Chapter 89
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 89
Chapter Title: Russell's Visit
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The first emotion Heo Tae-seok felt was overwhelming gratitude.
'The Black Scythe... accepted me as a party member...'
Who would have thought he'd get to party with the famous Black Scythe?
The second was admiration.
He had cut down a centaur in a single strike—a monster that five people struggled to defeat.
It was truly overwhelming power.
'As expected of the Black Scythe. He's truly someone to be respected.'
He found himself wanting to become as strong as the Black Scythe.
And the third emotion he felt was.
'Whoa... Thanks to the Black Scythe, my level skyrocketed in just six hours?'
Gratitude.
When he first joined the party, he never imagined he would gain 13 levels.
'Thank you, Black Scythe. Thank you so much for accepting someone as insignificant as me into your party.'
Good fortune had found him ever since he met the Black Scythe.
How could he not be grateful?
But there was another emotion that made him forget all the others in an instant.
"Kwoooargh!"
*Slice— Thud—!*
A shudder of awe.
'Th-the boss... in a s-single hit?'
No matter how strong the Black Scythe was, he hadn't thought he would kill it in one blow.
'You crazy bastard! You stupid fool!'
Heo Tae-seok cursed himself for the ridiculous thought he'd had just moments ago.
'Wanting to be as strong as the Black Scythe? That's impossible!'
He realized it too late.
The Black Scythe was in a realm he could never reach, no matter how high he climbed.
'He's someone I can't even approach. A being I don't dare to even look up to.'
A god, in every sense of the word.
In Heo Tae-seok's eyes, he seemed no different from a god.
He didn't seem like a fellow human.
'I'm indebted to the Black Scythe, so what should I do? How can I help him?'
Even after returning, he tried to think of a way to repay the favor, but nothing came to mind.
He was even more useless than the buffer girl who stuck by his side.
A wave of depression washed over him.
'Sigh... If only my class was one that could be helpful to the Black Scythe...'
A warlock was only good for hunting; it wasn't helpful in any other way.
'And it's not like I can help the Black Scythe with hunting, either...'
A wolf cub couldn't possibly help a full-grown wolf.
It would only get in the way.
'There's nothing I can do to help in the Otherworld.'
He had to look elsewhere.
'In the real world, for instance.'
The perfect idea came to him.
What does a god need?
'Devout followers, of course.'
Heo Tae-seok grinned.
***
The day after returning home.
Ryu Min was looking up flights on his phone.
'I should go see Russell and get my durability restored again.'
This time, he would probably receive a warmer welcome than before.
The prophecy he'd given about the 6th round must have been a great help.
Just then, Ryu Min's phone vibrated.
"Hm?"
It was an international call, but from a number he recognized.
He answered immediately.
-Is this Mr. Ryu's number?
"Yes, it's me. Russell Daniel."
-Ah, hello, Prophet. First, I must thank you. Thanks to you, I narrowly escaped death.
Russell's voice was agitated.
He could guess what had happened, but still.
"Did something happen?"
-I'll give you the details when I get there.
"What? You're coming to Korea?"
-Yes. I've already bought my ticket and am waiting in line.
He was just about to go see Russell, and here he was, already waiting in line.
'What's this? This never happened in any of the previous regressions...'
He had helped Russell dozens of times, but this was the first time he'd offered to come all the way to Korea.
-Mr. Ryu? Am I being rude? If it's a burden, I can cancel...
"Not at all. I wanted to see you anyway, so it's great that you're coming here."
-After all the help you've given me, I couldn't possibly make you travel. Should I head to Seoul?
"I'll pick you up at Incheon Airport. Let me know your arrival time and give me another call when you get there."
-Will do, Mr. Ryu. I'll see you at the airport, then.
***
He met with Russell the next day.
"Mr. Ryu!"
Russell, walking over with a simple backpack, beamed at Ryu Min.
"It's so good to see you in person!"
"Welcome to Korea, Russell."
After a light handshake, Ryu Min led him to the parking lot.
"This way. I'll be your guide."
"Ha, I have so much to tell you I'm practically bursting, but I'll hold it in for now. Haha!"
Russell was a surprisingly talkative man.
So much so that Ryu Min wished he would shut up for a moment on the way to the parking lot.
"Get in."
"Whoa, wait! Is-is this a Lamborghini Aventador?"
"You recognize it?"
"Are you looking down on me just because I'm stuck in the mountains all the time? This is practically my dream car!"
"Wake up. You'll never be able to afford one as a blacksmith."
"That's why it's a dream car! Haha!"
The two of them drove down the road in the sports car.
"Is there anywhere you'd like to go?"
"More than that, is there a quiet place we can talk?"
Ryu Min thought for a moment, then checked the time.
"It's lunchtime. Shall we get something to eat?"
"Oh, great. I've heard Korean food is famous, so I've been wanting to try it."
"Then I'll take you to a place I know well."
Ryu Min took Russell to a traditional Korean restaurant inside Ma Kyung-rok's hotel.
He had made a reservation just in case, so getting a table was no problem.
"This place is nice and quiet. And it's a private room. Is it a Korean restaurant?"
"Something like that."
A moment later, a spread of dishes arrived, and Russell's jaw dropped with each one.
"Wh-why are there so many different dishes? I've never had a course meal like this in my life."
"I take it you're satisfied? That's a relief. Eat as much as you like. It's on me."
"No, Mr. Ryu! I can't keep imposing on you. Please, let me pay for the meal!"
"Can you afford it? This place is a bit expensive."
"How much is it?"
"About 130 pounds per person."
"Keuk!"
Russell, who was drinking water, quickly put his glass down.
He had nearly spat it all over the Prophet's face.
'N-no wonder it looked expensive! 130 pounds... how many materials could I buy with that?'
Russell, who had expected 30 pounds at most, hid his fluster and said.
"I-I'll pay. It's no problem at all. Don't worry."
"I wasn't worried."
Besides, the money Russell had was money he'd gotten from Ryu Min.
He had been planning to save it for materials, but if he thought of it as money he never had in the first place, it wasn't a waste.
"Russell. Don't worry about it; let me pay for the meal. In return, you can just fix my durability like last time."
"Durability? Of course, I'll do that for you!"
Russell took the Orb of Eternal Sleep, repaired its durability, and quickly returned it.
"Thank you. I'll pay for the meal."
"Hmm, but I feel like I haven't done enough for you..."
"It's fine. Anyway, what happened? You said you narrowly escaped death."
"Ah, about that."
Russell's story wasn't anything spectacular.
He had formed a party as advised, hunted for nearly six hours, and then challenged the boss, only to nearly die.
"If I hadn't raised my level even a little, just as you said, Prophet, I would have been in real trouble, you know?"
"I'm glad I could help. Did you gain many levels?"
"I made it to 29."
'Same level as Ma Kyung-rok.'
As the name suggests, a blacksmith isn't a class suited for combat.
However, they can be helpful by enhancing party members' weapons or repairing durability.
'In a way, you could see it as a position similar to a buffer.'
So, if he increased the overall synergy of the party, leveling up this much was understandable.
Well, Russell himself was strong enough to take down an orc with ease, anyway.
"This is an embarrassing question, but... will I really reach the pinnacle among blacksmiths? It's just so hard to believe..."
"It's possible if you work hard. And with my help, you can go even further."
"Haha, that's reassuring. If the Prophet is helping me, I have nothing to fear. Oh, more food?"
As the waiter set down more dishes and left, Russell let out a sound of admiration.
"This isn't a buffet, so why does the food keep coming? Mmm!? This is really delicious! What's this dish called?"
"It's called Bulgogi."
"This really suits my palate. I never knew Korea had such delicious food."
After saying that, Russell devoured the food as if he were possessed by a hungry ghost.
It seemed he had saved on food expenses to afford materials and his plane ticket.
"By the way, Prophet, are you the son of a chaebol or something? You're so young, but you have that car, and you handed over so much money last time..."
"A chaebol? I was just lucky. With the ability to see the future, it would be strange if I couldn't make at least this much, right? You'll be able to become rich like me later, Russell."
"Ah, you mean because of the stocks?"
"Yes. You did invest in the company I told you to, right?"
"Of course. I went to open an account the very day you told me to. I invested a bit more than the half you mentioned, though..."
"Good. With that much, you won't have to worry about living expenses later, even without my support."
"But will that company really hit it big?"
"It will. That's why I told you to invest."
"What kind of company is it?"
"You invested without even looking that up?"
"I just trusted your words, Prophet, and assumed it would be fine. Haha..."
"Hmm..."
As the meal was winding down, Ryu Min spoke up.
"In that case, shall I introduce you to the company?"
"The company?"
"It's close by."
"Oh, in that case, shall we go take a look?"
After paying the bill, the two got in the car and soon headed to Ma Kyung-rok's office.
"Here we are."
When they arrived, the Cheonma Consulting sign was gone, replaced by a sign that read Player Place.
'Looks like the preparations are mostly finished.'
He had arrived unannounced, but it wouldn't be a problem.
After all, the company practically belonged to Ryu Min, the one with ultimate management rights.
"So this is the company I invested 70% of my entire fortune in? Ah! I'm sorry. It's not my money, it's yours, Prophet..."
"That money is yours, Russell. Don't feel burdened, and use it as you wish."
"As expected, you're an angel, Prophet. Keuh!"
Watching Russell make a gesture typical of foreigners, Ryu Min let out a small laugh.
"Isn't that more of an insult than a compliment these days?"
"Ah, i-is that so?"
"But if you only have 30% left, isn't that not enough to live on?"
"It's a little tight, but it's fine. I'll just cut down from three meals a day to two..."
"I'll withdraw some cash for you after we leave the company. 10,000 pounds should be enough to live comfortably for a while, right?"
"Gasp! Th-that would be more than enough, of course."
"You're not saying you'll refuse."
"Ah, hahaha..."
Russell, who didn't have the confidence to refuse even for the sake of courtesy, could only laugh.
"But still, is it really okay to just walk into someone else's company like this?"
"It's fine. I'm not the CEO, but it's as good as my company."
"What?"
Russell, blinking his eyes, seemed to realize something as his mouth fell open.
"Don't tell me the company you told me to invest in is..."
"Yes. I'm the actual owner of this company."