Chapter 170

[Translator – Prøks]

[Proofreader – Prøks]

Chapter 170: New Member

It was time to strengthen their forces.

Inserting runes into equipment was just the basics.

‘There’s a lot to buy.’

Starting with strengthening the guild members and legion commanders, he was also planning to enhance all the summons.

‘For that, I need dragon blood.’

And a lot of it.

He logged into the guild website.

The site, created about a month ago, was receiving hundreds of thousands of visitors a day.

It was a site that was receiving a lot of attention compared to the guild’s size.

That meant that the Money Talks Guild had made a name for itself.

He wrote a post.

[Notice: Buying]

From dragon blood for Blood Jade to hundreds of materials for runes and tattoos.

Materials ranging from tens of millions of won to hundreds of millions of won. He posted a purchase notice for all of them, offering a 20% premium.

(* Total purchase amount: 150 trillion won)

(* Purchase period: Until all available cash is exhausted.)

(* Those who wish to sell, please visit the Ilsung Group headquarters.)

A total investment of 150 trillion won.

It was time to spend some money.

* * *

Dorim Guild.

Number one in the country.

Once, it truly shone brightly.

But now, it was different.

The parent company, Dorim, was shaking, and the guild was also affected by the aftermath.

The investment funds had drastically decreased.

They used to receive over 5 trillion won every year.

This year, it was doubtful whether they would even receive half of that.

It was truly cold.

In the midst of this bitter cold, Guild Master Lee Minjun received some news.

“…Not 15 trillion, but 150 trillion?”

“Yes, Guild Master. The notice has already been posted on the site.”

“Is he crazy?”

Lee Minjun clicked his tongue after reading the notice. How much money did he have to spend 150 trillion won on materials alone?

“It’s not a bluff… is it?”

“The U.S. Congress passed the share purchase bill a few days ago. They said he spent 100 trillion won for 5%.”

“So, Kim Minwoo already has 100 trillion won?”

“Yes. And considering his close relationship with China… raising this much cash wouldn’t be a problem at all.”

Lee Minjun shuddered.

Officially, Dorim Guild was still number one.

But that was just on the surface.

Most of the audience already considered Money Talks Guild as the top guild.

After all, hadn’t they crushed the 5th ranked Ilsung Guild in an instant?

And with just three people.

“…Looking at the list, it’s mostly materials. Why do you think he’s buying so much?”

“Maybe he’s trying to strengthen his summons. Like how he bought bones last time.”

“…Sigh.”

Lee Minjun rubbed his forehead.

The airport incident.

Countless videos had already spread.

There, he saw Kim Minwoo’s true worth.

No, to be precise, he saw the fearsome power of his summons.

Just a few skeletons effortlessly defeating a level 600 Awakened!

It was a chilling sight.

The current summons were already strong enough.

‘And if he adds 150 trillion won to that…’

Just how strong would they become?

He couldn’t even imagine.

“…Guild Master, what should we do? Should we ignore it?”

“Ignore it? He’s offering a 20% premium on material costs, isn’t he?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Even if we don’t move, other guilds from overseas will move, won’t they? Right?”

“…That’s also true. The transaction scale is large.”

“Then we have to do it too. Our finances are already tight.”

“Yes. I’ve already heard that all the top 10 guilds in the country are making moves.”

“…We’ll lose the top spot soon.”

“Don’t be too disheartened, Guild Master. What can we do? This crazy guy is spending money like this.”

Lee Minjun nodded bitterly. It wasn’t just about spending a lot of money. The guild’s individual skills and talents were already at a level that wouldn’t be strange to see among global rankers.

“Let’s move quickly. Before he exhausts all his funds.”

The Dorim guild members nodded. 150 trillion won might seem like a lot, but it was an amount that could quickly be exhausted if the whole world was in motion.

There were countless guilds out there.

‘Sigh.’

‘I’m envious.’

The members of the Money Talks Guild would probably benefit from it too. The Dorim guild members, feeling a bit envious, headed towards the Gate with heavy hearts.

Lee Minjun felt the same way.

* * *

High prices.

Large quantities.

As they were making a massive purchase, sellers started flocking in. The impact wasn’t limited to just within the country. Prominent guilds from overseas also came to sell their materials.

In just a week, all 150 trillion won was spent.

‘The first day was really…’

As if they were trying to get rid of all the materials they had stashed away, Awakened from all over the world came rushing in.

In just one day, 60 trillion won was gone. The money continued to flow out even after that.

Of course, it wasn’t without reward. This was evident just by looking at the records in the training center at the guild headquarters.

Inside the cyber space.

Seo Yerim, equipped with all sorts of sensors, was moving fiercely.

Each arrow she shot struck down monsters.

[Record updated!]

[Congratulations!]

[(New!) Seo Yerim: 7 minutes 53 seconds -> 5 minutes 44 seconds.]

She came out with a sweat-drenched face, removing the sensors.

“Amazing. It decreased. By over 2 minutes!”

She said with a flushed face.

It was understandable.

Even without leveling up or creating new skills, her record had drastically decreased.

And dramatically at that.

“Hyungnim! I broke 9 minutes too! Now it’s 7 minutes!”

“Of course it should decrease. I poured a combined 30 billion won into you two.”

“Uh… that’s true, isn’t it…?”

Seo Yerim and Park Siwoo broke out in a cold sweat.

It seemed they had just realized how much money had been spent on their enhancements. Seo Yerim stared intently at her bow.

[Divine Bow Epherin]

,

,

[Additional Rune Effects]

[Penetration increased by 20%.]

[Accuracy increased by 20%.]

[Critical hit damage increased by 20%.]

[Translator – Prøks]

[Proofreader – Prøks]

Additional rune options that were enough to make one click their tongue.

Moreover, runes were not only inserted into the bow but also into all sorts of equipment.

It was no wonder their power had been boosted by nearly 40%.

‘This is truly amazing…’

She stared at Kim Minwoo. She hadn’t just been sitting idly while he was crafting runes.

She had been able to observe how the runes were made, one by one…

She was able to define the rune crafting skill in one word.

‘Crazy money extravagance.’

It was true.

A lot of trash options appeared.

Every time that happened, billions of won would vanish into thin air.

“Th-thank you for supporting us like this.”

“Me too, Hyungnim.”

“This is the kind of flex we should have as guild members. And it’s not like I’m just losing money.”

“Are you saying our power enhancement is worth that much?”

“No, Seo Yerim. Your ego is too big. No matter how strong you two have become, it’s a bit much to say you’re worth 30 billion won.”

“Th-that’s right. It wouldn’t be, right?”

She replied hurriedly, blushing.

“I’ll sell the leftover trash runes. That should cover some of the losses.”

“Is it okay to reveal that ability?”

“If we don’t, all the trash runes will just be stuck in our inventory, won’t they?”

“Oh… I guess so.”

“I don’t intend to reveal it myself. So, I’m thinking of creating a fictional character.”

One of the Ilsung Group’s master craftsmen.

The mysterious K.

He was planning to create a character like that and bluff that they had acquired the rune crafting skill. Many organizations would probably approach them.

Even so.

‘Security should be maintained for a few months.’

After that, it didn’t matter if it was revealed or not.

It didn’t matter what he thought later.

One thing was for sure.

It was a much better choice to sell the trash runes and exchange them for money than to keep them in the inventory.

He looked at Han Siah.

She had also received benefits.

Although she didn’t get any runes because she was a mage and her level was a bit low.

Still, he gave her a full set of unique equipment.

They were easy to get since they were for low-level players.

And he gave her some support money for living expenses.

“Ms. Siah, once you decide on your new class, we will support you greatly, just like the other guild members. At least trillions of won. So, I hope you won’t feel too left out.”

“Oh, no! I’m fine! This is already amazing!”

Han Siah hurriedly waved her hands and said. The value of the unique equipment support alone was well over 200 billion won.

Not only that, but he had given her 50 billion won for living expenses and even found her a luxury apartment.

A riverside apartment with a view of the Han River, worth well over 10 billion won. This all happened within a week of joining the guild.

How could she have any complaints? In fact, for her, who had lived a relatively modest life, it was almost overwhelming.

“But… is it really possible to change classes? I can’t believe it…”

“I’m not sure. But I think it’s worth watching.”

If her class didn’t change, she would have to go the priest route even though her class was mage.

Wouldn’t they intervene from above because they didn’t want to see that?

There were two ways.

Either change her priestly talent to a mage talent, or give her a class change ticket like Seo Yerim.

Anyway.

For now, the answer was to wait and see.

It would be a disaster if he bought her expensive mage equipment and inserted runes only for her class to change.

“Siah.”

“Yes.”

“We’re going to strike at Griff soon. So, I’d like you to help us.”

While he had been spending money and strengthening their forces, the Griff side had been relatively quiet.

The only thing they had done was diplomatically intervene to request the release of their prisoners.

Whether they were waiting to see how things played out or were unable to intervene directly was unknown.

In any case, one thing was certain.

He had spent 150 trillion won to strengthen their summons and guild members.

If the other side had no intention of acting immediately…

‘We have to strike first.’

The rotten water held a lot of information.

“If there’s anything I can do to help, I’m willing to do anything.”

“That’s great. Then let’s do a live broadcast. On NewTube.”

It was time for a live broadcast after a long time.

* * *

NewTube channel Troublemaker.

It was a channel owned by Kim Minwoo, and it was one of the largest channels with over 100 million subscribers.

Awakened channels with over 100 million subscribers were one of two things.

Either a global guild channel, or a world-ranking individual.

Kim Minwoo was neither.

His level wasn’t even close to a world ranker, it was still quite low.

He had uploaded less than ten videos.

That’s why he made it into the Guinness Book of World Records.

As the case with the fewest videos and the most subscribers.

A broadcast notice appeared on his channel.

[Live Stream Notice – Introducing a New Guild Member]

A few hours later, when the live stream started, over 3 million people had already gathered.

“Hello everyone, I’m Kim Minwoo. We’ve recently recruited a new member to our guild, and I’d like to introduce her here. Ms. Han Siah?”

“Ah, hello. I’m Han Siah…”

—Huh?

—Isn’t that the person who was at the airport?

—That’s right. Her name is Han Siah. 3rd year at the Korean Academy!

—So, they recruited a mage?

The viewers became excited.

News about Han Siah had already spread widely.

This was because she had been with Kim Minwoo when they confronted the Griff family at the airport.

And with her mixed heritage and unique appearance, it wasn’t strange that information about her had spread.

Kim Minwoo, looking at the chat window, said,

“You might think she’s a mage. But she’s not. I recruited her as a priest.”

—?

—??

—Ah, is she like Seo Yerim?

—Is that so? Is she changing classes again?

Just then.

Clap!

Kim Minwoo clapped and looked at the camera.

“Aren’t you curious why I fought the Griff family? I came here today to spill the tea.”

—Go Go…

—Wasn’t it just to raise national prestige?

—Is something big coming?

“This Han Siah here. She’s the illegitimate child of the Griff family’s head. And she’s an illegitimate child whose talent was stolen through a cruel experiment. Am I right?”

“…Yes. That’s right. My father is Lucas, the head of the family.”

Thousands of messages started flooding in every second due to the shocking topic.

Kim Minwoo continued his explanation calmly. He explained how almost 80% of her talent was stolen and how it made Han Siah weak.

He also mentioned that Lucas was after her remaining talent and that he had no intention of backing down.

“There’s a saying, ‘chicken game.’ It roughly means the one who backs down first dies. Mr. Lucas probably won’t give up either, right? Of course not. Otherwise, the stolen talent won’t be complete.”

Kim Minwoo smiled and rummaged through his pocket. Soon, he pulled out a piece of paper.

“So, I’m thinking of throwing the first punch. At the Griff family’s mages. They’re strangely good with swords, aren’t they? They even have a unique position called magic knights. Right, Han Siah?”

“That’s right.”

“It was quite strange. Unless you’re a genius like me, it’s difficult to excel in multiple areas, right? So, I did some digging. And I found some horrifying information.”

Gulp.

Han Siah swallowed.

She already knew what information Kim Minwoo was about to reveal.

And how tremendous would the impact be.

“What if they kidnapped children gifted in martial arts and conducted horrific human experiments on them? What if they stole the children’s talents and gave them away? What if that’s why even mages possess martial arts talents?”

Kim Minwoo said, his expression turning grave.

“It would be wise to abandon any thoughts of retaliation. There are so many secret facilities in places like the village of Oberstaufen on the foothills of the Alps, Bruehl and Solingen near Cologne, along the lakeshores of Norddeich or the forests of Kellerwald. We’ve already secured information too. My good friend, the President of the United States, Robert, helped me.”

Photos spilled from Kim Minwoo’s hands, showing countless children being dragged away in bags.

“I’m warning Germany. There’s a good saying, ‘know when to cut losses’, isn’t there? Why don’t you cut your losses now, unless you want to get your shrimp legs crushed in a whale fight?”

[Translator – Prøks]

[Proofreader – Prøks]