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148
“Borrow for 24 hours?”
The unexpected words drew a puzzled reaction from Diorama.
Vanguards — and two of them — 24 hours’ worth.
It was a condition normally no one would even think of.
“What would you borrow them for?”
Luna asked the intent with what seemed like amusement.
Hanbit, reaching for the map, pointed above the base camp and said:
“There are items I’ve been wanting to get. If Vestige’s two vanguards obtain them on my behalf, I’ll provide the information you need.”
“Obtaining those items in 24 hours?”
Raphina’s voice was also full of curiosity.
The content of this deal was that fresh.
“The full 24 hours will be used. If we start right away, it’ll be done by tomorrow afternoon.”
Obtaining the items required not only hunting, but also exploration and dungeon clearing.
With two vanguards, it would certainly be achievable.
“Interesting.”
Diorama, who had been stroking his chin as he listened, smiled.
Halting the progress of two vanguards for 24 hours was an enormous loss for a company.
Because regardless of the result, they always carried a large expected value.
But this deal was an opportunity that absolutely could not be missed.
Because Black Dragon was the only person who could accurately consult on the vanguards’ future.
“Very well. I’ll bring the two of them here.”
“What?”
Diorama, suddenly rising from his seat, stepped out of the conference room.
Watching that with puzzlement, Raphina explained:
“Ah — one floor of the headquarters building is used as lodging for the vanguards. I’m not there, but the other two find going out a hassle…….”
Most players normally play comfortably from their own homes.
Using RP gear at the company was only for employees with no autonomy over it.
Being vanguards, no one would say anything no matter where they logged in from.
And to think lodging had been arranged inside the company building.
“Those two vanguards could refuse, couldn’t they?”
“They won’t refuse. Raphina, those two — they listen to the CEO’s words, don’t they?”
Luna, looking at her friend, asked.
With everyone’s eyes on her at once, Raphina averted her gaze slightly and said:
“That’s part of it — but both of them have been struggling for a long time with their stalled episodes. Hearing the information Black Dragon-nim will provide, they’ll probably accept…….”
She added that it should be fine.
Wasn’t sure of the details, but either way — if the conditions were accepted, welcome.
“Hyung, let’s talk for a moment.”
Just then, Yeonwoo gestured to step outside.
“Be right back.”
Having asked for understanding, Hanbit went out of the conference room with him.
Standing in a corner of the corridor, Yeonwoo immediately posed a question.
“Wouldn’t it be better to adjust the deal terms a little?”
“Why? Seems decent to me.”
“Using a vanguard’s time carries more weight than you’re thinking, hyung. Even if you give consulting as the return — if Vestige’s side fails to execute properly, accountability gets ambiguous. There’s no need to stir up trouble for no reason, right?”
Yeonwoo showed clear signs of having mulled it over quite a bit.
Had he dug into similar messy incidents from the past?
“Would you rather end it with money?”
“That’s the cleanest way. The level of consulting would command quite a price.”
Yeonwoo’s opinion — extract as much money as possible.
Understandable — but Hanbit’s thinking was clear.
“Unfortunately, what I want can’t be bought with money. Everything I’m after hasn’t been released to the market.”
“……Are they firsts?”
“I don’t know, but whether they’re firsts isn’t the important thing. Getting them is the objective for now.”
The items Hanbit was trying to obtain all existed in places difficult to reach.
But there was sufficient possibility that people who had broken through that difficulty and arrived had existed.
At the very least, someone might have stumbled in by luck.
Even so, it would pose no problem to the plan.
“Either way, this is a good opportunity. Originally they were items I was going to get much later.”
Things that needed to be collected from the Bastia side definitely existed.
The distance was too great, and the growth wasn’t sufficient, so the timing had been pushed back.
Of course, what was to be obtained through the two vanguards was only a portion — but that was enough.
The Snow Drake subjugation and the Tower of Vortex.
Right now, preparing for these two pieces of content was the most important thing.
“If it can’t be bought with money, it certainly holds significant value.”
Even a concerned Yeonwoo grasped the clear situation.
Glancing at the conference room, he asked Hanbit:
“How far do you plan to go with the consulting?”
“They asked for direction — I’ll at least sort that out. I have a rough idea of where the problems are.”
“……I don’t know what’s involved, but I understand your intent for now. I’ll fall in line with that.”
Having finished the conversation, the two re-entered the conference room.
Right after, Diorama returned.
“Brought them.”
He appeared with two men.
Looking to be in their late twenties.
Their disheveled appearance and hollow expressions seemed a fitting testament to finding going out a hassle.
“Hello. I’m Black Dragon.”
“Yeah.”
“Hello.”
A short-haired one giving a small nod, and a bespectacled man staring at his phone screen and answering quietly.
Not the slightest sign of particular interest even at the name Black Dragon.
“The friend with the bad attitude here is Breaker, and the phone addict is Titan. They use knuckles and a greatsword as their main weapons, respectively.”
Character names with a strangely fitting quality to the weapons.
If both were vanguards specialized in offense, they were perfectly suited to Hanbit’s conditions.
“Black Dragon-nim, could you explain in a little more detail?”
“Ah, yes.”
Hanbit gave a nod and pointed to the map again.
Then, addressing the two who were not yet paying attention:
“You two will need to clear two dungeons, obtain one monster trophy, and find one hidden material — all within 24 hours. And all the rewards that come out must be given to me.”
“What?”
Breaker’s brow furrowed sharply.
Even having heard the rough terms — walking away with all the rewards was beyond common sense.
“So — what kind of consulting are you going to give?”
Titan, seated beside him, asked without lifting his eyes from the phone screen.
Black Dragon’s information given as the price of proxy collection.
That was what mattered most to the vanguards.
Hanbit tapped his finger to the north of the Bastia Federation.
“The walkthrough for the currently stalled eighth episode. And advice on the investigation team vetting process. Because if things continue as they are, you’ll keep going around in circles.”
“……That’s possible?”
Titan finally lifted his head and looked at Hanbit.
Eyes with the look of trying to see through to the inside.
Completely different from the detached gaze at the phone.
“That you’ll see from the results. Though of course I’ll only help to the extent that equals 24 hours.”
“…….”
Titan held the eye contact quietly.
A look of deliberating for a moment.
But the time wasn’t long.
“You’re accepting it, CEO?”
“Of course. An opportunity like this doesn’t come twice.”
“Alright then.”
Titan, giving a nod and looking back at his phone.
All that remained was Breaker seated beside him.
Diorama asked him:
“What about you?”
“I’ll do it. But if the return for putting us through 24 hours of grinding is garbage, I can do whatever I want, right?”
He glared at Hanbit with blazing eyes.
For bad attitude — it wasn’t particularly unpleasant.
“Of course. But you two will need to obtain the items I want properly as well.”
“I have no intention of doing half-baked work.”
Conversation concluded with gazes meeting.
Watching that, Diorama clapped his hands and said:
“Well, that’s settled nicely. Then let’s proceed with the deal.”
***
“Phew. Longer than expected.”
Having concluded about three hours of conversation, Hanbit and Yeonwoo stepped out of the conference room.
The first half was explanation of what Hanbit wanted and how to obtain it.
The remaining half was discussion of the situation Vestige faced and what direction consulting was needed.
The 1.5 billion Belmora episode walkthrough was wrapped up by handing over the materials prepared in advance.
“Are you heading straight out?”
Just then, Luna and Raphina followed out of the conference room.
A memory of yesterday suddenly surfacing, Hanbit asked the two:
“How did the spirits go?”
“Oh! I was just about to mention that!”
At the mention of spirits, Raphina stepped one pace forward as though she had been waiting.
“Yesterday I got the message saying they were showing interest for the first time!”
“Is that so?”
“Yes! I stayed through the night flying around, using a lot of magic, trying to play with them…….”
She boasted about having stayed in the garden through the night without sleeping a wink.
In that process — spirit skill proficiency reaching 100%.
Perhaps just one more day of effort and it would be possible to move on to the next stage.
“That’s good. Make sure to get some sleep, and use the time before the Snow Drake subjugation.”
“Yes!”
Raphina answering in an animated voice showed no sign of exhaustion.
That was how long-awaited a moment it was.
“How was it for you, Luna?”
“I met an ice spirit that looked like a fairy.”
“What?”
Hanbit was taken aback.
A fairy-like appearance.
The superior ice spirit — Freis.
“What happened after meeting?”
“It glared at me for several hours, then just disappeared. And I stayed a little longer and came out of the garden.”
“……Is that so?”
No matter how much he thought, the situation didn’t fall into place.
Setting everything else aside, only the fact that a superior spirit had appeared in the garden kept circling in his mind.
“It might be that some kind of trigger or preparation is needed. For now you need to pick up the sword you left — so when you log in, head straight to Jaeha-hyung. Shall we meet in Edelen’s plaza?”
“Yes, I’ll see you there. Shall we head down below?”
Following Luna’s suggestion, everyone moved toward the underground parking garage.
A vehicle Diorama had prepared was waiting there.
To avoid the reporters and civilians who were still holding their ground.
“We’ll take you wherever you need to go.”
Hanbit rode the same car as Yeonwoo.
Because he had said there was still something to discuss.
“Please let us off here. Thank you.”
The two got out near a subway station a short distance away.
Watching the departing car, Hanbit asked Yeonwoo standing beside him:
“So — what’s going on?”
“Ah — the detective agency that took jobs from Adventurer A. It looks like I might be able to get in contact with their boss before long.”
“Really?”
The business card from ‘Deoksu Detective Agency’ obtained from the person who had been tailing Hanbit.
It seemed he had managed to find a way to contact the boss of that place with no number, nothing.
“When will that be?”
“They’re not in Korea right now, so I’ll try to arrange something next weekend. They’re the kind of person you can reel in with money.”
Having gathered some information on the boss too, there was confidence.
Next week he would be inside the Tower of Vortex — but taking a brief moment out would be fine.
“Got it. If there’s anything, contact me right away.”
The two, having concluded the brief conversation, immediately parted.
Hanbit, who had taken the subway and arrived home quickly.
In the living room, his mother was organizing things.
“The move is next Thursday, isn’t it?”
“What you’re throwing out needs to go early.”
The procedures that had proceeded smoothly after signing the final contract.
Having the conversation with the landlord go well too, it was possible to set the moving date quickly.
“Should I put this all out?”
“It’s heavy, leave it. Mom will do it slowly.”
“What’s the point of having a son? I’ll take it out.”
Hanbit moved the accumulated trash and discards outside.
It had been a place with no belongings from the start, so the volume truly wasn’t much.
“All out. The furniture goes out the day before, right?”
“Yeah. Leave the rest.”
Having returned inside, his mother had also nearly finished organizing.
Hanbit, who had been heading to his room, stopped for a moment.
“Mom.”
“What?”
“Can’t you quit work? I’m going to keep giving you living expenses from now on.”
Streaming revenue and channel video revenue.
With just these two, it had already far exceeded a billion.
Even accounting for taxes, there was more than enough room for his mother to quit work.
Because income going forward would grow even larger — like the information sold to Vestige.
But his mother was firm.
“My body is fine, why would I quit? Mom is still okay.”
A neighborhood soup restaurant where she had worked for over six years.
His mother had no thought of leaving there.
It was the idea that retirement savings had to be secured by her own hands.
“Think about it a bit. I’m earning a lot, you know?”
“I love that you’re earning a lot. But I said that should be spent on you, didn’t I? Mom is over the moon just with the jeonse house.”
“No, what I mean is…….”
“Got it, son. Hurry and go do your work. Okay?”
His mother, having cut off the conversation, pushed her son into his room.
“Ha.”
A sigh came naturally at the stubbornness that couldn’t be bent.
Trying again after the move would probably be best.
Shhk—
Having put on the gear, Hanbit immediately lay down on the bed and logged into RP.
Ding—
An alert the moment the screen came on.
A single message was floating before him.
[A message has arrived from the GM.]
