Chapter 43: Chapter 42: First Meeting With Sunbin Group’s Chairman, Song Daechul, Part V (1/2)
Chapter 43: Chapter 42: First Meeting With Sunbin Group’s Chairman, Song Daechul, Part V
”So, what would you like to know?”
”Could I answer that instead, Jiwon?” President Song Myungsoo asked me in his father's stead.
”I'll be honest. It's something that I've, no, we've, all been curious about. We're not exactly sure what you know, but the chairman and I pooled the group's and the Planning committee's resources and researched everything we could for over a week. We left no stone unturned and investigated everything, no matter how minor. But we still don't know what this change is about.
”We know that there's a stat menu, a skill menu, an equipment menu, and that levels exist. We even found out about the Store that is supposed to sell items. But we don't know how to increase our levels, or how to get golden rings.” Song Myungsoo took a sip of his tea before starting again.
”We've decided to accept this strange reality. We understand that this is our life now, but where do we go from here? If we take into account the levels and Stores, then this system wants us to grow stronger like one would in a video game. For what reason, we have no idea. What choice do we have but to grow stronger, the way whoever made this happen intended? I don't think that you know the reason this is all happening. I would just like you to share with us how to adapt to this situation, and help us get started.”
Everyone nodded agreement to the president's speech.
I could see clearly how the Sunbin Group became so successful over the years.
”Hmm… I don't know why the world has become like this, either. But as President Song just mentioned, I can only tell you one thing you must do. You must grow stronger!” Everyone in the room watched me as I spoke.
”From now on, only the strong will have things. Only the strong can speak their minds, and only the strong can act on their whims. The voices of the weak will fall on deaf ears. It will be another infinite race to the top. The only way to get to the top is to have strength! You must force your way to the top. It doesn't matter if you're a judge, a professor, a politician, or man with money; you just need to force your way through everyone else.”
The only way to get yourself away from everyone else was to just force your way out. You didn't need an education or wealth; all you needed is strength! You had to be higher leveled than anyone else; you had to have better items than anyone else.
Sure, you had to be wealthy to have items, but that wealth wasn't measured by how much money or land you had, or how many buildings you owned. Now, you needed golden rings!
If you wanted a lot of golden rings, you have to hunt in high level hunting grounds which could net you plenty of golden rings and items. Basically, it all went back to having strength.
”We will enter a new era where the strong will have no choice but to feed on the weak. If you fall behind, you will be left behind. If you don't want that to happen to you, you must become strong enough to prevent that yourself.”
”How do we obtain that kind of strength?”
”President Song, you said it yourself. We all have a Stat Menu and an Equipment Menu. You must level yourself up. How? I'm sure you must have expected this, but you must earn experience points from hunting monsters to increase your levels. You can even find some items on the way.”
”There are monsters?” the chairman asked.
”Jiwon, the Sungbin Group definitely has guessed that there may be monsters. We believed that killing each other couldn't have been the way to gain experience points, so we believed that there should be monsters. But we haven't found any monsters. We didn't find anything that remotely resembled a monster.”
”You're right. You shouldn't have found any monsters. Open public profile.” I decided to show them my profile rather than try to explain it to them a hundred times.
[Name: Lee Jiwon
Level: 32 Death count: 0]
”!!!”
”What…how?”
”He's level 32!”
The members of the Sunbin Group tried everything they could to increase their levels. They experimented many ways, even killing animals, and consulting and experimenting with a gaming company.
The head of security, Han Kyungchul, had the suspicion that they had to kill other devas to gain levels, and secretly ordered one of his men who had become a deva to kill him. He even knew about the death penalty.
He had already committed suicide to see if devas really resurrected upon death, and found out that his stats were two points lower than everyone else's. But he had to find something out about experience points and volunteered to die once more. Unfortunately, it was to no avail. Han knew that there had to be another way.
When Chairman Song found out about what Han had done, Han received an earful. But Han knew that it was out of worry, and only offered his apologies.
The members of the Sunbin Group knew that they couldn't wait around like everyone else. There was no other way to prepare for the future, and they did all they could to level themselves up. Their search yielded no results.
”I've always held the Sunbin Group in high regard. You look out for the little man and reward hard work. I have every intention of telling you what I know.” Sooner or later, people would find the locations of the dungeons. How could they not, when the entrances were so massive. Sure, they were all located in hard-to-reach places, but I would give it a couple of weeks before reports of the entrances came out on the news.
The Sunbin Group wasn't one to let such an advantage go.
Back then, after an adaptation period of eight months, monsters began appearing in the fields, and the spells on dungeon entrances disappeared. Those with scan skills were able to reveal the locations of the dungeons.
Once people found out about the dungeon bonuses, more and more dungeons were discovered within four months.
If the Sunbin Group could control all five of South Korea's dungeons and start leveling up now, then it could form a guild much stronger than the guild of the past.
”Are…are you serious?”
”Yes. Just promise me one thing.”
”Of course! Whatever you want.”
”I want your priority to be to protect the weak and create a place where everyone can live in peace. Not just for devas, but for mortal humans, as well.” I couldn't do that, nor did I want to.
To be honest, I still had the mindset that I had to take care of my needs first and foremost. But I guess I still had a conscience.
I was afraid that karma would get back at me if I kept looking out for myself after letting me return to the past. What if fate sent me back in time to do some good, and all this time I'd been doing the exact opposite? Something in the back of my mind kept asking me that.
At first I thought about asking them to fork over any good items they found later on.
The members right now needed whatever help they could get, so they would probably accept such a proposition. But there was a high possibility that the future guild wasn't going to easily fork over a Rank 8 or 9 item that easily.
Handing over a Rank 8 or higher item like that wasn't generous or nice; it was stupid and thoughtless. Making such a proposition with Chairman Song was volatile; it risked putting our relationship in danger. They would have the same thoughts, as well.
I might as well make myself their enemy right now by being greedy and asking for Rank 8 or higher items in return for my help.
I didn't want to needlessly make trouble, and decided that it was more of a gain if I could make them a little more generous.
If I can't do it, then I might as well make someone else do it! Besides, the Sunbin Group is more than qualified to do so!
”!!!”
”!!!”
”Is…that really all you want?” Everyone in the room looked at me in surprise, not expecting such a request.