The Emperor's Iron Fist and the Rotten Rope
The sound of a gayageum-like string instrument filled the air with beautiful melody.
Jo Chun-ki, who had been eating in silence, suddenly spoke as if something had just occurred to him.
“Now that I think about it, we haven’t even properly introduced ourselves. I am Jo Chun-ki, head of the Garak Clan.”
“Ah, right. We haven’t. Nice to meet you. I’m Hunter Kim Hwang-je, CEO of Empire Corporation.”
Seo Jun-seo’s mind had gone completely blank.
To think he’d been eating without even introducing himself.
But Kim Hwang-je felt a strange sense of disconnect from the world.
The other party didn’t laugh when they heard his name.
How had things been before?
“Hello, I’m Kim Hwang-je. I’ll be working with you today.”
The construction site uncles would always snicker.
But this time, even after hearing the “tremendous” name and company title, Jo Chun-ki simply nodded.
“The title of CEO suits you well.”
“Haha…”
“Not only are you the CEO of the ‘Empire Corporation,’ but also a saint and archmage. The one who blocked the meteor. The vanquisher of Howling. And…”
Jo Chun-ki set down his spoon and looked straight at Kim Hwang-je.
In perfect sync with his action, every single member of the Garak Clan put down their spoons at once and stared at him.
“You have now become the guardian of the Gold Crown. From the looks of it, you’ve completed the bonding. You can’t remove it while you’re still alive, can you?”
Can’t we at least finish eating before talking business?
Kim Hwang-je stared at his chopsticks, which had nowhere to go.
He had been about to eat the wide flatfish next.
But with Seo Jun-seo having already set down his spoon, it felt too awkward to keep eating alone.
In the end, Kim Hwang-je put down his chopsticks.
“Ah, yes. That’s right. That’s actually why I came to talk. It would be good if we could reach an agreement at an appropriate point. Mr. Seo Jun-seo?”
Seo Jun-seo took out a document from his jacket and placed it on the table.
“This is the proposal from our side. If you grant us permission to lease the usage rights, we will provide this much profit.”
If we’re just borrowing it and paying money, wouldn’t that keep our conscience clean and satisfy the other party?
“Hmm. You’ve put in quite a lot of effort.”
But Jo Chun-ki tossed the document aside with a flick.
“We have only one demand.”
“We’re listening.”
Jo Chun-ki interlaced his fingers and leaned his upper body over the table.
“Within twenty-four hours, commit ritual suicide for the crime of plunder.”
Kim Hwang-je wondered if he had heard wrong.
Had this man just casually told him to die the same way one might ask someone to buy a Melona ice bar on the way?
Was he insane?
A power-type psychopath?
But Jo Chun-ki’s eyes were not smiling.
“If you do that, I will spare the person next to you.”
Jo Chun-ki jerked his chin toward Seo Jun-seo.
“Your words are excessive, Chairman. Plunder, you say?”
Mr. Seo Jun-seo, isn’t that the part you should be shocked about?
“Excessive? My words?”
Jo Chun-ki’s face was smiling, but his eyes felt like they were stabbing with knives.
“Young people like you who’ve been fed American ideas sometimes mistake words for being excessive. But the only thing that has ever truly been excessive is action. Isn’t that the world we live in?”
It was a declaration that if they didn’t listen, he would resort to force.
Kim Hwang-je asked back, dumbfounded.
“I didn’t steal it on purpose. I got it while protecting Seoul, and you’re telling me to spit it out and die? What do you think this is, some kind of game?”
Jo Chun-ki slowly nodded.
“The ritual of Gujiga cannot be performed by ‘coincidence.’ We are grateful that you protected the barrier, but performing the ritual afterward and claiming ownership is plunder.”
Kim Hwang-je felt wronged.
What the hell kind of ritual is that?
He had simply danced because the music was too exciting.
He definitely hadn’t wanted to dance naked in front of Katima.
“I’m rather curious why you came before us after that. You want to pay money and take our treasure? Did you really think this matter would end with laughter and smiles?”
Seo Jun-seo knew.
This was the man’s style—driving negotiations this way.
He clearly had something he wanted, which was why he was creating this atmosphere.
The talk of dying was nothing but rhetoric.
In times like this, one must not lose momentum.
Seo Jun-seo decided to provoke him.
“Weren’t you the ones who couldn’t protect it with your own power and were on the verge of losing it to Howling? Yet you think you can fight and defeat our archmage, who has now obtained the Gold Crown, in a direct confrontation?”
At Seo Jun-seo’s sharp words, the elders of the Gaya Clan frowned deeply.
Kim Hwang-je leaned back in his chair with satisfaction.
Well done, Seo Jun-seo!
Still, just in case, Kim Hwang-je wrapped Seo Jun-seo’s entire body in a protective barrier.
The glares and killing intent coming from all around were no joke.
“I didn’t expect the government to be so negligent in its defenses. If it were me, I wouldn’t have let it be taken.”
Jo Chun-ki shrugged.
“However, young friend, I think we need to clarify what you mean by ‘direct confrontation.’ Is it me? Us? Or this entire country? Right, let me give you a simple example.”
Jo Chun-ki gave a signal with his eyes.
The subordinate on his right took out a phone, switched it to speaker mode, and dialed.
The other party picked up before the second ring.
“Elder, I’ve answered the call.”
A subordinate whose name he didn’t know spoke arrogantly.
“Jin Jang-seok. Have you eaten today?”
“Haha, Executive Director, I’m still working on the ‘picture’ you ordered, so I haven’t eaten yet. Is there anything else you require?”
‘Picture’?
Is he a painter?
“I’m just curious about the outline of the picture. What technique did you decide to use?”
“First, we plan to charge him with rebellion and risk of flight, then tie him up with charges of colluding with terrorists and seek the death penalty.”
Ah. That kind of picture.
The big picture.
Kim Hwang-je understood.
But it still didn’t feel real.
So they were currently mobilizing the prosecution to catch him?
Kim Hwang-je glanced at the serious face of Seo Jun-seo sitting beside him.
Ah, I feel bad for this guy.
“Is that so? But isn’t he a national hero right now? Couldn’t it end with just a theft charge?”
“Elder, the masses will forget soon… Ah, I’m sorry. I was slow to understand. Ahem.”
He cleared his throat a couple of times before continuing.
“If that is what you wish, we will quickly arrest him on theft charges and finish it inside the detention center. If we restrain him with magic tools and saw off his neck with a [Special-grade] saw, he won’t be able to endure it.”
Really now?
Kim Hwang-je clicked his tongue.
“Well, I’ll think about it. I’ll contact you again.”
“Yes, Elder. Call me anytime.”
The call ended.
Kim Hwang-je let out a hollow laugh, completely dumbfounded.
Not even Jo Chun-ki, but some nameless executive director sitting in the second row on the left—who exactly was he trying to manipulate?
Jo Chun-ki smiled so widely his gums showed and stretched his shoulders.
“As you can see, there are people in this country who decide what is a crime, and people who feed those people. The one who gives the rice is the true owner of the country. That is us.”
Jo Chun-ki rested his interlaced hands on his crossed leg.
“Unfortunately, you are neither. Commit ritual suicide and return the Gold Crown. Or fight the entire nation, leave Korea, or go to prison.”
Go to prison?
In his mind’s eye, he saw Dave and Gemini starving, tearing at leather shoes.
The pitiful sight of them fighting over who would chew the softer parts.
And that wasn’t all.
What about those orphans?
The children he had promised to feed and raise?
Or were they telling him to leave Korea?
Were they really going to overturn his “benevolent” plan to develop the harbor, smuggle out massive amounts of supplies, and develop the royal castle?
Even though he had come in good faith to resolve this peacefully?
I should not be treated this way.
His entire body trembled with rage.
An overwhelming aura burst out from Kim Hwang-je in all directions.
It was the presence of ten thousand people—the same one that had made every hunter in the auction house tremble in fear.
The beautifully ringing gayageum suddenly stopped.
With a series of snapping sounds, the strings broke and flew in every direction.
The performers, whose hands had been cut, quickly pulled back in shock.
Kim Hwang-je spoke.
“Have you ever suffered because of this country?”
An old man who knows neither the Emperor’s Iron Fist nor the pain of Little So?
For a moment, everything felt ridiculous to Kim Hwang-je.
Should I just smash everything and be done with it?
“Calm yourself, my Emperor. Do not be swallowed by rage. A monarch and a parent must not rely on fury when establishing justice.”
Benedict’s voice reached only Kim Hwang-je’s ears.
He could feel Benedict standing firmly on top of his head.
A cool, refreshing energy flowed down from his body.
“Evil reigns above the law, so justice must be established. Therefore, my Emperor, justice must be built through wise means. Do not neglect devising schemes until the very end. That is the duty of an emperor.”
Benedict said.
Kim Hwang-je took a deep breath after hearing those words.
Use your head instead of force?
The words were still hard to fully understand.
Devise schemes until the very end.
Kim Hwang-je accepted Benedict’s blessing.
His rage slowly faded, and the dark visions of the future disappeared.
“Is that all you wanted to say?”
Kim Hwang-je had spoken informally, but Jo Chun-ki no longer seemed to have any intention of getting angry.
He was still squinting because of the light.
“I can’t believe it… Was there still a secret about the Gold Crown that I didn’t know?”
Jo Chun-ki waved his hand.
The subordinates of the Garak Clan slowly removed their hands from their weapons.
Outside the window, the snow was falling so fiercely that the bamboo forest seemed to be buried in time, vanishing into pure white.
Silence settled over the table.
Seo Jun-seo finally found the right moment to step forward in this tense atmosphere.
“Chairman. I learned a great deal from your negotiation theories. They were even used as textbooks. So please stop now. What is it that you truly wish to propose?”
Jo Chun-ki let out a small chuckle.
It seemed the servant over there didn’t want a fight.
That was the same for Jo Chun-ki.
He took a step back and said,
“I want a deal.”
“Besides this?”
Kim Hwang-je picked up the file Seo Jun-seo had placed down.
It was a document stating that in exchange for granting operating rights, they would provide a certain amount of profit from the Gold Crown.
“Because we want appropriate compensation for the information we possess. I’m talking about your secret hunting ground.”
“···?”
There was no such thing.
The only thing he had was the wave from the rift.
“In such a short time, you’ve obtained two perfectly uncorrupted Disaster-grade corpses. What we want is to share that hunting ground.”
How do they even know about that?
“I don’t think you people would last there…”
Kim Hwang-je said without a trace of contempt.
Unlike Jo Chun-ki, the surrounding subordinates glared, their pride wounded.
“We have already roughly figured out the location of that secret dungeon. It must be somewhere on the East Sea coast. Perhaps even an underwater dungeon. The Security Agency’s surveillance records cut off there.”
That place had only housed the Evil Spirit-class Manta. It was far from being a dungeon.
But these people had no idea what Kim Hwang-je had done there.
“Hmm…”
“I’m not very greedy. I don’t always ask for too much. But the scales must at least be balanced. That is my pride.”
Jo Chun-ki interlaced his fingers and leaned against the table.
“That enormous hunting ground can’t possibly be equal in value to the Gold Crown. You’ll need to recalculate.”
Kim Hwang-je said.
“Too much, you say?”
“Actually, shouldn’t you be the one paying me for this Gold Crown?”
“That’s a fresh idea. Why?”
“I earned two trillion won from my hunting ground in just a few weeks. Can the Gold Crown generate that much profit?”
Kim Hwang-je shrugged.
“···Haha.”
Jo Chun-ki laughed while tapping the table with his index finger.
“Now we’re finally speaking the same language. You were acting too much like a rookie earlier and it wasn’t fun. Fine. Let me talk about ‘balance.’”
He straightened his posture.
“Sooner or later, once we find the hunting ground, you will face a war of attrition. You’ll keep blocking and blocking until the entire country pressures you and you’re forced to retreat.”
“···”
“And how long do you think you can avoid indictment? Even if your skills are good enough to shake off all pursuers, you’ll still end up as an internationally wanted criminal.”
Wanted criminal?
“Then how will you obtain even a single magical supply without issue? You’ll have to pay exorbitant premiums for everything.”
It was as if Jo Chun-ki could see the future.
Countless powers and organizations that moved at the snap of his fingers would swarm to devour him.
Now Jo Chun-ki offered the carrot.
“I’m not always selfish. If you share it now, I will lease you the operating rights to the Gold Crown for five years and only take 3.3% of the profits generated by it. It’s basically like withholding tax.”
“···”
“In addition, I will promise you the position of permanent director in the Hunter Association for your Empire Corporation. That authority is quite… sweet. This is the benefit of becoming ‘my person.’ Think carefully. A great horse does not die.”
Kim Hwang-je leaned back in his chair and fell into thought.
Do not neglect devising schemes until the very end…
What could he do?
Then a thought suddenly came to him.
They were aiming for the dungeon?
Not his money?
Fortunately, Kim Hwang-je had a rotten rope to throw them.
It was the Undersea Prison.
While still leaning back, Kim Hwang-je used World Observation to check the Undersea Prison sinking beneath the sea.
The Demon King’s subordinates were guarding the prison.
There was no way the Demon King’s subordinates would be weak.
Since facing them alone would be troublesome, if he made these two fight each other to the death, it would be like blowing his nose without lifting a finger.
Then he could send his elite forces around the back to extract Professor Labanus.
Good. It was a good idea.
Then shall we raise the price?
“I’ll bring you in front of many Disaster-grade monsters, so hand over complete ownership of this Gold Crown. And don’t come crying to me that the Disaster-grades are too strong. Then I’ll share the dungeon with you. This is my final ultimatum. If you’re scared of Disaster-grades, then just drop dead.”
Kim Hwang-je leaned all the way back in his chair.
Seo Jun-seo was left speechless by the president’s extreme negotiation tactic.
So this is what you can do when you have power…
“Very well. However, this is after we have confirmed the reality of these Disaster-grade monsters. Is that acceptable?”
“I have no obligation to help you hunt them.”
“Of course. I have no intention of asking for help.”
Jo Chun-ki laughed.
His eyes were full of the certainty of victory, and the condescending look that said you too are ultimately just another person who can’t help it.
But would he still be able to make that face after sending his elite forces straight into the Demon King’s army?
Kim Hwang-je said,
“It’ll take some time to prepare. I’ll contact you.”
Kim Hwang-je looked out the window.
The black bamboo forest looked ominous, as if something were buried beneath it.
What the hell are they doing behind the scenes in this country?
“Let’s go.”
Kim Hwang-je said to Seo Jun-seo.
He would have to teleport while still sitting in the chair.
‘Huh?’
[Teleport: Forbidden Zone]
[Barrier Release Required]
[Materials Required for Release: 33 Grim]
‘What?’
Kim Hwang-je finally realized that this place was a teleportation-forbidden zone.
It was obviously because of the Garak Clan’s barrier.
It seemed he could put things in and take them out of his body, but he couldn’t use Gemini’s teleportation spell.
Ah, it’ll be so embarrassing if I have to walk out now!
At that moment, Benedict spoke so only Kim Hwang-je could hear.
“My Emperor, I possess a holy spell called ‘Jema (Demon Extermination).’ If we combine our strength, we should be able to tear this barrier apart.”
Benedict spoke from above his head.
His mood was already terrible, so this was perfect timing.
[Holy Spell: Jema (Demon Extermination) Joined]
[Barrier Release Cost: 4 Grim]
[Current Grim: 9]
This was worth spending.
When Kim Hwang-je pressed confirm, the four Grim in his inventory disappeared with a soft rustle.
It reminded him of the hard time he had with Katima when he couldn’t break the barrier.
At the same time, the two-headed chibi Benedict above his head struck a stance.
Head to body ratio of 1:1.
It was incredibly cute.
The silver sword he drew was a full 5cm long.
But the dense holy runes engraved on that silver sword emitted a brilliant light.
“Illusion, be veiled. Jema!”
CRAAAAAASH!
BOOOOOOOOOOOM!
An enormous wind erupted, and the space before them split cleanly in half.
Thanks to that, half the dining table was annihilated.
Toward the shimmering space, Kim Hwang-je immediately paid for Gemini’s Teleport and vanished.
“How dare he!”
“This is outrageous!”
As soon as Kim Hwang-je disappeared, the guardians shouted loudly.
In the last half century, no one had ever done something like this!
“He could have left quietly, but he had to put on a show of force!”
But Jo Chun-ki remained seated, his eyes gleaming.
“Let it be. When a young man’s pride is wounded, such things can happen. Heh heh heh…”
He sipped the sujeonggwa that had been served as dessert and said,
“It looks like a new wind will blow for the first time in a while… Prepare the Rain Sword Hall. And…”
“Yes, Patriarch.”
“Who should we entrust this to? Right, call Jong-hyun.”
“Pardon?”
Jo Chun-ki smiled.
“It’s a good opportunity. That rascal Jong-hyun might learn something from seeing an outstanding peer of the same age.”