Free Web NovelFor the record, the one who asked for a comms link was Im Haekyung.
‘It’s closer to a demand than a proposal, though.’
The very next day after promising I’d transfer, Im Haekyung sent the contract straight to my home address. He added that if any adjustments were needed, I could drop by anytime.
I read the contract he sent and immediately called to set up a meeting.
Not just to tack on a condition about tearing down Cheonmyeonggyo together, but because if I signed the contract as-is, my movements would start looking suspicious within a few days.
‘Why is there an incentive attached to every single line item.’
The moment he picked up, he said yes to a meeting like he’d been waiting for it.
‘The bastard did that on purpose.’
Well, meeting in person is easier than doing it over the phone, so fine by me.
After meeting him and making some simple adjustments to the contract, I cut to the chase fast.
‘I’m going to Jinsando next Friday.’
‘...That’s quick. Hm, there’s no prep period?’
‘This is the prep period.’
‘The meaning of the word “prep” is... well, sure....’
I skipped all the useless small talk, pulled a Teleport Box from my jacket, and handed it to him.
‘An item, huh.’
‘Yeah. Teleport Box. You know how to use it, right?’
‘I do.’
‘It lets you move without being constrained by space, for a single use.’
‘.......’
‘Including dungeons, of course.’
At that, he lifted his gaze from the Teleport Box to meet mine. The eyes that had been calm a moment ago showed a faint glimmer of interest.
‘Are we getting a conveniently timed dungeon opening? Or... is one already open?’
‘The latter. It’s open.’
‘Do you know how long it’s been since the Gate manifested?’
‘Not exactly, but it’s not a short time. At least about a year?’
‘Mm.’
I watched his eyes narrow and gave a light smile.
‘It’s not impossible.’
‘Ah... right. If they kept blocking dungeon breaks the whole time, it’s not impossible. It’s just labor-intensive... and there’s no reason to maintain that. Also illegal. Though I doubt they cared that far, hm?’
Taking the Teleport Box, Im Haekyung shifted into a more actively cooperative posture.
‘So you’re going to enter a dungeon Cheonmyeonggyo has kept open?’
‘Yeah.’
‘Then... you go in there and call me? Why not set the condition that I accompany you from the start? That’d be easier.’
What good is there in dragging along a guy who draws aggro just by existing?
I stared at him for a beat at that ridiculous line and answered.
‘You’re a little too conspicuous, Guild Master.’
‘Hmm... Then how do I time my arrival?’
‘I brought a comms item too. Are you going to work that day?’
‘I could. Why?’
‘I’m curious about your outfit.’
If possible, I’d prefer it to look natural when worn.
Since he’s a guy who’s often in front of cameras, he usually wore plain suits. The colors were almost always dark, too.
When I handed over the ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ comms item processed as a tie pin, he rolled it in his palm, then obediently swapped it with the pin already on his tie.
‘I’ll contact you through that when I need you.’
‘Mm....’
He knit his brow slightly at that and let out a small laugh.
‘You’re very... skilled at making demands, Mr. Jehyun. Not so skilled at asking favors.’
‘......?’
‘I’ll decide the timing for when I move. I’m not your on-call standby.’
‘.......’
‘So, start the comms link from the moment you board the ship. I’ll listen and decide myself when I’m needed.’
‘It’s a bit awkward to answer if I’m with someone else.’
There’s a limit to talking to yourself while staring at empty air. I’m not some YouXuber filming a vlog; if I kept narrating the situation, at best they’d think I’m crazy, and if anyone’s got a functioning brain, they’d peg me for an intruder.
He kept smiling and continued.
‘I won’t talk to you when you’re with someone. You don’t need to answer anyway. I can read that much from context.’
‘Yeah... got it.’
I yielded, since I was the one who needed him. People can live with a little wiretapping.
‘If it comes to it, I’ll just say the line dropped and shut it off.’
After mulling something over, he suddenly got up and walked to the display wall packed with items. He peered at them one by one and asked:
‘What’s more comfortable—mask, glasses, or lenses? No, a mask would stand out too much. Between glasses and lenses.’
‘Between those, glasses.’
Both are a pain either way. My eyesight’s never been bad, so I don’t typically wear either. I’ve at least worn sunglasses or safety glasses before; I’ve never put contacts in my eyes.
‘If I mess up, won’t I jab my eyeball straight on?’
He nodded, picked up a plain-looking pair of glasses, and held them out.
‘What is it?’
‘Glasses. An item that can share your field of view.’
‘Share my view?’
‘I’m not saying wear them all the time. People who don’t usually wear glasses look awkward.’
‘Then?’
‘Only put them on when you can. Like when you’re looking around.’
I tried them on—nothing felt particularly different. No change in my vision, no sense of being linked. Just the unfamiliar weight on my nose.
He studied how I looked in the glasses and spoke.
‘Mm... It suits you... better than I expected.’
‘How does it activate?’
‘It’ll start automatically the moment I put on the other side.’
The other side?
When I looked at him, waiting for an explanation, he added:
‘They’re a pair. The other side is a contact lens. That’s why I gave you a choice.’
‘Nothing pops up in front of my eyes?’
‘No. I’ll handle the controls on my end, so nothing will clutter your view.’
At least it wouldn’t be distracting. If a cluttered HUD had popped up, I would’ve torn them off on the spot.
So I played along decently well with him all day. After boarding, I switched on the comms gear to dish out dopamine, and tapped my watch now and then to confirm the line wasn’t cutting out.
‘Hmph.’
Anyway—Do Yehyun knows Gyeon Taeri?
I calmly replayed the conversation from a moment ago.
He said he thought I might be in danger, he worked at an Infinite Guild shop, he knows Gyeon Taeri, he knows about a VIP’s existence....
Sure, they’re all suspicious statements, but considering how much has already been exposed, revealing this much seemed fine.
‘But if we say any more, it gets risky.’
I stared at Do Yehyun and pressed a finger to my lips to tell him to keep quiet.
Even if it wasn’t specifically for Im Haekyung’s ears, there was plenty of chance Cheonmyeonggyo was eavesdropping, so caution wouldn’t hurt.
Seeing that, Do Yehyun seemed to catch on and nodded, face gone pale.
“Don’t worry too much.”
“.......”
We were already under suspicion anyway. They were going to press me about why I came here, with or without my conversation with him.
‘And if Do Yehyun knows Gyeon Taeri... then Gyeon Taeri knows Do Yehyun too. Which means they’ll know he worked at the Infinite Guild shop.’
I thought briefly about the snag once Gyeon Taeri reported that, then pulled out the glasses Im Haekyung had shoved on me.
When I suddenly took out the glasses, Do Yehyun blinked, confused. Maybe because I’d told him to keep quiet, he didn’t ask anything.
His thoughts were so obvious it was almost funny.
I snorted and put on the glasses, giving my practically unchanged vision one last check.
‘All right, let’s try it.’
If I wanted to find things the original skipped—or things that had diverged from it—this was the time to move fast.
I glanced at Ryu Taejun, still sprawled on the floor without any sign of waking, then turned away.
Well, even if they’re Cheonmyeonggyo scum, they wouldn’t burn a valuable hunter resource like this. They’d at least take minimal measures. Which makes it better for me if Ryu Taejun just stays knocked out.
“Want to keep an eye on him for a bit?”
“...Sorry?”
When I jerked my chin at Ryu Taejun, Do Yehyun asked in a shaky voice:
“Where are you going?”
“Mm. They didn’t say not to look around.”
“I’ll go with you.”
“No, just stay here. He could die if we leave him.”
I pointed at Ryu Taejun, still lying there like a corpse, and Do Yehyun reluctantly nodded.
“Don’t worry. I’ll be quick.” freewёbnoνel.com
With that, I left the room, leaving the two of them behind.
***
The first thing I did after stepping out of the guest room was figure out exactly where we were.
Isn’t that obvious? You at least need to know roughly where you are if you want to bolt for an exit in a pinch.
But I didn’t know what kind of internal expansion they’d applied, so I took a walk around to memorize our location.
—Looking for something?
After a long stretch of silence, Im Haekyung must’ve noticed there was no one around me and asked a question.
“A dungeon. I think it’s inside the building.”
—Inside the building?
“The island’s small, and I didn’t see anything like a Gate on the way here. Plus the fact they bothered with space expansion.”
—Hmm... It is abnormally spacious.
He accepted that easily. I deliberately scanned the ceilings and floors as I moved, intending to show him later.
—You think they built the structure to hide the Gate?
“Yeah.”
—Well... that is the least conspicuous method.
After a brief silence, he jumped to a conclusion.
—Then it’ll be in Jin Haedo’s room.
“Not sure. Would Jin Haedo really shoulder that kind of risk?”
We’re talking about a Gate. And Jin Haedo’s skills only have value with other people present—would Jin Haedo keep something that dangerous in a personal room? Risk death if something goes wrong?
He immediately pivoted.
—Then they might’ve set it so you can only move into the dungeon from a room Jin Haedo uses.
“There wasn’t anything that looked like a Gate inside that room. Should we search near it? Or the storage?”
—Dunno... If it were me, I’d search the basement.
“The basement?”
—There’s no rule that Gates don’t appear underground or underwater.
‘Hmph.’
Come to think of it, the path to this building had been sloped the whole way.
‘What if they piled up soil on purpose to make a basement?’
Since it’s an island and they’ve laid on space expansion, I hadn’t thought about the possibility of a basement; but looked at this way, it was plausible.
Just then, I suddenly felt someone behind me.
—Mr. Jehyun?
Instead of answering, I stopped and waited for the presence to come closer.
“Believer.”
As expected, the presence called out to me in a familiar voice.
‘Followed me, huh.’
When I turned, Gyeon Taeri delivered the message in a calm voice.
“Lord Haedo is waiting.”
“.......”
“It would be better if you met alone this time.”
Alone?
Before I could question that, the message continued.
“They also said it would be more beneficial to you, Believer.”
