Chapter 97

Chapter 97

Spendthrift Necromancer (97)

Ilseong Guild (2)

Inside Ilseong Guild's conference room.

Guild Master Nam Cheolmin, the Vice Guild Master, and the core executives had all gathered in one place.

“We have to oppose this investment with everything we've got! Support from the parent company isn't increasing as it is, and at this rate it's going to get slashed instead.”

“Exactly. Sixty trillion won? That's an absurd valuation.”

The Chairman himself was pushing this through.

Naturally, opposing it was burdensome.

But if he was trying to overturn their own rice bowls, that was a different story.

Even a worm writhes when stepped on.

And these weren't worms, but some of Korea's most successful Awakened.

Now that their parent company, Ilseong, was trying to raise some nobodies instead of them.

They were ready to rise up with determination.‘We can do this.’They weren't opposing it with some ridiculous argument.Sixty trillion won.

For only 20% equity.

They admitted Spendthrift Guild was doing well. But this valuation had clearly crossed the line.

They'd only cleared one A+-rank Gate, hadn't they?

No matter how difficult an A+ Gate was, it couldn't compare to an S-rank Gate.

And the guild had only three members.

Yet its valuation was being set close to a tier-1.5 guild even by global standards.

“We absolutely need to get the amount reduced.”

Of course.Sixty trillion won was enough to make even Ilseong stagger. If they spent that much at once, every other division would have to tighten its belt.

There was no guarantee Ilseong Guild would escape the cold front.‘Sure, we've been stuck in fifth place forever, but still…….’‘They're trying to dump us?’The more they thought about it, the more infuriating it became.

Had they only ever taken from Ilseong?

No.

Ilseong invested generously, and in return the guild ran Gates and supplied all kinds of materials, equipment, mana stones, and more.

Ilseong's investment may not have produced astronomical profits, but at least it hadn't lost money.

If they declared a boycott right now, it would inflict enormous damage on Ilseong.

Every kind of production plant would grind to a halt. Of course, they had no intention of going that far.

Where else would they find a guild paying salaries this high?

Now that Dorim, the number-two business group, had been smashed.

It was hard to find a nest in Korea as warm as Ilseong.

Still.‘We just want to make a living too.’That was roughly it.‘Maybe this is what the Chairman intended.’Wasn't that how negotiations worked?

You start by asking high.

Then even if you casually cut it in half, you still get a result worth smiling about.Sixty trillion in investment was probably the same.

Maybe they had intended to invest only thirty trillion from the start and opened with sixty. Of course, even thirty trillion was high…….‘Can't be helped.’‘It is the eldest son's guild, after all.’‘If we push too hard, we might get fired.’They had fairly secure positions, but that didn't make them invincible.

If they caused too much trouble, the hammer might come down. They weren't completely irreplaceable.

So instead of opposing the investment outright, they planned to cut it in half. That would be a win-win result for both sides.

“But what do we do? Honestly, I had a bad feeling from the very first five-trillion investment, and the amount keeps growing. At this rate, aren't we seriously going to get dumped?”

At one Awakened's words, the guild members' expressions hardened.

It was obvious to anyone that the Chairman's heart was leaning toward Spendthrift Guild.

“……

I suppose. No matter how much they invest in us, we've been fifth forever, so I can understand why the Chairman's attention would shift over there.”

“Then that means we need to show something too…….”

Easy to say.

Raise their ranking?

If that were easy, they'd already be number one.

If raising their rank was difficult, then they needed to show something through Gate clears.

So far, Ilseong Guild had cleared Gates ranging from A-rank to low-tier S-rank.‘Should we challenge a mid-tier S-rank Gate?’Even among S-rank Gates, internal scores divided them into low, mid, and high tiers. Crossing that boundary was no easy feat.

Of course, succeeding would have value.

Levels, experience, items, and more.

They could gain a great many things. The problem was that they'd have to risk their lives.

“……

Let's discuss that part later.”

“Sounds good.”

That was when it happened.

A number appeared on Guild Master Nam Cheolmin's phone.

Nam Cheolmin quickly answered.

“Yes, Chairman. Yes? A Guild Battle? Against Spendthrift Guild?”

“……?”

Whether the guild members stared or not.

Nam Cheolmin continued the call.

“Not our second team, but the first? Hah…… and you plan to make it public through the media too?”

Nam Cheolmin let out a disbelieving laugh. Then he smirked and spoke into the phone.

“Yes. I understand. We have our own position on this. We'll set a date soon and contact you. Yes, of course. We're confident.”

Nam Cheolmin spoke brimming with confidence.

Then he declared boldly.

“What will we do if we lose? Hah…… Chairman. We're Ilseong Guild. Ilseong Guild, the guild that clears S-rank Gates! It won't happen, but if it does…….”

Nam Cheolmin's eyes gleamed.

“We'll fully agree to every future investment. Yes, of course we'll accept the result cleanly. There won't be any complaints afterward. Yes, understood.”

After ending the call, Nam Cheolmin looked at the guild members.

“We'll be having a Guild Battle soon. Our first team against Spendthrift Guild.”

“Hah. Is that for real?”

“Are they insane? They only have three people.”

The executives were dumbfounded.The first team had a full thirty members.

Its party composition was balanced too.

Tankers, damage dealers, healers.

Even buffers in abundance.

Their Levels were high as well.

What about Spendthrift Guild?

Kim Minwoo and Park Siwoo were rookies who hadn't even been Awakened for three months.

The only Awakened worth watching was Sword Phoenix. But even she couldn't sweep an entire guild alone.

Changing her Class to Archer didn't change that.

“Hoho, clearing one A+-rank Gate must've gone straight to their heads.”

“Seems that way. Well, they're at the age when confidence runs highest.”

It wasn't as though they were underestimating them.

They acknowledged Spendthrift Guild's potential.

But this was too soon.

If it were about a year from now, they would've taken them very seriously.‘But right now is different.’They themselves weren't Awakened who lost out wherever they went.

Clearing an A+-rank Gate and beating Jo Pilwook?

That couldn't even be compared to taking on their first team.

“Let's schedule it immediately.”

“The sooner, the better.”

“Looks like we'll be in the media for the first time in a while.”

A fight they couldn't lose.

And the publicity value would be enormous, so they might as well use the media attention to raise their own value.

Their faces brightened.

Then.

Nam Cheolmin looked at the guild members with a serious expression.

“Still, don't let your guard down. I know the Chairman's personality too. He's not the sort to casually invest tens of trillions just because it's his eldest son's guild. There must be something more.”

“Yes. We'll give it everything too.”

The Ilseong Guild members answered just as seriously.

Of course they intended to go all out even without being told. Losing here would be humiliating beyond words.

The schedule was settled in no time.* * *Park Siwoo and Seo Yerim.

And Kim Minwoo.

Every member of the guild had gathered in one place.‘Might as well practice our coordination while we're at it.’The Guild Battle would be held soon.

And the Super Rookie Selection Tournament was already scheduled too.

They needed to practice working together at least once.

“Snowy!”―Coo.

Snowy flew straight into Seo Yerim's arms. She caught the bird and gently stroked its head.

“Still cute even after not seeing you for a while.”―Coooo.

Holding the bird tightly, Seo Yerim looked over and asked.

“Are we really doing a Guild Battle?”

“If Ilseong Guild doesn't refuse, it'll happen.”

But there was no reason for them to refuse.

They probably thought they'd win.

Then Kim Minwoo took a call and grinned.

“They accepted. It'll be held two days from now at Sangam Awakened Stadium.”

“Whoa, Hyung. Isn't that place enormous?”

“It is. It's usually the kind of venue they only use for national events.”

The facilities were almost too good to open for a mere exhibition Guild Battle.

Still, securing the venue hadn't been difficult. Money could make almost anything happen.

“All three major broadcasters will air it. If we don't want to embarrass ourselves, we'd better work hard on our coordination, right?”

The two nodded.

There was some pressure in fighting a Guild Battle with only three people, but neither of them thought they would lose.

Even Park Siwoo, who was still close to a beginner, felt the same.

Minwoo asked the confident-looking Siwoo.

“Siwoo, what Level are you?”

“149.”

“Still a complete noob.”

“……

What Level are you, Hyung?”

“Me? 220.”

“……220?!”

Park Siwoo's eyes widened.

Sure, he knew Minwoo leveled quickly.‘What the hell kind of speed is that?’It wasn't as though Siwoo had been lazy.

He'd been running Gates whenever he had free time. Even with the Holy Sword in his hand, the gap in their Levels kept widening dramatically.‘Does that even make sense?’Wasn't leveling supposed to slow down as your Level increased?

It felt like common sense itself was being shattered. While he stared at Kim Minwoo with his mouth hanging open.

Minwoo spoke.

“Sparring probably won't mean much. Let's run a Gate. An A-rank one.”

Gates were naturally one of the best places to practice teamwork.

They could coordinate freely in actual combat without worrying about prying eyes.

Starting with an S-rank for their first real battle together would be a bit much, so he planned to warm up with an A-rank.

Seo Yerim tilted her head.

“A-rank? Didn't you say the Guild Battle is in two days?”

“We just clear it and come back before then. I'm thinking somewhere with a small map. This one should be good. The Giant Dungeon in Paju.”

Its difficulty was on the upper end even among A-rank Gates.

Just as the name suggested, Giants were the monsters inside.

They looked like humans, only much larger.

They even used equipment, knew how to form battle lines, and had a wide Class distribution.

Each group contained a balanced mix: Giant Priest, Mage, Warrior, Archer, Knight, and so on.

Naturally, they were difficult to fight.

A balanced composition was far stronger than having none.

Put differently.‘It's similar to a guild.’Guilds had balanced compositions too.

The difference was that this was basically a guild of oversized humans. But for all the monsters' difficulty, there was an advantage.

The map was convenient.

Just smash everything in a straight line, kill the boss, and clear.

It had some similarities to the Tomb of Osiris he'd cleared before.‘Siwoo should hit 151 if we run this too.’The minimum Level for the Super Rookie Selection Tournament was 151.

This would qualify him.

“Hyung, are we just going as ourselves?”

“We should.”

Disguises and the like.

There wasn't much point anymore.

He wasn't going alone. The three of them were clearing it together.

With an outstanding Awakened like Sword Phoenix among them, no less.

They arrived at the Giant Dungeon in Paju together.

“S-Spendthrift Guild?!”

“Are they here to clear this?”

“Just the three of them? Holy shit!”

The soldiers and Awakened waiting nearby all turned to stare.

If they delayed much longer, every broadcaster would swarm the place too.

“Here, our guild ID.”

“Spendthrift Guild, all three members confirmed. You may enter.”[You have entered the A-rank Gate, ‘Land of Giants’!]

And so, the three stepped inside the Gate.