NOVEL NEXT
Chapter 26
[Translator – Pr?ks]
[Proofreader – Pr?ks]
Chapter 26: Winter Kingdom (1)
After much haggling, they gave 10% of their shares to Ilsung.
The price was set at 5 trillion won.
[TL/N: A new guild’s 10% share is 5 trillion won ????]
The most important factor in determining the price was Park Siwoo’s existence.
He had brought an SSS-rank achievement holder overnight. Who’s to say it would end with just Park Siwoo?
The anticipation for the future had greatly inflated the price of the shares.
‘If I had set up the guild alone, 5 trillion would have been impossible.’
He had already received 1 trillion won in support. If he had done really well, he would have received 2 trillion won at most.
‘Well, looking at the far future, this is also a very cheap price… .’
An EX-rank Awakened and an SSS-rank Awakened.
To be honest, if he revealed all of their abilities, many countries would come running with even bigger bags of money.
‘But then, I’ll be on a leash.’
Before I could even spread my wings, I would be locked up in a cage like a zoo animal.
That wasn’t a good idea.
On the other hand, Ilsung offered a contract that was close to that of a sugar daddy, investing a large sum of money but with little interference.
‘This is the bloodline buff.’
There’s something to be said for having a good family.
Since he would need to continue to use Ilsung’s power in the future, it was a win-win for both of them to sell it at a reasonable price.
‘I got some money.’
Of course, this amount of money was not something that could only be useful to him.
Park Siwoo.
He had to invest in that guy to some extent as well. That was what he had received the investment money for in the first place.
He looked at him.
“Did you hear that? Siwoo, you’ll join the guild I made when you reach level 101.”
“Yes. I understand. If I join now, I’ll stand out too much.”
Park Siwoo nodded as if he understood.
When he raided Osiris’ tomb.
Kim Minwoo at that time was a newbie with nothing proven.
Challenge a new record?
“Did you hit your head hard?”
This was the prevailing public opinion.
But now it was different.
He had already proven himself with one blow.
If Park Siwoo also attracted attention as an S-rank?
There was a reason why the saying goes that even if a cousin buys land, his stomach hurts.
People who are doing well tend to want to bring them down a notch.
And just then, a 1-level Awakened with an S-rank achievement caught their eye?
The dark hands that targeted Park Siwoo would reach out from all directions.
It would start with small things like persuasion and temptation, and could even lead to assassination attempts inside the Gate.
He didn’t really care about the persuasion.
Although their interaction was short, the friendship he had built with the guy was not that shallow.
He had also given him plenty of support, so there was no need to worry about Siwoo going elsewhere.
However, assassination attempts inside the Gate were a different story.
‘I need to be careful about that.’
Although he himself had easily killed Lee Seo-yoon, Park Siwoo was not yet complete.
If an assassin of that level came looking for him, things would get very complicated.
That’s why he negotiated with the chairman.
He would create the guild right away.
However, the timing of Park Siwoo’s entry would be a little later.
That was the gist of it.
The benchmark for this was level 101.
The starting point for D-rank.
At that level, he would have gained some combat experience, and his skills would have become more familiar to him.
At the very least, he would be able to enter the guild with the strength to protect himself.
“I’ll tell you what you need to do until then.”
“Yes.”
He handed the guy Choi Yuna’s number.
“Contact her and ask her to make you some potions. Tell her to prioritize it over mine. Use that to do some lowest-level and low-level potion training.”
“Yes.”
“Solo the Gates with an appropriate difficulty level until level 101.”
The guy was also born with a body that made it difficult for him to play in a party.
The moment he puts on the Holy Sword and slaughters the monsters.
People Around him would be like.
“Huh?”
“Just what is this guy’s achievement level?”
It was impossible not to have such doubts.
However, if he really hid his strength and played in a party, his growth rate would slow down drastically.
So he had no choice but to solo.
Fortunately, not all Gates were difficult.
Even within the same rank, the difficulty level could vary from 30 to 90 points.
Low-level Gates don’t attract a lot of attention even if they are solo played.
In addition to that.
He handed over several identification cards.
They were all ID cards that had been registered for a long time.
And yet, they were unable to escape from that range…
‘These are rotten ID cards.’
An F-rank Gate specialist.
An E-rank master.
With just one of these ID cards, he can get away with it.
“Use these to enter the Gates according to your level. I made them look similar to your picture.
A rotten person who has stayed in each section for a long time. If such a rotten person clears a low-level Gate, he will not attract attention even more.
The soldier at the entrance will probably think so too. After all, there were always stagnant people in each section.
Park Siwoo nodded after looking at the ID card.
“I’ll also find you a teacher, so practice your swordsmanship hard.
“A teacher?”
“Oh. Wait a minute.”
He immediately made a call.
A moment later.
– Minwoo-ya? It’s been a long time.
A familiar voice came through the receiver.
“Yes, it’s been a long time. I’m calling because I need you to find me a suitable swordsman. I would like your help in training this kid here…”
– Suitable, you say. From the way you talk, it seems he’s not an ordinary kid.
“I’m sure you’ll enjoy it. Would you mind if I asked you a favor?”
– Send him over. I’ll take a look at him myself.
“Thank you. I’ll visit you sometime when I have time. Yes, yes.”
[TL/N: I edited some of the dialogue here to match the context more and if the changes i made affect the plot later on i’ll address the necessary changes in that chap with a reference to this chap]
He hung up the phone and looked at Park Siwoo.
“Go to the Sword Sect whenever you have time and learn the sword. Okay?”
“……Wow, hyung. You’re amazing. You called the Sword Saint directly……”
The Sword Saint was a being that even the instructors of the Sword Sect could not easily meet.
Of course, receiving his direct teaching was something that only the best of the best could dream of.
But Kim Minwoo had created such an opportunity with just a light phone call.
‘He’s really an amazing person.’
Park Siwoo thought, gulping down his saliva. And he also realized what kind of opportunity he had gotten.
“Thank you! I will work hard!”
‘Thank you? I should be the one thanking you.’
Kim Minwoo smiled slyly.
The 5 trillion won investment.
He was planning to use it very effectively.
‘I don’t necessarily need a level 9 skilled swordsman.’
Of course, it would be nice to have it.
But it would be much less efficient than himself, who could control the legion.
There was a reason why the saying “choice and concentration” existed.
He awakened him.
He found him a teacher.
He gave him potions.
He even gave him equipment.
He had done everything he could, hadn’t he?
After all he had done, it would be okay for him to take all the investment money.
It was a truly high-efficiency money copy.
“Yeah, work hard.”
It was time for him to go clear the Gate as well.
* * *
[(Breaking News) Kim Minwoo, now the Guild Master? New one-man guild created instead of Ilsung Guild!]
[(Breaking News) Guild name known as ‘Money Talks’……]
[(Breaking News) Money Talks Guild, living up to its name? Received a huge investment from Ilsung! Traded part of its shares for a huge sum of money……]
[(Breaking News) Ilsung says it will select new guild members after consulting with the Guild Master……]
Han Baekgil, who had been staring at the TV, looked at his members.
For the past week.
He had poured all his shadow power into finding the guy who had hunted Lee Seo-yoon.
From number one to number seven.
They had gathered together again.
“Samho. What are the results of the investigation?”
“He’s not an Awakened above A-rank, at least. They all have clean records. They didn’t have a chance to enter the Gate.”
“Chilho. Did anything come up from the lower Gates?”
At that, the man wearing a green mask nodded.
“It’s gotten a bit tricky, Chief.”
“In what way?”
“There were about 500 people who entered the lower Gates alone that day… I’ve finished checking the rest of them. But this one is a bit different.”
Chilho handed Han Baekgil a document with personal information written on it.
[Park Cheolwoong (32)]
[Awakened Rank: D]
[Occupation: Swordsman]
A document with the personal information of a very ordinary Awakened.
Chilho, who handed it over, said.
“This guy has a fake identity.”
“…Are you sure?”
“Uh. I went to the address and it was an empty house. He’s supposed to have lived there for 10 years, but none of the neighbors know this guy. Doesn’t that make sense?”
Han Baekgil nodded.
In that case, it was most likely a fake identity.
“So?”
“The only people who do this kind of thing are usually the black market guys. So I dug a little deeper, you know? But I can’t find him?”
“Did the merchants keep their mouths shut?”
“No, it’s not like that. The laundering is just a lot cleaner than those guys. This ID is even connected to the government system, you know?”
Usually, when forging an ID, it was common to just copy the format in a plausible way.
This was because the soldiers guarding the entrance and the Awakened did not look closely at the details.
This was especially true for items to be used in the lower Gates.
It’s connected to the government system?
That means they tampered with the administrative system. That means it went through a real proper laundering process.
That wasn’t something that could be done with just money.
You also need to have power.
Han Baekgil’s face gradually hardened.
“Did they notice that we were investigating them, so they cut their tails right away? This ID is completely destroyed. Now, there is no 32-year-old D-rank Awakened Mr. Park Cheol-woong in Korea. In one day.”
“…It must be connected to a conglomerate or the political world.”
“Uh. It’s not an ordinary connection either. This guy seems to have a lot of backing, you know? Like that Kim Minwoo guy on TV.”
The TV was still showing the news about Kim Minwoo’s guild creation.
Some of the members who were watching it in a daze soon snorted.
“Hey, Chilho. You don’t suspect that guy, do you?”
“Do I look like that crazy to you? I’m just saying.”
The eldest son of Ilsung.
This level of identity laundering would be child’s play for him.
But it was hard to think of Kim Minwoo as the culprit.
No, it was impossible.
He was just a level 1 guy a few days ago.
A low-level necromancer catching a 300-level assassin with an A-rank achievement?
Even if he summoned a hundred, no, a thousand skeletons, it was a fight that Kim Minwoo couldn’t win.
Assassin?
If he approached from behind and stabbed him in the back, the game would be over.
Even if his stealth was detected beforehand, the problem would remain.
If he just went head-on and swung his dagger once, the skeletons would crumble. What could the necromancer do to resist?
He was rumored to be good with the sword, but even so, it was impossible to overturn the difference in level and equipment.
That was common sense.
The members of Shadow were very sensible people as they were excellent Awakened.
The same was true for Han Baekgil.
“…Check all the conglomerates and the political circles. Find out if there are any Awakened people who have recently Awakened, and if so, what their level is.”
“Okay. I’ll start with the higher ups. That’s the only way they could have done something like this without anyone noticing.”
It was not surprising that their investigation was going in a slightly different direction.
* * *
[Consuming the Limit Break Potion!]
[Level potential increased to 250!]
[Consuming the Limit Break Potion!]
[Level potential increased to 300!]
[Consuming the Limit Break Potion!]
[Level potential increased to 350!]
“Ah, this is it.”
He let out a joyful scream at the dizzying height. He would no longer have to shed tears of blood being blocked by the wall of intermediate Awakened.
350 was the end of B-rank.
Just one more level from here was A-rank. A-rank was the realm that everyone recognized as high ranked Awakened.
It wouldn’t be difficult, since he just needed to consume one more Breakthrough Potion by then. By that time, he would be able to beat the crap out of Shadow and everything else.
The achievement points would be copied, right?
‘It’s time to start entering.’
He looked at the necklace in his hand.
D-rank Gate.
He didn’t know what would be there, or what kind of Gate it would be.
But this wasn’t the first or second time this had happened.
Kim Minwoo was confident.
He was also prepared.
There was no reason to hesitate.
“Let’s go.”
[Mysterious Necklace activated!]
[A passage opens!]
A red portal soon appeared in the room.
The moment he stepped inside.
The scenery before his eyes changed.
Whoosh!
A snowy winter.
Inside a small village.
Kim Minwoo was summoned between the wide open spaces.
There was one peculiarity.
– What is that, a goblin?
– Chwiik? A human? It looks like a human.
– Chwiik! Intruder! I kill intruder!
Instead of people, the village was filled with muscular orcs gathered everywhere!
“Uh… hello?”
At the sight of a human greeting them, the orcs raised their axes in response.
[Translator – Pr?ks]
[Proofreader – Pr?ks]
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