Chapter 61
Chapter 61
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 61
Chapter Title: A Plan for Gates
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Azelan Continent, Majit.
“The magic power required to build a gate is called manacal. A Rare-grade gate requires ten thousand manacals, a Heroic-grade one hundred thousand, and a Legendary-grade a minimum of one million manacals of energy.”
“So the energy requirement multiplies by ten for each grade increase.”
“That’s right. Typically, the average magic power of a Magic-grade treasure is around one hundred manacals. This means even building a Magic-grade gate requires ten such treasures.”
“Then building a Legendary-grade gate must cost an astronomical amount of money.”
“Of course. It’s so much that no one in the empire can afford to fund it alone.”
“Wow.”
Seeing Oh Min-jae’s surprised expression, the mage continued excitedly.
“This is why designers like me are important. The amount of Life Stones you can acquire depends on how well a gate is designed for the same amount of money.”
“That makes sense.”
Oh Min-jae was receiving a lesson on gate magicology from a man in his late forties.
Just as Sodoban from the Magic Tower had recommended, he went to the Armara Magic Guild and was able to get lessons from the man now before him.
The Armara Magic Guild was founded by a mage named Armara, who had come from the Magic Tower, so they had a good relationship with Sodoban.
He had left the Magic Tower wanting to create his own independent research group, but was now facing significant financial difficulties.
This was because he couldn't find investors as stable as the Magic Tower's. So, when offered a rather high fee, he agreed to come and teach in person every other day.
“Master Tarkin.”
“You can just call me Tarkin.”
“Alright, then. Tarkin, what's the highest-grade gate you've ever built?”
“I participated as a key designer in the construction of a Rare-grade gate.”
Rare-grade meant B-rank.
Legendary was S-rank, Heroic was A-rank, and Rare was B-rank. Anything below that was called Magic-grade. On Earth, this Magic-grade was further divided into C-rank through F-rank, but in Azelan, they were all considered low-grade.
‘A two-way gate requires handling at least A-rank magic.’
Oh Min-jae was inwardly disappointed but didn't let it show.
‘There’s bound to be something I can learn, anyway.’
It wasn't just the knowledge, but the history that was important. And the general information about the gate industry was also a great help.
Ten days passed like that.
By their fifth lesson, the atmosphere between them had changed considerably.
“Your knowledge is astounding. I heard you were self-taught.”
Tarkin was surprised every time they had a lesson.
“It wasn't exactly self-taught. I did buy and read the records of some quite skilled mages.”
“Whose records could you have read to…”
“I'm sorry. That's a trade secret.”
“Ah, I see. By the way, I believe you've misinterpreted this part.”
Tarkin pointed out a flawed section in Oh Min-jae's design.
This kind of lesson was what Oh Min-jae had intended, and it was certainly effective, as it allowed him to learn about the subtle errors he was making.
As the long lesson drew to a close, they naturally started talking about industry rumors and general knowledge.
“A dark mage guild?”
Tarkin wasn't as skilled as Oh Min-jae had hoped, but he was well-versed in rumors and had excellent general knowledge. Best of all, he had the virtue of openly sharing everything he knew.
“Yes. There was a major incident last year. It was led by a dark mage guild, and they proceeded with the largest investment in history. It was said to have been made with a whopping two million manacals.”
That was more than double the minimum of one million.
“Moreover, it garnered a lot of attention for incorporating new technology. It was the best opportunity for the dark mage guilds, which had been pushed to the fringes.”
“So what happened?”
“It failed. I heard they recovered less than three hundred lipicals of life force.”
Lipical was the unit of life force contained in Life Stones.
“Usually, a one percent conversion rate between manacal and lipical is considered breaking even, so they should have gotten at least three thousand. In fact, when the gate opened, they guaranteed it would produce at least ten thousand lipicals, so it was a complete and utter humiliation.”
Forget the expected three percent; the result was far below even the average of one percent.
It was a mere 0.1 percent, so one could imagine the atmosphere.
“A lot of people must have been hit hard.”
“We were delighted, of course. The dark mages who were trying to advance into the central territories were ruined. Naturally, the Black City Guild, which led the gate project, suffered a blow equivalent to disbandment. In particular, Gellick, the lead designer, was supposedly kicked out and became a wanderer. There are even rumors that he's dead.”
For the dark mages, who were scorned by regular mages, the gate industry was a golden opportunity to push into the central territories.
With the gate they had staked everything on having failed, this outcome was only natural.
Black City, known as one of the three great dark mage guilds, was all but dismantled by this incident. With no way to repay their investors, it was an inevitable result.
“Gellick... I heard he was a famous designer.”
“He was the best among the dark mages. In fact, we're also paying close attention to the new technology he introduced. The Magic Tower has probably already begun researching it.”
“So research data like that gets leaked, huh?”
“Because the data was all that was left of the Black City Guild. When a business fails, investors take everything, down to the dust. The research data is the most valuable part, so there's no way it would be left behind.”
The market economy of the Azelan Continent also, naturally, moved according to money.
“It looks like our time is up. Thank you for today.”
“Of course. I'll see you in two days.”
After their long conversation ended and he saw Tarkin off, Oh Min-jae was lost in thought.
“Thanks.”
He was sipping the tea Aisi had brought him, deep in contemplation, when someone opened the lab door.
“Hey!”
At Wang-sik's appearance, Oh Min-jae pushed his worries aside.
“Heh heh, welcome.”
“What are you thinking so hard about?”
“I just heard an interesting story.”
Oh Min-jae recounted the story he'd heard from Tarkin.
“That's the S-rank gate that appeared in Russia last year, right?”
“Looks like it. The part about dark mages, all the new technology…”
Oh Min-jae had been convinced from the moment he heard the story. But after hearing it all, Wang-sik said something unexpected.
“That designer who got kicked out. I think we should look for him.”
“All of a sudden?”
“Because I think we need to clear out that deserted island soon.”
“Do we need to hurry that much?”
This was the reason Wang-sik had rushed to see Oh Min-jae.
After hearing the full situation, Oh Min-jae nodded as well.
“We really do need to hurry.”
Oh Min-jae fell into thought for a moment. Wang-sik, used to this, sipped his tea and waited.
A moment later, Oh Min-jae began to lay out the plan he'd formulated.
“First, we need to find him. Once we do, I can approach him and get him to build the gate. I'll be his new investor.”
“With his skills, he's probably already found an investor.”
“Then we'll offer him better terms and recruit him. Leave that to me. I can definitely bring him in.”
Oh Min-jae said it as if it were no problem at all.
“Once we recruit him, we'll give him our full support to get it built quickly.”
He explained it simply, but a detailed plan was already forming in Oh Min-jae's mind.
Wang-sik, who had been listening to the rough outline, added a comment as Oh Min-jae finished.
“Plan for me to handle the final part.”
“Got it.”
Oh Min-jae didn't object.
“Finding him is the priority. Since there are rumors he's dead, we'll have to do a wide search for any dark mages who left Black City.”
“I'll look into that.”
“Okay. I'll get the construction materials ready. But what's the plan? Where's the central headquarters, and how many are we building?”
“How many?”
That was something Wang-sik hadn't considered.
“We should open several, based out of the headquarters. Not just for traveling between dimensions, but it would be good to have them for efficient travel within the same continent. Like between Korea and the US, or Majit and the Decartes Mountains.”
Despite having just come up with the plan, Oh Min-jae's thoughts were more specific and efficient than Wang-sik's.
“You're right. When an opportunity comes, it's best to go all out.”
“Once the gates are open, there will be more I can do. I'll be able to start full-scale gate trading.”
“You're thinking that far ahead?”
“Just transporting rare minerals will be big money. Besides that, the potential applications are endless. That money will be converted into information, and it will become the foundation for our activities here.”
“Alright. Let's get started right away.”
“Right now? Rest a bit before you go.”
“I'm going to stop by the Thieves' Guild, then head to Korea for a bit. After I get things sorted, I'll stay here until this is all finished.”
“Really? Heh heh, that's great. Hurry back.”
Wang-sik left the brightly smiling Oh Min-jae and headed for the Thieves' Guild.
After placing a request with the Thieves' Guild, Wang-sik returned to Earth and called Min Ha-na.
“My friend. We need to have an important discussion.”
—Alright. Where should we meet?
“This might take a while.”
—Buy beer. I'll head to the deserted island.
Min Ha-na arrived at Wang-sik's home late in the evening.
There, Wang-sik explained the entire situation, and together with Min Ha-na, they worked out the detailed plan.
“Hmm. Opening several would be good, if possible. But I don't think this is something we can do with just our own power. If we suddenly buy a house in the US, their Hunter Management Bureau will definitely try to investigate.”
The more they planned, the more obstacles they saw.
“The US and Russia are the basics, and if possible, I'd like to open one in Europe, Australia, and Southeast Asia too…”
“Isn't that too many? The plan itself isn't solid yet, so I think we should start with the minimum.”
“You think so?”
They exchanged various opinions.
Wang-sik mainly talked about what he wanted to do, and Min Ha-na reframed it in realistic terms.
“Three at most. The US, Russia, and Seoul. If two, we give up Russia. If one, we give up the US too.”
A lot would depend on the location of the headquarters.
“Well, now it's time to meet the expert…”
“How much are you going to reveal?”
“Everything except that we're building gates.”
“But if you leave that out, it won't make any sense.”
“She'll understand. She's someone who knows how to wait.”
“Alright.”
The expert they sought was Han Young-im, the chairwoman of the Guseong Group.
They arranged to meet for lunch the next day at a traditional Korean restaurant with a private annex.
They were familiar faces now, so the atmosphere was good. They had grown even closer due to the base construction request, and the conversation flowed endlessly.
‘She wasn't originally like this.’
Watching Han Young-im talk about a space defense force that went beyond the Earth Defense Force, Min Ha-na felt a sense of disappointment.
‘One crazy person like Wang-sik is enough. She's been infected. She used to be such a cool woman.’
Han Young-im was normally quick-witted, but right now she was completely engrossed in the conversation.
“Have you thought of a name for the Earth Defense Force? What about uniforms and a logo? Mr. Wang-sik's color is gold, Ms. Ha-na's is red. That's perfect. You're definitely going to emphasize the colors, right?”
“Of course. It wouldn't be the Earth Defense Force without them.”
Wang-sik and Han Young-im shared a sense of trust. But once the real discussion began, secrets were inevitable.
“We need to build a temporary headquarters quickly.”
Wang-sik revealed the details he and Min Ha-na had discussed the previous night to Han Young-im.
Upon hearing the details, a question appeared on Han Young-im's face.
It was because something important was missing from the story.
‘I can't tell what this space is for.’
Since he didn't mention it was a space for a gate, it just seemed like a huge, warehouse-like area.
The purpose was clearly a secret.
Still, Han Young-im didn't ask directly.
“Do you have a desired area? I assume it can't be too far from Seoul?”
“No. It doesn't matter.”
“I see.”
Han Young-im nodded and looked at the list of requirements Wang-sik had written down.
“Two options come to mind. One is an abandoned underground shelter in the mountains. I think I can find a place that meets your conditions. The second is a deserted island. Transporting materials is an issue with an island completely abandoned by its residents, but the advantage is that some infrastructure remains.”
After giving them these simple options, Han Young-im looked at Wang-sik and Min Ha-na and asked.
“This empty space seems like it will be a means of transportation, so a deserted island wouldn't be a bad choice. Am I right?”
At her words, Wang-sik and Min Ha-na were startled. Seeing this, Han Young-im's expression changed.
With a cold expression, Han Young-im exuded the air of a typical businesswoman.
“No need to be surprised. Your requirements don't include any means of transportation, yet you said the location doesn't matter. And when I mentioned a deserted island, you didn't look like it was a bad idea. It doesn't matter how far? Then there's only one conclusion. You have a special means of transportation.”
Han Young-im moistened her lips with her tea and spoke in a voice devoid of emotion.
“It's true that I need both of you, but I will decline this kind of proposal. If our trust is broken because of this, then that is something I will bear.”
They had underestimated Han Young-im. All this time, she had been sincerely committed to building Wang-sik's base.
They thought they had built mutual trust, but today, Wang-sik had hidden key information.
And it was about the very base construction she was using all her resources to prepare for.
“If you're just looking for someone to do as they're told, that's not me.”
Han Young-im the businesswoman, not the friend, was by no means an easy opponent.