Episode 205
'… … ?'
The brief content written on the memo was puzzling.
As Adventurer A was also a candidate for the investigation team, entering a restricted area was not unusual.
The problem was the coordinates.
The number 8-35 indicated an area accessible only to the investigation team, not the candidates.
“Was there nothing else besides this memo?”
“There was only one visible item. It seemed the investigation of the cell phone and computer would take some time. Since there was practically nothing in the house, the investigation itself was completed quickly.” They
said Adventurer A’s home contained nothing but essential furniture.
He must have earned quite a bit of money; did he pour it all into RP?
“How was the gear he was using? If there was a burning smell, was there a problem there?”
“Ah, I was actually planning to show you the gear as well. There was damage to the headgear, but I didn't see any external injuries on his head.”
The investigator showed a photo displayed on a smartphone screen.
Pure white gear engraved with Lv.4.
It was the highest grade available on the market.
Was it not a capsule because he lacked the qualifications?
'It really burned.'
The pitch-black soot visible all over the headgear was clearly burn marks.
It was surprising that there were no external injuries.
“So, do you have any idea? Based on the circumstances, it appears they moved to this location.”
The investigator leaned in slightly to ask.
Hanbit, taking his eyes off his notes, offered a general answer.
“It is literally a restricted area within the Record Project game. However, since it is a place that cannot be entered with the qualification of Adventurer A, I do not know how they got here.”
“By qualification, do you mean something like a lack of level?”
“It is a bit different from level. It is an investigation team, so I think it would be best to find a player with this qualification and inquire with them.”
“I see.”
The investigator raised his eyebrows slightly and nodded.
After taking notes on his smartphone, he looked back at Hanbit and said,
“Thank you. This will be of great help in guiding the investigation.”
“But since this is a death case, couldn’t we request cooperation from the game company?”
“Of course, we will follow the procedures and send an official letter. However, we will need to sort out exactly what to request and what details to include.”
Although Record Project was headquartered in the U.S., it was also operating services in Korea.
Naturally, in accordance with Korean law, they had to comply with requests for information.
They would likely demand details regarding Adventurer A's activities leading up to his death.
“Please feel free to contact me if you need any information. Since I never expected him to die, I think it would be good if the cause of death was properly revealed.”
“I will definitely pass this on to the investigation team. The investigator handling the death case is a friend who plays role-playing, so he will likely communicate better with you than I do.”
With the death of the accused, Adventurer A, the criminal proceedings can no longer proceed.
This means his role as an investigator comes to a halt here.
“You will have to proceed with a civil lawsuit regarding the fraud charges, so please consult with a lawyer. Well then, I will be leaving now.”
The investigator picked up his phone, stood up, and left the cafe.
Watching his retreating figure, Yeon-woo spoke while sipping her drink.
“So, what do you really think?”
“What?”
“Adventurer A. There is no way he died just by chance while wearing the gear, right? Isn't this also related to that goddess?”
“…Well, it is possible.”
The Goddess of Turmoil was rising in Hanbit's mind as well.
However, it was merely a reasonable suspicion; there was far too little information to be certain.
“Let’s pass this on to Mr. Kenji first.”
Hanbit took out his smartphone and called Kenji through the designated app.
As if he had been waiting, Kenji accepted the call immediately.
(Yes, Lord Black Dragon.)
Kenji’s voice sounded slightly subdued.
Adventurer A, who had met a sudden death without paying any price for his crimes.
It was only natural that he would feel complex emotions in this situation.
“I’m contacting you now that our conversation is over. Let me tell you what I’ve learned first.”
Hanbit conveyed the conversation he had with the investigator, along with a bit of his own thoughts.
The content came as a shock to Kenji.
(If he was wearing gear… are you saying he died while still a player?)
Naturally thinking of Momo, he spoke in a surprised voice.
It was only natural that anxiety was rising, especially given that accessing the game was already impossible due to the ongoing update.
“The cause of death has not yet been determined. It could be a simple chronic illness, or there might be a problem with the gears.”
(Could it be that the Goddess of Turmoil has caused something? If so, my daughter might be in danger.)
Kenji’s agitation did not easily subside.
The possibility that his daughter might die.
In a way, it was only natural for him, as a father, to waver.
“Of course, if Adventurer A died due to the situation within the game, divine power might have been involved. However, there is no way she would have died without any reason. Considering her personality, wouldn’t that be even more likely? Like picking a fight with someone?”
(That… I can’t deny it.)
Adventurer A was an emotional person. She
had picked a fight with Hanbit just recently and ended up getting defeated herself, so would it be any different with someone else?
“You are still monitoring Momo, right?”
(Yes. Mr. Lee Min-ho and our team are keeping an eye on her.)
“Are there any major changes or issues?”
(Not yet.)
Lee Min-ho was conducting an investigation while personally observing Momo in real-time.
It was fortunate that no immediate problems had arisen, but it seemed necessary to convey the situation for now.
“Then please pass on the information regarding Adventurer A to them as well. I know you are naturally worried, but let’s observe the situation for the time being. Momo is clearly a different case.”
(…Understood.)
At those words, Kenji’s voice calmed down slightly.
After pausing for a moment, Hanbit conveyed one more thing.
It was the story of Grace and her younger sibling, for which permission had been obtained in advance.
“And there was someone who visited the other world around the same time as Momo. It was the younger sibling of Grace, the founder of Astra.”
(Huh? Surely not that person, too….)
“No. She wasn’t trapped in the game. I heard that ever since she returned from the other world, she has been repeating nothing but that she must find Erfort.”
(That… is unfortunate.)
Kenji muttered bitterly.
Though different from himself, Grace must have also gone through a hellish tragedy.
“I plan to investigate this matter as well. It seems to be a symptom resulting from brainwashing or trauma.”
(I will pass this on to Mr. Lee Min-ho and our team as well. This is a critical time where even the smallest clue is important.)
“Yes, I ask for your help. Then, I will talk to her a bit more tomorrow and contact you again.”
(Understood.)
After finishing the call, Hanbit turned his gaze straight ahead.
There, Yeon-woo was looking at his smartphone screen with a serious expression.
“What’s wrong? Why are you so serious?”
“Ah, I was just looking up some information about the Forbidden Zone. As expected of information from the advance team, there’s nothing decent.”
“Really?”
The community he was scouring was RPG.
Considering that the majority were regular players, the information about the Forbidden Zone was completely nonsensical.
Hanbit
swiped his smartphone and logged into Astra.
“Is this Astra? The UI is decent, it’s nice.”
Yeonwoo glanced at the screen and looked at it with curiosity.
Entering the Free Board, Hanbit decided to search for a few keywords.
“Hmm.”
Compared to RPG, the number of posts was quite small.
However, considering the 660 members, it could be seen as a lot.
“The frequency of good posts is definitely high. In RPG, 99 percent of the posts are garbage.”
“They say we are a recognized advance team. We should be exchanging information responsibly.”
As Yeonwoo said, the quality of the information being discussed on the board was not bad.
Especially since the Forbidden Zone was an unknown quantity to each other, exchanges and discussions were actively underway.
'Adventurer A is… "Nothing in particular."
Just in case, he searched for Adventurer A, but the player was barely even mentioned.
He could feel Luna's words about being significantly pushed out of the competition lineup acutely.
"Why are there so many messages?"
Hanbit clicked the notification that popped up at the top right.
A long list of incoming messages was displayed there.
"Wow, they're all questions and invitations. There are also a lot of people who contacted the studio."
The messages sent by the players contained greetings, self-introductions, and various purposes.
It actually seemed better to try this way rather than beating around the bush.
Of course, he wasn't ready to respond to them yet.
Standing up from his seat, Hanbit looked at Yeonwoo and said,
"Let's go to the studio."
***
A newly constructed building near Yeongdeungpo Station in Seoul.
Arriving at the office on the third floor, Hanbit and Yeonwoo stood face-to-face with a short woman.
"This is the editor I mentioned last time, Ms. Na Yeri."
"Hello…"
The woman, wearing a hat pulled low over her face, greeted him hesitantly.
Although the atmosphere seemed somewhat ominous, Hanbit responded calmly.
“Yes, hello. Thank you for always doing such a great job with the editing. Thanks to you, the channel is sailing smoothly.”
“No…”
When the compliment was offered, Na Yeri spoke in a hesitant, almost hushed voice.
It appeared that communication was proving difficult.
“Um, I have some editing to do…”
Giving up on the conversation, Na Yeri hurried to her seat.
Hanbit, who had been watching her blankly, turned his gaze to the company CEO.
“Did I do something wrong?”
“I told you. I’m a fan of yours, but you’re a bit different from what you might expect. He’s quite shy. But he’s also overflowing with curiosity.”
Returning to her seat, Na Yeri was peeking over the monitor.
The way she hid away the moment their eyes met was unusual in many ways.
“…Let’s get to work first.”
Hanbit moved to the meeting desk placed to one side.
Opening the laptop on the desk, he entered his channel.
“How much money do you have available right now?”
“Funds? Hmm, if you include Chairman Kenji’s support, about… 5 billion won?”
“Really?”
Hanbit nodded at the substantial amount.
It was still a completely unreal sum, but he had to get used to it. After
all, various things were bound to happen starting from the Forbidden Zone.
“Once the update is finished, I’ll sort out the things we need to buy first. We have to pay with company funds, so you handle it.”
“Okay. I’ll buy them as soon as it opens.”
Hanbit examined the RP map on the monitor and organized the purchase list one by one. He had clearly organized in his mind
where to start and how to move quickly to become an official member of the investigation team,
as well as the important items, skills, and relationships with NPCs
he needed to acquire in the process. It was correct to view all the items to be purchased as foundations for that purpose.
“There are quite a few.”
“You can’t leave a single one out.” “
Don’t worry, I won’t miss a single speck.”
The two exchanged such conversation for about two hours.
Before they knew it, it was evening.
“Shall we have a meal together?”
“Shall we?”
Hanbit nodded at the suggestion.
Both of their gazes turned simultaneously toward Na Yeri’s seat.
“……!”
She, who was in the middle of working, flinched in surprise at the sudden gaze.
But then.
“Huh?”
Suddenly, Na Yeri’s eyes widened as she looked at Hanbit.
“What is it?”
“This… is up.”
“What?”
At the strange reaction, Hanbit stood up and walked over to Na Yeri’s desk.
The Record Project homepage appeared on her monitor.
As Hanbit scrolled through it, she discovered a new announcement pinned to the center.
[Pre-releasing major changes for the first update.]
