World's Strongest Survivor

Chapter 66 - 66

Rising Attention. (Revised)

***

-Crunch!

As a hand swept past a massive tree, its bark was stripped away, leaving behind deep, sharp gouges.

Each time both arms sliced through the air with strange, angular movements, the trees around the mountainside trembled as though in pain.

Though he wasn't actively channeling his inner power, the combination of a strength level over 60 and the Blood-Bone Conditioning was already demonstrating formidable force on its own.

It had already been two weeks since their return to reality.

[Ding! A new game has been matched. Difficulty: Mid-High. Game Mode: Duo. Will you participate?] (O)(X)

[Beep! Your fixed teammate has declined. Would you like to join solo?]

Seowoon, pressing the X button, thought of Kichan.

'That's already the third game...'

It had been ten days since he began training alone at Kichan's private facility in Wonju.

Kichan, busy laundering the money they'd earned from liquidating their loot, hadn't been able to join him. Not wanting to waste precious time, Seowoon had poured himself into solitary training.

-Whsh! Bang!

As his clenched fingers shifted into a fist and shot forward, a sonic burst echoed through the air.

'Still feels awkward.'

Lately, Seowoon was focused on integrating Fist of Disorder with Blood-Bone Conditioning.

He wanted to wield both martial arts techniques freely and naturally—but that was easier said than done.

While tormenting the trees for some time, his phone suddenly rang.

"Yeah?"

"Hyung, I'm on my way, but... something feels off."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm in a taxi, and I think we're being tailed."

A chill shot up Seowoon's spine.

The last time he'd been followed, they'd tried to use his parents to threaten him. Just hearing the word "tailed" was enough to make his blood boil.

Especially since Kichan was someone who prized safety above all. If anything happened to him, his younger sister would be left alone—it was obvious why he was so cautious.

If Kichan was being followed and drawing attention, it likely meant their connection had leaked.

Seowoon gripped his phone tightly and asked in a now-cold voice:

"How many?"

"Just one car."

"Then at most, five or six people. Where are you now?"

"Just exited the highway. At first I thought it was a coincidence, but they've been sticking with me the whole way."

"They won't act in broad daylight with civilians around. Keep leading them here. I'll end it."

"Got it."

At the firm voice and sharp orders, Kichan was reminded of the Seowoon he used to see in Cloyd.

Seowoon threw on his jacket and, extending his senses, descended the mountain. His expression was icily composed.

***

"Captain! We did it! We're in the NIS's server!"

In a dark warehouse cluttered with thick wires, a man shouted as a woman—his "captain"—rushed over.

"Nice! Start extracting the recent surveillance files first!"

"On it! I can't believe they're still using the National Intelligence Service's intranet. Should I drop in a backdoor while I'm here?"

"No. Don't do anything reckless."

As she placed a hand on the man's shoulder and leaned in to study the monitor, her face was shockingly identical to that of Jung Su-hwa.

Aside from the clean suit and neatly done hair, the resemblance was uncanny.

***

A taxi pulled up. Kichan stepped out and glanced back. A black sedan came to a halt behind him.

The moment a woman in black exited the car, Kichan dashed toward the mountain.

She tried calling out to him but gave a small sigh and chased after him.

As she reached the base of the mountain trail, she stopped when she saw Kichan waiting up ahead.

"I only came to talk," she said.

But the reply came from behind her.

"If you wanted to talk, maybe don't follow people."

For anyone familiar with Cloyd, the sudden appearance of a presence from behind—undetected—was enough to send chills down the spine.

Startled, she turned and her eyes widened.

"Jin Seowoon...!"

"You were after me all along, weren't you?"

Seowoon's fingers curled as he finished his sentence.

"Yes. I wanted to meet you."

"How'd you find me? I was careful."

She studied Seowoon's face briefly, then answered without hesitation.

"Korea has one of the highest CCTV coverage rates in the world. With facial recognition, finding someone isn't all that hard."

"That's called illegal surveillance, isn't it?"

She didn't answer Kichan's sharp remark. But her eyes said it clearly: You're not exactly civilians.

"Why are you looking for me?"

There was no bloodlust in his voice, but the pressure in Seowoon's tone made it clear—depending on the answer, things could turn ugly.

"I'll start by identifying myself. I'm Jung Su-hwa, Division Chief of the Player Management Team under the Ministry of Homeland Security."

"Central Intelligence."

At that word, spoken by Kichan now standing beside Seowoon, her brow twitched slightly.

"I was once with the National Intelligence Service, yes. But we don't appreciate being called that anymore."

Kichan smirked.

"You're called that because you earned it."

"I'm well aware that our reputation among neutral players is... less than ideal. But what matters is that we're doing everything we can to ensure public safety."

Seowoon cut in.

"You still haven't told me the reason. Why are you here?"

"To clear up misunderstandings—and to make an offer."

"Misunderstanding and offer?"

She began her explanation, her expression unwavering.

"We heard about the recent conflict with other ability users. I want to make it clear that it was not sanctioned by the Ministry of Homeland Security."

She referred to the one-sided threats and the resulting conflict as "a misunderstanding."

It was only natural that Kichan was furious at those words.

"You've got to be kidding me! You were threatening civilians — my family — not long ago!"

As Kichan raised his voice, Seowoon reached out and stopped him.

It wasn't the time to get emotional just yet.

Hearing that his family had been threatened, suhwa furrowed her brows, realizing there was a truth between the lines she hadn't been briefed on.

Of course, nothing like that had been mentioned in the report she received.

"I wasn't aware of such an incident. Our Department of Homeland Security never harms civilians. Our mission is to prevent harm caused by gifted individuals and minimize societal disruption..."

"Let's say I believe that. What's your offer?"

He cut her off bluntly, but she didn't seem to mind and continued.

"We'd like you, Jin Seowoon, to join the Department of Homeland Security—"

"I refuse. If you're done, you can leave."

His flat refusal caused a flicker of emotion to cross Jeong Suhwa's otherwise cold expression.

"Jin Seowoon, please think this through. I understand why you might—"

"There's no misunderstanding. It's a fact that thugs under your command are hunting gifted people like they're trophies. It's also true that you turn a blind eye to it under the guise of public order. And I'm sure the guys who came after me did so without your direct orders. You're only interested in me because I wasn't caught. If I had been captured, you wouldn't be here right now."

Jeong Suhwa's perfectly neutral expression cracked for the first time.

Seeing the confusion on her face, Seowoon continued.

"I'm not trying to play the rebel or anything. I just want to live quietly, make some money through Cloyd, and enjoy life. I don't plan on using my abilities to cause trouble. But I'm not going to be your dog, either — working under an organization that kidnaps people and throws away their rights like trash. So let's not cross paths. You do your thing, I'll do mine."

Her sigh deepened at his firm stance.

"I understand. I know the work of our department doesn't always sit well with neutral players like you. Some of our authorized subgroups... I don't approve of them myself. But please remember this — not everyone in the Department of Homeland Security is like that. Many of us risk our lives to protect national security."

"Doesn't change anything. Go."

Seowoon spoke firmly his hand tightening behind his back.

Eventually, Jung Suhwa returned to her car.

They stayed alert until the very end, just in case, but no conflict broke out.

Only after watching her car disappear did Seowoon and Kichan finally relax.

"She came all the way here just to spout that crap? Unbelievable."

"Well, I doubt she sees it that way. At least nothing got ugly."

Back at the house, Kichan grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and gulped it down.

"Whew! I thought my throat was going to catch fire from all that tension."

"Is everything settled now?"

"Yes. The professionals handled the complicated stuff. Long story short, I'm now the CEO of a luxury bag retail business."

"Bags?"

"You've heard of the brand Merès, right?"

"The one where a single bag costs more than ten million won?"

"Yeah, we import and sell those bags online. Since the unit prices are so high, we can handle large sums easily. Originally, I was going to start a luxury car dealership, but that needs a physical store. This was a recommended alternative. And if business grows, they're thinking of opening a small art museum somewhere rural. Apparently, art museums are great for laundering billions."

Seowoon nodded.

"Yeah... I've heard that's what the chaebols do to fund bribes and secret slush funds."

"Well, we're not at that level yet. For now, laundering money through this setup should be smooth. Here."

As he finished, Kichan tossed a small plastic box.

Inside were business cards with Seowoon's name printed on them.

– Jin Seowoon, Executive Director of Mermer Online. –

"Me-Mermer? Wait... you named the company?"

Kichan grinned proudly and nodded.

"...Your naming sense is... um, nice."

Seowoon couldn't bring himself to criticize someone who'd worked so hard.

"You're listed as Executive Director and Co-founder. The 6 billion won from the sale of the reinforced stones is tied up here. Within a month, you'll get 3 billion deposited into your account as transaction proceeds. And the rest — from the other items we sold — has already been laundered through my previous business and transferred to your account."

"Already?"

"Yep. 3.5 billion. Go ahead and check."

The mention of 3.5 billion made Seowoon's heart race.

Compared to the tens of billions tied up in assets, the money already in his account felt far more real.

He opened his banking app, and a nine-digit number popped up clearly on the screen.

"Damn... 3.5 billion from just a few coins..."

"We got lucky. That obsidian item you broke — it was rare to begin with, and since you damaged it, I got it cheap. For alchemists, that stuff is premium."

"From now on, I'm holding onto all my broken gear."

"If the material's good, always keep it. Obsidian and Orichalcum fetch top prices."

Seowoon nodded and stood up.

"Let's see how much I've improved."

He stepped outside, and Kichan grumbled as he followed behind.

"We've come all this way. Can't we take it easy for once...?"

After exhausting themselves in a round of training, the two sat on the dirt floor catching their breath.

"Ugh... we really need to change our main class or something..."

Kichan looked up at Seowoon, annoyed that he wasn't even breaking a sweat.

"There's no point switching now. And from what I've seen, mages really start shining from high circle levels. I once saw a top-tier master get taken out by a single meteor spell."

"A Meteor? That's a 9th-circle spell... You're lucky to be alive."

"Barely survived. Once you get to that level, your power skyrockets, so just hang in there. Martial arts aren't too bad either. Your internal energy may be lacking, but your form and balance are solid."

Just as Seowoon was trying to reassure the grumbling Kichan, they felt a presence.

Both men turned their heads at the same time, focusing on the same spot.

"Oh my!"

A woman climbing the mountain suddenly covered her face with her hands, peeking between her fingers at their bare torsos.

Because it was just the two of them and hot, they'd naturally removed their shirts while training. The ones surprised, though, were actually them.

"W-Why is a civilian up here?"

"Good question. First, maybe we should put on some—"

At that moment, Seowoon stepped in front of Kichan and spoke.

"She's not a civilian."

He had sensed faint traces of internal energy from her — caught by his Qi sense.

"Would you mind putting on a shirt before we talk? I don't mind, but still..."

As the unexpected woman approached, both men quickly took turns putting on their clothes, staying on guard.

In Cloyd, this was normal, but in the real world, ability users could be even more dangerous.

Seeing them dressed, the woman lowered her hands — but she looked disappointed.

Wearing jeans and a large bomber jacket with her hair tied back, the moment Kichan saw her face, his expression darkened instantly.

"Kang Kichan, Jin Seowoon... that's right."

Upon confirming their faces, the woman smiled brightly. Kichan, looking at her, spoke coldly.

"Is this some kind of joke?"

"Huh? A joke? What are you talking about?"

She spoke with a cheerful face and a friendly tone.

It was clearly the same face and same voice, yet Kichan could immediately sense this was a completely different person.

Watching Kichan's strange reaction and expression, the woman's face hinted that something had clicked.

"Did you perhaps meet a woman working for the Central Bureau? One that looks just like me?"

Twins.

There are many twins in the world. But Kichan thought he had never seen twins who were so different.

"Twins?"

The woman nodded at Kichan's question.

"I'm Jung Soohee, leader of Libertas, a group fighting for the rights of those with abilities."

Her casual tone and overly friendly attitude despite being strangers threw both Seowoon and Kichan off.

It hadn't even been two hours since they had shaken off the woman tailing them—someone who looked exactly like her—and now a "twin" had appeared, suddenly introducing herself. There was no way they could grasp the situation properly.

"The Resistance?"

If it was a group fighting for the rights of ability users, there was no way it would be pro-government.

"We don't really like being called that. There are so many organizations resisting the Central Bureau. Calling us 'Resistance' makes it sound like we're hiding underground or something..."

"Ha. The Central Bureau didn't like being called that either. Are you the same?"

"So my sister really did come? I'm nothing like her, though..."

"That's obvious just by looking at you. Let's keep this simple. How did you find us?"

Seowoon cut her off sharply, sensing this conversation might drag on. Kichan, feeling the tension rise again, clenched his fists.

"I hacked the Central Bureau's servers. Thanks to that, I was able to read recent reports and track you down. You know, in our country, the CCTV coverage is..."

"Quite impressive," Kichan interrupted.

"...With just a bit of personal info, it's not hard to find someone. These days, even a single phone call can reveal a person's exact location."

"So what do you want? Actually—before that—leaving here would be good for your safety."

As a storm-like pressure radiated from Seowoon, Jung Soohee flinched and stepped back. Two figures, previously hiding behind a tree, stepped forward.

"Why don't you calm your energy a little?"

"So the Resistance hunts ability users too?"

"Don't misunderstand. They're just here to protect me in case something goes wrong."

The tall, rugged man in a leather jacket and the hooded woman flanked Soohee, turning their gazes toward Seowoon.

'That woman...'

The hooded woman behind Soohee was someone Seowoon recognized.

He hadn't expected to see the woman they'd been chasing before the ceasefire, not here of all places. He averted his gaze from her and looked back at Soohee.

"Just get to the point."

"Since you already met my sister, I won't drag this out. As you've guessed, I operate one of the resistance groups you call the 'Resistance.' I also know what happened to you recently. That's why I'm here to ask—if you'll work with us..."

"We refuse."

Seowoon cut her off before she could finish.

Soohee narrowed her eyes.

"Why?"

"I understand your goals, but I have no intention of making more enemies than necessary."

"...You're fixed players, aren't you?"

"I'm not obligated to answer that."

Seowoon bristled at the invasive question.

"Don't get me wrong. I'm just saying this because it seems like you don't fully understand how the guilds operate."

Kichan reacted to the new information.

"Guilds?"

"Once you're part of fixed play, you'll understand. Many players are in guilds..."

Mid-sentence, Soohee suddenly turned her head.

Everyone turned their gaze toward the newcomer stepping into the training grounds.

A man in a navy-blue tailored suit, with neatly slicked-back hair, walked in with his hands in his pockets, wearing an amused smile.

"Well, well. Didn't expect to see someone important here."

Soohee and the two who had come with her immediately scowled.

"Kim Chilsang!"

The hooded woman spat the name through gritted teeth.

"Did he steal the lead? Or... was he originally with the Resistance?"

Chilsang looked between Soohee and Seowoon as he spoke. Soohee grimaced and glanced around.

As soon as he entered, a dark shadow seemed to fall across Soohee's face—like she was suddenly wearing a mask.

As her eyes scanned the area, Chilsang smirked and spoke again.

"Who are you looking for? Or are you just looking for an escape route?"

[T/L: Read extra Chapters on my ko-fi page "Pokemon1920" : https://ko-fi.com/pokemon1920 ]