Rapid Current.
Jeong Suhwa, who had stamped her foot in agitation, suddenly came to her senses when she saw the floor tiles spider-webbed with hairline cracks. She looked back at the two and bowed her head.
"I'm sorry. I'll definitely pay for the damage."
"No, don't worry about it. You must be busy — go on ahead."
"Next time, I'll make sure to…"
As her voice trailed off, her figure quickly shrank into the distance and vanished like a dot. Watching her go, Kichan swung his cane to shut the front door, then looked at Seowoon.
"Think this will be okay?"
"There's no way it'll be okay. Some lunatic started shooting fire from his hands in broad daylight, in a public space no less. And guess what — it's already hit the news with pictures. Videos next, no doubt…"
"It's already up. Both on the portal site and YouTube…"
Even before Seowoon finished speaking, Kichan confirmed that the videos were indeed being uploaded.
Clicking on one, the screen wobbled with shaky footage of people screaming in chaos.
—KYAAAHHH!!
—BOOM!
"You sons of bitches! Still think I'm crazy?! Huh?! I told you it's real! You motherf—!"
A man with messy hair and a stretched-out white t-shirt was screaming from afar, flinging his arms. Each time, balls of fire forming in his hands exploded onto the street, growing into roaring flames.
Cars all around were parked haphazardly, as if everyone had fled the scene.
"This guy… definitely not normal, right?"
"Looks that way. Hopefully no civilian casualties."
Kichan skimmed through a few more videos, then turned on the TV and started flipping channels rapidly.
As the screen flashed past various news reports, he paused when footage of the chaotic street filled the display.
"This is a live broadcast. The identity of the man, who has been committing acts of terror for over 20 minutes, has been confirmed as someone in his early 20s with severe delusional disorder. As you can see, the police special forces have set up barricades because the suspect is using an unknown weapon…"
The anchor's voice continued narrating the situation, but neither of the two were really listening.
"He's gotta be running low by now."
"Yeah. You can tell his mana is almost drained. Though it might not be his main power."
"They'll subdue him, right?"
"If worst comes to worst, they'll use bullets. From the looks of it, he's a total newbie — probably doesn't even have a barrier to stop bullets."
"Would they really fire live rounds, even with cameras rolling live?"
"Who knows? What matters is that today, people with powers have been exposed to the world."
As they spoke, the man — now with a fireball no bigger than a baseball — threw it weakly toward the surrounding police. Then he collapsed on the asphalt.
"Mana exhaustion. That'll put serious strain on the heart."
Dozens of special forces officers swarmed the fallen man, finally bringing the situation to a close.
"Things are gonna explode from here."
At Kichan's comment, Seowoon nodded in agreement.
The situation, which had been gradually escalating, now felt like a dam had burst.
The term "information society" — once old-fashioned — had never felt more real.
Just three days ago, after some maniac started flinging fireballs around Sinsa Station, crowds had already begun gathering in protest at Gwanghwamun Plaza.
Among them were ability users, some launching bright orbs into the night sky, while others gave impromptu shows of power, dazzling onlookers.
As Seowoon reflected on the past few days, he shook his head in disbelief at how things had unfolded.
In the first few hours after the incident, the internet had erupted.
People argued fiercely over the fireballs that had appeared above the terrorist's hands, and countless others analyzed the video.
But the conclusion came surprisingly quickly.
Since the event had made national news, there was little room for doubt.
Soon after, rumors started spreading — and then came people openly claiming to be ability users.
At first, they were dismissed as attention seekers. But when they began posting videos verifying their powers, public attention turned in their favor.
The biggest uproar came from a man who claimed he had been kidnapped by the government and forced into illegal activities after gaining powers — revealing the entire process in detail.
"It all lined up too perfectly, like it was scripted."
Tearfully, he spoke of how he had been stripped of his freedom by the Department of Homeland Security, conscripted into a secret organization, and made into a secondary perpetrator. His moving testimony — like that of a great actor — shifted public rage squarely onto the government.
Before people could even process what was happening, ability users across the country began coming out.
The public's confusion and anger, once directionless, suddenly zeroed in on the government — almost as if someone had orchestrated it.
Soon, information about Cloyd and the powerful items brought back by ability users spread rapidly to the public.
Ordinary people, initially curious as if watching a game, became more and more intrigued by the powers and the world of Cloyd — while public criticism of the government only intensified.
As Kichan flipped through the channels, a fiery opposition politician was now on-screen, shouting passionately:
"Do you know what kind of world we live in today?! You're abducting citizens, forcing them into criminal acts?! This is dictatorship, plain and simple — a blatant violation of the Constitution! And to revise the National Security Act without parliamentary approval? Grounds for impeachment! What democratic country would commit such atrocities? The president should be in prison!"
Waving stacks of documents, the politician exposed more of the government's atrocities, naming specific politicians and Blue House officials.
Within a week of the incident, the administration collapsed, unable to even mount a proper explanation.
Most of the ruling party members were investigated for involvement in the abuse of ability users, leading to their political annihilation.
Almost every day, new documents emerged, taking down high-ranking politicians one by one.
Public rage reached its peak when it was revealed that some lawmakers had been enjoying the benefits of powerful items from another world — items that ordinary citizens didn't even know existed.
Once it was framed that the elite had suppressed ability users to hoard the spoils for themselves, most of the ruling party had no choice but to resign.
As a result, the country faced its first-ever situation where over half of parliament seats were vacant.
Unsurprisingly, in the special elections held alongside the new presidential election, the opposition party won by a landslide.
And now, a month later, the once-boiling Republic of Korea seemed to be stabilizing at last.
While the world turned upside down, Seowoon had stayed off-grid in the mountains, devoting himself entirely to training and spiritual development. That's when Kichan came running up to him, eyes gleaming.
"Hyung!!"
From his excited voice alone, Seowoon could tell that it had worked.
"You pulled it off, huh?"
When the spellbook taken from subspace disintegrated into dust in Kichan's hand, Seowoon's smile deepened.
"Seventh Circle, huh? Let's see how much stronger you've gotten."
He drew out his internal energy and spoke confidently. Inspired by the challenge, Kichan began chanting his spell.
Even without drawing upon his staff or any magical tools, the mana waves radiating from him were intense — worthy of the Seventh Circle.
As Kichan's hand, pulsing with energy, aimed at Seowoon, a bolt of lightning suddenly struck from the sky with a blinding flash.
—CRAAACK!
—ZZZZZRAAAK!
"HAAAP!"
Seowoon let out a shout, resisting the electric torrent that surged through him and lit up the area. He poured out his inner strength, stepping into a true martial movement. The ground split beneath his foot, blackening where it burned.
Finally shaking off the thunder magic that seemed ready to consume him, Seowoon gasped for air.
"This is Call Lightning… In the game, it's labeled a mid-tier spell, but in real life, it's completely different."
"Wow! I was ready to cancel the cast, but you actually shrugged it off!"
"My magic resistance isn't low, but that was impressive. I was pinned down for over three seconds. Most players wouldn't be able to break free."
Kichan shook his head at the praise.
"The casting time is long, and since it's totally untargeted, it's really hard to hit a moving enemy. If you'd seriously tried to dodge, I wouldn't have landed it."
"Then you just need to keep them still before casting. And this is without even using a staff — that's already impressive. If this is Seventh Circle, I can't imagine what Ninth will be like."
"The dream circle."
As they brainstormed how to combine their powers in battle, a new match was found in their game queue.
Seowoon canceled the 12-squad match. Seeing that, Kichan also canceled and spoke up.
"Isn't it about time you joined the ranked matches?"
"Yeah, but I haven't decided on a fixed team yet. I should reach out now that we're talking about it."
With that, Seowoon activated his friends list for the first time.
***
A man in his mid-thirties, dressed in a white suit with his long hair slicked back, smiled as he extended his hand.
The other man, wearing a perfectly tailored navy-blue suit, shook it firmly.
"Thank you for coming all this way."
"And thank you for the warm welcome."
The visitor replied with a thick smile, his Korean subtly awkward.
Despite the smile, his sharp gaze drifted toward one of the other man's ears — or rather, what remained of it.
Following that gaze, the man lightly touched his half-missing ear, a glint of hostility in his eyes.
"That bastard you're looking for — he took it."
"Ah, I see. And yet you're still willing to help. I appreciate it."
"His location is obvious enough. But are you really sure you can win him over?"
At Kim Chilsang's question, the foreign man — whose pronunciation seemed unusually clipped — replied with a relaxed smile.
"Koreans love money, don't they? History proves this. I believe in the Korean character. If I offer unimaginable wealth and fame, he won't be able to refuse."
Kim Chilsang gave a bitter smile.
"That almost sounds like you're talking about me."
"Ah! My apologies! I didn't mean it that way!"
Kim Chilsang waved his hand dismissively as he looked at the man who had suddenly stood up and bowed politely.
"It's fine. It's the truth, after all."
"I must say, Mr. Kim Chilsang, your resourcefulness is truly impressive. The way you overturned the regime in such a short amount of time is something our guild holds in high regard."
"Well, thank you for that. But what if he refuses to the end?"
The man responded with a sly smile.
"If it's an egg we can't hatch, no matter how precious it is, we're prepared to break it."
Apparently pleased with that answer, Kim Chilsang returned a similar expression.
As they confirmed their like-mindedness, a look of satisfaction appeared on both their faces.
***
In the menu, which was designed to resemble a messenger window, there were several tabs, one of which listed all the players he had met so far.
He clicked on it and began to go through the list, sending friend requests one by one.
[Ding! You've sent a friend request to Juriel.]
[Ding! You've sent a friend request to Lilingwi.]
[Ding! You've sent a friend request to Limin.]
[Ding! You've sent a friend request to Dump.]
Even after sending requests to four people, Seowoon continued browsing the list until his eyes lit up.
'Knew it! It's been added.'
[Ding! You've sent a friend request to Lyle.]
Finally, he sent a friend request to Jinryung, who was tightly bound to him due to their permanent squad relationship.
"They'll have to accept the requests first, so it'll be a few days…"
[Ding! Juriel has accepted your friend request.]
[Ding! Lilingwi has…]
.
.
.
Seowoon was bewildered by the sudden string of notifications confirming everyone's acceptance.
"What the…? The timing is strange."
He tilted his head in confusion and opened his friend list. Next to the message icons for each registered friend, he noticed a three-digit number.
Just as he was pondering what it meant, a single line at the bottom of the list caught his eye:
[All Notifications Off]
"Huh? Why is this turned off?"
Just like Seowoon, Kichan was also exploring the friend menu when he noticed the same setting.
"Maybe this is the default setting before the friend list gets activated?"
Nodding at the plausible explanation, Seowoon turned on the notifications—and was instantly bombarded by a flood of alerts.
-Ding! Gaut Zenga has sent you a friend request.
-Ding! Geria has sent you a friend…
.
.
.
With the notifications ringing non-stop in his head, Seowoon frowned and looked for the "Delete All Notifications" button and pressed it.
Then he opened the new notifications tab and found hundreds of friend requests waiting.
"What the…?"
Seeing Seowoon's screen from the side, Kichan smiled knowingly.
"I got nearly a hundred friend requests myself. Imagine how many you must've gotten."
It was only natural. After all, more than a thousand players had witnessed him reach the Crown rank, absorb Wonyoungshin in the same game, and sweep through players like falling leaves to claim first place.
Just as Seowoon nodded and was about to check another menu, the notifications started ringing again.
-Ding! Juriel has invited you to chat.
-Ding…!
As the friend chat invites continued to pour in, Seowoon started rejecting them one by one, then gave up and created a chat room, inviting all his friends including Kichan.
-Mr. Jin Seowoon! What took you so long to get in touch?
-Seriously, why only now…
-Huh? Who are all these people?
As the two groups who didn't know each other started chatting all at once, chaos broke out.
Hearing all the voices directly in his head during a group call made things even more confusing, prompting Seowoon to shout:
"Everyone quiet! Please."
With that one sentence, all the voices that had been ringing in his head suddenly stopped.
"Phew. Let me explain. I just activated the friend list today and hadn't realized notifications were off until now."
-Ahh, that makes sense. I figured that might be the case.
It was Lyle's youthful voice that answered first.
-So that was it. I thought maybe my master was busy with something else.
-If that's the case, it can't be helped.
Now that everyone understood, Seowoon got to the main point.
"As you might have guessed, I'm inviting all of you to become my permanent squad members. Each of you has played with me either directly or indirectly, so make your own judgment. It's fine if you decline."
But no one refused.
-There's no way I'd turn down an offer from the best player I've ever seen.
-I've been waiting for a chance to team up with you, bro!
Led by Limin and Lyle, everyone accepted without hesitation, and Seowoon officially invited them into his permanent squad.
Jinlung, Limin, Seowoon, Lilingwi—four martial artists.
Lyle, Juriel, and Kichan—three mages.
And finally, Dump—the lone knight.
Though a bit unbalanced, the permanent squad was now complete. Seowoon spoke up.
"Thank you all for becoming permanent team members. We'll consider adding more people down the line, but I hope all of you in this initial group will stay with me until the end."
Everyone responded with joyful voices.
Seowoon introduced Limin, Dump, and Lyle to the rest of the team, as they had no prior connection.
Then he asked, "By the way, what about Seid? He should've ranked up to permanent by now."
-He… had his permanent player status revoked a few days ago.
Seowoon nodded gravely at Dump's reply.
It reminded him once again that Cloyd, the game they were in, enforced its rules harshly and without mercy for the losers.
After easing the heavy mood and agreeing to talk again when the next 8-man squad game opened, Seowoon ended his first communication with the players from another world. Then he pulled out a cold can from his subspace and took a drink.
His throat felt raw from talking so much for the first time in a while.
"Phew. That was chaotic. But not bad, actually. We may be short on knights, but I can make up for that with martial arts. The overall balance isn't too bad."
"I think so too. But…"
Just as Seowoon was about to bring up a new topic, he fell silent.
At the same time, Kichan noticed the shift in Seowoon's expression and followed his gaze down the hill.
A man with long hair slicked back and dressed in a pristine white suit was climbing the hill, flanked by two men in black suits.
The man in white climbed the unmarked path swiftly and casually, hands in his pockets, locking eyes with them.
"Mr. Jin Seowoon. May I have a moment?"
From the awkward accent, Seowoon immediately realized the man was a foreigner.
Given the clipped pronunciation, he figured the man was probably from Japan.
"You're a player from Japan, huh? I'm Jin Seowoon. What brings you here?"
As Seowoon confirmed, the man with the slicked-back hair gave a slight bow and spoke.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Tokugawa Hashio, here from Japan specifically to meet you, Mr. Jin Seowoon."
Seowoon replied with a steady gaze, taking in the man's formal greeting and sharp eyes that gave off a unique charisma.
"You came all this way, so let's skip to the point. I'm a busy man."
"Very well. I'll be direct. We are a guild officially approved and supported by the Japanese government. We came to recruit you, Mr. Jin Seowoon. Our offer includes—"
"I refuse."
Even before hearing the offer, Seowoon flatly declined, making Hashio's eyebrow twitch.
"Wouldn't it be wise to at least hear our terms?"
"Regardless of the terms, my answer won't change. I have no interest in putting on a leash and playing a government dog."
At that blunt reply, the expressions of the two men behind Hashio twisted with anger.
'So all three of them understand Korean.'
Hashio stared at Seowoon with a hard expression for a moment, then deliberately relaxed his face and began to speak again.
"The situation is very different between Korea and our country, Japan. Unlike Korea, which has suppressed and coerced its players, Japan has continued with policies that encourage and support them. And this stance will never change."
"That just makes you a well-treated dog. I'm someone who values freedom quite a bit."
Once again, the smile faded from the man's face.
Sensing the shift in atmosphere, Kichan quietly took out the Staff of the Abyss and held it in his hand.
"I understand. If that's truly how you feel, then there's no helping it. But Mr. Jin Seowoon, I don't know how things are in Korea, but in Japan, comparing someone to a dog is a grave insult."
"It's the same in Korea."
This provocation triggered a sharp aura from Hashio, who reacted intensely.
"Even if we can't be friends, there's no need to be enemies. Such arrogance is unwise."
In response to the chilling tone, Seowoon smiled and replied,
"An ally of my enemy is my enemy. If you didn't want to become my enemy, you shouldn't have joined hands with Kim Chilsang."
Despite Seowoon raising his aura and dropping formal speech, Hashio feigned ignorance.
"I have no idea what you're talking about…"
"How did you find this place? The Chinese faction that entered Korea around the same time as you still hasn't found me. Of course not. The only ones who know about this place are the Korean resistance and the KIS. Neither of them would ever share my location with you. So the only one who could've told you… is that guy who split off from the KIS."
"There seems to be a misunderstanding. Japan's intelligence network is—"
"It's better not to lie when it's so obvious. I doubt you'd risk major international conflict and infiltrate another country's agency just to find me."
Only then did a smile return to Hashio's face as he let out a sigh and spoke.
"You're quicker than I expected. Yes, you're right. We've finalized an agreement to cooperate with Mr. Kim Chilsang's guild, Korea's largest guild. From now on, Cloyd will revolve around guilds. This is an unstoppable trend. Mr. Jin Seowoon, no matter how high you rank in Crown, there's only so much one person can do. Joining us would be—"
"Wow. Is Korean really such a difficult language? Why is it so hard for you to understand what I'm saying? I told you, I'm not planning on living like a dog."
"Three times. You've insulted me three times now."
Narrowing his eyes, Hashio stared at him with intensity and continued.
"I formally challenge you to a Fixed Squad Battle. 1-on-1 or 2-on-2, whichever suits your squad."
When the unfamiliar term "Fixed Squad Battle" was mentioned, a look of confusion spread across Seowoon's face. Hashio explained,
"You don't know what that is?"
"Nope."
"It's a new system added along with guild updates. Fixed squads can challenge each other under specific conditions. Any condition can be set, and once agreed upon, the loser is forced to comply—even if they don't want to. That's the rule of Cloyd."
At those words, a duel arena from the game flashed through Seowoon's mind.
"Didn't know such a system existed. So, what's your condition? If I lose, I have to join your guild and work for you?"
One corner of Hashio's mouth lifted into a grin.
"Let's fight for player authority. If you don't like that, you can still kneel and bow in apology right now. Do a dogeza, and I'll forgive the three insults."
A player's authority was second only to their life in importance within Cloyd.
It was no different for Seowoon.
'Account deletion battle…'
The word suddenly crossed Seowoon's mind.
"Fine. I like that condition."
"Good. How many squad members shall we have?"
"8 vs 8."
"Very well. What format? All-out battle or one-on-one relay? Choose."
"Let's go wild. All-out."
"Agreed. Date?"
"One week from now."
"Understood."
The moment Hashio finished speaking, a translucent blade appeared above his hand, and Seowoon heard a notification sound.
-Ding! Tokugawa Hashio, Squad Leader of the Saigo Guild 15-Fixed Squad, has challenged you to a Fixed Squad War. Date: One week from now. Condition: Loss results in loss of player authority.
Do you accept?
Seowoon, intrigued by the visual effect of the blade floating over his hand, clasped hands with Hashio. As their blades crossed, a system message confirmed the match.
Once the three men finished their business and disappeared down the mountain, Kichan turned to Seowoon and asked,
"Hyung… Will you be okay?"
"Worried?"
Kichan shook his head.
"I'll follow your decision no matter what. But the other team members…"
Seowoon smiled at those words.
"It's a good chance. To test our team's trust."
Immediately opening a group chat, Seowoon explained what had happened. Without hesitation, the team members responded.
-Sounds like a fun system. I'd love to join.
-If it helps you, I'm in.
-Guys like that should be cut down before they grow!
-As your junior, I can't just sit back while our priest is troubled.
-I just made a new poison—perfect time to test it.
-The Lornis family never backs down from a fight. I'll join you!
Hearing the unwavering support of all six, Seowoon's smile deepened.
Just as the determination was burning hot, a new notification popped up in front of him.
[Ding! A new game has been matched. Difficulty: Mid-High. Game Version 8 Squad. Will you participate?]
(O) (X)
"Should we… join this one?"
"It's a good opportunity before the player authority battle, don't you think?"
Seeing that it happened to be an 8-squad game, Seowoon thought for a moment and made his decision.
"Everyone, accept the game!"
[T/L: Read extra chapters on my ko-fi page "Pokemon1920" : https://ko-fi.com/pokemon1920 ]