Chapter 32
Episode 32
[A vassal has been added.]
[DP is consumed for vassals to perform special functions in the subdimension.]
[If there is not enough DP, the vassals will cease activity.]
A new message rang out.
I remembered a post from earlier among the ones selling them, saying that souls eat up a lot of DP.
So this. It isn't free, huh?
I checked.
[Vassal: Whiteram of the White Bones]
Grade: Special
Whiteram, a 4th-class wizard, met a fateful death one day.
He feared crossing beyond death,
and to avoid death, he turned himself into an undead.
However, his limited skill with undeath kept him from becoming a lich, and he ended up as a Skeleton Mage instead.
Upkeep DP: 100 DP per day
Man... this is insane.
A daily upkeep of 1.5 million won, is this for real? Of course, I do have over a hundred billion won, but this guy's labor cost is a whopping 45 million won a month.
That's 540 million won a year.
If the other two cost about the same....
That means roughly 1.6 billion won a year in upkeep.
Insane!
Well... still, with my current funds, I could maintain these guys for a hundred years, but... come to think of it, Jegal Yu-yeon is... huh? This one has no upkeep cost.
What's this.
Curiosity arose, but it wasn't urgent right now.
"It's about time for me to head out, so I'll leave it to Strategist Jegal. Deploy them, sort out what each workshop can do, and report when I return."
"I shall do so."
Jegal Yu-yeon nodded lightly.
I stared at her for a moment, then spoke.
"It's a bond from a past life, but it's good to see you again. Let's get along well from now on."
She didn't answer my words, just stared at me blankly.
I came outside just like that.
Flash.
Because the real Jegal Yu-yeon had appeared.
I had to give the android secretary Jegal Yu-yeon a different name.
If both were Jegal Yu-yeon, it would be confusing.
So I decided to give her the name of the Corpse-Spirit Demon Lord.
"I'm changing your name. It's Si Ha-rin."
『Name has been changed.』
But wait, Si Ha-rin isn't going to show up later from a Hero Soul Summoning Stone too, is she?
If she did, that would be fun.
Since she's a master of jiangshi arts. She'd be helpful in many ways.
If I'd known this would happen, I should have memorized some of that guy's jiangshi arts.
Tsk. Well, anyway. Back then I didn't know I'd fail ascension, die, and reincarnate, so it can't be helped.
"Anyway...."
I mined so much that it's already night. I started in the morning and just kept going until now, so I guess that's how it turned out.
I heard some floors of the Dimensional Tower have different time from reality... couldn't the lobby do that too?
Does time really fly by this fast just from managing a subdimension?
It was already the middle of the night, so I did a moderate amount of external martial arts training, washed up, and went to bed.
* * *
Rewinding time a little.
The moment Lee Mu-seon completely cleared Floor 1.
[An awakened has appeared who completely cleared the Floor 1 trial for the first time.]
[That awakened person is Korean.]
[All Korean awakened currently undergoing the tutorial will permanently receive rewards one grade higher.]
Messages like these struck the world.
It was a message that any awakened could confirm simultaneously through the system window, though Lee Mu-seon himself had been distracted by mining right after clearing.
That this turned the world upside down once again was an all-too-natural result.
[Breaking] Super rookie Corpse-Spirit Martial Sovereign, first complete clear of the Floor 1 trial!!
[Breaking] South Korea did it! South Korea gains rewards yet again!
[Exclusive] Who is Lee Mu-seon?
Media outlets around the world and various private communities literally entered a state of explosion.
Not to mention the Korean boards, the American, Chinese, Japanese, and European boards were all in chaos.
[Whoa, isn't Corpse-Spirit Martial Sovereign seriously insane] (15,231)
Not satisfied with a complete tutorial clear, now he's done a complete clear of Floor 1 too??
Is this guy really human???
-There was such a thing as a complete clear of Floor 1?
-World's first what!?
-This Corpse-Spirit Martial Sovereign guy just did it while mining lololol
-Korea's reward got upgraded again, we benefit again, so sweet
-Don't emigrate, Corpse-Spirit bro. Please stay in Korea
[Breaking) Corpse-Spirit Martial Sovereign did it again lolololol] (8,910)
No but how long has it been since this person got the tutorial bonus, and he does this??
Damn! GREAT MARTIAL SOVEREIGN!!
-Is this guy seriously Korea's reward shuttle?
-Korean awakened are benefiting one after another thanks to Corpse-Spirit Martial Sovereign
-Tutorial reward +1 grade + Floor 1 reward +1 grade = cumulative two-grade upgrade
-And this is permanent, damn, he really did a huge favor for future Korean awakened
-He's practically a hero improving Korea's Dimensional Tower climbing infrastructure
-At this point shouldn't he be recognized as a national meritorious person?
-National pride is surgingggg!!!
Also, the broadcast viewer count was surging like crazy.
The concurrent viewers, which had been 120,000 just moments ago, broke 500,000 in only 30 minutes.
Even after he ended the broadcast, the replay view count was rising by tens of thousands per minute.
Every hunter community in the entire world was boiling over with him as the topic.
Lee Mu-seon himself was unaware of that fact.
He was just quietly doing mining runs, though.
* * *
At the same time.
Washington, D.C., United States.
Inside the deepest conference room of the United States Dimensional Tower Administration headquarters.
It was the seat of the highest decision-making body in the United States, controlling Dimensional Tower-related information worldwide.
Around a massive round table sat a dozen or so figures.
A general in military uniform, a politician in a suit, and even a white-haired scholarly man.
On the giant hologram screen at the front of the conference room, information on one person was displayed.
[Awakened Information]
Name: Lee Mu-seon (Lee Mu-seon)
Nationality: Republic of Korea
Age: 28
Class: Necron Emperor - Genesis Grade
Alias: Corpse-Spirit Martial Sovereign
Current affiliation: Haneulnuri exclusive
"This is the information on that Korean super rookie."
The white-haired scholar presiding over the meeting, the advisory chairman of the Dimensional Tower Administration, opened his mouth.
"Following the complete tutorial clear, he has just achieved a complete clear of Floor 1."
It was Michael Richardson, head of the United States Dimensional Tower Administration.
An immense achievement.
In fact, there was some information on complete clears of the Dimensional Tower.
Because the 21st floor, and the 28th and 34th floors, had been completely cleared.
Of these, two had been done by the United States, and one had been done by China.
And now Korea, having cleared the tutorial and Floor 1, had effectively been added to that list.
No other Dimensional Tower floors had ever been completely cleared.
"What did Starguardian say?"
"They already proceeded with recruitment negotiations on-site in Korea three days ago. However, the result was a failure."
"The reason for the failure?"
"The conditions put forward by Lee Mu-seon's side were too harsh. A 0% commission fee, an advance payment of 10 million DP, and even a clause allowing unilateral contract termination whenever he wishes."
"Insane...."
"Starguardian judged those conditions unacceptable and terminated the negotiations."
"So Haneulnuri snatched him up."
"Yes. It has been confirmed that Chairman Kim Yu-han personally accepted those exact conditions."
Silence flowed over the round table once more.
This time it was a heavier silence.
"The Arcane Professor accepted, as-is, the conditions that Starguardian rejected?"
Richardson, the head of the Dimensional Tower Administration, slowly spoke.
"I don't know what that lunatic is thinking, but it's already too late."
"Another method remains."
"Another method?"
"Naturalization."
At that one word from Carraway, the atmosphere in the conference room changed in an instant.
"You mean to offer American citizenship."
"Yes. On top of citizenship, how about a fast-track green card, fifty years of tax exemption, government-level security guarantees, and even the assignment of a dedicated team of one hundred people or a land grant?"
"Is that possible? What about the budget?"
"This is not a simple recruitment. It is a recruitment at the level of national security."
The four-star general in the conference room nodded heavily.
"The very fact that a super rookie with a Genesis-grade class is tied to a Korean company is a risk."
"Then the conclusion is one."
Director Richard slowly rose from his seat.
"We'll have to approach him again with a package that surpasses the contract terms with Haneulnuri. Citizenship, tax exemption, a dedicated team. And additionally, let's propose giving him whatever he wants."
"Did you say whatever?"
"Yes. Whatever."
Richardson quietly stared at the photo of Lee Mu-seon displayed on the screen.
"Isn't he someone whose class itself was upgraded with a Genesis-grade reward? Someone who receives Mythic-grade and Legendary-grade rewards in succession. With this level of potential, nothing we offer would be too much."
"Understood. We will dispatch a negotiation team to Korea immediately."
Richardson paused for a moment, then added one remark.
"Without Haneulnuri finding out."
Every gaze in the conference room turned toward him.
"That madman Kim Yu-han won't let that man go quietly, will he? The moment he learns of this negotiation, things will get complicated."
"Understood."
"Start with unofficial contact. Gauge his intentions first."
"Yes."
The figures in the conference room rose from their seats one by one.
The United States was moving.
And in fact, this kind of movement was not limited to the United States.
Other nations were moving as well.
* * *
Meanwhile.
Inside a magitech engineering laboratory somewhere in Korea.
In that space where mana circulation channels pulsed bluish.
Big-Spender Ajusshi Kim Yu-han was staring at a monitor, leaning deep back into a floating chair.
On the hologram screen floated information that the American side had just begun probing intentions for unofficial contact.
"They're moving, as expected."
Kim Yu-han's lips slowly curled upward.
"Eiruna. Pull up the list of American-side personnel likely to make contact."
-Extraction already complete. Displaying the Dimensional Tower Administration's direct negotiation team roster.
"Good."
Kim Yu-han stared quietly at the screen and muttered softly.
"Lee Mu-seon. You are no longer an asset belonging to Korea alone. You are an asset the whole world will covet."
He slowly rose from the chair.
"So. I'll have to tie you down more tightly."
Rumble.
The mana circulation channels in the ceiling emitted an even deeper light, as if responding to his resolve.