A stupefied looking guy joined us. It was understandable that he had gotten tired while climbing the mountain as he was neither an Awakened or a mercenary. However, the reason his face turned pale was because of the damaged corpses. His face was scrunched up and facing toward the corner, as if he was trying to calm himself down.
Seong-Il noticed the guy after following my gaze, and he said, “It must be his first time getting out of the safe zone. He is a novice named Park Ha-Jin. The company sent him. He is not a bad guy, though.”
The man he was referring to was Korean.
“I forgot to mention, but I am working with a company called Iljoo Construction. They do something else other than building constructions…”
I interrupted, “I heard from Mary.”
“I was planning to tell you when we met earlier, but I just remembered. It feels like we haven’t seen each other for a long time since we last met at the hotel. I should have come to see you first and asked how you were doing before you called me. I am so sorry. You know, I have been trying to make some money lately…”
Then, the guy started vomiting, but the Awakened didn’t even pay attention to him. The laborers carrying the stuff up were locals from the occupied areas, and those commanding them were mercenaries. Park Ha-Jin was the subject of ridicule from both groups.
However, his face seemed familiar somehow. I couldn’t stop looking at him. Was he one of my old classmates? He looked to be in his mid-thirties, so the age was roughly right.
“You are making quite a mess. Disgusting. I will kick you out.”
“Can you calculate without him?” I asked, pointing to the items that Seong-Il’s group had sent up. Some of them were from the detained priests.
“What calculation? Those are all Odin’s possessions anyway. What kind of bastards would get money from you for giving back yours? They must want to die.”
Seong-Il stopped talking and looked around, rolling up his sleeves. People around us began to look intimidated by his gaze.
I sighed. “Don’t get ahead of yourself. That’s what I told them.”
Seong-Il scratched his head. “Ah, okay. Then…okay, fine.”
Mana stones and artifacts were piling up, and the number of captured priests was also increasing. With just a bit of heightened Sense, the musty smell of old books wafted through the air.
There were very limited cases where civilians from the mainland, who were neither Awakened nor mercenaries, could enter outer space. Only members of the capital group, such as the academic survey team and Park Ha-Jin, could do so.
Thus, there were only five civilians who had entered the camp, and they were brought here by local chiefs. They definitely heard about who I was on the way up, so they were being extra careful. The local leaders lowered their heads to show respect and quickly left.
“I, Caliber Kwon Seong-Il, am honored to see you, Odin. I was in Revolucion 12 in the Final Stage. I will devote my life to you whenever you want me to.”
Seong-Il introduced himself in English, following the greeting of other local leaders. That was the exact format that others used earlier.
He then added with a smile, “Why are you looking so surprised? Although I can’t speak well, I have mastered listening to English. I have spent decades with them, and I am not an idiot. But… it is a top secret that I understand English.”
It took me a while to realize why Park Ha-Jin looked so familiar. He looked exactly like his grandfather. The President of Finance, Park Choong-Sik.
I asked with certainty, “Did he get in through the Jeonil Group?”
“That kid? Huh, why is he laughing now? Ah, yes. He pulled strings to get here. Not from Jamie’s side, but from an old guy’s group. It is not really related to me, so I am not that interested. Is he a special guy or something?”
“The old guy’s name must be Park Choong-Sik,” I commented.
Seong-Il rubbed his nose. “Umm…yes, I think so.”
“Have you met him?”
“What is the point of meeting an old guy who will die soon? I am busy looking at Ki-Cheol when I enter Korea. Have I told you about Ki-Cheol dating a girl these days? He has a girlfriend when he is still a baby.”
“What do you mean that Jeonil Group is sucking up Iljoo Construction?” I asked.
Seong-Il shrugged. “Company division and shit. It has been noisy. As far as I know, I am not part of Iljoo Construction but instead belong to a company called Iljoo MCA. I own fifty percent of the shares, Jeonil owns twenty-five percent, and Iljoo Construction owns the remaining twenty-five percent.”
I cocked my head. “That is not bad. Did you take care of it yourself?”
He shook his head. “Not really. They just told me that they tried their best to give me as much as they could. I honestly don’t care. Jeonil is yours anyway, and Iljoo Construction must be yours, right?”
“Yes.”
“So it wasn’t a big deal to me.”
I asked, “Was Jamie involved in the company division?”
“It has been difficult to see her recently. All I know is that the elderly have visited several times in a wheelchair. And then, out of nowhere, that kid got involved. Why are you asking me about this? Is he someone important?”
He was considered the heir of a family that brought me a great fortune. Park Choong-Sik was actually the one who grew the Jeonil Group to this extent, not Jamie. I had only met him once as a son of my father.
Park Choong-Sik devoted his last years to a master he had never seen before. Although he gained the power to hold Korea’s political and economic circles as a reward, his greatest fulfillment was not being excessive and crossing the line from there. Moreover, he was still working hard behind the scenes in the Korean business world, even though he was now over eighty and dealing with the turmoil due to protests.
“...Should I take special care of that kid?” Seong-Il finally asked.
I shook my head. “No, that is unnecessary.”
Park Choong-Sik’s grandson was already benefiting just by being here. Among Korean civilians, there were only a few who could enter this world.
I added, “He is nothing more than the grandson of my servant, the former President of Finance, Park Choong-Sik.”
***
It was inherent for individuals who have received an elite education in a wealthy environment to exhibit it. Especially in cases where they had achieved success through their own efforts, their true value tended to become apparent from the beginning.
Regardless of whether it was good or bad, each individual possessed their own strategy for the battle. They were adept at projecting an appealing image and skillful at winning the favor of others. This didn’t only apply to that particular guy. The civilian participants were holding business cards they exchanged with each other.
“They seem to get along well with their own circles. Adorable.”
They no longer paid attention to the confined priests, the segregated and closely monitored inhabitants of Greenwood, or the repulsive corpses. They were engaged in a serious conversation and concluded that not compensating me would be more beneficial for the future of each group.
Then now, it was time for them to choose who would deliver the message to me.
“Let me speak on behalf of you guys. As soon as the opportunity arises..”
“I feel much less burdened. Thank you, Mr. Park.”
Park Ha-Jin. I knew that guy would step up. He came with Kwon Seong-Il. He shared the same nationality and language with me, Odin.
“You said he is not a special guy,” Seong-Il said.
“No, he is not.”
“But why?”
“He is Korean.”
Seong-Il shook his head at my nonchalant answer.
Iljoo Construction, which had undertaken the dungeon work at the very beginning, had grown to become one of the top ten construction companies. Now it had developed into the largest private military company in Korea and was working with Seong-il.
Park Choong-Sik, the Korean director who assumed an executive position at Jeonil Investment during the company’s initial formation, had now expanded his business endeavors to a broader domain with the assistance of his grandson, making inroads into the largest private military company in Korea.
The grandson, who had only been ten at the time, had grown up and now appeared before me. He reminded me of the old days of how I got here. Also, he reminded me of how much I missed my homeland, especially the country where my parents resided.
Korea… After this war was over, I would probably spend the rest of my life in that country. I would marry Yeon-Hee and take care of my parents.
***
“We cannot receive a reward from Odin.”
“Odin’s decisions have never been reversed, bro. Be grateful and accept it when he offers it.”
“It’s quite a significant cost.”
“How much?”
“Excluding other materials, the majority consists of mana stones. The payment for our group alone exceeds a hundred million dollars, Mr. Caliber.”
“Bruh…your grandfather’s name is Park Choong-Sik, right?”
“Yes.”
“Is he the one called the President of Finance?”
“Yes.”
“Alright. If you want to make a good impression on Odin, then use your family’s wealth.”
“My family is different from what is commonly known. I will explain that part when we have time…”
“So I am telling you to prepare the calculation instead of being cocky, okay? Just remember who we are working for.”
“Can I directly talk to Odin? At the very least, I should convey our intentions to him.”
“What, am I just a scarecrow? This is your problem, bro. You are too ambitious. One day, you will end up in a grave. Just do as you are told, lower your gaze, and hold number two until you return to the safe zone. Got it?”
My meal was ready while Seong-Il and Park Ha-Jin were talking from a distance. I wasn’t talking about soup and bread. The boxes containing mana stones were neatly distinguished. They were supposed to be collected by the association and handed over to me, but since I settled here, it was appropriate to skip the intermediary stage.
Nonetheless, they were only a collection from nearby areas. I needed to visit the association for the grandest feast later.
Seong-Il returned, and we moved together to Ipo’s spot.
“You truly hold a high position,” Ipo said as he looked at me.
<You truly hold a high position.>
Seong-Il chuckled as Ipo’s words were translated into Korean in Seong-Il’s phone.
“Explain in detail to my subordinate what the exploration team entails, its composition, and the prioritized conditions for appointing an exploration team leader.”
“Forgive my impertinence, my lord, but may I ask about your purpose?” Ipo asked.
I responded, “I will deploy exploration teams throughout our territory.”
“Do you remember? I told you when you came to find me, sir. The Barien empire is not an attractive land for explorers. For generations, the Barien empire has been cooperative with explorers, so many of them have visited and have dug up their land already.”
Ipo continued, “However, it is different when it comes to the Atreus Empire, sir.”
Then, Seong-Il shook his head to the side, and the smile disappeared from his face. He silently clenched his fist and asked for permission by looking at me. As soon as I nodded…
Whack!
Blood splattered in front of me, and Ipo, who was thrown away, rolled around in the distance. He had to be thankful that Seong-Il didn’t use his full force.
Seong-Il snarled, “Motherfucker. I want to break your skull, but…I guess I can’t.”
He then continued, “Everyone is the same when it comes to trying to take advantage of chances. But why does that asshole want to attack the Atreus Empire? At a glance, they all look like the same kind from the central region.”
I explained, “It’s a boring story. The Atreus Empire took his treasures and family. Didn’t you say the next target is the Atreus Empire?”
“Yes, I did.”
I smiled. “Perfect. I hope you can speed up the process.”
“The association is already working so hard. It seems a bit excessive than usual. Is there something going on?”
“We should either conquer the entire Greenwood continent or succeed in expanding to another continent in one hundred days.”
“Is it Doom Kaos’s command?”
Seong-Il widened his eyes with such emotion.
“That is why Mary noona…”
“What about Mary?” I asked.
“She said she would stop by the headquarters then come here. There has been no news since, so she must be beating up the orcs. Those hideous faces must be getting cut off. She is hella scary when she gets serious.”