hotmtlnovel Chapter 193
Chapter 193
1.
Though he had been greatly ridiculed, Eom Gil-dong felt much lighter now that the contract issue he had been worrying about was finally resolved.
A greedy desire crept in.
He thought, If not today, when else will I see the real-life Silent Swordsman in person? This thought gave him the courage to act.
“By any chance, have you decided who you’ll be collaborating with next?”
Ha Eung Eung drew a large question mark in her notebook.
The curves, the sharp drops, the detached points—common marks for a question, but when drawn by the Silent Swordsman, they all seemed so irritating.
“If it's alright, could we schedule a collaboration too? You know, like you doing ‘Catching Up to the Silent Swordsman’ live, or maybe we could play a game together...”
If it’s not too much of a bother... he added hesitantly, not really as a condition, but more like a polite afterthought.
Would she accept? Would it be fun?
Eom Gil-dong couldn’t quite decide.
His thoughts were a mess, but his internal monologue was clear to see from his visible unease. Ha Eung Eung didn’t seem to care much either way.
“My stream is fairly popular with my viewers. If you join, it’ll definitely help the Silent Swordsman too.”
[Do you think I need that kind of thing?]
“I don’t think so, but... Ah, anyway! You’ll definitely come out ahead! The Silent Swordsman’s viewers are quite the troublemakers too!”
[And so?]
“My viewers are all part of the Eom Gil-dan, a bunch of mischievous troublemakers! I can give you lots of tips on handling troublesome people like them!”
Though it wasn’t really necessary, Ha Eung Eung, with her whip as a useful conversational tool, nodded slightly in acknowledgment of his earnestness.
[Alright.]
“Huh? Really?”
Eom Gil-dong, not expecting her to accept, was completely surprised.
[You can do the half-beast return broadcast later.]
“...Huh?”
[The half-beast will be solo.]
What? Who doesn’t know that, you fool.
Eom Gil-dong’s embarrassment shot up to its maximum.
The half-beast mode, which he hadn’t touched in over six months, was now being delayed because of his collaboration proposal.
“Are you planning to kill someone?”
With the furious backlash from the Silent Swordsman’s fans, Eom Gil-dong’s stream was crushed into pieces.
[If you don’t want to, that’s fine.]
“...Well, it’s not that I don’t want to... but if you could just adjust the order a little... hehe.”
After the final edit of the Whip Simulator V-tube episode was uploaded, Ha Eung Eung started to feel the piercing stares of fear from those around her.
Eom Gil-dong’s humble attitude was no exception.
It was clear that he didn’t want to give up on the collaboration, no matter what.
‘His courage is quite remarkable.’
Even Baek So-cheon, who had been trying to avoid her, couldn’t bring himself to ask for a duel.
Eom Gil-dong, a small, skinny boy who had no muscles, yet who was now gathering the courage to speak up, was quite admirable.
[Then I’ll contact you later.]
“Thank you, Demon King!”
She’d like him to stop calling her that, but his energetic attitude and how quickly he seemed to get excited made her chuckle, despite how trivial it was.@@@@
What neither Eom Gil-dong nor Ha Eung Eung realized was one critical fact.
In order to collaborate, they would need to issue and accept an invitation within the virtual world, but a collaboration invitation between them couldn’t be made.
That was because Eom Gil-dong’s account was still blocked by Ha Eung Eung’s account.
The day a collaboration could happen still seemed far away.
[Awakener Association Board Meeting and Emergency Session]
□ Date and Location
June 15, 2051, 04:40 (Board Meeting)Avalon Gate B211, Association Headquarters
I. Opening of the Meeting
Confirmation of Attendance and Opening Remarks
Attending Directors: Jang Dong-yun, Seo Mok-geum, Hon Il-young, and 7 others.
Delegated Directors: Lee Yu-gu, Kim Myung-su, Shi Du-mok, and 3 others.President’s Opening Remarks
II. Reports and Issues
Prediction of changes in the Teen Guild power structure
(1) Aftereffects of the Gate Expedition
(2) Aftereffects of the destruction of the Myung-ho Guild
(3) Speculation on the disappearance of Lee Myung-ho
(4) Unpredictable movements of HaenampaThe greatest threat, Haenampa
(1) Suspiciously strong financial situationUnknown sources of supportSuspected ties with the government
(2) Joining of Planning Director Baek So-cheonPotential existence of unique factions for ReturneesInvestigation request into the
III. Deliberation Topics
Response Strategy for Teen Guilds
(1) Baek So-cheon’s 10-Year PlanProceed with the original Plan AAppoint Nam O-yoon as the new Planning Director to replace Baek So-cheon
(2) Nam O-yoon’s StrategyIntend to provoke conflict with the weakened Ahsan Guild and Myung-ho Guild through the Taebaek GuildPlan to create a real-world entertainment industry clash to lead to full confrontationIntroduce competitive bidding among guilds for projects, encouraging capital rivalryHaenampa Response Strategy
(1) Background for Introducing the TopicNeed to curb the rapidly growing Haenampa, unlike the Teen GuildsIntentional real estate manipulation and fortification of surrounding areasThe “Demon King Swordsman” issue is now feasible in reality, necessitating preparations for a potential terrorist attack in coordination with the villainous organization,
(2) Creation of a Special Investigation Team
Need for top-level intelligence team to penetrate the National Security Agency’s information concealmentAgents currently conducting operations in East Asia will be recalled to form the teamUse of previously avoided dangerous individuals for aggressive recruitmentRevision of the Bylaws
(1) Discussion of the Target Regulations
○ Article 13 (Board of Directors)Remove restrictions on board activities
○ Article 24 (Opus Organization)Remove restrictions on the employment of personnel in the Opus OrganizationChange in criteria for listing dangerous individualsRemove criteria for listing high-risk individuals
(2) New and Old Comparison
(3) Deliberation Results
○ Article 13 (Board of Directors)
Change from "80% approval" to "50% approval" for quicker decision-makingThe board may now intervene directly in issues other than special information access restrictions
○ Article 24 (Opus Organization)
Allow aggressive employment of Opus Organization members, with additional regulation to assign dedicated supervisors to high-level awakened personnelRisk Assessment of Key Figures, Ha Eung Eung
(1) Strategic Planning Department 2nd Room RevisionUnanimous agreement to establish a special 2nd Room for Ha Eung Eung and HaenampaCreation of a special monitoring team to accurately assess Ha Eung Eung’s risk levelA power analysis team to synchronize and analyze all broadcasts through sensory links
(2) Research Collaboration with Opus Organization
Proposal for a replica study to artificially reproduce Ha Eung Eung’s power, but rejected due to excessive riskDr. Johan II to be sent by Opus Organization to analyze the power analysis results
(3) Silent Swordsman Mark Issue
Assign an A-level supervisor to prevent Dr. Johan II from creating Silent Swordsman Mark 3Suspected that Dr. Johan II created Silent Swordsman Mark 2 and hid it; a dedicated search team will be formed to find and secure it
IV. Adjournment
【Top Secret Information Access Restricted Document】
[Awakener Association Board Meeting and Emergency Session]
[Strategic Planning Department 2nd Room Members]
[Search Results for Silent Swordsman Mark 2]
[This document is restricted. Unauthorized disclosure may lead to deployment in the Gate Expedition Corps for up to 20 years.]
As Min Woo-seong examined the information provided by the National Security Agency, an uneasy expression spread across his face.
‘Did that guy really make Mark 2?’
A clone of that monstrous Ha Eung Eung?
Is that even possible?
Although it was a highly concerning matter, the National Security Agency had a reason for providing the information.
“Are you suggesting we stop broadcasting to prevent the Silent Swordsman’s information from leaking?”
“Yes. We’ve been managing it well, but we’d appreciate it if you could stop the broadcasts as much as possible.”
“Thank you for stealing the minutes, but the timing couldn’t be worse.”
Min Woo-seong muttered quietly to the screen phone, glancing at Ha Eung Eung’s personal room.
“She just started her half-beast stream.”