Chapter 136 – Chapter 136 – Modern Day (5)

Chapter 136 – Modern Day (5)

Siwoo narrowed his eyes.

Gangjin Group. They were the ones I didn’t like.

Hiring Speedman was tolerable. However, trying to scout Lee Yeon-hee was very annoying.

I skimmed the news articles about the Kangjin Group.

[At least 20,000 missing persons have been counted so far. Who is responsible?]
[Kangjin Group Chairman Kang Jin-man. Collapsed due to acute myocardial infarction…]
[Unprepared successor. Is Kang Ji-hyeok qualified?]

The main culprit of the chain crack break was the Gangjin Guild. The head office, Gangjin Group, could not be free from responsibility either.

Almost treated as a war criminal company, a national boycott took place. The protest to take responsibility in front of the headquarters has been going on for a month.

In the meantime, even the chairman, who was being investigated by the prosecution, collapsed.

‘Will it ruin me if I leave it alone?’

However, there is a saying that even if a rich man perishes, he will go on for three generations. I had to break more.

Coincidentally, there was Zhang Ye-hwa lying naked next to her.

She was lying on her bed, looking at sales on her tablet. She didn’t know the smile on her lips would leave.

“Yehwa. Do you know something about the Gangjin Group?”
“There? It’s on the verge of ruin. Can I just hold my breath? The reason we succeeded so quickly is because of that.”

I was thinking about how to break down the Kangjin group. I especially didn’t like the Kang family more than the company.

It reminded me of the things they had that I wanted to take away.

“Are they the ones managing Gapyeong-gun, which is cracking this time?”
“Yes. It exploded properly this time. The fact that the group is staggering just because a rift burst… Dimensional erosion sounds scary.”

Shell snail. It was a notorious monster in the Hunter Earth. The shell is hard, so it is not easy to catch. The evaluation followed that the by-products were also useless.

At the moment of death, the carapace becomes mushy. And although there are regenerative ingredients in the bodily fluid, it was difficult to extract.

It was an unprofitable material because the cost was higher than what was obtained.

In a word, it is very difficult to catch. A monster with no reward.

That was the evaluation of shell snails in the Hunter District.

But in the academy district it was different.

“We will buy the right to manage Gapyeong-gun.”
“Yes? You know that the Gangjin Group is going bankrupt because of that…?”

“Because of blocking the shell snail?”
“Yes! How are you going to block that wide area? Even if it was blocked, the deficit would be huge.”

“If you live, how much will it cost?”
“There is a complete deficit if you have to manage it… It’s free, no, rather, we should get paid.”

In the academy district, shell snails cost more than gold.

“Okay..? I’m sorry if I even gave you money. Let me ask you a favor.”

Zhang Yehua, who had been thinking for a while, bit her lip and said.

“Should I buy it?”
“Uh.”
“What the hell is there?”

“The Elixir of Youth.”

***

The successor of Gangjin Group. Kang Ji-Hyeok.

When he heard the news that his father had passed away, the first emotion he felt was joy.

The only nag was gone.

Now he was the supreme power of Gangjin Group. He was called the vice-president, but he was no different than the chairman.

He took the position of president, which he had longed for since he was a child.

However, since he was sitting in the president’s office, it wasn’t as good as he thought.

“Damn it!”

Kangjin Group’s share price was bottoming out. The skyrocketing stock price of mithril mines disappeared without a trace.

The reasons were several.

Firstly. Mithril mines disappeared due to dimensional erosion. It was about to go crazy.

More than 20,000 people are missing as a result of chain crack breaks.

In dimensional erosion, disappearance means death.

Right now, outside the company, it was full of citizens protesting to take responsibility. It was noisy to the point of death.

“It’s annoying.”

The real problem was different.

Salvation alchemy bastards were replacing their main product, expendable artifacts.

The cash supply was tight.

And the fundamental reason is distrust of management.

“Dog bastards!”

It was full of voices saying that they couldn’t believe themselves who had succeeded in the footsteps of their fallen father.

It was literally a total mess.

Bang!

He hit the desk as if in a fit. After venting his anger for a while, he opened his mouth to the man next to him.

“Chief Park. Yiyeon… What was it anyway, what happened to that alchemist?”
“···Sorry. I guess the employment conditions were better than I thought.”

“What? Didn’t you come even though I called 10 times your annual salary?”
“I have no face.”

Kang Ji-hyuk gritted his teeth. If he had been someone else, he would have already thrown the ashtray, but he held back.

Director Park was a loyalist who had served his father half his life. He was also the only person Kang Ji-hyeok could trust now.

He barely managed to control his rising anger.

I looked at the artifacts placed on the desk. Amulet Shield Scroll and Magic Scanner.

“How much is this?”
“The shield scroll is 500,000 won and the scanner is 5 million won.”

They were selling products with ridiculous specifications at a very cheap price. Not only this, but everything they sell.

“Haha.. It’s filthy cheap. Crazy guys Are these all made by that old alchemist?”
“I’m not sure. But he is the only person in the company that has the potential.”

“It’s annoying. Ji is a genius..?”
“I will try to scout it somehow. If you raise the conditions, it will eventually come over.”

“After that… Take care of that. They are selling the right to manage Gapyeong-gun, so what should I do? I don’t want to sell it?”
“Wouldn’t it be better to sell it? The deficit there is too serious. The mines have also disappeared.”

“If you find out how snails are useful, you can make a fortune! How can I sell it because it’s a waste!”

Director Park managed to control his frown. This crazy guy still couldn’t break the habit of gambling.

Finding out the usefulness of monster materials is not something that can be done in a day or two. It was impossible to study it in a company that was on the verge of bankruptcy.

“…The company has no capacity. Vice President.”
“The developers will come out with anything! Find something worthwhile somehow!”
“···Yes.”

Director Park forcibly straightened his distorted face and stepped back.

He left the president’s office and headed for the underground parking lot.

‘That bastard is the successor…’

She rubbed her tired eyes and got into the car. He wasn’t at work. He was heading home to change clothes.

It’s been three days since I haven’t been off work.

“Hmm…”
“Omg..! Who, who?”

Someone was sitting in the seat next to me.

I looked up and saw that the face was familiar. The president of salvation pension, which is raising its stock price these days. It was Siwoo Choi.

“What, what is it? So suddenly…!”
“I have something to say to you… And I have questions. Why don’t you sell the management rights of Gapyeong-gun?”

Just to ask that… I looked around, but no one was there. The opponent is a superman who can handle magical powers.

He said as he forcibly clenched his trembling hand.

“…Wouldn’t it be great if you could figure out the usefulness of snails? Selling now is a loss.”

She felt sorry for herself by answering exactly what the madman called her. Choi Si-woo, who laughed as if he was having fun, opened his mouth.

“Is that important?”
“Yes···?”
“What does it matter if it is a loss to the company?”
“Of course…”

I was speechless at the man’s staring gaze. Really?

A low voice came as if answering a question.

“Isn’t it more important who sits in that president’s office?”

It felt like being hit in the back of the head with a hammer. His mind was empty.

“Isn’t that right, Chief Park Won-hyo?”

Suddenly, he realized that his name was unfamiliar.

“Park Won-hyo-ra…”

It was a name I hadn’t heard in a very long time. For a long time, he was Park Won-hyo, not Park Won-hyo.

I suddenly looked down at myself. A bulging belly was visible. A shabby salaryman who hasn’t been married for over 50 years.

It’s already been over 20 years since I worked without a weekend. Of course, not a single friend remained. Suddenly, a feeling of resentment surged up.

“Can a fool like Kang Ji-hyuk be the president?”

I shook my head in a daze at the sound of words in my ears. It didn’t work.

***

Dimensional Erosion Site in Gapyeong-gun.

Kirik. Kirik.

“Ugh. Here again.”

A man with scars on his face raised his rifle. He shot at the snail that was creeping along with an unpleasant sound.

Doo doo doo.

Carapace snails are hard. It had the defense to not be hurt even by a small-caliber sniper rifle, let alone a rifle.

Thud..!

Such a monster blew bodily fluids from several bullets and died.

“Whoah…! Is it huge?”

The man admired the rifle in my hand.

It was a gun provided by Salvation Pension. The gun itself was nothing special.

The magic bullets in the bullet case were special. This magic bullet was specialized in killing shell snails.

The colleague next to him nodded in agreement.

“I know. How much does a bullet like this cost per shot?”

“Wouldn’t it be at least over a hundred? Does it make sense to use magic bullets that work for B-class monsters in the first place? Where the hell did that technology come from?”

“I heard that the alchemist who came last time made it?”
“Ah.. That pretty one?”
“Watch out for the kid. I did kill it though. Kuk-kuk.”

When I went out to investigate, I remembered the alchemist I had seen from afar.

His large breasts and hips shimmered in his eyes. Even though she was wearing a white gown like a doctor, her figure was not hidden.

Not only she, but the hunters who came as her escorts were pretty as well. I heard that she was from the Salvation Clan, but they were all beautiful as if they had been picked out.

“Ha.. I remember again. Salvation Clan? How do I get in there?”
“Kuh-kuh… How could a fool like you enter?”
“Fuck. What about me?”
Haha! You’re eliminated from not knowing that. Kid.”

A man came up to them and punched him in the back of the head.

“You damn bastards, stop the nogari and go and pick up the body.”
“Hum-hum.. Is the captain here?”

“Anyway… Get out of here. Be a little nervous.”
“Look at me. If you don’t talk, you’ll be sleepy. I don’t know if I can get paid for this.”

Certainly it was. There were not one or two camps set up around the swamp. Dozens of machine guns were pointed at the swamp.

The snail, which is not very fast, became a honeycomb before it even arrived.

There was no room for surprise. The swamp near the camp has been purified to become transparent. The snails crawling were visible.

An artifact in the form of a shell was placed in the clear water.

That too was a purification artifact provided by Salvation Alchemy.

“Besides, it’s hard to be attacked thanks to the magic scanner. It’s snails, if it’s magic bullet, that’s it.”
“Hmm..”

All of the equipment provided by the Salvation Alchemy was amazing. It was as if an alien had been tortured. It was an incredible skill.

“But if you catch a snail with this expensive magic bullet, is there anything left? Isn’t that a loss?”

***

Salvation pension is crazy.

A young company that was raising its name with overwhelming technology. Guwon Pension took over the management of Gapyeong-gun.

– You hired mercenaries from the Salvation Clan, right? It is impossible to block all of that wide Gapyeong-gun with them, who are average D-class.

You won’t be able to deal with the carapaces pouring out of the swamp. That was the opinion of the experts unanimously.

But .

A day or two. One week. During the 15 days, not a single monster could escape from the dimensional erosion.

-Use magic bullets… I don’t know what the hell you’re thinking. You won’t be able to afford an astronomical deficit.

Indeed. The Salvation Pension, which had been released as if pouring out new products, faltered for a while.

For a while too.

Weekend evenings are called prime time in the broadcasting industry.

The same advertisement was broadcast on all airwaves.

*

A housewife who had a meal with her family for a while. Kim Sook-hee tilted her head.

An outdated actress, Kim Song-ah, was appearing on TV.

She, who was hailed as a national actress, was in her 50s. She naturally disappeared from her TV.

Then, out of the blue, she appeared in a cosmetic advertisement.

Kim Song-ah looked young despite her age in her 50s. She felt jealous.

‘She’s still pretty… I guess she’s an actress.’

If you add a bit of exaggeration, she looks like someone in her mid-30s. Still, she couldn’t completely hide her age spots.

Advertising was mediocre.

After Kim Song-ah washed her face with clean water, she scooped the white cream with her finger. And a simple shot of applying it to her face.

-Insual Cream. Brilliant youth. Go back then.

The advertisement ended with the product name.

She pinched the side of her husband, who was watching as she swallowed her spittle.

“What are you doing. You?”
“Uh…! Who was that actor It’s been a really long time.”
“Ehh..”

I was about to take away the side dish, but I passed. After she finished eating, she looked in the mirror and sighed. I was worried about the increase in wrinkles these days.

A week later.

Weekend golden hour. Still the same ad playing.

“Ugh. I heard that Kim Song-ah has gone out of fashion, and she appears again. Huh?”

I tried to change the channel to a familiar ad, but hesitated. Something was different.

“How.. You seem to have gotten younger..?”

Actress Kim Song-a, who would have been over 50 years old. Her wrinkle-free face made her look like she was in her twenties.