CHAPTER 66

Rising Attention (Revised)

– Crack!

As his hand swept past the tree bark, it tore away in jagged strips, leaving deep marks.

Midway up a forested mountain, each eerie motion of Seowoon's arms caused the nearby trees to tremble as though in agony.

He wasn't even using inner energy. But with a strength stat over 60 and his Blood Bone Structure active, Seowoon's raw physical power was formidable on its own.

It had already been two weeks since their return to reality.

[Ding! A new game has been matched. Difficulty: Upper-Mid. Game Version: Duo. Would you like to participate?] (O)(X)

[Ding! Your fixed teammate has declined. Would you like to participate solo?]

Seowoon hit the X button and immediately thought of Kichan.

"That's the third game already…"

It had been over ten days since he'd been training alone at Kichan's dojo in Wonju.

Kichan was tied up laundering the money they'd made by selling off their items, and couldn't come. Seowoon had refused to let the time go to waste and poured himself into training.

– Shhh! Bang!

As his folded fingers extended into a fist and punched outward, the air popped with a sharp blast.

"Still feels awkward."

Lately, Seowoon had been focused on integrating Fist Without Form and Blood Bone Structure.

He was trying to weave the two martial arts together naturally in combat—but it wasn't as easy as he hoped.

As he kept training, sending trees into a panic, his phone buzzed.

"Yeah?"

– Hyung. I'm on my way, but… something feels off.

"What do you mean?"

– I'm in a taxi right now. I think I'm being tailed.

Seowoon felt a jolt—like cold blood rushing up his spine.

Last time someone tailed him, scumbags had threatened his parents. Just hearing the word "tail" ignited fury inside him.

Even more so now—Kichan prioritized safety above all. He had a younger sister to protect. If he was being targeted, it likely stemmed from his connection to Seowoon.

With a cold tone, Seowoon gripped the phone tight.

"How many?"

– Just one car.

"So, maybe five or six at most. Where are you?"

– Just exited the highway. Thought it was coincidence, but they've stuck close.

"They won't make a move in broad daylight, not around civilians. Just keep driving slow. We'll finish this here."

– Okay.

Hearing Seowoon's cold voice and decisive command, Kichan was reminded of the man he saw in Cloyd.

Throwing on a shirt and summoning his New Form, Seowoon descended the mountain with a face like sharpened steel.

"Boss! I'm in! I broke into the National Security Agency's server!"

In a dim warehouse cluttered with thick cables, a man shouted. A woman—called "Boss"—rushed over.

"Nice! Start with the latest surveillance files!"

"On it! I can't believe those NSA guys still use NIS intranet. Want me to install a backdoor while I'm at it?"

"No. Don't push our luck."

As the man furiously typed, the woman leaned over his shoulder to inspect the monitor. Her face—shockingly—was nearly identical to Jung Suhwa's.

Aside from the professional suit and polished hair, it was no exaggeration to say they looked exactly the same.

A taxi pulled over. Kichan stepped out and glanced behind him. A black car slowed to a stop.

The moment a woman in black stepped out, Kichan sprinted toward the mountain.

She hesitated to call after him, then sighed and chased after.

Just as she reached the trailhead, Kichan was standing up ahead, waiting.

"I'm only here to talk."

But the reply came from behind her.

"Then you shouldn't have tailed him."

She flinched hard—unable to detect Seowoon's presence until he spoke behind her. For anyone who had experienced Cloyd, that was terrifying.

Whipping around, her eyes widened.

"Jin Seowoon…?"

"You were looking for me, weren't you?"

Seowoon's fingers curled slowly, tightening.

"Yes. I wanted to speak with you."

"How'd you find me? I was being careful."

After briefly studying his expression, she gave an honest answer.

"Korea's CCTV coverage is among the best in the world. With facial recognition software, finding someone is not difficult."

"That's called surveillance of civilians."

Kichan's tone was sharp, but she didn't respond. Her eyes said it all—You aren't civilians.

"So, why are you looking for me?"

Even without hostility, the weight in Seowoon's voice made the danger clear.

"Let me start by introducing myself. Jung Suhwa, Player Management Director, Ministry of National Security."

"NSA."

Kichan stepped up beside Seowoon. Her eye twitched at the word.

"I was formerly NIS. But we don't like being called that."

"Then maybe stop acting like you deserve it," Kichan muttered with a sneer.

"We're aware that our reputation isn't great among neutral players. But we're working for public safety."

Seowoon cut in.

"Still haven't heard your reason."

"To clear up misunderstandings. And… to make you an offer."

"Misunderstandings and offers?"

Her face remained unreadable as she began.

"I've heard about the recent conflict with ability users. I want to make it clear—that wasn't the will of the NSA."

She called blatant threats and coercion "conflict."

Kichan couldn't hold back.

"Is this a joke?! You threatened our families!"

Seowoon held out a hand, stopping him. It wasn't time to blow up.

Jung Suhwa flinched. That part hadn't been in any report.

"I wasn't aware that happened. I assure you, the NSA does not harm civilians. Our mission is to protect civilians from ability users and maintain order."

"Fine. Then what's your offer?"

She didn't flinch when he cut her off.

"We'd like to recruit you—Jin Seowoon—into the NSA."

"No."

Her face twitched slightly at the immediate refusal.

"Please reconsider. We understand the suspicion, but—"

"No suspicion. Just facts. Your thug agents act like they run the world, hunt ability users with impunity, and you turn a blind eye under the excuse of stability. The ones who came after me probably didn't have your blessing—but if I'd been captured, would you have come in person like this? No. You're here because they failed."

For the first time, her icy expression cracked.

Seowoon continued, voice like frost.

"I'm not some resistance fighter. I just want to quietly make money playing Cloyd and live my life. I don't plan to cause chaos. But I won't be your dog. So let's stay out of each other's way."

Her sigh was deep, defeated.

"Understood. We know that people like you don't see the NSA in a positive light. And yes, even among our licensed groups, there are factions I personally dislike. But please remember—not all of us are like that. Many of our agents are risking their lives for this country."

"Still changes nothing. Go back."

Seowoon's hand flexed subtly behind his back. She finally turned and left.

They kept wary eyes on her car until it disappeared from sight.

Only then did their tense faces ease.

"She really came all this way just to spout that nonsense?"

"She probably didn't think it was nonsense. At least she didn't start a fight."

Back home, Kichan grabbed a water bottle from the fridge and downed it in one go.

"Man. I was so tense I thought my throat would dry out."

"So, is your business all wrapped up?"

"Yeah. All the tricky parts were handled by the pros. Long story short—I'm now the official owner of a luxury bag shop."

"A bag shop?"

"You've heard of that brand Mères, right?"

"The one where each bag costs over ten million won?"

"Yup. We're importing and selling them online. High unit price means even big transactions are doable. Originally I wanted to start a car dealership, but that needed a physical showroom. This was the recommended alternative. If we scale up, maybe we'll open an art gallery someday."

"…They said art museums are good. If we go the museum route, we can launder hundreds of billions without issue."

Seowoon couldn't help but nod.

"I think I read somewhere that chaebols use that method for slush funds and lobbying."

"Well, we're not quite at that level yet. But for now, this method will make laundering smooth."As he finished, Kichan tossed over a small plastic case.

Inside were name cards—with Seowoon's name printed on each.

– Executive Director of MerMer Online: Jin Seowoon –

"Me-MerMer? You came up with that name?"

Kichan grinned proudly and nodded.

"…Your naming sense is… impressive."

Seowoon couldn't bring himself to say anything mean—Kichan had clearly worked hard.

"You're listed as Executive Director and Co-Founder. I've funneled 6 billion won from enhancement stone sales into this business. Within the month, 3 billion will be deposited to your account from converted transaction funds. As for the other item sales, I already laundered them through my previous company and sent the 3.5 billion to your account."

"Already?"

"Yeah. It was 3.5 billion—check it."

Hearing the figure made Seowoon's heart thump.

The promise of tens of billions was one thing—but seeing a few billion already in the bank made it all real.

He opened his banking app and saw the 9-digit balance.

"…Can't believe a few coins turned into 3.5 billion."

"Got lucky. Items made of obsidian aren't common, and the fact that you broke it made it cheap. For alchemists, it's top-tier material."

"Guess I'll need to start hoarding broken items too."

"If the material's good, keep it. Orichalcum, obsidian—high value every time."

Seowoon nodded and stood up.

"Let's see how much stronger I've gotten."

He walked out of the house, with Kichan grumbling behind him.

"Man, after a long trip, can't we take a break first…?"

After sparring intensely at the training ground, the two collapsed onto the dirt to catch their breath.

"Haa… haa… I seriously need a new main class…"

Kichan looked up at Seowoon, who hadn't even broken a sweat.

"There's no switching now. From what I've seen, mages really shine at higher circles. I saw a monster get obliterated by a single meteor spell once."

"Meteor? That's 9th-circle magic… and you survived that?"

"Barely. But once you unlock those high circles, your power jumps fast. Just hang in there. Your martial arts skills aren't bad either. Your energy reserves are low, but your current forms are well-balanced."

As Seowoon tried to encourage him, he felt a presence.

Both he and Kichan turned their heads in unison, eyes locking onto a single point.

"Oh my!"

A woman climbing the mountain suddenly covered her face, peeking between her fingers to scan the shirtless men.

With only the two of them up here, they'd naturally taken their shirts off to train. Now, the surprise wasn't hers—but theirs.

"Wh-what's a civilian doing up here?"

"No idea. But maybe we should get dressed…"

Just then, Seowoon extended his New Form in front of Kichan and spoke.

"She's not a civilian."

A faint trace of energy coming from her had triggered his sensory skills.

"How about we talk with clothes on? I mean, I don't really mind, but…"

As both men quickly threw on shirts, they remained on high alert.

In Cloyd, encounters like this were common—but in the real world, ability users could be far more dangerous.

As they dressed, the woman—wearing jeans and a large bomber jacket, her hair tied back—approached with a wistful look.

When Kichan got a good look at her face, his expression instantly darkened.

"Kang Kichan, Jin Seowoon… I was right."

She smiled brightly, confirming their identities.

Kichan's voice turned ice cold.

"Is this some kind of joke?"

"Joke? What are you talking about?"

She was bright, cheerful, and familiar in both face and voice—yet clearly not the same person.

Her presence, so different from the woman earlier, made the contrast all too obvious.

Sensing Kichan's confusion, she tilted her head and asked:

"Did you meet a woman from the NSA recently? Someone who looks exactly like me?"

Twins.

Twins exist, sure—but this different?

"Twins?"

She nodded.

"I'm Jung Suhee, leader of Libertas, fighting for ability user rights."

Her casual tone and friendly attitude overwhelmed the two. It hadn't even been two hours since they'd shaken off the other woman—now this one, claiming to be her twin, appeared and introduced herself.

"Resistance?"

A group advocating for ability user rights would never side with a regime like the NSA.

"We don't love that term. There are plenty of organizations resisting the NSA. 'Resistance' makes us sound like we're hiding underground or something."

"Ugh. The NSA hates their nickname 'JungJung' and now you guys too?"

"So my sister really was here… I'm not like her—"

"You obviously aren't. Let's cut to it. How'd you find us?"

Seowoon cut her off before she could ramble.

Feeling the tension spike again, Kichan tightened up.

"I hacked into the NSA's server. Pulled up some reports. That's how I found you. You probably already know—Korea's CCTV network is—"

"Highly saturated," Kichan finished for her.

"…With just some basic personal info, tracking someone is easy. These days, even a single call can reveal your precise location."

Seowoon spoke flatly.

"So what's your purpose here? And more importantly—this is a bad place to be revealing yourself."

A sudden pressure radiated from Seowoon's body like a storm. Jung Suhee instinctively stepped back, frowning.

Two people—previously hidden—stepped out from behind the trees.

"Maybe calm that aura down, yeah?"

"Do you hunt ability users too?"

"Don't misunderstand," she replied calmly. "They're just here for my protection—just in case."

One was a sharp-featured man in a leather jacket with long hair. The other, a hooded woman who gave Seowoon a lingering glance.

'That woman…'

Seowoon recognized her. She was the one who had been pursued during the previous ceasefire incident.

He quickly broke eye contact and turned back to Suhee.

"Stick to the point."

"Well, if my sister already came by, then I'll keep it short. Yes—we are a resistance group. I know what happened to you recently. So I want to suggest that you—"

"No."

Before she could even finish, Seowoon shut her down.

Suhee's eyes narrowed.

"Why?"

"I get the cause. But I'm not looking to make more enemies in the real world."

"…You two are fixed players, right?"

"You're not entitled to that answer."

Seowoon's response was sharp.

"Don't get me wrong. I just thought you might not fully understand what Guilds are yet."

Kichan perked up at the word.

"Guilds?"

"You'll see if you stay in fixed play long enough. A lot of players join guilds…"

Her voice trailed off—her gaze turning behind her.

Everyone in the clearing looked toward the newcomer stepping into the training ground.

A man in a dark navy suit, his pomaded hair glinting, walked in with both hands in his pockets and a smirk on his lips.

"Well, well. Didn't expect to see someone like you here."

Suhee's face darkened instantly. So did those of the two who'd come with her.

"Kim Chilsang."

The hooded woman spat the name with venom.

"Did he beat us to the punch? Or was he always one of theirs?"

Kim Chilsang looked between Suhee and Seowoon with interest. Suhee, meanwhile, scanned her surroundings warily.

Already, a thick shadow had cast over her face, hiding it like a dark mask. The air grew tense.

Kim Chilsang smiled and spoke softly:

"Looking for someone? Or maybe… an escape route?"

[T/L: Read extra chapters on my ko-fi page "Pokemon1920" : https://ko-fi.com/pokemon1920 ]