Madam's Sudden Arrival
A figure clad entirely in black clothes.
They must have thought they were suppressing their presence as much as possible when entering the room.
But my senses had already detected the outsider's presence.
"It's been a while, Young."
"……Thank you for remembering me."
"Your alias is quite memorable, isn't it?"
It probably isn't your real name, I muttered under my breath, but the Black Network's messenger said nothing.
"Have a seat. Let's have some tea."
"Thank you."
"I didn't prepare anything because I thought you'd refuse."
"……."
What, were they planning to drink it even if I poisoned the coffee?
A strange light flickered in the eyes visible through the cloth.
"Wait here. I'll get some ready."
It wouldn't do to send a guest away empty-handed.
I went down to the first floor of the guild house and fetched some coffee.
"So, what's the reason you came to make contact first without me even looking for you?"
"Madam wishes to meet with you, Branch Manager."
"That's unusual."
"I believe you should hear the reason directly from Madam."
"But I'm busy, so I don't think I can go to Las Vegas."
"Madam has already boarded a flight to Korea."
That heavy-ass person?
Madam was the ruler of the Black Market.
She held an extremely high position in the Black Network as well—in other words, she was second only to the "Puppeteer of Shadows."
She was coming to Korea, practically announcing it.
"Doesn't seem to be because of the Galatea blueprint."
The item the Puppeteer of Shadows, master of the Black Network, was desperate for.
Using my knowledge from before the regression, I had used the Galatea blueprint as a bargaining chip to establish ties with the Black Network.
I'd asked for plenty of time, so it couldn't be about that.
"When does she arrive?"
"In ten minutes."
Pfft!
The coffee I'd just put in my mouth sprayed out like a fountain.
Young, standing across from me, drew up mana to prevent the coffee from touching her body.
"Seriously?"
"Yes."
So this was payback for messing with her earlier.
Anyway, every single one of those Black Network bastards had a black heart.
I used the power of Polar Night to wipe away all the coffee that had splashed on the floor.
Buzz— My phone rang.
"Jiyoung, what's up?"
-There's someone here who says they want to meet you, Master.
Even faster than ten minutes.
Just as I grabbed the doorknob to leave, Young stopped me.
"What, got another surprise for me?"
"Are you planning to go out like that?"
I'd just finished training.
My sweat-soaked tracksuit clung to my body.
It wasn't exactly guest-receiving attire.
"You showed up without notice, so what did you expect?"
"Branch Manager, please at least show Madam some basic courtesy."
"Nope. Not happening."
The only reason I was even meeting her despite this rude visit was because she was Madam.
This kid still didn't understand how much my value had risen.
Whether it was because she was deaf to the news despite being in the Black Network, or because she was trying to assert her pride, I couldn't tell.
After shooting a glare at Young, who was showing discomfort for the first time, I headed down to the first floor of the guild house.
* * *
Whispers filled the air—
The guild members were keeping their voices low as they chattered in small groups.
-Wow, she's really beautiful.
-I heard she's the Guild Master's guest.
-Seriously, where did he even meet someone like that?
The center of attention was a mysterious woman in a red dress.
Madam.
The ruler of the Black Market smiled brightly the moment she saw me.
"I don't even know how long it's been since we last met."
"Indeed."
I swallowed a bitter smile.
"Oh my, it seems you're not happy to see me?"
"Unexpected meetings always bring waves with them."
"I didn't know you had an interest in poetic expressions. I'll have to keep that in mind."
Madam covered her mouth and let out a soft laugh.
Poetic, my ass.
Madam was no easy opponent to deal with.
The only reason I'd gotten what I wanted in our previous meeting was thanks to the advantage of my regression knowledge.
Her ability, the "Unbiased Scales," could assign value to anything, tangible or intangible.
The fact that I knew about the Galatea blueprint was only because I was a regressor.
At this point in time, it was difficult to find anything or any information of greater value.
By subtly tying my past-life information to my regression, I'd been able to tilt the "Unbiased Scales" heavily in my favor.
This time was different.
I had no idea why Madam had come all the way to Korea.
-Wow, Master, when did you get a girlfriend like that!
-A hero is always followed by a beautiful woman. As expected of my master.
-Don't say such outdated things. Right, Karla?
-She looks strong.
-You've got that weird fire in your eyes again!
……
Listening to the conversation between Jiyoung, Ping Lei, and Karla made my head throb.
I suppressed the sigh that threatened to escape.
"Let's speak privately."
"Good."
Something sticky flickered in Madam's eyes.
Jiyoung grabbed Karla and let out a shriek, while Ellen let out a short "Hmm."
It's not what you guys are thinking.
After clearing out the entire café, I sat across from Madam.
Young had appeared at some point and was now standing behind her as a guard.
"Weren't you too surprised?"
"I'd appreciate it if you gave me advance notice next time."
"Oh my, I'm sorry. I got ahead of myself and committed a discourtesy."
Only half of that was sincere.
The fact that Madam had come to Korea meant it was urgent, but the delayed arrival notice was probably to gauge my reaction.
Fine. I wasn't the type to just take things lying down.
I subtly drew out the aura of the Primordial Dragon.
I hadn't officially acquired the skill yet, but releasing presence was something I'd mastered through my experiences before the regression.
The air grew cold.
The moment Young took a step forward to intervene—
『Stay still.』
The power of the Word of Command held her in place.
The Black Market's messenger.
She was a top-tier player who had reached Platinum, no, Diamond rank, but she couldn't easily shake off my Word of Command.
Unless she used a skill.
She seemed to have invested heavily in Agility, but with pure Strength alone, shaking off my Word of Command would be difficult.
Facing my killing intent head-on, Madam bit down on her lip.
Her face had gone pale.
The moment Young gripped her dagger—
"Don't interfere, Young."
"Madam."
"Mr. Yu's anger is justified. In fact, we should be grateful he didn't add it to the transaction terms."
The Unbiased Scales.
When trading using Madam's ability, even "variables" meant to shake my psychology could be assigned a value.
To think she'd noticed even that part.
As expected, she was no ordinary person.
But she was so exceptional that she failed to read my psychology in return.
The [Unbiased Scales] was fair, but at the same time, it wasn't.
Just like how I'd exploited that loophole to lead the transaction.
-You don't seem confident this time.
Nyx, who had been watching silently, spoke directly into my mind.
Yeah. You're right.
As I suppressed my killing intent, Madam exhaled the breath she'd been holding roughly.
"Did you not find it amusing?"
Killing intent infused with the Primordial Dragon's presence.
With Madam's capabilities, simply enduring it should have been her limit, yet she managed to say something like that.
As expected, she was no ordinary opponent.
"I'm not particularly fond of surprises."
"Oh my, I'll keep that in mind from now on."
"That aside, I can't imagine what could have brought Madam here in such a hurry."
"As expected, Mr. Yu has a refreshingly straightforward personality. Then I'll get straight to the point."
Madam elegantly took a sip of coffee.
Her posture was so graceful it made me wonder if she was filming a coffee commercial.
-Get a hold of yourself. I will not tolerate you falling for a honey trap!
Falling for a honey trap, my ass.
She really thought too little of me.
"I want to purchase information about Klyphoth."
It was an unexpected request.
I put on a reluctant expression.
"I didn't expect that name to come out of Madam's mouth."
"I'll be honest with you. The Black Network is currently split into two factions."
"Did something happen to the Puppeteer of Shadows?"
"No, Master is still in good health, but…… the radical faction has risen and is causing headaches."
The radical faction.
The Black Network was an international organization that tied together all sorts of illegal groups.
Among them were some who had gone mad, like religious extremists.
The Puppeteer of Shadows had been keeping those mad dogs in check, preventing them from causing greater harm to the world.
They were a necessary evil.
The problem was the radical faction Madam had mentioned.
They referred to the extremists who pursued profit by any means necessary—terrorism, rebellion, sabotage, and the like.
Before the regression, Ping Lei had reigned as the leader of that radical faction.
Since he'd taken control of China's underworld around 2030, the timing of the radical faction's appearance didn't match up.
This was strange.
The future had changed from before the regression.
Well, it wasn't the first or second time the future had changed, but I hadn't expected it to affect the Black Network.
The Puppeteer of Shadows was strong.
Though he hadn't reached Monarch rank, he was considered one of the top High Rankers.
I knew this well because he'd become an ally during the Age of Destruction and we'd fought back-to-back.
"That Young—I mean, the Puppeteer of Shadows—doesn't seem like the type to just sit back and watch."
"The players who joined the radical faction were wielding some unknown power. We suspect that Klyphoth is behind that power."
"So you want the information."
Madam slowly nodded.
Thanks to the series of events in the Demilitarized Zone, Klyphoth had become known.
At this point in time, the Black Network would have almost no information about Klyphoth.
They probably thought it was just an NPC faction that appeared in the Tower of Babel.
I slowly spoke, focusing on information that could be revealed at this point in time.
Madam's expression grew serious.
She listened intently, not missing a single word I said.
"Was this helpful?"
"Good. This will be of great help to Master."
"I'll collect the payment later."
I had put Madam in my debt.
As I'd said earlier, the Black Network was a necessary evil.
It was like a fence that kept the madmen from running wild.
I didn't know what kind of butterfly effect had occurred.
But it would be troublesome if they lost their power at this point.
If the Black Network collapsed, the criminal organizations wouldn't disappear—they'd just form a different alliance.
Better the evil you could control.
"Oh my, would you really do that?"
"I'll give you one more gift."
"I've already received so much. I'm afraid I won't be able to handle it."
Madam played along with exaggerated politeness.
"Please ask the Puppeteer of Shadows to make some time for me."
"Those words…… Could it be?"
"I'll obtain the Galatea blueprint soon and deliver it."
I smiled lightly.
"I'll be collecting interest in full."