A Bold Proposal
I stopped in my tracks at the sudden meeting that had been arranged.
I sat down on an empty bench.
Are you not heading to the appointed place?
“They said they’d come pick me up.”
It wasn’t long before a red sports car pulled up along the curb.
With a mechanical clunk, the upward-swinging door opened, and a girl who looked to be in her teens waved at me.
“Ahjussi! Over here!”
It was Hong Yesul, the student I had rescued from the abandoned building.
I frowned.
“I told you, I’m not an ahjussi.”
My insides might be old enough to be called a grandpa, but biologically I’m in my early twenties, you know?
The man who stepped out of the driver’s seat behind her appeared to be in his late twenties.
Neatly trimmed sports haircut.
Beneath it, eyes that reflected an unyielding spirit.
His overall impression seemed ordinary, yet that piercing gaze alone left a strong imprint on my mind.
I suspected as much, but it really is Hong Yunsu.
He looked much younger than I remembered, though.
That gaze of his hadn’t changed at all, whether in the distant future or right now.
The moment he saw me, he pressed down firmly on Hong Yesul’s head with his right hand and bowed at a perfect ninety-degree angle.
“I must greet the person who saved my sister first.”
“Oppa, you’re messing up my hair!”
“I apologize. My sister lacks manners.”
“I told you not to touch my head!”
…This was quite different from the image I had expected.
Before my regression, I had seen Hong Yunsu several times.
Eyes always filled with rage.
A vengeful demon consumed by guilt for failing to protect his only sister and by hatred toward player criminals.
Because of that, I had assumed their sibling relationship must have been incredibly close.
They’re just a normal brother and sister.
Watching the two of them growl at each other, a chuckle slipped out of me.
It is not proper to laugh at others to their faces.
Ah, right.
The unexpected sight had loosened my tension.
“Sorry about that.”
“I’m the one who should apologize for showing such an unsightly side in front of my benefactor.”
Hong Yunsu let out a hearty laugh and glanced around.
“It might be better to change locations.”
“Agreed.”
People were already starting to gather around us one by one.
They had recognized Hong Yunsu.
He was a famous ranker even in this era, after all.
As one of the top five players in Korea, it would have been stranger if they hadn’t recognized him.
“Please get in my car.”
“Isn’t that a sports car?”
“I brought one with a back seat.”
A back seat in a sports car. How unusual.
“Then I’ll take you up on that.”
I accepted Hong Yunsu’s offer.
A quiet café.
More precisely, we had moved to a place that Hong Yunsu had rented out for the entire evening.
“Oppa, I’ll have what I was drinking before.”
“It’s winter. Who drinks iced Americano? Get something warm.”
“I’d rather freeze to death than drink anything but iced Americano!”
After spitting that out, Hong Yesul headed for the restroom.
Now that we were alone, the playful glint in Hong Yunsu’s eyes faded.
“I must thank you again. I am truly grateful that you saved my sister.”
With a serious expression, he bowed his head.
“I already received your thanks earlier.”
“I felt I wouldn’t be able to convey my feelings properly otherwise.”
Hong Yunsu lifted his head and looked me straight in the eye.
Just like before my regression, his gaze was both striking and intense.
“To me, my sister is my only blood relative. If Yesul had been sacrificed to that criminal…”
Hong Yunsu swallowed the rest of his words.
Clink.
A gust of wind brushed past the café’s tableware.
It was a phenomenon caused by the café’s air resonating with his emotions.
Lord of the Tempest. That was Hong Yunsu’s title.
Between his slightly trembling voice, I could sense a thick killing intent.
Yeah. I know better than anyone what kind of things you did.
You neglected climbing the Tower in order to eradicate player criminals, causing your rank to drop.
Your excessive methods earned protests from the Human Rights Commission and countless civic groups.
Because you didn’t trust the law and carried out immediate executions.
You killed player criminals without regard for the severity of their crimes.
Some called you a hero, while others denounced you as a murderer.
In the end, you fell into a massive trap prepared by the Player Criminal Association and the Black Market, and died.
I wonder if that won’t happen in this life.
When he sensed someone approaching, Hong Yunsu relaxed his stiff expression.
“Oppa, you were talking about weird stuff while I was gone, weren’t you?”
“Weird stuff?”
“The mood is obviously strange.”
The siblings grumbled at each other again.
They certainly seem to have a good relationship.
“That?”
Huhu, I too fought often with Gaia.
I’m curious what happens when goddesses fight each other.
While each pair was having their own conversations, the drinks we had ordered were placed on the table.
I took a sip of my coffee.
The bitter aroma of the Americano helped calm my mind.
The atmosphere was finally right for the main topic.
“So. I’d like to hear why you wanted to see me.”
“Ah, it’s to repay you.”
As expected.
There was no way someone like him would let the person who saved his sister’s life walk away empty-handed.
Cotton ca—
“I didn’t do it expecting a reward, but I won’t refuse one either.”
I replied while covering Nyx’s mouth with my right hand.
“Now that I think about it, is that a summoned beast?”
“It’s a contracted relationship.”
“It seems to be a being with high spiritual power. How interesting.”
After showing interest in Nyx, Hong Yunsu turned his gaze back to me.
“I heard you ran into the Fist Saint last time.”
That was the title of the martial artist Shin Junseok.
“You’ve done quite a bit of research.”
“While I was thinking about what gift would be appropriate for you, Mr. Jinho.”
Hong Yunsu lightly brushed off my comment.
Since he had a connection with his sister, he must have checked in advance whether I was dangerous.
Yes. This is exactly how a future High Ranker should act.
Hong Yunsu placed a small wooden box on the table.
“What is this?”
“Please take a look.”
Normally I’d feel reluctant to open a gift right in front of the giver, but since he insisted, I didn’t refuse.
The moment I flipped the latch with a click, a refreshing fragrance wafted up.
No way.
Could Hong Yunsu’s gift really be…?
◈ A snow ginseng that has endured for a thousand years.
◈ It contains natural energy and can greatly increase magic power or internal energy when consumed.
I covered my mouth in shock.
“Are you satisfied?”
“Something this precious…”
“I obtained it during the last Tower raid, so please accept it without burden.”
Hong Yunsu smiled gently.
He seemed quite pleased with my reaction.
Millennium Snow Ginseng was an elixir particularly effective at increasing internal energy rather than magic power.
In the current era where martial artists were looked down upon, it was often considered slightly below its Legend rank in value.
Even so, it was still a Legend-grade elixir.
An unexpected reward indeed.
“I’ll put it to good use.”
I closed the wooden box.
This wasn’t the right place to consume it immediately.
Absorbing the energy contained within the Millennium Snow Ginseng would take several hours.
“Ah, and there’s one more thing I’d like to ask.”
“Ask?”
“Or rather, a proposal.”
With a mysterious smile, Hong Yunsu handed me a business card.
Team Yellow Storm
“Once you reach Silver rank, how would you feel about forming a team with us?”
The “team” he spoke of wasn’t the random, ragtag groups matched for missions.
It was a dedicated team formed to challenge the Tower’s highest records.
A management group operated on a smaller scale than a guild.
Yellow Storm was the most prestigious and accomplished team among all player teams in the country.
“Oppa, are you trying to scout this ahjussi?”
“His level is a bit low, but his skills aren’t lacking.”
“He’s a rising rookie lately, but… you don’t have to go this far just because of me.”
“Well, I can’t deny that, but my desire to recruit him is sincere.”
Huh?
The two siblings began arguing right in front of me.
The person who should be giving the rice cake isn’t even thinking about it, yet they’re having such an interesting conversation.
No, actually.
Since they had set the stage first, it made it easier for me to bring up my own main topic.
“I’ll have to decline.”
I turned the business card Hong Yunsu had handed me back toward him.
Hong Yunsu let out a short, low hum.
It seemed he hadn’t expected to be rejected.
“It wouldn’t be a loss for you, Mr. Jinho.”
“I have a proposal of my own.”
“Let’s hear it.”
“High Ranker Hong Yunsu, if I create a guild later, would you consider joining me?”
The moment I finished speaking.
The café was dyed in silence.
Both Hong Yunsu and Hong Yesul had expressions of pure bewilderment on their faces.
It was only natural. A rookie who had been climbing the Tower for less than half a year had just sent a love call to one of the country’s top rankers.
Hong Yesul was the first to speak.
“Ahjussi, you’re not crazy, are you?”
“Ahem, Yesul. What kind of language is that to our benefactor?”
“Still… this is…”
When Hong Yunsu widened his eyes, Hong Yesul quickly shut her mouth.
The atmosphere grew even heavier.
Hong Yunsu let out a short sigh.
“I never imagined I would receive a counter-proposal like this.”
“Well, I suppose it must sound absurd to you right now.”
“To be honest, it doesn’t feel very good.”
Yeah, I agree.
If I were in Hong Yunsu’s position, I would have already stormed out.
I had made the proposal after seeing that he valued manners and was the sibling of the person I had saved.
This much should be acceptable.
“Of course it’s impossible right now. You need to be Silver rank to create a guild, after all.”
“Knowing that, why are you making such a ridiculous suggestion?”
Why? To prevent the era of destruction and build the strength to fight against the Old Gods, of course.
I can’t exactly tell him that.
I swallowed a bitter smile and spoke again.
“If I give you a reasonable justification, will you accept my proposal?”
“No way.”
Hong Yunsu shook his head without hesitation.
“My goal is to create the world’s best Tower conquest team. Joining a guild would come with too many restrictions.”
“Then how about this?”
I pushed the wooden box containing the Millennium Snow Ginseng back toward him.
“What is this…”
“If you break all the highest records up to the 30th floor, you will join the guild I create.”
“You’re making a counter-proposal to me?”
“Yes. As collateral, I’ll give you the Millennium Snow Ginseng.”
“And if you fail?”
“Then I’ll join Yellow Storm.”
Hong Yunsu looked back and forth between the wooden box and me, then burst out laughing.
“What an interesting proposal.”
“Is it?”
“Whether it’s confidence or arrogance, we’ll have to wait and see.”
“You won’t be disappointed.”
I smiled confidently.
“Still, please take the gift I prepared.”
Hong Yunsu pushed the wooden box containing the Millennium Snow Ginseng back toward me once more.
“It might help you break the highest records up to the 30th floor, right?”
“…Then I won’t refuse.”
Before Hong Yunsu could change his mind, I quickly took the box back.
I had offered the Millennium Snow Ginseng as collateral, but it wasn’t something I wanted to lose.
After all, my Three Talents Qi Gong was third-rate, so my internal energy accumulated slowly. There was no reason to turn it down.
The conversation ended on a warm and friendly note.