Players
Players.
Along with the black Tower, they were the ones who had been throwing the entire world into an uproar for some time now.
According to what had come to light, players were those who climbed the black Tower that had appeared in the world one day without warning. And if they failed in that climb, Earth would meet its destruction.
Not everyone believed those words.
No—honestly, most people just laughed them off.
There were those who dismissed the very idea of players as pure otaku fantasy.
There were those who had fallen deep into conspiracy theories.
And there were the religious who had sunk into doomsday prophecies.
Countless people tore into one another through endless debates and full-blown flame wars.
But the power holders of every nation thought differently. They did not dismiss the players' words as empty noise.
Among them, the ones listening with the widest open ears were South Korea and the United States—thanks to the existence of Seong Yujin and Eliyah.
Of course, half-doubt still ran thick, yet they never ignored the players completely. The power and abilities those players displayed every time they stepped outside served as living proof.
South Korea in particular had been the first to confront the player named Seong Yujin, so its progress was inevitably the fastest.
And the result of that progress was this moment right here.
Reporters stood packed in a solid wall, waiting for Lee Sia—right in the middle of Gangnam, the exact place she had appeared before.
The 5th Floor, then the 10th Floor. She had already shown herself in the same location twice. Predicting that if Lee Sia came out again she would emerge in that same spot was hardly difficult. That was why the reporters had even pitched tents and settled in to wait.
The flashbulbs stabbing into her pupils left Lee Sia unable to think straight.
"Ah! My eyes!"
Her senses, wound to an extreme pitch, had no choice but to slam shut against the endless barrage of light.
"Please tell us about the inside of the Tower!"
"We've heard you climb while fighting monsters—is that true?"
"Is the story about the world's destruction real? If it is, can it be stopped?"
"My kid—my kid's in there too, right? Please just check for me! Please!"
"Could you at least give us your name?"
Reporters, families of the missing, and gawkers all at once. Lee Sia's head spun into chaos.
Ah, this isn't going to work.
She had no idea what was even going on; she needed somewhere quieter to get her thoughts in order.
The moment she decided, she kicked off the ground.
KWA-AAAAANG—!
Perhaps because she had poured her full strength into it without realizing— the solid asphalt shattered and sprayed in every direction as her body rocketed into the air.
"Hahk!"
"S-Supergirl!"
"Shoot it! Shoot it! Don't miss a single frame!"
"Holy shit, she's actually flying!"
In an instant Lee Sia vaulted clear over the crowd and covered several hundred meters. Compressed air skimmed across her face, and her mind gradually returned.
I'm going crazy.
She had expected a certain amount of attention. Seong Yujin had made quite the splash the first time he came out, and the Korean government was already pouring massive interest into the matter. Other players would start appearing one by one as well, so of course the media and the public would fixate on them.
But she had never imagined it would be this bad. A camera barrage the second she stepped outside?
The pictures are definitely going to look weird.
They might even turn into humiliating meme shots and spread through every community on the internet.
No way!
Ridiculously enough, that possibility scared her more than the situation itself. She was only twenty-one. No matter how thoroughly she had been dragged into this abnormal life and become a player, the weight of the public eye was still a heavy burden.
I need to get out of here fast.
She had already left the reporters and gawkers far behind. Lee Sia raced onward like a literal gale.
"Ah, Noona!"
Just as she reached the neighborhood near her house, she spotted Park Ji-hoo charging along just as madly as she was.
"Ji-hoo!"
The flustered look on his face made it clear he had run into something similar.
"You okay?"
Lee Sia stopped and asked.
"Y-yeah. Nothing really happened, but…"
Park Ji-hoo's face was flushed red, his expression pure bewilderment.
"Let's just get home first. Before anyone else recognizes us."
Talk later. Right now, getting out of sight came first.
Thankfully—if that word even applied—the street in front of her house was quiet. She had been half-afraid reporters might have set up camp here too.
The two of them gradually slowed and approached the house with care.
Crap.
She felt people approaching. Not one or two. At least ten. And they had already formed a loose circle centered on Lee Sia.
Reporters?
The relief from moments ago vanished; the approach made her a little afraid.
What do I do?
While she was still wrestling with the thought, one of the figures who had closed the distance called her name.
"Lee Sia-ssi?"
"Don't come any closer."
She warned them, already deciding she would thrash them if necessary.
In answer, the man spread both arms wide.
"There's no need for concern. We are agents of the newly established agency under the National Intelligence Service—SID."
"…SID?"
"Special Irregularity Department. Roughly speaking, you can think of us as the Special Existence Management Department. Our work is managing players like yourself, Lee Sia-ssi."
Dressed in a black suit, he maintained a calm, polite demeanor from start to finish, clearly signaling he held no hostile intent. Her wariness eased a fraction.
"And?"
"Please rest assured. We are protecting your residence. The same goes for Park Ji-hoo's younger sibling. No reporter of any kind can approach this area."
Suspicious individuals even less so. The neighborhood had effectively become a restricted zone. Ordinary residents who knew nothing might pass, but anyone with an agenda would never get close.
"The reason we revealed ourselves like this is that we wanted to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings. We're already aware that the senses of players like you have left ordinary human limits far behind."
Meaning they knew that staying hidden would only get them caught. Lee Sia nodded. If they had simply watched from the shadows, she would have grown even more suspicious.
"Then… can we go inside?"
"Of course. Leave the security of your home to us. Higher-ups have already decided to guarantee every convenience for the players of the Republic of Korea—including yourself and Park Ji-hoo."
That was welcome news for once.
"…Thank you."
Separate from her lingering caution, she felt a little grateful. When she dipped her head in a polite bow, the man stepped aside with a small smile.
"Ah, and one more thing—would you happen to have time tomorrow?"
"Why?"
"Someone above has requested a meeting."
He asked carefully, clearly trying not to ruffle her emotions any further.
"Who above?"
Surely not the president. She blinked and asked; the agent answered.
"I believe you've already met him several times. It's Director Lee Ki-seok, the one leading our SID."
Lee Ki-seok. The man who had been at the research facility near the Tower had apparently transferred over here. Lee Sia let the last of her wariness drain away. She had crossed paths with Lee Ki-seok enough times that he felt somewhat familiar.
"Why does he want me?"
Her expression relaxed a little; the agent eased his own tension in turn and spoke.
"He intends to ask questions related to the Tower."
"If it's that kind of thing, there's someone a lot better than me."
Honestly, she knew almost nothing. She had poured everything into hunting rather than the Tower's secrets or the situation inside—forced to, not by choice. Kang Mu-hyun might well know more than she did.
"You're referring to Seong Yujin-ssi?"
"Yes."
Lee Sia nodded. Personality aside, the man knew so much information it was as if there was nothing he didn't know.
"We're looking for him as well, but…"
The agent scratched his temple, looking awkward.
"The truth is, even we have a hard time locating him."
That made perfect sense. Seong Yujin had come out once on the 5th Floor and never again. He didn't even seem to have a fixed residence. No matter how much power SID wielded as a national agency, finding Seong Yujin would not be easy.
"He's coming out this time. I don't know where he'll appear, but he said he would, so you should be able to find him soon."
"Is that so?"
The agent's face brightened. The open-ended search had been a bleak prospect; if the man was actually leaving the Tower this time, the agent might finally stop getting squeezed by his superiors.
"Thank you. Still, I'd recommend meeting him once. The Director is quite passionate—he's prepared a great many things that should be helpful to players."
"Really?"
Lee Sia thought it over for a moment, then decided to accept the offer. On one condition.
"Could it be the day after tomorrow instead of tomorrow? I'm a little tired and want to rest…"
Rest came first. Lee Ki-seok, SID, help—whatever. Right now her head was full of nothing but the desire to flop onto her bed and roll around.
"Of course that's fine. I'll pass the message along."
With that, the agent put a full distance between them, as if refusing to take any more of her time.
"Then should I just call you if I need anything?"
"Call and I'll come running immediately."
"Okaaay—"
Lee Sia answered half-heartedly and started walking toward the house again.
"Hwaah—"
Beside her, Park Ji-hoo—who had not spoken a single word and only watched—let out a huge breath.
"Were you nervous?"
"Y-yeah. A little."
For a high-schooler, the whole thing must have looked pretty serious. Lee Sia had felt the pressure herself; how much worse must it have been for this timid kid?
"Let's get inside and rest. We shouldn't let people spot us for a while."
The two of them hurried into the house, each calling the person they had most wanted to see.
"Mom!"
"Si-yeon!"
A short one-week vacation had begun.
Hwaaaaaak—!
Yujin appeared.
"Huh?"
"A p-player!"
Commotion rose around him. Yujin moved without a second's hesitation. Unlike Lee Sia and Park Ji-hoo, who had flailed about in confusion, his choice was razor-sharp. It had to be. He had gone through this countless times in the first timeline—getting swallowed by crowds every time he came out on leave.
This was only the second time, so it wasn't quite as bad as he remembered, but there were still enough people nearby that he focused first on vanishing from sight.
Hmm.
Next time he came out, he would simply start stealthed from the beginning.
With that thought, Yujin immediately launched his body toward a certain destination.
Southern Gyeonggi Province.
The direction of the world's largest U.S. military base.