Chapter 88

Chapter 88

Spendthrift Necromancer (88)

Government (1)

He climbed into a government vehicle.

The car headed toward the Blue House.‘What the hell is going on?’The System occasionally sent messages to nations.

The contents varied.

However.‘It doesn't send them over trivial things.’Usually, a message came only when something significant was happening.‘And I might be included in it.’Maybe it was hosting some kind of competition. As far as Minwoo remembered, the System hadn't done anything around this time…….‘But this is Stage 6.’It wouldn't be strange if things had changed from before. He'd find out once he met the President.

Before long, he entered the Blue House.

“Nice to meet you. I'm President Lee Kanghoon.”

“I'm Kim Minwoo. It's an honor to meet you.”

“Hoho, not at all. The honor is mine. Come, let's sit.”President Lee Kanghoon looked to be in his fifties.

His actual age was close to seventy. He only looked young because he was Awakened.‘I know him as a pretty quiet person.’If Minwoo had to describe him, he'd call him colorless and unobtrusive.

Anyway.

Once they sat, the President spoke with a serious expression.

“Mr. Kim Minwoo. I'm sure you've heard the broad outline.”

“Yes. I heard the System sent a message…….”

“Correct. The contents are simple. A Super Rookie Selection Tournament.”

“……

A Super Rookie Selection Tournament?”

The President nodded and handed him a sheet of paper.

“Read this.”[The Super Rookie Selection Tournament will be held.][Organizer: System][Date: One month from now][Eligibility Requirements][1. Must be between Level 151 and 499.][2. A total of 50 countries may participate.][3. Each country may send three participants.][4. Each participating nation will select and designate its own representatives.][5. Participants may die during the trial, and each individual bears responsibility for that risk.][6. First through third place will receive special rewards.]‘Super Rookie Selection Tournament?’This was another event he'd never seen before.

He looked at the President.

“The government received this message recently. In accordance with it, Korea intends to designate three participants.”

“You called me to ask whether I want to participate?”

“Correct.”

Lee Kanghoon nodded.

“For a competition of this scale, the rewards will undoubtedly be significant. However…… there is danger. It explicitly states that participants may die during the trial.”

“And the level range is wide.”

“Yes. From D-rank through A-rank…… though someone at Level 499 is practically S-rank.”

The President's expression grew serious.

“At first, I considered sending another Awakened instead of you, Mr. Kim Minwoo. If something were to go wrong…….”

Kim Minwoo nodded.

The eldest son of Ilseong Group.

And an Awakened who had begun making a name not only in Korea but around the world.

Was his level high?

No.

Naturally, the President would feel burdened about sending him.

Other nations would probably field Awakened over Level 400.

If things went wrong, the government itself could get buried under criticism. People would say they'd pushed a growing prodigy into a death trap, that it was incompetent deskbound administration, and on and on.

“I understand.”

“Yes. If I hadn't seen that Duel video, I don't think my mind would've changed.”

“You watched it too, Mr. President?”

“Hoho. I'm human too. Of course major issues catch my attention. Anyway, seeing you handle an Awakened of that level so easily changed my thinking. Or to be frank, perhaps it made me greedy. Sending some ordinary A-rank Awakened wouldn't get us anywhere near the rankings.”

Jo Pilwook was helping him yet again.

Participate or not.

Kim Minwoo's answer had obviously been decided from the start.‘Of course I'm participating.’This wasn't some small event.

Fifty countries were involved.

Every country would be sending its best rookies.‘The rewards are bound to be good.’He'd never seen this event before, so he couldn't know what they would offer, but it certainly wouldn't be anything trivial.

“I'd like to participate. I'll take full responsibility. I'll even write a will before going.”

“Hoho. There's no need. I already told you, didn't I? I'm greedy too. Then the responsibility should be shared as well.”

Lee Kanghoon shook his head, his eyes gleaming.

“I still remember my youth. Back then, Korea was unquestionably a major Awakened power. I hope you can restore that glory, Mr. Kim Minwoo. For that purpose, the government will spare no support whatsoever.”

Lee Kanghoon spoke with a firm gaze.

Reliable.‘He wants to bet on me.’Fifty percent contribution to clearing an A+-rank Gate.He'd toyed with a Level 300 Awakened. He'd proven he could compete not merely among the lower ranks, but even against high-level opponents.

His potential was going completely insane.

It wasn't strange for the President to speak this way.

This was a world where one successful Awakened could reshape a country's image.

“Have you already selected the other two participants?”

“Not yet. However, we intend to give your opinion the highest priority. Is there anyone you have in mind?”

The President was practically screaming that the government intended to back him fully.

It would naturally be best if the three teammates from the same country worked well together.

Apparently that was why he was even willing to hand Minwoo the right to choose the others.

“One moment. Ah, may I take a photo of this? I want to show my guild members.”

“Yes. As long as it isn't leaked outside, that's fine.”

“Thank you.”

He opened his phone and entered the guild group chat.[Kim Minwoo]―I'm at the Blue House right now, and I received an offer.[Park Siwoo]―Whoa, holy shit, the Blue House…… Hyung, are you actually meeting the President?(Nervous emoji)[Seo Yerim]―What kind of offer?(Tilting-rabbit emoji)[Kim Minwoo]―Yeah, I'm meeting the President, and the reason is the System sent them a message…….(Photo attached)

Apparently there's a tournament like this. Are you two interested in participating?[Park Siwoo]―Oh. I'm in!(Sparkling-eyes, raised-hand emoji)[Seo Yerim]―Siwoo, are you Level 151 yet?[Park Siwoo]―I'm 143 right now, but there's a month left, so I should make it, right? Noona, you're joining too, aren't you? You're Level 420.[Seo Yerim]―Yep. I'll participate.

There was no need to say things like, Be careful, it'll be dangerous.

The warning was already written in the photo, and being an Awakened was a profession where risking one's life came with the territory.

“The other two will both be from our guild.”

Lee Kanghoon nodded.

Sword Phoenix Seo Yerim already exceeded the qualifications by a wide margin.

The other two were the same.

Kim Minwoo and Park Siwoo.

Their levels were low, but both were already known as super rookies with S-rank Achievements. Those two might well be stronger than most A-rank Awakened.

An S-rank Achievement was no joke.

“Very well. Then I'll place all three guild members on the final candidate list. There will be one verification process later.”

“A verification process……?”

“We'll filter Awakened through preliminary rounds. Once three finalists are selected that way, I'd like the three of you to spar against them.”

Ah, so.

Skip all the preliminaries and just do the finals.‘Nice.’It was impossible to select the representatives in complete secrecy anyway.

There were fifty participating countries. Naturally, some of them would publicly select their representatives.

Then they'd have to announce what the selection was for.

If the government simply skipped all that and planted Spendthrift Guild as the final representatives, every kind of accusation could arise.

Political-business collusion, for example. Better to demonstrate their strength once than leave with people muttering that kind of nonsense.

Fortunately, they could skip every annoying preliminary match.

“Sounds good. Ah, but I want to visit a Gate.”

“Which Gate?”

“The Demon Gate near Incheon.”

“Ah, you mean that B-rank Gate?”

Minwoo nodded.

Its official name was Demon Castle.

People usually just called it the Demon Gate because there were only a handful of Gates in Korea containing demons.

“That place…… shouldn't take particularly long to clear.”

“I'll probably be back around the time the preliminaries finish.”

Demon Castle wasn't very large.

The monsters were simply densely packed inside. Fundamentally, it wasn't a Gate that took very long.

Of course.‘That's if I don't activate the hidden piece.’Activating the hidden element would change the stage somewhat.‘Still short, though.’Either way, it wouldn't take very long.

Then.

Lee Kanghoon's expression became serious.

“The international situation has been unstable lately. The United States isn't there yet, but Japan and China are probably watching you closely, Mr. Kim Minwoo.”

Minwoo nodded.

Both countries were geographically close to Korea and were practically bitter rivals who snarled at one another even without drawing swords.

There had already been several attempts to lure him away. Offers of tens of trillions of won if he'd change his nationality.

So far, he'd ignored every one of them.

He had no intention of going even to America.

“Assassins may come after you. If you want, the government can help.”

“No, I'm fine.”

He shook his head.

It wasn't because government assistance would be useless. Plenty of capable Awakened were stationed throughout the government.

The salaries were high, and civil-service positions were extremely stable.

They could also run detectors when he entered the Gate to prevent intruders from slipping inside.

But…….‘That would be a problem right now.’Demon Castle.

True to being a Demon Gate, its hidden-piece activation condition was rather evil.

It required sacrifices.

Quite a few of them.

He'd discovered that while playing Kim Minwoo in the past.

So many assassins had kept invading his Gates that he eventually learned the condition by accident.

He'd killed all those bastards, and eventually the hidden piece activated.

But if the government helped?

The sacrifices would have a hard time getting inside.

That wouldn't do.

“……

Are you sure?”

“Yes. I'm fine.”

An Awakened gave several times the experience of a monster at the same level. Even each corpse was worth money.

And they were bastards coming to kill him in the first place, so sacrificing them wouldn't weigh on him at all.‘There are some convenient candidates too.’Shadow.

The bastards who'd said they'd return in a month.

That deadline was almost up. What would happen if Minwoo gave them a firm rejection when they met again?

Would they quietly leave him alone to keep growing?

Not a chance.

If they had functioning brains, they'd begin moving to eliminate him somehow.

After all, his growth speed was absurd.‘And they've already shown me their underwear.’They had essentially advertised that their organization was shady as hell. The stronger Minwoo became, the more uncomfortable they'd feel.

There was no way they'd let him clear Gates in peace.‘I'll kill them all here.’The difference between his strength when he first met Han Baekgil and now was like heaven and earth.

Not only had the Necromantic Sword evolved, he'd acquired a second Legion Commander too.‘And I'll get Achievement Points. Perfect.’S-rank Assassins?

Let them come.

He'd devour them instead.

An antlion pit.

It was time to set the trap.