Chapter 39: Deep Web (Conclusion)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 39: Deep Web (Conclusion)
Seo-un found yet another reason why he had to survive Cloyd Survival at all costs.
In addition to the general info, the request board was packed with posts seeking various items. There were also quite a few listings for guards.
Generally, those at the 10th Round or higher were paid about 100 million won a month, while those at the 20th Round or higher received around 200 million. For those above the 30th Round, most posts simply listed the fee as "negotiable."
If things don't work out later, I could make a damn good living just doing security work.
One or two hundred million won a month was by no means a small sum.
Of course, considering their abilities, it was a fair price tag. But from Seo-un’s perspective, working for just two years would earn him enough to never worry about money for the rest of his life.
After getting a general sense of the atmosphere and the market price of items, Seo-un closed the window and returned to the player community.
On the free board, one specific type of post was particularly popular: review posts where players revealed their Round and wrote about their experiences like a diary.
Among them, a recent post that had just been uploaded caught his eye.
The nickname was "High School Mage." For some reason, it piqued his interest. When he clicked on it, he saw that it already had a flood of comments despite being brand new.
As he read the comments first, the story felt strangely familiar. He quickly scrolled up and skimmed the post.
...So we barely managed to shake them off and were about to wipe out the team that followed us, but then this guy appeared, picked us off with martial arrows, and then showed himself... In the end, we both got wiped. Right before the Game Over, I asked him, and he said he was a 2nd Rounder. Even after coming back to reality, I'm having a mental breakdown.
I thought it would be a total cakewalk since it was the lowest difficulty and a tutorial map... The players were almost all newbies, so I thought it was the perfect chance to farm Coins... In the end, I just came back after depositing 5 basic Coins.
By the time he reached that point, Seo-un knew exactly who had written the post. After a moment's hesitation, Seo-un left a comment.
As he wrote the comment and stood up to turn off the computer, a notification rang out. Ding! A 1:1 chat request had arrived.
"..."
Seo-un hesitated for a moment at the chat request from "High School Mage" before sitting back down.
Normally, people wouldn't believe someone claiming to be themselves on the web, but perhaps due to the inherent trust within this community, the other person seemed to believe him without any doubt.
Seeing the other person's subtle excitement, Seo-un felt a bit awkward.
It was even more so because he felt an odd lack of hostility from the person he had personally killed and caused a Game Over for.
Is he trying to get revenge in real life?
Seo-un tilted his head at the words he didn't quite understand.
After thinking for a moment, Seo-un typed on the keyboard.
He closed the chat window and turned off the computer.
"I don't know if this is a good idea."
He had agreed to meet because he was intrigued by the talk of a Fixed Team, but he couldn't help but consider the possibilities. Just in case, he chose a crowded public place, but he still felt hesitant as he prepared to go.
If push comes to shove, I can protect myself.
Seo-un clenched his fist as energy filled his Dantian.
'...'
Ignoring Hamit's words, Seo-un left the PC cafe and hailed a taxi.
"Bupyeong Rodeo, please."
"Sure. Traffic might be a bit heavy, should we go through the Manwolsan Tunnel? Or just take the regular way?"
"I'm not in a rush, so take whichever way is comfortable."
"Then I'll just go the regular way, even if it's a bit crowded."
As the kind-looking taxi driver replied and started the car, Seo-un took out his phone to check the time.
But a high schooler is coming out of his house this late at night...
The night streets past midnight were hot with the intoxication and passion of young men and women. Music echoed from everywhere, and it felt as if the vigor of youth was pouring out.
Into that noisy street, a so-called "superbike" entered, spitting out a loud exhaust note. The vibration felt along with the exhaust seemed to shake his chest.
A Hayabusa!
The pinnacle of Suzuki's high-speed machines. The glorious Hayabusa. To Seo-un, who had been obsessed with motorcycles since he was young, it was truly a dream machine. He had even sold all the characters and items he had spent a long time developing in high school to buy a motorcycle, but that dream had been crushed by his parents' fierce opposition.
As Seo-un's eyes sparkled with nostalgia while looking at the latest Hayabusa model, a man who had gotten off the bike approached him. With the loud exhaust and his slender frame, wearing luxury biker-fit pants that went well with the Hayabusa, it was only natural that people's eyes were drawn to him.
Regardless, the man, who had approached right in front of Seo-un—who was still admiring the Hayabusa's beautiful body—took off his helmet and spoke.
"Right?! It's me! High School Mage."
"Huh?"
A pale face with a subtly relaxed, smiling expression.
"Ah. You're already here."
"I pushed it as much as I could. For now... shall we go somewhere?"
Come to think of it, because of this high schooler—who was quite tall, wearing biker jeans and a leather jacket instead of a school uniform, and had a face that resembled the actor Kang Dong-won—quite a bit of attention was being focused on them.
Looking at him again... he's handsome.
He was literally handsome. Despite his hair being messy from the helmet, it looked like a styled haircut; he had a face that was almost excessively good-looking.
"There's a 24-hour cafe over there."
As Seo-un took the lead and walked quickly, the boy followed behind.
"Hyung! Wait for me."
He could feel the gazes of women focusing on them wherever they went. He even felt a few women, enjoying the summer in very revealing clothes, following them.
It's annoying.
He had felt something annoying about him since he first saw him in the game lobby. When they met during play, he thought he absolutely couldn't let him live. And now, meeting in reality, he was still annoying. And now, he knew exactly why.
That face. It's really annoying.
It wasn't that Seo-un's appearance was lacking. However, that was only at a civilian level. He had a face that was commonly called "pleasant" or "handsome." He didn't hear that he was ugly, and he occasionally heard that he was handsome, like a sprout in a drought. But compared to a truly beautiful man, he was nothing more than an average face.
When they entered the cafe, he could feel the part-timer, who had been busy taking orders, momentarily freeze and lose herself.
"M-May I take your order?"
"Hyung, what do you want? I called you out, so I'll pay."
"Caramel Macchiato."
"Two large Macchiatos, please."
"Yes! Are you... are you having them here?"
In the eyes of the female part-timer asking if they were staying, there was a desperation that anyone could see.
"Yes."
The part-timer's hand trembled as she took the card from the boy who replied with a bright smile.
I should have hit him a few more times before killing him.
Without realizing it, such a thought flashed through Seo-un's mind.
After waiting a moment and receiving the drinks, Seo-un gestured to the boy, who was trying to sit nearby, and insisted on going up to the second floor.
"There are fewer people on the second floor."
He felt the part-timer's gaze lingering regretfully on Kang Gi-chan as he disappeared to the second floor, but Seo-un took his seat with a bitter smile and picked up his mug.
"Let's keep this short. It's late."
"Ah, yes!"
Seeing the boy looking somewhat nervous, Seo-un took a sip of coffee and asked.
"What did you want to see me for?"
"Um... I'm not sure where to start, but I want to be on your team, Hyung."
"Come to think of it, you said something like that earlier. What do you mean by 'team'?"
"Well, both you and I are Flexible Players right now."
When the word "Player" came out, Seo-un looked around. At that, Kang Gi-chan smiled and held up a small pendant hanging around his neck.
"Don't worry. No one can hear our conversation even if they're right next to us. It can't be wiretapped either."
"There are items like that too?"
"The types of items are truly endless. These days, the number of Alchemists who were originally Players is steadily increasing."
"Alchemists?"
"Yes. People whose main focus is based on Alchemy create and sell interesting items as they progress through the Rounds. Of course, all the materials are sourced from Cloyd."
"Now that you mention it, your post also mentioned something about a 'main focus'..."
Seeing Seo-un trail off while drinking his coffee, Gi-chan replied with an unrealistic smile that drew the attention of those around him.
"As you know, Hyung, to survive in Cloyd, you eventually have to learn something. What you mainly learn is simply called your 'main focus.' In my case, my main focus is being a Mage. In your case, Hyung..."
"A Martial Artist?"
"Yes."
After hesitating for a moment, Gi-chan asked Seo-un directly.
"Hyung, you're really a 2nd Rounder, right?"
"I told you I am."
"I know it's not polite, but... can I ask about your results?"
"1st Round, 2nd place. 2nd Round, 1st place."
"Whoa! The real deal has appeared. Wow... I've only seen stories about consecutive top-tier rewards in the community..."
"I was lucky."
"I'm usually pretty lucky too... but I've only made it into the Top 5 once. Getting into the Top 10 is so hard..."
"It's not that hard if you just camp."
"Camping requires luck too. If you're not careful, you'll end up stuck in the middle and get dropped."
"Dropped?"
Gi-chan, who had been using jargon again, quickly added an explanation.
"It's called being dropped or falling behind. It's what we call it when you don't make the cut and can't go to Cloyd anymore."
"Ah..."
He had guessed as much from the context.
"Anyway, that's why I'm asking. If I survive until the next Round, I'll definitely be promoted to Fixed. I think it'll be the same for you, Hyung. How about it? If you'd have me on your team."
"If you become Fixed, can you choose your team members?"
"Ah, yes! Up to 8 people can form a Fixed Squad with whoever they want. Regardless of which world they live in. By forming a Fixed Team, you can skip games you don't want and only participate in the ones you do."
"So there's up to an 8-Quad?"
"I heard there's up to a 20-Quad."
"20-Quad?!"
"Yes. It's a large-scale game with a total of 2,000 people. I've read review posts from people who participated, and it sounds insane. The politics among team members are no joke."
"I bet."
"Yeah. It's a headache when you're a Flexible Player and get caught in a Squad game early on. You have to form a squad and then watch your back inside. It's especially tough for those from Earth because they don't have a base."
"Is that why? Surprisingly, I haven't seen anyone from Earth except for you."
"That's probably because it's the early stages. It's easier for Earthlings to get dropped early on. Instead, I heard that those who survive tend to adapt faster. From what I've heard from Fixed Players, they seem to run into each other quite often. I've met Earthlings from the Asia region frequently. But you're the first Korean I've met, Hyung."
"I see. But in the end, your main point is that you want to be on my team, right?"
"Yes."
Seo-un furrowed his brow and picked up his mug. Naturally, Gi-chan, focusing on Seo-un's mouth, took on a tense expression.
"Even if this 'team' thing is possible. This is a matter of trust. You and I have zero trust between us."
Gi-chan nodded, as if he had expected this reaction.
"That's true. Other than being players from the same country, you and I don't know anything about each other... But both you and I still have games left before we hit Fixed! So, how about this? Let's try interacting until we survive the remaining games."
"Interacting?"
"Yes. As you know, Hyung, learning Otherworld techniques isn't the end. You can pull out much more through training. But with so many ordinary people around, we can't just go up a back mountain and train in secret."
Seo-un felt a pang of guilt at Gi-chan's words.
"I've heard stories of people getting caught doing that. I'm not exactly on the side of the Resistance, but what the government is doing is basically a dictatorship that ignores human rights and everything else."
Seo-un nodded slightly at those words.
"That's why there are people who occasionally form teams to train. Training together in a place away from the eyes of ordinary people is bound to be better than doing it alone."
He could certainly relate to that. Compared to training alone, having an opponent was much more helpful.
"We can build friendship and trust while interacting like that. And although it's a bit awkward to say this myself since I was the one who got Game Overed by you, I'm a pretty decent player."
It was indeed a bit much to say it himself, but even without his appeal, Seo-un had to acknowledge Gi-chan's skill. His abilities aside, his wit and gift of gab were far above average.
"Not bad. Before that. Tell me about yourself."
"Pardon?"
"I understand your intention, and your explanation of why the proposal isn't bad was persuasive. So now, tell me about yourself."
Gi-chan was certainly smart. He smiled as if he knew he had passed the first stage with just those words. Not many people would be able to connect a request to talk about oneself during a conversation—after saying they should keep it brief and then leave—to passing the first stage.
Seeing the smile he wore, Seo-un smiled back.
His head certainly spins fast.
"About me..."
As he looked into the air for a moment, Gi-chan began a story that wasn't short, and Seo-un's expression gradually hardened.
His unruffled appearance and positive sociability. The bike that was too much for a student and the luxury clothes. Just seeing those, Seo-un had thought he was a child from a good family who wanted for nothing. It was a prejudice, but it was natural to think that way when seeing someone like Gi-chan.
However, the revelation that he was a young head of household raising a young sister in a rented house left by his parents who passed away when he was in middle school came as a shock to Seo-un. The fact that he had been severely bullied at school and spent more days stuck at home on the computer than going to school was also something he couldn't have imagined just by looking at his current appearance.
"A lease has a contract period, you know. What does a kid know about that? A relative said they'd take care of it... but after moving, it was a tiny two-room place, completely different from the apartment we lived in. They said that because the market price had gone up, that was the only way, even though it was the same lease. I only found out later that the person had pocketed the remaining deposit."
Seeing Gi-chan chuckle as he finished his sentence, Seo-un was appalled. It wasn't a story he could have told with a smile if it were him.
"I had to earn money... but I was a student and didn't know how to do anything. Maybe that's why I fell deeper into the Deep Web. I was confident in hacking. To me, the Deep Web was a new world. That's where I first learned about Cloyd. And I even did part-time work managing the security of related sites."
He said he continued his life and sent his sister to school by earning small amounts of money like that.
"Then one day, I connected to Cloyd Survival. Wow... the emotion I felt then. Naturally, having indirectly encountered that world, I barely made it into the Top 10 in my first game, and I've been continuing until now."
Seo-un listened to his long story, trying his best to maintain a poker face as he spoke.
"You did well to hide without getting caught. If I were you, I would have torn those guys who bullied me to death first."
"Haha. I can get revenge on them anytime. If I set my mind to it, I can screw them over without even using my abilities. I was a pretty successful hacker. I just didn't want to get involved with those social misfits and losers anymore. If I'm gone, my sister will be truly lost."
Seo-un couldn't help but nod at the mature appearance of the older brother who had a sister who had just graduated from elementary school and entered middle school.
"After connecting to Cloyd, I became financially comfortable, and since high school started, there hasn't been anyone particularly bullying me. A few of the guys who bullied me in middle school went to the same school..."
Gi-chan, who paused for a moment with a bitter smile, continued as if it were nothing.
"There's always a bigger fish. The school I go to now is where all the real troublemakers gather. The guys who used to bully me can't even breathe there. Since I'm not the type to be shy around people, I get along well here and there, so no one really messes with me or bothers me."
It's not that, it's probably because your looks have blossomed.
It was a thought he didn't voice. Of course, Gi-chan's personality could have played a part, as he said. However, a guy with those looks makes other men choose one of two options.
Hit him once, or stay close and be friends.
Of course, choosing the latter was the way to increase one's luck in romance in many ways.
"Anyway, that's it. The story of a struggling young head of household."
He finished his story with a bright smile, and as expected, not a hint of gloom could be felt.
"I heard you well. My story later. Your sister will be worried, so go home quickly. Here."
As he finished speaking, Seo-un held out his unlocked phone.
"Put your number in quickly. I'm tired."
"Yes!"
After entering his phone number and saving it, he stood up as well.
Hmm... he's a bit taller than me.
They seemed similar, but he looked about 2 centimeters taller than himself.
Leaving the cafe, the boy, who was getting on his bike, waved his hand.
"Hyung! Call me!"
With those words, Seo-un felt strangely envious of the guy leaving with his Hayabusa.
A Hayabusa...
It was a machine that boasted a price tag of about 20 million won for a new model.
I might be able to buy one in the next Round.
Thinking that, he hailed a taxi, returned to his neighborhood, and was walking home when he felt a strange presence.
Not yet.
Restraining Hamit, Seo-un stopped in the gloomy alley.
"Come out."
"Behind me. Above. The alley to the left. I said, come out."
When he spoke once more, three bulky men in black suits with uniform short-cropped hair emerged.