Mongmo's Audacious Pitch
Mongmo's plump cheeks stretched out on both sides like taffy.
"Huuuuh, why are you doing this!!!"
"Are you seriously saying that? My company? Me as the president? Out of nowhere? And you even ran ads? How???"
"W-we got investors! The Association! The Association is the investor!!"
"What? You even got investment from them!!!"
Ah.
Mom always told me never to get involved in business.
Dad said he'd never see me again if I ended up like him.
I slumped down onto the floor and stared at the ceiling. Mongmo, who had been rubbing my cheeks, climbed up onto my face.
"Master! What's so difficult about it! Just train the goblins and you're done!!"
"...What kind of training?"
Mongmo flew over to his desk and brought something back.
This is...
"A membership card?"
"Exactly! Just tell the goblins to help any Awakened who shows them this!"
"...So this laminated piece of paper is worth two million won a month?"
"That's right! Don't you love money, Master?!"
I do love money, but I never planned on running a scam.
People would actually pay two million won every month for this?
Awakened people...?
"Hmm..."
"Think about it! They'll stand guard so you can sleep safely! Fight alongside you! Carry extra luggage when you escape! Where else can you find a business like this!"
"What if they don't run into any goblins on the second floor?"
"Then they're out of luck."
"You little—!!! They paid two million won and you're just going to say 'Sorry, no goblin for you today'? You think they'll just go 'Oh well, that's unfortunate!' and walk away?!"
I was seriously considering ripping those ridiculous cheeks right off his face.
The moment I grabbed them, Mongmo started flapping around in panic.
"Huaaah!! Master! You still have one Ether left!! Increase your Domination Power! The first floor resets in two days! You'll get another one!! Use that to increase it again!!"
"This is my emergency escape fund, you idiot! I need insurance too!!"
"When would Master ever need to escape?! You don't even leave the house!!!"
"...Huh? That's true?"
"I told you! The Association is the investor! If anything happens to you, they lose their investment!"
"...Is that how it works?"
"We'll stake our lives to protect you!!"
Now that he mentioned it, it made sense.
The Association had known my identity for a long time.
They probably thought I was just some monster tamer, but if they wanted to capture me, they would've sent people already.
The fact that they've left me alone until now?
Means they have no intention of doing so.
And they even invested?
After sending Mongmo?
"...Will this really be okay?"
"It will! It really will! Master just has to sit there and rake in the money! I'll handle the business!!"
"..."
Mongmo, certified genius by the system with an intelligence stat of 70.
Maybe I should trust him this once?
"By the way, Mongmo."
"Hm?"
"You said you got investment... so what's the split?"
Mongmo grinned.
"Master 9, Association 1."
"Want some peanuts, Mongmo?"
"Pistachios have been tasting really good lately!"
"Got it. I'll order some right now."
Mongmo might actually have a real talent for business.
***
Kim Min-woo browsed the internet, checking the reactions.
As expected, the initial reactions weren't great.
But the sharp-eyed ones noticed something in the corner of the ad.
"Haa... This is really going to be okay, right?"
It was too late to back out now.
Kim Min-woo scratched his head.
Why did I do that?
I'd gone ahead with the investment and paperwork like I was possessed.
The Association would receive the fees and issue membership cards.
It was similar to their existing work of issuing Awakened licenses anyway.
"I smelled it... the scent of money. The scent that would solve the Association's budget shortage."
Knock knock.
"Come in."
His secretary, Kim Hyun-ah, quietly approached and handed over some documents.
Her expression was full of complaints, like she had a lot she wanted to say.
"...If you have something to say, just say it."
"Then, Chairman..."
After taking a short breath, Kim Hyun-ah spoke in a composed voice.
"Are you an idiot?"
"Kuhk..."
"Investment? Well, that's the Chairman's discretion. But giving full authority to someone who hasn't even been verified, and on a 9-to-1 split? Why? Are you running a charity? That would've been better for the image."
"K-Kim Manager. No, I mean..."
"Park Hyun-gi? Yes, we're monitoring him 24/7. And the only thing we've found out is that he removes garlic from his food. He hasn't left the house once since moving in."
"No, that's..."
"You're investing in someone like that? Just because some kid named Mongmo told you to?"
"K-Kim Manager. No, Hyun-ah."
"And we're doing all the work, but only getting 1? If the National Assembly finds out, they'll think it's nepotism..."
"...I was wrong. So please calm down a little."
"Huuu... Haa..."
After taking a deep breath, Hyun-ah returned to her usual calm expression.
Her face was as expressionless as if nothing had happened.
"Does the manager usually get told she's scary?"
"Not at all."
"R-right. Anyway, have a seat."
Kim Hyun-ah quietly pulled up a chair and sat down after hearing Kim Min-woo's words.
"This might be an opportunity! It's a low-point buy! Even if we take a loss now, it's for the future!"
"..."
"Look. Two hundred per person, and our share is 1, so that's twenty. Over a thousand people have already signed up, right?"
"..."
"That's two hundred million a month! Twenty billion a year added to the Association's deficit budget!"
"..."
"S-say something."
"What if the shut-in Blood Demon causes trouble?"
"...Then we're screwed."
"If the Chairman has to step down because of this, will you help me find a new job?"
"We've been together for years now. You still don't trust me?"
Kim Hyun-ah let out a long sigh.
Whatever else, this man Kim Min-woo had an incredible nose for money.
But this deal was too much of a gamble.
"Still, 1 is too little. You should've taken at least 2. We're handling the ads and all the paperwork."
"Think of it as an extension of issuing Awakened licenses. And look at this, Manager Kim."
Kim Min-woo pulled out the contract from his drawer.
The very last clause.
The reason he'd agreed to only take 1.
"...If the shut-in Blood Demon expands the business in the future, the Association (Party B) shall be granted priority participation rights?"
"Yeah. I bought future potential!!"
"It's just priority rights. And even then, you're planning to take 1 and do all the grunt work?"
"No. Think about it. Is 1 of ten billion the same as 1 of a hundred billion?"
"...So what the Chairman is saying is..."
"Exactly! Goblins with intelligence are more than just escorts? And the Labyrinth isn't just the second floor?!"
"..."
"This is going to make money! Even if we take losses now, as long as we maintain the relationship..."
Kim Min-woo grinned.
"The shut-in Blood Demon will put the Association on a throne of money! Then the Chairman's reappointment and your bonus are guaranteed!"
"...And for other businesses, we'll do all the work while the shut-in Blood Demon takes the profits?"
"No, it's a win-win for both sides."
Kim Hyun-ah stood up abruptly.
"Where are you going?"
"I'm going to look for a new job."
"I'm telling you, this is going to work!!"
***
"Aaaagh!! The members keep increasing, Mongmo!!!"
"We can do it, Master! We just have to keep sending goblins to the second floor!!!"
"There are already two thousand people. How are we supposed to cover this?! We don't have that many goblins!!!"
"Ether, Master! Eat the Ether!!"
"Agh, seriously!!!"
A few days had passed since Mongmo started this whole thing.
Since spending two million won for safety wasn't a big deal for Awakened, two thousand people had already flocked to a brand-new company that hadn't even started operations yet.
Two million per person.
Four billion won a month was being deposited into my account.
"S-should we refund them even now..."
"No, Master! We can do it! Even if we can't eat it all, it's still cod!!"
"Hey, that saying doesn't work when the portion is this huge! My stomach's gonna burst!!"
The number of Hyeolma Guard members kept growing.
The official launch was four days away.
The community was already buzzing.
"Ha, this is really bad."
"Master! The water's already spilled! Now we just have to run with it!!"
"...Damn it. Use Ether!"
Please specify usage.
"Increase Domination Power! All points!!!"
Checking values...
Confirmation complete.
Domination Power increases by 2 points!
Domination Power 550 → 1550
I used up all the Ether I'd obtained from the newly reset first floor.
There was no turning back now.
"Gob!! Increase the goblins!! And throw them all into the training grounds!!!"
"Understood, kerk!! Go! Go increase your kin, kerk!!"
The vampire goblin shouted and dashed out.
'Hyeolma Guard' launch — four days away!
***
Crackle.
Kang Chan-woo cracked his neck while looking at the crumbling hobgoblin's corpse.
"So starting today..."
Three gates appeared.
The destination was already decided.
Kang Chan-woo, who had paid two million won for Hyeolma Guard membership.
The goblin spawn field this time was the Black Forest.
"Tsk... The Black Forest has bad compatibility. Still, if they really just stand guard, it'd be worth it."
What made the second floor difficult for Awakened wasn't the monsters.
It was the vast fields and the constant drain on stamina.
No matter how strong an Awakened was, going days without sleep was tough, so rest was essential.
Sometimes they met other Awakened and traveled together temporarily, but that came with its own problems.
Plenty of Awakened had been betrayed and killed from behind.
People couldn't trust people.
But what about monsters hired with money?
Since I'd paid, it should be fine, right?
"Yeah. If it doesn't work out, I'll just escape right away."
Kang Chan-woo stretched like he was warming up, then stepped into the green gate.
The surroundings changed instantly.
The ruins of the first floor disappeared, replaced by a dense forest of black leaves.
"This atmosphere still doesn't feel real no matter how many times I see it."
Kang Chan-woo clicked his tongue and moved forward cautiously.
He needed to find a village, a temporary resting spot, and a river to refill water.
Having done this a few times before, he moved calmly.
Just then—
Tap tap tap.
He heard something running from the left.
After a moment of hesitation, Kang Chan-woo decided to take a gamble.
Even if those were kobolds, it wouldn't be a problem.
He was at full strength right now.
Even if a pack of kobolds came, he was confident he could kill them all.
"Hey, over there! Are you human?! Or a monster?! Or!! A goblin?!"
He shouted loudly and clearly.
If it was a kobold, he'd kill it. If human, they'd go their separate ways.
And if it was a goblin—
Tap tap tap tap!
The sound quickly approached.
Just in case, he raised his guard and waited.
Swish.
"Kerk... human?"
Bingo!
Kang Chan-woo fumbled in his back pocket and pulled out his membership card.
"You're the one, right? Hyeolma Guard? Take a look at this."
"Kerk! Understood!"
The goblin put away his dagger and approached, staring intently at the membership card.
After checking both sides, the goblin nodded.
"Kerk! Welcome, member! Shall we travel together?!"
"Yeah. That's why I bought this."
"Good! I'll be in your care!!"
Kang Chan-woo adjusted his backpack and looked at the goblin following beside him, secretly surprised.
Wait, this actually works?
"Let's go then."
"Understood, kerk!"
And so began the exploration of the second-floor Labyrinth with a goblin.
The Hyeolma Guard goblin was more capable than Kang Chan-woo had expected.
"Kerk, found an item, member!"
"The equipment's fine."
"Then take it all! Can I take the junk items?!"
He handed over all the expensive items that appeared.
"Kerk, sleep well! I'll wake you in six hours!"
"...What about you?"
"I only need two hours of sleep! Just that much is fine, kerk!"
Standing guard was standard.
"Kerk... Member, kobolds!"
"Let's take them out."
"Understood, kerk! I'll handle the one on the left!!"
They even fought together.
"Kerk, member, are you hungry?"
"I am... why?"
"Kerk, I brought some bread!"
"...?"
Plus occasional unexpected services.
Before he knew it, his backpack was full and they were standing in front of the exit gate.
"Time to part ways, member! Kerk!"
"...Huh? Oh, yeah."
"How about it? Want to take more items? Kerk?"
"No, you can have the junk."
"Kerk! Thank you! Please use us again! And if possible, leave a review, kerk!"
Kang Chan-woo, still dazed, shook hands with the goblin and crossed the exit gate.
Only after returning to his room and putting down the heavy backpack did it finally sink in that he'd been to the Labyrinth.
"Crazy... This is the best, isn't it?"
Kang Chan-woo skipped the shower and went straight to the internet.
"...I should renew my membership first."
A revolution had occurred in Labyrinth exploration.
End