The Price of Trust
At Manuel Mateus’s question, Yoon Sang-hyuk shook his head as if there were nothing to think about.
“You two are already hard enough to handle. Do you really think the others can manage it? We could organize a few raid parties and force our way in, sure, but there’s no telling how many people would die.”
“Will you keep giving us chances?”
“Would once a month be enough for you?”
Richard Polsen and Manuel Mateus nodded at the same time.
“That would be enough. We can’t stay in Korea forever, anyway. We still need to make weapons out of the bodies we’ve gotten. More importantly, if you’ve already killed eight of them, can’t you spare us one? We’ll make sure you’re paid properly, and it doesn’t have to be money.”
After a moment’s thought, Yoon Sang-hyuk nodded at Richard Polsen’s words.
“Fine.”
To Yoon Sang-hyuk, Richard Polsen was different from the other guild masters. The two of them shared one secret.
Manuel Mateus looked at him, startled by the unexpected answer.
“You’ll sell them to us too?”
“I will. Just don’t go running your mouth about it everywhere.”
“Of course.”
Manuel Mateus smiled in a way that suggested he understood perfectly. It was because he and Richard Polsen were receiving special treatment from the Masked Lord.
“I have something to discuss with Richard separately, so give us the room.”
“Understood. Call me before you leave.”
The instant he finished speaking, Manuel Mateus strode out of the reception room.
“Richard.”
“What? What do you want to talk about alone?”
Yoon Sang-hyuk looked at Richard Polsen quietly.
“Why are you looking at me like that? Did I mess something up?”
“Didn’t you return the armaments to your guild’s elite?”
“Ah!”
Realizing what Yoon Sang-hyuk meant, Richard Polsen let out a small exclamation.
“Of course I gave them back.”
“Then why is nobody wearing them?”
The day he had first learned that Lilith could move others through dreams, she had brought Richard Polsen from the United States to the Masked Castle. In exchange for keeping that secret, Yoon Sang-hyuk had returned every piece of gear worn by the members of the four hundred suicide squad who had taken part in the final quest and belonged to Absolute Guild.
And yet, with the Steel Mountains now manifested and the Absolute Guild elites arriving in the Republic of Korea, not one of them was wearing the equipment he had returned.
“Why not?”
“You didn’t think I’d just gobble them up, did you? Don’t get me wrong, that’s absolutely not what happened. I did it for you.”
“For me?”
Yoon Sang-hyuk asked, sounding doubtful.
“Think about it. People are already talking about the fact that you returned gear to me and Manuel. If you single out our guild and hand everything back to us? What do you think people would say? If Absolute Guild had cleared the Steel Mountains alone today, we would’ve worn the gear you returned. But since Dragon Slayers Guild was with us, we had no choice but to hide it.”
“Hmm.”
He understood the point.
“Was there really any need to hide it?”
“You don’t know the basic rule of Eternal World?”
“Hide thirty percent of the power you have?”
“Bingo. There are plenty of people keeping an eye on us already. In the United States, we’re making good use of it without letting the others see. Thanks to you, hunting’s gotten safer, too, and our guild members are leveling up much faster. I really am grateful.”
“Then from now on, Absolute Guild will handle the Steel Mountains raids alone.”
“Manuel will get suspicious.”
“Then we’ll return Dragon Slayers Guild’s gear as well. Of course, we’ll need a proper price for it.”
Richard Polsen wore a look of open dissatisfaction.
“Hey. Masked Lord. I only got these in return for guarding a massive secret.”
“Hah.”
Yoon Sang-hyuk gave a light laugh and pulled a few items from subspace, handing them over to Richard Polsen.
“Uh, ah.”
Taking the items, Richard Polsen stumbled over his words. In his hands were several accessories. They were the very accessories he had worn in Eternal World.
If he wore those accessories, he would become the true Knight of the Sun.
“Is that enough?”
“Kahaha! You even need to ask? Masked Lord, I’m seriously grateful. Really grateful.”
Richard Polsen rushed forward and hugged Yoon Sang-hyuk tight.
“I’m not in the habit of skin-to-skin contact with another man, so pull it together.”
“I really am grateful. Haha, I’ll never forget this favor. If you ever need anything, just say the word. I’ll come running no matter what.”
“As it happens, there’s a condition attached to those.”
“A condition? What is it?”
“No matter what happens, America stands with the Masked Castle.”
Richard Polsen studied Yoon Sang-hyuk with a strange look.
“Could you define the scope of ‘no matter what’ a little more clearly?”
“I’m not asking you to take my side in anything absurd, so don’t worry.”
“Good. I’ll persuade the power players in America within the limits of what I can do.”
Yoon Sang-hyuk held out his hand.
“That’s enough.”
* * *
Flashes burst from every direction.
In the parking lot before the front gates of the Masked Castle, mountains of black metal had been piled up.
Half in jest, those mountains of black metal were really the corpses of Black Knights. Trucks lined up in rows waited to haul them away.
The reporters were too busy photographing the Black Knight corpses to do anything else.
On one side, Baekjeong, captain of the Masked Mercenary Group, was conducting a brief interview.
As the parking lot buzzed with reporters and onlookers from all over the world, Yoon Sang-hyuk and Lee Hyung-seok sat facing each other in the reception room of the Masked Castle, drinking tea.
“Are preparations going well?”
“The handover is almost finished. The inauguration ceremony for the Player Association will be held next Tuesday. You’ll be attending as well, of course, Lord?”
“Of course I will.”
The launch of the Player Association was just around the corner.
The basic framework had inherited almost everything from the Player Administration Bureau. The association’s operating system would also use the same methods as the Bureau.
“You’ll be busy from here on out.”
“I brought this on myself, so I’ll deal with it. My phone’s probably going to be burning up starting today.”
Yoon Sang-hyuk had entrusted the disposal of the Black Knight corpses entirely to the Player Association. There would certainly be people trying to lobby Lee Hyung-seok for access to those bodies.
Some would tempt him with money or power, and others would threaten him with the strength they possessed. Resisting all that would be Lee Hyung-seok’s burden alone.
Of course, Yoon Sang-hyuk would intervene to make sure no one laid a hand on Lee Hyung-seok. But separate from that, if Lee Hyung-seok ever gave in to temptation, Yoon Sang-hyuk would take back everything he had given him.
“No matter how evenly the chances are distributed, if you auction them off, in the end it’ll just become big corporations carving the pie among themselves.”
“That can’t really be helped. Set some aside separately and support the smaller companies with stronger technical skills.”
“I’ll do that.”
“The first step matters. The path you walk, Chairman, will become a signpost for those who come after you.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
Yoon Sang-hyuk placed two bags on the table.
“What’s this?”
“Open them.”
Lee Hyung-seok opened the larger bag on the right and gasped in shock. Bundles of 50,000-won notes filled the bag to the brim.
“That’s 2 billion won.”
“May I ask what this money is for?”
“As you can probably guess, once you’re in the chairman’s seat of the Player Association, there’ll be no shortage of temptations like this. That money will be the weapon that helps you resist them. I’d like to give you more, but even when I packed this bag, 2 billion won was the limit no matter how much I tried to cram in. I’ll provide financial support on a regular basis. And of course, that’s separate from the salary the Association has set for you.”
“You don’t need to give me money. I...”
“Just take it. It’s for you, yes, but it’s also so you can run the Association transparently. So don’t refuse.”
“Then I’ll shamelessly accept it.”
Yoon Sang-hyuk pointed at the smaller bag, the one just to the left of the money.
“Open that one too.”
Lee Hyung-seok opened the bag.
“Th-this is...”
Yoon Sang-hyuk pointed to the necklace.
“It’s an item called Necrean’s Tear. It increases the wearer’s agility and stamina stats. Once a day, it can use Absolute Barrier. The bracelet and ring beside it are part of the same set. They’re called Necrean’s Devotion and Necrean’s Eye. The Necrean set is specialized in protecting the wearer. If you have them on, you won’t die even in a missile blast unless you’re hit directly.”
“Is it really all right for me to receive something this precious?”
“If I didn’t think I could afford it, I wouldn’t be giving it to you. There may be people targeting you. The last ring is a Teleport Ring. As you know, it stores three coordinates and lets you move there with a little mana. Imprint one of the three locations to this place. If you ever end up in danger, teleport straight back here.”
Lee Hyung-seok stared at the accessories in the bag with trembling eyes. Each one was a priceless treasure whose value could not be measured in money.
He had been a Player for sixteen years, but because he had lived in the city among the natives instead of focusing on hunting, his level was not especially high. For him, these were top-tier items he had never even seen before.
“Really... I can accept these?”
“Of course. I still have plenty of better items than this, so don’t feel burdened.”
Seeing Lee Hyung-seok still dazedly staring into the bag, Yoon Sang-hyuk gave a faint snort, closed it, and pushed it toward him.
“It wouldn’t be a bad idea to level up when you have the time. For Players, level is the yardstick by which value is measured. For your own sake, wouldn’t it be better to keep your level high?”
“Haha, I have thought about hunting from time to time. After coming back, though, I’ve simply had no time.”
“We can help you on our side.”
“I’ll think about it.”
“You’ll be very busy starting today, so take care of yourself.”
* * *
After Lee Hyung-seok left, Yoon Sang-hyuk was left alone.
“Lilith.”
“Yes, Oppa.”
The empty space rippled, and Lilith appeared in a red dress.
“You can share senses with the incubi, right?”
“Of course.”
“Assign one succubus to Lee Hyung-seok.”
Lilith tilted her head.
“Didn’t you trust him?”
Yoon Sang-hyuk took off the Mask of the Lord of Chaos and put it into his inventory. Looking toward the exit Lee Hyung-seok had taken, he wore a faint smile and spoke as if to himself.
“I want to trust him. That’s why.”