Trading Secrets with Luna
“……?”
Kang Hanbit checked the chat again. But the messages hadn’t changed.
[Black Dragon: Chat? Didn’t you bid 100 million?]
[Luna: It’s the only way to reach you, and it’s a pretty reasonable price, right? Ah, I won’t drag it out long.]
“What the hell?”
The absurd statement drew an involuntary voice from Hanbit. Spending 100 million just to chat? No matter how he thought about it, it didn’t make sense.
Bzzz—
Right then, his smartphone vibrated. It was a call from Juyeonu.
Thinking it was perfect timing, Hanbit accepted the call.
(Hyung! What’s this? Did it really sell for 100 million? To who?)
The loud voice came through the receiver. He must’ve just checked the auction post.
[Black Dragon: Hold on a sec.]
Leaving a message in the chat window, Hanbit said the buyer’s name.
“Someone named Luna.”
(…Luna? No way, Luna from Yeonhwa Gaming? The pioneer?)
As expected from a famous name, info poured out immediately.
Hanbit took a screenshot of his chat with Luna.
“Sent you the pic. Check it out.”
(One sec.)
Juyeonu’s voice vanished briefly. It was a short exchange, so it didn’t take long.
(Hmm… It’s kinda different from what I expected.)
“Different how?”
(I heard she’s pretty tough to deal with. She’s the daughter of the Yeonhwa Group chairman, so I get it, but…)
“…Chairman’s daughter?”
Daughter of a major corporate chairman. That alone explained dropping 100 million without batting an eye.
“Chaebols don’t even consider 100 million real money, huh.”
(Even as an individual, she’s a mid-tier pioneer. And 100 million is a steal. You’re the most mysterious treasure box in RP right now, hyung.)
“What, am I some golden goblin?”
Hanbit reacted with disbelief at the ridiculous analogy. But the atmosphere felt even more starkly real now.
So how much do the expensive ones go for?
Gazing at the messages, Hanbit pondered for a moment. Selling high-value info could rake in plenty of cash. But dumping it recklessly? The fallout was unpredictable.
Even sharing info required caution.
(What do you wanna do, hyung? If you don’t wanna talk to her, I can handle it.)
“Can’t do that after pocketing 100 million. I’ve got a conscience.”
(Whoa, really? News to me.)
“Wanna die?”
Juyeonu put on a playful tone on purpose. It was his way of lightening the mood.
“Anyway, what’s your take? Any contact from the companies yet?”
(It blew up at dawn. I sent you the file— just skim the list.)
“Hold on.”
Hanbit opened the incoming message and checked the file. Way more entries than the list from the restaurant.
“Fucking tons. But I’m joining your company anyway.”
(That’s why I’m saying—at least snag a pioneer connection.)
“Why connections all of a sudden?”
(Your growth speed is way beyond expectations, hyung. Player info’s gonna be crucial soon.)
Juyeonu’s concern was straightforward. New companies struggled to access off-the-record info. Not just pioneer and PK guilds, but details on unique skills and items too.
(Even stuff like who’s tight with who or not—it’s all shared. Alliances and factions competing, you know.)
“So, get chummy with Luna first?”
(Build the network, yeah. They approached aggressively first, right?)
Juyeonu added that they held the upper hand. Hanbit had no plans for that, but the need for connections was clear.
“Got it. I’ll chat with her.”
(Keep it businesslike and calm. Don’t start a fight or…)
Click.
Sensing a lecture coming, Hanbit hung up quick. He opened the app and typed into the chat.
[Black Dragon: Sorry, got a call. You wanted to chat, right?]
[Luna: Wasn’t planning to be that formal. Or do you have questions?]
[Black Dragon: Questions?]
[Luna: I’m a pioneer too, after all. I’ll answer what I can. Not big on company stuff, so I don’t know that.]
[Black Dragon: Isn’t that a bad deal for you?]
[Luna: So, trade one-for-one?]
“Nice.”
No reason to refuse Luna’s offer. Hanbit had one burning question anyway. He typed right away.
[Black Dragon: Alright, my turn first. Know anything about a player called Adventure A?]
The guidebook author, Adventure A. For some reason, the guy wouldn’t leave Hanbit’s mind.
A fellow pioneer might know something.
[Luna: Yeah. Bumped into him in the field a few times.]
[Black Dragon: Yeah? What’s he like?]
[Luna: Creepy? Unpleasant? Something like that.]
[Black Dragon: Unpleasant?]
[Luna: Overconfident for his skills. You know those types who think they’re super special?]
Thinks he’s special. Exactly the vibe Hanbit got from the guidebook.
[Black Dragon: Is he stuck on an episode too?]
[Luna: Completely blocked. Rumors are flying. He led the clears like a guidebook pro, but now he’s lagging behind everyone.]
[Black Dragon: Sudden drop?]
[Luna: Episode 8 was the turning point. Still struts into strategy meets like ‘trust me only,’ though.]
“Hm.”
Hanbit recalled the guidebook. Info only up to Episode 7-ish, full of errors—not guide material.
[Black Dragon: Thanks. My turn—guessing you’re curious about the blocked episode?]
[Luna: Nope?]
[Black Dragon: Huh?]
The smooth flow stalled oddly.
[Black Dragon: Isn’t episode info the hottest?]
[Luna: Plans changed. I want subquest info. Know an NPC named Iororio?]
[Black Dragon: Iororio… the old guy who loves crystal rabbits?]
[Luna: You even know that? Anyway, he wants a crystal rabbit, but where the hell are they? Searched everywhere.]
“……”
He’d steeled himself, but it was a rabbit hunt question. Absurd, but Hanbit replied.
[Black Dragon: Head to the end of 1 o’clock from Sloben City. Rocky hills, right?]
[Luna: The cave-riddled spot? Already turned it upside down.]
[Black Dragon: Not there. Past that, into the swamp.]
[Luna: Swamp?]
[Black Dragon: You’ll see.]
Hanbit had grabbed crystal rabbits a few times himself. Not lucrative, but whatever.
[Luna: Thanks. Heading there now. Hit me up if you’ve got questions. Casual info swaps aren’t bad, right?]
[Black Dragon: Yeah, let’s do that.]
[Luna: Cool. Oh, Yeonhwa Gaming’s CEO might contact you—just ignore. Talk later.]
The whirlwind chat ended. The last bit revealed Luna’s personality.
“On bad terms with the CEO?”
Advice to ghost the rep. No clue on internals, but info trades seemed fine.
“Adventure A, huh……”
Hanbit’s thoughts returned to the question. Half-assed guidebook aside, if powerless now, no future threat. Still bugged him, though. Creepy or whatever.
Shrugging it off, Hanbit headed back to the office.
***
Crunch—
In a dim room, a glowing monitor screen. The man seated before it nervously bit his nails.
“What the hell’s going on?”
His eyes frantically scrolled community posts.
The player Black Dragon, popping up out of nowhere in the RP world. His feats from the start shattered all norms.
“No way. This can’t be……”
Adventure A. Father of noobs, author of the perfect guidebook—that was him.
Yet Black Dragon demolished the game via a totally different route, like flipping him off.
He’d even hired a PK guild midway, but Black Dragon breezed past.
And the episode story finale? Unbelievable.
[Player Black Dragon’s party succeeded in condemning Bares.]
[First to reach the truth of Episode 1……]
An ending utterly unlike his own. Worse, RP acknowledged it as truth.
And then.
[Players who cleared old Episode 1 get a reset and replay chance.]
A world message offering to fix past mistakes. To him, it meant something else.
“I can’t be wrong……”
Him wrong? Impossible. His past proved it—he’d met the Goddess, lived the isekai life.
[Ah fuck, fucked up following the guidebook.]
[For real, Adventure A’s fault.]
[Fucking overpriced crap from the start. lol]
[Black Dragon only from now on.]
“You trash!”
People who’d worshipped him flipped completely. Betraying the guy who met the Goddess herself? Unforgivable.
“Black Dragon… gotta crush this bastard first.”
The nail-biting stopped. Grabbing his phone, the man typed a message.
「Find one person for me.」