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HEL SCANS
[Translator – Prøks]
[Proofreader – Prøks]
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Chapter 135: President Robert.
He visited the Blue House.
After briefly conversing with President Lee Kang-hoon,
He met with Kim Minwoo in a secret location within the Blue House.
“Nice to meet you. I am Robert, President of the United States.”
“I’m Kim Minwoo. I heard you were looking for me.”
“The Guild Battle, I was truly impressed. I wondered how you got 10 times the return… Phew. I never imagined you’d use the information gap in such a way.”
“Korea is already struggling, so at least I have to export something.”
“In that sense, I think the United States could also be of sufficient help.”
“Shall we get to the point?”
“Yes. We are convinced that you, Kim Minwoo, have a special ability. It seems like some kind of teaching, and we believe you’ve passed it on to China as well. Otherwise, there’s no way that much capital would have moved.”
Wow.
They’ve already caught the scent and are running towards it.
The United States was definitely the United States.
“So?”
“As you said, it’s better for us if Korea grows rather than China. We will help you so that you can continue to use China effectively.”
“Quite straightforward.”
“After all, what you’ll give to China is already somewhat determined, isn’t it?”
“I’m thinking of making them rank around 5th in the international competition.”
President Robert shrugged at those words.
“5th place. That wouldn’t be bad from President Li’s perspective. It might be bad for China, though.”
“Is it my teachings that you want?”
“In the short term, yes, but in the long term, it’s a bit more than that.”
“Please speak frankly.”
“From our analysis, it seems you’re quite fond of Korea. We can’t bring you to the U.S., but leaving you alone is a concern given your exceptional abilities.”
“You must be quite concerned.”
“Indeed. With the Competition just around the corner, I honestly feel a sense of crisis. Your teaching, or rather, let’s just call it training, we don’t know the extent of its application or its limits.
“I don’t think it’ll work on the world’s top rankers.”
“I’d like to believe that too, but you, Mr. Kim, are like an onion. This situation is truly a headache. There’s so much to consider.”
President Robert sighed deeply.
“We can’t just nuke our allies because their Awakened are doing well. It’s a difficult problem, to say the least.”
Kim Minwoo chuckled.
“You’re too honest.”
“You like that, don’t you?”
It seems he’s already figured out his preferences.
Kim Minwoo nodded.
“I do. But it wouldn’t make sense for me to not use my abilities and not grow, would it?”
“That’s true.”
“For now, “I’ll train the American Awakened as well. If you send them to Korea.”
“How many people are we talking about?”
“This training is more troublesome than you think. Let’s start with ten. For reference, China has five.”
“How many are you planning to train in Korea?”
“Ten S-rank from Ilsung, plus our guild members… it’ll be around 12.”
“Will the level of training be the same as in Korea?”
“I intend to match it. Without limitations.”
“Good. Let’s do it. What’s the price?”
“A-rank 9th level enhanced skill book.A Necromancer skill book, of course.”
From this point on, even scouring the globe for these will be a pain.
The tedious process of collecting and enhancing them, he should probably pass that on to them. If they want to keep learning, they’ll figure it out.
The Dullahan cost roughly 20 trillion won.
Considering how skill books get more expensive as you go higher, even if you get an A-rank 9 Enhancements straight without any failures, it’ll easily cost 80 trillion won.
What if it fails in the middle?
His bank account would be in ruins.
But well…
It’s the U.S., so he was sure they’ll manage it somehow.
“Will that be enough?”
“I’d appreciate some cash as well. I have to go to the auction house.”
Robert scratched his head.
He’d already detected massive capital outflows from Saudi Arabia and China.
This wasn’t a request for a mere few hundred billion won.
It would probably be in the trillions at least.
The auction house opens in a few days.
There wasn’t enough time to get funds approved through Congress.
Even if the teaching was amazing, there would be all sorts of complaints about handing out that kind of money.
If they were going to meet Kim Minwoo’s demands, it would have to be done secretly.
It seemed he would walk a similar path.
“…I think I can manage around 20 trillion.”
That was roughly the amount of slush funds he’d been steadily embezzling from the defense budget and intelligence activity funds.
“…I do, very occasionally, envy President Li.”
“Well, I’ll gratefully accept it.”
With this, he had secured 20 trillion.
It wasn’t too expensive for tuition fees.
Perhaps the United States will also send some talented individuals from their country.
The value of making awakened individuals stronger couldn’t simply be calculated in terms of money, it was worth more than that.
Especially in a situation where even stronger gates might appear in the future.
The U.S. was getting a pretty cheap education.
If Li Zemin saw this…
He’d probably roll around vomiting blood out of frustration.
But what could he do?
The U.S. was too powerful a nation to openly pressure.
A certain degree of cooperation was essential.
“Then, the short-term discussion seems to be over. I’m curious about the long-term one.”
“Sell some of your guild shares to the U.S. government. And we’d like Korea and the U.S. to cooperate in the Gate Competition. Including all the results.”
It seemed the conversation was going to be a long one.
* * *
When the conversation with the U.S. president ended,
President Lee Kanghoon quietly approached.
“Did the conversation end well?”
“Yes, I think it ended quite well. I received a lot. Though it wasn’t free.”
“I’m sorry. Especially at times like these, the country should support you firmly…”
“Mr. President, it’s not your fault. And it’s just about handing over some shares.”
“…How much did they demand?”
“About 10%?”
After some back and forth with Robert, they agreed to hand over about 10%.
A share that’s neither too much nor too little.
The U.S. would be fine with this, as it allows them to get a foot in the door.
‘It’s not bad for me either.’
Giving shares to the U.S. was something he had considered from the beginning.
As the Money Talks Guild grew, U.S. would start paying attention as well.
The moment they feel their growth exceeds a certain level and threatens their hegemony, they’ll start throwing all sorts of fits.
But if he gives them some shares?
As a give-and-take relationship, it would delay those fits considerably.
What they need was time.
‘We’ll need the U.S.’s help in many ways in the future.’
For example, raiding Gates within the U.S., getting help with hunting international villains, getting covert assistance in exploiting China, and so on.
They would also benefit a lot.
Anyway.
He also agreed to finalize the price and hand over 5% of the shares soon, and sell the remaining 5% later when the guild grows to the U.S.
It was a pretty good deal.
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HEL SCANS
[Translator – Prøks]
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‘Speaking of which, the growth rate is definitely fast.’
In the past, Kim Minwoo’s counterparts wouldn’t be approached by the U.S. until at least two years after the game started.
And even then, they weren’t this proactive.
At most, they’d just test the waters.
But now, it was different.
It had only been five months since he possessed this body.
Not only did the U.S. president cancel all his schedules and fly over, but he was so eager that it was hard to shake him off.
This meant his growth rate was that much faster.
“I’ll take my leave now, Mr. President.”
“You’ve worked hard. If there’s anything Korea can help with in the future, please don’t hesitate to let us know. Anytime.”
Accepting President Lee Kanghoon’s hospitality, he returned home.
Basement floor 4.
Bubbling…
Through the boiling pot, he could see Choi Yuna, with dark circles under her eyes, pouring ingredients. She seemed to be nodding off momentarily.
Interrupting her intermittent nodding, he spoke.
“Ms. Yuna?”
“Hmm? Oh… Yes! You’re here?”
“If you’re sleepy, you should go to bed.”
“Well, I’ve gotten a bit into it as I’ve been doing it. Both my level and proficiency are increasing rapidly.”
She said, blinking as if she never felt sleepy.
Perhaps she was enjoying herself as she deposited a significant amount into her bank account every time she made a potion. At least she was paying a decent salary.
“Have you made about 8,000 so far?”
“Uh… probably?”
“Then let’s make 3,000 more.”
“You’re using them again?”
“Yes. There are some new students coming.”
So far, what she had made had been used for various purposes, including giving some to Seo Yerim, the Ilsung Guild, and keeping some for themselves.
He needed more elixirs to feed the Nine Dragons Guild members coming from China.
“By the way, I’ll pay you ten times the usual salary for that.”
“T-ten times?!”
“Yes. I’ll pay a bit higher.”
“T-then I’ll do it! Give me just a week! No, give me five days! I’ll make them quickly!”
Kim Minwoo nodded satisfactorily.
Indeed, there was nothing like money to boost someone’s motivation.
After setting up Choi Yuna’s automatic macro, he went outside and made a call.
“Dr. Kim, are you busy right now? Yes. I’d like to meet you. Oh, you’re available anytime? Then I’ll see you in about 30 minutes.”
After hanging up the phone, he got into his car.
Before long, his car stopped in front of a large building.
Ilsung General Research Institute.
After entering and passing a few buildings, he saw the building he was aiming for.
[Magic Stone Battery Research Institute]
After absorbing Dorim’s department,
He moved all the related research teams and facilities here.
Among them, Dr. Kim Seok-jin was
‘The most essential personnel.’
Without him, battery development wouldn’t be possible. Naturally, he was retained with a hundredfold increase in his annual salary.
It showed how poorly Dorim had paid him, as it was only around 300 billion won.
For someone who would be producing an item that would dominate a market exceeding 1,000 trillion won in the future, it was a ridiculously low price.
‘Let’s speed up the battery development.’
Originally, he planned to take his time with the production.
But there was no need for that now.
He had a weapon in my hands that allowed me to negotiate with the U.S. on equal footing.
Thanks to that, he also got a tacit approval for entering the battery market.
‘Now, let’s speed up the development.’
From the U.S. president’s perspective, it felt like he had casually responded to the topic of batteries, which had suddenly come up during the negotiation.
But he’ll probably regret that answer as time goes on.
As he entered, he saw the researchers busily moving about.
“You’ve arrived!”
“Yes, doctor. Are you satisfied with the facilities? We built them in a hurry.”
“Oh, of course! The equipment here is something we couldn’t even dream of at Dorim!”
“Is the research progressing well?”
“Well… it’s… We’re doing our best, but…”
“I’m not trying to rush you. Please speak freely.”
“It’s just that… from the internal structure that transfers the energy of the magic stones to the materials, we’re still in the discovery phase…”
Listening to the ongoing conversation, Kim Minwoo nodded.
He roughly knew the story.
He’d heard that they were stuck on this and couldn’t produce any decent results for ten years.
That’s why Dorim’s initially ambitious investment gradually dwindled.
“Do you know about slimes?”
“Slimes? I’ve heard of them, but…”
“You get a byproduct when you hunt them. A lump-like thing.”
Dr. Kim nodded.
He knew it too.
There was a time when slimes had caused a sensation worldwide.
Whatever you put inside the lump, it would dissolve it.
It was considered an innovation in waste disposal, and there had been a worldwide craze about it.
‘Then the side effects hit.’
If you put an object in it, it explodes randomly. The acidic solution that spreads everywhere caused tremendous damage.
Several companies that ambitiously built slime waste disposal plants went bankrupt, and the situation came to an end.
After that, interest waned, and slimes became typical unpopular monsters.
“Try putting a magic stone in that lump.”
“What? A magic stone?”
“Yes. It’ll secrete a liquid. Mix in some of the materials you’ve been researching and try to solidify it.”
“…?”
“Then arrange it into a coil shape.”
Kim Minwoo shrugged.
Magic stones don’t explode when you put them in.
Instead, they secrete a liquid.
Some organizations had analyzed its purpose, but they couldn’t figure out exactly what it was for.
So, it was buried.
‘Dr. Kim used it.’
That was about all he knew.
It was something Dr. Kim himself had announced. He didn’t know the arrangement or the materials used.
‘He’ll figure it out himself.’
If he brought it to the market, he should figure out how to use it himself.
Dr. Kim had that kind of capability.
“Be sure to try it. You understand, right?”
“Yes. That’s not difficult, but…”
“Even if the research is delayed because of that, don’t worry. You know, your salary and research funding are just pocket money.”
“Well, that’s true.”
“Give it a try. Please.”
“Yes. I’ll definitely give it a try.”
“Then work hard on your research. I’ll take my leave now.”
The seeds have been sown, now he just needed to wait for them to sprout.
* * *
May 5th.
The most extravagant auction in the world opened.
Thanks to unexpectedly obtaining a highest-rank potion recipe, his funds had inflated once again.
Plus, with warm cash support from China, he had an additional 50 trillion won.
And with sponsorship from the democratic president, another 20 trillion won.
Add to that the 100 trillion won from the Saudi king, plus the existing investment from Ilsung. Altogether, it exceeded 200 trillion won.
That was by no means a small amount.
‘It’s time to have some real fun.’
Necromancer, swordsman, archer.
There won’t be any items for these three classes.
Because he was going to sweep them all up.
With plenty of cash on hand,
‘I should get some Cedric and Merhen equipment too.’
So far, both had been fitted with ordinary rare-rank items.
But now, with money overflowing,
‘There’s no need for that anymore.’
Merhen could probably use mage equipment.
As for Cedric, since his job was a bit unique, he could use equipment classified under melee classes.
‘I’ll have to spend it all.’
After all, money was meant to be spent at times like this.
At 9 a.m., a message appeared before Kim Minwoo’s eyes.
[Sky Auction House is now open!]
[You have an invitation!]
[Would you like to participate in the Sky Auction House now?]
It couldn’t be fresher than this morning-opening message.
“Hey, Hayang.”
― Coo.
The little one settled on his shoulder.
“Let’s go shopping with Dad.”
― Coo-Coo?
“Yeah. Shop. Ping. Dad will buy lots of tasty things for Hayang today.”
― Coo!
[Participant number 1. Kim Minwoo. Target confirmed.]
[Entering the Sky Auction House!]
[A special mask is placed on your face! You are free to remove it.]
With the message, the scenery changed.
The interior of a luxurious auction house.
A thousand people wearing masks were already packed inside.
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HEL SCANS
[Translator – Prøks]
[Proofreader – Prøks]
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