Chapter 96: Ilsung Guild (1)
Chairman Kim rubbed his head as if nursing a headache. It was true that the Ilsung Guild had been stirring up a lot of noise lately.
The parent company Ilsung was doling out tens of trillions to other guilds instead of them, so it wasn't strange for tensions to run high.
Sure, that guild belonged to his eldest son, but its structure wasn't directly tied to the Ilsung Guild anyway. In blunt terms, even if the Lavish Guild pocketed 60 trillion, it wouldn't put a single crumb on their plate.
“Father's sorry about this. Still, no need to worry too much. The investment will go through soon enough…”
“No. I'm not pushing for the investment to hurry up. We've still got some leeway.”
Kim Minwoo shook his head as he spoke.
“I've heard their side's arguments in rough strokes. They claim our guild hasn't demonstrated enough merit to justify sinking that kind of money into us.”
“Right. That's their line.”
Laid out in the coldest terms, their resentment was understandable.
A+ gate cleared.
By just the two of them.
And with a low-level awakener tagging along, no less.
It was an astonishing feat.
But did that merit hawking a 20% stake for 60 trillion?
‘Socially conventional? No.’
Sure, they splashed around in trillions on the regular, but that didn't make trillions pocket change.
It was serious money.
The internet buzzed with lines like “you couldn't buy Kim Minwoo for 100 trillion,”
‘But that's just national chest-thumping.’
Reality check: even pegging their combined worth at 20 trillion would get most nods of approval.
Why? Even a guild capable of clearing A+ gates would not be worth twenty trillion. Selling every share in a top-performing guild might bring in three or four trillion at most.
No matter how vital gates had become.
Even with the economy ballooning from gate activity, values didn't inflate to those heights as a rule.
A+ gate clear?
On the world stage, even second- or third-tier guilds could pull that off.
Under normal circumstances, body prices didn't balloon like this in the first place.
‘The real explosions start at the absolute top-tier awakener level.’
The “priceless” tag.
That label fit certain lines.
Take the Sword Sage, for instance. Not your run-of-the-mill S-rank, but the genuine article who could fight.
Nations treated them like national treasures, fretting over their every move and pampering them to bits. Those were the ones whose values truly skyrocketed.
Seo Yerim and he weren't quite there yet.
The reason was simple.
‘We haven't shown it.’
They hadn't bared their full strength. Sure, going all-out would earn them recognition as the real deal.
But that would backfire.
‘Reals aren't real for nothing.’
Beyond plain super rookies.
Beyond even mega-class rookies.
The vanishingly rare S-ranks acknowledged as genuine.
They were the ones who'd stormed in and out of gates for years—decades, even—surviving on the front lines.
Even the legendary Isabella had taken a full decade to transcend super rookie status and claim true recognition.
That alone was monumental.
Among the first-generation awakeners who'd dominated for decades, these were the elite.
Matching them, or coming just shy. That general caliber.
But earning that nod a mere three months post-awakening?
The fallout would be a storm even he couldn't predict.
‘People thrive best in moderation.’
Rocket too high, and exhaustion sets in. That was why they kept things under wraps.
Either way.
The real reason behind the 60-trillion investment was that they'd revealed their true worth to Chairman Kim.
Koreans—no, the world at large—didn't know that. So critics decrying overinvestment weren't surprising. Things stayed quiet, so the chairman must've been reining in public opinion to some degree.
Snapping up 20% for 60 trillion would still spark gossip.
‘Tsk-tsk gift schemes, all sorts of nonsense.’
Of course, the gate-clearing ripple effects lingered, so it wouldn't scan as outright corruption.
Boiled down, the sticking point was straightforward.
Was this really worth that price tag?
Or total bunk?
That was Ilsung Guild's bone of contention.
‘Just prove it isn't, and we're golden.’
The fix was simple.
“Father. Let's set up a guild war.”
Guild war.
One of the system-overseen showdowns, like duels. Naturally, rules could be customized, just like in duels.
At those words, Chairman Kim cocked his head.
“… A guild war?”
“Yes. Our two guilds square off once. Publicly and decisively. That should shut down any backtalk, no?”
“You're talking the first team, I take it?”
“Obviously the first team. Picking off the second or third just keeps the whispers alive.”
Ilsung Guild ranked in Korea's top five. Its members were solid accordingly.
First team: 30 strong total.
Roughly ten S-rank awakeners.
Twenty A-ranks.
‘Among them, the ones actually worth a damn…’
Guild master Nam Cheolmin.
S-rank archer in his forties.
‘Achievement grade S.’
He'd awakened twenty years back, drawing super rookie hype.
His skills hadn't rusted out yet. The forties marked prime maturity for an awakener.
The rest of the S-ranks clustered around A- to B-grade achievements, mostly.
‘Guild strength: middling.’
They could muddle through upper A-grade gates and lower S-grades. Put differently, beating the first team equated to.
‘Potential to clear an S-rank gate.’
Demonstrating that would send their value through the roof.
Enough to vindicate the 60-trillion investment, at least.
“… You sure about this? Lose, and the whole board shatters.”
Chairman Kim asked, looking uneasy.
Coasting as-is meant rumors, but investment was doable.
Lavish Guild losing, though?
Investment might still happen, but slashed to ribbons.
Public opinion would become unavoidable from then on.
‘Win, and it's trouble too.’
Three of them toppling the first team?
That could draw real interest from the awakening powerhouses. Assaulting A-grade versus S-grade gates was a whole different ballgame.
‘Ugh. Can't let that fly…’
The world might not know, but he did.
A guild packed with EX- and SSS-grade talent.
Ilsung had to get steamrolled now—while the explosive discount lasted.
But by that point.
‘Would that kid even take the investment?’
That was why Chairman Kim paced anxiously.
What if he jacked up the price?
Cash was already tight.
For the first time in his life, money worries loomed.
Kim Minwoo smirked, as if reading it all.
“No need to fret. We'll secure the investment, guaranteed. Price locked: 60 trillion for 20%.”
“… You're serious?”
“Would I kid? In this world, family's all you've got to trust.”
Ilsung was a family enterprise.
No sense knifing your own kin.
Better to build it up, leverage it everywhere.
“Even if you win… go easy on the Ilsung Guild, would you? It's still flying the Ilsung banner.”
“… We'll do our best.”
Kim Minwoo nodded.
Had the assassin talk not come up today, maybe otherwise—but he'd already spilled.
He could solo S-ranks solo, and with Seo Yerim and Park Siwoo added?
The chairman had likely pieced it together.
Lavish Guild's odds of victory were strong.
‘His unease was probably the investment angle.’
Headaches either way.
Hence the firm assurance.
‘Permission in the bag.’
The chairman—guild owner in all but name—had greenlit the guild war.
Now it was just go time.
Harsh on Ilsung Guild, honestly.
‘Maybe time to school the old guard on reality…’
Couldn't hurt?
Truth be told, Ilsung Guild wasn't some festering corrupt nest. In stage 5 territory.
‘This level wouldn't have been bad.’
Korea had precious few S-rank gates back then. More growth would've been nice, but stagnation wasn't catastrophic.
Circumstances had shifted now.
‘The stage has expanded.’
Humanity's limits stretched.
Gates followed suit—no law saying otherwise. Gates eclipsing S-rank? Wouldn't shock anyone.
‘Already glimpsed the realms above.’
The stage where the Death Lord rampaged.
The Demon Realm prelims, all the lords in play.
Trial arenas to boot.
Myriad stages beyond stage 5 had surfaced.
Even amid stage 5.
‘Saw EX-grade up close.’
Dragon Lord.
One utterance of its dragon tongue had junked his gear and floored him.
Proof of realms leagues above S.
Or, put another way.
‘S-rank might not cut it much longer.’
Lobsters grew lifelong, shedding shells to bulk up and harden.
Until the shell got too tough, and they quit shedding.
‘That's their end.’
Awakeners mirrored that.
They advanced to a point.
Then hit the wall.
A shedding too dicey to attempt.
Two paths usually.
Grin and bear the molt, or stagnate content. Regrettably, Ilsung Guild fell squarely in the latter camp.
A guild of shellbound lobsters, coasting on reality, half-assing gate clears for profit. Eternal fifth place explained.
“Let's coordinate a date for the guild war.”
“… I'll loop in the guild master. But public broadcast for real?”
“Got to deliver this much spectacle to kill the rumors dead.”
Private guild war win hitting the news?
Yawn-worthy.
Zero punch for the masses. Just “huh, okay.”
Contrast: broadcast an epic slugfest and claim victory?
Korea would erupt overnight. The jammed-up investment would flow in a heartbeat.
Solo meant flashing full arsenal, but a trio changed the game.
They could hold back just enough, toy with Ilsung Guild all the same.
“Then I'm off.”
“Oh, hold up. Minwoo. Dorim's Chairman keeps reaching out…”
“That geezer?”
“Yeah. Eager for a sit-down. Ahem. Word's even bubbling up at the Blue House.”
Fair enough…
They'd hammered Dorim pretty good lately.
Crowned national pariah, sales cratered over 50%.
Seemed he couldn't hold out—time to wave the white flag.
‘Why drag it out.’
Surrender sooner, and the blood loss would've been lighter.
“Yeah. Bound to stir talk. Still, second biggest in the business world.”
“If you can't stand him, we can ghost. But over-squeezing feels off—maybe snag something now and cut loose. Can't just bury a hated rival outright.”
“Got it. I'll swing by after tomorrow's guild war.”
“Good.”
He exited the study.
‘Time to claim that prize.’
One Dorim subsidiary had caught his eye. Modest scale now—easy to demand as tribute.
‘No leverage to haggle.’
That for tomorrow.
He pulled up the guild group chat.
[Kim Minwoo]
―[Notice] Guild war incoming for us.
[Park Siwoo]
―?
(Question mark emoticon)
[Seo Yerim]
―?
(Rabbit tilting head emoticon)
[Kim Minwoo]
―Vs. Ilsung Guild first team. All to fund your clothes, food, and beds. Requesting your full cooperation.
Anyway, that's the gist.