Chapter 27

Chapter. 27

This watch was remarkably clever.

When it said it could make me a cover identity, I had assumed it would simply create a new identity for me.

Keeping my appearance and voice the same, and only changing the name.

Of course, even that would have been extraordinary.

To be able to own an alias in the Republic of Korea as it existed now, with everything controlled beneath Big Brother's gaze?

"Can I register under this face right now?"

[It has been confirmed that you are currently wearing an Artifact. Is that correct?]

"Oh ho."

It could even tell that much?

[Shall I register you exactly as you look now?]

"Yes."

As for the name... hm.

After much thought, I decided to leave it as it was.

Why?

Because... everyone who remembered my name was already dead or gone.

Even if someone did recognize my name.

Would they really match it to me when the face was different? They would just assume it was someone else with the same name.

And the most important reason of all.

I wanted to belong to my country under my own name.

'Farewell, sorrow of being a man without a country. Starting today.'

So that was why I chose Ha Seong-un.

"Who am I?"

I asked the mirror.

The me in the mirror answered.

"A Hunter of the Republic of Korea, Ha Seong-un."

Ah.

What a moving modifier that was.

To think I could become a citizen of the Republic of Korea.

It was enough to stir the heart.

[Agent, there is still one important matter you have not yet confirmed.]

I had been staring into the mirror for quite some time when the watch called out to me.

"By the way, what is your name?"

[I have the model name Snow White.]

"It is going to be hard to call you that every time. Snow White? An AI does not have a gender, does it?"

[No.]

"Then from now on, your name is Snowy. You're white, after all."

[...Understood.]

"So what is this important matter?"

The hologram rose again.

[Agent Preferential Account - Operational Funds]

Oh ho.

There was a number written beneath it.

One zero, two, three...

[10,000,000C]

"Wow."

A full ten million Coins.

"That is bold."

It was a fortune large enough to buy at least one main piece of equipment for an A-rank Hunter.

'At this level, it was basically like ripping out the foundations of the Association and going all-in on a stock called the nation.'

[Only perfectly clean money has been prepared, so that you may use it freely, Agent.]

"The Republic of Korea Hunter Association is so famously broke that even I know about it. How did they come up with this much money?"

Modern nations cleared the Tower and received Artifacts as rewards.

They sold those Artifacts for enormous profits.

Then they used those profits to acquire even better Artifacts.

The Artifacts accumulated that way were then given to the parties tasked with raiding the Tower, the 'raiding parties' or 'climber' parties.

Those parties, equipped with better gear, cleared the Tower and obtained even better Artifacts.

That virtuous cycle was how other nations prepared for the Tower.

They were also growing by selling the byproducts gained in the process at high prices.

The Republic of Korea, however, was the only nation enduring outside that cycle.

Because it could not clear the Tower, it could not obtain Artifacts.

That was why the Republic of Korea had become a country where Artifacts did not appear.

Which was why the Republic of Korea was poor.

It had nothing to sell.

As far as I knew, the best they could do was dispatch troops to assist other nations during emergencies and bring back a few scraps that way.

So how had people that poor managed to come up with this kind of money?

[It is believed that the Association's executives emptied out their personal funds.]

"Those people were that wealthy?"

[...It has been confirmed that the accounts of the three leaders are empty. More precisely, it appears that Hunter Jang Ho-hyeon, the 'Silent Assassin,' hastily sold off the rare collection he had amassed while traveling through the Black Market.]

"Uh... was that really all right?"

[It seems the Association considers you that important, Agent.]

...I really was grateful.

But.

"This is not enough."

That was that, and this was this. I had to think coldly.

Naturally, these Coins had to be spent preparing for the emergency situation of Resonar's appearance.

I had pulled in a large amount of Black Market Points already, but there were certainly Artifacts that could only be obtained through legitimate channels.

"There is nothing else I need to check, right?"

[Correct.]

"Then..."

I rummaged through my computer.

There was a bucket list I had written down of things I wanted to do if I ever became a Hunter.

[1. Browse Hunternet]

And the thing that sat proudly in first place on that list.

The official internet that only Hunters could use.

Trying out Hunternet.

"Open Hunternet for me."

***

Naturally, when I had added Hunternet to my bucket list, I had imagined myself lounging around on the community boards posting nonsense.

But right now, I did not have that kind of leisure.

Unfortunately.

"I need Hunter profiles."

Since this was my first time using Hunternet, I had no idea where I needed to go to find that kind of information.

"How am I supposed to use this site?"

...Was this what it felt like to be digitally illiterate?

Me, in the prime of my life!

Me, who had nothing to do at home except sit at a computer!

And yet I was struggling to handle the internet!

[Shall I assist you?]

Standing there in confusion, I felt like an elderly person lost in front of a kiosk.

As though some kind young person had appeared to help.

"Thank you, young man."

[Not at all.]

The UI was very different from the Darknet. Mm.

Kindly enough, Snowy turned on a hologram for me.

[Regarding the two S-rank Hunters affiliated with the Republic of Korea...]

"Min Ji-hee and Jin Cheon-jin, right? I do not need those two... no, wait. Let me see Min Ji-hee's information."

I needed to compare it with the Compendium.

[Min Ji-hee] [S]

[Affiliation: Republic of Korea Hunter Association]

[Ability: Undisclosed]

"...?"

What was this.

Was that all?

"...Show me Han Seol-ah."

[Han Seol-ah] [EX]

[Affiliation: Republic of Korea Hunter Association]

[Ability: Ice Crystal]

So that really was all of it.

"...Is there a difference between the quality of information available on Hunternet and what you're showing me?"

[I am showing you the 'surface information' registered in the official database exactly as it is. Hunters naturally tend to conceal their cards.]

"...This is a problem."

The information was... even more pathetic than I had expected.

[Agent. If you wish, shall I scrape the data from beneath the surface?]

"The surface beneath the surface?"

[Backtalk from anonymous message boards, deleted articles, mentions in private communities, and even private posts from personal SNS accounts.]

Snowy's hologram flashed red.

[Snow White is an AI specialized in information gathering. If the official route is blocked, forcing open the unofficial ones is my specialty.]

"Oh."

The corners of my mouth lifted.

Right. Something made by Min Ji-hee was never going to be nothing more than a glorified internet search engine.

"That is it. Start scraping right away."

[Understood. If you set the filters, I will find the gem you want from within the heap of trash.]

"Filters..."

'I need to find a suitable possession target.'

After using the [Compendium], there was something I had become curious about.

Why were only the trio of Han Seol-ah, Min Ji-hee, and Jin Cheon-jin registered in the Compendium?

The answer had been unexpectedly simple.

Systems like that were common in games.

'Affinity.'

If every Hunter I knew had been automatically registered, then it made no sense for there to be only those three.

If simple acquaintance were enough, then every Hunter I had run into while wandering around during the early days after becoming an Awakening Failure would have been registered.

And lastly, if the criterion were simply whether they knew me or not... then my next-door neighbor Cheol-su and the Black Market handler Kang Hyo-jun should have been listed too.

But those two were absent?

That made it certain. Something like an 'Affinity system' had to exist.

To find a suitable possession target, it was essential to use the Compendium to gauge latent ability.

To register someone in the Compendium, I had to raise my affinity with them in advance.

"What do you think?"

I asked Snowy that question.

[I believe the likelihood is high.]

"What other possibilities are there?"

[Could it not be a difference in perception?]

Clever little thing.

The alternate perspective Snowy proposed was quite interesting as well.

Cheol-su next door was just 'the neighbor,' and Kang Hyo-jun was only 'the Market handler.'

In my perception, the two of them were classified as extras, or perhaps NPCs.

But Han Seol-ah and the other two were people I recognized deeply as 'the core of the strategy.'

In other words, the requirement for registration in the Compendium might not be a simple meeting or favorable impression, but something closer to 'deep mutual recognition' or a 'fated connection.'

'Hm.'

In any case.

There were fifteen days left.

If I wanted to spend that time properly on either affinity-building or changing my perception, then selection and focus were essential.

"First of all... they have to be a Tanker."

That was the top priority.

"Someone who has once been described as a genius."

[What should I do if it was used mockingly?]

"Include that too. Better yet."

What else was there?

Potential ability EX.

Someone who could help in the Resonar subjugation.

Someone who possessed the abilities needed to clear the 94th Floor of the Tower.

The conditions for finding such a 'perfect Tanker.'

"...And..."

It was while I was laying out those specific conditions.

Ding!

A quest notification sound rang out from Lost Honor, which I had minimized.

"What? Right now? At this timing?"

Was it giving me the quest to kill Resonar already?

No, that could not be right. Judging by the pattern so far, Epic Quests related to saving the Republic of Korea had been treated as 'emergencies.'

This one would probably appear when there were three days left, just like before.

Puzzled, I checked the notification.

[Sub Quest: Let's Make a Friend]

"...?"

What was this?

"Would you look at that quest title?"

Was this bastard making fun of me?

[Quest Objective: Become friends with S-rank Hunter Lee A-un]

[Quest Reward]

[Compendium: Lee A-un Unlocked]

"...Who?"

I had no idea who Lee A-un was.

If he were really an S-rank Hunter, he ought to have been fairly famous.

Has there been another S-rank Hunter in Korea besides the Hunter Association trio?

"There is no way."

If there had been another S-rank Hunter, the Republic of Korea's Hunter power would never have developed in such a distorted way.

[Shall I assist you?]

"Hm. Yes."

[Name: Lee A-un]

[Sex: Male / 22 years old]

[Rank: C]

"Huh?"

I looked back at the quest window.

It clearly said I was supposed to become friends with 'S-rank Hunter' Lee A-un.

What was going on?

Was the system wrong?

Or had Snowy made a mistake?

"It is fine. You can do better next time."

[There is something unusual here.]

Then Snowy displayed another window.

[Ability: (Redacted)]

"...Redacted?"

[Ah, is that how it is displaying? Please wait a moment.]

CRACK!

The center of the hologram window caved in and wobbled as though it had been punched by an invisible fist.

[Ability: Circu□ation (S)]

It felt as though it were forcibly tearing out information that was not meant to be seen.

The section displaying the ability flickered unsteadily.

BZZT—

[This bastard is tal— Ah, my apologies.]

RIP! CRACK!

After a somewhat brutal burst of noise, as though something inside the hologram had shattered, the window, which had been glowing red, abruptly cleared as if nothing had happened and displayed calm lettering.

[Ability: Circulation (S)]

'...You could break through redaction by beating the hell out of it?'

Excellent.

"So the ability is S-rank. But his current rank is only C."

[In cases like this, it is highly likely that he is in a state where he cannot properly manifest his ability. Shall I look further?]

"Yes."

BZZT— BZZT—

After the same static as before, new words began to appear beneath the ability.

[Special Note: Suffers from Mana Reflux Syndrome]

Mana Reflux Syndrome?

"Isn't that an extremely rare disease?"

[Correct. It is a rare, incurable disease that only three people in the world suffer from. Curiously, two of them are in the Republic of Korea.]

Snowy's explanation matched what I already knew exactly.

It was a disease in which Mana circulated in reverse rather than in its normal direction.

"Circulation is the ability that rapidly rotates Mana to strengthen the body, right?"

[Yes.]

Circulation.

A body-enhancement ability that existed in grades from S down to D.

And if it was S-rank Circulation..."So the force driving the Mana is too strong, but the body is too weak, and the engine ends up exploding. That is unfortunate."

This disease existed in Lost Honor too. In the game, it was called 'Status Effect: Mana Reflux.'

Its effect was a disgusting debuff that dealt damage every time Mana was used.

Once afflicted, even healing caused massive damage, which made it notoriously difficult to manage.

Even in the game, it was not easy to cure.

There was only one way.

The problem could only be solved by taking the medicine for a very long time... but the medicine was an Elixir.

'Red Elixir.'

It was a low-grade Elixir, nothing more than the basic 'Elixir' with the very basic prefix 'Red' attached to it...but it was still an Elixir. Hard to make, and even harder to obtain.

Of course, Nebula's warehouse was packed with them.

'Bringing one over from the game is practically impossible...'

"If I had Moonlight Weeping Herb, Dew of Rebirth, and Root of Time, I could make it."

Lost Honor's crafting system was very similar to reality.

The sole exception was Smithing, which made Genesis-rank equipment items.

The 'Alchemy' skill used to make Elixir-type medicines was designed in an extremely realistic way.

How finely you ground the ingredients, how much of them you simmered, at what temperature, in what ratio, and so on.

If the ingredients for the 'Red Elixir' in the game also existed in reality, then it meant I could make it myself.

[Those exist.]

"Hm? Not in the warehouse."

[The warehouse...? No, that is not what I meant. If you go into Hunternet, there is a trading tab. If you look there, the ingredients you just named are listed.]

"What?"

Why were those there?

Had the Republic of Korea not been a country whose byproducts had all but dried up because it could not properly raid the Tower?

Filled with confusion, I immediately opened Hunternet and checked.

They really were there.

'If that is the case...!'

[Quest Objective: Become friends with S-rank Hunter Lee A-un]

I would be honest.

This mission was far too difficult for me.

All of my friends were NPC friends.

I could not even remember how one went about making a friend.

Now, let us say there was someone who appeared like an angel before Lee A-un, who was suffering from a chronic illness, and cured him.

Hello. Nice to meet you. Ah, I see....Could I not skip right past that suffocating stage of small talk and become his friend immediately?

No, not just his friend. Something more than that. Would he not look at me like I was a real angel?

After all, I would be the person who cured his incurable disease.

"This is not avoidance. It is efficiency."

Overwhelming financial power. And a cure for an incurable disease that nobody else in the world knew.

If I pressed those two things forward at the same time, then the game was over.

Was that not a fairly plausible plan?

The quest did not have a separate reward listed.

There was only a single line.

[Has the potential to grow into an EX-rank Hunter]

'...What a good little bastard.'

Was the developer not basically an angel?

I had been racking my brain over how to choose the next person to possess, and then just like that—it handed me the answer.