Chapter 165: Behind the Scenes Clues
*** "You've been up to some interesting things without telling me." Contrary to his words, the middle-aged man's face was rigid. As if demanding an explanation for his daring actions, the man scolded him.
Kim Chi-sang, surrounded by women and holding a glass, waved his hand to the crowd. At his signal, the dozen or so women around him silently stood up. The middle-aged man frowned even more when he noticed the heavy scent of perfume.
"You found a place like this in the middle of the day." No sunlight entered the room; colorful, stimulating lights and loud music filled the space. The moment the women left, the music suddenly stopped at a signal from the middle-aged man.
-Pong! Click!
In a clear voice, Kim Chi-sang lit his cigarette with a lighter. He blew out a puff of smoke. "You mean I don't have the authority to do such a thing?"
"Nonsense! There's only one person in this country who has that authority!" Looking at the middle-aged man who had raised his voice, Kim Chi-sang twisted his mouth. "I don't think my influence has diminished that much yet."
– Bang! The middle-aged man slammed his fist on the glass table. He spoke excitedly. "The backlash from touching him would result in losses far greater than your guild's resources."
"Because of that one person, a guild that had invested astronomical sums was wiped out. We lost all of Subaru's belongings. We're only just beginning to recover now—do you think we can sustain losses like that again?!"
"Huh. So if we can get rid of him, that's a massive gain, right? Why are you giving up before you even try?"
"Don't you know? How are we supposed to get rid of someone who mercilessly killed those three terrible brothers?"
"You stupid bastard!" Kim Chi-sang picked up the wine glass that was precariously resting on the wobbly table. He poured the remaining wine into his mouth. "Do you think I'll pick a fight I can't win? I'm not that stupid."
At Kim Chi-sang's words, the middle-aged man's anger seemed to calm down a bit. "No matter how high the success rate is, it's not 100%. Considering the risk, it's better not to do it."
"If you succeed, you'll benefit a lot." The middle-aged man took out a golden cigarette case from his pocket. "That benefit is vague, that's why I'm saying this."
"If I'm being honest, if I can live without conflict with that guy, why bother getting rid of him? What benefit is that?" Kim Chi-sang grinned wryly as he watched the middle-aged man light his cigarette. He then proceeded with his question.
"Kukukuku. Do you think I'm stupid? Or do you really not know?" Instead of answering, the middle-aged man blew out the smoke. He looked intently at Kim Chi-sang.
"Yes, yes. If you're going to do it that way, I'll keep up. That's my duty as your subordinate. Do you know how much the price of the item has increased?"
"Well, I heard that it increased a lot after Cloyd went public and the items started being distributed."
"A lot... That word is used when the price doubles. When it increases five or six times in a short period of time like it is now, wouldn't the word 'skyrocket' be more appropriate?"
The middle-aged man knew exactly what Kim Chi-sang was talking about. Blowing out cigarette smoke, he listened silently to Kim Chi-sang's words. "Even items that most players wouldn't even look at are being snapped up in the general market."
"Since the recent 'linking' of otherworldly regions and monsters to Africa and Korea, they've been selling like crazy. The price is whatever you want." (The phenomenon of otherworldly locations and life forms appearing on Earth has come to be called "linking").
This was true. This allowed many players to bring items that previously had no monetary value into reality. This wasn't just curiosity or luxury consumption.
Ordinary people, feeling a real threat to their lives, began actively purchasing these items to defend themselves. Japan was the first country in the world to begin selling items to the general public. The government even took the initiative to start item trading and actively incorporated this advantage into their marketing.
After the Link phenomenon emerged in Africa, they fueled public anxiety. Even those with limited financial means began purchasing items on installments, like buying a car or a house. When the prices of these purchased items began to skyrocket, a market was formed.
A dangerous bubble began to inflate. The Japanese government had no intention of bursting this bubble. They returned the proceeds from item trading to the players.
They were executing a plan to invest, cultivate high-quality players, and acquire better items. They even exported them, establishing a brand image as a leading source of the best items. "What does this have to do with him?"
"Are you really going to continue this? His influence has already surpassed Asia. In fact, he's the world's strongest player. That influence will only grow stronger over time."
"Besides, everyone knows he has friendly relations with China and South Korea!"
"So?" Kim Chi-sang frowned as he looked at the middle-aged man. He was pressing the same question.
"So what's the point of that?! Right now, the only country with more players than Japan is China. But it's also true that their quality is lower than Japan's. Isn't the same thought common among those in power—to eliminate Jin Seo-woon and monopolize the market before rising?"
"Besides, the desire to avenge the last humiliation must be burning in their hearts." The middle-aged man dropped his almost-empty cigarette into a glass. It was more than half full of alcohol. He crossed his legs, leaned back, and spoke.
"You're wrong. We've practically given up opposing him. Didn't you see the statement released in the US last time? Even Japan praised his just actions."
"Do you really think we would do something as hypocritical as turning our backs on him now?"
"Of course I do. What can't you do in the name of national interests? Aren't you the best at inconsistency, denial of the past, and distortion of the truth?"
"That's why I joined forces with you." Kim Chi-sang's cavalier words caused the middle-aged man's frown to deepen again. "So what are his chances of getting rid of him?"
The middle-aged man, who looked almost bursting with anger, spoke words that didn't match his expression. Glancing at the middle-aged man, Kim Chi-sang emptied his glass. He replied, "About 70%."
"Very low. You didn't leave any traces of this incident, did you?"
"Except for the traces we planted in France and Russia, it's flawless. Even if China or the United States intervened, they wouldn't find anything."
"I understand. Then I'll completely forget what you said to me today." With that, the middle-aged man suddenly stood up. He left the room without looking back.
As he watched the middle-aged man's back, Kim Chi-sang lit a new cigarette. He said with a grimace, "Cunning bastard. If anything goes wrong, you'll take all the blame."
"But if it succeeds, no one will get the credit." Kim Chi-sang swallowed the rest of his words so no one could hear. He rang the small bell on the table. The scantily clad women entered the room again, and the music started playing louder.
***
A few days passed without any new developments. Seo-woon naturally stayed behind in Wonju and continued his training. Now even Juriell and Lilingwei had come to accept this lifestyle as normal.
Kvaang! The magic wand grazed Seo-woon's head and hit the floor. It caused a loud noise and a slight shaking of the surrounding area. "Damn! If it weren't for that worthless magic of yours..."
-Shh! Jecheon Daeseong quickly retreated, narrowly avoiding Seo-woon's blood bone. Juriell's ice magic flew towards Seo-woon. It softened the ground beneath his feet, shaking his center of gravity.
Seo-woon gathered his ki and cut the spell. -Bang. At that moment, Lilingwei approached from behind. She lightly touched Seo-woon's back.
"Phew. It's a bit difficult being one against five." It was still too much for Seo-woon to seal the Seonma-gi. He continued fighting against Shin-yo, Shin-geum, and the three players: Ki-chan, Juriell, and Lilingwei.
"If your Seonma-gi is strong enough, I can handle you alone."
"No. I train to deal with various situations, especially not to fight you one-on-one." When Seo-woon said this, Shin-geum disappeared with a pout on her face.
"Don't push me too hard." Shin-yo said the same thing and disappeared. "My patience has increased a lot since we signed the contract. He doesn't even react to small provocations." Thinking this, Ki-chan sat down in his seat, exhausted.
"Ugh… To be honest, isn't it too much to focus all your attacks on me?" "When fighting multiple opponents, it's standard practice to attack the weakest one first."
"What?! Honestly, there's not much difference between you and Juriell, is there? I'm actually more agile than her."
Juriell nodded, agreeing with Ki-chan's argument. Having learned martial arts quite well, Ki-chan had a wider range of positions than Juriell. He was overwhelmingly more agile in battle.
Seo-woon spoke without hesitation. "Juriell's ice magic is quite powerful. Moreover, mixing it with status-altering spells makes it difficult to deal with. And she's hidden, so if you try to attack her, you'll be the perfect target for a concentrated attack."
"On the other hand, compared to Juriell, your magic has a narrower range. It focuses on fire and lightning spells, making you easier to deal with. Don't just focus on increasing your circle and try to expand your spell range a bit."
"You rely too much on your footwork and often end up in bad positions. To be honest, those light footwork of yours aren't enough to mock me so easily." Ki-chan bowed his head at Seo-woon's harsh words. "A complete cheat character."
In fact, Ki-chan's lightning spell was quite impressive. Not to mention his operational skills and spell-casting speed, he displayed a remarkable spectrum of lightning properties. However, after taking half of Shin-geum's Diamond Bone, lightning spells were no longer a significant threat to Seo-woon.
He had previously been very cautious about lightning spells that slowed the body. They could also temporarily deprive the target of freedom of movement. But after taking the Void Bone, even if struck by lightning, he only felt pain and no stunning effect.
As a result, Ki-chan, who attacked from all directions and cast spells indiscriminately, had no choice but to become Seo-woon's prey. Seo-woon smiled at Ki-chan's words but couldn't help but nod in agreement. Hwa-an-geum-jeong and Geumgang-gol had definitely taken him to a whole new level.
In fact, it was almost like cheating that he'd become so powerful without any advancements in martial arts or magic. He had simply taken a body part of Jeon-cheon-dae-sung. If he were a real game character, he'd have abilities that would drive all the players crazy.
After a moment's respite, the group ate a light lunch. Everyone except Seo-woon was glued to their phones. Seo-woon quickly ate his fill and busied himself with refilling his energy bar.
While Juriell and Lilingwei were engrossed in social media, Ki-chan was checking various communities. He was looking for new articles and stories about the incident. When Seo-woon opened his eyes and caught his breath, Ki-chan hurried over to him and spoke.
"It's started." At his words, Seo-woon pursed his lips and jumped to his feet. Seo-woon took the phone Ki-chan held out. He saw his own name on the article.
-Government-connected illegal player J, Jin Seo-woon?!- Seo-woon checked the reporter's name and agency. He said, "Let's go."
Shortly after leaving Wonju, Ki-chan was speechless. "Wow, there are already over 100 related articles. They're all copying and pasting the same content... What is this? Is my name on the real-time trending page too?"
"Don't worry. He's the guy who wrote the first article. We just need to catch that reporter." "Reporter? Those disgusting journalists don't deserve to be called reporters." "But you did say it's a pretty big media company, right?"
"Yeah. I looked it up; it belongs to the xx newspaper group. They have a few online media outlets, and their ad agency is a subsidiary media company. It's basically just a typical trash media company that spreads rumors and makes money by putting ads on their articles."
"So what about their relationship with Japan?" Ki-chan's hands were typing faster on the laptop in the backseat. "They don't seem to have any special relations with Japan or Russia. There are many places with questionable financial flows, but there's no sign of foreign capital coming in."
Seo-woon closed his eyes for a moment at Ki-chan's words. Juriell, seeing Seo-woon's expression in the rearview mirror, said, "We don't need solid evidence. Just circumstantial evidence or testimony is enough to confirm our suspicions."
He was right. He had no intention of investigating or arresting anyone. Nor did he intend to take on the role of an investigative agency. If he found clues that confirmed his suspicions, he would deal with the relevant individuals. He would also deal with the people behind them. Just like when they dealt with the three Russian madmen.
***
"Are you all ready?" The three men in shabby clothes nodded at Kim Chi-sang's question. "But I promise…" Before the man could finish, Kim Chi-sang nodded without listening.
"I'll keep my promise, so don't worry. When all three of you die, $2 million will be sent to your families, whether the business succeeds or not." With that, Kim Chi-sang took out three black daggers from his pocket. He gave one to each man.
The daggers were slightly different in color and shape, but their options were almost the same.
-Applies a debuff to the target, using the user's life as a tool. The greater the skill difference between the target and the user, the more painful the user's final moments. *Cannot be used by anyone other than the player. The effect is nullified if not used voluntarily. (Debuff: Decreases the target's total stats by 30% for 30 minutes.)
-Sacrifices the user's life… (Debuff: Applies 10 times the target's gravity to the target for 30 minutes.)
-Sacrifices the user's life… (Debuff: Halves the target's defense for 30 minutes. This effect applies even if the target is wearing armor.) Within Cloyd, it was a quite useful and valuable item.
It was a powerful item that could instantly apply a powerful debuff to powerful enemies. This was true even if they couldn't be harmed by a single hair.
It was an item that could be used effectively if one were possessed, especially in Quad games.
However, few players could bring the cursed dagger, which cost 30 coins, to life. In fact, practically none.
In Cloyd, where a single death guarantees a team victory, sacrificing one's life is considered normal. But in reality, no player would risk their life to wield this dagger.
Kim Chi-sang was the one who brought three of these cursed daggers to life.
He had invested 90 coins in a single-use item. He couldn't help but laugh hysterically, shaking his shoulders as if he didn't know what he was laughing at.
In his arm was a yellow stone that hadn't been there before. Laughing hysterically, the man retrieved Metis's seal stone from subspace. He examined it carefully.
The expressions of the three men who watched Kim Chi-sang act like a madman remained unchanged.
Having severed all ties to life, it didn't matter to them whether the man in front of them was insane or sane.
As long as their remaining families received adequate compensation, they were content.