Chapter 185
Chapter 185
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 185
Chapter Title: 41. Everyone's Greatest Swordsman (5)
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「Rainbow Pager」 - Common Tool
【Interest rates cheaper than death! Rainbow Credit.】
A pager that summons a cosmic loan shark from dubious origins.
As Young-woo fiddled with the simple device that consisted of just a single small button, Jeong-gu, who had picked up a second piece of bread in the meantime, asked,
“Why get a loan? Won’t you sort out the taxes easily once you get protection fees… no, life payments from the Greatest Swordsmen?”
“That’s true.”
“Then why summon them? It’s not like it costs money.”
“There’s no reason not to.”
Young-woo checked his current balance again.
Flash!
* Available Karma: 8,954,500
A total of 8.95 million karma.
“You have to succeed in the mission first to get paid, right? So pour all the money you have right now into stats.”
Today was the fifth day of the reset.
Which meant the mutants that would appear soon would be much stronger, scaled to the first phase.
Even the regular mutants that weren’t high-risk types.
“And there might not be as many Greatest Swordsmen coming to Gwangjin District as we think… It’s wise to get some insurance. At least find out how much loan you can get. Aren’t you curious?”
If the loan came in currency form like Doggo’s card, it meant he could duplicate it with the ‘blank check.’
In other words.
‘It means I get a one-shot way to pull in massive cash. Even if not right now.’
Now that he knew cosmic taxes were levied beyond imagination, securing a cash outlet anytime was crucial.
Click.
So in the end, Young-woo pressed the tiny pager.
Swoosh.
Just like last time, a part of the air split open slightly, revealing only a silhouette as if someone had pressed against frosted glass.
—Rainbow Credit. You called?
Soon, a whispering voice flowed in from beyond the alien realm.
The sales pitch from a loan shark he was hearing for the first time.
It was even more lacking in fundamentals than the broker Kubu.
No proper self-introduction, no courtesy toward the other party……
“What is this… a hole-in-the-wall shop?”
Jeong-gu must have sensed it too, eyeing the silhouette-only Rainbow Credit suspiciously.
At that, the Rainbow side reacted as if they’d heard Jeong-gu’s line.
—Oh dear, sorry about that.
They could see the figure bowing obsequiously like a fawning sycophant.
It was comical somehow, but Young-woo proceeded with the loan consultation for now.
“You mentioned credit loans. What are the criteria your company uses for credit?”
—First is actual income amount, second is legal rating—we weigh that heavily.
As expected of a loan shark, they seemed to prioritize substance over status.
—Of course, assets are also a reference condition. We do secured loans too.
The alien loan shark chuckled unpleasantly.
Young-woo thought to himself.
‘My income over the last two days is 34 million… so maybe they’ll lend up to that amount?’
Even if so, using the blank check to duplicate it felt a bit wasteful.
‘It might be currency I can’t get again… Unless it’s urgent, I shouldn’t copy anything under hundreds of millions.’
Having set his own line, Young-woo asked.
“Then, based on my current standing, how much loan can I get?”
The other party answered as if they’d been waiting.
—1.6 billion.
“…What?”
—Up to 1.6 billion is possible. However……
Swoosh.
The being beyond the veil pointed something like a finger at Young-woo’s waist.
—That sword must be set as collateral.
“……!”
The moment Young-woo heard that, chills ran through his entire body.
He instantly sensed Rainbow Credit hadn’t come just to collect interest.
‘These bastards are after the Bastard too.’
But if that 1.6 billion came in currency form and allowed early repayment, it would be a massive gain.
Hiding his agitation as best he could, Young-woo asked again.
“If I take the 1.6 billion loan, does that money come entirely in currency?”
—Yes.
‘My god.’
Young-woo swallowed hard and posed the next question.
“What about repayment schedule and interest rate?”
—You’ll see in the contract, but the schedule is up to you. From one day to eternity.
“……?”
—In exchange, the interest is 10% per day, and early repayment is possible from day two.
“…For a 1.6 billion loan, that’s 160 million a day.”
Practically a daily interest outfit.
With early repayment from day two, they pocketed 20% of the principal just by issuing the loan.
But that was nullified by duplicating the 1.6 billion with the blank check.
“Then…….”
Young-woo was about to ask to see the loan contract when something caught him, making him pause.
—Shall we draw up the contract?
Sensing something too, Rainbow Credit moved to show the contract first, but Young-woo circled back to one point.
“Currency.”
—……
“You said the 1.6 billion loan comes in currency form, but is it a single currency? Like a card.”
At that, the Rainbow Credit loan officer sighed silently.
—The loan is disbursed in multiple currencies.
“How exactly?”
When Young-woo asked again in a slightly angered tone, the other relented.
—160 physical notes of 10 million value each.
“Ah.”
Of course.
Things had seemed too easy.
Loan sharks wouldn’t overlook the blank check variable.
They wouldn’t allow early repayment or interest blocking via currency duplication.
Especially in cases like this where profiting from default and seizing collateral was the goal.
“Then I can’t get it all in one currency note.”
—It’s impossible for us capability-wise. That’s a technique only higher-tier companies can use.
Combining originally separate cash into a card arbitrarily.
Rainbow Credit claimed that ability alone marked a higher-tier company.
Which made sense—creating new currency, in a way.
In other words.
‘Doggo must be one of those higher-tier companies.’
The chairman’s abilities seemed even more impressive now.
“Fine. So all you can offer me is unsecured credit, which also has a 10% daily rate?”
—Yes. May I calculate the loan amount?
Since they asked so pointedly, Young-woo sensed another catch and countered.
“To calculate the loan amount, do you need access to my data?”
—…Yes.
“Then I refuse. See you next time.”
When Young-woo flatly rejected the data query, the other showed signs of bewilderment.
However.
Click.
Young-woo pressed the pager again, sealing off the partial connection to Rainbow Credit’s domain.
Swoosh!
“Loan sharks are dangerous whether on Earth or in space.”
“10% a day is insane. Ten days and the interest alone recovers the principal.”
“But it wasn’t for nothing.”
Swoosh.
Young-woo looked down at the Bastard on his waist.
Even a shady loan shark had called 1.6 billion secured on it.
This chance let him glimpse the mythical gear’s value, even if just a bit.
Moreover.
‘I now know roughly how loans work in their world.’
With talk of higher-tier companies, there must be equivalents to Earth’s top-tier banks—major institutions corresponding to first-tier finance.
Meaning, with solid capital and status, far more stable loans were possible.
‘Though questionable if they’d allow blank check duplication.’
By the time he finished talking with the shark, much time had passed; the sky outside was already glowing red.
So Young-woo.
“What? Why is the sky already sunset…….”
He checked his watch and finally realized.
It was just reaching noon.
“Wh-what? Why is the sky like that?”
Jeong-gu stared out the window, eyes wide.
The sky turning that blood-red at lunchtime? It didn’t make sense.
This was almost certainly……
“The mutants’ doing.”
“Is the dragon really coming today?”
The tycoons’ return.
The dragonkin clearly got special treatment.
Previously, no mutant had shown any signs before appearing.
“My father should head to Dobong ahead of time too? The city could get blown away if he’s even a little late.”
At Young-woo’s words, Jeong-gu hesitated but soon nodded.
“Y-yeah. You’re definitely lending me that ear this time, right……?”
***
12:03 PM.
As Young-woo and Jeong-gu stepped out of the Parnassus Hotel lobby, Im Seon-ah, who had been giving instructions to staff and turning around, spotted the two.
“Young-woo……!”
Her shadow rushing over was pitch-black red.
The sky had reddened even more in the interim.
“We’ve evacuated all our district residents first. The operators are standing by in position to clean up the monsters.”
Meaning Tae-won and the Gangnam police operators would fight as before.
Leaving monsters unchecked even with a high-risk mutant meant the buildings for tonight’s residences would be wrecked.
“Yes. Still, if the dragon appears… tell everyone to run no matter what.”
“Got it.”
And following her.
“Hey, Young-woo!”
Gangbuk’s Greatest Swordsman Choi Jong-seon appeared from afar, waving.
She’d rushed over upon seeing the red sky too.
With the baby in tow.
“Ah, ma’am.”
Young-woo waved back to Jong-seon as Jeong-gu muttered beside him.
“What? She brought the baby out? Why is everyone around you crazy?”
“Who knows. If the mother’s a Greatest Swordsman, isn’t being by her side the safest?”
Of course, they’d need to shield the baby’s face well.
To avoid blindness or burns from the dragon’s flames.
“Biiiig brooo……!”
Finally, Kim Jong-su appeared—the one from Chungju who had reattached Young-woo’s mangled body.
Young-woo knew well that Jong-su had survived in this world just to see a real ‘dragon,’ so he couldn’t hold back a laugh.
Jong-su was already beaming at the crimson sky.
“It’s like a dream, bro.”
“Don’t get too excited. There’s still a chance it’s not the dragon but something else.”
At the bizarre exchange, not just Jeong-gu but Jong-seon and Seon-ah wore disgusted looks.
Meanwhile, all of Gangnam District was in ultra-emergency.
The red sky alone had residents trembling in fear, even the operators praying to gods they’d never believed in before.
“If my body gets sliced up again this time, you’ll have to reattach it.”
As Young-woo joked and moved to open the system window for stat investment.
Rumble……!
Suddenly, lightning and thunder crashed repeatedly from within the red sky.
Then.
—Seoul, have you prepared one to face me?
—Brave one, state your name.
A voice of endless depth echoed from beyond the sky.
A presence so overwhelming no one dared respond.
It was clearly one of the high-risk mutants slated for today.
“…….”
Everyone instinctively turned to Young-woo.
Flash.
Sure enough, Young-woo had.
Swoosh!
Already thrust the mythical sword ‘Bastard’ toward the sky, shouting.
“I am the ownerless one, master of the Bastard, Joseon’s Greatest Swordsman Jeong Young-woo……!”
“…What? Young-woo, that’s a lie.”
“I! Will fight!!”