Chapter 57

“Oppa, it’s snowing, snow!”

“Again, when will those white poops stop falling?”

Winter is almost over, you know.

“Oppa, let’s make a snowman!”

“Do you know there are already six snowmen in the front yard?”

Including the broken ones, we’ve probably made over ten by now.

Even though we’ve made snowmen to the point of exhaustion, Seolhwa keeps begging to make more without getting tired. Makes me wonder if this is the stamina of a teenager…

I’m not old, just saying.

Or maybe I am.

Anyway, how old is this body?

Judging by the face, it looks like early to mid-20s.

“Boss, are you going out today?”

“No, not going out today either.”

Usually, hunters from the swamp area don’t go out to the gray forest in winter, especially when it’s snowing.

In the pre-war world, there were places to escape the cold, but in this world, such places are rare.

Just light a fire, you say?

Lighting a fire is also a task.

It’s not easy to get a lighter here. Even matches are hard to come by, so some people use flint.

In that sense, users who can control fire are in high demand during winter.

On the other hand, those who control ice… well, they’re popular in summer.

“I’m bored~”

“Then read a book.”

“No, I’ve read enough already.”

Well, that’s true.

Seolhwa doesn’t have many friends to play outside with, and I have work to do, so it’s hard to play with her.

Naturally, there’s not much to do, so reading books became common.

Books are hard to come by, so we often read the same ones repeatedly, but still, the swamp area is considered a big city in this world, so it’s relatively better.

In this winter, even kids old enough to count on both hands are working to survive.

In short, it’s a world where children’s rights are thrown into the gutter.

“Boss, what about dinner?”

“Hmm, something with hot broth sounds good.”

Hot broth is the best in this weather. It warms you up as it goes down your throat.

Mina nodded in agreement with my words.

“With the remaining ingredients, we can make a simple soybean paste soup.”

“That should be enough.”

If we decided to spend more money, we could make something fancier, but even the soybean paste soup made from the hard-to-get soybean paste is a luxury in this world.

The beans used to make it are only grown in Seoul, so the quantity isn’t much.

It’s not something you can just pick up at a mart.

Traders, or rather, peddlers, bring it here and sell it at almost a 50% premium.

“Looks delicious.”

“…Can’t you come in through the door?”

“I did come through the door.”

“Don’t pass through the door. What, are you trying to play ghost or something?”

Why is this guy here again?

I scratched my head and glared at Ina, who had barged into my office with a poker face. Ignoring my glare, Ina sat on the sofa and picked up a cracker from the table.

“Don’t you get tired of eating that?”

“I eat it because I’m bored, so what’s there to get tired of?”

“Hunters usually hate crackers…”

“That’s because hunters are generally poor and have to eat crackers all the time.”

Hunters have as many expenses as they have earnings.

To survive in the wild, they need to stock up on all sorts of supplies and buy weapons.

Most can’t afford guns, so they use things like Gurkha knives.

Guns are a problem because of the bullets.

It’s not like in games where enemies drop them when killed.

“Rich people are really different.”

“Ina unnie, play with me~”

Since I wasn’t playing with her, Seolhwa’s target shifted to Ina.

Ina naturally patted Seolhwa’s head as she clung to her and gently refused.

“Sorry, I really came here for a reason today.”

“A reason?”

What reason could this guy have with me?

“It’s about the job you gave me a month ago.”

“Ah.”

That was it.

I recalled the forgotten memory.

Now that things here have stabilized and I’ve accumulated quite a bit of wealth, I’ve been looking into various information, including my past.

What is the identity of that research institute? What’s happening in Seoul now? Where is Quaker and what is he doing?

“That was quick.”

“It’s your job, so I prioritized it.”

“Stop flattering me. So, what did you find out?”

“The research institute you mentioned is already a derelict building. All traces are gone, so it seems the owner erased them for concealment.”

Well… that was expected.

Even though this world is a mess, South Korea still maintains a democratic system.

Whoever it is, if they’re high up, they’d want to hide their tracks.

“So, we got nothing.”

“Isn’t that what you expected?”

“I hoped for a bit more information. Anyway, moving on. What about Seoul?”

“They say a new hero is about to debut. That’s all everyone’s talking about.”

“A new hero…”

Could it be the protagonist?

“Do you know the name?”

“Probably Tempest.”

It’s the protagonist.

That was quick.

Or not?

The original prologue was about a month after the protagonist’s debut, right?

So, the original story has already started.

It’s faster than I thought.

It’s only been a little over half a year since I got here.

“Anything else?”

“They say some policy is about to be announced. No one knows what it is, but the Seoul underworld is buzzing, so it seems like a policy that affects them.”

“Hmm.”

This is also a sign that the original story is starting.

“Alright, I get it. Keep collecting more on that… What about Quaker?”

“Hard to say. He’s stopped his activities recently, so there are all sorts of rumors. Some say he died fighting another user, others say he quit because he got tired of terrorism, and some say he’s plotting something somewhere…”

Ina eagerly listed the rumors she had gathered.

Most were baseless, but some contained truth.

“So, we got nothing in the end.”

But there’s no reason to tell them that.

No need to.

“But you still have to pay me.”

“Here you go.”

I handed Ina the prepared envelope of money.

Ina opened the envelope to check the contents and, satisfied, tucked it deep into her clothes.

“I won’t have to worry about food for a while.”

“You don’t seem to be struggling with money usually.”

“There are many places to spend money. Given the times…”

“Ah… right.”

The work the snake sends must be shady.

Even though the snake has taken a friendly stance towards me, it’s still a criminal organization.

With the Seoul underworld eyeing this place, it’s no surprise that there’s an underground war between criminal organizations.

“When will the fake ID be ready?”

“Hard to say. It’ll take a while. Wait another week or so. If it needs to pass through checkpoints naturally, it’ll take that long.”

“Give it to me as soon as it’s ready.”

“Do you need to go to Seoul?”

“Right, oppa. Why are you going to Seoul?”

“To make money.”

Seoul in this era has preserved much of the advanced technology from the mid-21st century, but for the capital of a free democratic country, it’s quite closed off.

The city is filled with apartments, surrounded by walls, with checkpoints and reinforced IDs to control the population.

Still, few people resist.

Of course.

Where would they live if they left Seoul?

Places where civilization is properly maintained are few and far between globally, and leaving the Korean peninsula is practically impossible.

China is a mess, Japan has sunk, and most of Europe is in ruins.

The US is still a powerful nation, but even their situation isn’t great.

So, even with dictatorial-level control, Seoul citizens have no choice but to accept it.

Still, there are always those who resist.

Defining such people as villains and catching them is the job of heroes.

Of course, there are real criminals too.

“Boss, don’t you have enough money?”

“Well, more money is always better. And…”

…I need to intervene in the original story in some way to take down Quaker.

I swallowed my words as I looked out the window at the falling snow.