Chapter 44
Chapter 44
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 44
Chapter Title: Supreme-Grade Mana Stones
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“Nothing? Really, nothing at all?”
“No. Nothing.”
“No message to pass on? No gift either?”
Kang Il-seop, his face etched with displeasure, irritably smacked the armrest of the sofa.
Standing before him, Min Ha-na felt an unwarranted sense of guilt.
“I’ll ask you one last time. In the three months you were together, did he not mention me even once?”
Min Ha-na quickly wracked her brain.
‘Not once.’
But seeing Kang Il-seop’s expectant gaze, she couldn’t bring herself to say it.
“W-well, I mean, there were a few times…”
The words wouldn’t come. After a few attempts, Min Ha-na finally gave up.
“I’m sorry.”
“You’re a terrible liar.”
“I know. I’m quite disappointed in myself right now.”
“Hmph! That thoughtless punk! I think about him every day! I feel like I’m getting the short end of the stick! I’m not going to think about that bastard anymore! You tell him that!”
“What? You’re not going to think about him, but you want me to tell him that?”
“Is that too difficult?”
“N-no. I’ll tell him. I’ll be sure to tell him.”
The usually good-natured Kang Il-seop was uncomfortably prickly today.
‘I shouldn’t have come into the Bureau Director’s office.’
After finishing her three-month stint with Wang-sik, she had come to meet the Chief of Staff as promised. Her plan was to clear one gate and then head back to the Azelan Continent. But the Chief of Staff had suggested she see the Bureau Director, which had led to this situation.
“No! The more I think about it, the more pissed I get! Is this what it feels like to be rejected?”
“Rejected? I wouldn’t know, I’ve never experienced it…”
“What? You’ve never been in a relationship?”
“No. I’m sorry.”
She had no friends and had never dated.
“Hmm. That’s not something to be sorry for.”
Min Ha-na sighed without realizing it.
“Do you think I’m an idiot?”
Suddenly feeling her situation was pathetic, Min Ha-na went on the offensive.
“An idiot! You’re the agent I trust most!”
“That doesn’t mean you don’t think I’m an idiot. You prefer strange people, after all.”
“What? I prefer strange people…”
Kang Il-seop thought of the people he trusted unconditionally.
“I suppose that’s not entirely wrong. Am I strange?”
“Am I included among the people you just thought of?”
“Of course.”
“*Huu*.”
Min Ha-na’s sigh deepened.
“Hey! Why are you sighing! You’re just like Bae Wang-sik!”
Just as they were both about to launch into full-blown pity parties, a knock came at the door. The Chief of Staff, who had perfectly timed his interruption, entered and spoke.
“Agent Bae Wang-sik has arrived.”
“Oh?”
Kang Il-seop’s expression brightened noticeably.
“After all that badmouthing you were just doing…”
“Me? When?”
As an incredulous Min Ha-na let out a hollow laugh, Bae Wang-sik walked in.
“Welcome!”
“Well, I came to deliver a message, and I have a gift for you here.”
Wang-sik pulled a bottle from his inventory. It was similar in design to the one he had received before, but slightly different.
“It’s a new Potion Alcohol product.”
“Oh! Thank you! By the way, how long were you listening?”
“I heard everything you said about me.”
“Come on. When did I ever badmouth you? Agent Min Ha-na, did I say anything bad about this guy, I mean, Hunter Bae?”
“W-well… I don’t think you did…”
Kang Il-seop and Bae Wang-sik both frowned.
“*Huu*. I’m done. You badmouthed Mr. Wang-sik, and you took your frustration out on me with your pointless rambling. Frankly, I felt like crap.”
Min Ha-na looked as if a weight had been lifted off her chest.
“I apologize.”
“Don’t. I’m just going to go around badmouthing you all day today. Let’s call it even.”
“An excellent method. I accept.”
“Well then, I’ll leave you to talk.”
“Don’t go, you should join us…”
“I’d rather not curse you out, Director. I’m holding back a lot right now.”
“Go on, then. I won’t see you out.”
Min Ha-na bowed and left, and Bae Wang-sik took her place.
“Are you doing all right?”
“You’ve suddenly warmed up.”
“Hasn’t it been too long for us to be voicing complaints? Shouldn’t we set aside petty feelings and have a meaningful conversation while we’re together?”
“You’ve gotten wordy.”
“Should I just apologize? Will you accept it?”
“It’s fine. Anyway, the Hunter Management Bureau seems stable. Recent articles have been favorable, too.”
“That’s thanks to you. Though it would have been more stable if you hadn’t suddenly taken Agent Min Ha-na.”
“Are you trying to check me right now?”
“Agent Min Ha-na’s aura has changed a lot. I’d like to hear your assessment.”
“She has potential. Her combat power is already S-Rank.”
“Is she that good? Is she actually going to get a rank-up?”
“That’s a completely different matter. But it’s not impossible. It’ll just take some time.”
“S-Rank…”
Kang Il-seop indulged in a happy fantasy.
But the fantasy ended with Min Ha-na quitting the Hunter Management Bureau to follow Bae Wang-sik.
“Bad premonitions are never wrong.”
“Good ones are wrong, too.”
“True. Most of them are. That’s somewhat reassuring.”
“More importantly, isn’t there someone who came looking for me?”
“Is that why you came?”
“I could have just asked your Chief of Staff. And why do you think I bought this Potion Alcohol? You know how expensive it is.”
Kang Il-seop felt better, considering it a reasonable explanation.
“Wait a moment.”
He rummaged through his desk, pulled out a small memo, and handed it to Wang-sik.
“A call came from Russia about two months ago. They said they couldn’t discuss the matter with anyone but you.”
“You could have listened in. They must not have known about our relationship.”
“Right? I should start spreading some rumors.”
The note Wang-sik received had only a phone number on it.
“It’s likely a Russian intelligence agent residing in Korea. May I ask what this is about?”
“I asked them to investigate the area where the S-Rank gate appeared. I asked them to share any information, but it took quite a while.”
Wang-sik didn’t hide anything, telling him the story of his meeting with the Russian president.
“A one-ruble IOU?”
“Don’t get any ideas. My name is clearly written on it.”
“Tch. You know me too well. Give me three minutes, and I could have talked you into handing it over. Anyway, if they investigated with limited personnel, they found out faster than I expected.”
Kang Il-seop’s assessment was completely different from Bae Wang-sik’s.
“You think it was fast?”
“They would have been limited in manpower if they were moving covertly. They couldn't have done it officially. And having to investigate everyone who passed through a busy area using only CCTV footage… If it were me, I would have said it was impossible from the start.”
After hearing the various reasons, it certainly didn’t seem like an easy task.
“I should meet with them first.”
“Be careful.”
Wang-sik immediately picked up his phone.
***
As midnight approached, Wang-sik entered a closed restaurant.
A motion sensor switched on the lights, pushing back the darkness, but it couldn’t wash away the dreary atmosphere.
He sat down at a round table that had been placed haphazardly, and footsteps echoed from the dust-covered kitchen.
A moment later, a man with Western features stood before Wang-sik, speaking remarkably fluent Korean.
“Andrei, from the Russian Central Intelligence Bureau.”
The man, who had identified himself as being from the Central Intelligence Bureau and not the Hunter Management Bureau, immediately handed Wang-sik an organized file.
“We have reviewed all CCTV footage from the areas surrounding the gate occurrences and have begun investigating suspects. The investigation is still ongoing.”
“The fact that you came in person must mean you’ve made some progress.”
“We’ve only just found a lead.”
The document Andrei handed him was a photograph.
The first was a still from a CCTV camera. The next showed a clear face, likely taken during a formal identity check.
“His name is Phils Visto.”
His nationality was American, but there was nothing unusual about his record, which was listed below the photo. The only notable point was that he had played football until high school.
His award history suggested he had been considered quite a promising player.
“Is there a reason you’re focusing on this man?”
“Please look at the next page.”
It was another photograph.
Visto was in this one as well, but it wasn’t from a CCTV camera.
He was in the background of a photo taken by a woman. It seemed he had been captured by chance while walking down the street.
As Wang-sik focused on the picture, Andrei explained why Visto was a person of interest.
“This photo was taken when the first S-Rank gate appeared.”
Now it made sense.
“So he was present just before both S-Rank gates appeared.”
“Correct.”
“Could he just be a peculiar tourist?”
The first time could have been a coincidence, and the second time he might have come intentionally.
It was hard to understand, but it wasn’t unheard of for people to tour places like this.
“He used different names.”
“Pardon?”
“He entered under a false identity both times. The first time, he was Etor, a French national. The second time, he was Melson, a Canadian national. Visto is the name our agents uncovered.”
That certainly made him suspicious.
“That couldn’t have been easy. Impressive.”
“The real chase begins now, but since he’s an American citizen, it will take some time.”
It had taken less than three minutes to hear the conclusion, but it was hard to imagine the sheer amount of work that had gone into producing this result.
“Thank you. Please pass on my thanks to the president as well.”
“I will. I will contact you again if we find any new information. May I contact you personally next time?”
“Of course.”
As Wang-sik gave him his number and stood up, Andrei bowed his head respectfully and said,
“Thank you once again for helping Russia.”
“We’re all from the same planet.”
Wang-sik left the restaurant.
***
The chairman’s office of the Guseong Group.
Han Young-im’s mind was in a turmoil over the report she had received early that morning.
—Our market share increased by one percent this quarter. At this rate, we should be able to reach three percent in the fourth quarter.
This year’s goal was a three-percent share of the global gate exchange market.
The amount of money poured into achieving this was astronomical, but three percent was a significant milestone.
‘We’re on the verge of becoming a top-ten exchange.’
Three percent meant a spot among the top ten exchanges.
This was a phenomenon created by the fact that the top three exchanges held eighty percent of all transactions, while the fourth and fifth held the remaining ten percent.
Viewed this way, even tenth place didn’t seem very significant, but the Guseong Gate Exchange had a definitive weapon.
However, that very weapon was also a source of anxiety for Han Young-im.
—We only have one hundred kilograms of highest-grade mana stones left in stock.
The highest-grade mana stones had become a definitive loss leader. They had leveraged them to secure a series of large deals, building up their current market share.
“If we can just keep securing them, we could aim for five percent.”
The problem was that the contract wasn’t guaranteed.
“And the production of highest-grade mana stones is increasing.”
The phenomenon of gates rising in rank was continuing. Naturally, the probability of finding high-grade mana stones had also increased.
“At least consumption still outpaces supply. But we can’t just buy them up ourselves.”
She had considered buying up the highest-grade mana stones from other exchanges to create a monopoly, but that would mean inviting major criticism for a minor gain.
They were already under suspicion of monopolizing their current supply through illicit means.
“Once we reach ten percent, we can compete without relying on mana stones.”
The problem was the process of getting to that ten percent. This was a challenge every other exchange was grappling with.
“We can’t get there with mana stones alone. Even with an exclusive supply from those two, five percent is the limit.”
As she pondered deeply about the remaining five percent, the direct line, reserved for only a select few, rang.
She picked up the phone on her desk, and a familiar voice came through.
—This is Jo Jeong-man, director of the exchange.
His voice was trembling with excitement. Hearing it, Han Young-im also sensed this was no minor incident and straightened her posture.
—We’ve secured fifty kilograms of supreme-grade mana stones.
“Did you say fifty kilograms?”
A look of disappointment crossed Han Young-im’s face.
She had expected at least five hundred kilograms, but it was only fifty. At this rate, reaching five percent this year would be an impossible goal from the start.
“*Huu*.”
Was the emotion Jo Jeong-man had shown not excitement, but disappointment? But then, he spoke again, his voice even more excited.
—Not highest-grade, supreme-grade!
At those words, Han Young-im’s mind snapped to attention.