Entrance to the Event Hall
Arriving in front of the situation room, Jinhyuk stopped.
Beep. Access denied.Beep. Access denied.
He handed over two keycards, then tapped a third.
Same result.
It seemed none of the five cards had access permissions.
"Seyra. Break thi—"
He was about to tell her to smash it.
But before he finished speaking, the metal door slid open with a whir.
A neatly dressed woman in a suit smiled at him.
"How did you get here? This area is restricted to authorized personnel."
He couldn't see them, but it was obvious the entire situation room's attention had snapped toward them.
"How I got here?"
Smiling, Jinhyuk tossed a bomb straight into the room.
"Everybody down!!"
The woman shrieked in panic.
The situation room erupted into chaos.
Security personnel threw themselves to the floor, crashing into one another.
Through that opening, Jinhyuk stepped inside and spoke.
"Don't worry. It won't explode."
Kanchō had already turned the contents into clay.
It only looked like a bomb—inside, it was completely empty.
"...?"
Everyone stared at Jinhyuk, question marks practically floating above their heads.
They had every right to.
Some kid had suddenly barged in and caused this chaos.
"Judging by how scared you all are, you clearly know what this is."
The security agents got back to their feet and surrounded him.
They didn't curse or shout.
They simply let out incredulous laughs.
"Well, well. I thought this ship was full of posers trying to look tough, but we've got quite the cheeky brat here."
The woman who'd opened the door—Bae Miseon—approached.
"You're the partner who came with Jin Seohui, right? Who are you?"
"You just said it. I'm Jin Seohui's partner. My name is Yoo Jinhyuk."
"That's not what I— mm? Where did you get those?"
Finally noticing the five keycards in Jinhyuk's hand, Bae Miseon's face twisted.
"These? I picked them up on the way. I needed to be sure before coming here. Needed confirmation that everyone here was the enemy."
"And what exactly do you think you can do with that kind of certainty?"
"It keeps me from hesitating."
Ssshhk.
A faint breeze stirred.
And then—
SPLASH—!
Crimson blood sprayed across the entire situation room.
Bae Miseon slowly turned her head, eyes widening.
What on earth had just happened?
A moment ago, her colleagues had been perfectly fine.
Now they lay collapsed and bleeding.
Not a single one spared.
And in the middle of the bodies stood a silver-haired woman.
Bae Miseon hadn't seen what the woman did.
But instinct screamed the truth at her.
This woman had done it.
"Think carefully about why you survived. It's not because we couldn't kill you. You tried to blow up an entire ship—no one here is big-hearted enough to show mercy to people like that."
Jinhyuk lifted his gaze.
"!!!"
A chill shot down her spine the moment their eyes met.
There wasn't the slightest tremor in his gaze.
She had mistaken him earlier for some naïve kid.
She was wrong.
Standing in the middle of this bloodbath, his expression remained perfectly calm.
This wasn't his first time in such a scene.
"I'm going to ask a few questions. Answer them properly. First question: who are you people?"
The one-sided interrogation began.
And in that moment, Bae Miseon understood.
If she refused to answer—or even hesitated—she would die.
At that time, in the New-Cali's opening event hall—
Jin Seohui checked the time with a tense expression.
It had been thirty minutes since Jinhyuk left the hall.
Is he okay…?
There was no way to contact him.
She didn't know how long she was supposed to just sit and wait.
She slowly scanned the hall.
Nothing unusual yet.
No suspicious individuals.
Security personnel were guarding the VIP entrance.
"!?"
Startled, Seohui looked down.
Someone had tugged on her skirt.
"Hoo…"
She steadied her startled heart.
A little child—plump-cheeked like a steamed bun, and easily one of the cutest she had ever seen.
"Who are you?"
Come to think of it, how had the child gotten right next to her without her noticing?
"Me, Momo."
"Momo? What a cute name. Who did you come with? Do you want me to take you to them?"
Without thinking, Seohui reached out and gently squeezed Momo's chubby cheek.
It felt like touching mochi.
"Shhhh!"
Momo brought a finger to her lips.
Then pulled out a small folded note and handed it to her.
The moment Seohui read it, her eyes widened.
All New-Cali security personnel are enemies. None are carrying firearms.
"You… are you from Yoo Jinhyuk…?"
But Momo was already gone.
Just like when she arrived—vanished without a trace.
What on earth…
It felt like a dream, but the note was still in her hand.
Seohui straightened her posture and organized her thoughts.
She looked around the hall once more.
Then she stood up.
People's gazes turned toward her, but she didn't care.
She walked straight toward the exit.
"Jin Seohui-nim? Can we help you find something?"
A security guard stationed near the entrance approached.
"I just needed some fresh air."
She gave a light excuse, counting the number of guards in sight.
Seven for now.
"Mind if I stand here for a bit?"
"Of course, ma'am. If you're unwell, we can bring medicine."
"No, I'm fine."
Leaning against the wall, she took a breath.
Jinhyuk had told her who the enemy was, but he hadn't told her to do anything.
But she had no intention of sitting still and waiting for someone to save her.
If the situation is about to go bad…
She looked into the hall.
VIPs gathered everywhere.
If they were taken hostage—
No organization in Korea would be able to make quick decisions.
The consequences would be catastrophic.
There are no security personnel inside.
If she could hold this entrance, the worst could be avoided.
Pretending to get fresh air, she observed the guards' movements.
Then all of them lifted their hands to their earpieces at once.
Receiving new orders.
"Understood. Executing Plan B."
And right then another guard approached with a large bag.
He opened it and pulled out axes, blades—cold weapons.
Seohui inhaled slowly.
Just as Jinhyuk had said, all the security personnel were enemies.
WEEEOOO—WEEEOOO—!!
A sharp siren blared.
Heavy thuds echoed around them.
Moments later, every corridor, escalator, and passage leading to the hall sealed shut with thick metal shutters.
A security protocol to protect passengers during emergencies.
Weapons ready, the guards approached Seohui.
"Please step inside."
"No."
The man who seemed to be the team leader curled his lips into a cold smile.
"I don't think you grasp the situation yet. We've been polite long enough."
He reached out to grab her.
Seohui's lips curved.
"Go ahead and try."
"!?"
SPLASH!
Blood gushed from the man's arm.
"Argh…!"
Amid the spray of blood, Seohui drew a slender blade.
[Kamitachi / Grade: Unique / Level Requirement: 40]
Attack Power: 70Blessing of the Weasel: Increases Agility stat by 20%.Elusive Step: Consumes mana to reverse the user's movements.A weapon once wielded by the night weasel, a type of yokai.
Seohui steadied her breathing.
She knew she lacked real combat experience compared to them.
But she had spent countless hours training in the sword hall.
She believed—without doubt—that those hours hadn't been wasted.
Which was why she could strike without hesitation.
"W-what is this…?"
"Representative Jin Seohui?! What are you doing…?!"
"Officials! What's going on here?!"
The hall erupted.
Passages had sealed shut, and now a VIP was cutting down security personnel.
Nothing made sense.
"Listen carefully."
She explained the situation—fast and simple.
"No one is coming to save us. If you want to live, you have to fight."
"Quit playing hero!!"
A weapon flew toward her.
She sidestepped smoothly and slashed the man's abdomen.
"Ha."
The security guards exchanged uncertain looks.
They thought these pampered influencers were useless hot-house flowers—
But there was one exception.
Of course, not all of them were courageous.
"D-do something!"
"Why are you yelling at me? Go do it yourself! Didn't you clear up to Floor 40?!"
"What am I supposed to do without a weapon?!"
"I'll lend you one! Your clear floor is higher than mine!"
The enemies hadn't even attacked yet.
And the hall was already descending into panic.
Understandable.
Even among players, motivations and mindsets differed.
To these influencers, the Tower was merely a tool for wealth and fame.
They only climbed with perfect preparation, when the risk was zero.
If something seemed dangerous, they ran first and questioned later.
Telling people like that to fight was pointless.
"Kh…!!"
The security team leader let out a laugh.
"Miss Jin Seohui, do you really need to risk your life to protect people like that? Just step inside."
"Do I look like the type to risk my life for strangers?"
She meant it.
To escape the New-Cali, outside help was essential.
And to ensure those helping hands wouldn't hesitate at a critical moment, she needed to keep this place under control.
She had no desire to play hero.
"Is that so? Since you insist, we'll be a bit rough."
One of the shuttered doors opened.
Twenty more guards poured out.
They carried nets with weights attached.
Seohui's face darkened.
Even without such tools, the numbers alone were overwhelming.
With them, winning was impossible.
"Consider yourself lucky you're Genex's young lady. Otherwise, we'd have taken your head already."
Thirty guards advanced, slowly shrinking the distance.
Still, Seohui did not retreat.
She raised her blade.
At that moment—
Click.
The lights illuminating the New-Cali went out.
Darkness swallowed the space.
The guards halted instinctively.
"What? Why'd the lights go out?"
"Quiet. Bring a flashlight. Start the backup generator."
In the faint murmurs—
A presence that had been hidden by stealth slowly emerged.
Lowering their stance, they whispered softly.
[Najever-style Iaido, First Form]
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T/N:
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