Chapter 51
Chapter 51
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 51
Chapter Title: Handling the Aftermath
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Flash! My eyes snapped open to the now-familiar ceiling. Its antique style was completely at odds with my taste, yet it somehow conveyed a reassuring stability. With a sigh, I released the tension from my body.
"Ah! You're awake!"
The woman who came pattering over at the sight of me was Min Chorong. I glanced her way, smirked, and propped myself up.
Everything felt fine. Unlike the dungeon black hole incident, my life hadn't been in immediate peril, but I'd still suffered plenty... They'd even cleared up all the muscle aches and aftereffects.
I rotated my arms, cracked my neck, and gave my stat-boosted, power-filled body a quick tune-up. Satisfied, I rose from the bed.
My little sister was neatly straightening the bed that had basically become my dedicated spot next to hers by now. Min Chorong pattered off to the hall and soon returned with a fresh set of clothes, as if she'd prepared them ahead of time.
"Put this on! I... I'll wait outside!"
She blushed like some dutiful homemaker and pattered away again. Watching her go, I let out a hollow chuckle.
No matter how I looked at it, she seemed more little sister than peer. Shaking my head, I changed into the clothes.
"What kind of outfit costs a few hundred for one set?"
It was brand new, tag still attached, so I ended up seeing the price whether I wanted to or not. An unimaginable sum in my pre-regression days.
"Tsk. With the money I've got now, though, what's a few hundred."
The Black Market had trillions of mine stashed away intact. Even if I couldn't spend it freely, it was still mine.
On top of that, as a major shareholder in Miracle Guild, I held stakes worth over a hundred billion.
It wasn't a stretch to call myself wealthy. My circumstances had utterly changed from the days when I'd quake over a single pricey outfit.
Fully dressed, I gave one last glance to my sister, still sleeping soundly, then stepped out of the room. Regrettably, with so much on my plate, I had no luxury for another full week's rest.
The moment I emerged from the room, I saw it: a haughty, icy cat and an adorable, spunky puppy locked in a stare-down, tails rigidly raised as they sized each other up.
"Hmm... and what are you? Kid, you the room manager here?"
"K-Kid? Then what's this auntie doing barging into a VIP room? Get out before security hauls you off!"
Looks like lasers were about to shoot from their eyes. My head was already killing me—why did this have to happen?
I quickly made some noise to draw their attention to me.
"Wow~~! It fits perfectly! You should dress like that all the time instead of those weird tracksuits."
Min Chorong nodded, pleased with her styling choice. Seo Mi-na, on the other hand, glared daggers, clearly displeased.
This was unfair—I hadn't done a thing wrong. Why the death stare?
Anyway, I didn't have time for friendly chit-chat with these two; I had urgent business.
I needed to hit the Black Market to check on the gold sale, snag a Unique-grade or higher item infused with demonic energy, head to the Association to ID the berserk instigator, and finally enter the Abyss to pick up the quest for the class I'd been planning.
Naturally, the Association came first. I had to know who'd pulled strings to kill me if I wanted to sleep soundly.
"Thanks. I've got pressing matters, so I'll head out first. You two chat amicably and go your separate ways."
With that, I slipped away from their glaring eyes and bolted from Miracle Hospital, straight into a taxi.
"Association headquarters, please."
'Gotta get myself a car.'
The taxi soon dropped me off at that irritating building, sight alone enough to grate.
"Tsk. I handed it off thinking I needed someone to handle it..."
Now that my head was clear and body refreshed, I regretted the request a bit. Park Seo-ha of Info Team 5 was that Association President bastard's niece, after all.
'No. When it comes to intel, no one beats the Association with its public authority.'
From nationwide CCTV to handpicked elites of elites—that was the info team. Elites, of course, meaning those awakened with relevant abilities.
They were the pros who, in jest, could unearth evidence vanished from the earth. They even recovered fully deleted footage using their powers.
Seo Mi-na could track the real culprit, sure—but it'd take longer than using the Association, and the evidence would be flimsier for certain.
With a sigh, I strode into the Association. The lobby staff recognized my face and, without questions, escorted me straight to Team Leader Park Seo-ha's office.
Knock knock knock.
"Come in."
Inside, Park Seo-ha lounged contentedly on the sofa, puffing away at a cigarette.
"Oh~ You're here. Thought it was the info team reporting in."
"How'd it go?"
"Heh heh heh. It was a jackpot. A total jackpot."
She laughed like that, eyed me smugly, then tossed a document from the side table my way.
"Pretty much everything you need to know is in there."
I caught the document and settled on the opposite sofa to read.
'Star Cloud Guild Scout Team Leader, Mun Kang-un.'
I didn't know the name or face, but I knew of the Star Cloud Guild's scout team leader. The bastard who'd sent a team member shoving a slave contract loaded with absurd poison clauses, demanding I sign.
Pre-regression me would've bitten hook, line, and sinker—it was that cunning and malicious.
But having been burned by such a slave contract once before regression, I spotted the trick faster than anyone. No need to hear more; I cussed out the scout on the spot and refused flat-out.
'And the fucker who sent company VP Kang Cheol-woo and Flame Demon Lee Ji-hyeong to assassinate me.'
The plan ultimately failed. He got booted from the guild on charges of privately exploiting top prospect Lee Ji-hyeong and attempting to assassinate the Seohwa Group heiress.
Unfortunately, lack of hard evidence kept him out of prison, but he had to pay the Star Cloud Guild massive compensation, plummeting him into ruin.
'Well, the Star Cloud Guild leader was renowned for integrity, unlike the Star Cloud Group.'
That's why the guild leader fought to the end to sever ties with the Star Cloud Group—only to get assassinated later. Naturally, the group then propped up their sole awakener chaebol third-gen heir as guild leader and fully devoured it.
'Gotta stop that this time.'
One of the trash who, alongside Seonun Group and Cheongsung Group, abetted my parents' murder. Not content with screwing them over directly, this was a chance to rip away one of their power bases, Star Cloud Guild—obviously, I had to block it.
Indebt that guild leader with his personality, and he'd be a steadfast ally.
The ones who'd killed my parents were monsters at the pinnacle of power in this country. To face them, I needed to climb to the same heights.
Money alone wouldn't cut it. I needed allies to back me, a foundation to build my power, and my own martial force to protect it all. All three had to align.
Thinking that, I turned the page—and my face hardened.
"Fucking... Cheongsung? Lee Ji-yong?"
My head throbbed. The one who'd aided Mun Kang-un was Cheongsung's holy Lee Ji-yong? That C-rank hunter who'd gotten one over on me and taken flak for a while?
This... was going to be a headache.
It was then, as I furrowed my brow—
Bang.
The door to Park Seo-ha's office flew open, a man striding in. Park Seo-ha, who'd been leisurely puffing her cigarette in satisfaction, jolted upright on the sofa.
"Uncle? What are you doing here?"
It was the Association President. My head already ached from the Cheongsung connection—why was this guy showing up in front of me now?
Here to rub salt in the wound? Look, without my help, you couldn't handle it alone, right? Something like that?
I shot him a resentful, skewed glare full of dissatisfaction, but he confidently brushed past me and took the prime single-seater sofa.
"What's this about? Looks like you've got business with me. Coming right as I arrive at the Association feels too perfectly timed."
The president smirked and waved it off at my words.
"No need to put me on edge like that. I'm here thinking it'll help you. Gotta rebuild that shattered trust first, no?"
I let out an incredulous chuckle, stared him down, then shook my head.
"So, what kind of help are you planning?"
Unfazed by my go-ahead-and-spit-it-out attitude, the president opened his mouth.
"Cheongsung giving you a headache?"
Poker face. Poker face.
I could only curse inwardly at the president hurling a fastball right out the gate.
Obvious statement. Cheongsung's involvement was a major problem for me.
If I'd shattered their near-perfect plan with my personal power, they'd realize I was hiding something—leading them to try eliminating me or at least ramping up surveillance massively.
That sly old fox wouldn't miss his grandson colluding with Mun Kang-un, nor that I'd already escaped the trap.
'Not precisely how, though.'
How exactly I'd overcome the incident. Anyway, right now, President Lee Seo-yong was likely agonizing over it.
Over how to handle me.
"If that's the case, what can you do to help?"
"Plenty. For instance, I could leak that it was the Association—not you—who quelled the dungeon berserk..."
I couldn't help but scoff at that.
"You don't actually think a half-baked ploy like that would block them, do you? If you're serious, I don't think I need you. Age making you senile? Or were you always dim?"
Park Seo-ha scowled and started to retort, but the president, still smiling, cut her off and continued.
"Naturally, I wouldn't say it without evidence or witnesses. The Association has a card or two even those monsters don't know about. And this is one."
A space called subspace opened, and a small stone appeared in the president's hand.
A pure white, holy lump of stone. He handed it to me with a smile.
Appraising it through Sun Eye, I understood why the president was so confident he could help me.