The Chamber of Trust
Deep within the top floor of the Korean Awakener Management Agency, in a heavily secured zone, a certain facility had been established.
It was the Chamber of Trust.
A secret space designed to receive the great Hitchhiker's directives.
Please prepare a large secret room within the Management Agency. From now on, all directives and item exchanges will be conducted through that space.
Beep— Beep—
After passing through several layers of security protocols, Director Yoo Soo-ho spoke as they entered.
"To be honest, I still feel like I'm dreaming. For the Hitchhiker to reach out to us first... it's truly moving."
Cha Minhyuk replied.
"We must do our utmost not to disappoint him."
"You're right. Since we've been given this opportunity, we have to put in the corresponding effort."
Currently, only a handful of people, including the president, knew about the Hitchhiker's contact.
President Kim Seok-jung had issued the order himself.
Henceforth, the Management Agency and all ministries shall treat the Hitchhiker's directives as priority zero.
Provide unconditional full support, and ensure nothing disrupts his mood or causes him any harm.
President Kim Seok-jung, shedding tears of gratitude.
He too had been a man who struggled tirelessly to save Korea from ruin.
Beep!
The moment the final door opened, Director Yoo Soo-ho gasped.
The secret room had clearly been empty before.
Now, it was filled with a massive haul of items.
"What...! How on earth...!"
"......"
Cha Minhyuk wasn't particularly surprised.
He already knew the Hitchhiker's agent manipulated shadows.
Transporting goods through sealed spaces would be child's play for them.
What shocked him was something else.
"It's all... holy water."
2-liter unlabeled water bottles.
Not just one. There were 500 of them.
"Team Leader Cha. I can't even process what I'm seeing. Is this even possible?"
"Didn't the Hitchhiker already state it in his first letter? That he would supply holy water."
Cha Minhyuk appeared calm on the surface.
Internally, he was stunned.
All records confirmed the Hitchhiker was a combat-type Awakener.
Yet mass-produced holy water?
'Heavens, does he possess not only combat abilities but production skills as well?'
It sent chills down his spine. Just how far did his powers extend?
And if this was just the first shipment, more would follow.
Suppressing his excitement, he said,
"The important thing is his next directive."
A letter placed atop the water bottles.
Its contents were concise and clear.
Among them, the key points were:
1. Reviewed news and articles on negotiations with China. Follow-up directives on Manchu sovereignty territory to be issued later.
2. Divide holy water into 500ml units for auction preparation. For swift auctions, sell in bundles of 20.
3. Management Agency to set starting bid price based on analysis.
4. Revenue split: 95:5. Agency to hold his 95% share, ready for use on his command.
5. Further directives on holy water source and Korea's allocation to follow.
"Team Leader Cha! Look at this! He said he reviewed the news and articles well! That means he's satisfied with our handling! Haha!"
"Director, please calm down."
Cha Minhyuk's heart was pounding too.
He'd subtly probe satisfaction levels in the next communication with the agent!
"This matches his previous instructions. Dividing into 500ml makes 2,000 bottles. Are the glass bottles ready?"
"Yes. We've already commissioned a factory; production is complete. Just need to fill the premium-quality bottles."
"This is another test."
"I'll instruct the analysis team immediately."
From a sales perspective, the starting bid didn't matter much.
The item was holy water, after all.
No matter the start, prices would skyrocket.
But as Korea's declaration of holy water's minimum value to the world, it held symbolic weight.
"95:5? Is this even reasonable?"
"I'm a bit puzzled too."
The two men frowned deeply, visibly displeased.
"Tsk tsk, it's laughable. Shouldn't it be 100:0 at minimum?"
"Even 110:0 or 120:0 wouldn't suffice."
"Exactly. We'd be emptying the national treasury and still fall short."
Joking? No, dead serious.
If the Hitchhiker revealed himself, he'd warrant treatment equal to a head of state.
Though, given his actions, that was unlikely anytime soon.
"As expected! Our worries were unfounded!"
"In my view, he clearly has a meticulous plan."
The two couldn't hide their joy.
That concluded the letter's contents.
They then carted out the water—no, the holy water.
The now-empty chamber.
Thud.
Cha Minhyuk set down several boxes.
Items to deliver to the Hitchhiker.
Having finished the delivery, Carmina crawled out from the shadows, wriggling along.
"The glamorous vampire is dying...! The cute and busty vampire is dying~!"
Glamorous... what?
Yulia, whom he was currently cradling and patting, might qualify.
But that wasn't the point.
"Lady Carmina, good work."
"Now I get how delivery drivers feel! From now on, every time a package arrives, I'll ride along and unbox it!"
Carmina perked up, slurping the cola straw he'd given her.
"There's a ton of pizza over there too."
"Pizza! Steam rising~!"
She flopped onto the table, devouring pizza with the happiest expression in the universe.
Then Yulia spoke.
"What did Lady Carmina bring?"
"Boxes. Seems like what Cha Minhyuk mentioned last time. Let's see inside..."
Letters, chocolate, flowers, scented candles.
High-end clothing, jewelry, gold watches, and more.
Piles of gifts. So this was...
"Offerings from the faithful to their pontiff?"
"Why turn perfectly normal citizens into cultists."
Well, whether online or in the real world, he was being deified massively.
Anyway, these were gifts people were sending to the Hitchhiker.
The Management Agency's official stance: We have no connection to the Hitchhiker.
But people kept sending them relentlessly anyway.
'I heard they even built a separate storage warehouse. What was sent today is just a tiny, safety-inspected fraction.'
He picked up one letter from the top.
To the Hitchhiker. Hello. I originally lived in Busan... (...) Now at a refugee center... (...) The preciousness of a safe home to live in... (...) Thanks to you... I've regained hope... (...)
Sincere gratitude emanated from every line.
Even he, usually emotionally detached, felt a pang in his chest.
Carmina sidled up beside him.
"Sniff...! Master...! Nom nom...! The letter's so, so touching...! Nom nom...!"
Eat the pizza or cry.
Pick one?
"Ahh, such devout thanks... It warms my heart."
Yulia dabbed her eyes with a handkerchief too.
Should he cry too?
But no tears came.
This wasn't entirely new, anyway.
Korea was now covered in gratitude banners and spaces everywhere.
All dedicated to the Hitchhiker.
While passing by, he'd seen a kid attaching a message card.
Thank you for protecting our country! Mom says she sleeps so well at night thanks to Hacker!
The kid then grabbed his beaming mom's hand and vanished into the distance.
Seeing that message...
It triggered a different kind of dopamine rush than tower climbs or planet restorations.
'A certain thought crossed my mind.'
Until now, he'd acted out of basic national pride as a Korean.
Now, he didn't want to shatter people's happiness and dreams.
But acting purely on justice or altruism? Irrational.
'Decisions from reason, not emotion.'
Weigh personal gains too.
He scrolled through the messages and checked his recent achievement reward.
A hidden achievement from hitting 10 million points.
The other half's clues were likely held by Killdragon, America's top scorer.
As a Management Agency affiliate, effectively the US government had them.
"Gratitude, huh."
He tapped the table, mentally reciting the other keywords.
Vote, unification, one person one vote.
Amplification proportional to gratitude.
First image that came to mind?
Politicians suffering fatal losses from failing to unify candidates.
From a tower competition angle...
'Electing an Awakener for a specific role?'
By which group? Nation? Continent? Entire planet?
"Unification" suggested nation or continent level.
He racked his brain.
Arriving at one hypothesis.
If everyone worldwide got one vote to elect a single Awakener per nation or continent...
And votes amplified proportional to gratitude toward that Awakener...
"Your Holiness is in an overwhelmingly advantageous position, isn't he? With all of Korea united in praise for the Hitchhiker."
"Whoa, you startled me."
Telepathy or what?
"Hehe, not telepathy. I figured you'd be thinking along similar lines."
Yulia smiled brightly.
Definitely not telepathy, right?
"Anyway, that's not the point. Your Holiness, look."
Thud.
A laptop placed on the table.
Crammed with American news articles.
Endless adulation for Killdragon.
Nothing special in itself.
Every nation hyped their top ranker.
But...
"This hype feels a bit excessive compared to their usual patterns."
Meanwhile, negative articles flooded other US rankers.
His spine tingled sharply.
'My instincts are screaming.'
Well, well, what do we have here?
Unification campaign? Out in the open?
With less than ten days to the next round, time was tight, after all.
Click. Click. Click.
He kept scanning articles.
His conviction grew.
His speculation about the next round's event was spot on.
And...
'I've got it.'
Infinitely replicable holy water.
How to supply it to Korea.
Two main points.
Amplify gratitude toward the Hitchhiker.
And resolve the Management Agency's headaches.
"Lady Carmina."
"Yes! Nom! Master!"
"After eating, could you fetch some documents from the Agency? Their analysis on the history of US media manipulation—request it via comms first. And these gifts—"
Scribble scribble.
He sorted only the edibles.
"—return them all."
"Huh? Why? They're gifts from people!"
"Can't risk traceability if we use them. Especially clothes. We've got the vibe now, so store everything in the Agency warehouse from here on."
"Got it! Nom!"
Carmina dove into the shadows, pineapple pizza in mouth.
Off immediately, huh.
She could've finished eating.
Next issue:
'Holy water.'
Not planning to sell at infinite prices forever.
What's the difference from US/China/Japan if we gouge with controlled supply?
First, skim some personal funds.
Let Korea gain benefits.
Then ramp up supply to crash holy water prices.
Allow as many nations as possible equal access to its advantages.
Main goal: Level up the lower and mid-tiers.
Naturally checks top dogs like US/China/Japan.
Their vassal states regain independence.
"As expected, Your Holiness is a savior not just for Lumentia, but Earth too?"
"Not that grandiose, but as a bonus. If the underdogs rise, US/China/Japan have less bandwidth for Korea."
One more expectation.
If holy water distribution credits to the Hitchhiker...
And if—
The next event allows global voting for any Awakener...
'Possible, but...'
He could aim for world's top popularity.
"Urk!"
"Your Holiness, some problem?"
"No. Just dopamine from thinking."
"A happy groan, then?"
But executing this strategy had a critical flaw.
Mass production needed.
They were strictly artisanal.
Filling 500 2-liter bottles was grueling.
He'd experimented dipping the Grail in tubs, hoping mass conversion.
Bubble bubble.
'Hmm.'
No dice.
System. No freebies.
Tilting the submerged Grail this way and that.
Bubble.
Oh? This angle?
Mass production.
A brilliant method dawned.
Somewhere in New York, a private room.
"I just... can't comprehend it."
Nakayama muttered.
His face half-dazed.
Just last dawn, he'd felt like he owned the world.
Not anymore.
How did it come to this?
Ma Chingdong across from him looked ready to explode with rage.
One reason.
The Tokyo and Beijing shops they'd ambitiously opened? Dead empty.
Officials checked phones one by one, then fled like the tide.
Leaving the waiting room deserted.
Subsequent visitors?
Not a single one.
Well, there was one type.
Officials demanding contract cancellations.
"Found anything?"
"Intel networks are running, but no leads."
"Same for China."
Heavy silence fell.
China and Japan.
Renowned economic powerhouses.
But resources sunk into this op? Not trivial.
Failure meant catastrophic losses.
Leaders wouldn't escape with mere demotion.
Perhaps backlash from anxiety—Ma Chingdong snarled.
"If this flops, Japan pays for dumping stock on us. Understand?"
Nakayama lacked even energy to respond.
Then.
Click!
The waited-for arrival.
US Deputy Director Elliot Hesson.
He smirked at the Sino-Japanese reps, approached, and placed a small bottle on the table.
"Extracted almost by force from interrogating allied officials."
"This is..."
"Holy water...?"
By force already.
Cracks forming.
Whew.
"Per Korea's letter, they plan ongoing global sales. Slim chance of mass production, but Korea has the anomaly called Hitchhiker. If variables make it true..."
Astronomical stockpiles of curatives in US/China/Japan warehouses.
"All become kindling."