Ten Billion a Day
Truth be told, after running into Shin Haneul today, I'd planned to gather my rookie team members and talk things over.
I was going to treat them to dinner, come clean about quitting the company, and casually float the idea of joining the one I was about to build.
I never imagined things would spiral like this.
The kids could wait until tomorrow or next week—that part didn't matter. But they say you should strike while the iron's hot. When someone picks a fight with you first, how are you supposed to just sit there?
So I ended up coming all the way here.
Had I gotten cocky after beating Kim Jaeseok so easily? Or had I overreached, deciding this was the perfect chance to squeeze startup capital out of them? Part of it was probably assuming that, since it was Saturday, there wouldn't be many heavy hitters at Diamond Guild headquarters.
I'd put too much faith in my own ability.
Today's business should have ended cleanly back at the café. But what could I do? I'd already set foot in their headquarters, and the die was cast.
Since things had come this far, I might as well walk out with exactly what I'd aimed for.
The fighting ends here. Pushing any further carried too much risk.
The energy threshold I'd always intended to keep for my own safety was twenty-five percent. Right now I had twenty-seven left—barely enough. Burning more than that would leave me uneasy about activating the Auto Shield that would protect my life in a real emergency.
The enemies in front of me were human. Against monsters there would be no choice but to fight; this was different. I didn't need to drain myself dry to slip out of this crisis. And I could still walk away with the money I'd come for.
"With that kind of skill, and he's a newcomer…"
"Careful. If that bastard's hand touches you, your mana disappears."
"Don't worry. No matter how fast he is, the second he steps into my range he becomes sword food."
These were veterans. Naturally their mana reserves were top-tier. Until a moment ago they had known nothing about my ability, so the sudden mana erasure had worked. Now that they understood what happened the instant my hand made contact, it wouldn't be nearly so simple.
I kept the arrogant look on my face and opened my mouth, as if I held every scrap of initiative.
"All right, let's stop here. You've already figured it out, but further attacks won't gain you anything. Or do you intend to keep coming until every last one of you loses your mana?"
"You little—"
"Stand down, Lee Daeman. He's right. And you said it yourself—he's someone we can talk to."
"But that bastard took your mana—"
"Kang Junghyeok!"
"Yes."
"The mana… can it be restored?"
"Of course."
I flashed a wide smile that showed my teeth.
Hey. Actually, there's another ability I'd love to tell you about. I can boost your mana beyond what you originally had. But it's a little expensive.
How should I bring that up?
"Fine. We'll hear you out."
"No."
"What? You were the one who suggested settling this with words."
"I did. But before that, there's something you still need to do first, isn't there?"
"…!"
"Do you think I came here just to strip your mana? No. I never even planned on setting foot in this place, never wanted anything to do with any of you. You were the ones who grabbed me and dragged me here by force. You even used my ex-girlfriend to do it."
Technically I'd walked in on my own two feet, but there was no need to say that. The fact remained that they had tried to haul me in against my will.
"……"
"If you want to talk, start with an apology. I'm being generous. You should be grateful I haven't wiped the mana of every Awoken in this entire building."
They traded looks of pure distaste. But the answer was already decided. While I waited for their apology I moved carefully, staying alert for any additional ambush, and settled into the seat beside Hong Eunyoung. I dragged the shoved-back sofa over, crossed my legs, and sat. Leaning fully into the backrest, I stuck a cigarette between my lips.
The whole building was probably non-smoking. So what? I already held the initiative.
My casual behavior left them speechless. I deliberately blew smoke toward where they stood.
In reality my heart was hammering. If the fighting started again it would be a complete disaster. But coming on this strong would make them believe I held an absolute winning hand. I'd already shown them enough of my skill. They had no way of knowing my ability ended the moment the energy ran dry.
"I… I'll apologize on behalf of everyone. We only wanted to speak with you about the Min Hyeokju matter. Even a guy like that is still one of ours, after all."
The man holding the spear bowed first. The other two, except for Lee Daeman, followed suit.
"See? What did I tell you from the start? A piece of trash like Min Hyeokju never belonged in our guild…"
"Lee Daeman. You apologize too. You threw the first punch."
"Tch… Fine. Mister. Sorry about that! You saved my life, right? Let's call it even."
"Pfft… All right. I'm not the type who cares much about formalities anyway… Have a seat for now."
Everyone took a place. Hong Eunyoung stayed silent and stuck close to my side; the ones who had jumped me at the café stood waiting in the back.
Now for the real business.
"I'll accept the apology, but you'll still have to compensate me for wasting the precious time of a busy man. A major corporation like Diamond Guild using an ordinary employee as bait? Is that acceptable? People who receive enormous government benefits pulling a stunt that borders on crime…"
"It's not a difficult matter. We'll compensate you fully for that."
"As you heard earlier, that bastard Min Hyeokju ran off with my ex. I figure that much revenge is fair. He attacked me first—I didn't go looking for him to beat him up."
"We understand."
"You probably wanted to find out how he lost his mana. Now you know, so I can leave, right? I'll send a separate bill for the compensation. Including mental damages—make it generous."
"…Before you go… the mana… you'll have to restore it…"
"Excuse me? I don't see any obligation to do that. I only defended myself against the first attack. If a thief climbs my wall and gets hurt, am I supposed to treat his wounds too?"
"…Can you actually restore the mana for certain?"
Look at those eyes. Did they not realize who was begging here?
I turned my head toward the man standing behind me—a silent order to spill what he'd seen in the elevator.
"I-I saw it clearly. He restored the mana…"
"Is that so? Hmm… Fine. Tell us what you want."
Smart people make conversations move so quickly. I cleared my throat for show and tossed it out casually.
"Well… how about this. Just taking money feels a bit crude, so why don't you sponsor me instead? Come to the Academy and officially sponsor me. In return I'll restore one person's mana per day. The rate will be ten billion won per person. I can only restore one a day, so that shouldn't be too hard, right?"
A deep crease formed between the brows of the man I'd been speaking with. The others seated beside him ground their teeth.
"And Min Hyeokju is off-limits."
"…Understood. We'll come to the Academy and have Diamond Guild formally sponsor Kang Junghyeok. We'll pay the amount you requested. But if the mana doesn't return to normal…"
"Don't worry about that. You think I'd try to scam a major corporation?"
"Then we'll visit the Academy on Monday."
Oh, thank you so much. I almost let an ugly grin slip out. Beside me I heard Hong Eunyoung's throat work as she swallowed hard.
Jackpot. Absolute jackpot. Tens of billions rolling in this easily? Looks like my company is going to get off the ground faster than I thought.
Money secured—next came gathering talent. And of all places, I just happened to be living at the Academy. I couldn't hold back the smile that kept trying to break free.
"Then may I leave?"
"Before that… there's something I'm curious about regarding you."
"Go ahead."
"How did you acquire an ability like that?"
As if I'd tell them. I never expected to hear that question more than a month after gaining the power. My rookies were pure enough that they never asked.
"I don't know either. Just like the rest of you Awoke one day, so did I."
Even if there were a special method, you think I'd hand it over to you?
The one who asked clearly hadn't expected an honest answer anyway. Better to keep things friendly. Making an enemy of a major corporation would gain me nothing—especially when they were about to become my sponsor.
I checked the positions of the security cameras around us. They would definitely rewind today's events frame by frame and study me. They might even come after me for real revenge once they fully understood me. But that would only happen after they got their mana back, and I had bought myself plenty of time. In that window I planned to push my own mana one full tier higher.
"We'll be going, then."
Hong Eunyoung and I walked out at a leisurely pace. The tension didn't leave me until we were completely clear of the building.
"You're… incredible."
"In the end Hong Eunyoung was no help at all. I'm taking the mana back."
"What? No, please… I'll do anything you say."
"Don't change your mind later."
"Yes…"
I sat in the passenger seat of the car Hong Eunyoung was driving and quietly closed my eyes. Meeting the kids would have to wait until tomorrow.
"Where shall I take you?"
"Want to go to a hotel, just the two of us?"
"……"
"You don't want to?"
"No… I do…"
Eyes still closed, I let a faint smile curve my lips. I didn't need to turn my head to picture the reluctant look on Hong Eunyoung's face. All I'd meant was that we'd made a killing so we should go eat something delicious, and she was already jumping to conclusions.
We arrived at a high-end hotel and ate the most expensive meal of my life. Maybe it was the good mood, but everything tasted fantastic. Knowing it was someone else's money made it taste even better.
And for dessert I had something even more delicious. Which is how we ended up staying the night at the hotel.
"Who the hell is that woman?!"
"My secretary. Say hello."
"Oh, hi? Have you girls never seen me? I'm an Academy instructor… I've taught Donggeul a lot."
"Why is an Academy instructor working as a secretary?"
"Things just worked out that way."
Sunday, one in the afternoon. I had called Kim Isol, Lee Donggeul, and Baek Hwayeon out for lunch. It felt awkward to tell Hong Eunyoung to eat separately, so I brought her along. Or rather, since she was driving, she was the one who brought me?
Either way, four women and me—the only man.
"I called you here because there's something I need to tell you. Donggeul already knows, of course."
"What is it? Why does only she know? And why didn't you call Jang Yong?"
Good question. I simply forgot to contact the guy. But it didn't matter. He was male, so I couldn't raise his mana anyway, and I had no intention of scouting him for my company. His big sister would take care of him.
"I met with Donggeul on Friday. Ah, the conversation keeps drifting, so let me speak first and save the questions for later. Ahem… I've quit the company. That means the last dungeon expedition we went on together—the Daejeon run—was our final one."
"What?!"
"Is that true?"
Lee Donggeul kept eating quietly. The two hearing the news for the first time reacted differently. Kim Isol slammed her spoon down on the table with a sharp clack, and even the usually soft-spoken Baek Hwayeon raised her voice in shock.
"What are you talking about all of a sudden?! That can't be! You even turned down the promotion to D-Rank just to stay with the team!"
"That's right. If Team Leader isn't there, I…"
"Hey, calm down, everyone… I haven't finished speaking."
"How am I supposed to calm down in this situation?! You traitor."
What? What exactly had I betrayed?
I quickly added the rest.
"From now on I plan to start a company of my own. I'd like to scout all of you for it. What do you think?"