49 Mission Registration

Silence fell.

The Shangseoryeong's son.

Even if the people here occupied impressive social positions, the other side was on a different level.

Right beneath the emperor, who oversees the entire old Murim.

'If I mess this up, I'm in big trouble.'

I tugged lightly at the collar around my neck to open up some breathing room.

Yet the slit-eyed man, who had introduced himself only as "Nobody," merely kept that masklike smile.

"Do you have any questions for Young Master Cheonjong?"

Just as the host tried to break the awkward mood by asking into the microphone, the woman in glasses who had been asking questions all along raised her hand.

The Royal-grade woman who had just finished her self-introduction earlier.

Her name was Ophelia.

Her glasses, suit, and neatly curled black hair made her look like someone from the 3rd Floor at a glance.

Surprisingly, she had graduated from an academy on the 4th Floor, pursued magic research on her own, and then come down to the 3rd Floor for work.

She had been living on the 3rd Floor for almost seven years, and she had no intention of returning to the Ragesta Continent on the 4th Floor.

"If you're the son of the Shangseoryeong, it doesn't seem like arranging a marriage on that side would be difficult. Why are you looking for a marriage partner elsewhere?"

A few people drew in their breath in admiration. What Ophelia said was something everyone was thinking, but couldn't easily say aloud.

To that, Nobody answered as though he'd been waiting for it.

"Young Master Cheonjong is the family's third son and has nothing to do with politics. He especially enjoys current trends and art, and is a man who knows how to appreciate culture and refinement, so he came here not under political pressure, but to seek a fated connection."

He didn't come at all.

The words rose to my throat, but I held them back.

Since I have some customers in the old Murim too, I'd better avoid getting on their bad side for no reason.

"Calling a marriage agency a natural connection feels a little off, doesn't it?"

But Ophelia—does that woman have five lives or something?

She just keeps asking without a care.

'She said she was from an academy.'

She does seem to be a mage, and among mages there are usually those who simply can't suppress their curiosity and thirst for knowledge.

We have one of those on our side too.

On the noncombat marriage list-.

"I can't go into details, but compared to the way the old Murim upper class arrange marriages, it's quite rational, and the range of choices is much broader."

Nobody's expression didn't change one bit despite the continued questions.

It almost looked like his face only had that one expression, as if he couldn't swap it out for another.

"Honey, a 3rd Floor matchmaking company is more than enough to count as a proper match."

Ophelia seemed to accept that, nodded, and lowered her hand, apparently out of questions.

Just as it seemed there were no more questions and we were about to move on to the next person.

"......!"

Rex's chair beside me jolted with a clatter. He, who had been staring into space, flinched as if startled by something.

Because of that, his sunglasses tilted slightly, and I saw it.

'This bastard... his eyes are cameras?'

He'd come here with cameras embedded in his eyes.

I thought they'd confiscated all the cameras when they said no cameras were allowed at the entrance.

Apparently an eyeball-embedded camera didn't get caught.

Let me take another look at Rex's occupation.

Earlier, he called himself a "Perspective Designer," a "Neuro Caster," and a "Synaptic Influencer."

He said it in a very impressive-sounding way, and after meeting a lot of Cyber City customers who introduced themselves like that, I knew the type.

'Streamer.'

In simpler terms, a personal broadcaster.

In short, a personal broadcaster had forced his way in here, was live-streaming, and was a Floorist at that.

'You're definitely going to make a scene.'

Once it all clicked into place, all I could do was sigh.

In fact, he must have just received a mission, because he grinned and immediately raised his hand to ask.

"Exactly how much money are we talking about?"

For a moment, it felt like the world had gone dark.

Everyone stared at Rex in shock, but he looked at the proxy with an expectant expression.

But the proxy, who came from the imperial court, wasn't someone a frivolous clown could toy with.

"I'd say calculating it is meaningless."

Counting it is meaningless.

Which means he can spend as much as he wants and it wouldn't matter at all.

'Man, I'm insanely jealous.'

Isn't that the life I'm aiming for?

Why didn't the Shangseoryeong's daughter come?

I'd have gone after her with everything I had.

"Haa... then, in that case."

Rex didn't stop.

The host hurriedly tried to stop him, but as if a microphone were built into his throat, his voice only got louder on its own.

That was also the moment it was confirmed that he was a broadcaster, and this guy had apparently received a mission like, 'Change the proxy's expression.'

"As you said earlier, I just can't understand it. Why did you come all the way down to the 3rd Floor? You're from the old Murim on the 5th Floor, aren't you? Doesn't that mean you couldn't find a partner unless you came down here? Do you have some major flaw or something?"

"Hah..."

"What's wrong with that guy?"

In the end, the host stepped in.

"Mr. Rex, I won't tolerate any more rudeness."

Even if he was a customer, being this rude would tarnish Tophon’s brand value.

But Rex, as if reading from a script, declared clearly and without hesitation.

"Rudeness? Isn't this, in the end, a place for judging value? The imperial Shangseoryeong's son came to a 3rd Floor matchmaking company just for 'romance.' Doesn't that seem like there’s more of a hidden motive at play?"

"But-!"

"Yes, I know it's rude and ugly. But so what? I came here to compete. If the Shangseoryeong's son is my competition, I can't beat him with my credentials, so I'm trying to give him even a tiny flaw."

"Hah, and now he's suddenly good with words."

Even after Ophelia fired back with a sharp jab, Rex just shrugged with a smirk.

On the other hand, Yujihye apparently decided there was no need to listen any further and raised a hand toward the security team-.

Rex shot back immediately without hesitation.

"If that was rude, I apologize. But if you can't give a convincing answer, I'll take it to mean there's another reason you're avoiding fair competition."

A reason to avoid fair competition.

Those words put Tophon in a bind.

If Tophon stepped in to stop this here, it would be like framing it as, "The Shangseoryeong's son ran away from the competition."

If Tophon moved, its honor could be disgraced.

In the end, the proxy had to give the answer.

"......"

But the proxy only smiled and couldn't bring himself to speak.

He must have also been troubled, knowing that a slight mistake here would disgrace the young master's honor.

"Ahem, I think you're saying that because you don't really know the old Murim upper class."

So I decided to step in as a third party instead.

Might as well score some points.

"Pardon?"

Rex's way of speaking returned to normal.

That confirmed that what he'd just said had been a sponsored script.

"It's true that the higher officials of the old Murim imperial court marry off their children in ways that seem rather extreme to us, almost like putting together a puzzle."

"......"

"But that's from our perspective. If you trace the history that has been built up, it actually makes sense. It's a weapon in power struggles and the surest alliance for protecting one's position."

"So what? What's your point?"

"Meanwhile, with the Tower's appearance, different cultures have spread. Culture naturally spreads fastest among the upper class, doesn't it?"

"......"

"There are plenty among the second sons and daughters of high-ranking officials who consider a 3rd Floor matchmaking company 'romantic,' even if the eldest sons and daughters are out of the question."

In other words.

"It means there's nothing strange about Young Master Cheonjong coming to a matchmaking agency."

"......"

"You should understand the changes while still respecting the history that's been built up. Isn't Cyber City usually the place most sensitive to change in the first place?"

Gnash-!

Rex ground his teeth while glaring at me.

Apparently his sponsored mission had failed, because he slumped down and said no more.

Everyone's gaze turned this way, and people let out faint murmurs of admiration and exclamations.

Ophelia, especially, staring at me so intently like that, felt a little oppressive.

"Yes, let's stop there. Then next-."

The host regained control and resumed the proceedings, and I casually turned my head at the moment people's attention drifted away.

The Tophon employees waiting in the back were sending me finger hearts.

Seeing even Representative Yujihye making a heart with her thumb and index finger almost made me burst out laughing.

'Heh, cute.'

If I worked at Tophon, would I become the team leader for employees like that?

That doesn't seem too bad either.

Next, idol Seo Hajin takes the microphone.

At that moment, I felt like I made eye contact with the proxy as he sat down.

To be exact, I couldn't say for sure because his eyes were narrow, but it really was just a hunch.

But he lowered his head slightly toward me.

So we really had made eye contact.

'Thank you.'

The man mouthed exactly those words, and I answered with a small gesture and a smile, as if it were nothing.

'Spread the word for me.'

I'll have to tell them in a bit that the company I run is Meracle.

* * *

'Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!'

Rex, seated in his chair, kept hurling curses inwardly over and over.

He was almost there.

I really had done everything-!

[Mission Failed!]

Break the Shangseoryeong proxy's poker face

- 200,000 coins-

The regretful, frustrated chat messages visible through the camera in his eyes kept coming.

- ProfessionalFloorist: Damn, Rex, that was so close.

- cy148: Upvote if you also want Rex to crack the bastard next to him's skull lol

- ModuleBreaker: Ah, damn, that's so frustrating.

- Wire-Eating Bear: The big-shot hyung even gave you the whole script. What the hell happened, Rex?

- AnonymousUser: Isn't 200,000 coins basically the price of a car?

Gritting his teeth, Rex quickly moved the fingers of the hand in his pocket to type into the chat.

- Rex: Sorry, Villancy-nim.

- Rex: I failed.

The biggest whale in his stream.

Rex anxiously waited for Villancy's reply.

'No way... he didn't leave because I failed, did he?'

If that happened, he'd really be pounding the ground in regret, and then a chat message appeared like a lifeline.

- Villancy: Interesting.

'Thank goodness!'

He hadn't lost interest yet!

While Rex was inwardly relieved-.

- Villancy: Do it.

[Mission Registered!]

Pour liquor over Ophelia's head.

- 100,000 coins-

[Mission Registered!]

Kick some random guy in the groin.

- 200,000 coins-

[Mission Registered!]

Throw the first punch at Kim Juseon.

- 300,000 coins-

[Mission Registered!]

Go to a hotel with idol Seo Hajin

- 500,000 coins-

The moment Rex saw the mission that came in along with the ding, he licked his lips and broke into a broad grin.

- Rex: Leave it to me.