# Player with Maxed-Out Talent, Episode 70

A sudden appearance from a person I didn’t expect to be here, but a player whose face I recognize.

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[Player]

Name: Goo Seong-min

Age: 31

Level: 19

Class: Coin Thief

Guardian: None

Unique Ability: [Pocket Sense]

Status: Excited/Expectant/Tense

Disposition: Selfish/Quick-witted/Bold

Summary: Aspiring pickpocket with a thirst for Coins

+ No guardian selected.

+ Personality and characteristics/summary may vary according to circumstances.

+ Due to low proficiency in Sensing Eye, detailed information is not accessible.

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Goo Seong-min. An infamous coin specialist thief among beginners in the early days of the players. I remember him as one of the most renown thieves back then.

‘He has a unique ability too.’

That’s how he was able to swindle players in the beginning.

‘Pocket Sense, huh?’

It seems he can roughly estimate the amount of coins in someone’s inventory. Since the earlier days of our play, he may not know the exact balance, but it looks like he can figure out who holds the most coins around here.

‘The person with the most coins at this point is probably….’

Me, I would guess. I have around 13,000 coins left at the moment. As expected, Goo Seong-min’s gaze was fixed on me. Though it didn’t seem like he was looking directly at me, his gaze was certainly mindful of my presence.

With his characteristic sly smile and exaggerated gestures, Goo Seong-min drew everyone’s attention with applause.

“Beauty isn’t the only thing graceful about you. Your abilities are impressive as well.”

He approached me.

‘Oh really?’

In the beginning, players experienced the bizarre phenomenon of their inventory coins suddenly dropping to ‘0’. If it wasn’t for Goo Seong-min’s insane act of declaring himself as a thief, that incident might have remained a mystery forever.

‘Boasting about various luxury cars….’

Once drunk, he detailed on ‘Instagram’ exactly how he made his money. A real stir that caused.

‘Drawing attention and approaching me, it seems like he’s trying to steal my coins.’

I could see his movements clearly. He was talking and seemed focused only on Shin Yeon-seo, but I could see it. Just like I could read Shin Yeon-seo’s ‘Sword Path’. Strangely, I could just see it.

‘But why can’t he see Da-rong?’

Above Da-rong’s head, a [!!!] symbol appeared, yet Goo Seong-min didn’t seem interested in Da-rong at all. More precisely, it looked like he couldn’t even see Da-rong.

‘Must be because of the unique ability.’

Despite being a squirrel, he has an astonishing number of unique abilities.

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Unique Abilities: [Gathering] [Pathfinding] [Gnawing] [Theft] [Pocket Space] [Gluttony] [Burrowing] [Stealth] [Choosing a Master]

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Looking at it, Da-rong’s summary is impressive as well.

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Summary: Gluttonous and gifted thief

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An aspiring and a genius pickpocket have met. Da-rong looked at me. The [!!!] symbol glowed red. It appears he wants something from me. His look almost asks: If I bring you loads of coins, what will you give me in return?

We can’t communicate with words, but that’s the feeling I got.

“A fruit bundle.”

At those words, Da-rong moved. Its actions were swift and rapid.

[Unique Ability. ‘Theft’ activated.]

[You have obtained coins.]

[Unique Ability. ‘Pocket Space’ activated.]

[Coins have been stored in ‘Pocket Space’.]

Goo Seong-min didn’t notice Da-rong’s movements at all.

“Are these people part of your party?”

Meanwhile, Kim Tae-chun, who had been openly defeated, slipped away unnoticed with Goo Seong-min drawing attention from everyone.

[Sensing Eye detects an anomalous energy.]

[Sensing Eye identifies the unique ability.]

I stood still, doing nothing. I could tell what was happening. Observing as an onlooker, I could see the mana gathering in Goo Seong-min’s hands. It seemed like he was in the process of stealing ‘COIN’ from me. When I opened my inventory, the COIN was indeed decreasing.

‘Wow.’

What an interesting ability. To be able to extort coins from others. Even from someone who’s level is at least ten levels higher than himself. Truly befitting for a prodigy.

“My friend is an outstanding journalist. Might it be possible to ask for an interview?”

“What? Oh, no, that’s not it….”

Shin Yeon-seo’s face flushed red. During this time, the ‘Stealth’ed’ Da-rong, perched on Goo Seong-min’s shoulder, looked at me, bearing a red [!!!] symbol again. I nodded, and Da-rong seemed to prance with a ‘Look what I can do!’ kind of air.

“Here is my business card. I really want to do that interview. Please give me a call.”

Even as my ‘COIN’ continued to dwindle, the moment it hit ‘0’, Da-rong read the timing like a pro. Truly a mark of a theft genius.

[Unique Ability. ‘Theft’ activated.]

[You have obtained coins.]

[Unique Ability. ‘Pocket Space’ activated.]

[Coins have been stored in ‘Pocket Space’.]

A [?] symbol appeared above Da-rong’s head. It was a message I could click on. The more I look at him, the more fascinating he becomes.

[As ‘Da-rong’s’ chosen master, you can now check ‘Da-rong’s’ Pocket Space.]

[Currently, there are ‘47,000 COIN’ in ‘Da-rong’s’ Pocket Space.]

I couldn’t help but laugh. Without doing anything, I appeared to have gained 47,000 COIN. Looks like a trip to the market to buy a bunch of snacks for the squirrel is in order.

-From 13,000 COIN to suddenly +47,000 COIN. I’ve earned 34,000 COIN by just sitting here.

‘Wow.’

Earning money is easy. Considering that hunting a level 25 Tusked Wild Boar grants me just +17 COIN, this is an incredible gain.

‘And it seems like he’s totally unaware that his inventory is missing money.’

I gave a polite bow, as if my business here was done.

“I’ll be in touch.”

Then I turned and disappeared. With that, it became certain.

‘He really doesn’t know?’

He should have checked his inventory, right?

‘Wow.’

Da-rong, this guy. He’s really something else.

‘Definitely a theft genius.’

He must have sneakily substituted fake ‘COIN‘ to temporarily deceive Goo Seong-min, for there’s no other explanation.

With Da-rong now perched on my shoulder, I gently stroked his head with a finger. As cocky as he was, Da-rong purred happily to my touch, then displayed a [♪♪] symbol.

“Just wait a little. I’ll buy you loads of the snacks you love.”

“Huh? Our captain, what are you talking about? Snacks all of a sudden?”

“Oh, nothing.”

It seems like even Shin Yeon-seo couldn’t see Da-rong. This guy, Da-rong, has some convenient abilities.

“What. His name is Kwak Tae-woon. He says he’s grateful to me, so he told me to tell you he’s grateful.”

“…….”

Typhoon Kwak Tae-woon. A player who not only remembers his enemies but is even more mindful of his debts of gratitude. It’s no wonder he has made the ‘Lady of the Scales’ his contracted guardian.

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[Player]

Name: Kwak Tae-woon

Age: 18

Level: 30

Class: Child of the Wind

Guardian: Lady of the Scales

Unique Ability: [Treading Step]

Status: Grateful/Intimate/Angry

Disposition: Just/Proud/Spirited

Summary: Unripe incarnation of Hammurabi

+ Personality and characteristics/summary may vary according to circumstances.

+ Due to low proficiency in Sensing Eye, detailed information is not accessible.

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Already level 30 without the talent panel fully unlocked. He also has a unique ability.

‘As expected of Kwak Tae-woon.’

A thing of the past as well. He’s contracted to the ‘Lady of the Scales’. Kwak Tae-woon bowed to me.

“Thank you.”

“There’s no need for thanks. It’s just that the person earlier wasn’t acting like an adult.”

Kwak Tae-woon always used to say this back in the day.

[If an adult does not act like an adult, then they are not an adult.]

Fitting for a player who values ‘justice’ and ‘principles’, one who practices an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.

[If a person does not act like a person, I will not treat them as one.]

Kwak Tae-woon’s thinking is probably the same even now. Even when he stood among the top eight heroes representing Korea, he used formal speech with a child.

‘If Kwak Tae-woon’s disposition is like that, then formal speech would be better for me, too.’

Well, at least our greetings went well. Thanks to Kim Tae-chun and Percy’s “contributions”, I was able to make a good impression on Kwak Tae-woon.

First impression: Managed a good one. Not that I intended it, but I also gained a lot of COIN. This puts me in an advantageous position for the next steps.

‘Now, what’s next.’

I said this.

“You’re a Mage class, aren’t you?”

“How did you know…?”

“When that big man was picking a fight with you, your movements didn’t seem like those of a combat class.”

“You could tell, huh? I was ready to fight if needed. And it looked like you were preparing to create some distance.”

Above all,

“There was a faint breeze, too.”

* * *

“There was a faint breeze, too.”

At that, Ma Sang-hyun marveled.

“Hyung, when did you notice that?”

“Shu Bam. That guy seems like a real genius no matter how I look at him. How can he see even that? I was just freaking out.”

Shin Yeon-seo nudged Ma Sang-hyun and Kang Sang-gu on their sides.

“Shh, be quiet. Listen carefully. This kind of thing can help us grow too. Let’s just listen.”

Journalists were clicking away, capturing the current moment. Shin Yeon-seo focused on Kim Hyuk-jin’s words.

“So essentially, a combat class that doesn’t use weapons or fists, a class that deals with wind.”

There’s only one such class.

“A combat-based class, a wind-elemental mage, right?”

“……”

As expected of a beginner-level player, Kwak Tae-woon nodded.

“You’re impressive.”

Though he nodded with a stoic expression, he was greatly astonished inside. It was surprising that there was an adult who stepped forward in that situation, and it was equally impressive that someone could deduce his class from minor movements.

Of course, it wasn’t just a guess. Kim Hyuk-jin was watching with his own eyes.

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Class: Child of the Wind

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His first job class changed to ‘Child of the Wind’, a class not listed in Kim Hyuk-jin’s information, but easily inferred as the future ‘Typhoon’, Kwak Tae-woon’s first occupation.

Kim Hyuk-jin checked his watch while exchanging greetings.

‘It’s almost 2 P.M.’

Perfect timing, everything was coming to a close. The ‘Player Meeting’ was about to start soon.

‘The real challenge starts now.’

Kim Hyuk-jin had succeeded in making Kwak Tae-woon his ally, to a certain extent. Not perfectly ‘on his side’ yet, but the initial connection was made. Kwak Tae-woon was the key man for today’s events, and Kim Hyuk-jin had established that crucial junction within his plans.

‘Shall we go up together? The meeting is on the 12th floor in the large auditorium.’

‘Thank you.’

They took the elevator.

1st floor. 2nd floor. 3rd floor…

The elevator ascended rapidly.

-You have arrived at the 12th floor.

-The elevator doors are now opening.

As the elevator doors opened,

‘What time is it now…’

The phone showed exactly 2:03 PM.

‘2:03 PM.’

I stepped out.

‘I should get a notification.’

If things were to go exactly as they did in the past, I should hear it.

[You have entered the Emergency Gate – ‘Hill of the Blowing Wind’.]

The place where Typhoon Kwak Tae-woon had his awakening, as he stated himself. Where the 1st player gathering occurred, also serving as the Emergency Gate, ‘Hill of the Blowing Wind’.

‘I should get a quest.’

During the first player gathering, more than half died here.

‘If I can save them… I will.’

The tutorial field, the convenience store deemed a safe zone, the sight of so many lives lost before my eyes still haunts me. If possible, I aim to minimize casualties. To the best of my ability, as much as I can.

‘While awakening Kwak Tae-woon as well.’

And in doing so, Kim Hyuk-jin will secure ‘that’, his ultimate goal.

‘I must… obtain it.’

Before long, the field changed, and a crowd of people began to appear.

‘Let’s do this. Let’s see.’

[End of Episode 70]