Chapter 168. What the Hell Is This Situation...?
Chapter 168. What the Hell Is This Situation...?
Fraud.
The crime of obtaining property or financial gain by deceiving another person.
Technically, what happened to Han wasn't fraud.
It was just an immoral act by a corporation that took advantage of his ignorance.
'...'
[ Author: Anonymous ]
[ Title: Lol Han got totally scammed ]
[ Content: Dude sold an S-rank monster corpse for 14 billion lol. No way it was worth 150 billion, but still... ]
└ If it were me, I would've sold it too for 14 billion lol
└ But his stomach must be killing him, right? When he could've gotten so much more
└ Nah, he's the one who didn't check the market price—who's he gonna blame?
└ For real lol. He's the dream customer for that Yongpal-yi type
└ lmao but whose fault was it?
└ Still, seeing him try to do something for his family with the money, the kid's got a good heart...
└ Dude, most people couldn't even save up 1.4 billion, let alone 14 billion. At that level, you should just be thankful
"..."
I stared silently at the community forum.
An inexplicable feeling washed over me.
"Life can be harsh, but still..."
A world overflowing with hatred and miserable people.
They weren't criticizing the one who committed the immoral act.
Instead, they were pointing fingers at the victim, saying, "Well, you got taken advantage of because you're stupid."
"Seriously..."
I simply turned off my smartphone screen.
---
Hunterguard Corporation.
A global PMC.
"...That action."
The atmosphere was completely different from the cordial one not long ago.
At the end of the long table, the man leaning back in his chair rested his chin on his hand and muttered.
His single remark made the other executives tense up.
"It was clearly... a warning meant for us, wasn't it?"
At those words, the executives exchanged glances nervously.
After a long, drawn-out silence, one of them cautiously spoke up.
"Yes... we presume that the streamer 'Han' realized something was wrong with the contract and asked Hunter Song Hoon for help..."
The president's eyebrow twitched slightly.
"That's what I don't understand..."
Just why?
No prior connection in the past, a relationship based solely on having entered a gate together once.
And for a connection that flimsy, the Unknown Hunter was making a move personally?
On top of that, he left behind a fragment of a dragon's bone, an item of incalculable value, calling it a penalty fee.
'What's his real intention?'
He was a businessman.
An occupation that revolves around logic and profit and loss.
He struggled to grasp the hidden motive that Song Hoon was concealing.
But this time, no matter how much he calculated, no answer emerged.
He quickly shifted his gaze and asked.
"What became of the order I gave?"
"Yes, following your instructions, we donated the entire amount minus the minimum operating costs."
He gave a small nod.
Because he was quick on the uptake, he sensed this was a warning and acted swiftly.
"Haah..."
And yet, an uneasy feeling continued to scratch at the edges of his chest.
He couldn't shake the feeling that this wouldn't end here.
— Brrrrring...
— Vroooo...
Inside the meeting room, the sounds of vibrating smartphones began to ring out all at once.
If it were just one or two, fine, but a considerable number of their phones were going off.
And almost simultaneously at that...
"It doesn't matter to me, please take the call. It might be something important."
The executives bowed their heads and carefully answered their phones.
But soon, their faces began to turn pale as ash.
'...What kind of call was it?'
Once the calls ended, they awkwardly exchanged glances before turning their heads toward the president.
"S-Sir... a request for contract renegotiation has come in. They said they sent a mail just now..."
"That... they are saying it seems difficult to renew the contract here... that they received a better offer elsewhere..."
— Slam!
The president slammed his fist down on the table.
It wasn't out of anger. It was out of certainty.
Because the suspicion of 'maybe, perhaps, one in a million' had now transformed into conviction.
"Is his influence at play here?"
"..."
"The details are..."
"..."
A cool-headed and thoroughly objective businessman.
A suspicion that began from the question, 'What if I were Song Hoon?'
Song Hoon, for someone of his stature, had foolishly never wielded his influence.
'He's using this incident as a pretext... to expand his influence in the hunter world and ultimately... swallow everything whole...!!!'
That was the thought process of a businessman who chases profit without hesitation.
---
On the other hand, the people who received calls from Song Hoon found themselves in quite a serious predicament.
"So, what are the elders thinking?"
"As you know, my lady... they seem not to care particularly."
"Hmm..."
Reina twisted her hair around her finger, lost in thought.
Although he had spoken euphemistically, Song Hoon's words held a definite meaning(?).
"We should go with the flow, I suppose?"
"Yes... it seems so..."
"For now, just take a moderate stance... but don't cut off all ties completely."
"Understood."
China's Tianmu Association was not much different from the Takamine family.
"Sir, what shall we do?"
"Has the party said nothing?"
"...No. They are being extremely cautious."
Chen Longwei.
He understood the true meaning of Song Hoon's words(?).
After all, the party's top brass often conveyed their messages in this exact manner.
"First... we lower their influence, and redirect business to other companies."
"Yes."
The one receiving the order simply bowed his head without a single objection.
'Sir... if you intend to swallow my homeland as well... then I, for the sake of my country...!'
Chen Longwei was caught in a colossal misunderstanding.
---
Conversely, Korea was in a celebratory mood.
"So Hunter Song Hoon intends to expand his influence in earnest."
"...Honestly, I am a little worried."
"Why? Afraid the private sector will seize too much power? Afraid he'll use that power to throw his weight around? Or... afraid we'll end up like the Federal Bank?"
"..."
Song Hoon was fundamentally Korean.
With him backing them, Korea's voice on the global stage had certainly grown louder.
However, they weren't so shameless as to openly throw their weight around.
'But this was an opportunity.'
They had a tiger at their back, but what if the tiger became disappointed and left?
But right now, the situation was the opposite: the tiger had stepped forward directly.
'He would amass great power... but if we simply pick up the crumbs that fall from it...'
"What about Hanul Guild right now?"
"...They're strangely passive."
The man who responded frowned and tilted his head.
They were bound to Song Hoon by blood ties, yet they were being passive?
"For now... we'll move by taking a minimal stance as well."
While lowering Hunterguard Corporation's influence, they gradually began assigning work to other companies.
---
And there was one place that understood Song Hoon's meaning perfectly.
"Boss, we've completed preparations to terminate all current contracts with that entity."
"..."
"Also, concerning the companies that can fill the resulting void..."
Max raised a hand to silence the secretary who was briefing him methodically.
The woman who was now his wife, Emilia Crawford.
An iron lady who handled most tasks even while pregnant.
Of course... thanks to Laila's blessing...
"Heh heh..."
"Boss?"
The woman who always called him Boss in public settings.
Max looked at her and smiled.
"You still don't seem to know Hoon very well."
"Excuse me? What do you mean...?"
"Hoon was just letting out a sigh."
"?"
"Of course he was furious at first. But after his head cooled down and he thought about it, he just felt sorry about the whole situation. Sure, he'll probably get some petty revenge by stopping them from joining the auction, but..."
"..."
"So he simply came to us to vent."
"I-I... I don't really understand."
"You often drop by to chat with the old lady who lives alone next door, don't you? The last time I saw her, she told me... that she sometimes gets sulky because you don't explicitly say you love her."
"E-Eep...!"
"Don't worry too much. If he were truly angry..."
Max let out a short laugh.
Come to think of it, there was probably nothing that could make him angry in the first place... but if he did get angry, wouldn't the Earth split in half?
"We're just too steeped in worldly ways."
A man with both eyes perfectly intact living in a village of one-eyed people.
Everyone, when dealing with others, when doing business, habitually wears a mask to some degree.
But his outer appearance and inner self were exactly the same.
"A truly amusing man..."
was there some hidden intent behind those words?
Could there be another scheme?
If he hadn't known Song Hoon, he would have thought the same.
"In the first place, with Hoon's personality, wouldn't he have just gone on stream and openly announced it to everyone?"
---
"...So that's how it turned out."
"?"
"Following the incident, the subcontracting structure of Hunterguard shrank, severing many existing contract lines, and as a result, their profits have plummeted."
'...?'
The simple act of helping 'Han' had become a spark, spreading in an unexpected direction.
And at a fairly violent pace at that.
"That vacancy is being filled by small and medium guilds and local businesses. The local guild alliance has taken over some of the security duties that Hunterguard used to hold. The residents seem to welcome their presence and activities."
"...Why?"
"Hunterguard was foreign capital. But now it's different. The new companies are renting nearby lodgings long-term, and they mostly eat at local restaurants. The local technicians handle receiving supplies and repairing hunter equipment."
I stared quietly at the documents he handed me.
"Well, in any case, it's a good thing, right?"
I murmured as if talking to myself.
At that moment, he hesitated briefly before producing an additional report.
"And regarding that dragon bone you left behind, Chairman..."
"?"
"They say they donated the entire sum minus the minimum auxiliary costs."
"Ah, well, that was a good move."
The situation had taken on a life of its own.
My plan was to prevent them from participating in the upcoming auction.
In the long term, being barred from the auction would be an even bigger blow than the dragon bone I gave them.
'I thought about it too lightly...'
Even in the other world, the nobles always twisted my words and misinterpreted them.
It hasn't been that long since I returned to Earth, but to already forget that...
'Tsk...'
My sole purpose was to have people point fingers at them.
I never intended to let the flames spread this far.
"So what's the situation with Hunterguard now?"
"Even though their profits have sharply declined for the moment, they are receiving favorable reviews from the public."
"?"
"Well... there is a sentiment that they, who had a near monopoly, have now provided opportunities for other companies and guilds..."
"???"
"It seems it's difficult for ordinary people to grasp the detailed inside story..."
'What on earth was going on...?'
Seriously, what was this?