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chapter 77
[Five-Colored Clamshell]
Rank: 3
Grade: Unique
Description: A five-colored clamshell hidden somewhere in the White Sea. If used on a special item, it seems it will induce a good dream.
The information window that clearly appeared ruled out any other possibility.
Hanbit asked Yeonwoo with a puzzled expression.
“…How do you have this?”
“The privilege! It said rewards would be distributed based on contribution! Five-Colored Clamshell—this is it, right?”
“Ah.”
Perhaps because he had been fixated on a single thought, he had forgotten about it.
Whether it was the goddess’s will or the design of the developer who received that command didn’t matter.
They now had a way to find the restricted area.
“Don’t just stand there spacing out—use it quickly!”
Yeonwoo handed the clamshell to Hanbit.
Holding it, Hanbit carefully placed it on the glass surface of the compass.
Slide—
The shimmering clamshell quickly vanished.
And a message appeared.
[The compass begins to dream a happy dream.]
[6 hours remain until it awakens.]
-?
-That’s crossing the line;
-Does this compass bastard think it heard about broadcast restrictions?
-Let’s discipline it with heavy metal.
-Yeah, wake it up properly.
When the waiting time appeared again, the viewers erupted in outrage.
Hanbit himself also found it somewhat questionable.
‘It did take time originally, but…….’
Even in the other world, one had to wait for the sleeping compass to awaken.
But now the situation was different.
Quests might impose waiting periods to advance the story, but rewards didn’t need to.
The fact that even the privilege took 24 hours felt the same—like it was deliberately trying to slow the tempo.
Since it was a game, there should have been a way to grant it immediately.
‘Thinking about it won’t give me an answer.’
No matter how many theories he came up with, that was as far as it went.
In the end, he would need to meet someone who knew about this situation—developer or otherwise.
If not, he would have to go look for clues himself.
Either way, for Hanbit, who had planned to log off anyway, it was actually good timing.
“It’s a shame, but let’s stop here for today. We’ll decide what to do after using the compass tomorrow.”
“Ah, Black Dragon-nim. Would it be possible to meet offline tomorrow?”
“Offline… in real life?”
-Real-life fight ㄷㄷ
-Is this a channel showdown?
-Live coverage possible?
-Going to end up on the 9 o’clock news;
Caught off guard by the unexpected question, Hanbit was also startled.
Avantgarde smiled and added an explanation.
“There’s some broadcast-related talk, and I also have a device that might help your play. If you search for Core Company’s RP Effector, it should come up.”
“Really?”
Hanbit opened the search window and looked up the effector.
A lineup of products priced around 20 million won appeared.
“You’re giving me this?”
“It’s a spare, so don’t feel burdened. I got it as an advertisement item.”
From the details, it seemed to be a newly developed product.
There was no reason to refuse such an unexpected gift.
“Alright. I’ll send you my number by message. I should be free in the evening—let’s say around 7. I’ll talk with Roper about the location and let you know. Oh, is it okay if we all meet together?”
“Of course!”
“That’s a relief. Then I’ll see you tomorrow. I’ll log off first.”
“Yes! See you tomorrow!”
Click—
With that conversation, the game connection ended.
Taking off the headgear, Hanbit stepped out of his room.
“Done already?”
A voice came from the brightly lit living room.
For some reason, his mother was organizing receipts.
“Mom, why aren’t you sleeping?”
“I’m going out tomorrow afternoon. But what was that about 100 million? You startled me.”
The call he’d made at work had left his mother bewildered.
Even hearing that he’d earned tens of millions was unbelievable—let alone 100 million.
Hanbit quietly sat down in the chair beside her.
Then, with a grin, he spoke.
“Let’s move.”
***
“Kang Hanbit, you’re pretty famous these days, huh?”
The next day.
Hanbit, who had gone to work, faced an unexpected situation.
His team leader had called his name.
Not the usual “experiential staff” title—he didn’t even react immediately.
“No, not really.”
“What do you mean, not really? The news articles are all over the place.”
The team leader, seated in front of his monitor, spoke while scrolling the mouse wheel.
News articles still noisy about the episode reset.
Next to them was a list of XTube videos full of fabricated content.
“I heard big companies lined up to scout you. And you rejected them because the conditions were bad? Kid’s already tasted money.”
“It wasn’t about money. I decided to join an acquaintance’s company.”
“A company? What about your internship?”
“Wouldn’t I get disciplined for moonlighting? It felt like I was about to be fired.”
“Ah, damn it. That was just how it sounded.”
The team leader waved his hand and opened his drawer.
He took out the incident report Hanbit had submitted the day before and placed it on the desk.
“I’ll handle the moonlighting issue myself. So do me a favor.”
“A favor?”
“My son wants to play RP. He’s going on about becoming some kind of vanguard. You can build a bridge to big companies for him, right? Get him plenty of support.”
“…….”
His voice was heated with talk of his son.
Completely different from the way he used to call Hanbit an “experiential staff.”
He was familiar with people who changed faces that quickly—but responding emotionally to each one was a loss.
“Sorry, but I don’t have that kind of leeway. You’re free to watch my channel guides. Or you could try making him a streamer.”
“Hey, you want my son to do clown work like that? Are you crazy?”
At the mention of streaming, the team leader’s brow furrowed sharply.
That reaction alone made his view clear.
“Being good or bad at RP is a matter of talent. Showing that through streaming naturally gets reactions. That’s how I caught companies’ attention.”
“So I’m telling you to use your ability to make that happen. Are you stupid, or just pretending?”
“I understand, and I’m saying I can’t do it.”
“You crazy bastard.”
At the firm refusal, the team leader ground his teeth, his face flushed.
He snatched the incident report and shoved it up toward Hanbit’s face.
“If I say the word, the disciplinary action is termination. Got it? Termination!”
“Moonlighting is my fault, so that’s unavoidable.”
“You think that’s the end? Once you’re out, you won’t even be able to set foot in this industry. I’ll make sure of it.”
“That’s fine. I plan to work in RP anyway.”
“What?”
The team leader looked dumbfounded.
Then, with a mocking expression, he lectured him.
“Hey, wake up. How long do you think that little sparkle will last? You should at least get a proper job and support your mother who’s all alone.”
“I made over 100 million just yesterday. Isn’t that enough?”
“100 million? What kind of ridiculous nonsense—”
“That’ll be in the news too. If your son becomes a vanguard, he might have a similar experience. Please cheer him on hard, for after retirement.”
“Hah.”
At Hanbit’s unflinching attitude, the team leader let out a hollow sigh.
Hanbit took out the resignation letter he’d prepared and handed it over.
“I’ll accept the disciplinary action humbly, but regardless of the outcome, I’m submitting my resignation. I should go tidy up the meeting room now.”
“You damn—!”
Bowing lightly, Hanbit headed straight for the meeting room.
Curses flew from behind him, but his steps felt light.
“Are you really okay? The team leader’s got quite a wide network.”
Arriving at the meeting room, his senior, Lee Minho, who had been cleaning up, asked worriedly.
“It’s fine. I’m serious about going into RP. It suits me better than I expected, and it’s fun. I don’t think I’ll regret it.”
“…That does seem true.”
Lee Minho, who occasionally followed news about Black Dragon, nodded in agreement.
Someone with that much talent wasting time at a semiconductor company really was a shame.
“Even if you leave the company, I can still pass you game data.”
“Ah, that project’s been discontinued. It seems they’ll continue it internally within R&D.”
“Really?”
At the unexpected news, Hanbit thought for a moment.
The reason he’d participated in the gear research was to find clues about the goddess.
Even if he’d found one lead, he couldn’t just let it go.
“You’re staying at the company, right?”
“…Actually, I was preparing to change jobs. My body’s reaching its limit.”
Lee Minho had been taking on all kinds of menial work, even his superior’s tasks.
Continuing like that was impossible for a human body.
“Do you have a company in mind?”
“Well, I’m thinking of moving to a completely different field, but…….”
After everything he’d experienced here, Lee Minho wanted to leave the industry.
There were too many bad memories, and fundamentally, it didn’t suit him.
“For example? You don’t plan on doing design work anymore, right?”
“Probably not. Looking into RP gear this time broadened my perspective a bit, and I’ve always been interested in new things.”
From a young age, Lee Minho had been interested in development and research.
If he’d continued down that path, things might have turned out completely differently.
He hadn’t realized how much he’d regret choosing his university and company based on 현실.
“Then you’d be interested in RP-related companies too?”
“I’m interested, but companies specializing in RP gear have insanely high requirements. All the top talent gathers there.”
As the game’s popularity exploded, the value of companies developing and producing gear skyrocketed.
Among them, only about three stood at the top.
New competitors still hadn’t overcome their wall.
Naturally, talent gravitated toward stable companies.
“Do you have any conditions in mind?”
“Conditions? Hmm…….”
Erasing the whiteboard, Lee Minho paused to think.
Salary and benefits would be nice, but after this place, the work environment felt far more important.
At the very least, he didn’t want to meet an overbearing boss again.
“Just a comfortable atmosphere, I guess. Honestly, I’m even considering remote work.”
“…That would definitely be more comfortable.”
From that alone, Hanbit could clearly sense what Lee Minho truly wanted.
After thinking for a moment, Hanbit finished tidying the meeting room in the settled silence.
