Chapter 54
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 54
Chapter Title: How to Use the Hooked Baek A-rin
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Contrary to Baek A-rin's worries, the words that came out of Kim Si-woo's mouth were unexpected.
"Baek A-rin's attack skill is Piercing Ice, and her family skill is Snow Mountain. Right?"
Baek A-rin flinched at those words.
The family skill that was also the clan's name, Snow Mountain, was famous enough, but for something like Piercing Ice, there were so many similar skills that it was hard to distinguish precisely.
'Why does Kim Si-woo know that exactly? What the hell is this guy's deal?'
Baek Ho-yun asked back in a puzzled tone.
"That's right. What does it have to do with my daughter's skills?"
"The humidity that day was 85%. It was a park with a lake, and the rain from the day before made the humidity abnormally high. Even if I lied about it, you'd know right away, so there's no reason to lie."
She could recall the day clearly, and yes, it had been humid, but Baek A-rin wondered what that had to do with anything.
"You know ice magic doesn't work well in humid places. Moisture can condense on the ice."
'What does that...'
"Even so, it's such a minor effect that you wouldn't need to know about it."
'It was true? But why does he know something like that? No, if it's Kim Si-woo, it wouldn't be weird even if he did. He spotted Panpagia's weakness just by looking at it.'
Without changing his expression at Baek Ho-yun's words, Kim Si-woo continued.
"The average casting time for Piercing Ice is at least 4 seconds, even in optimal conditions."
Kim Si-woo glanced at Baek A-rin before continuing.
"Even for someone as exceptional as her, factoring in the humidity, 3 seconds would be the max. You've seen the CCTV footage of the scene, so you know. It was a distance she absolutely couldn't cover in 3 seconds."
Baek A-rin swallowed hard.
It was a skill she used as naturally as her own body, so she'd never even thought about that aspect.
Baek A-rin's eyes wavered.
'If what he's saying is true...'
Baek Ho-yun asked Kim Si-woo.
"But what if she had used Snow Mountain? Wouldn't that change things?"
The family skill Snow Mountain. It required vast mana, but the casting speed was practically nonexistent, and as an instant attack, it might have saved her.
"It was an AoE attack, so your daughter might have gotten hurt too. But she could have saved her."
"I see."
However, Baek A-rin knew.
'But that's impossible...'
Kim Si-woo fell silent for a moment before opening his mouth again.
"...If she had enough mana, that is."
"What do you mean by that?"
"I saw her fingertips trembling a little. It's a common symptom of mana depletion. She must have trained that morning or something."
"Is that true?"
"Yes..."
At Baek Ho-yun's question, Baek A-rin answered in a trembling voice.
Baek Ho-yun's expression bore a faint smile.
And the tremor in Baek A-rin's voice was from the terror that her little sister really would have died if not for Kim Si-woo. It was a complex mix of emotions—certainty that Kim Si-woo was a joker card, and joy that she'd landed a blow on her father by bringing him here.
I couldn't help but feel tense.
I'd acted bold in front of the Snow Mountain Clan's chairman. It was bravado born from confidence that I could persuade him.
'Can't help the trembling, though.'
I could feel that neither Inferno's Chairman Kang Young-ho, whom I'd met before, nor Baek Ho-yun sitting in front of me now were people who reached those positions lightly.
'Especially when he's silent like this—the intimidation is no joke.'
At least Chairman Kang Young-ho had mixed in some jokes, which I was grateful for.
Just then, Baek Ho-yun broke the long silence that had felt endless by nodding.
"I acknowledge it."
I let out a sigh of relief inwardly without realizing it.
'He bought it.'
"You managed to think of all that information in such a short time. Sharp eyes you've got."
"Thank you."
Of course, I hadn't come up with those minute details on the spot. I just knew the fact that Baek A-rin couldn't save her sister.
It was only natural that even sharp-eyed Chairman Baek Ho-yun couldn't figure it out.
Ever since reading the novel, I'd been bothered by why Baek A-rin—an elite Hunter Academy grad like Kang Hwa-yeon—couldn't save her sister from that distance, even though she was right there.
Her sister wasn't a threat to her successor position, and in the novel, she loved her enough to lose her mind after losing her.
She must have done her absolute best to save her.
Even in my past life, I'd questioned that incident and theorized various possibilities alone.
'I never fully solved it, though.'
Coming to this world gave me the hints to piece it together.
'Well, the alternative is that Baek A-rin deliberately tried to let her sister die. Which is ridiculous.'
But Baek Ho-yun's expression nagged at me. Cold and expressionless.
I just couldn't read his thoughts at all.
That's when Baek Ho-yun stared into my eyes.
"I see. So you're the lifesaver who rescued our Baek family's youngest daughter, Baek A-rin. It's justified for you to say the reward I offered was insufficient."
Finally.
Now we're getting somewhere.
Baek Ho-yun pulled a check-like piece of paper from his jacket's inner pocket and handed it over, saying,
"Write down whatever amount you want."
Is this the famous blank check?
I've seen it a few times in chaebol dramas.
"Ah, but no more than 5 million. I don't have that much personal liquid funds available right now."
"5 million won? More stingy than I expected..."
The amount was so miserly for a major clan chairman that my thoughts slipped out aloud, making the startled Baek A-rin jab my side and say,
"Dollars! 6,617,300,000 won."
It was an absurdly huge sum—her quick calculation left me stunned. A number in units I'd never heard in my life.
'This is what chaebol money looks like?'
Honestly, I wanted to take it.
But what I wanted wasn't this kind of reward.
"I'll decline the money."
At my words, Baek A-rin stared at me with wide eyes.
"You're turning this down? Are you crazy?! It's 6 billion! Money I'd never touch in my lifetime because of that stingy dad of mine!"
"..."
Baek A-rin’s words made Baek Ho-yun cough awkwardly, looking a bit flustered.
'So Baek A-rin is the type who relaxes and lets loose when she gets home.'
Chairman Baek Ho-yun looked at me and asked,
"Turning it down, huh. I thought you came expecting money, but this is unexpected. Do you want something else?"
Yes.
A request only Baek Ho-yun could grant.
"I know the Snow Mountain Clan runs a medical foundation with research labs under it. And that their level is among the world's best."
"Just as you said."
"My request is simple. My little sister is a mana incompatibility sufferer. Do you have any leads on a treatment?"
Baek A-rin looked a bit surprised at my words.
Something 6 billion couldn't buy, no matter what.
[Hidden Tutorial: Cure Kim Ma-ri's mana incompatibility state.]
6 billion wasn't a small sum, but researching an incurable disease from scratch?
'No way that's possible.'
I had no facilities, no personnel, no infrastructure, no know-how—nothing.
On top of that, there was a time limit before 'Empress Descent'.
In comparison, Snow Mountain already had everything. Plus, they had a research lab working on mana incompatibility.
There was only one option from the start.
'Persuade Baek Ho-yun.'
At my words, Baek Ho-yun said with a puzzled look,
"Just as you said. Of course, among them is a lab pursuing research on mana incompatibility as part of social contribution activities. Though the results have been minimal."
...Minimal.
"What do you think the reason is? Because samples for mana incompatibility research are extremely rare?"
As if.
"Because society's view of mana incompatibility sufferers isn't kind?"
In a world where skills are everything—skills are religion, three skills make you normal, two make you inferior, one makes you subhuman. There's no way views on mana incompatibility sufferers, whose bodies reject skills entirely, would be positive.
Chairman Baek Ho-yun nodded slightly and said,
"Exactly. More precisely, there's no reason to do it. Companies can't invest in unprofitable activities. We can't pour our clan's massive funds into a tiny group of patients. Even if I pushed it, the old board members would block me with 'Mana incompatibility... what profit does that bring?'"
"In other words..."
"No justification."
Baek Ho-yun was right.
Research requires enormous funds.
For something like mana incompatibility that has to start from the ground up, 6 billion would be pocket change.
Plus, considering how society views mana incompatibility sufferers as practically social misfits, there'd be no financial gain, not even social benefits. No way to push it through.
Something like [Even for the lifesaver of your beloved daughter, it's impossible?] would only probe Baek Ho-yun and fail to persuade him—he perfectly separates 'Snow Mountain's' Baek Ho-yun from the 'human' Baek Ho-yun.
'It'd just earn resentment.'
So there was only one thing I could say.
"What if I provide that justification?"
At my question, Baek Ho-yun's gaze shifted slightly.
"You, you say?"