Chapter 31
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 31
Chapter Title: Taking Over the Organization (3)
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-It seems like the best healing I've ever seen.
Once I finished treating all the organization members, Lee Seojun, who had been watching, spoke up.
From what he said, it appeared no one—even across all the worlds he'd experienced up to now—had healing abilities on my level.
"Now that the healing's done, let's talk about what comes next."
I pulled over a nearby computer desk, sat down, and addressed the organization members.
The members, marveling at their fully restored bodies, twisted and turned this way and that while listening intently to my words.
"First off, we're shutting down the internet gambling operation. Post a notice right away and refund the remaining money to everyone."
The fat man, of course, immediately objected.
"Hold on! Then what are we supposed to eat and live on?"
"I'll take care of that. I guarantee we'll make way more than we ever did with internet gambling, so don't worry."
"......Well, with healing like that, you could rake in cash hand over fist."
"Let me say this upfront: I have no intention of making money off my healing abilities."
The fat man blinked in surprise, then pressed further.
"Then how the hell are we supposed to make money?"
"Do I have to spell that out for you too?"
Like it or not, now that the contract was in place, he was essentially my slave.
The only issue nagging at me was that it wasn't a contract I'd made—it was one with the Demon of Contracts.
"For now, let's issue some orders. Stop recruiting new contractees."
"Kuh."
As soon as I gave the command, the fat man and the guy next to him clutched their heads in agony.
-It must be clashing with the orders from the Demon of Contracts.
I nodded and quietly observed the two of them.
Soon enough, it looked like something had resolved in their minds, as they began muttering blankly with dazed eyes.
"Contractees...... increase."
"We have to...... increase contractees."
It seemed the Demon of Contracts' orders took priority.
This confirmed that trying to override it with my contract power was pointless—though I'd half-expected as much.
'The demon must outrank me.'
To put it simply, the Demon of Contracts held a higher status than I did, so its contract overrode mine.
"No choice but to move on to experiment number two."
I said it loud enough for everyone to hear, then approached the two as they started to stir and snapped their necks.
Crack!—
Both collapsed to the floor with their heads twisted halfway around, and the organization members stared at the scene in shock.
"......"
"......"
In the midst of another astonishing silence, Kim Young-ho cautiously spoke up.
"Um, excuse me. Did you really just kill them?"
"Quiet."
I shushed Kim Young-ho and kept watching the bodies.
Sure enough, something invisible to the others—a faint presence—slipped out and vanished.
'Probably the demon's contract.'
Fortunately, Lee Seojun had been right: death severs the contract.
And with the contract gone, I'd essentially achieved my goal.
'Complete Revival.'
This was another power I'd gained from the Healer's abilities in the 8th world.
Anyway, goal accomplished. I revived the dead men, their snapped necks realigning as they regained consciousness.
"Ugh, urk."
"Ugh......"
The sight of the two men—who had just died right in front of them—coming back to life left every organization member staring at me in horror.
"No way......"
"Did he just bring back the dead?"
"Why the hell would someone like that come here?"
"He could make a fortune just stepping into Gates."
The revived duo seemed to grasp the situation, gazing at me with utter disbelief.
Ignoring them, I tested whether the demon's contract was truly gone by issuing the order again.
"That's an order. Stop recruiting new contractees."
"Contractees? Oh, got it."
"S-sure thing."
They both complied without resistance. The demon's contract was definitely gone.
'So, find the contractees, kill them, and revive them. That should do it.'
Lee Seojun must have been thinking the same, as he chimed in.
-Looks like we can reduce the demon's influence this way from now on.
I nodded and turned to the organization members—who now seemed far more deferential—along with Kim Young-ho.
'Oh, right. I did promise to do something for him.'
Spotting Kim Young-ho, who'd shrewdly switched sides, I decided to reward his quick thinking and called him over.
"Kim Young-ho."
"Yes! You called for me?"
"You seem pretty perceptive, so I'd like to keep you by my side and make use of you."
When I openly said I'd keep him close, Kim Young-ho's face lit up with gratitude.
"Ah, it's an honor!"
"Honor, my ass. Get over here."
As he approached, I settled on using an ability from the 14th world.
'Job Assignment: [Warrior].'
The 14th world had been a labyrinth where you earned jobs by meeting certain conditions.
There, I'd gained the power to assign jobs to others, so I bestowed [Warrior] on Kim Young-ho.
"Choose [Stamina Boost] as your ability."
"Y-yes, sir."
For reference, jobs allowed selection of three abilities.
I watched him pick Stamina Boost, then discreetly handed him an experience potion.
"Drink this. Then select [Dash] and [Stance]."
"Yes, understood."
Quick on the uptake that this benefited him, Kim Young-ho answered promptly and downed the potion without hesitation.
-Lee Seongmin, what are you doing?
"You'll see."
I replied to Lee Seojun without caring who overheard.
Moments later, Kim Young-ho felt power surging through him and kept glancing down at his body in awe.
"Wait, does this mean I've become a hero?"
A hero?
"You're probably an E-rank hero now."
I roughly pegged him at E-rank based on the hero stat grades and values Lee Seojun had told me about.
"......!?"
"H-hero?!"
The word "hero" hit the organization members like a bomb, their faces mirroring the shock from the earlier resurrections.
They must have realized creating a hero was no small feat, because one of them immediately jumped forward.
"Does that mean we can become heroes too?"
"The best you'd get is E-rank...... but yeah, it's possible."
Truth be told, higher ranks were feasible too.
You could assign up to five jobs, each with its own rarity tiers.
'Common, Rare, Unique, One-of-a-Kind, that sort of thing.'
Obviously, the [Warrior] I'd given Kim Young-ho was Common rank.
I figured stacking five One-of-a-Kind jobs could push someone to S-rank.
'Their motivation's through the roof now.'
Convinced they could become heroes too, they eyed me with eager anticipation.
'Should I live up to the hype?'
I tapped into the spatial manipulation power I'd used many times before, opening a pocket dimension to retrieve some rings—one for each member.
After a quick bit of work on them, I distributed one to each member.
"Your job is to sell these rings for top dollar."
"......These rings?"
"They generate a protective barrier that blocks three attacks per day. They recharge one charge every eight hours, so explain that clearly."
With the explanation done, I laid out the rewards.
"Sell them for whatever you can get, but you'll hand over 10% of the earnings. The one who sells for the highest price gets turned into a hero like before."
At the incentive, the members looked ready to bolt out the door right then.
But Kim Young-ho fiddled with his ring, then asked a few questions.
"Can regular people use these?"
"I said they recharge every eight hours. Yeah, civilians can use them."
"Don't they usually draw on a hero's mana to recharge?"
"Do they?"
Apparently, artifacts here worked that way.
"These work for anyone."
"Ah, that's incredible. How strong is the barrier?"
"Put it on."
To demonstrate simply, I told him to wear it and pulled out the pistol I'd set aside while treating the members earlier. I fired.
Bang!—
The barrier appeared, stopping the bullet cold.
It cracked but fulfilled its role before vanishing—more than enough to handle a handgun round.
"That answer your question?"
"Yes, plenty. Last thing: what if I come out on top?"
Kim Young-ho asked confidently about winning.
"You'd get another job. That'd bump you to D-rank."
"D-does that mean ranks keep climbing?"
"If you're so curious, just hustle on the tasks I gave you."
I cut off further questions and turned to the fat man I'd just revived.
"More importantly, what's your name?"
"......Woo Won-seop."
The fat man...... Woo Won-seop answered with a slightly deflated look, probably overwhelmed by my displays of power.
Considering I'd shown them more than one or two insane abilities, I got it. I cut straight to the point.
"Make an identity for me. Set up bank accounts too—ones where I can safely deposit and withdraw money."
Woo Won-seop shot me a "why me?" glance but nodded in the end.
"Got it."
The contract's power at work.
Clause one demanded absolute obedience to my words, after all.
"By the way, are you S-rank?"
"Higher."
Lee Seojun had said he was S-rank, and I figured that was the top—but I claimed even higher without batting an eye.
Woo Won-seop stared at me like he had a lot to say, but soon gave up with a sigh and asked for my name.
"Fine, whatever. At least tell me your name."
"My name?"
"You want an identity made. Gotta have a name for that."
A name, huh...
I was already using Lee Seongmin at the Hero Officer Academy, so I needed something else.
Nothing came to mind right away, so after a moment's thought, I spotted Lee Seojun floating nearby.
"Lee Seojun."
-Yes?
"Lee Seojun, huh? Alright, I'll have it ready in a few days."
Startled by his own name being used, Lee Seojun protested vehemently.
-Lee Seongmin! What the hell? Why drag my name into this!
'Hm.'
I'd figured since this face was based on his, he'd like it—but apparently not.