The Management Village Dissolves
In a derelict factory on the outskirts of Incheon, the Function Cult Leader lay bound and gagged on the floor. The men who had abducted him were a motley crew of underworld players and organized crime thugs. They offered no conversation or interrogation, simply tying him up and lounging in a corner while idly tapping at their phones.
“Hey, do you think that guy actually met Function?”
“Don’t ask weird questions. You’ll get hurt.”
“Heh, but I’m curious. He’s the Function Cult Leader, right? So he must know something about Function.”
“Is that how it works?”
“If not, why would the Chinese buy him?”
They spoke of the man as if he were merchandise. The moment they delivered the Function Cult Leader to Incheon Port, a boat arrived at the shore within a minute or two.
“They’re here.”
“Payment?”
The masked man fired off a quick text demanding the down payment. Considering they had spent nearly three months infiltrating that ridiculous cult for this kidnapping, they deserved a bonus.
—Ding.
“Okay, down payment’s in. Let’s move him.”
“Boss, this is the last job for me. You got that?”
“Fine. But mark my words—you’ll be calling me in a few months asking for work.”
The masked man’s remark drew chuckles from the others as they rose together.
“Mmph…! Mmmph!”
The Function Cult Leader was dragged along, struggling. Something felt off. The government and the National Intelligence Service had promised to protect him, hadn’t they? Tears streamed down his face as he was hauled toward the suspicious-looking motorboat. He screamed through the gag with everything he had.
“Shut up. You want to get knocked out?”
“You had your fun pretending to be Function and running a cult. You should’ve lived a cleaner life.”
“Mmmph! Mmmph!”
“Bad deeds always bring divine punishment.”
The Function Cult Leader seethed at the government that had promised his safety. Yet, on reflection, it was obvious. Why would the state waste taxpayer money and risk agents’ lives to rescue a madman who had tried to start a cult? It wasn’t worth it. Even if he had truly met Function, no one could have predicted that. Trying too hard to save him would only look suspicious.
“A motorboat has arrived at Incheon Port.”
“The Function Cult Leader is being moved.”
“Copy. Keep tracking and monitor the situation.”
The NIS had his location in real time. They could have arrested the armed underworld players, but it was wiser to identify them and add them to the watch list for bigger operations later.
The man dragging the Function Cult Leader stopped at the boat. Four Chinese men sat aboard.
“Take a look at his face. Is it him?”
The Chinese conferred briefly and nodded.
“What the hell are those Chinese bastards saying? Just send the money!”
After another exchange, one of the Chinese tossed a black crossbody bag containing the balance onto the dock. The masked man unzipped it and grinned. It was stuffed with 50,000-won bills.
“Send him over.”
“Mmmph! Mmmph!”
The Function Cult Leader prayed desperately. If a real god existed, he swore he would live honestly from now on, never tarnish Function’s name, and dedicate himself to the world—if only he could be saved one more time.
“Tch…”
When the cult leader refused to board, the underworld player kicked him hard.
Thud!
The Chinese men’s expressions darkened instantly. They looked ready to draw weapons, and the sudden tension made the Korean players raise their hands and back away.
“Whoa, whoa. He just wouldn’t get on. Calm down, all right?”
“These guys even care about the merchandise’s condition? Good thing we didn’t rough him up too much.”
The NIS watched the scene unfold in real time.
“They’ve received payment and put him on the boat.”
“Understood.”
The tense underworld players slowly collected the money and retreated step by step. The boat turned sharply and sped into the Yellow Sea.
“Sob… sob…”
The Function Cult Leader kept crying, but the voice that reached him next was unexpected. A Korean interpreter spoke fluent Korean.
“Function Cult Leader… welcome aboard.”
“Now… let us pray. Function’s return, the subjugation of the Magic Towers!”
The people who had rescued the Function Cult Leader were Chinese members of the Function cult. The NIS agents listening through the miniature recorder attached to his clothes were stunned into silence.
Function’s return… the subjugation of the Magic Towers. It seemed China’s cult had grown even more extreme than Korea’s.
“……Understood. We’re pulling back.”
Thus, the incident surrounding the Function Cult Leader was officially closed under the label of “ongoing surveillance.”
Rumors about Choi Junseok spread rapidly, thanks to Kim Chul-gon’s endorsement. The fact that Choi Junseok had shown no fear even when facing a rank-9 player had left a strong impression on the other players.
“How can anyone stay that calm in front of that giant?”
“Just seeing him smile made my legs go weak.”
They chuckled and joked.
“What if Choi Junseok really is Function?”
“If he were, he would’ve just said so. If he wanted to hide it, he wouldn’t have brought us here so openly.”
“True. How many countries are after Function anyway? I heard the Function Cult Leader disappeared too.”
“Function-hyung… I’m scared to climb the higher floors. Please save us……”
“I think I’m unintentionally becoming a Function cultist myself.”
“You’re already steeped in it.”
“Steeped?”
“You’ve been soaked in Function, you idiot.”
“Seriously though, did the Function cult really turn into a volunteer organization?”
“Apparently. Their official sponsors are even the Player Management Agency and the Ministry of Health and Welfare. Hilarious.”
The players began wondering about the government’s hidden trio of secret weapons.
“Anyway, it means the country hasn’t just been sitting on its hands.”
“My friend’s cousin’s sister’s friend’s father is supposedly an NIS player.”
“…At that point, isn’t that just a stranger?”
“Still, that’s what I heard. During the gap after Incheon and Suseo Towers, Korean players were secretly earning foreign currency overseas. The government couldn’t have just ignored that.”
“Makes sense.”
“There might be professional state-affiliated players we don’t know about, climbing foreign towers.”
The players seemed to think the existence of government players, which they had already suspected, had merely surfaced.
In the Player Management Village where top players gathered, talk of Function and Choi Junseok never ceased. Choi Junseok and Lee Nayeon’s party had cleared the 27th and 28th floors in a record three minutes. They could have gone even faster, but they had deliberately held back the Holy Sword to farm levels within the record window.
As always, Function cleared two floors a day while keeping an eye out for the “great rift” Kim Chul-gon had mentioned. The biggest change came from North Korea. In response to South Korea’s sweeping sanctions, which had brought the peninsula to the brink of war, North Korea announced it would prohibit any South Korean players from climbing Kaesong Magic Tower as a gesture of apology.
This gave Korean players two options. They could pause their climb of Suseo Magic Tower under the pretext of climbing Kaesong instead. The tension that had hung over the player community seemed to dissipate at once. North Korea had effectively declared defeat, vowing no further provocations against South Korean players.
Accordingly, the Player Management Agency changed its policy once more. It disbanded the temporary player residence village it had funded with a massive budget.
Choi Junseok was speechless after Team Leader Kang finished explaining.
—That’s how it is.
“You’re telling me to leave?”
—Well… we rented this place with government funds because it was originally going to be operated as a hotel.
“Huh… I see.”
—Honestly, having you move out now is the best way to avoid raising suspicion while properly introducing you to the player community.
Half the plan had been to ensure players’ temporary safety; the other half had been to integrate Choi Junseok among the top players. Both goals had been achieved, so further unnecessary spending was pointless.
—Didn’t you receive over six billion won yesterday? Go flex with that. You could buy a house and still have money left. I’m jealous.
Team Leader Kang had even added his personal opinion, which was rare.
Six billion might buy a decent penthouse in a wealthy Seoul neighborhood, but it wouldn’t stretch to the ultra-luxury tier. He could probably afford a high-end apartment with some left over. Besides, no matter how large the hotel room was, it never felt like his own—it always felt borrowed and stifling.
“Understood.”
So that explained the commotion outside. Choi Junseok glanced out the window at the lively crowd of players gathered below. The entire management village was buzzing because everyone was taking photos and building camaraderie before leaving, as if they had attended a player training camp.
Lee Nayeon, who had been watching them quietly, spoke.
“They’re looking for us.”
Sure enough, someone had acquired a megaphone and was shouting loudly enough for the whole village to hear.
“Player Choi Junseok! Where are you? Come out and take a picture with us!”
Dozens of players—at least fifty—were gathered, calling for him. It had only been a day since his conversation with Kim Chul-gon, yet he had already been accepted positively among the players.
They were shouting his name from every direction.
“Ending on a warm note, huh.”
Choi Junseok still had no intention of joining the photo session. A message from Lee Jiyu, who was equally unlikely to participate in such childish antics, arrived.
—Ding.
—You’re going to buy a house, right?
—I’ll help. I know the wealthy districts pretty well.
It was useful information. Driving around to look at houses sounded better than doing it on foot.
—Come down to the lobby once everyone’s gone. Let’s go house hunting.
The moment had finally come to reap one of the real rewards of climbing the Magic Tower.