Chapter 95
Chapter 95
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 95
Chapter Title: ACT.17 The Strategy That Never Was (6)
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A demon became subservient to a mere player.
It certainly wasn't a common occurrence. A big deal, when you thought about it.
Most demons have little to no camaraderie, and tend not to care what happens to their own kind.
Just like the 'Devil Who Mocks the Heavens'.
But there was one exception.
I let out a faint sneer.
“If that were the case, he would’ve intervened back in Chapter 8 to get revenge.”
But, as a matter of principle, he can't interfere just yet.
Higher beings can't appear so early in the game.
It's not that they won't, but that they can't.
Knowing that is what allows me to act this way.
I was trying to bluff, but when it didn't work, the 'One Who Covets Treasure' let out a groan.
[Ugh...]
“If you understand, then get to work. If you mess up, I might just raise your daily quota.”
[Ah, I get it! Dammit.]
The demon vanished, grumbling.
Even though I said that, his intervention isn't entirely impossible.
He has ways of subcontracting.
'I know all the guys he'd subcontract to, so I can deal with them anytime.'
In any case, I've done everything I needed to do for now.
All that's left is to wait for Jun Bo-ra to return.
I went back to where the gate had appeared.
Only two people remained, their faces tense as they stared down the cylinders.
The virus would spread the moment they failed to replace even one on time, so they had no choice but to be on edge.
The fate of this place rested on their shoulders.
'Those guys won't just stand by idly.'
The Dark Moon Guild will definitely come here.
It would be a problem if all the cylinders were destroyed, so it was better to camouflage them in advance.
I gave the people there some simple advice before moving to a bench a short distance away.
“Here, the item you asked for.”
Just as I was thinking it was about time, she appeared as naturally as if she'd been there all along.
I took the leather pouch from Jun Bo-ra.
“Perfect timing. What about Min Gyeong-hoon?”
“That shut-in, he was so moved he even shed tears. I've never seen him so happy about anything.”
He would be.
He even hacked my office computer and plastered it with dimension stones.
I smiled wryly, opening the pouch to check.
The processed dimension stone, shaped like a polyhedron, emitted a mysterious light.
[Processed Dimension Stone]
A processed item that allows the power of a dimension stone to be controlled through mana.
Its efficiency and effectiveness have been increased.
*Vwoom.*
The moment I confirmed the dimension stone, my phone rang with a call from an unknown number.
A picture of a Shiba Inu wearing sunglasses.
It's a symbol Min Gyeong-hoon likes to use.
Looks like he wants to brag.
Having played so many games, I was sick of Min Gyeong-hoon's boasting, but he'd get sulky if I ignored him.
Sighing inwardly, I answered the phone, and Min Gyeong-hoon's excited voice chattered away.
—So, so, so!? It's processed well, right!? You like it, right!?
“Yeah. Not bad.”
There's a distinct difference from before it was processed.
It's easier to infuse with mana, too.
I could now wield the dimension stone's incomprehensible power with considerable control.
Entrusting it to Min Gyeong-hoon was a good choice.
Just as I was about to offer some light praise, Min Gyeong-hoon added excitedly.
—When are you gonna pay the processing fee?
“What?”
—The processing fee. It was so hard to handle. You gotta pay up.
Oh, look at this guy.
I gave a disbelieving laugh.
I was going to let it slide, but he just had to kick the opportunity away himself.
“Shouldn't you be the one paying me?”
—Huh? Wh-what?
“It's true that you have to shave off the outer layers during processing, but considering the size of the stone I gave you, this one has shrunk quite a bit.”
—That's because my calculations showed that size was perfect for drawing out its maximum performance. My calculations are never wrong.
“I'm not doubting your calculations. It's not about the process. The result is that you pocketed all the leftover pieces, right? Like you said, it's something that barely exists on Earth, so its value must be immense. And you're demanding a processing fee on top of that?”
—...
A genius isn't a genius in every field.
I knew Min Gyeong-hoon had no talent for business.
And when cornered like this, he had a habit of trying to escape to another topic.
—Oh, and about the dimension stone. I've figured out what kind of power it has.
“Tell me.”
But it was a topic I couldn't ignore, so I decided to hear him out for now.
If I pushed him too hard and he got sulky, that would be a problem in itself.
—It’s a repulsive force against external dimensions. That's probably why it pushes back the virus. You said the gate was strengthened? It's more likely a runaway phenomenon caused by the dimension stone's repulsion, rather than strengthening.
That would make sense.
A repulsive force against external dimensions.
Considering I'd have to visit those external dimensions myself later, it seemed dimension stones would be very useful in the future.
'Some of those places had environments so incompatible that just being there incurred a penalty.'
With a dimension stone, it looked like I could offset that considerably.
“I get that.”
—Another thing to mention is...
“You can keep the pieces you cut off during processing.”
—Now you're talking!
Min Gyeong-hoon, who was about to change the subject again, brightened up.
Only for a moment, though.
“However.”
Min Gyeong-hoon held his breath.
You should always hear someone out to the end.
“From now on, you have to grant me three favors, no matter what they are.”
—Three favors, no matter what? Uh, ugh...
All sorts of calculations must be running through his head.
But this wasn't a negotiation.
It was closer to a one-sided demand.
—I'd need to hear the details first.
“I'll tell you when I make the request.”
—And if I refuse?
“I'll barge into your room right now and take it by force.”
—If I decide to hide, no one can catch me. I can hide faster than you can get here.
His confident tone was rather cute.
Let's see. How many secret hideouts did Min Gyeong-hoon set up across the country?
Even then, the place he was at when he escaped from Yongsan after that incident was...
“Where are you planning to go? I can wait for you there. Near Pangyo in Seongnam? Or maybe Bupyeong in Bucheon? Or perhaps even further, near Everland in Yongin.”
A long silence followed from the other end of the line.
He must have forgotten that I'd also mentioned Crow and Kim Hee-chan.
“Min Gyeong-hoon. I know a lot more than you think. Don't even think you can escape from me.”
—...Seems like it.
A deep sigh tickled my ear.
A tacit agreement.
I didn't stop there, immediately laying out my requests.
“Then here's the first favor, right now.”
—What is it?
“Through whatever means necessary, get dimension stones, process them into pieces the size of a fingertip, and make me several cylinders. As many as possible.”
—...?
“Second. If there are any dimension stones left over, grind them into powder, wrap them in plastic, and give them to me.”
—...Isn't that just telling me to reprocess all the dimension stone fragments I have and give them to you?
“Third. Proceed with the first two favors without any arguments.”
—Hey! That doesn't make any sense!?
Min Gyeong-hoon reacted with something close to a seizure.
“If you don't like it, give them back. I'll pay the processing fee separately.”
The demon would just bring more money, so I wasn't worried about it.
Besides, Min Gyeong-hoon is fundamentally a researcher at heart.
There was no way he could resist the temptation of an unobtainable item right in front of him, no matter how much money he had.
Even without financial gain, the act of touching and handling it to acquire knowledge he didn't have before.
The Min Gyeong-hoon I knew would choose that path.
Sure enough, Min Gyeong-hoon groaned and grumbled before answering in a dejected voice.
—...You're a real piece of work. Fine. I'll do it all. But in return, you have to show me any other strange things you get in the future.
“I can do that much.”
—Promise!?
The call ended.
Offering a carrot at the end goes a long way in dispelling any ill feelings.
With this, my relationship with Min Gyeong-hoon wouldn't change much.
“...You're a demon.”
Jun Bo-ra, who had been watching the whole thing from the side, muttered with a fed-up expression.
The real demon was nearby, making a sour face.
“You did well, too. It would have taken me a while to go myself, but you saved me time.”
“No, well... If my teleporting makes things easier, then that's good enough.”
Suddenly receiving thanks, Jun Bo-ra looked away, seemingly awkward.
This would solve the gate problem inside the residence.
And enough cylinders would be secured for the guild members entering the Ark Gate.
*KABOOM!*
A sudden explosion struck my ears.
Both Jun Bo-ra and I turned our heads toward the sound.
That was the direction of the gate.
Even comparing the volume to a normal explosion, the estimated distance was similar.
'It's begun.'
A gate had opened in the middle of the residence; there was no way the Dark Moon Guild wouldn't take advantage of it.
They're much faster than I expected.
We exchanged a brief glance and immediately ran toward the gate.
A horrific scene unfolded near the gate.
“Wh-what is this!?”
All the cylinders suppressing the virus had been destroyed, and the people left to replace them were groaning on the ground with various injuries.
Even the boxes of replacement cylinders stacked nearby were all destroyed.
Freed from what held it back, the virus was now spreading with a vigor matching its previous suppression.
I immediately looked elsewhere.
Fortunately, the box containing the real cylinders was safe.
“Jun Bo-ra! Go after them! We came as soon as we heard the sound, so the culprit couldn't have gotten far!”
“Got it!”
In a hurry, I slammed the dimension stone I was holding into the ground.
As I poured mana into it, light erupted from the stone, instantly pushing back the virus and forming a shape that seemed to press on the gate from all sides.
Its effectiveness was incomparable to the cylinders.
It had narrowed the space by more than half compared to when the cylinders were blocking it.
“Wh-what is going on!?”
Hearing the commotion, the masters of each guild, including Seong Woo-hyeon, came rushing over, seemingly having left a meeting.
“It seems to be an attack by someone. All the cylinders have been destroyed.”
“How could this happen...”
Lee Min-hwa bit her nails hard.
Choi Dae-han silenced Kim Hyo-jong, who was grumbling that they should have assigned stronger players to guard the cylinders, with a single glance.
“Could this be...”
Just as Seong Woo-hyeon squinted and was about to say something, I noticed something unnatural a short distance away.
Reddish smoke was rising from various spots within the residence.
It wasn't the kind of smoke that comes from something burning.
[Using skill, 'Extreme Eye'.]
It was none other than a poisonous mist containing a mutated version of the virus.
“Seong Woo-hyeon-nim! The box with the real cylinders is hidden over there! Please deploy them quickly!”
“Understood!”
Seong Woo-hyeon immediately made a call, and soon after, a man appeared via teleport.
It was Team Leader Lee Tae-hyeon, the one who had tried to scout me.
He quickly opened the bag in his right hand, and every time his hand swept over a cylinder, it teleported near the gate.
They're planning to use what they have on hand for now.
“Se-hyeon-nim!?”
As soon as I confirmed all the cylinders were in place, I retrieved the dimension stone and ran toward the smoke.
The Dark Moon Guild, having succeeded in researching and mutating the collected virus, had begun a full-scale terror attack.
Destroying the cylinders must have been part of it.
I had expected them to come and interfere with blocking the gate.
They were just much faster than I'd anticipated.
To carry out a guerrilla attack like this meant at least an executive like Kang Dong-woon was involved.
The corners of my mouth twisted up.
When you move in a hurry, you trip over your own feet.
They were about to learn that the hard way.