An Offer They Can't Refuse
Meanwhile, above the auditorium where the investment briefing was underway.
In the control room, three elderly men were watching Lee Shin through the monitors. The reason these three old men were sitting in a control room that should normally be occupied by staff or the broadcast team was simple.
They were titans.
If the people below were owners of companies, these men were the pillars supporting the entire nation.
"Look at that, just look at him. He's got them all wrapped around his finger, kekeke. I knew he had a silver tongue, but he's gotten so much better over the years. Lee, let's set a date. My granddaughter's a real beauty."
The king of white goods.
Kang Do-kyung of the Shinseong Group.
"Fascinating... Can a good-for-nothing really change that much? I always believed people don't change, but this is quite intriguing."
The king of Asian distribution beyond Korea.
Son Seong-ho of the Taeyang Group.
And then—
"Shh, shut up and watch. I'm trying to listen."
Lee Do Group's Lee Sang-byuk, ranked first in Korea's business world—first place or death.
The three men were focused intently on Lee Shin on the screen.
His speech was direct, almost instinctive. The pacing felt natural, with no brakes at all. Yet he commanded the entire room.
The owners who had built their own empires were swallowing hard and getting excited at every word from Lee Shin, a man young enough to be their son.
"Is something wrong with my eyes? His face and build don't resemble mine one bit, but why does he look just like me when I was young, Son?"
"Exactly. His face is nothing like yours, but that speaking style, the way he builds momentum, those little jokes he drops, the way he draws people in—it's exactly like you in your younger days."
Kang Do-kyung chuckled as he downed his wine, and Son Seong-ho raised his glass in agreement.
But Lee Sang-byuk himself couldn't say a word.
Because he was the most shocked of the three.
'...He was capable of this?'
He had known Lee Shin had talent for guild work.
He knew the boy had an eye for hunters, knew how to manage raid teams, and possessed insight into how guilds truly operated.
But he had assumed all of that was limited to 'guild' matters.
Now, seeing it with his own eyes, Lee Sang-byuk had to admit he was wrong.
"...He really takes after me that much?"
"What do you think? He's your spitting image."
"You were famous in your youth too, Chairman. Do you remember, Do-kyung? When Sang-byuk grabbed a forklift and declared, 'From today on, this bridge will be built by Lee Do'?"
"Kekeke, what a madman. But he actually built it. Kim Group was foaming at the mouth."
Charisma.
Lee Shin had it now. Or rather, he had acquired it.
He had always been suspiciously handsome, but now he possessed the kind of charisma that could dominate an entire room.
The presentation was reaching its climax. Lee Shin struck hard and fast, seized control of the emotions, and then—
"That's it. Time to go for the kill."
The moment Lee Sang-byuk clenched his fist, Lee Shin announced the name of the pill as if he had heard him.
— "Woongjindan!"
"That's right!"
Applause erupted. Lee Shin bowed politely and left without looking back.
Even the cool way he walked off pleased Lee Sang-byuk immensely.
"Why are you keeping such talent locked up in a guild? Does Lee Do really have that many talented people? I didn't think so."
Taeyang Group's Son Seong-ho asked curiously, and Kang Do-kyung chimed in.
"Right. I have a connection with that kid. His eye for people is no joke. At our level, judging people is everything anyway."
"Using capable people and finding trustworthy ones—that's the mark of a true owner."
"If you're not going to use him, just send him over to Shinseong as a son-in-law..."
"You're all too noisy. Stop meddling in other people's family affairs."
I didn't know he was this good either, you idiots.
Lee Sang-byuk's throat was dry, but there was only tasteless wine.
"Why is there only grape juice? Where's the soju? I told you to bring soju."
"Go buy it yourself. You know I don't drink soju."
"I don't care for soju either."
"Aish!"
When Lee Sang-byuk pressed a button on his phone, the door opened in less than a second.
"Go buy two bottles of soju. And glasses. And those snacks we always eat. Get those too."
"Hey, grab a few more things to chew on. What's Busan famous for? How about sashimi? Yeah, get some sashimi."
"I'd prefer cheese. There's some sent from Europe. If I tell my secretary, she'll bring it."
"Damn it, you heard them? Bring everything they mentioned."
The door closed. Lee Sang-byuk immediately put a cigarette in his mouth.
"Want one?"
"You always smoke those. Give it here."
"I have my own."
Hoo...
White smoke rose.
Whether they were savoring the cigarette or the speech they had just witnessed, the three men each fell into their own thoughts.
'Yeah, that kid's no good-for-nothing. Just watching how he organized those raid teams proved he's a genius.'
Kang Do-kyung kept staring at the screen, licking his lips.
'I heard he was a good-for-nothing, but was that just a smokescreen? Judging by how shocked Sang-byuk looks, even he didn't know... So he hid it from his own grandfather? Making a fool of Lee Sang-byuk... Now I want him even more.'
Son Seong-ho closed his eyes and exhaled smoke as if savoring it.
'That kid... our good-for-nothing?'
Lee Sang-byuk was so annoyed that his own judgment had been wrong that he was grinding the filter between his teeth.
Eventually, Kang Do-kyung broke the silence first.
"Hey, let's set a date. My granddaughter takes after me—she's got a strong grip."
"You bastard, you've been going on about your granddaughter this whole time?"
"Exactly. Are you really going to treat Chairman Kang's family matters so lightly?"
"Finally saying something sensible for once, Tae..."
"Let's arrange a meeting with my granddaughter, Chairman Lee. In exchange, I'll approve that loan we discussed earlier at my discretion."
"You crazy bastards! No way! Get lost! Am I insane? Why would I make you my in-laws?"
"Kekeke. You like the idea, though."
"A natural meeting wouldn't be so bad either."
After a brief commotion, the atmosphere lightened. Kang Do-kyung and Son Seong-ho asked Lee Sang-byuk seriously.
"So, Lee. That Woongjindan or whatever it's called. It's not a scam, right?"
"It's nice seeing you two after so long, but coming all the way to Busan and leaving empty-handed would be disappointing."
Lee Sang-byuk smirked at that.
"That's not something I should explain. The person responsible should do it himself, don't you think?"
And at that moment...
Creak!
The door opened and someone walked in.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, sirs!"
It was Lee Shin, greeting them energetically.
"Chairman Kang, it's been a while. We spoke on the phone recently."
"Yeah, you doing well?"
"And this must be Chairman Son Seong-ho? Nice to meet you. Wow, you look incredibly young."
"Thanks."
"Grandfather, was the trip okay? No discomfort?"
"I'm fine. But what's with that 'bag'?"
"Oh, it's a prop. I just think food tastes better when it's delivered like this."
With a natural hum, Lee Shin opened the metal lunchbox, revealing the soju and food they had ordered earlier.
"Let's eat while we talk!"
* * *
Tone and manner. You had to match the atmosphere of any gathering.
Below, he had spoken of possibilities and hope. To these three giants, he mentioned none of that.
What he spoke of was purely dry facts.
"First, you're probably most curious whether it works or not. It's simple. I'll stake my grandfather's honor on it."
"...Why the hell are you staking my honor?"
"Of course, I'll stake mine too. The effects are guaranteed."
The proof was here.
Lee Shin handed each of them a file folder filled with data. But no one checked the documents. Instead, they focused on Lee Shin's mouth.
"Animal testing is already complete. Human testing is done as well."
"Human testing?"
"We ran clinical trials on a hundred people using the original version of Woongjindan. The difference in biological age is there... To put it simply, the success rate was fifty percent."
"Ho, fifty percent?"
"Hmm..."
Just as they were thinking 'Not bad,' Lee Shin's next words made their eyes widen.
"It couldn't be helped. Some skipped doses, didn't exercise, or didn't cooperate."
"...And those who did cooperate?"
"All of them achieved results."
Did that mean one hundred percent efficacy?
That was possible!?
"Is this real? Don't joke around."
"You're not drunk, are you? If you're lying and we get caught, it'll be a huge problem. Be honest."
"Don't you see his face? He's in serious mode right now."
In truth, no experiment had been necessary. The moment Lee Shin received this item, he had instantly recognized it as the 'Woongjindan.'
It was the legendary elixir capable of shifting the entire market paradigm—one that could only be understood by carefully collecting the scattered records of the Poison Monster's secretary.
"I tested it myself, and Secretary Yu Cheol-ong outside the door has been taking it as well."
"!!"
"!!"
The two shocked men looked at Lee Sang-byuk, but Lee Sang-byuk himself was the most surprised.
"Ch-Cheol-ong!! Get in here, now!!"
The door opened at his call, and when asked if he had really taken the medicine, Yu Cheol-ong answered calmly.
"Yes, I have. If you were going to take it, Chairman, I thought I should test it first."
"The effects??"
"There were effects. My mornings have felt much lighter lately."
"Hah! I thought your complexion had improved these past few days!! You sneaky bastard, planning this behind my back?"
Still, the credibility had clearly risen.
"For one hundred days, twice a day—morning and evening—followed by one hour of exercise that makes you sweat. If you follow all these conditions..."
Lee Shin held up two fingers.
"You can reverse your biological age by a minimum of six months to a maximum of two years."
Even more surprising—
"And this data was obtained using the original, unrefined Woongjindan. If we continue refining it and release new versions...?"
"...New versions?"
"You mean it's not just a one-time thing..."
Lee Shin nodded with a meaningful smile.
――――!!
In that instant, Kang Do-kyung and Son Seong-ho put away the mental calculators they had been furiously running.
This was an insane item. A true game-changer that could shift the balance of this world.
No, more than that!
"The elixir market is going to explode."
"It certainly will."
The elixir market would be completely reorganized before and after Woongjindan.
Naturally, Lee Shin, who had seized the initiative, would stand at the center of enormous wealth.
Then a natural question arose.
Why hadn't Lee Sang-byuk, who had this golden goose that had already been tested and verified, kept it all to himself?
At that moment, as if anticipating their doubt, Lee Shin spoke.
"I asked him to. I told him I wanted to hold a grand investment briefing and to contact the owners and you two chairmen."
They looked at Lee Sang-byuk to confirm.
"It's true."
Lee Sang-byuk answered gruffly.
In truth, when Lee Sang-byuk had tried to keep it for himself earlier, Lee Shin had said this to him:
Dream big.
"Dream big?"
"What do you mean?"
"Exactly what I said. Think bigger. Don't be satisfied with the tiny market called Korea—look beyond. Asia, the world!"
"!!"
"!!"
That was right.
Three years ago, when recruiting the Mountain King, Lee Shin had already declared to Lee Sang-byuk—
— "You can't seriously be satisfied with just Korea? Are you really content with being number one in this tiny little market?"
— "I thought your ambition was the greatest in the world, but if it's only the greatest in Korea, then there's no need for me to work with you."
He had been looking far beyond Korea from the very beginning.
"Korea is an interesting country. This small nation produces an absurd number of geniuses. It ranks first in average Awakener level. It ranks first in the number of foreign guilds that want to recruit from here."
"But if we're talking market potential, is our country really that attractive? Well, you gentlemen would know best."
Korea's population here was seventy million. Much better than the original Korea, but still small.
In the end, there was only one answer. Lee Shin wet his lips with soju instead of water and continued.
"We have to go out into the bigger world. We have to compete with guilds from Asia, Europe, Africa, and America."
And then—
"I've already assembled a force that can stand on the world stage."
This was why Lee Shin had made such a bold choice.
The current members were the best possible force Lee Shin could create. They were more than capable of aiming for the world championship, so there was no need to test the waters.
"This Woongjindan is just the groundwork. It's to spread the name of Mir Guild across the world and build wealth and fame."
Finally, Lee Shin placed the Woongjindan sets he had prepared in the metal lunchbox in front of the three men.
"And to bring all the powerful people like you gentlemen to my side."
......
...
.
A brief silence fell over the room.
"Puhahaha! This crazy bastard!"
"Hah, hahaha..."
Kang Do-kyung and Son Seong-ho could now clearly see the picture Lee Shin was drawing.
Lee Shin wasn't satisfied with just seizing wealth and fame through Woongjindan—he intended to bring the entire Korean business world to his side.
What would happen the moment this pharmaceutical company was established?
To protect their investments, the owners would naturally favor Mir Guild. The elixir of youth would even win their favor.
It was a true alliance.
'This kid is even more ruthless than I thought...'
'This is an offer we absolutely cannot refuse.'
The calculations were already done. This was an opportunity too good to pass up.
No—it would be idiotic not to get involved.
A forced move. The two of them could never reject the Woongjindan Lee Shin had given them.
"This isn't the end. Starting with Woongjindan, all sorts of elixirs will be developed."
The countless unique combinations in Lee Shin's mind would be born from the company.
When that happened, he could guarantee it—the Korean elixir market would fall into Lee Shin's hands.
"In the process, we might naturally encroach on your territories. But I'll promise you one thing. Even as we grow, the development costs for 'Woongjindan' will always be the highest priority."
Lee Shin didn't want much.
If they simply stopped viewing him, his guild, and his raid teams as threats to be wary of, then this alliance would be successful enough.
He believed in the raid team he had built.
Without external interference, they could defeat any opponent.
That was why he was willing to share profits in exchange for gaining powerful backing.
His goal wasn't money—it was the success of Mir Guild.
"I look forward to working with you."
Lee Shin poured drinks for everyone and stood up to bow deeply.
It was a sincere gesture, completely different from his usual arrogant confidence.
A brief silence.
Moments later, the three men moved.
"I don't drink soju, but I'll make an exception. If I drink this, you have to meet my granddaughter."
Shinseong Group's Chairman Kang Do-kyung rolled the soju glass in his hand before downing it.
"Sorry for saying you resembled Lee Sang-byuk earlier—that was rude to a young man. You're much better. Lee Shin, I'll remember your name."
Taeyang Group's Chairman Son Seong-ho also studied Lee Shin with interest before downing his glass.
"......"
Lee Sang-byuk stared at Lee Shin for a long moment before downing his own glass in one go and handing it to him.
Then, as he poured more, he said—
"I won't call you a good-for-nothing anymore. Take it, Shin."