In front of Jinhyuk's officetel.
Se-yeon's eyes rounded as she waited in the car.
"You're back already?"
They were on their way to the Seoul Player Hunter Agency.
Since he said he had something to take care of and stepped out, she expected it to take a while—but he'd come back almost as soon as he'd entered the building.
"I just checked if any packages arrived."
Jinhyuk smiled as he climbed into the passenger seat.
In truth, the package check was a lie.
Card heroes could only manifest within a set radius relative to their owner.
He had stepped out so they could manifest at the house.
"Then let's go. Seat belt, please."
"Yes."
As Se-yeon's car glided onto the road—
Ring. Ring. Ring. Ring.
His phone wouldn't stop vibrating.
"Isn't that for you, Jinhyuk?"
"It's fine. Probably spam."
He sneaked a look at the screen.
It was a stream of payment notifications from food-delivery apps.
From Jade Dragon Snow Mountain onward, the starving Kancho was running wild.
If I'd brought them to the Agency, they would've started a riot.
Jinhyuk swallowed dryly.
When they first manifested, his friends said they neither needed sleep nor food.
They were adamant. But now they ate three full meals a day and slept eight solid hours.
When mealtime passed, they even rubbed their grumbling bellies.
Eat plenty.
A smile curved his lips at the thought of his friends surrounded by a fortress of delivery food.
Judging from the nonstop alerts, he had no idea how much they were ordering—but as long as they were happy, he was satisfied.
Meanwhile, Se-yeon, who was driving, felt a subtle sense of relief.
So this is why he never checks messages…
It wasn't that he ignored them on purpose—he was simply the type who was completely oblivious to such things.
As Jinhyuk watched the Seoul nightscape, he spoke.
"I feel bad, Se-yeon. You were called in because of me, right? You're already busy with the pre-50th-floor preparations."
"No, it's fine. I wasn't 'called in' exactly—I went on my own."
Se-yeon opened Instagram.
It was the photo of Jinhyuk trailing after Xiaochen like a lost puppy.
"I saw this and called Team Leader Jin Yunho. I also went with him to Incheon Airport."
"So you've been out since yesterday?"
"Pretty much."
"Makes me feel even worse."
"You don't need to. You've never stayed at the Hunter Agency, right? The facility is great. The food's good too."
Before she became a Ranker, Se-yeon had often slept at the Agency.
To her, their lodging was nothing unusual.
"By the way… weren't you supposed to be on an overseas trip? How did things… end up like this?"
There were so many things she wanted to ask that the question came out vague.
"Right? I wonder that too."
He scratched his head.
He hadn't planned any of this.
It was his first international trip—he wanted to try Chinese cuisine and admire the beautiful snow-covered mountains.
But the journey began with kidnapping, moved on to illegal stay, and ended with smuggling himself back in.
So officially, the system doesn't even say I left the country.
He made a sorrowful face.
Next time, he would go properly—no matter what.
Looking at him, Se-yeon let out a quiet sigh.
She wanted to know what he'd fed Liugai, where he got that potion, what he did on Jade Dragon Snow Mountain—her curiosity was endless.
But she gave up.
He was already a walking question mark.
If she asked about every detail, the sun would rise before he finished answering.
Maybe that's part of his charm.
A faint smile appeared on her lips.
A person who became more mysterious every time she saw him—this was a first.
"Next time you travel, tell me beforehand. I've actually been around the world quite a bit. I'll share everything I know."
"Thank you. I really should."
He nodded.
They say that people who've eaten meat know how best to eat it.
Before the next trip, he'd definitely ask for advice and make a proper plan.
The car pulled into a large building.
They had arrived at the Player Hunter Agency.
In the staff-only café inside the Hunter Agency.
Jinhyuk took a sweet sip of his latte and glanced down at his phone.
Ring. Ring. Ring.
Just when it seemed to quiet down, the notifications resumed.
Now his friends were ordering desserts—ice cream, waffles, cakes—one after another.
Good thing I never taught them how to use delivery apps back when I lived in that basement.
There was a time they had to count coins to buy chicken and pizza.
If he'd taught them earlier, he would've gone bankrupt in a day.
The café door opened, and Ihwa walked in.
The Zǐyǒu people undergoing naturalization at the Hunter Agency—apparently Ihwa finished first.
Seeing Jinhyuk alone, she waved and walked straight to him.
"All done?"
"Yeah. They're still deciding where I'll live, but everything else is finished."
Since she had spoken casually at first, Ihwa had been awkward with polite speech.
Eventually, they agreed to use informal speech with each other.
"Where's your girlfriend? She's really pretty."
"You shouldn't say things like that. She might get mad. She's scary, you know."
"Why? Does she have a fiery temper?"
"She's a famous Ranker here."
Ihwa's mouth fell open.
"I thought she was some actress who climbs the Tower for fun."
"If it were a hobby, she wouldn't be involved in the naturalization case."
"That's true."
She plopped into the opposite seat and gulped her iced Americano.
Such an adult, Jinhyuk thought.
She didn't avoid bitter drinks entirely, but she preferred sweet ones.
Unless someone bought it for her, she always ordered a vanilla latte or caramel macchiato.
"Haaa…"
Leaning back, Ihwa exhaled deeply, staring at the café ceiling.
"It still feels like a dream. Just yesterday we were in that blizzard on the snowy mountain. Tomorrow they're even buying me a phone."
"Oh, nice. You've been craving SNS."
"It's banned for now though. China doesn't know we defected. Still, I'm happy. It feels like I'm reclaiming two years of lost civilization."
Smiling broadly, Ihwa sat up.
"Did you bring what I asked for?"
"Oh—right."
He almost forgot she'd asked about armor materials on the way here.
His scatterbrained self nearly left without giving it to her.
He placed the bundle of millipede elder scales—received from Momo—onto the table.
Ihwa leaned in to examine them closely.
"Wow… scales from a millipede elder that lived a thousand years? This is amazing. They're light but so tough they'd deflect most blades. They're such good material it's almost intimidating."
"You can work with them, right?"
"Of course. Stuff like this is actually easy. You don't need to smelt or hammer it like iron—just shape and attach. If you're okay with it, I'd really love to make something. Rare materials like this are great for leveling up."
Production-class types leveled by crafting.
With her hunger for growth, she couldn't help being tempted.
"Take your time. I'm counting on you."
He'd save on commission, she'd level up—
a true win-win situation.
Creak.
The café door opened again, and Jin Yunho, Yoon Miri, and the other Zǐyǒu members walked in.
Naturally, they joined the table.
"So you were here. Where is Hunter Cheon Se-yeon?"
"She went to return equipment at the gear rental room."
"I see. Ah, the naturalization process for the Zǐyǒu group is complete except for selecting their residence."
For now, they would all live together while monitoring China's response.
"We're looking for a secluded area. Somewhere in the countryside rather than the capital region. If you have any recommendations, Jinhyuk, please let us know."
"A place to recommend…"
He leaned back and rubbed his chin.
One place did come to mind.
"How about Yesan in South Chungcheong? That's my parents' town."
He remembered his parents lamenting that the population was dwindling and the village might disappear.
They'd hinted more than once that it'd be nice if he returned home.
"Yesan… that's good. The Hunter Agency actually bought up land around there."
"Wait—Yesan land?"
Jin Yunho looked like he'd slipped up.
Runner Yoo Jinhyuk was one of the Agency's most important individuals.
Naturally, his family was treated as honored guests.
To ensure no suspicious development appeared nearby, the Agency had purchased all the surrounding land.
Jinhyuk narrowed his eyes and leaned toward him.
"By any chance… is the generous landowner who let my parents farm freely…?"
"Haha… yes. It's the Hunter Agency. I assure you, it wasn't for surveillance or anything improper."
"Oh, come on, of course not."
Nothing to misunderstand there.
He'd been planning to buy a small greenhouse to gift his parents now that he had money—
but the Hunter Agency had effectively done that for him.
He decided he'd send his parents on a nice hot-spring trip to Japan instead.
With a respectful bow, Jinhyuk said, "I'm always grateful. My parents said they'd share some of their harvest, so let's visit together when the time comes."
"Gladly."
After expressing his thanks again, he returned to his seat.
Then he began telling the Zǐyǒu group about Yesan—
a town famous for its apples and pears, quiet and peaceful, perfect for settling down.
Dad, Mom… your son has helped extend the life of the village.
Someday, he would proudly tell them of his contribution.
And so he began introducing all the must-visit restaurants of Yesan.
He scanned his fingerprint and stepped into his home.
Despite the carnage of chicken, pizza, jokbal, and countless other foods, not a single smell lingered.
A good home really did have excellent ventilation.
They cleaned up well.
The place was spotless.
Even the food waste was neatly placed into the microbial disposer.
"Why did you press that button, meow?!"
"Momo's better at this!"
"If you were better, why did you die ten more times, meow?!"
"You get stronger by dying!"
Kancho and Momo were standing right in front of the TV, gaming fiercely, ignoring the perfectly good sofa behind them.
At the table, Elia and Seira lifted their hands in greeting while sipping coffee.
"Where's Dark?"
Elia pointed toward one of the rooms.
Inside, Dark was sleeping atop a heated ondol bed.
The temperature must've been set to maximum—the whole room felt like a sauna.
A user of ice snuggled up on warm flooring…
something about the combination felt oddly fitting.
Jinhyuk shrugged and flopped onto the sofa.
He pulled out the 40th-floor compression ticket from his inventory and activated it.
A floor-selection window appeared before his eyes.
He selected floors 41 through 50 and pressed compress.
Ping!
[You have compressed 10 floors! During compression, the space between the 40th and 51st floors became distorted, creating a previously non-existent "Somewhere Between the 40th and 51st Floor."]
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T/N:
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