Chapter 55
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 55
Chapter Title: Ple.Se.Ba
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Players Change the World.
The community known as Ple.Se.Ba held its regular meetings every Sunday.
-Welcome, Yamtti.
-Good to see you, Chairman.
-Welcome, Poporing.
The eight faces appeared one after another on the video chat screen.
These were the eight executives, consisting of the community's founding members and high-level, trusted members.
-Is everyone here?
A man wearing glasses smiled gently from the screen.
-Then, let's begin the regular meeting for the third week of April. Lost Ark.
-Yes, Chairman.
-How many new members joined the community this week?
The man with tanned skin looked at the data he had compiled.
-Roughly 2,000 people.
-That's an increase from last week.
-That's right. Although the number of players tends to decrease with each round, ironically, our membership is growing weekly. It seems the article about a player alliance community has drawn them in.
-Who was it that hired that reporter?
At the chairman's words, a sultry woman raised her hand with a charming eye-smile.
-That was me, Chairman.
-It was you, Yamtti? I didn't know you had connections with reporters.
-I made one for the occasion. Hoho.
-As expected, you're amazing. Just what I'd expect from a founding member. Huhu.
-Thank youuu!
The smiling chairman turned his gaze.
-Then, Lost Ark. After filtering out the riff-raff from those 2,000, how many are left?
-After filtering out players with no class, players below level 10, and those who didn't fill out the application properly, we're left with about 1,200.
-And among them, how many are promising talents?
-I'll take that one.
-Go ahead, Poporing.
-First, a noteworthy player is [Black Flame Dragon in the Right Hand] from sector ESKS45-5. He's a level 10 ordinary warrior, but according to his application, he's ranked as high as 3rd in his sector.
-Third in his sector... I suppose his runes are good for his level. Or he's lying.
-Still, I believe he's talented enough to be considered a candidate for an executive position.
-I agree. Any other candidates?
-Another candidate is [Kkokkomakkomak]. This person is from sector ESKS122-7 and claims to have fluctuated between ranks 4 and 10.
-Hoh, more talent than I expected.
-Besides them, there are 50 players who rank within the top 100 of their respective sectors.
-Looks like we won't have any time left after all these interviews. [My Age is Thirty]?
-Yes?
At the chairman's call, a man who looked to be over forty jumped in surprise.
-Were you dozing off?
-Ah, s-sorry.
-What were you doing last night to be dozing off this early in the morning?
-I have no excuse...
-What are we to do if the person in charge of interviews has no excuse? If this continues, your executive position, My Age is Thirty, could be in jeopardy.
-Th-that's...
-I won't hear any excuses. Handle the interviews for all 50 people by next week's meeting. If you can't, another high-level candidate might take your place.
-Ah, understood. You can count on me!
Though he answered energetically, a shadow fell over My Age is Thirty's face.
He was already worried about when he would ever get through 50 interviews.
-By the way, Lost Ark.
-Yes, Chairman.
-Have there been any signs of contact from Black Scythe?
Lost Ark shook his head dejectedly.
-If there were, I would have dropped everything and reported it immediately.
-True. I'm sure you would have, Lost Ark.
Black Scythe, who never misses the top rank in any sector, was already a super-famous name among players.
It was no wonder the chairman coveted him.
-If Black Scythe were to join, I'd be willing to offer him an executive position immediately... What a shame.
-Chairman. I believe that might be a bit of a hasty decision.
The user with the nickname [Simple Mukbang] raised his hand and presented a dissenting opinion.
-No matter how famous Black Scythe is, he's someone whose nationality hasn't even been confirmed. Employing a foreigner as an executive would be inefficient, in my opinion...
-There's proof that he's Korean.
The user with the nickname [SoboroIsJMT] raised his hand and interjected.
-An acquaintance of mine is in sector ESKS45-5, and they say they're in the same sector as Black Scythe.
-If they're in the same sector, that means he must be Korean, right? There are no cases of foreigners being mixed into a sector.
-That's right.
-Ahem.
Simple Mukbang, who had voiced his opposition, fell silent with an awkward expression.
-So Black Scythe was Korean... If a name among names like him were to join our community, it would be perfect...
the chairman said in a regretful tone.
-Yamtti? Is there any way you can get that reporter fellow to write more articles? I think we need a massive publicity campaign so Black Scythe learns of our community's existence.
-Of course, it's possible. As long as you can match the pay...
-Don't worry about that. I'll make sure you get a hefty incentive for your hard work.
-Heehee, thank youuu, Chairman!
As Yamtti acted cute and sent a wink, the other executives seemed to enjoy it even more.
-Then, let's conclude the matter of new members and move on to the next agenda item...
-W-wait a moment, Chairman!
Lost Ark's voice was uncharacteristically flustered.
-What is it?
-A-a famous player just applied to join the community.
-Who? Which one?
-I-it's Black Scythe.
The chairman shot up from his seat in surprise.
Because of that, only the chairman's waistline was visible on the screen.
-My apologies. I got a little excited.
The chairman composed himself and sat back down.
-Are you sure? Black Scythe really applied to join?
-Yes. He just applied.
There were other famous players like Cheonma and the Dumb Idiots.
But neither could compare to Black Scythe's fame.
-To think Black Scythe would join our community... This is unbelievable.
-What should we do?
At the foolish question, the chairman furrowed his brow without realizing it.
-Obviously, we proceed with the registration process. Verify that his information is more or less correct and conduct an interview with him alongside the other applicants we just discussed. Immediately!
-Ah, understood!
-What are you doing? My Age is Thirty! Get out there and conduct the interview, now!
-Yes? Yes! I-I'm going!
My Age is Thirty, now in a panic, exited the chat room.
***
"Is this the place?"
Shim Hyung-taek lifted his phone to check the text message.
[Interviewer: Please come to the Eoyeowa Cafe in Wabu-eup, Namyangju-si by noon. The dress code is casual.]
He looked up and saw the coffee shop mentioned in the message.
'To think I have to go through an interview just to join an online community...'
Shim Hyung-taek's brow naturally furrowed.
Being summoned to a place an hour away from Seoul, he couldn't help but be annoyed.
Moreover, the location was impossible to get to without a car.
He had to take a bus and get off midway to walk.
For a full thirty minutes, at that.
A sigh escaped Shim Hyung-taek's lips.
But he wasn't tired.
After all, he was a fairly well-known player himself.
'Fucking hell, if they act even slightly shitty when I get there, I'll just kill them on the spot.'
If things went south, he would kill the interviewer, player or not.
With that thought, he opened the cafe door.
*Tinkle-*
The sign was unimpressive, but the interior was more stylish than he'd expected.
The problem was that, for such a spacious place, there were only two customers.
'Of course there are no customers when you open a cafe in such a remote place.'
As he was inwardly criticizing the place, one of the customers stood up and approached him.
"Excuse me, are you here for the PleSeBa application?"
He was a man who looked to be in his forties at a glance.
'Is he not a player?'
Shim Hyung-taek answered reluctantly.
"...Yes."
"What's your nickname?"
"Black Flame Dragon in the Right Hand."
"Oh! A pleasure to meet you. I'm the interviewer, My Age is Thirty."
"What? You're a player?"
"Haha... Yes. I may not look it, but I'm a player who just turned twenty-nine this year."
"..."
"This way, please."
After a brief handshake, the interviewer led him to a table.
Then he introduced the young man who was already seated.
"This is Kkokkomakkomak, who arrived earlier for his interview. Kkomak? This is Black Flame Dragon in the Right Hand. You might become fellow community members, so please introduce yourselves."
'This anchovy-looking bastard is a player too? He doesn't even look like he could take a punch.'
Shim Hyung-taek, sneering inwardly, just gave a slight nod.
"Hello."
"Ah, hello."
"Now that you've greeted each other, please have a seat, Black Flame Dragon."
Shim Hyung-taek sat down and glanced around.
It was a conscious act, preparing for the possibility of committing murder.
"Business doesn't seem too good here, huh? No customers, and I don't even see a part-timer."
"It's a remote location, so that's to be expected. It's also why we rented this place for the interviews."
"Oh, so you rented it. Still, the owner must be around, right? I don't see them."
"The owner is in the kitchen preparing a meal. This place is a cafe, but it also serves food."
Shim Hyung-taek nodded while checking for the location of any CCTV cameras.
But there weren't any, not even the common kind.
'I could kill these two right now and run, and no one would know.'
But he didn't act on it.
He knew how inefficient that would be.
'I can't ruin this whole opportunity just to kill two people.'
If I join the community and build connections with other members, I can periodically lure them out and kill them.
There's no reason to flip the table now.
'So, is this anchovy bastard my first target?'
Shim Hyung-taek's eyes carefully studied Kkokkomakkomak.
He was in his early twenties at most.
The guy, who looked to be around his own age, furtively avoided his gaze when their eyes met.
'Such a shy little man, huh? Fucking idiot.'
A sneer formed on his lips, but only for a moment.
As an awkward silence stretched between the three of them, Shim Hyung-taek, unable to stand it, finally spoke.
"Aren't we going to do the interview?"
"Ah, there's still one more interviewee who hasn't arrived. We'll begin the interview once they're here."
'There's another interviewee besides us?'
Wondering if there might be more, he asked for clarification.
"So, there are three of us being interviewed in total?"
"Yes. The appointment time just passed, so let's wait a little longer... Ah, there they are."
*Tinkle-* All eyes turned to the man who opened the door and entered.
The interviewer approached him first and asked cautiously.
"Umm... are you here for the PleSeBa application?"
"I am."
"Excuse me, but may I ask your nickname...?"
"Black Scythe."
"...!"
"...!"
Everyone was uniformly shocked.
"B-Black Scythe?"
"Whoa...!"
The only one not surprised was the interviewer, who already knew.
"As expected! You must be Black Scythe. It's an honor to meet you!"
The interviewer clasped his hands and bowed deeply.
"Did you have any trouble getting here?"
"It was a little inconvenient."
The interviewer was taken aback by the blunt, informal speech, but given who he was talking to, he didn't let it show.
"Haha, my apologies for calling you to such a remote place. There's no better location for a discreet meeting."
Black Scythe didn't even pretend to respond.
His stiff posture was the very picture of arrogance.
Even so, the interviewer smiled without any sign of displeasure.
"By the way, you're very handsome in person. You must be popular with the ladies."
"..."
"Please, have a seat over here."
The four of them sat at the table.
"These two are your fellow interviewees for today. Please say hello."
"Ah, h-hello. I'm Kkokkomakkomak..."
"..."
"Black Flame Dragon, won't you say hello as well?"
The interviewer spoke, but Shim Hyung-taek couldn't hear a thing.
His back was just damp with nervous sweat.
'Th-this person... is the Black Scythe who killed me five times...?'
Because of him, I almost failed to rank in the fourth round.
I could have killed more people to raise my stats, but I wasted fifty minutes.
'If I ever met him in real life, I wanted to ask. What grudge did you have to kill me like that?'
And now, I've really met him in real life.
"Black Flame Dragon? What are you doing? Aren't you going to say hello?"
"Ah, hello. I'm Black Flame Dragon in the Right Hand..."
Black Scythe folded his arms and nodded.
"Black Scythe."
No one challenged his arrogant self-introduction.
It was to be expected from the number one ranker of all sectors.
However, Shim Hyung-taek was just bewildered.
'What? He's not even acknowledging me?'
I thought he would recognize me as soon as I said my nickname.
After all, this was the Black Scythe who had killed him five times in the fourth round.
He glanced at him again, but Black Scythe still wore an expression of complete indifference.
'Don't tell me he doesn't remember my nickname? After killing me five times? Ha.'
Shim Hyung-taek wasn't the only one who found it absurd.
'What a funny bastard, that guy.'
Kkokkomakkomak was also hiding his own bewilderment as he looked at Black Scythe.
'Did I really act that arrogantly?'
Kkokkomakkomak knew.
The man before him was not Black Scythe.
Because the real Black Scythe was right here—Ryu Min, himself.
'Looks like he practiced hard to seem like me.'
Ryu Min, disguised as Kkokkomakkomak, swallowed a scoff as he watched the fake Black Scythe.
No, it was a stretch to even call him Black Scythe.
The guy was just an imposter with a record of fraud.
And this very imposter.
'Is the key to obtaining the Rune of Duplication.'
That was why Ryu Min was currently disguised under the nickname Kkokkomakkomak.