Player Residential Village (2)
The Player Residential Village.
The sudden surge in S-grade and A-grade players deciding to move in here was simple enough to understand.
The fear that they could become the next targets of player terrorism at any moment.
Otherwise, why would anyone abandon their penthouses to come here?
“Most likely, quite a few players will continue living here until they feel safe again.”
“Roughly how many people have gathered so far?”
“I believe it was just under two thousand, but… would you like me to confirm?”
Two thousand meant only the tiniest fraction of player society had secured residency rights.
“We hesitated quite a bit before bringing people here, unsure if it was the right move. But since you’ll eventually be entering player society anyway…”
The words carried an oddly significant weight.
“You’re quite the hot topic in player society right now. Even those who didn’t receive an invitation want to come.”
It wasn’t hard to guess why.
Player society might be closed off, but everyone was connected through one or two degrees of separation.
The government invited me to a safe house.
That single piece of news alone would have shocked plenty of people.
It was the perfect event to inflate one’s ego—proof that I’m recognized by the nation as a valuable asset.
Even players with a false sense of security would have moved in without hesitation.
The title someone the Player Management Agency is concerned about protecting carried real weight.
Who am I? One of the elite few chosen by the country.
“It’s not really something I should mention, but… some players have come to the agency to complain. Asking why they weren’t offered residency here.”
“…Is that so?”
It seemed like a serious matter of pride.
Choi Junseok, Lee Nayeon, and Song Hana followed Team Leader Kang into the hotel.
The atmosphere was so luxurious it felt more like a high-end hotel than a government facility—complete with doormen.
“You really went all out on the extravagance.”
“If we didn’t set the stage like this, most players wouldn’t have come.”
“……Was that comment directed at me?”
Kang Jinsu chuckled and shook his head at Choi Junseok’s remark.
“Of course not. Absolutely not.”
“When did construction begin? It couldn’t have been easy to finish in just a day or two after the terror attacks.”
“Naturally, it wasn’t built in a day or two. We’d recognized the need long before and had it nearly completed, waiting to open.”
The phrase “waiting to open” felt significant.
“……What exactly do you mean by ‘waiting to open’?”
“There simply weren’t any residents at the time. That’s all. Now that the situation has changed, we adjusted the operating policy to stoke their competitive spirit instead of wondering why no one was moving in.”
It made sense.
“By the way… you’ve divided the rooms into grades?”
Kang Jinsu nodded as he looked up at the high-ceilinged hotel lobby.
Luxurious chandeliers hung overhead, and in one corner stood a fountain beside an Eastern-style garden with flowing water.
“Yes. The room grading system was Director’s idea—to encourage competition among players. The hope was that competing here would boost their motivation to climb the Magic Towers.”
“……Hmm.”
It wasn’t difficult to understand.
After all, the very reason players’ tower climbs had been left to the private sector was to foster growth through competition, rewarding the victors.
Choi Junseok felt like he was beginning to grasp the bigger picture.
This facility was simply a miniature version of the vast system the government and Player Management Agency had built.
“I’ll leave you here. You’ll receive detailed guidance from the lobby staff. Then, safe climbing to you.”
As Kang Jinsu bowed and departed, Choi Junseok walked toward the hotel lobby staff.
“Welcome. I’ll help you confirm your reservation. Could you please tell me your name?”
They’re really committed to the hotel concept.
It genuinely felt like visiting a real hotel.
Team Leader Kang’s claim that it would be better than a hotel suite hadn’t been a lie.
“Choi Junseok.”
Never heard that name before.
The staff member assumed he was just another A-grade or B-grade nobody and accessed the encrypted database to search for Choi Junseok.
In that instant—
Choi Junseok — S-Grade — Diamond Class, Room 1007
The woman’s eyes widened in shock.
Choi Junseok’s assigned room was the highest-grade suite, not a standard one.
Seeing that he was registered as an S-grade player wasn’t surprising—nearly a third of the residents here were S-grade. But…
“A Diamond Class room… correct?”
“I wouldn’t know, but apparently so.”
The staff member’s eyes sparkled as she carefully handed over the room card key.
In all her shifts, this was the first time she had seen an S-grade player with Diamond Class access.
“Could the two behind you also provide their names for reservation confirmation?”
“Lee Nayeon and Song Hana.”
She nodded at Choi Junseok’s words and entered Song Hana’s name.
This time, an unfamiliar message appeared, leaving her flustered.
It was the same room as Choi Junseok’s—Room 1-1007.
Shares the same room as Choi Junseok.
“This serves as both Choi Junseok’s room key and an identification card for the Player Residential Village. You can use it to access any facility.”
She wondered if it was an error, but the next line confirmed it wasn’t.
……? What’s with this note? I’ve never seen a reservation with this kind of instruction attached.
Well… perhaps it was a special request to the Player Management Agency.
When she searched for Lee Nayeon next, she nearly choked in surprise.
SS-grade……?!
Blinking rapidly, she looked at Lee Nayeon, Song Hana, and Choi Junseok.
All three were exceptionally attractive, but Lee Nayeon stood out the most.
Besides her exotic appearance, there was an indescribable aura about her.
Now she understood why.
So that’s why she’s SS-grade.
She hadn’t even known SS-grade awakeners existed.
Lee Nayeon was probably the highest-ranked player in the entire Player Residential Village hotel.
Her cold, expressionless eyes took on a different quality once the SS-grade information registered.
It felt as if she alone was gazing into another world.
Even more surprising was that she, too, was assigned to the same room as Choi Junseok.
All three… in one room?
An SS-grade player could easily have their own Diamond Class room.
Yet they were deliberately grouped together.
“You three will be sharing one room… is that correct?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
The reply didn’t come from Choi Junseok, but from Lee Nayeon, who had been coldly surveying the situation with her usual stoic expression.
Damn, even her voice is nice!
The staff member wondered if sharing a room like this was allowed, but she had no reason to object or intervene.
After all, the Player Management Agency had attached that note themselves.
“Understood. All three of you have been verified. May I briefly explain the facility usage rules?”
Just as the explanation was nearing its end, someone in the hotel lobby spotted the three and approached.
It was Lee Jiyu.
She had been heading toward the elevator when she noticed the striking figure at the counter and instinctively recognized Lee Nayeon.
“Oh my! What’s this? Junseok and Nayeon are moving in too? I’m so glad nothing happened to you. Really, what a relief.”
Pure goodwill radiated from her words.
Many players here had lost colleagues or friends to the recent attacks.
In a place where everyone was connected, the shock and fear among players had been immense.
That was why quite a few had moved in purely for safety.
“When are we doing the modeling shoot? My schedule’s so backed up I was wondering if I’d have to reshoot myself! You don’t need to unpack, right? Everything’s provided anyway. Come on, let’s go!”
Lee Nayeon tilted her head.
“……Huh? Oh, the modeling.”
She glanced between Choi Junseok and Lee Jiyu.
Since she could be urgently summoned if needed for the 21st floor climb anyway…
“Do whatever you want.”
Lee Nayeon didn’t seem particularly enthusiastic, but she had already been roped in by Lee Jiyu.
And just like that, Lee Nayeon was whisked away in Lee Jiyu’s pink sports car, disappearing in an instant.
Feeling hungry, Choi Junseok headed toward the 24-hour restaurant.
Song Hana looked hungry too, and it was lunchtime.
According to the earlier explanation, there was a 24-hour buffet-style restaurant on the first floor.
A fine dining establishment offering set meals was on the eighth floor.
That wasn’t all.
The hotel featured a gym, swimming pool, indoor golf course, tennis courts, and basketball courts—nearly every conceivable indoor facility was available, either underground or on the upper floors.
All of these facilities were provided free of charge to residents.
In other words, everything was funded entirely by taxes.
Choi Junseok figured the public would be furious if they knew.
Before even reaching the fine dining area, sharp whispers drifted over from other players passing in the hallway.
“Haven’t seen that S-grade before. A new awakener?”
“Never seen that face. With a rank like that, there’s no way a newbie could enter this restaurant, right?”
The murmurs carried a subtle, mocking tone as the players emerged from the restaurant.
In truth, he was an F-grade disguised as S-grade.
If anyone found out an F-grade had entered, it would be like advertising that he was Function.
The fact that even S-grades were ignoring him proved he really was S-grade.
In player society, it was the S-grade and A-grade players who were most sensitive to hierarchy and rank.
They might wear friendly masks toward clearly lower-ranked players, but they lived with the constant, subtle anxiety that another S-grade could crush them at any moment.
That was why they were always the first to share and identify promising new S-grade awakeners among the newcomers.
They deliberately slowed their pace toward the elevator, smirking.
He must be new here. He probably doesn’t know which facilities he can access.
Unlike the underground buffet, the VIP fine dining area was restricted to Gold-grade players and above.
That meant swiping the card key at the entrance would trigger an embarrassing announcement echoing through the hallway that entry was denied.
But the moment Choi Junseok swiped his card—
Access granted. Welcome, Choi Junseok.
The onlookers’ eyes wavered.
They couldn’t believe an unfamiliar face and name had access to this exclusive area.
Then came the next announcement—one they had never heard before.
Diamond Class confirmed. Calling the manager.
Their eyes shook violently.