Chapter 51

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Translator: penny

Chapter: 51

Chapter Title: Get to Work

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Private room in a high-end Korean restaurant. Seoul's nightscape unfolded like a painting beyond the window, but the air inside hung heavy.

"Th-that convenience you mentioned over the phone..."

The government official sitting across from Seo Yi-hyun ventured cautiously. The exquisite spread of delicacies before him remained largely untouched. Tension flickered unmistakably in his eyes.

"Are there any conditions attached to the potion supply?"

Seo Yi-hyun smiled warmly and waved it off.

"Conditions? Perish the thought. We simply wish to contribute to the nation's stability."

He set down his teacup for a moment. Then, furrowing his brow slightly as if troubled, he continued in a tone that seemed to confide very real concerns.

"However... to be frank, there are aspects that worry me."

"Worries?"

"The quantity is ample. Our production capacity has already been proven. The issue is..."

Seo Yi-hyun met the man's gaze squarely. His smile remained, but his eyes were icy.

"Whether it can be supplied stably. That's the part I can't be ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠sure of."

"...What do you mean by that?"

"There's no guarantee a second White Tiger incident won't happen again."

The man's expression hardened instantly.

It was a stinging point. The government had been utterly powerless against White Tiger and ultimately failed to control them.

And ironically, the vacuum they left had been filled not by the government, but by the private enterprise Rabbitfoot Company.

"We are a company. No matter how much goodwill we act with, if the vulnerabilities in the existing system aren't fixed, the same crisis could repeat at any time."

His voice held steady.

"A powerful group might try to crush us again. I can't promise we'd withstand it then."

"Th-that's..."

"Our owner said this after the incident: You have to drain the rotten water before you can fill it with fresh."

A faint smile still played on Seo Yi-hyun's lips. The man swallowed dryly without realizing it.

"...What would you have us do?"

"We're not asking for anything major. Just a small convenience."

Seo Yi-hyun lifted his teacup again and added softly.

"Things might get a bit noisy soon. Just turn a blind eye for a while then."

There had never been a choice. He quietly raised his own teacup.

"...Sometimes, a necessary noise is needed."

With a bitter expression, but as if unable to refuse, he slowly nodded.

After the government official left, silence returned to the private room.

Seo Yi-hyun gazed out at the nightscape for a moment. Then the closed door opened, and a man entered.

Solid build, sharp eyes. It was Kwon Tae-ho, former ACD team leader.

"Sorry to keep you waiting."

"No need. Did you wrap things up well?"

In lieu of an answer, Kwon Tae-ho placed the heavy black bag he carried onto the table. A dull thud echoed through the room.

"Secured during the White Tiger HQ takedown. Encrypted files and original double ledgers. Their lifelines, essentially."

The bag contained the full dirt on politicians and officials colluding with White Tiger. The moment this hit the public, Korea's political landscape would shake to its roots.

"Will this cut off their air supply completely?"

"Cut off their air? Hardly."

Seo Yi-hyun's lip curled coldly.

"We need to strip them to the bone and devour every scrap. Opportunities like this don't come easy."

Kwon Tae-ho clucked his tongue in admiration, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠grinning with satisfaction.

"Sometimes watching you work scares me, Director. You're so ruthless."

"You're too kind. I'm just doing my part."

Seo Yi-hyun gathered the bag and stood.

"You've prepared the weapons. I'll pull the trigger."

"Make it explode spectacularly. Clear out all that pent-up frustration."

I brought a new computer into the workshop. It cost a pretty penny. Top-of-the-line everything, from monitor to tower.

And all I used it for was firing up a familiar 2D pixel game.

"Quin-nim. Honestly, it's a waste on that computer."

"Shh."

Shut up. It's my money, my purchase.

I brushed off Chun-sik's comment and checked the guild member list.

[Roughly Cool Nick - Proving Grounds 13ch]

The familiar nickname glowed bright green.

I opened guild chat and hammered the keys.

We moved to the arena right away. Familiar coliseum map. Countdown began.

[3, 2, 1… START!]

At the start, I charged in, unleashing a barrage of flashy skills to seize the initiative.

Dazzling keyboard work. Left hand danced over skill hotkeys, right hand flicked direction keys for optimal positioning.

But.

"Wha... what?"

Yuna's character flowed like water, dodging every attack with minimal movement. She slipped into the split-second gap during my skill cooldown.

Thwack!

"Nooo!"

My character launched into the air. Done for. A merciless aerial combo followed.

"What the fu—!"

Effects exploded across the screen, my character's HP bar plummeting to zero in seconds.

No chance to counter. Utterly toyed with.

K.O.

My character slammed into the ground in defeat.

"Whoa. You're trash."

"Argh!"

Something's wrong here.

I slammed the desk. But the tiny fist made only a weak sound, utterly unthreatening.

"......"

I clicked the innocent mouse and changed the subject.

I hit the quit button right after sending that.

"...Gotta fix you up quick."

Her body was itching for action, plain to see, using games to vent. Keep that up and her temper'll worsen.

I pulled up the Alchemy Gallery immediately.

Actually, I knew how to fix damaged mana circuits.

Advanced Recovery Potion.

I dug through the gallery info posts to confirm the recipe again.

[Research/Info] ★ Advanced Recovery Potion Recipes Collection [68]

High difficulty to craft, but with my current skill, manageable somehow.

The problem was ingredients.

'Divine Beast's Tear.'

Top-tier mana stabilizer. Looked impossible to obtain. Last time I checked, no listings at all.

"Where the hell do I get this..."

As I pondered, Chun-sik, fiddling with the tablet beside me, suddenly shoved the screen in my face.

"Quin-nim. Message from the Mage Tower Lord. Says thanks?"

"Huh?"

Rabbitfoot Company CEO's office.

Seo Yi-hyun looked down at the bustling city through the floor-to-ceiling windows.

On his desk sat the USB from Kwon Tae-ho and neatly organized document files.

[Park Jong-cheol. Four-term heavyweight ruling party lawmaker. White Tiger Guild illegal funds receipt and lobbying details]

All preparations complete. Time to button the first one.

Seo Yi-hyun picked up the phone and dialed a pre-arranged number. The recipient was the editor-in-chief of Korea's top news outlet.

"Editor-in-Chief. Seo Yi-hyun speaking."

He continued in a relaxed tone. His gaze fixed on Park Jong-cheol's name on the desk.

"Have you reserved the morning edition front page for tomorrow?"

A curt reply came from the other end.

"Yes, make it a sensational headline."

A satisfied smile spread across his lips.

"Something like 'Fallen Hero and Politician's Ugly Connections.' How's that sound?"