It was already 7 PM at the Hailstorm Co. Strategic Planning Department, but the employees were constantly dealing with overwhelming amounts of work. They all looked as if their souls had been drained out of them.
However, amongst the zombie staff, one employee was still smiling enthusiastically.
"I'll do it! Oh, Assistant Manager Kim! Let me take care of that too!"
She was Jeong Seyeon, and she had been working at Hailstorm for eight months now.
She had scurried around to her bosses and taken on all the work she could get. That was a rare trait among young people these days, and the managers, who were stingy when it came to compliments, also praised her.
When Jeong Seyeon returned to her seat, she tapped her keyboard again and thought to herself.
'I'm sick of it.'
Her expression had flipped completely from when she was standing making coffee. Her eyes looked dull and indifferent as they scanned the monitor.
She needed money. And success. Those were the only two things that motivated her.
"Thank you."
"See you tomorrow!"
"Cheer up!"
"Yes! Get home safely!"
Everyone bid goodbye to Seyeon as they left the office. She managed to get along with most of the department members.
'I can't just sit here and do chores like this forever…'
A desire for success was burning in her eyes. This was only the beginning for her. The achievements that would uphold her reputation were what mattered the most.
However, such opportunities rarely came. It had already been eight months since she joined the company. Like any other new employee, she was stuck doing minor chores. Nevertheless, she did not doubt that an opportunity would come one day.
Finally, today was that day.
"Yes, do you need something, team leader?"
She was speaking to Baek Chahyun, a powerful man and the most iconic member of Manager Kim's team, who visited her.
"I heard you play games for fun."
"Yes, I do."
"Do you mean that, or are you just playing yes-man?"
"No, I believe that I wouldn't even be here if I didn't like games."
Words have power. Those simple words would build up and form an image of her, something memorable. Just like right now.
"Haha, you always choose the right answer, I think can trust you." Baek smirked.
"What about Midgard? Have you played it?"
"I played a little bit, but I have work to do, so…"
"That's enough. How about playing it on the regular?"
"What? The game?"
'What kind of nonsense are you talking about?' Jeong Seyeon was puzzled.
There was no time for her to play mere games. For a moment, she thought he'd say something important, yet he came out with this. Seyeon was irritated.
"But my work…"
"This is work, too. It's much more important than what you're doing right now."
Team leader Baek closed in on her. He used to harass her quite often at company dinners, but this felt different somehow.
"It's a top-secret project."
'A top secret project?!'
At that moment, Jeong Seyeon realized that this was the opportunity she had been waiting for.
"Spare some time for me, I'll see you after work."
"Okay."
Jeong Seyeon turned around with her fists clenched tightly. She was full of determination and ambition, that's why she didn't hear what Baek was murmuring behind her.
"Tsk, I'm always the one who does the dirty work."
* * *
'A single user actually pulled all these off by himself?'
After arriving home, Jeong Seyeon recalled her conversation with Baek.
It was simply shocking.
At first, she wondered why a manager at Hailstorm Co. would care for a mere player, but Seyeon had to nod in agreement after hearing what Seojin had done.
'Baek Chahyun… I didn't know he'd give me this opportunity. I'm glad I tried to look good in front of him.'
She felt like she was being compensated for her hard work. She understood that he was a great user, and she understood how important he was.
But she didn't think it would be that difficult.
'It's just one user. With the support of a developer, it'll be like playing the game with a cheat key. There's no reason to say no.'
She would act more like a messenger than an actual helper. But what she'd get in return for her task would be much greater than that.
"If you do well, you'll settle in with the managers. Do you understand what I mean?"
She knew. Even though she was the youngest, she'd already worked there for eight months.
Only those who were prepared would take such an opportunity, and Jeong Seyeon wasn't planning to on being unprepared.
In addition to that, she was given plenty of time.
"You'll be on a business trip for a while, so you don't have to worry about your existing work."
If she failed after receiving this amount of support? She'd be fired instantly.
Jeong Seyeon started the game up, fully motivated.
'This opportunity… I have to take it.'
The Story of Midgard
Act 1. The Throne and the Liar.
Glamorous handwriting filled her vision, but there was no time for her to admire it.
Warrior Class selected.
Silver Tongue didn't sound like it'd be that strong in terms of physical strength. So Seyeon would willingly act as his shield.
As soon as Seyeon finished the tutorial, she opened the in-game auction tab.
Purchased: Sturdy Strange-Rock Shield
Purchased: Armor of The Storm
Purchased: Unbreakable…
All items received.
She purchased equipment that gave significant performance enhancements compared to gears of a similar level.
Finally, she finished investing in her gear and began playing the game.
To Berne, the ladder to success.
* * *
'A sea of information, he said.'
On the second floor of Mac Gray's pub, Seojin smiled as he sat in the office.
'Well, the NPCs already know that the internet is a thing, but they don't know exactly what it is.'
The story Mac Gray had told him was quite simple. Baron Bolton himself was an ordinary nobleman. It was he whom Robert contacted and recommended the "renovation" of the towns.
What followed was the Ironblood Knight's official walkthrough.
Naturally, players went crazy.
'Because everything in the guide was something he planned out. Yeah, no wonder because he basically wrote the guidelines based on the redesigned towns. It'd be a miracle Berne hadn't collapsed.'
After that? It was a vicious cycle. There was no money left for the town since the players didn't come anymore. Without money, the quality of service deteriorated, and the player's satisfaction with poor service gradually decreased.
Monsters gathered as there were no adventurers to control them.
'How cold-blooded of him.'
They were just NPCs, but this was no different from reality to them. It was their precious hometown.
But why did Robert abandon Berne? It must have been to increase the credibility of his walkthroughs.
'That annoys me so much. Is there a way I can one-up him?'
He might get his chance someday.
In Seo-jin's mind, the Ironblood Knights were already his first target.
"Gray?"
"Yes!"
Mac opened the door and he heard the sound of beer flowing.
Unlike the first time they met, he was faithful to Seojin.
"Divide the manpower in half excluding Redrix. Ten to each team. One will take care of sales, and the other will buy goods from Ilynea."
Seojin summarized his plan.
The goal was to persuade the people who disapproved of Seojin using their supplies.
"Gather the people who can't just be reasoned with. I'll have a word with them."
Just like Seojin did with Mac Gray.
"Okay."
"I planned something else for Redrix. He'll be involved in a project to sharpen the town's competitive edge."
"Yes, then I'll only gather the rest of them."
"Also, you said that Kane guy is used to dealing with people, right?"
"Yes."
"Have him buy off Ilynea's guards so that I can go there. I'll meet with Baron Bolton myself."
That was crucial for the survival of Berne. It would be almost impossible to revive the town using its people alone without Baron Bolton's assistance. Seojin had the power to make him do so, also.
"As I said, don't spare any money. Speed is the most important thing."
"Yes, Sir."
"Then proceed, let me know if you need additional support… hmm?"
Knock, knock!
"Come in."
"Excuse me, I know you're having an important conversation, but…"
"It's all right. What's going on?"
Gaius was his name according to Seojin's memory.
The somewhat tired-looking man spoke with a serious look on his face.
"Another adventurer is looking for you."
"Looking for me? Is he from another town?"
"No, she said she just arrived from The Three Crossroads."
"…Is that so?"
Did Ironblood already spot him? Or was it an ordinary player who came here by chance?
Nervousness crept under his skin. Seojin shook off the unpleasant feeling and told Gaius.
"Bring her in. I'll meet her in person."
* * *
On the first floor of the bar, a man and a woman were staring at each other over the center table. There were no other patrons.
The man was Seojin.
The woman was Jeong Seyeon, who'd chosen the username "BunnyRabbit."
They remained silent after their initial greetings and were evaluating each other slowly.
BunnyRabbit was also racking her brains.
'He doesn't look that great… why is his face like that? It's sort of attention magnet Who would choose long purple hair and narrow eyes like that?'
But his accomplishments were real. Maybe there was a reason why he chose to look like this.
In the end, BunnyRabbit surrendered first.
"Are you Seojin?"
"How did you know my name?"
"I'm Bunny… No, I'm Jeong Seyeon from Hailstorm Co, Korea."
"Hailstorm Co? You mean the developers of this game?"
Seojin failed to hide his surprise. He thought she might be a member of Ironblood, but turned out her identity was even wilder.
"Yes, you're right."
"So, are you a GM?"
"I work in the Strategic Planning Department. I wanted to meet you so I created an account and followed you from the beginning. I'd like to make a proposal that can maximize the benefits for all of us…"
Jeong Seyeon stopped talking as she felt Seojin's suspicions creeping up.
"It seems I got the order wrong. I need to verify for myself first, right?"
"I'd appreciate it if you would."
"You're a hidden class, Silver Tongue. You cleared the world quest in Movelon a few days ago and negotiated with Duke Ferret at the Tower of Choice."
Seojin let out a chuckle in absurdity.
"You're really an employee."
"Also, Silver Tongue is a class that our manager planted there himself. Please consider it as a small perk for being the top-ranked player of Asgard."
"Then the old man I met at the start must have been his work too, right?"
"That's correct."
Jeong Seyeon confirmed it without hesitation, and Seojin finally understood what was going on.
'The manager gave up trying to control me and sent his minion to make a contract instead.'
He remembered the terms that the old man listed.
If he had agreed to all thirty-three terms, he'd have basically become a slave.
'I don't like it, but… there's no harm in hearing them out, right?'
Seojin smiled.
"I didn't know that the manager cared so much about me. I'd like to hear the details first."
"I'm relieved that you seem positive about it."
Jeong Seyeon was relieved. Seojin gave her a bright smile.