Player Residential Village (1)
The location Song Hana had tracked in real time wasn't Incheon.
More precisely, it was the western coast of Seosin-myeon in Hwaseong-si, a short distance south of Incheon Port.
National Intelligence Service agents and counter-terrorism unit operatives began surrounding the area from all sides. The navy had even been quietly mobilized to establish a blockade along the western coastline.
"There's a container over there!"
"This isn't the kind of place you'd expect to find container boxes... huh, there really is one."
A single container box sat abandoned on the shore, as if it had washed up or been left behind.
Once the location was pinpointed through real-time coordination with Song Hana, elite counter-terrorism operatives approached the container with the utmost stealth.
Inside, the occupants waited anxiously for their extraction vessel to arrive. They had no means of external communication whatsoever, to avoid any risk of signal detection or reverse tracking.
They had no idea they were already being exposed to thermal cameras and various other detection devices. Even their exact postures while sitting had been recorded.
They remained silent, not even whispering, holding their breath as they waited for the appointed time.
Then, through a ruptured seam in one corner of the container, an invisible, odorless gas began to seep in.
Thud. Thud.
Three operatives slumped over unconscious at the same time.
By the time the three North Korean operatives regained consciousness, they were already in a deep, dark interrogation room beneath the National Intelligence Service headquarters.
Truth serums and various other chemicals had been administered without restraint, leaving them completely unable to resist or even tense their muscles.
"Alright. Let's begin."
"I sincerely thank you."
Team Leader Kang Jinsu bowed his head, but the gesture was directed more toward Song Hana than Choi Junseok.
"Hee... It's nothing!"
Kang Jinsu summarized the situation for the three of them. They had captured the North Korean players, and as expected, one of the three was a summon with mind-control abilities. The summon had infiltrated Korea disguised as a player of a Korean Magic Tower and had placed several people under mental domination. The operation had apparently begun at least several months ago.
"It's clearly their doing, but if they just play dumb, there's no way to demand compensation. That's the frustrating part."
"So, Junseok-ssi. Is it possible for you to sever the ownership binding on that player?"
"...The North Korean ownership binding?"
"From what I saw, that summon seemed to be under some kind of leverage and was being exploited by the North Korean side."
"Shouldn't be difficult."
Using the Mythic-grade item Lethe's Scissors would make it a simple matter.
What disappointed Choi Junseok, however, was that there was no way to impose any special punishment or extract meaningful compensation from North Korea. According to Kang Jinsu, the most they could do was bring war-crime charges through international courts and push for additional sanctions against the North.
To Choi Junseok, it felt like "That's it? Seriously?"
"It's a shame that the maximum retaliation we can manage is just another sanctions package."
Kang Jinsu shook his head at Choi Junseok's candid remark.
"Not at all. Surprisingly, the significance isn't small. This could shake the North Korean regime from its very roots."
Choi Junseok still looked skeptical.
"Don't they just slap on sanctions every time the North does a nuclear test whenever the UN gets bored?"
"This time is different. China and Russia are participating as well. North Korea has become completely isolated because of this incident."
Once Korea made it clear it intended to crush the North with firm resolve and solid justification, China and Russia had chosen to step back, at least for now.
"We've issued a blanket warning to all ships and aircraft heading toward North Korea—worldwide."
"...What?"
"Any vessel detected attempting to reach North Korea will be seized or destroyed. In fact, we're already capturing North Korean ships that have crossed into our territorial waters in the East Sea. We've also used fighter jets to force two aircraft to land at Seoul Airport."
"Is that even possible?"
"Yes. Modern politics is a battle of justification. With justification on our side, nothing is impossible. Even if it seems excessive, that kind of angry display functions perfectly well as a message."
At this point, even Choi Junseok had to admit they were retaliating in earnest.
"Foreign media outlets are saying this is preferable to Korea launching missiles at the North. Global stock markets, which had plunged on fears of war breaking out in Korea, are already rebounding."
While he had been clearing the 20th floor and then Shibuya's second floor, living comfortably in a hotel, the world had apparently been moving quite dynamically.
"After all, what they did went beyond mere provocation. It was a clear first strike—an act of war. And that's not the end of it."
Choi Junseok blinked.
He hadn't known, but it was clear the government had been grinding its teeth over this matter in multiple ways.
"...There's more?"
"We've taken a hard stance: if North Korean workers aren't immediately expelled from the country, we'll sever diplomatic relations. Human rights aside, the intent is to cut off their foreign currency earnings from dispatched laborers. It looks like they're already forcibly removing all illegal immigrants, though we'll have to keep watching."
The intention to sever North Korea's major sources of income was obvious. A significant portion of the North's GDP came from sending workers abroad.
"China, Japan, Korea, and Russia are coordinating to completely block North Korea's land, sea, and air routes. And all of these sanctions were only possible thanks to the two of you."
Lee Nayeon, watching TV from the sofa, wore an unmistakably sulky expression despite her usual blank face. Anyone who didn't know her would see only her stoic look, but after spending enough time around her, the subtle pout was easy to read. She seemed displeased that only the two of them had been singled out for thanks.
"At this rate, isn't North Korea going to start a war?"
After all, their major exports—arms and labor—along with even oil imports had been cut off.
"They might. That's exactly why this isn't something to feel disappointed about. North Korea is probably thinking war would be preferable at this point. And the reason we were able to take such strong measures is because the evidence and justification you two secured were so clear."
"Except for the bare minimum of daily necessities and food on humanitarian grounds, nothing else will be allowed in or out."
Choi Junseok nodded, satisfied that was enough.
What he had been waiting to hear wasn't how they were punishing the North, but what compensation he and Song Hana would receive for their efforts.
"Ahem... Are we just getting verbal thanks here?"
"It won't be just that. Of course, the deal we discussed earlier will proceed as planned, but as you can imagine, things are quite busy right now..."
"So there's no token of sincerity?"
"Ah, I got carried away. You've had a hard time staying in hotels all this while."
......
Hard time? It had been a suite room.
The facilities were better than the officetel the Player Management Agency had provided. Gourmet meals were delivered via room service three times a day. If anything, they had been enjoying luxuries that others paid a fortune for, completely by accident.
"You'll be moving into the highest-grade apartment in the Player Residential Village."
Kang Jinsu added playfully, confident that the facilities wouldn't be inferior to the suite.
"It'll be the first time in history for an F-grade player. The village is composed of S-grade, A-grade, and some B-grade players."
True to its name, Choi Junseok's mother and younger sister ended up living separately in a luxury apartment on the outskirts of Seoul.
"They said it was recently built. Looks like it really is."
It was an unusual location. A village had been created within an affluent neighborhood, and the only road leading into the Player Residential Village ran between a forest and a tree-lined street, with a private security company stationed at the entrance. Passing through the barricade that reminded everyone of a military base, Kang Jinsu gave an awkward smile.
"This is only here because of the emergency situation... These pointless installations will be removed soon."
"That's a relief. But what about same-day delivery or food delivery? That's important."
"......"
"How is this any different from being trapped on an island inside Seoul...?"
"It'll be quite different. There's a dedicated chef for the Player Residential Village inside. A twenty-four-hour buffet with warm food is always available."
"Sounds like the Taereung Athlete Village."
"It might be similar."
"What about packages? I can't give up same-day delivery."
"......There's a disguised address in a nearby residential area. If you have deliveries sent there... our agents will bring them to you immediately upon arrival. It's like... pseudo same-day delivery."
"That's inconvenient."
Just like how military bases didn't appear on maps, the roads were also cut off on the map.
"But isn't it more dangerous to gather everyone in one place like this? If someone drops a bomb here, we'd all be wiped out."
Kang Jinsu grinned confidently at the remark.
"You're not wrong. But on the flip side, it means we only have to protect this one location, doesn't it?"
It was an impressive display of confidence.
"The scale of the air-defense network and protective measures around here is on par with those surrounding the Blue House presidential residence and Mount Bugaksan. I can assure you, even biochemical terrorism has been accounted for. Not a single microbe can enter without permission."
Choi Junseok's trust in the security suddenly skyrocketed.
They were already passing through their second checkpoint and barrier as they approached the hotel visible in the distance.
"Besides, the S-grade players inside that hotel are monsters in their own right."
"Players are just regular people outside the Magic Towers, aren't they?"
"Most are, but you know how it is. There are rare cases where someone awakens a versatile skill. Like you. There are quite a few people who have transcended human limits, just like Lee Nayeon-ssi and Song Hana-ssi."
In reality, while the map showed it as a park, no Road View was registered, and even the nearest available Road View was mosaicked out.
Kang Jinsu glanced at Song Hana through the rearview mirror.
Song Hana dramatically unfurled the talisman she had been working on.
"The talisman to disguise us as S-grade players is done!"
Having finished, Song Hana looked completely drained and let out a strange, exhausted sigh before collapsing onto Lee Nayeon's lap.
Lee Nayeon quietly stroked her hair and handed the talisman to Choi Junseok.
"Stick it on your forehead and it'll burn away on its own... My... masterpiece...... Bye-bye... poof."
Even as Song Hana made a "poof" sound with her mouth and rubbed her face against Lee Nayeon's lap, Lee Nayeon woke her up with a creative method.
"Do I need to disguise myself too, even though I'm SS-grade?"
"Heee... I'm dying!"
Song Hana jerked her head up and looked at Lee Nayeon with terrified eyes, but Kang Jinsu spoke as if it wasn't necessary.
"I don't think there's any need to go that far. If you're new faces, people will naturally try to gauge you anyway."
"Everyone?"
"Ah... After the recent player terror incident, the number of residents in the Player Residential Village has increased. Quite a lot, actually. It's almost at capacity, but even so, Junseok-nim's room is one of the top-tier suites. It's a room even S-grade players can't easily get into."
"An honor."
"You might even recognize some people."
The vehicle soon came to a stop.
Choi Junseok had expected a village of detached houses, but what he saw was unexpectedly a large, flat hotel.
The moment the car stopped, Lee Nayeon muttered,
"There are a lot of gazes watching us."
Countless windows of the hotel rooms, each tinted black, but the stares coming from them were intense enough for even Choi Junseok to feel.
Kang Jinsu smiled while putting on his sunglasses.
"It seems the rumor that an S-grade newcomer is being assigned to the top-floor suite has already spread."