Vol 1 Chapter 43

With a flash of light, the man disappeared and reappeared in another virtual space within the game, accessible only to GMs. In this large hall-like area, GMs identified where they needed to go and moved accordingly each time they logged in.

"It's been a while. How's work in the eastern region these days?"

Mugeon squinted at the sight of his superior, who looked like he could be a model with his ever-relaxed smile, elegantly waving his hand. While other employees praised this man to no end, only Mugeon knew his true identity.

"Thanks to you, I'm keeping very busy. Someone gave me an extra unnecessary task to do."

"Hahaha. Unnecessary? Who on earth would assign such an incompetent task?"

It's you!

Mugeon closed his gaping mouth and barely swallowed the words that had risen to the tip of his tongue, then guided his superior to a private space. In this port space within Mist, GM authority took top priority.

"Move to private space."

Soon, with a whirring sound, the space distorted and they entered an area with a table and two chairs. Yoon Seok-ho leaned back comfortably in one of the chairs, crossing his legs. A handsome person doing such actions looked like he was posing for a magazine cover, but to Mugeon's eyes, he was just an annoying superior.

"So, what do you think of the current situation?"

However, the moment Yoon Seok-ho spoke seriously, Mugeon had no choice but to change his expression to match. He couldn't talk nonsense when it came to work.

"The growth rate of Korean server users is faster than expected. We thought it would take at least a year for the best to emerge in each area, but the speed at which they're rising in various fields is no joke. Even quest HS-01A was executed not long after it opened."

"That's right. HS-01A..."

As Yoon Seok-ho muttered, stroking his chin, Mugeon nodded.

"But if everything is growing at a uniformly fast pace without being biased towards one area, it's still within expectations, so it's fine. Keep up the good work."

"Yes. ...But why did you order special surveillance on a user named Kapros? He is indeed a user who's leading the entire server in the magic field with a terrifying growth rate, but I don't think that alone is reason enough for such close monitoring."

After Mugeon answered, he dropped the serious atmosphere and asked about what he had been constantly grumbling about, and Yoon Seok-ho also returned to his playful smile.

"Because I think he's a person worth watching."

"Pardon?"

"I happened to attend a high school kendo tournament once before."

His eyes narrowed.

"There, I got the most important clue for our stalled development."

"What does that have to do with this?"

When Mugeon asked in confusion, Yoon Seok-ho smiled broadly and casually placed his hand on his crossed knee.

"It has a lot to do with it for me."

He recognized him the moment he saw him. Though the other party didn't know Yoon Seok-ho, Yoon Seok-ho's curiosity was piqued by this seemingly fated encounter. Bringing him in was both a challenge and a gamble for Yoon Seok-ho. Although the outcome was still unknown, the fact that he was already showing his skills in this game made Yoon Seok-ho quite expectant.

Yoon Seok-ho grinned as he looked at Mugeon, who still didn't understand and was inwardly cursing his boss to his heart's content.

***

At that time, a man disembarked from a plane that had flown in from the United States and passed through the gate at Incheon International Airport.

Despite his attractive tall stature, long fingers gripping the bag slung over his shoulder, and looks that couldn't be hidden even by dark sunglasses, there was a chilling, blade-like aura about the man that made it difficult for others to approach. He seemed somehow isolated among the many people pouring out. However, the man didn't seem to care about this, not even glancing at the crowd of welcoming people in front and only looking at the scenery visible outside.

A cool, sharp energy emanated from his entire body. After standing still for a while, the man finally slowly moved his feet. Between his passport, a name, Jung Seung-jo, briefly appeared along with a photo that still showed traces of youth, then disappeared.

***

From then on, Kran started following Kapros and Yu-wan constantly. In any case, Kapros didn't mind because he was helpful, but Yu-wan seemed unable to bear it, finding it unpleasant.

"Kap, you said you were looking for a dungeon, right?"

Kapros nodded.

"There are three in total. One is the beginner's Orc Village, another is the Abandoned Ruins Temple where ghost monsters appear, and lastly, the strangest one, the Endless Maze Dungeon. Where do you want to go?"

Kran mentioned three, but only one caught Kapros's ear.

"An endless maze?"

"It's a strange place with many strong monsters, so much so that even with our level of skill, we don't know how far we can go. No one among the users in this vast city has claimed to have reached the end yet."

Hmm... Kapros didn't think there would be magic-related items in places like the beginner's Orc Village or the Ruins Temple. Moreover, the fact that it hadn't been conquered yet suddenly ignited his fighting spirit.

"Our level..."

While Kapros was thinking, Yu-wan muttered, looking at Kran with cold eyes, and Kran glared back, not backing down.

"They say the more friends, the better. Except for you."

"How amusing."

As if he had decided to change his strategy from yesterday, Yu-wan was now ignoring rather than retaliating. He seemed to have realized that glaring with his initial cold face was more effective than growling and fighting. Learning that Kran was actually a year younger due to his earlier birthday might have also influenced the change in attitude.

"That place sounds good. Let's go there."

Kapros interjected, seeing that they were about to fight again if left alone. Kran looked puzzled.

"Where do you mean?"

"The maze."

"Huh? But that place..."

Turning away from Kran, who seemed flustered despite his own explanation, Kapros looked at Yu-wan, who nodded expressionlessly. It was a sign that he would follow wherever Kapros went.