We didn’t just coincidentally meet. I ran here as soon as I saw an elevator flying up and heard a girl scream. Rachel seemed to be in danger, so I used 3 of my precious bullets. I didn’t regret it too much since a yeti’s horn could serve as good material. Rachel led me to her igloo after our reunion.

“Come in. It’s surprisingly warm.”

“Thanks.”

“Um… No, never mind.”

She seemed to have many questions, but didn’t dig any further. I entered the igloo without saying much. Two other people lay inside in poor condition.

“What happened to them?”

“They suddenly fainted.”

“Suddenly?”

Rachel nodded. “Yes, they touched a snowmobile and suddenly—”

“Snowmobile!”

I interrupted Rachel. A snowmobile could only refer to one thing.

“Y-Yes, a snowmobile…”

“Where?”

“Um, you shouldn’t touch it. You’ll become like them if you do. I think it’s a trap.”

Rachel’s expression darkened. Of course, I knew about the fainting. They would pass out for about 2 days after touching a dwarven artifact bare-handed.

“Don’t worry. I know how to handle it.”

I planned to use the Book of Truth if I couldn’t find one on my own, but it seemed I could reserve the Book of Truth for finding the steles.

“Eh? How? Where?”

“Um, in the book the 2nd floor administrator was reading… Well, I’ll explain later. For now…”

I took out the jungle gorilla’s leather from my inventory before heading out to the dwarven artifact.

“Here. This should keep them warm.”

“Ah, thank you!”

Rachel placed the leather over her guild members as soon as she received it. They looked like corpses in a morgue, but it should keep them warm.

“They should wake up soon judging from the color of their faces.”

“I hope so.”

I smiled reassuringly. Touching the snowmobile without any preparations would cause one to faint for at least a day, but it wasn’t life-threatening.

“Then let’s go find the snowmobile. Do you remember where it was?”

Rachel looked worried, but nodded.

“Yes, I can ask my elementals for directions.”

***

“Mmm…”

I arrived in front of the snowmobile with Rachel. Only a vague outline remained after the blizzard buried it. I wanted to claim it for myself, but I couldn’t do much for now.

Honestly, this hidden artifact could easily be found. The 2nd floor was only as big as the city of Daegu. Three of them existed on the 2nd floor and stood out.

However, a barrier also surrounded this hidden artifact. Touching it thoughtlessly would cause one to immediately faint. Kim Suho could cut the barrier with his gift, but I didn’t have anything like that.

“Ah, I want to see Suho.”

“Suho? You mean Kim Suho?” Rachel tilted her head at my murmuring.

“Ah, yes. It’s been 3 years since I last saw him.”

Honestly, I did see him from a distance a few times. I asked Yoo Yeonha to gift him some medicine and even went as far as tricking him into thinking they were vitamins since he didn’t like getting stronger with medicine. The sender of the gifts remained anonymous, but he probably figured out that I had sent them.

“Ah, maybe…”

I came up with an idea after mulling it over and turned on my smartwatch.

[Device Link]

This dwarven artifact could be considered equipment, so I used my laptop’s newest function.

[Search For Nearby Devices]

I swallowed hard and clicked search.

[Searching for devices within 300 meters…] [Search complete.] [1. Dwarven Supercar] [This device has no owner. Would you like to set its owner to Kim Hajin and link to it?]

I only felt half-sure that this would work, but thankfully it did. I clicked yes.

[Setting an owner and linking to it requires 200 SP.] [Would you like to continue?]

That wasn’t cheap by any means, but I could ride this artifact until the 7th floor. I clicked yes once again.

Woong—

A golden light shot out from the snowmobile and melted the snow nearby. The supercar revealed its black body engraved with golden symbols, which could seat 3-4 people. It operated without wheels and resonated with mana, truly making it a mystical dwarven artifact.

[The dwarven security barrier has been deactivated with the transfer of ownership.]

I hopped on the snowmobile, which seemed to have a heating function since the seat felt warm.

“Ah, be care… eh? Are you okay?”

“Yes, this is part of my gift,” I briefly explained to the shocked Rachel.

“Get on, Rachel. I’ll drive you to the igloo.”

“Um… Can I ride it too?”

“Of course. You won’t get hurt, so don’t worry.”

Rachel blinked a few times before getting on behind me.

“Let’s go.”

Wiing— Driving the dwarven supercar didn’t feel too different from a normal snowmobile. We drove back to the igloo and reduced the 30 minute walk to 3 minutes.

“Oh, um, I’m sorry about this.”

I scratched my neck apologetically after dropping her off. Rachel had found the artifact, but I took it for myself. She only smiled.

“You don’t need to feel sorry. I wouldn’t have been able to use it anyways.”

“Still… Ah.”

I walked into the igloo and took out a [Lv.1 Wooden Storage Box].

“I’ll give you this.”

“…?”

Rachel looked back and forth between me and the storage box.

“It’s a storage box with an ice attribute. I made it in the jungle and it can function as an icebox.”

I opened the storage box.

“There’s food inside. It’s marinated deer meat. You can just pan-fry it.”

“Food?”

Rachel’s eyes shone as she looked inside. Sniff, sniff. She smelled the sauce used to marinate the meat.

“Ah… thank you so much, Hajin.”

She expressed sincere, heartfelt gratitude. I returned a small smile. Then Rachel sat on the floor.

“I’m fine, so you can go. Your comrades must be waiting for you.”

Growl— Rachel’s belly growled. Her face flushed red and she quickly took out a frying pan. Tak, tak. She turned the burner on and put the frying pan on top.

“Um, would you like to join me?”

“No, I’m fine. I already ate.”

Rachel looked at me and nodded before placing 3 small pieces of deer meat on the frying pan.

“You should cook more. You must be starving.”

“I have more guild members than just these two, so I need to save some for them.”

“Mm, I see, then I’ll take my leave. You can send me a friend request later. My ID is…”

I paused. My ID was Extra7.

“… Extra7, but if anyone asks, don’t tell them.”

“Got it.”

Rachel didn’t ask why and simply agreed.

“Wait, Extra7!” Her eyes shot open as she suddenly recalled.

“The one who made 20000 TP?”

“Yep, that’s me.”

“Ah… right… then that equipment… with 20000 TP…”

She murmured to herself and came to her own conclusions. I grinned and left. The blizzard blew as fierce as ever. I put on my hood and jumped onto the dwarven supercar.

“For now…”

Let’s head to Boss. I took out a GPS receiver that I bought from the player shop before separating from the others. It cost 700 TP, but I could use it indefinitely.

[No.1 GPS – Northeast, 680 m]

Boss wasn’t too far away. I stepped on the accelerator and the dwarven supercar charged through the snow. I traveled 680 meters in exactly 20 seconds.

— In any case…

I heard Boss’ voice as I stopped and turned northeast from where I stood. My thousand-mile eyes pierced through the curtain of snow.

— You have 7 lives in this tower.

I could see Boss standing in the snow. However, 4-5 people surrounded her.

— So I’m sure dying once won’t be a big deal.

— Kahaha!

They only sneered at Boss’ warning.

— What, you’re going to kill us? You think we’ll just stand here and do nothing?

— Why don’t you take off that bear head? Or do you want us to do it for you?

I raised my Desert Eagle at the thugs. However, I had no chance to intervene.

Chwaak—

The shadow underneath Boss shot up. Black magic power formed a blade and pierced a talking man’s neck.

— Kuk!

— W-What!?

— F-Fuck!

— H-Hey, kill her!

The thugs jumped back to unleash their magic power, but Boss easily neutralized their magic power blasts and even reversed the magician’s spell. Her shadow blade tore their limbs apart.

— Kuaaak!

— Kuak.

Only despair and pain rang out along with the sound of bones breaking and flesh being torn apart. A shadow danced above the white field of snow as blood and human organs flew in every direction. The situation ended in just a minute.

“Haa.”

Silence returned and Boss sighed in the middle of severed limbs. A single drop of blood on her white skin made her look especially cold.

“Boss.”

I called out and her shoulders slightly flinched. Boss turned around in the blizzard and her eyes slightly flickered at me. However, she soon returned to her usual self.

“You’re back.”

“Yes, it was quite a spectacle.”

I said jokingly, but Boss didn’t react and simply walked past me. Tak, tak. She left behind a trail of blood in the white snow and seemed a bit lonesome. I silently followed her. Whish. The wind blew and I tried my best to ignore the bear head she wore.

***

“The Chameleon Troupe?”

Yoo Yeonha video called Yoo Jinhyuk in the outside world.

— Yeah.

Yoo Jinhyuk finally revealed a new piece of information to her. She decided not to ask whether he had been hiding it or just found out.

— By the way, are you not entering the tower?

“It’s hard to find the time. Apparently, it takes a month to finish the tutorial. I’m sure you don’t need me to explain any further.”

Yoo Yeonha looked past the video call at the news regarding the Tower of Wish. Some people had returned from the tower after clearing the tutorial by using some sort of a ticket and others had died without clearing the tutorial. The news caused quite a stir.

— Mm, yeah. That makes sense.

“Please continue what you were saying.”

Yoo Yeonha urged him on.

— Right, so I think this Chameleon Troupe is the group behind the Kwang-Oh Incident orchestrated by Chae Joochul.

Yoo Yeonha strained her ears. Yoo Jinhyuk was currently informing her about the assassin hired by Chae Joochul and commanded by Yoo Jinwoong.

— The problem is whether this Chameleon Troupe is the same as the current one.

Yoo Yeonha silently stared at him. Her eyes demanded an explanation. Yoo Jinhyuk looked around his surroundings before continuing any further. Only a single fly sat on his window.

— Jesus, how can a fly be that big? Hey, hey, chase that thing out.

“You don’t have to worry about a fly.”

— It’s just too big. What the heck? Did it come back?

“Geez, just ignore it. You’re in North Hamgyeong Province. No one knows about that place anyways.”

— Oh, it’s gone. Okay, I won’t say it again, so listen carefully.

Yoo Jinhyuk coughed after chasing the fly away and began to talk about the Chameleon Troupe. A mysterious group that appeared 30-50 years ago with an unknown goal and unknown members. From the traces they left behind, he could only guess they were a crime syndicate with at least 10 powerful members.

— You see, the Chameleon Troupe’s leader died back in the day when I was hot stuff.

“Eh? Died?”

— Yeah. I think Chae Joochul killed him, but I’m not sure. Now, look at the terror incidents that have been happening in Pandemonium.

Yoo Jinhyuk displayed the recent data. Terror incidents weren’t rare in Pandemonium, but the ones on the screen were unique because of the black lotus symbol.

— The Chameleon Troupe must’ve picked a new leader and resumed their activities.

“Hmm… So who’s their new leader?”

— I don’t know. But! This is where the Kim Hajin you love comes in.

“L-Love? We’re just allies—”

— Anyways, a young girl dropped off Kim Hajin at the orphanage.

Yoo Jinhyuk had seen this with his gift.

— I’m almost 100% positive this girl is a member of the Chameleon Troupe. In other words, Kim Hajin will be looking for the Chameleon Troupe in the future.

Yoo Yeonha nodded.

“If things are as you say… it’ll be complicated.”

She drew a map in her head.

[Chae Joochul = A] [The Chameleon Troupe’s previous boss who carried out the Kwang-Oh Incident = B (now deceased)] [Working with B, the young girl brought Kim Hajin to an orphanage = C] [C is a current member of the Chameleon Troupe]

A total of 4 main characters: A, B, C, and Kim Hajin.

“It’s too complicated…”

— It is. Kim Hajin is only a small fish compared to these giants. That’s why it looks and feels so dramatic.

“Dramatic? How?”

— Think about it.

Yoo Jinhyuk made a weird face and shouted.

— Chae Joochul! The child you tried to kill has come back alive!

“What.”

However, Yoo Yeonha only frowned.

— Chae Joochul will end up being killed by a main character he wasn’t even aware of. An extra if you will.

“…”

Yoo Yeonha crossed her arms without replying to his nonsense. Then she thought about Chae Joochul.

Chae Joochul the Immortal. The owner of Daehyun and undoubtedly a giant in Korea. She had a feeling it wouldn’t be long until she faced off against him. Chae Joochul began to increase his pressure as Essence of the Strait continued to grow.

— But Chae Joochul’s granddaughter is your friend and subordinate.

“She’s only my friend.”

— Be careful. Chae Joochul isn’t someone who would care about his granddaughter.

Yoo Yeonha nodded. Even though Chae Nayun was her friend and a hero of Essence of the Strait, Yoo Yeonha would never hesitate if the day came when she had to fight against Chae Joochul.

***

At the Chameleon Troupe hideout in [Droon’s Playroom], which Kim Hajin made with special care…

“What an interesting story.”

Droon stretched as the conversation between Yoo Yeonha and Yoo Jinhyuk replayed in his eyes.

“Is my mission over now?”

In the past, Boss and Jain tried to employ several information guilds to look into Kim Hajin. However, they failed every time. Droon, who investigated Kim Hajin’s past independently, made an unexpected harvest. Calling it a harvest might be a bit misleading. It was the only result he obtained from Mimyo’s 133 day stakeout.

“Should I tell them?”

Droon pondered. Mimyo had disguised as a fly and brought back an interesting conversation. Regardless of whether it was true or false, things would surely become touchy if either side found out.

“Nah.”

Droon shook his head after mulling it over for a long time.

“Everything they talked about was simply speculation. Telling Boss or hyung would only cause problems.”

Droon didn’t want Boss and Kim Hajin to fight yet.

“Hajin hyung made this playroom for me and Boss took me in. Yep, that’s right.”

Droon grinned and came to his own decision.

“But if everything is true…”

He couldn’t help but think of the possibility. If everything Yoo Jinhyuk said was true… the young girl who dropped off the baby at the orphanage. If Hajin hyung was the baby and Boss was the young girl… then Boss killed Hajin hyung’s parents?

“Yikes, how scary.”

Droon trembled at the thought of this brutal truth and quickly hid under his blanket.