Chapter 134

Chapter 134

Spendthrift Necromancer (134)

Eye of the StormKim Minwoo stared directly at the President.

He wouldn't buy?

Then Minwoo just had to keep tightening the rope around his neck until he wanted to.

Now that the process had already begun, it wasn't difficult.

He only needed to move a little more diligently.

“Think you'll still be sitting in that chair three years from now?”

“You insolent……!”

The Nine Dragons Guild Master standing behind him flew into a rage and began drawing his sword.

Then he swallowed hard.

A razor-sharp spear had already reached his throat.

The Skeleton known to the public as the Bone Knight.

Its eyes blazed as it stared directly at him.―There won't be a second time.

“…….”

They had clearly moved at roughly the same instant.

Yet the spear had reached his body far sooner. The clean movement couldn't be explained by weapon length alone.

Faced with the obvious gulf in skill, Hong Tao's expression naturally grew polite.

Cedric calmly withdrew his spear and sat down again.

The President's gaze darkened further.

If he'd followed his heart, he would've strangled Kim Minwoo to death right here.

The problem was that doing so clearly wouldn't be easy.

“……

Whew. Are you playing games with me right now?”

“I don't know. Doesn't seem that expensive for the price of keeping your seat. It's not even your money anyway, Mr. President. It's the people's money—the same people you keep calling citizens of a great nation. Think of it as donating to the less fortunate.”

This man was truly insane.

Li Zemin took a deep breath and asked calmly.

“Let me ask this first. That elixir raises total stats by 600, correct?”

“Correct.”

“Then even if we pay that much to purchase it, we still won't reproduce anything close to today's effect. What meaning does that have?”

Would raising stats by around 600 solve everything?

No.

They would spend a fortune and gain almost nothing that mattered.

Kim Minwoo grinned.

“Obviously I plan to include a few services. Let's see. China normally places around seventh in international competitions, doesn't it? I'll raise you to around fifth.”

“……Fifth?”

“Wouldn't that at least let you preserve some dignity?”

The President fell silent.

Why was China only around seventh?

Because they lacked any truly exceptional Awakened who perfectly satisfied the Communist Party's tastes. The competitors they sent weren't weak, but they lacked a super player.

If he could raise that ranking…….

“……

How exactly do you intend to do that?”

“I'm rather good at teaching. As you saw today, Ilseong Guild benefited from it too.”

“That was…… because of your teaching?”

“Yes. I'll show you. You were Hong Tao, right? Come out here.”

Hong Tao, Guild Master of Nine Dragons.

He walked forward with a puzzled expression.

A spar followed.

Within six exchanges, Minwoo's sword was at his throat.

“Your fundamentals are decent enough, but your instincts are lacking.”

“……?”

“Try it like this.”

A short lesson followed.[Title, ‘Greatest Master,’ activates…….]

After receiving a few simple pointers, Hong Tao's eyes widened.

“……

M-My god! What is this…….”

Hong Tao stared in shock.

Then he turned toward the President and nodded frantically.

A single brief spar had sharpened his swordsmanship dramatically.

An Awakened at Hong Tao's level couldn't possibly fail to understand what that meant.‘A monstrous ability.’There was no better description.

The President's eyes gleamed at the sight.

Ilseong Guild's sudden rise.

If this teaching was the reason…….‘Fifth place may actually be possible.’For someone who needed to maintain power, accumulating achievements was extremely important.

Raising China's ranking in the Gate Contest?

That was incredibly attractive.

The President adjusted his posture.

He had become willing to take the conversation more seriously.

“……

Suppose we buy the elixirs. How do you intend to resolve the current situation?”

“Hmm. Want to schedule another King-of-the-Hill Match later? China buys the elixirs, puts up a good fight, then loses around six to four. That wouldn't look too bad.”

“……

You want us to stage the match?”

“I'll simply train you until you're around that level.”

“So you're telling China to lose again?”

“Better than being helplessly swept. You're good at things like that, aren't you, Mr. President? Saying things like, ‘This is only the beginning.’ You handled the Liang Xiaojun incident pretty well.”

“……

Can't China just win once?”

“No. You can't.”

A flat rejection with absolutely no room to probe.

Silence followed briefly.

President Li considered it.A six-to-four defeat.

It would still be a defeat, but if the match itself looked like a fierce struggle unlike this one.‘At least we'd have something to spin.’They'd have some kind of excuse.

Viewed that way, it wasn't completely unacceptable.

“But ten times the price is still impossible. The people would never accept it.”

“How many ways are there to conduct a secret transaction? We can write a side agreement.”

A reasonably fair price on paper.

Ten times behind the scenes.

Wasn't that perfect?

“Since it's our first deal, we'll need time to build trust. I won't demand an unreasonable scale. Let's feed the elixirs to exactly five people. Two hundred forty trillion won. Nice round number.”

The President and the Nine Dragons members behind him went white.Ten times the price was already dizzying, and now he wanted them to fully feed five people?Two hundred forty trillion won wasn't some joke.

China was a socialist country.

It had long emphasized welfare and equality, at least in principle, and now they were supposed to spend two hundred forty trillion merely strengthening five people?

If those five received training and emerged as world-ranker-class Awakened, perhaps.

Otherwise, if this deal was ever exposed, it would mean ruin.

And judging from what Kim Minwoo had said, it was obvious his instruction would stop at a carefully controlled level.

“That's too much. One or two would be better…….”

“No. Five. Absolutely.”

Kim Minwoo answered firmly.

He needed to hook them from the very first deal.

Make it large enough and compromising enough that if the transaction were exposed, the leadership itself would collapse.

Then they'd become a moneybag—

No, a partner who stayed with him for a long time.

The President fell silent.

He wasn't soft enough to miss the meaning behind Kim Minwoo insisting on such an enormous first transaction.‘……

Damn it.’President Li Zemin understood instinctively.

He had to choose right here.

If he was going to take Kim Minwoo's hand, then take it properly.

Otherwise, perhaps it would be better to accept any loss and kill him here…….

“Oh, right.”

“……?”

“I picked up something good at the Selection Tournament. It's called a Nuclear Bomb. Something like this.”

“……!”

The President's eyes filled with horror when he saw the item description.

“Seems like it could be extremely useful. Anywhere.”

Kim Minwoo spoke with a grin.

President Li sighed as though all strength had drained from him.

“……

You don't seriously think I can prepare that amount in a short time, do you?”

“You don't have to pay only in cash. I'll accept all kinds of things.”

Since when were transactions made only with money?

Materials, items, shares, valuables.

There was no shortage of substitutes he could accept.

Taking those into account, it wasn't an impossible amount. China's underlying strength was genuinely impressive.

“Then shall we write the contract? If money's tight, I can even offer installments. Two months.”

Truly, it was difficult to imagine a kinder contract than this.* * *The President's gaze sharpened for an instant, as though an unpleasant thought had crossed his mind.

Kim Minwoo immediately reeducated him with the Nuclear Bomb. After that, the President signed the contract like a perfectly docile sheep.

He even stamped it with his fingerprint.

“No need to look so miserable. This isn't a loss for you either, Mr. President. Frankly, all you need is to keep your position, right?”

“……

Our cooperation…… is guaranteed, yes?”

“Of course. Fifth place. I promise. Your future will remain solid too.”

The ten Nine Dragons members who had appeared in the King-of-the-Hill Match.

Naturally, they were also people who would appear in the Gate Contest. Feed elixirs to five of them and give them some training, and why couldn't they reach fifth?‘It's not bad for Li Zemin either.’A textbook power-hungry politician.

The man had clung to the presidency for an astonishing twenty years without stepping down.

As long as he remained certain his own position was secure, why would he care whether China rotted from within?

The leadership was probably the same. Used properly, they would become an extremely dependable moneybag.

“Let's have a long relationship, Mr. President.”―Yeah. President's face looks like an old bear. Cute.

“…….”

The President stared blankly at Merhen for a moment, then nodded with an expression that seemed to say whatever.

It wasn't as though she was the first insane summon he'd encountered.

Not thinking about it was the answer.* * *[(Breaking!) President Li Zemin on export controls: I had absolutely no knowledge of them. Furious after hearing the news!][(Breaking!) Sudden thaw in Korean relations? China abruptly dismisses Ding Guangxun, sixth-ranked Executive Vice Premier! Ding Guangxun had actively supported the proposed export controls…….][(Breaking!) China

- Kim Minwoo relations warming? Kim Minwoo makes surprise visit to Zhongnanhai! President Li greets him with a warm embrace…….][(Breaking!) Kim Minwoo: President Li Zemin is bold and refreshingly straightforward. Everything was an unfortunate misunderstanding. Says elixir sales are under serious consideration…….][(Breaking!) Elixir sale price to be set at a reasonable level…… President Li declares Nine Dragons Guild's future stronger than ever!]―What? Isn't Ding Guangxun one of Li Zemin's closest allies?―What else lol He's cutting off the tail lol―Saw the elixir's effects and freaked out lol―After basically losing the King-of-the-Hill Match 10:0, they've gotta fire even the number-six guy to show regret lol―Looked up the article, seems they're selling at 16 billion each. Isn't that around twice production cost?―Yeah. At least at that price, China can reasonably afford to buy them.―Ten times was obviously insane. But if he does this, is America really going to stay quiet?―No news from them though? What's going on?―Kim Minwoo would've already contacted America. They probably agreed behind the scenes.―Their agreement is letting him sell elixirs to China? Did America get hypnotized? lol―Maybe production cost isn't 8 billion but 2 billion? lol Unless he's taking absurd margins, I can't see America turning a blind eye.―High-Grade Elixirs cost around 2.3 billion to produce, right? They sell for 3 billion after accounting for crafting failures and labor. If you consider that, 8 billion production cost sounds right.―Then what the hell is going on? Maybe there's a side deal? More expensive than twice the cost?―Maybe. Japan's losing its shit in the meantime lol―China gets elixirs and they're the only ones left out? Their asses are on fire right now.―Kim Minwoo says he has no plans to visit Japan though? lololol―Yep~ Sky Auction House time lol He's about to spend like a lunatic there lololol―How much does he have right now, around 45 trillion?―With that much he could crush most countries at auction lol―(Horror) 45 trillion is the minimum estimate. 100% chance he squeezed something out of Saudi Arabia and China lol―Necromancer equipment prices about to break orbit and enter space lololol―Might actually stay closer to normal than expected? Other countries probably don't want to fight Kim Minwoo lol―Once you win, you're forced to buy it lol If they inflate the bid and Kim Minwoo suddenly stops, they're properly fucked lol―What gear does Kim Minwoo even have? Wasn't he wearing Rare everywhere until now?―Yeah. Aside from his sword and a few accessories, he was covered in Rare sets. He probably got at least a few slots from the Selection Tournament…… the mind games are going to be insane.

That was when.

The news exploded.[(Breaking!) U.S. President Robert visiting Korea?][(Breaking!) Korean trip extremely unusual? Reportedly canceled his entire schedule on short notice!][(Breaking!) Robert: Korea is an essential ally comparable to the Five Eyes. Says he uses an Ilseong phone and loves it. Declares he will use this opportunity to make the relationship between the two countries as hard as diamond…….][(Breaking!) President Lee Kanghoon: U.S. President welcome in Korea at any time! Says national treasure Kim Minwoo has elevated Korea's standing…….]―What? Since when was Korea Five-Eyes-tier?―No idea? What's with the sudden flattery; randomly mentioning the Ilseong phone makes it look like he's coming because of Kim Minwoo lol―Did they not discuss selling the elixirs beforehand?―Nah. If they hadn't, you think America would've sat quietly? They would've slapped sanctions on someone already lol―Then why is he rushing over like that?―Korea probably has nothing special like usual…… obviously Kim Minwoo's holding something lol Something big enough to make the U.S. President sprint over so fast his ass falls off lol―Is Kim Minwoo insane? Saudi King, Chinese President, and now the U.S. President too, damn―Saudi Arabia begs, China gets jealous, America sweats bullets. Damn.―Forget two-timing, he's three-timing now. Damn.―We live in the age of Kim Minwoo…….* * *The heartwarming meeting with President Li Zemin.

Afterward, Kim Minwoo returned to Korea with his companions.

He immediately headed for the Blue House.

President Lee Kanghoon.

He welcomed Kim Minwoo with a grin wide enough to split his face.

“Mr. Kim Minwoo. On behalf of Korea, allow me to thank you. You truly accomplished something enormous.”

When Kim Minwoo had contacted him from China.

He'd nearly fainted.Two hundred forty trillion won.

Even China couldn't easily pay an amount that large entirely in cash. On top of that, the transfer needed to remain secret.

So Kim Minwoo had asked the Korean government for some assistance.

Extremely confidential negotiations took place between senior officials of both governments.

They'd agreed to transfer the payment through several different methods.

Especially resources. Large quantities of resources could be sold below market price, or mining shares and corporate stakes from various state-owned enterprises could be transferred through shell companies.

Expensive art and antiques could be handed over as well.

Every method imaginable had come up.

He'd also received around fifty trillion won in cash to spend at the Sky Auction House.

They'd really gone ahead and printed money freely. He'd secretly brought it back inside his Spatial Ring.

Since the leadership under Li Zemin had agreed among themselves to keep it hidden, there was little chance anyone would discover the issuance.‘Well, even if they do.’Printing this much currency should be manageable.

This was a world where the economy had grown far larger because of Gates.Printing fifty trillion won?

China was big enough to absorb it. As long as liquidity was managed properly, they could handle it without major disruption.

Either way.

He would continue receiving money through various routes, both now and later, and President Lee Kanghoon had been extremely helpful throughout that process.

Since he'd received help, Minwoo intended to return some benefits as well.

“The supply won't be free, though.”

“Haha. Naturally. We intend to pay full price.”

President Lee Kanghoon smiled warmly. Korea was indirectly benefiting because of Kim Minwoo too.

Paying fair price for resources?

Hadn't they spent years suffering Chinese pressure precisely because they couldn't reliably secure them even while willing to pay?

Of course this single deal hadn't solved every resource problem, but the important part was that this was only the beginning.

Since China had chosen installments, a second wave would arrive next month.

Kim Minwoo had nothing to lose either.

He'd received enormous quantities of resources along with cash.

Rather than simply stockpile them, selling them to the Korean government was far better. There was more than even Ilseong could consume.‘I can dispose of them gradually.’A secret transaction.

If exposed, China's leadership would shake. Of course, with both the Korean and Chinese governments coordinating, it was unlikely to grow into a major problem.‘Still need to keep one mouth shut.’America.

Those bastards were frighteningly quick to notice things. If Minwoo wanted to continue using China as a useful moneybag, America's tacit approval and cooperation were essential.

Conveniently.

“You said President Robert wants to see me?”

“Correct. Honestly, what else could make that prideful man come to Korea immediately besides you, Mr. Minwoo?”

“Perfect. It's always better to have plenty of cash before an auction.”

It seemed he'd be able to have another pleasant conversation with America.