Mikhail…a Russian import Player?
Minjae watched the man disappear down the path before finally looking away. "...Kind of a strange guy, didn't even say hello to you."
Seongjin didn't react. "He's not obligated to."
"…You're the manager and coach of the team?"
"And?"
"…Fair enough."
Minjae let the topic drop. If Seongjin wasn't bothered, then it probably wasn't worth thinking too much about.
Still…something's off about that guy.
Minjae glanced once more in the direction the man had gone before letting it go.
"Come on," Seongjin said, already turning. "Let's finish the tour."
The moment he stepped inside, Minjae's brows lifted as his jaw almost dropped onto the floor.
"...Wow."
That was the only word that came to mind.
The place was extremely modern, with sleek flooring and minimalistic furniture, arranged neatly like it had been set up that morning. It was similar in feel to what a high-end mansion would be like.
"…This is where the Players live?"
"Yes, same for Solaris too. The dorms were designed for utmost efficiency."
Minjae let out a quiet breath, stepping further in as his eyes wandered. "Damn. Chaewon was really holding out on me. Living like this and still crashing at my place?"
Seongjin snorted softly. "Well, it's Cho Chaewon after all. Even now, I haven't gotten used to her antics."
They moved into the shared living space, which opened up to a huge sliding glass door that filtered in sunlight from outside.
A big couch sat neatly in the center with a low table in front of it. Right in front, a huge TV was mounted on the wall, likely where the Players come to rewatch matches and scrims.
Everything looked organized and barely touched…except for the kitchen. Specifically, the fridge, as someone was already there.
The door was wide open as a figure leaned halfway inside, rummaging through its contents like it owed him money.
"…Please tell me that's not a raccoon."
Seongjin didn't even look surprised. "That's one of yours."
The figure paused, hearing their voices. Slowly, they pulled back out of the fridge, a frozen pizza in hand along with a couple drinks.
The first thing Minjae noticed was the radiant blonde hair that fell down slowly from the guy's face, still wet, presumably after a shower. His skin was pale and eyes as blue as the open sky stared back at Minjae.
Another import Player? How many does this team have? Are they all imports? Do I have to start learning English?!
"He—herro," Minjae blurted out, immediately switching languages. "Naice tou meet you."
"..."
Commit Minjae, commit to it! If you pull back now, you'll look like an idiot!
"…Right," Seongjin said flatly, stepping forward before things could get any worse. "Minjae, this is Choi Jihoon."
The blonde guy's expression twitched.
"—also known as Arthur," he continued, just a bit too casually. "Our resident Vanguard of British descent. Half-korean, half-british specifically."
"…Manager," the guy said in perfect Korean. "We've talked about this, please call me Arthur."
Seongjin ignored his woes.
"Ahem," Minjae stood up straight, executing the best recovery of his life. "Nice to meet you, Jiho—Arthur-ssi."
He reached a hand out, to which the blonde man took it almost immediately. "Finally, someone with some class!"
They let go and Minjae drifted beside the manager, nudging him with his arms before whispering:
"Damn…did his Korean genes even try?"
"Hey, I heard that!" Arthur called out. But almost immediately, as if a flip had been switched, his tone took a massive 180.
His posture straightened as one hand came up, brushing his damp blonde hair back as his expression smoothed out.
"Do not fret!" he began, placing a hand over his chest. "For I am not one to be swayed by such trivial remarks. For you see, I am a man who walks the line between two worlds—one bound by discipline, and the other by honor!"
Minjae blinked as Seongjin closed his eyes, dragging a hand down his face.
Arthur took a stride forward in confidence. "A blade that wavers is no blade at all. And I—"
"Arthur."
"—am one who has long since cast aside hesitation in pursuit of a singular truth! Steel must not bend to convenience, nor shall it be sullied by—"
"Arthur…"
"—shortcuts or underhanded methods, for to do so would betray the very essence of the path I have chosen to—"
"Jihoon."
"..."
"...Manager," his voice dropped immediately. "We agreed not to use that name…"
Seongjin opened his eyes, completely unfazed. "We also agreed you'd keep introductions under thirty seconds."
"Actually, I kind of wanted to hear where he was going with that," Minjae remarked from the side.
Arthur's eyes widened as he heard the comment, dashing straight from the fridge and throwing an arm over Minjae's shoulder.
"I knew it!" he declared, voice brimming with excitement. "A man of culture at last!"
"I see you too respect the code of a true knight!" Arthur continued, gripping his shoulder tighter. "My brother—no, my best brother!"
"…We met five seconds ago."
"Time is but a trivial construct when one's souls resonate!"
"…Right," Minjae muttered, but he couldn't help the small tug on his face that was beginning to form.
Seongjin rubbed his temple, stepping in and pushing Arthur back a couple steps to give Minjae some space. "Alright, alright. You can do your 'team bonding' later. He still needs to see the rest of the dorm."
Arthur clicked his tongue softly, though the grin didn't leave his face. "Very well. Duty calls, after all."
But even as he turned, his gaze flicked back toward Arthur for just a second. Out of a sudden habit more than anything, he activated—
Analyze.
[Analyze Target — Arthur Choi — Confirmed.]
[Target: Arthur Choi]
Strength: 38
Agility: 22
Endurance: 30
Mana: 27
[Skill: Proto-Calibur – Enhances a blade-type weapon with Mana, allowing the blade to extend and retract at will.]
Wait…this skill is…really broken?
Range is one of the most important factors in Battle Arena…screw that, in general combat even. If a Vanguard had a ranged skill, they'd be able to deal with long-ranged threats and deal with aggressors—an all-encompassing Tank archetype.
Minjae nudged Seongjin once more, "Manager, how come someone like this isn't in the main Solaris team? His stats are decent for his role and his skill is insane."
"So you saw the potential… Analyze really is a useful skill," the manager replied. "But there's just one problem…"
He looked back at Arthur, casually putting the frozen pizza in the microwave as he took a sip of cola, "He insists on 'honor', to fight fairly. Something about 'not using his legacy' against unworthy opponents."
"What? Even if he loses the match because of it?"
"Yep."
Minjae dragged a hand down his face, a part of him refused to believe it. His teammates in Lunaris were shaping up to really be something else…
One asked to be his girlfriend on the first meeting, another completely fleeced his coach, and this one insists on being an honorable knight.
"…Please let my last teammate be normal."