Chapter 56

'Who in their right mind would rob Katrina's shop?'

Katrina mentioned that someone had stolen a pair of precious necklaces while the shop was temporarily unattended. The suspect's face was caught on camera, and Katrina used his network to identify who they were.

"Then, why don't you catch them yourself?" Jin-Hyeok asked.

"This Server is in its Open Beta phase. It is difficult for me to exert direct physical power on the inhabitants of Earth. I have to consider the reaction from the Merchant Association. Also, if I create unnecessary commotion, it will only lower my credibility for not being able to protect my merchandise. It's troublesome in many ways."

It was quite fortunate for the thief who stole Katrina's necklaces. If he had personally taken action, their body would likely have been separated from their head. As a side note, Katrina had a lot of money and ran a mercenary organization called Gryphons on another Server. If the suspect had been caught by them, it would have been a real nightmare.

'Haisst, I miss those days.'

The leader of Gryphons Mercenary Organization was very skillful with his spear. Jin-Hyeok remembered getting stabbed three times by him, and it was a lot of fun. Of course, Jin-Hyeok was able to stab him seven times. Some might argue that Jin-Hyeok lost the battle, but most people knew that it was a victory for him.

"Anyway, I hope you can help me with this, handsome."

"Sure."

[You have accepted the Quest, 'Katrina's Request.']

Jin-Hyeok left Katrina's shop.

'Hmm… A pair of Berklev Necklaces…'

He was not sure if this was a coincidence or fate.

In his previous life, the Berklev Necklace was an item he got by accident around Level 80 and wore until just before he regressed.

The Berklev Necklace was just an accessory. It did not have any special effects on its own. However, after undergoing a special process, using six different materials, and asking the One-Eyed Giant to enhance it, it became an excellent necklace.

'It was an overpowered item…'

Memories from that time came to mind, and Jin-Hyeok felt nostalgic. Now that he thought about it, his past life was not all about pain and torment.

'Oh, here I go again…'

As time went by, he tended to romanticize the past, so he had to be careful.

Anyway, Jin-Hyeok called Angel Girl to see if she knew anything.

— I am a bit busy right now… Can we arrange a meeting later?

"But you're not even in a Dungeon. How can you be busy?"

If she could answer her phone, it meant that she was not in a Dungeon. Then that meant she was not busy.

'Activate the Golden Headband.'

[You have activated the Golden Headband.]

Jin-Hyeok heard a scream from the other end of the phone.

— Fine! I'll go! I'll go right now! Please stop it!

Jin-Hyeok was right. She was not busy.

Song Ha-Young took a cab and arrived at where Jin-Hyeok was.

"Why did you lie about being busy?"

"I was not lying. I was really busy."

Jin-Hyeok felt like she was trying to tell him her story, but he was not in the mood.

"Do you want to tell me your story and feel the wrath of the Golden Headband, or just not say anything and not be in pain?" Jin-Hyeok asked.

"Was I about to tell you a story? Hehe, I don't have anything to say~"

Jin-Hyeok wondered why she didn't do that in the first place, which was a way more peaceful choice.

"Do you know this guy?" Jin-Hyeok asked.

"What?"

He held out some photos.

"Wait."

Angel Girl picked up the photos and looked at them carefully.

"I think I recognize this guy. I forgot his name…"

"I heard his Player name is Im Kkeok-Jeong."

"Uh, that's right. Im Kkeok-Jeong. He is a Thief who operates near Sillim-dong. What about him?"

"I need to steal something from him."

"You're going to steal?"

Upon hearing that, Angel Girl suddenly chuckled. She seemed extremely excited at the thought of stealing. It looked like she was destined to become a top-tier Thief.

Jin-Hyeok gave her a rough explanation.

"But why steal? Can't you just take it from him by force?"

Jin-Hyeok was just about to explain Katrina's difficult situation but decided not to. He knew how to deal with crazies like this.

"Well, stealing is more fun, isn't it?"

"You're right."

Jin-Hyeok expected this. She easily agreed.

"So, is this a formal request?"

"Um, yeah. Let's call it a formal request."

Jin-Hyeok wanted to just give her an order, but he stopped himself. She was the goose that laid golden eggs. He needed to feed her well so she could grow healthily.

"What's the reward?"

"How much do you want?"

Jin-Hyeok was thinking of around one hundred million Dias.

"How about…"

"Ten million Dias. Anything less won't do," she said.

Her standards were lower than he expected. It made him wonder if dealing with VIPs with unimaginable wealth, such as Choi Gap-Soo and Wind Wanderer, had made him lose touch with reality.

"Five million Dias," Jin-Hyeok said.

"That's too little. I have to put my life on the line too."

"Seven million Dias."

"...Fine."

They settled on seven million Dias.

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

There was no official alliance that had been formed. However, Players with similar Jobs had gathered and formed their own forces, and the fastest group to do so was the information, merchant, and thief-class Players.

One of the founding members of the currently clandestine Thief alliance, called the Black Rose Alliance, was Song Ha-Young, also known as Angel Girl.

"I was actually planning to get my hands on him anyway. This works out nicely."

There was a Thief who had set up a container warehouse called the Mountain near Sillim-dong as his hideout. That guy's Player name was Im Kkeok-Jeong. He recently expressed his desire to join the Black Rose Alliance but was immediately rejected.

Among the Thieves of the Black Rose Alliance, there were their own rules, although they had not been fully established yet. They had three main rules:

They do not steal from the weak or vulnerable, such as the elderly or young children.

They do not steal from non-Players.

They should try to avoid shedding blood during sacred thievery.

However, that guy with the Player name Im Kkeok-Jeong had broken all three of these rules. According to the submitted documents, his Level was around 20. On paper, he might be a Thief, but based on his activities, he was nothing more than a typical robber.

"I heard he beat up a middle school kid to a pulp," Angel Girl said.

"Why?"

"Apparently he was stealing from that kid."

"But that's robbery, not theft."

"That's why it is so unjust!"

"..."

"And do you know what he stole?"

"What did he steal?"

"A cell phone."

"..."

"Aren't you pissed?"

"Why should I be pissed?"

'Should I be angry at the fact that he hit a young kid? Or that a Thief engaged in a robbery?'

"He stole something that is not an item! It was just a phone that's worth five hundred thousand won!" Angel Girl said.

"..."

Jin-Hyeok could not tell if she was angry because Im Kkeok-Jeong stole a technological device, or because it was only worth five hundred thousand won.

"He has no pride as a Thief!"