Ranker's Return

Chapter 840

“There is? What is it?” Hyeonu took a sip of his champagne and asked Mason.

‘If a person who hates company work is doing this... there must be something.’

He was curious about what idea Mason was hiding.

“Brother, I will say it. I think the virtual reality side of business is more promising. There is a lot of capital that has already been raised, but I think I can raise more.”

Mason quickly continued the conversation as if he knew Hyeonu’s heart.

“However, the publicity for Arena isn’t that big yet. Companies are hesitant to invest because they don’t know when the game will fail.”

Mason was right. Arena didn’t really receive a lot of investments from companies compared to its huge market size. At best, it was all about professional gaming teams. If they did a bit more, then it was a management company. It was just this much.

“I have a lot?”

However, this was a far cry from the reality that Hyeonu was experiencing. Hyeonu received several offers a day for sponsorship. It was just that Hyeonu had already achieved tremendous financial success, so he refused all of them. The only sponsor was Porsche. Porsche had a sponsorship relationship from the time when it was hardest for Hyeonu. Additionally, the one who owned the most shares in Porsche, Ket, was a personal friend of Hyeonu’s both in Arena and in real life.

It was just that this was really limited to Hyeonu. For others, such an opportunity wasn’t easily reached.

“It is unlucky to say that.”

Mason heard Hyeonu’s boast that wasn’t a boast and spat on the ground before wiping it with his shoes.

“Brother, it is alright for you, but not for others. How many companies will invest in a game when they don’t know when it will go out of business?”

Mason was talking about uncertainty. Sports like football and basketball couldn’t be eliminated just from someone’s will. There was also no perfect substitute. Meanwhile, it was different for virtual reality games. They were a mirage that disappeared when the company shut its operations. The future of the game also wasn’t guaranteed if a new game came out. It would be replaced in an instant. No company was willing to make a huge investment with such uncertainty. They were concerned about money above all else.

“Of course, the trend is changing now. The popularity of Arena is still skyrocketing. Experts predict that it won’t easily subside in the future. Companies are slowly trying to dip their hands in.”

Mason used people to track the trend of investments by leading companies in virtual reality games. They slowly recognized the stability of Arena and were willing to invest capital.

“So you’re going to aim for the players?”

Hyeonu immediately recognized what Mason was talking about. It meant he would preempt an advantageous position when the market was now relatively small.

“In any case, you have the stocks of more than one or two companies in your hands... does this mean much?”

A natural question popped up in Hyeonu’s mind.

The Rockefeller family—it was now a family that was more famous for its foundation, but it was expected they would have assets that others didn’t know about. It naturally wasn’t at the level of having just one or two companies.

“That’s what I was thinking. One company doesn’t mean anything. It is just a simple publicity effect. Additionally, life is too short. I will lose money if the game crashes.”

There was always a risk unless Arena’s popularity continued indefinitely. However, Mason found a way to minimize that risk.

“I’m going to set up a management company.”

Management—manage the people who played the game, not the game itself.

“Aren’t there already a lot? There are Nike and Adidas. There are some famous companies in Europe as well, right?”

Hyeonu cocked his head. There were already plenty of management companies. It was more like a red ocean than a blue ocean.

“The concept is a bit different. I am planning to make it possible to do more than the current management.”

Mason shook his head. The management he envisioned was very different from the previous management. This was why he needed more help from Hyeonu and the others.

“If it is management, I think it will be a bit difficult for me to help? I like where I am now and don’t want to move. All the people I introduced belong to it.”

Hyeonu had no intention of leaving Nike Management. The bond with Kale and Jamie Moore was too strong. The care he got from Nike Management wasn’t bad either. On the contrary, they gave too much convenience, ao it became a bit of a burden. Mason stretched out his index finger and shook it from side to side.

“It is okay. The new management I will start is with Nike. Uncle Jamie wants to retire. He wants to take a break now.”

Mason smiled brightly while Hyeonu laughed because it was so outrageous.

***

Mason’s party ended and Hyeonu returned straight away to South Korea. A day or two was fine, but staying for more than three days was a big deal for Hyeonu. It was because he had a commitment to the viewers.

“Hello, everyone. I am Alley Leader. How have you been after a few days?”

Hyeonu bowed toward the viewers.

-How was the party?

-It is poisonous, poisonous. He returned to South Korea the moment the party was over.

-The live stream was turned on straight away.

-Is he taking care of the viewers’ public sentiment in this way?

The viewers got goosebumps when they watched Hyeonu’s live stream, which was turned on at the same time as last week. Streamers would usually take a break after this type of thing happened while leaving a message that they couldn’t stream.

This wasn’t the case with Hyeonu. He immediately came back and turned on his streaming. It was a wonderful willpower.

“Hey, how can I take it easy? There are so many viewers waiting for me.”

Hyeonu gave a pretentious smile. It wasn’t for this reason that Hyeonu didn’t rest.

‘If I take a break once, I will have to fill it up twice. This is too much hard work.’

It was because he knew that once he rested, he wouldn’t have to fill it up just once, it would increase to two or three times.

“Additionally, there is a special guest today. It is the protagonist of Alley Leader Academy, the biggest content I am working on—Jamie Moore!” Hyeonu called out the name of today’s guest, Jamie Moore. Then Jamie Moore jumped out from behind Hyeonu.

“Hello, everyone. I am Jamie Moore.”

Jamie Moore was now a decent player. He wore good items. As he leveled up and gained experience, the features of a high grade master could be seen.

-He is developing really quickly.

-Doesn’t he work for a company? Is this a speed that office workers can show?

-Yes. As the CEO of Nike Management, shouldn’t he be a very busy person?

-Rumor has it that he stopped the company work altogether.

The viewers marveled at Jamie Moore, who showed a different appearance from the last time he was a guest. At the same time, they spread all sorts of rumors about Jamie Moore.

‘There are good guesses.’

Hyeonu nodded when he saw the rumors about Jamie Moore flooding the chat window. For the most part, the rumors were absurd, but some of them were valid. Such stories were worth circulating.

‘I actually heard it too.’

Additionally, Hyeonu had just heard information about Jamie Moore from Mason.

“Aren’t you stepping down from your position soon? Now you will enjoy the rest of your life. Do you think so, Jamie?” Hyeonu approached Jamie Moore, who was concentrating on the chat window, and whispered in a low voice.

“Huh? How do you...”

Jamie Moore stared at Hyeonu with surprise. His resignation was something top secret that only a handful of people within Nike Management knew. It was natural to be surprised to hear such a secret from Hyeonu’s mouth.

“The new CEO told me. The former CEO who quit to play Arena. The new CEO who was appointed in order to play Arena. The chairman must be very upset.”

Hyeonu giggled and laughed. It was indeed ironic. Jamie Moore left the company he had dedicated his life to after belatedly learning the fun of Arena. Mason threw himself into the company in order to continue Arena.

“That’s how it happened. It is time for me to rest. Kale is doing a better job than I expected, so I was able to quit comfortably.”

Jamie Moore smiled. It was a complicated feeling. It was sad and empty, but at the same time, he was filled with anticipation because of the new beginning.

-Why are they smiling?

-No, when did he turn the sound off again?

-He just moved for a while and turned off the sound in the meantime?

-It is like a real ghost. How are his hands so fast?

Viewers didn’t know why Hyeonu and Jamie Moore were smiling. It was because Hyeonu immediately prevented the sound from being transmitted.

“Don’t you have to work harder in the future? We need to finish it before spring arrives at the latest,” Hyeonu spoke to Jamie Moore one last time as he prepared to turn the sound back on.

“I understand, Master Gang. I would appreciate more guidance.”

Jamie Moore nodded.

“Let’s aim for the bronze medal. It isn’t difficult,” Hyeonu stated before turning on the sound.

“I’m sorry that I turned off the microphone without prior notice. There was some private talk that shouldn’t appear on the livestream. I would like to ask for your understanding.”

Hyeonu bowed his head like Jamie Moore had just done. Next to him, Jamie Moore came out.

“Today, I will show you how hard I’ve worked so far. Even someone like me can do it. I will show you that too.”

Jamie Moore tapped the two swords hanging from his waist. The eyes of the viewers naturally turned to the two swords.

-Wow, how gorgeous is that?

-It is rare rated at a minimum.

-Doesn’t it seem unique rated?

-Isn’t it just unique?

Jamie Moore’s two swords were gorgeous. They deserved attention. First of all, the outward appearance looked gorgeous. It looked good to everyone.

“It looks pretty good? What type of item is it?”

It was no different for Hyeonu. Rather, it was because Hyeonu’s discerning eye was the best that he instantly saw how good Jamie Moore’s two swords were.

‘It is unconditionally unique rated. Unconditionally.’

The scent coming from the items was saying so.

“Are they perhaps unique rated items?” Hyeonu asked quietly.

“That’s right. They are unique rated items.”

Jamie Moore nodded. The two swords were unique rated.

“Can I ask how you obtained them?” Hyeonu naturally asked about the history of the two swords. It was a logical question.

“Ah, this isn’t an item bought with money. I received it, received it.”

Jamie Moore’s response in return was shocking. It wasn’t something he bought, nor did he pick them up. He received them.

“Who did you get it from?” Hyeonu asked again.

“I got a class change and received them,” Jamie Moore replied in a calm manner.