The Player Who Stands Above All

Chapter 9

The chief of staff reported the current damage situation in a calm voice.

"Roads where cars travel, other public facilities, and so on. Dungeons have appeared in various places around the world, and they are still appearing at a tremendous rate."

"Finding the dungeons is a problem, but what comes after finding them is also a problem. We cannot eliminate the problematic dungeons."

Starting with the chief of staff's words, the other ministers began to point out problems one after another, as if singing a round.

"Hmm, have we not figured out a way to eliminate the dungeons?"

At the president's words, the Minister of Defense, dressed in a military uniform, spoke while looking over a thick document.

"It has been discovered that if you enter the boss room inside the dungeon and defeat the boss monster, the dungeon will collapse. However..."

The Minister of Defense swallowed, catching his breath for a moment before continuing.

"Upon confirmation, it was found that a maximum of only five people can enter the boss room. Therefore, it has been judged that mobilizing the military to solve the problem is a distant prospect."

At that, another minister, who had been anxiously tapping his fingers, spoke up urgently.

"St-still, shouldn't we at least try?"

"Are you suggesting we use the lives of our soldiers as bait right now!"

"No! That's not what I mean, I'm just saying it would be good to at least give it a try...!"

Thwack-!

As the meeting overheated and the focus began to blur, the president slammed his hand on the table, calming them down.

Only then did they quiet their excitement and silently shut their mouths.

Looking at them, the president spoke.

"First of all, I understand very well that the most urgent problem to deal with is the lack of manpower."

"Do you have a method in mind, sir?"

"Well, it may not be the best, but in an emergency situation like this, it might be the next best thing."

The president muttered to himself, then looked at the Minister of Defense and spoke.

"If we lack the number of public officials to deal with the current situation, I believe we can somehow manage if we add the hands of the public."

"Sir... what do you mean by that?"

The president was slightly frustrated that they didn't understand his words at once, but he decided to kindly explain his plan.

"I mean, literally, that we will receive the help of the public. Even if manpower is too much to ask, we should be able to supplement information. Nowadays, everyone carries a mobile phone, so it would be good to create an app that can share information."

"So you mean to respond to the dungeons appearing in real-time using that!"

"Yes, just getting information on the location of the dungeons will allow us to apply first aid to most problems, so things will get much better. If we create a related app, it would also be good to create an account on social media sites and make public service announcements."

"Yes, I understand."

Having found some direction from the president's words, the ministers stood up and moved quickly.

The president watched them with a small nod, then looked at the people who remained.

"Even if clearing the dungeons with soldiers is impossible, do you think it would be possible to at least deal with the monsters in the dungeons?"

"Yes, it is possible."

"In that case, we will first move in the direction of subjugating the monsters in the dungeons. I don't know how it will turn out, but it seems much better than just standing still."

"Yes, I understand."

The Minister of Defense heard this and was about to go outside immediately, but the president still had more to say.

"And for this as well, we will try to borrow the power of the public."

"Excuse me? But that's!"

One of the remaining ministers was startled and spoke up, but the president just smiled as if he understood.

"I know what you want to say. It is certainly a dangerous task, incomparable to taking a few pictures from a distance. But..."

The president fell silent for a moment, as if to organize his thoughts.

"In my view, they were treasures too precious to let rot."

The president said, handing the documents he had brought to the ministers.

"Ahem!"

"This is!"

The documents contained articles about players who had succeeded in hunting monsters in dungeons.

Below the articles, it was mentioned that the monster carcasses were being traded at high prices, and the comments below were surprisingly positive.

Seeing the ministers' changed expressions, the president spoke.

"I'm not just talking about the military aspect; this is a useful card for changing the atmosphere as well. We can change public opinion and it will be possible to revive the economic side of things."

At the president's words, the ministers were lost in thought for a moment before nodding in unison.

Even if the military aspect was solved with soldiers, problems like the economic effect or the citizens' anxiety could not be solved by mobilizing the military.

In fact, mobilizing the military in a situation like this was a heavy burden in many ways.

The ministers and working-level officials of each department began to formulate a solid plan based on the president's words.

Fantasy had descended into reality.

And reality slowly began to adapt to the fantasy that had suddenly appeared.

***

Trrr~

After finishing the meeting, the president returned to his office, sat in his chair, and made a call.

"Ah, my apologies. The meeting ran long, so I couldn't take your call."

Then, someone on the other end of the line asked.

"So, how did the meeting go?"

"As I did what you said, the stage was set naturally."

The man on the other end of the phone said in a voice tinged with laughter.

"Thank you. I will be sure to repay you later."

"Don't mention it. I only accepted because it wasn't a bad deal for my side either."

"Then let's just say the repayment is off the table..."

"Still, since the giver has sincerity, I won't refuse what you're offering."

At the president's sly words, the man on the other end of the phone chuckled.

"Alright, we're both busy right now, so let's talk about this later over a drink."

"Yes, I'll be waiting."

Having finished his official business, the president spoke in a slightly playful tone.

"By the way, your daughter is quite something. You said all these proposals came from her head, right?"

"Yes, she was originally a quiet child, but recently she's been moving around actively here and there. I don't know what she's thinking, but she's smart and not a child who would do bad things, so as a parent, I must help."

At those words, the president chuckled.

"Haha, I'm quite envious. To receive the full support of the chairman of Samcheon Group, the top corporation in South Korea."

"What are you talking about? I'm supporting her while keeping to the lines I've thought out. Besides, others may not know, but you shouldn't be saying that to me."

"And why not? I came this far as a self-made man, I couldn't even dream of others helping me."

"Wasn't it the same for me?"

As they continued their conversation with such trivial banter, the president asked.

"So what is your brilliant daughter doing now? I'm curious what she plans to do on the stage she created by even asking you for a favor."

"Ah, my daughter? I'm not sure myself, but it seems she's thinking of making her move in earnest, going around meeting players."

At the chairman's words, the president nodded as if to say, 'as expected'.

"Well, even to establish a guild, you first need people to join it. But aren't you worried? You doted on your daughter so much."

"Of course, I was worried at first. When I heard her purpose, I was heartbroken and even thought of refusing. But..."

The chairman chuckled as if reminiscing about something and said.

"My daughter had become much stronger than I thought."

***

"We have returned."

The five players, including Choi Seok-ho, spoke and bowed their heads slightly toward the woman in front of them.

Clink-

She received their greetings with a light smile and placed the fork she was holding on the empty plate.

"So, what were your impressions of actually entering a dungeon?"

"It was certainly different from the game. But I think we'll get used to fighting in reality after about a day. Around that time, the boss room..."

"That's not allowed."

She cut off Choi Seok-ho's words and answered immediately.

At her reply, not only Choi Seok-ho but also his other colleagues beside him wore expressions of incomprehension.

Noticing their gazes, Cheon Yuhwa took a sip of her sweet caramel macchiato to wet her throat before speaking.

Her secretary next to her muttered quietly, "To drink that after eating cake..." but she ignored him.

"To enter the boss room, you need to be at least strong enough to enter a dungeon alone and face three monsters at the same time."

At her words, the minds of the five, including Choi Seok-ho, momentarily became complicated.

They were contemplating whether they could survive for three days alone inside a dungeon.

"The fact that you're contemplating it means you lack confidence. So let's postpone the boss room challenge until you've gained some confidence. Once you go in, you can't come out until you're on the verge of death."

"Yes."

Unlike a moment ago, they obediently nodded at her words.

It wasn't as if the boss room would disappear somewhere just because they moved a little later.

Besides, they also had something that was bothering them.

They were all Thousand-rankers, but it was their first time fighting a life-or-death battle in front of a living monster.

As a result, they had made several minor mistakes due to nervousness.

Watching them, she smiled slightly and shook her head.

"I didn't particularly intend to discourage you. I know well enough that you are skilled players. But..."

Gulp-

She had already finished her sweet caramel macchiato and took out a candy to put in her mouth.

After replenishing her sugar, she spoke in her characteristic tired, languid voice.

"Challenging the boss room is forbidden until you get used to life-or-death battles."

With those words, as if the conversation was over, she stood up and began to walk away, and her secretary moved to follow her.

As she walked out the door, she mentally reviewed her future plans one by one.

She had created a stage where she could move freely through her father.

She had already gathered people and submitted the application for guild establishment.

So from now on, it was time to focus on making a name for herself in as many places as possible.

She asked the secretary behind her.

"Have you mapped out a route for how we should move?"

"Yes, I've mapped it out focusing on dungeons in Seoul that meet the conditions you mentioned, miss."

"Have you prepared the collection team's vehicles?"

"I have prepared a large truck and 10 workers."

"Well done."

She answered simply and continued walking.

"Then, while I go get rid of the troublesome dungeons, you do the task I asked of you."

"...Should I really do as you say, miss?"

"Yes, you just have to do as I said. Let me know if anything unusual happens."

The secretary had an expression of incomprehension, but it wasn't as if he had a choice.

"Yes, I understand, miss."

"Good, I'm counting on you."

One of the children of the Samcheon Group's chairman, Cheon Yuhwa, spoke languidly but smiled at him as if she trusted him.

Seeing that smile, her secretary and long-time butler, Kim Jae-hyun, let out a small sigh and began to move.

To handle the task Cheon Yuhwa had mentioned.

(End of Chapter)