Chapter 60
Chapter 60
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 60
Chapter Title: Battle of Red Cliffs
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Midnight, 1 AM. ₩620.
If it had been stocks, it would have already hit the daily upper limit and halted.
Trading would have been forcibly stopped after a 30% surge, giving people a night to sleep on it and think.
"Is this for real?"
"Should I sell tomorrow?"
"Hasn't it gone up too much?"
But crypto had no such safety nets.
2 AM. ₩680.
It didn't stop. Trading continued 24/7, without a single second's pause.
A stock's daily limit was a forced break.
A system telling frenzied investors, "Take a moment and think."
But the crypto chart moved like a living creature.
A monster that never breathed.
3 AM. ₩750.
People couldn't sleep.
💬 Comments — HODLer2021 Can't sleep... it's just keeps climbing... — InvestMentor Feels like I'll miss out if I sleep now. — SurgeHunter 3 AM and volume isn't dropping... insane... If it were stocks, the market would have closed and everything frozen.
Investors would head home, eat dinner with family, watch TV, sleep, and return to reality.
But crypto was different.
A world where reality and fantasy blurred without boundaries.
The chart changed every second, money flowed in and out every second, lives changed every second.
4 AM. ₩820.
The stock's 30% limit had been surpassed hours ago.
If stocks, it would have hit three daily limits, earning three days to think.
But crypto shattered a 583% surge in one day.
No time to think.
💬 Comments — JackpotChaser 583%... ₩10M turned into ₩68.3M... — NewEntrant Is this real? Am I dreaming? — CoinNoobMom Son... is this normal? 5 AM. ₩900.
Stocks had fundamentals as their doctor.
Sales, operating profit, debt ratio, PER, PBR... a numerical health checkup.
An objective standard to ask, "Does this company deserve this price?"
But Helios Coin had none of that.
Sales? None.
Operating profit? None.
Actual business? Dubious.
Only circular logic: "It has value because people believe it does."
6 AM. ₩1,050.
Finally broke ₩1,000.
775% up from starting price of ₩120.
If stocks, regulators would have stepped in.
"Trading halt," "Investigation launched," "Suspicion of unfair trading."
But crypto had no adults watching.
Lawless territory.
💬 Comments — CoinPro Broke ₩1,000! Now the real start begins! — LetsGetRich If it were stocks, daily limits would have blocked these gains! 7 AM. ₩1,200.
900% up.
People had lost the concept of money.
A surreal world where ₩1M became ₩10M, ₩10M became ₩100M.
An extreme experience in compressed time, impossible in stocks.
💬 Comments — HODLer2021 Wage slave yesterday... billionaire today? — InvestMentor Is this really my account? Not a dream? 8 AM. ₩1,400.
1,067% up.
A stock's upper and lower limits were courtesies for the little guys.
Safety nets preventing 30%+ swings and extreme choices.
But crypto offered no such mercy.
Ruthless.
For every billionaire minted by 1,000% pumps, tomorrow brought 90% crashes ruining lives.
💬 Comments — crypto_newbie123 I... I can't believe it... I bought just days ago... Even Choi Yang knew the situation had spiraled out of control.
In stocks, regulators would intervene, media check it, time forced a pause for calm.
But crypto was a living monster.
A digital beast of infinite rises and falls, unstoppable once awakened.
9 AM. ₩1,680.
1,300% up.
Helios Coin was now Korea's fastest-rising asset ever.
No stock, real estate, or gold had surged 1,300% in 24 hours.
Only possible in crypto.
A realm of infinite possibility and infinite risk, no limits up or down.
There, the Helios Coin monster had awakened and rocketed skyward.
But even monsters needed to catch their breath.
10 AM. Volume plummeted from ₩3B to ₩800M per hour.
After witnessing a 1,300% inhuman surge over 24 hours, people finally regained their senses.
That's when I stepped in.
When volume drops, the chart dies.
A dead chart loses interest, and lost interest tanks the price.
I started manipulating the volume itself.
10:30 AM. First volume pump.
₩100M buy → ₩1,680 to ₩1,690
₩80M sell → ₩1,690 to ₩1,685
Net buy: ₩20M
Volume boost: ₩180M
Actually injected only ₩20M, but volume spiked by ₩180M.
💬 Comments — HODLer2021 Huh? Volume's picking back up! — InvestMentor Correction over, as expected! 10:45 AM. Second volume pump.
₩120M buy → ₩1,685 to ₩1,700
₩90M sell → ₩1,700 to ₩1,692
Net buy: ₩30M
Volume boost: ₩210M
₩30M created over ₩200M in volume.
💬 Comments — CoinPro Volume exploding! Something big incoming! 11 AM. Third volume pump.
₩150M buy → ₩1,692 to ₩1,710
₩110M sell → ₩1,710 to ₩1,705
Net buy: ₩40M
Volume boost: ₩260M
💬 Comments — SurgeHunter What is this? Volume jumped to ₩2B! — LetsGetRich Feels like whales are moving. People equated volume to interest. High volume meant something big was coming.
11:30 AM. Fourth volume pump.
₩200M buy → ₩1,705 to ₩1,725
₩140M sell → ₩1,725 to ₩1,715
Net buy: ₩60M
Volume boost: ₩340M
₩60M created ₩340M volume.
💬 Comments — JackpotChaser Hourly volume broke ₩2.5B! Major league level! Noon. Fifth volume pump.
₩250M buy → ₩1,715 to ₩1,740
₩180M sell → ₩1,740 to ₩1,730
Net buy: ₩70M
Volume boost: ₩430M
💬 Comments — crypto_newbie123 Volume's insane... broke ₩3B! Choi Yang pretended to be shocked too.
💬 Comments — HODLer2021 With this volume, something's gotta blow up. 12:30 PM. Sixth volume pump.
₩300M buy → ₩1,730 to ₩1,760
₩220M sell → ₩1,760 to ₩1,745
Net buy: ₩80M
Volume boost: ₩520M
₩80M created over ₩500M volume.
💬 Comments — InvestMentor ₩3.5B volume! Top 10 on Upbit soon? — CoinPro Helios is a major coin now! 1 PM. Seventh volume pump.
₩400M buy → ₩1,745 to ₩1,780
₩300M sell → ₩1,780 to ₩1,760
Net buy: ₩100M
Volume boost: ₩700M
₩100M created ₩700M volume.
💬 Comments — SurgeHunter Broke ₩4B volume! Second to Bitcoin! — LetsGetRich Institutions have to notice this volume! As volume exploded, coin YouTubers swarmed back.
💬 Comments — CoinKingTV Everyone! Check Helios volume! ₩4B! Totally different league! — CryptoGuru Volume tells the story! Big moves come with this volume! 2 PM. Eighth volume pump.
₩500M buy → ₩1,760 to ₩1,800
₩350M sell → ₩1,800 to ₩1,785
Net buy: ₩150M
Volume boost: ₩850M
Total volume: Broke ₩4.5B
💬 Comments — HODLer2021 Hit ₩1,800! Volume at ₩4.5B! — InvestMentor At this rate, ₩2,000 is just a matter of time! What I was doing was volume manipulation.
Actually only net bought around ₩1B, but created ₩4.5B volume.
People mistook "₩4.5B traded = ₩4.5B inflow."
But it was me recycling the same money to inflate volume.
3 PM. Ninth volume pump.
₩600M buy → ₩1,785 to ₩1,820
₩400M sell → ₩1,820 to ₩1,800
Net buy: ₩200M
Volume boost: ₩1B
Total volume: Broke ₩5B
💬 Comments — CoinPro ₩5B volume! Historic! — JackpotChaser Now it's truly the people's coin! — BitcoinDad Everyone! Helios volume hit ₩5B! This level is once-in-a-few-years rare! As volume topped ₩5B, media took notice again.
📰 Breaking News "Helios Coin, Daily Volume Tops ₩5B... New History in Crypto Market" But I'd only net bought around ₩1.2B.
Of the ₩5B volume, ₩3.8B was fake, generated by me recycling funds.
People thought massive capital was flooding in, but I was just spinning the waterwheel.
Fooled by the illusion of volume, more piled in.
The chart lived, interest burned hot.
My fake volume was summoning real madness.
₩5B volume? ₩10B?
In crypto, it was nothing special.
Bitcoin traded trillions daily, Ethereum hundreds of billions.
Normally, Helios's ₩5B wouldn't turn heads.
But now was different.
First half of 2025. Crypto market was frozen solid.
Global tensions peaked.
US-China conflict escalated crypto regs worldwide; Russia-Ukraine dragged on, driving risk-off.
Middle East unrest sent funds to safe havens.
Domestic woes were worse.
Virtual asset capital gains tax hiked from 20% to 35% next year, plus 5% surtax on short-term trades under a year.
VAT on NFT trades drove participants away.
Travel Rule was the killer.
Real-name verification mandatory for crypto trades; report overseas exchanges; prove fund sources for large trades.
Gov installed surveillance cams in anonymity's heart.
Terra-Luna fallout lingered; FTX bankruptcy crushed trust. DeFi hacks cemented "crypto = scam."
Bad news piled up; market zombified.
Bitcoin -70% from highs, sideways forever.
Ethereum -80%, volume crashed.
Altcoins -90%+, trading halted.
Institutions gone; retail exhausted losses, quit.
Only HODLers left.
No buyers or sellers.
Helios same: daily ₩200M volume meant near-dead.
₩5B market cap with 4% liquidity; 96% illiquid HODLers.
Too low to cut losses, no buyers anyway.
They just held like corpses.
That's why Helios's ₩5B volume mattered so much.
Normal market: ₩5B ordinary amid hundreds of coins, institutions dominating.
But now, it dominated the market.
Few tradable coins; retail scraps wielded power.
A coin reviving in a dead market was news itself.
💬 Comments — HODLer2021 First profitable coin in months... — InvestMentor All other coins dead, only Helios alive... — CoinPro This might be the last chance... The delusion that Helios was the only live coin drew bigger crowds.
No alternatives; all eyes on Helios.
Funds that would scatter normally concentrated fire on one target.
💬 Comments — CoinKingTV How many coins are actually trading now? Helios is basically the only one! — CryptoGuru A coin moving in this extreme market... holds special meaning! This phenomenon only possible in a dead market.
Helios's ₩5B wasn't just numbers—it was the sole hope in despair.
And every ant clung to that hope.
When Cao Cao's 800K navy chained in iron links burned at Red Cliffs, first only grunts panicked.
Ants panic-bought, trampling each other; YouTubers hyped chaos—but they were mere foot soldiers.
Now, real generals stirred.
Whales dormant for months opened their eyes.
Post Terra-Luna, forces moving billions/trillions had quit.
Market too small to bother.
But Helios's ₩5B pinged their radars.
Sole prey moving in a dead sea.
And defenseless: naive ants and amateur YouTubers only. No pros.
Prime hunting ground for whales.
To rack up merits amid chaos.
3 PM. First general appears.
Suddenly, ₩500M buy wall at ₩1,800.
Orders leagues beyond ants' ₩10M/₩30M.
💬 Comments — HODLer2021 Huh? What's this ₩500M buy order? — InvestMentor Not retail... institution? — SurgeHunter Whale! A whale appeared! Grunts buzzed. But the general's goal wasn't buying.
Bait.
Reassure ants with ₩500M buy wall, quietly dump ₩700M behind it.
Ants saw "support at ₩1,800," but got sheared behind the wall.
4 PM. Second general intervenes.
Different tactic.
"Helios massive accumulation intel" posts hit communities simultaneously.
💬 Comments — AnonymousPro Insider info: foreign fund planning ₩100B Helios buy. Definitely hits ₩2,000. — CoinExpert SungSong Electronics affiliate adopting Helios tech. Official announcement next week. Current price is floor. Total fakes, but simultaneous posts looked legit.
💬 Comments — CoinPro Same info popping up everywhere? Real? — LetsGetRich Foreign funds too? This is exploding for real! This general waged info war for merits. Hype ants with fakes, dump at peak.
5 PM. Third general emerges.
Slickest one.
Started using Choi Yang.
💬 Comments — crypto_newbie123 Uh... got a weird DM. Someone says they have more Helios info... — HODLer2021 What'd they say? — crypto_newbie123 Besides RE100, other gov policy... Carbon credit exchange to use Helios as base currency... Choi Yang's scripted act. But a real whale behind it.
DM from big player, offered profit share for the play.
This general leveraged public sentiment for bigger pump, exit at top.
I allied briefly.
6 PM. Fourth general's brute force.
Most direct.
Manipulated chart outright.
Straight up from ₩1,800 to ₩2,000.
Dumped over ₩1B in minutes, smashing resistance.
💬 Comments — JackpotChaser Insane! Broke ₩2,000! — NewEntrant What?! ₩200 up in minutes! Bait too.
Max FOMO at ₩2,000 break, dump massive at ₩2,100-2,200 as ants rush in.
7 PM. Generals' merit race heats up.
Whales competed to shear ants, each their way.
One fakes hype, another pumps volume, third manipulates forums.
All vying for merits uniquely.
Ant grunts blind to strategies.
💬 Comments — HODLer2021 Wow! Jackpot! All good news hitting at once! — InvestMentor First time seeing a surge like this! Historic moment! — CoinPro Broke ₩2,000, ₩3,000 next! They frolicked in generals' illusions, dumping last coins.
Like Cao Cao's navy trampling to doom in linked ships, ants crushed each other into whale chow.
Generals' merit battle was on.
And my true battlefield, as the board's architect, now began.
Portfolio multiples? Meaningless.
₩10B or ₩20B in account? Just numbers if unsellable.
Whales' frenzy for one reason: market must hold till they dump all.
In Post-Nut Clarity, I analyzed coldly.
Whales' dilemma simple.
First whale dumps ₩500M in ₩5B market: 10% tanks price.
Second ₩1B: overlap with first, both wrecked.
Third, fourth: total exceeds market.
Staring contest inevitable.
Who dumps first? Who holds last?
But I differed.
I designed the game.
Moment whales thought "dive in, shear ants"—already in my palm.
What I truly want:
Whales compete, pumping Helios higher.
They inject more for positions.
Chicken game mutual checks.
I slip out quietly.
Zhuge Liang summoned southeast wind at Red Cliffs not to beat Cao Cao.
To make Cao's navy attack itself.
One burning ship spreads to chained fleet, self-destruction.
Helios now same.
Whales chained together.
One big dump drags others down.
So they checked each other, moved cautiously.
That time was my chance.
Phase 1: Spark whales' accumulation race → compete buying, price up.
Phase 2: Make them check each other → staring game on who sells first.
Phase 3: While chickens play, I exit first → quietly liquidate amid suspicion.
Phase 4: As they attack each other, fully withdraw → watch chained inferno.
My ace: information.
Whales blind to holdings.
I know I manipulated this.
I can end the game anytime.
Whales trapped.
They think "shear ants," but will shear each other.
I vanish in chaos.
Like Zhuge Liang praying at Seven-Star Altar, commanding winds, then slipping away as armies clash, spoils in hand.
Me too—from Post-Nut Clarity altar, steering market winds, grabbing loot as whales war, then gone.
Real game starts.
Whale vs. Whale vs. Whale vs... and me, the architect.
Who laughs last?