Chapter 9 (1/2): Information (2)

— …First, let’s go over the current situation.  

Since you personally convened the meeting, Yeonhwa, the guild leader of ‘Legend,’ took on the role of chairperson and began leading the discussion.

It seemed she had prepared some materials in advance, as she shuffled through stacks of papers while continuing her explanation.  

— As of 4 a.m. this morning, an unexplainable supernatural phenomenon occurred where people transformed into playable characters from Season Off Fantasy, and monsters from the game began emerging from fissures in the sky.  

“…”  

— This phenomenon is not limited to Korea but has occurred globally, including in the U.S., Japan, China, and Europe, causing unprecedented damage worldwide.  

…People turning into game characters, monsters pouring from glowing rifts in the sky— this unprecedented disaster, where reality and fiction merged, was happening simultaneously across the entire world, not just Korea.  

— As a result, Korea and the rest of the world are in a state of chaos right now… but I assume everyone here is already aware of this much.  

Yeonhwa spoke while looking straight ahead— or rather, at the faces of the other three guild leaders displayed on the screen.

At her words, Jeong Hyeonjun, the “Dark Ghost,” and the other two guild leaders slowly nodded.  

This was the 21st century, where social media and the internet were more active than ever.

As Yeonhwa said, this level of information was something anyone could find with a few taps on their smartphone.  

Yeonhwa continued with an impassive expression.

Her tone was so flat that the Dark Ghost couldn’t discern her emotions at all.  

— …You may also already know this, but it has been officially confirmed that modern firearms— excluding asymmetrical weaponry— are ineffective against monsters ranked C or higher.  

— Hmm…  

— Huh? They can’t even kill C-rank monsters?  

…As if hearing this for the first time, “Typhoon Fighter” Kim Deoksu and “Ace’s” guild leader Solsol exclaimed in surprise.

Yeonhwa nodded slowly at their disappointed expressions.  

— Yes. Government reports state that rifle bullets cannot penetrate the hides of C-rank or higher monsters, such as kobolds or trolls. Artillery shells and missiles do have some effect, but indiscriminate bombing in urban areas is impractical at this stage, so the frontlines are gradually being pushed back.  

She explained that aside from high-explosive weapons like tank shells and missiles, conventional firearms were useless against C-rank or higher monsters.

However, with civilians sheltering in their homes, indiscriminate bombardment was out of the question, making the retreat of defensive lines inevitable.  

— Therefore, excluding asymmetrical warfare, the only ones currently capable of standing against the monsters on equal footing are the players of Season Off Fantasy who underwent the transformation.  

‘Players…’  

The Dark Ghost, Jeong Hyeonjun, mulled over the word “players” that had slipped from Yeonhwa’s lips.  

…At first glance, her words made it seem like as long as players existed, this disaster could be cleanly resolved. But reality wasn’t so kind.  

Investigations revealed that closing the “Rifts of Light” ultimately required defeating A-rank or higher monsters.

However, not all players were strong enough to take on such foes.  

Most players who underwent the transformation fell short of the 1,500-level benchmark considered the standard for veterans. Half of them were either newbies or inactive members.  

This wasn’t the VR world with auto-aim and pain dampening.

For them, even C- to B-rank monsters would be overwhelming.

In the worst-case scenario, they, too, could be forced to retreat like the military.  

Thus, the future of the battlefield would likely be shaped by a few top-tier players and large guilds carrying the majority— a classic case of the minority carrying the majority.  

But even those large guilds would take considerable time to assemble.

At this stage, there was no avoiding the storm of bloodshed and chaos ahead.  

‘An arrogant thought, underestimating the monsters.’  

The idea that all awakened players would effortlessly crush the enemy and save the world was an overly optimistic fantasy straight out of novels and comics.  

— ……So,  

Meanwhile, Yeonhwa shuffled through another stack of documents before pulling out a neatly organized sheet.  

It was a document familiar to Hyeonjun as well.  

— …The government is also aware that relying solely on the military has its limits. About an hour ago, they sent me an official letter. I assume you all received it as well…  

— Got it.  

— Yep, I did!  

“…I received it.”  

The three guild leaders answered in unison.

Like Yeonhwa, they had received the government’s official letter via fax an hour earlier.  

Yeonhwa nodded at them before continuing.  

— Yes, this is a letter sent to the top 5,000 players of ‘Season Off Fantasy’ on the Korean server. As you can see, the content is a request for cooperation in establishing a specialized department to effectively address the current crisis.  

…The letter was none other than a request for collaboration with top-ranked players.  

Having quickly realized that Korea’s current strength alone was insufficient to handle the situation, the government was reaching out to the only ones capable of fighting the monsters —the players.  

If the players agreed, the government proposed forming a specialized department in collaboration with them to systematically resolve the disaster.  

— Hmm, cooperating with the government would expand our operational control and give us access to various resources. Not a bad deal for us.  

Solsol nodded in satisfaction after skimming the letter.

Typhoon Fighter Kim Deoksu also voiced his agreement.  

— Ahem, having government support makes a world of difference. I’d like to send an acceptance reply right now.  

“…I feel the same.”  

The Dark Ghost was no exception in welcoming the government’s request.

In a situation where a prolonged battle was inevitable, having logistical support from the government would make combat much smoother.  

Moreover, if roles were divided— with the military handling civilian protection and evacuation while players focused on eliminating monsters— it would conserve their stamina significantly.  

…Yeonhwa, the guild leader of Legend, the top-ranked guild, also nodded quietly in agreement.  

— I share the same opinion. To efficiently navigate this crisis, cooperation with the government is essential. Additionally, the government has promised appropriate compensation, so there’s no downside for us.  

— Ooh, compensation! Are they paying in cash? Or gold?  

— I’m not sure about that yet.  

— Hmm, gold would be preferable, I think…  

— …I’ll suggest it.  

‘…!!’

The words “reward” made the Dark Ghost’s body flinch slightly.  

‘A reward…’  

Indeed, nothing in this world comes for free.

In a way, it was an obvious statement, but seeing the other guild leaders calculating their own benefits even in such a dire moment filled the Dark Ghost with an indescribable sense of disillusionment.  

— “At any rate, now that cooperation with the government is almost certain, your roles have become even more critical.”  

Unaware— or perhaps indifferent— to the Dark Ghost’s bitter smile, Yeonhwa, the guild leader of Legend, continued speaking.  

…Her reddish-brown eyes swept sharply across everyone on the screen.  

— “You may have already noticed, but the four guilds gathered here share one thing in common.”  

— “A commonality…? Us? With Legend? And Diamond? And Fate? Hmm, I’m not sure…”  

— “Even I thought we were too far apart to have anything in common…”  

“…Agreed.”  

Years of rivalry had made them wary of each other, even despising one another more than anyone else.

Just looking at each other made them want to challenge one another to PvP.

The idea of a shared trait, a resemblance— every guild leader bristled at the thought.  

— “No, there is one.”  

But Yeonhwa continued without a hint of emotional disturbance.

On the computer screen, her reddish-brown eyes gleamed sharply.  

— “…The fact that we are the only guilds in Korea capable of independently clearing a Stage Boss.”  

— “…!!  

— “Stage Boss…!”  

“Ah…”  

Everyone froze at Yeonhwa’s words.  

Right. Compared to the relatively lower-level monsters they had been dealing with, they had completely forgotten about those abominations among abominations.  

‘Stage Bosses…’  

The twelve Stage Bosses were entities that stood in a league of their own, even in Season Off Fantasy.  

While mid-bosses of A to S rank could be solo-raided if one was skilled enough, the game developers themselves recommended that at least three guilds unite to take on a Stage Boss.  

That alone spoke volumes about their absurd difficulty.  

But there were guilds strong enough to challenge them without needing alliances— and in Korea, those were the top four guilds currently participating in this meeting.  

— …There haven’t been any reports of sightings yet, but considering it hasn’t even been 24 hours since the incident, there’s a chance they could appear as early as tomorrow.

— Hmm…

— If that happens, we’d be really, really unlucky.

At Yeonhwa’s words, Solsol shook her head vigorously.  

As she said, if one of the twelve Stage Bosses defied the absurd odds and appeared on this tiny peninsula, the only way to describe it would be “terrible luck.”  

— But we can’t rule out the possibility. If a Stage Boss appears in Korea, the only ones who can take it down are Legend, Fate, Diamond, and Ace. That makes our responsibility immense.

Yeonhwa murmured softly, closing her eyes.  

Of course, other guilds could attempt the raid if they formed alliances, but in a situation where even gathering their own members was a struggle, when would they have the time to coordinate with others?  

As the red-haired mage on the screen had said, at this point, the only guilds capable of independently taking down a Stage Boss were Legend, Fate, Diamond, and Ace.  

The weight of responsibility was indeed immense.  

— …Therefore, to prepare for the potential appearance of a Stage Boss, I’d like to divide the regions each guild will be responsible for. Where are the majority of your guild members currently gathered?

The guild leader of Legend proposed dividing regions among the guilds for more effective preparation. The first to answer was the Typhoon Warrior, Kim Deoksu.  

— Most of our Diamond members are concentrated in Gyeongsang Province. We should be fully assembled by tomorrow night, so we’ll take charge of monsters and Stage Bosses in the Gwandong and Yeongnam regions.

Since Diamond had always been a close-knit guild, they made sure to ask prospective members about their actual residence during interviews.  

Thus, all their members lived in Gyeongsang Province, making them the perfect choice to cover Korea’s eastern regions.  

— Understood. Then Diamond will handle the east. What about Fate?

Yeonhwa turned her gaze to the Dark Ghost.

He moistened his dry lips with his tongue before answering calmly.  

“We’re not all there, but the majority of us reside in Chungcheong Province. We should be able to cover the central region on our own.”  

Fate had originally been founded by the Dark Ghost and his high school friends.

Since it was essentially a guild made up of hometown buddies, most of them naturally lived in Chungcheong Province.  

…Yeonhwa nodded at his response.  

— Good. Then Fate will take the central region. Lastly, Ace, what’s your situation?

— Us? We’re spread out across the country, but most of us are in Seoul! The executives should all be assembled by tomorrow morning, so we’ll take charge of the capital area!

As the most popular and longest-standing of the top four guilds, Ace also had the largest number of members.  

They could have taken responsibility for any region in Korea, but since their guild leader, Solsol, and other key members resided in Seoul, they volunteered to cover the capital area.  

— Understood. Then Ace will handle the capital, and we of Legend will take the southern regions, including Jeju Island.

— Huh? Jeju? Unnie, are you from Jeju?

— Yes. You might not believe it, but Legend started as a small club in Jeju seven years ago. All our core members are Jeju locals. We’ll clear the island as quickly as possible and move to the mainland to support the others.

— …Hmm, clean and simple.

Satisfied with how smoothly the regions had been divided, Diamond’s guild leader, the Typhoon Warrior Kim Deoksu, nodded in approval.