"Wow, is it even okay to tell me that?"
"As I said, my manager has high expectations for you. I can tell you more depending on your progress."
"It wouldn't be good if people found out about this."
Jeong Seyeon shook her head. She felt like she had almost won him over.
"It will never leak. We will pay extra attention to security, so you don't have to worry about that."
"I'm relieved to hear that. So, what you're saying is I can get unlimited access to any information about the game, right?"
"That's correct."
"Wow…"
Seojin exclaimed again and again. He seemed to be thrilled by the good fortune he had been given.
'I knew it.'
Seyeon had thought that it wouldn't be too hard to persuade him, and she seemed to be right. It wasn't about how capable the player was, no player in their right mind could refuse the support of the developers.
"Oh, by the way. How long have you been working there?"
"What? Why do you…"
"You're good with words. I'm sure you'll be an assistant manager soon, right?"
Good with words. Jeong Seyeon smiled inwardly. The situation was looking good, and she couldn't help but feel excited even though she knew it was an empty compliment.
"No, I've only been working for eight months now."
"Holy… only eight months? And the team leader already assigned you to this task? Congratulations, it seems like you're already being recognized for your skills."
"Thank you, well, I have to work harder."
"Oh, one more thing… I have so many questions, don't I?"
"Not at all, I knew you'd have much to ask."
This was what she wanted. The fact that she was only a junior in the Strategic Planning Department didn't matter. From the outside, she was an elite member of a big corporation.
Seyeon even had unlimited control over the players of Midgard.
"Oh, I'm just wondering why you wanted to meet me personally, you could have just sent me a message."
"Because of the reason I told you."
"Told me?"
"Our lead developer banned it. Our operators can only watch players real-time until they reach level 10, and after that, we have no choice but to enter the game ourselves."
"What? Then what about potential exploiters or hackers?"
"The devs deal with them directly. Actually, I don't think that makes any sense either. Why doesn't he just run the game by himself?"
"I get it, that's unreasonable, it sounds like it only takes up more time without any extra benefits."
The moment she heard those words, Jeong Seyeon felt as if the sorrow she had accumulated over the years was bursting out.
"That's what I'm saying! I'm not even asking for real-time monitoring. It would be so much easier if they'd just let us analyze the logs!"
"Yeah, I feel you. Anyway, I'm guessing you'll accompany me for the time being, right?"
"Ah, I think it would be better to add each other as friends use text chatting. I think I'll only hinder your gameplay."
"Yeah, I can be a little unpredictable."
"Unpredictably capable, I'd say. Would you like to see the contract?"
Seyeon took a bunch of paper out of her inventory. Seojin smiled at the sight.
"Do I sign only have to sign the contract in-game?"
"I talked to our legal team, but unfortunately that won't be possible. I'm just showing you the detail here, and you'll sign the same contract back in real life."
"Let's take a look."
Seyeon handed the papers to Seojin. It was quite a thick stack, no wonder, as it was a corporate contract. It would take a long time to read every single article properly.
"I'll just have to give it a quick once over and check the details in real life."
"Thank you for your consideration."
"Uh, no worries."
The complicated rhetoric didn't matter to Seojin.
He skipped over all the twisted and difficult-to-understand phrases and checked just exactly what he had to give and what he could take in return.
'Financial support, and supporters to promote smoother gameplay, it sounds kind of ambiguous…'
Seojin raised his eyebrows. Even the employees of the headquarters couldn't access the information that the lead devs did not allow them to.
So, what was the point? He would only gain the superficial information that the devs agreed to share.
'This one's worth using. Payment for VIP membership on paid information sites. There's even something like that?'
Seojin guessed that there was that sort of thing around, but it felt strange to see that it was actually a thing.
He didn't see anything like it in Asgard. He'd have made a ton of money selling information if there was something similar to that.
'Well, it was a long time ago.'
"About this VIP thing…"
"Yes?"
"Are there any conditions or restrictions for VIP membership? It doesn't seem like you can just buy stuff with money."
"There are qualifications that need to be met. Candidates are evaluated comprehensively depending on their level, affiliation, and influence on Midgard so far, according to internal standards."
"It's run by Hailstorm Co, right? Unofficially."
Seojin asked the question passing through his mind and Seyeon nodded willingly.
"It's off the record, but you're right."
"I knew it."
Seojin had already guessed that this was the case. Even though the developers didn't release the information, there was nothing more inefficient than shooting the top-ranked themselves. Manager Kim seemed to be grabbing even the tiniest amount of information from this.
"Are you okay with saying all of this?"
"I know very well whom I'm dealing with."
"How did you know I like compliments?"
Seojin looked at the contract again. He'd checked his reward, so now it was time to find out the price for it.
'…That's what it is, they didn't specify my responsibilities, and that means they'll ask me to do whatever they want from time to time.'
For example, he'd probably have to draw other players' attention to specific events in Midgard and rehabilitate abandoned areas. Rather than pursuing his own personal profit, he'd have to increase the lifespan of the game, in other words, he'd have to keep people interested in the game.
'The credit will go to Manager Kim instead, and this Seyeon girl or that other team leader gain something out of it too.'
Not bad. It was not bad at all.
But that precisely made Seojin hesitate.
'Do they really think that highly of me? Or am I missing something?'
Nothing in this world was free.
A too-good-to-be-true contract like this was bound to have a poison pill hidden somewhere.
"Can you give me some time to think?"
"Of course, my manager will be satisfied just to get in contact with you. I can wait as long as you need."
"What if I asked you to raise my pay?"
"It would probably increase by a lot."
Huh.
Seojin let out a surprised sigh. Seyeon added with a smile.
"My manager knows what's important. If adding a little more money would persuade you to become our partner, he'd gladly do so."
Such a big promise she was making. And if it was true, it was reasonable to take advantage of it.
"Since you mentioned it, I'd like to ask for some tricky conditions."
"Please speak."
"First of all, from the moment we decide to work together, you and I will become companions, right?"
"Of course."
"I won't sign a contract with my companion."
Seyeon flinched. She quickly regained her composure and continued.
"I'm not sure what you mean…"
"It's exactly what you heard. I think companions should trust and rely on each other, not be bound by the terms of the contract."
"How about you consider me a business partner?"
"I'm playing a game, not running a business."
"But it'll bring you more money than any business you could possibly run."
"I'm not short of money right now and I'm not planning to be a billionaire, anyway. I'll be fine as long as my finances don't hinder my gameplay."
Seojin didn't budge an inch.
He was sending her a clear message: I'm playing the game my way, and you won't change that.
Seyeon sighed deeply, 'What are you, a juvenile? Well, it's no wonder he can devote his life to a game.'
An immature fantasy.
Wasn't it funny to chase such a thing at Seojin's age?
Jeong Seyeon put on a gentle, but troubled expression.
"I understand what you mean, but we're a company…"
"Didn't you say it was an unofficial project? Considering security, it would be better without a contract."
"That would be too ideal."
Jeong Seyeon's shoulders dropped, and Seojin shrugged.
"It's a game, I don't want to have to act so realistically when I'm logging in to have fun."
"So… you want the conditions to remain the same, only without a contract, right?"
"The conditions may change from time to time. What I want is a companion, not a cold business partner."
He was giving Seyeon a headache. She thought things were going smoothly for a second, but now Seojin was pushing his unique stubbornness when it came to games.
'What a madman. He's really insane. What the hell is he thinking? A companion? How can a GM and a player become companions? No, does he really think that such a naïve relationship is possible when money is at stake?'
He was either naïve, or he didn't know how the real world worked.
It made her even angrier that this man was truly talented and that she had to find a way to please him somehow.
"What would you like me to tell my team leader?"
"One is that you, Miss Jeong Seyeon will be fixed as my manager, and two, that you play the game with me."
"…Me, play the game?"
"Yes, since we're companions. I'll help when you need me, and vice versa."
It was only getting more ridiculous.
However, Seyeon, aka BunnyRabbit, accepted that she had no other choice.
"I'll have to report back to my team leader first."
"Take your time. Let's just add each other as a friend first."
Seojin stood up, shook hands with Bunnyrabbit, and saw her off.
"I wonder what they'll say…" Seojin muttered with a playful look on his face right after BunnyRabbit logged out.
He knew how ridiculous he sounded when he brought up the companion stuff in the first place and the fact that it was impossible. But he'd said it anyway since he wanted the corporation to think that he was that kind of character.
'I don't want to play their way. Big corporations are not easy to deal with, it is much safer to pretend to be out of my mind and stay in control. I don't think that manager of hers will quit easily, considering what I just heard.'
Deals were kind of like love. Whoever falls first, loses.
Seojin shrugged his shoulders once and forgot about Seyeon. He had a bigger problem to deal with.
'I wasted too much time.'
It would have been impossible to chat like this if he was still in the first phase of the quest.
Fortunately for him, however, they were already on the right track.
Main Quest: A Seed of Hope
* You gave hope to the dying town of Berne. Grow this small seed into the Tree of Life!
* Residents Supporting You: 29
* The town's remaining life will decrease 29% slower.
* The townspeople's fondness towards you increased by 29%
* Quest Progress: 58%
* Default Reward: 100%
The number of residents following Seojin was increasing little by little.
And there was one more thing.
The question marks that were next to the default reward had been replaced with a percentage.
The details were still hidden, but Seojin guessed that it meant the reward differed by the progress made.
'Twenty-nine people and fifty-eight percent progress… the quest should be completed once we reach fifty people.'
So, it seemed he was still in the first stage.
That meant that there was still a lot of work to be done.
Seojin went back to focusing on the quest.