168 – 168. In the Black Dragon (2)
“…… Mr. Suho. Are you serious about that now?”
At Midsummer’s question, I almost burst into laughter. The way he spoke was polite, but his expression seemed to be asking, “Are you insane?” Perhaps the meaning is not very different.
But I was extremely sane. Midsummer’s proposal was certainly attractive, but to me it was just a useless invitation.
“Sorry. I already have a job in the security guard.”
“…… I don’t mean to belittle Suho’s job, but even if he says he’s a security guard, it’s just a paid job after all. One of the academy guards and the heavy responsibility of the large hunter guild. Can’t you figure out which one is more profitable if you think about it for a bit?”
“People’s work is not all about money.”
If you look at the simple profit alone, going to the midsummer guild would have earned a lot. Even if bonuses are excluded, an annual salary of 100 million would be ridiculous.
But for me, the money issue honestly took a back seat.
“Really? Ever since I was a baby, I grew up hearing that everything in the world is solved with money. Do you think there is something else that Suho considers important?”
“That’s right. It’s kind of like a sense of duty……. It is good to protect the students who will be responsible for the future of this country.”
Of course it was a lie. Sense of duty? Is there any sense of duty in the business card of the guard force?
The reason I turned down Midsummer’s offer was entirely because of the security guard’s skill. No matter how malicious the Heavenly Demon of Pleasure is to me, that skill was quite useful.
From status popping to status window function.
Bing Water As a protagonist, he couldn’t lose the ability he should have. If you do, you’ll be at a level where you won’t be able to open your eyes and look at this already pitiful body.
In the first place, if I went to the Hunter Guild, I had an option called the Black Dragon. Unlike Midsummer’s guild, Black Dragon is the 3rd largest guild in Korea, and its leader, Seol Ah-hyun, is much more friendly to me than Midsummer’s.
There was no need for me to go to the new guild established by Midsummer. Moreover, I knew very well what kind of fate the guild established by Midsummer would walk.
“A sense of mission? A chance to join a promising new guild and gain billions in money, social status, and fame……. Giving up just because of a sense of mission?”
Promising future.
Midsummer is predicting the future of the Hanseong Group guild, where she will be the leader, but according to the original story, her guild was going to collapse.
The beginning itself was fine. The guild, which was born in mid-summer and mid-winter, by recruiting other talented people and pushing a huge amount of capital, obviously grew rapidly at first.
But that’s all there is to it.
From the middle of the second grade episode based on the original story, the situation in the world begins to change drastically.
The skyrocketing rate of occurrence of gates, the simultaneous terrorism of the Dawning Corps, which began their activities in earnest, the large-scale Dungeon Crisis incident in neighboring countries in Japan and China and the resulting large-scale refugee, and the naturally following collapse of public security and similar apocalyptic situations until.
In the rapidly changing flow, the guild of the Hansung Group eventually sinks. It doesn’t go bankrupt at all because it has the power of the parent company, but it’s just that it continues to live on a much smaller scale than originally planned.
In the first place, since the Hunter Guild project is a kind of public project, there is no choice but to keep pace with the government. However, in an apocalypse situation, the government is not functioning, so how can it be solved?
“…… I haven’t seen you like that, but Suho is also a very romantic person.”
It must be sarcastic to say that the mind is a flower garden. In fact, the expression was just that.
“Still, people’s thoughts can change. If you are interested, please call me on my number-“
“Ahn Soo-ho. Sorry to keep you waiting.”
At that time, a beauty with a cool impression approached from behind the midsummer and said. A foreigner with pale blonde hair and blue eyes.
“Ahyeon, is your job done?”
I recognized at once that she was Yekaterina, Seol Ah-hyun’s secretary. Ekaterina, nicknamed Katya, gave her a slight nod.
“Yes. I’ll take you to the boss’s office right now. Please do so.”
Just before she turned around, her cold gaze scanned Midsummer’s body. Midsummer responds with sharp eyes.
“It was a pleasure meeting you after a long time Midsummer student. Next time we have a chance, we will meet again.”
I was about to leave with a formal greeting.
“Hey.”
But midsummer caught me. Looking back and forth between Ekaterina and me, she asked in her seemingly leisurely manner.
“Come to think of it, I still haven’t heard why Suho came here. May I ask what’s going on?”
“No. It is a secret.”
“…… Yes?”
However, in the next moment, that composure suddenly cracked. There are so many things to explain, such as the primordial silver and the regressor. Why am I telling you that?
I smiled and bowed slightly, then followed Ekaterina, who was already far away.
“………… Wow, are you really good at driving people crazy?”
The mutterings of midsummer scattered behind my back as I walked.
***
I boarded the elevator on the far left of the lobby with Ekaterina. A direct elevator that goes to and from the 1st floor and the president’s office only.
“… ….”
However, as soon as the elevator door closed, I met Ekaterina’s cold gaze. His cold eyes looked like a girl’s friend looking at a garbage ex-boyfriend.
I don’t understand. This time Seol Ah-hyun must have suffered more because of me.
She was in a position to do my favor out of sheer favour. However, the request caused friction with the winter alliance, so I might not look good to her secretary, Ekaterina.
“Ms. Ekaterina. This job is really disrespectful. I apologize for causing trouble to the Black Dragons, including you two, due to my negligence.”
“… ….”
I bowed my head to apologize, but Ekaterina’s expression did not change. Of course, I didn’t think that I could solve the sediment with just one apology.
At that time.
“This is a rather rude question, but what kind of relationship is An Su-ho and our Lord?”
“Yes?”
Rather than being somewhat rude, it was an out-of-the-box question. And it was a difficult question to answer.
That’s because it was a question I couldn’t honestly answer.
My relationship with Seol Ah-hyun is quite complicated. To seduce her lonely regressor, I lied to her that I was also her regressor from her future. In other words, from her point of view, I was the only understanding person in this world, and based on that understanding, I was also a cooperative partner.
However, it is impossible to reveal such a fact directly to Ekaterina.
She was Seol Ah-hyun’s confidante, but she had no idea about Seol Ah-hyun’s return. Therefore, I have to hide the truth and gloss over it…….
“It is between what you see. A good colleague…… Wouldn’t it be okay if I said that?”
“In other words, it is not a relationship between men and women.”
Ekaterina seems to have had a slightly different misunderstanding. I quickly shook her head from side to side.
“It can’t be. I already have a girlfriend. Ah-hyun and I are not like that.”
“Really?”
“Will you believe me if I talk to your girlfriend on the phone?”
“Even if you have a girlfriend, you can still have an affair. Possibility of being both legs or simple s*xual partners-“
“…… Why are you so suspicious?”
At my question, Ekaterina shut up like her honeydew mute. It just scans my whole body up and down with his unique cold gaze.
“…… Hmm. Isn’t this guy Then another opponent…….”
Soon she tilted her head and muttered inaudibly. A bit of an odd situation for me.
What? Aren’t I and Seol Ah-hyun like that?
That was nonsense. Yes, because I had no intention of developing a relationship with Seol Ah-hyun at all. In the first place, there had never been such an air current between the two of us.
Ah, did Ryu Tae-hyun and you start to get tired? It’s not the right time yet, but we met once during the previous kidnapping incident…….
-The ring.
In the meantime, the elevator arrived at the top floor. When the door opened, I was greeted by an antique carpet and a wooden door that looked solemn.
Ekaterina walked over it with a haughty gait and knocked on the door.
– Smart.
“Hoe Lord. Ahn Su-ho has arrived.”
-Udada da da da da da da da!
Then a noise came from inside.
It sounds like the footsteps of a running dog after its owner returns. The moment I thought so, the large door burst open and Seol Ah-hyun appeared.
“Oh, oh, are you here, Mr. Suho?! Tea, I don’t have anything, but go inside, come in!”
I looked at Yekaterina at the visibly embarrassed Seol Ah-hyun.
Just in time, she also turned her gaze to me, and her cold gaze was just as good as before. She ran my body up and down again, ha ha, let out her deep sigh and went in first.
A little bit of anxiety passed through my head at the attitude of the two, but I didn’t think it was a big deal.
A. I hope it can’t be
***
Are you deliberately pretending not to know that you noticed everything, or are you confident that you are a little aware of your appearance, but in the end, it is just a blink of an eye?
Ahn Soo-ho could not approach the truth at all even after seeing Seol Ah-hyun’s hints. Part of it was because I had a strong thought that there was no way I could do that, and part of it was because the problem at hand was a job that competed for an hourly wage.
“Let’s start by summarizing the situation.”
Ahn Soo-ho and Seol Ah-hyeon finished talking over the phone that they hadn’t been able to share before. We reveal the information we know to each other and make inferences about the Winter Alliance and Seong Yu-jin’s movements.
The results were roughly as follows.
First of all, the premise. Seong Yu-jin, or Winter Alliance, wants to retrieve the primordial silver from Ahn Su-ho. It was only natural that they were the ones who made the deal through the broker in the first place.
Then how will the Winter Alliance work?
First of all, we will investigate Ahn Soo-ho, who took the silver of the beginning. It would be correct to say that part has already been completed. That’s why Seong Yu-jin must have secretly approached the Black Dragon Society, which seems to be influential in cooperating with Ahn Su-ho and stealing the primordial silver.
Then, the next step is persuasion and persuasion. Whether it’s Ahn Soo-ho or the Black Dragon who cooperated with him. Persuade the opponent to receive the primordial silver. That’s the second action they’ll take.
And the third. If the negotiations broke down or due to unavoidable circumstances, he did not voluntarily take over the original silver from An Su-ho.
In that case, the Winter Alliance will mobilize rather coercive and illegal methods…… Was the common opinion of the two.
The value of the primordial silver stolen by Ahn Su-ho is 15 million yuan. It was a little less than 3 billion won in Korean currency. Considering that all artifacts are not properly valued due to the Chinese nature of primarily belonging to the government, the actual value will jump even higher.
Having captured such a tycoon, the Winter Alliance will want to recover the primordial silver by any means, if the price has already been paid. Based on that premise, the two discussed future measures.
“Once the Winter Alliance suspects me and Suho’s cooperation, they won’t be able to openly force their way in right away. If done wrong, it could lead to a war between guilds. Even if you try to solve it legally, it will be impossible since the artifact smuggling was illegal…….”
“Then, how do you think Sung Eugene or the Winter Alliance will turn out?”
“Perhaps he is requesting a meeting in secret. A group of people at the guild executive level or higher who could understand the situation. In this case, maybe it’s just me, Suho, and Seong Yujin?”
“Perhaps the requirement is one of two things. Provide the initial silver under the premise that the Winter Alliance has already paid the broker side, or pay the price they paid themselves.”
“I have something to tell you about that case… ….”
Seol Ah-hyun rested her chin on the table and said. Usually, whenever she looked at Ahn Su-ho, she looked at him with a throbbing look in her eyes like a girl in love, but at that moment, a particularly cold energy emanated from her.
“If the Winter Alliance demands compensation for the primordial silver, we, the Black Dragon, will deny any relationship with Suho. That means we don’t have to pay for it.”
It may sound cold at first glance, but it was actually a natural response. Ahn Su-ho also had no complaints about that part.
“Of course. Because this is entirely my business. There is no reason for Mr. Ahyeon or the Black Dragon to go that far.”
No matter what feelings Seol Ah-hyun had for An Su-ho, she was the leader of the Black Dragon Society and a businesswoman running a company. No matter how much Ahn Soo-ho was her only interest, the relationship between the two was still not special enough to risk billions of units of damage.
Ahn Soo-ho and Ekaterina thought so.
However.
“…… But. If Suho agrees to our request……. I am willing to pay the amount requested by the Winter Alliance in the form of a loan.”
“Loans…… You mean?”
“Hoe Lord. What do you mean-“
“In other words, we will pay you back with your body. If you’re Suho, you’ll understand right away, right?”
At those words, Ahn Su-ho put on a troubled expression.
The form of the words was different, but the essence was the same as the proposal that Han Yeo-reum had just made on the first floor.
“Isn’t that asking me to join the Black Dragon?”
Recruitment offer.
Surely, 3 billion is a lot of money. It’s not money to give to someone who has only worked together once.
But in terms of the concept of a down payment to recruit a talented superman, it wasn’t that big of a deal. If you are a fairly average S-class superman, when you enter the guild, you will receive a down payment of that amount.
‘And Suho is at least an S-class superman.’
Ahn Su-ho’s military power was from the top of A class to the bottom of S class at the time of attacking the knight’s tomb. Of course, he was in the state of receiving Kang Ha-neul’s skill suck, but Seol Ah-hyun has no way to know that.
Now, compared to that time, even the first-class artifact called Silver of the Beginning has been added.
Considering the performance that Ahn Soo-ho showed against the special lease, he had the level of power of an S-class superman in name and reality. If such Ahn Soo-ho could be recruited under favorable contract terms, he would be a surplus business for the Black Dragon.
But.
“Sorry. At least for the time being, I have no intention of moving to a guild or another job.”
Ahn Suho refused this time as well. Of course, the reason was the same as before.
“…… Well, if that’s Suho’s opinion, we should respect it.”
However, unlike midsummer, Seol Ah-hyun nodded without regret. She knew that An Su-ho was a regressor, so she thought that for some reason he needed to be attached to the guards.
“But what are you going to do then? The silver of the beginning has already settled in Mr. Suho and cannot be separated. There’s no way for Suho to raise that much money alone, right? If this doesn’t work and that doesn’t work, then in the worst case, that side might forcibly attack Suho.”
Artifacts belonging to the user cannot be taken away unilaterally. But it wasn’t that there was no way at all.
In the world, there are also artifacts that cancel the belonging of artifacts such as Talisman or the beginning of silver, and before that, quite a few artifacts are released immediately when the user dies. In other words, from the point of view of the Winter Alliance, if it is wrong, it is possible to retrieve the original silver even by killing An Su-ho.
You might wonder if the Hunter Guild, which is not a criminal organization, could go that far, but from the very beginning, the silver trade was illegal. Even Seong Yu-jin is from the original villain. If anything, I wouldn’t mind killing at all.
“Suho. Do you have any workarounds in mind?”
That’s why Seol Ah-hyun asked anxiously.
In fact, she maintained a cold attitude as the head of the Black Dragon on the outside, but she was even thinking about paying the bill instead of An Su-ho once things didn’t go well. It is not simply a matter of falling in love with Ahn Su-ho, but as a kind of investment concept considering his potential and usefulness as a regressor.
…… She thinks herself, but if a third person looks into her head, she will recognize at once that it is a decision made by her first love without realizing it. Although the occasion was somewhat impure.
Anyway.
Ahyeon Seol had a hunch that Ahn Suho had a way. It was his intention to steal the primordial silver in the first place, so he must have prepared for what happened after that.
“…… Yes. I do have a few ideas in mind.”
Ahn Soo-ho answered like that without betraying her expectations.
However, for some reason, he had an impatient expression.