Two days after the gates opened.
It was enough time to shatter the peace.
People were engulfed by shock and fear.
However, not everyone was rendered helpless by panic.
Park Tae-sung and the Taewang Guild quickly responded to the situation and rescued numerous citizens.
Since their headquarters alone was not enough to accommodate all whom they’ve evacuated, they secured nearby buildings as well.
The other guilds also followed suit.
Citizens naturally sought the protection of giant guilds.
The government also regularly sent out instructions through the internet for the citizens to head out to nearby guild branches.
“Damn it… the world is a mess. I’m glad the internet is still there.”
Jin-woo ran his hand through his hair as he listened to Sun-woo’s words.
“I heard that there are places that have been swallowed up by sinkholes.”
“There are giant monsters that go underground. Who knows what else could happen in the future?”
“Well. Hearing the stories of the leaders, they said they are still investigating why this happened.”
“Wouldn’t it have anything to do with the notification window that popped up then?”
“It is very likely.”
It was a potentially huge problem.
A tutorial is an adaptation program designed for beginners.
The difficulty is set to easy, and the monsters that appear are weak.
Active players could survive even if society collapsed.
They are used to facing monsters. The only difference now is that they are fighting them in cities rather than inside the dungeons.
It would be possible for them to survive by hunting monsters at their level while avoiding higher-level monsters.
The problem was the normal citizens.
Most of them lived a peaceful life.
Some of them have only encountered monsters during sudden haunts.
With the increase of the gates and the monsters roaming around their homes, the casualties are bound to increase continuously.
Something had to be done.
Chijik-!
-Jin-woo, could you come to the master’s office now?
Han Yu-ra’s voice came through the radio.
“Yes, I will go now.”
* * *
Park Tae-sung was waiting behind his desk when Jin-woo entered the office.
“Have you taken a break?” Jin-woo asked him.
“Yes.”
The guild leader looked pretty exhausted. It was understandable, given that he was handling the situation without any rest.
After Jin-woo sat down, Park Tae-sung started talking in earnest.
“The situation is going pretty bad. Seoul is in a decent situation, but damage to surrounding areas and cities are increasing day by day.”
“Is it because the giant guild headquarters are all in Seoul?”
“Yes. Although the guilds have branches in metropolitan areas and other cities, the local cities do not have dedicated branches.”
“Well…”
“The conclusion from meeting we had with the government and the other guild heads is to restore Seoul first.”
“Are you thinking of creating a safe zone?”
“Yes. The government and the guilds will cooperate and subdue the monsters, pushing them southward.”
It was the most ideal and standard strategy.
In Seoul, when you go south, you’ll eventually reach the sea.
One day, all the monsters could be driven out of the inland, except for underwater monsters.
“Then, I will also join the subjugation team.”
“No.”
Jin-woo was surprised at the rejection. He thought with how the conversation was going; he was going to be assigned to the team.
Instead, Park Tae-sung showed him a tablet PC.
“You know that there is a considerable amount of Chines capital invested into the Taewang Guild.”
“Yes.”
“Thanks to this, we’re able to obtain quick information from the Chinese said. This is a footage from Beijing yesterday. Watch closely.”
Jin-woo pressed the ‘play’ button on the video shown on the tablet screen.
The video showed a man standing at some sort of Chinese castle.
The man’s outfit was strange. It was like something medieval European nobles would wear.
However, his skin was purple, and there were horns on his head.
The man who was filming shouted at the creature.
-Hey! This is a no-entry area!
Although the man spoke in Chinese, it was no problem for Jin-woo because of his Linguist skill.
Suddenly, the man being filmed raised his hand.
Purple energy gathered at the tip of his index finger; then, it exploded into a bright flash of light.
-Ahhhh!
The camera shook, and the footage turned black.
The video ended there.
Park Tae-sung then showed Jin-woo some pictures.
“The video and the photos were obtained through our branch in China.”
The first photo was where the scene happened in the Forbidden City. It was China’s pride, but now it was just desolate ruins.
“The Forbidden City is believed to be destroyed by that attack.”
“Just one attack?!”
“Yes. We secured testimonies from witnesses. They said there was only one flash, then a loud explosion afterwards. Now, look at the second photo.”
Jin-woo checked the next photo. It was definitely the same place as before, but instead of the Forbidden City castle, there was a strange tower on it.
“What is this?”
“This is the site where the Forbidden City was, a day after the explosion. No one has seen construction work. The tower was built in one night, as if it just sprung out of the ground.”
“The man in the video… it would be right to think that he made this tower, too.”
“I have the same thoughts.”
Jin-woo put down the photos. “I understand the situation. What do you need from me?”
“At present, information is coming in from offices around the world. There were four places where these towers appeared.”
“Four places… surely…”
“Yes. China, England, Dubai, and the United States. Places were level 400 dungeons have appeared in.”
The prediction was correct. The pieces seem to be clicking into place in Jin-woo’s head.
“Then, the reason why we ‘cleared the tutorial’ is because the level 400 dungeons have all been cleared?”
“We guess so, but we’re not sure.”
There is no clear evidence yet, but it was the general assumption at this point.
Suddenly, something popped up in Jin-woo’s mind.
“Have relics appeared in the other dungeons?”
“Yes.” Park Tae-sung nodded, then continued.
“There are currently four guilds that have relics. We, the Red Dragon in China, the White House in the United States, and finally, the Mujahideen.”
All of them were in the top 10 rankings globally.
“We have decided to gather together to discuss the current situation, share findings about the level-400 dungeons, and finally, to discuss the relics.”
Park Tae-sung then looked regretful.
“The problem is that I cannot be away in this current situation. I think it’s the same with other guild leaders. So, I decided to send a proxy.”
“That means…”
“Yes. I would like you to attend the conference on my behalf.”
Jin-woo thought about it for a moment, then nodded.
“Okay.”
* * *
Jin-woo returned to his room.
[I’m surprised you agree with it.]
Jin-woo’s personality was not extroverted. Therefore, the swordsman thought that he would, of course, refuse.
Surprisingly, however, Jin-woo decided to go.
It’s because I have more information than others.
[I see. That’s right.]
Jin-woo has heard stories related to relics through the swordsman.
He also knows that Moorim was destroyed by other beings.
It was similar to their situation now.
When the relics appeared, monsters swarmed the world.
It was like an invasion.
It was also the same that unknown towers sprang out of nowhere.
[It’s a little bit different…]
Yeah?
[Remember what I said.]
Ah… In your case, the towers appeared after the revenge was over.
That being said, this might not be the end.
“Whooo… … .”
Jin-woo felt a piercing headache. There was too much to think about.
[First, let’s start with what’s right in front of us.]
Yes.
He reorganized his thoughts.
There are currently four relics in the world.
Those who had the relics decided to gather and exchange information.
After getting the information from others, he needs to compare it with the information that the swordsman gave him.
I’m sure we could get to the bottom of this.
[Sure.]
“Inventory.”
Jin-woo opened his inventory and checked the admission ticket.
[Cooldown: 10 days]
He would be able to return to that place ten days from now.
Won’t they know something about this?
The swordsman stayed silent.
Jin-woo considered.
Regardless if he could get hints from that place or not, there was one thing he can be certain of.
He can bring in new items to save the world.
That was enough.
* * *
The next day, Jin-woo was brought to the airport in a helicopter.
The meeting place was not announced for security reasons.
As it is an important passageway for other countries, the government moved rapidly to secure airports.
Thanks to that, there were a few flights that were running.
Han Yu-ra will accompany him to the conference.
After spending a few minutes in the waiting room, they were guided by a stewardess into a plane.
Although it was a small personal plane, it was decked out luxuriously.
Upon entering, Jin-woo and Han Yu-ra met the other guests.
“Nice to meet you. I am Lin Xiao, who will fly with you.”
Lin Xiao was one of the major shareholders of the Taewang Guild.
Both Jin-woo and Han Yu-ra knew his name.
Despite his young age, he was famous for having excellent business skills.
His family, the Lin family, also owned the largest Chinese corporation.
“I am Kang Jin-woo.”
“It’s been a while, President Lin.”
“Long time no see, Secretary Han.”
They laughed and said hello to each other.
“But why are you here, President Lin?”
“I also decided to attend the conference.”
“Oh, I didn’t hear about it…” Han Yu-ra wondered aloud, but Lin Xiao cut her off.
“Of course, you wouldn’t hear about it. I am not attending on behalf of the Taewang Guild.”
“Huh?”
“I am Red Dragon’s delegate.”
Han Yu-ra’s face hardened.
“Oh, did you think that the Taewang Guild is the only guild the Lin family invested on?”
The Lin family.
The largest corporation in China, and one of the largest in the world.
They were known for making aggressive investments in numerous businesses.
In particular, they invested a huge amount in the guild business.
It was undeniable that the financial power of the Lin family played a big role in bringing the Taewang Guild to its current position.
It was surprising for both Jin-woo and Han Yu-ra to learn that they are also involved with the Red Dragon guild.
“The plane will take off soon,” a stewardess announced. “Please sit down and fasten your seat belt.”
Soon, the plane took off.