The Lord of the Oasis, Seth
The Lord of the Oasis, Seth.
An Egyptian constellation and a notorious evil god in his native mythology. The former divine king who dismembered his brother Osiris into fourteen pieces to claim the pinnacle of myth. Though later driven out by Osiris’s son Horus, he remains a formidable constellation.
One problem stands out.
In the original timeline, the one who contracted with Seth was neither Ping Lei nor Ji-young.
“Master, is something wrong…?”
Her eyes wavered with unease. My prolonged silence had clearly unsettled Ji-young.
“No. I was just thinking.”
“Hehe, I thought something terrible had happened.”
“You’re contracting with the Watcher of Justice.”
“That’s unexpected.”
“What is?”
“I thought you’d tell me to wait and contract with someone else instead.”
“Athena is an excellent constellation. She suits you well.”
One of the Twelve Olympians, governing justice and glory. In Greek myth, she was the patron who watched over and blessed many heroes.
“Ah—” Ji-young let out a soft exclamation.
“So it’s Athena.”
“Raise her favor level and you’ll receive the Aegis as well. It’ll match you perfectly.”
Aegis—also called Aegis. The sacred relic representing the divine shield, and simultaneously a blessing granted by Athena. For Ji-young, whose abilities centered on barriers, no other blessing could suit her better. She had contracted with Athena in the previous timeline as well.
“Wow, amazing! Athena, of all people!”
Leaving the belatedly delighted Ji-young behind, I sank into thought. Why had Seth taken an interest? Evil-aligned constellations never moved without purpose. The fact that Seth had noticed Ji-young despite her incompatible nature meant his goal lay elsewhere than a simple contract.
“Carla, is the Lord of the Oasis watching you?”
“Yes.”
“Enrique.”
“Same here, Uncle.”
“Damn it.”
I bit my lip hard.
—Is there a problem?
“The fact that the constellation is monitoring guild members is the problem itself.”
“Master, the Lord of the Oasis sent me a message as well.”
“Yeah, I figured.”
I already knew. Ping Lei’s arrogant and vicious nature was exactly why Seth had taken notice. In the previous timeline, he had ruled China’s underworld under the alias “Death’s Hand.” I had even considered killing him if he proved irredeemable.
“Why does this feel so ominous?”
Ping Lei shivered. You’d better behave. Otherwise, your head might find itself missing one day.
“Everyone else, consult me before contracting with a constellation.”
I waved my right hand and turned my back. The repeated sparring had helped me adapt to my increased specs. Now it was time to resolve this new question.
I picked up my phone.
“Can I schedule a meeting with the Association President?”
* * *
The Player Association building in Bundang. When I first visited, it had occupied only a single building. Now it had acquired several neighboring structures as well.
“We meet again.”
Han Suchang greeted me in front of the building.
“Don’t we see each other too often?”
“Heh, you’re my assignment, so of course I have to show up.”
He had even accompanied me to Russia. At this point, I saw him as often as my own guild members.
“Your timing is impeccable today.”
“Pardon?”
“The President. Someone of his stature usually has his schedule booked down to the minute.”
Han Suchang let out a short “Ah.” What was that reaction for?
“When he heard you were coming, he cleared his schedule.”
“What was he supposed to be doing?”
“A meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs.”
“You’re joking.”
I gave Han Suchang’s shoulder a light tap. When no reply came, the reality finally sank in.
“That wasn’t… a joke?”
“When have I ever joked about work?”
“He canceled a meeting with the Minister just to see me?”
“You’re that important, Jinho-nim.”
Good grief. I suppressed the hollow laugh rising in my throat. Less than a year since regressing, and I was already being treated like a state guest. It really drove home how diligently I’d been living.
“Besides, the Minister came because of you in the first place.”
“What?”
“You’ll hear the details from the President.”
Han Suchang smiled mysteriously and walked ahead. A troublesome feeling began to creep in…
The door opened, and the imposing elderly man approached with a broad smile.
“Well, if it isn’t our association’s pride and hero!”
A towering 190 centimeters. Though his white hair and facial wrinkles spoke of the passage of time, the vitality radiating from his entire body rivaled that of a young man.
“You never change, President.”
“What do you mean?”
“You’re still in excellent shape.”
“Hah, excellent shape? I’m not quite at the age to be called that yet.”
Korea’s average lifespan had risen considerably, but in his seventies, he was still an old man, wasn’t he? Awakening as a player had pushed his physical abilities beyond ordinary human limits, yet this still felt excessive.
“Have a seat.”
“Thank you. Are you sure this is all right?”
“What is?”
“I heard you canceled your meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs to see me.”
“Hahaha, I could only do that because it’s you.”
A question surfaced in my mind.
“It seems Han Suchang didn’t explain.”
“It didn’t seem like my place to.”
Han Suchang, standing with his hands behind his back, shook his head.
“Russia has officially offered a commendation and tariff reductions.”
“A commendation is one thing, but what does a tariff reduction have to do with me?”
“What do you think? It’s all thanks to your flawless exploration of the Demonic Realm.”
Ah. The impact of the Rainbow Flashing Stone had been so immense that I’d nearly forgotten. The Demonic Realm that appeared upstream of the Tunguska River—Dreamland. I had gone there to devour the essences of the monsters residing within it. While I was at it, I had mixed in some information from my previous timeline and shared it with Sergei. I had even given him a copy of the Dreamland map. In doing so, I had drastically reduced the workload for the Russian players.
“Is that really something the government needs to thank me for?”
“The mere fact that the Demonic Realm isn’t expanding further is cause for relief.”
“Thanks to Jinho-nim’s information, the evacuation order around the Demonic Realm has also been lifted,” Han Suchang added.
Now I understood. My standards were still based on the “previous timeline.” I had known the Ten Great Demonic Realms wouldn’t expand. Unless a major city like Seattle was swallowed whole, they weren’t that dangerous. At this point in time, no one could have had such certainty.
“So that’s why the meeting with the Minister was scheduled?”
Association President Kim Woosung burst into hearty laughter.
“I suppose I have at least one stroke of good fortune in my later years.”
The person receiving the commendation from Russia was coming, so he could cancel the meeting. I had intended to devour some essences during the Demonic Realm exploration while also boosting the association’s prestige, but the ripple effect had exceeded my expectations. This, too, was a butterfly effect.
“So, what brings you to this old man today?”
“President, I’ll be direct.”
“Speak.”
“How extensive is the association’s intelligence network?”
“Quite a broad question.”
The President stroked his beard.
“A year ago, maybe not, but now we’re a step above the guilds.”
“Better than the Three Great Guilds?”
“We can even request cooperation from the National Intelligence Service.”
“That’s fortunate.”
I let my relief show. What I needed this time wasn’t player abilities. It was an intelligence network spanning the entire world. Not even the Three Great Guilds could surpass the association in this regard.
“There’s something I’d like you to investigate.”
“If it’s within the association’s capabilities, tell me anything.”
I handed over the paper I had prepared in advance.
—Germany: Johanna Müller
—Egypt: Abdul Hamad
—Brazil: Luiz Almeida
……
More than ten names. The people who had contracted with evil-aligned constellations in the previous timeline. Creating this list had required dredging up so many old memories that my head had nearly split.
Whether Seth’s scheme was mere whim or whether the evil constellations’ reach had already begun extending to Earth—I would know once I examined their prospective contractors.
President Kim Woosung scanned the list and nodded.
“Understood.”
“Aren’t you curious why I’m asking?”
“I’ve already heard plenty about your miraculous abilities through Team Leader Han.”
His eyes were filled with trust. Come to think of it, the incident that would claim the President’s life wasn’t far off now. The massive gate break near the DMZ. Roughly a month remained until the monster wave erupted along the armistice line.
“By the way, how’s the surveillance around the DMZ going?”
“So you’re interested in the North as well. That place has long since become monster territory.”
“Even if a gate break occurs, we can’t stop it.”
Han Suchang shook his head with a bitter expression. The DMZ, which neither North nor South could enter. Gates had formed after the First Great Erosion, but we could only stand by and watch.
“I think increasing the surveillance personnel would be wise.”
“Heh heh heh, I wouldn’t listen to just anyone, but I can’t dismiss your words.”
The President chuckled softly. I hoped he wouldn’t take my words as mere jest. After all, this was an event that could alter the fates of Kim Woosung and many others.
“Is that all you need?”
“One more thing.”
“Say it.”
“Can I use the association’s Black Card?”
“How do you even know about that…?”
For the first time, the President looked genuinely surprised. The Black Card—a membership pass granting access to the Black Market, the underground auction house. A secretive trading venue unknown to ordinary people. He must have found it strange that I knew of its existence.
“I have a use for it.”
“Hmm, that’s not something the association can decide. I’ll have to answer on my own authority.”
The President retrieved a single card from his pocket. Plain, with no letters or designs—a simple card.
“Take it.”
“Thank you.”
“I’m giving it to you because I believe you’ll use it wisely.”
“I won’t cause trouble for the association.”
“May I ask where you intend to use it?”
“The United States.”
“Las Vegas. The underground auction house.”
I merely smiled without answering. After a brief silence, the President nodded as if taking my silence for confirmation.
“I’ve kept a busy man too long.”
“If I need anything else, I’ll contact you through Han Suchang.”
“Understood. Don’t hesitate to reach out anytime.”
I bowed my head and left.