Chapter 40
Chapter 40
Chapter 40: Foundation (2)
Translation: godtl
"I told you, I'm not a client—I'm your partner."
"Pfft-hah! After receiving such great kindness, you still call me your partner? This Park Jin-uk doesn't know where to put himself."
"He's right, hyung. You can just use this senior as a servant."
"You motherf— sigh Hey there, you damn junior? I'm currently consulting with a VVIP client, in case you hadn't noticed?"
Park Jin-uk placed a cup of coffee in front of Si-mun with a thud.
His usual demeanor was gone, replaced by a murderous glare directed at Kim Si-hyeok.
And he knew full well that behind him, Si-mun was staring blankly at the scene.
"Tch."
Instead of retorting, Kim Si-hyeok chose silence.
It seemed he was quite satisfied with the outcome.
"Heh-heh! By the way, Mr. Si-mun, what brings you here today?"
Park Jin-uk smiled warmly for the first time in a while.
Si-mun opened his inventory and took out ten potions filled with a deep blue liquid.
"You remember the business we discussed last time, right?"
"Of course. I've memorized every sweet detail of it... Gasp! Wait, are all of these—?!"
Si-mun nodded silently.
Park Jin-uk's eyes widened to the point of nearly tearing as he scanned the deep blue potions Si-mun had placed before him—the [Mana Sclerosis Cure].
"You've already made this many in such a short time?"
"The production itself doesn't take long. It's just that some of the ingredients require a bit of tedious refinement."
"Hahaha..."
Park Jin-uk let out a weak laugh.
And for good reason.
'A Silver-rank is already refining materials?!'
Refining or special processing of materials was something only high-tier Production Class players could achieve.
By general rank standards, it required at least Platinum-level skill.
Yet here was a Silver-rank, who hadn't been in the Arena for long, already refining materials?
And on top of that—
'He called it "tedious refinement," but considering the skill level I saw in his broadcast, it must be high-tier refinement.'
Especially that overwhelming lightning strike from his previous broadcast.
If an alchemist capable of such an attack described it as "tedious," it was clearly no ordinary refinement.
"Anyway, Mr. Jin-uk. As we discussed last time, I'd like you to handle the proxy sales for these."
"Of course! Going through the Black Market should fetch a hefty price. But... there's one problem."
"A problem?"
"Yes. You see... as you know, I recovered thanks to your cure, didn't I?"
"Ah."
Si-mun immediately grasped what Park Jin-uk was getting at.
"It's about the source of the cure."
"Sharp as ever. Thanks to that, visitors haven't stopped coming lately. Every single one asks about the origin of the cure."
Si-mun nodded at Park Jin-uk's words.
He had anticipated the value of an Arena Disease cure long before creating it.
Arena Diseases were incurable unless one miraculously recovered naturally.
So when a former Diamond-rank powerhouse made a full recovery, this reaction was inevitable.
'Well, that's exactly why I proposed proxy sales through Park Jin-uk in the first place.'
Even before considering his exceptional problem-solving skills from his past life,
Park Jin-uk was a man whose abilities matched his intimidating appearance.
Especially as a top-tier Assassin Class player, he wasn't someone who could be easily threatened or kidnapped over the cure's origin.
'I chose the right person.'
In any case, he was the perfect candidate for proxy sales.
Si-mun smiled contentedly and was about to speak—
At least, he was, until a refreshingly clear voice cut in.
"Hyung, I can help with that."
"Si-hyeok, you?"
"If you just say I was the one who gave the senior the cure, wouldn't that solve everything?"
"That would be ideal, but... are you sure?"
"Yeah."
Si-mun quietly observed his younger brother, who nodded lightly.
"Si-hyeok. You do realize this essentially makes you a meat shield, right? It could get dangerous."
"Really? I doubt there are many people in this world who could make things dangerous for me."
Wow, what an insufferable bastard.
But as much as Si-mun wanted to say that, his damn brother wasn't wrong.
Park Jin-uk, who had been silent until now, also nodded in agreement.
"Honestly, with that monstrous junior of yours, no one would dare even ask how they got it properly."
"Senior, that kinda sounds like an insult."
"It is, though?"
Snap.
For a moment, a small vein popped on Kim Si-hyeok's pale forehead, but—
"Sigh... Senior, you really do have a nasty streak, don't you?"
He simply smiled with his characteristic refreshing grin.
Only.
Crack.
The faint sound of bones could be heard from Kim Si-hyeok's hand.
At that, Park Jin-uk's massive frame subtly leaned toward Si-mun.
"Ahem! Anyway, if a Ranker becomes the source of the cure, there shouldn't be any issues with sales."
At those words, Si-mun, who had been resting his chin on his hand, nodded.
After all, in situations like this, nothing beats having a Ranker.
"Then, Si-hyeok, let me ask you a favor."
"Hyung, this isn't even a favor. A favor is more like this."
Before anyone realized, Kim Si-hyeok, who had moved closer, opened his inventory.
Whoosh.
Material items piled onto the table in an instant.
Starting with the basilisk venom required for the Mana Sclerosis Cure—
'Snake-root mushrooms, fairy dust, even arcane polyhedrons!'
And beyond that, materials of at least C-rank or higher were abundant.
Considering most material items were traded for cash,
Even a rough estimate put their value well over tens of millions of won.
"These are the material items you asked for last time, hyung. I was actually about to drop by anyway since my inventory was getting full."
"Si... Si-hyeok, you—!"
Seeing his older brother's eyes nearly pop out of his head, Kim Si-hyeok grinned proudly.
"So? Does this count as a proper favor?"
"Of course! You little treasure!"
"Hehe."
Si-mun cheerfully ruffled his younger brother's hair before swiftly sweeping the material items into his inventory.
Then.
"Oh, right, Si-hyeok."
"Yeah?"
"You know this is a long-term favor, right? Come back to me when your inventory fills up again."
He didn't forget to add that crucial reminder.
"Indeed, I'm aware. Things have been rather noisy lately."
A voice weathered by age, etched with deep wrinkles.
Yet, the tempests of time don't only break people down.
If not for his snow-white hair, the old man on the call could easily pass for someone in his fifties.
"Isn't that your area of expertise? I don't see why you'd come to me with your hands out."
And then.
"Impudent. Even if you're an Awakened, you're in no position to lecture me on right and wrong. Must I remind you?"
His temper burned as fiercely as any young man's.
"Whether you disguise it as an accident or an assassination, your affairs are your own to handle. Just send this quarter's finished products."
The old man ended the call.
Snap.
"To think a brat who changed his fate with just an Awakening dares—! This is why I can't stand those Chinese bastards!"
The phone, smashed against the antique wall, shattered and clattered to the floor.
The silence that followed was as suffocating as the hush in a noir film.
But then—
"My, you're still so fiery at your age. Don't you know remarks like that are especially dangerous for someone of your standing?"
The arrival of a clear, melodious voice dispelled the tension like it had never existed.
The old man glared at the owner of the voice, his anger still simmering.
"Yu-jeong, did I raise you to be this disrespectful?"
"If you mean knocking, I already did."
His gaze was sharp enough to make most people flinch.
But perhaps even that glare had grown familiar.
"You just didn't hear me, Grandfather."
Lee Yu-jeong merely shrugged her shoulders lightly and nudged open the elegant door.
"You really should temper that temper of yours. You're not getting any younger, you know?"
"Hah."
The old man exhaled sharply.
Chairman Lee Sun-cheol swept a hand through his stark white hair and spoke.
"You never show your face unless there's something you want. What brings you here today?"
"Don't you already know?"
As always—
But today, his granddaughter's voice carried an unusually sharp edge, drawing a dry chuckle from Chairman Lee Sun-cheol.
"Tch. This is why bastards will always be bastards. Can't even handle one measly task properly."
"Dogs take after their masters. I can't fathom why you'd keep such a pathetic, brain-dead mutt under you."
At that, Chairman Lee Sun-cheol's stubborn eyebrows twitched.
"Lee Yu-jeong, you've lost all fear."
"Lost? I had no choice. Didn't you hand over all guild personnel matters to me? That was the deal from the start, wasn't it?"
"You're my only granddaughter. There's no need to haggle over deals. Even if you weren't a Ranker, the Seongsam Guild would have been yours as long as you were Awakened."
"What an amusing thing to say. Is this the same man who bargained with his granddaughter over his only daughter's life?"
Bang!
Chairman Lee Sun-cheol slammed his desk violently.
A reminder that he was the chairman of Seongsam, Korea's foremost corporation.
His presence was threatening enough to make most people's Adam's apples bob nervously.
Of course.
For Lee Yu-jeong, it was threatening in a different way.
"Stop your incessant yapping. I don't have the patience to indulge your tantrums right now. Don't forget who it was that secured your mother's medicine."
"......I won't waste words."
Yu-jeong flung the documents she was holding.
With such force that the distance between her and Chairman Lee Sun-cheol's desk became meaningless.
"I don't know what you've been up to until now, but don't you dare sell the Seongsam Guild's name to draft shady double contracts anymore."
Thud.
The papers landed effortlessly on Chairman Lee Sun-cheol's desk.
"The Seongsam Guild is my guild."
"Are you threatening this old man right now?"
"Didn't you teach me to clearly separate public and private matters? Chairman."
Yu-jeong deliberately emphasized the last word.
Though her grandfather had every right to scold her for such insolence.
Instead of raising his voice, Lee Sun-cheol simply—
Sssk.
Puff.
Lit another cigarette.
Yu-jeong's delicate brows twitched slightly.
"I thought you said you wouldn't smoke anymore, if only to preserve what little you have left?"
"They say this one's made with ingredients from the Galaxy Arena. Far from causing cancer, it supposedly clears the mind."
"Honestly... I'll never understand the logic of smokers."
No matter how low-tier an item was, as long as it was usable,
it would be incomparably more valuable than Earth's resources—yet he used it to make cigarettes?
Ignoring his granddaughter's scoff, Lee Sun-cheol took another drag before speaking.
"Did you know that bastard Kim Si-mun had such abilities?"
"No. As you're well aware, Oppa was mana-disabled after that incident."
"True. But how is he making enough noise to reach my ears? Did he recover from his mana disability or something?"
"So I've heard."
"......Oh? He recovered?"
Was it just her imagination, or had Chairman Lee Sun-cheol's voice taken on a strange tone?
But discerning the nuances in his voice was impossible right now.
Yu-jeong's mind was far too tangled.
'Damn old man. What the hell is he thinking? Why is he suddenly interested in Oppa?'
She couldn't help it.
This concerned one of the only two people who still shook her to her core.
'Whatever it is, I can't let this old man and Oppa cross paths.'
She had experienced her grandfather's ruthlessness firsthand—so much so that she couldn't trust him even if they were blood relatives.
No doubt he'd shackle her newly resurgent Oppa and work him like a beast.
Or perhaps—
'This could be a move to keep me in check.'
Her mother and Oppa.
If both of the most important people in her life fell into her grandfather's grasp,
then even as a Ranker, she wouldn't be able to defy him as she did now.
But contrary to her expectations—
"That bastard, he has no intention of joining your guild, does he?"
Her despicable grandfather's words took an unexpected turn.
Yu-jeong's eyes widened briefly, but she quickly regained her composure.
"Unlikely. And I have no intention of recruiting him either."
Her poker face was flawless.
"Why not?"
"He's Magic Class, but we already have plenty of superior Magic Class players in the guild."
"I heard he's being touted as a potential future Ranker. Rumor has it several guilds already have their eyes on him."
"Well, if other guilds send scouts, I suppose I'll send some too."
For a fleeting moment, Yu-jeong's gaze turned razor-sharp.
"At least until someone tries to ruin my guild's reputation."
"You lack the grounds to blame me. If you truly wanted him, you would've made a move sooner."
And that bastard wouldn't refuse if it were your offer.
At the look in Chairman Lee Sun-cheol's eyes, Yu-jeong's lips momentarily sealed.
Then—
"That's a misunder—"
Before she could finish,
"Enough."
Lee Sun-cheol waved his hand dismissively.
"Leave."
"Chairman."
"I won't make any more recruitment moves under your guild's name. And I won't send any more of my men after him either."
"......If you're giving me your word, I'll trust it."
Though the outcome was somewhat puzzling,
Yu-jeong turned on her heel immediately—her objective achieved.
She wanted out of this damned place as soon as possible.
Just as she closed the door behind her, a low murmur reached her ears.
"Tsk. Had I known it'd come to this, I should've been more thorough back then......"
Thud.
What does that mean?
Yu-jeong's eyes narrowed as the door clicked shut.
She was a Ranker—among the very apex of Players.
Even with the constraints of reality,
her senses were incomparably sharper than those of ordinary people.
So she couldn't have misheard.
Moreover—
Did something happen between Oppa and Grandfather?
That final murmur was unmistakably directed at her brother, Kim Si-mun.
Yu-jeong gnawed at her red lips, then immediately pulled out her phone to make a call.
"Unnie Da-yeong, you mentioned there was a recently blocked investigation section, right?"