A Letter Left Behind

A crescent moon hung brightly in the night sky over Seoul.

I leaned against the railing of a building's rooftop and looked down.

Dogok-dong, Gangnam-gu.

According to CC, it was a neighborhood famous for the wealthy.

The windows gleamed, and the street trees inside the complex were perfectly manicured, without a single stray branch.

Elderly people in tracksuits strolled slowly along the pristine, dust-free pavement.

Although I had grown accustomed to Seoul while traveling back and forth across the Internet recently, this place had a completely different vibe.

The dozens-of-stories-tall apartment buildings slept quietly, all illuminated by green security lights.

Logos and brand names of unknown meaning were written on the outer walls.

"So Kang Sihyeon's house is here."

CC marked a red arrow near the top floor of a distant apartment building.

"I can't climb up the outer wall."

CC scolded me.

Just as she said, guards were patrolling all over the ground. In a way, there seemed to be more guards than pedestrians.

"Then how should we break in..."

As I searched for a path to Kang Sihyeon's house, I recalled the events of that night.

On the day Kang Sihyeon invited me to the meat restaurant, I explained to him how I had defeated him, omitting the parts about CC and the multi-legged tank.

He seemed quite shocked by the fact that he had been brought down by a mere five Tokarev pistols—it couldn't be helped, as I couldn't tell him I had used the multi-legged tank's CIWS—but he spoke as if a weight had been lifted from his chest.

"I have a house on the Internet. I've stored the items I gathered there."

He said, caressing the spot where his neck-hub, now gone, used to be.

"The capacity of a neck-hub isn't enough to carry everything around. And it's not like I have a guild to share them with."

Kang Sihyeon was a solo player.

Considering that most high-rank players belonged to guilds, this was surprising.

Most solo players were C- or D-class miners who scraped by on minor jobs.

"As I gathered them one by one, it became impossible to manage. So, I bought a house with good security and stored them all there."

"Ah... I see, sir. Truly a wise decision."

At that time, I was full and in a good mood.

It meant I was willing to play along and flatter an elder who had just treated me to meat.

"But now that things have turned out like this, I realize it was a foolish thing to do. Instead of hoarding them, I should have shared them with other players. If I had, I could have been of help even after retiring like this."

Kang Sihyeon said with a lonely look in his eyes.

I could feel that he was speaking from the bottom of his heart.

"As for my second piece of business..."

Kang Sihyeon looked at me and spoke solemnly.

"I will give the items in that house to you."

I lingered near the main entrance of the apartment complex where Kang Sihyeon's house was located.

I hoped for a chance to slip in behind another resident, but it was useless.

From the moment I stood near the main gate, the guard's eyes were locked onto me.

I grumbled in a spot out of the guard's sight.

"Seriously, why does he keep staring at me?"

"Me? Why?"

I looked at my reflection in the building's glass wall.

Short stature, a hooked nose, a few strands of hair, greenish skin, and shabby clothes.

A creature hovering precariously on the boundary between goblin and human, barely leaning toward the human side, stood there.

"...You shouldn't judge a book by its cover."

"...No."

I stared blankly at my appearance.

It was definitely a look that invited suspicion. Especially in this neighborhood where the wealthy gathered, I didn't fit in at all.

"But... if it's an eye-catching appearance, couldn't I use that to my advantage?"

I looked at the item on my right finger.

The item that creates a clone, gifted to me by Guild Leader Yoo Hyeyeon.

It was time to use it.

I took out the silver ring and threw it forward.

Where the ring fell, a man who looked exactly like me materialized.

Since I was using a goblin avatar, I expected a goblin to appear, but surprisingly, my human form—the one reflected in the mirror—showed up.

I said to the clone,

"Attract the attention of as many guards as possible. I'll slip in while you do."

The clone nodded and strode toward the front of the apartment building.

Sure enough, the guard's eyes locked onto him.

Seeing it like this, it was definitely an eye-catching appearance. It felt like the paving blocks on the ground were more handsome than the clone.

"Ha!"

The clone let out a shout and placed both hands on his waist.

And then, with great vigor, he pulled down his pants.

"Pfft."

In an instant, the guards rushed toward the clone.

"Y-You!"

"I knew it! Just looking at him... Catch him!"

"What is that crazy bastard doing...!"

The clone ran into the bushes, waving his pants in his hand, losing the guards.

People taking walks screamed.

"Kyaaaaaah!"

"A pervert! A pervert has appeared!!"

The clone ran wild across the walking paths, stretching his legs and spinning his pants like a propeller.

I slipped into the building by following another resident who was entering the apartment.

Even using the elevator required a key card.

Lacking a key card, I had no choice but to climb the emergency stairs to the 23rd floor, where Kang Sihyeon's house was.

If it were reality, it would have been a trivial height, but with the pathetic muscles of my goblin avatar, it was a struggle.

Resting several times along the way, I finally reached Kang Sihyeon's house.

A massive black iron door awaited me.

Near the door, various sensors, CCTVs, and stickers indicating enrollment in a security company were attached.

Kang Sihyeon's words came to mind.

"The door can only be opened with a key card or fingerprint recognition."

"But my avatar has the key card, and of course, my fingerprints can't be used."

"So, you'll have to break the door to get in."

Kang Sihyeon had worried about the means to break the door, but it seemed like a few punches with Strong Arm would solve it.

"What kind of security company is directly under F?"

And what kind of person was Kang Sihyeon to hire such a security company?

Once again, his boldness was apparent.

CC set up a five-minute timer in a highly visible spot in my field of vision.

I pulled back my waist and channeled the power of Dueoksini into ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠my fist.

"Hup!"

Crash!

With a powerful sound, the area near the handle dented slightly.

"Huuup!"

Crash! Bang! Crash!

By the time I threw my fourth punch, the dented door had opened just enough for me to squeeze through.

It had incredible durability. The fingers of my right fist, which I had thrown, were already tattered.

About four minutes remained.

I squeezed my body through the gap in the dented door.

I recalled Kang Sihyeon's words.

'The first item I want to recommend is among the weapons hanging on the wall. Look for a dagger with a white hilt and patterns engraved on the blade.'

I headed straight for the innermost room.

Numerous swords, spears, and daggers were displayed everywhere like works of art.

On the floor, things that looked relatively like junk were scattered, but CC said those were all items as well.

"No matter how good the performance is, a gun is better than a cold weapon."

CC subtly suggested deleting the multi-legged tank to copy these items instead, but I refused.

For me, who had lived with a gun in hand since childhood, guns were far more familiar than swords or spears.

I found the dagger Kang Sihyeon mentioned in the central display case.

Kang Sihyeon had said I must take this dagger, if only to ensure a safe escape.

I secured the dagger firmly next to my goblin's dagger and searched for the second item he mentioned.

'The second item is in the study drawer. It's called the Ring of Strong Luck.'

I rummaged through the drawer to find the ring.

It wasn't in a special ring box but was rolling around loose, which made it a bit of a struggle to find.

What is this? It doesn't look very good.

"I don't like items that create variables in a negative direction."

I looked around the room. There were many things that caught my eye, but there was no time. Only two minutes left already.

There wasn't enough time to search for good items.

'The last item is in the end room. When you ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠enter, on the third shelf...'

It was just as I was heading toward the end room following Kang Sihyeon's instructions.

"Huh?"

Something in the hallway caught my eye. I stopped in my tracks and picked it up.

"Why is this here..."

"Already? Damn it!"

I pulled out Karwennan and activated its skill.

"Dusk Step."

The dagger glowed, and my body slipped smoothly into the shadow.

I was in a completely black water that glowed faintly around me, and the shadow I had just slipped into reflected the original space above my head like a transparent mirror.

I tried walking forward as CC suggested.

Although there was water resistance, it was manageable to walk.

As I walked, the view of the space above my head shifted.

"Search everywhere!"

"Team C, on-site. It's a brute. They dented the entire door."

Employees of the security company entered the house.

They searched the house holding taser guns. Even to my eyes, it was a fairly skilled clearing.

"No sign of them."

"They might be hiding inside the house. Block the entrance and contact the client."

The security company showed no intention of leaving.

I hurried my steps toward an empty room.

Occasionally, there were blocked paths; it seemed I couldn't move to places where the shadows were disconnected.

Finally finding an empty kitchen, I leaped out of the shadow.

"Phew! Gasp... gasp..."

The inside of the shadow was filled with water.

Although my entire body dried up the moment I emerged, I couldn't breathe while inside the shadow.

"Tsk... Dusk Step...!"

I dove back into the shadow once more.

Shortly after, a woman dressed softly in a skirt and cardigan entered the house.

I recalled Kang Sihyeon's final words.

'Besides that, you can take anything else if you can. Instead... leave this in the house.'

Kang Sihyeon had placed a piece of paper on the table.

I had copied the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠contents of that paper from Intra-Maetan and put it in an envelope.

And to make sure it would be found by the woman who had just entered, I stepped out of the shadow and placed it on the dining table.

I left the house while submerged in the shadows.

The shadows of the security guards who had swarmed in served as an excellent bridge.

After descending several flights of emergency stairs, I emerged from the shadows.

The sorrowful weeping of the woman, which I hadn't been able to hear while underwater, reached my ears.

The lonely face of Kang Sihyeon as he placed the letter on the table came to mind.

"It's a letter to my wife. Please, I'm counting on you."