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Chapter 21
It was me, Jung So-mi, and Hwang Hye-joo—our original three.
And then the follow-up members: Choi Gyu-sung, Seon Woo-jin, and Choi Kyung.
The advance team of six was officially launched, and Colonel Choi Gyu-sung reported this to the President.
“Yes, Mr. President, this is Colonel Choi Gyu-sung.”
The President promised me freedom. In other words, she meant she would not expect anything in return from me and would prevent external pressures so I could act freely.
But why report it formally?
Because official support requires a pretext.
“The operation name is ‘Project Polaris.’”
The operation name was Jung So-mi’s idea. She said that what we’re doing resembles a star guiding lost travelers. Her idea was soon adopted as our team name as well.
Team Polaris.
Of course, I’m the team leader. Colonel Choi Gyu-sung is the deputy, and the rest are team members.
We might consider adding more members later, but for now, we’d operate as we were. Our mission is simple:
“Investigate and eliminate unknown enemies.”
During the process, videos would be uploaded to the Pidomena Universe, and we’d hopefully repay that damn debt.
“Will that let me meet that guy again?”
Morpheus. The rabbit, god’s messenger who declared an apocalypse on Earth, had been silent since its first appearance. Its silence was comforting—maybe I’d never see it again—but I also wanted to meet it at least once. There were countless things I wanted to ask.
Then, it happened.
“Han, come here.”
At the edge of the living room’s large window overlooking the yard, CEO Choi, who had been on the phone, called me.
I had been about to wash the dishes after breakfast, gloves on, but I turned my head.
He held his phone delicately, like it was sacred, and gestured me to come closer.
As I removed my gloves and approached, he blocked the phone with his palm and said,
“The President wants to speak with you.”
Wants to speak? I didn’t think much of it. Probably just a few words of encouragement.
Still…
“Is it okay to report to the President by phone?”
“It’s fine. She insisted that it be done this way.”
I agreed—it would save travel time—and took the phone.
Because of who it was, my posture naturally mirrored Choi’s respectful bow.
“Yes, Mr. President. This is Han Se-hyun. I’ve received your call.”
-This is Jang Se-hee. Han Se-hyun, thank you for making such a difficult decision first.
“It wasn’t difficult at all. The conditions were good.”
As expected, the President’s words were just encouragement. Things I could hear and let pass.
But curiosity struck me.
“Um… President, may I ask something?”
-Of course.
“Why me?”
-Because you’re capable.
“Nothing else?”
-You keep asking; I wonder what you’re really trying to know.
After a few seconds of silence, President Jang spoke.
-I understand your worries. In this situation, my political life or position doesn’t matter. I won’t use you for anything unsavory. However…
She added a caveat at the end of her sentence. Were her words about to change? Fear gripped me, though I quickly realized it was unnecessary.
-In extreme cases, I may have to use you, Han Se-hyun… or rather, Director Han Se-hyun. Please understand then. It wouldn’t be my intent, but a choice for the country’s sake.
When she called me not Se-hyun or Major Se-hyun, but Director Se-hyun, I understood immediately. She meant she’d use me only if national security was at stake.
It wasn’t only corporations recruiting players. Rumors circulated in tabloids and online communities that senior politicians were secretly recruiting them too.
In a world full of monsters, would they really use players’ asymmetrical power to seize power? Who knows—anything is possible.
“I understand. That’s all my questions.”
-Skeptical?
“Ah… Sorry. Skepticism is my nature…”
A light laugh came through the receiver.
-I like your honesty. I understand. Best of luck to you.
For the next two days after reporting to the President, Team Polaris was busy. Internally, team members shared their abilities and planned tactics. Externally, they held long discussions with Goyang City’s gate defense forces to coordinate.
Thanks to the President’s influence, there were no obstacles in communications with the defense forces. We also helped set up perimeter fences at the village outskirts at Mr. Park Cheol-hwan’s request and secretly supplied a few firearms.
After staying at his place for meals and conversation, I found him trustworthy.
And so, after busy days, on December 31, 2024—one day before the New Year.
At exactly 9 a.m.
Just after I finished showering and was changing clothes, a message went out to the world:
[Greetings, debtors of Earth. I am Aine, Director of the Pidomena Universe.]
[Thank you for working hard running around all week.]
The sender’s rough tone made me think Morpheus was almost polite by comparison. The voice in the popup sounded feminine, hence the gender reference.
At that moment, someone knocked on the door.
“Senior! Senior!”
Opening it, Jung So-mi stood there, flushed with excitement.
“Senior! A message!”
“I saw it.”
Why all the fuss? Another Pidomena official after Morpheus? I was surprised too; the title of General Director was unexpected.
As I shook the water from my hair and went downstairs, all Team Polaris members except Choi Gyu-sung were gathered. The atmosphere was grim.
[We will now begin the Pidomena Universe monthly settlement.]
Those words reminded us of our reality.
Creditors and debtors. Alpha and beta. Directors and participants in the apocalypse survival game.
We were the latter. But I wouldn’t let my team brood.
I spoke cynically:
“Quit sulking like losers. Think we’ve already lost? Go put a white flag on the roof then.”
Seon Woo-jin flinched; Jung So-mi stopped in her tracks. Hwang Hye-joo looked enlightened, and Choi Kyung…
“Haam…”
He opened his mouth tiredly and met my gaze.
“Choi Kyung, didn’t you sleep last night?”
“Well… yes. I was too excited to sleep.”
“Excited?”
“Because it’s settlement day…”
I nodded and addressed the rest firmly:
“Listen. I don’t want to spend the last day of every month like this.”
The team nodded in understanding as Aine explained the settlement method:
-
1 coin per 10,000 views.
-
Views accumulate (multiple views by one person count).
-
Next month’s settlement counts only additional views.
Simple enough even a child could understand. The crucial parts—how much profit beyond our settlement, or Earth’s total debt—were left out.
[Now, the settlement begins.]
Snap—like a finger flick in my ear.
[Player Han Se-hyun has uploaded 6 videos.]
I recalled the list in [My Videos]:
-
Fighting goblins 2-on-1. Views: 28,217,410
-
Became a bus driver on Day 1 of the apocalypse. Views: 19,490,667
-
Defeated an ogre at level 1. Views: 35,478,911
-
Explosions are art. Views: 26,871,355
-
Even a psychopath shakes his head at this player. Views: 29,656,408
-
The leader never abandons comrades. Views: 20,070,792
Early views were slow, but by Day 4, numbers skyrocketed. Likely, the third video’s popularity helped the others.
[Total views of Han Se-hyun’s six videos: 159,785,543.]
Over 159 million views! Yet my payout was…
[December settlement: 15,978 coins]
[Total coins: 70,958]
Even less than the coins Choi earned selling lower-grade mana stones to the Ministry of Land.
After giving 20,000 coins each to Hwang Hye-joo and Jung So-mi, it was practically halved.
“Senior, how much did you get?”
Too small to mention, I ignored it. But then Aine delivered unexpected news:
[The top viewer-ranking player in each country receives achievements and gifts.]
[Though you are lowly, it is the will of the great and glorious Pidomena.]
[If you want to finish, you’ll have to push even harder. Don’t hold back.]
[That’s all, adios.]
As Aine disappeared, a congratulatory message appeared:
[Congratulations! Player Han Se-hyun is ranked #1 in South Korea’s viewership.]
Apparently, this was broadcast to others too.
“Oh…! Senior, how many views? Over 100 million?”
“Se-hyun, congratulations.”
“Of course… I knew the former team leader would be first.”
“Wow… I envy you…”
While they cheered, more messages kept coming:
[Achievement: #1 in South Korea viewership (1 time)]
[Effect: +3 to all stats]
[This achievement stacks]
[If #1 is achieved monthly, effect doubles for ‘viewership’ achievement]
[Special reward: One skill book]
A faintly glowing old book appeared on the living room carpet. I picked it up calmly, having expected it.
The worn hardcover was soft and warm; inside, all blank yellow pages.
[Skill Book]
-Category: Consumable
-Rank: None
-Effect: Randomly acquire one skill.
-Additional info: Higher-value skills have lower probabilities.
Jung So-mi stared in awe.
“What’s this?”
“A skill book. Top-rank reward.”
Seon Woo-jin’s eyes widened.
“It’s really like an RPG system. Even gacha items exist.”
“How do I know if I got a good skill?”
“Well, usually there’s a grade, but not here… maybe it has some effect. It’s a reward, not just an item.”
“Fair point.”
I looked at the skill book, heart pounding.
“Alright… let’s open it.”
