Chapter 51
Chapter 51
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Translator: Silver Dragon
Chapter: 50
Chapter Title: Marriage Information Company!
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Next up were introductions from the Sovereigns.
The leader of the idol group Prism, Seo Ha-jin, who was nearing retirement.
Wealth? She had it in spades. Looks? Second to none.
And these days, her agency drilled her in everything from background checks to basic etiquette and even foreign languages. She was the full package, no doubt about it.
Of course, she still fell short compared to the son of the Upper Minister.
But that didn't diminish Seo Ha-jin's value one bit.
Her rival was just on another level entirely.
The other Sovereign was another man who left everyone speechless.
The Rajesta Continent on the 4th Floor had its share of heroes, but some were especially famous back on the 3rd Floor.
One of them was the Great Wind Mage, Galerwind.
And incredibly, the remaining Sovereign was Galerwind's direct disciple.
"I'm Raychen. Nice to meet you."
A curt greeting.
For a mage, he had a sturdy build, hair neatly slicked back, and glasses that gave him a rigid air.
He was the epitome of a mage who prioritized efficiency over flair.
Once Raychen's brief self-introduction wrapped up, the host concluded the rather eventful session.
"Alright, please enjoy your meal. We'll take a short break, then move on to one-on-one conversation time!"
With that, I shot up from my seat.
One reason only.
To warn them about the camera attached to Rex's eye.
Announcing it right in the middle of the ceremony would be as good as sabotaging Tower Marriages outright.
Conversations flowed smoothly amid the crowd. These were participants who had come specifically to meet people.
You didn't see many fumbling awkwardly or shrinking into their seats.
Especially with the organizers' thoughtful setup—buffet trays circulating made small talk a breeze.
"Excuse me."
"Yes?"
But someone blocked my path midway.
None other than the question machine and glasses girl, Ophelia.
"You're Kim Juseon, right?"
"Yes, that's me."
"I overheard you earlier, and you seem like such a deep thinker. So gentlemanly."
"Oh."
This was bad.
Her eyes screamed instant crush.
Couldn't just brush her off, though.
"Thank you, but I—"
"Honestly, I don't get the others here, but you feel different, Juseon. Like, special?"
"Haha, what makes me special? That Raychen guy over there seems way smarter. Maybe try him—"
"Ugh, that's exactly my type to avoid. And Galerwind? Besides—"
Ophelia trailed off teasingly before flashing a friendly smile again.
"No, no. He's just not my type at all. Biological repulsion? His knowledge feels so rigid. But you... you seem different."
Her ample chest seemed to inch closer with every word.
Then someone else cut in from the side.
"Juseon, I heard you're a former hunter trainee. Could you tell me a bit about it? Class 111 is legendary stuff."
A healthy, bronze-skinned beauty—Geum Bora. I remembered her job: hunter training instructor.
Look at her barging right in without a hint of hesitation.
Was this really a gathering of people serious about marriage?
More like a battlefield where the weak don't survive?
And it was.
Ophelia fired back.
"Oh? Why not ask your senior instructors, Bora?"
"Nah, instructors see it differently from trainees. I've got so many questions."
"Uh, actually, I need to hit the bathroom—"
Time to bail with a vague excuse.
But as I tried to slip past Ophelia...
Rex, passing by, awkwardly tangled his legs and spilled his wine glass.
"Whoa?!"
If I let it happen, wine everywhere.
Acceleration ability came in handy here.
I pulled her back just enough to snatch the glass cleanly—but maybe the sudden speed threw Ophelia off, because she froze, disoriented.
"Huh? Wha?"
"What the?!"
The two women finally clocked it and turned to Rex.
"Oh man, sorry about that. My leg just gave out."
Rex's awkward apology.
But the women were already fuming.
He'd stacked up so much dislike, lurking like he was waiting for a slip-up. And now he had.
"What is this, some kind of competition? Know your place."
"Who even acts like that?"
"It was an accident!"
As the three started bickering, staff swooped in to calm things down.
I seized the gap to slip out of the hall and hunt down CEO Yu Ji-hye.
She was in a corridor corner, cigarette in hand but unlit, mid-call.
"How do you send someone like that? Client or not, this is too much."
Several back-and-forths later, she hung up with a sigh, clearly unsatisfied.
Only then did she notice me behind her and jump a little.
"Oh, Juseon? Sorry about that unsightly mess. But you handled it well."
"Who the hell is that guy?"
"..."
She fiddled with the cigarette between her fingers, then gave a wry smile.
"Juseon, you smoke?"
"Yeah, I do."
"You're growing on me. Let's talk for a sec."
She headed to the smoking area. As I followed, I added,
"Rex has a camera in his eye. Looks like he's streaming live."
"...Pardon?"
Yu Ji-hye nearly dropped her cigarette in shock.
"Streaming on a Cyber City platform, from what I could tell. Easy to miss, but you might want to tighten security."
"Ha... Thanks. You've saved my face multiple times today. All because of that damn eel."
She messaged her staff on her phone to handle it.
"Got it. We'll kick him out. Some noise, sure, but he's already toast."
We reached the smoking lounge.
Cigarettes lit, we each took a drag.
"Juseon, you know what hypergamy is?"
The sunset had faded; she gazed up at the lit lamps like moonlight, bitterness etched on her face.
"Yeah. Marrying someone above your level, right?"
"Exactly. So, of the people who come to a marriage agency, how many do you think want hypergamy?"
I met her sidelong glance evenly.
"Excluding the absolute top tier... most of them?"
"Right. Those who don't want it? Generously, 5%. And that's the top elites who know no one's above them, or pure romantics who ignore specs."
She tapped ash into the tray.
"Juseon, of today's clients, how many do you think are actually here to marry?"
"...Huh? Well—"
"The two Sovereigns? Not serious about marriage. Wanna guess who?"
"What are you getting at?"
"See that face."
No time for quizzes.
I wanted answers so badly I forgot how close the ember was to my fingers.
"Who wants to marry down? At least someone on their level."
"..."
"Most here are new members. See how pushy they were? First-timers."
She lit another cigarette, exhaling smoke and a heavy sigh.
"Think of them as bait. Nobles eye Royals, Royals eye Sovereigns."
Ah.
"'If I join Tower Marriage, I could marry someone like that too.'"
I swallowed hard.
Forced myself to stub out my cigarette.
"Juseon, a marriage agency ironically makes money when clients don't marry. Keep matching, keep collecting fees."
"..."
"That's what I told the Sovereigns. Do this one spot for free, and we'll line up prime matches next time."
Pieces clicked in my head.
The same venue, but glaring gaps in status.
Now it all made sense—and it pissed me off more than expected.
Even the night air couldn't cool me down.
"Juseon, we're not love's Cupid, right?"
We're—
"Businesspeople."
She finished her first smoke, stubbed the second into the trash with a grin.
Artificial lights bathed her head, casting an eerie glow.
"Guess who crashed today?"
"The Upper Minister's son, obviously."
"Wow, you're sharp. Spot on. He truly believes the marriage market's all romance. Lowborn-highborn love...? Works for us. Hope it pans out—gives us a success story."
Tower Marriage hooked me up with the Upper Minister's son from Old Martial World!
Life-Reversing Jackpot Marriage!
I could already see the headlines sucking people in.
"Rex was part of it too. A Sovereign client slipped him in as a proxy. That way—"
"They'd agree to a real match?"
"Exactly."
"So that's why you called me here today?"
"..."
"Scouting aside, even if I disrupted things—"
"Lose a few newbies. Regrettable, but whatever. Didn't expect the eel to be that disruptive."
She shrugged and patted my back.
"Shall we head back?"
But I stood rooted, staring at Yu Ji-hye before nodding.
"About that earlier question... my answer now."
"Yes?"
Scout.
"I decline."
* * *
"Hah! Hah! Fuck! Those crazy bastards! How'd they know about the retinal cam?!"
Building emergency stairs.
Rex panted, drenched in sweat.
He'd zapped a staffer with his stun device and bolted, but the plan was busted.
"Fuck! Fuck! Fuuuuck—!"
Rex clenched his fists at the flood of mockery, while staff voices echoed below, forcing him up the stairs.
Missions scrolled by as he climbed.
How much was that all together?
Clear every mission, and he'd rake in years of grinding pay in one night.
"Give up? No way, Villangsi."
No quitting, even if it killed him.
He burst onto the rooftop, declaring firmly,
"I'll do i—"
A barrage of '?'s.
Rex blinked dumbly, words failing him.
Because.
"Huh?"
Against the moonlight stood a prior guest on the roof.
Old Martial World garb, jet-black with no patterns.
A dark mask covering even his eyes, revealing only the face's outline.
As confusion reigned, one chat popped up.
Casual as ever.
Zero connection to him.
Clean chat—but the creepiest Rex had ever seen.
"Report: Variable detected."
Old Martial World attire, but a voice laced with noise—inhuman.
"Scan: Unrelated to assassination target. Assessment: Exposure risk. Request: Eliminate variable."
"Wha? Huh?"
"Approved."
Her right arm morphed into a blade mid-lunge at Rex.
"Gaaah—!"
His childlike scream twisted into a final death rattle and faded.