Dohyun had less than ninety minutes. The Broker—Hyuk-jin's connection—was demanding 40 million won extra, an outrageous tax for the death of their man and a cynical price for the bunker.
He stared at his phone, his digital wallet holding a solid 50 million won. He had already liquidated everything and bled his mother's savings dry. He needed one last, massive infusion of cash, and he needed it from a source too vast and too complex to trace in the remaining months.
He knew exactly where to go.
The Corporate Raid
Dohyun pulled the second burner phone—the one taken from the dead trafficker. He logged into a secure business loan platform. He needed a big, short-term business loan, not a personal one.
He typed in the name of the shell company that supposedly owned the bunker: "Ironclad Holdings." With his Perception 16, he had meticulously cross-referenced the property's defunct owner with corporate registries during his research. The company's digital paper trail was weak, a perfect target for exploitation.
He spent the next fifteen minutes, his fingers flying across the screen with inhuman speed (a subtle benefit of his Agility 10). He forged digital documents—a fake lease, a manufactured sales projection, and most critically, a temporary, high-limit digital signature using a long-expired company seal he'd found in the public records.
His heart pounded a frantic drumbeat against his ribs. This was a monumental act of fraud.
Target: Corporate Expansion Loan.
He requested 45 million won—more than he needed—and cited "immediate property acquisition and securing critical infrastructure" as the purpose. The System didn't provide skills for forgery, but it provided the intense focus and nerve required for flawless execution.
The processing bar crawled. Seconds felt like hours. He could almost hear the financial algorithms whirring, approving the short-term, high-interest risk.
Finally, a deep, resonant chime echoed in his skull.
"Transaction Successful. 45,000,000 KRW transferred to Digital Wallet."
He had successfully robbed a failing corporation. His digital wallet now contained 95 million won—far exceeding the Broker's demand. He deleted every trace, every digital footprint, then smashed the second burner phone into tiny pieces with the heel of his boot, leaving the wreckage on a deserted street corner.
The Ascent to the Trap
Dohyun retrieved his backpack containing the rifle from the remote locker. He disassembled the 5.56, but instead of packing it away, he quickly secured a loaded magazine, the cold metal giving him a grim sense of control.
He drove to the rendezvous point: the roof of the abandoned Jangsan Parking Garage.
The air on the top floor was biting cold and smelled of ozone. The space was wide and open, offering no cover, but also providing clear sight lines for hundreds of meters—exactly why he chose it. It was a kill box, and he intended to control the triggers.
Dohyun stepped out of the car, leaving the headlights on, illuminating the scene. He wore his dark clothing, his face still half-hidden by the hood. He carried only the backpack and a small, worn satchel containing the 90 million won in bundled, taped cash.
Exactly on time, a sleek black sedan, followed by an imposing black SUV (the same model from the previous night), rounded the corner and stopped fifty meters away.
The doors opened. Three figures emerged.
One was the Broker—a lean, impeccably dressed man in his forties with unnervingly calm eyes. The second was a massive, scarred bodyguard.
The third figure made Dohyun's blood turn to ice. It wasn't Hyuk-jin, but it was someone close. It was the large man from the first meeting—the Boss Trafficker. He was not happy.
The Boss Trafficker's eyes, narrowed and furious, went straight to Dohyun's face, then to the backpack. He had the unmistakable presence of a man who knew he'd been played.
"The money, Nomad," the Broker commanded, his voice echoing across the empty rooftop. "Show us the ninety million."
Dohyun unslung the satchel and tossed it onto the concrete twenty feet in front of him. It skidded to a halt.
"The deed, Broker," Dohyun countered, his voice flat and steady. "I need the notarized, signed deed for Ironclad Holdings. You get the cash, I get the paper. Simultaneously."
The Broker chuckled, a cold, dry sound. He pulled a sealed envelope from his inner jacket pocket and slid it across the concrete, mirroring the path of the money.
"Smart boy," the Broker said, his smile failing to reach his eyes. "You think you're safe here? You think a ninety-million-won payment excuses the fact that you murdered my associate last night?"
The Boss Trafficker took a menacing step forward, his hand slipping inside his jacket. "That money's not enough to cover the disrespect, kid."
Dohyun didn't flinch. He didn't drop his eyes from the Broker.
"I didn't murder anyone," Dohyun lied, his voice imbued with the cold, controlled rage of the Revenant. "Your associate was sloppy. He was asking questions. He knew too much about the real money you're moving. I gave you 90 million to buy the bunker. The death was a bonus. Now, if you want your money, back off and let me get my deed."
He was using the System's high Perception to read their micro-expressions, to time their attack. The Broker was hesitant; the Boss was pure, volatile rage.
As the Broker reached for the satchel, Dohyun acted.
He dropped his backpack and, in a flash of motion too fast for their eyes, pulled the disassembled rifle from the pack. In one fluid, practiced movement—a skill he never knew he possessed until the System activated Marksmanship (Novice)—he slammed the barrel assembly into the stock, making the rifle instantly operational.
He didn't aim at the Broker. He aimed at the Boss Trafficker, the most dangerous, unstable threat.
"Take one more step, and the world is going to look a lot different without your eyes," Dohyun hissed, the rifle barrel steady.
The shock on their faces was priceless. They were expecting a knife, a pistol, maybe a threat. Not an assault rifle, assembled in a blink of an eye.
The Broker's hands went up instantly. "Hold! Let him take the deed! It's not worth it!"
Dohyun held the Boss Trafficker in his sights, his finger resting lightly on the trigger. He wasn't aiming to kill, only to wound and scare them off.
Not yet, the voice of the Revenant whispered in his mind. Save the bullets for the dead.
He took one, quick step, snatched the envelope, and backed away, never lowering the rifle.
"The deal is done," Dohyun stated, the wind whipping his voice away. "Tell Hyuk-jin that the Revenant is coming for his debt. And tell him the price is going up."
Dohyun didn't wait. He sprinted backward, dropped into his car, threw it into a violent U-turn, and sped down the ramp, leaving the 90 million won lying in the silent wind of the abandoned rooftop.
He didn't look back, but the chime of the System confirmed his success.
"Major Objective Complete: Civil Defense Bunker Secured. Hostile Engagement Successful. No XP Gained (Non-Infected Threat)."
He had the deed. He had his fortress. And he had just declared war on Hyuk-jin's network six months early. What terrifying preparations would the gang leader make now?
What do you think is the next most urgent item on Dohyun's checklist now that he has the fortress and the money?