The Red Stone's Whisper
A player has updated the highest contribution score.
As a reward, a Blue Herb has been granted.
◈ A leaf imbued with high-density mana. Consuming it increases mana and can also be used as a magical catalyst.
A leaf glowing with a faint blue light.
“Not bad.”
Without hesitation, I tossed it into my mouth. A bitter scent lingered at the corners of my lips. Moments later, the sharp bitterness faded, replaced by a refreshing sensation that slid down my throat.
Mana has increased by 21.
That was equivalent to four levels’ worth of stat points. Because of the Dragon Heart, mana-related elixirs didn’t feel quite as effective, but accumulated stats never betrayed you. I smiled faintly.
After claiming the reward, I logged out. I had already used both daily attempts, so there was no reason to linger in the Tower of Babel any longer.
Back in reality, I skimmed through the backlog of messages.
— More people are seeking out my contractor.
“All of it’s worthless chatter.”
— Hohoho, isn’t that a bit arrogant?
“If you’ve got the ability, you’re allowed to be.”
That went for the constellations too. The same applied to the guild officials. My market value would skyrocket exponentially with time. While scrolling through messages with my thumb, my finger stopped.
[Han Suchang — Team Leader]
“This guy actually contacted me.”
The message was about discussing the association mercenary contract we had talked about last time. It hadn’t even been that long since we met face-to-face. Had he already prepared an answer to my proposal?
When I pressed the call button, the line connected after only a few rings.
— Player Yu Jinho! I’ve been waiting for your call.
“You sent me a message.”
— Yes. Regarding the mercenary matter you mentioned, upper management has given their approval.
“You said there was no relevant department. How did you manage it?”
— I submitted a proposal based on what you told me, and the higher-ups reviewed it positively.
“Positively, huh……”
— The Special Task Force. It’s the department that oversees external cooperative personnel.
The Special Task Force. That name hadn’t changed even in my previous life. Since Han Suchang had been the one to establish it before my regression, it wasn’t strange that the name was the same. More importantly, he had advanced the creation of the Special Task Force by two whole years. I had given him the idea, but we had only known each other for a few days. To push things this far already—typical of Han Suchang. A non-awakened who rose to vice-president through sheer competence.
“I didn’t expect a new department to be created this quickly.”
I spoke honestly.
— Hahaha, it’s all thanks to you, Jinho.
“I basically threw a tantrum asking for a department that didn’t even exist.”
— In truth, I’ve long believed that institutional improvements were necessary to bring players into the association.
“So my words sparked some inspiration?”
— That’s correct.
Han Suchang explained that he had already concluded it was impossible to handle player-related crimes with only internal personnel. Currently, they were managing the shortage by granting social benefits to a few major guilds in exchange for mobilization, but there had been several incidents where entrusting everything to a single guild had backfired.
— When a single guild handles a request, it becomes difficult for us to monitor the process.
“That’s true.”
— If we have multiple external personnel like yourself, we’ll be able to operate independent teams as well.
Strength returned to Han Suchang’s voice.
“So does that mean everything I requested has been approved?”
— That’s actually why I contacted you. There’s something I need to discuss regarding that.
Han Suchang paused for a moment.
— The establishment of the Special Task Force hasn’t been finalized yet. There’s one condition.
“Let’s hear it.”
— President Kim Woosung wishes to meet you in person before making a decision.
“The president himself?”
Kim Woosung—the first president of the Player Association. He was also one of the early players who had entered the Tower. A heavyweight I hadn’t expected to appear.
“Fine. Please set up a schedule, Team Leader.”
— Then, would it be all right if I come to pick you up right away?
“Ah, sure.”
I answered with a slightly reluctant tone. The president’s position wasn’t exactly one with free time. I hadn’t expected to meet him the moment I said I was available. Then again, that was just like his personality.
— He seems to be quite an important figure in your world.
“If he’s the president, he’s pretty high up.”
— Indeed. As expected of my contractor.
I was the one who received the invitation, so I didn’t understand why the goddess sounded so pleased. After finishing my preparations and stepping outside, a vehicle bearing the association emblem was waiting for me. A black limousine. It looked even more expensive than the one they had sent when trying to recruit me.
“Jinho, I’ve come to pick you up.”
Han Suchang, the association staff member I had spoken with earlier, bowed at the waist in greeting.
“You got here fast.”
“The president was eager to meet you, Jinho.”
“Then let’s go.”
I naturally climbed into the back seat of the sedan with its door already open.
* * *
The Player Association building located in Bundang. A structure as large as a shopping complex came into view.
“We’ve arrived.”
An attendant opened the door for me. Before my regression, I had received this kind of treatment often, but this was my first time experiencing it in this life.
“Jinho, I’ll guide you to the president’s office.”
Following behind Han Suchang, I headed to the president’s office on the top floor. There were quite a few guards, but they let us through immediately once Han Suchang showed his ID.
“Thanks to you, Team Leader, this is going smoothly.”
“The procedures for meeting the president are complicated. Thank you for your understanding.”
“I’m not being sarcastic. Meeting someone that high up is only natural.”
I waved my hand dismissively. The president of the Player Association was essentially the head of a public corporation. This level of procedure was expected. Before my regression, I had even held conversations with the president of the country, and the process back then had been far more stringent.
“Mr. President, I’ve brought Special Task Force member Yu Jinho.”
— Send him in.
The door opened automatically. Through the gap, the giant of the era came into view. A man around 190 centimeters tall with sharp eyes beneath snow-white hair looked at me. He appeared to be in his early to mid-sixties. Even in a suit, the disciplined lines of his physique were clearly visible.
“I’m Kim Woosung. Mind if I speak casually?”
“Please do, Mr. President.”
“Keh keh, you’re easy to talk to. Have a seat.”
The president sat first. I took a seat on the guest sofa and glanced at him. So this was how we were meeting. I had heard plenty of stories about the first president, Kim Woosung, before my regression. An early Tower player who had worked tirelessly to protect players’ rights and establish order. People often said that if he hadn’t died so early, the number of domestic players emigrating overseas would have been cut in half. In short, he was an admirable man. We hadn’t had much direct contact, so I had only heard rumors. I wondered how different he would be from the stories of my previous life. Time to have a conversation and find out.
“An ultra-elite rookie who broke every record from the tutorial through the fourth floor.”
“Are you talking about me?”
“Of course. I know everything.”
“Hearing it from you makes me a little embarrassed, Mr. President.”
“Your face doesn’t look very embarrassed for someone claiming to be.”
Instead of replying, I gave him a slight smile.
“It’s reassuring to have such a capable young man take a position in the association.”
“I won’t actually be joining the association, though.”
“Right. Han Suchang told me you proposed working as a mercenary.”
The president let out a hearty laugh. After taking a sip of tea, he set the cup down and spoke seriously, the laughter gone from his face.
“Honestly, the mercenary proposal was unexpected.”
“Because I don’t like being tied down to any one place.”
“So you’re going to operate as a mercenary?”
“Yes.”
“That’s a shame. If you work as a mercenary, you won’t receive the tax exemptions and various benefits the association offers.”
“If I wanted those benefits, joining a guild would be far better.”
“And yet someone who knows that still proposed mercenary work……”
The president trailed off. I smiled and answered.
“It’s still too early to decide my market value.”
That was the topic currently setting the internet ablaze—my market value. Whether the 100 billion won offered after the tutorial was a bubble or a realistic figure. There was no way the president didn’t know about it.
“I see. So you’re planning to wait for your value to rise under the pretext of freelance work for the association!”
I nodded at his deduction. In truth, I had done this because I knew the future, but explaining that was impossible. It was a justification I had offered within the bounds of what he could accept. Fortunately, he seemed to accept it without suspicion.
“Keh keh, no need to be nervous.”
“I heard you included a meeting with me as a condition for establishing the Special Task Force.”
“I wanted to see the face of a promising young man in person, and also to entrust you with a request.”
Oh? So that was the main point. Quite direct. His demeanor didn’t differ much from what I had heard about Kim Woosung before my regression.
“You’re evaluating me right away?”
“Think of it as the first request for the historic Special Task Force.”
Kim Woosung held out a tablet PC.
Murder. Or disappearance. And all of them were children. I hardened my expression as I scanned the articles. Even though the locations where they vanished were along major roads, no CCTV footage or witnesses could be found.
“Player crime.”
“Correct. And a particularly nasty one at that.”
A cold light flashed across Kim Woosung’s eyes.
“Our agents with detection skills found traces of mana at the scenes.”
“Can you show me those traces as well?”
“Of course. From now on, this will be your responsibility to resolve.”
Well, he sure made it sound easy when it wasn’t his problem. The president held out an object wrapped in cloth.
“This is it.”
When I undid the knot, a bright red stone revealed itself. Wait a second—this shape…… It was him. My heart began to pound the moment I saw the red stone. Traces of Bathory Ersebet, the evil constellation. Bathory was also the guardian constellation of Jeong Sinho, the infamous player-criminal who had turned Korea upside down.
“Since this is an unidentified crime, you’re free to take on other requests instead.”
“Do I have a choice?”
“I showed you this because the association has been struggling with it, but we actually prepared a different first request.”
— A violent incident that occurred in Iksan, Jeonbuk.
It was a report about a player-turned-gangster threatening the market district.
“This seems manageable. What do you think?”
“I’ll take care of the president’s headache.”
“There’s no evidence. Are you sure?”
“Isn’t the evidence right here?”
I pointed at the red stone.
“Do you have any guesses from looking at it?”
“I can sense the lingering echo of mana.”
“An echo, huh.”
That wasn’t actually true. I hadn’t devoured any essence related to smell. Nor could I tell him that the crystal was a byproduct produced when Bathory used her abilities. It wasn’t common knowledge anyway. Besides, it was impossible to find Bathory’s contractor with just this crystal. Still, I pretended to examine it seriously and sniffed the stone. The investigative logs I had skimmed through. Jeong Sinho. The legendary serial killer who had contracted with Bathory. Before my regression, I had seen the compiled records of his crimes. They had left an impression—in the worst way—so even the detailed parts remained in my memory. Yes, around this time, the place he would be…… But this was going to be a bit of a burden. The president watched me with an intrigued gaze. Bluffing with the fragment seemed to be working far too well.
“Mr. President.”
“Can you catch him?”
“One day is more than enough.”
I answered with a confident voice. I would accept this request.