Chapter 39 - Anna Solard
The reason Jin was startled was due to déjà vu.
It was a sensation he had felt once before.
This was similar to the moment when Lokan defeated the monster, and the intense atmosphere from that day was flowing from the woman standing alone over there.
But that feeling lasted only briefly.
Jin instinctively realized that she was not comparable to Lokan.
Unlike Lokan, whose power was neatly contained and reminded Jin of the term "Hidden Depths," the woman's energy was much more straightforward, radiating out to the surroundings.
However, that power did not seem to reach the level of Lokan's, that had once exhibited such overwhelming force.
And with that, Jin felt relieved.
'You're no Lokan, are you?'
His shoulders, which had been tense for a moment, naturally relaxed, and his hand settled not on Gravis but on his thigh.
But it seemed that the other two still needed time.
Eric was covering the surface of his visor with a bunch of question marks, and even Po, who always greeted guests with a soft smile, was maintaining a brief silence this time.
In the end, it was Jin who responded to the woman's words.
"That's right. Anekdote."
At the same time, there was a gaze directed toward him.
Eyes with white flames.
That noble heat.
Simultaneously, Jin's Polar Radiance reacted.
Without him even realizing it, a flash of purple lightning briefly wrapped around his face and disappeared.
The only person to notice it was the woman, and her expression became subtly complicated.
Then, in a quiet voice, she asked.
"Are you the owner of this place?"
"No? I'm just a low-level employee."
"...What?"
A wrinkle appeared between the woman's brows.
"Are you trying to mock me?"
"...Why would I?"
This time, Jin tilted his head.
Mocking?
What for?
Right behind him, the bartender is the boss's right-hand man,
And the guy with the helmet over there is a solo, level 4.
Even if he looks ridiculous, come on.
How can they not even spare a glance?
Mumbling to himself, Jin glanced at Eric and then noticed the screen full of question marks, quickly looking away.
Damn, why does he keep doing that?
I can't cover for him.
At the same time, his own hair was disheveled like a bird's nest, and his eyes had crusts in them.
This was all the result of rushing over after breakfast without even washing up.
Still, the person in question didn't care at all and stood confidently, then spoke to the woman who was silently watching him.
"Anyway, it's not me. The owner is someone else."
"Then call the owner. I need to talk to him."
"Looking for me?"
At that moment, a voice came from behind, carrying its unique sweet and smoky scent, and the sound of heels clicking grew closer.
"I'm Khalifa, the manager of Anekdote. How can I help you?"
At Khalifa's words, the woman's gaze slowly shifted toward her.
"You're the linker?"
"I've lived half my days as one. So what do you want?"
The eyes of the two women met in the air.
In that silence, Jin sipped his milk.
It was such a short time that before he could even set the glass back on the table, someone spoke.
It was Khalifa.
"...I didn't think you'd come all the way here."
Her tone seemed to recognize who the person was, and the response came right after.
"Because you're being frustrating."
The woman approached the table.
She then sat down in a round chair with no backrest.
Only then did Jin notice her overall appearance, which he hadn't paid attention to due to her intense gaze.
Her black straight hair touched the back of her waist, with a deeply pressed baseball cap and mask, a white t-shirt, and jeans.
It looked strangely familiar to Jin.
It was the typical outfit worn by celebrities who had their private lives secretly captured in his hometown, and their photos would make big headlines in articles.
Though the outfit was plain, the person's figure wasn't, which made her stand out more.
After all, beautiful and handsome people always look good, even when half their face is covered by a cap.
But why does she keep glancing over?
Jin made a somewhat uncomfortable expression as the woman turned her gaze from him to Khalifa.
"Why is there no news? You said you caught a broker."
At the same time, Jin noticed a flash of light in the corner of his vision, in every color of the rainbow.
Ah, this is annoying.
If I keep looking first, it'll be a bad habit.
And yet, he couldn't help but glance back, and sure enough, Eric was silently communicating with his face.
[→ → Client → →]
'I know too,'
Jin answered, moving only his lips.
Do you think I'm a fool?
Then, once again, the text on the screen shifted.
[→ → Solard → →]
This too was expected.
It wasn't without reason that the woman reminded him of Lokan.
Especially with her eyes burning with a white flame.
Although Jin had no expertise in such matters, when you combine the keywords "white flame" with a family name, there's only one possibility.
I know too.
After exchanging unnecessary pleasantries with his overly kind senior, Jin refocused on the conversation at hand.
Just as that happened, Khalifa, who had just opened her mouth, continued.
"We captured him yesterday evening. It hasn't even been a full day yet. Just give it a little more time—"
"No."
The woman sharply cut her off.
"Even now, Walter must be suffering. The moment I learned of his situation, my sense of time has been different from yours. I've already been patient enough. Don't test my endurance any further."
Jin narrowed his eyes at her words.
From what she said, it was clear that the client wasn't Walter's enemy.
Then, was she family?
Perhaps a younger sister?
[Daughter? Daughter?]
Damn, my eyes keep going there.
Jin tried to avoid the glaring, distracting display and turned his head.
"So, is your patience going to last until tonight?"
After a long pause, the woman slowly responded.
"I'll be back before it gets dark."
"It's always dark here."
"I know."
She wasn't going to wait until evening.
The woman stood up, left without looking back, and as the door closed, only the faint sound of a bell echoed in her wake.
"She's absolutely relentless. This is what happens when you're the child of a wealthy family…"
Khalifa sighed as she looked at the closed door.
Then, as usual, she took a bottle from the display.
While she prepared a drink for herself, Eric, who had gotten up from the sofa, placed his bottom in a chair at the table.
Jin, though having already finished his meal, stayed in his seat.
Neither of them spoke, but they were clearly waiting for something to be said.
Khalifa, who had been rinsing her mouth with an early drink, gave a faint smile.
"I see you're all curious, my solo friends."
In response, Jin casually shrugged his shoulders.
Eric, who had brought up an electrocardiogram graph on his visor, knew what would follow.
"As you might have guessed, our client is a big player. Or, to put it more precisely, someone who's about to become one."
"Who is it?"
Jin asked, and it was Po who answered.
"Anna Solard. The youngest daughter of the former family head. I never imagined she would come here herself."
Jin's eyes widened, but not because he was shocked by the grand background.
He was surprised because his assumption had been completely wrong.
So, she wasn't family with Walter?
Not family, nor enemies, then…
Jin, ignoring the increasingly rapid beeping of the electrocardiogram beside him, spoke again.
"...Isn't that so?"
"I don't know what you're thinking, but yes, they are lovers."
Taken aback by the unexpected answer, Jin cautiously asked,
"Then… isn't that a problem? They're from the same bloodline, after all."
"Jin, what do you think about the history of the Seven Families? We're talking about a thousand years, at least."
"Oh, right."
Jin gave an awkward smile.
Back in his homeland, where over 260 million of the Jeonju Lee clan still lived, over a century had passed since the fall of the Joseon Dynasty in 518.
Even with just two generations removed from the maternal side, people still lived like strangers.
The idea of prohibiting marriages within the same bloodline had long been abolished.
Jin had made a fuss over nothing.
Of course, the collateral branches of the Seven Families wouldn't amount to millions, but considering the passage of time, even those numbers weren't insignificant.
So, the crux of this situation wasn't about bloodline but rather the love between direct and collateral descendants.
The love between a woman who carried the family's history and tradition and a lowly mercenary who had been cast out by the family.
"Walter awakened his bloodline long ago, and his parents entrusted him to the family. He spent his childhood there."
Khalifa explained that this was the moment when the family took in its only collateral branch.
Jin understood the situation through an analogy to martial arts novels.
In older sects, talented children were gathered and fed, taught, and trained under various grandmasters.
Those who stood out caught the eye of elders, learned exceptional techniques, and achieved rapid success in life.
On the other hand, those who were less capable spent years cleaning the memorial plaques of past masters.
From that perspective, Walter seemed more like the latter type.
Even as time passed, he couldn't make much progress.
While others climbed the ranks, he was left alone, sweeping leaves in the fall and snow in the winter.
Of course, this was an exaggerated view, but it was said that Walter had some talent.
However, he never managed to clear the final hurdle.
In the midst of all this, he had caught the eye of the former family head's youngest daughter.
So, perhaps, the true winner was him.
Jin stifled a yawn.
It was a typical story.
In the end, Walter was cast out, Anna couldn't forget him, and the two secretly nurtured their love outside the family, blah blah blah.
Jin, thinking of how predictable the story was, pointed at the face of the concept of "cliché."
"By any chance, did the former family head kidnap Walter?"
"...Wouldn't it be quicker to just crush him with a fingertip?"
"I was just saying it for fun."
Jin waved his hand dismissively as if telling them not to worry, and Khalifa continued her story.
"The client's request is simple. They want the location where Walter was kidnapped to be handed over to them. Destroying that place, however, is their responsibility."
At that, Jin turned to Po and asked,
"Didn't you say you found something from the bald guy? Could that be it?"
"Yes. It's the location of the lab."
"...What? Then it's already over. Why didn't you mention that earlier? Were you planning on telling me first?"
Po shook his head, as if there was no stopping Jin's remark.
"That would've been a nice reason, but this time, the situation's a bit different. It feels like a trap."
"A trap?"
Jin asked, confused, and Kalifa slowly nodded as she spoke.
"I have a hunch. I've set up double and triple security on the neural interface, but it wasn't impossible to bypass if someone really tried. The information found inside was just too relevant to ignore, though."
"So it's not a coincidence, then?"
Jin said, and Khalifa nodded in agreement.
"Exactly. You can't rule out the possibility of a trap."
At the same time, Eric erased the electrocardiogram graph and displayed a sentence.
For once, it was a long line without any repetition.
[No matter what happens, it's her problem.]
"Exactly. For me, it's simple — just hand over the information. That was the deal from the start. But what I want isn't a one-time, fleeting relationship."
[Do you want to maintain a good relationship going forward?]
"Yeah. This is about connecting with the Solard family, after all. So, I wanted to provide clear and reliable information, without any lingering doubts. I was planning to give it more time to verify it. But our client just couldn't wait."
After saying this, Khalifa brought the glass to her lips.
Jin watched as she drank the contents all at once and couldn't help but think.
She lives in such a complicated way.
Is this what being a Linker is like?
Jin, who wasn't good at waiting, immediately thought that if he had the location, he'd storm in without hesitation.
There's a reason people say "Better late than never."
Jin thought that, if anything went wrong with Walter, it would probably shock the client more, but just then, his eyes met Khalifa's.
She slowly spoke, as though she had read his thoughts.
"What are you thinking?"
"Isn't there a famous line by some Linker about controlling variables being a matter of personal skill?"
"You... seriously..."
The Linker chuckled lightly, then alternated glances between Jin and Eric before speaking again, with a more composed expression.
"Let's do this, then. The client could easily destroy the lab on their own, but since we don't know what variables may arise, your job will be to contain those."
At the same time, a quest window appeared in front of Jin's eyes.
「(Warning!)(Change!) Contagious Will(?)」──────
Find Walter with the client.
*If Anna Solard dies, the quest fails.
*Reward: 10,000 XP
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Wait, hold on.
Why is the experience reward higher?