The Bet I Couldn't Refuse
I turned back and looked at Jeong Hayeon. She was wearing a silver dress with glass slippers. The outfit seemed unfamiliar to her; every step she took looked dangerously unsteady.
“Hey. I told you to hold onto my arm.”
“No thanks. Why would I hold your arm?”
“It’d be better than watching you wobble like that, wouldn’t it?”
“I said I’m fi—!”
Right then, Jeong Hayeon’s ankle twisted and she began to fall sideways. I darted forward and caught her. For a moment, it looked like she had thrown herself into my arms.
“..Uh… huh?”
Jeong Hayeon lifted her head and stared at me. Up close, her face was breathtakingly beautiful. Even if the party makeup had helped, this felt like cheating.
“Watch your step,” I said bluntly.
“...Ah… um… Can you let go now? I can stand on my own.”
She glanced at my hand still resting on her shoulder.
“Yeah.”
I released her. Jeong Haesu, her older brother, looked back and forth between us before breaking into a sly grin. Jeong Hayeon started walking ahead into the hotel interior, her brother sticking close beside her. Still grinning, he said,
“Hayeon-ah.”
“W-what…”
“Why’s your face as red as a tomato?”
“...What nonsense. Tomato? Who are you calling a tomato?”
“Your face is completely red right now, you know.”
“Stop… stop talking nonsense.”
I couldn’t make sense of their conversation, so I simply continued toward the convenience store that had been my original destination.
While walking, I noticed a massive man heading straight toward me. He was staring at me with piercing intensity. Not wanting any unnecessary trouble, I averted my gaze. But then—wait a second.
I lifted my head and met his eyes. The moment our gazes locked, he flashed a wide grin. It was a face I had never seen since arriving in this world. However, I had definitely seen it while playing the game.
It was one of the human-skin masks Urbashi from Cain used when disguising himself. I swallowed hard. If things went south, I could lose my life right here and now.
A woman who appeared to be his colleague stood beside him. She looked vaguely familiar too—probably another member of Cain.
Urbashi stared at me for a long moment before walking past. He headed straight into the hotel. Tonight, Samhwa Bio’s new drug announcement event was scheduled inside.
Their goal was obvious. But I had to stop them somehow.
I turned on my phone.
Nam Doyun's Securities Account — Samhwa Bio: 3,000 shares (150 million won)
“Yeah. I absolutely cannot give this up.”
It was still unlisted, so its current value was only 150 million won. But if today’s announcement succeeded and the company went public, these shares would skyrocket. The graph would likely show nothing but upward momentum for days.
“I have to stop them no matter what.”
I would use any means necessary to block them. Only then could I live without worrying about money.
The hotel lobby was gradually filling with distinguished guests.
“Vice Minister of Economy, welcome sir.”
The staff greeted each arrival with deep bows.
“Congressman Kim Eulmin, please come this way.”
From the second floor, Cha Jiyun watched the scene unfold.
“...Guild Master.”
“Yes, please speak.”
Beside her stood Lee Ki-min, Guild Master of the Oriental Guild.
“...You’re certain the security for tonight’s party is airtight?”
“Of course. Please don’t worry. Every member of our guild is currently patrolling the hotel perimeter, checking for any threats.”
“...Every member?”
“Yes. Today is an exceptionally important occasion.”
As he spoke, Lee Ki-min looked down at the first-floor lobby.
“The lineup really is impressive. These are all faces I’ve seen on television at least once.”
“...Exactly. That’s why we cannot allow any unpleasant incidents tonight.”
“Indeed. An accident at a gathering of such influential figures… the mere thought is horrifying.”
“...Yes. That’s why I want to be even more thorough. Are there security personnel from other guilds as well?”
“Yes. Jin Hyewon from the top-ranked Crystal Guild has joined our security detail for tonight.”
“...That’s reassuring. More importantly—”
Cha Jiyun’s gaze shifted toward the hotel banquet hall. A translucent barrier shimmered around it.
“...The barrier there is fully operational, correct?”
“Yes. Please don’t worry. That mana barrier was installed by Archmage Heinz himself.”
“...Then I feel somewhat relieved.”
“Of course. There’s no chance it could break. It cost a full billion won to set up.”
“...Then I’ll leave it in your capable hands.”
Cha Jiyun gave a polite bow.
“Ah, no need for that! This is simply what must be done. There’s no reason for thanks.”
“...This announcement is truly important to me. Please ensure nothing goes wrong.”
Even so, Cha Jiyun kept her head respectfully lowered.
Inside the hotel banquet hall, Jeong Hayeon and her brother sat at the table marked with a [Hunter Association] sign.
HUNTER ASSOCIATION
Jeong Haesu’s eyes sparkled as he looked at the snacks on the table. He reached out, grabbed a biscuit, and popped it into his mouth.
Crunch. Crunch.
“Mmm—”
He savored the taste.
“These are seriously delicious.”
Just as his hand moved toward another biscuit, someone slapped it away.
“What the—?”
Jeong Haesu turned. It was his sister.
“Ugh, stop stuffing your face. We’re here for the main course. Don’t you feel bad filling up on snacks?”
“Hmm… now that you mention it, I guess you’re right.”
He placed the biscuit back where it belonged.
“Speaking of main courses, Hayeon-ah…”
“What?”
“Between Nam Doyun and Radeon, who’s the main dish for you?”
“...What? What kind of nonsense is that?”
“Don’t you have a little crush on Nam Doyun?”
“Who says I have any interest in that bastard…?”
“Hmm~ Is that so?”
Her brother stared at her. A bright flush had spread across Jeong Hayeon’s face.
“Sure, sure. Let’s say you’re not interested…”
“It’s not ‘let’s say’—I really am not interested.”
“Yeah, yeah. Of course you’re not. Even though your whole face turned bright red when Nam Doyun caught you earlier. But sure, no interest at all. Nope.”
“....”
“I seriously thought your face was a tomato. Yeah. Even if skinship makes your face explode like that, it’s not like you like him or anything. Of course not.”
“...”
“If Hayeon says so, then that must be it. Right?”
Her brother looked at her with a mischievous smile.
“Do you really want to get punched in the solar plexus?”
“No? I said I didn’t.”
“No. Big brother definitely needs to be hit.”
Jeong Hayeon’s fist slammed into Jeong Haesu’s stomach.
“Oof—!”
“I know it doesn’t hurt.”
“Ughhh… This one actually does hurt…”
Jeong Haesu’s breathing grew ragged.
“Anyway, I’m going to go say hello to some familiar faces.”
Jeong Hayeon stood up from her seat.
The hotel was clearly divided into two zones. The lobby was filled with adults exchanging business cards and greetings, while the lounge bar area was occupied by their children.
I sat in a secluded corner of the lounge bar. At the large central table sat Kim Simin, son of Congressman Kim Eulmin. The table could seat about ten people. Around him were one other guy and three girls. Even at a glance, the girls were stunningly beautiful.
As I casually scanned the women, one of them made me tilt my head in confusion.
Why is Jeong Hayeon sitting over there?
Given her personality, there was no way she’d be close with Kim Simin.
Kim Simin suddenly grabbed a boy who was walking past the table.
“Hey, you. Come here for a second.”
“Me…?”
“Yeah. Sit down for a bit.”
“Oh, okay.”
Kim Simin had the boy sit directly across from him.
“I’ve seen your face in the news a lot lately. You’re the son of the president of Cartin Steel, that rising mid-sized company, right?”
“Oh. You know me?”
The boy smiled happily.
“Of course I do. Anyway, want to make an interesting bet with me?”
“A bet…?”
“Yeah, it’s really simple. What do you say? You in?”
“First tell me what it is.”
“It’s easy. See this watch on my wrist?”
Kim Simin pointed at the expensive-looking watch on his wrist.
“How about we bet this against that necklace you’re wearing?”
“A bet…?”
“Yeah. Winner takes the opponent’s item. Sound good?”
“Fine. Let’s do it. What’s the bet about?”
“Oh, the content? Super simple. You know about the newly discovered Kaion Dungeon that the Hunter Association cleared, right?”
“Yeah. So?”
“And you know about the new monster called Hex that was found inside it?”
“I do.”
“Whoever correctly states the monster’s weak point gets to take the other person’s item. Simple, right?”
“But the weak point hasn’t been publicly released yet, has it? Only the people who participated in the raid with the Hunter Association would know.”
“Ah… that? Don’t worry about it.”
Kim Simin glanced at the guy sitting beside him.
“This friend here was allowed to observe during the dungeon exploration. So he knows where the weak point is. Right?”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
The guy nodded. I looked at him. He was indeed one of the students who had participated in that raid. The Hunter Association had brought a few students along for training.
“Oh, and don’t worry—he didn’t tell me the answer. So, we’ll watch this video and try to figure out the weak point from it.”
Kim Simin placed a laptop on the table. The official Kaion Dungeon raid footage released by the Hunter Association began to play. The two boys watched it intently. A few minutes later, the video ended.
“So. From the footage, what do you think Hex’s weak point is?” Kim Simin asked.
“Hmm… I think it’s the left shoulder. When the hunter stabbed that area, the monster’s speed suddenly dropped sharply,” the Cartin Steel president’s son answered.
Kim Simin turned to his friend. “What do you think? Is he right?”
“No. That’s completely wrong.”
“...What?”
The Cartin Steel boy looked dazed.
“From what I saw in the video, the weak point was the left knee. Right?”
“Correct.”
“...But the hunters in the video never even attacked the left knee. How can that be the weak point?” the Cartin Steel boy protested.
“What? Are you saying I’m wrong?”
Kim Simin narrowed his eyes.
“N-no, that’s not what I meant…”
“That’s exactly what you meant. You know insulting me is the same as insulting my father, right?”
“Why are you making such a leap…”
“Your father’s steel business is doing well these days, isn’t it? But what if my father suddenly creates a new bill that regulates it?”
“....”
The boy shut his mouth. Then he spoke again.
“Yeah… the left knee does seem to be the weak point. I must have been confused for a moment.”
“See? I was right, wasn’t I?”
Kim Simin grinned.
“Then you can hand over that necklace and leave.”
“...Okay.”
The boy reluctantly removed his necklace and gave it to him. Even from a distance, it looked extremely expensive. Jeong Hayeon watched the entire exchange with clear contempt in her eyes. It was essentially robbery using the power of being a congressman’s son.
Her brother had participated in that dungeon raid. Therefore, Jeong Haesu knew the monsters inside it well, and Jeong Hayeon would have heard the information from him. She definitely knew that the left shoulder—not the knee—was not the weak point.
Then she should just say something.
But it made sense that she couldn’t. The Hunter Association’s funding depended entirely on the government. In other words, the influence of congressmen was significant. So Jeong Hayeon couldn’t speak up. She probably wanted to leave the table immediately, but she couldn’t because of the need to maintain connections.
That must be why she was sitting next to Kim Simin.
I shifted my gaze to a corner seat. A man with his hat pulled low was staring at that table. I had a good idea who it was.
Creak—
I stood up from my seat and walked over, sitting down at Kim Simin’s table. He gave me a puzzled look.
“Who the hell are you?”
“Nothing special. I was wondering if I could join the bet you just made.”
My eyes were fixed on the watch he was wearing.
That thing is necessary for unlocking my skill.