The bodyguard's skill was undeniable; he'd dispatched the goblins with frightening speed.
According to the rumors, his rank was 153rd in the area.
But he was nothing compared to him.
Seo Ji-woo’s mind flashed back to the player nicknamed Huk-yeong and the massacre he’d unleashed.
Before him, the goblins had been rendered utterly pathetic.
While the bodyguard was a capable fighter, comparing him to Huk-yeong was like comparing a child with a wooden sword to a seasoned executioner.
Even Seo Ji-woo, who knew little of combat, could recognize overwhelming power. And Huk-yeong’s number one rank was all the proof anyone needed.
What kind of man was he in the real world? Did he live a normal life? Or was he some kind of special forces operative?
If she could team up with someone that skilled, her chances of surviving the second round would skyrocket.
She would pay any price to have him as a partner.
“God, I’m thirsty. Well, the job’s done. I’ll be on my way.”
“Thank you for your hard work, Bodyguard.”
“Given how things are, I doubt there’ll be much work besides funerals for a while. Until then, rest well. And don’t worry about the next round.”
The bodyguard set down his wine glass and let himself out of the apartment.
Only Seo Ji-woo remained, alone in the spacious 110-square-meter penthouse.
A sudden chill washed over her, and she wrapped her arms around herself.
I was lucky to survive this time, but can I make it through the next round?
A tremor of unease ran through her, making her hands tremble.
Time passed. It was now Monday, January 31st.
Park Jin-ho walked into the Daehan Bank to collect his fifth consecutive first-place lottery prize.
“Ah, our lucky customer! Here again?” The bank manager’s expression was one of mild surprise, but that was all. After five consecutive lottery wins, Park Jin-ho was growing used to this kind of attention.
“Another hundred-ticket streak this time?” the manager asked.
“Yes,” Park Jin-ho replied.
“What’s your secret?”
“I told you last week. I dreamt the numbers.”
The manager stared, dumbfounded. What kind of dream gives you the winning lottery numbers five weeks in a row? he thought.
“Wow, that’s… that’s really impressive,” the manager said. “I wish I could have a dream like that—ah! I shouldn’t say such things. My apologies, Mr. Park Jin-ho. Right this way, please.”
Flustered by his own candor, the manager quickly led Park Jin-ho to the lottery team’s office.
“Welcome back, lucky customer,” a team member said, no longer fazed by Park Jin-ho’s frequent visits.
“The total payout is a bit lower than last time. With the second round approaching, general anxiety has the prize pool down about fifteen percent on average.”
Even so, Park Jin-ho’s VIP account now held over 12 billion won.
“Did you collect the prize money?” Park Si-woo asked when Park Jin-ho returned home.
“Yeah. It was around twelve billion won this time. Not as much as last time,” Park Jin-ho replied.
A look of disgust crossed Park Si-woo’s face.
“Are you going to pour this into Arcane Coin again?”
“That’s the plan,” Park Jin-ho said. He had been consistently investing his winnings into Arcane Coin, a strategy that had already grown his funds to over 150 billion won.
Park Si-woo didn’t try to stop his brother, but a knot of worry tightened in his stomach. He was growing complacent, and that kind of overconfidence could get him killed.
“Let’s go get lunch,” Park Jin-ho suggested, changing the subject.
The brothers ate lunch and dinner out, returning home to wait for the stroke of midnight.
“The second round is about to begin,” Park Jin-ho said from his bed, the door to his reinforced bedroom sealed shut.
“Please come back safely,” Park Si-woo said.
“Who do you take me for? I even took down Choi Min-seok,” Park Jin-ho said with a confident smirk.
“Still, please be careful.”
“Don’t worry. Just get some sleep. When you wake up, I’ll be here,” Park Jin-ho reassured him.
February 1st. The moment the clock struck midnight.
Park Jin-ho’s body went limp, collapsing onto the bed.
When he opened his eyes, he was somewhere else entirely.
He stood in a clearing surrounded by a dense forest, a stark contrast to the open meadow of the first round.
Did I arrive already?
It was instantaneous, wasn't it?
Survivors from the first round materialized out of thin air, each with their own nickname floating above their head.
“Oh? Isn’t that the guy who ranked first in the last round?”
“Yeah, Huk-yeong, right? He definitely made an impression.”
Whether one liked it or not, a player's nickname grew in value with each passing round.
Park Jin-ho held a steel stiletto, its cold weight familiar in his hand as he cautiously waited for the others to appear. He had no intention of mingling, and his guarded stance made that clear.
Observing his surroundings, Park Jin-ho recognized several faces. It was inevitable, as this was the assembly of survivors from the Sin-do area.
As expected, Lee Jun-ho and his cronies were present, their bulky frames making them easy to spot in the crowd.
It wasn’t until approximately five thousand people had gathered in the forest clearing that an Cheon-sa appeared in the sky, as a strange voice echoed in everyone’s mind.
[Is everyone finally here?]
It wasn’t the Cheon-sa from the previous round.
“Hey, isn’t that a different Cheon-sa?” someone muttered.
Of course it was. The first round’s Cheon-sa wouldn’t be making a return, not after Park Jin-ho had killed her.
Seemingly sensing the crowd’s unease, the new Cheon-sa spoke.
[The Cheon-sa in charge of the first round had a little… accident. So she couldn’t make it. But don’t you worry, humans. I will be leading you well from now on. Kee-hee-hee...]
The giggle was a discordant sound, a chilling counterpoint to her beautiful form.
[Now that everyone is here, shall we reveal the quest for the second round?]
The Cheon-sa flapped her wings, and every eye in the clearing stared up at her in tense anticipation.