Seojin was heading back to town, ignoring every monster he passed along the way. It wasn't that he couldn't kill them — far from it. He simply had no space left in his inventory to store the loot he would get after killing them. Still, as he moved, he made mental notes of the boss monsters roaming nearby.
On the way back, he saw several parties fighting monsters. It seemed people were slowly starting to adapt to combat — though there were still a few exceptions.
"Hiyaaaaaa! I can't! I can't! I hate spiders!" a girl screamed before sprinting in the opposite direction.
"B*tch, heal—!" her teammate yelled, just before he was mauled to death.
Seojin reached town faster than expected, thanks to his incredibly high agility.
As he entered, he was met with a mess of emotions and noise — despair, anger, denial, and fear all blending together in one place.
"Nooooo! He actually died! My boyfriend actually died!"
"The life essence thing is real!? I only have 10 left! Please, someone help me — I'll give you anything you want!"
"I give up. I'm not going out there again. I'll just wait this out. What's the worst that could happen?"
It was the same panic he remembered from before — though one thing was new.
People were talking about him.
"Hey, did you see the leaderboard? That Loki guy?"
"I can't believe he's already Level 4. How the hell did he do it?"
"People are saying he soloed a boss for the EXP."
"No way. We can't even kill one mob, and he's out there killing bosses?"
"Well… the leaderboard can't lie."
Seojin's brow twitched.
'Oh, right. The leaderboard shows names and levels… and there were also those system announcements about my kills.'
A player hitting Level 4 within almost two hours of being pulled into this mysterious world — while everyone else was still Level 1 — that is bound to attract notice.
He sighed inwardly.
'Things are going to get annoying now.'
Without hesitation, Seojin cast [Vanish], slipping into stealth and heading straight for the town's center.
'Let's just sell everything quickly and disappear before this becomes a circus.'
When he reappeared in the middle of the plaza, several people immediately pointed.
"Oi! That guy just appeared out of thin air!"
"Must be an assassin — I've got the same skill!"
"Is that his base class gear? It looks so cool. I wonder what tier his class is…"
Ignoring the stares, Seojin knelt and began unloading items from his inventory — weapons, armor, and skill books — neatly arranging them in rows across the cobblestone.
Then he wrote a short message and projected it above his head as an announcement:
[Selling and Trading Loot]
Curious players gathered quickly. Their eyes widened as they saw dozens of glowing orbs of light containing various equipment.
"Wow… so many items, and even skill books!"
"Wait, what is that blue-colored one at the top?"
"I don't know… I haven't seen that color before."
"If Common is gray and Uncommon is green… then what's blue?"
As their whispers grew louder, a sudden shift in atmosphere swept through the plaza — the kind that comes when someone important arrives.
The first thing that caught Seojin's attention wasn't a voice — it was the faint, deliberate echo of heels against the cobblestone.
Tap. Tap.
Each step was unhurried, measured, and precise — the kind of rhythm that demanded silence rather than requested it.
The crowd instinctively parted, conversations dying mid-sentence as their gazes followed the source of the sound.
Seojin's heart trembled as he saw her figure approaching him.
'What is she doing here?'
From between the clusters of players, she emerged — a woman wrapped in contrasts of black and crimson.
Her chin-length white hair gleamed faintly, each strand sharp and immaculate, almost unreal in its perfection. It framed her porcelain face like a halo carved from ice — serene yet lethal. Her hazel eyes swept over the crowd with the cool precision of a hawk, emotionless but knowing. When her gaze finally landed on Seojin, the corners of her blood-red lips curled into something that wasn't quite a smile — more like curiosity restrained behind etiquette.
A thin black choker rested at her throat, adorned with a silver crescent moon and cross that shimmered faintly when she moved. Over a high-neck crimson blouse, she wore a structured black bolero — the glossy leather catching the light like the surface of still water. The corset around her waist tightened her silhouette with brutal precision, each silver buckle reflecting her ruthlessness and control.
Every motion of hers carried elegance with the weight of authority. When she raised her gloved hand to brush a strand of hair from her face, the black latex shimmered — the claw-tipped fingers catching the light with a quiet menace.
Her long red drapes fluttered behind her like living fire, fanning out with each graceful step until she finally came to a stop before Seojin. The slit in her vinyl skirt revealed just enough of her fishnet-covered thigh to blur the line between aristocrat and predator.
The heels of her black leather boots clicked one final time as she stopped.
For a moment, she simply observed the items arranged before him. Checking everything out with curiosity.
Then she spoke.
Her voice was calm, smooth, and composed — yet layered with quiet dominance that made people instinctively want to listen.
"You're the one called Loki, aren't you?"
The tone wasn't a question. It was a statement — an acknowledgment.
Seojin turned his gaze toward her, meeting her eyes without flinching.
'I've caught the attention of someone troublesome,' he thought.
"That's right," he replied evenly. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Yoon."
The murmurs in the crowd rose again, buzzing like flies in the summer heat.
"He really did it solo."
"But how?"
"Let's ask him later."
"for sure"
"Hm." Haeun's hazel eyes flicked to the blue mage robe on display before returning to his face.
"Quite impressive of you to kill a Rare-tier boss alone. Your class must be rather high-tier to be able to accomplish that."
The whispers died immediately. All eyes turned toward Seojin.
"It was just luck," he said, his tone flat, offering nothing more.
Yoon Haeun studied him quietly — the way he spoke without boasting, the way he didn't flinch under attention.
He was either a fool... or a man who knew exactly what he was doing.
Sensing his guarded nature, she didn't press further. Instead, her gaze shifted to the robe again.
"That robe," she said softly, lifting her gloved hand and pointing. "How much for it?"
"One hundred TLE."
Her brows arched slightly.
"Quite expensive, don't you think?"
"Normally, I would have priced it higher — considering the effort it took to get it. But I doubt anyone here could afford that much TLE."
"Would you accept real money instead? Say... One hundred thousand?"
"I'm sor—"
"Five hundred thousand," she interrupted smoothly, her tone like silk cutting through air.
Seojin did not even think about it for a second.
"I'm sorry," he said quietly. "But I would prefer TLE."
Her lips curved, faintly amused.
"I see."
She turned her head slightly. "Minjoo, pass me 200 essence."
A woman behind her — likely one of her subordinates — stepped forward at once.
"At once, my lady."
Seojin's brows furrowed.
'Two hundred? He cast a quick glance at the leaderboard. 'Her name wasn't there? Then where did she get this much TLE from?'
Yoon Haeun stepped closer, the faint scent of jasmine and steel surrounding her.
"Sell me everything you have. And in the future, if you plan to sell anything again, I'll buy it all in bulk. We can negotiate prices according to tier and quantity."
Her tone was calm, but her intent was sharp. She wasn't just buying loot — she was securing a connection.
Seojin thought for a moment.
It was a convenient offer — he could offload all the loot at once and save time. The only problem was the woman herself.
After a pause, he decided to agree anyway.
"We have a deal, Miss Yoon."
A rare smile touched her lips — soft, deliberate, and somehow dangerous.
"Please," she said. "Call me Haeun. To a pleasant partnership, Mister Loki."
She extended her gloved hand.
Seojin shook it — For a fleeting second, their eyes met, and something silent passed between them.
And then—
He was gone.
Vanished.
...
"Your hunch was correct, my lady," said a woman clad in heavy knight's armor, her voice low and respectful. She stood with her greatshield resting behind her, sword laid near her shield.
"He asked for TLE — just as you predicted. But... why would he need that? There is nothing like an NPC anywhere in this town."
"That," Haeun replied softly, "is what we need to find out."
Her tone was calm, but the weight behind her words silenced the air. Minjoo had been with Haeun long enough to know that when she got like this, she must not be disturbed.
The silence stretched, broken only by the faint rustle of her crimson drapes. Haeun's hazel eyes narrowed slightly, her mind a quiet storm of analysis and instinct.
'He was wary of me... almost as if he already knew what kind of a person I am. But that shouldn't be possible. I keep my public figure clean. So he must have met me on a personal level.'
She crossed her legs gracefully, fingertips brushing against her chin.
'Even though I couldn't see his face, I heard his voice clearly — no distortion, no masking. I've never heard that voice before.'
Yoon Haeun never forgot a voice. Never forgot a face. Her memory was a weapon — perfect and merciless.
'His basic gear was better than mine. That much I could tell. It could be higher than my Legendary-tier... something far beyond.'
Her gloved fingers tapped rhythmically on her thigh.
'But how far does the tier scale go? What exists beyond Legendary?'
She exhaled slowly through her nose.
'He refused real money. Either he already has plenty of it… or he understands something about this world that I don't. Unlike the others, He values leveling and TLE more than money.'
'Why?'
A faint sigh escaped her lips, more from thought than frustration. Her face remained composed — calm, poised, but the air around her had grown sharp.
"So many questions," she murmured. "And not a single clear answer."
Her eyes flicked to Minjoo.
"Keep buying TLE from players. Pay them the promised money if they make it out of this world. Offer higher rates to those with Rare or higher classes — and if possible, recruit them under our Yoon group."
"As you command, my lady," Minjoo answered without hesitation.
Haeun rose from her seat, stretching lightly — her movements elegant yet deliberate. The leather corset and crimson blouse accentuated her figure as she straightened, exuding power without effort.
"I think it's time we start leveling as well," she said, brushing a strand of white hair behind her ear. "Call the others. We're not stopping at Level 3."
"Yes, my lady."
As Minjoo turned to obey, two voices drifted from nearby — careless, loud, and entirely unaware of whose presence they had just disturbed.
"Brother Poop, I can't believe we actually leveled up! Let's rest a bit and drink some potions, then we can reach Level 3 in one go and get out of here! We should thank Loki-nim when we see him next time!"
"You idiot! Stop calling me Brother Poop! It's Prince!Prince!"
"But I'm already used to calling you Brother Poop… it's too late to change it now," said the other lazily.
"Change it right now!"
The corners of Haeun's lips curved slightly.
"Minjoo," she said quietly. "Get them."
A ripple of unease ran through the air as Minjoo moved toward them, her armor creaking faintly.
"As you wish, my lady."