The Diamond Rank
‘D… Diamond rank?’
They had seen Platinum rank before.
After all, those were the players among players—ones no player could possibly be unaware of. They had witnessed the top-ranked Lee Jiyu appear as Platinum.
‘But that face… no one recognizes it. Anyone can tell he’s a brand-new Awakener, yet he’s Diamond?’
It was absurd. Yet the people could not help but believe it.
The head chef of the VIP fine dining restaurant had personally come out and bowed his head straight to Choi Junseok.
Every time players tried to appraise Choi Junseok, the same warning window appeared without fail. It only made the distant onlookers more unnerved.
Appraisal impossible due to overwhelming difference in rank.
They had never seen that notification before.
No—‘Even an S-rank like themselves can’t view it because of the rank gap?’
It was unbelievable.
‘Status window unreadable……’
‘Is something like that even possible?’
The unreadable status window was shocking enough, but something else disturbed them far more.
‘Diamond… actually existed?’
Diamond rank.
Among players, no Diamond rank had ever been sighted inside the Player Residential Village. Because the place was so exclusive, if any player had been identified as Diamond, rumors would have spread instantly.
Lee Jiyu, one of the top-ranked players—ranked 17th—was Platinum. On top of that, there were rumors that even the S-rank executive of one of the Five Great Guilds, ranked 8th overall, was Platinum.
Players had accepted that information in roughly two ways.
One: Diamond rank existed only symbolically.
Two: It was a reward granted to Platinum players based on their achievements.
Choi Junseok’s appearance had instantly overturned that dominant view.
‘So it wasn’t a rank you climb into by advancing?’
Of course, it wasn’t unheard of for new players to awaken as S-rank or A-rank. But there were no newly awakened S-rank or A-rank residents in this Player Residential Village—at least, not among those they had seen over the past few weeks.
These were already established players. The treatment they received came from conquering the upper floors of the Suseo Magic Tower and the Kaesong Magic Tower in North Korea.
“This can’t be real……”
Choi Junseok and Song Hana, guided with utmost courtesy by the chef, walked inside. The players who had been smirking as they passed them now clamped their mouths shut.
“That guy. Have I seen him somewhere before?”
“Never seen that face in my life. Is he a secret weapon from one of the Five Great Guilds?”
“……Or maybe a National Intelligence Service player the government has been hiding?”
“I definitely heard his name is Choi Junseok, right?”
“Yeah. Never heard that real name before……”
None of the guesses were correct. And when there was no definite answer, rumors only grew thicker.
The first Diamond-rank player of unknown identity ever witnessed in the Player Residential Village.
Choi Junseok, who had entered the restaurant, inwardly clicked his tongue at the Player Management Agency’s little prank.
‘Why not just advertise that I’m Function?’
“I will guide you to the best seat.”
─┼
Of course, all of this was essentially a scheme by the Player Management Agency to keep Choi Junseok under control.
‘You can’t cover the sky with your palm.’
While the Player Management Agency was busy with matters concerning the Player Residential Village, the Commissioner’s dilemma was whether or not to place Function inside it.
“It hasn’t even been a month since Function appeared. Yet all these achievements are possible?”
Commissioner Mun Gwon-su once again combed through and organized the information on Function, stroking his stubbly chin.
“I’m starting to fear what might happen if an existence of this caliber slips out of our control.”
Resting his chin on his hand, he tapped the desk with his index finger as he organized his thoughts.
Everything Function had accomplished so far was on a scale that would require mobilizing the full strength of even one of the Five Great Guilds—and still might not be enough.
No—demanding that all Five Great Guilds combined produce something comparable to Function’s achievements within a month?
That was impossible, without question.
“We’re relying far too heavily on Function.”
The recent North Korean player terror incident had proven that as well. They had never depended so greatly on even a single S-rank before.
It was dangerous.
If Function were eliminated or decided to leave for another country, the domestic player society could be shaken to its roots. It would mean the sudden disappearance of a national-level asset.
Commissioner Mun Gwon-su pressed the call button. The internal line number 1 was already connected directly to Team Leader Kang Jinsu rather than his aide.
Kang Jinsu entered as if he had been waiting. He had been planning to see the Commissioner anyway.
“How should we manage the risks surrounding Player Choi Junseok?”
Anyone else hearing that question would have worn an expression that said, ‘How would I know?’ But Kang Jinsu was different.
“I was just about to report on the current progress and plans regarding that matter.”
Commissioner Mun Gwon-su nodded, already thinking he should give Kang Jinsu a special promotion.
“Let’s hear it.”
Kang Jinsu’s fluent explanation followed.
“First, it is highly likely that Player Choi Junseok has no intention of leaving the country.”
“Why do you think that?”
“He seems afraid of foreign countries.”
“Afraid?”
Kang Jinsu nodded and pulled a slip of paper resembling a ticket from the inner pocket of his suit jacket.
It was the item Choi Junseok had handed over—the Mythic-grade consumable: Tower Floor Selection Entry Pass.
“What is this?”
“A Mythic-grade consumable item that allows entry into any floor of a Magic Tower from the 2nd to the 100th floor. It was the hidden reward Function obtained after clearing the 1st floor of the Shibuya Magic Tower.”
“You can choose which floor of the tower to enter……? Even the 100th floor?”
“Yes. That is correct. It appears Japan had secured it before selling it to China, and China warned North Korea that the item had been transferred to Korea.”
“……Hah. Just like other 1st-floor rewards from Magic Towers, it’s an item that twists the tower’s rules.”
The Commissioner nodded as if he understood.
He could roughly guess why North Korea had retreated without launching additional operations.
They had been afraid. Afraid that Function might clear the 100th floor of the Kaesong Magic Tower.
The revenue North Korea could earn from the Kaesong Magic Tower was dozens of times their entire national GDP. They had even recalled every player mercenary dispatched for foreign currency, yet before they could even reach the middle floors, the gold mine in the lower floors suddenly vanished?
Perhaps that was why North Korea had not voiced even the slightest complaint about South Korea’s trade network blockade.
“No wonder…… They should have been furious enough to conduct nuclear tests, yet they stayed quiet. There was a reason after all.”
Commissioner Mun Gwon-su felt an even stronger need to keep Function firmly under control.
“He wouldn’t have just given that to you for free.”
“Correct. He wanted it exchanged for a penthouse.”
“……”
Commissioner Mun Gwon-su blinked. If they put it up for auction overseas, a single penthouse would hardly be an issue in terms of price.
“He really said just that one thing would be enough?”
“And…… he seemed to want the remaining money after the sale to be processed without taxes.”
“……Thorough in the strangest places.”
“I also think he’s someone I’ll never fully understand.”
He meant it. Although it had been less than a month since Kang Jinsu started exclusively monitoring Choi Junseok, he had seen and spoken with him more than with his own family. Even so, Kang Jinsu still could not be certain what kind of person Choi Junseok truly was—aside from a few things he had confirmed.
“His personality leans toward being safety-conscious and self-preserving. Though he clears multiple Magic Towers in record time every day……”
“Self-preserving, huh.”
“Yet at times he even undertakes bold adventures overseas…… It’s not certain, but that is my analysis.”
The Commissioner brought up something he had been pondering recently.
“The world will soon learn of Choi Junseok’s existence. From what I heard last time, he doesn’t plan to hide his appearance forever, does he?”
“No. If we can provide adequate protection, it seems he also desires fame.”
“I remember. Protection on the level of Yu Junhyeok.”
“That level of protection isn’t even given to the President.”
Providing Yu Junhyeok-level security was simply not feasible. More than anything, people would question why someone like him deserved that kind of protection.
“Then why not make him a figure on Yu Junhyeok’s level?”
“……Excuse me?”
“He wants fame, doesn’t he? We’ll turn him into a national star so he won’t even think about leaving for another country. If he becomes a hot star among players before debuting to the public, that should work.”
Kang Jinsu understood the Commissioner’s intention but was not certain it was a good idea.
“You’re saying you’ll have him move into the Player Residential Village as Platinum rank.”
“No?”
“……Then what exactly are you saying?”
The Commissioner grinned, as if an amusing scene was about to unfold.
“No. Of course it has to be Diamond rank.”
“……Excuse me?”
“Is there a problem? Choi Junseok’s achievements wouldn’t look strange even if he received a rank above Diamond.”
“But wasn’t Diamond rank left open so Platinum players would have room to advance and stay motivated?”
The Commissioner shook his head.
“No. If a newcomer like him is Diamond rank, how do you think others will see it?”
“They’ll try to test Choi Junseok’s strength.”
“Exactly. And when they do, they’ll realize he’s not someone to be taken lightly, won’t they?”
“……”
“It’ll also stimulate the other players?”
“That’s right. Besides, there are already two S-ranks around Choi Junseok. No one will be able to ignore this rising star named Choi Junseok.”
“You’re planning to naturally elevate him as a mysterious powerhouse within player society. I see.”
“Correct.”
Kang Jinsu nodded. They would still do their best to keep the fact that Choi Junseok was Function a secret, but raising his reputation was necessary to avoid controversy over special protection or special treatment. Moreover, Choi Junseok himself wanted that kind of fame.
“I’ll proceed accordingly.”
“Good.”
Thanks to that behind-the-scenes maneuvering, Choi Junseok had become the one and only Diamond-rank player in the Player Residential Village.
The attention of those who had been quietly eating was instantly drawn to him. It was because they had heard the head chef who came out to greet Choi Junseok mention that he was Diamond rank.
“Diamond?”
“He said Diamond?”
“That greenhorn?”
“Who is he? I’ve never seen him before.”
The gazes of the nation’s top-ranked players pierced sharply toward Choi Junseok. The moment they instinctively used their appraisal skills—
Warning! Appraisal skill cannot be used due to the vast difference in rank with the target.
A notification that crumpled the pride of S-ranks appeared.
An S-rank couldn’t appraise him?
“Wait. Appraise that person.”
Refusing to believe the warning, the rankers gestured toward Choi Junseok and told their colleagues to try appraising him. Yet the same warning window appeared in their vision without fail.
Warning! ……
Startled by the unfamiliar warning, they blinked.
Song Hana smiled inwardly, satisfied that her protection was working perfectly. Pretending to look out the window indifferently.
Choi Junseok, who had been counting the sharp glances reflected in the window, nodded to himself.
‘So the time has come to debut in player society.’
If that was the Player Management Agency’s intention, he was more than willing to play along—thoroughly and perfectly.