Karen Whitaker drew in a breath.
A Runner who had announced his arrival on the world stage with the brilliant achievement of consecutive SSS+ ratings.
At first, she hadn't thought much of it.
She assumed it would fizzle out.
Because there had been countless others like him.
Players who briefly shone and stood out, only to sink back down before long.
But Runner was different.
As time passed, his light didn't fade.
Far from it, it grew brighter and brighter, making people all over the world shout his name.
"Runner."
It was only then that Karen focused her investigation on the existence known as Runner.
Though they were allied nations, he was ultimately from a foreign country.
If an irregular-level player had appeared, she needed to know everything: where he lived, his name, his age, what he looked like.
But not long after, an unexpected result came back.
"Unidentifiable."
Despite putting in her full effort, she couldn't even learn his name, let alone his appearance.
For someone who had lived her life without knowing failure, this was an extremely baffling result.
"Ha..."
It was an absurd situation where she had tasted helplessness and the frustration of failure for the first time, all because of a stranger from a distant land.
That was why.
"I'll go myself."
She had traveled all the way to Korea, a place she had no real need to visit in person.
And finally, she came face to face with the mysterious irregular, Runner.
Having achieved her goal, she should have been overjoyed, but she couldn't be right now.
Letting out a long breath, Karen spoke.
"The analysis data on the Tower of Despair held by the United States, the information on Tower artifacts obtained from the transitions on each floor... and even the research logs on Tower equipment developed in America. You want all of that."
Karen recited the demands Jinhyuk had just made.
Jinhyuk nodded.
This was information he had received from Yoon Miri before boarding the ship, information the Korean Player Hunter Agency had long coveted.
"Ha."
Karen ran a hand through her hair.
A hollow laugh escaped her. To be more precise, these were demands no other nation would dare to make.
"And if we don't accept this, our American team gets erased from here?"
"Exactly."
Karen let out a low breath and made a strange expression.
She knew the thing in front of her was a monster.
But his stubbornness was making her feel defiant.
"Runner... no, Mr. Jinhyuk. As you know, this world is overflowing with all kinds of advanced equipment. Can you be so sure, without even knowing what we possess, that you can leave no trace? You say it's a personal deviation, but next to you, Eun Gangseok of the Hunter Agency is complicit. The moment even a hint of this leaks out, Korea will suffer. And greatly. To an unprecedented degree."
"I can do it."
Karen's lips curled up.
'Youthful arrogance is fine, but...'
She needed to show him reality.
She pulled a small transmitter from her pocket and held it out.
Before Jinhyuk could even examine it, she pressed a button.
"This equipment transmits spatial information to the United States. It sends sound and even object movements as holograms. In real time. I've activated it, so within three seconds, a response from the U.S. will come back, and a blue light will turn on here."
As Karen began to count with a relaxed expression, Jinhyuk counted first.
"One, two, three."
The blue light didn't turn on.
"Hot-dul-set."
Jinhyuk finished another count, this time in the style of Yodel Ranger Kancho, and looked up.
"Do I need to wait longer?"
Karen, who had been staring at the transmitter, turned around.
Reynold shrugged as if confirming something.
"All communications are down. And I think the reason is..."
Reynold pointed a finger out the window.
"Probably because of that."
Karen shifted her gaze and squinted.
How long had it been there?
A translucent barrier was cast around the ship.
"Just as Ms. Karen said, this is something that absolutely cannot leak out. So I set it up tight. It probably won't work until the very end. Unless this transmitter can even cut through the boundaries of space."
Jinhyuk spoke nonchalantly and offered a smile.
'The moment she hears our absurd demands, Karen Whitaker will try to contact the United States. Because in a situation where she has to make the decision alone, all the responsibility falls on her. The goal is to isolate her and extract only what she has right now. She'll handle the aftermath herself. For the sake of her own position in the U.S.'
Following the words of Korea's Zhuge Liang, Yoon Miri, Camilla's barrier had been set up in advance.
Seeing her flustered expression, it had hit its mark.
Karen shifted her gaze elsewhere.
Among the agents she had brought, there was one who was highly skilled in this field.
But even that agent had just shaken his head.
It meant it was impossible to break through.
"I'll take this transmitter as payment for your insolence."
Before she could even agree, Jinhyuk snatched up the transmitter.
Karen and the American team all swallowed dryly.
Forget strength, he was shamelessly brazen.
'Tch.'
Clicking her tongue, Karen leaned back in her chair.
Fine, take it.
It wasn't like Korea's current technology could replicate it or even understand its principles anyway.
"Reynold. Put the excavation logs of the transition artifacts and the analysis of the Tower of Despair from the 1st to the 120th floor on this USB."
"Understood."
While waiting, Karen continued.
"What I have right now is only up to the 120th floor. Access beyond that is restricted. If you want more, take down the barrier. I'll talk to the government."
"No, this is enough."
Jinhyuk took the USB and handed it to Eun Gangseok.
Eun Gangseok went outside to verify it, then nodded.
Seeing that, Karen bit her lip.
'So they can come and go as they please.'
It was a disgustingly irrational negotiation table, but what could she do?
They didn't have the military power to overcome that monster or the ability to break through this barrier.
"The research and development logs for weapons and armor are outside my authority. I don't even have samples with me."
Karen raised her hands as if there was nothing she could do.
In truth, she had brought some, but she would rather die than hand them over.
They were weapons.
They affected not only the Tower of Despair but also the balance of power in the real world.
"Understood."
"You're giving in more easily than I expected. As if you never wanted it in the first place."
She hit the nail on the head.
Yoon Miri had also said they wouldn't be able to get the last item.
Before the Tower of Despair appeared, weapons were the highest level of secrecy for the United States...
Jinhyuk frowned.
At the far edge of the ship, beyond the darkness, something was moving back and forth.
What is that?
He narrowed his eyes to get a better look.
It was short and plump, just like our... Momo!?
He almost had his eyes pop out.
Momo was deftly pulling something out with her tiny hand and diligently stuffing it into Kancho's bag, who was hiding.
As expected of the Sin of Greed, she was picking up everything endlessly.
But what was she stealing?!
Cold sweat ran down his side, but he maintained a composed smile as best he could.
"I've received the information well. I hope you have a safe trip back to the United States."
"You're even worried about our journey. I'm honored."
Karen smiled and extended her hand.
Having been unilaterally pushed around, her mood was still foul.
But why was she smiling?
When you thought about it, she hadn't really lost anything.
The transmitter? Even if they took it, Korea's technology was too inferior to make use of it.
The transition floor artifact excavation logs? The information in the logs they handed over was only from the 1st to the 90th floor.
Korea had already cleared those transition sections, so the opportunity to obtain those artifacts was long gone.
Even if they re-entered those floors from the Tower of Despair, the system wouldn't allow them to bring out items belonging to the Tower.
In other words, for Korea, it was a hollow victory.
The strategy guide up to the 120th floor was decent too.
Just because you read it didn't mean anyone could follow it.
Applying it in practice would take some effort.
"Well then, I'll be going."
As soon as the handshake ended, Jinhyuk turned around, and Karen spoke.
"I'll give you a ride to the mainland. I'm not one to hold grudges."
"It's fine. Someone's coming to pick me up soon, so I'll go on that. Goodbye."
Finishing his farewell quickly, Jinhyuk hurried out of the speedboat with Eun Gangseok.
Watching Jinhyuk's retreating back, Karen Whitaker let out a small laugh.
He had been so relaxed and composed just moments ago. He was an unfathomable person.
"The barrier has been lifted. Communications are back to normal."
"Good. Let's head back too."
"Understood."
The speedboat gradually picked up speed.
Leaning against the railing, Karen watched the uninhabited island grow distant.
She hadn't really lost anything, and she had discovered Runner's identity.
The gains outweighed the losses.
"Yoo Jinhyuk... Yoo Jinhyuk."
She murmured the Runner's name and laughed.
She now held information that even the U.S. government didn't have.
Her heart was already racing, wondering how much she could extract using this.
Lost in such happy thoughts, they cut through the waves for a while.
"Captain."
Reynold, who had been inside, walked out.
For some reason, his face was full of dismay.
"We're in trouble."
"What kind of trouble?"
"All the equipment we brought from the United States is gone."
The smile vanished from Karen's face.
"You're joking, right? I locked it so that no one could open it without my key. How? I have the key..."
It was gone.
Why was it gone?
No, how could it be gone?
Overwhelmed by a sense of vertigo, she froze for a moment, and then Jinhyuk, who had left the speedboat so hastily for some reason, crossed her mind.
"You son of a bitch...!"
Her hands trembled, but she couldn't very well go back and demand it now.
Given his shameless personality, he would definitely deny it, and she knew she wouldn't be able to prove it.
She pressed her hand to her throbbing forehead.
She had no idea what kind of trick he had pulled.
"Ha..."
Closing her eyes, Karen let out a deep sigh.
She was completely screwed.
* * *
That evening, at the Republic of Korea Player Hunter Agency.
"What the hell."
At the sudden outburst, Jin Yunho and the staff turned their heads.
They were genuinely shocked.
Yoon Miri, the epitome of composure, had used the word "hell."
Had she won the lottery?
"What's going on?"
Jin Yunho got up from his seat and walked over to Yoon Miri.
"It's something Mr. Jinhyuk just sent."
"The analysis of the Tower of Despair up to the 120th floor? Didn't we receive that earlier today?"
"Yes, we got that earlier, but..."
Yoon Miri pointed at the monitor.
Furrowing his brow, Jin Yunho leaned in closer.
After a moment, realizing what it was, Jin Yunho spoke.
"What the hell."
He had to rub his eyes.
It was information on the latest weapons that the United States had desperately guarded.
The analysis was so detailed that if they had samples, they could mass-produce them immediately.
Of course, obtaining samples would be impossible unless a miracle happened.
Beep.
The door opened, and Eun Gangseok, who had just arrived from Sokcho, entered.
"Mr. Jinhyuk asked me to give you this."
'...No way.'
Swallowing dryly, Jin Yunho opened the box he received.
"What the hell!!"
He couldn't help but step back.
It was the completed version of the weapon from the information they had just received.
Instead of the completely frozen Jin Yunho, Yoon Miri turned her gaze to the monitor.
It was utterly unfathomable.
What kind of trick had he pulled?
What kind of trick did you have to pull to analyze weapons using technology that didn't even exist in Korea?
Another question mark was added.
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T/N:
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