Chapter 383

The self-proclaimed Phantom Thief.

Based on information from PMH, his age is unknown, and his affiliation is unidentified.

This unidentified mysterious man is supposed to appear next year, causing havoc in the Korean Peninsula.

This mysterious man fascinates people by preaching lengthy rhetoric, plausible but nonsensical sophistry, and his philosophies as a thief.

‘He runs his mouth about his philosophy as a thief, but no one really considers him as one.’

In PMH, this guy was treated as a strange guy (gui-in), not a thief (gui-do).

No matter how grand his introduction as Phantom Thief is, things remained the same.

Phantom Thief.

In other words, it could be interpreted in Korean as “strange thief”

But this guy was just strange.

He doesn’t steal, he’s just weird.

At first, everyone talked about him and his appearance in an auction house, but since the man didn’t steal anything, he was just branded as a “strange guy”

He was disappointed by this, but he didn’t give in.

He made another grand notice, proclaiming that he was persistently after something.

‘I couldn’t figure out exactly what thing it was since his words were always full of nonsense.’

Looking at the words written on Big Ben, I can see that it’s still true.UppTodated from nô/v/e/lb(i)n.c(o)/m

If I hadn’t known about Min Geurin’s Imoogi’s Exorcism and the auction at the Demon Race’s Palace, I wouldn’t have figured out what he was talking about.

‘I wouldn’t have known at all.’

Still, that man is my playable character, and whenever I use him, secrets would get revealed.

What the mysterious man was aiming for in PMH was the Black Screen.

He tried to steal something abstract called the “Black Screen’s Ploy”

Of course, the strange man didn’t know whether the Black Screen was an individual or a group, nor did he know what their goal was.

He just concluded that the Black Screen was the one behind the disaster on the Korean Peninsula, and he fought a reckless fight since the Black Screen was against his philosophy and worldview.

‘Still, I don’t think anything much happened while the strange man was active.’

He did send make a grand notice about the place that the Black Screen tried to attack, summoning the press and online streamers.

However, his deductions about the Black Screen’s plan weren’t completely accurate.

He posted a notice, a bluff, saying that if the Black Screen causes a ruckus, he will reveal their plan to the whole world.

Of course, this move didn’t last long.

Because the Black Screen prioritized the extermination of the strange man.

‘I wish he had run away. Far away.’

Like the daring romantic that he is, the strange man stood his ground.

When the Black Screen sought him regardless of what stood in their way, it seemed that their evil means convinced the strange man not to run away.

Judging that he was against an absurd villain, the strange man seemed determined to face them until the end.

He was quickly cornered, and he did one last thing that finally turned him into a strange thief right before he died.

With his light skill, he was able to steal a crucial clue about the Black Screen and send it to Joo Soohyuk and his party.

‘...He stole something exactly once in his life, but since he did after all, does that make him a valid thief?’

The thief must’ve judged that Joo Soohyuk, the character at the center of the events in PMH, was capable and worthy of dealing with the Black Screen.

Without being able to confirm if Joo Soohyuk received the clue, the short life of the thief ended with a curtain-closing effect of the game.

‘I hope he just joined hands with Joo Soohyuk from the start. If he did, his embarrassing way of speaking might’ve improved, and if they had fought together, maybe the ending of this world wouldn’t have been as bad.’

If he were a Eungwang High student, I think he’s odd enough to undoubtedly be put in Class Zero.

Although every line of his was creepy and cringy, he’s still a good guy like most of my playable characters.

The media gave the strange man a nickname.

Investigative agencies usually avoid giving aliases or nicknames to people they were after to avoid giving satisfaction to criminals, but the public usually likes those kinds of things.

I’m sure my playable character likes it too.

‘This incident didn’t happen in PMH so he never got this nickname.’

Anyway, he got it today.

The Phantom Thief NEON.

The name was instantly spread and used in every video talking about the incident at the Big Ben.

“I think Muyeong and I will be a little busy. Hoobae-ah, rest up for now.”

The two left right after the meeting was over.

Sung Gukeon had a lot of connections in the U.K. so he has a lot of people to greet, and Jeon Muyeong has to accompany him while gathering information.

Before they left, they gave me an item card.

An SR— consumable item Messageless Pigeon.

It is a one-time consumable item that delivers energy waves, and it’s the same kind of item that I once gave to Yeom Junyeol as a gift.

“Communicating through device messages is the easiest option, but for some reason, the communication signal is often cut off in incidents you’re involved in.”

It seems that Sung Gukeon keeps up with my activities.

He was right.

Although it’s an enemy’s tactic to isolate players and prevent them from calling for help, it was also a tactic we use to block the Demon Race’s Eye.

It’s possible that communication would be cut off again this time, so I gladly accepted the item.

‘Should I go outside to get used to the streets?’

After the two of them left, I decided to leave the hotel room as well.

I couldn’t get a proper look at the surroundings earlier since my thoughts were filled with the Phantom Thief Neon’s antics, but now that I was alone, it finally sank in that I was in a foreign country.

It felt strange looking at the scenery completely different from Korea.

‘It’s been a while since I’ve been to Europe.’

Except for the overseas coverage trip to China with the newspaper department, it’s been a long time since I traveled abroad.

When I was a chess player, I was often out of the country for big games, but I hardly went abroad since I retired.

‘It’s a lot different from what I remember. I should study the hotel’s surroundings well.’

I’m sure I looked like a simple student tourist, but I had a goal.

This is Central London, a place where professional player teams reside.

It was unlikely, but I decided to consider the possibility of a skirmish occurring around the hotel.

‘Depending on the circumstances, we may have to go to the Thames. It’s best to fight using water.’

I passed the Tower of London and headed to Tower Bridge when...

Fwaddeeuk!

A few black crows flapping their wings.

Black crows in London?

I decided to walk away without much thought when...

‘Oh, why is that person...?’

I saw a familiar face.

A great sense of incompatibility washed over me with the sight of a certain acquaintance in this unfamiliar landscape.

He came forward and greeted me as if he had been waiting.

“Student Jo Euishin, I’m here to deliver a message from the person I serve.”

Beyond the crows, the patissier at MITRON stood before me.