Sharing a Table
The next day, at the Official Player Item Trading Center of the Player Management Bureau.
"This is incredible... This really is an incredible item."
The Center Director was examining an old parchment while adjusting the glasses he always kept pushed up on his forehead squarely over his eyes.
Behind him, four employees from the Trading Center Appraisal Team were chiming in, making a huge fuss.
"It's teleportation! Teleportation!"
"It's not just teleportation! You can move anywhere inside or outside the Tower, can't you? This is an item capable of completely changing humanity's history of conquering the Tower of Trials!"
"That's right! The history of conquering the Tower of Trials will be divided into before and after the Return Scroll!"
In front of the excited employees who were shouting at the top of their lungs stood Director Kim and Section Chief Choi—who had brought the item in last night as if reverently bringing a sacred artifact—with serious expressions on their faces.
"Sigh... So, what is the appraised value?"
The appraisal team staff and the Center Director, who were constantly shouting, lightly ignored Director Kim's question.
"Just imagine if the rank number one player, Player Taeseok Kang, used this Return Scroll! Even if he sustains a major injury and runs out of potions while climbing the upper floors, he could exit, receive treatment from the medical team, and return right back to that floor! Does this even make sense? With just this, one could attempt to conquer a floor twice in a single day! It could double the conquest rate! The risk of the Tower of Trials collapsing would drop by half, do you understand?!"
"So... what is the appraised value—"
"It's not just for conquering the Tower! They say you can freely designate any spot you've visited at least once in your life! Director-nim, you've been to the United States, right? If you bought a plane ticket to America right now and left, how many hours do you think it would take? Twelve hours? Fifteen hours? With just this Return Scroll, it takes one second—just one second! This is really an absurd item!"
"I mean, how much—"
"Its utility is truly infinite. Ah, why on earth didn't I awaken, so I can't even try out such an incredible item?!"
"Hey, you guys!! Stop talking about useless nonsense! So how much is the appraised value?!"
Only after Director Kim finally raised his voice was he able to put a stop to the fussing of the Center Director and the appraisal team staff.
However,
none among them dared to carelessly open their mouths when it came to the appraised value.
And with good reason,
because it hadn't even been a week since they suffered a disastrous failure from drastically lowballing the appraisal value of the Sage's Necklace.
Due to that incident, rumors that next year's wages for all employees of the Trading Center's appraisal team would be frozen or cut were being accepted almost as an established fact.
On top of that,
was the Bureau's budget allocation generous?
The acquisition team practically lived with the phrase "we have no money" on their lips every single day, so
just because the appraisal team had bungled once, they couldn't recklessly evaluate the worth of every incoming item sky-high without a plan.
"U-Uh... It is incredible, but... since this is a consumable, it can only be used once, and... with just one sheet, achieving a dramatic effect on conquering the upper floors is... Honestly, taking the 67th floor where Player Taeseok Kang is currently struggling as an example, if he enters just one more time, can it be conquered right away? That's not the case either... He'd have to enter two or three more times to conquer it with peace of mind... Ha, if this were held in a bundle, it would actually be easier to appraise, but just one sheet... Hmmm..."
Because the Center Director refused to state a price even if it killed him, Director Kim was right on the verge of exploding with frustration.
However, it wasn't as if he couldn't understand his current state of mind.
After all, he himself was the one who had harshly slammed him over missing out on the Sage's Necklace.
"Look here, Center Director, talk... talk comfortably. We also need to know the exact value of this item."
"Hmmm..."
After agonizing for a long while and exchanging opinions with the four employees, the Center Director finally stated the appraised value.
"5 billion won. The conclusion reached by the appraisal team is 5 billion won."
"5 billion won? Are you sure?"
"Yes. We cannot conceive of any more or any less at this time."
"Okay. I see. Then I will—"
"Center Director-nim! Center Director-nim!! That person! That person has come again!!"
As a desk staff member sprinted over frantically looking for the Center Director, the eyes of Director Kim, the Center Director, and their group in the middle of the meeting all shifted to one spot.
"P-Player Seojin Kang?"
The one who suddenly appeared and caused another stir was none other than Seojin Kang.
"Ah, you're all gathered here? I was on my way to a favorite gukbap place nearby, but I remembered this and dropped by. Did the appraisal value come out for what I left yesterday?"
Behind Director Kim, the Center Director and the appraisal team staff flinched violently, breaking into a cold sweat.
"A-Again... Is it that guy again?"
"That guy was the one who left the Return Scroll too?"
The appraisal team staff looked as though they were suffering from PTSD.
While they stood unable to say anything or step forward, Section Chief Choi—who had been quietly listening all this time—suddenly wore a good-natured smile and began taking the lead.
"Hahaha! Seojin Kang! Couldn't wait and came back already? You can look forward to it this time. Director-nim here and I really put proper pressure on the appraisal team!"
Section Chief Choi blurted out words that would be unpleasant to hear, right in front of the employees.
However, Director Kim let Section Chief Choi be for the moment.
Although Section Chief Choi's way of handling work was haphazard and sloppy, one couldn't deny that he had produced results so far.
It was Section Chief Choi who coaxed and persuaded talented young players capable of climbing upper floors into signing contracts with the Bureau using patriotism, and it was also Section Chief Choi who obtained the Stone of Time—the material for the unprecedented item known as the 50-Year Button—dirt cheap.
Director Kim still could not discard his belief that Section Chief Choi was someone who delivered results when it counted.
"Haha, even though the effect is fantastic, it's a one-time consumable that ends once you tear it up, right? When they threw a fuss saying they couldn't spend big money on a consumable, Director-nim and I cut them off sharply and said, 'This is a tremendous item that will change the history of conquering the Tower of Trials!' We told them to push themselves a bit to soothe Seojin Kang's hurt feelings from before! Hahaha."
Listening from behind, the Center Director and the appraisal team employees barely held back the feelings of unfairness, frustration, and rising anger.
They tried hard to soothe themselves, rationalizing it as a salesman's sales tactic to create a dramatic effect.
"So as for how much the appraised value is... get ready."
Section Chief Choi built up suspense like the MC of a survival show, and then...
"3 billion won! For this single sheet of old parchment, the Bureau's Trading Center has decided to bet 3 billion won!"
Jjinggeut
Section Chief Choi turned around, tossed a light wink, and wore an expression that said, "Watch carefully how I handle this."
Even as the expressions of Director Kim, the Center Director, and the rest of the staff turned sour, Section Chief Choi remained unbothered, wearing only a triumphant look of determination to achieve results.
"Ah, really? Hmm... It's worse than I thought. Okay, I understand. Give it back now."
"U-Uh...? Huh? No, Seojin Kang, 3 billion won is—"
"I said give it to me."
"W-Wait a minute! 4 billion won! I'll use my personal authority to tell them to shoot you 4 billion won right away, how about that?"
"Should I call the police?"
"No... 5... 5 billion won! Wow! I'm really shooting high this time! 5 billion won for a single sheet of old parchment! Haha—"
Chwaak
When talking proved useless, Seojin walked over directly, snatched the Return Scroll held in the Center Director's hand, and immediately shoved it into his inventory.
"Well, I can just consider that to be the minimum price then. 500 billion won... Well, not bad. Good work, everyone. And tell this old guy to relearn social life from scratch. How can a person never change?"
As Seojin looked at Section Chief Choi with pathetic eyes and gave advice to Director Kim, anger surged in Director Kim's eyes.
"W-Wait a minute! 500 billion won? Do you possess as many as 100 sheets of Return Scrolls?!"
The Center Director didn't miss Seojin's words and asked back, but Seojin merely shrugged his shoulders and walked away with deliberate steps, exiting the center.
Soon,
Director Kim, who had been watching silently, uttered low words.
"Section Chief Choi, come to the Director's office right now. Let's talk."
In the chilling atmosphere, the other employees were unable to say a word and merely exchanged glances with one another.
The favorite gukbap restaurant of Seojin behind the Bureau.
"Imo, I'm here."
"Aigoo, young man Seojin! Yes, this is how it should be. Coming this often is what makes you our young man Seojin!"
Seeing me frequenting the place diligently again, Imo's expression was immensely bright.
"Imo, give me an extra-large assorted gukbap, boiled pork slices, and... uh... alcohol too! Ah, the most expensive one!"
"Where would a gukbap restaurant have expensive liquor! How silly."
Taking the order, Imo went into the kitchen and soon brought out appetizing boiled pork slices and gukbap.
"What made you order boiled pork slices for a change?"
"Ah, I have lots of money now. I'm going to order boiled pork slices every single day from now on."
After Imo smacked my back saying I was talking nonsense and walked away, I began inhaling the gukbap.
However,
suddenly, the unfamiliar scent of high-end perfume, completely out of place with the musty smell of the gukbap restaurant, stung my nose.
Chak
Without a word, a woman with long straight hair, wearing a black cap and a black mask, sat down directly across from me.
"...?"
Chewing the boiled pork in my mouth, I asked her with my eyes who she was, and she slowly pulled down the mask that had been tightly concealing her face.
The face revealed behind the mask was excessively small.
Flawlessly transparent and pale skin, a bridge of the nose extending sharply as if it could cut, and vivid red lips made her look not like a human, but like a statue sculpted by a master artisan.
And
I knew this face. No, it was certain that not just me, but the entire nation knew it.
"Player Eunchae Jeong?"
The Bureau's next-generation ace. Player Eunchae Jeong had unexpectedly shared a table with me at a gukbap restaurant.
While this alone was already confusing enough of a situation for me,
for some reason, a familiar voice even drifted in from behind.
"Seojin... oppa?"
Ah, an unforgettable voice.
Even without turning my head to look, I could tell.
It was my ex-girlfriend, Hyojeong, who had left me.