Chapter 110: Recruiting Rankers, Climbing the Tower of Trials (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 110: Recruiting Rankers, Climbing the Tower of Trials (3)
[Episode 8 of 'Climbing the Tower of Trials' will be postponed for a week due to broadcasting circumstances.]
A document requesting final approval for the postponement and a file containing the broadcast footage lay on the table.
"Phew."
Director Kang Byeong-chan massaged his temples with his index fingers.
Signing this would immediately put the station's beacon of hope on a one-week hiatus, dealing a painful blow to both revenue and brand recognition.
But.
'There's no other choice.'
If they aired this footage as it was, there was no telling what kind of catastrophe would unfold.
A veteran player screaming at them to run away at all costs.
A female host on the verge of tears.
And PDs who were actually crying.
It was as if a midsummer night's nightmare had been crammed into a single video.
'Fine. I can understand up to this point.'
Though curses threatened to spill from his throat, a single mistake could be made up for later.
The problem was...
...the very person who had orchestrated this living hell had brazenly shown up to demand his share.
'Did he coat his conscience in cement and plate it with diamonds?'
At this rate, even Satan would shake his head in disbelief.
"Are you seriously asking for your appearance fee?" Kang Byeong-chan spoke.
"Of course. It's what's written in the contract."
"We... sigh. I don't know if you realize this, but we are going to suffer immense losses due to this postponement. In fact, we might even have to sue you for damages, Player Kang Jinhyuk!"
Kang Byeong-chan threatened, but Jinhyuk didn't even bat an eye.
"I don't know about that. I simply did exactly what was outlined in the contract, didn't I?"
He had been invited.
He had shared tips accordingly.
And now, it was time to collect his reward.
There was nothing wrong with that.
"Do you really think such absurd logic will work?"
"Yes. I believe it will. In fact..."
Jinhyuk paused for a breath.
His next words pierced deep into his opponent's core.
"Didn't you conspire with Lee Jong-su, the CEO of BJ Entertainment, to exploit BJs, and then tell them, 'It's in the contract, so if you feel wronged, take it to court'? I believe you were the mastermind pulling the strings behind that incident, Director Kang Byeong-chan."
It was a fact known to anyone in the loop.
Director Kang Byeong-chan had secretly contacted big-name BJs to cover the station's deficit.
At the prospect of making a fortune, several unprincipled BJs had joined hands with him.
One of them was Lee Jong-su, the CEO of the agency Jinhyuk had belonged to.
And Jinhyuk had come here today to hold him accountable for that very matter.
'Lee Jong-su paid for his sins by dying to the Mangrove Tree, but you haven't.'
It wasn't out of some grand sense of justice to avenge his fellow BJs who had been forced to quit broadcasting, but he simply couldn't stand seeing the culprit stuffing his pockets with kickbacks.
Since he also planned to secure some magic crystals in the process, this was well worth his time.
"Ah! Don't bother denying it. I came here knowing everything. This isn't something I heard secondhand—I was actually one of the parties involved in that contract."
"……!"
Gulp.
Kang Byeong-chan swallowed hard.
If his opponent truly was one of the BJs who had signed that slave contract, no amount of lies would deceive him.
Above all, his opponent was no longer a bottom-tier BJ, but an S-rank.
And wasn't he the most talked-about player in the entire world right now?
If he told a clumsy lie...
'My damn head is going to roll.'
Kang Byeong-chan felt his head spin as if he were suddenly anemic.
He loosened his tie and fanned himself with his hand.
He racked his brain, but no clever solution came to mind to escape this predicament.
"……Understood. The magic crystals. I will have them issued immediately. However, before that, may I make a quick phone call?"
A phone call, huh...
It looked like he was planning to seek advice or call for backup.
Well.
No matter what he did, no matter what plan he devised...
...it would only end up tightening the noose around his own neck.
Jinhyuk had already read all of Kang Byeong-chan's moves from his vantage point high above.
"Go ahead."
A bright smile was more than enough of an answer.
* * *
Thirty minutes later.
Kang Byeong-chan headed to the large warehouse located in the station's basement along with Jinhyuk.
This place had once been used as an underground parking lot, but after the arrival of the Tower of Trials, its purpose had shifted to storing various items—especially massive quantities of magic crystals.
'To be precise, it's probably used to store assets for tax evasion or lobbying.'
Jinhyuk looked around in fascination.
True to its state-of-the-art design, passing through even a single door required iris or fingerprint scans. It was a level of tight security that rivaled military facilities.
After passing through several security doors like that...
[Director 'Kang Byeong-chan'. Authorization complete.]
Finally, the warehouse door slid open, revealing mountains of magic crystals piled high.
"Oh."
An exclamation of admiration escaped Jinhyuk's lips.
Without exaggeration, the sheer volume of magic crystals here was beyond imagination, reaching all the way to the ceiling, which was over ten meters high.
They were so dazzling they made his eyes water; describing it any further would just be a waste of breath.
Right then.
Kang Byeong-chan, who had been standing with a stiff expression, spoke up cautiously.
"I heard from PD Choi that you intend to absorb the mana from the magic crystals, Player Kang Jinhyuk. Is that correct?"
"Yes. That's what I plan to use them for."
"In that case, may I make a proposal?"
Kang Byeong-chan's voice trembled slightly.
One could practically feel how much he had agonized over the last thirty minutes just to bring this up.
How cute.
Watching him fidget like a puppy that needs to go.
Jinhyuk let out a chuckle and nodded.
"Let's hear it first."
"As you probably know, the amount of magic crystals we possess is... beyond imagination. We have about 35,000 lowest-grade magic crystals. We are willing to offer you unlimited access to them. Until 7:00 AM tomorrow, we will let you absorb as many as you possibly can."
Kang Byeong-chan spoke as if he were being incredibly generous.
But Jinhyuk saw right through his intentions.
'The absorption rate of magic crystals is notoriously terrible.'
No matter how high a player's absorption rate was, it would take over five minutes to absorb just one lowest-grade magic crystal.
As long as there was a time limit of 7:00 AM, no player could possibly absorb 500 million won worth of magic crystals.
In other words, the mountain of magic crystals was merely a mouth-watering bait.
In reality, even if he worked himself to the bone all night, he would barely manage to absorb 100 million won worth.
Kang Byeong-chan waited anxiously for Jinhyuk's response.
This was a golden opportunity to cut their losses to one-fifth.
The face of a swindler desperately hoping a sucker would go all-in... probably looked a lot like this middle-aged man's face right now.
Fine.
If he wanted it that badly, he would gladly take the bait. It wasn't like it was hard.
"Alright. Until 7:00 AM tomorrow, I will use only as many magic crystals as I can absorb."
"G-Gasp! R-Really?"
"Why so surprised? You look like you just reeled in a sucker."
"Haha... O-Of course not. I'm just glad we could reach a mutually beneficial agreement..."
"Sure, sure. Whatever you say."
He was done listening to this nonsense.
Jinhyuk waved his hand dismissively.
Worried that Jinhyuk might change his mind, Kang Byeong-chan quickly scurried toward the door.
Of course, he didn't forget to add one last thing.
"Just so you know, the magic crystals have anti-theft spells cast on them. It will be impossible to put them into a subspace inventory."
"Don't worry. I'll see you in the morning, then."
With those final words...
Thud!
The door shut.
[Time Remaining: 11h:59m:59s]
Only twelve hours remained until morning.
The timer displayed on the screen began to tick down.
However, despite being in a situation where he should have been frantically absorbing the crystals, Jinhyuk was in no rush.
Instead, he leisurely opened his subspace inventory.
'He did say I couldn't put the magic crystals inside. But he never said I couldn't take something out of my inventory, did he?'
Therefore, he wasn't violating any terms.
"My Goguma. Come on out."
Jinhyuk extended his palm toward the subspace inventory.
Then...
Waddle, waddle!
A reptile with black skin and yellow eyes waddled out.
The ancient species, Goguma.
"Fwod!"
"Yes, yes. You must have been so lonely in there, right?"
Jinhyuk scooped Goguma up in his arms and showered him with affection.
Goguma licked Jinhyuk's cheek with his tongue. This was likely his way of saying hello.
His cool touch and the way he tilted his head were incredibly adorable.
"I called you out because I figured you'd be hungry."
35,000 magic crystals.
It was certainly an amount so vast that any ordinary player would collapse from exhaustion trying to absorb them all.
However, for an ancient species that had just hatched and possessed a monstrous appetite...
...the magic crystals here were by no means a large amount.
If anything, they were barely enough.
"Fwod?"
Goguma tilted his head from side to side cutely. At the mention of food, his tiny tail wagged.
"That's right. Everything in front of you is your 'fwod'."
So...
"Eat it all up."
Jinhyuk spoke coldly.
There was not a shred of sympathy or hesitation in his voice.
'So you took me for an idiot who doesn't even know about absorption rates...'
To pull a cheap trick like this when he should be groveling on his knees...
He would make him realize just how foolish that was by bleeding the station dry.
* * *
The next day.
Director Kang Byeong-chan hummed a tune on his way to work.
He couldn't help but be in high spirits.
Thanks to PD Choi's advice, he had been able to significantly offset a loss that would have otherwise been hard to swallow.
Furthermore, the corners of his mouth curled upward at the thought of getting back at the arrogant brat who had smugly dealt them a blow.
'Money is money, but this is far more satisfying.'
Since it was impossible to be on good terms with him anyway, he needed this satisfaction to sleep soundly at night.
Besides, for the postponed Episode 8, the Black Cloud Guild and the Zhonghua Guild had promised to send over big-name rankers later on.
The show was bound to have a smooth, successful run ahead.
"O-Oh, you're here, Director? Good morning."
An employee bowed ninety degrees in greeting.
"Ah, yes. Good morning to you too, Assistant Manager Park. Don't work yourself too hard so early in the day; have a cup of coffee while you work. Haha."
Though Kang Byeong-chan was notorious for being as fierce as a tiger...
...today, he let out a hearty laugh with a benevolent expression.
He continued on with a light step.
After setting his briefcase down in his office, Kang Byeong-chan received a report on today's schedule from his secretary. Then, he immediately headed to the magic crystal storage warehouse in the basement.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
His heart beat rapidly with anticipation and excitement.
'Now then, just how many magic crystals did our celebrity manage to absorb?'
Kang Byeong-chan rubbed his palms together and opened the door.
However...
"W-What on earth happened..."
Upon seeing what lay inside, Kang Byeong-chan gasped sharply.
It was a devastating sight that he could hardly believe even as he stared right at it.
"T-This makes no sense. Where did they all go?!"
It was completely empty.
All 35,000 magic crystals had vanished without a trace.
The only things left on the floor were crumbly fragments of what used to be magic crystals...
"Fwod!"
...and a single reptile rolling around on its back, clutching its bloated belly with its short legs.
And...
"Ah. You're here, Director? I'm sorry, but do you happen to have any spare magic crystals lying around? It looks like my little guy is still a bit hungry."
...only Jinhyuk, wearing the brightest smile in the world, remained.