Chapter 84
Yoon Sang-hyuk sat across from Michael Buren at a round table.
“You sound pretty desperate.”
Michael Buren’s expression twisted hard. Yoon Sang-hyuk was clearly enjoying the reaction.
“Nice to see Tartaros again after so long, wasn’t it?”
“Britain is being destroyed in real time. What exactly is so amusing?”
“And you? Was it fun watching the people of Korea die after you triggered a Dungeon Overflow?”
“That was...”
“I thought you might at least apologize. What, did you really do all that and then come ask me to go to Britain and fix the Tartaros problem for you? Don’t tell me you were actually planning to make that absurd request. And don’t even think about trying that ridiculous excuse that the Dungeon Overflow wasn’t your doing. I already have proof that you were the one behind it.”
The sound of Michael Buren grinding his teeth reached Yoon Sang-hyuk’s ears loud and clear.
“What do you want?”
Yoon Sang-hyuk shrugged.
“Am I the kind of person who’s short on things? And if I do want something, can you even give it to me?”
He already knew what Yoon Sang-hyuk was after.
Snap.
At Michael Buren’s flick of the fingers, two guild members of the Holy Knights Guild brought over two laptops and set them down in front of Yoon Sang-hyuk before powering them on. After they worked the machines for a moment, the faces of two men appeared on the monitors.
One was Britain’s prime minister, who had been desperately searching for the Masked Lord for days, and the other was American President Donald McKinn.
“Masked Lord, greetings. I’m Hugh Grant, the Prime Minister of Britain.”
“And I’m United States President Donald McKinn.”
Jey, who had been standing behind Yoon Sang-hyuk, stepped forward and translated.
“He’s a player who uses the alias Masked Lord.”
“Lord. Please, help Britain in this time of crisis.”
Prime Minister Hugh Grant went straight to the point.
“If you resolve the Tartaros problem for us, Britain will grant you anything you desire. The President of the United States will serve as a witness to our conversation.”
That was why they had connected the call as a three-way video conference, with the American president included.
“You’re awfully quick to say that when you don’t even know what I might want.”
“That just shows how desperate we are.”
“Fine. Before we discuss compensation, I have something to say. Turning Tartaros around is not something I can do without serious effort, and I’m sure Michael Buren knows that very well.”
Michael Buren frowned. He hated admitting it, but Yoon Sang-hyuk was right. He had seen with his own eyes just how many dangerous moments Yoon Sang-hyuk had gone through while changing Tartaros’s direction in Eternal World.
“When the danger is that great, the price is great too.”
“What do you want?”
“I want a 50 percent stake in your mana stone mine.”
Prime Minister Hugh Grant’s face went rigid on the monitor. He wasn’t a player, but he understood perfectly well how important a mana stone mine was. Britain was already using mana stones to gain the upper hand in diplomacy against other nations.
“That’s too much.”
Michael Buren was glaring at Yoon Sang-hyuk as if he wanted to kill him.
“Too much? I’m talking about a job I’ll be risking my life for.”
“Even so, 50 percent is excessive.”
“Then negotiations are over. It was a productive conversation.”
Just as Yoon Sang-hyuk started to rise from his seat, Prime Minister Hugh Grant hurriedly spoke.
“Please wait. This isn’t something I can decide on my own.”
“How long will you need?”
“A day. Please, just give us a day.”
“And in that day, Britain will keep getting wrecked, won’t it?”
Prime Minister Hugh Grant let out a deep sigh.
“I’ll contact you again in two hours.”
“I’ll wait.”
A Holy Knights Guild member closed the laptop.
“Do you really have to do this?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. What’s so wrong with receiving a fair price? I happen to know you’ve been getting an enormous payoff for clearing the dungeons around Britain. You can do it, but I can’t? Isn’t that a little selfish?”
“Do you even know what a 50 percent share in a mana stone mine is worth?”
“It’s not too late even now. Walk out of here and call Britain. Tell them destroyed cities can be rebuilt after Tartaros tears them apart. Tell them to protect the mana stone mine instead. Say that.”
“......”
As much as he wanted to, the queen and parliament both did not want to see Britain destroyed.
“I want you to compromise on one thing too.”
“You’re not in any position to be making demands, are you?”
“If we give you 50 percent of the mana stone mine, the British government needs to salvage at least some small justification for this.”
“Is there any better justification than protecting your people and your land from Tartaros? Ah, right. Let’s hear it anyway. What do you want?”
“We want a chance to challenge the Steel Mountains too.”
Yoon Sang-hyuk tapped the table with his fingers.
“You think you can handle it? Even the Absolute Guild and the Dragon Slayer Guild suffered a huge number of injuries, despite wearing armor.”
“That’s exactly why I’m asking a favor. Can’t you return our armor to us as well? Of course, I’m not asking you to give it back for free.”
“Why? Planning to pay me? Do you know what money means to me? It’s something I could take or leave. Besides, I already have more than enough of it. So why don’t you come up with something more attractive? Who knows? Maybe it’ll change my mind.”
While Michael Buren hesitated, Yoon Sang-hyuk continued, “Think it through. Britain has a pretty good card in the mana stone mine. And you’ve got an exceptional mage player named Merlin. Good materials, a good mage, and an enormous amount of mana stones. Don’t you hear your players getting stronger already?”
Merlin was a player in the Holy Knights Guild. As a mage, he didn’t quite match Christina Robianco, the Crimson Witch, in reputation, but in the field of enchantment alone, he surpassed her.
If they could secure a steady supply of Black Knight corpses, Britain’s players would grow quickly, just as Yoon Sang-hyuk said. Nations that had already conquered the Steel Mountains, including the United States, were using Black Knight remains to craft weapons and armor.
The longer the conquest of the Steel Mountains dragged on, the further Britain would fall behind the other nations in the competition.
“No matter how I think about it, I still don’t know what you want. Why don’t you tell me directly?”
“What would be good? Honestly, there’s nothing all that appealing besides the mana stone mine. Hmm. Nothing else comes to mind.”
He leaned back slightly, then added, “Let’s put the decision off for later. Of course, I’ll stay within the range of what you can actually grant me.”
After a brief hesitation, Michael Buren nodded.
“Fine. We’ll do that.”
The smile behind the mask was bright and unmistakable.
“Excellent choice. Just like other countries, the tax on the Steel Mountains is thirty percent of what you earn there. I’d prefer half, if I’m being honest, but I’ll make a concession.”
And with that, Yoon Sang-hyuk set a bundle called debt down on Michael Buren’s shoulders.
* * *
“We wait for Tartaros here. Then we turn its head in this direction.”
Inside the private jet bound for Britain, a player from Britain pointed to a map and explained the plan. They intended to send Tartaros toward the western sea off Britain, the Atlantic Ocean.
As he listened, Yoon Sang-hyuk nodded.
“But will Tartaros keep moving even under the sea?”
Jey, seated beside him, asked in a low voice.
“Who knows.”
In Eternal World, Tartaros had been driven into the Sea of Despair. After that, no one ever reported seeing it again. But whether the same would be true in Earth’s oceans, even Yoon Sang-hyuk couldn’t say.
“If you connect Tartaros’s path all the way through, it eventually reaches the United States. Of course, it would take years to get there.”
“Heh. So Britain is dumping a bomb on the United States? A time bomb that won’t go off for years?”
“If the person who chose that route thought that far ahead, the relationship between Britain and the United States could get very uncomfortable.”
“Am I getting a better customer out of this?”
When Yoon Sang-hyuk said it like it was nothing, Jey bristled.
“I’m an American citizen.”
“And I’m Korean.”
Even while the two of them spoke, the British player continued his explanation.
“All the civilians along the route have already evacuated. Lord...?”
Yoon Sang-hyuk listened with half an ear. Most of it was the sort of thing he didn’t need to remember, except for the direction he’d have to turn Tartaros’s head.
“Lord. Have you ever entered the Ancient Abyss on Tartaros’s back?”
Yoon Sang-hyuk shook his head.
The Ancient Abyss was the name of the fortress on Tartaros’s back. In Eternal World, when he had turned Tartaros toward the Sea of Despair, he had considered going in.
But he hadn’t been able to.
“I was denied entry.”
“Pardon?”
“Exactly as I said. I got a message saying entry was impossible because my level was too low.”
“What level were you then?”
“273, maybe?”
Jey looked at him with wide eyes. She knew his level was high, but she hadn’t realized it had been that high. She didn’t know that he was now level 300, either, and that the limit had been lifted by the Limit Break Potion.
Even so, when he agreed to Britain’s offer to solve the Tartaros problem, the Ancient Abyss came to mind. He had been locked out in Eternal World because of the level requirement, but now that he had reached max level, he might actually be able to enter.
“What a shame.”
“What’s so shameful?”
“I thought I might be able to get information about the Ancient Abyss.”
“Maybe not. I was denied entry over there in that world, but it might be possible in reality. If I do get into the Ancient Abyss, I’ll share the information with you. Of course, the price for that information will be very high.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll buy it at a very high price.”
* * *
After arriving in Britain, they moved immediately by helicopter.
“Still monstrous, even from up close.”
Yoon Sang-hyuk muttered to himself. Tartaros loomed at the edge of sight. Its overwhelming presence was just as impressive the second time.
“Before we cross the red flags ahead, we have to turn Tartaros’s head.”
Michael Buren pointed ahead as he spoke.
Yoon Sang-hyuk nodded as if he understood, then started forward. Behind him, a cluster of reporters was broadcasting the scene to the whole world.
“Equip.”
The Dragon Emperor Set wrapped around Yoon Sang-hyuk’s entire body. With the approval of his beloved sword, Dragon Emperor Admarion, in hand, Yoon Sang-hyuk drew something from subspace.
A white feather.
Sky Wing.
An item obtainable by defeating the dragon race on Sky Island Braheim, it allowed the user to fly for one hour. It was a necessary item for facing dragonkin and dragons that could take to the sky, and Yoon Sang-hyuk didn’t have many left.
His pace quickened, and then he broke into a run at tremendous speed. Then, at some point, white light enveloped him, and a pair of wings made of light burst from his back.