168 – The Returner Wandering (4)

Red letters fill the screen.

After thinking for a while, I grabbed Choi Ji-won’s cell phone and headed to the nearest convenience store.

“Hello… “

“Hey. What does this screen look like?”

“… Yes?”

“This is the screen.”

What is this guy? A convenience store part-timer who gives answers obediently even though he has a disgruntled expression on his face.

“… It’s an advertisement for a feminine wash. But why is this suddenly… “

“Thank you.”

I immediately left the convenience store and returned to my room. This is because I understand the system of this advertisement.

“… “You can use it this way too.”

The reason why Michael Jeter was able to proudly post his email on the Internet. This is a reverse use of the condition that ‘Tower’s information cannot be shared with the general public no matter what.’ To the average person, this will look like an ordinary advertisement. The red text is related to the tower, so it will only be visible to the player.

“But… Wouldn’t this be visible to all players? That’s why there’s no response on the internet. And isn’t e-mail visible to the general public?”

“No, look closely at the writing.”

Choi Ji-won played the same video on the computer, then enlarged it and showed it to me.

As she said, I looked closely at the red letters… I was able to realize that each letter was actually a collection of really fine letters. The text is so small that it would be difficult to notice if you were not a player.

If you read the sentence at a glance…

‘An old man appears on the 15th floor.’

‘The sky on the 15th floor is dark.’

‘There is an old man carving a statue on the 15th floor.’

And so on, information about the 15th floor was written down. With this structure, unless you are a player who has cleared the 15th floor, you will not be able to read this text. The advertisement is in Korean, so it is clear that it is targeted at Korea.

“Is there anyone in Korea who has broken the 15th floor other than us?”

“There are no people registered with the association. Rest of it… I don’t know.”

In any case, there would be only a very small number of people other than us who could break the 15th floor, so Michael Jeter was able to post a letter to Jiwon Choi on YouTube advertisements. I think I used my brain well in many ways.

“First of all… Ji-won. How was it for you on the 15th floor? “Let’s first understand our situation.”

“I chose ‘Wise Advice from an Old Man’ with the lowest number. “I think you probably picked that too?”

“… That’s right. “If you return anyway, you can get all the remaining rewards.”

“I thought so too. But no matter how much you think about it, isn’t the structure of the 15th floor strange?”

I shared in detail what I saw and felt on the 15th floor with Choi Ji-won. The 15th floor we both experienced was almost identical, but there was just one difference.

“When I went, was he carving a dragon-shaped statue?”

“… “Not a goblin?”

“Uh. “There are winged dragons in fantasy.”

Seeing as Choi Ji-won returned to reality slightly earlier than me, it is certain that she entered the 15th floor before me.

So what does the difference between these statues mean? Does Michael Jeter’s request for help have something to do with the 15th floor? Didn’t the old man really lie to me? His head is a mess.

“But…. This phrase: ‘I hope you don’t tell the association.’”

Choi Ji-won taps my worried shoulder and points to the screen.

-This is Michael Jeter, President of the Players Association. We need help from players who have cleared the 15th floor. Please contact us at the email below. Especially Choi Ji-won. I’m waiting for you. Please do not notify the association.

“Why was this phrase included? “I don’t understand that part.”

“… What do you mean?”

“Michael Jeter is the president of the players association. Of course, if you wanted to contact us through the normal route… You must have contacted them through the association. Is not it?”

“I see?”

If you are the head of the Players Association, you should of course know that Choi Ji-won has a link to the Players Association. And in general, they would have contacted Choi Ji-won through the association.

But why bother contacting Choi Ji-won by hiding it in an advertisement? It is safe to say that there is a hint here that it is being carried out separately from the association. This is basic speculation.

“But why did they bother to include the phrase, ‘I hope you will not inform the association.'”

Isn’t the person who wrote this advertisement Michael Jeter? A ploy to pretend to be Michael Jeter and catch Choi Ji-won?

Or ‘I’m having trouble with the association right now.’ The purpose is to imply that? The questions are increasing.

If it were normal, now would be the time to start gathering information. I don’t fully understand the situation, but one thing is certain: something strange is going on. We may not be aware of it, but we may be walking on thin ice.

“Let’s contact them via email first.”

Of course, this is a story when there is no regression for me.

**

-If possible, I would like to meet and talk in person. You might not be Choi Ji-won, and you might not believe that I’m Michael Jeter. But the US government is watching me, so I can’t fly as I please. There is also a risk of wiretapping in online meetings. Could you please come to America?

This is an email from Michael Jeter. In fact, since he is the president of the Players Association, it would be impossible to move ‘secretly’.

“… “That goes for me too.”

The problem is that this also applies to Choi Ji-won. Choi Ji-won brings a mask and hat even when he goes to the convenience store in front of his house. There is no way she could leave the country secretly.

When Choi Ji-won sent an email with negative nuances, Michael Jeter’s reply was surprising.

-We have a player with the long-distance teleportation trait. If you tell us the detailed coordinates, we will open a passage to get here.

“… “It’s too dangerous.”

While experiencing numerous regressions, this is the first time I have heard of the existence of a ‘person with the ability to teleport long distances’. You have that kind of ability? Honestly, does that make sense?

And even if a person with such abilities truly exists… Trusting and using the portal is a separate matter. Because we haven’t yet confirmed that this man is really Michael Jeter. I went there and found out that it was a trap. What should I do?

“Then, I’ll tell this guy to prove that he’s Michael Jeter.”

-I still can’t believe you’re Michael Jeter.

-I sent a picture of my face… Wouldn’t this be enough?

-These days, synthesis technology is so advanced.

-Then, about two hours from now, I will be giving a live speech. Is there a word you’d like me to mention? With that, I want to prove that I am Michael Jeter.

-Can’t we mention the contents of the 15th floor like in advertisements in Korea? Other people won’t hear it anyway.

-If you suddenly stop during your speech, wouldn’t it look suspicious to anyone?

-Then, I would like you to mention ‘kimchi’ during your speech.

-Okay.

In fact, two hours later, the live broadcast began on the ‘Players Association’ official channel. It was a broadcast that attracted attention from all over the world, so much so that it was broadcast on airwaves in each country.

“Hello. “This is Michael Jeter, President of the Players Association.”

Slightly curly black hair, sunken eyes and thick eyebrows. Broad shoulders and tall stature.

Michael Jeter, a Western man with the impression of being ‘hard’ or ‘heavy’, appears on the screen.

“Citizens from all over the world. “I stand here with the mindset of representing all players.”

Wearing a suit, he gazed at the camera while slowly but clearly reciting a formal greeting.

“Did you say that person was a former special forces member?”

“Probably a member of the U.S. Marine Corps.”

Even as we chat, Association President Michael Jeter continues his speech.

“I would like to emphasize that citizens of each country must take the lead in supporting players. Right now our players lack motivation to climb the tower. “At every moment, I lack the motivation to risk my life.”

Michael Jeter took a deep breath.

“This is a matter of the survival of the Earth. It is a matter of human survival. It is a question of whether we can protect the cultures of countries around the world. The question is whether we will be able to enjoy the foods we love – pizza, hamburgers, pasta, curry, kimchi, and sushi – in the future. “No one knows what disaster will happen if you fail to climb the tower.”

-Why does kimchi suddenly appear?

-It’s so random.

The reaction on the Internet was, ‘As expected, he has no fundamentals, perhaps because he is the president of the Players Association.’ However, Choi Ji-won and I looked at each other and nodded silently. Maybe… The email appeared to be from Michael Jeter.

“I hope you realize that this is not just a player’s human rights issue, but an issue for all of humanity. Thank you.”

Immediately after the broadcast with the main point of ‘player support needs to be expanded’ was concluded. An email arrived from Michael Jeter.

-With this, I hope you believe that I am Michael Jeter. His influence was wasted due to his bizarre speeches.

-I will believe it. To be honest, I was suspicious because I used email and not messenger.

-Rather, messengers like Telegram are more dangerous. There is already an information sharing agreement with the U.S. Government. On the other hand, email is so old that no one pays attention to it.

“But no matter how much you think about it, isn’t the way we’re going too dangerous?”

“Should I ask if I can come from over there?”

-It doesn’t matter if I go to Korea. Instead, I want it to be a secret space where it doesn’t attract attention.

“… “Let’s call it my house.”

“Jiwon is your house?”

“Uh. “It’s spacious there.”

We made an appointment with the exact address, and it was around lunch time the next day.

Choi Ji-won and I were sitting on chairs at the dining table, waiting for Michael Jeter. It’s time for the appointment. If ‘long-distance teleportation ability’ really existed, Michael Jeter would appear now.

Wow!

Are you accurate when it comes to time commitments? With the distortion of space, a large white man appears. At first glance, he seemed to be two meters tall, and the energy radiating from his body was unusual.

Strong. The exact superiority will be known only when we face each other… That man was strong.

“… “

“… “

While I was looking at him, he was also looking at me. Right after we’ve had time to get to know each other.

“Hello. This is Michael Jeter. Nice to meet you, Miss Choi Ji-won.”

With a concise greeting, Michael Jeter immediately sits down on the dining table chair. He nods to Choi Ji-won and then looks at me.

“And… Mr. Kim Jun-ho.”

“… “

I wasn’t surprised because I expected him to know me, but I felt a little awkward hearing a world-renowned celebrity call me by my name. Should I say that it feels like a celebrity is talking to me?

“I’m not good at talking, so I’ll get straight to the point.”

“Of course.”

I thought it was just a polite remark, but Michael Jeter really got to the point from the beginning.

“About 10 months from today… “The Earth may be in danger.”

“… ?”

“… Yes?”

What?