Subscriber of the Gods

Thump-. Thump-. Thump-.

In an instant, everything Ethan had been looking at disappeared.

Ethan suddenly found himself in a room.

No, this was closer to a tent than a room.

‘A temporarily erected tent.’

It appeared to be a military tent used on battlefields.

Ethan first surveyed his surroundings.

As the tent wasn’t very large, he quickly spotted someone.

An overwhelming physique.

Even though only the silhouette was visible, a man with such a large body that it exuded pressure walked towards Ethan.

A presence so strong that it felt as if the earth trembled with each step.

As the distance closed, his eyes glowed fiercely.

Eventually, those intense eyes that seemed ready to devour his opponent turned towards Ethan.

Ethan looked up at the man who had suddenly approached.

History described him as a warrior sent by the gods, possessing inhuman martial prowess.

One who could change the tide of battle with a single sword.

It was Cheok Jun-gyeong, the Sword Saint of Goryeo.

“Greetings, subscriber.”

The bushy beard and armor.

And his characteristic sword looked quite impressive.

“Are you Cheok Jun-gyeong, sir?”

“Yes, I am Cheok Jun-gyeong, the Sword Master of Goryeo.”

Cheok Jun-gyeong smiled, showing his teeth.

“In the New World, they call me the Sword Master of Goryeo. I quite like that nickname. I introduce myself this way every time I collaborate with a subscriber.”

Cheok Jun-gyeong spoke in a deep voice.

“Thank you for subscribing to me. Quite a few subscribers chose me after watching the shorts. But there weren’t many cases as urgent as yours. Death was right in front of you, wasn’t it?”

“You knew about my situation?”

“Of course. Seeing how much you borrowed my power, you must have used quite a lot of likes. So I couldn’t help but know.”

Cheok Jun-gyeong said.

“You must have had various circumstances, but now that you’ve subscribed to my channel, all your worries and concerns will be resolved. If you deeply master the two techniques, Reversal of Disadvantage and Fight to the Death, you’ll be able to gain the upper hand on any battlefield. And once you completely master these two, you can learn my ultimate technique. Of course, it won’t be easy to use properly as it’s difficult to master completely.”

Cheok Jun-gyeong was a swordsman.

Unlike Hang Woo or Hercules, he was a god who primarily used a sword as his weapon, making him quite helpful to Ethan at present.

“You must be bewildered. Being suddenly pulled into this place. But don’t worry. This is entirely beneficial to you, a blessing from the New World. This is called a collaboration, a dialogue between subscriber and god.”

Cheok Jun-gyeong said.

“It’s a short time, but during this time, you can directly ask me questions.”

Cheok Jun-gyeong looked at Ethan.

“I’ll answer just one question about anything you’re curious about. This collaboration isn’t very long. As far as I know, it’s about 15 minutes. If this collaboration right were made into merchandise, it would be a bit longer, but this is free, you see.”

He looked at Ethan.

“Subscriber, is there anything you want to ask me?”

Cheok Jun-gyeong waited for Ethan after saying this.

‘He seems to have had this experience countless times.’

If so, obvious questions would never shake Cheok Jun-gyeong.

After pondering for a moment, Ethan looked straight into Cheok Jun-gyeong’s eyes and said,

“Don’t you want to rise to an even higher rank than now?”

“…What did you say?”

An unexpected question.

As Ethan had anticipated, Cheok Jun-gyeong was clearly shaken.

***

Cheok Jun-gyeong was currently a god ranked in the upper echelons of the New World.

Originally, Eastern gods in this New World lacked fame and recognition, failing to gain subscribers’ acknowledgment.

Basically, gods widely known among subscribers were mainly chosen, as their abilities were easily understood and clear from their names alone.

As a result, Eastern gods lacking recognition and fame were often overlooked by subscribers, and Cheok Jun-gyeong initially failed to be chosen by subscribers as well.

But Cheok Jun-gyeong didn’t get discouraged.

Rather, thinking it was natural, he observed other gods being chosen by subscribers.

He analyzed which gods subscribers mainly chose and created videos based on that analysis.

There were several trials and errors, but eventually, Cheok Jun-gyeong succeeded. He firmly established himself at the top among Eastern gods.

As a result, he became ambitious.

Could he really win in this New World?

However, rising higher was by no means easy.

The gap with Zeus, currently ranked first, seemed insurmountable, and there was a considerable gap even with the gods just above him.

Despite doing everything he could to the best of his ability, he had hit a limit.

Cheok Jun-gyeong, who had overcome countless battlefields and unfavorable fights until now, found competition in the New World not easy.

But he had no intention of giving up or settling. That would only leave him as a loser in the end.

If he improved the quality of his videos, surely more subscribers would choose him.

In addition, Cheok Jun-gyeong focused on this collaboration right.

He thought this collaboration right, where he could directly talk with subscribers and give them the feedback they wanted, was a means to leap even higher.

That’s why he was well aware of subscribers’ tendencies.

‘The questions that will come are already set. They’ll probably ask how to use my abilities well.’

Cheok Jun-gyeong had met numerous subscribers in person and received questions.

They were obvious but necessary questions, and Cheok Jun-gyeong had answered them sincerely.

He thought this subscriber in front of him would be no different.

He would ask the same obvious questions as the many subscribers he had met before.

But the question that came out of this subscriber’s mouth was completely unexpected.

“Don’t you want to rise to an even higher rank than now?”

Cheok Jun-gyeong’s eyebrow raised at a question he had never heard before.

“What does that question mean now? Subscriber, you only have one chance to ask a question. If I answer here, that’s the end of it.”

“I just want to hear Sir Cheok Jun-gyeong’s thoughts. Whether you intend to rise higher, or if you’re satisfied with this rank.”

It was a statement that crossed a line. Clearly having touched a nerve, Cheok Jun-gyeong’s expression hardened.

Ethan, sensing this was the right timing, introduced himself.

“I’m the subscriber who uses the nickname [Only subscribed to the right gods], Cheok Jun-gyeong sir.”

“What?”

Cheok Jun-gyeong was well aware of that famous subscriber’s name.

“You’re saying you’re the [Only subscribed to the right gods] subscriber!?”

Wide-eyed, with a voice that had grown louder.

At the expected reaction, Ethan grinned.

“Though I’ve unintentionally gained fame, yes, I am that subscriber.”

“Huh, to think you were that amazing subscriber. I was your fan. Thanks to you, seeing Heo Jun rapidly rise, I wanted to meet you in person for various reasons.”

Heo Jun was another Eastern god, and despite being from a different era, there was a sense of kinship, perhaps because he was from the same hometown.

That’s why he was quite moved seeing Heo Jun rise from the bottom, and was extremely grateful to the [Only subscribed to the right gods] subscriber.

“I can’t believe this. I thought something like this might happen someday. To think you would subscribe to me!”

The words that had crossed the line just moments ago were already forgotten in Cheok Jun-gyeong’s mind.

“Cheok Jun-gyeong sir, I’d like to hear your answer to my question first.”

Ethan calmly asked again.

Just because his reaction was good didn’t mean the conversation was over.

“……”

Although Cheok Jun-gyeong had shown quite a positive reaction to Ethan, he was quite cautious about the question.

“I won’t answer that now. Rather, I’d like to express my gratitude for the Heo Jun matter.”

Although he might have been anxious given the limited time for direct interaction, Ethan remained calm.

Instead, he stepped back and waited for Cheok Jun-gyeong’s words.

Cheok Jun-gyeong thought for a moment and then opened his mouth.

“Originally, I don’t give this out in this setting, but I’ll give it to you specially.”

As he said this, he created a book in his hand.

“This is my merchandise. My signature sword technique, the Cheok Shin Sword Technique, is written here. The most basic Forms 1 and 2 are written, so if you take this…”

“Is it possible for me to learn directly from you, Cheok Jun-gyeong sir?”

“Of course you can learn. But we only have, um, 13 minutes left. In 13 minutes, I can only lightly demonstrate and explain. The moment I finish explaining, it will end. Is that okay?”

“Yes.”

This subscriber was certainly different from others.

He made choices that seemed to cross the line but didn’t quite, choices that were incomprehensible, yet somehow evoked a strange sense of expectation.

‘Strange.’

It was clear that this was a type of subscriber never before seen in the New World.

“Then I’ll teach you.”

Cheok Jun-gyeong immediately began his lecture.

“Raise the sword high, but not simply extending it, like this. Focus on the energy within your body and in one breath…”

Cheok Jun-gyeong was certainly skilled at explaining.

‘I wonder if this has any meaning. There’s not nearly enough time to understand, let alone practice a few times.’

Cheok Jun-gyeong demonstrated Forms 1 and 2 of the Cheok Shin Sword Technique.

Form 1 looked like simply slashing downwards, and Form 2 was a sword technique that imbued the sword with explosive power to deliver a powerful strike.

The interesting thing was that Forms 1 and 2 of this Cheok Shin Sword Technique looked very easy.

Exceptional people make difficult things look easy.

In other words, the difficulty of this Cheok Shin Sword Technique was much higher than it appeared.

“It might be difficult to understand. It might even be hard to follow along. When you return, in your world, you should train…”

“I understand.”

“…What?”

Cheok Jun-gyeong frowned at Ethan’s words.

“That’s impossible. You say you understood just by seeing this now? I know your eyes have a special power, but that alone isn’t enough. You need to have basic skills…”

Cheok Jun-gyeong clicked his tongue, speaking as if to say don’t put on unnecessary airs.

“I can see you have talent, but…”

Before Cheok Jun-gyeong could finish speaking, Ethan pulled out Frost Sword and swung it.

Swish-!

At that moment, Cheok Jun-gyeong, who had been speaking, closed his mouth.

“……”

“I’ll demonstrate Form 1 of the Cheok Shin Sword Technique as I understood it.”

Ethan’s eyes shone as he continued to swing the sword.

Swish-! Swish-!

Then he immediately followed with Form 2.

Certainly, it was difficult for the current Ethan to fully execute the Cheok Shin Sword Technique.

Nevertheless, Cheok Jun-gyeong couldn’t take his eyes off Ethan.

Only his eyebrows moved. He closely observed Ethan’s movements with a hardened face.

It was a very rough sword, but its essence was clearly the Cheok Shin Sword Technique.

As the creator of the technique, he had to acknowledge it even more.

“That is… certainly Forms 1 and 2 of the Cheok Shin Sword Technique.”

Ethan’s claim that he understood was not a lie.

But Cheok Jun-gyeong couldn’t understand such an Ethan.

It should clearly be impossible.

It should be impossible to understand and use in such a short time.

“How is that possible?”

Author's Thoughts

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