no expectations.

Who would've thought it was Unknown!

Snapping back to reality, Aris rushed over to Unknown and bowed her head. "Th-thank you for saving me!"

"No need to thank me. It's my fault for suggesting this place as the meeting spot."

Unknown's gentle voice shattered the prejudice that he would have a cold and intense image.

Unknown extended his hand for a handshake. "Sorry for the delayed contact. I'm Kai."

"Oh, I'm Aris! I'm just grateful you reached out. But Kai as in...?”

Aris tilted her head. It was a name she had definitely heard somewhere before.

After blinking for a moment, her eyes widened.

"A-are you the Kai who's currently number one in the rankings?!"

"Hahaha..." Kai scratched his head with an awkward smile.

Aris, in turn, was struck with another wave of shock and stood there with her mouth hanging open.

Th-this is huge. This is an incredible scoop.

Who would have thought that Unknown's player ID was actually Kai! There had been rumors floating around in the community, but they had quickly died down due to a lack of evidence.

But I can’t believe it was true!

He was currently number one in MID Online’s rankings, and was the most famous player in MID Online at the moment. This man held titles in both hands that would be praised even if he held just one.

And that’s not all...

Aris cautiously asked, "Umm... I once visited a place called Frica Village. The villagers there called their hero Kai... Could that have anything to do with you...?"

"Yes, that was me. The same goes for the Saint of Glendale and Whitehall."

It was a response so straightforward it was refreshing to hear!

Aris beamed with a smile after finally receiving the answer to the question that the players had been so curious about lately.

Unknown is also an incredibly virtuous player!

Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to obtain two Saint titles and one Hero title!

With her thoughts organized, Aris bowed her head again. "Thank you for answering! I'll make a correction report as soon as possible, so don't worry."

"A correction report...?"

"Oh, I guess you might not know. I made a video about you some time ago, and the clerics of Frica called you a cleric, so my fans think you're just that."

"I see. Actually, that’s part of why I requested this interview..."

"Yes, I understand how you feel." Winking with one eye, Aris continued saying, "So, you changed your class to the hidden class of Paladin after, right? But now everyone thinks you're still a Cleric, and that's why things are a bit awkward."

"... Pardon?"

"Leave that part to me. I'm Alice. What I hate most are those trashy reporters who spread false information. Even when they know it's wrong, they never apologize! I would never do that, so don't worry!"

Kai didn’t know what to say and just continued to listen to Aris.

"There's no rule that says a Paladin can't earn the Saint title. I'll make sure to clear up everyone's misunderstanding."

Aris just began to get ahead of herself!

However, as Kai watched her, he became intrigued.

Wait. If I just stay quiet...

Kai's mind raced at a furious speed as he blinked quickly.

If I keep quiet, Aris will do a clarification stream saying I'm not a Cleric...

Then, the only thing revealed through this interview would be that Kai was Unknown.

As a result, Kai will shed the name of being a bug player... and Unknown will be known as a Paladin of a hidden class. Plus, as luck would have it... I even set up some foreshadowing.

Before the war began, back when he hadn't even thought of revealing that Unknown was Kai, he had given the guild masters false information that his class was Radiant Paladin.

What if I provide Aris with the same information now?

There was a saying: Three men make a tiger. If one person lied about seeing a tiger, no one would believe it, but when two or three people say the same thing, people started to believe it. In other words, the more people who cry out a falsehood, the easier it was to deceive others.

And if viewers start spreading the false information after Aris's broadcast...

Even lies could be turned into truth. That was the terrifying power of the media!

After running through this thought process quickly, Kai smiled. "Yes. Oh, by the way, I'll give you the information that I'm a Radiant Paladin. You can share that as well."

"R-really?"

"Of course. Since you're doing an interview with me, it's only fair to give you this much scoop."

"Th-thank you! Unlike the rumors, you’re such an angel!"

"I get that a lot. Hahaha."

The interview proceeded in a cheerful atmosphere. Aris was a professional who knew exactly which questions to ask and which ones to avoid, and thanks to that, Kai could participate in the interview comfortably.

"Thank you! I'll upload it to my channel as soon as the editing is done and let you know!"

"Yes. Thank you for your time today."

"No problem. Thank you for your time as well!"

Aris left the hunting ground, excited about editing the video.

Left alone, Kai hummed in joy.

Things went much better than I expected.

As a result, the significance of the mask known as Unknown had greatly faded. However, he wasn't disappointed by that fact.

It's just a change to a new mask, that's all.

He had simply changed from the mask of Unknown to the mask of the Radiant Paladin.

The most important information about himself remained shrouded in mystery.

"Whew. Now once I finish this last thing, I can head to my land."

Kai scratched his head and opened the message inbox on the community. Messages from world-renowned broadcasting stations filled his inbox.

"Hmm." Kai let out a disinterested sigh and shrugged. "Well, why not? Let's do another auction."

***

An auction was a fierce battlefield where one could only win by offering a higher bid than others. However, while this applied to the participants, it was different for the seller.

"It's just about waiting until a winner emerges for the seller."

That was why Han Jung-Woo preferred auctions. Because of this, he set up meetings with the broadcasting stations. And not just one, but seven domestic stations all at once.

Of course, the conditions they offered me were much better with the overseas stations due to the larger market but...

Unlike the domestic broadcasters, who were willing to bend over backward for him, global broadcasters had their pride. Of course, they had the money to back up that pride, but what he needed wasn't money.

What I need now is a broadcaster that can meet my conditions.

The global broadcasting stations flatly rejected Han Jung-Woo's terms, as the pride as the world's best had them tied down.

Well, it just means they aren't that desperate.

So, Han Jung-Woo decided to make deals with the more compliant domestic broadcasters.

[Breaking News! Unknown in talks to sign an exclusive contract for the first MID Online war video with a Korean broadcaster.]

[Unknown. What's his nationality?]

[The significance of the first war.]

[According to broadcasting insiders, the contract location is the convention hall at the Cheonhwa Hotel.]

As all kinds of speculative articles flooded in, Han Jung-Woo asked, "How much is it?"

"7,100 won."

"Here you go. Drive safely."

After paying the taxi fare, Han Jung-Woo stepped out onto the road and shook his head.

"People, really..."

Flash! Flash!

"Oh! There's the executive producer from TBC Broadcasting!"

"Is Unknown signing with TBC?!"

"Wait a minute. There's also the executive producer from NET Media."

"Huh? OnGames even brought their director along..."

The reporters tilted their heads in confusion as they saw broadcasting officials entering the hotel one after another. Blocked by the Cheonhwa Group's security guards, the reporters couldn't get inside the entrance, so they kept pressing the camera shutters.

Flash, flash!

"Just take pictures of everything you can! That way, if the official article comes out later, we'll have at least one good photo!"

"Focus on the executive producers! It's their job to secure the contract."

After a while, a tall young man squeezed through the crowd of reporters, continuously mumbling, "Excuse me, coming through. Sorry, I need to get into the hotel..."

"Hey, don't push! Aren't you a reporter?"

"No, I'm not. Just passing through."

The young man, who had barely managed to break through the wall of reporters, entered the hotel with a look of relief on his face.

"Was that guy just now an actor or a model?"

"What? I saw him briefly too, but he didn't seem that handsome. He had a decent build, though."

"Yeah, but... how should I put it? There was a sense of... dignity. Actors and models can project that kind of aura, you know?"

"Come on, what are you talking about? Even I look like I have dignity when I look in the mirror when I really need to take a dump."

"Shut up."

"Hehe. But seriously, why hasn't the guy suspected of being Unknown shown up at all?"

"Tell me about it."

The reporters stationed at the hotel entrance waited endlessly for Unknown.

***

"Whew, why are there so many reporters?"

The difference between feeling popular through community comments and actually experiencing it when surrounded by people was significant.

Realizing this, Han Jung-Woo, slightly nervous, muttered to himself as he looked into the mirror inside the elevator, "You can do this. Just imitate Unknown, who has no mercy... No, no."

The elevator doors slowly opened. An employee waiting there bowed and guided him forward.

Imitate Unknown? No, that's not it. Why would I imitate anyone? I'm not Mimic.

Creak.

As the convention hall, accessible only to the hotel's VIPs, opened, Han Jung-Woo entered with confident strides. He met the dozen pairs of eyes staring at him head-on and gave a slight nod.

As his mouth slowly opened, a voice full of confidence flowed out.

"Thank you for coming. I am Unknown."

The man standing on the podium introducing himself was no longer a twenty-two-year-old student on leave with nothing special going on. He was the absolute number one in the MID Online rankings. He was Unknown.