Triple Island
Before I knew it, Monday had arrived.
This week, too, was destined to fly by in a relentless blur of work. Turning over the priority of everything that needed doing in my head, I arrived at the Shinbaram Building. The moment my foot touched the first floor, the air around me grew restless.
"That's him, right? The pervert..."
"Yeah. The guy who just swallowed our entire business division whole. Guess Transcendents really do have money to burn. To get his hands on that kind of wealth already, at his age..."
"What? He's way better looking than he seemed online! With that money and that face..."
"So what? Like he'd ever spare a glance for ordinary people like us."
At the sound of the birds chirping, I dipped my head in a light greeting and offered a faint smile—neither burdensome nor excessive. They squealed with delight.
Being called a pervert wasn't so bad once you got used to it. Online I was drowning in every kind of insult and finger-pointing, but in reality no one dared. On the contrary, people lined up to get close to me even while fully aware of the rumors. Whatever they thought inside, whatever backbiting they traded among themselves, the second I stood in front of them their attitudes flipped. That paradox was pure exhilaration.
My strength. My authority. My wealth. Even my looks. Every single thing I possessed was forcibly wrenching their twisted hearts around to face me.
"Miss, you dropped this."
"Oh my... how kind..."
Women who went numb under my gaze before they could even thank me for a simple kindness. Women who used the brush of a fingertip as an excuse to ask for my number. Damn, this was living.
"Pervert."
Of course, there were also women who treated my authority like it was nothing. I shifted my gaze toward the voice.
"What?"
"Pervert CEO. How have you been? You're in early today."
Hong Eunyoung. This woman was getting cheekier by the day. Who the hell was calling whom a pervert? If there weren't so many eyes on us I'd grab that ass right now and—
"You're the one who's worse than me, if anything."
"Oh, please. The man who put up blinds at the very first staff meeting and did that—mmph..."
"You. You're really going to need a proper thrashing."
"Haa... hmph. I figured with so many women to deal with now you wouldn't even spare me a thought."
"If you run your mouth like that in a public place, I get extremely embarrassed."
"That's the point."
She stuck her tongue out and blew a raspberry. I nearly lost it right there.
During last week's meeting I'd made a little contact while checking the female Awakeneds' potentials. One of them had let out a rather sharp, cute little nasal sound, and both Hong Eunyoung and Senior Ahn had overheard it. So had every other female Awakened waiting outside. The machine I'd trusted Ananna for had been completely useless. Those Indian traitors. Maybe it was because I'd eaten beef that afternoon?
Anyway, both Senior and Hong Eunyoung had used it as leverage to demand all sorts of things from me. Thanks to that, my lower back hadn't survived the weekend. Senior, back from her trip, had clung to me nonstop demanding I make up for everything she'd been missing; I must have emptied myself until my balls shriveled. I'd simply ignored Hong Eunyoung's demands because of that, and now she was acting out.
"Did you quit the Academy?"
"No. My classes used to be three times a week; now they're down to one. The government plans to train low-mana kids as Supporters, so the curriculum itself shrank. Worked out perfectly for me."
"I see. One day... I'll forgive you."
"...You don't think I'm the one doing you a favor?"
"In exchange I pay you a salary. A lot more than you made at the Academy."
"Hmph..."
I needed to keep one foot in the Academy. You never knew what new talent might appear. They were minors, so I couldn't touch them yet, but if any kid with potential over 7 showed up I'd sweet-talk them and pull them into the company later. I was a proper company representative now. I had no intention of leaving things as they were. First a major corporation... then the greatest company in the world. To get there I had to do what every other firm did—discover talent and sponsor it. They always said aim high. And with the power I had now, what was there I couldn't do? Still, no need to rush. I'd only just taken the first step. The road ahead was long.
Today's immediate task was to shove Kim Isol and the other Awakened into an E-rank dungeon and film combat footage. We needed D-rank licenses... then C, B... all the way to A before I could even take those girls into an A-rank dungeon. But there was no reason I personally had to handle every bit of that babysitting.
Ten in the morning. Every Awakened belonging to the company gathered in the conference room. All weekend long I'd poured my precious time into drafting the schedule that would manage them. (The hours spent rolling around with Senior didn't count, of course, but I'd still been busy.) It couldn't be helped—checking their potentials, deciding how to raise synchronization rates and improve their mana, was something only I could do. And based on those plans, dividing them into teams for A-rank or B-rank dungeons was also entirely my job. Who would have thought the workload would be heavier than when I was just an employee?
"Everyone, finish and come back today. I've already spoken with the operators. Hunt monsters only near the gate entrance and get out immediately. If you waste time deeper inside and a Double Gate appears, we'll have a real headache."
"Got it."
"Then I'll leave it to Isol."
Including the former team members, I'd temporarily formed three teams. Two of them wouldn't be making money for a while—no, I had no intention of letting them. For now they were going into dungeons purely to film footage for license-test applications. Each had to record themselves hunting monsters of the appropriate difficulty and submit it to the government agency that issued licenses before they could even take the official test. The remaining team contained every girl whose current mana and potential were both low. Sorry to say it, but they would have to become Supporters from now on. Still, I planned to treat them better than most companies would.
"Senior, I'm counting on you."
Senior Ahn's mana was A-10 and she had abundant experience as a Supporter, so I'd asked her to train the Awakened Supporters. They also needed Supporter licenses to enter higher-rank dungeons; leaving it to her would be more than enough. No one would dare talk back to her either.
The three teams each set off for their assigned dungeons. Kim Isol, even with her mana lowered to A-10, led two of them—once a Transcendent, after all. Senior Ahn, equal in rank, led the other. No need to worry; they'd handle it fine. Surely nothing would go wrong this time. It was just a quick in-and-out today, so Supporters and equipment vendors didn't need to tag along.
"Hoo... now it's my turn."
Only I was left. I had to make money too. Otherwise the company wouldn't run and the staff wouldn't get paid. But there was nothing to worry about. I held a Transcendent-exclusive license. I could freely enter any dungeon I wanted. Of course, I'd had to use a little loophole. Because I couldn't go into a dungeon alone—then I'd have to do every menial chore myself. So I needed people to handle that, yet our company didn't have a single Supporter with A-rank dungeon clearance. Last week I'd therefore used my authority as a Transcendent to secure temporary permits allowing a few extra people to enter A- or B-rank dungeons with me.
Lee Sanghie and Kim Hyunjoo—those two for now. Both had plenty of experience accompanying dungeon expeditions as Supporters. With me along, even non-Awakened Kim Hyunjoo wouldn't be in serious danger. We'd have to be careful, but it would be fine. We weren't going into an A-rank; it was only B. And just because someone entered as a non-Awakened didn't mean they had to leave that way. They could always awaken inside the dungeon...
I immediately called the next meeting. Staff with deep dungeon knowledge and the employee in charge of equipment rentals were summoned. We scouted B-rank dungeons I could enter. At any other company the procedures would have been a nightmare, but this was my company. My next expedition plan was drawn up in a single smooth stroke. I would leave tomorrow morning.
Tuesday morning I arrived at an abandoned school somewhere in Seoul. Years had passed since the gate forced its closure; weeds grew knee-high across the playground. Part of the school building still served as the management office, and the near-total absence of people left the place steeped in a desolate atmosphere. High concrete walls even surrounded the gate itself—built, no doubt, against the possibility of a reverse flow. Whether they would do any good against B-rank monsters was another question.
The place felt like a remote island, yet if you turned your head even slightly, skyscrapers dozens or hundreds of meters tall filled your vision. Right in the middle of Seoul. If a gate like this ever reversed, the economic loss would be nothing compared to the mass casualties.
"CEO-nim, when do we go in?"
Lee Sanghie, loaded down with an enormous amount of gear, asked in a bright voice. Luggage of a size I couldn't have imagined in my previous life, weighing hundreds of kilos, yet she carried it as if it were nothing. Last week she had fainted the moment she awakened, then thankfully regained consciousness a few hours later. She'd spent the entire weekend proudly telling everyone she was now an Awakened and had come to thank me.
"Sanghie, you're really impressive. I won't have to worry about a thing thanks to you."
I praised her a little more extravagantly than necessary. The way she treated me like a god just for awakening her was cute, and she seemed the type who obeyed better the more you complimented her. That wasn't the only reason, either.
"Hyunjoo, be careful. In a B-rank dungeon, the moment you let your guard down you die. Especially civilians..."
"Ah, I know."
"And tell me whenever you want. If you want to become an Awakened."
"...Yes."
I was certain she wanted it too. This wasn't just my imagination. Wanting to awaken was something everyone felt, but that wasn't what I meant. In her case, watching Lee Sanghie actually awaken had opened a path that now seemed within arm's reach. All she had to do was lift her toes onto that path and she could become an Awakened. Yet the words she'd already spoken, plus whatever pride or conviction she was clinging to, still left her hesitating.
"Stick close to Sanghie, Hyunjoo. You're the senior, but you're still a civilian."
I planned to keep gently poking at that dilemma. Let's see how long you last, girl. Whether you bite your tongue and die or suck me off until your eyes roll back. This was a contest.
Incidentally, what a beautiful body. She wasn't even Awakened, yet years of relentless training had given her that figure. The perfectly clinging mana-coated suit made every curve dazzling.
Today we had all rented A-rank equipment. Between the Transcendent name and the connections left over from when our company was still Shinbaram, we'd managed to secure it, but the cost was no joke. Knowing every won that left was my own money made me want to cry tears of blood. So making money had to take priority over fucking Kim Hyunjoo.
"Let's enter. I'll go first; follow me after ten seconds."
"Yes, CEO-nim!"
"Yes."
In case of any unexpected situation, I entered first. The two women arrived right behind me. This was a B-difficulty dungeon. Triple Island.
"This is the first island. I put the plan together in a hurry yesterday, but if you're only hunting on the first island as you planned, CEO-nim, we need to head right immediately. You already know the monsters, of course, but..."
Former D-team leader Kim Hyunjoo began a smooth, professional briefing. I didn't bother listening. That information was already in my head. These women still didn't know I had once been an ordinary Supporter. Treating me the same as those stupid, thoughtless Awakened bastards would be a mistake.
"That's enough explanation. From now on, watch the flanks and rear and never take your eyes off the radar. You could actually die."
"Yes..."
A dungeon of three islands, each with different monsters. The ones we would face on this first island were—
"Kyaa—!"
"Move!"
I shoved the screaming Lee Sanghie aside. At the same time the sword in my hand swept out and took the creature's head clean off. Two snake heads rolled across the ground; the headless body kept thrashing grotesquely for a long while.
The monster of the first island. A Giant Two-headed Snake.