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“Oppa, I feel hurt,” Ji-Soo said.

“About what?”

“I’ve really been trying so hard to meet your standards. You know I even formed the K-KillerS Alliance, right?”

Apparently, the K could stand for Korea or Kim Chul-Soo, and the capital S at the end stood for either Seo Ji-Soo or Seo Ji-Ah. Just for convenience, her Alliance was pronounced K-Killers.

[...#Feeling hurt. #Really hurt. #Extremely upset. #I might cry.]

Jin-Hyeok didn’t know why Ji-Soo was so upset with him. Even Ji-Ah, who usually kept her emotions in check, looked grim.

[...#Are we weak? # Self-reflection. # Self-loathing.]

‘Why is she acting like this too?’

Ji-Soo clenched her fist and spoke, “I thought you would be the first to recognize and accept the K-Killers as a cooperative Alliance.”

“...”

“Of course, we still have a lot to improve compared to the Black Thorn Alliance. We are the underdogs, I understand that. But we thought we would be your first choice, so we have worked really hard. We take pride in the fact that we’re growing much faster than the Black Thorn Alliance.”

As Jin-Hyeok listened, he began to understand how they felt. Having their top spot taken would\'ve been a big blow to their pride.

“You are mistaken. You are my first cooperative Alliance.”

“...Really?”

“Of course.”

Just like she said, the K-Killers have shown tremendous growth. Both Ji-Soo and Ji-Ah are already in their late 70s, Level-wise, holding fifth and sixth rankings respectively. It was quite rare for one Alliance to have two high-rankers. Moreover, they were not Level Grinders. While they ranked fifth and sixth in terms of Levels, their actual skills were likely higher.

‘This won’t do.’

Jin-Hyeok vaguely sensed that he needed help from his faction in the distant future. His most substantial base of support consisted of his original party members. If they wavered, Jin-Hyeok’s entire faction wavered.

‘I need to set the discipline.’

Jin-Hyeok decided to gather them for a discussion. He was planning to listen to their concerns, evaluate how well they were doing in their respective roles, and offer advice if he could.

‘If possible, I should also conduct one-on-one meetings occasionally.’

It reminded Jin-Hyeok of the Han Sae-Rin of his previous life, who became a Ruler later on and often held such meetings.

‘So, this is why she had all those meetings…’

Ji-Soo, who had sought Jin-Hyeok out in a state of emotional turbulence, now wore a regretful expression.

“I’m sorry. I was just so angry because it felt like we were pushed aside. Actually… I was jealous and hurt.”

“No, it’s alright. This is also something I should be doing as a Ruler.”

“Huh?”

“What?”

“Did you just say that you are a…”

‘What did I just say?’

⁕ ⁕ ⁕

Jin-Hyeok asked Angel Girl, Song Ha-Young, to objectively investigate the standing of Jin-Hyeok’s original party members.

“Quite intriguing,” she started. ”Though they had a bit of a late start, they have all established themselves quite remarkably. Let’s start with Mok Jae-Hyeon.”

According to her, Jae-Hyeon’s journey was different from the others. He wandered a bit before finding his way.

“At first, he was part of an Alliance that prioritized safety, Playing cautiously. He seemed content, at least on the surface.”

However, it wasn’t long before Jae-Hyeon left that Alliance.

“Looks like he got tired of repeating the same thing over and over. Recently, he formed a new Alliance called KSM. Do you know what that stands for?”

“No.”

“It’s Kim Chul-Soo Ssibal[1] Mok Jae-Hyeon.”

As she spoke, Jin-Hyeok realized that it took Jae-Hyeon some time to truly understand himself. The stifling environment of the safety-first mediocre Alliance led him to branch out, and eventually, he founded his own Alliance and became its leader.

“Jae-Hyeon wasn\'t satisfied with other Alliances, so KSM had been growing explosively,” Ha-Young said.

“Good to hear.”

“What’s interesting is that, although their process differed, the results for your other party members are quite similar.”

Unlike Jae-Hyeon, the Seo sisters hit the ground running. They immediately formed the K-Killers Alliance, gathering Assassins and expanding their influence.

“Even the Black Thorn Alliance is taking notice. The K-Killers’ growth rate is unparalleled. And as for Kim Jeong-Hyeon, he is leading the Flaming First Alliance, which as you know, has grown into one of the top five major Alliances in Korea within just three months. Probably due to the name recognition of the Flaming Fist Alliance.”

Mok Jae-Hyeon, the Seo sisters, and Kim Jeong-Hyeon—they were all leading their own Alliances, and they were all Jin-Hyeok’s first picks for his cooperation Alliances.

“You know that Han Sae-Rin, who was planning on joining the National Intelligence Service team, became the Navigator for the Flaming Fist Alliance, right?”

“Yes, I heard.”

“And the man known as Mole Man, considered Sae-Rin’s rival, has joined the Kim Chul-Soo Ssibal Alliance. Mole Man said the name appealed to him, but I think he just wanted to compete with Sae-Rin.”

‘Why does it feel like Ha-Young emphasized the word ssibal?’

"People usually call it the KSM Alliance, don’t they?” Jin-Hyeok asked skeptically.

“I just like saying the full name.”

‘But I think she didn’t even say the Mok Jae-Hyeon part of the name…’

Regardless, everyone was growing tremendously, not only with competent Navigators, but also by gathering exceptional talents in various fields. Jin-Hyeok already knew all of this, but hearing it reported by the leader of the Black Rose Alliance made him inexplicably proud.

“Everyone is achieving remarkable success, but still, the best among them is your sister, Cha Jin-Sol.”

“Jin-Sol?”

She had been extremely busy these days. Jin-Hyeok hadn’t had much time to talk to her, so he was not sure what she had been up to recently.

“Player name: Babyshark. Alias: Saintess of Freedom,” Ha-Young said.

Jin-Hyeok felt a chill run down his spine when he heard his sister’s alias.

People called her the Saint of Freedom.

“She isn’t affiliated with any particular Alliance, but instead wanders freely, showing miraculous healing powers wherever she goes. Although her Level ranking is only within the top ten, she is famous for being the most coveted Healer across all Alliances. Everyone is absolutely desperate to recruit her. Her worth is astronomical, and her influence is immense,” Ha-Young filled him in.

‘But that’s not entirely a good thing.’

Given Jin-Sol’s current growth rate, she was bound to become a top-ranked Player. If that happened, she would need a strong Alliance to keep her safe from threats like those Players who hunted other Players.

‘To think that I would worry about her becoming a top-ranked Player…’

Jin-Hyeok had initially thought that was impossible, but it appeared there were no absolutes in life. He was proud, or rather, worried about how she would grow and create new concerns for Jin-Hyeok.

‘But it’s not an immediate concern.’

Healers and Streamers were relatively safe, so it was not time to worry about that just yet.

“Apart from their incredible growth rate, there is another striking similarity among them,” Ha-Young continued.

“And what would that be?”

She tilted her head, as if unable to comprehend the next point, and then spoke, “They all severely underestimate themselves. They keep saying that the things they were doing were just basic stuff.”

“...”

“But their idea of basic stuff is bizarre.”

“How so?”

“You know how the United States is trying to prohibit dying consecutively within three days, right? Well, your party members tell their Alliance members to die dozens of times a day. If the Alliance members couldn\'t handle that, they were told to leave the Alliance. They have many such strange standards, and they consider that to be the basics.”

Jin-Hyeok also tilted his head.

‘...Isn’t that the basics?’

⁕ ⁕ ⁕

Just like how Sae-Rin had done in his previous life, Jin-Hyeok held a gathering with his party members. Though now that he thought about it, Sae-Rin mostly just cursed at her members.

“I’ve heard you all have been maintaining the basics well,” Jin-Hyeok said.

He also introduced them to Song Ha-Young and Kwak Do-Hyeong, who could be considered their allies in this cooperative venture. Ji-Soo, slightly tipsy, playfully flirted, saying, “Oppa, if I become stronger than that man, will you date me then?”

That man here referred to Do-Hyeong, who was also an Assassin like her. Jin-Hyeok promptly knocked Ji-Soo unconscious with a tap on the nape of her neck.

Ji-Ah, on the other hand, quietly sipped her wine until she fell asleep. Jae-Hyeon, being underage, drank grape juice. He slammed his glass down.

Thunk.

“I thought I was going to die of frustration Playing with my previous Alliance.”

Jin-Hyeok had no idea why Jae-Hyeon, who hadn\'t drunk a single drop of alcohol, was acting drunk.

“I’ve been thinking… This might be crazy…” Jae-Hyeon continued, muttering obscenities under his breath. He seemed deeply frustrated for some reason. “...As much as I hate to admit it, there are times when I miss Playing just among us. I know I’m being crazy right now."

Jin-Hyeok considered knocking him unconscious for talking too much, but left him alone. Come to think of it, Sae-Rin did curse a lot at her party members in Jin-Hyeok\'s past life, but she also listened to them. As a Ruler, it was Jin-Hyeok’s duty to do the same.

“Why is everyone not able to just stick with the basics? It’s simple!” Jae-Hyeon said.

“I agree with you,” Jin-Hyeok said.

“The basic premise is that you can die in Dungeons, right? If you can’t handle that, you shouldn’t be Playing!”

It seemed Jae-Hyeon had a lot to get off his chest. He continued to speak.

“Do soccer players quit because they’re afraid they will hurt their legs? Do volleyball players quit because they’re afraid they will hurt their fingers? Do athletes quit because they’re afraid they will hurt their joints? No! They don’t! They play despite knowing they’ll get hurt because they are professionals! So why don’t Players have the same mindset? Why is everyone’s standard so messed up?!”

Listening to this, Ha-Young coughed awkwardly to bring Jae-Hyeon back to reality.

“Well, those athletes don’t have to worry about dying, while Players have to,” Ha-Young said.

“Then they should just stop Playing!”

“Hey! Why are you yelling at me?”

“If dying is one of the basic premises, then why are they overlooking the basics?”

“I agree with you. I’m just saying that’s how people think.”

There was a lot of back and forth, but the mood of the room remained amicable overall. Do-Hyeong, the head of the Black Thorn Alliance, sat next to Jin-Hyeok and quietly spoke.

“To be honest, I thought I was the crazy one. There was a lot of opposition within the Alliance when I designated Hyung as the assassination target,” Do-Hyeong admitted.

Do-Hyeong was older than Jin-Hyeok, but he still called Jin-Hyeok Hyung. Jin-Hyeok guessed it made Do-Hyeong feel more comfortable or something.

“...But now I understand. Coming here, I realized I’m not the crazy one. In a world of abnormalities, it’s the sane ones who get ostracized. Turns out, I was sane.”

Do-Hyeong seemed deeply touched, as if he had found inner peace.

“Please invite me to gatherings like this in the future.”

At first, setting up this gathering felt like a nuisance, but as time passed, Jin-Hyeok found it oddly enjoyable. It was a kind of joy he had never felt before. After a significant amount of time had passed and Ji-Soo had regained consciousness, Jin-Hyeok opened his mouth.

“Both Solo Mode and Dual Play Mode have been updated. The Open Beta service will end soon,” Jin-Hyeok informed them.

The atmosphere turned serious as the topic of Play arose. Their reactions were quite gratifying.

“Before the official launch, I suspect there will be a major event.”

Originally, there should be a war tiedto the 4th Seoul Scenario between invaders and defenders. Normally, a powerful invader would appear, and people from the Earth Server would have to unite and drive the invaders out. That should have been the event signaling the official launch.

However, since Jin-Hyeok was the one leading both the invasion and the defense, he was not sure how it would turn out.

Ha-Young abruptly raised her hand.

“Regarding that, I have a few serious things to say. I wish I could claim I found this out on my own, but…”

Do-Hyeong visibly flinched. Apparently, the relationship between the two was not all that harmonious. It seemed like they had some sort of competitive edge. It might be due to their overlapping classes.

“Unfortunately, It’s information that Viper and I found out together. What I’m about to say is huge. I would appreciate it if what’s discussed here doesn’t leak outside of this room.”

Do-Hyeong added one more thing, “After listening to our stories, it would be nice if you paid us an appropriate fee for the information. After all, information…”

Ha-Young smiled and picked the conversation up from where Do-Hyeong left off, “...has its own price.”

‘Huh, I can’t tell whether their relationship is bad, or good.’

[...#It’s our time to prove…]

[...#Our superiority.]

These two never seemed intent on accepting any compensation for the information in the first place.

‘The instinct to savor the superiority of one’s information is only natural.’

Jin-Hyeok understood that sentiment perfectly. The desire to boast about one’s expertise in one’s field was quite natural.

‘But why do I get the feeling they’re thinking about me?’

[...#This time I will win. #Kim Chul-Soo is below me.]

[...#I will win. #Defeat Kim Chul-Soo.]

‘...Huh?’

With a prideful expression, Ha-Young continued, “Let me reiterate, it’s crucial that this stays confidential. This is related to the Seoul Scenario. It’s a big event that even involves the GMs and the mysterious VIPs referred to as Trinity.”

‘...They think that they can surpass me with just this information? They’ve crossed the line.’

1. As most of you probably already know, Ssibal, or 씨발, is a Korean swear word. Most of the time, it means ‘fuck,\' but for this occasion, I think the author is just trying to emphasize that Jae-Hyeon created this Alliance while thinking of Kim Chul-Soo. ☜