Chapter 25

Chapter 25

“Phew—”

When he exhaled, cigarette smoke billowed up.

Kang Seong-jin’s face was heavy with dark clouds as he held the cigarette in his mouth.

-We will contact you again, so please wait.

That was what he had been told after the so-called Bone Dragon incident.

Two days had passed since then, but there had been no particular contact.

“Damn it. If it weren’t for that Pink or whatever bastard, I’d already be in China and then some.”

He muttered while his expression crumpled fiercely.

Using the subjugation battle as an opportunity, he would have his performance recognized and naturalized as a Chinese citizen based on those achievements.

This subjugation battle had been a stepping stone for that.

No, it had been supposed to be.

But that plan had become a mess before it could even begin.

“Everything is Pink... Pink, Pink! Damn it!!”

The media these days is like that.

Industry officials were like that too, and so were the citizens.

Wherever he went, all he heard was talk of Pingkkyu Gyongdyu.

‘How dare he steal my achievements?’

Pingkkyu Gyongdyu. Even if that bastard had not been at the scene, Kang Seong-jin would have been able to perform more than enough in this case.

But because that bastard had barged in, his plan had gone up in smoke.

He gulped down ice water.

It was already his sixth glass.

No matter how much he drank, his thirst would not go away.

In the middle of that, the phone rang.

It was the call he had been waiting for ever since the Bone Dragon incident.

“It’s me.”

-It has been a while, Kang Seong-jin. Have you been well?

His hand trembled at the voice coming from over the call.

He finished smoking the rest of the cigarette, then stomped out the remaining embers with his foot.

-Well, I suppose you have not been well. After something like that happened.

“.......”

He had nothing to say.

Aside from the greeting, they had not exchanged a single proper sentence yet, but he already felt as if his inner thoughts had been exposed.

Before he could speak, the other party’s voice sounded again.

-The People’s Republic of China has long been a great nation that dominated the East Asian sphere. According to the authorities’ policy of maintaining the very best, the skill of our Chosen must naturally be the very best as well.

“.......”

-But when I look at Chosen Kang Seong-jin recently, I find myself wondering.

Wondering?

What was there to wonder about?

-Whether you truly are the best.

The single sentence that followed.

At that voice, his heart seemed to drop with a thud.

It felt as if he were falling into an endless abyss.

Trying not to show his agitation, he continued speaking in an indifferent voice.

“How strange. Kwon Hyeok-jin, the only Seven Star in South Korea, is gone now, so why are you having such doubts? Isn’t that excessive worry?”

-Is it? Recently, there seems to be one Chosen who has been winning victory after victory and raising his name value every day.

“.......”

-Was his name Pingkkyu Gyongdyu?

Of all things, that story again.

He knew without having to hear it.

It was something he heard every time in communities and in the marketplace.

-That day, he even performed in your place, Chosen Kang Seong-jin. Isn’t that right?

“So is that important right now?”

-Of course it is. Is it not important?

The words caught in his throat.

It was somewhat ugly, but he had prepared several points to refute with.

But now that he was actually hearing this, no words came to mind.

-Moreover, this person called Pingkkyu Gyongdyu is one of the Chosen the Chairman is watching with interest.

“......!”

He accidentally inhaled sharply.

He had heard something completely unexpected.

What had just been said.

If it became known to the public, it would have an enormous ripple effect.

Perhaps it would even make the front page.

At the same time, irritation surged.

Pingkkyu Gyongdyu. What was so great about that bastard?

That attention and those recruitment offers were things he should have received.

But a bastard whose face and name he did not even know had taken all of it away.

Just as murderous intent began creeping up inside him.

-Well, I did not contact you to discuss that. Kang Seong-jin, this is your final chance.

Final chance.

It was sudden, but he was not so slow-witted that he failed to understand what it meant.

‘The final chance to naturalize in China.’

“What do I need to do? Just say the word.”

He had already steeled himself.

If he could naturalize in China, he would no longer be a citizen of South Korea.

He had already resolved himself to commit even crimes if necessary.

-A Dungeon will open soon. Prove your skill there.

A mission of that level was extremely simple.

This time, he was confident.

Even if Pingkkyu Gyongdyu barged in.

‘I’ll have to cut down any bastard who might become competition at the roots.’

In fact, it might be better if he did barge in.

***

In the past.

The 200 million I received from the Crisis Response Committee and the 250 million I received this time.

A total of 450 million.

I saved that money carefully without spending a single won.

For this very day.

[We hereby notify you that Sung Ha-jin has completed repayment of the total debt amount of 454,847,000 won.]

A message from the securities firm.

My heart pounded.

The 450 million I received from the Committee, plus the emergency funds left in my bank account.

I scraped together every bit of money I had and did not have.

Thanks to that, I was able to repay all the debt I had owed.

Only now could I say it confidently.

‘At last, financial freedom.’

Nothing can stop me anymore.

I was no longer the pathetic man of the past who endured summer without air conditioning to save on electricity bills.

Or who glanced sideways at Goblin food to fill his hunger.

I had shed that pathetic man and been reborn as a real man.

“Now it’s different.”

Running the fan full blast twenty-four hours a day.

Eating five ice creams at once.

Delivery food three meals a day.

Only now could I be considered an adult.

You think that is too shabby?

There is no way. In this era, even chairmen scrape yogurt lids clean.

I was ordinary by comparison.

After checking my account, I got ready to go out for the first time in a while.

“Come to think of it, how long has it been since I went outside?”

I tried to think carefully.

But I could not even remember.

Well, looking back, after falling into this world, I could count the number of times I had gone out on one hand.

Not only could I handle everything at home, even meals came to my door with a single delivery order.

‘Even my recent outings were for work.’

Hmm, now that I thought about it.

Even if I was born a hikikomori, this was a bit much.

Now that I had paid off all my debt, I should get some outside air.

That would be good for my mental health.

[Seoul Land]

The place I arrived at was an amusement park.

It had also been a long time since I had gone to an amusement park after the time I came on a school trip.

Visiting with family or a lover would be one thing, but it was not a place a man alone had much connection with.

Even though it was a weekday afternoon, the ticket booth was crowded with people.

I stood in line, and soon my turn came.

“How would you like to book your tickets?”

“One adult, one child.”

“A child? Huh, aren’t you here alone?”

“I’m supposed to meet up with an acquaintance soon. Please just issue them like that for now.”

After paying, I entered right away.

As soon as I entered, starting with the carousel, I saw the Viking, the roller coaster, and so on.

There were all kinds of rides.

Those looked fun too, but unexpectedly, something else caught my eye.

‘What character is that? Strange.’

Everyone passing by had goods I had never seen before.

Masks, fans, toys, and more.

There were all kinds.

Was it a new mascot?

I had never seen it before.

But the design was definitely unusual.

A princess wearing a pink dress.

What a unique taste. What was there to like about something like that?

I brushed it off as nothing and moved toward a place without many people.

“This should work, right?”

There was no one here.

No CCTV either.

No matter what I did, no evidence would remain, so it was the perfect spot.

[Use Command Monster Summon Ticket?]

[Upon use, you can permanently summon a monster under your Command.]

[Summonable Monster: Rainbow Slayer Slime]

I made the decision immediately.

I had made up my mind from the moment I left the Tower.

‘Worrying is a waste of time.’

Let’s hurry up and go.

[Summoning Rainbow Slayer Slime.]

When I tore the summon ticket, five-colored flashes of light swirled like a typhoon.

I had a feeling something would happen.

My feeling was right.

RUMBLE, CRASH!

A bolt of lightning fell from a cloudless, dry sky.

When I gently opened my eyes, Poing was standing there with a puzzled expression.

A face that seemed unable to understand.

That was only natural.

Poing had been perfectly fine inside the Tower, then was summoned to Earth. It would be strange if it were not surprised.

Soon, Poing met my eyes, smiled brightly, and leaped into my arms.

“Hajin!! It’s been so long. I missed you!”

“It hasn’t even been a day yet.”

“Still! Missing you means missing you!”

What a fuss.

The energy was excessive, but it was not too bad.

This was a surprise event I had prepared, so it would have been disappointing in its own way if there had been no reaction at all.

For example, it would be like expecting your friends to notice your birthday, only for no one to know it was your birthday until school let out.

Not my story. Someone I know.

“Where is this?”

After enjoying the joy of reunion for a moment.

Poing glanced around and asked.

Ah, Poing had no idea where this place was?

“Outside the Tower.”

“...!”

Poing’s eyes grew round like cherry tomatoes.

“Now you can go in and out of the Tower and this place too.”

“Really?”

“Of course. I made it that way.”

“Yahoo!”

I did not know where Poing had learned it, but that was an old-fashioned reaction.

Not bad at all.

That was what made preparing a gift worthwhile.

This was not all.

I took out another thing I had prepared.

“And this is the cotton candy I promised before.”

I took out the flower-shaped cotton candy in bright colors.

I had bought it in advance while entering the amusement park.

“Is this really cotton candy?”

As expected, Poing understood as soon as it saw it.

Seeing once is better than hearing a hundred times.

When Poing took a large bite of the cotton candy, its eyes sparkled.

“Amazing! If you put it in your mouth, it melts and disappears! It’s tasty!”

Yes, yes. Eat a lot.

After enjoying the cotton candy like that, we rode several amusement rides.

Since we had come to an amusement park, we had to fulfill the purpose.

By the way, it was unexpected.

‘I thought Poing would show a rather lukewarm reaction.’

Compared to the things one could experience in the Tower, amusement rides were ordinary.

I had not expected Poing to like them.

I had brought Poing to show that places like this existed too.

But looking at Poing, its reaction was exactly like a child’s.

So when I asked.

“That’s because I’m with Hajin. I ate cotton candy too, and it’s fun!”

How admirable.

It was around the time we were enjoying the amusement rides like that.

“Oh, that!”

Poing gestured toward a passerby.

When I looked closely, the passerby was wearing a strange mask.

“A mask? Why, do you want one?”

It was a product I had seen now and then since entering the amusement park.

I had wondered if it was a new mascot.

“Yeah, Pink Princess! I want one.”

“...Huh?”

Pink Princess?

For some reason, the words stuck strangely in my ears.

Where had I heard them before?

For some reason, I felt goosebumps rise all over my body.

“Pink Princess. Isn’t that Hajin’s nickname?”

“Huh?”

“You didn’t know? No way?”

It felt like the world was collapsing.

Why had I not noticed it until now?

No, more importantly.

“I want it.”

“Wait. There are lots of things better than that.”

“No, I want that one.”

Poing’s stubbornness was firm.

Good grief, who did it take after? It had learned only the bad things.

I had no choice but to buy it.

There was no guarantee anywhere that this mascot was modeled after me, and if I acted based only on suspicion, it would be like a guilty thief giving himself away.

-Ding! Ding!

In the middle of that, my phone rang.

[Emergency Disaster Alert]

-A Dungeon has currently appeared. Under the guidance of the military and police, immediately evacuate to a safe location....

It was a message saying a Dungeon had appeared.

Recently, the frequency of Dungeons appearing had definitely increased.

In the past, it had been once a week, but now it came once every two days.

As I scanned the message, my eyebrows twitched.

“Huh? This address is....”

It was here.

If my memory was not wrong, the Dungeon occurrence site was this very place.

While I was puzzled, the system appeared.

[A new message has arrived.]

[This is Kang Han-seok of the Crisis Response Committee. I am contacting you just in case to convey information. A Dungeon has appeared in Seoul Land. Its Grade is....]

It seemed the message had not been sent by mistake.

Given that a similar message had come from the Crisis Response Committee too.

“Hajin, I feel something weird over there!”

Just then, Poing also gestured toward the north.

By coincidence, it was the Dungeon occurrence site I had seen in the address.

No, it was not a coincidence.

Poing had a detection-type skill.

Perhaps that was the influence.

A Dungeon, huh....

‘This is perfect for seeing how strong evolved Poing is.’

Poing had already been curious about how much stronger it had become.

This might be a good opportunity before climbing the Tower.

Besides.

No matter how fun an amusement park was, it could not compare to a Dungeon.