Suho drove Park Goong to the Daehyeon Association headquarters.

Throughout the journey, Park Goong sat slumped in his seat, his head hanging low as if he were a criminal.

Seeing this, Suho kept his gaze fixed on the road ahead and spoke.

“Why are you acting like a criminal?”

“…Aren’t I one?”

“Why would you be?”

“I hid the fact that I awakened.”

“So what?”

“…What?”

“Think about it simply. All you have to do is go to the association and file your awakening report yourself. That’s it. Nothing else happens.”

“Wait… what? Why?”

“Why not?”

“…What?”

“Did hiding your awakening cause any harm to anyone?”

“No… I don’t think so, but…”

“Then that’s all that matters. Look, I may be in charge of this because of my current position, but I have no interest in treating you like a criminal over something that hasn’t hurt anyone. Just go in, say you’ve awakened suddenly, and file the report.”

“….”

Hearing this, Park Goong lowered his head even further.

Suho continued.

“When we get to the association, go to the reporting center on the first floor and make the report yourself. After that… well, it’s possible—no, it’s likely—that you won’t be able to do archery again. But that’s just how the law is right now. Even so, you’ll find a way forward. You’re an excellent archer, after all.”

He wasn’t saying this as a platitude. Suho meant every word.

Before long, Suho’s car pulled up at the association. He personally escorted Park Goong to the reporting center before stepping outside.

At that moment, Suho ran into Jo Sung-gil, who was standing near the building’s entrance, smoking a cigarette. Jo spotted Suho and approached him.

“Ah, Intern An!”

“Ah, Investigator Jo.”

“How’s the job going? Doing everything alone must be tough, huh?”

Jo spoke with a smile, though half-jokingly.

After all, finding unregistered players wasn’t exactly an easy task.

But Suho answered honestly.

“Not really. It’s not tough at all.”

“…What?”

“I’ve only just started.”

“Just started? So… you don’t need any help?”

“No, I’m good.”

Ignoring Jo’s surprised expression, Suho gave a brief nod and walked away, already dialing a number on his phone.

***

“Here you go, Mr. Park Goong. Your Player Registration Certificate is ready.”

“…Thank you.”

The player registration process was complete.

Holding the certificate in his hand, Park Goong stepped out of the registration center with a heavy heart.

His name, carved in neat letters on the certificate, seemed to mock him.

There was no turning back now—no return to the ordinary life of a civilian.

Even so, he felt a strange sense of relief.

The constant anxiety of hiding his awakening, lying to everyone, had taken its toll.

I should probably tell Mom first.

With that thought, Park Goong took out his phone and dialed his mother’s number.

But—

• “The person you are trying to reach cannot take your call right now. Please leave a message after the beep…”

No matter how many times he called, she didn’t answer.

What’s going on?

Worried, he rushed to her shop.

But as he approached, he couldn’t believe his eyes.

“What… is this?”

The scene before him was surreal.

A line of customers stretched absurdly far outside his mother’s small snack shop.

Some of the customers noticed him and began murmuring among themselves.

“Hey, isn’t that…?”

“Isn’t that Park Goong?”

“That’s him, right? The archer from Anseong High?”

“It’s definitely him!”

He hadn’t misheard.

Several people recognized him, and a few even approached.

“Excuse me…”

“You’re Park Goong, right? The rising star from Anseong High?”

“Could I take a picture with you?”

“N-Nani?!”

He was stunned.

Pictures? With me?

Sure, he was a promising archer, but athletes only started gaining real popularity after winning gold medals at events like the Olympics or Asian Games.

I haven’t even participated in such competitions, let alone won anything!

Still bewildered, he awkwardly posed for a few pictures. Finally, he mustered the courage to ask one of the customers a question.

“Um, excuse me.”

“Yes?”

“How… how did you all find out about our shop?”

“This place? It’s famous! Didn’t you know? It’s a ‘Sword Saint-Approved Restaurant.’”

“Sword Saint-Approved… restaurant?”

“Yeah! Didn’t you see the post? Sword Saint himself posted about this place on Stargram, saying the food was great. That’s why we’re here.”

“…What?”

“Here, take a look.”

The customer pulled out their phone and showed him the post.

There it was, a picture of a bowl of ramen and two rolls of gimbap, captioned with:

• Park Goong’s Snack Shop. Delicious.

That was it.

But—

• 87,153 likes.
• 47,546 comments.

The engagement numbers were absurd.

“H-How…”

There wasn’t even a long description—just a single hashtag: #TastySpot.

And yet, the post had gone viral.

The customer explained further.

“People have been curious about when Sword Saint would finally make his first post. And then—bam! Out of nowhere, a restaurant review. Isn’t that just adorable?”

“Uh… Y-Yeah, I guess so. But how did you all know I was Park Goong?”

“Oh, doing some research before a pilgrimage is basic etiquette.”

“…Oh.”

The reasoning was surprisingly simple, leaving Park Goong feeling both relieved and deflated.

Another customer asked, “So, Mr. Park Goong, did you meet Sword Saint?”

“Uh, yeah. I even handled his bill myself.”

“Nice! Feels like we’ve come to the right place, then. But shouldn’t you be helping your mom? She looked like she was swamped earlier.”

“Ah!”

Only then did he remember his mother, likely struggling alone inside the shop.

Rushing inside, he found her bustling around, managing the kitchen and serving customers all by herself.

“Mom!”

“Oh, Goong! What are you doing here? What about the competition?”

“T-That… I’ll explain later. Let’s focus on helping out first. Where should I start?”

“Take care of those orders over there!”

“Got it!”

Thrown into an unexpected situation, Park Goong rolled up his sleeves and dove into helping his mother.

It wasn’t until hours later, when they’d completely run out of ingredients, that they were able to rest.

For the first time ever, his mother hung up a “Sold Out” sign. She collapsed into a chair, exhausted but amazed.

“Oh, my… What on earth just happened?”

“Seriously… What kind of chaos was that?”

It had been an overwhelming few hours.

The most popular items were just two simple dishes: tuna kimbap and ramen.

Dubbed the “Sword Saint Set,” the combination had gone viral, breaking the shop’s all-time sales record in a single day.

Sipping a glass of water, his mother finally turned to him.

“But really, why are you here? What happened to the competition?”

“Ah, well…”

It was time to tell her the truth.

But before he could begin—

Click.

The door opened, and a man walked in.

“Excuse me.”

His mother quickly addressed the visitor.

“Sorry, we’re out of ingredients and have closed for the day.”

“Oh, I saw the sign. I’m not a customer, though…”

The man handed over a business card, which Park Goong accepted and read aloud.

“Cho Jin-hwi… journalist?”

The man smiled and introduced himself.

“Yes, that’s me. I’m a reporter with PBS. I was hoping to interview you, Mr. Park Goong.”

“Me?”

“Yes, I received a tip. Apparently, you voluntarily withdrew from a major competition to file a conscientious awakening report. Is that true?”

“…What?”

Hearing this, Park Goong blinked in shock.

And then—

“A…awakening report? Goong, what’s going on?”

His mother, finally realizing the truth, looked equally bewildered.

***

The Future Auto Cup High School Archery Tournament.

This tournament, the largest high school competition in the country, spanned four days.

Following Park Goong’s sudden withdrawal, Hong Won-seok was chosen to represent Anseong High in his stead.

The coach patted Won-seok on the shoulder and said, “Won-seok, you’ll do great, right?”

“Yes, Coach. I’ll give it my all—for both myself and Goong,” Won-seok replied with a confident smile.

But inwardly, he was ecstatic.

He had never expected Park Goong to withdraw from the competition before he could even make his planned report.

“Well, now I get to make my debut.”

Originally, Won-seok had planned to report Goong after the competition.

His goal was to let Goong rise to the peak—win the Future Auto Cup—before dragging him down to rock bottom.

Why?

The reasons were simple: betrayal and rage.

“How dare that nobody, with a family like his, shoot so well.”

Won-seok seethed with anger.

He had respected Goong wholeheartedly, but learning that his talent might have been aided by the Player System left him furious.

He didn’t know when Goong had awakened or how far along his stats or abilities were. He only knew about Goong’s awakening because he had overheard him muttering to himself in the locker room one day.

Regardless, Won-seok felt a burning sense of betrayal.

“He had to have cheated. That’s the only way I can make sense of why I was always second to him.”

And now, this tournament was his chance.

“If I win this, my family will finally acknowledge me.”

The tournament began, progressing through four days of intense matches starting with the Round of 64.

Won-seok dominated each round, soaring like a bird with newfound wings.

“Wow, Won-seok’s on fire!”

“Looks like he’s finally breaking free from Goong’s shadow.”

“Won-seok was always talented, though. This was bound to happen.”

The attention thrilled him.

It felt like the world was finally his.

By the end of the semifinals, he had secured his spot in the finals.

But on the night before the finals, an unexpected visitor appeared at Won-seok’s lodging.

“An Su-ho?”

“The Sword Saint?”

“Why is he here?”

Whispers of curiosity spread among the students and staff.

Won-seok stepped forward, staring at the unexpected guest—none other than Su-ho.

Su-ho addressed him calmly, “Mr. Hong Won-seok?”

“Yes?”

“I’ll need you to come with me to the Association.”

“What? Me? Why?”

“It’s not something I can explain here, but an investigation is underway, and we’ll need you to cooperate. It may take about a day.”

“A day?! What are you talking about? My finals are tomorrow! What kind of investigation is this?”

Won-seok’s protests were fierce.

And rightfully so—being asked to leave the night before his big match was akin to being forced to forfeit.

But Su-ho remained firm.

“I’ll explain everything on the way. For now, I suggest you comply.”

“I’m not going anywhere! Hell no! Would you go if you were in my shoes? Tomorrow’s the finals! How can you expect me to leave?”

“Do you know Hong Dong-seok?”

“…What?”

“Your brother, Mr. Hong Dong-seok. He’s currently under investigation for draft-dodging through fraudulent awakening claims. As per standard procedure, all immediate family members are subject to a mandatory awakening verification process. That includes you.”

“That… That can’t be…”

“This case involves not only Mr. Dong-seok but also others implicated in similar fraudulent activities. It’s a high-priority investigation. Your cooperation is mandatory.”

Won-seok’s face turned pale.

“Now, let’s go,” Su-ho said curtly, grabbing Won-seok by the arm.

With no room for argument, Su-ho led the stunned archer out of the building.