Comments exploded past 2,000 in an instant.
Goodwill and malice tangled once again.
Amid all this, criticism targeting No-Name'd started resurfacing.
~I think No-Name'd is just a bubble waiting to pop. This is way over the top. Did Vladimir get paid off or something?
A A
L Get lost.
Woman. No.
'■I can't stand conspiracy theorists.
I■You bastard. If you insult our No-Name'd one more time, I'm coming for you.
L You treat him like he's Jesus or something. Typical Korean herd mentality.
L Wanna die? Where do you live?
One thing had changed from before: the number of people expressing strong displeasure at negative comments had skyrocketed.
A social analyst even wrote a column titled Dangerous Faith about it.
But the passion for No-Name'd didn't fade at all.
Their fan club had already surpassed 1.5 million members and was now aiming for 2 million.
The name No-Name'd had become so influential that its logo was being printed on all kinds of clothes and fashion accessories.
South Korea was completely swept up in the No-Name'd craze.
Naturally, Vladimir's interview was translated and spread across global news outlets.
Most people were shocked, and many denied it.
In Japan's political sphere, things even escalated, with some officials accusing the South Korean government of "cunning trickery."
1_There's seriously nothing likable about Japanese politicians.
L So shameless, never reflect on anything.
I■So petty. Just pathetic.
Given the historical tensions between the two countries, heated comments flew without restraint.
This was the moment when the world began to truly take notice of the typhoon named No-Name'd.
Two days after Vladimir's interview—
Soohyeok, still dumbfounded by the chaos that had started the day before, received a call from Oh Shinwoo.
"Hello?"
To be honest, Soohyeok thought Oh Shinwoo would be thrilled.
He was the type who would normally shout for joy louder than anyone.
[…You're doing alright, yes?]
But his voice was unusually low and subdued.
Even the way he asked questions was noticeably cautious.
"Oh, I'm fine. I've just been looking around for a new place to move."
Soohyeok brought up a bit of personal news to keep the conversation going.
That's how bad Oh Shinwoo's voice sounded over the phone.
[That's good to hear.]
"…Is something wrong on your end, Vice President?"
[Nothing in particular. I just tend to worry a lot about things.]
[Uh… you're not thinking about emigrating or anything like that, are you?]
"I think I mentioned this before…"
[You never know with people's hearts. Oh, I'm not saying I don't trust you, Mr. Yang Soohyeok. I just… worry a lot, as I said.]
From the continuing conversation, Soohyeok could sense why Oh Shinwoo was so down.
Because of Vladimir, Soohyeok had drawn far more attention, far more quickly than anyone had anticipated.
He knew this day would come eventually—but he hadn't expected to be caught so off guard, with no time to prepare.
So the anxiety had built up on its own.
Now, it wasn't just companies targeting Soohyeok—there were even nations showing interest.
'Can't blame him for being anxious.'
Even in relationships, people get insecure if their partner starts seeing someone more attractive or successful. It was natural that Oh Shinwoo would be even more sensitive when it came to Soohyeok.
Soohyeok smiled, though the phone couldn't show it.
"Well, nothing like that has happened yet. And no unusual offers either."
But his voice remained as calm and composed as always.
"As long as we maintain our mutual trust the way we have so far, there's no reason for me to look elsewhere."
Then he reminded Oh Shinwoo of what mattered most.
Romantic relationships and business partnerships share one truth:
Tension must exist.
If things get too comfortable, you stop caring for each other.
That opens cracks in the relationship—and eventually, those cracks become rifts.
Even the strongest wall will crumble if you don't keep reinforcing it.
So even though Soohyeok had no intention of transferring to another country or joining a foreign company, he left a small warning.
[As if I'd let you down. I'm the manager of the great No-Name'd, after all. Hah.]
"Manager? That's not a bad title."
For a second, Soohyeok questioned the term, but then nodded with a smile.
Thinking it over, Oh Shinwoo's role wasn't all that different from a manager's.
He was just a particularly high-profile one.
After all, he was the Vice President of Korea's Awakened Association.
[Actually, I wanted to make a small proposal. If you have some time, could you visit the association?]
"A proposal?"
[Yes. I've come up with what I think is a solid idea. I'd like to discuss it face to face.]
"Is it urgent?"
[It's not something that needs to be done today or tomorrow.]
"Alright. Then we can take it slow. Actually, there's something I wanted to ask you, too."
[A favor? Please, go ahead.]
"I'm thinking of using my portal exclusivity rights soon."
[Your exclusivity rights?]
Oh Shinwoo's voice wavered for a moment.
Portal Exclusivity Rights.
Usually reserved for awakeners ranked Grade 12 or higher—and even then, rarely used.
For a simple reason:
Controlling an entire portal meant monopolizing all the by-products and mana stones from that world.
In an industry where guilds—awakened corporations—were constantly competing for greater profits, giving one person exclusive access without overwhelming justification would cause an uproar. And except for Soohyeok and Baek Moohak, all top-ranked awakeners were already affiliated with such guilds.
So unless the association had an airtight reason, they were extremely cautious about granting approval.
"Yes. Is that going to be a problem?"
[No, not at all. But… wouldn't that be dangerous for you?]
After a short pause, Oh Shinwoo gave his answer with conviction.
If Soohyeok wanted it, granting him portal exclusivity rights was well within reach.
The idea that someone couldn't use an existing right simply because of how others might perceive it—that was inherently contradictory.
But Oh Shinwoo's concern was safety.
Entering a portal alone was extremely dangerous.
That's why the title of Solo Player wasn't given lightly.
However, exclusive access rights were a tier even higher than Solo Player.
While a Solo Player might enter a portal alone and receive backup later from other teams or guilds, once exclusivity was declared, no one else was allowed in. The portal became Soohyeok's alone. He would have to survive in another dimension, completely by himself.
"Trust in No-Name'd," Soohyeok said with a smile.
[Well, when you say it like that, I really have no argument, do I?]
No-Name'd was strong—even Vladimir of the Universal 8 had acknowledged that.
To worry about someone like him could be seen as arrogant in itself.
Oh Shinwoo nodded.
[I'll have the approval ready whenever you need it.]
"Thank you. Ah, and I think it's best we talk about your proposal after I return from clearing the exclusive portal."
Clearing a portal would result in by-products, including mana stones, which would need to be processed.
So naturally, a visit to the Association would be necessary afterward.
[Yes, let's do that. I need a bit of time on my end to prepare too. By the way, how's the car?]
Late yesterday afternoon—
The SUV, freshly repaired and cleaned as per Oh Shinwoo's arrangements, had arrived.
From Soohyeok's perspective, there was little to complain about.
"It's amazing."
[Glad to hear you're satisfied. Alright, then—I'll be waiting.]
The call ended.
Afterward, Soohyeok manipulated his ring to check not the well-known portals, but recently surfaced ones.
A flood of Grade 1 to Grade 3 portals appeared in his view.
Occasionally, even portals of Grade 6 and above appeared.
But none of them caught Soohyeok's attention.
He had a plan—to gain greater freedom, to gain power faster.
After thinking it over all day yesterday, he narrowed it down to a few of the most efficient methods.
"Conquer high-grade portals and level up quickly."
Soohyeok was currently Level 43.
Thanks to the experience gained from clearing the Tranon dimension, he had grown considerably.
But compared to his actual abilities, this was still low.
Most Awakeners of 12th Rank or higher were already over Level 80.
Until now, Soohyeok had grown stronger not through levels, but through mastery of martial arts.
This had its own benefits, but it also meant he had missed out on the gains levels could provide.
That would change now.
He was still far from entering the state of Harmony Realm, but leveling up was close at hand.
Levels, after all, operated much like a game system—the stronger and more terrifying the monsters, the faster the gains.
In other words, invisible experience points were real.
And Soohyeok possessed the ability to solo monsters well above his level.
"I don't need scraps. I need something big."
He kept refreshing the portal data with focused eyes.
It didn't matter if the portal took time to clear.
By now, Han Junhee had learned that Soohyeok was an Awakened.
So had Sua.
The only one in the house still unaware was Yang Seungbon.
But if Soohyeok just left them a short text message, that worry would be settled too.
"Grade 7… No, not enough."
It was a Grade 7 portal, but only medium in size.
The time-to-reward ratio wasn't great.
Soohyeok ignored the newly surfaced high-rank portals.
He continued searching for a long time, but nothing truly satisfying appeared.
"Nothing yesterday, and nothing today either. What now?"
He clicked his tongue in frustration.
More portals opened and closed each day than most people realized.
But high-grade ones were rare.
That's because high-grade meant powerful lifeforms lived on the other side.
If those beings were hostile, clearing them out would require huge manpower and time investments.
If such worlds kept appearing too often, Earth itself would be in serious danger.
"But I need one right now…"
He had already lost a day yesterday.
Sure, he had trained, but the benefit of leveling up through portals was far greater, making it frustrating.
"Should I just go to one of the already-open ones?"
There was only one option.
He looked at an 8th-grade portal currently being attacked by the Baekdusan Guild (White-Head Mountain) and the Cheonhae Guild (Heavenly Sea).
He clicked his tongue again and shook his head.
It had already been open for two weeks, and the world inside was medium-sized.
With those two massive guilds involved, the portal was likely close to being cleared.
"Guess I should go with Plan B for now."
Leveling-Up Wushin-nim (The Martial God).
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