The Proxy's Oath and the Traitor's Den
Team Leader Cha Minhyuk.
His mood swung back and forth between a hot sauna and an ice bath dozens of times a day.
S-rank Awakener Yuhoyen's assassination attempt.
A skill-enhanced bullet flew into the vehicle heading to the training grounds.
It was an attack that couldn't have been pulled off without prior knowledge of the travel route.
In other words...
'Information leaked.'
Information leak? Nothing new there.
Not when there were spies embedded in the Management Agency.
After enduring the growing pains of the early and mid-stages, he'd thought the organization had finally stabilized.
Was the nature of any large group of people just inevitable?
Who the hell had turned traitor?
'Ugh...! My head...!'
Just thinking about it spiked his stress to the max.
Steam practically shot out of his ears.
He couldn't let himself sink any deeper...!
Quick, the painkillers...!
Tower Rampage Gauge Status Board
Time Until Next Rampage: 21 days, 7 hours, 1 minute, 6 seconds
(...)
26th Place. South Korea. +1,986,415 points
Krr, yeah, that's the stuff. His cure-all.
Just looking at it cleared his gut right out.
'Never fails to amaze me every time.'
South Korea, which could barely scrape together its quota at the end of every month, was sitting at a positive 1.98 million points.
(...)
Endless comments scrolling down below.
A god, huh. Not wrong.
By day 9 of this cycle, South Korea had racked up about 3.5 million points.
Nearly 3 million of that came from the Hitchhiker alone—what else could you call that but divine?
Next door in Japan, they were flooding international news with claims of system exploits and bug abuse.
'What a load of crap.'
Was the System that sloppy?
It pulled plenty of nasty tricks, sure.
But loopholes? No way in hell.
The Hitchhiker's daily hauls of hundreds of thousands of points were totally legit.
Tap tap.
Grinning as he added his praise comment, Cha Minhyuk leaned back in his chair, lost in thought.
'Hitchhiker.'
Just who the hell was this person?
Male? Female? Age?
What kind of worldview did they hold?
One thing was clear: they fully grasped the weight of their position.
No leaks to the outside, just silently climbing the Tower—that said it all.
'Good thing they're cautious.'
If they'd caught celebrity disease or been sloppy, they'd have revealed themselves ages ago and become a global target.
Closing the leaderboard, Cha Minhyuk hammered at his keyboard and got back to work.
Tap tap.
Late into the night, dark office.
Overtime every damn day.
Thanks to the Hitchhiker, one less worry—but no plans to slack off.
The more he poured himself in, the sounder the nation's sleep.
'But man, I'm so... sleepy...'
Maybe just a quick nap...
Where... is this?
A hazy, rippling gray space.
A dream? Yeah, had to be.
He'd been working in his office just moments ago.
Then a clear voice rang out.
"Is Cha Minhyuk truly someone who devotes his body to his country?"
—...!
He looked around.
No one in sight.
"I'll ask again. Is Cha Minhyuk someone who devotes his body to this country? Answer the question."
Cha Minhyuk bristled.
—Devote my body to the country? What kind of obvious bullshit question is that? Who's hiding and talking? Show yourself!
"Right here."
He whipped his head around.
A black silhouette writhed there.
"Straight to the point—oh, no, be direct. Yes, sir! I'm the Hitchhiker's proxy. Beautiful and noble... ah, no unnecessary lines. Got it!"
—...
Bit clumsy, but whatever.
Back to the fire in his gut.
—Hi, Hitchhiker?
"Yes. We've judged you trustworthy, so we're making contact."
Utterly bewildering.
But drawing on his experience and calm, he fired off the priority question.
—How do I know you're really the Hitchhiker's proxy?
"Check your hand."
A orb rested in his palm.
This... how the hell...?
—Truth Orb... Detects truth or lies in the opponent's words when held... Ah!
He knew in that instant.
The other was telling the truth.
Those repeated questions earlier—testing him out?
"The Hitchhiker wishes to continue operating without revealing their identity. But that leads to issues we can't handle alone, so we're asking for your help."
Help? He'd give his soul.
—What kind of help? I'll do my utmost wherever my power reaches.
"First, though, swear an oath."
—Oath?
"Yes. Swear you won't try to uncover the Hitchhiker's identity or do anything harmful. We trust you, but safeguards are necessary. Honestly, I'd love to just chomp and puppet you— ahem, extreme measures are possible, but that's not what they want."
Identity? Harm?
—Isn't that obvious? Someone saving South Korea single-handedly. Give me assurance they won't abandon us, and I'll swear to live the rest of my life for their benefit.
Silence hung for a moment.
"The Hitchhiker has no plans to change nationalities. Not unless extreme circumstances or strategic needs demand it. They appreciate acting for their benefit but prefer equal partnership over hierarchy."
—Ah...!
Truth again.
Cha Minhyuk trembled.
Like a rotten tooth yanked clean.
—How do I swear?
"Extend your hand."
Slice.
His fingertip bled, a drop floating up to trace intricate patterns in the air.
"Declare what I said aloud."
—I swear not to uncover the Hitchhiker's identity or take any harmful actions, and to loyally represent their interests. That good?
"Yes. Perfect."
The pattern sank into the back of his hand and vanished.
—What happens if I break it?
No intention to, pure curiosity.
"Intense aversion will prevent it. Thanks for cooperating. Now, real talk."
Real talk?
"...!"
Cha Minhyuk bolted upright.
Cold sweat soaked him.
What? A dream? All a dream?
But the sensations were too vivid.
And his words and actions in there—pure truth.
Then the heavy weight in his hand.
"The Truth Orb...! Wasn't a dream...!"
His fingertip was sliced too.
Dream? Reality? What the hell?
Then the clear voice again.
"To be precise, it was half dream, half reality. Approached you in reality first, but if you'd refused the oath, things would've gotten messy."
Atop the stack of documents...
"A... bear doll?"
A small bear doll... but oddly distinctive.
Cute bat wings on its back.
Fangs poking from its mouth.
"No way you're... ah, no, you—the shadow I talked to in the dream?"
"That's right. I'm the Hitchhiker's proxy."
Goosebumps prickled Cha Minhyuk's skin.
But quick-witted as ever, he grasped the situation and acted.
He bowed deeply.
"An honor to meet you. Deeply grateful you sought me out."
"No need to be so formal. Time's short—straight to business? We have requests."
"Of course. How can I assist?"
"First, handle the loot from Tower climbs. Proxy sales, please."
Cha Minhyuk answered instantly, like he'd prepped.
"Possible. Proceeds your way, however you want. Cash, or fake ID with untraceable accounts and cards."
"High-value items too?"
"Naturally. The Agency runs the national exchange. Billions, tens of billions—no issue. Zero suspicion."
Silence.
"All cash for now."
"Understood."
Black smoke billowed over the bear doll's shadow, items materializing.
Monster byproducts.
And four top-grade mana stones.
'Whoa, top-grade stones that only drop from the Tower's upper floors—four of 'em.'
Cha Minhyuk itched to ask the source but held his tongue.
No need to annoy the Hitchhiker with dumb questions.
Just do the job quietly.
But one thing to clarify.
"Can we limit Agency contacts to just me for the foreseeable future?"
"Of course. You're worried about internal spies."
Cha Minhyuk felt ecstasy.
Deducing spies from news? Possible, but...
Proof the Hitchhiker was sharp and plugged in.
"How long to root them out?"
"We've tried various methods, but right now, near impossible. Leaks among long-term core members, and the internal network's a tangled mess."
"With the Truth Orb?"
"Truth Orb...? Ah, aha!"
Cha Minhyuk gasped.
A truth-lie detector?
Spies would be child's play.
Ideas flooded him on usage.
"Two days... no, one. I'll nab them by tomorrow."
Deep discussions followed.
The bear doll vanished into shadow.
Office fell silent.
"Ha, haha."
Cha Minhyuk laughed.
Chest swelling to burst.
The crushing fatigue of late—gone without a trace.
Dopamine tank full.
'Move it, Cha Minhyuk.'
He'd be busy as hell soon.
Same time.
Cafe near the Agency.
Carmina slipped back into his shadow, voice buzzing with excitement.
—Super easy! Master fed me lines real-time!
Sensory link with Carmina.
Incredibly useful skill.
Share what she saw and heard, give live directions.
'Drains mental stamina fast if held too long, though.'
【Job: Galaxy Traveler (EX)】
【All Stats +135%】
His mid-level Awakener mental stats made it bearable.
Cheese, chocolate, strawberry slice cakes—three holy grails.
And Java chocolate chip double mix frappe... whatever, blood-sugar bomb drink—set atop the shadow.
A bear doll hand emerged, snatching cup and plates before vanishing inside.
What was that? Vampire Bear Rodi.
F-grade junk from scouting new dimensional rifts for useful items. Bust.
◈ Bear doll that trended big on Nosferatu 10 years ago.
◈ Tower-itemized; storable in inventory.
No abilities, as advertised.
Dimensional gaps weren't stocked only with elixirs and goodies, apparently.
Carmina squealed nostalgically and took the bear doll.
"The one I hugged to sleep every night as a kid! You pulled this?!"
And the message that popped then.
Bond with Ally Carmina strengthened by one level.
Not a total bust, then.
'No clue what "bond strengthened" exactly means.'
Anyway, she got hooked on puppet-mastering the bear doll via shadow afterward.
Didn't stop her.
Better for Cha Minhyuk to have something to look at than voices from nowhere.
Glad it went smoothly.
But rooting out spies in a day?
Had he just roped in a powerhouse ally?
Next evening.
Agency after hours, VIP lounge.
"Disposed of yesterday's items. Total: 2.012 billion won, 230 thousand. All cash."
Cha Minhyuk slid prepped bundles across to the bear doll opposite him.
Four briefcases stuffed with 50,000-won notes.
Agency buyout made quick sale easy.
The doll approached, shadow swallowing them whole.
'Shadow manipulation skill? Can't even guess the job.'
As Cha Minhyuk marveled inwardly.
"Thanks. Loot disposal worries gone."
"My pleasure. Anything else, anytime."
"Truth Orb work out?"
"Yes. Spies rooted out."
Cha Minhyuk had interrogated everyone via leading questions yesterday.
"Who's working harder for the country than us?"
His position let him roam departments freely.
And it was his usual speech pattern anyway—no suspicion.
Tested folks various ways too.
"Out-of-office staff confirmed via calls. Of 126 total, one triggered the orb."
"Who?"
"HR Chief Jo Hyunho."
Cha Minhyuk's voice heavy with regret.
Old friend, founding member.
"Leaked top-secret info only Director, Deputy, and I knew—to bait next moves. Altered details, of course."
"..."
"Figured he'd contact his external handlers pronto, based on patterns. Remote or meetup."
Neat and tidy.
And tomorrow was weekend.
"I'll tail Jo Hyunho."
"Yes. His address is..."
Early next morning.
—Came out, Master!
Jo Hyunho exited his officetel.
Mask and cap pulled low.
Carmina shadow-jumped straight into his shadow.
'Sensory share. Target: Ally Carmina.'
Eyes closed, vision shifted.
Sounds changed too.
Jo drove far, parked in a dingy underground lot in a rundown shopping district.
Switched to a tinted black sedan nearby.
"You're here. No tail?"
Driver's Korean had awkward pronunciation.
"None. Not my first rodeo."
"Right. Let's go."
Multiple transfers followed.
Final stop: deep in Daelim-dong's slums.
Click.
Jo stepped out.
Glanced around wary of eyes, then up into a decrepit building.
Opened a corridor door.
"Ah! You're here!"
The man inside welcomed him.
"Tough trip! Text said today's intel is top-shelf?"
Jo grinned.
"You'll flip."
"Can't wait!"
Behind their chat, multiple folks hunched over complex comms gear and laptops.
"─────?"
"────────!"
Not Korean.
All Chinese.
Wall board pinned photos of missing Korean Awakeners.
Even an idiot would know what this place was.
'These bastards?'
His head boiled.
Nape stiffening.
These fuckers caused all the wrongful deaths, forced Korea to scramble monthly quotas?
—Looks like the main den, Master. What now? I'm livid...
Choi Yuseong, average Korean core.
Never lived boldly.
But knew the call here.
Still, no rash moves—recalled yesterday's plan with Cha Minhyuk.
......
.........
Yeah, same conclusion.
