Chapter 77
Chapter 77
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 77
Chapter Title: I Will Stand in the Heavens (1)
[Three days after conquering the two S-Rank Towers. In the captain's quarters of the Illinois, anchored atop Crater Lake.]
Amid the chaos—not quite chaos, but close enough—gripping the global gaming industry,
I'd gathered intel for tackling the next S-Rank Tower.
Even in the United States, where Hunters were relatively scarce compared to population size, they hadn't just stared blankly at S-Rank Towers.
Information on the tough-to-crack tower in the West was sparse, but the ones in the East, Midwest, and South had at least basic data archived by government agencies.
And it wasn't just the U.S. government going after S-Rank Towers.
A few guilds worldwide specialized in raiding other countries' S-Rank Towers for them, and I'd secured their clear records through Dray.
Anyway, as I memorized routes to the towers,clear paths inside, and attack patterns gleaned from actual boss encounters—clicking away at my game with one hand and grinding dailies—
"Gojo...? [Ramju Thunder] raided NV Soft's president's office and had some back-and-forth with him—any leads on why?"
"Yeah. Wanna check it out? Here's a report summarizing the Korean situation. Relevant bits are highlighted. Just skim the key points."
In the midst of a dizzying headache from the global gaming shakeup, I'd taken a moment to collect info on the shady developments brewing in Korea.
"So right now..."
"Intel suggests Hunters are gearing up to seize positions in the Game Rating Board, E-sports industry, and the like, one by one."
As Elaine read the highlights, the tabloid scraps Dray had compiled for me clearly outlined the sweeping changes underway in Korea.
In a somewhat bizarre, yet unmistakable form.
"So, Hunters are maneuvering to grab top spots in the gaming world?"
"Yes."
"They're prowling gaming communities for gamer opinions, meeting with game company presidents and execs, and rubbing elbows with politicians or aides who've chimed in on gaming issues before?"
"That's correct."
All while deeply entangled with Hunter circles.
"On the money side... well, Hunters have plenty of funds from past gigs, right? They're investing in game companies to snag seats on the boards. Especially those who tackled Jeju Island's S-Rank Tower."
"Out of nowhere? What's their angle?"
Is it just because my Summoner abilities tie into gaming?
Or do they think diving into gaming will suddenly grant them in-game powers, pushing them beyond S-Rank Hunter strength?
Maybe they want custom full-doll, full-voice characters modeled after themselves?
"Dray would know the details better, but..."
"Funny thing—I don't, either."
Dray threw up his hands candidly.
"Even if I hack CCTVs and such, you need the cameras there in the first place to see anything, right?"
That's why we're digging this deep—they're hyper-aware of us, especially Dray's hacking prowess.
"No CCTVs in the office they rented in Seoul. Nothing on their smartphones about it, either. They're probably communicating... through this ability right now."
"What about meetings? They must huddle up seriously sometimes. Are those under some barrier or whatever?"
"Well..."
Dray pulled up a CCTV feed on the monitor.
"Looks like they head inside a tower for meetings. Gotta be a clear move to counter us."
"No way. Using a C-Rank Tower as their secret base."
I scanned the CCTV footage Dray had up, along with the Hunters' travel routes and data on their gaming industry takeover push, letting out a hollow chuckle.
"Not content with analog chit-chat to dodge hacks, they pick a tower of all places for plotting? Does the Korean government know?"
"They do. NIS is watching closely."
Surprisingly, the Korean government wasn't sitting idle.
'Thought all the talent had bailed, but they're snapping back and restocking.'
Turns out, not long after my awakening and moves hit the radar, some sharp folks caught on.
Nine out of ten such talents were already in the U.S.
Skilled but powerless or sidelined in the bureaucracy, they knew my intel but buried reports, hid it, or took my presidential meet as a signal to flip and hand docs to the U.S. side.
Sure, they'd lost those assets—like locking the barn after the horse bolted—but they were filling gaps with capable replacements and pushing investigations.
"Problem is, even if they hack, there's zilch on those smartphones or laptops."
Just like the government was playing it airtight against my moves, these Korean Hunters were buttoned up tight, too.
"What about notebooks, notepads, paper files?"
"Inside the tower."
Dray pointed to a C-Rank Tower jutting skyward on Seoul's outskirts.
"And there's always two or more of these Hunters guarding the entrance, keeping everyone out."
"Even government folks?"
"Yep. So... country's in a bit of a bind right now?"
"What, scared Hunters might spark a revolution?"
"Oh?"
Dray's eyes sparkled in surprise.
"Elaine. Hear that?"
"I did, Master. I can guess which side you're leaning toward, too."
Elaine handed me a mug with a relaxed smile.
"Are you hoping for the Hunters' revolution to succeed, Master?"
"You read me like a book."
Classic Elaine.
"If I had to pick a side, it'd be the Hunters. Can't trust the government, can we?"
"Fair point."
It wasn't about the regime or ideology.
"Both Hunter and gaming industries have been suppressed regardless of left or right."
Hunters, on grounds of national defense duty against global threats.
Gaming? Image was trash since before the 2000s—nothing changed.
Even as Hunters risked lives in Towers, couch potatoes slammed them for holing up gaming instead of helping.
And the 'higher-ups' in industry orgs or associations? From gamers' eyes, total question marks.
"Thinking about it, they feel cut from the same cloth. Are the suits running orgs and associations really for Hunters or gamers? Eh, who knows."
Not just my take.
"This country's never been for Hunters or gamers. Just sucked 'em dry."
Through Dray, I'd glimpsed the world's underbelly—including clues to this nation's industry players' mindsets.
What to do with them?
Spotless? Hardly.
Not U.S.-level nukes like drugs or child porn, but bribery and hiring scandals clung to their suits like lint.
Hadn't shaken 'em out yet since they weren't directly blocking my U.S. S-Rank Tower runs.
Truth be told, busy purging U.S. cancer left Korea on the back burner.
One more thing.
"Commander. U.S. had the president as an ally, so we fed 'em docs for cleanup. Korea?"
"...Dunno. Probably just lop off some tails."
Wondering if airing that dirt would actually fix things.
That's why I'd held back.
"Dray. Can you send an email?"
"To who?"
"To the guy burning the midnight oil to normalize—scratch that, reinvent from scratch, clean and right—the Hunter and gaming industries."
Like CIA and FBI moving on President Luigi's orders in the U.S., if Korea had boots-on-the-ground doers, no reason not to help.
"Who'd have thought this guy's stepping up."
"Know why?"
"Why?"
"Metaphorical, but he cracked the egg-nyang."
"......."
Metaphorical...?
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ [A short while later. Seoul. Game Rating Board building.]
"Argh, damn it!"
A balding middle-aged man flung cabinets open and slammed them shut repeatedly, fuming.
"How the hell do you do your job?!"
He yanked one open.
Files typical of government offices lined the shelves, meticulously labeled by year and title.
Flip.
He spread open the 'Meeting Minutes' binder.
Despite the label's year, the A4 sheets inside were crisp and new.
"Damn these lunatics!"
The man eyed the approval box in the upper right, signatures from various people.
Obvious traces of one guy swapping pens to forge names—some misspelled.
Signatures from non-staff.
Or staff, but ranks didn't match.
Nothing lined up.
Minutes galore under the name, but printed contents were unrelated records.
"That idiot Deputy...! Told him to make minutes, and he scrapes AI for this crap...?!"
Should've detailed a game's review meeting, but it covered unrelated genres and censorship reasons.
"Damn, damn...!"
If this blew up, he was done.
He was the board chairman now, and he'd ordered the deputy to prep those binders back then—
Crackle!
"!!"
Behind the chairman.
A masked figure in a black robe-like garb loomed.
The blue glow from under the mask buckled the chairman's legs—he crumpled.
"N-no! Don't! I don't wanna be a vegetable!!"
[Who said anything about making you a vegetable?] Crackle.
[Just tweaking some neuron signals. I'll leave you brain-dead for a few years—relax. If you've treated your family right...] "Wh-why are you doing this?! Why you...!"
[Starting from the closest rot and working outward.] Crackle-crackle.
[To make this nation one that can truly preserve the righteous path.] "A-aaaagh!"
[First, all you vermin go brain-dead. Don't worry.] As the black robe seized the chairman's head.
[Just vegetative till the nation gets normal again.] Crackle-crackle-crackle!
Blue lightning arced across the chairman's body, and he toppled limp.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "Master. The Game Rating Board chairman collapsed from a stroke. Unconscious, they say."
"No kidding?"
"Yes. CCTV caught someone in a black robe."
"Jeez, who the hell...?"