Chapter 129
Chapter 129
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 129
Chapter Title: The Hundred Trillion Demand
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“What the hell is this? Elder? I told you we don’t take in peddlers.”
“He’s not a peddler, so I let him in.”
“He looks like a peddler no matter how you slice it.”
The moment Yoo Seongwon stepped into the central control room of Iron Fortress, the first thing he spotted was a group of middle-aged men bowing their heads low, practically groveling on the floor.
After asking Baek Gayeon about them, Yoo Seongwon quickly lost interest, slumping into a chair like he owned the place and casually firing up a mobile game on his phone.
“Y-Yoo Seongwon Hunter, sir—the team that went north to subjugate the Slaughter King’s forces is in dire straits right now. The Archdemon Beasts suddenly started using some bizarre power, cutting off their retreat and putting them in an enormous crisis…”
“Bizarre power? Elder, didn’t I specifically warn you about their ‘Ascension’ trump card? Didn’t you guys hear me?”
“……”
Yoo Seongwon scowled at the realization that even the precautions he’d bothered to share hadn’t been passed on.
There was a limit to how ridiculous things could get.
This was just too much, plain and simple.
They’d already botched the total mobilization, and now, not even a month later, they had the gall to come begging like nothing had happened.
“Fine, whatever. Even if you knew about it… you could still get caught off guard. Tch, you only knew they had a trump card, not the details. Yeah. So things went to hell, and now you’re here begging me to bail you out?”
“Y-Yes, that’s right. No one but you, Yoo Seongwon Hunter, can turn this situation around.”
“Only I can fix it? Sounds like I can charge a premium, then. How much did you bring?”
“What would you like? Ah, but even so, if you use this national crisis as an excuse to demand an outrageous sum…”
“100 trillion. The fate of the nation’s on the line—gotta be worth at least that.”
The association and government officials gaped, jaws dropping at Yoo Seongwon’s insane demand.
Of course, Team Leader Jo Pilseong had said to invest 10 trillion or even 100 trillion to get him, but that was just to emphasize the urgency. The government still had budgets to consider; they couldn’t just cave to every whim.
“N-No, even so, that’s way too…”
“Hey, if upfront payment’s a hassle, installments are fine. But then I want 30 percent down. All in magestones.”
“30 trillion? In magestones?”
“You guys screwed me on the cash transfer last time, so I don’t trust bank accounts anymore. You know I still haven’t gotten that full 1 trillion from before, right? If not, whatever~ Guess I’ll prep for the apocalypse.”
“P-Please wait just a moment.”
With that, the government and association reps started making frantic calls, relaying Yoo Seongwon’s terms and debating whether to approve or not.
In the meantime, Baek Gayeon sidled over, clearly displeased with Yoo Seongwon’s brazen money grab amid a national crisis, and threw in a word.
“Even so, isn’t 100 trillion a bit much? You know our national budget, right?”
“They need to take a hit like that to make sure they never screw up again and actually get serious. People are lazy creatures—they only move when it hurts their wallet. Save ’em for free, and they’ll just assume you’ll do it next time too. But slap ’em with 100 trillion? They won’t dare ask lightly again.”
“…I don’t know. I really don’t. Is this the right call? If we lose all those hunters, guilds, and troops up there, it’ll be a massive long-term blow to Korea. Population aside, awakeners aren’t easy to replace.”
“Who cares? They’re the ones who fucked it up like it was a gamble, and now they’re whining to me? That’s what baffles me more. And wasn’t this a three-nation joint op? Why not beg the big shots up top? Plus, didn’t you say they had an SS-rank too?”
From what he’d heard, they were coordinating with the Dragon-Phoenix King’s side and the Russian Federation for a three-pronged assault.
If they were working together, shouldn’t allies step in when shit hit the fan?
Yoo Seongwon couldn’t wrap his head around how things had gone so sideways that they were groveling to him like this.
“Haah~ Seeing’s believing, huh. Take a look.”
『Uwaaaaaah!』
Baek Gayeon fiddled with the remote, switching the screen—and there was the raw horror of war unfolding.
The Slaughter King’s demon-type monsters and Scavengers were cutting down soldiers like leaves in the wind, turning them into fodder. Hunters fought desperately, but it was futile.
The feed shifted to Go Cheonsu, newly promoted to SS-rank. He stood out from the rest, but being the sole powerhouse made him a magnet—every Archdemon Beast was gunning for him.
『Puruk! Guess I’ll settle for grabbing that one.』
『Ummeeeh! He’s mine!』
『Kugh! Damn it!』
“He’s under focused fire. Tough enough one-on-one, but two of them? Nightmare. What’re those two S-ranks doing… Oh, handling Scavengers, huh?”
In their hopeless position, Blue Dragon Guild was fighting tooth and nail to do something, but rear-guard actions tanked combat power by default.
Fighting while covering the retreat was disadvantageous from the start, especially against superior forces—no chance of turning it around.
“Even I can see this is fucked… Nah, anyone would be.”
“Any plan gets called off when things go south. If it were us, we’d stake our lives to pivot the advance and lure in the Scavengers or monsters.”
“Or just charge straight in with a special forces strike. Worst case, we use Your Majesty’s sanctuary.”
Yoo Seongwon watched the footage with Yucheong and Jinseok, swapping ideas on how they’d handle the fight if thrown in right now.
Payment wasn’t locked in yet, but brainstorming hypotheticals wasn’t a bad way to pass the time.
“If we went in, what’s the play? We’ve got three skills and rewards left… Doesn’t feel like we’ll hit the jackpot with ’em? Jumping into that mess for support sounds like a clusterfuck…”
“With most Archdemon Beasts out there, they’ve basically abandoned the core dungeon.”
“…Core dungeon? Oh, right. Yeah. I think I heard that Ascension skill was originally for defending it. Wait. Hold up. Then…?”
South had Iverico, Duckduck, Przewalski, Wagyu—four. North had Tosa Dog and another, totaling six. Including the dead one, nine were out.
That left few guarding the core dungeon.
“Slaughter King could send more down, or apostles summon new ones, but that’s rare. Sending apostles costs constellations a fortune, and summoning needs sacrifices aplenty… The former, maybe, but Scavengers would rather empower themselves than bother with the latter.”
“So the core dungeon’s empty or lightly guarded?”
“Pretty much. That’s where all of them should be. Anyway, inside: a handful of Archdemon Beasts and Slaughter King’s avatar.”
“An avatar? Sounds nasty just hearing it.”
The ultimate boss beyond S-rank monsters—the constellation descending in person.
Crazy to fight that, but Yucheong shook his head.
“No, Your Majesty. We don’t actually go in. We fake heading there to raid it. To the enemy Archdemon Beasts—who killed two of their own like us—you’re the top human threat. Just approaching the core dungeon will freak them out.”
“Oh…….”
As core dungeon guardians and apostles, they’d prioritize alerting and rushing back if anyone neared.
“That pulls the attackers off the army and regular hunters—they’ll rush back. Leaves Scavengers and small fry for the rest.”
“But what if they don’t bite? If they trust their core guards and call our bluff?”
“Then we raid it. A chance to claim glory on easy mode? Perfect.”
Yucheong’s eyes sparkled, Jinseok nodding like it was obvious.
Yoo Seongwon stared in shock at the mad knights.
Even skipping named mobs for a boss rush was insane—facing a constellation’s avatar made his head spin.
“Why the long face? Clearing the core dungeon stops Slaughter King’s forces from spawning here forever. Best outcome possible.”
“No, no no no! Glory, honor, all good! But can we win? Realistically?”
“Challenging the strongest—what more do you need? Especially if it’s an evil we must slay.”
Nod.
Jinseok’s booming words earned a vigorous nod from Yucheong.
Yoo Seongwon still thought his knights’ minds were wired wrong, but faking a core run seemed solid.
Better than piling into a losing fight—create a new front for efficiency.
“Hmm, core’s off the table… But feint there, chop whatever moves. Thin the Archdemon Beasts first, then…”
“Yoo Seongwon Hunter! A-Approved! They’ll pay 100 trillion. But terms: 30 trillion upfront, then 10 trillion yearly for seven years…”
“…Wait, they’re actually paying? How bad is it out there?”
He’d thrown it out half as a fuck-you, but quick approval left him stunned.
Deal was 100 trillion, payment detailed—no backing out now.
“Fine. But 30 trillion upfront in magestones and dollars, confirmed. You know why after the bank bullshit.”
“Y-Yes! Got it. B-Bank and association are transporting now.”
They smiled outwardly, but association and government alike burned inside.
National fate on the line—they had no choice but swallow Yoo Seongwon’s absurd terms.
100 trillion was insane, but worth saving 100,000 soldiers and hunters dying out there. Factor in geopolitics, minimize sacrifices at all costs.
“Anyway, they’re paying… Gear up. Move out once cash clears. Somi noona, sorry—dungeon trip was quick, but heading right back out…”
“No worries. That ‘dungeon’… more like a resort, honestly. Right, Ayoung?”
“Yeah. Felt like good food, good rest, bit of exercise at the end. Total cakewalk.”
They tossed around weird slang without a care.
‘Arena Dungeon’ was exactly that—Yoo Seongwon carried, they vacationed.
No damage or fatigue—ready for immediate redeploy.
“Special circumstances this time… I’ll join the fight. Pissed off those geezers who dismissed me as some old fogey. Heard you’re heading straight for the core dungeon, though. Land route’s blocked—how?”
“Oh, right. The barrier. I’ll fly my Eldraen, but for the rest, borrow from these guys. I’ll escort.”
“Ah……! I see.”
Yoo Seongwon watched them phone around, ordering magestone and cash transport.
If they needed him to fix it, lending air force assets was fine.
Bonus: him on Gold Dragon handling any aerial threats—ideal.
Decision made, Yoo Seongwon approached the two women to request transports ASAP.