Chapter 162: Coin Evaluation System
Chapter 162: Coin Evaluation System
[Kim Shin Finalizes Arsenal Acquisition for $3.1 Billion]
[Arsenal Finally Gets a Super Rich Owner]
Arsenal had been officially acquired.
Surprisingly, Oh Myeong-woo and Eddie were thrilled about it.
"It's a shame it's not Barcelona, but still, it's great."
"Yeah. Real Madrid is the true root, though."
"You two like soccer?"
It was news to me that Oh Myeong-woo was into soccer.
I'd never seen him play during our college days.
"We enjoy soccer every season."
"Huh?"
"You know how much money we've blown on team building every time a FIFA game comes out?"
"Right. I think we charged like $30,000 on cards."
"......"
They said that whenever a new game dropped, they'd play as rival teams they rooted for.
They had no choice but to make in-game purchases since pulling good player cards was key to better performance.
Thanks to that, they claimed to know most players' skills, potential, and specialties inside out.
―Vice Chairman Seon Jae-yong: We used to maintain a sponsorship with Chelsea in the past. I've instructed our team to build good relations with Arsenal.
―Kim Shin: Yes. Thank you.
Isung Group had reached out about wanting to sign a uniform sponsorship deal with Arsenal.
―Kim Sang-gi: Korean companies want to sponsor Arsenal.
―Kim Shin: Sponsorships out of nowhere?
―Kim Sang-gi: Thanks to your acquisition. Arsenal's got great promotional value.
Korean companies had sent sponsorship proposals through Kim Sang-gi, who ran an esports team.
Even U.S. companies we had business ties with were inquiring about marketing opportunities.
'Running a soccer club might actually be fun.'
I owned the Mets, but I hardly had time to watch baseball with games every day.
Soccer matches were usually every three or four days, and they weren't that long.
"Hello, Owner."
"Yes. Nice to meet you."
Arsenal's staff joined the video conference system run by Earth Resource.
The participants included first-team manager Mikel Arteta, sporting director Josh Kroenke, technical director Edu Gaspar, the second-team manager and coaches, and even captain Martin Ødegaard.
"I'm quite busy, so I hope you'll understand me handling the acquisition greeting via video conference."
"Not at all, Owner. It's an honor to meet you. Earth Channel is hugely popular in the UK. We know how much love it shows for sports, athletics, and soccer."
"......"
I wasn't a soccer fan.
I'd only joined early morning soccer games a few times, dragged along by hospital directors.
To be honest, I'd disappoint people who'd devoted their lives to the sport.
"I enjoyed soccer a lot during my working days in Korea too. It's an honor and incredibly exciting to acquire Arsenal."
After a brief greeting, I got straight to the point.
"First off, you're probably wondering about investments in Arsenal. In short, we'll invest more than other Premier League rivals so the manager can sign the players he wants."
I promised to bring in top key players and provide the best training environment.
Right after acquiring Arsenal, so many companies wanted sponsorships that funding wouldn't be an issue.
'This really feels like running a soccer club management sim.'
For true soccer lovers, playing for a prestigious European club was the dream.
In a world where money talked, the rich could enjoy running teams to their heart's content.
* * *
Earth Resource had seen results from the work they'd been doing the past few months.
"Sir, the coin evaluation system is complete."
A report from Leonard in the coin division.
Earth Resource handled $80 billion in daily coin trades.
Commission revenue alone exceeded $83 million a day—the ultimate cash cow.
Annualized, that came to $30 billion in profits from the exchange.
"It took a while for the evaluation."
"Yes. It was a massive undertaking."
They'd started evaluating cryptocurrencies and hired finance staff.
Even so, it wasn't easy.
The total market cap of all virtual currencies was $2.5749 trillion.
An astronomical figure in itself, but there were tons of coins with tiny market caps.
They had to evaluate issuing companies simultaneously while analyzing complex algorithms.
"Source Coin gets a C grade?"
"Yes. We deemed C appropriate."
Most coins were in the risky E or F grades, so a C for Source Coin wasn't bad.
D was pure speculation territory.
Source Coin shared C with Bitcoin and Ethereum, but it was still an investment caution grade.
Basically, only invest if you're prepared to lose it all.
'Cold hard truth, I guess.'
I nodded as I looked over the evaluation chart.
Source Coin had recently broken $40.
Its popularity stemmed from Earth Resource's success, but the coin didn't share in the company's profits or assets.
It was just issued, with users assigning its value.
Most E and F grade coins had no real plans and just circulated.
Supporting trades on the exchange alone sent some up 1,000%.
F-grade Roona, for instance, was just linked to another crypto called Tay with no real value.
"This might make it hard to publish the evaluations as is."
Leonard hesitated.
Even I, who'd pushed for the system, felt unsure about the results.
"Is there something wrong with the system?"
"No. We consulted Wall Street finance firms and verified it multiple times."
The ratings might not boost exchange revenue.
Still, one thought crossed my mind.
'This could be the opportunity.'
The coin market was drawing in money from people chasing quick riches alongside genuine interest.
Most invested to make money, not for the future—lacking financial knowledge or swayed by hype.
"Source Coin's a sure thing. It'll go up no matter what."
"Really?"
"Yeah. You watch Earth Channel?"
"I do."
"The coin from the Earth Channel makers. Can't lose—just buy and it'll 5x easy."
Investors weren't judging for themselves or ready for losses.
They jumped in blindly, thinking it'd rise.
They included breadwinners from poor families and young people whose entire futures still lay ahead of them.
Before the bubble burst and prices crashed, now was the chance to extend a small hand.
The bare minimum responsibility of running an exchange. So I decided.
"Publish it as is."
* * *
John and Kwon Do-jin's fortunes had skyrocketed this year.
Roona was up 80x since the start of the year.
Trading volume had surged over 40x, making it a major coin.
"Our success won't stop here. Beyond centralized governments, a free financial network—with us at the center."
"Right, John. After the dollar era comes the Roona era."
Decentralized finance network led by Tay Coin.
Stablecoin Roona linked to Tay.
Global investors flocked in, and they tasted massive success.
"The market's insane. Completely nuts."
"Even crazier than 2017."
"We're kings of the world now."
Kwon Do-jin posted on his new Earth SNS account.
[All systems rational and open: Tay and Roona.
Leading fair, convenient future finance.]
―Yes!
―Roona forever.
Earth SNS had quickly gained users and a cool vibe.
Using it alone built trust with the masses.
'Even if it was made by Kim Shin.'
Kwon Do-jin saw Kim Shin as his rival.
He was the CEO of an enormously successful internet company.
If Tay and Roona dominated future currency, he'd catch up in wealth.
'Just a year or two ahead of me. If Earth Resource succeeded that big, why not Tayform Labs?'
Recalling Kim Shin's playbook, he used Earth SNS to make himself famous.
Occasionally, economists criticized Tay and Roona.
[The Tay-Roona linked algorithm isn't sustainable.]
Kwon Do-jin found such critiques laughable.
In reality, Roona rose daily, with growing trade volume.
From a luxury Manhattan hotel, Kwon Do-jin typed away.
[I don't argue with the poor. And I have no spare change for her.]
―Full of swagger.
―Economists talk big but never make real money.
―Kwon Do-jin's right. Only economists don't see the world changing.
Kwon Do-jin prided himself on achieving everything through his own ability.
[If you fell for a Ponzi scheme, you're the one to blame.]
―Smart investors buy Roona.
―Thanks for the interest payments.
―Thank you. You grew my money!
His SNS drew hordes of followers.
―Invested $10K in Roona, now at $600K.
―Congrats. Mine's over $2M.
―May Roona dominate Bitcoin and Source Coin.
Kwon Do-jin was racking up astonishing success.
Then an unwelcome article hit amid his rosy dreams.
[Earth Resource Announces Coin Evaluation Policy]
"Evaluating coin grades?"
Earth Resource's coin division had grown massively to world No. 2 in volume.
Unmatched convenience, speed, credibility compared to other sites, plus overwhelming customer influx from Earth Channel success.
[Earth Resource Completes Full Review of Listed Coins]
[Earth Resource Rep: "Per CEO Kim Shin's wishes, we're examining coins to foster a proper investment culture."]
People posted on Kwon Do-jin's SNS.
―Earth Resource stepping up.
―Roona gets A from them, volume explodes.
―Already hot, but this'll make it hotter!
―Earth Resource stirring hype to grow their coin biz more.
Investors were all positive, but Kwon Do-jin felt uneasy.
Evaluating coins would send high-grade ones skyrocketing.
"Jim, this might not be good for us. We'll lose industry leadership."
"Looks like Kim Shin wants money."
"Money?"
"What can't money buy? They evaluate coins but really want backroom payoffs."
"Like other exchanges, huh."
"Exactly."
Coin exchanges buy big pre-listing stakes under "investment" pretexts.
A listing could multiply a coin’s price overnight, making the process look like easy money.
Earth Resource's coin biz had avoided that, but now they were getting greedy.
"Kim Shin's greedier than he looks."
"Greed for money has no end, right?"