Chapter 41
“Is there something the System doesn’t know? I’ve never seen anything like this.”
Through the shared Status Window, Hyuk-min’s class, which No Death was looking at, appeared before his eyes.
[Class: ?#$%!@?]
The class field was filled with unreadable characters.
“Are you sure you don’t have a class?”
“See for yourself.”
He turned on the Status Window sharing to show him.
[Class: None]
“Is it not showing up because of that weird system? What is this?”
Hyuk-min felt even stranger about it than No Death did.
‘Is it because I don’t have a class that the final class isn’t visible?’
But even after searching through all the memories of his past life, he had never seen the System display such an error.
The System was always right, a god-like entity that knew everything.
For the System, which would have simply displayed ‘None’ if there was nothing, to cause an error like this…
‘What could it be?’
What on earth could it be?
‘Could it be… because of the combination I’m pursuing?’
It was a concern caused by a System error he’d never seen before, but it didn’t last long.
Hyuk-min was more level-headed than one might think.
This was a problem that would have no answer, no matter how much he agonized over it.
‘It’s a waste of time to keep thinking about it.’
He faced reality.
Nothing would change even if he worried and came to a conclusion.
He would just keep moving straight toward his goal.
Closing all the Status Windows, Hyuk-min forced himself to shake off all his thoughts.
“No Death, what’s your standing within Black Label?”
“I don’t know about the guild, but it’s high in the company. Are you asking because of the first-priority target selection?”
“I hate having annoying flies buzzing around me. I have a lot to do.”
“As long as you know a way to kill me, you won’t be assassinated. You’ve become a necessary existence to me.”
No Death took out his phone and made a call.
“Put me through to the person in charge of target selection at headquarters. They’ll know if you say it’s agent number 3003.”
At the mention of 3003, a frantic voice came from over the receiver.
Along with the promise to connect him immediately, another voice was heard.
“Not you. Who told you to connect me to a Head of section? Put me through to branch manager Hwang Gyeong-seok. He’ll pick up immediately if you say No Death is looking for him.”
For a mere agent to be able to speak so forcefully to someone in charge at headquarters.
He wasn’t the top agent in Black Label for nothing.
“It’s me.”
[Oh my, what can I do for you? To think Sir No Death would call.]
“You remember the order the executive board asked of me, right?”
[Has he been eliminated? Thank you for your hard work.]
“No, cancel the selection. I’m giving up.”
[What!? But why….]
“I’ve decided to stick with this guy. I’m temporarily relinquishing my 3003 position.”
[W-Wait… Sir No Death? Relinquishing your position… but the damage to the company…]
“Then that’s that. Oh! And try reassigning another agent. I’ll neatly cut off their heads and keep sending them back. Tell them to try sending anyone they want dead. I’m hanging up now.”
[Sir No Death…? Sir No Death!]
No Death unilaterally ended the call and immediately dialed another number.
“Jang Gyeong-ri. Soon, a mission failure penalty for 3003 and an order to relinquish my position will come through. Show it to the guys under me, and warn anyone who tries to select the target that they’ll die by my hand. We’ve been through thick and thin together, it’d be a shame if they got selected and died by my hand. Right, got it. Good work. See you later.”
He didn’t make any more calls.
“At the very least, the Black Label Company won’t take any separate measures.”
It was all over with just two phone calls.
He called Hwang Ji-young.
[You’re alive? That’s unexpected.]
“What happened with the executive board’s order?”
[It’s still in progress. They seem to be buying time, pretending they didn’t hear my order. But didn’t No Death go? If he had, you couldn’t possibly be alive.]
“He’s with me.”
[What? He’s with you… and you have time to make a call?]
“He’s decided to stick with me from now on. Something about pursuing a common goal.”
About five seconds of silence followed.
It seemed she was once again dazed by the turn of events, which was flowing in a completely unexpected direction.
“Soon, the target selection will be temporarily lifted due to the order No Death gave the company. After that, you handle it yourself. If you can’t even do this much, you should step down as guild master. Or something.”
Whether it was because she was too busy verifying the truth or grasping the reality of the situation, Hwang Ji-young’s voice was not heard again until he ended the call.
No Death stretched with a long yawn and asked.
“Well, is everything settled? What are you going to do now?”
“I need to get stronger to get what I want.”
“Even stronger than now?”
“It’s the death you couldn’t even find a method for, despite dedicating your entire life to it. If you want to get what you want, you have to put in the effort.”
“Is that Death Row Inmate’s whatever-it-is that hard to get?”
A smirk.
The smile on Hyuk-min’s lips deepened.
“Yeah, to the point where someone at your current level couldn’t get it even if they died a hundred times.”
Whether it was because the story was too unknown or because he didn’t believe it.
No Death accepted it without any further questions.
As expected.
‘Tiring.’
The System really did know everything.
[A quest has been generated.]
Hyuk-min and No Death’s eyes widened as they stared at each other.
And the new quest they saw.
==========
[SSS-Rank] Contract with the Revenant.
– Objective: Grant the peace of death to the undying Revenant. [Revenant 0 / 1]
– Requirements: Immortal Demon Sword and Immortal Demon Art, Death Row Inmate’s Last Meal.
– Reward: Special Reward Box x 1.
==========
= = =
The battle that took place in front of the Rogue Guild last night vanished quietly, without becoming the subject of anyone’s gossip.
The bodies of the assassins killed by Hyuk-min’s hand, and the bloodstains they had shed, had completely disappeared.
As if nothing had ever happened.
‘They’re not called the best Information Guild for nothing.’
Yesterday’s events were completely buried.
At the Rogue Guild, bustling with people, another day no different from usual was beginning.
Rogues gathered one by one, and soon the Rogue Guild was teeming with people.
Just as he was standing at the entrance to the Rogue Guild, watching the Rogues pass by as if nothing was wrong, and waiting for Hyun-jung.
Hyun-jung, who had spotted Hyuk-min from afar, ran over, waving her hand.
“Uncle!”
“Come slowly.”
“What’s this?”
It seemed she had seen the new person added to the Party Window.
As soon as she arrived, she showed him the Party Window, pointing to the name Jang Bokdong.
“There’s someone else in the Party besides me?”
“There’s someone I want to introduce you to.”
He took Hyun-jung’s hand and entered the Rogue Guild.
Her expression, full of curiosity as she looked around, was short-lived.
“Yo.”
Hyun-jung soon spotted No Death, who was raising his hand from a corner and approaching them.
“A skull…?”
A black beanie with a white skull pattern and a black leather long coat unsuited for the season.
And finally, the longsword slung ostentatiously on his back.
“Uncle, is that person perhaps…”
“That’s right. This is No Death, who’s joining our party.”
No Death walked over and looked down at the short Hyun-jung.
‘How will this turn out?’
For about ten seconds, the two began to glare at each other as if in a staring contest.
Hyuk-min, who had been preparing to intervene, not knowing what would happen, quietly folded his arms at their strange behavior.
“This little kid is the Hidden Class holder?”
“This old man is the one with such high Stats and Level?”
The two, who were sizing each other up and down, shouted at the same time.
“What!?”
“What!?”
Annoyed by their first impressions of each other, they scowled as they looked at one another.
“What’s wrong with me! I obviously look strong!”
“Your clothes are weird! It’s almost summer, but you’re in winter clothes. You obviously look strange!”
“Can’t you tell by my hat? It’s got a skull on it!”
“That’s the weirdest part! You’re a con artist, aren’t you! You have a Skill that lets you lie on your Status Window, right?”
“A con artist!? Ha! You’d be surprised if you knew how many people I’ve hunted!”
“Ha! You’d be surprised too if you knew how many monsters Uncle and I have hunted!”
The two went back and forth, shouting.
No Death finally exploded at Hyun-jung, who wouldn’t back down an inch.
“What!? You little brat!”
“What! You old man fighting with an elementary schooler who’s way younger than you!”
“Haaa…”
In the end, Hyuk-min let out a deep sigh.
‘Are all geniuses like this?’
Seeing the way the two were checking each other out and the things they said, one could never see them as the top agent of Black Label, called the best Information Guild in South Korea, and the prodigy who would become the world’s greatest sniper and shock the world.
They just looked like an old man with the mental age of a child arguing with a kid, and a bratty-looking elementary schooler.
Nothing more, nothing less.
“This brat!”
“This old man!”
He couldn’t just stand by and watch.
“Stop.”
If arguments go too far, they only leave deep emotional scars.
He placed his hands on No Death’s and Hyun-jung’s shoulders.
“Let go. I’m going to teach her a lesson today.”
“So what! You con artist! You’re the one who’s going to get a lesson!”
When they still wouldn’t listen, Hyuk-min finally dropped his hands from their shoulders and turned to leave.
“Fine, do whatever you want. I don’t need people who won’t listen to me.”
At the sight of Hyuk-min turning to leave the Rogue Guild, No Death’s and Hyun-jung’s eyes widened.
‘No! My death!’
‘No! I can’t be abandoned!’
They glared at each other for a moment, growling.
‘Because of that little kid…’
‘Because of that old man…’
But there was no way for the two of them to win against Hyuk-min’s hard-line stance.
Then, as if nothing had happened, they put on business-like smiles and, without a moment’s hesitation, hurriedly followed Hyuk-min as he walked out.
“Hey now, what’s the matter, Hyuk-min.”
“I’m sorry, Uncle. It was my fault.”
As Hyuk-min’s party all left, laughter erupted within the normally noisy Rogue Guild.
Though it wasn’t funny to the two who had been fiercely sizing each other up, the Rogues burst into hearty laughter at what looked like a fight between a father and daughter.
And the Magic Stone staff member, who had been quietly watching from the counter, spoke with a gentle smile.
“Looks like Mr. Hyuk-min will have his hands full for a while. But at least he won’t be bored.”
= = =
Hyuk-min, No Death, and Hyun-jung arrived at the entrance of the Tower.
Now that a new companion had been added.
It was to build teamwork.
‘Will this be okay?’
However, an obstacle appeared before Hyuk-min, who had been hoping for good synergy.
“Damn it.”
“Tch.”
The two geniuses who were supposed to move as one team did not get along at all.
The most important thing in combat or clearing a floor was party chemistry, and he felt that if it started off this badly, the outcome was obvious.
[38th Floor]
And so they arrived on the 38th floor with no particular expectations.
As expected, the two started bickering from the get-go.
“Only the 38th floor? This is what happens when you party with a little kid.”
“It’s because I only started using a gun recently, you know? If I were your age, I would’ve climbed several times higher.”
“Ha! Do you think you can just go up the Tower whenever you want, like it’s an elevator?”
“What floor are you on, old man?”
“The 77th floor.”
“I’ll hit the 80th floor 10 months.”
No Death, laughing as if in disbelief, approached Hyuk-min.
“Do we really need this kid? I know a lot of good snipers, and they’re several times stronger than her. How about we use them instead?”
Then, this time, Hyun-jung came over and grabbed his hand.
“My relationship with Uncle is much stronger than yours, old man. Do you know how many near-death moments we’ve overcome together? If anyone should leave, it’s you. Stop trying to mooch off of us.”
“Hah, this is frustrating. Hyuk-min!”
“Uncle!”
Hyuk-min, who had been listening quietly, scowled for the first time.
Then, the two who had been chattering away seemed to sense the mood and stopped talking.
The two fell silent before the monsters.
Hyuk-min spoke to them in a small but firm voice.
“No Death.”
“What…”
“I don’t know how many skilled snipers you know, but Hyun-jung is more skilled than any of them.”
“Her?”
“She’s a child who will become the world’s best sniper in the future. And Hyun-jung.”
“Yes, Uncle…”
“No Death is an essential person for our party. As you can tell just by looking at his Stats, if No Death joins us, we can aim for even greater heights. I’ll be able to achieve my goal faster, too.”
Hyuk-min looked back and forth between the two.
“You two are the people I chose myself. Wouldn’t it be better to show it with your actions rather than just words?”
At the words to show them, both No Death and Hyun-jung looked at the monsters on the 38th floor.
“Show each other. What you can do within the party. What it was that made me choose you. Show me.”
‘Shing.’
‘Click-clack.’
No Death drew his sword, and Hyun-jung finished reloading.
The two looked at each other and growled again.
“Just try not to hold me back.”
“Try not to fall for my sniping skills. You’ll probably end up asking me for support.”
“That won’t happen, kid. I’ll wipe them out before you get the chance.”
“Hmph!”
Having finished their battle preparations, the two looked at Hyuk-min.
Like people with party experience, they were waiting for the signal to start.
“Begin combat.”
No Death and Hyun-jung kicked off the ground.
The two took their respective positions and began to wipe out the monsters.
The monsters of the 38th floor fell like autumn leaves in the wind.
Hyuk-min watched this whole scene and smiled quietly.
“Now you see, don’t you? That you’re both quite brilliant geniuses.”