The Regression of a Challenger-Level Player - Chapter 16

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 16. A Noose Around the Neck
Gangnam, Hwarang Group Headquarters.
In the executive office overlooking the sprawling cityscape—towering skyscrapers densely packed like a panoramic vista—grandfather and granddaughter sat facing one another across the table.
Though they ordinarily exchanged gentle conversation, today’s atmosphere felt distinctly different.
Ju Yul-cheon’s eyes curved with interest as he watched the video playing before them.
“This is… intriguing.”
He stroked his chin thoughtfully.
“So it was our girl who cleared the Underground Dungeon alongside that rumored Player.”
“I’m not a girl anymore.”
“Hah! To this old man’s eyes, Yeon-seo will always be his girl, no matter her age.”
Ju Yeon-seo shot her grandfather a slightly disgruntled look, but quickly gathered herself and pressed on.
“So? What do you think of him, Grandfather?”
“…He’s certainly a remarkable man. Strength that exceeds his rank, insight beyond his years. And he possesses boldness and quick reflexes in equal measure.”
Ju Yul-cheon was renowned for building the Hwarang Group, a conglomerate of enormous stature, from the barren landscape of South Korea.
When he founded K1, he had personally constructed everything from the ground up, and he remained deeply involved in all major decisions for the team to this day.
Part of it stemmed from the fact that the Player League had become the largest business enterprise worldwide, but it was also because Ju Yul-cheon’s natural instinct for talent transcended any single field.
The simple fact that he had taken an interest in this Player was itself proof that here was a seedling destined to grow into a master of formidable power.
Massive capital reserves combined with Ju Yul-cheon’s discerning eye had built K1’s roster into a formidable foundation.
It was precisely this that had allowed K1 to reign supreme in the KPL until now.
Of course, though age had softened him and his late-born granddaughter had tempered his nature considerably, that razor-sharp insight had not dulled one bit.
‘Shin Jae-ha, was it.’
His attention had turned to this one man.
‘Honestly, he’s remarkable. No—the word “remarkable” hardly does him justice. He’s talent incarnate.’
Where such a skilled individual had suddenly appeared from was a mystery unto itself.
What particularly struck him was the scene where he became the leader, positioning his teammates with perfect precision and drawing out their full potential—it had nearly made even him laugh in disbelief.
“If he develops well… he might become a Player capable of matching Si-woo’s position.”
“…!”
At her grandfather’s words, Ju Yeon-seo’s eyes widened.
Nam Si-woo.
K1’s captain and the face of the current KPL.
A legendary find unearthed by Ju Yul-cheon himself, the pride and light of the Korean League.
‘For Grandfather to give Shin Jae-ha such an evaluation…!’
Ju Yeon-seo suppressed the rising thrill and laughter with superhuman restraint.
Grandfather was not a man to lavish empty praise.
Though he was admittedly doting toward his granddaughter in ordinary matters, when it came to business, he was ruthlessly cold-blooded.
For such a man to rank Shin Jae-ha as a Player equal to Nam Si-woo was extraordinary.
“Yet that is precisely why it troubles me.”
At his next words, she looked puzzled.
“Troubles you?”
“Yeon-seo, there are two types of Players. The Knight who executes assigned roles, and the King who commands those knights.”
Ju Yul-cheon placed a white chess piece on the table before them.
A King, crowned with an enormous crown upon its head.
“Some Players show their greatest strength as Knights, while others reveal their true power only when reigning as King. Si-woo is a King—he reaches his full potential when leading the team directly.”
With his other hand, he then produced a second piece.
This time, a black King.
“And Shin Jae-ha is also a King. And there is only one circumstance in which two Kings can exist on the same board.”
“When they are… enemies.”
“Precisely.”
Shin Jae-ha and Nam Si-woo are both Kings.
They cannot serve on the same team, only stand as rivals across the board from one another.
Should Ju Yul-cheon wish to sign Shin Jae-ha as a K1 player, he would necessarily have to strip Nam Si-woo of the position he now holds.
The position that commands and leads the team.
The position of captain.
“That is why I said it troubles me. Shin Jae-ha is a treasure—a treasure who has excited even this old man in quite some time. But to give him Si-woo’s position when he is not yet fully matured would be folly.”
“Then bring him in as a trainee and nurture him! With this level of skill, even without the captaincy—”
“Of course, with such skill, he would excel in the Knight’s role as well. But whether a man born a King can bow his head, and how long he can bear to do so—that, I cannot say.”
“Ugh…”
Ju Yeon-seo bit her lip.
“So you’ll simply abandon him? If we let him slip away, he’ll surely become K1’s greatest obstacle.”
“And that is the very reason it troubles me, Yeon-seo. A treasure lies before my eyes, yet I cannot claim it.”
Of course, Ju Yul-cheon had no intention of letting Shin Jae-ha slip away while watching with both eyes open.
He wasn’t the type to simply let a player with such tremendous potential walk free.
“You handle it yourself, Yeon-seo.”
“…What?”
“I’ll give you an appropriate budget and authority. Bring that man into K1. Keep him on a tight leash so he can be managed without complications.”
A task from her grandfather.
Sparks ignited in Ju Yeon-seo’s eyes—eyes that had long thirsted for his approval.
“Really?”
“This old man doesn’t speak twice. Do as you see fit.”
“Perfect!”
Ju Yeon-seo sprang from her seat in excitement.
“Just you wait! I’m going to bring back that man’s contract!”
No matter how talented a man might be, at present he was merely a Level 6 Warrior at best.
There was no way he could refuse such a sweet offer to become part of K1.
“I’ll send you the details once I’ve organized them. And Yeon-seo, since you’ve come by after so long, won’t you spend more time with your old grandfather…?”
“I’ll start preparing right away! Thank you, Grandfather—I love you!”
Her business concluded, she swept out of the executive office like a whirlwind.
A soft chuckle escaped him.
Ju Yul-cheon swallowed a smile as he watched his granddaughter depart, unmindful of him.
“So Yeon-seo is already twenty-three… my little girl has grown so much.”
A precious granddaughter, obtained late in life.
Unlike his son, who possessed no talent whatsoever, she was a beautiful child who bore his own discerning eye and intuition.
In truth, her natural gift was a genius that even Ju Yul-cheon himself could not surpass.
Yet there remained something Ju Yeon-seo still lacked.
‘Experience. And failure.’
Her extraordinary talent had carried her on a path of success since childhood.
Having lived through countless years, Ju Yul-cheon understood the nourishment that failure provides, and so he deliberately set her this task.
A task she was destined to fail.
“Shin Jae-ha. An interesting fellow has appeared in my twilight years.”
Soft laughter echoed through the spacious executive office.
***
“What in the world were you doing in the Training Facility to rack up a bill like this?!”
The moment Ju Hyuk saw the invoice that landed in front of me, he let out a cry of alarm.
“Well… that is… I broke a few Reinforced Plates.”
“You broke them? Those?”
Player training facilities use special Reinforced Plates made from processed Magstone.
Otherwise, there would be no way to withstand the superhuman forces that Awakened ones unleash.
The problem was that these plates were extraordinarily durable, and their durability relied on processing capabilities achieved through the full mobilization of modern science and technology.
In short, they were prohibitively expensive.
Expensive as they were, it was rare to see players training cautiously in the Training Facility.
That was how extraordinarily hard the Reinforced Plates were.
“I just tapped it lightly, and it shattered like a biscuit.”
“There’s no way it could break from just a light tap… wait, no….”
My brother seemed to have much he wanted to say but refrained.
“So how are you going to pay for this? Do you have any money saved up?”
“If I did, I wouldn’t be living in your house and mooching off your food and board.”
“Ha ha, I suppose that was an obvious question.”
Well, it wasn’t as though I couldn’t repay such a debt.
I could convert my accumulated Credit into cash.
[▶Held Credit: 66,700]
Thanks to my Credit steadily accumulating lately, I’d reached a level where I could pay this off without strain.
But I didn’t want to convert Credit into cash if I could help it.
There were several reasons for this.
‘Credit is at its lowest point right now.’
The value of Credit only increases with time.
What might fetch thirty now could be worth a hundred later. Knowing that future, it felt wasteful to exchange Credit at a loss.
‘Besides, Credit can be used in so many ways that I want to accumulate as much as possible.’
If worst came to worst, I’d have to settle with Credit… but it still felt like a shame.
I could ride the current wave of popularity and appear on broadcasts or streaming platforms for appearance fees, but as I’d resolved before, I couldn’t afford to waste time on such things.
‘Could there be some way? Something that wouldn’t affect my Channel Play but would still earn me money…….’
It felt strange, as if he were thinking, “Isn’t there a job where my body wouldn’t ache, I wouldn’t have to study, and I’d make plenty of money?”
“Hmm…… uh?”
While he was wracking his brains, something caught his eye.
The business card he’d received from Te-ya just before leaving the Underground Dungeon.
In that instant, an idea flashed through his mind.
“How much money do channel streamers make?”
“Streamers? Well… it depends on the tier, but even mid-level ones make more than decent corporate salaries.”
“Really?”
“Of course it’s not easy to break through. The streaming market is a completely saturated red ocean. To survive, you need your own weapon.”
“A weapon?”
“Entertainment appeal or looks. Or… maybe just incredible skill?”
His brother pulled up the streaming platform and gave him a few examples.
There was You I-na, who became a popular streamer thanks to her quick wit and striking beauty, and HARU, who used to be a top-tier skilled streamer but is now a player for a KPL Division 1 team, among others.
“These days, streaming is as reliable a form of self-promotion as it gets.”
“Oh… I see…?”
“But why are you suddenly asking?”
His brother’s eyes narrowed as he tried to read between the lines.
“…Don’t tell me—?!”
“Yeah, you’re thinking exactly what I’m thinking.”
It was the perfect option: it wouldn’t interfere with channel play at all, it could boost his reputation and increase his market value, and he could even make money in the process.
“I’m going to do it. Channel streaming.”
“Jae-ha… streaming isn’t easy either. For someone with nothing, you’d need to have buzz, and…….”
His brother trailed off.
In fact, he’d already acquired the most difficult condition: buzz.
He was the mysterious Level 6 Warrior who was the subject of the hottest debate right now.
He’d have a proper initial boost, that was for sure.
“You’re right that it could work at first… but a good start is just that—a start. To keep broadcasting, you need your own weapon. You need content, in other words.”
“I don’t plan to do it for that long anyway.”
It was just about raising his market value through self-promotion and raising funds until he joined a team.
Once he started competing in the league proper, there’d be no need to keep doing it.
‘Still, I’ll need something to make money until then.’
To be honest, that wasn’t really a problem.
At this moment in time, how many people could stream “skill-focused content” better than he could?
“It’s fine~ I’ve got it all figured out.”
“If you say so, I won’t stop you… but what’s the plan? Open an account right away? Should I help?”
“That’d be great. Oh, but first.”
Since this would be his first broadcast anyway.
Wouldn’t it be better to do it with a professional rather than alone? It would speed things up… or rather, help more.
He picked up the business card and immediately called the number written inside.
-Hello, you’ve reached Te-ya~
“Hi, Te-ya. It’s Jae-ha.”
-…Jae-ha?! You really called me?!
The person on the other end of the line yelped in surprise.
He smirked and got straight to the point.
“I’d like to collaborate. I’ll provide the content.”
And he happened to have incredible content.
The Rank Placement Exam—a blockbuster-tier piece of content.
Challenger-Tier Player’s Return
Author
: Knight-Soul
Production Date
: August 10, 2026
Publisher
: Acesmedia Inc.
Editor
: Acesmedia Editorial Team
Address
: 10F Urban Bench Building, 325 Teheran-ro, Gangnam-gu, Seoul
Email
: [email protected]
※ This work is published by AS-IS Media Co., Ltd. in accordance with a contract with the copyright holder,
and the content may not be used in any form or by any means without permission from the company and author.
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UCI
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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