The answer returned after a slight delay. Well, it wasn’t technically an answer.
—…I’ll come and explain in person.
When he said it wouldn’t take long, Yoon-seok agreed, and in fact, he arrived at the hotel less than 10 minutes later.
“It’s an honor to see you again, Mr. Challenger Choi Yoon-seok.”
In a tall and neat black suit, the white man, who seemed like a successful businessman, was called Liam Tenner, and if Ashton was like his personal secretary in charge of him in the Tower, he was the one in charge of him on Earth. It was his first return since the incident, so their relationship was only to the point where they’d exchanged introductions.
“Yes, but calling me Mr. Challenger…please speak casually. It’s uncomfortable.”
“…May I call you Choi Yoon-seok?”
“Yes, Ashton calls me that, too.”
“I see.”
Perhaps it was comforting to hear that Ashton also did so as he relaxed a little.
“Now, can I know what ‘that is you were talking about?”
When Yoon-seok brought up the main topic, the man’s face darkened. However, perhaps knowing this was unavoidable, he carefully summarized it in one sentence.
“Two hours ago, there was an assassination attempt against your family.”
An assassination attempt…which meant someone tried to kill his family. Yoon-seok lips formed a thin line at the unexpected news. Of course, Tenner couldn’t see such a change as he was using a mask. However, he was able to sense a change as the atmosphere turned sullen.
“Since you said attempt, it means they’d failed, right?”
Yoon-seok asked calmly. However, Tenner, who was watching him, stiffened. He heard that he adored his family very much. But what kind of reaction was this? Tenner gulped at the remarkably different response than what he had been expecting on the way here. He answered like a newly enlisted military recruit.
“Yes! Of course! One of our agents was injured, but they weren’t hurt at all. I didn’t even realize there was such an attempt until recently.”
After his quick explanation, he let out a sigh of relief. Ironically, it came out of Tenner’s mouth, not Yoon-seok’s. He thought it was a relief that this assassination attempt ended without anyone dying. He was in charge of Yoon-seok, but he could tell even if he didn’t read the countless reports about him.
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If this man were to become deeply infuriated, no one could stop him.
“I see. Thank you. Is there anything else I can do to make up for the person who was hurt by this incident?”
He didn’t ask about who attempted the assassination nor whether they’d been caught or not. He was curious, but Yoon-seok said thank you first because that was the proper order.
Tenner shook his head.
“N-no. I heard it wasn’t a serious injury. And you don’t have to feel pressured because they’ll get paid. However, if you want, I will tell the agent that Choi Yoon-seok was very grateful. I’m sure they’ll probably be very happy to hear it.”
Yoon-seok nodded without further persistence. At the same time, he was relieved that they didn’t intend to hide the incident. If it happened only a few hours ago, it was natural that Ashton, who was in the Tower, wasn’t aware.
Yoon-seok now asked for the details.
“So, who’s the culprit?”
He didn’t have anyone in mind. To be honest, he was a little surprised. It never crossed his mind that there would be anyone left who would dare to touch him after watching the video of that day. Therefore, Tenner’s answer was quite unexpected.
“Choi Yoon-seok knows this person very well.”
“Me?”
“Yes, because you’re already famous for having a bad relationship with him.”
“No way….”
“Kang Hyung-woo, the eldest son of JC Group. He’s the culprit.”
“…”
He let out a bitter laugh. When he heard about the assassination attempt, he thought the motive would be political, as only high-ranking officials all over the world knew who Yoon-seok was. But it was a personal grudge.
Of course, there were parts that he couldn’t understand.
“Didn’t you say an agent was injured?”
All of the agents guarding Yoon-seok’s family were 8th-floor and above challengers, and they were important talents on Earth. Although they weren’t duel challengers, they were way beyond the standards of normal people. There was no way for Kang Hyung-woo, who’d learned boxing for a bit, could injure someone like that.
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Even when he just reached the third floor, Yoon-seok could easily subdue him. But while trying to stop the assassination attempt, an agent was injured? While he thought it was a contradiction, another explanation appeared.
“…So he became a challenger, too.”
“Yes, that’s right. After investigation, we predict that it has been around three months.”
In the past, he did suspect it after hearing about Kang Hyung-woo’s disappearance. However, even if he had, it wasn’t like he could visit him directly or that it would be worth it. Frankly speaking, he didn’t think he’d changed much.
His thoughts were accurate. Three months since he was called to the Tower, but he couldn’t even breach past a single agent.
“Can you elaborate on what happened?”
At Yoon-seok’s request, Tenner explained the incident from two hours ago, adding Kang Hyung-woo’s level of force, the trial he might’ve chosen, and his personal opinion that it was probably just a personal grudge, with no backstory.
‘There’s a high chance that he’s an adventurer that hasn’t even made it to the 5th floor yet.….’
Although not all information was confirmed yet, Tenner explained why he came to that conclusion, such as that he used skills that could only be purchased in adventure. The fact that he attempted assassination at that level made it likely that he didn’t know about Yoon-seok’s relationship with the U.S. government, either.
It also sounded plausible to Yoon-seok. Honestly, it was surprising that they were able to gather so much information in just two hours. However, they missed the most important thing: Kang Hyung-woo.
“But how did he get away?”
He didn’t mean to sound like a book. It was a question he was genuinely curious about. Perhaps because of that, Tenner was able to answer the question comfortably.
“There was no problem in capturing him alive because of the difference in ability, but he disappeared without a trace within ten minutes of his capture.”
“Was it a teleportation skill?”
“No, we predict that he simply returned to the Tower because the time on his ticket was up. Maybe he was planning to end it all at once, leave, and escape to the Tower.”
As expected, it was reasonable. No, it was a shame that he couldn’t kill him right now, but…they had protocols.
“I don’t think he’s coming back, but…we’ve sent agents to the place he was last seen. Can you decide what we should do next?”
Immediate murder. Yoon-seok said it firmly without hesitation. After saying that he would deliver the word without much disagreement, Tenner offered another suggestion.
“We can send a tracking team to the Tower if you want.”
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“Tracking team?”
“Yes, as long as the floors are the same, all adventure challengers can interact with each other. If he doesn’t stay in the waiting room forever, we’ll be able to catch him in no time.”
Yoon-seok, who belatedly recalled the characteristics of the adventure trial, realized that there was such a way. In terms of games, the adventure trial was a kind of open-world system. The moment the trial was chosen, you would be moved to the virtual world created, where adventurers and NPCs would interact and perform quests.
“It was said that there’s no such thing as failure if they don’t die, right?”
The adventure trials were said to be the easiest. Challengers could cooperate, and there was almost infinite time until the quest was completed. In addition, he heard that it was possible to return to the waiting room in the middle of the quest with an item. Of course, the disadvantage was that it took a very long time to ascend.
“I’d appreciate it if you could.”
Yoon-seok accepted the option that Tenner offered without hesitation. Though he had more troublesome work to do, he looked happy. Maybe he thought it was an opportunity to redeem himself for this incident.
“We will mobilize all our challengers from the 3rd to 6th floors. I’m sure we’ll find him in no time unless he’s stuck in the waiting room.”
Thinking that he made the right choice to be affiliated with them, Yoon-seok moved on from the topic. If it continued, he didn’t think he would need to worry about Kang Hyung-woo anymore. He was like a mouse already driven to a dead end.
“Then can I ask you for another favor?”
“Oh, come to think of it, you didn’t come back here for this. What is it?”
Yoon-seok asked if there was any other challenger that could send a message about Moorim to the Sword Demon in the United Square, and Tenner made a call and immediately sent someone. Did it take only 10 minutes? It was a very quick process.
“There must be a lot of challengers in the U.S. who ascended over ten floors.”
“It’s not a lot, but more than it used to be. Since Mr. Choi Yoon-seok appeared, the overall level of challengers has risen.”
Tenner spoke as if Yoon-seok had stimulated their improvement, but in fact, the impact wasn’t that great. Money, honor, power. These three were the driving forces that kept ordinary people moving. He’d heard stories about Earth often from Ashton.
After information about the Tower was released to the public, the treatment of challengers changed 180 degrees. There was no reason to keep it private, so the budget of the challenger group increased significantly, and they were considered heroes wherever they went, thanks to the fact that they saved the Earth from invaders. As a result, challengers began to risk their lives to have more wealth and to gain greater honor.
‘I’ve heard many things, but it’s not as good as seeing them in person.’
He was curious about the changes made when he wasn’t here. Yoon-seok asked Tenner if he could get some normal clothes to wear outside. He would look around the city for the first time in a while before returning to the Tower.
But…
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“Just in case, I have put some basic clothes in the dressing room, but I guess you haven’t checked it out yet.”
Yoon-seok understood why people pursued fame or status. To be treated as someone important… had a magical nature that triggered human competitiveness.
Yoon-seok changed his clothes and put them into the subspace bag that proved useful in his last mission. When he was going to put the sword on his waist into the bag, Tenner, who didn’t know it was a subspace bag, advised him.
“If it’s inconvenient for you to leave your sword behind, you can just leave it as it is. The same goes for the mask.”
“What?”
“The world has changed a lot.”
At his words, Yoon-seok left the hotel with the sword at his waist. He was told that he could carry a sword, so he came out with it to stack up some experience on karma data, but he couldn’t help but wonder if this was okay. Originally, it would be unimaginable to walk around the city with a sword around one’s waist. He would get reported as a crazy man.
But there was no problem. The hotel staff and the people in the lobby looked at Yoon-seok, but that was all. Rather, their gazes were even friendly.
“Mister! Thank you!”
A little girl approached and bowed to Yoon-seok, then went back to her family. The girl’s parents stroked her head to say she had done a good job and bowed to Yoon-seok. Just like how American citizens treated soldiers, Yoon-seok realized.
“It changed a lot.…”
“Yes, it’s your first time since then, but there will be more surprising things.”
Tenner’s words were true. Many parts of downtown Seoul changed. He could see quite a few people walking around wearing weapons such as swords.
“They are patrols. As the number of invaders has increased, we are always on standby to prevent civilian damage.”
“Someone’s wearing a mask over there too?”
“Yes, there are a lot of challengers who don’t want to be identified.”
That wasn’t the only change. A collapsed building, a wall with huge claw marks, and concrete scorched and melted by fire. Obvious traces of battle could be seen from time to time, and the people walking around them didn’t even stop to look as if they’d already grown used to them. It was as if the whole world had changed in those few months.
‘Come to think of it. This is kind of funny.’
Yoon-seok was born in Seoul. He was born and raised here. But he was currently receiving a tour guide from a man who came across the sea to Korea. It was ironic, but he couldn’t deny how many chaotic situations would ensue if Tenner weren’t with him.
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“Our store doesn’t accept money from heroes.”
After that, Yoon-seok stopped by a restaurant.
“Challengers are the root of all evil! If they disappear, the invaders will disappear!”
He even visited the protest site in front of the district office.
“As the Savior bled and polished our way….”
After catching a glimpse of the worship event of the ‘Guwon-gyo,’ the day gradually grew dark. Tenner, who accompanied Yoon-seok all day, answered the phone and hurriedly delivered the news to Yoon-seok.
“The challenger who went to the square was informed. Would you like to meet them right away?”
“Yes, I was about to go back anyway. Did he say everything was fine?”
“When we mentioned Mr. Choi Yoon-seok, the challenger named Sword Demon also complied and gave us information.”
“That’s a relief.”
“Oh, and I have one more piece of good news.” Tenner lifted his shoulders and smiled brightly. “Kang Hyung-woo. He’s also been caught.”
“…?
“When they found him in the trials, he immediately used an item to come straight to Earth.”
It had only been about 12 hours.…
Yoon-seok gaped without realizing it. Although their work ethic was swift and accurate, he couldn’t believe that he’d already been caught. He realized how insignificant Kang Hyung-woo, who used to seem scary and intimidating, was.
Maybe that was why? He felt a sense of shame out of nowhere.
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