A black sedan stopped in front of the Insa-dong market. A girl sat in the back, nibbling on ice cream. 

“What’s his name?” She asked her subordinate.

“Seo Jun-ho.” He pushed a hologram video from the passenger seat to the back. “This video was taken only a few minutes ago.” 

She watched it silently. Three players had been bested by Seo Jun-ho in a single breath. 

“Who are these guys?”

“I looked into it, and they weren’t any relevant. But they were all over level 20.”

“Hm.” The video ended, and the girl didn’t seem all that interested. But her subordinate knew immediately. 

She’s interested. Her voice had quirked up at the end. She only did that when she was amused. 

“I personally like him because he exceeded our expectations. What do you think, Princess?” 

“Well, he’s not bad.” She played the video again. “I always say this, but anyone can raise their stats as long as they have the money. However…”

“There aren’t many players who have a good eye like him. Is that what you were going to say?”

“…Stop finishing my sentences.”

“Alright, alright.” She was annoyed by his attitude, but he’d seen right through her. She’d been impressed by the swift way he dodged attacks. 

A second later, they pulled up in an alleyway. 

“Please finish your ice cream. I think he’s coming soon.”

“Whatever.” She bit into her ice cream before she suddenly turned to the window. “Hey, hey, isn’t that him?”

Right on time, Seo Jun-ho emerged from the alleyway. People had recognized and stopped him to take pictures. 

“Yes. Seems like he’s pretty popular, unlike you.”

“……” 

She tilted the back mirror and studied him. 

“What the— He’s actually useful.” She’d decided that after seeing him in person. He looked weak at first sight because his body was untrained, but the look in his eyes was sharp. It was second to none, not even first-rate players. 

“I’ll bring him here, then.” She shook her head and opened the car door. 

“I’ll go myself. I feel like I’ll be seeing him around a lot.”

* * *

“Chee~se!”

“…Cheese.” Seo Jun-ho muttered with a sullen look on his face. As soon as he’d emerged from the alleyway, so-called fans had gone crazy. 

“Excuse me, please be considerate of the people in line!”

“How many pictures are you gonna take?”

“…What? In line?” Shocked, Seo Jun-ho turned around. At some point, dozens of people had lined up behind him. 

They’re so civilized! In fact, the line was getting longer by the second. If things kept going like this, he wouldn’t be able to go home for hours. A loud alarm went off in his head, one he didn’t hear even when he was fighting. 

“Player Seo Jun-ho?” A soft, beautiful voice cut through the loud noises, clear as day. When he turned around, he saw a petite girl who came up to his chest. She was staring up at him. She looked extremely suspicious with her mask and sunglasses, but Seo Jun-ho was looking at something else. 

…She’s strong? His words weren’t empty. She was the strongest player he’d seen after waking up from the ice. The female players that were this strong were…

He’d already researched and filled his head with information on the famous players, including rankers. Thanks to that, he found his answer right away. Short stature, long and wavy red hair, and a burning heat that he could feel just by standing near her. There was only one person in the world who had those traits. 

…Dokkaebi’s Princess.

They called her the Red Lotus, a flame-using player from the Dokkaebi Guild. She was actually a Team Leader, but she was more often called ‘the Princess’ because of her peculiar name. 

Seo Jun-ho feigned ignorance. 

“Who are you?”

“Sorry, but can we talk inside somewhere? I’m not some suspicious person.” She pulled out a business card. 

[Dokkaebi Guild. Team 2 Leader Gong Juha.]

(TN: Her nickname is Gongju, which means ‘princess’.)

I knew it. He was right. Since she’s from Dokkaebi… They’re probably trying to scout me. 

He had no thoughts of joining a guild, but being scouted felt good. After all, it was one of the six strongest guilds in the world. One of the famous, influential Big 6. 

It’s well-known that they make more in a year than a small country’s budget. 

Seo Jun-ho feigned a surprised look. 

“Wow, what business does the Dokkaebi Guild have with me?”

“Fufu. Let’s go to a cafe and talk over an iced choco.”

Of course, he agreed. After all, it was a legal(?) escape from the photo zone. 

* * *

They sat in a private booth in the cafe while Gong Juha’s subordinate stood guard at the door. She finally took off her mask and sunglasses, and fanned her face. 

“Man, I’m sweating. I hate going out. I hate the heat, but I have to wear a disguise on top of that.”

“…Aren’t you a flame-user?”

“That’s the problem. I like cool, cold things,” she complained. 

It was hard to believe that Gong Juha was 23 with her baby face. 

Is this meek-looking girl really Dokkaebi’s Princess from the rumors? 

Dokkaebi’s Princess, or the Red Lotus Princess, was one of the few things that even the fiends were afraid of. But to Seo Jun-ho, she just looked like a cute* girl around his age. 

(TN: The word used is similar to ‘adorable’, usually used to describe animals or babies etc.)

“Oh, before we start.” Gong Juha suddenly used her magic, creating an intangible field around them. It was a perfectly soundproof wall. Seo Jun-ho blinked as he realized this. 

Huh? This technique… It was familiar. 

Seeing his unreadable expression, Gong Juha quickly explained. 

“Ah, sorry if I scared you. It’s a maintenance spell based on Skaya-nim’s theories. It’s just a thin wall that blocks out nearby sounds.”

“…I see.”

“It’s annoying to learn, but it’s useful. You should learn it later on.”

I know how to do it…

Sipping on her iced choco, Gong Juha got straight to the point.

“Would you like to join our guild?”

“…All of a sudden?” Seo Jun-ho looked dumbfounded. She invited him like she was asking if he wanted to eat jjajangmyeon for lunch. To Dokkaebi, of all places, the guild that all players dreamed of. 

(TN: A very famous Korean black bean noodle dish.)

“The Vice-Guildmaster wanted to scout you. Of course, they also told me to make the final decision after meeting you in person… And you pass.”

“In what sense?”

“Your achievements, for one. It’s not so strange that we’d want you after looking at all you’ve achieved so far, seeing that you’re the Super Rookie.” Seo Jun-ho nodded in agreement. After all, he’d done all that with this kind of outcome in mind. There was no one around his level who was building a better career than he was. 

“And you score high on my end in combat sense and future potential.”

“Combat sense… Have the videos already started spreading?” He’d seen people at the bar filming his fight with the Three Reapers of Gangnam. Of course, he’d known that it would blow up, just not this fast.

“I enjoyed it. You’re good at fighting. Is D-rank Weapon Proficiency really your only skill?”

“Yes.” The only skill registered on his official profile was D-rank Weapon Proficiency.

“That only makes me want you more. Think about it: you only have one D-rank skill, but you’re already at this level, with this career. What if you gained more skills?”

“Well… Obviously, I’d get stronger.”

“Whatever you’re thinking of, you’ll get even stronger than that.” Her voice was sweet like honey.

“If you join our guild, our skill books will help you. Not only that, our Gate coordinators will draw up a course for you to help you level up as fast as possible.”

“That’s amazing.” He felt sorry for Deok-gu, but there was a reason why the guilds were better off than the Association. Just by going off of what she’d said, joining a guild was much more beneficial. 

Plus, their yearly salary is higher and their incentives are better. It was a total loss for the Association. 

“As you know, we are one of the best guilds in the world. And we have a lot more information on the 2nd floor than the Association does. It’ll be greatly beneficial for your growth.”

“That’s true.”

“If you’re worried about the penalty fees for breaking your contract with the Association, we can also pay for that.” At this point, most players would’ve instantly left the Association and joined the guild.

Well, if they have this many benefits, it’s no wonder that there are no useful guys left at the Association. 

But Seo Jun-ho had no thoughts of joining a guild, no matter what they offered. 

I’d become rich and famous. But… It wouldn’t come for free. He’d have to give up an equal amount to what he accumulated in glory and riches. 

Usually, it’s carrying out orders. Carrying out tasks assigned by the guild. That was what most players spent their time doing. For Seo Jun-ho, who only focused on his own growth, the guild system was like a ball and chain. 

I’m happiest with where I’m at now. 

The Player Association was an international organization, so players were treated like government officials. 

Most government officials have to adhere to a strict hierarchy… But the chief of the Korean Association had his back. Even if he didn’t insert himself into official business, no one would complain. 

“What do you think?” Even as she asked, Gong Juha thought it was a stupid question. There’s no way he’d decline. They were one of the Big 6, Dokkaebi. And she was the ranker, Dokkaebi’s Princess. She’d come down to the 1st floor briefly and came to recruit him in person. It would be much stranger if he refused. 

But Seo Jun-ho’s answer was unexpected. 

“I respectfully decline.”

“Yeah, yeah, you can speak casually from… Eh?” Gong Juha’s eyes went wide, blinking. 

She clapped her hands together and started again. “Um… I don’t think you understood what I said.”

“No, I did. The Dokkaebi Guild has made me an amazing offer.”

“…So, why?” The look on her face was one of utter confusion. She wasn’t even angry, just truly curious. She wanted to hear why in the world he would refuse. 

“Do you know the saying ‘the snake’s head is better than the dragon’s tail’?” 

(TN: Korean idiom meaning that it’s better to be at the top of something than the bottom of something else, even if the latter is better overall.)

“Ah, got it.” Gong Juha. She looked at Seo Jun-ho with a new light. He’s more ambitious than I thought.

The snake’s head is better than the dragon’s tail. She understood. 

Well, even if he joined Dokkaebi, he likely wouldn’t be able to reach a high position. 

Seo Jun-ho was outstanding, but there were already players of his level at Dokkaebi. The top players like Shin Sung-hyun and Kim Woojoong had already established themselves at around Seo Jun-ho’s level. He did have them beat when it came to Uncleared Gates though. 

Besides, they have S-rank skills. It was incredible how far he’d come with just a D-rank skill, but no matter how hard he trained, it would cap at around B-rank. No matter how good he was, there would be a gap between the growth potential of an S-rank skill versus a D-rank skill. He’d probably refused the offer because he understood all that. 

He’s smart. For most people, joining one of the Big 6 was the finish line. They fell into the trap of believing that their world would expand if they just joined one. But the competition within the guilds was much fiercer than outside. After all, the Big 6 was where the elite of elites gathered. 

Having become the Team 2 Leader through her hard-earned efforts, Gong Juha understood him. 

Hm. He knows where he stands and is backing out peacefully…… How admirable. 

It was a bit of a waste. If she took him in and trained him properly, she thought he’d be able to become one of the low-tier rankers. She asked one more time, looking disappointed. 

“I’m not usually the nagging type, but I’ll ask one more time. You really won’t join us?”

“I’m sorry.”

“…Well, nothing we can do about it then.” It’s not like she could force him to join. It would be disgraceful. 

Gong Juha stood up from her seat to leave. 

“Oh, and I advise  you to be careful.”

“…Are you planning to get revenge on me for refusing?”

“No, no, I may be small but my heart isn’t! What do you take me for?” Her cheeks flared red. She lowered her voice. “The fiends have suddenly started getting active again, including on the 1st floor.”

“…The 1st floor?”

“Yes. There’s been a guy called the Skeleton Mage going around different countries and wreaking havoc through terror. He’s a headache to deal with. What, is he Bigfoot or something? Anyways, you should be careful.”

“Thank you for warning me.”

“In that case, I’ll see you again sometime, Mr. Snake head.” Gong Juha quickly left the cafe with her subordinate. Seo Jun-ho watched her go and slowly closed his eyes. 

So the fiends have been moving. 

He felt it. It was an instinct that was carved into his DNA. Gong Juha’s warning was some sort of sign. 

If they come after me… It’ll be because of the Eastern Sea Gate. The sleeping Rare-grade bow wavered in his inventory. 

He’d already met the requirements to use it. 

I’ll show them something worthy of its name. 

The bow that brought storms, Tempest Butterfly. 

He wanted to witness its glory with his own eyes.