[The Velvet Lounge – Gangnam District] [Time: 12:55 AM]
The Velvet Lounge was the kind of place that had a dress code for your soul. If you didn't have at least seven zeros in your bank account, the automatic doors probably wouldn't even open for you.
I stood in front of the velvet rope, wearing a hoodie I'd bought from a discount bin and jeans that had a suspicious stain on the knee (probably goblin ichor, or maybe just ketchup).
[System: You look like you're here to rob the place. Or fix the plumbing. Definitely not a VIP.]
"Shut it," I muttered. "I'm going for the 'mysterious rogue' vibe."
[System: You're giving off 'homeless college student' vibes. But proceed.]
A massive bouncer with a headset stepped in front of me. He looked like he ate bricks for breakfast.
"Members only," he grunted, crossing arms the size of tree trunks. "Get lost, kid."
I didn't argue. I didn't try to sneak past. I just held up my phone, displaying the black envelope icon.
The bouncer's eyes widened behind his sunglasses. He touched his earpiece, his face draining of color.
"Uh... right. My apologies, sir. Top floor. The Penthouse Suite. The Chairman is expecting you."
He unhooked the rope with trembling hands.
"Have a pleasant evening, sir."
I walked past him, suppressing a smirk.
"See?" I whispered to the air. "Mysterious rogue."
[System: He was terrified of the symbol, not you. You're just the delivery boy for the fear.]
I entered the elevator. It was lined with gold and smelled like expensive perfume. I pressed the button for the Penthouse.
My heart was hammering, but my mind was cold.
He knows, I thought. He knows about the gravity. He knows about the physics. If he exposes me now, the government will dissect me.
I clenched my fist.
Unless I kill him first.
[System: Murder in a public place? Risky. But effective. I recommend throwing him out the window. Make it look like a suicide. 'Tragic billionaire falls 50 stories while trying to catch a pigeon'.]
"Let's see what he has to say first."
DING.
The elevator doors slid open.
I stepped into a room that was bigger than my entire apartment building. Floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked the glittering city of Seoul. The floor was black marble. The furniture was sleek, modern leather.
And sitting on a couch in the center of the room, sipping a glass of wine that probably cost more than my mother's life, was Him.
Chairman Lee.
He looked younger than I expected. Maybe late twenties. Pale skin, sharp features, and eyes that were a disturbing shade of violet. He wore a suit that fit him so perfectly it looked like a second skin.
There was no mana coming from him. Nothing. He was as magically empty as a rock.
But the pressure...
It wasn't mana pressure. It was presence. The air around him felt heavy, calculated.
"Mr. Ash," Lee said, his voice smooth and melodic. He didn't stand up. He gestured to the empty armchair opposite him. "Please. Sit. The view is quite lovely tonight."
I didn't move.
"You sent the message," I said, keeping my voice flat. "You threatened me."
"I invited you," Lee corrected, swirling his wine. "A threat implies I intend to harm you. I have no such intention. Harm is... unproductive."
He placed a chess piece—a white pawn—on the glass table between us.
"Sit," he repeated. It wasn't a request.
I walked over and sat down. The leather creaked.
"You're the Chairman," I said. "Of what? The Hunter Association? A Guild?"
"Of everything, essentially," Lee smiled faintly. "I own the bank that holds your mortgage. I own the hospital that treats your mother. I own the construction company that built the Weeping Caverns. Titles are boring, Ash. I prefer 'Administrator'."
[System: Wow. This guy is pretentious. Can we punch him? Just a little?]
"You said you saw the video," I said, ignoring the System. "The dungeon had no cameras."
"Every dungeon has cameras if you know where to look," Lee said. "Micro-drones. Size of a fly. I like to watch the... variables."
He tapped the table. A hologram sprang up.
It was footage of me.
Me facing the Centaurion. Me whispering "Unravel." Me swinging the sword with the force of a meteor.
"Beautiful," Lee murmured, watching the playback. "Absolute Control. The ability to manipulate the vectors of reality. And yet, your mana capacity is F-Rank. A paradox."
He looked at me, his violet eyes boring into my skull.
"The Association thinks it was an accident. They see a structural failure. But I did the math. The angle of the cut. The velocity. The sudden lack of friction on the floor tiles."
He leaned forward.
"You are cheating, Ash. You are playing the game of Gods with a broken controller."
"So what?" I leaned back, trying to look relaxed. "Are you going to turn me in? Collect the bounty?"
"Turn you in?" Lee laughed. It was a dry, humorless sound. "Why would I do that? The Association is incompetent. They would just dissect you and fail to understand what they found."
"Then what do you want?"
"I want entertainment."
Lee picked up the white pawn.
"The world is stagnant, Ash. The S-Rank Hunters are arrogant celebrities. The Gates are becoming predictable. I am bored. Desperately bored."
He placed the pawn down firmly.
"Then I saw you. A glitch. A man who shouldn't exist. A Zero who became a Hero in ten seconds."
He slid a black folder across the table.
"I have a proposition."
I looked at the folder. "What is it?"
"A cover identity," Lee said. "You can't register as Ash. The 'Wasted Potential' stigma is too strong. And if you suddenly show S-Rank power, the questions will never end."
I opened the folder. Inside was a Hunter License.
[Name: Jin] [Rank: C] [Class: Physics Mage (Specialist)] [Affiliation: Freelance]
"C-Rank?" I raised an eyebrow.
"High enough to get into decent dungeons, low enough to avoid the national spotlight," Lee explained. "It's a legitimate license. Backdated. Clean history."
"Why give me this?"
"Because I want to see how far you can climb," Lee smiled. "I want to see if you can break the system. Consider me... an investor."
"And the price?" I asked. "Nothing is free."
"Smart," Lee nodded approvingly. "The price is simple. Once a month, you will complete a request for me. A specific dungeon. A specific item. No questions asked."
"And if I refuse?"
Lee didn't look angry. He just looked disappointed.
"Then I release the video. The government takes you. Your mother loses her hospital bed. And you spend the rest of your life in a containment cell."
He took a sip of wine.
"But you won't refuse. Because you're greedy, Ash. I saw you looting that dungeon. I saw you steal the Sun-Fire Lotus today. You want power. You want money. I can give you the path."
I stared at him.
He was right. He had me checkmated. If I fought him here, I'd be a fugitive. If I accepted, I was his pawn.
But pawns can become Queens if they reach the end of the board.
[System: Take the deal. We can use his resources to level up, then stab him in the back later. It's the classic villain-hero dynamic.]
I closed the folder.
"Fine," I said. "I'll take the ID. But I have a condition."
Lee raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"
"My mother's hospital bills. You said you own the hospital. Make them zero."
Lee stared at me for a second. Then, he laughed. A genuine laugh this time.
"Done. Pocket change."
He extended a hand.
"Welcome to the game, Mr. Jin."
I shook his hand. His grip was weak, like a normal human's. But his eyes... his eyes were terrifying.
"One more thing," Lee said as I stood up to leave.
"Yeah?"
"The Hunter Exam is in three days. I've registered 'Jin' for it. Don't disappoint me. I'd hate to have to delete my new favorite app."
"I'm not an app," I said coldly.
"We'll see."
I turned and walked to the elevator.
As the doors closed, I saw Lee picking up the pawn again, staring at it with obsession.
[Outside the Velvet Lounge]
I stepped out into the cool night air and let out a breath I didn't know I was holding.
"That guy," I shuddered. "Is a freak."
[System: Agreed. He has 'serial killer' written all over him. But hey! Free C-Rank License! And free healthcare! We are moving up in the world!]
I looked at the ID card in my hand. Jin.
"C-Rank Physics Mage," I read. "At least it's accurate."
[System: So, what's the plan, Jin? The Exam is in three days. We need to grind. Your Control stat is at A-, but your Mana is still F-. You need more points.]
"We grind," I said, shoving the ID into my pocket. "And we get strong enough so that next time I meet Chairman Lee..."
I looked up at the penthouse window.
"...I'm the one moving the pieces."
[System: Ooh, dramatic. I love it. Now, can we go eat? I'm craving tacos.]
"You don't eat, System."
[System: I eat your suffering. And right now, I'm starving.]
I walked into the neon-lit streets of Gangnam.
The prologue was over. The Wasted Potential was dead.
Jin was born.
[End of Chapter 8]