The Lower Body Galaxy
“You’ve arrived, sir?”
The top-floor convention center of the Gaya Hotel.
Seo Jun-seo greeted Kim Hwang-je.
He was wearing a tuxedo that looked almost like a tailcoat. The black jacket paired with a deep red tie suited him perfectly.
Kim Hwang-je clicked his tongue.
Why is everyone around me ridiculously good-looking?
Had the world he lived in changed that much? It still didn’t feel real.
“Miss Jung Da-yeon has prepared a VVIP terrace seat for you. Please head to Terrace 302 by 1 p.m.”
“302?”
“Yes, sir. You’ve been assigned to the third-floor terrace of the opera house we rented for the auction.”
“Ah…”
He’d never been to an auction before, so how would he know?
Were auctions usually held in opera houses?
An opera house on the top floor of a hotel…
Kim Hwang-je nodded.
“By the way, can I see the list of auction items?”
“We’ve only prepared the publicly disclosed list.”
Seo Jun-seo handed over the documents.
Kim Hwang-je took them and scanned the pages.
“So there are undisclosed items as well?”
“Correct. There will be secret items revealed at the very end after final adjustments. Most of the big players are here for those.”
Seo Jun-seo glanced around before continuing.
“The publicly listed items from the document are on display in this lounge.”
Under elegant lighting, treasures were exhibited along a long corridor.
Weapons, armor, books, potions, artworks. Maps, strategy guides.
Behind each item sat a [Treasure Designation Certificate] and a [Genuine Appraisal Report].
Especially behind the strategy guides were attached [Guild Recognition Certificates] from the organizations that had submitted them.
Looking at him, it seemed Seo Jun-seo was ready to follow him around and explain everything in detail.
“I’ll look around by myself. You must be busy.”
“Understood. In that case, sir, I’ll prepare the terrace for you.”
Kim Hwang-je sent him off.
He swallowed as he looked at the items.
“Whoa…”
All sorts of weapons were on display.
The first thing that caught his eye was a pair of daggers engraved with beautiful butterfly patterns.
Starting bid: 250 million won.
The description said they were weapons comparable to B-class excavated artifacts.
Next to the daggers, the starting price was listed not only in the currencies of six different countries but also converted into gold value.
With the world in danger, gold was far more popular than fiat currency these days.
“Maybe I should learn some weapon techniques and body training?”
The memory of getting bitten by a snake and sent flying still bothered him.
But I don’t even have any close-combat skills…
Kim Hwang-je let out a small sigh.
Even the air here felt refreshingly clean.
On the corridor pillars were capsules labeled “Alps Air.”
“Huh. Really?”
Was the world now at the point of selling air?
It couldn’t possibly be better than the air in the royal castle.
Maybe he should sell royal castle air too.
When Kim Hwang-je opened World Observation, the royal castle was in the middle of heavy construction.
Besides the four heavy machines he had sent with Dave, the remaining six sacred heavy machines led a fleet of other equipment in full operation.
They were moving tetrapods, digging ground, driving rebar, and pouring concrete.
Park Jo-woon, following orders to the letter, had completely sealed off the castle gate.
The castle gate… if that’s blocked, the pain should be much less.
Kim Hwang-je felt satisfied.
The blue sky of the royal castle suddenly looked incredibly lovely.
If I collect that fresh air and sell it, couldn’t I make money like Kim Seon-dal?
While watching the construction, Kim Hwang-je suddenly snapped back to reality.
Jung Da-yeon was smiling at him.
She offered him a glass of champagne.
“So this is where you were. Those daggers are quite elegant, aren’t they? We’ve finally succeeded in mass-producing B-class weapons.”
“B-class weapons?”
“Yes. Production is now possible. They should bring in excellent profits at this auction.”
She raised her glass and clinked it against his.
Clink.
The champagne flutes made an elegant sound.
“Of course, the real stars will be the two contaminated entities you brought, right? We extracted them at maximum yield. In my opinion, I think each could go for up to four hundred million dollars.”
She covered her mouth and laughed.
“A man who’s about to pocket at least five hundred billion won—what could possibly be on his mind?”
“Ah. I was thinking about selling some air…”
“Air?”
Jung Da-yeon’s eyes sparkled at the word “sell.”
Kim Hwang-je instinctively knew that if he let this continue, she would launch into a full-blown royal castle air sales business—or worse, a wealth management lecture.
So he cut straight to the point.
“Actually, I went to the place you showed me before and took care of that evil spirit. It was horrible.”
“Already…? You sealed it by yourself without any help from us?”
Jung Da-yeon asked with a smile, but her eyes were sharp.
“No. I annihilated it.”
At those words, Jung Da-yeon quickly scanned their surroundings.
Fortunately, no one was nearby.
Her gaze wasn’t one of surprise or panic—it was calmly checking whether anyone had overheard. It was far from ordinary.
She looked almost like a criminal plotting to silence a witness…
“Come with me. Quickly.”
Jung Da-yeon grabbed Kim Hwang-je’s hand and pulled him into the staff room. She locked the door. The click echoed in his ears.
“Tell me in detail. You didn’t seal it—you annihilated it?”
The staff room was narrow.
Jung Da-yeon lowered her voice to a whisper, standing very close.
Too close.
Kim Hwang-je blushed and stepped back against the wall.
“Ah, I guess this isn’t something to talk about in front of a crowd.”
“This isn’t just ‘difficult to talk about’… no…”
Jung Da-yeon pressed the back of her hand to her forehead as if she might faint, breathing heavily.
Is it really possible to deal with an evil spirit so easily?
Her face trembled, shifting expressions rapidly.
Until now, no one had ever annihilated an evil spirit!
This wasn’t some casual story about going out for drinks—this was something you didn’t just mention in passing.
If someone from the Hunter Association heard this, they might even commit murder to obtain the strategy.
Feeling like he was pouring oil on a fire, Kim Hwang-je carefully took out a Grim.
“I brought this too. How much do you think it’s worth?”
But Jung Da-yeon simply stared blankly at the round orb he held out.
It was the most novel reaction she had shown so far—pure ignorance.
“You don’t know what this is?”
“No.”
Jung Da-yeon bit her lower lip hard.
Kim Hwang-je felt a pang of guilt.
Well, if he hadn’t explained it to himself, he wouldn’t have known either. He shouldn’t act all superior.
“It was inside the evil spirit’s stomach. I killed it and took it.”
“…So you’re saying you killed an evil spirit and extracted this.”
Extracted?
Did you have to give digging a hole in the ground such a grandiose name?
“If you kill it and dig underneath, this is what you find.”
“Haha…”
…He’s saying he’ll keep the extraction method a secret. Of course he would.
She felt frustrated that he was joking about digging for treasure.
She had worked so hard, yet she still hadn’t been recognized as an official partner…!
She said, “It seems your organization possesses the ability to deal with evil spirits.”
“Well… yeah, something like that.”
To be precise, he had kidnapped all his subordinates using Personnel Deployment and burned a thousand native Virgins alive.
If their organization was the royal castle, then yes, that was accurate.
But Jung Da-yeon, unaware of the inner workings, couldn’t possibly understand the principle.
The ancient organization has finally begun to move!
How could she know that overlapping spaces inside his stomach allowed for such an overpowered approach?
“So that’s why you didn’t ask for our help…”
Evil spirits.
Jung Da-yeon had offered to help with the subjugation, but even for her, it was no small investment.
After all, evil spirits were still known as [Unraidable] entities.
Monsters that brought relief to governments simply by not moving.
The hunters going with Kim Hwang-je had only been meant to buy time while he stole the [Steel Mill].
Jung Da-yeon steadied her breathing and spoke.
“May I ask why you’re telling only us this information right now?”
Her gaze was piercing.
“Does your organization require the cooperation of our Lost branch to achieve an unofficial strategic objective on the Korean Peninsula?”
The wording is so complicated…
If it’s a strategic goal, just call it a strategic goal. Why does it have to be unofficial?
Kim Hwang-je shook his head.
He had no “unofficial” strategic objectives that needed to be hidden.
Wasn’t it enough to feed the kids in the royal castle until they were full, kill every monster that attacked, protect the castle, and live happily day by day?
“Um… I just thought I should let you know.”
“Then are you telling this only to me?”
“No. A government agent came and saw it too. I think her name was Lee Min-ah? For some reason she grabbed my hand and cried her eyes out. She must have suffered a lot from evil spirits.”
“Special Agent Lee Min-ah from the Security Agency?”
It felt like a rock had dropped into a lake.
She wasn’t invited, but she got to observe?
The Security Agency might sound insignificant since it was only an “agency,” but it was certain to be upgraded to a full “ministry” in the next administration.
The Ministry of Monster Security.
Its head would be at the ministerial level.
A minister had the right to speak at cabinet meetings.
At this rate, they would hold the strongest voice even in the NSC—the National Security Council.
The organization that had survived on the director’s star power would become a core of power after reorganization.
And yet one of its three rising stars—Lee Min-ah—had grabbed Kim Hwang-je’s hand and cried?
“…How exactly did she cry?”
Why am I the kind of woman who gets curious about that at a time like this…!
But the innocent Kim Hwang-je scratched the back of his head and answered.
“Uh, what did she say… Thank you for finally appearing. You must have gone through a lot. From now on, let’s fight together. I will definitely help you. Please contact me… Something like that. She seemed really grateful that I hunted the evil spirit.”
Jung Da-yeon thought quietly.
The Security Agency must be planning to insert Kim Hwang-je into their various issues.
Just like how Lost had signed an exclusive contract with him for profit…
She mentally listed the Security Agency’s authorities.
The right to coordinate Seoul’s defense barrier,
Operational command over special forces and firepower projection units limited to anti-monster warfare,
Operation of large-scale surveillance and wiretapping facilities,
Permission and operational rights for PMC (Private Military Companies),
The authority to issue hunter licenses and temporary mobilization rights,
Plus priority access to monster-related research facilities and resources.
All these excessively powerful authorities, which should never belong to a single organization, were concentrated in one place solely for the purpose of fighting monster wars!
One thing was certain.
The man before her had created a connection with the Security Agency—one of the most powerful institutions of the future.
As the only hunter capable of hunting evil spirits.
And the fact that he was boldly whispering this to her meant…
He already holds the strings of both political power and financial power in his hands.
What could a man with such strength in both hands possibly be trying to do?
No—in this case, it might be faster to look for what he couldn’t do.
Impressive. This man is too good at playing hard to get. He rejected my help, handled the matter himself, and built ties with the government. What’s his next goal?
She looked him up and down.
He was completely different from when she first saw him.
The stunning red robe carried an aura of dignity in its luster and sheen.
The golden necklace around his neck was an artifact, yet it didn’t feel excessive.
If anything, it radiated a sacred power—perhaps it was a holy relic.
The fact that he’s revealing his cards like this means he’s about to begin full-scale activities. He’s inviting me to join him. Da-yeon, this is the crossroads of your life…! Girl, embrace your ambition!
With Kim Hwang-je standing right in front of her, she fiddled with her pendant, lost in deep thought.
Good. I was already getting tired of the checks from the National Rift Business Association and the Hunter Association anyway. They say even an ox’s horn can be pulled out in one go—if I’m going to gamble, now is the time, right after starting the business. I’ll start this venture with him!
After running dozens of simulations in her head in mere seconds, Jung Da-yeon gave a firm nod.
“A new era’s wind is blowing. My Lost wishes to join your ambition, Emperor Kim.”
Not “our” Lost, but “my.” A declaration that she would completely take ownership of the Korean branch.
And a bold declaration that she would mobilize her privatized megacorporation to support him.
Later, when she had children and achieved great success in Korea, Jung Da-yeon vowed to pass down the memory of this very moment.
The secret meeting that took place inside the staff room!
“Thank you.”
The problem was that Kim Hwang-je thought this was just the natural end of a normal conversation.
Jung Da-yeon saw it as the moment a loyalty contract had been formed.
A faint halo radiated from the Emperor’s robe.
Imperial Majesty!
Congratulations.
You have successfully persuaded a monarch-level individual and received their oath of loyalty.
Dignity Points +10 have been granted!
* Current total Dignity Points: 46 (30 from formal attire)
* Higher Dignity Points allow you to establish additional vassal states.
What persuasion?
Kim Hwang-je sometimes couldn’t understand the inner chamberlain at all.
Whatever. He’d think about this later.
He was in a hurry because Jung Da-yeon looked like she was about to leave after finishing the conversation.
“By the way, that evil spirit—it turned out to be a mutated disaster-grade monster. Is it possible that all the others are in the same situation?”
“…”
This time, Kim Hwang-je’s eyes changed.
Jung Da-yeon could see the scars hidden beneath his serious expression.
“Not all of them.”
“But there are others that act like this one, right?”
“Yes. But there’s nothing we can do about it.”
Jung Da-yeon looked genuinely regretful.
“For now, the best we can do is wait for advancements in magitech that can create weapons effective against spiritual bodies.”
It was certainly difficult to face a legion of evil spirits unless he kidnapped his subordinates.
If it hadn’t been a ground-bound spirit, it would have been extremely troublesome.
“If you find out about any more evil spirits like that in the future, will you let me know?”
“Of course.”
“And will any holy relics appear at today’s auction?”
“Holy relics…”
“Yes. I have a use for some sacred power.”
Kim Hwang-je tapped the talisman hanging from his neck.
“We do have holy relics prepared. Three in total. But please keep it a secret from others. It’s a secret between us.”
Because if the secret got out, the competition would become too fierce.
“You’ll let me buy on credit again, right?”
Jung Da-yeon shook her head as if she had given up.
“You’re already using Lost as your personal vault. I like that confidence. Go ahead.”
Jung Da-yeon swallowed hard and stared at the orb.
“And about that orb… would you like me to appraise it?”
“Ah, yes. Just one for now.”
Kim Hwang-je handed her a single Grim.
Jung Da-yeon took out a handkerchief from her pocket and carefully received it.
At that moment, the World Observation window that had been following Kim Hwang-je opened on its own.
Why is this opening by itself?
On the screen, cement and steel structures were finally covering the castle gate.
Park Jo-woon wiped the sweat from his forehead.
Kim Hwang-je’s heart began to pound.
Ah, now that the construction was finished, he could finally say goodbye to Precious’s extreme pain!
A status window alarm appeared.
Your Majesty.
The cement has completely blocked the castle gate.
Ancient magic requires a gate for the castle.
Unfortunately, now that the gate is sealed, the linked entity has temporarily disappeared.
This is by no means my will.
Truly, I am not happy about this at all!
My deepest regrets, Your Majesty.
Time remaining until complete extinction… 7 hours 59 minutes.
Am I seeing things right now?
Whoosh—
He felt as if every drop of blood had drained from his face.
Jung Da-yeon was startled by the rapid change in Kim Hwang-je’s expression.
She stepped closer and grabbed his arm.
But even though the breathtakingly beautiful Jung Da-yeon was standing this close in such a narrow space, touching him…
There wasn’t the slightest stir in Kim Hwang-je’s heart.
The way his cheeks had flushed earlier now felt childish, like a little boy’s reaction.
Kim Hwang-je shuddered with ominous dread.
He couldn’t hide it.
He had become a sage.
“Why did your face suddenly turn so pale?”
“Ugh…”
It wasn’t that he didn’t want to answer.
This strange new sensation.
It felt like wind was blowing between his thighs. He was cold.
Something a man should never experience.
“I need to use the restroom for a moment…!”
Kim Hwang-je kicked the door open and ran to the bathroom.
He locked the bathroom door, unzipped his pants, and looked down.
Where his precious should have been…
“Huk!”
His breath caught in his throat and the world spun.
In the place where Precious should have been was a black sphere.
Inside the black sphere, what looked like stars and galaxies sparkled.
Aaaah…
Oh great universe…
Why are you residing in my crotch?
“Huk… huk…”
Gasping for breath, Kim Hwang-je collapsed onto the toilet seat.