The members of Banshee, who had been summoned into the desktop environment, looked bewildered as they adjusted to their unfamiliar surroundings.

Suho chuckled, “Welcome to the desktop screen—first time here?”

“Desktop screen?” Gu Yeon-hwa asked, confused.

“Remember the computer screen I showed you earlier? Does it ring a bell now?”

“Oh!” Gu Yeon-hwa suddenly recalled the image from the laptop—a picture of an unknown reception room with a large table and sofa, which looked exactly like where they were now.

Seo Gi-won joined the session, and Suho began explaining Seo Gi-won’s ability to use computer viruses for leveling purposes. After finishing his explanation, the Banshee members were left skeptical.

“Don’t believe me? I didn’t at first either. But seeing is believing—try it yourselves.”

Suho had already instructed Seo Gi-won to set up a light virus for training purposes. Suho led the team to a virus file on the desktop, which he called a “dungeon.”

Inside the dungeon, they found:

- **Lv. ?? Virus Zombies**
- **Lv. ?? Distorted Virus Creatures**

Names and levels were unlisted for these virus zombies, but the group noticed the number of monsters was intentionally limited.

‘This should be manageable even without my direct involvement,’ Suho thought, then said to the group, “These are virus zombies. Their levels match yours, so you just need to defeat them. Think of them as field monsters in a game. There’s no loot here, only experience points. And no boss monsters—just head back to the entrance if you feel overwhelmed.”

“What about you, Team Leader?” one of them asked.

“I’ll be hunting in a different dungeon. If I join you, the zombies’ levels will adjust to mine, making it harder for you all. So, focus on leveling up—you’ll make more money that way.”

“Got it.”

“Oh, and you’ll be seeing a lot of each other, so start getting along with Gi-won too. Think of him as part of Banshee. In fact, from now on, we’re all Banshees. That’s our team name.”

Leaving his team on auto-hunt, Suho exited the dungeon and headed for a different one. His choice to hunt separately was deliberate, as the virus zombies’ levels would adjust to whoever was present.

‘My level is significantly higher, so joining them would just make things harder for them.’

Although hunting higher-level monsters would yield faster leveling, Suho chose a strategy that balanced long-term efficiency. They needed more than just levels; they needed real-world combat experience and instincts. He entered his designated dungeon and checked his stats.

**[Ahn Suho]**
- **Level**: 67
- **Class**: Healer
- **Trait**: New Blood
- **Strength**: 58
- **Stamina**: 29
- **Magic Power**: 29
- **Perception**: 29
- **Bonus Stat Points**: 9

With his bonus points unallocated and a current level of 67, Suho thought, ‘After spending nearly 12 hours in the mines, I didn’t gain as much experience as expected.’

He attributed this to the low level of the Earthkeeper Kobolds and the fact that experience gains were scaled based on a player’s level of danger. He allocated his bonus points to Strength and entered the dungeon. This one held virus zombies even larger than the ones his team was facing.

‘Had no idea they’d be this tough, even though I asked for a challenge.’

Despite their intimidating appearance, these virus zombies shared the same scrambled names and status cards as those in the other dungeon. Summoning his Blood Sword, Suho set a target: reaching Level 70.

‘Here we go.’

Suho charged into the virus zombies.

***

[Your level has increased.]

[All stats have increased by 1.]

[You have gained 1 bonus stat point.]

[You have reached Level 70.]

[The system wishes for you to grow stronger.]

[The system grants you additional power.]

Reaching Level 70, Suho was greeted by a string of notifications. He immediately allocated all his bonus points to Strength and opened his skill window to view the new changes. A skill, now transformed, stood out:

**[Recovery]**
- **Grade**: F
- **Details**:
  - **Cure A → Recovery F**
  - **The Cure skill has reached its highest grade, evolving into the more powerful Recovery.**
  - **Consumes magic power to rapidly heal the target’s ailments and illnesses.**

The newly acquired Recovery skill now extended beyond the system’s limitations, able to cure genuine illnesses not related to the system’s status effects.

‘This is where healer prices start skyrocketing.’

With Recovery, even illnesses that modern medicine struggled with could potentially be cured, given the right conditions. Having achieved his goal, Suho left the dungeon. While more leveling would be beneficial, he was satisfied with acquiring Recovery for now.

‘Let’s see how the others are doing.’

Needing Seo Gi-won’s help to exit, Suho quietly observed his team’s progress from a distance. They were handling the virus zombies well, utilizing the synergy they had built up from previous battles.

“Boss!” Seo Gi-won spotted him and greeted him. The rest quickly wrapped up their fights and gathered at the entrance, looking unscathed.

Suho nodded approvingly. “Good work, everyone.”

“With all the practice we had together, these virus zombies were manageable. But why are you here, Boss?”

“To let you know I’m done and need your help to exit.”

“Already?”

“Already? Do you know how long we’ve been in here?”

“Oh, I see.”

“Feel free to step out and grab food if you get hungry.”

“Got it.”

“Gi-won, please take care of it.”

“Yes, Boss!”

Deciding to continue hunting for a while, the team let Suho exit alone. Outside, Suho noted his exhausted teammates lying on the sofas, completely drained.

‘At least they’re in the training room.’

One of the major vulnerabilities of those with digitalization abilities was that their bodies were defenseless while their minds were in the network, making safe facilities essential. After locking the training room for security, Suho headed to the parking lot.

Just then, his phone buzzed.

Seeing the caller ID, he immediately answered, “Yes, senior?”

- “Ah, my dear junior! Have you eaten?”

It was Pi Seong-yeol.

Suho laughed, “Yes, I have. How about you, Senior?”

- “Of course, of course. I’m calling to tell you the special recruitment application went through.”

“Really?!”

- “Absolutely. The higher-ups approved it. You’ll receive an award soon, followed by the official appointment. Doesn’t it all look good on paper?”

“Yes, Senior. Thank you so much for making this possible.”

- “Any other issues?”

“Not at all, thanks to your help. By the way, what happened to those criminals we caught last time?”

- “Oh, them? They were shipped straight to Cheongok, sentenced to the maximum terms, so they won’t see daylight for at least 15 years.”

“As expected from you, Senior.”

Cheongok Penitentiary was reserved for the most heinous criminals among regular offenders, notorious for its harsh conditions and remote location. As a deterrent, a correctional facility for player criminals had been established adjacent to it.

The result was effective: gathering player criminals from across the country in one place instilled fear among the regular prisoners, drastically reducing incidents.

‘Only the strong survive there. Let’s see how long those thieves last.’

They wouldn’t die; South Korea still lacked a death penalty, and healers were regularly deployed to ensure prisoners remained mentally sound enough to serve their sentences.

‘Seems I’ll need to visit Cheongok at some point.’

Certain individuals confined there would be of interest to Suho. With the call ending, Suho checked his schedule. Since his special recruitment had been confirmed, he had less than a month left to act as a civilian.

‘Looks like I’ll have to adjust my plans.’

Picking up his phone, Suho made a call.

***

**Seoul, Sillim District**

Suho parked his car outside a cafe on the outskirts of Sillim and waited. A large off-road vehicle soon pulled up, and an old acquaintance stepped out—Choi Yoon, a gate broker affiliated with the Union.

Choi Yoon greeted him with a bright smile. “Suho!”

Her cheerful demeanor hadn’t changed as she joined him at the table.

“I’ll have a strawberry frappe,” she said.

“Can’t you pay for it yourself?”

“Aren’t you the one asking for favors?”

“I thought you’d be here to return a favor.”

“Come on, just buy me one! You’re loaded, aren’t you?”

At that moment, a server arrived, placing a strawberry frappe in front of her.

“Enjoy.”

Choi Yoon looked at the frappe in surprise and then turned to Suho.

“H-How did you…?”

“You said you wanted a strawberry frappe.”

“Yes, but… how did you know?”

“I figured you’d like it.”

“...Huh?”

She was bewildered. She’d only mentioned it when they met, so how could he have timed the order so perfectly?

Unknown to her, Suho had information on her preferences from his “Library of Memories,” which held details about people he had encountered, including trivial things like her favorite foods and drinks. The timing had just worked out in his favor.

She took the frappe with an impressed look and took a sip.

“Aren’t you going to thank me?” he asked.

“...Thanks, I

 guess.”

“Anyway, did you bring the files?”

“Here you go.”

She handed over a file folder, and as Suho reviewed it, she asked, “Why are you looking for a junkie?”

“He’s not a junkie.”

“Then who?”

“I’m looking for a skilled technician.”

“A technician?”

Suho’s gaze fixed on one name in the document, a list of users at a rehab center designed to help addicts quit drugs.

‘Found him.’

The name he’d been searching for: Nam Hae-won, one of the most renowned blacksmiths from his previous life.