Exerting Influence
Before the system message related to Runner spread.
"We'll take a fifteen-minute break."
Those who had been participating in the summit rose from their seats.
Britain, seeking to protect its domestic steel industry, had decided to set upper limits for each country and impose tariffs if those limits were exceeded.
Today was the day those caps would be finalized, and the fortunes of each nation were diverging sharply.
Before leaving the hall, Japanese Minister of Trade Masaru wore a faint smile.
At the end of his gaze was South Korea's Minister of Trade, Kim Woo-hyuk.
Must be hell for him.
And indeed, Kim Woo-hyuk's expression was dark, as it had to be.
The cap assigned to Korea was 15%.
Compared to China's 30% and Japan's 25%, it was absurdly low.
You should've invested earlier.
China was Britain's largest holder of government bonds.
Japan came next.
Britain had no choice but to grant generous limits to those two countries.
And you shouldn't have been so stubborn.
It wasn't as though Korea had been given no options.
As a great power, Britain had offered an opportunity.
They would raise the cap—if Korea agreed to share various industrial technologies it possessed and open its markets.
But Kim Woo-hyuk had rejected that proposal.
And the result was the miserable figure of 15%.
Masaru called the Japanese government to report.
"Yes, this is Masaru. It looks like we'll be settling at 25%."
Not bad. What about Korea?
"15%. Utterly miserable."
Good.
Masaru and the person on the other end exchanged satisfied smiles.
It wasn't because of any personal grudge against Korea.
It was simply the nature of relations between the two countries.
Whether it was soccer or baseball, the moment the label Korea–Japan match was attached, emotions flared.
Politics was no exception.
If, in these negotiations, Japan—the relatively stronger nation—ended up with a lower result than Korea?
Even with an objectively good outcome, public opinion would tear them apart.
With such a massive difference in percentages, though, that scenario wouldn't happen.
"Yes. There don't seem to be any variables, so I'll contact you again once everything's wrapped up."
After hanging up, Masaru stretched, looking utterly relaxed.
And not far away—
Kim Woo-hyuk slumped back in his chair, his face ashen.
This is worse than expected.
A hollow laugh escaped him.
He had come to negotiate, yet he hadn't even had the chance for a negotiation worthy of the name.
Britain's demand for technology sharing and market opening was essentially telling Korea to give up exports in every industry other than steel.
It was something he could never accept.
Since the Towers appeared, their high-handedness has only grown worse.
In a world where players directly translated into national power.
Britain far outstripped Korea in that regard as well.
That was why they could propose such outrageous conditions.
I have no face to show Chairman Jin Taegon.
Following automobiles and semiconductors, the steel industry was a major contributor to Korea's exports.
And among them, Genex was a company that had long contributed greatly to the nation's development.
Yet 15%—the number tore at his heart.
And if it were only Britain, that'd be one thing.
This was likely only the beginning.
In the series of negotiations to come, today's outcome would serve as a precedent.
To the great powers, Korea would come to be seen as a country that deserved only 15%.
"We will begin the final deliberations."
With a heavy heart, Kim Woo-hyuk rose to his feet.
They called it deliberation, but in reality it was merely the process of receiving a final sentence for figures already decided.
"First—"
Ding!
Just as the British minister was about to speak,
an abrupt system sound rang out.
And as the message began to appear, everyone's mouths fell open.
The phones of every official began vibrating furiously.
The British side, in particular, became noticeably frantic.
"We apologize, but we will take another ten-minute break."
The British officials gathered together, pressing fingers to their foreheads.
"What does the Prime Minister say?"
"He says an emergency meeting is underway."
"The timing couldn't be worse. It should have come after the talks ended."
"Exactly."
The system was an absolute existence above all else.
Though its identity and principles were unknown, the fact that it wielded omnipotent power was undeniable.
With that same authority, the system had broadcast the achievements of a single player across the entire world—an influence unmatched by any media outlet.
And it used a staggering phrase to do so:
That Runner had saved Britain's sun.
"The reaction is explosive."
The officials' faces darkened.
From the top tower sites boasting the world's highest concurrent users to the comment sections of countless media outlets—
praise was pouring in, proclaiming that an individual named Runner had saved the nation of Britain.
But in this atmosphere, if Korea's 15% cap were announced?
All of that reaction would surely turn into criticism and abuse directed at Britain.
"Yes, Prime Minister. Yes. Understood. We'll proceed that way."
After hanging up, the Minister of Trade stepped up to the microphone.
"Minister Kim Woo-hyuk. Please come with me for a moment."
Amid the taut tension,
behind-the-scenes negotiations between Britain and Korea began.
After walking diligently across Snowdonia Park, Jin-hyeok's group continued on.
Jin-hyeok was deep in thought.
Does the system like me, or hate me?
Usually it was so unfriendly, yet now it had suddenly spread a message like this to the entire world.
He couldn't get a read on the system's stance at all.
He looked at his phone, which was practically on fire.
"Ugh."
He quickly switched it to sleep mode.
He'd think about it later.
"Where's Boong-boong!"
"Did it abandon us?!"
"No. There are still two hours until the promised time."
He calmed down the angry Momo and Kancho.
They had finished their business too quickly and were left with time on their hands.
"Should we eat?"
"Sounds good!"
"Momo will cook!"
After leaving the park and looking around for a bit,
they found the perfect spot.
It seemed to be set up for camping, complete with cooking facilities.
Momo pulled out neatly dried firewood from her bag and stacked it up.
In no time, a bonfire worthy of a school retreat campfire was blazing.
She really was good with her hands.
"Kancho, start the fire!"
"Got it!"
Watching quietly, Jin-hyeok quickly reached out.
Kancho turned to him, her wrist caught in his grasp.
"Something strange just came out, I think."
When he made her open her clenched hand, a handful of explosive clay appeared.
"Are you trying to blow everything up?"
"When it comes to starting fires, nothing beats this!"
That might be true for buildings or mountains, but not here.
"I'll light it, so you make sure it doesn't go out."
"Understood!"
He lit a piece of paper with a lighter and slid it under the firewood.
Kancho darted over, crouched down, and blew on it—hoo, hoo.
After a moment, the flames transferred to the wood and began to roar.
"I saved the fire!"
Kancho walked over, her face covered in soot.
"Let's make a lot!"
As Momo pulled out various ingredients and started cooking, Jin-hyeok sat Kancho on his knee and wiped her cheeks.
"Hold this for me."
He handed Kancho a phone playing a video.
While wiping off the soot with a wet wipe, Jin-hyeok watched the video.
It was the video that had just been uploaded and had shot straight to number one on the trending list.
Steel tariff summit. Britain grants South Korea the highest cap at 40%.
"Why is this number one?"
He wondered if people these days were just that interested in politics, but he soon found the answer.
A dramatic agreement has been reached. Korea's original cap was 15%, the lowest among all participating countries. However, after the system message related to Runner was broadcast, the outcome was dramatically reversed.
So it wasn't someone else's problem.
To be honest, he hadn't even known such negotiations were taking place.
He resolved to pay more attention next time and scrolled through the comments.
@ Wow, 40%? Wasn't this the summit where everyone thought Korea would come in last?
@ It actually was last. Without Runner, Korea's steel industry would've been completely screwed.
@ This is insane national prestige. Shouldn't steel companies do something for him? At this level, he deserves VVVVIP treatment.
That'd be nice.
He indulged in a happy fantasy of steel companies pooling funds to gift him a private jet.
Britain announced that the increase in the cap was due to additional negotiations concluded with Korea that would benefit both countries. Japan and China expressed dissatisfaction, but since they had already shown satisfaction with their caps in earlier negotiations, they were unable to strongly oppose it.
@ Yeah, get lost. We're number one.
@ Why are you trying to mess with it again lol. If you're upset, bring Runner over yourselves.
ㄴ Don't say that, idiot. What if they really do take him?
ㄴ No worries. If that happens, I'll beat up Japan myself.
@ You don't have a Runner in your house, do you???
@ Jealous, right??
Jin-hyeok nodded with a satisfied smile.
The level of mockery is on another level.
As expected of a country famous for its colorful insults.
While Japan's harshest insults amounted to "idiot" or "fool," Korea possessed a vast arsenal of words capable of shredding an opponent to pieces.
Perhaps because of that, they were exceptionally skilled at roasting others.
"It's done! Budae-jjigae and spicy pork stir-fry!"
"Oooh."
That was enough video watching.
He grabbed Kancho and hurried over to the bonfire.
Momo's budae-jjigae bubbled vigorously.
In line with the chef's preferences, it was packed with sausages and ham.
Jin-hyeok scooped up some broth and tasted it first.
"How is Momo's budae-jjigae?!"
Jin-hyeok gave her a double thumbs-up.
Perfectly spicy and savory—it tasted exactly like grandma's budae-jjigae.
"I was craving something spicy. This is perfect."
"C-can I have some too…?!"
Just as Kancho lunged forward with her bowl,
she kicked Elia, who had been approaching with something in her hands.
"Granny! What are you trying to put in the stew?!"
Elia tumbled backward, landing on her butt, and held up a potion.
"I was just going to add a stamina-boosting tonic."
Rubbing her backside, Elia stood up.
A horrified Momo positioned herself between the pot and Elia.
"No! My budae-jjigae would die!"
Jin-hyeok stood and went over to Elia, pulling away the growling Kancho.
"Elia is under special surveillance."
"Special, huh. I like the sound of that."
Elia selectively heard only what she wanted.
With vigilant eyes fixed on her, they continued eating.
Momo's cooking skill improved day by day.
She could open a Korean restaurant as a side business without any issue.
"The scenery is splendid."
Chewing on a piece of ham, Seira looked around.
Dark and Jin-hyeok followed her gaze.
Just because they had left the national park didn't mean the beautiful nature disappeared.
"Ramen drop!"
"Put in five packs!"
After finishing even the noodles with gusto, Jin-hyeok flopped down on his back.
Kancho spoke with a worried face.
"They say if you lie down right after eating, you turn into a cat."
"That doesn't sound so bad."
A full stomach and a gentle mountain breeze.
If it were daytime, he might've taken a long, lazy nap—but not now.
Opening his eyes, Jin-hyeok looked at his companions.
"Shall we go walk it off?"
They planned to head out quickly before the helicopter arrived.
With effort, he got to his feet and pressed a button.
[Entering the Tower of Despair, 58th Floor.]
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