"I choose the dungeon title."
That choice prompted many Guardians to send messages.
[The 'Nameless Guardian' observes.]
[The 'Herdsman of Las Vegas' is curious.]
[The 'Barrier of Blue Light' doubts your choice.]
[The 'Conductor of Sound' wonders what you're thinking.]
One of the Guardians took a different stand.
[The 'White Hunter' respects your choice.]
[The 'White Hunter' has sent you a 300 Coin sponsorship.]
Hyukjin checked his new dungeon title.
[True Ruler of the Predator Tree Colony]
Grants you the authority to fully control and govern the Predator Tree Colony. The True Ruler of the Predator Tree Colony exercises great power within the Predator Tree Colony.
*Unlimited resurrection within the Predator Tree Colony.
*Can invoke 'Death Sentencing' within the Predator Tree Colony.
*Can adjust Predator Tree Colony entry conditions.
*Can adjust Predator Tree Colony difficulty.
An additional notice came in.
[Because your contribution was at least 50%, the dungeon title has been upgraded.]
It was originally supposed to be 'Ruler of the Predator Tree Colony', but it was upgraded to 'True Ruler of the Predator Tree Colony'.
'It's the same as the Gran Seoul Dungeon.'
Even the effects were the same. But that wasn't the end.
[Because your contribution was at least 70%, you are given an additional bonus.]
[A special effect has been added to the 'True Ruler of the Predator Tree Colony' dungeon title.]
'A special effect?'
Bonus:
Can open 'Predator Tree Colony' upon fulfilling a special condition.
The created 'Predator Tree Colony' will share the same form as the 'Predator Tree Colony' in which this title was acquired.
Hyukjin stiffened. He remembered the System implying that reaching at least 70% contribution was an extremely good thing. It really was no exaggeration.
'If I fulfill a special condition… I can open a Predator Tree Colony?'
That basically meant—
'I can voluntarily generate the Predator Tree Colony gate.'
There was a catch, of course—the 'special condition'.
[Special Condition]
Requires 12 Predator Tree Seeds.
Requires 'Humid Soil'.
He finished looking through the conditions as well.
"What did you get, Chiellini?"
"Do I need to tell you that?"
"You don't need to if you don't want to."
Hyukjin concealed his thoughts. It would be great if Chiellini told him, but he wasn't obligated to do so.
However, Chiellini (Salvatore) said, "You taught me a great deal today, so I suppose I should repay you."
"..."
Chiellini told him honestly, "I was given a Predator Tree Seed Bundle and a Humid Soil Map."
Hyukjin nodded. Chiellini had what he needed, but Hyukjin kept his face nonchalant.
"You got good stuff."
"Are they good?"
"Yes. Because I want the seeds."
That was something Hyukjin had expressed even before coming inside.
"Must I give them to you?"
"Not necessarily."
Chiellini wasn't the type to just give him the seeds when forced anyway. He was someone who would only be satisfied by doing a fair, reasonable trade, so Hyukjin made a proposal.
"Would it be alright if I buy them from you if I need them later?"
"You want to buy them?"
"To be precise, I'm not the one who needs them."
Chiellini gave Hyukjin a blank look. It made sense; Hyukjin might be an archer/sovereign/jack of trades class, but he didn't really seem to need the seeds or Humid Soil Map.
"It's possible someone I know needs them—I have a request from them to find the seeds."
"Is that so?"
"Yes. I don't know about the Humid Soil, but there's someone who wants the seeds."
"Why is that? Is it an important item?"
"Hm, it could be important, or it could be unimportant. Depends on the person, don't you think?"
That person was CEO Song. To him, the seeds were a potentially life-saving item.
"I'll go back to Korea and ask if they're interested in buying. They'll probably be generous with the price."
"Please do that."
Chiellini nodded, having judged that there was nothing for him to lose. Hyukjin said again, "Should we set an approximate price before we part ways?"
Hyukjin concealed his happiness. Those items were both crucial for both him and CEO Song. In other words, he could use Song Kiyoung's money to pocket them for free.
"The person who wants to buy the Predator Tree Seed Bundle is rather loaded."
"...Really?"
"They'll probably offer at least 100,000 euros."
100,000 euros. In Korean currency, that was above 130,000,000 won.
"Is this item that valuable?"
"At least to that person, yes. Should I ask if they're interested in buying the Humid Soil Map as well? I think they would buy it for at least 100,000 euros."
Chiellini gulped. He could get 200,000 euros from clearing a single gate? The age of Players was only just beginning. He knew this sort of thing would happen someday, but he hadn't expected it to be today.
Concealing his excited heart, Chiellini said calmly, "I will await your call."
Hyukjin went to CEO Song Kiyoung, who pushed back his original meeting to see Hyukjin right away.
"You've already acquired the Predator Tree Seeds?"
"Yes. I didn't think I would be able to get them so fast, either."
CEO Song sat down, closing his eyes in thought for a moment.
"Were you sure that you could obtain them?"
"I was."
"And if you hadn't been able to?"
"Why is that something I need to consider?"
"It would mean you were flaunting empty promises to me. I may be old, but I have a strong desire to live."
CEO Song chortled, his laughter laced with sharp edges. Song Kiyoung was someone who held great power in Korea. If Hyukjin had failed to obtain the Predator Tree Seeds, he might have been very displeased.
"What I mean to ask is, were you not afraid that you would fail? Considering the other party was me."
"I only struck the deal because I was sure I could obtain them." Hyukjin already knew what CEO Song wanted to hear. "There's no investment without risk, is there?"
Song Kiyoung nodded lightly. He knew Hyukjin would say something to that effect. No matter how he thought of it, this young man truly reminded him of his dead son.
"How one manages that risk is the key to investing."
"That's right."
"I was merely confident I could handle that risk. And the result is as you see." Hyukjin shrugged.
"Very well. Can you show me the Predator Tree Seeds then?"
"I don't have them."
Song Kiyoung's eyes narrowed. "Didn't you say you obtained them?"
"I never said I had them with me. Another Player has the Predator Tree Seeds and the related Humid Soil Map."
"What do you mean?"
"It was a gate that grants rewards based on contribution. That Player was given Predator Tree Seeds and an item related to Humid Soil based on his contribution."
"And who is that Player?"
It was Hyukjin's turn to narrow his eyes. "If it were you, CEO Song, would you be so naive as to say that?"
"..."
CEO Song looked at Hyukjin in silence before faintly smiling. "I can look into it myself."
"But that will cost you precious time, and there's no guarantee they'll sell to you. They might already be selling the items. I'm sure you're well aware that there's a lot of money to be made from dungeon rewards, aka new tech."
Song Kiyoung took a sip of the tea in front of him. He didn't contemplate the issue for long.
"How much do you want?"
"It will depend on the seller's intent, but I believe it would be best to have at least $2 million for the trade."
"$2 million, you say." After a brief moment of thought, Song Kiyoung casually said, "It's cheap."
The hair regeneration serum had cost him about $1 million. At least for him, putting $2 million on a 'possibility' that might save his life wasn't a bad investment.
CEO Song walked to his desk and lifted the handle of the intercom, contacting his secretary.
"Ready $2 million for me in cash."
"Please get it in euros."
Exchanging the money was a pain. Not long afterwards, Hyukjin had 1.6 million euros in his hands.
TN: Based on 2018/2019 exchange rate.
"Will this be enough?"
"Whether it's enough or not is not of any consequence. I will do my best to make it work."
"If it's not enough, tell me."
Hyukjin briefly closed his eyes. "No, I think this will be sufficient. I will do what's within my ability, and if it's not enough, I will cover it on my own."
Which implied that if there was any money left over, it would go into Hyukjin's pocket. CEO Song understood those unspoken words.
"Haha. Alright."
It wasn't like CEO Song didn't know what Hyukjin was intending. He knew there was a good chance Hyukjin had already laid all the groundwork. That was why this young man was so confident of his success.
'He'll have already negotiated it to under $2 million.'
CEO Song read Hyukjin's thoughts. And yet, he still chuckled, not at all displeased. That such a talent existed in Korea was quite a happy fact for him.
An object's value differed from person to person. To a person dying of thirst in the desert, a bottle of water was more valuable than silver and gold. It was the same now. $2 million might be far too huge a sum for some people, but to CEO Song, it was far too cheap a price to pay for a 'possibility', so he gave the money without reserve.
"I'll be back then."
Hyukjin heard a notice.
[The 'Merchant of Venice' is impressed by your 'diverting funds technique'.]
[You have achieved a trade that satisfies all parties, a 'Win-Win'.]
[The 'Merchant of Venice' is very happy.]
['1-time Venice Shop Open Ticket' received from the 'Merchant of Venice'.]
Hyukjin smiled. He had an inkling this might happen, and indeed, the Merchant of Venice was very satisfied by this trade. With this, he was sure of it—the Merchant of Venice was watching both him and CEO Song.
'Did the Merchant of Venice watch CEO Song in the past, too?'
Most likely not. This was an aftereffect of Hyukjin's making. He walked forward, heading back to Italy.
* * *
Hyukjin met up with Chiellini (Salvatore) in Italy's Tutorial Building.
"The client generously offered 200,000 euros."
Salvatore's eyes widened. It was really 200,000 euros? 200,000 euros for just these two items? Salvatore's hands trembled, which made Hyukjin smile faintly.
'He's still a Player in the beginner period, yeah.'
200,000 euros. It wasn't a small sum, but it also wasn't huge for top Rankers. But the current Salvatore was being shaken by such an amount.
"Very well. Let's trade."
The trade was accomplished all too easily. Salvatore believed he was someone who knew when to be bold and when to back off. He wasn't greedy for anything more.
Meanwhile, Hyukjin was left with far more than Salvatore thought.
'That's 1.4 million euros for me.'
He earned a tidy sum of 1.4 million euros, plus both items he wanted.
['Predator Tree Seed Bundle' acquired.]
[Map of the 'Humid Soil' field acquired.]
Hyukjin went back to Korea. There was a huge number of Predator Tree Seeds in the bundle. He doled out some of them and gave them to CEO Song.
"Let's start with these. Please use them to conduct your research. There's no doubt they're very effective on Red Flower Tears."
It was just that they didn't know how the seeds should be used, how they needed to be processed to turn them into medicine. Song Kiyoung nodded. He was also aware that what he purchased wasn't a panacea, but a 'possibility'.
"I will supply you with Predator Tree Seeds as the opportunity arises. I've found a way to procure more."
"That so?"
"When the time comes, I will sell them to you at a lower price."
So do your research and whatever using Sungshin's power. Hyukjin left that unsaid. CEO Song would find a way to use the seeds without being told. After all, Sungshin was at the forefront of new drug development using new tech.
"Can I ask how much you bought the seeds for?"
"The price is a private matter between me and the seller."
Song Kiyoung accepted it with a nod. With this win-win trade, Hyukjin earned $1.7 million in cash. Following this very profitable business, he decided to take a short break.
One day passed, and he was called by Jo Sunghyun.
–Hyung.
Sunghyun would never call him for trivial matters, which meant something had happened. Hyukjin knew the kid was currently working on a scenario with Hyun Junghwa, so it probably had to do with that. Just as he was thinking that, he heard Sunghyun say,
–I think I found a clue about the Wind Temple.
____