Using the Enemy as Bait
The pop! of teleportation never lost its addictive charm no matter how many times you heard it.
Kim Hwang-je and Seo Jun-seo arrived at the safe house still seated in their chairs. The moment the chair legs touched the floor, Seo Jun-seo spoke.
“Director, are you truly planning to share a hunting ground with them?”
He slipped off his coat and hung it on the safe house wall. In the barren room, the lone brown coat looked strangely forlorn. Kim Hwang-je wore only his red cloak, so he had no coat to remove.
“Wouldn’t it be wiser to mobilize your Security Bureau connections and force our way through directly?”
He tore open a coffee mix packet, stirred it into purified water, and set cookies on the table. His words and movements were so brisk and precise he resembled a robot with a built-in speaker.
“Hmm?”
The chief secretary truly operated on another level.
“Man…”
“Jo Chun-ki is far more insane than I expected. An indictment? Killing a national hero for the top headline? I’ve never seen a lunatic like him.”
Seo Jun-seo had been grumbling nonstop, his anger clearly boiling over the moment they returned home.
“There’s no reason for you to reveal the royal castle while taking losses. I’ve recorded everything. If you wish, we can release that as well, and furthermore—”
Seo Jun-seo opened the safe house vault and pulled out confidential documents.
“We should release these too. That prosecutor’s threats are all bluff. Director, do not waver! Whether it’s the ruling party or the opposition, I believe the best move is to promise political donations and detonate the gate!”
Watching Seo Jun-seo explode with indignation was oddly entertaining.
Kim Hwang-je silently savored his coffee.
It seemed Seo Jun-seo felt deeply wronged at the thought of his boss revealing the kingdom’s secrets. An employee who raged on his employer’s behalf. Was this what receiving true loyalty felt like?
“Don’t worry too much.”
Seo Jun-seo froze when he saw the mysterious smile on Kim Hwang-je’s face.
“Director… you already have a plan?”
“I’m not entirely sure yet. The real question is how useful those people will be. Do you think they can actually take down a calamity-class?”
From Kim Hwang-je’s perspective, Dave could slaughter a calamity-class single-handedly. Had the holy sword’s blade been intact, he could have handled the Scarabe Champion or the Triple Head Ogre without too much trouble.
But would it be the same on Earth? The Iron Blood Corps had taken months, and anything that appeared on the surface was usually erased with nuclear strikes. Would they prove useful before the underwater prison raid?
Seo Jun-seo pondered quietly, then nodded.
“If it’s inside a dungeon rather than on the surface, companies have many different methods available.”
“Different methods? I thought they only used nukes.”
“That’s true on the surface. Inside a dungeon, however, things become considerably simpler.”
“How?”
In all the magazines Kim Hwang-je had read, the only stories were about hunters’ brave and majestic dungeon expeditions. Had Monthly Hunter been lying all along?
“For example, if you obtain the target’s DNA information, you can manufacture targeted NBC weapons. You can also escape the dungeon using emergency escape scrolls. Since dungeons reset, solutions can always be found.”
Kim Hwang-je scratched his head. He had read about emergency escape scrolls in magazines. NBC sounded awkward, but it reminded him of something from movies—chemical, biological, radiological warfare or the like.
But was that really allowed? It felt like crossing a line that should never be crossed.
“Is that even permitted?”
“Hmm, are you concerned about the environmental impact assessment?”
“No, it just seems… morally…”
Releasing poison into a dungeon?
“Earthlings fired toxic chemicals into the Earth’s crust to extract natural gas long before the monster outbreak.”
“Aha. If they abuse even beneficial gases, there’s no need to show mercy to monsters.”
He seemed to recall hearing that somewhere.
Run! Get out of here! Escape this hellish planet!
“Still… what I understood was that hunters entered narrow dungeons carrying swords, risking their lives against goblins. Swinging a long blade carelessly and hitting the ceiling, only to be counterattacked… that’s how it looked in games.”
Seo Jun-seo stared at Kim Hwang-je in silence.
Just how long has this man been alive? Is he a figure from before the modern era?
Those clear, innocent eyes revealed nothing of his thoughts. Seo Jun-seo nodded.
The director had clearly spent years mastering magic and had not participated in actual raids.
“In the early days, it was like that. But once it was discovered that goblins were vulnerable to sodium fluoride, monster genome research advanced rapidly.”
“Flu… what? Poison gas?”
“Toothpaste.”
“…?”
“Hunters jokingly shoved it up goblin noses and the creatures died instantly.”
Those cavity-ridden bastards…
“Nowadays, C-class or lower dungeons with poor ventilation are cleared by pumping in nitrogen gas, allowing mass harvesting every hour. It’s the secret behind monster heavy oil production.”
“Mass harvesting? It sounds more like farming than hunting.”
“It’s essentially the same. Suffocate them all and collect the corpses. Since dungeons reconstruct on a fixed cycle, it’s true mass production. That’s why monster fat is measured in barrels.”
And that fat became heavy oil, feeding the nation’s enormous power plants. Korea’s steel industry remained the most prosperous even in the monster world, consuming staggering amounts of heavy oil. Not to mention the fuel for heavy machinery and military equipment needed to develop the mines that accompanied each dungeon…
The real problem was the endless stream of troublesome monsters crawling out. At this rate, every dungeon was an incredible treasure trove. No wonder interests were involved and groups like the Warrior Training Association or Jo Chun-ki could strut around so arrogantly. Ironically, the price of plastic derived from crude oil had risen. It was a bizarre world in every way.
“So that’s why Jo Chun-ki wanted the dungeon. Because it resets at regular intervals and can be mined anew.”
“Correct. Even if they cannot defeat calamity-class monsters, it doesn’t matter. They can repeat the attempt several times to collect DNA samples. If the surface is reality, dungeons are essentially game spaces.”
True. In games, players eventually killed bosses wearing nothing but underwear once enough time passed. Once a strategy existed, dungeons became simple.
Repeating the grind until every dungeon was exhausted… wealth would inevitably concentrate in their hands. The one way reality was worse than games was that games at least imposed limits on how many times you could run a dungeon.
“Furthermore, whatever happens inside is forgiven.”
“I think I’ve heard of some special law regarding that.”
“Yes. Combat between hunters inside dungeons receives no legal protection. They are essentially international waters.”
Kim Hwang-je was clearly no ordinary hunter. How many awakened individuals had never once entered a dungeon? He had protected Seoul and lost his testicles, yet never set foot inside one.
Suddenly, the absurdity of it made Kim Hwang-je chuckle.
“So that’s why the old man asked for a dungeon?”
“Precisely. In an emergency, he likely intended to kill you inside it. Please remain vigilant against ambushes.”
“Wow, he really was completely insane.”
However, the underwater prison would not reset. Even if they entered merely to test the waters, it would become a battlefield from which they could never escape.
“Then how is their combat strength? Even assuming they use medicine effectively. Let’s see—can they fight a calamity-class head-on and win?”
“It should be possible. The Rain Sword Hall guild, operated directly by Gaya Group, stands at the top of the industry in this field. According to the hunter credit rating agency Hunter’s, they hold an A1 rating. Third in Korea’s rankings.”
“Not first?”
“First belongs to the Iron Blood Corps. They are an organization united by duty. Therefore they focus on field hunting rather than monetary compensation, and it takes them a baseline of three months to hunt a calamity-class. Rain Sword Hall, according to current records, takes an average of seven months for boss hunts.”
“Do calamity-class monsters respawn?”
“They do not respawn. I believe they are simply replaced.”
So evil spirit-class creatures were not created inside dungeons. That made sense—if they were, the dungeons would be unconquerable. But then where did the souls of calamity-class monsters go?
Seo Jun-seo continued, “Rain Sword Hall conducts raids exclusively with blood relatives. They prevent even a single penny from leaving the family—more strictly than medieval nobles. Fortunately, thanks to Jo Chun-ki’s boundless virility, it seems teams of grandsons and granddaughters rotate through.”
Kim Hwang-je remarked, “He really was an incredible old man.”
A true king of stamina. He had probably attempted the Gujiga dance in his younger days.
“By the way, Director. What kind of place is this hunting ground you promised him? If calamity-class monsters are present, they should be able to hunt them.”
“It’s not a hunting ground. It’s a fortress. Hehehe…”
At Kim Hwang-je’s sinister smile, Seo Jun-seo involuntarily shuddered.
“The enemy’s fortress?”
“Yes. It just so happens we needed to attack the enemy’s underwater prison from the royal castle. We’ll have them strike from the front while our forces circle around from behind.”
Seo Jun-seo broke into a bright smile.
“So we’re using those bastards as arrow fodder. How refreshing. Director, how did you keep a straight face?”
“Ah, I was a little worried.”
“You’ll manage perfectly. I trust you. So the drill ship was for that purpose as well?”
“Exactly. We need to smash through the ceiling of that underwater prison.”
Kim Hwang-je laughed along with him.
“I can’t wait to see their faces when they realize Jo Chun-ki’s blood relatives have been sacrificed.”
Kim Hwang-je checked on other matters as well.
“Let’s see. We’ll have a preparation period until the drill ship arrives. How are the titanium and construction materials I requested earlier?”
“The final payment has been completed. The additional production volume is scheduled to arrive at the Incheon Port warehouse by tomorrow.”
“That’s a relief.”
Good. Once they replaced rebar concrete with specially reinforced titanium for the castle gates, security would improve dramatically.
“Also, schedule a meeting with Security Bureau Team Leader Jung Jin-woo.”
“What is the purpose of the meeting?”
“I need to make a donation. We should secure at least one solid connection. At this rate, even if we defeat Jo Chun-ki through force, the government will still oppress us.”
“An excellent decision! Director, I will contact them immediately.”
Kim Hwang-je glanced at the clock. It had already been two full days since he woke up. His own fatigue was one thing, but Seo Jun-seo’s eyes looked utterly hollow. He had even caught him secretly drinking potions.
“You must be exhausted. Once work is finished, get some rest.”
“Yes, Director. I will use the first-floor room.”
Seo Jun-seo could not bring himself to suggest going home. He had a strong feeling he would never be able to do so in the future, either.
Kim Hwang-je reluctantly lay down on the master bed in the safe house. His heart was pounding too hard to fall asleep easily.
A chaebol chairman had told him to commit suicide. It was called suicide, but if Kim Hwang-je had been an ordinary pedestrian on the street, he would already be sealed inside an oil drum. That was the nature of treasure—it incited bloody disasters.
“Sigh…”
Life really did take strange turns.
When he looked in the mirror, Poyu was sleeping. Benedict had remained in chibi form beyond the time limit and vanished back into the necklace. Poyu slept for most of the day. At this hour, Kim Hwang-je was completely alone.
Your Majesty.
Excuse me, but please get excited!
Just without the eunuch part.
Your Majesty!
Congratulations.
The Mysterious Animal Exchange has been completed!
Congratulations on the opening of the first branch!
The main branch is located at the intersection in front of the royal castle, while the headquarters has been established inside the Black Slime Cave, twenty kilometers from the royal castle!
The experts of the Mysterious Animal Exchange have just arrived at the mine.
Please refrain from staring too intently at the workers covered in oil, slipping and sliding as they labor in the mine. The uncles value their privacy too!
This observation complies with the Magic Video Rating Committee’s review standards.
[Would you like to view the Oil Slime Mine? Y/N]
Kim Hwang-je swallowed hard and selected Y.
What would it look like?
What appeared before his eyes was an endlessly deep, pitch-black cave. Slimes resembling the Illiterate Mage filled the space completely.
“Whoa, they’re actually cute.”
The creatures wobbled and jiggled about, letting out adorable “kyuu kyuu” cries. Their bodies were glossy black, but their round eyes were pure white—an inverted color scheme that made them look like white dumplings with black accents flipped upside down.
Soon, however, several uncles arrived, grabbed one slime between two of them, and wrung it like a twisted pastry.
“Eugh!”
That had to hurt just to watch!
“Kyuu—!”
Oil dripped from the elongated petroleum slime’s body into a large container below. Yet the squeezed slime did not die. When the uncle set it down, its round white eyes narrowed into a “> <” expression before it scampered deep into the cave.
The uncles wrung several more slimes in the same manner, then wiped sweat from their foreheads.
Your Majesty.
The slimes here consume moss and produce petroleum.
Impressive, isn’t it? These friends literally recreate the history of stars inside their own bodies!
Also, please refrain from applying otherworldly common sense here. Only the most delicate touch allows the slimes to survive repeated squeezing and remain usable for a long time.
This is precisely why the Mysterious Animal Exchange was created!
* The royal castle’s maximum resource value has increased from 100 to 120!
* Petroleum has been registered as a royal castle resource!
* New jobs have been created, increasing Finances by 10 points. Finances [60/120]
Oil. Now that this had been established, once a proper distribution channel opened, finances would surely rise further.
Yet witnessing this overwhelmingly physical 3D industry made Kim Hwang-je click his tongue. Anyone working this job long-term would surely shorten their lifespan. Descending into the mine without protective gear, breathing in petroleum fumes… how did they even ventilate the place?
“This kind of work can’t be handled by just one or two people, can it?”
Exaggerating slightly, it looked twice as difficult as loading and unloading delivery trucks.
Kim Hwang-je checked the newly registered Minotaurs in the Monster Management Window. Whether the poison from the needle had worsened the gunshot wound, or because they had been tumbling around inside the mussel, only forty remained of the three hundred that had existed yesterday.
“We should put even these to work.”
At Kim Hwang-je’s command, the Minotaurs abandoned at Sinal Port by the mussel began marching proudly toward the slime cave.
A future took shape in Kim Hwang-je’s mind. They would build a conveyor belt leading deep into the mine to draw out the slimes, gather monsters and tamers to extract the oil, then dig a large passage to release the slimes back inside. His chest swelled with emotion.
“The royal castle grows greater with each passing day…!”
Only then did he feel ready to sleep peacefully. Letting out a huge yawn, Kim Hwang-je lay down.
Another exhausting day spent for the sake of his people came to an end.
Poyu quietly climbed down from the crown and settled onto his stomach.
“Mister, sleep well!”
“Yeah. You too, Poyu!”