RE: Player again

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[Chapter 094] [What Could Not Be Found (6)]

had no name.

"How is it that Master becomes more beautiful every time I see you?"

"Oh my, this lowly one is very skilled in these matters. If it's interesting stories or serving Master, leave it all to me!"

"If I can relieve Master's fatigue, I'm confident I can talk until my tongue falls off."

So his previous masters called him Tteobeori because he never stopped talking, because he was skilled at sweet talk.

And as that spread widely in the Player industry, Tteobeori became the alias .

So had to inevitably use another nickname as the name indicating his identity.

In the Player industry, aliases were used to show a Player's prestige, and names were used to guarantee a Player's status.

Aliases and names couldn't match.

Choksae.

Ridiculously, whether alias or name.

Either way, all the words referring to him were created from others' evaluations.

That's how names originally are.

Not something you give yourself, but something that only has value when others give it and call you by it.

At the same time, it's the essence representing yourself, your identity, and someone's wish.

Maybe that's why.

As time passed, as he aged, became desperate to find his name.

"If you want to find something, it's better to rely on . But you should be careful."

"Nonsense, if you tell , you might not even get your money's worth?"

But ironically, had an excellent gift for finding things.

People occasionally asked him to find things.

The "things" could be people, objects, and very rarely intangible memories and hearts.

used his ability to fulfill people's requests while occasionally telling lies.

Nevertheless, the fact that he found things didn't change.

Nevertheless, there was just one thing he couldn't find.

'...Why...am I only remembering now.'

His real name.

It's not that he never had one from the start.

Born in a laboratory, he received a name from someone who could be called his mother there.

A memory from when he was very young.

So while living as a slave, being called Tteobeori and Choksae, he ended up forgetting his name.

'Yes...I'll tell the leader...'

And died.

☆

It was past midnight.

Nevertheless, Eun-ha didn't return home.

He had told his parents beforehand that he would sleep over at a friend's house.

Though the friend he mentioned, Yoo Do-joon, went home as soon as they left the underground market.

Yoo Do-joon seemed to want to come along, but Eun-ha sent him away and headed straight for Sungin-dong.

"It's here, Boss."

"This really is a place no one uses?"

"And it's also a place where sound doesn't leak out well."

"Okay, thanks."

Lee Kang-hyuk, who had expanded his sphere of influence after a few months, guided Eun-ha to an abandoned ruin where people don't come.

He was surprised once seeing Bruno who got out of the car, and once seeing slung over Bruno's shoulder like baggage, but didn't try to ask about the details.

He quickly suppressed his curiosity after observing Eun-ha and Bruno's attire and 's condition.

Curiosity kills the cat.

Sometimes you had to pretend not to know what you knew, and pretend not to know what you didn't know.

Lee Kang-hyuk who was known as the king of back alleys before the regression was quick-witted in this regard.

"What should we do?"

"Just go out and keep watch." "Yes."

"No, just go. Bruno will keep watch anyway."

And Lee Kang-hyuk who came under Eun-ha valued loyalty, affection, and hierarchical relationships.

Of course, Eun-ha didn't dismiss his suspicion that he would eventually rebel against him the moment he built a powerful force, even though he treated him respectfully now.

Nevertheless, he had to properly reward him for finding .

If he was going to use Lee Kang-hyuk for a long time.

"Those two should be enough."

"Yes, I'll use them well."

Eun-ha threw two small jewels.

Not expecting to receive jewels, Lee Kang-hyuk momentarily failed to control his expression.

Regardless, after sending Lee Kang-hyuk away, Eun-ha asked Bruno to keep watch.

Before they knew it, only he and were left in the room with just one wooden chair.

was sitting on the chair with his hands folded in a frivolous posture.

"Kik, Master. Won't you give me just one jewel too?"

"Here."

"Eh? I didn't expect this... I really didn't expect to receive one. But since I received it anyway, I'll use it well."

"Use it to go to the dentist. Buy some snacks with the leftover money."

"Yay! Oh my, thank you."

It wasn't his jewel anyway.

Eun-ha threw one jewel to as he sneered.

received it well with a sour face as given.

Giggling even though his handsome face had become somewhat comical with his front teeth missing.

"So Master. What should I do now?"

He was called Leader in his previous life, and is called Master in this life.

Eun-ha felt awkward about the title but didn't express it outwardly.

was a being who captivated people with words.

If he showed any weakness, the guy would persistently attack that spot and eventually try to devour his master.

"...I don't have anything particular for you to do. Just live here on your own until I call for you occasionally." "Oh? Is that really okay? Is this new master very laissez-faire or are you going to do neglect play, no, looking at Master's face it seems that's not it."

"If you really want to help me, then help with Lee Kang-hyuk's work here."

"I'm good at gathering rumors. I just need to help that ugly toad-like man from earlier, right? I'll work sincerely and diligently to make you think I'm worth the high price you paid, Master."

"Don't lie."

"Aren't you distrusting me too much?"

protested as if it was absurd.

But Eun-ha didn't fall for it.

Because he knew his personality well.

I acknowledge his ability to handle information is excellent, but he's also extremely skilled at lying...

He'll surely often pass on incorrect information too.

Above all, if he kept at a distance, he would surely try to rebel against him.

He needed a means to control him.

But magic engraved on slaves could be easily undone by him with his excellent abilities as a Ranger.

He couldn't control him with violence either since he couldn't feel pain. He would outwardly submit while harboring different thoughts inside.

Stygian Eye

"Oh? Master, why are you looking at me with such scary eyes?"

He couldn't control him with fear either.

It would be easy if he could subdue his mind to prevent from resisting mana, but he was a psycho who giggled even with his fingers cut off.

Physically and mentally.

There was no means to subdue him.

"Just what kind of life did you live..."

"My life story? There's nothing special. I was born as an experiment to see if gifts are inherited, and after the project was disbanded I just moved around the underground market. Oh, by the way, Master is my 8th master. If I talk about my first master who bought me, he was born in an educated family and lived trapped in rules, so conversely sexually..."

"Shut up."

Eun-ha sighed.

There was no end to 's words and listening just made him sigh.

Eun-ha who spoke before hearing the long story looked at him smiling brightly at him.

Though he had recovered with potions on the way, , who still had wounds remaining here and there on his face, was looking at him like an obedient puppy.

While harboring a snake inside.

Still, he's an old comrade so I can't just use him once and throw him away, sigh...

's ability was useful.

Though he wasn't thinking of drawing him into his party.

's gift , it was a gift specialized in tracking clues made of mana.

As far as Eun-ha knew, was the only person in the Player industry who possessed this gift.

So was very valuable as an assistant.

He needed to prepare some means to control him somehow.

"Name─"

"Huh? What did you say?"

Fortunately, Eun-ha had a means to control him.

"─I'll give you back your name."

had no name.

It's not that he never had one from the start.

Born in a laboratory, he received a name from someone who could be called his mother there.

A memory from when he was very young.

So while living as a slave, being called Tteobeori and Choksae, he ended up forgetting his name.

"My name? Well, that's fine. I've been called Tteobeori or Choksae, but it's not like I didn't have masters who gave me names before. But I beg you, Master who must have a very big and magnificent thing, please don't give me a name like Poppy..."

"Ha... Please just shut up."

who had a gift for finding anything.

But Choksae who couldn't find only his own name no matter what.

That's why he was even more desperate to recall his name.

Saying he could even live like a slave to someone who called his name.

Eun-ha in his previous life couldn't understand 's heart searching for his name.

Because a name was just something used to refer to someone.

So what did it matter what he was called?

A name is just a name.

Even without a name, he exists right here.

'Yes... I'll tell the leader...'

Before the regression, was able to recall the name he had been searching for so desperately when facing his final moments at death.

At that time, he had an ecstatic expression even while coughing up blood and crying.

Saying he would live as a slave for life to the person who called his name.

Eun-ha could tell that what he carelessly said one day wasn't a lie.

So─

"─Twenty-five."

Experiment number 25.

Eun-ha called his name.

A name with no meaning.

Just a number that was nothing more than a number.

"...Huh...?"

Nevertheless, the reaction he showed was no different from the reaction he showed in Eun-ha's previous life.

"...Why am I like this? It's just a number, why are tears..."

The sound of cut chains moving with a clatter.

who had been sitting with his buttocks half on the chair with his hands folded started rubbing his face as tears began to fall.

Now even sniffling.

"I'll call you as much as you want, Twenty-five."

Twenty-five.

The man drew a bright smile on his face shedding tears at just a number.

So listen to me.

☆

cried for a long time.

At one point, Eun-ha thought he might be acting.

But he could tell it wasn't an act because he had never seen smile so brightly before.

"Um, Master. Could you call me one more time?" "...Please just go."

It was tiring coaxing and soothing him.

Eun-ha who was completely drained just from calling his name several times stopped who was trying to approach.

He wished people would be consistent.

It was creepy having a man in his 20s trying to hug him.

I need to hurry home and hug noona and Eun-ae.

Ugh, I feel sick...

Moreover, hadn't washed for a long time.

Just approaching him, a strong stench wafted from his body.

"Wash yourself thoroughly from now on." "Yes, I understand."

He was still grinning, but had become somewhat more polite.

Eun-ha decided to return to the main point after seeing him scratching his head while acting naive.

"As I said earlier, what you need to do is help with work under Lee Kang-hyuk. And... monitor Lee Kang-hyuk."

"Monitor? That's my specialty, how did you know..."

"...Let's keep it short, just short."

Eun-ha gritted his molars.

Eun-ha who barely controlled his anger asked him about what he needed to do from now on.

Gathering information.

And monitoring Lee Kang-hyuk.

Even if Lee Kang-hyuk was following his words now, you never know when he might stab him in the back.

If Lee Kang-hyuk follows him to the end, he can continue entrusting the back alleys of Seongbuk-gu to him.

But if he thinks of betraying, can replace him.

...Can I trust this?

Eun-ha glanced at him.

who met his eyes was smiling brightly like a dog welcoming its master.

It seemed he could trust him for now.

But if harbors different thoughts as time passes─

─I'll have to kill him, what else?

Though that probably won't happen.

He just hoped it wouldn't.

"Lastly, there's something I want to find." "Something you want to find?"

Eun-ha who organized his thoughts decided to tell the reason he wanted to find first.

"Find a person with your ability."

"How do you know about my ability too..."

who had been grinning looked at Eun-ha with narrowed eyes.

Soon, internal mana began to fill his surroundings.

wrapped in blue haze.

Gift had activated.

"What's the name of the person you're looking for?"

"...Her name is Lee Yoo-jeong."

Eun-ha mentioned the name of the person he desperately wanted to find.

A name that brought back memories of her with each syllable called.

's ability was useful.

But the reason he wanted to find him wasn't to use his ability, but to find her.

For just one person.

"...You don't have any clues?"

But made a troubled expression.

was a gift that tracked the mana of the being you wanted to find.

A clue containing the mana of the being you're looking for was absolutely necessary for using his gift.

Of course, it wasn't completely impossible to find without a clue.

It would just take time.

And would have to work hard.

"...I don't have any."

"Then the only clue is the name? There must be at least dozens of Lee Yoo-jeongs living in Seoul?"

"...Female, same age as me."

So Eun-ha decided to give information to make it somewhat easier for to activate his gift.

The objective information he knew about her at this time.

Name, Lee Yoo-jeong.

Gender, female.

Age, 14 years old.

Birthday, September 1st, around 3 AM.

Longing for her seeped out every time he called her name.

At the same time, he felt emptiness.

"...Is that all the information?" "...She's probably living in Seoul. She said she was from Seoul."

"...That's it?"

"She'll have an enormous amount of internal mana. To an abnormal degree..."

"Internal mana can be hidden as much as you want if you try to hide it..."

"......"

There were so many things that came to mind about Lee Yoo-jeong.

But those were memories from after he met her.

Ridiculously, Eun-ha didn't know about Lee Yoo-jeong's background - where she was born, how she grew up, which school she attended, what her family composition was like.

Even though he had plenty of time to find out.

Even though she surely would have been prepared to answer anything if asked about herself.

"Is the name her real name in the first place? It should be registered in national administration, right?"

"...Probably." "An assumption."

Eun-ha ignored 's words and took out Eun-ae's headband from his pocket.

He handed it over to .

"The owner of this headband seems to be living in the northwest direction from here. If I had a map, I could tell you a more detailed location..."

"Don't try to find the owner of the mana, find someone with that quality."

"Hmm..."

made a groaning sound.

Nevertheless, it seemed the search range was still wide.

"It would be good if there were other clues. If there was just an object containing the mana of the person Master is trying to find, I could find them right away..."

"...I don't

“… No, there’s no such thing.”

If there is, is it just a memory?

Even that memory was from before the regression.

The only evidence that Lee Yu-jeong existed in this world was her own memories.

Eunha clenched her fist.

While regretting not asking her more about him in his past life, he looks forward to meeting her again in this life.

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“It’s been a long time since I searched Seoul.

“I think it will take some time.”

“If it’s not in Seoul, search the entire Republic of Korea.” “… … .”

“Oh, North Korea doesn’t have to do that.”

“…Can I get a refund?”

There must be a reason somewhere.

I firmly believed it.

I wanted to believe.

─I need you.