A visitation schedule had been arranged with the Superhuman Management Agency.

Depending on the results of the personality assessment, one might wait anywhere from two to three days to over two weeks—but his results must have been quite favorable.

After all, an appointment had been set in a single day.

The items up for trade were as follows:

764 Magic Stones.

In monetary terms, roughly 760 million won.

Tiamat’s Staff.

Level 2 weapons typically traded in the 100 to 300 million won range.

Weapons ultimately needed the right owner, but this one’s limited versatility made it difficult to gauge how much it might fetch.

With the Lee Seoah card off the table, he’d have to commission an auction through the Superhuman Management Agency—but would any superhuman actually want to use this weapon?

So disposing of it quickly was the fastest path to profit.

If Lee Seoah agreed to use it, he’d at least cut the price a bit.

He also had eight Return Tickets—items with steady demand even overseas, so they would sell if he put them up.

They weren’t exactly common drops, either.

But since money wasn’t urgent, he planned to hold onto them for now.

The Source Stone wasn’t up for sale, either.

And he had no intention of revealing himself as Mirinae just yet.

If they knew he was Mirinae, he’d undoubtedly receive substantial support.

Items like Skill Enhancement Tickets might even be offered to him as top priority.

But there was no harm in waiting to see how discreetly the Superhuman Management Agency handled stealth superhumans before revealing his identity.

First, he’d conduct the trade and see how things went.

If satisfied, he’d adapt his approach to each situation as it arose.

“Your Highness, an unfamiliar vehicle is approaching.”

Maya announced the visitor through sounds carried from afar.

“Then both of you, please wait in the Dimensional Room.”

“For my Lord’s safety, might I suggest waiting beneath the bed?”

So Lea intended to draw her sword and glare at the visitor from under the bed.

Was this a horror movie?

“It’s fine, just go inside.”

Maya bowed respectfully.

“We shall maintain constant combat readiness inside. Should anything arise, no matter how trivial, please summon us at once.”

Had they gotten a taste for kidnapping after that one incident?

He wondered if he should confiscate their smartphones for a while.

* * *

A single vehicle sat idling in the narrow alleyway.

A somewhat weathered white box truck.

And on both doors of the truck, these phrases were written:

‘Whether Dad or Delivery’

‘Better to Come Home Early’

—You have arrived at your destination. Route guidance is now ending.

With midnight approaching, blocking part of the alley wouldn’t cause much of an issue.

The delivery man who stepped out of the truck was a fairly well-built middle-aged man.

Dressed in appropriately rumpled attire.

With a cap bearing the words “Overnight Delivery” pulled low over his eyes.

His face nearly entirely concealed by a mask.

It was none other than Han Donggeon, Vice Vice Commissioner of the Superhuman Management Agency.

Today here, then… there were two more places after this, right?

His faintly visible eyes seemed to glisten with moisture.

Surely.

It was merely condensation from the cold night air.

Han Donggeon opened the truck’s door, grabbed a box, and entered the building.

The sixth floor…

The sixth floor… with no elevator…

One thing became certain while performing this unofficial side job(?).

The physical activity was sufficient that separate exercise was entirely unnecessary.

Yet despite this, his stubbornly protruding belly showed no signs of disappearing, for reasons he couldn’t begin to fathom.

Second floor, third floor, fourth floor…

“Huu, huu.”

How pathetic that his stamina gave out after just a few flights of stairs.

Fifth floor…

And finally, the sixth floor.

Han Donggeon caught his breath at the stairwell before heading toward Shin Jungho’s studio apartment.

After he passed the personality assessment, they’d notified him of his acceptance and obtained his personal information.

They’d reviewed his criminal record and other background details—nothing unusual had surfaced.

Was this stealth superhuman truly Mirinae?

He’d have to meet him in person to find out.

Ding-dong—

A moment later, sounds of movement came from within, and the door opened.

“Please come in.”

Shin Jungho.

True to the impression his name conveyed, he was a remarkably calm and composed man.

The blackout curtains spread like a wall across the entrance alone told him how cautious this person was.

“Excuse me.”

Han Donggeon stepped inside and quickly surveyed the studio.

The first thing that caught his eye was a mountain of delivery boxes piled in the center of the room.

They must be the Magic Stones prepared for trade—the sight immediately tightened his chest.

No elevator…

And on the sixth floor…!

He barely suppressed the urge to turn around and leave, finishing his survey of the room.

Beside the towering stack of boxes, he spotted an enormous hammer.

If swung properly, it looked destructive enough to demolish a house’s support pillars in a single blow.

This seemed to be up for sale as well…

How heavy must that thing be…!

Han Donggeon squeezed his eyes shut and decided to proceed with the conversation for now.

If there were any disqualifying factors!

He wouldn’t have to carry all this baggage down!

“Pleasure to meet you. I’m Han Donggeon, Vice Vice Commissioner of the Superhuman Management Agency.”

“Yes, nice to meet you as well. I’m Awakener Shin Jungho.”

“Then let’s discuss the matter of contracting with the Superhuman Management Agency as a stealth superhuman.”

“Understood.”

In truth, the proposal to assist stealth superhumans had been a subject of internal debate within the Agency.

The opposition argued that an official government department had nothing to gain from aiding superhumans who operated in the shadows.

They believed that, like other nations, superhumans should be brought into the open and made to operate officially—only then could they be properly controlled.

Moreover, while stealth superhumans might manage in the lower floors, the likelihood of their identities being exposed increased significantly in the upper floors.

Disappearing for at least four or five hours a day, and requiring hospital treatment for injuries, would inevitably leave a trail.

However, the stealth superhumans of Seoul Tower proved surprisingly resilient, and made better use of underground facilities than expected.

This had led to a proliferation of quasi-illegal businesses, so the proponents argued for assisting them as a means of guidance and regulation.

Ultimately, the formal discussions had stalled, but the Commissioner and Vice Vice Commissioner had united in their resolve, resulting in the current arrangement of covertly making contact with stealth superhumans.

Still, some of the superhumans they’d helped had eventually registered as official superhumans, so it was hardly wasted effort.

Especially since they’d implemented rigorous personality assessments from the start, weeding out most of the bad apples—those they currently assisted were the cream of the crop.

After speaking with him.

As evidenced by his high score on the personality assessment.

There were… absolutely no disqualifying factors!

With a sinking heart, Han Donggeon proceeded through the final confirmation steps.

“Stealth superhumans inevitably receive less support compared to officially registered superhumans. Do you agree to this?”

“Yes, of course.”

Not a single word of complaint!

But could this man possibly be Mirinae?

The Summoning Stone wasn’t visible, but if he had a separate storage space, hiding his identity would be entirely possible.

On the off chance, Han Donggeon ventured a question.

“If you don’t mind my asking, which floor are you currently climbing?”

Mirinae had currently broken through the 30th floor.

If he said somewhere around there, he could at least be considered a suspect.

Shin Jungho slipped a hand into his coat and answered with confidence.

“I can’t share the specifics, but perhaps this will give you an idea.”

What he pulled from his coat was a stone.

The problem was that it was no ordinary stone.

Han Donggeon recognized the object’s true nature and was stunned.

“Gasp! Is… is that by any chance a Source Stone?”

Shin Jungho nodded as if it were nothing special.

“Yes, that’s right. Is that sufficient as an answer?”

“Haha… ha. Yes, that’s more than sufficient! I nearly failed to recognize someone of your caliber!”

Source Stones were rare items that appeared only from the 60th floor and above.

Whether he’d obtained it immediately upon reaching the 60th floor range or after extensive farming, one thing was certain.

The superhuman named Shin Jungho standing right before him was an astonishingly high-level climber in the 60th floor range!

Viewed in that light, the number of Magic Stones he’d put up was actually modest.

If he’d been saving them all the way to the 60th floor, he’d have at least 2,000 Magic Stones.

Was he storing them somewhere else?

Or had he been trading them in the underworld all along?

And now he was hitting his limits, trying to come into the open?

Han Donggeon’s imagination ran wild.

“Then do you also plan to trade the Source Stone?”

“No, I have a personal use for this.”

It was a shame, but he couldn’t force the issue.

This was merely their first meeting, after all.

There would be plenty of time for discussions later.

The possibility of Shin Jungho being Mirinae had vanished.

But the fact that he was a 60th-floor-range superhuman made him even more appealing.

Looking at him now, he had quite the impressive physique—perhaps someone destined for great things?

Han Donggeon decided to start wrapping up the agreement.

Stealth superhumans were especially averse to exposure, so excessive attention from the start could prove counterproductive.

Han Donggeon pointed at the massive warhammer and asked.

“You’re planning to sell this hammer too, I presume?”

“Ah, that’s not a hammer—it’s a staff.”

No matter how he looked at it… it was a hammer.

“For reference, it has a level 2 restriction.”

Shin Jungho briefly explained the staff’s information window, and Han Donggeon immediately thought of someone.

Could he perhaps lend it to the superhuman Lee Seoah on a trial basis?

With a level 2 restriction, he couldn’t expect much in terms of performance, but if it had a durability attribute, it might serve as a backup weapon.

“I think we’d need Superhuman Lee Seoah to try it out before I can give you a definitive answer. The concern is that once it’s in her hands, I can’t guarantee the weapon’s survival… Would that be acceptable?”

It was merely a level 2 weapon.

Somewhat beneath a level 5 like Lee Seoah.

Still, he’d never seen a weapon with such an explicit durability description before, so he figured it was worth a try.

“Yes, that’s fine.”

For Shin Jungho, Tiamat’s Staff—which only took up space—was no longer needed.

It had stubbornly survived the violent shockwaves of meteor impacts all this time.

So even the notorious Weapon Breaker Lee Seoah might have to concede before this staff.

Han Donggeon decided to start wrapping things up.

“Ah, by the way, the fact that this kind of contact exists must remain strictly confidential.”

“I understand. I will certainly keep it a secret.”

It was only a verbal agreement, but perhaps because they’d conducted thorough personality assessments beforehand, there had been no leaks to date.

Shin Jungho, whom Han Donggeon had met in person, also struck him as a generally trustworthy man.

And his judgment had never been wrong before.

“Then if you have nothing else to sell, I’ll be on my way.”

“Yes, understood.”

“However, I have quite a lot of cargo… could you possibly help me carry it?”

“Of course I should help. I apologize for the lack of an elevator.”

The man was certainly presentable and well-mannered.

The two men began loading in earnest.

764 Magic Stones.

38 boxes at 20 kilograms each.

19 round trips up and down the sixth-floor stairwell!

It was nothing short of a loading operation from hell…!

The finale was the remaining Tiamat’s Staff.

Two grown men grunted and strained as they carried it down half a flight, rested, then another half flight, rested—repeating this process until they finally managed to reach the first floor!

Kung!

After loading the staff disguised as a hammer into the empty space of the box truck.

Han Donggeon gazed up at the stars glimmering forlornly in Seoul’s pitch-black night sky and fell into thought.

…Should I just quit?