Chapter 151

SMU Entertainment.

Haydall, the Executive Manager dedicated to Odie Park, blinked in a daze.

"Seojin contacted you? Out of the blue?"

"Yes, sir."

It was an unexpectedly odd piece of news. Of course, getting a call from Seojin was not bad news. It was welcome in fact. But why did he message Roth?

"Why specifically you?"

"He seems to be in need of a warlock."

"…Ah. That makes sense."

It made more sense now. After all, hadn't he experienced firsthand what kind of person Seojin was? To Seojin, whether it was Odie Park or the celebrity Kim Hyesun or whatever, was entirely unimportant.

"So, what about us?"

"He didn't mention anything."

"Did you ask?"

"Uh… I'll ask right now."

"No, never mind. Leave it for now. And what about Odie?"

"She went to collect her quest rewards."

That was a relief. At least they bought some time.

"Where did he say it was?"

"The royal palace."

"…What?"

What was this now?

'Has he already progressed that far?'

It was astonishing. Seojin wasn't the only one who had enjoyed Asgard. Haydall, too, was quite the skilled player back then, and that's how he knew.

'Receiving such a quest usually means you've pretty much completed that area, right?'

He understood the implications behind Seojin mentioning the royal palace.

"That's good. It will make for a decent debut stage. There's nothing better than showing progressive growth, to gain favor with the players."

"Will you report this to the CEO?"

"Of course. I've been waiting for this moment. We've been over level 100 for a while. I was actually thinking about reaching out to him first."

The timing was perfect. The CEO was interested in this matter, so everything was already in place to start immediately.

If it wasn't for Odie holding them back, saying he might interfere, they would have contacted Seojin already.

"Tell Odie to wait a bit when she comes. I'll contact her."

"Do I tell her as well?"

"Not quite yet. Will you really be able to handle it if she rushes over as soon as she hears?"

"I'll keep quiet."

He left dealing with Odie Park to Roth, and Haydall searched for the CEO's number.

"Sir, it's me."

-I am busy. Get to the point.

"It's about Odie. Remember the user I mentioned before? Asgard's top-ranked, nickname Blue Dragon."

-…Wait a minute.

As expected. Haydall smirked, enjoying the commotion from the other end of the phone.

-You can't do it? If you can't, find someone who can. Oh, you can? Thought so. Handle it… Um, report back in 30 minutes. Hello?

The voice came closer again.

Haydall, trying to contain his laughter, said,

"Aren't you being too hard on them?"

"They're directors."

"Oh…"

"Our directors aren't honorary positions. They get paid, so they need to work. 28 minutes left. Now, get to the main point."

The CEO was always like this.

Only after Haydall took over caring for Odie did he escape such grueling tasks.

"Seojin contacted Roth. Seems like he needs a warlock, and the quest location is the royal palace."

-Blue Dragon is in the palace?

"Yes."

-Already so far ahead. He's always been impressive. What does he need?

The conversation was brisk: question, confirmation, instructions based on the situation, and then back to another question.

The CEO's personality hadn't changed one bit over the years.

"Seojin wants to meet you personally, sir."

-Tell him to come.

"In the game."

-Hmm."

The voice drifted away again, he was probably giving instructions to prepare everything needed to play the game.

The CEO returned with a more upbeat tone.

-And?

"Seojin hasn't reached out to me or Odie yet. I wanted to get your permission first."

-Go ahead with it. Clear your evenings for the next week. Confirm and contact me, and I'll secure the in-game gold. Empty your mailbox.

"I'll take care of it and contact you."

He got permission.

'This is what I like about him.'

While it's torturous to be scolded by him, in other respects, the CEO's fiery style had its upsides.

-Call me. And tell Odie about it.

After sending a whisper to Roth, Haydall started packing.

* * *

-…Then, I'll depart now. Is it alright if I have two people accompany me?

-Yes, come together. The same two as last time?

-Yes. Haydall and Odie Park.

-Don't start streaming though.

-I'll be careful not to. Where should we head to when we reach the royal palace?

Seojin pondered for a moment before replying.

-Did you obtain your Leagues?

-Not yet. We planned to stop by the capital after finishing this base.

-Then first head to the Tower of Qualification. Once you're done, I'll send someone to guide you.

-Yes, I'll inform the two. Thank you.

Odie Park. Haydall. Roth.

The three lived up to Seojin's expectations.

'They're leveling up quite fast.'

Probably thanks to Odie Park's enthusiastic leadership. Seojin's attitude had changed immediately upon hearing that vision.

'But the CEO, huh.'

Hmm—Seojin curled his lips.

Thinking of the guild master of Great Red, he felt somehow drained of energy already.

'He was really something else though.'

The very fact he remained in Seojin's memory was testament to his significance. Seojin didn't usually bother with trivial matters, and Great Red, in terms of strength, couldn't match him.

But there was one thing even Seojin couldn't match. His persistent, tenacious attitude that left behind such a strong impression. So much so that there was a common advice going around saying that the players of Great Red are crazy, and that it was better to start over once someone was their target.

But what if the opponent was an ally?

'Not bad at all.'

"Jose."

"Yes, adventurer."

As soon as Seojin called, the silver-haired youth approached.

It was Jose Allai, the man who played the role of Prince Heinrich's mask.

"The guests will be a bit late. I told them to visit the Tower of Qualification first. Then they'll need to be brought over after finishing the test."

"Yes. I'll inform Rachel."

"And do it now. What I mentioned earlier. You, Jose, personally."

Jose Allai nodded loyally.

"Yes."

The prince's mask did not lose his respectful attitude even to Seojin.

'He's truly competent.'

To him, Seojin was a guest of his master. And a guest who was incredibly capable, the only one who could solve this current situation.

Click.

Seojin opened the community window and began his assigned role.

"Robert?"

-What is it this time?

"Always prompt, glad to see you're free. You know where I am, right?"

-I do.

"I presume you remember our contract?"

-…

"I need you to pull out some people. Something came up at my current base," Seojin tossed.

But, as expected.

- I'm not so disinterested in you that I have forgotten our contract.

The request was not granted.

The moment Seojin chose his base, the contract stated he was not to interfere with his play.

But this time, Seojin had practically jumped into what Ironblood had been working on already.

-The Book of Truth does not apply to this situation. It's you who should step back.

"What if I don't? Things might really shake up, you know?"

-Are we done here?

"Aren't you curious about the king's condition?"

-Dead or alive, it doesn't matter much.

"He's dead, don't delay and hurry. The throne is empty now. Seems like it'll be a player versus player showdown for it."

-Player versus player, you say?

Robert asked with a hint of mockery.

-You plan to fight us directly without any NPC help? How uncharacteristic. Even a small loss is nothing, if it means crushing you.

"Of course not. It's Ironblood, after all. Players will obviously grumble for a bit and then forget, right?"

-…

"Just didn't expect me to cause such a mess, did you? So, you're not pulling out?"

-You'll realize how beneficial the Ironblood's non-interference is.

"So you're declaring war?" Seojin asked with a smirk, and the conversation ended there.

'Good, that's done.'

He had laid enough groundwork.

Soon the warlock would arrive, and Flappy was tirelessly gathering information throughout the palace.

Now for the next step.

"Uh! Ugh!"

"Oh, you're already here."

It was time to deal with the key figures brought in one by one by Jose Allai.

* * *

Inside the royal chambers, beyond the secret passage, lay a hidden space—a place once exclusive to those the prince trusted, but now the atmosphere had shifted.

"I've brought them," announced a voice.

"Just toss them over there. I'll look at them once I'm done here."

"Yes."

In a corner of the room, people, tightly wrapped in sacks, were being stacked on top of each other, like luggage.

Whenever he was done with one "job," Jose pulled someone out of a sack. They were then forced to kneel before Seojin.

"At last, someone useful. The minister of finance, correct? Your name is Clipper."

The white-haired elder glared at Seojin, his eyes wide with defiance. Despite being subdued against his will and dragged here, he didn't see himself as deserving such treatment.

"What gives you the audacity to do this?"

"Do you see him? That guy over there who looks just like our prince. What do you think that means?"

"His Highness is not the type of person to do this."

"That was true, until now."

Tap, tap.

Seojin tapped a bundle of papers to align them, then began flipping through the pages.

"I wish to speak to His Highness. If you apologize for the disrespect and undo this immediately…"

"You're digging your own grave."

"Had I been someone to back down at mere threats, I wouldn't be here."

"No, I'm not saying I'll kill you. You know what this is, right?"

Rustle.

Seojin thrust the documents in front of Clipper. They were filled with complex numbers, mostly incomprehensible to Seojin.

But not to Clipper.

"…I do not." He feigned ignorance.

"You've sure been busy. I had a hard time stopping our prince from beheading you on the spot."

"I wish to speak directly to His Highness. I am innocent."

"Just so you know, I didn't stop the prince out of concern for you. You're the minister of finance, so you're a high-ranking noble, right?"

"Yes…"

Clipper's expression changed, struggling to understand Seojin's intention.

"What happens to an adventurer who harms a high-ranking noble? Of course, nothing with the prince behind my back, but then again, that position is kinda precarious right now. You know that, right?"

"…"

"So I'll be hard-pressed to find any backing, and I'll be kicked out of Valaran, right? Not to mention, I didn't just harm one person. I might even have some pursuers on me. Am I understanding that correct?"

"Th-that's right, even an adventurer can't escape the kingdom's purs—"

"A true adventurer, you see." Seojin placed his hand over Clipper's face and started fidgeting. He then smiled at him, "An adventurer doesn't shy away from challenging the impossible. Just the thought of evading the kingdom's pursuers across the continent… Now that sounds like a real adventure."

Clipper was now silent, his eyes spinning in confusion. Seojin blew on his neatly trimmed nails.

"Ah, now that's better. Nails can be so inconvenient when absent. You hardly notice them until they're gone."

"What are you implying…"

"Jose! Are we ready? Take him away. Do whatever's necessary."

"Should he be kept alive?"

Clipper's face turned pale as Seojin's nonchalant voice pierced his ears.

"If necessary… No, it would be bothersome later. Just handle it casually. It's not like he's the only one who can talk."

Clipper, the minster of finances,, a high noble of Valaran, felt his consciousness slipping away.