Chapter 69 (1/2)

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Dungeon Break (1)

About a week after I’d sent the [Vital Flame], and treasures recovered from the Dragon lair to the Senator, Oh Jin-Hwa contacted me. When I pressed the terminal, I heard the familiar voice of Oh Jin-Hwa.

“It’s been a while since I said hello. Have you been well?”

Ever since I’d opened a deal with the Senator, she was designated as our liaison, and she has always maintained a polite tone and attitude toward me.

“Please understand that I’m contacting you on the phone when really, I should have visited you.”

“That’s all right. Please go ahead.”

“I’m calling to let you know the settlement details of some of the items you’ve asked me to sell.”

Considering the expected price and the variability of prices being adjusted by auction, the Senator decided to give a down payment of some of the money to me and settle the rest following the amount sold at auction.

I burst into laughter as I listened to her following words.

“Oh, really? Is that what he did?”

The Senator was said to have had invited 50 people from all over the world who had been Awakened but had never roamed around dungeons for him to sell [Vital Flame]. It was a selection of those who were old enough to have money laying around, or their adult children openly sharing the inheritance, and those who had the conditions to respond to such transactions.

The Senator conducted a test on a man to prove its effectiveness for those rich but suspicious people. The experiment showed a middle-aged hunter returning to his young body in his 20s using a trace amount of flame in front of everyone. Soon after, he even conducted a thorough physical examination.

“And then he put it up for auction, right?”

What impressed me was the condition of the product at auction. Unlike ordinary fires, the fire extinguishes itself if it burns Mana to a certain extent, so if a lot of Mana was burnt to increase the maintenance time, you needed a bigger fuel source.

“So, he sold it by dividing it, to the point that it would only burn the potential Mana for a month and then would go out?” It was a kind of trial period. The size of the flame I handed over to the Senator was enough for 50 Awakens with average potential Mana to burn for ten years, but he’d sold only a portion of it.

Oh Jin-Hwa answered, “That’s right. Of course, we notified the buyers in advance and traded after getting their consent. Saying that after about a month of rejuvenation, even if there’s more Mana left to burn, the fire will go out, and they will return to their original bodies.”

Aging couldn’t be stopped even through Awakening.

Now, let us say that the flame of life was slowly extinguishing, and you suddenly regained your youth just before you were due to die. The days you dreamed of would unfold. But then, if you went back to being an aged person after a month, even if you prepared yourself in advance, the psychological shock, and the loss, would leave you dumbfounded.

“They say that the taste of the meat could only be known by only those who tried so that they will search for the item again much more desperately.” It was akin to letting drug addicts sample the wares, knowing that the sample was enough to form an addiction—customers for life.

“From that point on, the Senator will slowly release the volume and raise the price. He said that it’s not a bad trade for self-preservationists who are Awakened but do not contribute power to humanity, since it offers them to contribute at least financially.”

If he sold at a high price, I would get more money, so there was nothing bad about it.

“So, the amount to be settled first…is a little over $700 million.”

I nodded when I heard the number. More than half of the treasure retrieved from the Dragon lair was yet to be disposed of, and in the case of [Vital Flame], the quantity sold this time was about 1% of the total inventory. As more goods were sold, the amount of the settlement would increase beyond control.

‘First of all, I can collect some of Celestial Dragon’s shares with this settlement.’

From then on, the number of sales coming in would go into a vital military fund to prepare for the future.

“As you may have guessed, it’s a bit big to move in the dark… so I think the remittance will be made words, she meant illegally, “The price of the product is expected to rise significantly in the next auction, and the volume is expected to increase as well…. From then on, it will be impossible for our customers to pay in full cash. Therefore, the settlement should be done in a complicated way…I recommend that you prepare ahead of time.”

This meant that we should plan for a few more windows, for traditional ways for money to travel.

“Can I leave that to you, too?”

“Yes, I understand.”

I ended the call.

‘All right, now the live ammunition is ready.’

Soon, it was time to start shopping.

*

“What? Are you buying my shares at that high price? Of course, I appreciate it.”

Among the group that wished to leave the Celestial Dragon, those who followed Han-Seol planned to establish a small elite guild as before. Therefore, they were in dire need of initial capital. Even the artifacts that they were using, except for the distributed personal belongings, needed to be returned to the Celestial Dragon to require much financial assistance.

“Well, please sign here.”

Instead of Seo Jin-Wook’s name, I used the ‘company’ name that I owned and kept secret. I couldn’t do much about those hunters who have already sold it, but more people tested the waters by showing them the suggested price from others as well.

Since an amount much larger than what was negotiated from others was offered, the sale contract proceeded quickly. Also, a special statement was added to each contract, in which that they would receive the money in advance. Still, the final timing of the transfer and the renewal of the account holder’s (shareholder) list would be carried out on a specific date.

“Thank you.”

“Oh, no, thank you. I sold it at a much higher price than I thought it would be.”

Watching the scene of the meeting with my representative on CCTV, the Hunters’ faces were all full of smiles.

‘The fact that all guild members who followed Han-Seol, who leave, will be the same as in the previous life. I can’t hold on to them.’

However, I would be in trouble if more left all at once. Therefore, the person I met for the next staff meeting was a man who was not in support of Han-Seol and still held shares of the Celestial Dragon.

‘Team Leader Yoon Ho-Min!’

I met him at a high-end restaurant in downtown Seoul, avoiding the public eye.

“Wow, are you really Jin-Wook?” I’ve heard rumors, but I never thought people could change like this.”

He was one of the original members who founded Celestial Dragon with Seo Gyu-Cheol and led the exploration team 1. He was a Hunter who had maintained the A-Rank for a long time, although he has been relegated to third place with Han-Seol joining and gained a high reputation among hunters who were not part of the Han-Seol faction.

“The fact that you’re meeting me today…….”

“Of course, it’s a secret to the Guild Master.”

That he secretly came to see me, even though he knew how much he was looking for me, meant that he, Yoon Ho-Min, had already given up his hopes on Seo Gyu-Cheol.

“How’s the situation these days?”

From his mouth, words similar to what I had heard from Secretary Kim before poured out. I pretended to listen, but as soon as his mouth closed, I told Yoon Ho-Min.

“I think you can guess why I asked you to meet me. Instead of my father, I’m going to take responsibility for the Celestial Dragon.”

Yun Ho-Min’s eyes narrowed, searchingly, “You want me to push you, right?”