Chapter 133

Chapter 133

Spendthrift Necromancer (133)

MeetingEven if Nine Dragons had never possessed any truly exceptional Awakened, its pride had always been its high average level.

“N-No…….”

“This is a dream…… it has to be a dream…….”

Now they couldn't even boast about that anymore.

A mere small nation of the East.

They had lost to a guild ranked around tier 2.5 on the global stage.

And so miserably that there wasn't even room for excuses.

Worse, the entire thing had been broadcast live by media outlets around the world.

China itself had enthusiastically granted permission for entry and filming in the first place.

It was nothing short of an international humiliation.

Nam Cheolmin soon took the microphone.

“All this glory belongs entirely to Guild Master Kim Minwoo. Without him supplying us with Highest-Grade Elixirs, today's victory would never have happened. On that note, Guild Master?”

Step.

Step.

Kim Minwoo walked onto the field and took the microphone.

“As you've all seen, Korea will only grow stronger from now on. In other words, the days when we're called a weak Awakened nation are almost over.”

Then he smiled.

“China, on the other hand? Well…… at this rate, its future doesn't look particularly bright.”―…….

The crowd fell silent, faces twisted in anger.

Even though they were boiling inside, the result had been shocking enough that they couldn't easily vent their fury.

Kim Minwoo shrugged and continued.

“I'm a very busy man. Still, I thought I'd make time for a day of sightseeing in Beijing. This may be your only chance. A golden opportunity like this.”

Then, if you'll excuse me.

After finishing, he left the stadium with the Ilseong Guild members.

Guild Master Nam Cheolmin cautiously asked.

“Are you really planning to stay here?”

“Did we commit some kind of crime? Since we're already here, let's get something delicious to eat. I made a reservation at a famous place.”

Incidentally, it was a restaurant the Chinese President visited often.* * *American President Robert.

Lately, his thoughts had been filled with a single name.

Kim Minwoo.

A man who had shaken America overnight by obtaining the Highest-Grade Elixir Recipe, and an Awakened who could casually declare the insane line that he'd sell it to China for ten times the price.

Just how?

Out of curiosity, Robert watched the King-of-the-Hill Match between the two guilds.

It took only moments for the hand holding his cheeseburger to begin trembling uncontrollably.

“……

Call a meeting immediately. Right now!”

At the President's roar, America's key personnel gathered in one place.

The Secretary of Awakened Affairs cautiously handed the President a report.

“These are the analysis results.”

Robert's face twisted the moment he read it.[Analysis Data]―Target: Nam Cheolmin―Estimated around the top 100 in the world Archer rankings. Has a habit of mixing unnecessary movements into his Skill usage…….(Updated)―Bad habits have disappeared, making his movement far cleaner. Currently appears capable of challenging the top 60 in the world Archer rankings…….

“Can taking an elixir do this?”

“Absolutely not. Raising stats and making someone's movements cleaner are fundamentally different matters.”

“Right? That's what I thought too.”

“Yes. It appears Kim Minwoo did something to Ilseong Guild. Otherwise, this kind of combat improvement in such a short period would be impossible.”

“What do you think he did? Looking at the stat analysis, it doesn't seem like some sort of doping.”

“Given that their bad habits disappeared, we suspect some form of training. The question is…… how such a drastic change was possible in so little time.”

“…….”

The Awakened gathered in the conference room nodded.

Only two weeks had passed since Kim Minwoo returned. Yet Nam Cheolmin's skill had leaped from around the top 100 among Archers to roughly the top 60.

Something absurd had happened.

“……

Come to think of it, didn't they say the instructors during the second trial were excellent teachers?”

“Yes. Merhen's instruction in particular was said to be astonishing. She apparently raised the rank of their magic itself. Of course, without her assistance, it returned to its original level…….”

Even that alone was astonishing.

“What if those instructors trained Ilseong Guild?”

“We've already confirmed that possibility with Dragon Guild. Thompson and Sophia did improve, but nowhere near this much.”

“So even that isn't enough?”

“Correct. It's possible they concealed part of their teaching ability, but I doubt they would've done so immediately before a dangerous raid.”

The President nodded.

The Secretary was right.

Right before a dangerous raid.

Would they really hold back on teaching the Awakened merely to conceal their own abilities?

It didn't seem likely.

“……

What about Kim Minwoo? Did he personally conduct any training?”

“No. For the first three days, he barely showed himself at all. After that, we were told he participated only in group training.”

Tap.

Tap.

President Robert drummed his fingers against the table, then straightened his posture.

“Let's reduce this to the core issue. Kim Minwoo appears to possess yet another special ability. Does everyone agree?”

“We agree.”

“How do you think China will react from here?”

“The leadership likely knows the approximate effects of the elixir. But the majority of the population doesn't. In other words…… from the outside…… it'll look as though the elixir's effects were so overwhelming that Ilseong won because of it.”

“And with only Korea about to gain access to it, the fire is right under their feet.”

“Yes. Despite all its problems, the Communist Party has maintained power in large part because it could present the vision of China as an Awakened superpower. If that begins to collapse…… their political foundation may become unstable.”

“So Kim Minwoo can continue this fraud to pressure the leadership?”

“Yes. He doesn't even need to actually supply the elixir elsewhere. Merely signaling that he might distribute it to neighboring countries such as Mongolia, Japan, or India…… would place tremendous pressure on President Li Zemin.”

“What if President Li reveals the elixir's real effects?”

“Impossible. China has only estimated the effects. They never managed to steal an actual sample. Unless they can physically show the elixir while making their claim…….”

“……

It'll just look like they're deliberately downplaying its effectiveness.”

America had spent so much effort maintaining security.

Now they weren't sure whether to be pleased about that or not.

“And at this rate, the public estimate of the elixir's effects will become absurdly inflated. That's another problem.”

“……

My phone is already on fire. I'll personally explain things to our allies.”

“Yes. And we need to decide whether America should cooperate with Kim Minwoo's movements as well.”

President Robert closed his eyes in thought.

“……

Do you think China will buy the elixirs?”

“One thing is certain: Kim Minwoo demonstrated an astonishing ability. So I suspect they'll at least meet him and hear his terms. China still doesn't know whether he'll truly demand ten times the price or if it was merely a bluff.”

“……

He'll probably demand all ten times. He won't want to break his agreement with America either. Instead, he may bundle something like training together with the elixirs.”

As a service.

Normally, if something like that passed into China, America would go berserk.

Right now, however, it was difficult to criticize Kim Minwoo for it.

What if pushing him too hard caused him to align completely with China?

They couldn't even guess the limits of his abilities yet. From America's perspective, that was the stuff of nightmares.

After thinking over the President's words, the Secretary cautiously spoke.

“If it really is ten times…… then even if that includes training of this caliber, the price is undeniably enormous. If I were President Li, frankly, I'd consider eliminating Kim Minwoo somehow while he's still in China.”

“True. If he returns to Korea in this state, President Li won't have an answer.”

“Yes. But there is one variable. Kim Minwoo must know that too, yet he's still remaining in Beijing. And he deliberately went to a restaurant frequently used by President Li.”

“Either he's insane, or he has something he trusts in. One of the two.”

“Yes. Judging from his behavior until now…… it seems more likely he has something to rely on.”

“Something so impressive that he doesn't care even if the President decides to harm him?”

“Probab……

ly? Or perhaps he's simply confident in his own strength.”

“Fair…… with the entire world's attention focused on him right now…… even the President would have difficulty disposing of him.”

“To face Awakened of that caliber, he'd need to send not only the military but an Awakened force as well. And Ilseong Guild alone has already crushed Nine Dragons. Add Kim Minwoo to that…… and it may be a nightmare even for President Li.”

President Robert nodded.

“Cancel my entire schedule. Then arrange a trip to Korea. As soon as possible.”* * *President Li Zemin and the Standing Committee members.

Their faces were twisted as though they'd bitten into shit after watching the Guild Battle.

“What the hell…….”

The President's face flushed red as he crushed an ashtray in his hand. The result had been that absurd.

It was effectively ten to zero.

Meaning Nine Dragons Guild's average ability had fallen far below Ilseong's.

They couldn't even control the broadcast.

After all, they'd invited every broadcasting station they could find because they'd intended to spread the result everywhere. How were they supposed to stop it now?

“How does this result make any sense! What the hell is this!”

“W-Well…….”

The Standing Committee members' eyes darted around.

They were fairly high-ranking Awakened themselves.

They had enough discernment to judge a fight. Objectively speaking, had Nine Dragons performed badly?

Not particularly.

They'd shown exactly their usual level.

The problem was Ilseong.

They had fought like lunatics who'd suddenly consumed some legendary miracle medicine.

So the match collapsed.

And worse…….

“Those fucking bastards! Look at them bringing up the elixirs every time they open their mouths! They're pressuring us right now!”

“……

B-But Highest-Grade Elixirs alone couldn't possibly change them that much…….”

“Who here doesn't know that! The problem is who else knows it!”

That was the problem.

Even they, who had carefully analyzed the Highest-Grade Elixir's effects, were beginning to wonder whether some special hidden effect existed that they hadn't discovered.

So how would it look to the ignorant masses who knew practically nothing about the real effects?

They'd simply assume Ilseong ate an absurdly powerful elixir, underwent some miraculous rebirth, and won.

Otherwise, how else could Ilseong suddenly become so much stronger overnight?

“Looking at that bastard, he's going to keep pulling this shit. What the hell are we supposed to do?”

What if it wasn't only Ilseong?

What if other people suddenly began appearing stronger too?

And Kim Minwoo packaged all of it as the elixir's effect?

And China fell behind?

Cold sweat ran down the Standing Committee members' heads.

“W-We could reveal our estimated effects of the elixir…….”

“Like anyone would believe us! Does that look like something you can achieve with a mere 600 total stats?”

“…….”

People would assume China was downplaying the elixir's effectiveness out of desperation.

And they couldn't show an actual sample either.

The security around the elixir had always been absolute.

Even China had failed to acquire a single physical sample.

That was precisely why they'd mobilized every think tank available just to estimate its effects.

And now America and its allies were moving in perfect step with Korea.

The elixir?

They hadn't revealed its effects before, and they certainly wouldn't now.

Why would they?

Doing absolutely nothing was enough for a noose to tighten around the Communist Party's neck.‘Damn it.’‘This is bad.’That was when.

Someone cautiously spoke.

“What if we eliminate Kim Minwoo…….”

“Fuck! You think that's easy? That bastard isn't an idiot. You think he stayed in the middle of Beijing for no reason?”

“Th-That's true, but…….”

The President's eyes turned cold.

This had begun as pressure against Korea.

And now it had gone completely wrong.

Someone had to take responsibility.

Obviously, that person wouldn't be him.

The conclusion would be that one of the Standing Committee members gathered here had made a ‘foolish’ decision.

Putting that aside.‘……

I should meet him first.’If the bastard had remained here, he probably wanted something of his own.

It seemed best to hear him out first.* * *At a round table.

The Ilseong Guild members were devouring the countless dishes piled before them.

Cedric and Merhen were eating as well.―Wow, Minwoo! The skin on this is really crispy!―At least in terms of cuisine, this world's standards are far higher.

Merhen stabbed chunks of Peking duck with her fork and wolfed them down, while Cedric hummed as he absorbed one piece of food after another.

For today.

Kim Minwoo had rented out the entire restaurant for a quiet meeting.‘Should be about time.’That was when.

The door opened.

A familiar face appeared.

China's absolute ruler.

President Li Zemin.

With the Nine Dragons Guild Master and Vice Guild Master behind him, he entered and looked around the room.

“Good to see you. You weren't too late, at least.”

“……

There are quite a few people here.”

“Everyone, step outside for a moment.”

At his words, the Ilseong Guild members began leaving one by one.

Only Kim Minwoo and the two summons who didn't care whether the President was present remained, still eating.

“You know them already, Mr. President. My summons. Say hello.”―Cedric.―Hi. I'm Merhen. Do you like duck too, President?

After staring at the summons with an absurd expression for a moment.

The President sat at the table.

Then his gaze sharpened.

“……

How exactly did you do it? The elixir alone couldn't have been enough.”

“Does that matter?”

“Whew. What do you want?”

“I need quite a lot of money. So, want to buy some elixirs? At ten times the price.”

“……

And if I don't?”

“Well, your position will probably become more and more difficult.”

Kim Minwoo answered with a shrug.