Chapter 142

Chapter 142

Spendthrift Necromancer (142)

The Big PictureLiang Xiaojun stared blankly at Kim Minwoo.

What the hell did I just hear?

“President? What do you mean…….”

“You don't want to do it?”

“I do, but—no. That's not the problem.”

The presidency wasn't some position you got just because you wanted it.It stood at the very top of a massive nation with well over a billion people.

And President Li Zemin, who currently occupied that seat, had maintained power for over twenty years. His roots and foundation were deeper and larger than anyone could imagine.

Yet what was Kim Minwoo's attitude?

He spoke as though the position were nothing more than a replaceable part that could be swapped out whenever he pleased. Of course Liang Xiaojun was dumbfounded.

That was when.

Kim Minwoo asked seriously.

“Why couldn't you take that seat? From where I'm standing, you already have a decent enough foundation.”

“…….”

“China's first SS-rank Achievement Awakened. You broke France's record too. And you said Nine Dragons Guild thinks pretty highly of you, right? From what I've heard, you've even proven your loyalty.”

“Th-That's true, but…….”

“I'm not telling you to become President right this second. I told you. Think big.”

President Li Zemin.

They were cooperating now, but there was no guarantee that would continue forever. To put it bluntly, the man was only coughing up money because Minwoo had leverage over him, not because he loved Minwoo enough to sponsor him.

If a good enough opportunity appeared, he'd probably betray him immediately. That much was obvious just from what Liang Xiaojun had said about the atmosphere inside Nine Dragons Guild.

Sleep on brushwood and taste gall.

Their slogan was basically to endure until the opportunity came. What more was there to say?

Rather than leaving Li Zemin, someone neither side trusted, sitting in the presidency.‘The picture looks much better with my Follower in that seat.’A loyal subordinate who could never betray him, secretly serving as President of China?

The thought alone already made a broad smile bloom across his face.

“Of course, if you don't want to, I won't force you. Even the governor of Pyongyang isn't worth much if the person himself hates the job.”

Liang Xiaojun fell silent.

Still, one thing was certain.

His eyes were overflowing with desire.

This wasn't just any position. It was the presidency of China. How could anyone not be tempted?

In truth, greed was slowly beginning to blaze inside Liang Xiaojun as well.

President?

President!

Of course it would be absolutely impossible on his own. But what if a powerful backer named Kim Minwoo stood behind him?‘……

There's a chance.’What man had never dreamed big at least once in his life?

He'd simply grown older, been worn down by reality, and learned to conform.

I'll make you President?

There was no denying how terrifyingly attractive that proposal was.

After a long silence, he spoke.

“Do you have a plan?”

“Of course. But first, you need to become a hero.”

No matter how he looked at it, the picture of some random nobody suddenly becoming President didn't work.

Liang Xiaojun needed to rapidly increase his own weight as well. Only then could he plausibly appear as the replacement once Li Zemin was driven out.

“If you help me, Mr. Kim Minwoo…….”

“Of course, I'll do everything I can. When the time comes, I'll shake up China's upper ranks for you too.”

Gulp.

Perhaps the idea was finally starting to feel real, because Liang Xiaojun licked his lips.

“……

Then what I should give you in return…….”

“Before that. What do you think about China?”

“I simply think of it as my homeland…….”

“Then from now on, just think of Korea as the homeland of your heart. Once you become President, you can repay me then. Easy, right?”

Honestly, what was there for Minwoo to squeeze out of Liang Xiaojun right now? If anything, he was in the position of having to raise him diligently.

Fatten him up first.

Then, once his belly was nice and round, Minwoo could enjoy the feast.

“I-I'll do it!”

“Good. Write down the names of every rival you have inside the Party. And if there are any higher-ups you don't like, write those down too.”

For Liang Xiaojun to become President?

First, promotion within the Communist Party was essential. Then he had to win internal power struggles and eventually secure a seat on the Standing Committee, the highest echelon of power.

China was already showering him with money, items, Skills, and everything else.

So Minwoo's side would be better off offering indirect support rather than direct support. For example, dragging down every rival in the Party and anyone else who might stand in his way.

Gulp.

Liang Xiaojun swallowed and wrote down every person who seemed likely to obstruct him in the future. Most of the names meant nothing to Minwoo, but a few were different.

Some belonged to fairly prominent figures in China.

Several Standing Committee members were among them. Kim Minwoo nodded after examining the list.

“They're all from He Guoqiang's faction?”

He Guoqiang.

Fifth-ranked member of China's Standing Committee.

“That's right. That side doesn't view me very favorably…….”

“My. You must've suffered so much. Don't worry about anything anymore.”

Fifth in rank?

That wasn't high enough to make removing his head particularly difficult. Especially now that Minwoo had started working hand in glove with America.‘None of these bastards are clean.’Dig far enough and something was bound to come out.

The bigger the scandal became, the more likely Li Zemin was to dispose of him rather than protect him.

Minwoo only had to paint that picture naturally.

“But do you have any major connections?”

“……

Not yet. I didn't know whom to choose, so I've been keeping as low a profile as possible. Our Guild Master Hong Tao is probably the closest thing to neutral, though…….”

Nine Dragons Guild's internal power structure was complicated. Hong Tao, a high-ranking Party official who possessed the President's absolute trust, formally managed the guild.

But that didn't mean other factions never approached them.

The Standing Committee members in particular.

Nine Dragons was a powerful state guild.

Of course they wanted to spread their feelers into it.

Some guild members had attached themselves to Standing Committee members, while others remained neutral like Hong Tao.

Naturally, Liang Xiaojun had received countless approaches as well. He had simply maintained a position close to neutrality because one wrong move in a power struggle was the perfect way to lose one's head.

“You should still grab at least one line. That way you won't get swept away when the storm comes.”

“……

Is there anyone you'd recommend?”

“Third-ranked Zhao Ziang. He looks decent.”

If Minwoo remembered correctly, the man had spent a very long time working hand in glove with Li Zemin.

“What about number two…….”

“Don't even look in that direction. He's finished.”

“……

Do you know something?”

“I've heard a few things.”

It was information he'd learned from the game, of course. Since he couldn't exactly say that, he answered vaguely.

“Then I'll attach myself to Zhao Ziang. But I'm worried about how the Guild Master will react…….”

“Sounds like you've gotten pretty close to Hong Tao lately?”

“He misunderstood why I was crying. Maybe because of that, he's been extremely warm toward me these past few days.

“Then become a bat.”

“……

A bat?”

“It's not like the Standing Committee members and Hong Tao are openly at war. So take both connections. Easy, right?”

Either way, both the third-ranked Standing Committee member and the Nine Dragons Guild Master would want Liang Xiaojun on their side. For now, he could simply feel both sides out while steadily increasing his own weight.

Then Kim Minwoo drew his sword and spoke.

“Now, how about some special training?”

Unlike the others, Liang Xiaojun was a special-management target.

That meant Minwoo intended to raise his ability dramatically through advice and instruction without holding anything back.

And so Liang Xiaojun's mournful screams echoed through the training room.* * *[(Breaking News) The King-of-the-Hill rematch returns! Nine Dragons VS Ilseong! This match will be held at Sangam Stadium…….][(Breaking News) King-of-the-Hill result 6:4, Korea wins again!][(Breaking News) Guild Master Nam Cheolmin says this match was extremely difficult, unlike the previous one…….][(Breaking News) Hong Tao returns to China: It came down to the smallest difference. Unlike last time, a battle with no regrets…….][(Breaking News) President Li praises Nine Dragons Guild! Says they achieved tremendous growth in a short period…… promises even more active supply of Highest-Grade Elixirs going forward…….]

On the night the rematch between Nine Dragons Guild and Ilseong Guild ended, one piece of news began appearing everywhere.―Breaking news. Ilseong Energy has reportedly developed a new mana-stone battery. According to its announcement, its performance overwhelmingly surpasses American-made batteries…… we now go to an interview with Dr. Kim Seokjin, who led the research and development…….

Dr. Kim Seokjin appeared on the TV, his face flushed with excitement.―First, I would like to express my gratitude to Guild Master Kim Minwoo. Without his invaluable advice, development of this new mana-stone battery might have remained impossible forever.

Dr. Kim Seokjin then began explaining the new mana-stone battery.

Stripping away everything else, the core point was simple.―It passed every test. Every result was verified together with the government. I am confident. Bring me any battery in the world, and it will not outperform ours.―Thanks to Ilseong Group's full support, we have already completed preparations for mass production. As for the name, Guild Master Kim Minwoo graciously gave me the honor of choosing it…… so we have decided to call it the ‘Slime Battery’…….

Slime Battery.

Just as the name implied, Slimes were used during the manufacturing process.

Of course, that wasn't all.

Lithium, cobalt, manganese, nickel, and other conventional materials, along with special materials Dr. Kim Seokjin had developed through his own unrivaled expertise.

The battery was the result of mixing all of them in an optimal ratio.

Naturally, that ratio was a trade secret.

The resulting battery's performance was beyond imagination.

The single-charge driving range of American mana-stone batteries was around 1,000 km.

What about the Slime Battery?

According to the figures released on the news, an astonishing 3,000 km.

And there was something even more shocking.

Despite that level of performance, the battery's weight had actually dropped dramatically.

The presentation continued, explaining that it could also be miniaturized and used not only in vehicle batteries, but in countless other products.

Naturally, reporters immediately flooded them with questions asking how any of this was possible.―I'm sure many of you have doubts. We will prove all of it tomorrow morning through a demonstration at the Yeongam International Circuit. A new Ilseong vehicle will also make its debut, so we hope you'll show plenty of interest. You'll witness pure performance with not the slightest manipulation. Guild Master Kim Minwoo himself will be presenting at the event…….―?―What the hell did I just watch?―Does that even make sense? With a performance gap that huge, every American battery company is headed straight for bankruptcy.―They've only released the numbers so far. Could be bluffing.―Bullshit lol You think they'd put Kim Minwoo's name on it if they were bluffing? lol―Good morning lol Ilseong stock is guaranteed to fucking moon tomorrow lol―Ah fuck, I'm a U.S. shareholder, what the hell is this circuit breaker lolololol―Hold on tight lololol―Battery-related stocks entering free-fall mode lololol―Apple's going down with them lololol―Of course it is lol If they miniaturize that and stick it only in Ilseong phones, it's game over lololol―Are you kidding me; a circuit breaker triggered over some rumor article?―Does Kim Minwoo's name look rumor-tier to you? lololol―(Info) Kim Minwoo is an international heavyweight who's personally acquainted with the Chinese President, the U.S. President, and the Saudi King.―Looks like everyone's dumping lololol―Yep, panic sell's over, right? Every retail investor who dumped in a rush got cut lolololol―Still haven't learned? America is just invincible lol(Photo of President Robert smiling brightly)―Believe in this bastard lololol―For real lol Even if that thing's real, America will end up using it too anyway~Only one minute after the announcement, the S&P plunged –7% and triggered a circuit breaker.On top of that, the moment trading resumed fifteen minutes later, it rebounded all the way to –2%, sending the market on a roller coaster.

Did they torture aliens or something?

They really developed that?

No way.

There has to be some inflated performance mixed in.

And there's no way America just collapses like this, right?

The night ended after making countless stock investors laugh and cry, and by the next morning.

Huge crowds had already gathered at the Yeongam International Circuit.

CNN, FOX, ABC, and more.

Countless American broadcasters.

And every major international news outlet on top of that.

Of course they had all come.

Minwoo had been greasing the wheels for days, contacting them in advance and telling them to arrive early because there was a huge scoop waiting.

Standing before the crowd, Kim Minwoo spoke.

“Good to see you. I'm Kim Minwoo. You've all heard the performance figures already. Today's demonstration is simple. The vehicle beside me is a new model developed by Ilseong. Its name is Voltron. Cool, right? We packed it full of Slime Batteries, and we're going to keep driving until it physically stops.”

Voltron.

A sleek-looking SUV.

After briefly explaining the specifications of both the Slime Battery and the vehicle carrying it, he looked somewhere off to the side.

“The Korean government will help verify the weight and various other details. There's no manipulation, so don't worry. I'm not the kind of person who bothers with petty tricks like that.”

Government officials then began the verification process.

After looking around, Minwoo spoke.

“We've prepared ten Voltrons in total. Every one will be filmed both inside and outside for the entire drive. Since they'll be driving for a long time, the drivers are important too. Ideally, you'd want people with plenty of stamina and excellent concentration. So I invited some representatives.”

With those words.

Someone emerged from behind the stage. The crowd's eyes widened the moment they saw her.

The other nine people weren't especially surprising. They were members of Ilseong Guild.

All familiar faces.

But one person was different.

“……

Isabella?”

Isabella.

As far as they knew, she'd completely disappeared from public view after visiting Sword Sea Pavilion during her trip to Korea.

Yet not only had she suddenly appeared here.

“Good to see you. I'm Isabella. I've become the brand ambassador for the Slime Battery developed by Ilseong. I have accepted no advertising work whatsoever for the vehicle, Voltron, so please don't misunderstand.”

She casually announced that she had become its brand ambassador.

Of course everyone was shocked.

She only advertised the very best products. She was so notoriously picky about sponsorship offers that her standards were practically infamous.

And now, for the first time in her life, she'd become the promotional model for a product from an East Asian company…….

And that product was the Slime Battery.

But she refused to endorse Voltron?

That meant…….‘Wait.’‘Doesn't that basically mean the Slime Battery really is the best?’It was as though the product had already received an almost definitive seal of approval before the demonstration even began.

Sensing a huge scoop, the reporters immediately began hammering away at their laptops.