Chapter 8
Chapter 8
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 8
Chapter Title: A New Broker
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"The Bureau Director is currently in a meeting."
That was the response he received when he called to report his return.
But the voice of the Chief of Staff on the other end was different from usual.
"Is something wrong?"
"We're at the National Assembly right now."
"Why there? That's the last place the Bureau Director would want to be."
"A Break occurred while you were away. They're holding a meeting to assign blame."
"Did he handle the defense personally?"
"Of course not. It was a B-rank dungeon. We don't have the manpower for that. We entrusted it to the Fierce Tiger Guild, but the Break happened, and they were the ones who cleaned it up."
"So they sent an inadequate force from the start."
"Yes. They sent a team of promising rookies. Then the gate's rank changed, and the Break occurred. The team had to pull out completely. Only after that did the Fierce Tiger Guild send in their real forces to resolve it."
Wang-sik sighed in frustration.
"So the Hunter Management Bureau will take the blame."
"The Fierce Tiger Guild collected the reward for defending against the Break and the compensation for the victims."
It was an unfair situation, but not an uncommon one. If they used this as a reason to give the guild unfavorable dungeon assignments, the guild would protest through their political connections.
"When do you think the meeting will end?"
"It'll probably be over soon. I think the Bureau Director has reached his limit."
"I heard he was good at politics."
"That confidence is the problem."
"Call me when the meeting is over."
Wang-sik hung up.
The National Assembly Conference Room.
"What? An audit of the Hunter Management Bureau? These damn bastards!"
Kang Il-seop, who had been taking questions from the podium, finally exploded.
"Hey! Bureau Director! Mind your manners!"
"Manners? To a bunch of puppets taking bribes from the guilds?"
"That's a serious accusation! Do you have proof?"
"Should I lay it all out right here? Or should I release all the evidence I've collected to the press?"
At Kang Il-seop's roar, the assembly members momentarily fell silent. Seizing the brief opening, Kang Il-seop raised his voice even louder.
"Either increase our budget! Or amend the laws to raise the rewards! To hell with these damn clauses about service and duty to the nation! The guilds get sponsored by conglomerates and sweep up all the promising hunters, while the Hunter Management Bureau is still shackled by policies from ten years ago!"
"Changing the law isn't easy!"
"Isn't that what you're here for! My people are out there dying at the hands of monsters! And you're sitting at your desks, crunching numbers? And you talk about loyalty to the nation? Duty? Put your own lives on the line before you spew that kind of nonsense!"
Kang Il-seop was on a rampage.
"Too much of the budget is being spent on a contract hunter? Do you know how many people that contract hunter has saved? He's saved at least 100,000 lives over the past two years and has been deployed on overseas operations 14 times. He's done far more to elevate the nation's prestige than you have! While you bastards were taking bribes! That contract hunter risked his life to secure contracts favorable to South Korea! Want to see the proof?"
The assembly members couldn't refute it, as they already knew the facts.
"If you ever run your mouths about my people again, I'll expose every last one of you, right down to your dirty secrets. I'll stake my life on it, so if any of you have the guts, keep talking."
The conference hall fell silent.
The silence felt all the more despicable.
"Think carefully about who really needs to disappear for the sake of South Korea."
Unable to contain his rage, Kang Il-seop stormed out of the conference hall.
As he burst through the door, his Chief of Staff bowed, much slower than usual.
"You worked hard."
Even his tone was measured, and the brief pause helped calm Kang Il-seop's temper. It was a technique the Chief of Staff had perfected over many years of serving him.
"Are you satisfied?"
"Haa. I've caused trouble again. Just made more enemies."
"It seems you've let off some steam, though."
"I let off steam, but the situation has only gotten worse."
"At least you accomplished one thing. Let's go."
"That was a criticism, wasn't it?"
The Chief of Staff looked Kang Il-seop straight in the eye and said.
"Would it be a compliment? Thanks to you, Bureau Director, I might be out of a job soon."
Left speechless, Kang Il-seop sighed and said.
"My apologies."
"Let's go. There's good news."
"Good news?"
"Hunter Bae Wang-sik has returned."
"Is that good news? Now I have to listen to another lecture."
"In that case, this is as far as I go."
The Chief of Staff smiled and took a step back, and Kang Il-seop led the way to the parking lot.
"No. I need to make the first move."
Kang Il-seop suddenly pulled out his smartphone and made a call.
"Yes, Bureau Director. Is the meeting over?"
The person on the other end was Wang-sik. Hearing this, Kang Il-seop took a deep breath and shouted.
"You've got to save me!"
Seeing this, the Chief of Staff shook his head.
Wang-sik was baffled but quickly regained his composure.
"I believe I've made it clear that's not an area where I can help you."
"Haha! Don't worry about that. It's all been sorted out."
"Is that so? That's different from what I've heard."
"It's all part of the process. Never mind that, there's something I need you to handle."
"If this is a preemptive strike to avoid a lecture, then stop right there."
"Uh, how did you know?"
Hearing the flustered tone in Kang Il-seop's voice, Wang-sik let out a small chuckle.
"You. You're inside my heart, aren't you? Somewhere? Come on out. My heart's been acting up lately. It must have been you all along."
"Let's talk in person. I have something to take care of today, so I'll see you tomorrow morning."
"Take your time and finish your business."
"I heard another variant gate has appeared. We need to talk."
"I'll be waiting."
As the serious topic was mentioned, Kang Il-seop's voice also lowered in response.
After ending the call, Wang-sik made another one.
"Hello, valued client."
It was the familiar voice of a man in his forties.
"I'm looking to sell some mana stones. It'll be about twenty kilograms again this time."
"Ah, that's quite a lot. Would it be alright if we paid you after the sale? Also, I think we need to adjust the commission fee. I'd like to visit you in person to explain."
The price of mana stones had fluctuated wildly a few years ago, but now it had stabilized at around 30 percent of the price of gold.
With gold at about 60 million won per kilogram, a standard-grade mana stone was benchmarked at 20 million won.
The top-grade mana stones Wang-sik sold went for about three times the standard price, meaning 20 kilograms would be worth around 1.2 billion won.
"Hmm."
Wang-sik had been dealing through a broker until now and hadn't switched since his first transaction.
There were two reasons for this.
The ability to sell anonymously.
And the option to receive payment in gold bars.
Receiving gold bars also left no paper trail, which satisfied Wang-sik.
He had decided it was necessary to be cautious to hide the fact that he was hunting on the Azelan Continent.
But as time went on, the broker started changing his tune about payment timing and commission fees.
"My dear client, mana stone inventories are piling up all over the world. I've even had to lobby to move this volume, and at the current price, there's no profit left for me. I have to make a living too, you know?"
When Wang-sik didn't respond, the man continued his lament.
"Besides, you know I'm the only one in Korea who can handle such a large volume discreetly, don't you? Without me, you'd have a hard time moving it yourself."
The last statement carried a subtle hint of pressure.
'Does he think I'm getting these through illegal channels?'
It was a ploy to take advantage of people who wanted to remain anonymous. The broker was confident because Wang-sik's transaction methods were unconventional, and he had accepted all terms without complaint until now.
In fact, money laundering using mana stones was already a well-known practice.
"Let's not."
"What? Client?"
"Even the black market treated its customers better than this. I guess we won't be doing business anymore."
"W-wait! Client! I'll stick to the original commission!"
"I'm hanging up."
"No! I'll give you a better rate on the commission! Clien—"
*Click.*
Wang-sik ended the call before the flustered man could finish.
"It's time for a change."
He had been cautious about everything at first, but not anymore.
Mana stone exchanges were governed by different policies in each country. South Korea tended to leave it to free competition rather than direct state management. As a result, there were exchanges run by large corporations.
"I wonder if the Guseong Group has one."
Bae Wang-sik found some information through a search.
The Guseong Group had opened an exchange five years ago and had climbed to the top ranks through aggressive marketing. However, its trading volume was still third. For a conglomerate, it was the worst performance.
Furthermore, the overseas exchange the group was strategically pushing was also struggling.
'Still, after meeting the chairwoman, I doubt they'd try to scam me.'
Wang-sik thought of Han Young-im and Han Yu-ra, whom he had met recently, and left his house.
Guseong Gate Exchange.
It was an exchange that sold a wide range of mana stones and gate-related items.
Located in Apgujeong, Seoul, the exchange had strict identity checks right from the entrance. The problem was that since he wasn't a registered member, he couldn't enter even after they checked his ID.
"You'll have to wait for the membership application to be reviewed. We'll contact you tomorrow with the results."
Not considering this procedure was Wang-sik's mistake. Gate exchanges operated on a strict members-only basis.
Not wanting to just turn back, Wang-sik took a mana stone from his inventory.
"This is a mana stone I intend to sell. Could I have it appraised?"
"Yes. Please wait a moment."
Their effort to accommodate customers was evident. The female employee who had been helping with the membership registration made a call, and a man in his early thirties wearing a neat suit approached.
"You requested an appraisal?"
"Yes."
"May I take it?"
"Yes, go ahead."
The employee handled the mana stone Wang-sik had taken out with a white cloth. His calm expression changed as he stared at the stone.
"Is something wrong?"
"P-please, could you wait for just a moment?"
He quickly walked away with the mana stone.
A short while later.
Two men approached Wang-sik, who was waiting after completing the membership application process.
One was the young employee who had taken the mana stone, and the other was a short man in his early fifties wearing glasses.
His name tag identified him as the Director.
"Here is the appraisal report."
It listed the weight as just over one kilogram, followed by the result: it was a grade 6 out of the 7-grade mana stone scale.
A top-grade mana stone.
Excluding the highest-grade mana stones obtainable from boss monsters, it was of the finest quality.
"I'd like to have a brief conversation with you, if you don't mind."
"Please. That's why I'm here."
"Thank you. It's crowded here, so shall we go to my office?"
Top-grade mana stones were valuable enough for the Director himself to come out.
Inside the Director's office, warm tea was already prepared, and the Director offered Wang-sik the seat of honor. He had a knack for making a client comfortable without overdoing it.
"If you don't mind my asking, may I inquire about the quantity you have?"
"For the first transaction, I'd like to do about twenty kilograms."
At the mention of 20 kilograms, the Director seemed more expectant than surprised.
"Have you perhaps done business elsewhere?"
After a moment's thought at the cautious question, Wang-sik answered honestly.
"I have."
"Twenty kilograms, once every two months. Is that correct? Please don't misunderstand. To be honest, I've been eyeing this for a long time, but it's been difficult to meet the seller."
He seemed already certain.
"You, Mr. Bae Wang-sik, are the only person in Korea selling top-grade mana stones in such large quantities. And we desperately need that supply."
"Can you be that honest? I thought you'd want to negotiate."
"I will accommodate you to the best of my ability."
"And if it's beyond your authority?"
"Then, unfortunately, I would have to give up."
Wang-sik liked the Director's no-nonsense approach to negotiations.
"Minimal disclosure of my information. And payment in gold. Is high-purity gold bullion possible?"
"Is that all?"
"Yes."
"Those are hardly conditions. In addition to that, I promise you the highest level of VIP treatment."
"VIP treatment? Is there anything special about it?"
"There are several benefits, but to put it simply, a dedicated team will handle all exchange business for you over the phone. We also provide a deposit account and a mana stone vault for your sales."
"That sounds good. Then let's proceed with the first transaction. If there are no issues, I'll deal with you exclusively for the time being."
"Thank you so much."
The Director stood up and bowed deeply.
Watching him, Wang-sik thought.
'I acted all smart, but I've been playing the fool all this time.'
It was the first time Wang-sik, who had only ever dealt with the black market, had experienced the service of the legitimate market.