Chapter 29

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Translator: MadScientist

Chapter: 29

Chapter Title: I've Been Sued!

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"Whoa, this is driving me insane. For real."

I tore at my hair with my hands.

80,000 won had vanished from my account, and it was hard to accept that I'd gotten absolutely nothing in return.

I snatched up the phone I'd dropped on the floor and logged back into my banking app.

My fingers trembled as I checked the balance.

80,000 won.

The number 8 followed by five zeros had evaporated into thin air in an instant.

"My 80,000 won..."

To some people, it might be pocket change that disappears on a single round of drinks.

Especially to a chaebol heir like Eun Ha-min, it probably wouldn't even cover a piece of gum.

But not for me.

It's a quarter of my monthly salary from the logistics center, and in RPGs, you have to grind bosses like crazy just to scrape together 80,000 won.

"You fucking bastard... Stealing such precious money like that?"

My vision went red.

The more I thought about it, the angrier I got.

I admit I was an idiot for hitting the [Transfer Confirmed] button too quickly.

I got a little excited and hit it by mistake, so yeah, my fault.

But come on...

If you're going to take someone's money, shouldn't you at least deliver the goods?

"There's still hope. Yeah, customer service."

I moved the mouse like I was grasping at straws.

The game money trading site's 24-hour customer center.

If I submit a 1:1 inquiry here, the site might step in and resolve it directly.

The chat logs are all there, right?

The admins could tell just from the logs that I never received the game money.

I waited anxiously for a reply.

I gnawed on my nails, staring holes into the monitor.

One minute, two minutes, five minutes.

Time felt like it dragged on for a year before the notification chimed.

Ding~♪

I hurriedly checked the content.

A hollow laugh escaped me the moment I saw it.

"Ha..."

I couldn't help but laugh in disbelief.

It wasn't wrong, but why did it feel so rude?

Mediation impossible?

No authority to intervene?

They take their fees diligently, but when shit hits the fan, it's "not our problem"?

"Fine, let's see this through to the end..."

I had no intention of backing down easily.

If I let 80,000 won slip away like this, I'd be too pissed off to even sleep.

I picked up the phone sitting alone on my desk.

I launched the familiar AI app.

"Hey, AI app."

"You saw that bastard who just ate my ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠money and ran, right? The chat room history and his ID are all there."

"Hack that fucker's account and his entire computer. And take temporary control of his PC while you're at it."

A normal AI would refuse citing ethics or whatever.

But my AI app was different.

I rummaged through the drawer for a data cable.

I connected the phone to the PC tower and enabled debug mode.

Prep complete.

Complex code scrolled across the screen in a flash.

"You don't have any info on the guy. How's this possible?"

"You're gonna breach the trading site? Security's gotta be tight."

The AI's response was quick and concise.

It targeted the site's search bar and login form.

Found a hole in input validation, apparently.

Thousands of attack codes fired off in seconds.

SQL injection.

Manipulating the database to extract whatever info you want.

In just 10 seconds.

The trading site, which boasted ironclad security, fell pathetically.

A string of incomprehensible English letters and numbers appeared on the monitor.

The scammer's nickname.

SafeQuick my ass.

Soon, the guy's info popped up on screen.

IP address, OS version, browser in use, even session cookie data.

"Whoa..."

A chill ran down my spine.

Isn't this straight-up a crime?

No, it is a crime.

Hacking a site for personal info.

"If we get caught, I'll be the one hauled in, right?"

"Talking like you're tech from the future or something."

The AI didn't respond.

Fine, let's trust it.

I can't just sit here and take this anyway.

"So now we break into his computer?"

I had no clue what that meant.

Guess it means the door's wide open.

A green [Success] flashed on ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠screen.

Remote code execution worked.

The AI planted a backdoor deep in the guy's C drive.

Then created a reverse shell, fully seizing control of his PC through the AI app alone.

I unplugged the cable.

Now it continued from my phone, no longer the PC.

The AI relentlessly scraped the guy's info.

Everything he typed on his keyboard appeared on my screen in real time.

I got his main ID and password patterns, even his secondary game site password.

The AI asked.

No matter how much of a scammer he was, messing with financials felt a bit much.

I shook my head.

"Nah, skip the financial stuff. Just grab the game data. I just want my money back."

I took a deep breath and sat back down at the computer.

The AI had already launched Chrono Rea on his machine.

It's mirrored, thankfully.

Easier since I'm connected from my own PC.

Secondary password bypassed easily.

OTP?

AI hacked his phone and intercepted the code.

"Alright, let's dive in."

Connection complete, character loaded.

A merchant class, but high level.

Inventory... stuffed with immortal gear.

Looks like he geared up big time with his trading profits.

"Let's see how much cash he's got."

I opened the inventory.

Held: 1.3 trillion Rubia.

That's over 10.4 million won in cash equivalent. A massive sum.

"First, recover the money."

Without hesitation, I initiated 1:1 trades with my laundry alts parked nearby.

AI-prepared laundry accounts and characters.

Split it up across multiple trades, moved all 1.3 trillion Rubia.

Lost 650 billion to fees, but whatever.

Not only recovered my 80,000 won principal, but got a nice compensation on top.

Felt like a weight lifted off my chest.

But this wasn't the end.

"Tch. Scammer trash... but that gear's a waste."

I unequipped his items one by one.

+12 Ancient Black Demon Spirit Chestplate.

+12 Ruin Horned Greatsword.

Not endgame, not even quasi-endgame, just decent immortal gear.

No plans to take these.

Can't walk around with obviously traced items from the previous owner.

"If I can't have it, neither can you."

I moved the mouse.

Clicked items in inventory and dragged to the ground.

A very, very polite warning popped up.

Chrono Rea's system was merciless.

Once dropped, it's gone for good.

Recovery request?

With secondary password and OTP, logged in directly to drop it—admins won't touch it.

"Bye bye."

I hit [Yes].

Kwachik!

A crisp sound, and the item vanished.

I cackled like a maniac, disintegrating his gear one piece at a time.

Armor, weapons, accessories, even crafting mats in storage.

Dumped it all.

"And for the finale."

Back to character select.

Hit [Delete Character].

Deletion timer?

Just input OTP and it's gone.

"See ya. Don't come back."

Confirm.

The character dissolved into light.

Only an empty slot remained.

"Good work."

"Nah, none. Wipe the traces and log out."

The AI cleanly erased logs and severed the connection.

Only after confirming that did I flop onto the bed.

Felt like decades of pent-up frustration melting away.

Tonight, I could sleep with limbs sprawled.

The next morning.

A blaring notification jolted my eyes open.

It was a 1:1 chat alert from the game trading site.

That scammer from yesterday.

He finally checked and messaged the most suspicious me.

Threats and curses flew in a frenzy.

I yawned, watching the chats pile up for a while.

It was like watching the five stages of grief.

Denial, anger, bargaining, depression...

Funny thing: no ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠sign of acceptance.

I typed casually.

The guy's chats paused.

I could feel him fuming from here.

But why suspect me?

He was the scammer.

I sent the ultimate troll message and blocked him.

Felt so damn good.

So what now?

No evidence of hacking.

A week passed like that.

The scam incident was fading from memory.

No more contact from him. Probably gave up.

No evidence anyway, just grasping at straws.

Bzzz— Bzzz—

During lunch, an unknown number called while I was eating.

I picked up, curious.

"Hello?"

A deep male voice.

Something felt off.

"Yes, that's me. Who is this?"

Police station?

Rice ball nearly lodged in my throat.

No, stay calm.

This is one of those trendy voice phishing scams.

"Ah, yeah. What's up? Is my account being used as a mule?"

Voice phishing loves the mule account angle.

They say your name's on a found account, come in for questioning.

The guy sighed heavily.

Information and Communications what now?

Too long to remember.

"Sure, sure. Voice phishing's got some wild scripts these days."

Click.

Call ended.

His confident tone threw me off a bit.

Usually, they'd stutter in panic or threaten more.

Just hangs up.

"No way..."

Unease crept in.

No way it's real.

AI said it was perfect.

Zero chance of getting caught.

"How can I not worry in this situation?"

With shaky hands, I logged into the Criminal Justice Portal (KICS).

Quick auth, search my cases.

"Knew it."

As I sighed in relief—

I noticed the search filter said "Complainant" relation.

Switched to "Suspect" and hit search.

"...No way."

Loading felt eternal.

Then the screen text hit, and I froze.

No fucking way.

A real complaint filed?

Without evidence?

And cops calling me in for questioning as a suspect?

'Did they find evidence?'

If they're going this far, they must have something to rely on...

The AI app says don't worry.

"Hmm... Dismissal guaranteed, huh."

Then maybe...

Hire one of those attention-seeking lawyer YouTubers and make it public?

They picked the wrong fight big time.