Chapter 135

Chapter 135

Spendthrift Necromancer (135)

President Robert.

He visited the Blue House.

After exchanging pleasantries with President Lee Kanghoon for a while.

He met Kim Minwoo in a discreet room inside the Blue House.

“Pleasure to meet you. I'm Robert, President of the United States.”

“Kim Minwoo. You wanted to see me?”

“I watched the King-of-the-Hill Match with great interest. I'd wondered how you intended to charge ten times the price…… whew. I never imagined you'd exploit an information gap like that.”

“Korea has it rough enough already. Somebody has to export something.”

“In that sense, America may be able to provide quite a lot of assistance too.”

“Shall we get to the point?”

“Good. We're convinced you possess a special ability, Mr. Kim Minwoo. It appears to be some form of teaching, and we believe you've offered it to China as well. Otherwise, there'd be no reason for such an enormous transfer of funds.”

Wow.

They'd already smelled it and come running.

America was America.

“So?”

“As you said, Korea growing is better for us than China growing. We'll help you continue making useful use of China.”

“That's generous.”

“Whatever you're giving China has already been limited to some degree, hasn't it?”

“I intend to make them around fifth place in the Gate Contest.”

President Robert shrugged.

“Fifth. Not bad from President Li's perspective. Perhaps not as good from China's.”

“Is my teaching what you want?”

“In the narrow sense, yes. In the long term, there's more.”

“Go ahead. Say it plainly.”

“From our analysis, you seem very fond of Korea, Mr. Kim Minwoo. We can't bring you to America, yet you're far too capable for us to simply ignore.”

“That must be a difficult problem.”

“It is. The Gate Contest is right around the corner, and frankly, I feel some urgency. We don't know how broadly your teaching—or let's simply call it training—can apply. We don't know its limits.”

“I doubt it'll work on world rankers.”

“I'd like to believe that too, but you're like an onion, Mr. Kim Minwoo. This position is a headache. There are simply too many things to consider.”

President Robert let out a deep sigh.

“And it's not like we can launch a nuke at an ally's Awakened just because he's doing too well. Quite the difficult problem.”

Kim Minwoo snorted.

“You're awfully honest.”

“Don't you like that sort of thing?”

Apparently they'd already figured out his preferences.

Kim Minwoo nodded.

“I do. But it'd also be strange for me to stop using my abilities or growing because of that, wouldn't it?”

“Correct.”

“For now, I'll train American Awakened too. Send them to Korea.”

“How many?”

“Training is more annoying than you'd think. Let's start with ten. For reference, China gets five.”

“How many Koreans do you intend to train?”

“Ten S-ranks from Ilseong, plus my guild members…… around twelve, I suppose.”

“Will America's training be at the same level as Korea's?”

“I intend to match it. No restrictions.”

“Good. Let's do that. What do you want in exchange?”

“An A-rank +9 Skill Book. Necromancer, obviously.”

From this point on, gathering enough listings became difficult even if he searched the entire world.

He could dump the tedious process of collecting and enhancing the books on these people for now. If they wanted to keep learning, they'd take care of it themselves.

Summon Dullahan had cost around twenty trillion won.

Given how Skill Books became more expensive at higher ranks, even taking an A-rank book straight to +9 without a single failure would probably cost over eighty trillion.

If it blew up midway?

Their account balance would be annihilated.

But whatever.

This was America. They'd handle it somehow.

“Is that enough?”

“I'd also like some cash. I need to go to the auction.”

Robert scratched his head.

They had already detected massive outflows of capital from Saudi Arabia and China.

Kim Minwoo clearly wasn't talking about a few hundred billion won.

Even the minimum would be measured in trillions.

The auction opened in only a few days.

There wasn't enough time to push spending through Congress.

And while his teaching might be extraordinary, handing over that kind of money would still provoke endless complaints.

If Robert intended to satisfy Kim Minwoo's demand, he'd have to do it secretly.‘President Li. Must've been rough.’It seemed he might soon walk a similar road.

“……I think I could arrange around twenty trillion won.”

That was roughly how much off-book funding they had accumulated by quietly diverting money from defense and intelligence budgets.

“Twenty trillion. Being the President of a democracy is such a difficult job.”

“……

Very occasionally, I do envy President Li.”

“Well, I'll accept it gratefully.”

Twenty trillion secured.

Was that expensive tuition?

Not particularly.

America would probably send talents who already carried serious weight within the country.

Making Awakened of that caliber stronger was worth more than money alone could express.

Especially in a world where even stronger Gates might soon appear.

America was receiving instruction rather cheaply.

If Li Zemin saw this.

He'd probably cough blood from resentment and roll around on the floor.

But what could Minwoo do?

America was simply too strong to pressure openly.

A reasonable degree of cooperation was essential.

“Then I think we've finished the narrow discussion. Now I'm curious about the broader one.”

“Sell a share of your guild to the U.S. government as well. I'd also like Korea and America to cooperate during the Gate Contest. Including everything that comes from the results.”

This conversation looked like it would take a while.* * *When he finished speaking with the U.S. President and stepped outside.

President Lee Kanghoon quietly approached.

“Did the conversation go well?”

“Yes. I'd say it went reasonably well. I got quite a lot out of it. Not for free, of course.”

“I'm sorry. At times like this, the country should be able to support you more firmly…….”

“It's not your fault, Mr. President. And all I did was hand over a bit of equity.”

“……

How much did he ask for?”

“Around ten percent?”

After a round of back-and-forth bargaining with Robert, they'd agreed to hand over roughly ten percent.

Not too much, not too little.

America could use that stake to plant one foot on this side, so they should be satisfied.‘And it's not bad for me either.’Giving America some guild equity had been part of his plans from the beginning.

The more Spendthrift Guild grew, the more closely America would watch.

The moment its growth crossed a certain threshold and America began feeling that its hegemony was threatened, all kinds of spasms were inevitable.

But if he gave them a little equity?

Then they would at least have a give-and-take relationship, which should delay the spasms for quite some time.

What Minwoo ultimately needed was time.‘And I'll need plenty of American help in the future.’Clearing Gates inside America, for example.

Receiving assistance hunting internationally important villains.

Helping conceal the money he squeezed out of China.

And so on.

There were plenty of benefits for his side too.

Either way.

They agreed to price and transfer five percent of the equity in the near future, then sell another five percent later after the guild grew further.

A reasonably good deal.‘My growth rate really is fast, though.’In previous playthroughs, America normally didn't start cautiously approaching Kim Minwoo until at least two years had passed.

And even then, they were never this aggressive.

At most, they tested the waters.

This time was different.

It had only been five months since he possessed this body.

Yet the American President had not only canceled his entire schedule and flown over, but had been so aggressive Minwoo had trouble peeling him off.

That probably meant his growth rate really was that much faster.

“I'll be going now, Mr. President.”

“You've worked hard. If there's ever anything Korea can do to help, tell me. Any time. I mean that.”

After receiving President Lee Kanghoon's warm send-off, Minwoo returned to the family estate.

Basement Level 4.

Bubble, bubble…….

Among the cauldrons filled with boiling liquid, Choi Yuna was adding ingredients with heavy dark circles under her eyes. Her head dipped sleepily for a moment.

Then she'd jolt awake and stubbornly keep producing results.

“Ms. Yuna?”

“Mmh?! Uh…… yes! You're back?”

“If you're sleepy, you should rest.”

“Well, once I got into it, it started being kind of fun. My Level and proficiency are shooting up too.”

She spoke with sparkling eyes as though she'd never been sleepy.

Perhaps she'd also started enjoying the money being deposited into her account for every elixir she made. Minwoo was at least paying her labor costs very generously.

“You've made around eight thousand so far?”

“Uh…… probably?”

“Then let's make just three thousand more.”

“You need more already?”

“Yes. I have some new students coming.”

The ones she'd already made had been used for all kinds of purposes—Seo Yerim, Ilseong Guild, his own stockpile, and more.

And if he wanted to feed the Nine Dragons members coming from China, he needed additional elixirs.

“For reference, I'll pay ten times your normal labor fee for those.”

“T-Ten times?!”

“Yes. I'm charging a higher price.”

“Th-Then of course I'll do it! One week! No, just five days! I'll finish them quickly!”

Kim Minwoo nodded in satisfaction. There truly was nothing like money for motivating people.

After setting the Choi Yuna automatic macro running, he went outside and made a call.

“Dr. Kim, are you free right now? Yes. I'd like to visit you. Oh, any time works? Then I'll see you in about thirty minutes.”

He ended the call and got into a vehicle. Before long, the car stopped in front of a large building.

Ilseong General Research Institute.

After passing through several buildings inside, he reached his destination.[Mana-Stone Battery Research Institute]

After absorbing Dorim's division.

They'd moved every related research team and facility here entirely.

Among them, Dr. Kim Seokjin was.‘The key person.’Without this man, battery development itself wouldn't happen. Naturally, Minwoo had raised his salary a hundredfold to keep him.

Dorim had paid him so poorly that even after multiplying it by a hundred, the salary was only around thirty billion won.

For someone capable of creating the product that would seize an eventual market exceeding one quadrillion won, that was ridiculously cheap.‘We're getting that battery out fast.’Originally, he'd planned to let development take a little more time.

There was no need anymore.

He now held weapons that let him speak to America on reasonably equal footing.

And as a result, he'd already received an answer that America would turn a blind eye to Ilseong entering the battery market.‘Then I should accelerate development.’From the American President's perspective, the battery topic had probably seemed like some random detail that appeared in the middle of negotiations.

He'd likely regret that answer more and more as time passed.

When Minwoo entered, he saw researchers moving busily around.

“You're here!”

“Yes, Doctor. Are you satisfied with the facilities? We built them in a hurry, so I wasn't sure.”

“Absolutely! Even this equipment alone is something we could never have dreamed of at Dorim!”

“And the research is going well?”

“Uh…… well…… we're doing our best, but…….”

“I'm not here to rush you, so speak freely.”

“Well…… we're still at the stage of searching for both the internal structure needed to transfer the mana stone's energy and the correct materials…….”

Kim Minwoo nodded as he listened to the doctor's explanation.

He roughly knew this already.

He'd heard this was the bottleneck that prevented them from producing any convincing result for ten years.

It was also why Dorim's investment, which had begun with such ambition, gradually withered away.

“Do you know about Slimes?”

“Slimes? I do, but…….”

“When you kill them, they drop a byproduct. That lump-like thing.”

Dr. Kim nodded.

He knew about it too.

Years ago, Slimes had caused an uproar around the world.

Put something inside the lump and it dissolved.

Could this be the revolution in waste disposal?

The whole world had gotten excited over something like that.‘Then the side effects showed up.’Put something inside and the thing randomly exploded. The acidic liquid sprayed everywhere caused enormous damage as a bonus.

Several companies that had enthusiastically built Slime waste-processing facilities went spectacularly bankrupt, bringing the craze to an end.

Interest faded afterward, and Slimes became a textbook unpopular monster.

“Try putting a mana stone into that lump.”

“Excuse me? A mana stone?”

“Yes. It'll excrete a liquid. Mix a few of the materials you've already researched into that and solidify it.”

“……?”

“Then arrange it in a twisted-braid structure.”

Kim Minwoo shrugged.

Mana stones didn't make it explode.

Instead, the lump secreted liquid.

Several organizations had analyzed the substance, but nobody had figured out what exactly it was useful for.

So it was forgotten.‘Dr. Kim was the one who used it.’That was roughly everything Minwoo knew.

Because Dr. Kim had personally revealed that much in an interview. Minwoo didn't know the exact layout or what materials had been mixed in.‘He'll figure that part out himself.’Once he'd led the man to water, he should at least be able to drink on his own.

Dr. Kim had that much ability.

“Make sure you try it. Understood?”

“Yes. That's certainly not difficult, but…….”

“Even if it delays your existing research, I don't care. You know me. Your salary and research costs don't even qualify as pocket change.”

“W-Well, that's true.”

“Try it. Definitely.”

“Yes. I absolutely will.”

“Then keep up the research. I'll be going.”

He'd planted the seed.

Now he only needed to wait for it to sprout.* * *May 5.

The day the most extravagant auction house in the world opened.

Thanks to unexpectedly obtaining the Highest-Grade Elixir Recipe, his available funds had exploded again.

Fifty trillion won from China's warm cash sponsorship.

Another twenty trillion from the democratic President's sponsorship.

Add the hundred trillion received from the Saudi King and the money previously invested by Ilseong. Together, it exceeded two hundred trillion won.

That was by no means a small amount.‘Time to have some real fun.’Necromancer, Swordsman, Archer.

At minimum, there wouldn't be any equipment left for those three Classes.

Because he planned to sweep it all up.

And since he had plenty of cash.‘I should get gear for Cedric and Merhen too.’Until now, he'd simply covered both of them in ordinary Rare-grade items.

But now that money was overflowing.‘There's no reason for that anymore.’Mage equipment should work for Merhen.

Cedric had an unusual Class, so he could probably just sweep up general melee gear.

‘Spend hard.’Money existed to be used at times like this.

At nine in the morning, a message appeared before Kim Minwoo.[The Sky Auction House is open!][You possess an invitation!][Would you like to participate in the Sky Auction House now?]

There couldn't have been a more refreshing message to start the morning.

“Snowy.”―Coo.

Snowy settled onto his shoulder.

“Want to go shopping with Daddy?”―Coo.

Coo?

“Yeah. Shop.

Ping. Daddy's going to buy Snowy lots of tasty things today.”―Coo![Participant Number 1. Kim Minwoo. Identity confirmed.][Entering the Sky Auction House!][A special mask is placed on your face! Removing it is your choice.]

The scenery changed along with the message.

The interior of a magnificent auction hall.

A thousand masked people were already packed inside.