Negotiation (3)

Through the government’s efforts, the media exposure about me was resolved well.

A massive amount of 1 trillion won was paid as compensation, and after confirming that the full payment for the byproducts of the monsters I hunted was also processed, I came to think that making money was truly easy.

‘2.3 trillion…’

The number of hunted monsters was as many as 9,447, and because I used white magic when hunting the fighting dogs, they were not contaminated by dark mana, allowing me to get a proper price.

Considering they were traded for an average of about 150 million won each, I was able to receive a massive sum of 1.3 trillion won after subtracting processing fees.

“Are you rich?”

An So-mi, who checked the reward amount, looked on with sparkling eyes.

“I was rich even without this, though?”

“I’m so jealous. You don’t even have a place to spend it, do you?”

“I have many places to spend it. To the point where even this money isn’t enough.”

“…Where are you spending it?”

Instead of answering, I showed a smile, and although An So-mi felt frustrated and pressed me, I ended up leaving the office after saying I would step out for a while.

And the place I headed to was the Black Mage Association.

“Aren’t we seeing each other too often?”

“It’s not exactly a good thing to see each other often.”

“Tsk, you should say it’s nice to see me at times like this, you brat!”

I asked while lightly dodging the swinging hand.

“Where is Jeong Do-bin?”

“Are you interested in my granddaughter?”

“Would I be?”

“Heh, this fellow really…?”

He was the type to complain even if I said I was interested. So, I spoke straightforwardly.

“How is the treatment of war victims these days?”

“Tsk, government subsidies are decreasing day by day and are almost non-existent now, but why?”

“What is the annual budget?”

“Over 30,000 black mages died during the war; although not many of them had families, there are still thousands. It costs over 100 billion a year for tuition and living expenses, but why?”

“That’s less than I thought?”

“Even if I want to give more, there’s a lack of subsidies.”

“If you were to give the maximum, how much would be needed?”

Jeong Gil-sun stared at me intensely. Then, he asked seriously.

“Why on earth are you asking such things?”

“I’m trying to increase the donations.”

“I won’t take your money. No, I can’t! How much money have you already poured out? What do you mean increase it? Increase it, my foot!”

Jeong Gil-sun shouted, so I spoke.

“I knew this would happen, which is why I tried to talk to Jeong Do-bin.”

“This guy?!”

Jeong Gil-sun used his body to try and give me a flick, but in reality, those efforts all came to naught.

Jeong Gil-sun was panting and glaring at me as if he wanted to kill me, when Jeong Do-bin appeared on the top floor as if he had just finished a busy schedule.

“Are you two bickering again?”

“I’m innocent. The old man keeps picking on me.”

“It wasn’t that you were lightly provoking him?”

“Yes, he’s doing this even though I said I’d donate more.”

“We won’t take it.”

I paused at Jeong Do-bin’s words.

“…Did you two plan this?”

“The money Geum Seong-chan sends every year alone exceeds billions. That alone is a massive amount and is a debt to us. It’s in the name of a donation, but it’s a debt of the heart.”

“I am also doing this to relieve a debt of the heart. It is a debt I am paying back to the comrades who trusted me and risked their lives.”

“It’s already enough. There are many who have overcome hardships through your help over the years.”

“Still, won’t you need more money in the future?”

Jeong Do-bin let out a sigh.

“We aren’t in a situation where we are struggling to that extent. And there’s no reason for you to take responsibility for it. It’s the state’s job, and it’s the job of us who stepped up to do it instead.”

Strong will resided in Jeong Do-bin’s firm words. Hearing that, Jeong Gil-sun also nodded his head.

“It’s not that I don’t know your heart, and with your help, we might be able to do more. However, this is not what we wish for.”

Seeing the determination of the two, I ended my brief contemplation.

“Then, I’ll do as I please.”

And then, I began to pour out the money I had looted after plundering the Cultists of Ruin earlier, which was stored in sub-space.

The musty smell of rotting money filled the room, and I spoke while pointing at a pile of money that wouldn’t be lacking if called a mountain.

“I picked this up on my way here.”

“…Are you crazy?”

“That’s right. Are you really crazy?”

Seeing the expressions of the two, who could not understand, I spoke.

“Don’t just think about welfare, but also pay attention to nurturing the next generation. A time will come when we must find our strength again.”

The expressions of the two hardened upon hearing my words. Then, Jeong Gil-sun asked.

“Something must have happened. Is there some truth that you know?”

I wanted to spill everything I knew comfortably, but because I didn’t know what kind of unexpected actions the Black Mage Association would take once they knew the whole truth, I shook my head.

“It’s an investment for the future. Please try various things with this money. I hope you take away more than just acquiring something the Magic Tower possessed previously.”

“I know you have a grudge against the Magic Tower, but there must be a reason you’re going that far, right?”

“Stop trying to find out, are you going to do it or not?”

“What if I don’t?”

“Then I’ll have to scold you.”

And then, I began to pour more money out of sub-space, and the two were appalled by the continuous drop of money.

“You crazy bastard, do you think this kind of stunt will work?!”

“I feel like it’s working on your granddaughter, though?”

Jeong Do-bin was beyond embarrassed and into a state of shock. In the flustered situation, she hurriedly grabbed Jeong Gil-sun and spoke.

“That man isn’t a person with common sense! Grandfather, stop provoking him!”

Jeong Gil-sun shut his mouth because of her sharp shout. So, I made a demand to the grandfather and granddaughter.

“Please use this to further strengthen the rights of black mages. Expand businesses on a large scale and try to grow your influence as well.”

“Just… what is the picture you are drawing?”

“It’s trivial. A world where everyone lives like a human being. Isn’t that good?”

There was Jeong Gil-sun shaking his head and Jeong Da-bin staring at me with a peculiar look.

Afterward, I checked sub-space as I left the Black Mage Association.

‘Now only about as much as I poured out is left.’

It felt like the bundles of cash the Cultists of Ruin had hidden in their treasury amounted to at least tens of trillions.

They had accumulated that much immense wealth.

Moreover, that was just the cash; if one included the magic stones and artifacts, an immense wealth was accumulated to the point that calculating its value was difficult.

I could estimate that money pouring in from various fields, including the Magic Tower’s funds, had all gathered there, and it was a part I could understand why the Cultists of Ruin were struggling to maintain influence over me somehow.

Although the world had experienced destruction once, because it was now gradually approaching normalcy, such financial power was not something to be taken lightly.

Furthermore, even now, the reality is that the world is being swayed here and there by such money.

‘The Association will move, and the Black Tower will also repay its debts and begin active operations. The reason they had no choice but to fail or falter in whatever they did was likely because Kim Dae-san couldn’t stand to see black mages prospering…’

When Kim Dae-san seized power, he grew his strength by extensively securing his own influence as a war hero and through his dedication to this country.

As a result, he won the presidential election and encouraged the establishment of an Awakener nation in earnest, and consequently, it has now become an Awakener nation with powerful strength.

He coordinated Awakeners that systematically, and he is a person who is making a name for himself as a hero among heroes by promoting himself as the individual who seized victory by dealing with Japan, China, and even North Korea—where countless malicious Awakeners poured out as the regime collapsed—all at once.

Since he is even serving as president, that immense power must make him feel something beyond sweetness, and naturally, bringing down a group that might challenge his regime might be something like a politician’s fate.

However, the problem was that there were many questions regarding how much Kim Dae-san knew and to what extent he was involved.

As much as he handled a lot of information, I wondered whether he really wouldn’t know about the part regarding the Cultists of Ruin and the existence of someone like Wang Sun, who entered the country secretly from China.

‘For now, moving slowly would be the answer.’

It remained to be seen how Pi Jin-hyeok and Wang Sun would act, unlike me.

“Has the talk progressed?”

As a man with a muscular and sturdy build asked the question, Pi Jin-hyeok, who stared back at him, nodded his head.

“There’s nothing to worry about. We’re planning to cause an incident that the government will be interested in right on time.”

“What is it?”

“It’s one of the things China wants.”

It was Wang Sun, with his eyes sparkling.

“The wish of a great nation is for a small nation to bow its head. We didn’t always covet this land; we just didn’t like the behavior of a small nation that holds its head stiffly and rejects our rule.”

Pi Jin-hyeok felt frustrated that he was going on about great and small nations in this day and age, but since they were in a position of looking up at the same sky, he nodded his head dismissively and spoke.

“If you take charge and handle the enemy of the great nation and my obstacle, I can fulfill what the great nation desires. Moreover… I am also willing to provide this.”

Pi Jin-hyeok took something out of sub-space and showed it, and Wang Sun jumped up from his seat upon seeing it.

“It’s the Imperial Seal of the Ming Dynasty!!”

“It was found among the remains of someone who was active with this artifact during the war.”

“Ju Chang, it’s his remains. Is that right?”

Pi Jin-hyeok nodded his head.

“Wouldn’t it be sufficient as both revenge and compensation?”

Ju Chang was a renowned mage even in China, and he was also a tragic hero who was killed by the man called ‘The Worst.’

Wang Sun, who could not have been unaware of this, laughed.

“He is tied to us with an ill fate quite significantly. To think it’s at a level where you wish not for his downfall, but for his true death, this country is quite rotten as well.”

“If there is something you want, you must get it, and if there is an obstacle, it is only natural to clear it away. So, I only hope that everything follows its natural course for the sake of the greater good.”

“When is the schedule?”

“One week later. Please understand that because attention is currently focused on us, we have to wait with a bit more leisure.”

“I understand. Who would have known he would come to the Magic Tower himself?”

As Wang Sun said, Geum Seong-chan’s sudden visit was an uncomfortable matter for Pi Jin-hyeok in many ways.

Furthermore, he thought a conclusion would somehow be reached with Cheon Jong-un, but with everything twisted and even the Necronomicon falling into Cheon Jong-un’s hands, he was only displeased.

‘Still, that Necronomicon is an item with notorious rumors for being fierce. Didn’t they say it drove all its possessors to death?’

The reason it came to the Magic Tower was truly by chance, but for now, he only hoped it would kill its possessor as per its reputation.

‘If only Cheon Jong-un and Geum Seong-chan disappeared, black magic would walk the path of downfall.’

This was because among the four existing 7th Circle Masters, excluding the two who belonged to the relatively younger side, the remaining two were elderly men over 80.

Pi Jin-hyeok was settling on the plan of dealing with the personnel that time would not resolve.