"As you all know... but since we have time to spare, I'll reiterate the precautions," Son Jeonghu said, surveying us.
"The operation begins when the Taker disables the Main System.
Since Seoul City Hall is managed by the Main System, all lights will go out except for the emergency lights. That's when you move."
I half-listened to Son Jeonghu's words, mentally rehearsing my mission.
My target is the Illusioner specifically, the Special Agents carrying them. I plan to kill those bastards and seize their Illusioners. To achieve this, I spent a fortune 3 billion won on an Eclous Plasma Blade.
No matter how advanced the Special Agents' equipment or the machines they wore, they wouldn't be able to stop the Eclaus Plasma Blade.
But I believed my Youngcheon Style would be more than capable.
"You can raid the armories along the way, or kill the guards and take their weapons. Steal anything you want.
Kill anyone you want. While you're causing chaos for an hour...
I'll steal the blueprints. After an hour, we retreat immediately. You all know the retreat plan, right?"
I wasn't planning on retreating.
The moment I acquired the Illusioner, my objective would be achieved. I'd secure three Illusioners and return to reality immediately.
Machines can malfunction, after all. It's best to have spares.
"If we get our hands on the Illusioner, the first thing I'm going to do is take a bath..."
"If we get caught, I recommend just killing yourselves. Torture is inevitable. They might even extract your brains and leave you to suffer for eternity."
Son Jeonghu's chilling words froze the members' faces. Given the technological capabilities of this world, it was impossible to dismiss his words as mere jokes. After all, Son Jeonghu himself had a mechanical body, with only his brain remaining organic.
"I believe in you all. You're all exceptionally capable. Let's order pizza at the cafe later."
"..."
The members remained silent. Though their individual thoughts were hidden, their tension was palpable.
I joined the silence before finally speaking to Son Jeonghu.
"Leader, I'm feeling a bit hungry. Can I go grab a bite to eat?"
"It's fine. There's still over an hour until the party starts. Oh, Ulla said she was hungry earlier. Let's take her with us."
I glanced at Ulla. She was wearing a sky-blue dress. Formal attire didn't suit her petite frame, so Son Jeonghu had personally instructed her to wear the dress.
With her golden hair and porcelain-white complexion, she looked quite normal and the dress suited her well.
"...I'm hungry," Ulla said. I smiled wryly.
"Alright, let's go together."
Ulla is a cyborg whose entire body, except for the Leader's brain, is 100% mechanical. She doesn't need to eat at all. Of course, the only ones who know this fact at Raffles are the Leader and Ulla herself. I, naturally, know it from the original story.
...He's planning to use Ulla to monitor me.
This was within my expectations. My betrayal here would be utterly catastrophic for them.
They don't understand. If I'd wanted to betray them, I've had plenty of opportunities.
I headed to the 120th-floor restaurant with Ulla.
I planned to savor the legendary premium steak they served here.
As I entered the restaurant, I froze upon seeing someone.
"Someone you know?" Ulla asked, following my gaze to the man seated by the window. He was gazing out at the cityscape while eating a chicken salad.
"...Not exactly someone I know personally. But he's quite famous in the underworld."
"Famous?"
"He's a problem solver. And a former special agent, no less."
Ulla and I settled at a suitable table and ordered the steak course menu.
Ulla kept glancing at the man, clearly intrigued by the mention of a special agent.
"Yu Hansu, the protagonist. He'll eventually kill Ulla himself."
Perhaps Ulla sensed something from the man who would one day kill her.
We ate in silence.
Ulla was naturally reserved, and I saw no reason to force a connection. After all, we wouldn't see each other again after today.
The steak melted in my mouth.
"You're the President of Grapple Corporation? I've never heard of that company before... Is it a foreign-owned enterprise?"
"Haha, yes. It's a British company. We recently established operations in Seoul. We haven't even secured proper office space yet, so it's understandable you're unfamiliar with us."
At the party, I had to interact with numerous people. Even if I didn't approach them, they would come to me and strike up conversations.
Their sociability was overwhelming.
It must be because I'm a young Normal and easy to approach.
Sixty percent of the party attendees were Normals. The rest were cyborgs who had modified parts of their bodies.
"Phew. Dealing with people is exhausting. Did I make any mistakes?" I asked Son Jeonghu, who was standing beside me.
"No problems at all, President. You handled everything perfectly."
He was playing the role of Chief Secretary, and he suited the part surprisingly well.
"I was just nodding along. Shouldn't we head upstairs soon?"
"Not yet. It's still early in the party. We should enjoy it a bit longer. It'll be easier to move later when people start leaving."
"...You're right."
People continued to approach me throughout the evening, eager to establish connections. The upper class valued networks as much as money.
"Ah, I'm tired."
I rubbed the back of my neck with my left hand. Dealing with people was one thing, but I had to lie to them constantly. They often asked sharp questions, and if Son Jeonghu hadn't intervened so skillfully, they would have surely become suspicious.
Midway through the party, it was gift-giving time.
Under the guise of gifts, they were openly bribing Seoul Mayor Won Cheonsu.
"Holy shit."
I had imagined the upper class would possess at least a shred of dignity. But the scene before me was far from dignified.
"How can they suck up like this? They're practically... kissing his ass until it's raw."
The flattery wasn't even enviable; it was nauseating. When someone subtly offered their daughter as a "gift," I couldn't help but laugh in disbelief.
He's selling even his own daughter for power.
I shook my head and took a sip of wine.
Of course, I had given Won Cheonsu a gift as well shares in an American company, I think. Son Jeonghu had prepared it, so I'm not sure exactly which company it was.
"Huh."
As I was sipping wine in a corner, a woman caught my eye.
"Damn, she's gorgeous."
She was blonde, wearing a navy blue evening dress that showed off her stunning figure. No visible cybernetics she looked completely Normal, just like me. Her breasts were full, and her hips were killer.
"Hmm? Is that your type?"
"No, she's just beautiful."
"Really?"
Son Jeonghu clearly didn't appreciate the beauty of the female form. No surprise, considering he's a eunuch with no genitals.
"Look at those swaying breasts. And her face is absolutely stunning. I've never seen a woman this beautiful in this world."
"This world?"
"...Yeah, I misspoke. I've never seen a woman this beautiful in my entire life."
Son Jeonghu didn't seem to think much of it.
Of course. How could he even imagine that I'm from another world? Even if he did, he'd never believe it. If I told him the truth, he'd probably think I'm crazy.
"Damn it. Why did I have to meet a woman like her now? If only I'd met her yesterday..."
I sighed deeply, filled with regret. Son Jeonghu, standing beside me, said, "If you really want her, just kidnap her later. Knock her out, take her away, and do whatever you want."
"No. I'm not going to kidnap someone after coming all this way."
"Is that so? Then what will the Taker steal? Something valuable, as usual?"
"Well..."
I trailed off, noticing someone approaching us.
It was Yu Hansu. I tensed slightly. Could he have figured out our true identities? If this was the Yu Hansu from the original webtoon, it wouldn't be surprising. His observational skills were exceptional.
"Greetings," he said, extending his hand. I shook it.
"...Ah, yes. Pleased to meet you. I'm Yu Jaewon, President of Grapple."
"Oh, we share the same surname! I'm Yu Hansu."
"What a coincidence. What brings you here?"
"Nothing urgent. I heard you'll be coming to Korea later. If any trouble arises then, please call me. Here's my business card."
"Problem Solver Yu Hansu?"
"Yes, yes. I may not be good at everything, but I'm certainly reliable when it comes to getting things done."
I relaxed slightly. He was just here for publicity.
Yu Hansu continued to boast about his exceptional problem-solving skills, moving on to other guests to hand out his business cards and promote himself.
"Yu Hansu. I'm a Special Agent affiliated with the government. Seeing you at this party suggests you have some connection to the Mayor."
Son Jeonghu spoke stiffly, adopting his Chief Secretary persona.
"Is he dangerous?"
"I'm not sure yet. But he's definitely someone we need to keep an eye on."
Right. Keep a close watch. You'll be fighting tooth and nail against Yu Hansu in the future.
I couldn't say that.
1:30 AM. We moved just as the party was winding down.
We took the elevator straight to the 175th floor.
The 175th floor housed the casino, which was closed today due to Mayor Won Cheonsu's birthday party.
Yet there was someone there. A soldier in full combat gear helmet and armored suit stood guard at the casino entrance, a large assault rifle in hand.
"What's your business here?" he asked, approaching us. Before I could speak, Son Jeonghu stepped forward.
"Our President expressed a desire to experience Seoul's casinos," Son Jeonghu said. "Is it closed today?"
"We are closed today due to Mayor Won Cheonsu's birthday party. We will reopen at 9 PM tonight. We would be grateful if you could visit us then."
"Ah, I see. But..."
Son Jeonghu began to stall, drawing out the conversation.
I attempted to hack the Main System. Even without visual confirmation, my skill allowed me to sense the location of the computer housing the Main System.
Hacking successful.
You can hack Seoul City Hall's Main System for 7 seconds.
Seven seconds.
The hacking duration was longer than I had anticipated. I had expected only three seconds at most.
First, I'll disable the Main System, then deliberately damage its core.
Even though I couldn't see, I could feel it. The Main System had been disabled as planned. With its core malfunctioning, Seoul City Hall would remain paralyzed unless the backup core was swapped in.
Flicker.
The fluorescent lights in the corridor went out simultaneously.
"W-what's happening... Gah?!"
Son Jeonghu's hand shot out, gripping the man's neck. His monstrous grip instantly snapped the man's neck. Son Jeonghu carelessly tossed the corpse aside and turned to me with a grin.
"Well done, Taker. The party venue must be in chaos by now. I'm going to steal the blueprints right away. What about you?"
"I'll steal anything valuable. And if I have time, I might snatch that blonde woman we saw earlier too."
"So you're really going to kidnap her?"
"I'm a man. Of course."
"Alright. See you later, then. This is a casino, so there must be cash somewhere around here."
Son Jeonghu said this as he descended the emergency stairs. The elevators were out of service due to the Main System malfunction.
I waited until he had completely disappeared.
Three minutes have passed. Son Jeonghu must have reached the 150th floor by now. Time for me to move too.
I drew a blade from my inventory.
The Eclers Plasma Blade.
This weapon uses the super-energy Eclers to coat its blade in plasma, allowing it to effortlessly slice through steel. Being rechargeable, it's best kept off unless actively engaged in combat to conserve energy.
I took the emergency stairs, moving upward instead of down. Earlier, when I hacked the Main System, I briefly pinpointed the locations of the Special Agents in City Hall.
There were five Special Agents in total. One of them was stationed outside the Main System Room on the 190th floor.
"Who are you?!"
I encountered a Special Police Unit officer on the stairs.
Wall Stream.
He fired his rifle at me. The rifle's firepower was nearly that of a machine gun, yet he couldn't hit me at all. Wall Stream was working perfectly, disrupting his depth perception.
I tested this before. Even if your eyes are mechanical, Wall Stream will work unless they're high-performance.
Ultimately, it's the human brain, not a computer, that processes visual information.
As I brushed past him, I slashed his throat with my blade. A fountain of blood erupted. Without hesitation, I continued upward.