Chapter 52: Garden’s New Star

Jaeho returned with two Spirits in tow.

As soon as they entered the Garden, Fonda became a superstar in an instant.

Among the older Elves, there were quite a few who already knew Fonda, and even the younger Elves, who had only ever heard about Spirit partners from the elders, were deeply curious about him.

On the other hand, Dae-wa Jingjing-i, who had been scolded all the way there by Fonda, was completely out of sorts and ignored.

No matter how open-minded Elves were about Spirits, it was inevitable they’d be more drawn to the Spirit of Vitality than a Demon Realm Spirit.

“That’s just instinct, I suppose.”

Jaeho gave a half-hearted consolation to the dejected Jingjing-i and got back to work.

This time, he was making a Flower Ring.

A request had come in for crafting one to confess to an in-game lover…

“I mean, I already don’t get why someone would confess in-game, but why bother with a Flower Ring for it?”

Besides, Jaeho’s crafted items weren’t yet widely known for their abilities.

Even if people did know, the stats were mainly for hunting, so there was no reason to get a request for something like a confession.

“Well, it’s not like I can’t do it… But wait, come to think of it, all the recent requests have been weird.”

Two rings, three necklaces, five bouquets…

Even the purposes were similar.

Confession, decoration, fashion…

Not a single request was related to combat!

“Suspicious…”

He had a bad feeling.

All these commissions piling up at once, and all for the same kind of thing—it was fishy.

“Don’t tell me, is it the Bear Guild again?!”

It seemed possible.

Maybe this was their pretext for infiltrating and trying to assassinate him.

“I’ll have to meet them with Elves as backup.”

Thinking that, Jaeho immersed himself in his work again.

***

“Phew—how do I look?”

A man with a nervous expression asked the woman standing next to him.

“Whatever, just please take off that suit, will you?”

“Come on, what’s a businessman supposed to wear besides a suit?”

“At least wear it in real life! Not just in New World!”

“Heh, you think this is any ordinary meeting? I’m about to meet the hottest man in the world, you know?”

The man’s gaze was fixed far off, on the lush green land visible in the middle of the desert.

“Alicia… At last, I’m finally meeting you!”

With great anticipation, he was ‘Bill’, the Recruitment Manager for KUSA, America’s biggest Pro Gamer team.

And the woman with him was ‘Anna’, KUSA’s Manager.

The two had put in a work request to Jaeho.

Of course, that was just on the surface.

Their true purpose was recruiting Alicia.

They’d tried a few times before to approach Elysia through the recruitment team, but could never even get close to Jaeho.

Their reckless attempts to meet him were always blocked by the powerful Elves guarding him.

Contacting him through the Call Center was impossible, too.

Those unfriendly employees wouldn’t even let them get past “Hello, I’m…” before cutting them off.

So, pretending to be clients was the only way they could approach him, troublesome as it was.

Alicia was a player worth such effort.

Elysia Garden didn’t have actual castle walls.

The desert prairie itself was Elysia, and the Flower House and Garden, where Jaeho was located, were right at its center.

Guided by the Call Center staff and Elves, Bill and Anna made their way there.

When the hostile stares of the Elves kept stabbing into them, their earlier confidence melted away.

Not to mention the human slaves they occasionally saw…!

“N-no wonder… Players say it’s so hard to adapt to this place…”

But Bill was a professional among professionals.

Even with such intense behaviors, his job was to gently integrate people into the team.

“As long as I succeed in recruiting…”

Chak—

They finally arrived at the Flower House.

Creeeak—

The door opened and a flood of floral fragrance washed over them, making their heads spin.

“Ah, you’re here.”

Jaeho strode out from inside the Flower House.

Bill and Anna stared up at Jaeho in a daze, clutching their trembling legs.

“Th-this is… even more intense than it looked on screen…”

An overwhelming aura!

No ordinary person could handle this.

Not even when he’d first met ShareShot, the team’s infamous maniac, did he feel this much pressure.

“This man is a born predator!”

At that moment, Bill made up his mind: he had to recruit Jaeho at any cost.

This man was destined for greatness!

“So, which one of you is ‘Best Manager’?”

Such a blunt nickname.

“Ah, that’s me. Nice to meet you.”

Snapping out of it, Bill stepped forward to answer Jaeho’s question.

“Meeting you in person… You’re even more impressive.”

“…Excuse me?”

Jaeho’s face clearly said, ‘What the hell is this guy talking about?’ but Bill hurriedly handed over his business card.

“First, let me apologize. Actually, I’m Bill Clinton, the Recruitment Manager for KUSA, America’s biggest and best gaming team. Please, just call me Bill.”

“You’re not a client?”

“No. I’ve wanted to meet Alicia for a while, but there was just no way to contact you, so I came like this. I’m sorry.”

Hearing that, Jaeho clicked his tongue.

“No wonder there’ve been so many clients lately…”

He got the feeling all the other upcoming ‘clients’ would be similar cases.

“Would you have a moment to talk?”

Bill asked, and though Jaeho wanted to refuse… reality held him back.

“If I want to keep playing, I need something to prove to Mom…”

He decided to at least hear them out.

***

“So, you just have to trust me completely!”

After a long presentation, Bill finally finished.

“…Ah, you’re done?”

Having been nodding off, Jaeho raised his head, blinking belatedly.

“I heard you. So, Mr. Byeol?”

“…It’s Bill.”

“Ah, Mr. Bill. Let’s see… So, you’re an American gaming team?”

“That’s right. As I said, KUSA is the world’s biggest gaming organization, based in the heart of New York—”

“Sorry, but I’m Korean.”

“……Excuse me?”

Bill and Anna barely swallowed back a “With that face?”

Just looking at his in-game avatar, Jaeho didn’t seem remotely Asian—his features were rugged and intimidating.

“Haha… Well, that’s…! Korea is truly a gaming powerhouse. How is it that you always produce such incredible players…”

Bill awkwardly changed the subject.

“Still, in today’s global world, does nationality really matter? We can provide every convenience you need. If you want, we can even get you through immigration right away—”

“What? Are you serious?”

Bill took Jaeho’s words as acceptance.

But in reality, it was the complete opposite.

“Why would I go to America just to be a Pro Gamer? I already suffered through two years of the world’s most boring army service! If this was before I enlisted, maybe…”

“……What?”

Jaeho didn’t have that much passion for Pro Gaming.

Running the Flower House was his top priority.

From what he’d heard, maybe he could level up or do quests that would help the league.

But what about the Flower House?

It was clear it would get pushed aside.

“Well… I think you misunderstood. Personal activities are completely guaranteed—”

“No.”

Jaeho shook his head firmly.

“The Flower House comes first, no matter what. I won’t accept anything that would push it to second place.”

If the league schedule ever overlapped with a client’s appointment at the Flower House?

Jaeho would choose the latter, without hesitation.

And you want someone like that to come to America for Pro Gaming?

“But nowhere else will you get this kind of special treatment.”

“That’s not the issue. I never even considered being a Pro Gamer, and I want to keep focusing on the Flower House. Even if I ever do enter a tournament, it’ll only be as a hobby. I have no wish to insult Pro Gamers’ passion like that.”

That was Jaeho’s honest feeling.

And upon hearing that, Bill thought…

“He’s not ordinary. He knows how to raise his own value.”

He was completely mistaken.

“Probably, lots of people have approached him like this before.”

That must be why he wouldn’t make a hasty decision here.

“He shows such respect for Pro Gamers… He must be taking this seriously, whatever he says!”

Concluding that, Bill nodded and stood up.

“I understand. Thank you for your consideration and respect, Alicia.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yes. Alicia’s thoughtfulness and respect… I appreciate it. Now I want you even more.”

“Huh?”

“Some say KUSA is always lacking in manners, no matter how skilled we are. Maybe… you’ll be the one to fill that gap.”

“Excuse me?”

“Well, we’ll be going now. But please remember, Alicia, we’re always waiting for your call.”

“???”

Jaeho realized.

“This guy… he’s completely misunderstood.”

“Wait a minute!”

Jaeho called them back as they were about to leave.

They’d only sought him out because of his fame and the brief battle scenes they’d seen in videos.

He needed to set the record straight.

He hated leaving room for misunderstandings.

“There’s something you need to know.”

Bill’s ears perked up.

“My level just barely passed 100.”

An awkward silence filled the Flower House.

“Haha! Good joke. I get it—it’s just a show of confidence.”

Bill tried to laugh it off, but Jaeho brought up his status window to show them directly.

Anyway, unless it was a particular genre or a specific purpose, there was no real reason to hide one’s level.

Most top players had already made their levels public; if anything, it was skills or item information that got hidden.

But to Bill, seeing Jaeho’s actual level was a big problem.

“?????”

Bill rubbed his eyes and checked again, but Jaeho’s level remained the same.

“As you see, I’m not that strong. I’m not nearly tournament-level. So I really think you should look for other, more qualified players.”

Jaeho clearly conveyed his intent.

***

Stunned, Bill and Anna left Elysia Garden.

“What do you think?”

“I don’t think it’ll work.”

Anna cut him off without hesitation.

“Tsk, that’s why you’re still green.”

“Come on, you’re good at managing players, but your recruitment record isn’t great.”

Anna didn’t hold back with her critique.

“Well, maybe so, but I’m telling you, Alicia’s the real deal. Hard to get started, but once he’s in, he’ll go all-in like no one else.”

“I really don’t think he’s interested in Pro Gaming, though.”

“What? You think that Flower House talk was sincere?”

Bill looked exasperated.

“Sincere or not, he’s already running it, isn’t he?”

“Of course it’s a cover! There are all kinds of people in New World, but I’ve never heard of anyone running a Flower House. Do you really think the Flower House owner could beat Taylor to a pulp? At just level 100?”

Anna had nothing to say to that.

Having seen the videos herself, she was just as speechless.

“Alicia has to be recruited. Pulling off that level of performance at such a low level… He’s a once-in-a-lifetime find! Pro Gamer? He doesn’t even have to play! Just having him is a guaranteed hit!”

“Still… do you think he’ll accept?”

Anna was still skeptical.

While Bill had only focused on Jaeho, she’d looked around and could tell.

He wasn’t just pretending—he truly cared about running the Flower House.

“Just wait and see! I’ll get Alicia to join KUSA for sure!”

But Bill boasted confidently.

He was determined to win him over!