One month later.
The summit of Mount Everest.
This time of year, the weather on Everest couldn't be called extreme, but it was still completely unsuitable for climbing. Unless someone wanted to die, no one would choose to climb during this period. Howling snowstorms swallowed the mountain, reducing visibility to almost nothing.
Then-
With a dull thump, a figure "flew" upward and landed steadily on the summit.
In the distance, the rising sun pierced through layers of thick clouds. A golden ray broke through at the exact moment he landed, reflecting straight into his eyes.
At this moment, in this place, only he was there to witness it.
"Let's call it a good omen," Morin said with a grin.
He sat down and closed his eyes.
[Mechanic - Advanced (1190/10000)]
Title Bonus:H
Physique +1100
Intelligence +1100
[Advanced Car Controller]
[Interdimensional Advanced Wrench]
[Advanced Car Driving Skills]
[Storage Space] - 10 m³
[Morin]
Number of Professional Titles Held: 1
Available World-Opening Opportunities: 1
Current World: The Fast and the Furious Series
After receiving his share of the reward, the two million dollars were counted as labor income for his [Mechanic] profession.
Two hundred experience points were added.
The profession advanced from Intermediate to Advanced, and the upgrade bonus multiplied by ten.
A tenfold increase in upgrade requirements.
A tenfold increase in rewards.
Over the past month, Morin had finished reorganizing his businesses, selecting people he trusted to manage them.
Once everything was settled, he said his goodbyes to Toretto, Gisele, and the others, then came to Mount Everest alone.
Of course, he hadn't told them the truth.
He only said he wanted to leave for a while, find a remote place, challenge himself, maybe live in seclusion for a bit.
His real purpose stayed to himself.
Because the system had made one thing clear.
Every time he returned to a world he had already visited, it would cost ten experience points.
So unless absolutely necessary, Morin had no intention of coming back anytime soon.
Speaking of which-
Once his Physique passed one thousand, Morin clearly felt that he was no longer human.
...Wait, why did that sound like self-insult?
But regardless, he could feel himself getting closer to something like Superman.
He hadn't climbed Everest in the normal way.
He'd jumped.
Climbed.
Leapt again.
With a solid rock to push off from, Morin could jump over ten meters with ease.
His body had reached that level.
That was also why he chose this season.
Bad weather.
No climbers.
Even if he caused an avalanche, no one would be hurt.
And no one would record it.
Not that he really cared-but avoiding trouble was convenient.
"It's time," Morin murmured as the sun fully rose.
With a thought, he activated his single world-opening opportunity.
In an instant, his figure vanished.
When Morin regained awareness, he was standing in a starry sky.
"No matter how many times I see this," he muttered, "it's still incredible..."
He was suspended within a galaxy, surrounded by endless stars.
He wasn't sure what kind of power was protecting him, but he could breathe normally. No pressure. No discomfort.
[Randomly selecting a world...]
The stars seemed to stir, as if an invisible hand swept through them.
Light shifted.
Stars drifted.
Finally, one star was left behind.
It condensed into a small point of light and floated before Morin.
[World Selected - Spy Film World
(Mission Impossible, The Bourne Identity, Taken, Kingsman, etc.)]
[Please choose - Travel Destination]
[Please choose - New Profession]
Morin's eyes widened.
A spy film world?
That sounded insane.
Did that mean starting every day with a nuclear crisis?
"Choose..." He wasn't completely lost this time. After a moment of thought, he reached out and tapped the star.
"Destination: Langley, Virginia, USA."
"As for profession..."
He glanced at the options.
CIA Agent.
FBI Investigator.
NSA Agent.
"...Heh."
"I choose IRS employee."
That's right.
Ignoring the first three perfectly reasonable options, Morin selected the fourth-a profession that looked completely unrelated to espionage.
And he had his reasons.
The system didn't allow him to choose a time period.
But based on his previous experience, it would place him roughly a year before the main plot began.
He suspected the same rule applied here.
[Location confirmed.
New profession selected.
Beginning transfer.]
The point of starlight brightened, expanding until it swallowed him whole.
In the next instant, Morin found himself standing on a commercial street.
In his hand was a plain satchel, unmarked.
His clothes didn't stand out.
He'd been wearing a standard down jacket while climbing Everest, and it happened to be winter in Langley as well.
Everyone around him was dressed similarly.
Nothing drew attention.
Morin took a step forward, heading toward a phone store he'd just noticed, while checking the bonuses from his new profession.
[IRS Employee - Novice (0/10)]
(What do we do in the IRS? Let me tell you.
We catch the people the FBI can't.
We get intelligence the NSA can't.
We deal with the people the CIA can't.
In America, only two things are eternal-death and taxes.)
Title Bonus:
[Tax Law Expertise]
(A craftsman must first sharpen his tools.)
[Novice Spy Skills]
(Sometimes necessary when dealing with special kinds of tax evaders.)
[Novice Weapon Handling Skills]
(A required skill for an IRS employee.)
In an instant, vast amounts of knowledge flooded into Morin's mind.
With his current Intelligence, absorbing it caused no discomfort at all.
Everything settled.
Perfectly.