I stretched and stepped outside.
"Holy."
I instinctively covered my mouth.
The sun was slowly revealing itself beyond the horizon.
I could confidently say this was the most magnificent sunrise I had ever seen in my life.
"Hmm?"
I stopped admiring the sunrise and sniffed the air.
A delicious smell was wafting from somewhere.
Following the scent, I spotted two squat, chubby figures huddled by a campfire.
It was the Kancho and Momo duo, soaking wet as if they had been swimming since morning.
"You're here! Sit down quickly! It's almost done!"
"It's almost ready!"
Curious about what was cooking, I walked over.
"Whoa?"
Piled up next to the campfire were all sorts of seafood.
There were clams, abalone, mussels, and even a large octopus.
"Where did you get all this?"
"We caught them! There's tons of them right out front!"
"Right! You can just reach out and grab them!"
So that's why they were so drenched.
They must have been out tide-pooling since morning.
"Next time, we'll wake you up too, Commander! It's super fun!"
"Right! It's more fun than playing in a pool!"
"We'll catch a whale soon too!"
"That's not allowed. It's illegal."
"Huh?! Then what about a shark?"
"That might be okay."
"Got it. Hey, Momotari! Next up is a shark! Got it?"
"I love sharks! But aren't they scary?! How do we catch one?!"
"It's fine. Renya said she'd help. Renya will punch it once in the nose, and it'll keel over."
"That's perfect!"
As expected of Renya.
She plays along with them, whether they realize it or not.
"You can eat this! They said the shells open when they're fully cooked!"
"Wait! I need to sprinkle cheese on it!"
Kancho and Momo expertly sprinkled mozzarella cheese and waited with bated breath.
Once the cheese melted nicely, Kancho drizzled hot sauce over it.
"Please, eat first!"
"Thanks."
I shoveled a large scallop into my mouth.
'Oh, wow.'
The rich flavor of the cheese and the tangy kick of the hot sauce blended perfectly with the taste of the sea, creating an incredible flavor.
They say fresh seafood is best, and that's certainly true.
"Kyaa! Momo's hands are burning!"
Seeing me take one, Momo immediately copied me.
I quickly blew on hers to cool it down and then shelled a clam for her.
"Waaaaah! It's super delicious!!"
"It's the taste of the sea itself! I'll boil the octopus too!"
Ring, ring, ring.
As the Kancho-Momo duo busied themselves, my phone rang.
It was Eun Gang-seok, a ranker from the Player Hunter Bureau.
"Yes, Mr. Gang-seok."
# Oh, you answered right away? There are rumors that you never answer calls or Kakaotalk messages.
"Haha... So Yeon must have told you that."
# Busted. Please don't tell him I said that. Senior Se-yeon is really violent towards me.
After a brief laugh, Eun Gang-seok continued.
# Are you coming now? We have a visitor early this morning.
I stood up, a smile spreading across my face.
"I'll be right there."
I hung up and lifted my head.
"You two eat up. I need to go to the Pangyo house for a bit."
"Is it an operation?!"
"No, just an errand. There's some vinegar chili paste and wasabi in the fridge, so bring it out and dip your food in it. And could you save some scallops and octopus for me?"
"Got it!"
I gave Kancho and Momo a thumbs-up for being so diligent.
Then I walked over to the mansion's vicinity.
"Ugh."
Two frogs stood side-by-side.
They looked similar, but one was the Frog General made from Drakkan's eyeball, and the other was a temporary, disposable frog I had made this time.
What's the difference?
A huge one.
Unlike the Frog General, which provides a comfortable and clean transport, the temporary frog...
Gulp! Ptui!
...gives the worst ride and soaks your entire body in slime.
"Bleeeeh!"
I dry-heaved and wiped off the sticky mucus.
An incredibly disgusting feeling.
It felt like a lie that I had greeted a refreshing morning with a magnificent sunrise.
"Oh, welcome."
Eun Gang-seok, who had been using his Magic Eye after removing his eye patch, greeted me.
I greeted him back.
I didn't foolishly try to shake his hand.
I knew he wouldn't like it.
"You went through a lot of trouble coming all the way here from Yesan because of me."
"Ah, don't mention it. You're a VIP of the Player Hunter Bureau, so of course I had to come."
Last night, when I told him about the move, the head of the External Cooperation Division, Yoon Se-won, made a suggestion.
To station someone at the house and monitor who visits.
So Eun Gang-seok was urgently called in.
There's no one better for this kind of job than him.
Swoosh.
A blue aura leaked from his Magic Eye, enveloping the entire Seopangyo mansion.
It was a kind of illusion that showed the image created by the Magic Eye to anyone who entered the space.
Eun Gang-seok pointed with his chin towards a man near the garden.
"He didn't ring the doorbell from the start. He seemed to realize no one was home and just jumped over the fence. Do you know him?"
"Yes. I've seen him once. He's one of the people who came to deliver a 'good word'."
"Oh? These days, people deliver 'good words' in that manner?"
"I guess cults are just full of surprises."
"What should we do with him? Should I catch him? Right now, he's wandering around the virtual house I created."
"No. Could you just leave him be?"
I rubbed my hands together with a smile.
"I want to follow him discreetly."
"Understood. Then I'll adjust things so he leaves at a reasonable time. I shouldn't take up too much of your time, Mr. Jin-hyeok."
Eun Gang-seok altered the illusion using his Magic Eye.
Soon, the man turned around.
He must have decided there was nothing more to investigate.
I gave him a double thumbs-up and then took off the plastic bag I had brought.
"It's freshly grilled scallops and octopus. There's some sauce too, so please have some. I sacrificed myself to bring it without getting any of that sticky slime on it, so don't worry."
"Oh! I was just craving seafood! I'll enjoy this!"
"See you later, Mr. Gang-seok."
I said my goodbyes and leaped down.
Since they came to me uninvited, I decided to return the favor.
* * *
A mansion owned by the Cheonil Church located in Seoul.
Min So-yul, who had finished her prayers in the underground sanctuary, stood up.
Prayers usually left her feeling refreshed, but not today.
-Marvin Rodogus has disappeared.
Last night, she had received an oracle.
A serene smile amidst a cascade of light. She was to find out what had happened to Marvin Rodogus.
'Disappeared... Disappeared, huh.'
Creak.
Min So-yul furrowed her brow and pressed her forehead.
She had been thinking so much that her head was throbbing.
What on earth had happened?
Marvin was no ordinary thug rolling around the streets.
He was an Executor who had worked for the God for a very long time, and one of the most skilled among them.
And yet, his energy had vanished from the Tower of Despair.
What on earth had happened on the 91st floor?
The face of Yoo Jin-hyuk flashed through Min So-yul's mind.
Even a god couldn't intrude upon the system's domain.
That meant the only person who knew what happened on the 91st floor that day was Yoo Jin-hyuk, who had been with Marvin.
'Two went in, but only one came out.'
The Book of Fame had reported a SSS+ clear of the 91st floor.
As with the previous floors, it must have been the Runner who did it. That meant Yoo Jin-hyuk had returned alive and well, unlike Marvin.
Knock, knock.
"Come in."
The follower she had sent to Seopangyo bowed his head.
"How did it go?"
"Well... there was nothing."
"Nothing? Speak clearly. Don't beat around the bush."
"I-I'm sorry! There wasn't anything noteworthy. No one was there when I went in. It felt like no one had lived there for a long time."
"How is that possible? We just met him a few days ago."
"I thought it was strange too, so I even checked the property registry... but the owner wasn't Yoo Jin-hyuk. It was a completely different person."
"What?"
The question mark in her mind grew even larger.
It felt like she was being haunted by a ghost.
Min So-yul let out a deep sigh and waved her hand.
"Go out and keep looking. I'll try to make contact as well."
"Understood."
After sending the follower out, she pressed her forehead again.
What if he had gone into hiding to avoid the Cheonil Church?
Could she find him again before it was too late?
"You seem troubled."
"!!!!"
She turned her head at the sudden voice.
Yoo Jin-hyuk was sitting there as comfortably as if it were his own room.
She barely managed to take a breath, swallowing the scream that almost escaped.
"I didn't mean to startle you, sorry. Anyway, is this some kind of hideout? The entry procedure was incredibly complicated."
How dare he say that.
This was where the chairman of the Cheonil Church, a global religious organization, resided.
It was a place that even government agencies would struggle to find if they tried. How on earth had he gotten in?
"Runner Yoo Jin-hyuk. I didn't peg you for it, but you're quite rude."
"And was it polite to barge in and shove a bell in my face? Don't be like that. Come and sit down first. Have a drink to calm your startled heart."
Jin-hyuk arrogantly poured her a drink from the bottle on the table.
Min So-yul exhaled, suppressing her anger.
She had humored him because it was the God's word, and now he was running wild like this.
This man had absolutely no sense of his place.
But she didn't get angry or show her emotions.
That was what amateurs did.
She would shatter his grand delusion, make him face reality, and then take back the initiative.
She calmly sat down and downed the glass of liquor Jin-hyuk had poured for her.
The most important thing in a battle for initiative was composure.
She had to show him that even in a one-on-one confrontation, she wasn't the least bit afraid of someone like him.
Clink!
Min So-yul finished her drink in one go and set the glass down.
Then she filled the glass to the brim and pushed it towards him.
"Have a drink. It's a bit lonely drinking alone."
"I'll pass."
"What?"
"I can't drink that."
She picked up the bottle and held it up to the light.
Only then did she see it.
Tiny particles floating within the liquid.
Min So-yul's lips twisted.
"Do you think some cheap trick like that will work on me...?"
Before she could finish, Jin-hyuk tossed the bottle behind him.
A moment later.
Booooom!!!
The bottle exploded, sending nearby furniture flying.
Min So-yul's eyes widened as she glared at Jin-hyuk.
Unfazed, Jin-hyuk continued.
"'I'm not afraid of the likes of you. I'll maintain my composure and seize the initiative.' Something like that, right? I've met plenty of your kind, so I know. But it's not easy, is it? Not when there's a bomb in your stomach. Consider it the price for trespassing into someone else's home, so don't feel too wronged."
"You son of a bitch!!!"
Just as Jin-hyuk had said, the word 'composure' had been completely wiped from Min So-yul's mind.
Forget the God's word, she wanted to tear this smug bastard in front of her to pieces.
"Calm down and listen. I'll do what you want."
"What?"
"I'll go wherever you want, whenever you want, Ms. Min So-yul. Of course, my request comes first. So."
Hearing footsteps approaching from afar, he stood up.
As he walked, he placed a hand on Min So-yul's shoulder.
"Get me a 91st-floor section compression ticket. And send support for the next floor too. Not a weakling like Marvin, but something more reliable. If even one of these conditions isn't met... you know what happens, right? Boom."
He flashed a smile and walked towards the only exit.
A moment later, Jin-hyuk disappeared from sight.
"This... this bastard..."
Bang!!
Min So-yul, who had been staring blankly, slammed her fist on the table.
What was this feeling?
This seething, boiling sensation.
It was a feeling she hadn't felt in so long that it felt foreign.
"Hooooo..."
She took a deep breath.
She had to stay calm.
There was no way she would lose the initiative over something like this.
Whatever she had ingested, she could just get rid of it.
She would calmly handle this situa... Crash!!
Min So-yul flipped the entire table and clenched her fist.
His face was still lingering before her eyes.
That brat who had barged in, smirked at her, and then left as he pleased.
She had to admit it.
He was disgustingly good at getting under people's skin.
She ran her hand through her hair and closed her eyes.
Let's calm down.
It wasn't a complete loss.
'It was him.'
The serene smile amidst the cascade of light, Marvin Rodogus.
Yoo Jin-hyuk had killed him.
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T/N:
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