Chapter 205
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Tan was telling the truth to the point of overdoing it. But Yongno knew that Tan didn’t just randomly choose this approach. Yongno knew that, at the root, Tan looked down on humans and prioritized suppression and deception rather than truly respecting human free will. In this scenario, he didn’t oppress the users because he was worried that his interference may hinder them from reaching the transcendent level; he wasn’t taking this approach because he was considerate of humankind.
‘Right. The new mental defenses and restrictions on mental interference weren’t created to limit my actions! It’s a system that was created and implemented to stop the Noblesse!’
The fact was that much of what the Noblesses did on Earth crossed the line of Union Law. If other species did the same thing, they would have already been punished by the Union for having broken Union Law. However, on Earth as well as in the wider universe, law was always on the side of the powerful. Just as influential people in a corrupt country may cleverly twist their respective law and use it for their own gain, or even go beyond that and commit illegal acts and suppress dissident voices through political power, the Noblesse, as a force with great influence over the Union, cleverly maneuvered between the gray area of the interpretation of illegal and legal.
However, the Noblesse still faced limitations. It was true that the Union was the greatest force that ruled over the material world, but it did not completely dominate the entire universe, as there were also other forces that couldn’t be ignored altogether. Yongno did not know the exact circumstances, but the Reaper Organization, which belonged to the Nether World, had continuously put the brakes on and restricted the Noblesse’s movements; the Reaper Organization even went as far as to alert the authority of the Union’s law enforcement officers, the Enforcers, of the Noblesse’s acts on Ayan.
Because of this, it became impossible for transcendent beings, including Tan, to deceive humans or interfere with their minds. This was probably the reason why Tan changed his approach and revealed his existence to humans so publicly.
/[However, we don’t intend to discontinue DIO services. Instead, I will give you humans the strength to defend for yourselves.]
[I will explain further.]/
Standing behind Tan, Melton, who was in the form of a boy but wouldn’t fool anyone into thinking that he was actually a young boy, followed Tan’s statement.
/[The first announcement. As of this time, all Masters can manifest their in-game characters in reality. The manifestation ability is activated by concentrating one’s mind and uttering the in-game character name of one’s avatar, and once used, the Master can bring the abilities and gear one possesses within DIO into reality.]/
“… so cunning.”
Instantly, Yongno realized their intentions. The combat ability of users who had reached the Master level was truly awesome; most if not all people took the power for granted because it was just something that was restricted to [in-game play], but to manifest that immense power in reality meant that Masters would possess and wield enormous power over Earth.
‘Even me alone… I can beat an entire aircraft carrier and its supporting forces. I could probably do it without even suffering a scratch.’
In other words, manifestation meant that the existing national defense powers would lose all meaning. Of course, the great powers would probably try everything in their power to put the Masters under their command, and once the new system takes hold, no one would probably want DIO to disappear. To be precise, DIO was already deeply involved and ingrained in society, so if it were to disappear, a plethora of problems would probably emerge.
/[The second announcement. Manifestation costs 10,000 Gem Points. In addition, the retention time is limited to one hour.]/
“Yongno, this is……”
“Right. It’s a means to force Masters to continually conduct missions. The enemies are interested in Earth because of the missions the Masters are conducting, so they’re implementing this system as bait to force Masters to continue participating in missions. This is the primary reason why they’re implementing this new system.”
10,000 gem points was not an amount that could be easily collected, even for Master level users. Even in missions that rewarded considerable gem points, users received only 50 to 200 points. Of course, Merlin could also participate in missions that could yield him 10,000 or more gem points, depending on the availability, but only a handful of people had access and could participate in such missions.
A quick look at tinyurl.com/2p9emv8w will leave you more fulfilled.
/[The third announcement. We want to avoid a situation where society is messed up by the Masters, so we’ll sell location trackers, which can locate Master level users, to the countries that are aligned with us. For countries that behave more favorably towards us, we are even willing to provide a wide-area shield to prevent space penetration and to provide gear to track where possible enemy attacks may come from.]/
“They’re really roping everyone along.”
Although a Master level user possessed unbelievable power, a Master level user was just another ordinary human in real life unless he or she manifested, so it would be impossible for a Master level user to move recklessly in real life if location tracking was put in place. The situation would be different if a Master could operate from the shadows without concern of being located, but if one could be located in real time, the story was different.
In addition, the ambiguous and subjective criterion of being seen as an ‘aligned’ or ‘favorable’ country also made it impossible for any nation in the world to do anything without the assistance of the Noblesse. Masters could instantly cross space, so the destruction they could level on a nation state would be immense.
/[The fourth announcement. We will no longer idly stand by if the Noblesse are directly or indirectly attacked. At first, we’ll probably deploy Masters to take care of any situation, but keep in mind, we have the power to restrict access or limit service to DIO. That’s the final announcement~!]/
After Melton’s cheerful voice stated the last line, the television screen returned to its original programming. A pre-recorded broadcast program was proceeding normally on the television screen, as if stating that nothing world-changing had just been broadcast moments ago.
“Hey Yongno, how many gem points do you have right now?”
“I have quite a lot, but…”
Currently, Yongno had accumulated 150,000 gem points, but considering that he needed 1 million gem points to save Miho, he didn’t have as much as he wanted. Of course, Miho’s revival wasn’t something that he needed to do immediately, but Yongno wanted to see her as soon as possible… even if he didn’t know what the exact outcome of her revival would bring.
“Will there be a response soon?”
“Probably.”
While gathering his thoughts, Yongno closed his eyes.
***
Indeed, the response came quickly.
“Long time no see.”
The one who came to see Yongno was a tall Slavic beauty with blue eyes, white skin, and blonde hair.
“… Uh… Ilyia?”
“May I come in?”
Ilyia, who was wearing a sophisticated-looking black suit, exuded a different vibe than what she gave off in DIO, where she was always seen dressed in a practical, yet comfortable outfit to promote her stealth capabilities. She didn’t carry around her in-game image of someone who was slightly overwhelmed. The charm of a mature beauty came out naturally; her slender legs, stretched out under her short miniskirt, seemed to shine whiter in contrast to her black suit, and her chest, with its prominent contours, was bountiful to say the least.
“First, let me introduce myself. My name is Sasha Ivanov from the National Security Agency of the United States. My personal details are a secret, but my rank within the agency is quite high.”
After seeing her wink one eye, Yongno asked.
“You’re American? I thought you were Russian.”
“America is originally a multiethnic country. Although my mother was originally from Russia… anyway, what does that matter?”
After stating this, Ilyia glanced towards Eunhye, who was sitting next to Yongno. Ilyia wanted to be alone with Yongno, but Eunhye was already beside him, so Ilyia decided not to pursue one of her easier ‘options of swaying him’ to avoid any possible conflict. When Ilyia sighed after making this mental decision, Yongno spoke out.
“Yes. The important thing is that you came here under the name of the NSA.”
The NSA was known to be one of the most secretive agencies in the United States and was capable of intercepting all modern communications. Of course, since the US government denied such facts, there were many who joked about the NSA acronym, such as calling the NSA a ‘No Such Agency’ or ‘Never Say Anything’, especially in mainstream movies and dramas. However, no one denied their existence and the power they wielded from the shadows.
“Well, since you’re already familiar about us and our capabilities, our discussions can be conducted quickly. First off, I’ve come here with the approval of the US President. In other words, this is not just my opinion, it is the United States’ public and formal position.”
As she said this, she looked at Yongno’s face to catch his reaction. She stared at him with a haughty and intelligent gaze, but Yongno answered calmly without a change in expression.
“I guess he probably wants me to go to the USA and become a naturalized citizen.”
“…”
For a moment, Sasha was left speechless. Rather than showing the expected expression of being anxious, shocked, or unsatisfied, Yongno had remained calm.
“I’m not surprised because I find it obvious. However, I do have to commend the US president for being so fast on his feet. The distant US government is faster than my nearby Korean government… In this case, the US’s competence shines rather than highlighting Korea’s incompetence… I’m fairly certain our Korean government hasn’t even properly grasped the current situation.”
In fact, the Korean government was unable to adapt to this urgent situation. Because, to them, DIO was nothing more than [that game], and the current government departments, including the Ministry of Culture, Ministry of Gender Equality, Blue House, various public media outlets, etc., were in the midst of driving public opinion against DIO through popular media.
“So, will you become a naturalized US citizen?”
Yongno laughed after hearing Eunhye’s calm voice.
“Well. I’ll have to look over their offerings and conditions before thinking about it.”
“Phew. You sure know how to play the game. Anyway, speaking of the benefits of naturalization, first, you’ll be exempted from paying any taxes for your entire lifetime. In addition, a $100 million salary will be paid out under your name annually. However, this is just a basic salary; it may increase based on your performance.”
“And what else?”
100 million dollars, that is, 100 billion won in Korean currency, was the base salary, but Yongno didn’t respond to such an astronomical figure. Sasha shrugged her shoulders before continuing.
“In addition, from the moment you naturalize, you will have immunity from all criminal offenses except treason. No matter what you do, if there is a clear reason, the US government will protect you.”
“Well, that’s a bit appealing. I’m sure I’m going to be bogged down with legal tricks and loopholes here and there from now on.”
Yongno nodded his head in earnest. Money was money, but he needed a means to protect himself and those he loved from other powers. If a nation-state were to frame him and manipulate the media, there was nothing that Yongno could do but be swept away by those in power. Of course, he could simply smash everything with force, but manifestation had a time limit. He could only deploy an extremely limited number of skills and powers in his regular ‘human’ body.
“The last part is a bit enticing? You’re saying that the money isn’t enticing?”
“Yeah.”
“What?”
Sasha’s eyes widened after hearing Yongno’s decisive answer. 100 billion won was an amount of money that even the top 1% of all humankind would never see in their lifetime. In fact, it was an amount that was hard to even imagine for an ordinary person, but Yongno was saying that this amount of money wasn’t enticing? However, Yongno calmly explained.
“Let me help you understand, Ilyia. For example, an aircraft carrier, a Nimitz class, costs roughly $4 billion US dollars. But think about it, Ilyia. Wouldn’t it be impossible for me, Merlin Emrys, to sink an aircraft carrier with all its aircraft on board in one hour, not to mention all the frigates that would be supporting the aircraft carrier?”
“…”
Sasha was momentarily lost in her thoughts. However, since she was also a Master level user, she knew that it was impossible to block a Master’s power with modern weapons.
At one extreme, if she wanted to assassinate the President of the United States of America, there was no way the US president could stay alive. How can anyone stop her if she could deploy her stealth skills and move within the shadows? Even if she didn’t utilize her stealth abilities and just plowed through the White House with brute force, she’d easily be able to take carry of the modern weapons used against her and easily kill off the sitting president.
‘Of course, the US probably reached that conclusion already.’
Just because it was impossible to stop a Master level user with modern weapons didn’t mean that the president’s life was at risk. This was because, as a result of the recent increase in the number of Masters, the total number of Master level users exceeded 200. Of course, more than 100 of those 200 Masters were Level 10, but even so, it was true that having more Masters on one’s side was better than having only a few Masters. If a Master stuck by the US president, or any other figure for that matter, and detected the presence of another Master with the location trackers supplied by the Noblesse, it would be possible to defend against a Master’s or group of Masters’ attack.
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Tan was telling the truth to the point of overdoing it. But Yongno knew that Tan didn’t just randomly choose this approach. Yongno knew that, at the root, Tan looked down on humans and prioritized suppression and deception rather than truly respecting human free will. In this scenario, he didn’t oppress the users because he was worried that his interference may hinder them from reaching the transcendent level; he wasn’t taking this approach because he was considerate of humankind.
‘Right. The new mental defenses and restrictions on mental interference weren’t created to limit my actions! It’s a system that was created and implemented to stop the Noblesse!’
The fact was that much of what the Noblesses did on Earth crossed the line of Union Law. If other species did the same thing, they would have already been punished by the Union for having broken Union Law. However, on Earth as well as in the wider universe, law was always on the side of the powerful. Just as influential people in a corrupt country may cleverly twist their respective law and use it for their own gain, or even go beyond that and commit illegal acts and suppress dissident voices through political power, the Noblesse, as a force with great influence over the Union, cleverly maneuvered between the gray area of the interpretation of illegal and legal.
However, the Noblesse still faced limitations. It was true that the Union was the greatest force that ruled over the material world, but it did not completely dominate the entire universe, as there were also other forces that couldn’t be ignored altogether. Yongno did not know the exact circumstances, but the Reaper Organization, which belonged to the Nether World, had continuously put the brakes on and restricted the Noblesse’s movements; the Reaper Organization even went as far as to alert the authority of the Union’s law enforcement officers, the Enforcers, of the Noblesse’s acts on Ayan.
Because of this, it became impossible for transcendent beings, including Tan, to deceive humans or interfere with their minds. This was probably the reason why Tan changed his approach and revealed his existence to humans so publicly.
/[However, we don’t intend to discontinue DIO services. Instead, I will give you humans the strength to defend for yourselves.]
[I will explain further.]/
Standing behind Tan, Melton, who was in the form of a boy but wouldn’t fool anyone into thinking that he was actually a young boy, followed Tan’s statement.
/[The first announcement. As of this time, all Masters can manifest their in-game characters in reality. The manifestation ability is activated by concentrating one’s mind and uttering the in-game character name of one’s avatar, and once used, the Master can bring the abilities and gear one possesses within DIO into reality.]/
“… so cunning.”
Instantly, Yongno realized their intentions. The combat ability of users who had reached the Master level was truly awesome; most if not all people took the power for granted because it was just something that was restricted to [in-game play], but to manifest that immense power in reality meant that Masters would possess and wield enormous power over Earth.
‘Even me alone… I can beat an entire aircraft carrier and its supporting forces. I could probably do it without even suffering a scratch.’
In other words, manifestation meant that the existing national defense powers would lose all meaning. Of course, the great powers would probably try everything in their power to put the Masters under their command, and once the new system takes hold, no one would probably want DIO to disappear. To be precise, DIO was already deeply involved and ingrained in society, so if it were to disappear, a plethora of problems would probably emerge.
/[The second announcement. Manifestation costs 10,000 Gem Points. In addition, the retention time is limited to one hour.]/
“Yongno, this is……”
“Right. It’s a means to force Masters to continually conduct missions. The enemies are interested in Earth because of the missions the Masters are conducting, so they’re implementing this system as bait to force Masters to continue participating in missions. This is the primary reason why they’re implementing this new system.”
10,000 gem points was not an amount that could be easily collected, even for Master level users. Even in missions that rewarded considerable gem points, users received only 50 to 200 points. Of course, Merlin could also participate in missions that could yield him 10,000 or more gem points, depending on the availability, but only a handful of people had access and could participate in such missions.
A quick look at tinyurl.com/2p9emv8w will leave you more fulfilled.
/[The third announcement. We want to avoid a situation where society is messed up by the Masters, so we’ll sell location trackers, which can locate Master level users, to the countries that are aligned with us. For countries that behave more favorably towards us, we are even willing to provide a wide-area shield to prevent space penetration and to provide gear to track where possible enemy attacks may come from.]/
“They’re really roping everyone along.”
Although a Master level user possessed unbelievable power, a Master level user was just another ordinary human in real life unless he or she manifested, so it would be impossible for a Master level user to move recklessly in real life if location tracking was put in place. The situation would be different if a Master could operate from the shadows without concern of being located, but if one could be located in real time, the story was different.
In addition, the ambiguous and subjective criterion of being seen as an ‘aligned’ or ‘favorable’ country also made it impossible for any nation in the world to do anything without the assistance of the Noblesse. Masters could instantly cross space, so the destruction they could level on a nation state would be immense.
/[The fourth announcement. We will no longer idly stand by if the Noblesse are directly or indirectly attacked. At first, we’ll probably deploy Masters to take care of any situation, but keep in mind, we have the power to restrict access or limit service to DIO. That’s the final announcement~!]/
After Melton’s cheerful voice stated the last line, the television screen returned to its original programming. A pre-recorded broadcast program was proceeding normally on the television screen, as if stating that nothing world-changing had just been broadcast moments ago.
“Hey Yongno, how many gem points do you have right now?”
“I have quite a lot, but…”
Currently, Yongno had accumulated 150,000 gem points, but considering that he needed 1 million gem points to save Miho, he didn’t have as much as he wanted. Of course, Miho’s revival wasn’t something that he needed to do immediately, but Yongno wanted to see her as soon as possible… even if he didn’t know what the exact outcome of her revival would bring.
“Will there be a response soon?”
“Probably.”
While gathering his thoughts, Yongno closed his eyes.
***
Indeed, the response came quickly.
“Long time no see.”
The one who came to see Yongno was a tall Slavic beauty with blue eyes, white skin, and blonde hair.
“… Uh… Ilyia?”
“May I come in?”
Ilyia, who was wearing a sophisticated-looking black suit, exuded a different vibe than what she gave off in DIO, where she was always seen dressed in a practical, yet comfortable outfit to promote her stealth capabilities. She didn’t carry around her in-game image of someone who was slightly overwhelmed. The charm of a mature beauty came out naturally; her slender legs, stretched out under her short miniskirt, seemed to shine whiter in contrast to her black suit, and her chest, with its prominent contours, was bountiful to say the least.
“First, let me introduce myself. My name is Sasha Ivanov from the National Security Agency of the United States. My personal details are a secret, but my rank within the agency is quite high.”
After seeing her wink one eye, Yongno asked.
“You’re American? I thought you were Russian.”
“America is originally a multiethnic country. Although my mother was originally from Russia… anyway, what does that matter?”
After stating this, Ilyia glanced towards Eunhye, who was sitting next to Yongno. Ilyia wanted to be alone with Yongno, but Eunhye was already beside him, so Ilyia decided not to pursue one of her easier ‘options of swaying him’ to avoid any possible conflict. When Ilyia sighed after making this mental decision, Yongno spoke out.
“Yes. The important thing is that you came here under the name of the NSA.”
The NSA was known to be one of the most secretive agencies in the United States and was capable of intercepting all modern communications. Of course, since the US government denied such facts, there were many who joked about the NSA acronym, such as calling the NSA a ‘No Such Agency’ or ‘Never Say Anything’, especially in mainstream movies and dramas. However, no one denied their existence and the power they wielded from the shadows.
“Well, since you’re already familiar about us and our capabilities, our discussions can be conducted quickly. First off, I’ve come here with the approval of the US President. In other words, this is not just my opinion, it is the United States’ public and formal position.”
As she said this, she looked at Yongno’s face to catch his reaction. She stared at him with a haughty and intelligent gaze, but Yongno answered calmly without a change in expression.
“I guess he probably wants me to go to the USA and become a naturalized citizen.”
“…”
For a moment, Sasha was left speechless. Rather than showing the expected expression of being anxious, shocked, or unsatisfied, Yongno had remained calm.
“I’m not surprised because I find it obvious. However, I do have to commend the US president for being so fast on his feet. The distant US government is faster than my nearby Korean government… In this case, the US’s competence shines rather than highlighting Korea’s incompetence… I’m fairly certain our Korean government hasn’t even properly grasped the current situation.”
In fact, the Korean government was unable to adapt to this urgent situation. Because, to them, DIO was nothing more than [that game], and the current government departments, including the Ministry of Culture, Ministry of Gender Equality, Blue House, various public media outlets, etc., were in the midst of driving public opinion against DIO through popular media.
“So, will you become a naturalized US citizen?”
Yongno laughed after hearing Eunhye’s calm voice.
“Well. I’ll have to look over their offerings and conditions before thinking about it.”
“Phew. You sure know how to play the game. Anyway, speaking of the benefits of naturalization, first, you’ll be exempted from paying any taxes for your entire lifetime. In addition, a $100 million salary will be paid out under your name annually. However, this is just a basic salary; it may increase based on your performance.”
“And what else?”
100 million dollars, that is, 100 billion won in Korean currency, was the base salary, but Yongno didn’t respond to such an astronomical figure. Sasha shrugged her shoulders before continuing.
“In addition, from the moment you naturalize, you will have immunity from all criminal offenses except treason. No matter what you do, if there is a clear reason, the US government will protect you.”
“Well, that’s a bit appealing. I’m sure I’m going to be bogged down with legal tricks and loopholes here and there from now on.”
Yongno nodded his head in earnest. Money was money, but he needed a means to protect himself and those he loved from other powers. If a nation-state were to frame him and manipulate the media, there was nothing that Yongno could do but be swept away by those in power. Of course, he could simply smash everything with force, but manifestation had a time limit. He could only deploy an extremely limited number of skills and powers in his regular ‘human’ body.
“The last part is a bit enticing? You’re saying that the money isn’t enticing?”
“Yeah.”
“What?”
Sasha’s eyes widened after hearing Yongno’s decisive answer. 100 billion won was an amount of money that even the top 1% of all humankind would never see in their lifetime. In fact, it was an amount that was hard to even imagine for an ordinary person, but Yongno was saying that this amount of money wasn’t enticing? However, Yongno calmly explained.
“Let me help you understand, Ilyia. For example, an aircraft carrier, a Nimitz class, costs roughly $4 billion US dollars. But think about it, Ilyia. Wouldn’t it be impossible for me, Merlin Emrys, to sink an aircraft carrier with all its aircraft on board in one hour, not to mention all the frigates that would be supporting the aircraft carrier?”
“…”
Sasha was momentarily lost in her thoughts. However, since she was also a Master level user, she knew that it was impossible to block a Master’s power with modern weapons.
At one extreme, if she wanted to assassinate the President of the United States of America, there was no way the US president could stay alive. How can anyone stop her if she could deploy her stealth skills and move within the shadows? Even if she didn’t utilize her stealth abilities and just plowed through the White House with brute force, she’d easily be able to take carry of the modern weapons used against her and easily kill off the sitting president.
‘Of course, the US probably reached that conclusion already.’
Just because it was impossible to stop a Master level user with modern weapons didn’t mean that the president’s life was at risk. This was because, as a result of the recent increase in the number of Masters, the total number of Master level users exceeded 200. Of course, more than 100 of those 200 Masters were Level 10, but even so, it was true that having more Masters on one’s side was better than having only a few Masters. If a Master stuck by the US president, or any other figure for that matter, and detected the presence of another Master with the location trackers supplied by the Noblesse, it would be possible to defend against a Master’s or group of Masters’ attack.
Tan was telling the truth to the point of overdoing it. But Yongno knew that Tan didn't justrandomly choose this approach. Yongno knew that, at the root, Tan looked down on humans and prioritized suppression and deception rather than truly respecting human free will. In this scenario, he didn't oppress the users because he was worried that his interference may hinder them from reaching the transcendent level; he wasn't taking this approach because he was considerate of humankind.Right. The new mental defenses and restrictions on mental interference weren't created to limit my actions! It's a system that was created and implemented to stop the Noblesse!'The fact was that much of what the Noblesses did on Earth crossed the line of Union Law. If other species did the same thing, they would have already been punished by the Union for having broken Union Law. However, on Earth as well as in the wider universe, law was always on the side of the powerful. Just as influential people in a corrupt country may cleverly twist their respective law and use it for their own gain, or even go beyond that and commit illegal acts and suppress dissident voices through political power, the Noblesse, as a force with great influence over the Union, cleverly maneuvered between the gray area of the interpretation of illegal and legal.However, the Noblesse still faced limitations. It was true that the Union was the greatest force that ruled over the material world, but it did not completely dominate the entire universe, as there were also other forces that couldn't be ignored altogether. Yongno did not know the exact circumstances, but the Reaper Organization, which belonged to the Nether World, had continuously put the brakes on and restricted the Noblesse's movements; the Reaper Organization even went as far as to alert the authority of the Union's law enforcement officers, the Enforcers, of the Noblesse's acts on Ayan.Because of this, it became impossible for transcendent beings, including Tan, to deceive humans or interfere with their minds. This was probably the reason why Tan changed his approach and revealed his existence to humans so publicly./However, we don't intend to discontinue DIO services. Instead, I will give you humans the strength to defend for yourselves.I will explain further./Standing behind Tan, Melton, who was in the form of a boy but wouldn't fool anyone into thinking that he was actually a young boy, followed Tan's statement./The first announcement. As of this time, all Masters can manifest their in-game characters in reality. The manifestation ability is activated by concentrating one's mind and uttering the in-game character name of one's avatar, and once used, the Master can bring the abilities and gear one possesses within DIO into reality./ so cunning.Instantly, Yongno realized their intentions. The combat ability of users who had reached the Master level was truly awesome; most if not all people took the power for granted because it was just something that was restricted to in-game play, but to manifest that immense power in reality meant that Masters would possess and wield enormous power over Earth.Even me alone I can beat an entire aircraft carrier and its supporting forces. I could probably do it without even suffering a scratch.'In other words, manifestation meant that the existing national defense powers would lose all meaning. Of course, the great powers would probably try everything in their power to put the Masters under their command, and once the new system takes hold, no one would probably want DIO to disappear. To be precise, DIO was already deeply involved and ingrained in society, so if it were to disappear, a plethora of problems would probably emerge./The second announcement. Manifestation costs 10,000 Gem Points. In addition, the retention time is limited to one hour./Yongno, this isRight. It's a means to force Masters to continually conduct missions. The enemies are interested in Earth because of the missions the Masters are conducting, so they're implementing this system as bait to force Masters to continue participating in missions. This is the primary reason why they're implementing this new system.10,000 gem points was not an amount that could be easily collected, even for Master level users. Even in missions that rewarded considerable gem points, users received only 50 to 200 points. Of course, Merlin could also participate in missions that could yield him 10,000 or more gem points, depending on the availability, but only a handful of people had access and could participate in such missions.A quick look at tinyurl.com/2p9emv8w will leave you more fulfilled./The third announcement. We want to avoid a situation where society is messed up by the Masters, so we'll sell location trackers, which can locate Master level users, to the countries that are aligned with us. For countries that behave more favorably towards us, we are even willing to provide a wide-area shield to prevent space penetration and to provide gear to track where possible enemy attacks may come from./They're really roping everyone along.Although a Master level user possessed unbelievable power, a Master level user was just another ordinary human in real life unless he or she manifested, so it would be impossible for a Master level user to move recklessly in real life if location tracking was put in place. The situation would be different if a Master could operate from the shadows without concern of being located, but if one could be located in real time, the story was different.In addition, the ambiguous and subjective criterion of being seen as an aligned' or favorable' country also made it impossible for any nation in the world to do anything without the assistance of the Noblesse. Masters could instantly cross space, so the destruction they could level on a nation state would be immense./The fourth announcement. We will no longer idly stand by if the Noblesse are directly or indirectly attacked. At first, we'll probably deploy Masters to take care of any situation, but keep in mind, we have the power to restrict access or limit service to DIO. That's the final announcement~!/After Melton's cheerful voice stated the last line, the television screen returned to its original programming. A pre-recorded broadcast program was proceeding normally on the television screen, as if stating that nothing world-changing had just been broadcast moments ago.Hey Yongno, how many gem points do you have right now?I have quite a lot, butCurrently, Yongno had accumulated 150,000 gem points, but considering that he needed 1 million gem points to save Miho, he didn't have as much as he wanted. Of course, Miho's revival wasn't something that he needed to do immediately, but Yongno wanted to see her as soon as possible even if he didn't know what the exact outcome of her revival would bring.Will there be a response soon?Probably.While gathering his thoughts, Yongno closed his eyes.***Indeed, the response came quickly.Long time no see.The one who came to see Yongno was a tall Slavic beauty with blue eyes, white skin, and blonde hair. Uh Ilyia?May I come in?Ilyia, who was wearing a sophisticated-looking black suit, exuded a different vibe than what she gave off in DIO, where she was always seen dressed in a practical, yet comfortable outfit to promote her stealth capabilities. She didn't carry around her in-game image of someone who was slightly overwhelmed. The charm of a mature beauty came out naturally; her slender legs, stretched out under her short miniskirt, seemed to shine whiter in contrast to her black suit, and her chest, with its prominent contours, was bountiful to say the least.First, let me introduce myself. My name is Sasha Ivanov from the National Security Agency of the United States. My personal details are a secret, but my rank within the agency is quite high.After seeing her wink one eye, Yongno asked.You're American? I thought you were Russian.America is originally a multiethnic country. Although my mother was originally from Russia anyway, what does that matter?After stating this, Ilyia glanced towards Eunhye, who was sitting next to Yongno. Ilyia wanted to be alone with Yongno, but Eunhye was already beside him, so Ilyia decided not to pursue one of her easier options of swaying him' to avoid any possible conflict. When Ilyia sighed after making this mental decision, Yongno spoke out.Yes. The important thing is that you came here under the name of the NSA.The NSA was known to be one of the most secretive agencies in the United States and was capable of intercepting all modern communications. Of course, since the US government denied such facts, there were many who joked about the NSA acronym, such as calling the NSA a No Such Agency' or Never Say Anything', especially in mainstream movies and dramas. However, no one denied their existence and the power they wielded from the shadows.Well, since you're already familiar about us and our capabilities, our discussions can be conducted quickly. First off, I've come here with the approval of the US President. In other words, this is not just my opinion, it is the United States' public and formal position.As she said this, she looked at Yongno's face to catch his reaction. She stared at him with a haughty and intelligent gaze, but Yongno answered calmly without a change in expression.I guess he probably wants me to go to the USA and become a naturalized citizen.For a moment, Sasha was left speechless. Rather than showing the expected expression of being anxious, shocked, or unsatisfied, Yongno had remained calm.I'm not surprised because I find it obvious. However, I do have to commend the US president for being so fast on his feet. The distant US government is faster than my nearby Korean government In this case, the US's competence shines rather than highlighting Korea's incompetence I'm fairly certain our Korean government hasn't even properly grasped the current situation.In fact, the Korean government was unable to adapt to this urgent situation. Because, to them, DIO was nothing more than that game, and the current government departments, including the Ministry of Culture, Ministry of Gender Equality, Blue House, various public media outlets, etc., were in the midst of driving public opinion against DIO through popular media.So, will you become a naturalized US citizen?Yongno laughed after hearing Eunhye's calm voice.Well. I'll have to look over their offerings and conditions before thinking about it.Phew. You sure know how to play the game. Anyway, speaking of the benefits of naturalization, first, you'll be exempted from paying any taxes for your entire lifetime. In addition, a $100 million salary will be paid out under your name annually. However, this is just a basic salary; it may increase based on your performance.And what else?100 million dollars, that is, 100 billion won in Korean currency, was the base salary, but Yongno didn't respond to such an astronomical figure. Sasha shrugged her shoulders before continuing.In addition, from the moment you naturalize, you will have immunity from all criminal offenses except treason. No matter what you do, if there is a clear reason, the US government will protect you.Well, that's a bit appealing. I'm sure I'm going to be bogged down with legal tricks and loopholes here and there from now on.Yongno nodded his head in earnest. Money was money, but he needed a means to protect himself and those he loved from other powers. If a nation-state were to frame him and manipulate the media, there was nothing that Yongno could do but be swept away by those in power. Of course, he could simply smash everything with force, but manifestation had a time limit. He could only deploy an extremely limited number of skills and powers in his regular human' body.The last part is a bit enticing? You're saying that the money isn't enticing?Yeah.What?Sasha's eyes widened after hearing Yongno's decisive answer. 100 billion won was an amount of money that even the top 1% of all humankind would never see in their lifetime. In fact, it was an amount that was hard to even imagine for an ordinary person, but Yongno was saying that this amount of money wasn't enticing? However, Yongno calmly explained.Let me help you understand, Ilyia. For example, an aircraft carrier, a Nimitz class, costs roughly $4 billion US dollars. But think about it, Ilyia. Wouldn't it be impossible for me, Merlin Emrys, to sink an aircraft carrier with all its aircraft on board in one hour, not to mention all the frigates that would be supporting the aircraft carrier?Sasha was momentarily lost in her thoughts. However, since she was also a Master level user, she knew that it was impossible to block a Master's power with modern weapons.At one extreme, if she wanted to assassinate the President of the United States of America, there was no way the US president could stay alive. How can anyone stop her if she could deploy her stealth skills and move within the shadows? Even if she didn't utilize her stealth abilities and just plowed through the White House with brute force, she'd easily be able to take carry of the modern weapons used against her and easily kill off the sitting president.Of course, the US probably reached that conclusion already.'Just because it was impossible to stop a Master level user with modern weapons didn't mean that the president's life was at risk. This was because, as a result of the recent increase in the number of Masters, the total number of Master level users exceeded 200. Of course, more than 100 of those 200 Masters were Level 10, but even so, it was true that having more Masters on one's side was better than having only a few Masters. If a Master stuck by the US president, or any other figure for that matter, and detected the presence of another Master with the location trackers supplied by the Noblesse, it would be possible to defend against a Master's or group of Masters' attack.
