The Empire's First Contract
The next morning.
Yet another new day had dawned.
[Ding!]
[Morning Tribute]
Your Majesty! Please accept this morning's tribute!
Clatterclatterclatterclatter!
Rattle-rattle-rattle-rattle!
A shower of gold coins rained down from above, mercilessly smacking him in the forehead.
Clack.
But he didn't lose a single one.
His right arm blocked any coins from slipping behind the bed frame, while his left arm swept out to catch those trying to roll underneath.
It was a display of godlike gold-catching skill.
Only then did Kim Hwang-je slowly open his eyes and count the coins.
Perfect. Not a single one missing today either.
The more he blocked the monster waves, the higher his real-world stats climbed.
For example, his Agility had originally been 3.
Now it had risen to 4.11154872… and kept going.
The fact that such a change had occurred in just a few days was what mattered.
Even if he'd gone to the gym or followed hunters around to hunt, he never would have raised it this quickly.
At the same time, he opened his status window with a thought and brought it up in front of him.
The royal castle had been cleared.
There had been no major issues during the night.
Park Jo-woon had kept people up all night teaching them how to operate heavy machinery.
Thanks to that, the [Village Children] had been renamed the [Heavy Machinery Knights Order].
“…Knights Order?”
Overnight they’d turned into some grand order of knights that would slay demon kings and save the nation?
Yet despite that majestic title, they were trembling as they operated the heavy equipment.
Beside them, Su-ah was clapping her hands and teaching the kids.
At least those children wouldn’t have to worry about going hungry anymore.
“Heh heh…”
Kim Hwang-je smiled in satisfaction.
In the center of the castle grounds, an enormous stockpile of goods from the food distribution center had been stacked high.
Thanks to that, this morning’s royal castle was impressive in more ways than one.
Even oil on the verge of being discarded was still oil.
The sound of all kinds of dishes being deep-fried in bizarre varieties of oil echoed throughout the castle.
Hmm. He couldn’t smell the aroma, but it somehow smelled fragrant anyway.
All sorts of bizarre cooking methods were on display. Flour dough with mayonnaise. Not bad.
He simply hoped they wouldn’t all get stomachaches from suddenly eating so much oily food.
Loyalty 86/100
Your Majesty.
The Emperor Appreciation Festival has begun!
Delicious! Delicious! It is truly delicious!
Behold your people!
What is this exploding feast of flavor?
It seems quite stimulating.
In the footage, Gemini was making a huge fuss and slapping the king on the shoulder.
The king laughed heartily and took the hits, then gave her a playful knuckle to the forehead.
He understood.
Anyone tasting Nutella jam for the first time could easily react that way.
“Up we go!”
Kim Hwang-je gathered the gold coins that had woken him from sleep and carried them to the conference room.
The coins were stacked neatly, turning the mahogany table into what looked like a golden altar.
This had been the first thing he’d done after returning to his hotel room last night.
Thanks to the [Emperor’s Robes], the duration of [Resident Summon] had increased, and he could now summon two residents at once.
That was why he had summoned a resident last night and put them in charge of cleaning.
Since the Gaya Hotel staff were barred from entering the second floor, organizing the gold coins had fallen entirely to Kim Hwang-je and his summoned residents.
He had also asked Gemini to prepare a proper contract.
Gemini had immediately taken out a quill and written something for him.
He had ordered the [Illiterate Mage] to act as witness for the contract as well.
Now all that remained was for the manager to arrive.
Good. Everything was peaceful.
But where was Poyu?
“Come out and contract with me to become a magical girl!”
Kim Hwang-je kicked open the door and dashed into the living room.
“Poyu!”
“Uung~ Why?”
“What are you watching?”
“Hehe, I was watching a cartoon with cute fairies in it!”
This would not do.
How dare that pale, squishy evil beast?
Kim Hwang-je casually stepped in front of the television and scooped Poyu into his arms.
“Now now, our Poyu. Isn’t it about time to go play with Gemini?”
“Ah, that’s right! Gemini said we have to play together in the morning!”
“Exactly. We can’t keep Gemini waiting. Want to have a snack while you chat with her?”
“Yesss~”
Kim Hwang-je carried Poyu over and fed the little dragon a diamond.
Poyu happily crunched the diamond between tiny front teeth, smiling brightly the whole time.
Then the emperor opened the status window in the conference room so that Gemini and Poyu could see each other face to face.
He placed a pile of jewels and gold coins in front of Poyu and said,
“Play with Gemini and eat as much as you want!”
“Okay!”
It seemed Gemini had serious conversations with the fairy dragon at this time every morning.
Poyu would burst into giggles, tilt its head, and answer Gemini’s questions.
They appeared to be earnestly discussing some matter that crossed dimensions, so there was nothing Kim Hwang-je could contribute.
He adjusted the television settings.
He made sure Poyu could never again watch cartoons featuring that wicked magical creature.
Instead, he set it to only show wholesome programs.
He also blocked DuTube, of course.
He had caught a glimpse of the DuTube trending page during the process. There were a lot of wild conspiracy theories about the Archmage’s seclusion.
Who exactly was this Archmage?
When Kim Hwang-je clicked on it, it turned out to be about him.
[Shock! There’s a crazy bastard who broke through Lost’s barrier using only anti-magic gold?! Mass sightings by mages!]
[Many mages tried to use detection spells, but the anti-magic gold was piled so high it was impossible!]
[Kim Hwang-je, who blocked the underwater giant’s breath, is an alchemist who creates gold!]
[Is Kim Hwang-je on his second round?]
Most of it was filled with ridiculous conspiracy theories.
But one thing caught Kim Hwang-je’s attention.
“So these gold coins… they cancel out magic?”
He had been selling them diligently, but he never knew they had that kind of effect.
Kim Hwang-je rummaged through the walk-in closet of the suite.
He found a suit cover with a nice texture.
He also found some construction tape under the kitchen shelf.
Then he began stuffing it with gold coins.
At that moment, the doorbell rang.
Ding-dong—
“Ah, finally. It’s here.”
Kim Hwang-je headed for the door.
When it opened, a man with neatly combed hair stood there.
His suit was immaculate, his shoes polished. The very air around him screamed “elite.”
Even the cologne was one Kim Hwang-je had never smelled before.
“Good morning, Hunter Kim Hwang-je. I am Seo Jun-seo, head of the 52nd Secretarial Office at Lost. I have been dispatched for duty.”
What a number that sounded like it belonged to an astronaut.
“Come in.”
Kim Hwang-je took a drink from the fridge and handed it over. Seo Jun-seo accepted it.
“Thank you, Hunter-nim. I have heard a lot about you from the butler. Regarding taxes and…”
Seo Jun-seo trailed off mid-sentence.
Because Kim Hwang-je was neatly stacking gold coins inside the suit cover.
Even a Mexican drug lord probably wouldn’t stuff gold coins into a suit cover like that.
What on earth was he making with a suit cover?
Seo Jun-seo watched the scene. As the tape was applied, the shape became clearer and clearer…
A suit cover filled with gold coins, shaped into…
A baseball bat?
“Ah, don’t mind me. Just keep talking. I thought of something suddenly. I can listen while I work.”
“Ah…? Yes…”
When Seo Jun-seo couldn’t tear his eyes away, Kim Hwang-je spoke.
“There’s a guy I need to deal with.”
That damn evil spirit.
It had probably never been hit with a bundle of anti-magic gold before.
Chaebols beat people with bundles of cash, but righteous Kim Hwang-je would beat evil spirits with gold.
Faced with the dazzling sight before him, Seo Jun-seo barely managed to collect himself and spoke.
“Ah… Yes. First, I have prepared documents regarding the establishment of Hunter-nim’s company. I will help you minimize taxes and freely manage investments.”
He took out two documents.
“To maintain a one-man hunter enterprise, I would recommend joining an organization or issuing stocks.”
But Kim Hwang-je shook his head.
“It’s fine. My source of funds is solid, and… I’d rather no one knew about it. This company will operate under strict secrecy. No one should be able to look inside!”
He really does look incredibly sturdy.
Seo Jun-seo swallowed.
It was exactly as he said.
The royal castle’s finances had been bone-dry, but the waves had made Kim Hwang-je incredibly wealthy.
Kim Hwang-je had no intention of letting any flies buzz around his money.
Seo Jun-seo nodded.
“Understood. President Jung Da-yeon said you would insist on secrecy. Anticipating that, I have prepared documents for establishing a limited liability company.”
“Limited liability company?”
“As you know, Hunter-nim, a limited liability company is not required to disclose financial statements to the public. Multinational corporations like Coca-Cola, Google, and Lost operate this way. You will own 100% of the shares. Naturally, outsiders cannot demand to see anything. External audits of hunting-derived revenue are also extremely difficult.”
Sorry, but he didn’t really understand any of that.
Still, Kim Hwang-je accepted the documents and looked them over.
They were filled with complicated legal terms. Who would be the representative, who the auditor, who the directors…
Kim Hwang-je closed the documents.
“Let’s make Park Jo-woon the auditor and Park Su-ah a director. You can handle the rest.”
Once Gemini and Poyu finished talking, he could contact them and get their seals. That would be enough.
“Yes, understood. I have heard a lot about those two.”
Seo Jun-seo nodded.
His quick understanding refreshed Kim Hwang-je’s mood.
“By the way, Hunter-nim—no, President-nim. What would you like the company name to be?”
“Is there any need to overthink it? Just go with Empire Corporation. Sounds cool.”
“Understood. Limited Liability Company Empire Corporation…”
“How much is the Empire State Building these days?”
Kim Hwang-je muttered to himself and chuckled.
Seo Jun-seo naturally assumed it was a joke.
But then Kim Hwang-je suddenly turned serious.
“One more thing. As you know, in the hunter business, finding good connections is important.”
“Of course. I stake my honor on it.”
Seo Jun-seo replied.
“I want to trust Jung Da-yeon, who sent you, and Lost, and work together for a long time.”
“Of course. The butler also emphasized this strongly. You may do anything to me. I will not betray you.”
Anything goes? That was convenient.
“Alright then, don’t be too surprised.”
Resident Summon (Lv.1)
▷ Illiterate Mage
Kkyuuuung! Kkyuuung! Kkyuuuung kkyukkyu!
The Illiterate One is acting cute.
Your Majesty!
This slime is the former pet of the Magic Tower Master Nodring, who died long ago.
That is why the fools at the Magic Tower gave it the title of ‘Mage.’
The old Nodring used to attach this friend to his disciples’ bodies to constantly monitor whether they were studying properly.
So the disciples all wanted to kill this slime.
[Skills Used]
▷ [Principal’s Quick-Witted Informant Brat]
▷ If the target breaks their promise with the principal by slacking off or cheating, the slime’s main body will notice.
▷ Requires the target’s consent and the target must have no magic resistance.
It was a rather insignificant spell.
But Seo Jun-seo stared at the slime with a deathly pale face.
A nucleus-like core slowly moved inside its translucent body—this calf-sized fungal lifeform…
The very creature said to possess infinite life, the primordial being that humans could never tame…!
Kim Hwang-je said,
“Don’t be too scared. I’ve tested it enough. Things are a bit urgent on my end too, so I’m getting serious. First, read the contract. If there are no problems, I’ll cast the anti-betrayal spell.”
Seo Jun-seo nodded with a grave expression.
His face looks innocent, but sure enough, inside lurks a cruel archmage… That slime is a kind of gu poison. The moment I betray him, it will definitely devour my brain. How terrifying and cruel…!
Of course, that wasn’t the case.
Kim Hwang-je took out the contract.
Gemini had made it. It seemed to be the standard contract used in the kingdom.
1. Party B, Seo Jun-seo, swears absolute loyalty to Party A, Kim Hwang-je, for the duration of this contract and shall not betray him.
2. Party B shall forever protect all of Party A’s secrets and remain loyal.
3. In return, Party A shall provide Party B with 5,000,000 won per month for the duration of the contract. This amount shall increase by at least 10% each year.
4. For the above contract, Party B receives notarization from the Illiterate Mage.
How about it?
Wasn’t this fairly standard?
Kim Hwang-je felt satisfied.
It was the first time he had filled in numbers in the parentheses of a contract, and the first time in his life he had presented a contract to someone.
He wrote his own name in the “Party A” section.
But upon seeing this extremely simple contract, Seo Jun-seo fell into deep thought.
There was no mention anywhere of a “contract termination period.”
Because this was a Kingdom Standard contract.
And the kingdom was still a monarchy.
In other words, without Kim Hwang-je realizing it, this was a contract of lifelong loyalty—no, it was a slave contract!
Seo Jun-seo’s eyes turned red.
Tears welled up slightly.
“Uh… Is the salary too low? Should I raise it?”
He had promised the construction uncle two thousand per month. Was five hundred too little for an employee who would handle everything?
Kim Hwang-je immediately took out a pen, crossed it out, and raised it to 20,000,000 won.
There. He had raised it to match the construction uncle’s pay. That should be enough to satisfy him, right?
Look at him. He was so moved that tears were streaming down his face.
Butler-nim. Butler-nim, you were right…! He is a terrifying man! But I have long since resolved to repay the grace I received from Lost even at the cost of my life.
Seo Jun-seo took out the seal he had brought.
Keep friends close… and enemies even closer… I shall become Lost’s living gold mine!
In the end, the man named Seo Jun-seo squeezed his eyes shut and stamped the document.
The sound of the stamp echoed inside his head like a bell.
“Thank you!”
Kim Hwang-je smiled brightly.
Soon the [Illiterate Mage] slowly crawled up onto Seo Jun-seo’s head.
A cold magical power flowed from the slime into Seo Jun-seo.
With that, the contract was complete.
Seo Jun-seo, eyes rimmed red, stood up and bowed deeply.
From now on, he would have to be extremely careful with every action.
That ancient magical creature would be reading his every thought!
“Let’s work well together from now on.”
“Yes. I look forward to working with you.”
Probably forever…
Seo Jun-seo swallowed those last words.
“Alright, let’s go buy some stuff!”
“Pardon?”
“Please prepare everything on this list.”
Kim Hwang-je handed over the paper Park Jo-woon had given him.
Then he stood up, gripping the anti-magic gold bat.