Chapter 63
Yoon Sang-hyuk stared blankly across the table at Jey, who was eating spicy chicken feet.
She had gloves on, but the sight was nothing like what he had expected at all.
He had assumed she would be cursing up a storm, complaining that her mouth was on fire. Instead, Jey was crunching through the chicken feet, bones and all. She even sucked up the sauce clinging to the hygienic gloves.
“Aren’t they spicy?”
“Huh? They’re delicious. What are you doing? Drink. Here, cheers.”
Jey raised her soju glass and held it out toward him. After the toast, she downed the liquor in one go and let out a satisfied “Ahh.” She really had learned Korean drinking culture properly.
“So you like soju too?”
“Not bad. It doesn’t have the deep flavor of wine or whiskey, but for the price, it’s a really good drink. I think I understand why Korean soju is exported to so many countries. And these chicken feet? How do they make a flavor like this? It’s something you’d never be able to taste in the United States. Addictive, spicy, and impossible to stop eating once you start. If I’d known food like this existed ahead of time, I might have opened a chicken-feet place instead of the Dark Merchant Guild when I got dragged into that other world.”
Even as she talked, Jey kept her hands moving without pause. The bubbling pot of braised chicken feet was already nearly empty. For the record, Yoon Sang-hyuk hadn’t touched a single piece. It had been a fairly large portion, and Jey had polished off the whole thing by herself.
“Want me to order more if it’s not enough?”
“Of course. We’re not even at the start yet. You should be prepared to crawl all the way to the Masked Castle today. I can hold my liquor pretty well.”
Yoon Sang-hyuk laughed in disbelief.
For players, especially high-level ones, alcohol was little more than a beverage. Their stamina stat was so high that their metabolism ran quickly, and the effects of alcohol wore off in real time as they drank.
In the case of mage players, they could even use Cure to flush the alcohol out of their systems.
“How long are you planning to keep taming them?”
The question came out of nowhere.
But it was a question with a deeper meaning behind it.
“You knew?”
“I may not know the relationship between the Nine Dragons Society, the Red Magic Tower, and Sang-hyuk, but besides that, I’m a woman who doesn’t miss much. An capable woman. What do you think? Not tempted?”
“That’s not the sort of question you should ask with spicy chicken-feet sauce on your mouth.”
“Oh my!”
Jey wiped her lips with a napkin.
“You were going to give all your weapons back to the top ten guilds anyway. Of course, you’ll take payment for them.”
“That’s right.”
Just as Jey had said, Yoon Sang-hyuk planned to gradually release the weapons and magic items he possessed back into the hands of the players. But he had no intention of handing them over for nothing.
When you gave stronger power to people who already possessed power, you could not leave out any means of control.
“When did you figure that out?”
“You were the one who said it, Sang-hyuk. You fought Baal’s illusion in the final quest. And that Eternal World would be fully realized in reality. You’re planning to raise the players’ strength and use them to fight Baal, so of course you’d give the weapons back. It’s not that hard to guess. What I’m curious about is why you haven’t returned them yet.”
Yoon Sang-hyuk lifted his glass and tipped the soju into his mouth.
“Because there’s no need yet. Even if I handed those weapons back, nothing would change much. Less than half of it has been realized so far. Once we reach the later stages, it’ll be dangerous without weapons, but right now, if we lower the difficulty a little and choose hunting grounds accordingly, they should be able to handle it.”
“Ah, I see.”
“Still, Steel Mountains showed up faster than I expected. Since we’re on the subject, the order in which Eternal World is being realized in reality seems a little different from what we knew.”
“It is. Mystery Island too. And a few of the raid dungeons that should be impossible to clear aren’t supposed to appear yet either. Steel Mountains is the same.”
Yoon Sang-hyuk nodded.
If the realization order was all mixed up, there was no telling when high-difficulty hunting grounds from the later stages would suddenly appear. That was why, after Steel Mountains manifested, he had decided to return the weapons to the top ten guilds step by step.
Of course, he planned to leave safety measures in place.
“You’re planning to give them back to Michael Buren too?”
“In the end, yes. But not easily.”
“Might as well take his mana stone mine while you’re at it.”
“Heh. Do you really think he’d hand that over? Besides, it’s not just connected to the Holy Knights Order. The British government and the royal family are involved too, so it won’t be simple.”
“So that means you’re considering it.”
Yoon Sang-hyuk refilled Jey’s empty glass.
“Mana stones aren’t optional. They’re a necessity. I have a fair amount, but if I keep using them, I’ll eventually run out.”
“When you negotiate over the mana stone mine later, let me in on it too.”
“You want a foot in the door?”
“Of course. Like you said, mana stones aren’t optional. They’re essential. And that bastard Michael won’t be able to refuse what I ask for.”
“You’re talking like you’ve got a hold on his weakness.”
“Hoho, who around me doesn’t have a weakness I know about? Well, except for you, Sang-hyuk.”
Jey gave him a teasing wink and drank her soju.
“If you happen to have my weakness, make sure you keep holding it forever. I don’t particularly like the idea of someone trying to blackmail me with something like that.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll use Sang-hyuk’s weakness for disposal, not blackmail.”
“Amazing.”
Yoon Sang-hyuk murmured as he looked out the window.
It had only been how long since construction work began, and already the building was going up. Fast, too, as if it were being assembled from toys.
The pace was absurdly quick.
At this rate, the work would probably be finished by next month.
After watching the site for quite a while, Yoon Sang-hyuk turned around. He left the inner castle of the Masked Castle, crossed the garden, and stood before the outer gate, which opened on its own as he approached.
A car was waiting in the parking area.
“My lord.”
Baekjeong bowed deeply in greeting. Beside him stood Choi Seok-hyun, the master of the Valhae Guild.
“It’s been a while.”
“Yes, my lord.”
“How have things been?”
“Thanks to your consideration, we’ve been improving day by day.”
“Tell me on the way. Let’s go.”
Baekjeong got into the passenger seat, and Yoon Sang-hyuk and Choi Seok-hyun took the back.
“What did you do with the Goryeo Guild?”
“As you instructed, I took care of it.”
“And their reaction?”
“They came to complain because they couldn’t understand what was going on, but what could they do about it?”
Yoon Sang-hyuk gave a light nod.
“Did you set up the meeting?”
“We agreed to meet as soon as the event is over.”
“Good.”
The car left the Masked Castle and headed toward Gwanghwamun.
Today was the day the Korean Player Association was officially launched. Since Yoon Sang-hyuk had played a major role in creating the association, he couldn’t afford to miss it.
Even if he simply showed up and displayed a close relationship with Lee Hyung-seok, the association’s chairman, it would go a long way in helping him manage it going forward.
“We’ve arrived.”
After getting out of the car and walking inside, Baekjeong and Choi Seok-hyun followed behind him, along with the Masked Mercenary Group member who had driven.
The association lobby, where the launch ceremony was being held, was already packed with people. Looking over the crowd, it seemed every important figure in politics and business had shown up.
That was only natural, since Lee Hyung-seok, the chairman, had been given full authority over the sale of Black Knight corpses.
“Hahaha, Lord, you’ve come.”
Lee Hyung-seok, who had been surrounded by many people, spotted Yoon Sang-hyuk and hurried over. The ones speaking with Lee Hyung-seok also noticed Yoon Sang-hyuk and came up politely to greet him.
They all introduced themselves with their titles and names, but Yoon Sang-hyuk didn’t even glance at them.
“Chairman. Congratulations.”
“Not at all. It’s all thanks to you, Lord.”
“You’ve got a lot to prepare, so I shouldn’t keep you.”
At Yoon Sang-hyuk’s words, Lee Hyung-seok laughed, bowed, and moved away.
Yoon Sang-hyuk went to a corner and surveyed the surroundings. His gaze fixed on the entrance.
A group of people was entering. At the front stood a man who looked to be in his mid-forties.
Park Tae-hoo.
It was Park Tae-hoo, chairman of the Yuseong Group.
Executives from Yuseong Group followed behind him. As befitted the richest man in Korea, players were standing guard around him.
Perhaps by coincidence, Yoon Sang-hyuk and Park Tae-hoo’s eyes met in midair. Park Tae-hoo smiled faintly and dipped his head slightly. Yoon Sang-hyuk returned the gesture with a small nod.
He was someone Yoon Sang-hyuk would be meeting after the Player Association launch ceremony ended.
The launch ceremony ended without incident.
In the penthouse of the Yuseong Hotel, not far from the Player Association, Yoon Sang-hyuk stood by the window, looking outside.
How much time had passed when, suddenly, the bell rang.
The one entering was Park Tae-hoo, chairman of the Yuseong Group.
“Have I kept you waiting long?”
“Not at all. I just arrived myself.”
“There are so many people sticking to me everywhere these days... haha. A pleasure to meet you. I’m Park Tae-hoo. I’ve heard a great deal about you.”
“I’m called the Masked Lord.”
“Please, have a seat.”
The two men sat across from each other.
“May I ask why you wanted to meet me?”
“It’s about land.”
Park Tae-hoo got straight to the point, and Yoon Sang-hyuk answered just as directly.
“You mean the land near the Masked Castle?”
“Yes. I heard your company bought up everything that came onto the market.”
“Even if the value has fallen, it’s still land in Seoul. When I bought it, I was hoping the people living there would think the world was ending right away and sell their houses and land for a pittance.”
“What do you plan to do with that land?”
“I don’t have any particular plan yet. Are you interested in it?”
Yoon Sang-hyuk nodded.
“It’s the front yard of the house I live in.”
“Front yard? Hahaha, I see. For the Lord, that place would be a front yard. Hah, land worth more than a trillion won is just your front yard. Your scale is something else.”
“That’s rich coming from the chairman who owns Yuseong Group.”
“Would you like a drink?”
“I won’t refuse.”
Park Tae-hoo went to the bar and returned with a bottle of expensive liquor and two glasses.
“The Yuseong Hotel keeps this liquor for guests staying in the penthouse. Complimentary, of course. It’s quite an expensive bottle.”
After filling both glasses, Park Tae-hoo held one out to Yoon Sang-hyuk. Yoon Sang-hyuk immediately took it and brought it to his lips. Park Tae-hoo watched him closely.
“Ah, incredible. The mask’s part is transforming.”
“It was made by someone extraordinary. Otherwise, I’d have to take the mask off every time I ate or drank.”
“Incredible. Truly incredible.”
Seeing one of the functions of the Mask of the Demon Lord, Park Tae-hoo reacted with obvious admiration.
“How much will you pay for the land?”
“As much as you want.”
“Hah, you’re generous. Then may I accept something other than money?”
He could guess what the man was talking about.
“I’d like to receive Black Knight corpses in place of the land’s value.”
As expected, Park Tae-hoo wanted the Black Knight corpses.
“I’ve heard there’s a monster called the Red Knight above the Black Knight. If possible, I’d like to get those too.”
“Very well. Based on the auction price of the Black Knight corpses at the Player Association, I’ll provide you with enough Black Knight corpses to match the land’s value. As for the Red Knight corpses, I’m not sure yet.”
“Oh dear, then I’ll have to pray the auction price is set low. Hahaha.”
With a satisfied laugh, Park Tae-hoo drained his glass of liquor in one go.
“I’ll take the corpses for half the land’s value. Instead...“
His words trailed off. Then he continued.
“Would you mind making one person for me?”