September 13th. The 1st Official Player Meeting.

Backed by significant support from Seongshin, the “Korea Player Association” was established and gathered players for their first official gathering. This meeting could be said to be symbolic.

‘I know the chairman of Seongshin is aware of me.’

He must have done a lot of background checks on me. I was already aware of this. I even led the investigation deliberately.

‘I was aware that they would initiate contact with me.’

But I had no idea the contact person would be ‘Kim Kang-chul’. I still remember him clearly. The night of April 26th, 2028. He was the one who came to me that night and delivered the results personally.

-No Talent.

He had told me this:

-I apologize for delivering such regrettable news. We’ve retested, and it appears there is entirely no talent.

With somewhat pitiful eyes, he handed me a drink set, advising me to study for civil service exams.

‘However, the early Player Association feels almost like a subsidiary of Seongshin… ‘

After some time, the Player Association separated from Seongshin and became a government agency. There was a general consensus that it was not right for a single corporation to monopolize the immense value of a ‘Player’ or ‘New Civilization.’ So, with the name ‘Player Association’ intact and in consultation with Seongshin, the ‘Player Association’ was newly established as a subsidiary of the government.

‘Kim Kang-chul was the personnel director of the Player Association at the time.’

Something seems off.

‘I remember an announcement that they’d selected from among experienced civil servants for positions at the Player Association.’

The positions were known to offer higher salaries and better benefits compared to other civil servants. It was said to be a job you could only get if you were from a civil service background.

‘But at this point in time, Kim Kang-chul is a team leader at Seongshin?’

It was said that they cherry-picked from experienced civil servants to lead the Player Association, but now you’re telling me that a current section chief at the conglomerate Seongshin will be the personnel director of the Player Association in 10 years?

‘That makes no sense.’

The fact that Kim Kang-chul came to me alone was enough for me to understand.

‘It was all a bluff.’

Whether it was right after its establishment or 10 years later, the Player Association seemed to have been under the control of Seongshin all along. It seems true that there’s not a single person in the world you can trust.

“Hello, this is Team Leader Kim Kang-chul.”

He’s the team leader of the newly formed ‘Player Scouting Team.’ There’s also the ‘New Civilization Department’ above him or something of the sort.

I looked into Kim Kang-chul’s information.

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[Unawakened]

Name: Kim Kang-chul

Age: 38

Status: Curious/Bewildered/Confident/Amazed

Disposition: Ordinary/Ambitious/Energetic

Summary:

1) A commoner who aspires to climb the ladder

2) The pillar of a household

+ He is unawakened.

+ The status/demeanor and characteristics highlight only a few notable traits and can change depending on the situation.

+ Skill proficiency in Sensory Eye is not high, so detailed information viewing is not available.

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‘Curious, bewildered, amazed.’

Seems like he’s curious about me.

‘An ordinary man aspiring for success.’

According to the summary, he doesn’t seem like a bad person. His name doesn’t bring to memory any evil deeds.

‘And the pillar of a household.’

He seems to be one of the many heads of households in Korea, diligently carrying on in his place. The words that Kim Kang-chul brought to me were quite groundbreaking.

“…and thus, the chairman would like to offer Mr. Kim Hyuk-jin the position of guild master of Taeguk Shield.”

He was offering me the position of guild master for ‘Taeguk Shield’. Taeguk Shield was an insanely growing guild in the early stages of play, riding on the massive support of Seongshin.

“You seem to think very highly of me.”

“Yes, that’s correct. The chairman holds a very high regard for Mr. Kim Hyuk-jin.”

By today’s standards, it wasn’t a bad offer.

“Chairman has offered you an annual salary of 200 million won. The details regarding item acquisition and coin earnings distributions can be found in the contract.”

Now I understood why Kim Kang-chul seemed so confident.

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Status: Curious/Bewildered/Confident/Amazed

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An offer of an annual salary of 200 million won. Even 10 years later, the starting salary for passing the civil service exam would be 3 million won. That’s 70 times the starting salary. And this was just the beginning.

“The incentives are obviously separate, and while it’s difficult to state precisely at this moment, the salary increase rate will be very high as well,” Kim Kang-chul kept talking.

“Such an exceptional offer without separate verification will be the first and last. What will you do?”

“Do I have to decide right now?”

“Not necessarily. But the sooner you decide, the better.”

Team Leader Kim Kang-chul seemed to assume that I would accept the offer without question. Indeed, by ordinary standards, the conditions were incredible. The ‘new civilization’ hasn’t even fully kicked in yet. And here he is with a contract worth an annual salary of 200 million won.

I heard the news about tomorrow’s player meeting and received an invitation. My meeting with Kim Kang-chul ended there.

“Take care. I’ll contact you very soon.”

After seeing off Kim Kang-chul, I couldn’t help but smirk.

‘Just 200 million?’

Putting aside Kim Kang-chul, Song Ki-young must have recognized the value of ‘New Civilization’ by now. Yet he offers only 200 million won. It’s not malicious, but it feels a bit underestimating.

‘Even if it was 2 billion, I wouldn’t have accepted it.’

I already have the ‘Amplifying Majeok Stone’ in my hand. This would be worth 100 billion won three years from now. In fact, it’s not about the money. It’s about my class. And it also involves my contracted guardian.

‘The Anonymous Observer… doesn’t want me to take direct action.’

I don’t know what ‘The Anonymous Observer’ desires from me. But for now, I prefer to operate from behind the scenes, adopting the position of an observer in this play.

‘I will go along with that.’

The guild master of ‘Taeguk Shield’ would have many rights but also many obligations. I would be tied to Seongshin. While it might help with what I’m trying to achieve, it would more likely be an obstacle.

‘I have to make my move in my own way.’

I decided to take part in ‘The 1st Official Player Meeting’ tomorrow. I already know what will happen tomorrow. And there, I will also have the chance to meet ‘Taepung Kwak Tae-un.’

‘If things go as they have in the past… I’ll be able to properly set my direction for the game.’

I made preparations for tomorrow.

* * *

“Senia. Senia. Senia. Senia. Senia.”

No matter how much I called, there was no answer. Senia seems not to be mediating for me right now. I have something I must discuss with Senia before participating in tomorrow’s official meeting. So with no other choice, I made an appointment with Sin Yeon-seo. Currently, Sin Yeon-seo is accompanied by BJ ‘Roa.’

‘In that respect, Senia should learn from Roa.’

How diligent is that? Sin Yeon-seo’s not making any notable dungeon advances, but she’s broadcasting about Sin Yeon-seo. That’s why she became successful later on.

It’s 11 PM. Our meeting place is at Hongdae Station Exit 9. It’s quite late and not a weekend Wednesday night, but it was bustling with people. Among them, one person stood out tremendously with their presence,

“Hyeoooong-nim!”

The person was none other than Ma Sang-hyun. His giant stature almost reached two meters. Biceps as large as the face of an average adult man. He charged towards me like a raging boar.

‘Goodness.’

The anxiety that he might hug me any second made me dodge swiftly. I tried to evade but stepped into another minefield.

“I thought you were dead!”

As I avoided Ma Sang-hyun, right next to him, apparently, Sin Yeon-seo appeared as if she had employed ‘Celestial Demon Flight (天魔飛步)’. She moved so fast to my side that even though I wasn’t alert, her approach was too easy to miss. Simply put, Sin Yeon-seo hugged me. Almost forcibly.

“…Hey. Aren’t you going to let go?”

“I’ve been so worried. I thought you were dead. Do you know how much I’ve been on edge because we lost contact for three months?”

With that, she showed a bright smile as if relieved. I felt a very strong emotion from her.

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Status: Relief/Joy/Happiness

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Honestly, we aren’t that close, not lovers, not blood-related family, either. I don’t understand why she’s so happy. But I could tell that Sin Yeon-seo’s heart was neither artificial nor false. The sincerity I felt through the Sensory Eye did not seem bad.

‘It’s a peculiar feeling.’

To have someone so genuinely welcome my (return to) life aside from my family.

‘She’s already level 32?’

She got to level 32 without me, raising it by 2 in 3 months. That’s a significant increase for the notorious level 30-40 bracket, which is tough to break.

‘Ma Sang-hyun’s also level 32.’

The geniuses indeed seem like geniuses. Seonhwa was level 31. If she continued to raid with me, she could level up much faster.

‘But first. I must get through tomorrow.’

11 PM, a small bar near Hongdae.

Spending time with Ma Sang-hyun and Sin Yeon-seo wasn’t too bad. Actually, it was quite enjoyable.

‘This is pretty nice.’

This was a sense of leisure I had never experienced in the past. Sin Yeon-seo’s face had turned a bit red from the beer, laughing out loud,

“Haha. I tell you, that’s how it was!”

Ma Sang-hyun made a joking story, and everyone seemed genuinely happy. It was clear even without the Sensory Eye that he was very happy.

‘Nice.’

It seemed like nothing much; just meeting up for a casual beer in the evening, but this simple, seemingly ordinary experience was completely new to me.

“Wait, Hyeong-nim. That’s not what I meant. Because there was that pesky slip trap there…”

Time passed, and eventually, Senia appeared. Considering that Ma Sang-hyun and Sin Yeon-seo didn’t react to her presence, it looked like she was only visible to me.

‘Roa is likely broadcasting this situation diligently right now.’

Seeing that, it seems Senia also came here. Learn from Roa, Senia. It’s good to have diverse content. There’s definitely a demand for these simple moments, not just thrilling gameplay. Step it up, Senia.

Sin Yeon-seo waved goodbye to us.

“You don’t need to walk me home! See you tomorrow!”

She’s tough. I didn’t intend to accompany her anyway. I saw her humming and walking away somewhat cutely, but I really hadn’t planned on taking her home. Although a novice, Sin Yeon-seo was still Sin Yeon-seo. What could possibly be dangerous for her?

“Hyeong-nim! I’ll see you tomorrow!”

“See you tomorrow.”

I turned around. Senia was there. Truth be told, meeting with Sin Yeon-seo was to draw out Senia. Leaving the enjoyable time behind, now was the time to start business.

“Senia.”

Now we get to the main point.

“Listen up. I’ll attend the formal gathering organized by the Player Association tomorrow.”

Our business had begun. Then, Senia spoke up.

“Player Kim Hyuk-jin.”

She unexpectedly initiated the conversation. Surprisingly so.