Hiding Strength Protagonist Trait) Not Hiding (2)
Hiding Strength Protagonist Trait) Not Hiding (2)
A massive tower suddenly appeared in the heart of Seoul in the 2040s.
As a result, half of the capital city Seoul evaporated.
On top of that, rifts spewing out monsters appeared, pushing Korea right to the brink of total annihilation.
However, Korea's recovery—which was supposed to take 100 years—didn't even take 5.
Because the monster cores, essentially their hearts, turned out to be the miracle material known as room-temperature ambient-pressure superconductors.
This miracle material didn't just restore Korea's national power; it propelled the country beyond East Asia to become the hegemonic power dominating the world order.
The companies that played the leading roles in this prosperity and recovery also achieved tremendous rapid growth.
One of those key players, the company sitting on the throne as the number one in Korea's business world thanks to the Super-gap Principle, was Changsung Electronics.
Lee Yong-jae, the chaebol chairman of the mega-corporation everyone dreams of joining, past or present, quietly turned off the hologram he had been watching.
"This is footage uploaded last night, but honestly, I have no clue. So I'd like you to explain it, Team Leader 1."
"Yes, Chairman-nim."
The man called Team Leader 1 immediately stepped forward to the chairman.
His right arm, wrapped in a suit, was a pitch-black metallic prosthetic, and his stern face bore a massive scar.
"Chairman-nim, could you play the video again?"
"Sure."
Once more, a hologram appeared before the chairman.
The content of the hologram was simple.
An undead-type monster that suddenly appeared at a construction site got utterly shattered the moment a delivery rider showed up.
Lee Yong-jae Chairman tilted his head as if he still didn't get it even after watching it again, then fully leaned back into his chair.
"I get that it's amazing, but I don't know just how amazing. So start by explaining that monster."
"Yes, Chairman-nim. First, I'll slow down the playback of this video and explain it in detail."
"Do it. How much?"
"To 0.01x speed."
"What...?"
From the moment the undead-type monster appeared, the hologram started playing again.
Team Leader 1 immediately paused the playback and spoke to the chairman.
"What you're seeing now is an A-class Identification Magic Beast currently classified as A-grade. Its identification code is Hecatoncheires, and from what I've heard..."
"The giant god from Greek mythology with 50 heads and 100 arms. Though this one has way more heads and arms... it's a fitting name, all things considered."
"Yes. And as you know, A-class Identification Magic Beasts are different from regular A-grade monsters."
"That's right. They say you absolutely need a team of at least five S-Class Hunters to deal with them."
"Exactly. Resuming the video."
The next scene showed a delivery rider in a helmet and sky-blue jacket appearing from somewhere.
Thanks to the 0.01x speed, the chairman could finally see clearly what this delivery rider was doing.
"One, two... ten... must be at least a hundred swings. Did he swing his sword a hundred times in the blink of an eye?"
"No, probably more than that. The police CCTV doesn't have high-speed recording, after all."
"...Unbelievable. Should I donate some high-speed recording CCTVs to the police while I'm at it?"
"Hahaha."
Now that he understood just how incredible the delivery rider in the video was, the chairman turned off the hologram again.
He then fixed his gaze on Team Leader 1 behind his rimless glasses, his eyes gleaming sharply.
"What do you think, Team Leader 1?"
"By now, the other companies and the government have probably caught on too. Like the saying goes, a talented person draws attention wherever they go."
"True. Rumors spread fast, especially in today's world."
"Indeed. So, my take is... we need to make contact with this delivery rider right now. If we can bring him to our side, that'd be ideal, but if not, we have to make sure no one else touches him."
"Hmm, that serious?"
"Yes, Chairman-nim. If that delivery rider ends up with the government or another company, the whole board changes."
"Haha, when you put it like that, I really want to snag him for sure."
Even in 2090, Changsung's founding philosophy of the Super-gap Principle remains alive and well.
Thus, Lee Yong-jae Chairman absolutely wanted to see this delivery rider in person.
"But personally... I think there's a high chance that delivery rider isn't affiliated with anywhere."
"Oh? Why's that?"
"Because someone with that level of skill is working as a delivery rider."
"Hmm. Fair point. If he wanted to, he'd have done it already."
Letting out a low hum, Lee Yong-jae Chairman nodded too.
Truth be told, the chairman had a rough idea already.
For someone like that to be scraping by day-to-day as a delivery rider meant he was content with that life.
However, being the head of a mega-corporation also means being the thirstiest person in the world for talent.
"Team Leader 1."
"Yes, Chairman-nim."
"No need to say it, but I trust you. Changsung wouldn't be where it is today without you."
"You're too kind."
"Haha. But that's not enough anymore. Changsung has a million directly employed workers alone. Add in subcontractors and partners, and you can't even count them—and it'll only grow. We can't stop for a second now. Stagnation means extinction, and extinction means death."
"Yes, Chairman-nim. Sometimes you have to execute operations with low success rates no matter what."
"Good. Then proceed. But don't push too hard. If things backfire even slightly, we'll be the ones in the worst spot."
"You're right. Um... a bit crude, but... go for it if it works, no harm if it doesn't... that vibe okay?"
"Hah, yeah. That's the level. You can go now."
"Yes, Chairman-nim."
Team Leader 1 left the chairman's office and immediately headed down to the lower floor.
His destination was Team 1—his workplace and battlefield.
Officially, the department doesn't exist, and only the top executives in the company even know about it.
Team 1's main job is securing large cores.
Everything else is just to support that smoothly.
Headhunting is included in that, so Team Leader 1 picked up the extension phone receiver.
It was one of the items reflecting his philosophy and stubbornness that analog is best for security.
"Call Scarlet."
"Yes, Team Leader-nim."
Immediately, an announcement came from beyond the door: [Agent Scarlet Kim, Team Leader calling.]
Soon after...
—ttokttok.
"Team Leader-nim, it's Scarlet. May I come in?"
"Yeah."
The door handle turned with a clacking sound.
Then, a beauty with dazzling blonde hair and blue eyes appeared before Team Leader 1... but.
The moment he saw her exposed cleavage and provocative smile, Team Leader 1 snapped in a cold voice.
"Out. Now."
"Aaang, Team Leader-niim~ It's been so long since we last saw each other~"
"Hah..."
"But... what's the occasion today...? Don't tell me you're finally gonna force yourself on me...?"
"How many times have I told you! I'm a married man!"
"Eek~ I'm so scared my buttons are gonna pop~♥"
"Get out now! If you don't wanna get fired, put on proper clothes and come back!"
Team Leader 1 squeezed his eyes shut, exhaled roughly, and reminded himself why he'd called Scarlet in the first place.
Scarlet Kim. Mixed-race Korean-American from the States.
S-Class Hunter, top performer, excels not just in combat but in other tasks too.
Bright and lively... personality, high affinity, excellent negotiation skills.
So no mistake in my personnel choice.
The mistake is that damn woman's ridiculous sexual fetish.
With his thoughts sorted, Team Leader 1 looked at Scarlet, who had come back in.
"Team Leader-nim... it's stuffy in here..."
"Shut up. Quiet and watch this."
"Tch. Just pounce on me forcefully for once, what's the harm...?"
Suppressing the surge of anger with effort, the team leader replayed the hologram video he'd watched with the chairman.
The video played via hologram was less than a second long.
At this point, it was more like a single frame than a video...
"...Wow."
The moment the hologram vanished, Scarlet's blue eyes gleamed with sharp intensity.
The team leader's tone had turned dry too.
"What do you think?"
"Game changer. That's the only way to put it. Soloing an A-class Identification Magic Beast in one breath... no sense of it at all. What does this guy even do?"
Team Leader 1 silently handed over a single document.
"Lee Hyun-do, 29 years old, Drifter, lives in a studio in the outskirts of Seoul, occupation... delivery rider? Really?"
"...Why do you keep slipping into English? You've lived in Korea since you were 5. And that's a fake name you're using now. Your real name is probably..."
"Ah, Team Leader-niim! You promised not to bring up my real name! Anyway, this guy's really a delivery rider? Why? Why?"
"How should I know? That's all the info the police confirmed. My guess is he just has no interest in it."
"Ah, got it. But... wow... what a body... face is totally my type... total beast..."
"What'd you say?"
"No, sir. No problem."
"Stop clowning and listen seriously."
"Sir, yes sir!"
Team Leader 1 fed the document Scarlet returned straight into the shredder.
Then, he handed her a single black card.
"This is the core payment for the Hecatoncheires that delivery rider took down. Tell him Changsung's footing the bill no matter where he got it or what he does."
"Wow, Black Card. No expiration date either. Even for an A-class Magic Beast core, this is overkill. Unless...?"
"Yeah. Obviously, the real mission's separate."
"You want me to drag this delivery rider to our side by any means necessary, right?"
"Huh? Well... yeah, kinda..."
Wait, by any means necessary...?
Remembering the chairman hadn't said it that strongly, the team leader hurriedly stopped Scarlet.
"Hey, Scarlet. Hold up."
"Why, Team Leader-nim?"
"You're not thinking anything weird, right?"
"Weird? Like what? Isn't my job just to flash this card and ask if he'd work for us?"
"Uh... yeah, that's true... but don't force it. Got it?"
"Yes, Team Leader-nim. Blackmail's for people it works on. Can I go now?"
"Yeah... Not that it'll happen, but if there's an emergency call, come flying."
"Of course, Team Leader-nim. That's what they pay me the big bucks for. Then I'll get to work."
"Uh, uh... yeah..."
What the hell? Why's she suddenly so compliant?
Team Leader 1 brushed off the sudden doubt that popped up.
For all her issues, Scarlet's only problem was that weird fetish.
"...Wait a sec."
Team Leader 1 immediately grabbed the receiver again.
"Call Scarlet back. Now."
"Uh... she just left, though...?"
"Then send an alarm! Tell her to come back right now!"
"Got it. Uh? Her device's off?"
"Fucking bitch...!"