Chapter 122
Chapter 122
Translation: godtl
[Kim Si-mun, Winner of Platinum Debut Match, Draws Global Attention]
[The Most Promising Talent Since the Star Generation]
[Love Calls from World-Class Guilds Like American Dream and Continent Guild...]
News articles flooded the phone screen.
The rigid, two-meter-tall man frowned slightly and switched the screen.
[National Tournament! The Prelude Has Finally Arrived!]
[Many Renowned Korean Players, Including Sword Saint Kim Si-hyeok, to Participate]
[Public Confidence:"Our Country's Advancement to the Main Event Is Still a Given"]
[Sword Saint Kim Si-hyeok's Shocking Statement!"Making It to the Main Event Might Be Difficult This Year" Sparks Controversy in Arena Community!!]
[Song Jae-kyung, Commentator for National Arena Program, Fully Agrees with Sword Saint's Opinion—Seed Rights Must Be Secured in the Special Match]
[The Importance of the Special Match Re-emphasized, But Is Korea's Platinum National Team the Weakest in Asia?!]
As the news continued to pile up, his expression, which had been as still as a statue, twisted slightly.
Tsk. It's all either about Kim Si-mun or the National Tournament.
Given his position, he made it a habit to meticulously check Arena-related news, but even for a man nicknamed "Golem," being bombarded with the same headlines for three straight days was unbearable.
Even Choi Chang-wook couldn't help but feel irritated.
And if the subject of those headlines was someone he was about to meet soon, that irritation only grew.
"Haah... This is suffocating."
Choi Chang-wook loosened his perfectly straight tie just a fraction.
If he didn't, he felt like he might smash something right then and there.
Perhaps his inner turmoil was obvious, because—
"You seem quite suffocated. Strange—the weather's perfect now that it's spring."
The door to the reception room opened, and in walked a strikingly handsome man with sharp features.
Choi Chang-wook's expression hardened further.
"You've arrived, Sir Si-mun."
Kim Si-mun.
In just a month or two, he had shaken not only Korea but also foreign powers—even Association President Kim Mu-yeol himself.
Despite Choi Chang-wook's stiff tone and undisguised displeasure, Kim Si-mun merely curved his lips slightly.
"'Sir Si-mun'? Never thought I'd live to hear the Secretary-General address me with honorifics."
His lips curled into a smirk.
"Last time, you wouldn't even call me by my name. What an honor this is."
To some, it might have sounded like sarcasm.
"......"
Choi Chang-wook remained silent in the face of Si-mun's attitude.
Like a Golem, he stood firm, maintaining only a heavy silence.
Finding the reaction perfectly fitting, Si-mun shrugged.
"Well, I'll take it as a compliment."
It was a clear refusal to rise to pointless provocation.
Without further taunting, Si-mun took a seat across from him.
Then—
Click.
The sound of the reception room door closing echoed.
Choi Chang-wook's gaze reflexively flicked toward it, his eyes narrowing slightly.
"Brother, I'll bring some tea for you."
A graceful beauty approached naturally and spoke.
At Lee Yu-jeong's words, Si-mun waved his hand dismissively.
"Yu-jeong, you don't have to. I can do it."
"No."
As Si-mun tried to stand, her delicate hands gently pressed down on his shoulders.
Lee Yu-jeong shook her head with a soft smile.
"We have a guest from the Association. It's only proper to offer some hospitality."
A smile so kind and warm that no one could mistake its sincerity.
For the first time, Choi Chang-wook's poker face cracked.
"Such precious hospitality. I truly never expected to be served tea by you."
His tone carried a hint of surprise, but beneath his words and gaze lurked something sharp.
"Hoho, right?"
Lee Yu-jeong, catching that edge, only deepened her smile in response.
"You're the Secretary-General of that Association President, aren't you? I'd feel much better if I treated you properly."
Feel much better, she said...
Choi Chang-wook quietly chewed over her words—including the subtly emphasized "that Association President."
And then it hit him.
It's been a while. Being so openly threatened like this.
There was no way Choi Chang-wook wouldn't recognize the threat hidden in Lee Yu-jeong's words. An involuntary chuckle escaped his lips.
He then turned to Si-mun, who was politely declining, saying, "I'll do it, Yu-jeong. You just sit down."
Was it because she was like a younger sister to him?
The fact that Si-mun—someone even Kim Mu-yeol acknowledged—was completely oblivious to this thinly veiled threat was almost amusing.
"Yu-jeong, there's no machine or teabags here. You'd have to brew everything from scratch..."
"It's fine, Oppa. I've studied tea ceremony, remember? Just sit still."
Her hands, delicate enough to evoke images of a fairy maiden, were currently gripping his shoulder, rendering him unable to move.
And that was funny too.
A rising star who had set Korea and the world ablaze in just three months—yet he couldn't even shake off one slender hand?
But then again...
'As expected of the Iron Wall Saintess. Her monstrous strength hasn't faded, I see.'
Having personally experienced the power hidden in those delicate hands before, Choi Chang-wook gave a slight shake of his head and said,
"Then I'll take tea, please."
"Of course. And you, Oppa?"
"Uh... w-well, I'll... coffee! Yeah! Coffee, please!"
Si-mun hurriedly scanned the tea set laid out to one side before answering.
"Alright. I'll prepare them right away."
"N-no, take your time! As slow as you—"
Si-mun hesitated for a moment as Yu-jeong immediately headed for the tea set, then let out a deep sigh and roughly scratched the back of his head before turning to Choi Chang-wook.
"So, what brings the ever-busy Secretary-General all the way here?"
"I came regarding the promise you made with the Association President."
"I see."
The promise with the Association President.
Si-mun, who knew exactly what that entailed, slowly nodded.
'Uncle must've gotten intel on Jong-ri Chu's research.'
The recording obtained from the Continent Guild's assassination attempt—
Using that as leverage, he had demanded that his uncle, Association President Kim Mu-yeol, investigate the Continent Guild's experiments turning civilians into monsters.
"About that..."
Choi Chang-wook trailed off, hesitating.
Noticing his gaze flickering toward Yu-jeong, who was busying herself with the tea set behind him, Si-mun waved it off.
"Ah, it's fine. Just report."
Choi Chang-wook's eyes visibly hardened.
"I'm well aware of your relationship, but... are you certain it's alright?"
"I'm fine."
She might be the problem, though.
Though unspoken, the implication hung heavily in the air, making Choi Chang-wook press his lips together.
Finally—
"Sigh. Very well."
With a deep exhale, as if deciding to cut the back-and-forth short, he continued, his usual stern mask slipping into something more relaxed.
"According to recent intel, Jong-ri Chu has an Arena facility within the country."
"In the country?"
"Yes."
"And the source?"
"It's not from our side—it's intel from the Continent Guild."
"The Continent Guild?"
Si-mun reacted exactly as Kim Mu-yeol had.
"Don't tell me... it's from the Moderate Faction?"
Choi Chang-wook gave a slow nod before continuing.
"Yes. The Association President has maintained his own connections with the Guild Master's side for quite some time now."
The Continent Guild was divided into two factions—the Moderates and the Radicals.
Though Kim Mu-yeol had recently grown closer to Jong-ri Chu, leader of the Radicals,
In the past, he'd also been on friendly terms with the Guild Master of the Continent Guild, who led the Moderates.
It made sense.
After all, his uncle Kim Mu-yeol was Korea's Association President.
From a diplomatic standpoint alone, he had to maintain broad connections across all factions.
Well aware of this, Si-mun nodded.
"Classic Uncle."
Even if they were enemies, he was thorough in this regard.
Si-mun's gaze deepened slightly.
'I still haven't heard anything from Seo Wi-ryong, though.'
The reason wasn't hard to guess.
'Probably because the current Seo Wi-ryong wouldn't have access to this kind of intel.'
Though he'd promised to back Seo Wi-ryong and the Moderates, that was only a few days ago.
For the Moderates to recognize Seo Wi-ryong as the link to a massive sponsor like Si-mun—
They'd need time. Time for the support funds, now converted to yuan, to start flowing in properly.
Until then, it was only natural that the Association President, who had been maintaining connections with the Moderate Faction's leaders since the past, would be better at extracting information.
'Well, it's not like I have anything to lose. One way or another, the information will eventually come to me anyway.'
Hadn't he already requested information about Jong-ri Chu's experiments from his uncle Kim Mu-yeol as well?
That's why Choi Chang-wook, his uncle's loyal subordinate, had come to deliver the information now.
Having organized his thoughts, Si-mun asked,
"So, where did you say the location was?"
"Gangwon Province, Cheorwon."
"Cheorwon?"
The moment the words left his mouth—
Clink.
The sound of teacups clattering from behind grew noticeably louder.
Si-mun glanced back with slightly uneasy eyes before asking,
"As far as I know, there are no Arena-related facilities in Cheorwon, Gangwon Province."
"That's correct. Just to be sure, we conducted our own search as well, but indeed, there are no registered facilities there."
"I see."
So they'd have to comb through the entirety of Cheorwon in Gangwon Province.
Si-mun let out a small sigh and shook his head.
'If it's an Unregistered Facility, they must've hidden it extremely well. Searching the entire area would be insane.'
Though Korea wasn't exactly a vast country,
thoroughly scouring an entire region was no easy task.
Especially if they had gone to great lengths to conceal it.
'Wait a minute... Now that I think about it.'
Si-mun's eyes widened slightly as he fell into thought.
'Wasn't Cheorwon in Gangwon Province strangely free of Outbreaks in my past life too?'
After the official Arenas began in South Korea,
countless Outbreaks occurred due to numerous Arena failures—though he couldn't remember every single one—
Cheorwon had been notably famous for not experiencing any Outbreaks.
Because of this, along with Seoul and Incheon, it had been one of the primary regions where survivors lived until the very end.
'So that means there is something there...'
But nothing concrete came to mind.
In his past life, he had no memory of ever visiting Cheorwon either.
'In cases like this, organizations are better at investigating than individuals.'
Of course, there was no reason he couldn't just tell Choi Chang-wook in front of him to have the Association look into it, but...
'Just because the Association moves doesn't guarantee they'll find anything.'
They would certainly conduct the investigation diligently, no doubt about that.
Whether they liked it or not,
his uncle Kim Mu-yeol had no choice but to act according to his demands.
If he outright refused, Si-mun could simply go and issue an order using the Death Eye—end of story.
However, there was no guarantee that the Association would actually uncover the facility's location even if they started investigating.
On the contrary, there was a significant chance that detecting the Association's movements might prompt them to destroy the facility and flee.
'But I can't just leave it be either... What should I do?'
Just as Si-mun's pondering grew deeper—
"I brought the tea."
A clear voice rang out as Lee Yu-jeong approached.
"Secretary Choi, your tea. And Oppa, your coffee. Right?"
"Thank you."
As Yu-jeong set down the tea and coffee,
Si-mun's gaze wavered slightly as he stared at the coffee before forcing the corners of his lips upward to look at her.
"...Th-thank you."
"Don't mention it. Oh! And—"
Yu-jeong, who had been smiling brightly, wiggled one eyebrow and gave him a meaningful look.
"I have something to talk to you about, Oppa. When you're done here, spare me a moment, okay?"
"Huh?"
Si-mun briefly expressed confusion before realizing—
'That's the secret signal we used as kids... Wait. Could it be?'
Understanding that it was related to the conversation he'd just had with Choi Chang-wook, he nodded naturally.
"Got it. I'll come find you right after we're done here."
"Okay. Well then, I have some things to take care of, so I'll go ahead first."
After giving Si-mun and Choi Chang-wook a light nod, Yu-jeong left the room.
Only after the sound of her footsteps completely faded from the reception room did Choi Chang-wook speak again, his voice quiet and devoid of an object:
"Si-mun-nim, what will you do?"
But Si-mun knew exactly what he was asking.
"Hmm, well..."
He tapped his fingers against the armrest for a moment before answering.
"For now, let's wait and see until I give you further instructions. Acting rashly might only cause us to lose the trail."
Si-mun, treating the Secretary-General of the Korean Association President's Office as if he were his own subordinate.
"I understand. Then I'll suspend the investigation until you give me further notice."
But Choi Chang-wook merely nodded without showing any reaction.
Chang-wook then reached for the teacup with his thick fingers.
"Wait!"
Si-mun hastily raised his hand—but it was too late.
Gulp.
Chang-wook had already taken a sip of the steaming hot tea with a puzzled expression.
"...!?!"
Only after feeling the devastating damage assault his tongue did he understand Si-mun's sudden action.
Of course.
"Pfft! Pfft—hack!"
The price was brutal.
"Cough! Hack! Gah!"
Choi Chang-wook—the human golem, the siege engine.
Even among the First Generation players, he remained an active force to be reckoned with.
Yet here he was, reduced to intermittent groans over a mere cup of tea.
Any who had fought alongside him in the Arena would be stunned speechless by this sight.
"A-Are you okay?!"
Si-mun hurriedly rushed toward Chang-wook, who could barely keep himself upright.
Given that Chang-wook was his uncle's most trusted subordinate, this should never have happened—yet here they were.
"If you can't hold it in, just force yourself to spit it out!"
"I'm... fine."
The shared experience of 'Lee Yu-jeong's tea' effortlessly shattered even their adversarial dynamic.
Si-mun swept his arm across the table, grabbing a water pitcher from the side and handing it over.
Chang-wook chugged it down in desperate gulps, taking several moments to steady his breathing before regaining his composure.
"Th-That just now was...?"
Even his speech faltered.
His golem-like face had crumbled into an expression of pain, shock, and a hint of awe.
"Sir Si-mun... were you attempting to assassinate me with poison?"
"No! Absolutely not an assassination attempt!"
Si-mun vehemently denied it, cutting him off mid-sentence.
"If I wanted to kill you, I'd do it myself—I'd never drag my younger sister into this."
"Well... that's true."
Chang-wook nodded at the perfectly reasonable argument.
But his face still brimmed with distrust, prompting Si-mun to speak with utmost seriousness.
"That was just tea. Probably Elven Tea or something of equivalent grade from the Arena."
"Are you saying... that was made with nothing but tea leaves?"
"Yes. Unfortunately, Yu-jeong is really bad at...—"
Si-mun trailed off.
He couldn't bring himself to badmouth his sister outright.
"It's purely her... unadulterated skill."
He softened the explanation as much as possible.
"I see... 'purely her skill,' huh..."
Chang-wook nodded blankly, his gaze drifting toward the table.
There, a cup of coffee sat, faint steam still rising.
"...Come to think of it, you didn't take a single sip, Sir Si-mun."
"Huh? Oh—!"
Chang-wook's accusatory, resentful glare made Si-mun avert his eyes.
"Well, the coffee is slightly better, but even that..."
He didn't bother offering it.
Chang-wook, as if possessed by some sixth sense, perfectly grasped the unspoken implication:
'I must avoid anything handcrafted by Lee Yu-jeong at all costs.'
The warning seared itself into his bones.
-"Aah! They're collapsing! The backline is completely falling apart!"
-"This is bad! The healers are wiped out!"
-"Where's the Sword Saint? Where is the Sword Saint?!"
-"He's been under concentrated fire from their entire strike team the whole match! To think they'd target our strongest fighter like this from the start..."
South Korea's most-watched channel, National Representative Arena—colloquially known as the National Arena Program—was flooded with the lamentations of main MC Choi Gang-yeop and commentator Song Jae-kyung.
It couldn't be helped.
The match they were broadcasting was a qualifier for the National Tournament.
South Korea's national team—always a shoo-in for the finals with their roster of elite top-tier players—
-"Ah... it's over!"
-"Thailand's prepared strategy worked perfectly. They've been dominating us with the same tactic every match!"
—was now on the verge of elimination in the qualifiers.
The mood among the national team was abysmal.
Or more accurately, the aura of one individual was crushing the entire team's morale.
"Um... P-Player Kim Si-hyeok? Could we get a quick interview...?"
A single reporter struggled forward, pushing against the overwhelming pressure of a Ranker—one brimming with fury.
Kim Si-hyeok's usual refreshing smile was nowhere to be seen.
His expression was stone-cold as he glanced at the reporter.
"I told you. Making it to the finals might be difficult."
After glaring at the entire national team, he turned on his heel and walked away.
South Korea, watching this live broadcast on the National Arena Program, erupted into chaos.