Chapter 95

[Translator – Prøks]

[Proofreader – Prøks]

Chapter 95: Demon (2)

Andromalius, who had been staring intently, nodded his head.

—All right. Please take it.

[Reward Given!]

[Obtained Masquerade Ball Invitation!]

‘An invitation?’

He looked down at the paper in his hand.

[Masquerade Ball Invitation]

[Rank: Unique]

[An invitation to the gathering of demon lords. Special events may occur upon entry.]

[Event Date: August 1st]

The item description seemed ominous.

‘A gathering of demon lords, huh?’

In other words, it meant being invited to a place where characters like Andromalius lurked.

“Do all the lords attend?”

—Usually. Masquerade Balls aren’t held frequently.

He looked at the nodding guy.

‘He said he’s ranked 72nd.’

As the name suggests, he looked formidable enough to be a demon lord.

‘If I had to compare, he’s slightly weaker than Balkan?’

In other words, it means that higher-ranked lords could be even stronger than Balkan.

An invitation to where such individuals gather.

‘Interesting.’

Where there’s danger, there’s also reward.

He tucked the invitation into his inventory.

It was late February, leaving roughly five months until the event.

He figured he could use this time to grow a bit more before attending. He glanced at Andromalius, who was still lingering.

“What are you going to do? Not going?”

—Oh, are you refusing? Quite firm. Well, I understand. We still lack trust between us.

“If you know, why bother asking?”

—Haha. You’ll go soon enough.

He snapped his fingers, and in that instant,

[You have been granted some of the powers of Andromalius, one of the 72 Demon lords!]

[Temporary Ability!]

—This is my modest gift. Once, when you need it, one of my powers will activate automatically.

An ability.

Is it for finding criminals, stolen items, or treasures? Regardless, it was free, so he couldn’t refuse.

“Thank you. I’ll make good use of it.”

—I’ll be waiting to see you again at the ball.

Andromalius’s form blurred and then,

[The gate returns to its original state!]

With the message, He was back in the Demon’s castle.

‘They propose a contract before giving the invitation.’

The Masquerade Ball seemed like a grand stage where one could raise their worth. He nearly fell for it- hook, line, and sinker.

‘This is why you shouldn’t trust everything a demon says.’

He could roughly guess why he granted him the ability.

He wanted to give him a taste of his power and tempt him. If this goes well, he might consider it at least once.

Either way, one thing was clear: Andromalius coveted this side of things, enough to endure such bleeding-edge service.

If rank 72 can do that, then rank 71 or 70 won’t make much of a difference.

Even higher-ranked lords might take notice if they found a capable proxy.

He glanced at his level.

‘Level 215.’

Isabella, known for having the fastest leveling in the world, reached level 100 in about four months.

Meanwhile, here he was, surpassing level 200 in less than three months. It was an unbelievable pace.

‘I’ve risked my life enough for it.’

He had nearly died more than once, but throwing himself into danger had its rewards.

‘If I go around once more, I’ll hit 220.’

The starting level for a B-rank Awakener is 251.

Considering that.

‘I’ll reach B-rank soon.’

It’s right around the corner now.

‘The B-rank skill I want is Dullahan’s Summoning.’

Dullahan, the headless undead knight, is one of the summons known as the hallmark of a necromancer.

‘Their intelligence is quite remarkable.’

From Dullahan onwards, they know how to think properly.

Being just an undead summon didn’t make them inferior in terms of intellect compared to humans.

And not only that? His swordsmanship skills were also quite considerable, fitting for a knight.

‘He even buffs the lower undead.’

A knight is someone who commands soldiers. Dullahan also had buff skills like a knight.

The difference in strength between a group of undead with Dullahan and one without him is like night and day.

The best part is that such summoning skills are considered basic skills. For a necromancer, it could be considered a skill akin to rain in a drought.

‘Power begins to significantly diverge from this line.’

With flesh shields and rolling skulls, slowly growing and starting to summon Dullahans, the necromancer also begins to exert their own strength.

Even if you don’t invest a lot of money, there comes a line where you get your money’s worth.

‘Of course… Dullahans are intelligent beings, so it’s not easy to subjugate them.’

Regular necromancers often have to sacrifice a lot for the knights and flatter them before they can raise Dullahan’s loyalty.

‘I don’t need to do that, though.’

Love’s whip is one of the best ways to increase loyalty. There was no reason to take a shortcut and go the long way around.

Anyway,

‘I’ll have to learn this soon…’

One thing was certain: He wouldn’t reach the 9th level enhancement solely through the Korean auction house.

B-rank skill books are scarce there.

So, he had to sweep up items from auction houses in other countries.

‘Non-mainstream ones cost around 500 million, while mainstream ones go for 1 billion.’

The number of high ranking Awakeners are small.

As you go up to higher-ranked skill books, the drop rate gradually decreases.

That’s why the prices skyrocket as you climb up. It’s a phenomenon that intensifies as you move higher.

From B-rank onwards, it’s not just a matter of being mediocre; you’re recognized as a high ranking Awakener.

Consequently, the price hike is ruthless.

‘At least 10 trillion won will be cracked.’

That’s when you’re going straight to the 9th level enhancement. If a skill book were to drop in the 7th or 8th level range?

‘20 trillion.’

That’s the ballpark figure.

‘I should start preparing to buy the best potions…’

Witch Christine.

Her potions can be consumed from level 300 onwards.

The problem was, the prices for potions for this level and above are unpredictable.

From lowest to highest quality, potions are within reach of alchemists in each country. They’re not incredibly rare.

‘But the highest quality is different.’

Only Christine, or rather, only the USA, can supply them.

The prices are classified.

‘Well, I have a rough idea…’

When playing characters other than Kim Minwoo, he had gone to the USA and bought some potions. Even though he had done them a favor in the past.

‘I paid 30 billion won each.’

Potions roughly triple in price as you go up in quality.

High-quality potions are around 30 billion won each.

The highest quality ones should normally be around 100 billion won each.

But he paid ten times that.

A staggering markup.

This was possible because the USA is the strongest country in Awakeners and the sole supplier of potions.

Don’t like it? Tough luck?

Then don’t buy them.

We weren’t planning to sell them anyway.

That’s their stance.

[Translator – Prøks]

[Proofreader – Prøks]

And especially if someone like Kim Minwoo, Korea’s super rookie, comes to buy potions?

‘They’ll charge even more?’

He had shown quite a bit already. Plus, behind Kim Minwoo is a wealthy gentleman named Ilsung.

To put pressure and make money at the same time.

Charging over 30 billion won each wouldn’t be surprising at all.

Anyway, from the USA’s perspective, there wouldn’t be much regret even if they don’t sell them.

It was the same for Witch Christine.

If the country pays a high price, what’s wrong from her perspective?

‘It’s going to be tough.’

Maybe they’ll act crazy and charge 50 billion won each.

Considering that, he still had to find a way to buy them.

How could he endure his stats at 600? Maybe that’s why France made a secret pact with the USA.

‘If it’s 600 stats…’

An ordinary Awakener would get all their stats after consuming around 600 of them.

Even at 30 billion won each, that’s 18 trillion.

But Kim Minwoo’s physique is a bit different. He consumes about three times more potions than others.

Taking that into account…

‘Between 54 trillion and 72 trillion.’

But it’s not 30 billion, it’s 50 billion?

It’s getting unbearable to think about.

And that’s not all.

‘I also have to consider the Sky Auction House.’

The Sky Auction House opening around May.

Good items are going to come out. Naturally, he planned to sweep up as much as possible. There will probably be tens of trillions involved there too.

An amount that takes your breath away.

‘Money is really…’

A lot.

Of course, he had his own solutions in mind.

First, investment from Ilsung Group.

He planned to receive 60 trillion in investment funds.

But he heard there’s some opposition at the moment.

The place where opposition is most rampant is the Ilsung Guild.

‘That’s understandable.’

For all the guild’s available funds to be invested in the Money Talk’s Guild, in other words, it means that the investment funds that will fall into the Ilsung Guild will inevitably decrease.

They’re quite domineering, so they can’t help but go crazy.

So, he quickly solved it by selling equipment and using the money to buy C-rank skill books.

‘I need to rein them in.’

That’s how he planned to secure the 60 trillion for now.

He also had a few other places where he make money from.

If everything goes according to plan, he should be able to earn over 100 trillion won for now.

‘But to do that, I need to move diligently.’

Undead forces began to explore every corner of the castle.

* * *

[Boss of B-rank Gate, Demon Gelitas, has been defeated!]

[Gate clear reward is given!]

[Level increased by 2…]

A huge demon resembling a turtle collapsed to the ground with a thud.

With just Merhen and Cedric, it was enough to attack the boss. Moreover, since all the summons joined in, it wasn’t strange that he couldn’t hold out for long.

He collected the drops.

‘I can use them as crafting materials later.’

What about the items?

It’s not like anything great will come out of a B-rank Gate anyway.

It’s just a trip to the auction house.

‘I can sell what I got today overseas later.’

The equipment of the assassins of Han Baekgil might come in handy later.

Since their performance was decent, if he gets an assassin summon, he can hand it over right away.

He planned to keep this and sell the rest abroad.

‘Then there won’t be any idle talk.’

From One to Seven.

They’re well-known Awakeners in Korea.

Not only have these Awakeners disappeared overnight, but their equipment flooding the market too?

It was perfect for causing a stir.

So, he planned to divide the equipment and gradually sell it overseas. That should keep things quiet.

He exited the gate.

Despite the arrival of the Shadow, it didn’t take even half a day for him to clear the gate

Upon exiting the gate, he saw soldiers and Awakeners he saw earlier in the morning looking at him with surprised faces.

“Isn’t that the Awakener we saw earlier?”

“What’s with the clear speed…”

Clearing a B-rank gate alone before they even changed shifts.

Even for an A-rank Awakener, this was beyond imagination in terms of speed.

It was a scene that made one realize how vast the world is and how many hidden experts there are.

He nodded politely towards them, their eyes wide with surprise.

“Good job.”

“Oh, yes.”

Wasn’t he A-rank Awakener Han Jinwook?

They thought they would see his name a lot in the future.

Whether that was true or not.

Kim Minwoo, who had leisurely returned home after exiting the gate, knocked on the door of Chairman Kim’s study.

“Father, are you there?”

“Come in.”

As he opened the door and entered, Chairman Kim, wearing glasses, was seen reading a book with a serious expression.

He then asked with a grin.

“You went to the gate today? Did you really clear it?”

“I cleared it.”

“Huh? You mean that place?”

Chairman Kim asked with a surprised expression.

B-rank Gate, Demon’s Castle.

He was well aware of that gate as well.

When his son said he was going alone, he didn’t particularly worry.

After all, hasn’t he come back alive even after clearing A+ ranks?

B-rank should be a piece of cake.

He had that thought, but…

‘It didn’t even take half a day?’

Was this speed even possible?

He was also once a C-rank Awakener and had ventured into gates.

So, it was even harder to believe.

It was when he grinned.

“Naye.”

“Yeah?”

“Go see your mother for a moment.”

“Okay.”

After sending Naye out, he looked at Chairman Kim and said,

“Today, a group of assassins came.”

At those words, Chairman Kim sat up straight and asked.

“What? Assassins? Are you okay?”

“I disguised myself to catch them in the first place.”

“Huh… If those guys were around, why didn’t you say so earlier?”

“Would Lee Hyunseong, Choi Cheolmin, Seong Hyerim, Kim Jinwoo, Seo Hyungsik, Ji Hyunwook, and Park Jihyun have been apprehended in reality?”

Kim Chairman’s eyes widened.

The names Minwoo mentioned were all well-known figures.

From the leaders of medium-sized guilds to key players in large guilds, they were all famous Awakeneds.

“So, they all came to assassinate you?”

“Yes. It seems they were affiliated with some strange organization called ‘Shadow.'”

“Shadow? I’ve never heard of that name before…”

“Even more strange is that they seemed to be doubling experience points.”

Minwoo explained.

Han Baekgil, also known as the Priest.

And even the story of Shadow, which had branches not only in Korea but also around the world.

“If that’s really true, isn’t it serious? Their levels rise quickly. Those guys were targeting you?”

“Yes. It seems they were wary of my growth, so Father should know about it too.”

Minwoo brought up this conversation for a simple reason.

Conflict with Shadow.

If this escalated further, they could target his family.

Of course, security was still being maintained well, but…

‘It wouldn’t hurt to be more thorough in preparation.’

There might be enemies with much higher levels than before.

So, increasing security was essential.

“Understood. Be careful.”

“Yes. Also, could you please dispose of these items overseas?”

“Sure.”

Kim Chairman nodded firmly.

“Now that the introduction is over…”

It’s time to get to the point.

“Lately, the Ilsung Guild has been making some noise, haven’t they?”

[Translator – Prøks]

[Proofreader – Prøks]