Chapter 14
Chapter 14
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 14
Chapter Title: Fallout
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Super Tanker (14)
South Korea was thrown into chaos.
The biggest corruption scandal since the nation's founding erupted, unleashing the public's fury.
The ledgers, spanning fifteen volumes, were released online without a single page missing.
No sector was spared—politics, the economy, the media, law enforcement, and national defense were all implicated.
Politicians who ordered contract killings for personal gain.
Among them were cases where people were framed simply because someone didn't like them.
It went without saying that money changed hands in various government projects, and there were countless instances of profits being secured through unfair contracts.
The corruption wasn't limited to the political sphere.
Funds from major corporations leading the Korean economy flowed into Daegang Construction, only to be laundered and returned. In terms of the money involved, the amount was hundreds of times greater than that in the political scandals.
The media was not clean either.
Most well-known media outlets had accepted bribes and advertising from Daegang Construction, and the majority had never written a single unfavorable article about them.
Because so many media companies were involved, not a single article about the scandal appeared at first.
However, smaller media outlets, which had no ties to Daegang Construction due to their size, began publishing articles intensively.
As the stories, which had only been circulating on internet forums, surfaced, major media outlets and broadcasting stations had no choice but to act.
Cutting their losses.
Executives quickly resigned, issued public apologies, and then turned the tables, exposing the corruption themselves.
The public's reaction was immediate.
Protests erupted nationwide, and violent demonstrations, akin to riots, broke out at government offices where the implicated officials worked.
Fires suspected to be arson broke out at broadcasting stations and newspaper offices, and public trust in the state plummeted.
As the protests spread like wildfire, drawing global attention, the Blue House was forced to make a decision.
"We must quell this as quickly as possible."
It was a situation where trying to protect their own interests would lead to everyone's downfall.
First, the politicians involved in the scandal resigned en masse and promised a thorough investigation.
Then, the prosecution made a public show of arresting fifteen politicians against whom the evidence was clear, broadcasting the scene through the media.
But even that wasn't enough to calm the public.
Of the fifty names in the ledgers, thirty-five were still missing.
The people were not fools.
Eventually, the remaining thirty-five were arrested under pressure, and the situation escalated to the point where even the involved prosecutors and judges resigned.
All of this took just two weeks.
The Blue House declared a state of emergency and promised a thorough investigation of the remaining individuals.
It was only after a month that the protests subsided. By then, 673 people had resigned and 216 had been arrested. And finally, eighteen officials from the Blue House resigned and underwent investigation by the prosecution.
By the time the investigation concluded, the prevailing opinion was that over a thousand people would be arrested.
After the storm of chaos passed, what remained was a deep-seated aftereffect.
The people distrusted the government and corporations, and the economic index had plummeted due to the month of turmoil.
Yet, for some, this period became an opportunity.
The media outlets that had maintained their integrity, the companies with no ties to Daegang Construction—especially those that had stood against it—experienced a miraculous change. One of them was Guseong Group.
The main reason Guseong Group had consistently failed in its domestic ventures was its strained relationship with politicians. Ma Jong-chil had stepped forward to resolve this, but Guseong's firm refusal had become the problem.
When the strained relationship turned malicious, winning business rights became impossible from the start. Even permits that should have been granted were delayed, and in the process, financial pressure began to mount through the banks.
In the midst of this series of events, the chairman collapsed due to a chronic illness, and the person who had to shoulder everything was Han Young-im.
Instead of trying to improve relations with the political world, she downsized domestic operations and turned her focus to overseas business.
The success of her diligent efforts in overseas ventures allowed the group to recover, and using that as a foundation, she launched full-scale corporate activities, reaching her current position.
Behind Han Young-im's reputation as a self-made legend lay these reasons.
"This is an unexpected opportunity. We'd be fools to let it pass."
Han Young-im continued in a calm tone at a meeting with all the top executives.
"We will reclaim our lost business sectors, but there will be no unnecessary expansion. We will solidify our domestic operations and focus on expanding overseas. However, gate-related businesses will be nurtured as a core focus, both domestically and internationally."
Many wore serious expressions at her declaration. One of them finally spoke up.
"Chairman. We are also aware that the gate industry will be the center of future industries. But our current gate business is operating at a significant loss. And public support doesn't have a major impact on the gate business. It's an uphill battle for us, as we are latecomers to the field."
"Executive Director Kim is right. But we can't give up on the future because of that. I will create an opportunity."
"Do you have a way?"
"I believe an entry point has presented itself. I will report on the results at the next meeting."
The executives asked no more questions.
When Han Young-im spoke with such conviction, she surely had a plan.
She always had, up until now.
Azelan Continent.
The place he traveled to through the gate city of Bellaton was Magit, a city famous for magic.
Magit was lined with magic-related shops not found in the commercial city of Bellaton.
There were simple items, top-tier artifacts, magic tools and consumables, and even a magic academy renowned throughout the continent.
Befitting its reputation as a city of magic, robed mages were a common sight, as were children running around, pretending to be mages themselves.
Wang-sik quickly passed through the shops of Magit and stopped in a quiet alley.
It was a place where a book-shaped sign swayed in the wind.
When he opened the door and entered, a mage was already inside, browsing for a book.
A two-tiered bookshelf against one wall was about half-full, while the opposite side displayed high-end books with their covers facing out.
"Welcome."
The owner, a man in his fifties, greeted Wang-sik. But the customer who had arrived first turned at the words and frowned.
"Seems anyone can just walk into a magic bookstore these days."
The reaction of the young man in his early twenties, dressed in a white robe, was irritable.
"This isn't a place that sells books a hunter would find interesting."
It was a clear dismissal.
The owner, glancing nervously at the mage, spoke apologetically to Wang-sik.
"He's a mage from the Magic Guild, and he's currently looking for some important materials. Please wait a moment."
Wang-sik nodded.
Here, being a member of the Magic Guild was like being a noble. In other words, he was telling Wang-sik to endure the unpleasantness because the man was of a higher class.
The young mage gave an arrogant smile and returned his focus to the book.
Just then, Wang-sik slammed his hand on the table.
*Thud!*
Naturally, all eyes turned to him.
"If you're not going to be quiet, get out..."
The young mage, who had been about to raise his voice, trailed off.
He had seen what Wang-sik had placed on the table.
It was a 10-kilogram gold bar.
But that wasn't all.
*Thud! Thud!*
Wang-sik tossed down two more gold bars.
Seeing the owner's eyes widen, Wang-sik leisurely began to stack the gold bars one by one.
*Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!*
As a total of ten gold bars were placed on the table, the owner practically flew over the counter to stand before Wang-sik.
"Is there something you desire?"
Wang-sik slowly raised his hand and pointed to the two-tiered bookshelf.
"From here."
Next, he pointed to where the high-end books were displayed.
"To there. All of it."
"Pardon?"
"And that."
The last thing Wang-sik pointed at was the book the young mage was reading.
"That one... the customer who was here first is looking at it..."
"Did you sell it?"
"Pardon?"
"There are plenty of people who just browse. I'm a person who buys."
"I-I see."
"Either you sell me everything, or you sell me nothing."
Wang-sik didn't give the owner time to think.
"There are plenty of other bookstores."
As he turned to leave without a second thought, the owner quickly spoke.
"I'll sell them!"
For a merchant, it was an irresistible temptation. After all, the young mage hadn't actually paid for anything.
"Hey! Shopkeeper! I'm looking at this book! I went to every bookstore in the city looking for it! This is the only place that has it!"
Wang-sik walked up to the young mage who was arguing with the owner and snatched the book from his hands.
"If it was so important, you should have bought it right away."
Wang-sik, staring intently at the young mage, began to pull out more gold bars.
"Fifteen. Is this enough?"
"Yes! More than enough."
"I'll be back. I won't be buying the same books, so have new ones ready."
"Understood!"
As Wang-sik began putting the books into his inventory, the mage's gaze sharpened.
Sensing an intent to cast a spell at any moment, Wang-sik spoke in a warning tone.
"Don't hesitate. Attack. That'll give me a reason to kill you."
The young mage's body froze at the sheer force of Wang-sik's words. It felt as if he had locked eyes with a giant monster.
The young man swallowed hard and moved his trembling legs toward the exit.
"Seems every Tom, Dick, and Harry is a mage these days."
The young mage left the shop with a humiliated expression.
The first basement level of Wang-sik's deserted island.
In a vast space large enough to accommodate factory equipment, dense text and symbols filled the air.
Oh Min-jae walked briskly among the slowly drifting letters that spun around a central point.
To an outsider, it might have looked like an indistinguishable tangle, but Oh Min-jae, like a librarian, easily found what he was looking for.
A month had passed since he began his research.
Oh Min-jae hadn't left the first basement research lab except to sleep.
"Hmm."
After jotting down the necessary parts in a notebook, Oh Min-jae closed his eyes and searched his memory.
As various formulas and research findings organized themselves one by one, he walked toward the desk in the center of the room.
The desk, large enough for eight people, was covered entirely in paper, except for a mana stone and a crystal ball in the middle.
"If this becomes this..."
Oh Min-jae set his notebook aside and began writing something in a blank book.
The records he organized piled up like a tower on one side of the large desk, but there was no sign of fatigue on Oh Min-jae's face.
Instead, he looked as happy as a child at play.
*Whirrr.*
A section of the wall in what Oh Min-jae used as his lab slid open, and Wang-sik appeared.
"Hey!"
Wang-sik exchanged greetings with the delighted Oh Min-jae and then dumped a pile of items onto the large desk.
"I cleaned out a magic bookstore for you."
What Wang-sik had brought out were over a hundred magic books. Oh Min-jae had requested them for his research.
"Why are these books so expensive?"
"They're magic books. I'm sure they'll be worth it."
"How's the research going?"
"Yeah. Now that I understand the theory, I'm picking up speed."
"Take your time. We have a lot to prepare before we can make any real moves."
"Got it."
As they were talking, Wang-sik's smartphone rang.
"Yes, Bureau Director."
"Oh! You're back?"
"Just now. Your timing is impeccable."
"Proof that our souls are one."
"Not because you got a report that my phone turned on?"
"You're so unromantic! No romance at all!"
"Romance? Never met him."
"I'll come over and introduce you myself. I'm leaving now."
"You're coming all the way here?"
"I heard there's a new member of the family. I have to come see."
Kang Il-seop, after hanging up, arrived at the deserted island two hours later.