ACT 3 Legendary Hero?

“Phew, the weather has become a lot colder.”

Even though it used to be autumn, without even realizing it was now December. The weather was so cold with a few showers that even wearing a thick jumper didn’t prevent goose b.u.mps.

“Why do they have to call me today of all days?”

This weather was best for staying at home and playing games. Well, this cold was nothing compared to when he connected to the game…….at least he had the mongoose soup. And it was the same even without the soup.  Anyway, wandering in the cold was a hundred times better if he was earning money from it.

“But I have to go out instead of playing the game……..”

He could use that excuse if it was Gwon Hwa-rang or the rehabilitation members. But that excuse wouldn’t work with the people Hyun-woo was meeting today. He might even become a corpse if he brought the word game into the conversation.

“Anyway the year-end party…….it has already been a year?”

Hyun-woo looked up at the night sky. He never realised since he had been buried in the game. But once he looked back on it, he realized that it had been an eventful year.

“Above all, I’ve thankful that my mother has become a lot better.”

When he visited a few days ago, his mother even saw him off. She did it on her own without a wheelchair. It was just a few steps from the bed to the door. Her whole body was covered in sweat as she sat down but his mother just laughed. I’m better…….Hyun-woo, soon I’ll be able to leave the hospital. His mother wanted to show that through her actions.

“Please don’t force yourself. What if you become worse for no reason?”

Hyun-woo said while leaving, before collapsing in tears on the hospital doorstep. He couldn’t repress his happy and excited feelings. There were many times when he had to carry his mother because she couldn’t walk. Every time Hyun-woo saw that, he felt like cutting his own legs. Then his mother walked on her own.

‘It was worth paying the higher hospital bills!’

The hospital costs increased every day…….. He wouldn’t have been able to afford it if it wasn’t for the money earned from New World. Hyun-woo’s earnings from New World were three times what he made last year. The result was because of hard work and luck. And the immortality pill collection was also near completion.

‘I’ve already completed 5 out of the 7 pills. Now there are only 2 left. With two days left, I’ll be able to complete it within this year. Then I can sc.r.a.pe money again next year! If I finish Magaro’s quest then thousands of gold will come pouring in!’

Hyun-woo dreamed about the future and headed to the meeting place. Then 4 serious looking people approached from the other side. The group’s character didn’t seem that good. With just a glance, Hyun-woo could tell that they were guys who picked random fights in the street. Hyun-woo had experience this situation a lot when he played around in the night life and tried to go around them. But the 4 people narrowed the distance and blocked in front of him.

“Are you Hyun-Woo?”

“……….?”

Hyun-woo stopped walking and raised his head. An unknown face looked back at him.

“Who are you?”

“I asked if you are Hyun-woo?”

One guy twisted his face and asked. He was somewhat uncomfortable. Hyun-woo didn’t know why, but he could clearly tell what was going on by their att.i.tude and looks. Although they were talking to him, they fully intended to use violence. He could tell the difference from argumentative people from the look in their eyes.

“No. You got the wrong person.”

Hyun-woo replied bluntly and tried to walk past only to have one of them grab his shoulder.

“Why are you doing this?”

“Do you think a kid like you can act like that with us?”

The guy pulled back Hyun-woo’s shoulder. But Hyun-woo was not the same as before. When he felt the crisis, Hyun-woo’s feet reflexively kicked up. b.u.mp, his feet hit the guy’s jaw who let go as he stumbled backwards.

“This b.i.t.c.h…….!”

The other 3 members of the group ran up to him. That was when it happened. An emergency bell rang in Hyun-woo’s head. If he didn’t run away now, he would be hit until he was a dust cloth.

‘I have to run away!’

Once he thought of the simple and clear instructions, his body automatically moved. Hyun-woo avoided a punch and raised his knee to the face. The man stumbled with a bleeding nose. Hyun-woo was then grabbed by the collar and automatically used a wrestling technique to break free. Then he kicked the vital spots on both sides of the man’s body. With two people collapsed, one guy rushed forward. Hyun-woo used the movements he learned in boxing and lowered his upper body. He launched himself into the air while spinning his body around. He spun as if he was in an action movie.

“Eh? What, what the?”

The guy stuttered with a stupid face. The spinning body fell like a thunderbolt. A giant spin kick technique! It was a technique that he had practiced in his spare time. The guy stumbled and screamed as Hyun-woo kicked him.

‘This is a technique!’

Hyun-woo was amazed at his own movements. While training at the police gym, he had used pretty crazy moves. However, his opponents were representatives in boxing, wrestling and even taekwondo. Because he lost every day, he was unaware of how strong he had become. And he never had a chance to test it out. Thanks to the element of surprise, he was able to overwhelm the hooligans in an instant.

“What the? What’s going on?”

“Is a movie being made?”

“Oh, it looks great?”

The people who pa.s.sed by stared and gossiped. Some people even took a video with their phones.

‘Dammit, what ignorant people would think this is a movie? Somebody call the police!’

Hyun-woo stared at the people shooting with an angry expression. But there was no time to quarrel with them. Although he managed to defeat the group, this was reality. This battle wouldn’t end until everybody was unable to fight. And it would be difficult if they decided to use a knife. This was the difference between game and reality.

‘For the moment I have to get out of here! I have to get to that place somehow…….’

While the group was wincing in pain, Hyun-woo plunged through the spectators and into an alley. If he made it past the alley then he would be at the appointment place. If he got there then he would be able to avoid the dangerous situation. Hyun-woo ran through the alley at his top speed. And just as he saw the sign for the appointment place and was about to leave the alley………a spark suddenly bounced in front of him.

Wobble…….when he lost his centre of gravity, someone grabbed his hair. Tremendous strength! Hyun-woo bent backwards as the guy who grabbed him threw him to a corner of the alley. Although Hyun-woo wasn’t small, he was thrown lightly through the air and landed heavily. The rest of the group followed and kicked Hyun-woo several times before finally stopping.

“Those stupid guys, they couldn’t even handle one kid?”

“I’m really sorry. Hyung-nim.”

“Block the alley and don’t let anyone see.”

Some hooligans followed the command and blocked the alley entrance. Hyun-woo was finally able to determine the face of the leader. He was a huge figure with short hair and a scar on his face. His appearance clearly indicated a gangster to anyone who looked at him.

“Why are you doing this? Cough!”

Once again he was kicked. While Hyun-woo bent over in pain, the leader put on gloves and laughed.

“Shut up and listen. I won’t speak for long. We have no grudge against you. So just close your eyes while I break the bones in your arms. If you don’t fight back then you’ll look pretty in the photo.”

“Yes?”

“Or you can be photographed beaten up. It is your choice.”

“T-that…….!”

Hyun-woo looked at the man with an astounded look. He suddenly grabbed a person in the street and was going to break his arm? What was going on? However he knew that the leader wasn’t joking around. Just by looking at his eyes, Hyun-woo could tell that the leader was serious.

‘What the h.e.l.l? Who are these people?’

Hyun-woo’s body began to tremble. In the game he could fight a group of ogres without even blinking. However reality was different from a game. These guys were tiny compared to the ogres. But it wasn’t possible to compare the intimidating feeling of these guys to the ogres inside a game. Also, he didn’t like realistic violence. His fear when he imagined the upcoming violence was tremendous.

“Who are earth are you? I didn’t even do anything……….”

“You can only answer yes or no. Say anything else and I will pull out a tooth.”

The leader growled.

‘It’s impossible.’

When Hyun-woo sweated and shut his mouth, the guy laughed and grabbed one arm. He wanted to completely break Hyun-woo’s arms. He wanted to completely break Hyun-woo’s arm. Hyun-woo panicked. But it wasn’t because of the pain.

‘If my arm breaks then I won’t be able to play the game!’

If he couldn’t play the game then of course he couldn’t make any money. Then what about his mother’s hospital bills? The cost of living? The loan situation…….like an advertis.e.m.e.nt, all these images came rushing through Hyun-woo’s head. And the conclusion was simple. Whatever else happened, he could not allow his arm to be broken. Hyun-woo turned his arm with all his strength and elbowed the guy.

“Cough!”

“This b.a.s.t.a.r.d………Do you want to be unable to use your leg anymore?”

“I don’t know what’s going on but please don’t do this!”

“Didn’t I tell you to shut up? Ya, grab him and immobilize him!”

The hooligans grabbed his limbs and held him down. Then the leader once again lifted the brick over his arm. Now Hyun-woo could only watch his arm get broken!

“N-no!”

Hyun-woo screamed. In this unfair situation, he had no power to do anything. So far, he had been though a lot of these situations and never once had anyone helped him.  Just like the people from a while ago who were taking photos or videos with their phones. If any one of them had reported it then the police would’ve already come running. Yes, that was Hyun-woo’s life. However, this time was different.  When Hyun-woo screamed, an unexpected voice was heard from outside the alley.

“Eh? What scene is this?”

The hooligans flinched and turned their heads around. One guy was entering the alley wearing slippers.  The 170 centimetre tall guy looked like a dwarf next to the hooligans. The hooligans put on a tough face and asked him.

“Who are you? If you don’t want to die then disappear.”

Usually an ordinary person would bow their heads and run off right away. However the man just ignored it and approached the group.

“Is this Hyun-woo?”

Hyun-woo was surprised and lifted his head.

“Lee Myung-ryong teacher?”

“Eh? That really is Hyun-woo? Why are you playing around in such a place?”

The small person…….Lee Myung-ryong muttered in an incredulous voice.

“Teacher? The seal on his clothes shows that he is someone who teaches taekwondo at a dojo.”

“Why don’t you run away before we make you face become puffy hey?”

The hooligans threatened as they tried to bully Lee Myung-ryong. Indeed, a taekwondo teacher would just be amusing to a gang. And they didn’t consider him seriously thanks to his 170 centimetre height and small physique. But they were wrong. The person they were threatening was the current leader of the number 1 SWAT team and a former national taekwondo representative. Although a sashimi knife was thrust underneath his nose, the man had a heart of steel and didn’t even blink. The leader became angry and swung his fist at Lee Myung-ryong.

Bam-!

With a loud sound, the impact caused his head to rise by 90 degrees. Lee Myung-ryong sighed and wiped away the blood at his mouth.

“It’s been a long time since I was. .h.i.t. Well ,are you satisfied? So let’s stop, yes?”

“What the, this b.a.s.t.a.r.d?”

Once again there was a loud bam as Lee Myung-ryong was kicked in the stomach. His 190 centimetre tall frame had a significant amount of weight behind it. Lee Myung-ryong collapsed from the blow.

“T-Teacher………!”

Hyun-woo looked at Lee Myung-ryong with disbelieving eyes. Although he was taken by surprise, the hooligans had been able to take down Hyun-woo. But for Lee Myung-ryong who was in charge of the police gym to not even be able to land one blow? Why?

“Ha, this kid. He seemed quite relieved when his teacher appeared.”

“Did you see him stop shaking?”

“Too bad I took care of him in a few minutes.”

The leader chuckled and approached Hyun-woo again. Then he lifted the brick again. However, Lee Myung-ryong who had been completely knocked down just got up like nothing happened.

“Embarra.s.sing me in front of my pupil……….”

“What the? This b.a.s.t.a.r.d?”

“Now, let’s see. My mouth is bleeding…….and now my stomach is bruised. In this case, the usual punishment would be 4 weeks. But if I claim self defense, I won’t get 4 weeks even if I beat you up like a dog. Do you guys know what that means?”

Lee Myung-ryong laughed as he indicated towards his face.

“You guys are now dead.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Crush him!”

The hooligans rushed forward at their leader’s order. Some of them picked up pieces of timber with a murderous atmosphere. But Lee Myung-ryong just looked at Hyun-woo mischievously.

“Hyun-woo, this will be an outdoor lesson!”

“Teacher, danger!”

“What?”

Lee Myung-ryong lightly avoided the timber and spread his arms.

b.u.mp!

The chin of a hooligan shook before he suddenly collapsed. Lee Myung-ryong had lightly walked through the hooligans and extended his fist. If his upper body was dragged then he would gently elbow them. As expected, the hooligan feel down and wasn’t able to move. The same thing occurred to the remaining two members. Lee Myung-ryong stepped up to the members lying down and pressed down on their temples with his heel, causing them to scream.

“These guys are like leeches. They won’t stop with just a single blow.”

“What are you doing? Those stupid fools! Why can’t you get up?”

However, the hooligans lying on the ground just continued sweating and couldn’t even breathe properly. After that the leader rushed towards Lee Myung-ryong.

“I’ll take care of his with one shot to the face!”

His fist couldn’t be seen. Although it wasn’t clearly seen, suddenly there was the sound of the leader’s face being punched and moving 90 degrees.

“It really was one shot.”

“Huk!”

The man let out a m.u.f.fled scream and bent at the waist. It was a rare sight. The small dwarf just walked forward. But when he moved forward, the huge figure of the leader screamed. The leader’s face instantly turned blue. Although he didn’t fall down, it wasn’t because of the leader’s abilities. He just wasn’t allowed to fall. Lee Myung-ryong casually walked up to him and grabbed his hair. Then he slammed the leader into a corner and inspected his pockets. Lee Myung-ryong laughed as he took out the wallet and confirmed the ident.i.ty.

“Boss of the Pleasant Smile Company, w.a.n.g Ho…….”

“You………do you think you will be safe after doing a thing like this? I’ll find you gym and beat you to death!”

“What?”

Lee Myung-ryong stared at w.a.n.g Ho incredulously before bursting out with wild laughter.

“Hahahahaha, really? That will be fine with me. I’ll look forward to your performance then.”

“What, what the?”

“It seems he still can’t grasp the situation.”

“Captain, what happened?”

At that time, a few people with big shoulders peeped in from outside the alley. Hyun-woo also knew their faces. It was the SWAT team members that he exercised with at the gym. The former boxer and wrestler were also there. Yes, the one who called Hyun-woo out in this harsh weather was Lee Myung-ryong. It was the year-end party of the number 1 SWAT team.

“It’s not a big deal. I’m just going to clean up the situation so wait a moment. Hey, let’s do an exchange.”

Lee Myung-ryong pulled out a wallet and threw it towards w.a.n.g Ho. w.a.n.g Ho opened the wallet with confused eyes and suddenly paled. Inside the wallet was the identification of the captain of the number 1 SWAT team.

“I’m also the teacher of a gym not far from here.”

“If it is the number 1 SWAT team, don’t tell me……..the so called demon of the National Police Agency………”

“That’s right. And this guy is my one and only beloved disciple. So does this situation make more sense now?”

Lee Myung-ryong slapped the frozen back of w.a.n.g Ho and spoke.

“Well, let’s clean this up. Looking at the situation, you wouldn’t attack without a reason…….why don’t you tell me the reason why you dragged an innocent person into this? Or do you want to go for a ride? Either is welcome. If you decided not to cooperate then the interrogation will become quite violent and last for a while. The police taking crime really seriously.”

w.a.n.g Ho’s sweat started dripping down as he looked away. Lee Myung-ryong waited for a moment before slowly getting up.

“I guess that’s it. Shall we test your patience?”

“W-wait a minute. Actually…….I was asked to do this.”

“Asked?”

“Yes, a client’s son asked me to break his arms and take some pictures……..that’s the truth. Don’t you know? There is no way I would start a fight if money wasn’t involved.”

“Oh, someone asked you to break the arms? What a n.o.ble hobby. Then his name?”

“Lee Myung-ban…….”

Lee Myung-ryong looked at Hyun-woo. He was asking if Hyun-woo knew the name. Hyun-woo shook his head and Lee Myung-ryong immediately stared at w.a.n.g Ho.

“Do you want to go to h.e.l.l?”

“R-really. I didn’t really understand but there was some grudge because of a game. The game is called New World. The person who gave me orders is called Andel.”

“Andel!”

Hyun-woo jumped. Lee Myung-ryong roughly understood the situation and nodded.

“You’re not lying. Okay, you know his address right?”

Lee Myung-ryong forced w.a.n.g Ho to write down the address.

“It is too troublesome to put small fries like you in jail and then write up the reports. I get a rash whenever I look at guys like them. But if Hyun-woo ever sees you again…….you understand?”

w.a.n.g Ho nodded frantically with a stricken face. Lee Myung-ryong tapped his cheek and got up.

“Let’s go Hyun-woo.”

As expected from the leader of a SWAT team, Lee Myung-ryong didn’t hesitate in his actions at all. As soon as he left the alley, he took a cab to the address. It was a 100 square metre block of apartments in Gangnam. An ordinary person wouldn’t be able to enter. But once the police identification was shown to the guard, he was quickly ushered in.

“It isn’t necessary to do this.”

When the situation became larger than he thought, Hyun-woo spoke nervously. However, Lee Myung-ryong didn’t pay any attention and raised his hand to the doorbell. Then he saw the Lee Kyung-Ho nameplate next to the doorbell and hesitated.

“Dammit, no wonder why the address was familiar……”

“What’s wrong?”

“No. I’ve come here so I should see it through to the end.”

“Who is it?”

A voice spoke through the loudspeaker when the bell was pressed.

“This is Lee Myung-ryong from the number 1 SWAT team.”

“Oh, understood. Did you want to speak to the chief?”

“Can you ask if I may have a word?”

“Okay.”

The door soon opened and a 50 year old man greeted them. The s.p.a.cious living room looked like a soccer ball. There was also a two levels of stairs leading up. Hyun-woo quickly became depressed. Why did this person live in a 100 square apartment while he lived in one with a hole in the wall? Hyun-woo was scared of fighting a rich person. He didn’t know how to deal with humans who have overflowing money. In addition, Lee Myung-ryong also seemed uncomfortable…….as he paced back and forth.

“Yes, what brought you here?”

“It is about your son.”

“My son?”

The middle aged man……..Lee Kyung-Ho looked confused. Lee Myung-ryong sighed and explained the situation that occurred. Then the facial muscles of Lee Kyung-Ho distorted and made an ugly expression. But after a moment, he smiled and took out a cigarette before saying.

“I still don’t see what’s wrong. Don’t tell me you believe the words of those delinquents? There is no way my son would do such a thing, since isn’t it unfair for them to implicate him? Well, you probably just came to investigate the claims.”

“…………..Well, that’s right. Can I see your son?”

“I don’t understand what you’re saying.”

Lee Kyung-Ho frowned as he looked at Lee Myung-ryong. Then he took out a 1,000,000 won check and placed it on the table.

“As an adult, we can’t pretend to be ignorant of the social rules. In addition, my son’s name was mentioned. I’ll have a chat with some juniors and have them investigate it. And since your friend seems to be injured, he can use this to pay for the medical costs.”

He said it in a soft voice but there was clearly a hidden threat. It was a lot more intimidating than the roars of the gangsters! Hyun-woo could guess Lee Kyung-Ho’s status just by those words. Perhaps he was a former high ranking police officer. It was the reason Lee Myung-ryong frowned when looking at the nameplate. Lee Myung-ryong looked at the cheque and muttered in a low voice.

“Necessary?”

“……..No. I hate smelly money.”

Although Hyun-woo needed money, he also didn’t grab it. Lee Myung-ryong hit the table with both hands and got up.

“Lee Kyung-Ho ssi.”

“What? Lee Kyung-Ho ssi?”

“Although there is no evidence, he still did it. Instead of giving us money, you should use it to re-educate your son. If this happens again then I won’t come visit Lee Kyung-Ho ssi. I’ll meet your son directly. Since it is Lee Kyung-Ho ssi, he will be released in a couple of hours but your son would find those hours horrible.”

“You, are you threatening me?”

“Threatening? Was that what you heard?”

Lee Myung-ryong smiled and nodded.

“You heard well.”

Then Lee Myung-ryong finally left the apartment.

“…….I’m sorry. Because of me…….”

Hyun-woo spoke in a concerned voice as they walked. Their opponent was a former high ranking police officer. Lee Myung-ryong had probably repressed his anger. It was because of the att.i.tude which blatantly ignored Lee Myung-ryong. However, it was useless to become anxious over something that might happen in the future. Hyun-woo wasn’t stupid. He knew that this would cause trouble for Lee Myung-ryong.

“Child, don’t let alcohol make you c.o.c.ky. That man will not leave his son alone. Anyway, now that Andel kid won’t be able to bother you anymore.”

Lee Myung-ryong hit Hyun-woo on the back and laughed. There was a person watching them from an apartment balcony towering in the sky like a medieval castle.

“That impertinent child……..”

Lee Kyung-Ho blew out cigarette smoke and lifted his phone.

“It is Lee Kyung-Ho. Let me speak to the Police Commissioner for a little bit. Tell him it is the former captain of the police prosecutors. Yes, ah, is that you? It’s me. Do you know someone called Lee Myung-ryong? Do you have any idea about this friend’s performance? No, it’s not a big deal………”

Things have become even more twisted up. Reality wasn’t as simple as a game.

“Is it like the Chief expected?”

Ho Myung-hwan sighed while playing with his ball-point pen. Recently, he had been concentrating on the test taker Ark. Although he never actually saw it, the reports allowed him to indirectly experience the game. Ark was like the fictional hero of a novel to him. And he felt a sense of satisfaction that no one in the Planning Department knew about Ark. Once a big incident happened then Ark would be clearly seen. He truly believed that and hoped the event would occur soon. Then Ark became the Lord of Silvana a while ago. He partic.i.p.ated in the siege and won over Alan and the pioneers. Ha Myung-woo thought it was just due to luck but Ho Myung-hwan who had read the previous reports thought otherwise.

“I’ve been looking forward to this report……..”

But the report that arrived was disappointing. He summarized it simply.

Due to certain circ.u.mstances, Dark Eden became a separate attack group during the siege.  While Dawn Blade and Hermes were fighting in critical conditions, there was a chance for him to become the Lord. But he didn’t have the power to prevent the territory from being taken away during the next siege. There was no mentions of the schemes and corruption that occurred. Hyun-woo had become cautious and only wrote the bare minimum in the report. And the bare minimum happened to be what the Planning Department’s Chief Ha Myung-woo expected.

Ho Myung-hwan became discouraged.

“Naturally the situation should be like that but…….”

Since it was Ark, he expected to see the actions of a protagonist in the report. But he didn’t even want to defend the castle.

“Unfortunately, this report means that he will definitely be eliminated in the first round of eliminations.’

It had been 1 year since the company started the entrance examination.

But there were still no candidates that met Global Exos requirements. Of course, they didn’t expect the requirements to be met in a year. But they were providing the examinees with 1,500,000 won a month and there were 2000 candidates. 30 billion won was being poured into this project every month. When considering the scale of Global Exos, it wasn’t a big burden but as a business they couldn’t pay for the income forever.

[There is no reason to invest in candidates with low expectations. The senior executives rational is they would rather invest in candidates with potential. Therefore the candidates will be watched in the next few months and then an eliminated notice will be sent to the lower 50% of test takers. The Planning Department should be prepared so there is no setback to this plan.]

That was the official notice from headquarters that recently came. But the Planning Department had already screened all the eliminated candidates. Ark was one of them which was why Ho Myung-hwan had paid more attention to this report.

‘But because the Lordship was taken away…….now in a couple of months. Will an incident occur to change the Planning Department’s mind?’

“Hey, have you seen the video posted this morning?”

Ha Myung-woo shouted at him the moment he came in.

“Yes? Video?”

“You haven’t seen it yet. I’ll link you the address.”

When he connected to the address Ha Myung-woo sent him, it was an information site related to New World.

“Click on this and take a look.”

Ha Myung-woo pointed to a video board. The views on the video had exploded during the few hours it had been posted. The t.i.tle was ‘Realistic Fight Scene.’ Although the views were considerable, there were thousands of similar movies showing up every day. So why was the Chief making such a fuss? Ho Myung-hwan clicked on the video with a strange expression. It was taken with a mobile phone so the picture quality was very poor. It was obviously the contents that attracted people’s attention.

Just like the t.i.tle, the content was a 1 vs 4 fight situation on the dark streets. It wasn’t different from a common video. But after the people involved exchanged some greetings, an exciting action scene unfolded. The jaw was struck by a kick and then the knee was raised. But the climax was the full body spin kick that slammed into the opponent. It was also known as a windmill technique. It was a very hard kick that was rarely seen in battle. The video ended after 1 minute with the young man running into an alley but it left a strong impression. If it wasn’t a staged scene then it required considerable amounts of skill. There were already thousands of comments underneath the video.

-The spin kick is quite cool.

-Are you stupid? It is 100% staged. Is this to promote a new movie coming out?

-It’s not staged. I saw it by chance.

-But what happened to the guy after that?

-Ah, you should’ve filmed it to the end. Now what?

Ho Myung-hwan became puzzled after reading the comments and asked.

“It is wonderful but did they post this video in the wrong place?”

“No there’s more. Look further down.”

“Yes?”

Ho Myung-hwan moved the screen using his mouse. He soon realized why this video was posted on an information site about New World.

-But isn’t the main guy in the movie similar to this character?

The person then attached a video in the next comment.

“Eh? This……this is?”

Ho Myung-hwan had seen that video dozens of times. It was the video that had become a hot topic on the Internet a few months ago. The culmination of the Event Quest in New World, the video displayed the user who successfully defeated the boss Valderas. When the video was posted, there was a lot of talk about whether he was a NPC or user. But Global Exos didn’t have any access to the servers and failed to grasp the information. Thanks to that, Ha Myung-woo had to appear on TV and make some excuses.

Ho Myung-hwan stared at the video with surprised eyes. One was a fast moving video taken on a mobile phone while the other was a blurry game screen. In both videos, the face of the protagonist wasn’t clearly seen. However at first glance, the face contours, body type and hairstyle were remarkably similar. In addition, their behaviours were also similar when they kicked. Everybody had a different preliminary kicking motion, from the angle of their leg or their hand movements. It would be very difficult to imitate.

“Perhaps……..?”

“The video was sent to the image a.n.a.lysis lab. The probability of him being the same person is 82%. It can’t be a coincident. I’ve already looked into it.”

Ha Myung-woo said as he clenched his fists.

Ha Myung-woo had ran around for weeks trying to find the user who fought Valderas. However, the problem was that he didn’t register in the Hall of Fame.  Ha Myung-woo thought he might’ve been an NPC and gave up halfway……..but now after several months, he had finally found a clue.

“Ho Myung-hwan, the user who was the Lord of Silvana the other day……what was his ID?”

“You mean Ark?”

“Although his report should’ve come in, you didn’t mention anything.”

“That………..”

Ho Myung-hwan are scratched his head and gave a brief description of the contents of the reports. Ha Myung-woo just laughed like he already knew it.

“I told you. He wasn’t added to the eliminated list in vain. There was a good reason. Anyway, I have no interest in him so please look for the person in this video from now on. I don’t want to face a similar incident. He fought against Valderas so he should be around.”

“How?”

“The fight was noisy so the police might’ve interfered. And there might be a person who took a better quality video so look around the information sites. No matter what happens, you’ll be compensated if you find that person. But you have to conceal that Global Exos is intervening. Because it is publicly thought that the person who defeated Valderas is an NPC. Do you understand what I mean?”

“Yes, I understand.”

Ho Myung-hwan threw Ark’s report that he was holding in his hand onto his desk. Ha Myung-woo was unaware that the person he was looking for was right underneath his nose.  And now Ho Myung-hwan also started looking in the wrong place. It was a sad sight indeed.