Chapter 38: Deep Web (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 38: Deep Web (2)
Seo-un’s hand froze, his finger hovering over the mouse as he stared at a blue link on the laptop’s small monitor.
Connecting from home feels a bit too risky.
He wasn't particularly worried about viruses. He just didn't want any digital breadcrumbs leading back to his front door. He didn't want anyone knowing he had accessed the Deep Web.
Pulling his hat down low, he headed out to find a PC bang.
As he stepped into the building of his usual spot, Seo-un paused, scanning the interior. These days, almost all PC bangs required users to enter personal information, create an account, and pay in advance via a kiosk.
If I do that, there’s no point in coming to a PC bang in the first place.
Even if it was the Deep Web, it was still just a corner of the internet. He wondered if he was being overly paranoid, but he had no desire to leave a trail that might come back to haunt him.
He had only participated in two rounds, but having played a survival game with his life on the line, he knew that small mistakes were the shortest path to a grave. Consequently, he felt an instinctive aversion to anything that left him vulnerable.
In the end, he spent some time scouring the neighborhood, checking every PC bang until he found a relic of the past—an old, dusty shop where he could play without signing up.
It was tucked away in the basement of a shabby building, a place that clearly couldn't handle the latest high-spec games. Most of the customers were older men playing retro titles rather than students.
Seo-un claimed a seat in a dingy corner, powered on the machine, and pulled up the YouTube video he had seen earlier. While searching, he fell down a rabbit hole of urban legends surrounding the Deep Web, which only convinced him that coming here was the right call.
The stories ranged from people stumbling upon videos so disturbing they couldn't eat for days, to tales of secret chat rooms where hackers would breach a user's computer instantly and send a physical letter to their house a few days later, warning them never to return.
Watching those videos, he managed to grasp the core concept.
The Deep Web is a sanctuary for hackers and people looking to turn a profit through illegal means.
It was an online black market where people commissioned or sold heinous acts that couldn't survive the light of day—kidnapping, contract killings, drugs. And then, of course, there were the hackers.
The more he watched, the more uncomfortable he felt about connecting, but he had to know.
Seo-un entered the link for a Deep Web search engine. Relieved to find a page that looked more mundane than expected, he first searched for "Cloyd."
Numerous results appeared, but just as he was wondering which one to click, a page in Korean caught his eye.
[Survivors' Gathering]
He clicked it instinctively. Red letters began to bleed onto the black screen, one by one.
ARE.
YOU.
A.
SURVIVOR?
Two buttons appeared: YES or NO.
The moment he clicked YES, a small chat window snapped open, startling him. White text flickered on a pitch-black window that looked like an old DOS prompt.
— If you're here for fun, why don't you leave now?
Hmm... Is this a joke?
Seo-un took it as a prank meant to scare off casual lurkers.
This chat probably isn't even real; it's just a scripted response, right?
Even so, he typed into the box.
— Who is the philosopher famous for the saying, "Know thyself"?
It was a simple test to see if a human was on the other end.
— Socrates. Hey, Incheon PC bang guy. You shouldn't enter the Deep Web if you don't have the confidence to defend yourself. I'll give you credit for going to a PC bang, but that doesn't mean you're untraceable. I'll say this one last time. If it's just simple curiosity, go watch some porn and leave quietly.
Seo-un’s heart skipped a beat. He was shocked that his location had been pinpointed so instantly.
— Wow. Hackers really are something. I'm actually impressed.
He typed back, trying his best to act unfazed. The other party was silent for a moment.
— The fact that you haven't left yet... means you're not scared.
— Not really.
As soon as the words "Not really" appeared on the screen, Seo-un's mouse froze. All his open windows vanished, leaving only the chat box. Keys like Alt+Tab were completely unresponsive.
— You really are an ordinary user. Alt+Tab? Really?
— You're the real deal. This is fascinating. How did you do it?
— ...Aren't you scared? It's not hard for me to track you down and dump your personal info.
— Cut the crap. I didn't log into anything at this PC bang.
— White vest, white baseball cap. Height... around 180cm.
Only then did Seo-un remember the CCTV cameras installed at the entrance of the building and inside the PC bang. He was amazed that someone could hack into them and identify his appearance in such a short time.
— Whoa! You've got skills.
— You should be getting scared by now, shouldn't you?
— Not really.
— Why?
— Because... I'm a Survivor.
The chat window went silent again.
— Prove it.
— Why should I?
— Otherwise, you can't use this site. My job is to filter out civilians. You have to prove yourself to me.
— How do I prove it? I could prove it easily if you came to meet me in person. How about it?
— I can't take that kind of risk. Three clicks, and the proof is done.
Along with that message, a massive grid of small images flooded the monitor. As he scrolled down, there were hundreds of them.
— Select and click only three images from among those.
Looking at the seemingly meaningless pictures, Seo-un couldn't figure out the hacker's intention at first. But as he scrolled down indifferently, his eyes widened.
This is...
An image that was identical to a section of the giant statue in the Cloyd waiting room caught his eye.
Only then did he understand the hacker's intent. At the same time, he realized that the site he had accessed was the real deal.
He clicked the first image, then quickly found and selected two other familiar symbols. The closed windows instantly reappeared. A new message popped up in the chat.
— Verification complete. Welcome to our community, Player.
The sudden shift to polite speech made Seo-un feel a bit awkward. After a moment's hesitation, he tapped the keyboard.
— Ah, yeah...
— If it's not too rude, may I ask what round you're on?
— That is rude.
— Hahaha. I suppose so. Ahem. Our community site promises secure protection for those who have completed verification. The best hackers update our security and firewalls 24 hours a day. If you log in with the ID I'm about to give you, we can protect you from all the riffraff on the Deep Web.
An ID and password appeared on the screen. Seo-un took a picture of it with his phone, and as soon as he typed "thanks," the chat window vanished.
Checking the CCTV in less than a minute... definitely impressive.
He had only seen the capabilities of hackers in movies, but experiencing it firsthand sent a chill down his spine. The reason he remained unfazed, however...
Was probably thanks to this power.
Scary rumors about hackers, kidnappers, and arms dealers were floating around, but for Seo-un—who had already moved far beyond the realm of a civilian—there wasn't much to fear from ordinary men.
When he logged in with the provided ID, a plain community window with a white background appeared. Several boards caught his eye.
There were only five simple boards. Seo-un clicked the "Must-Read for Beginners" section first. There was only one post there.
[This is a post for beginners who have just barely survived Cloyd. I don't know if this post will reach you in time to be helpful, but I write this with the earnest hope that it does.]
Reading through the long post, he learned many facts he hadn't even considered. For Seo-un, who hadn't even imagined there would be a site for trading items, it was a massive discovery.
This could be a way to generate a steady income.
He gained a wealth of information by browsing the Tips and Free boards as well. He found useful references, such as the fact that surviving a certain number of rounds or recording high scores would change one's status from a "Flexible Player" to a "Regular Player," granting the privilege of participating only in desired games. He also learned about the criteria for picking items when Coins were limited.
By the way... what is this "Central Bureau Interrogation Room"?
In the community, they mockingly referred to the secret national organization that indiscriminately rounded up Ability Users as the "Central Bureau"—a nod to the KCIA, the predecessor of the current NIS. They said the first place you'd go if caught was the Central Bureau Interrogation Room.
Given South Korean history, using that name was proof that the community viewed the organization with extreme hostility.
They don't seem very neutral. But if the stories are true, it's only natural.
He didn't know how much of it was true, but seeing as they openly talked about "rounding up beginners," it was clear the government was handling things aggressively. Detaining someone just for being an Ability User under the guise of national security was an unacceptable practice.
Especially from the perspective of another Ability User.
It's not like we wanted to be dragged into Cloyd Survival.
— Looking for Fragmented Secret Manual.
— Looking for Philosopher's Stone.
— Selling all Awakening Potions for Mages at 1 million each.
— Looking for Mental Method Manual in exchange for 3rd Circle Stone.
Looking at the Trading Board, there were names of items he recognized and many he didn't. After browsing for a bit, he accessed the item brokerage site mentioned in the first post.
As soon as he connected, the windows disappeared and a chat window popped up. It seemed this was the standard gateway for these sites.
— If you're curious, go back.
— I'm a Cloyd Survival Player. Give me the login ID.
Having experienced it once, he typed bluntly. The chat window went silent for a moment, then hundreds of photos appeared. Seo-un quickly clicked the three correct images. An ID and password appeared. He snapped a photo and logged in, revealing a flashy homepage.
The site featured a black background with gold-decorated fonts. Seo-un focused his attention on one specific board.
[Item Purchase List]
Inside was a list of numerous items with purchase prices listed next to them. Generally, there were many types of scrolls related to recovery; consumable items were the mainstream. There were Awakening Potions, Mana Potions, Vitality Potions, Hallucination Potions, Meditation Potions, and more. Except for the Awakening Potion, they were all types of potions he hadn't seen yet.
In addition, they were buying accessories at high prices. Items that increased Strength, Agility, or Stamina were being purchased for a fortune.
Scrolls are being bought for 3 million won starting from intermediate grade... and I could get 20 million won for my Ring of Strength? The pricing seems weird.
He couldn't help but notice the discrepancy. An Intermediate Recovery Scroll cost 8 Coins. The Ring of Strength he was currently wearing had cost 20 Coins. If an 8-Coin item was 3 million won while a 20-Coin item was 20 million won, the proportions didn't match.
They don't necessarily value items based on their Coin cost. It's about utility.
Moving to the brokerage board, he saw windows for selling various items through an intermediary. After browsing for a while, Seo-un finally entered the Acquisition Request Board.
— Witch's Potion. Request. Period: Until the 2nd of next month. Reward: 200 million.
— Defective Skin Medicine. Request. Period: Undecided. Reward: 1 billion.
— Crooked Mirror of Clente. Request. Period: Within this year. Reward: 100 million.
The ongoing requests were all for items he had never heard of. He was particularly curious about the 1-billion-won item, so he clicked the title.
[Defective Skin Medicine]
Designated as a limited acquisition item from the Kualte Empire. Known to be dropped by the Mutant Goblin, a designated monster. Also known to drop in noble houses on that map. A medicine famous for the effect of unconditionally growing hair wherever it is applied. The client requires a volume of at least 300ml.
"Ah."
An exclamation escaped his lips involuntarily. He knew the terror of hair loss better than anyone.
His paternal grandfather was bald. His maternal grandfather was bald. Both of his maternal uncles and both of his paternal uncles suffered from hair loss. And finally, his father had hair loss. With such a family history, hair loss was never just a joke to Seo-un—it was an impending doom.
He still couldn't forget the chilling moment during a holiday when he was in high school. His two paternal uncles had looked at his thick hair and shared a bitter, knowing smile.
Kualte Empire. I must make sure to remember that name.