The Age of Adaptation
Food that looked luxurious even at a glance filled the round table to the brim.
He turned the dishes by hand until the one he wanted came around to the front, then served himself a moderate portion and took a bite.
"It’s delicious. Maybe it tastes even better because it was bought by Congressman Lim."
"Haha, is that so?"
Choi Hyun-seok looked across the table at the man seated opposite him, Congressman Lim. He had a sturdy build and skin browned to the right shade by the sun, while his face still carried an unmistakable vitality.
If the glasses hadn’t given him a more intellectual air, his short-cropped hair alone would have made him look like a career soldier.
Of course, he really had graduated from the Korea Military Academy and retired as a captain in the army.
He was a politician now, but he still clearly hadn’t neglected his own upkeep.
No wonder he’d cleared the tutorial faster than the other officials.
"But when it’s just the two of us, you can speak more casually. Isn’t 'Congressman Lim' a little stiff?"
"Then should I call you Brother Lim Tae-oh?"
"Drop the family name too. Don’t be so rigid. 'Brother Tae-oh' is plenty. Thanks to you, Brother Hyun-seok, I got the chance to start over after despair. That’s the only way I can feel at ease."
"Is that so?"
With a faint smile, Choi Hyun-seok idly nudged at his chopsticks. This wasn’t just a meal. Even if the room seemed full of easy laughter and polite comfort, he was tense—very tense.
Two days left.
That was the time remaining until the raid began. Meteor—Yoo Sung-jun—had said the final preparation window ended then.
Everyone had gone into total survival mode, making careful preparations.
He wanted to join that effort too and put together a plan that was as close to perfect as possible.
And yet there was a reason he’d come to speak to this man alone.
"Have you heard when the global embargo will be lifted?"
Worried that the world’s citizens would fall into chaos, the heads of each nation had agreed to clamp down on information together.
And so several months had passed.
Now each country had finished its own preparations and started sending signals in turn.
America and Russia. China and even Japan. As expected, the countries with the biggest populations have the edge. Their point generation is on a whole different level.
Even those great powers had their headaches.
For one thing, there was the survival rate of the officials who had entered the tutorial. For another, there was the problem of organizing military forces of their own instead of relying on clans.
Since even soldiers who weren’t users had drastically lower survival rates in the tutorial.
No matter how physically capable an elite special forces operator is, they don’t know how to deal with Infected.
On top of that, the clans that had aligned themselves with the officials weren’t about to let their movement go unchecked.
Who would hand over a chance to become the masters of the new world?
Choi Hyun-seok respected the high-ranking officials of Korea. It was a choice made for the greater good.
But if there were clan leaders acting for the sake of their countries, then the opposite would naturally exist as well.
So that would be Russia, China, and Japan?
Jack Kalt, the clan leader of Quantum—the world’s number one clan in the United States—had chosen to serve as an adviser rather than a unifier, handing the officials the chance to reclaim America on their own.
In the other great powers, large and small clans had banded together to absorb both citizens and officials.
Then, after Dark Cover, the weaker countries would collapse, while the great powers would likely split into two patterns.
Either they’d unite, or they’d fracture along clan lines.
Korea needed to prepare as well.
Dark Cover could arrive at any moment. Before the public learned of it and fell into panic, he had to make contact with talented people in every field and bring them under his wing first.
"The date for lifting the embargo has been set. However, the President seems reluctant to make the announcement."
"Because he hasn’t earned the right?"
"He’s a foolish man. Well, not just him—most of them aren’t exactly noble gentlemen, are they?"
"You seem curious about the distribution of the Invitations."
Congressman Lim gave an awkward laugh.
"Haha, was it that obvious? Since we’ll have to travel on the same ship to the destination eventually, there’s nothing wrong with knowing in advance."
"Fair enough. Counting only the officials who’ve currently qualified as users, there are thirteen."
"T-that few...?"
"Wasn’t that the expected result? In this capitalist society, how long do you think they’d survive if all they ever did was sit behind a desk?"
Congressman Lim Tae-oh slowly nodded. Everything Choi Hyun-seok said was true.
That was why he felt a little uplifted. The man who didn’t look kindly on the other officials considered him special.
If not, they wouldn’t be having this private meal together.
He wiped his mouth with a napkin.
"Mm-hm. The embargo will be lifted in two weeks, at midnight. Every media outlet will release the information at the same time, along with an announcement from the President."
"Didn’t you just say he was reluctant to make the announcement?"
"The heads of all the nations agreed. If the President refuses until the end, the Prime Minister will make the announcement instead, so don’t worry."
At that, Choi Hyun-seok nodded. Two weeks from now—that would be the start of the chaos.
Terror attacks meant to hoard meaningless supplies. Unrestrained greed laid bare. An era where human life would become cheap.
After the Age of Adaptation comes the Age of Chaos, then.
With that thought in mind, Choi Hyun-seok finished his meal.
"Then Brother Hyun-seok, you’ll be preparing to retake the bunker that’ll serve as the foundation for national reconstruction, yes?"
"For now, you prepare the things I asked for."
Apparently pleased by the word "brother," Congressman Lim broke into a wide grin.
"Haha! Of course. Recruiting technicians and laying the groundwork for the government. I’ll make sure it’s all handled properly. And speaking of that—"
"Wait."
Choi Hyun-seok cut him off.
Congressman Lim Tae-oh—or rather, Lim Tae-oh—felt a chill run through him.
That look in his eyes. He had seen it before.
It was the gaze of a man who could bind another person tight with it alone.
That was why, the first time they met, he had no choice but to accept not just the Invitation but the proposal as well.
"We may be on brotherly terms, but let’s not cross the minimum line. I’ve already given you a lot—the chance to avoid a dog’s death, the method to act like the one in charge from the front, even the position of staying by my side. If you want more than that, how are you any different from the men I just said aren’t fit to be gentlemen?"
His tone was calm.
But Lim Tae-oh sensed the cold blade hidden beneath that quiet voice.
Cold sweat beaded at his temples and slid down to the point of his chin. Too stiff to wipe it away, he answered carefully.
"R-right. Then we’d just be the same..."
"Exactly. So let’s each do our best in our own place. While I’m still willing to respect you."
With that, Choi Hyun-seok stood.
Leaving Lim Tae-oh behind as he got to his feet, he was the first to step out of the restaurant.
I really hate it when they start getting too comfortable.
He’d treated the other officials differently a few times, and now they seemed to think they were special.
From Choi Hyun-seok’s perspective, they were nothing more than pieces on a board to be used in reclaiming the country.
Pieces should act like pieces. Tsk.
He clicked his tongue softly and got into the back seat of the car.
When the driver, who had been waiting, asked for the destination, he answered curtly, "Take me to the hotel."
It was about time for the next appointment.
Time to decide the detailed operation plan with Yoo Sung-jun—the one he didn’t consider a piece on the board.
***
"I understand your younger brother, but this lovely woman sitting beside you is someone I’m meeting for the first time."
"Ah, hello! Uh, um..."
She swept her blonde hair back behind her ear, then fumbled around and pulled a notebook from her pocket.
Reading the words written there, she—Jeyca—held out her hand.
"I’ve heard a lot about you from Brother Sung-jun. I’m Felat Jeyca."
"I’m Choi Hyun-seok. You must be on Brother Sung-jun’s party, yes? I’ve heard a lot about you too."
The two shook hands and exchanged a few words.
Watching them, Yoo Sung-jun turned his gaze elsewhere. The people invited to his Enter Room weren’t only Choi Hyun-seok.
"Kwahahaha! When I first saw you, I nearly dropped dead from shock. I never dreamed the one commanding the raid operation would be Brother Sung-jun! And on top of that, I had no idea you had such a sharp younger brother too."
With one arm, the big man slapped his brother’s shoulder loudly and laughed with boisterous delight. Yoo Sung-jun narrowed his eyes at Alexei Cruiser.
His younger brother already looked exhausted from putting up with the man’s easygoing personality.
Hang in there a little longer.
He silently cheered on his brother, then looked to Choi Hyun-seok. It was the day of the showdown.
The day of the mission—when success or failure would be decided.
Choi Hyun-seok had invited Yoo Sung-jun’s party into the alliance system, the system used when a clan undertook a mission together.
There, as previously discussed, he had set the point distribution ratio at 8 to 2. That meant that even if a member of the alliance killed an Infected, eighty percent of the points would still come in.
It’s a situation where points come in even if we just sit still, though.
There were a lot of people. The number of users deployed for the operation alone came to about 1,200.
Even if killing one Infected was worth a hundred points, the share would be almost negligible on an individual basis.
Still, once the total climbed past several hundred thousand points, things would be different.
That was what Yoo Sung-jun was aiming for.
Because once we start hunting the boss, the scale of the rewards will change completely. Loki, you just add up the points and tell me the total.
I will keep that in mind.
He rolled his shoulders and stepped toward Choi Hyun-seok, then spoke so quietly that his younger brother couldn’t hear.
"We decided this at the hotel two days ago, but this matter must remain known only to the elites selected through user data screening. I don’t want the rumor spreading and reaching my brother’s ears."
"Understood. I don’t trust every clan member either. And the mercenaries, of course."
Choi Hyun-seok’s eyes briefly settled on Cruiser.
At that reaction, he let out a snort of amusement.
"That one, Cruiser, is fine. We met during a mission, and he’s overflowing with camaraderie."
"Is that so? Then we’ll proceed with the plan changes as flexibly as scheduled."
Jeyca, who had been listening to the two of them from nearby, kept tilting her head in confusion. She had no idea what they were talking about.
So she kept watching in silence, until her eyes met Yoo Sung-jun’s.
"W-whoa... Why are you looking at me all of a sudden?"
"Because your role is important."
"No, I mean, I am a helper, so in terms of sensing danger in advance, I guess that is important."
"That’s not what I mean, Jeyca."
Choi Hyun-seok explained it to her instead.
From entering the bunker to bringing down the boss. But when he continued into the explanation of how they would draw Muaz out from the center of the nest, Jeyca frowned.
"That’s only if things go wrong. If another boss intervenes and we’re forced to retreat."
"I thought we were all pulling out together?"
"No. Yoo Sung-jun selected only twelve elites through strict interviews and user information screening. We’ll alter the plan together with them."
Muaz’s abilities were specialized not only in brainwashing and disruption, but also in strengthening the physical abilities of those it had brainwashed.
Yoo Sung-jun called this effect "enhancement."
It was an ability that emitted brain waves that gradually made the Infected stronger.
"There will be no retreat in this operation. If there is one, it’ll be a diversion operation carried out by the users excluded from the elite group."
"So only the elites are going in?"
Jeyca looked at Yoo Sung-jun with worried eyes, then back at Yoo Sung-hwan standing behind him.
Understanding her reaction, Choi Hyun-seok continued quietly.
"Yes. Only the elite will enter to subjugate Muaz. That is, if support from another boss entity arrives."
"Then the reason you’re telling me this is..."
Jeyca wasn’t completely oblivious. When he said "elite," who would that include?
Yoo Sung-jun was there. Cruiser too. And in front of her, Choi Hyun-seok would surely be among them as well.
But Yoo Sung-hwan—he...
There’s no way he’d be one of the elites.
"You’ve already heard the detailed positions, but Jeyca, you’ll be by Yoo Sung-hwan’s side, using your natural talent to assist the users as a helper. So—"
"I’ll take it from here."
Cutting Choi Hyun-seok off, Yoo Sung-jun stepped forward.
He placed a gentle hand on Jeyca’s shoulder and spoke in a grave voice.
"The elites are going in no matter what. The allied users will switch to a flexible plan, using retreat, luring, and decoy operations. What you need to do is simple."
When he faced the Mountain-Man, he had realized something: his little brother cared about him to the point of obsession.
Just as Yoo Sung-jun put Sung-hwan’s safety first, Sung-hwan put his older brother’s safety first too.
The difference was whether that kind of loyalty became a crisis in an emergency.
If his brother was in danger, Yoo Sung-jun became colder and more rational than anyone else.
But if Yoo Sung-jun was the one in danger—
Sung-hwan’s judgment goes blurry.
He knew it from the way Sung-hwan had shouted during the fight with the Mountain-Man.
So he could say it without hesitation.
"If Sung-hwan tries to come after me, stop him with everything you’ve got. You can even knock him out. Just... retreat with my brother."
Jeyca shut her mouth.
After a moment of thought, she found the answer.
This wasn’t even a confirmed plan, was it?
Only a contingency. A plan change in case of emergency.
So she accepted it.
She didn’t like the fact that he intended to charge into enemy territory alone with the elites, leaving her and Yoo Sung-hwan behind, but still...
"...Okay. Fine, I’ll do everything I can to get Sung-hwan out of there."
As Jeyca nodded heavily, Yoo Sung-jun gave a thin smile, as if relieved.
It was almost time for the mission they had agreed on.
He gathered everyone together. They equipped themselves and selected the mission.
"Then we’ll begin. The resonant beings of the underground bunker."
About 1,200 people were being deployed.
The ones who would lead them headed toward the mission site.