Chapter 75
Chapter 75
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 75
Chapter Title: The Poisoned Apple
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Another system-wide announcement went out. The S++ rank conquest of the 65th Floor. As expected, the media openly expressed their anxiety.
But then, the follow-up articles that came after.
Jeon Gwang-il of the Awakening Management Bureau read the articles and comments meticulously, checking them off.
As expected, the public's anxiety was calming down.
'Perfect.'
Subtly hinting they knew something while remaining vague. They had cut it off at an appropriate line.
However, it was too early to relax.
Right now, thanks to Gobang and the white male Summoned Being, Player Bong Joo-hyuk's existence was obscured, but the risk of exposure existed at any moment.
He always had to be prepared, keeping in mind the various dangerous situations that could arise if Player Bong were exposed.
After all, the Awakening Management Bureau existed to protect Players.
Especially if it was the nation's top Player—no further explanation needed.
Speaking of which,
Jeon Gwang-il read the document placed on his desk.
The monthly settlement statement for leather products from HG Fashion.
The statement was accurate.
The amount of leather used in the products, production costs, marketing expenses, and sales revenue.
But the quantity sold wasn't much.
It felt like they were deliberately limiting production.
He understood the intention to increase the product's value, but...
'I don't like it.'
Currently, Wildflower & Basilisk products were selling like hotcakes—people couldn't get enough.
A coveted item.
Yet, HG Fashion seemed more interested in areas other than bag sales.
In a word, the leather products were bait.
Bait for a specific class only.
In reality, ordinary citizens couldn't even get a glimpse of the bags.
Even the cheapest Light Quality product.
'It's clear they're playing games with the bags.'
They were pre-selling bags to global power brokers, entrepreneurs, politicians, or putting them on priority reservation lists, while behind the scenes, they were securing other interests.
Buy other products from our company too.
Change the supply contract you had with another company to an HG Group affiliate.
Then we'll specially sell you a bag.
As a result, HG Group's status and overall sales skyrocketed beyond measure.
The stock price followed suit.
Of course, contractually, there was no problem.
The leather sales proceeds would also arrive soon.
He was just dissatisfied.
Instead of focusing on bag sales to maximize the profit share going to Player Bong, they were greedy for side income?
Was that all?
They were already assuming the wyvern leather supply would go to HG Fashion.
HG Fashion had already even registered the trademark "Wildflower & Wyvern."
And they were thinking about the person giving them the gift before he'd even considered it.
'President Go Yeon-ha, I didn't see you that way...'
People said you're different on the way out than on the way in.
He needed to make her come to her senses.
If she kept playing games like that, she might lose not only the wyvern leather supply but even the basilisk leather supply.
Anyway, full authority over the wyvern leather supply was subject to Player Bong Joo-hyuk's permission.
Monopolies had many drawbacks.
It was more reasonable for the wyvern leather to enter into supply contracts with companies other than HG Fashion.
That would create a competitive landscape.
'Would Daehyun be good, or Ilseong?'
Frankly, there was another solution.
Player Bong Joo-hyuk could start his own company.
How simple would that be?
But circumstances prevented that.
'It would be good to ask each company about their intentions.'
Jeon Gwang-il picked up the phone and pressed the call button.
Knock, knock. An employee opened the office door and entered.
"Do you have the contact for President Jung Dong-hoon of Ilseong Apparel? Call his secretary's office. Ask if a brief call is convenient."
"Yes, I'll do that right away."
Soon after,
with another knock, the door opened.
"Deputy Director, the call with President Jung Dong-hoon's secretary's office is connected. Should I patch it through now?"
"Yes, thank you. Please connect me."
A dial tone sounded. Deputy Director Jeon Gwang-il picked up the receiver.
"Hello. This is Jeon Gwang-il. Is this President Jung Dong-hoon?"
"Uh, yes, yes. This is Jung Dong-hoon."
Jeon Gwang-il tilted his head.
Strange.
President Jung Dong-hoon's voice was trembling uncontrollably. Was something wrong?
And then, a short while later,
in the middle of the call, Deputy Director Jeon Gwang-il rushed out of his office with a face flushed red.
"Get a car ready immediately! I'm heading to Ilseong Apparel."
Ten minutes before the call from Deputy Director Jeon Gwang-il.
Jung Dong-hoon, the president of Ilseong Apparel, sighed repeatedly as if the ground had given way beneath him.
It was all there in the documents.
The Elite Player suspected to be the supplier of basilisk leather, Bong Joo-hyuk, and even the suspicion that he was the true owner of the Holy Sword.
Of course, there was evidence.
The sudden surge in cash flow, purchasing a top-tier penthouse in Cheongdam-dong in cash.
'Why did my uncle pass these documents to me?'
When he could have made contact directly.
What kind of person was his uncle?
A chaebol chairman.
A heavyweight with connections everywhere—political circles, prosecutors, the legal world, even the National Intelligence Service.
There might be people who don't know the president's name, but everyone knows the name of the Ilseong Group chairman.
His uncle was someone who could do anything and get away with it.
However, even he had one thing that was tricky to touch.
The Awakening Management Bureau.
The Elite Players they managed.
Of course, nothing major would happen, but falling out of favor with the Awakening Management Bureau would cause various difficulties.
Yet, with such a lucrative piece of information arriving, it was also uncomfortable to just let it go.
But then, there happened to be a suitable pawn, didn't there?
The child of his brother—not even his own son—who was firmly entrenched as the head of an affiliate.
So he threw the documents at him.
To make contact on his behalf.
Succeed, good. Fail, it would be no burden to his uncle.
He would play dumb.
Act like he knew nothing.
Say he was seeing these documents for the first time.
Apologize with a bowed head for failing to manage his nephew properly, and the matter would pass without incident.
Ultimately, only he would be punished.
That might be the plan.
'This is a poisoned apple.'
No, not even an apple.
Just poison.
Touch it carelessly, and you die.
Even if it meant stepping down from the presidency of Ilseong Apparel.
Jung Dong-hoon closed the file folder.
An item that shouldn't leave this room.
'I should seal it, right?'
He was already out of his uncle's favor.
All that remained was to be kicked out.
'Anyway, it seems the time has come to start wrapping things up.'
He had accumulated a lot of stress from holding a presidency that didn't suit his station. Perhaps this was a good opportunity to settle down in a suitable rural area.
That's when it happened.
Knock, knock.
His secretary knocked on the office door.
"Come in. What is it?"
"President, there's a call from the Awakening Management Bureau."
He flinched!
Jung Dong-hoon's face turned deathly pale.
Cold sweat trickled down his spine.
His heart pounded violently, thump, thump, thump, thump.
"W-what for?"
"Deputy Director Jeon Gwang-il wishes to speak with you."
Suddenly? Did they already know?
"...Tell them I'm not here. Say I'm out on business,"
"Ah! Um, well, I already told them you're in the office, so..."
There was no choice.
"W-well, connect me."
"Yes! Understood."
Jung Dong-hoon answered the call.
With a trembling voice.
"Uh, yes, yes. This is Jung Dong-hoon."
Please, let it be nothing.
"S-so, what's this about?"
"It's regarding inquiries about the supply of Tower material leather..."
Tower material leather?
'Damn...'
It's over. They know everything.
But he couldn't die like this.
Jung Dong-hoon reflexively shouted.
"Ah, I haven't met him yet. I only received materials about Player Bong Joo-hyuk."
"......"
Silence flowed from the other end of the phone. After a considerable time had passed,
"Where are you right now?"
"At, at the company office, but..."
"Don't move from there. I'm coming right now."
Click! The call ended without waiting for a reply.
Jung Dong-hoon leaned back in his chair and wiped his face as if washing it.
'Should I run?'
He didn't know if he had anywhere to go.
Joo-hyuk's penthouse.
The Summoned Beings had all returned.
He didn't re-conquer the 65th Floor.
It wasn't a good environment for Razix to scout anyway.
Well, he obtained a Summoned Being Grade-Up Rune, so that was enough.
Veronica was on the verge of promotion.
Once she got promoted, they would all be SSR grade or above.
The first Summoned Being, Kosak.
His grade at summoning was Super Rare (SR).
Then he ate a Grade-Up Rune and became SSR.
Gobang was Rare (R).
Once nicknamed Algobang.
Thanks to the blessing effect, he jumped two grades to SSR.
Gyeon Dal-rae was SSR from the moment she first appeared.
In a way, she was the best pull.
Razix was the same case as Gobang.
From R Servant to SSR Servant, the world's top worker Razix,
Lucius Bardin... Hmm.
Let's set him aside.
He was a Holy Sword.
Now all he had to do was wait.
For Veronica to return.
It usually took about a day, so he could try calling her tomorrow evening.
Anyway, something good happened, so how could he just sit still?
He should share the joy over a drink.
Alone?
He had a new drinking buddy.
A Summoned Being who constantly shouted about world conquest with his habitual phrase, holding onto an unwavering belief—the Legend Special Super Rare (LSSR) grade...
"Designated Summon: Mad Demon."
Whoosh! Fizz, pop!
"Oh! You've summoned me again."
"You said to call you anytime I thought of drinking."
"Hahaha, thank you. You're the first Summoner to think of me like this. Everyone else avoided me."
So it was like that.
He wasn't the only one who found the Mad Demon uncomfortable.
"I prepared Chinese liquor today. I wonder if it will suit your taste."
"...China?"
The Mad Demon's expression changed subtly.
Then,
"Is China also a troublesome country in this world?"
"...Uh, a, a little."
"As expected, full of problems, tsk tsk. No matter which world, something must be fundamentally wrong with that country."
It seemed China was problematic in the multiverse, parallel worlds too.
"Summoner, if you plan to conquer the world, you should start with China. The population is large, so even if tens of millions die, it won't matter."
"..."
"Especially those with political power—it's best to kill every last one of them. Leaving them alive will only cause trouble later."
"..."
The Mad Demon was still incredible.
In a way, the place most similar to the Jianghu he lived in was China.
Well, didn't people kill in Jianghu too?
He even killed an emperor.
The Mad Demon's epithets.
Martial World Public Enemy, Jianghu's Most Vicious, The One Responsible for Mountains of Corpses and Seas of Blood.
"...Let's just have a drink."
"Hahaha, I shall gratefully accept."
Ugh, even his laugh was intimidating.
Glug, glug. And so began the second drinking session.
Most Chinese liquors are distilled spirits.
Almost all have an alcohol content over 40%.
Various stories were exchanged.
From how a fanatic was obtained through a Random Summon and was being used as a Holy Sword.
"You did very well. Perfect for the purpose. That Kosak fellow is smarter than I thought."
"I feel a little sorry, though."
"Not at all. Those types are the most dangerous. Forcing their own values onto the Summoner... Hmm... Ahem!"
"..."
An awkward silence suddenly flowed.
It seemed the Mad Demon felt guilty about something too.
Was this the proverbial "spitting on your own face" he'd only heard about?
"W-well, of course, this old man is no different from Bardin either."
If he grabbed the Mad Demon and swung him, would he become a demonic sword?
Not that he would ever do that.
To change the mood, he mentioned that he had learned the Mad Demon's skill using the system's power.
"Ho oh! You learned my skill? That's an honor. Blood Jade Astral Qi is a decent martial art. Once you master it to a certain degree, it will be useful."
"I sent a few undead back to hell with it yesterday. Haha."
"A pity. I wanted to see it with my own eyes, but we're in reality here."
"You can check inside the Tower."
"Is that so? Hehehe."
He also talked about the HG Hotel terror incident.
And how he used the Tower Exit Ring to go to China and rescue the kidnapped Players.
But then?
"Those bastards deserve to be torn apart! I knew it! How dare they target my Summoner!"
The reaction was more intense than expected.
"I'm fine, thanks to our Summoned Beings..."
"They're idiots. They went all the way there and just rescued the Players and came back? They don't even know the basics of uprooting the source? How can I trust those fools?"
The Mad Demon was furious.
"They should have wiped them all out and returned. What a great opportunity it was. This won't do. Let's go back there together one more time."
"...I'd rather not."
"Hmm."
He closed his eyes for a moment and pondered deeply.
"Your identity might be revealed soon."
"Well, someday. What secret lasts forever in this world?"
"Tsk tsk, this is a big problem."
What big problem?
If he were alone, maybe, but he had reliable Summoned Beings.
The Mad Demon's expression grew increasingly somber.
"Summoner."
"Yes?"
"Do you know when Players die the most? People say it's dangerous inside the Tower, but in reality, it's not like that at all. It's precisely..."
"Yes, yes, they die the most outside the Tower. Even if a nuclear bomb goes off, it's safe inside the Tower."
"..."
The Mad Demon, who was trying to set the mood, looked embarrassed.
But it seemed he had no intention of giving up.
"Don't be like that. Let's start by taking over China and Japan. They're close, right? I'll kill as few as possible, so let's use the Tower Exit Ring to cross over and..."
"Ah, sir, you're doing it again. Just have a drink."
"..."
He tried to take advantage of the slightest opening.
No way.
The Mad Demon seemed offended.
His face was all scrunched up.
"Do you really have no intention of taking the world for yourself?"
"No."
"Fine. Then."
In an instant!
The Mad Demon shot to his feet.
Why so suddenly?
"I regret to inform you that I must invoke Summoned Being Principle 3, Clause 3."
What? What did he say?
Why invoke Clause 3 here, of all places?
The Mad Demon tapped Joo-hyuk's entire body with his fingers.
Tap, tap! Ta-ta-tap! Tap, tap!
He couldn't move a muscle.
He couldn't even part his lips.
His entire body stiffened rigidly.
"At the Legend grade, you can do things other Summoned Beings can't even dream of."
Gulp.
The Mad Demon moved behind Joo-hyuk.
He didn't know what he was trying to do, but he didn't resist.
What choice did he have?
He said he was invoking Summoned Being Principle 3, Clause 3.
The ultimate purpose of Clause 3 was the protection and safety of the Summoner's life.
Therefore, nothing dangerous should happen to him, but...
"It's fine. Relax."
He placed both hands on Joo-hyuk's back,
"There are crazy people who, in what's called transmitting internal energy, transfer the internal strength they've built up to others. There's nothing more dangerous than that. Absorbing anything carelessly is just a shortcut to Qi Deviation."
Vrrrrr.
A warm energy poured in through his back.
"However, I can at least perform 'Bone Marrow Cleansing' for you. To make your body suitable for learning martial arts."
Bone Marrow Cleansing? Martial arts?
"I intend to have you learn internal energy, not the Tower's power. With internal energy, you'll be able to use strength in reality as well."
Hey, at least ask for the other party's consent first...
"I will teach you how to cultivate internal energy. And also how to utilize the Blood Jade Astral Qi,"
I don't really want to train, you know?
It's hard work, what should I do?
"Once you succeed in the Great Zhoutian cycle, cultivation will happen just by breathing. That is the characteristic of the Heaven and Earth Single Origin Art."
Hmm. Just by breathing?
Perfect for an ordinary guy. Well then,
"Breathe. And observe. Perceive the path the energy moves."
The energy pouring from the Mad Demon's palms was swirling through Joo-hyuk's entire body.
"With this, Summoner, may you become even slightly safer."
Yes. I will be.