Prelude to Counterattack
“Cha Eun-joo.”
“Yes! Yep! Lady Sertina!”
Cha Eun-joo snapped her upper body ramrod straight. I eyed her curiously. Why's she so stiff? She didn't seem scared like yesterday.
·····Whatever.
I let out a small sigh and cut to the chase. “I need to talk to you.”
“Oh, is this about what you said you'd think over yesterday?”
“Yeah.”
She'd asked me to save her country—a grand request, sure. But I had my own situation to consider. I couldn't just charge ahead and smash everything blindly.
Cha Eun-joo agreed on that point.
“So, I've been thinking...”
She drew in a tense breath, her face taut.
“You mentioned yesterday that even within the Hyeonwol Guild, not everyone sides with the government coalition's methods.”
“Ah, yes. That's right.”
“Then maybe the situation's similar in other guilds too?”
“Uh... probably.”
Flame Guild under Chae Hwa-yeon. Immortals Guild under Lee Cheol-woong. And all the guilds under their command.
The internal purges to eliminate thorns in their side were just getting started. Their first target had been the world's top Techno Master, Cha Eun-joo.
These things always started with the biggest obstacles.
“They'll probably try to wipe out the remaining dissenters the same way. It's the only way to leave just their loyalists inside.”
Cha Eun-joo nodded gravely, listening intently.
“Flip that around, and we could tail them during their operations, stop the murders in advance. You know where their main bases are, right?”
“Oh, right! They'll use the same method they tried on me.”
She clapped her hands, her clear eyes lighting up with energy.
I added, “Plus, we could capture their crimes in real time.”
I pulled a smartphone from my inventory. Ever since the update, these could go in there too.
“Advanced tech is convenient. Makes stuff like this possible.”
No need for fancy space-memory spells like in Pandela—just the built-in video recording.
“We'll gather crime evidence, rescue victims, and steadily build our own forces. Along the way, we weaken them by removing their government-aligned allies. That'll naturally flip the power balance in the coalition, sparking infighting.”
“Oh...”
Cha Eun-joo nodded eagerly, mesmerized.
I raised one eyebrow. Yeah, most people could get this far. But centuries of experience weren't wasted.
Power struggles among rulers, wars between nations—they always came with one inevitable element.
“Here's a question: If infighting breaks out in the coalition, how do you think they'll react?”
She pondered, stroking her chin, then answered. “Hmm... They'll probably vent it outward?”
She pictured the leaders of various nations. When internal conflicts hit a boiling point, they always poked at hostile countries to rally public outrage.
I asked again. “And who would they target for that?”
“Uh... Silver Tree and Star Guilds?”
“Exactly.”
I leaned back in my chair, satisfied. Smarter than she looks.
“If I keep taking out their forces without getting caught, they'll suspect Silver Tree and Star. Right now, in Seoul, those two are the only ones who could stand up to the coalition's players.”
“That would escalate tensions between them?”
“Spot on.”
Her eyes sparkled with enthusiasm as she nodded vigorously, like a disciple gaining enlightenment from her master.
Even if staying hidden was a condition. As the strongest boss, Sertina, I could manage it.
I continued. “As their forces dwindle over time, the coalition will feel the crisis mounting. Push them into a corner, and they'll have no choice but to make a desperate move.”
She swallowed hard, her lips trembling as she spoke. “You don't mean...”
“Something like a declaration of war.”
Her eyes widened. The last resort of cornered dictators.
Having watched countless nations rise and fall over centuries, I knew it for sure. They couldn't just sit by as anti-government forces grew stronger.
Driven into desperation, they'd act.
“That way, we can stoke the anti-coalition fury in those factions more than any fear of me.”
She straightened up as my gaze met hers. I rested my chin on my hand, eyes calm.
“And when the time comes, if we leak our gathered evidence to the coalition guild members? What if they learn all those 'anti-government plots' were actually self-inflicted wounds by their own side?”
A chill ran through her. Her voice shook slightly. “Outrage would erupt within the coalition too...”
“Right. The truth will drive people away, leaving only the ringleaders and their accomplices. Then we strike, claiming both justice and legitimacy.”
Her mouth fell open.
If things unfolded as I envisioned, I'd become the embodiment of justice, purging the objects of that rage.
It wouldn't be some pipe dream for me to build my own foundation here.
Sertina wasn't seeing this crisis as a crisis. She saw an opportunity.
Not just brute force. A strategist who read the board—and designed it.
Cha Eun-joo felt like she'd been hammered on the head. A shiver ran through her; she could only stare blankly at the petite girl before her.
“Whoa...”
Her jaw hung open in genuine awe.
But I closed my eyes and shook my head. “One problem, though.”
“What is it?”
“We lack intel. It'd be great to monitor their movements ahead of time, but without that, we can't track everything.”
“Meaning...”
“It'll take time. There'll be casualties we can't prevent.”
No matter how much of an outlier I was, it was limited to raw power. Intel-gathering had clear limits.
As I brooded, Cha Eun-joo hesitantly raised her hand.
“Um... I think I can handle that part.”
Hyeonwol Guild executive Lee So-yeon stared blankly at her desk.
Piles of documents awaited processing, but none registered.
The shock was too great. Eun-joo sis... dead?
She rubbed her face harshly with both palms. She didn't want to believe it, but reality was cruel.
With her greatest pillar gone, she had no confidence left to push forward.
I'm not some genius anyway.
Three hours passed in a daze.
Her phone buzzed with a message.
“Hm?”
She raised an eyebrow. Normally, she'd ignore it, but this one...
What the hell is that?
The sender's number was bizarre. Was it even a 'number'?
Mesmerized, she grabbed her phone and swiped to read.
Her eyes bulged like saucers.
“Eek—?!”
She yelped, then clamped her mouth shut with both hands. A quick glance around—thankfully, her private office was empty.
Phew. She glanced at the door, then licked her lips nervously and read the message carefully.
The message was shocking. It claimed to be from Cha Eun-joo herself—who was supposed to be dead. Attached was a photo of her with today's newspaper for proof.
Lee So-yeon was utterly confused. Of course I'm happy, but... what the hell is this, sis?!
Hyeonwol execs and members had plotted her murder—a government conspiracy. But some skilled savior had rescued her, and she was crashing at their place. This message was sent from their phone.
Who the heck is this person?
She fired off a quick reply, but...
Frustrated, she nearly burst. Murderers in Hyeonwol. A meticulously planned government plot. And now some mystery expert with a weird-ass number (?).
“What kind of 'expert'? As if the world rank 1 would say that.”
She pouted and grumbled to herself.
Another message pinged.
She'd already suspected a government conspiracy with Cha Eun-joo. She just hadn't shown it.
She hadn't expected them to move this fast, though.
“Haa...”
She sighed deeply, thumping her chest in frustration.
At least tell me who it is, sis!
She considered asking again but gave up. This stubborn sis's will was unbreakable.
Reluctantly, she typed back.
“Heh?”
Her eyes half-lidded, mouth agape.
·····Honestly, she wasn't fully convinced. Sis's instincts rarely failed, but Korea's rot was too deep—even three world rank 1s couldn't fix it.
Yet here she was, boasting like this? Sis wasn't one to bluff...
Who the hell is this expert?
Curiosity piqued, she felt lighter. Fingers tapping, she messaged: