Old Weapons, New Weapons
I blinked awake and found myself staring at an unfamiliar ceiling. Not the dim, lightless ceiling of the Back World, but the pristine white one of Baek Ya-seong, sunlight filtering through the curtains and reflecting softly. As my senses sharpened, I pulled the covers tight around me.
"Whoa... yeah, expensive stuff really is worth it, huh? I passed out without even realizing it."
Yesterday hadn't been particularly exhausting, but this bed was so damn good that I literally didn't notice falling asleep. It was like a drug-laced mattress. I'd never slept on anything this luxurious before. Before entering this game world, I'd always crashed on cheap mattresses, and even after making good money here, I'd never splurged on bedding.
"Baek Ya-seong lives up to the name. Do they give all their assassins beds like this?"
I had no idea if every assassin got one or if it was a perk reserved for exclusive assassins like me, but I was thrilled either way. As long as I got to enjoy it, who cared?
Part of me wanted to roll around in it for a few more hours, but I didn't have the luxury of sleeping in.
"She said 8 a.m., right?"
Do Jin-hyeok had mentioned equipment issuance starting at 8. The clock now read 6:05. Ever since becoming Baek Se-rin, even showering took extra time, so I shook off the heavy drowsiness and dragged myself out of bed.
Shhh—— After scrubbing down in the impeccably clean shower—almost as nice as the bed—I gathered my discarded gear. I slipped on underwear first, then donned all my equipment over it, and topped it off with a loose hoodie.
"They'll give me new clothes today too, right?"
From what I'd seen yesterday, all the Baek Ya-seong assassins wore black suits. This hoodie had served me well for ages, but it was time to retire it. If I got a suit today, I could tuck this sentimental favorite away in the closet.
Lost in those thoughts as I perched on the bed, there came a knock.
Knock knock knock—— I stood and opened the door. There stood a woman I assumed was my guide, dressed in the same black suit as yesterday's assassins. I gave her a quick once-over.
Height around 170cm, pistol holstered at her lower back. Build's not exceptional, so probably not field ops—office staff?
She looked no different from the assassins at a glance. But a closer look revealed subtle differences: toned but lacking real combat polish, eyes not particularly sharp. Definitely admin, not frontline.
As I finished sizing her up, she bowed politely.
"Pleased to meet you, Baek Se-rin. I'm Seo Do-hyun, here to assist you today. We're ready to head out for equipment issuance if that's alright with you?"
"Uh..."
Such formal treatment was unheard of in the Back World. I stood there stammering for a second before snapping out of it and nodding.
"Yeah, let's go."
"This way, please follow me."
No sooner had I answered than she turned and led the way. I fell in behind her.
Not as the Back World's Baek Se-rin, but as Baek Ya-seong's exclusive assassin, Baek Se-rin.
Baek Ya-seong Headquarters. Seo Do-hyun, staffer in Operations Management Division Team 1.
She glanced back at the woman following her—Baek Se-rin.
So she's Baek Ya-seong's fourth exclusive assassin...
Black hair, black eyes. No dye, no makeup, yet strikingly beautiful. And younger than Seo Do-hyun had imagined—way younger.
I figured an exclusive assassin would be at least in her thirties...
Baek Se-rin had only arrived yesterday, but rumors—true and false—had already spread like wildfire through Baek Ya-seong. The boss brought her straight from the Back World himself. She's only twenty. She's the strongest in the Back World. I saw her deflect bullets with a dagger. That last one sounded bogus, but Seo Do-hyun had to admit most of it rang true.
Twenty years old, looking almost like a high schooler. And according to Do Jin-hyeok—Jin Hyun-cheol's own exclusive assassin—the boss had handpicked her from the Back World. No doubt she was top-tier.
Incredible. An exclusive assassin at that age.
Seo Do-hyun had basic assassin training herself, so she knew the harsh truth: in their world, talent trumped effort. Sure, mechanical organs and high-tech gear narrowed gaps, but so did the enemy. When bodies were evenly modded, it boiled down to innate combat sense.
And in that light, a twenty-year-old Back World survivor personally appointed exclusive assassin by the boss? Her skills had to exceed Seo Do-hyun's wildest guesses.
As admiration welled up, a voice broke her reverie.
"Um... is there something on my face?"
"Pardon? No, nothing like that. Why do you ask?"
"You've been side-eyeing me since back there. Thought maybe something was wrong."
"Ah..."
Caught red-handed, Seo Do-hyun swallowed a mix of surprise and embarrassment. She'd glanced without turning her head—thanks to her artificial eyes, she could see slightly behind without moving. How had Baek Se-rin noticed such a subtle look?
"I-I'm sorry. Just personal curiosity. If I've offended you, I sincerely apologize."
"Haha, no worries. Didn't bother me at all."
Baek Se-rin laughed it off even as Seo Do-hyun bowed deeply. Only after repeated assurances did Seo Do-hyun straighten up and resume walking.
Exclusive assassins aren't just anyone... spooky senses.
A chill ran down her spine at Baek Se-rin's ghost-like awareness.
Weeeing—— Massive doors slid open, hitting me with the sharp scent of cold metal.
"This is Baek Ya-seong's armory. There's a separate one for firearms, but I heard you don't use guns."
"Whoa, impressive."
Our first stop under Seo Do-hyun's guidance: the armory. Weapons of every kind lined the displays, befitting Baek Ya-seong's reputation. Not just for show—they were organized practically too.
But the dazzling array of high-tech gear in front of me quickly turned my awe to awkwardness.
"Uh..."
Ultrasonic blades, electric wires, electromagnetic pulse needles, explosive thumbtacks—you name it. All top-quality, leagues beyond my junk. But useless to me.
I masked my grimace and spoke up.
"Any chance you have plain old bladed weapons instead?"
"Pardon? Oh, if it's about funding, don't worry. As an exclusive assassin, Baek Se-rin, you have free access to anything in here."
"No, it's not that. I just don't use these kinds."
Don't use—or can't, really. Better not sound incompetent. My custom mods gave overwhelming physical prowess, but at the cost of handling only basic blades.
Seo Do-hyun's face flickered with confusion at my request for unmodded weapons. But she soon headed deeper into the vast armory.
"I'm not in charge here, so I can't guarantee, but plain blades are probably stored further back. Low demand among assassins."
"Haha, yeah, makes sense."
In this era, plain blades meant one of two things: broke assassins who couldn't afford better, or me.
I'd use high-tech too if I could.
Year 2046. Assassins should've died out, but they'd evolved with tech. Their weapons gleamed with cutting-edge science. If you had cash, you upgraded—plain blades were relics for the poor.
"Here we are. I hope you find something to your liking."
How far had we walked? Past the pristine front, into dustier depths, Seo Do-hyun stopped. She stepped aside, revealing paradise.
Unlike my cheap crap, these screamed premium materials at a glance. Daggers and dirks of every type, their cold iron tang mingling with musty dust.
Anyone else would see a junk pile. Not me.
"...Jackpot."
Several grades above my current gear. This back corner was my ultimate weapon warehouse.