Report
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Hestia]
[Proofreader - Kaya]
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Chapter 56: Company
Shin Joonseok, clutching [Paracelsus' Magic Cylinder], rubbed his cheek against its smooth surface.
"Hyung, is that thing okay?"
"There are many eccentrics among geniuses."
"Ah, that's why you're also..."
"What did you say?"
"Just talking to myself. Don't mind me, hyung."
Suddenly, Kang Minyeong whistled.
How nonchalant.
〔To think that the inflection point caused by the distortion of causality would be so easily resolved.〕
'Stop using such grandiose words. It makes you look weak.'
〔Contractor! Are you mocking me!?〕
'If I attach meaning to every single thing, I won't be able to do anything, right?'
Shin Joonseok's essence is a man obsessed with alchemy.
Even if he's influenced by Yoojin's words or the situation...
His fundamental nature doesn't change.
'I need to see the core.'
Shin Joonseok, who had been rubbing his cheek against the cylinder for a while, finally regained his senses.
"Where did you get this?"
"Found it on the street."
"Don't joke around."
"I got it by raiding a Gate with a guy named Song Myeongseok."
Shin Joonseok nodded at the familiar name, then let out an "Ah!" of realization.
"He's the Arhan's Supernova!"
"Didn't I tell you? Arhan Guild proposed a joint raid to these guys."
"It's surprising that the number one guild in Korea gave up the spoils of war."
"Give up? They earned it according to their contribution."
Shin Joonseok looked back and forth between [Paracelsus' Magic Cylinder] and Yoojin, then...
"Shit!!!!"
"Why are you cursing in front of my face?"
"He's the Arhan's Supernova! There are other things you could be saying calmly."
"You have a bunch of people bringing you bags of money."
"Is that the same as this?"
"You rejected the 30 billion won offered by Arhan."
The Little Runts team, who had been listening to their bickering, gasped.
"3-30 billion won!?"
"H-Hyung. No, I'll call you... Master!"
"Even a security guard position is fine! Please let me join you!"
Look at them, they're practically drooling.
"He rejected it, so why are you clinging to him?"
"Ah, is that so?"
"Why didn't you say that earlier, mister? Please pretend you didn't hear anything."
The speed of their attitude change is as fast as light.
Especially when he heard the word "mister," his Adam's apple bobbed violently as if he was about to cry.
Shin Joonseok's expression was comical, unable to cry or laugh.
"If you research that tool, you'll be able to learn the secrets of otherworldly alchemy."
"Since there's nothing wrong with what my partner said, I believe it."
Of course.
Don't worry, there's no way I'll be wrong.
Originally, he was the one who discovered the secrets hidden in [Paracelsus' Magic Cylinder].
"Have you eaten?"
"I'll eat later. The automatic mixer in the workshop is acting up."
"You're going to starve again."
"Again? Have you ever seen me skip meals?"
Yes.
Before the regression, I saw it all the time.
Yoojin pressed Shin Joonseok, recalling old memories.
"Then did you eat dinner yesterday?"
"Ah, that..."
"You didn't eat three days ago either."
"Did you install CCTV in my workshop or something?"
He could see it clearly even without installing it.
He didn't need to see it, Shin Joonseok's lifestyle pattern was like a VOD in his head, so he just said what came to mind.
"It's a company dinner. We have things to discuss."
"Eating is just a bothersome act of recharging the body with energy..."
Smack—!
Shin Joonseok, greatly staggered by Yoojin's smash, glared.
"Stop complaining and bring a chair."
"Alright."
Clicking his tongue, Yoojin watched Shin Joonseok enter the workshop, his displeasure still evident.
＊ ＊ ＊
The group gathered in the yard in front of the workshop.
Usually, it was a place full of unknown weeds because it wasn't managed.
【That's really too much. Doesn't the homeowner manage it?】
-Gegel, gegegel.
Jo Seungchul burned the weeds with fire magic, and the sparks, smoke, and ashes from the burning were pushed away by Fafnir.
"Lee Seongmin, take out backpack number 5 from the infinite pocket."
"Isn't that for using in the border area?"
"I bought it for company dinners."
"Got it!"
He put the refrigerated beef on the table and rolled up his sleeves.
【Aren't you going to grill it right away?】
"I should show off my skills after a long time."
He put the beef chuck on a cutting board, sliced it into bite-sized pieces, placed it on a pan, and using the flames of a makeshift stove made from a drum, stirred a few times to cook it evenly.
"Cube steak needs sauce."
A special sauce made by simmering red wine, oyster sauce, minced garlic, and other ingredients.
The heat rising from the drum was tremendous, but Yoojin cooked both the sauce and the meat to perfection without a single mistake.
A skill that cannot be imitated just by knowing the recipe.
"Are you a culinary major?"
"Major? I'm a high school graduate."
"Even the camping club kids can't do it like this!"
Lee Seongmin shouted excitedly.
The key to cooking is controlling the fire.
If you light a fire in a drum, you can't control the temperature like a gas range or induction.
All you can trust is your senses and timing.
Having been camping often, he could tell that Yoojin's skills were extraordinary.
"Don't be surprised by this. We haven't even started properly yet."
Yoojin laughed confidently.
'The day would come when I would share my only hobby.'
〔Hahahaha. What an unsuitable hobby. Not very heroic.〕
'Even a hero can't live on an empty stomach, can they?'
Before the regression, he didn't have much interaction with others.
Due to the nature of being a necromancer, he often entered the gates alone, and even after establishing Necropolis, he often saw the dead, but not many people stayed for a long time.
'There were those who sought my teachings, but it wasn't a place to stay for long.'
I'd either have to buy food from the suspicious guys passing through Gaeseong, or go all the way to Ground Zero to eat, which is a bit of a hassle.
'At first, it was just to fill my stomach, but as I did it, it became fun.'
〔Turns out, you’re not half bad at this cooking thing.〕
'And the incompetent constellation has a knack for talking nonsense.'
Sizzle—
Skirt steak.
In addition, he made various other dishes using meat and served them to the group one after another.
"Delicious!"
"Hyung, I think I'm falling for you."
"...Energy replenishment might not be so bad either."
"If there's a chance, please teach me how to cook."
A shower of compliments.
The corners of Yoojin's mouth twitched slightly.
"Fafnir, you want to eat too, don't you?"
【If your intention is to insult the dead, then you have succeeded.】
Fafnir turned his head away.
Even though he is an undead that embodies the dignity and nature of a Draconian to the fullest, he can't regain the sense of taste.
Well, there's a way.
"Kang Minyeong, synchronize with Fafnir."
"Yes."
A unique characteristic that connects their senses.
It can be used on both inanimate objects and living beings.
And the user, Kang Minyeong, can synchronize senses as much as she needs.
During the [Iron Tomb] raid, they shared Fafnir's 'eyes'.
【Even if you do that... Ah!?】
"Wow, it works."
Munch munch—
The exploding meat juices.
The rich scent of meat filling his mouth made the blue flame burn even more fiercely.
【It's a taste I've forgotten for so long.】
"I can't let you chew it yourself, so enjoy it vicariously."
【What an undeserved reward, Master.】
"Don't thank me. Talk to Kang Minyeong."
Fafnir went in front of Kang Minyeong and bent his waist at a 90-degree angle.
【I will never forget this grace.】
"I just did what my brother told me to do. Don't worry about it."
In the previous life, they were enemies who fought to the death.
It was Yoojin's warrior, Fafnir, who took the Mirror Hunter's life.
Although their relationship has completely changed with the regression...
'It's not bad, is it?'
Yoojin recalled his past life and smiled.
＊ ＊ ＊
By the time they finished eating, the sun had set.
"Hyung-nim, why didn't you cook in the border area?"
"Monsters don't wait for me to finish cooking."
"Well, the border area is dangerous."
A space where gates and reality are mixed, half transformed into another world.
Monsters spawn from time to time, and variants that transcend their rank appear frequently.
His senses have been dulled due to crossing the line of death many times, but it's a dangerous area that most hunters avoid.
"But isn't it relatively safe inside the Necropolis territory?"
"Ah, that's a bit of a hassle."
Kang Minho looked dumbfounded.
Think about it.
If you do a hobby too much, it becomes work.
"Thank you for the meal, partner."
"Are you satisfied?"
"It was better than the Daesung Group cafeteria."
"I'll take that as a compliment."
A review that surpasses the cafeteria of the largest company in Korea.
Yoojin smiled brightly.
"Hyung, that kind of refreshing atmosphere doesn't suit you."
Kang Minyeong was disgusted, but who cares?
Ahem.
He coughed briefly and looked around at the group sitting at the table.
"Now that we've all filled our bellies pleasantly, let's get down to business."
Everyone focused on Yoojin's words.
Although they hadn't known him for long, this was the first time he had set the mood like this.
'What in the world is he going to say?'
'Mmm, the steak was delicious.'
'Has my partner secured a new alchemy idea?'
'Ugh. I have to restock the items after he's done talking.'
As their thoughts were diverging in different directions, Yoojin's low voice brought the four people's consciousness together.
"We're going to create a company."
"A company?"
"Literally, yes. But what I have in mind is a bit broader."
Company.
A concept that started trending in the American hunter industry, where hunter-related businesses gather under the umbrella of a "company."
In Korea, it's similar to a group of affiliates or subsidiaries of a company.
"So, my workshop will be under your company?"
"Strictly speaking, yes, but I'll give the founding members of the company fancy titles."
"Kuk, Kkuk. This is very interesting."
Shin Joonseok clutched his stomach and laughed, a strange sound escaping his lips.
〔Hahaha. That little human is sneering.〕
'He's intrigued.'
〔What?〕
'How could a incompetent constellation know the human heart?'
Geniuses are all a little bit crazy.
This guy quit a major corporation, took on debt to focus on research, and even built his own private workshop.
'He's happy, thinking that if he gets closer to me, he'll be able to get more alchemy knowledge.'
〔That little human. I thought he was normal, but he's more of a madman than I thought.〕
'He must have done the calculations in his head.'
A hunter who overwhelmingly defeated Song Myeongseok, the Arhan's Supernova.
His potential for growth is overflowing.
He must have calculated that becoming a family under the same roof of a [Company] would benefit him in some way.
He was a chief researcher at Daesung, after all.
"For the record, I'm going to establish a family based on necromancy."
Necropolis, established in the border area.
And the recent acquisition of a part of Red Spider's business.
"Hyung-nim, you were planning this from the beginning."
"Red Spider is an underworld organization. It was dangerous."
"Please ask for our opinion next time."
Oh dear.
Kang Minho's neck is all red, he seems quite angry.
He put the Little Runts team aside out of consideration, but it seems they didn't like it.
〔Hahahaha. What a beautiful camaraderie. Isn't this also a hero's journey?〕
'I was wondering when that hero nonsense would come up.'
Don't pop up and distract me when I'm talking about something important.
"I guess I'll be the alchemy workshop."
"You just have to keep doing what you've been doing, partner."
"But are those guys included in the company too?"
When Yoojin nodded, Shin Joonseok's eyes changed.
The sharp look he had when he first came to the workshop.
He coldly judged the value of the Little Runts team with his sunken eyes.
"I understand your intentions, partner, but I'd like you to separate public and private matters."
He concluded that they didn't fit into the [Company] that Yoojin was going to establish.
Words that hurt their pride.
Instead of getting angry, the Little Runts team remained silent.
'We're grateful that you're giving us a chance, but it's too much for us.'
'Wouldn't it be best for us to stay by hyung's side?'
'We shouldn't be too greedy.'
After hearing that Shin Joonseok had rejected a 30 billion won investment, and now with the [Company] talk, they couldn't readily agree.
If they're not careful, they might end up holding Yoojin back.
"Don't worry. I vouch for these guys."
"Are you saying they can fulfill their roles as members of the company?"
"They're as talented as you, so don't worry."
He's serious.
The twin siblings' future selves, the 'Mirror Hunters', grow into one of the few 8 Star hunters even decades later.
And what about Lee Seongmin's ability?
If he knows how to use it properly, its applications are endless.
"H-Hyung-nim!"
"I pledge my loyalty from now on!"
"I-I'll call you Master, hyung!"
Don't be moved by such trivial things.
As the Little Runts team looked at Yoojin with sparkling eyes, Shin Joonseok also let out a short sigh.
"If that's what you've decided, partner, there must be a reason."
"Even if it's a company, we're not planning on doing anything right away anyway."
The reason he talked about the [Company] with Shin Joonseok and the Little Runts team was for the future.
The big picture that Yoojin had in mind.
The [Company] was the starting point.
"But shouldn't it have a name?"
"I've already thought of one."
"Oh, as expected of our hyung. Tell us quickly."
Eyes shining with anticipation.
Yoojin recited the name of the [Company] he had thought of beforehand.
"Black Company."
Wheeeeeng—
A cold wind swept through the group.
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Hestia
[Proofreader - Kaya]
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