On the flight back to the United States.
Christine still couldn't hide her bewilderment.
Was it because her fiancé's business partner looked much younger than she'd expected?
Because that person had turned out to be a Prophet?
Or because the fiancé she'd known for six months had been monopolizing all information about the next Round by himself?
It was none of those.
What truly left Christine dumbfounded was the Prophet's statement that she would be in danger during Round 11.
'If Dad had been there, it would've been a disaster.'
Pastor or not, wouldn't he have blown up at that small Asian man?
With her father's fiery temper, he absolutely would have.
'And now he's saying a lifeline will come down to save me?'
Christine replayed the conversation she'd had with the self-proclaimed Prophet.
"A lifeline? What is that supposed to mean?"
"It means someone will save you."
"And who would that be?"
"I can't tell you that much."
Even thinking back on it now, the whole thing was ridiculous.
'He can't tell me who? Is he really a Prophet?'
If he'd seen a future where she was saved, he would have seen who it was as well.
There was no reason not to mention it.
'Who's supposed to save me? Surely he doesn't mean my fiancé…?'
As she fretted over who it could be, Christine shook her head as if to fling the thought away.
'How stupid. I can't believe I'm taking such a half-baked prophecy seriously.'
He'd tossed out some vague so-called Round 7 intel, refused to say who would save her, and so on.
All his prophecies were hollow, missing anything of substance.
Of course, with even resurrection being a thing now, she couldn't outright deny the possibility that someone could see the future.
'But I just can't see that Asian guy as a real Prophet.'
She couldn't shake the feeling that her fiancé was being duped.
[We will soon be arriving at Dallas–Fort Worth International Airport.]
When she lifted her head, the plane had already reached the airport.
After picking up her suitcase and heading out to the arrivals gate, she spotted a familiar face waiting for her.
It was Jeffrey Bishop, the young deacon.
"Christine. Did you have a good trip to Korea?"
"Ah, Deacon Bishop. I didn't know you'd come all the way to the airport to meet me."
"The pastor told me to bring you straight back and not let you wander off anywhere else."
"Haah, of course he did."
Christine let out a short sigh and climbed into the black van.
The van left the airport and sped out toward the outskirts before coming to a stop in front of the church.
A sign reading [Shiningwood Church] came into view.
It was a mega-church with over a hundred thousand congregants, one of the largest in the entire United States.
A church of this stature was one even the governor of Texas had to treat with care.
Christine was the daughter of the pastor who presided over that influential church.
She was in no way lacking as a match for a chaebol family.
Screeeech—
When the church doors opened, a vast sanctuary spread out before her, reminiscent of a concert hall.
Clack, clack—
She walked around the sanctuary and towards the back, where the pastor's office was located.
Jeffrey knocked—knock, knock—on the door and said,
"Pastor. Christine is here."
"Let her in."
He opened the door and stepped aside, and Christine went inside.
Inside sat a middle-aged man whose face alone told you he was stubborn as a mule.
This was Christine's father, Nathan Watson.
"You're here."
"Yes, Father."
"So, did you meet your fiancé in Korea without issue?"
"Of course."
"And what kind of man is your fiancé, in your eyes?"
"He's neat, well-put-together, and decent."
"He hasn't been rude to you in any way, has he?"
"Not once. He doesn't seem like the kind of bad person who would do that. If anything, he treats me with great courtesy."
"Naturally he should be courteous. Whose daughter do you think you are?"
Nathan smiled, satisfied.
"So, what do you think? Now that you've seen more of him, does he look like a good man?"
"I'm not sure."
"And there's been no progress in the relationship?"
"We're not at that stage yet."
"You've been dating for six months and you're still only at that stage?"
Christine flared up for a moment.
"Dating? We don't even have feelings for each other. How can you call this dating when we're just going back and forth out of obligation?"
"Still, be patient a little longer. Ohsung Group is a globally renowned Korean conglomerate. A marriage alliance with the eldest son of such a chaebol will only benefit you, not harm you."
"I know that, but…!"
Christine's voice rose with emotion, then she forced herself to calm down.
The arrangements for her marriage had already been settled with her father.
Saying she wanted to back out now would only fall on deaf ears.
His stiff-necked insistence on finding her an arranged match "for her own good" said it all.
"Even if you dislike him now, affection will grow as you spend time together. Who knows, you might end up so close you can't live without each other."
"I don't know. People who are that polished make me uneasy. They say the more perfect someone looks, the more they're just dressing up to hide their ulterior motives."
"That's not the kind of suspicion you should harbor. You still lack discipline as a child of Jesus."
"That's because I'm your daughter."
"..."
Silence fell between father and daughter for a moment.
"So, what is your fiancé doing these days?"
"He said he's preparing a business."
"Business, huh. Even after our world has been connected to the divine realm, he still can't let go of worldly greed."
"That goes for you too, Father."
"…I am not one of those chosen by God, am I?"
"Do you really think this is God's choice and God's power?"
Light flared from Christine's hand.
It was a warm, gentle glow just to look at.
It was [Heal], the basic skill of a Priest.
"Ohh, as expected of my daughter. You truly are a Priest blessed with an angel's grace."
"..."
Angel's grace?
Christine was so dumbfounded she was at a loss for words.
She had tried over and over to explain how evil the angels were, but she could never get through to her father.
"So, is your fiancé making good use of God's gift as well?"
"Yes…"
"What level did you say he was?"
"He said he's Level 29. He's been steadily holding second or third place in the zone rankings."
"He must be quite capable then, if his level is higher than our Jeffrey's."
Nathan clicked his tongue in satisfaction and let out a small laugh.
"So, is his new business coming along well?"
"It seems he's planning to create a social market for Players. The opening is only a few days away."
"As expected of a major corporation's heir. He must have an eye for items, to come up with something like that on his own."
"He's not alone, though. He has a business partner. Someone who's also a Prophet…"
"A Prophet? What do you mean?"
He pressed her, as if telling her to explain in detail, but Christine waved a hand as if it were nothing.
"I forgot his name, but the partner claims to have a Prophet class. Says he can see the future or something. He gave me some information about Round 7 like he was doing me a favor, but I don't know if it's trustworthy. It all sounded like complete nonsense."
"So he has a friend like that? A Prophet…"
Nathan's expression turned pensive, as if mulling something over.
"In chaotic times like these, there's no ability more attractive than seeing the future. Why don't you get close to that friend?"
"I don't know. Hard to do that when all he talks about is how I'll die or be in danger. It's not exactly convincing."
"Hm? What are you talking about now?"
Christine told her father what he had said about her being in danger in Round 11.
"It's just a bogus prophecy. There's no need to take it seriously."
"..."
But what father could sit still after hearing that his daughter would die?
"I'd like to meet this so-called Prophet."
"There's no need. There's no way his prophecy will come true."
"But President Ma wouldn't have lied, would he?"
"He probably just got lucky. When you make vague prophecies like that, anyone can 'get it right' now and then."
"Hmm. Then you don't believe in the prophecy at all?"
"I don't. There's no way I'd be in danger."
Christine's rune was the [Rune of Life].
It was an incredible rune that granted her experience—and even bonus stats—the more she healed the injured and saved lives.
Maybe because of that, from the moment she learned Heal she went around helping people and was able to grow rapidly.
On top of that, once Players recognized the value of a Priest, they flocked to her, so she was hardly ever in danger.
In other words, she had dozens of meat shields crowding around her wherever she went.
"Don't let your guard down. Someone in that crowd following you could betray you."
"Don't worry. Did you forget that I'm the Zone Representative?"
No one dared defy the orders of someone who held the right of control.
"Even so, someone with that authority is always a potential target."
"But there are more people who want to protect me and stay by my side than ones who'd betray me. You don't need to worry about my safety."
"Very well, if you say so… but still, always be prepared for anything that might happen."
"Yes, Father."
"You've done well coming back. Go and get some rest now."
As soon as Christine left the room, Nathan called out to Jeffrey, who had been waiting by the door.
"Jeffrey."
"Yes, Pastor."
"I hear my daughter's fiancé's business partner is a Prophet. He had the gall to speak pompously of prophecy and spout nonsense about my daughter living or dying. Look into his background and see whether he's a quack or not."
"I will carry out your order in the name of Christ."
Once Jeffrey left, the corners of Nathan's eyes lifted.
'Whoever that bastard is, he dared shake my daughter with his foolish words?'
He needed to be absolutely sure what the man's intentions were.
'And if his prophecy misses the mark?'
Then he would make the man taste hell sooner rather than later.
After meeting Christine, Ryu Min gave the same Round 7 information to Russell.
"Huh? All I have to remember is this? Don't lose to temptation?"
"It's: Don't be swayed by temptation."
Thinking back on that meeting, Ryu Min let out a wry smile.
'Funny how everyone reacts exactly the same.'
It wasn't that he was reluctant to share details about Round 7. That one line was genuinely all they needed to remember.
'There's no need to say anything more, and I mustn't. Say too much, and they'll only end up ruining Round 7.'
As long as they remembered the phrase "Don't be swayed by temptation," they would make it through Round 7 without much trouble.
'And a bit early, but I've already slipped Christine the information that she'll be saved in Round 11.'
He had cast the bait; now he just had to wait for her to bite.
Of course, the one who had to save Christine wasn't her fiancé, but himself.
That was why he hadn't told her who would be saving her.
'If I said Black Scythe would save her, her fiancé Ma Kyung-rok would obviously get jealous.'
For now, the best course was to keep it hidden, so as not to ruin the relationship between Ma Kyung-rok and Black Scythe.
Once a knot was cut, it was hard to tie it back together.
'If I'm going to make use of Ma Kyung-rok, I need to keep things as amicable as possible.'
After that, Ryu Min shut himself in at home for a while.
All he did at home was browse Today's Items and shop, or synthesize magic stones.
[You have created a "Low-Grade Green Magic Stone."]
[Synthesis successful!]
[The "Agility +4" option has been added to Hermes' Feathered Helm.]
'With this, I've socketed low-grade magic stones into all my gear.'
The tier above low-grade was mid-grade.
The recipe was the same: simply combine two low-grade stones.
The method for creating high-grade stones was no different.
'I've got one lowest-grade magic stone of each color left, but it's better to hold on to them for now.'
Being the lowest grade didn't mean they were useless.
As long as you had enough stones, you could always synthesize your way up to mid-grade and high-grade.
'In a few days, Player Place opens. If things go as expected, people will start flooding the site with magic stones and all sorts of crafting materials for sale.'
If he swept up all the magic stones then, he could keep synthesizing them up into high-grade stones.
Maybe even up to top-grade magic stones.
'And I need to secure the material items I need ahead of time, so I can craft unique items as well.'
There were many ways to obtain unique items: hunting boss-tier monsters, receiving quest rewards, and so on.
'But among them, crafting is still the easiest.'
He had all the recipes memorized, so that part posed no difficulty.
'The problem is the supply of materials.'
Once Player Place opened, that problem would be solved as well.
'Of course, that depends on people actually using it.'
Ma Kyung-rok had already hired an advertising agency to attract new users.
'He said he slipped some bonuses to reporters to get articles written, so let's see…'
When Ryu Min typed "Player Place" into the search bar, a list of articles popped up.
[First-Ever Player Market Opens on June 11!]
[A Market Just for Players? World's First Social Market to Open Soon.]
[Register and Sell Your Unwanted Items Yourself! Pl.Pl Set to Open Soon.]
He must have hired several reporters; multiple articles were up.
At this level, the major promotional push was already done.
'Now it's in heaven's hands.'
There was still one place left to promote it, though.
Since it happened to be Sunday, Ryu Min got dressed to go out.
"I'm stepping out for a bit."
"Okay, hyung."
After moving to a spot without any CCTV, he equipped the feathered helm and activated a skill.
'Invisibility.'
Swoosh—
Ryu Min's figure melted into his surroundings and vanished without a trace.