Yeonsanghoe Waiting Room.
Momo jumped energetically and stood on the table.
"How's Momo's jumping power?"
She struck a heroic pose with her hands on her hips.
It was a height even a kitten could reach, but I gave her a thumbs-up anyway.
"Momo! Our Momo is so cute today as always!"
Yoo Soo-yeon rushed over and squished Momo's cheeks.
"Huh? Doesn't our Mochi look a bit plumper than before?"
"Momo ate a ton of eel yesterday!"
"Is that why your belly is round too?"
"My belly was already round!"
Yoo Soo-yeon hugged Momo as if she was dying from the cuteness.
Jin Seo-hee, who was nearby, also crept closer and reached out her hand to Momo's cheek.
As soon as her hand touched, Jin Seo-hee wore a blissful expression.
She couldn't take her hands off Momo during the last housewarming party either; she seemed completely addicted.
"Wait! You have to stop squishing!"
"Why? Unni wants to keep squishing!"
"Then we can't open the storage!"
"Oh, right. You came to deliver things."
It seemed she just remembered.
Yoo Soo-yeon stepped back, scratching the back of her head.
Jin Seo-hee also reluctantly took a step back.
Watching them, I shook my head.
'The charm of the Cat Emperor.'
How could I not understand that feeling?
As someone who always maintains either the Left-Kkancho-Right-Momo or Left-Momo-Right-Kkancho formation at home, I understand a hundred times over.
"Wait a moment!"
Had a minute passed since Momo disappeared into the Infinite Storage?
Rumble!
A massive amount of magical engineering equipment spilled onto the floor.
Yoo Soo-yeon tilted her head at the unfamiliar appearance and approached.
"Whoaaaaa!!"
As soon as she read the description, she fell flat on her back with her signature reaction.
"What's wrong? What is this... Whooa!!"
Even Jin Seo-hee, who usually had subdued reactions except when it came to Momo, covered her mouth.
"Great Momo-nim!!"
After trembling for a while, Yoo Soo-yeon prostrated herself before Momo.
"Hmm!"
Momo, with an incredibly mature expression, patted Yoo Soo-yeon's head.
The two of them strangely got along well.
I smiled at Yoo Soo-yeon, who was endlessly shouting praises to the Cat Emperor.
This was the reaction I had somewhat expected.
Although the grade itself wasn't high and they couldn't be used outside the Tower, the magical engineering equipment had excellent performance relative to its level restrictions.
Especially the firearms, which were significantly lighter than conventional guns.
For non-combat classes, they were drool-worthy.
"J-Jin-hyeok-ssi?"
Yoo Soo-yeon and Jin Seo-hee turned their heads to look at me.
Their eyes were asking intensely.
Where on earth did you get something like this?
"Let's just say I stumbled upon a treasure trove. This is all of it."
I didn't say I could bring more.
This was only possible because I had cleaned out... no, received all the equipment used by the Administration Bureau soldiers.
Currently, Eteropolis was researching and developing various items beyond just weapons, unlike before.
If I asked them to make more, they would gladly agree, but I didn't want to.
"This is enough! No, it's more than enough! This is perfect!"
Yoo Soo-yeon threw an uppercut into the air.
Perhaps because the dam had been broken, various ideas on how to utilize these items were already springing forth.
"If we put them out, they'll sell out immediately."
Jin Seo-hee's words made Yoo Soo-yeon nod.
"Right. But I think it's better to stretch them out as long as possible. So new customers will flow into Yeonsanghoe."
Unless there's a special reason, people don't give up their familiar habits.
That's why even if a better hair salon opens next door, people still go to their usual place.
Since Yeonsanghoe was a newcomer in the industry, it was facing similar difficulties, but now weapons that could turn the market upside down had appeared.
Not only were they unbelievably light, but they were firearms that didn't require carrying bullets.
I was confident that people would abandon their familiarity and visit Yeonsanghoe.
And after that? I was confident.
Price and quality were among Yeonsanghoe's greatest weapons.
"Jin-hyeok-ssi."
Yoo Soo-yeon stood in front of me and clasped her hands together.
"I will worship you as a god."
"Excuse me?"
"Me too."
Jin Seo-hee joined in as if she had been waiting.
Maybe it was because she was spending time with Yoo Soo-yeon, but she seemed much more lively than before.
"By the way, Soo-yeon-ssi."
"Yes?"
"Is it okay if I eat all those snacks? Piggy Momo is about to finish them off."
Munch munch munch!!
So that's where our Cat Emperor had gone.
She was hunting down the snack container in the corner.
"It's fine if you eat them all. I brought them from France, and I was going to give them to Momo anyway. Oh, right."
Yoo Soo-yeon handed me a document.
"You've had such a huge impact on Yeonsanghoe's growth, Jin-hyeok-ssi. Not just today, but from the beginning. So I reorganized the shares a bit. It might seem a bit presumptuous."
I wondered why she was saying that.
# Yoo Soo-yeon: 33.4%
# Jin Seo-hee: 33.3%
# Yoo Jin-hyeok: 33.3%
It was because she had taken a mere 0.1 percent more.
"Think of it as receiving additional settlements based on the percentage below, on top of the payment for existing items."
I stared blankly at the document, then picked up a pen.
I scratched out the number next to my name and rewrote it as 10 percent.
"This is enough."
Even now, besides receiving sales proceeds, I was getting various benefits from Yeonsanghoe.
Whenever they got their hands on a rare item, they asked me first, and if I said I needed something, they somehow found it and gave it to me for free.
And yet, 33.3 percent?
That was too much for someone who only brought items and didn't participate in management.
Besides, with my annual salary hitting a hundred billion won, my financial situation was quite comfortable.
"Done! No changes allowed!"
I quickly drew a line as the two tried to say something.
After staring at me for a long time, Yoo Soo-yeon and Jin Seo-hee grabbed my hand.
"We will worship you as the one and only god!"
"Seriously... me too."
As I smiled awkwardly,
Momo, who had finished off one container of snacks, came running over.
"Momo wants shares too!!"
The Cat Emperor demanded shares with snack crumbs all over her mouth.
I pulled Momo over and gave her a thumbs-up.
"I'll give Momo 100 percent of my shares."
"What!?"
Momo's eyes shook violently.
The owner only had 10 percent, but she got 100 percent!
"This is awesome!"
I patted Momo, who was beaming, and looked at the document with the shares.
From a basement-dwelling unemployed person to a shareholder of a rapidly growing Yeonsanghoe.
I'd have to brag about this when I got home.
"Let's have a cup of coffee first! I'll brew you a delicious one!"
"Momo too!"
"I'll make Momo some iced cocoa!"
"Yay!"
Momo was tucked under my arm as I walked.
I was busy until yesterday, so today, let's enjoy a leisurely tea time.
---
Krakow, Poland's second city.
Lee Kang-san of the Korean Player Hunter Agency, who had landed at the airport, stretched.
"I'm dying."
When he was young, he used to travel the world with just a backpack.
But now that he was past his forties, even riding a plane was a hardship.
"Even in business class, 14 hours is brutal."
He grumbled as he exited the airport.
"Ugh."
He had heard that early spring in Eastern Europe was no different from winter, and it was certainly cold.
Lee Kang-san looked around and made a phone call.
# Yes, Kang-san-nim. Did you arrive safely?
"My whole body is stiff, but I'm here. But I don't see the Polish Player Hunter Agency that was supposed to pick me up."
# Is that so? I heard Europe is overly relaxed, maybe that's why? One moment, please.
"By the way, Mi-ri-yang, Krakow here is a very beautiful city with the Vistula River spreading out, you know? Sending an old man like me to a place like this might have been a wrong choice in many ways."
# You're always holed up in your room smoking. You need to go somewhere like that and refresh your lungs.
"As expected, only Mi-ri-yang worries about me. Well... I know you sent me because my face isn't as well-known as the others, but I'll express my gratitude anyway."
# Your qualifiers are unnecessarily long. Ah, you'll see them soon. They said they're almost here.
He nodded and lit a cigarette.
"Should I finally hear it? The reason you sent me all the way here."
# I sent you a text with a security code.
"I forgot the code, so I didn't read it. I couldn't be bothered to read it anyway. Tell me in person."
# Do you remember the terror incident in Busan two years ago?
"I remember. We identified the culprit, but they vanished like they evaporated. We haven't found any solid clues since, so it's still a mystery."
# That was the case. But they were found this time.
"What?"
# They were among the bodies that were all slaughtered near Jae-woong Construction. And the investigation revealed that for the three years since the Tower appeared, they had been working for some organization.
"So that's the Crown Jackpot."
# It's not confirmed yet, just a suspicion, so the NIS was secretly looking into it. But this time, those agents vanished. First two, then two more who went to find them, and then four more who were sent as reinforcements—eight in total, all of them.
"That must have caused a stir. Eight valuable assets gone."
# Yes. So they requested support from the Player Hunter Agency.
He exhaled smoke and looked around the dark Krakow.
It seemed like such a quiet and peaceful city, but people were disappearing.
He tried to see it differently.
Vroom.
Lee Kang-san stood up as a vehicle approached.
"Looks like they're here."
# Kang-san-nim.
"Yeah?"
# Be careful. The last four who disappeared were players on the 70th floor.
"Eheh. Such unnecessary worry. You know, Mi-ri-yang. I'm stronger against uniform humans than diverse monsters. I'll contact you again later."
# Yes. Take care.
He hung up and walked towards the sedan that had stopped.
Two people got out from the driver's and passenger's seats and bowed their heads.
"Sorry for the delay. I'm Bikowski from the Polish Player Hunter Agency."
"I'm Krzysztof."
"Not at all. I'm Lee Kang-san."
After shaking hands, he got into the back seat.
"We've secured cooperation from the authorities and set up a temporary search headquarters at Wawel Castle. We'll head there directly."
Lee Kang-san nodded and spoke.
"Thank you for your active cooperation. Actually, this has nothing to do with Poland, in a way."
"How could we pretend not to know when agents of a friendly nation have disappeared in Poland? We've received orders to cooperate actively."
"Well, well, I'm at a loss for words. I look forward to working with you."
They drove for a while, taking in the city's night scenery.
The vehicle arriving at Wawel Castle slowed down.
Despite being a famous tourist attraction, the castle was quieter than ever due to access restrictions.
Lee Kang-san got out of the car and looked around the castle.
Even in the darkness, a subtle grandeur emanated from the place.
"This way, please."
Lee Kang-san followed the Polish personnel.
How long had they walked?
Just before entering the castle's square, Lee Kang-san spoke up.
"I have a question."
"Go ahead."
"Is it a Polish custom? To secretly observe and monitor personnel from a friendly nation from all over the place?"
As if by agreement, the two personnel stopped walking.
A brief silence fell, and then an answer came.
"That's a shame. It would have been better if you had just pretended not to know."
Lee Kang-san's lips curled into a long smile.
"We've just met, and you're already showing such consideration."
He immediately took off his eye patch.
He had heard that Europe was more relaxed compared to Korea.
But it seemed today was going to be tough.
----------
T/N:
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