Chapter 138

We were meeting for the first time in a while. The person who entered was President Song Kiyoung, one of the people who created the current South Korea, and the head of the global conglomerate, Sungshin. The living legend of Korea who went from nothing to creating the Sungshin of today.

I activated Eye of Perception.

[Player]

Name: Song Kiyoung

Age: 68

Level: 31

Class: [Golden Sovereign]

Guardian: [Golden-Horned Dokkaebi]

Innate ability: [Charisma] [Pressure]

State: Interest / Curiosity / Respect

Disposition: Progressive / Neutral

Summary:

Magnanimous Man of Reasonable Doubt

Doting Grandparent

The disposition/state/summary only show the most representative and can change according to the situation.

Because Eye of Perception's proficiency is not high enough, viewing more detailed information is impossible.

'How fun.'

It was more fun than surprising. In the past, Song Kiyoung concealed the fact that he was a Player. He did so now as well.

'And his level is 31.'

That number made me fairly certain he hadn't leveled up with regular hunting. His class was 'Golden Sovereign', and he probably leveled all the way to 31 using some kind of method that suited the class. There was no way a person as famous as Song Kiyoung could have secretly raised his level that high with normal raiding. There was something I didn't know.

'To think he's got such innate abilities and reached that level at 68 years old.'

His Status was unbelievable when we first met, and even more unbelievable now. Typically, your talent plates would slowly start closing at 20. According to public knowledge, before I regressed—so when I was 30 years old—my talent plates were almost completely closed. But President Song reached level 31 even though he was 68 years old.

'His talent halo must be insane.'

He had to be insanely talented, a genius among geniuses whose talent plates didn't close with age. There was no other way he could achieve such a level at his age. It was, simply put, in the realm of the impossible.

'If not that, then he's getting his Guardian's utmost support.'

And that 'utmost support' was bound to require some kind of sacrifice, be it a huge amount of Coins or something else.

'No way.'

Three years from now, Song Kiyoung would die at 71 years old.

'But he looks healthy now.'

His death was considered a sudden, unexplained death. I stared probingly at President Song.

It could be… that the President was offering his own life in exchange for his growth. And that he didn't know that.

'It could be connected to the Golden-Horned Dokkaebi.'

For now, I decided not to think too deeply about it. The conversation would get long, and I needed to focus on the current situation.

"...As such, I would like to trade this information for an appropriate price."

It went without being said, but—

[The 'Merchant of Venice' is watching with interest.]

The trade lover, the Merchant of Venice, made an appearance.

"...The Gwanghwamun Dungeon will open, and clearing that place will enable one to level up as quickly as possible?"

"Yes. The majority of Players will choose to raise their levels that way. Though of course, there are those who will not."

I stared at President Song, but he didn't even flinch. His poker face was unshakeable. He responded tranquilly, "I see. How interesting."

Song Kiyoung cast his gaze my way. He didn't try to intimidate me with Charisma or Pressure like before.

He went on to say calmly, "I will need a little time."

President Song Kiyoung entered the conference room, once again recalling the man he'd just seen.

'He was astonishing back then, too.'

Kim Hyukjin was the first youth to remain calm and upright before his Charisma and Pressure, and it wasn't just the mettle of a man in his prime.

'But now, he's grown even more explosively.'

Normally, when he looked at someone, he could see their dormant power. He could get a sense of how much they would grow, and how much they had already grown. He could tell with a glance.

'He's not the same man he was.''

At one point, he wanted to turn Hyukjin into his 'hunting dog'. But after meeting him in person, Song Kiyoung needed to completely scrap that thought.

"I've just met Kim Hyukjin."

Song Kiyeol was startled. Was his grandfather not satisfied with him, somehow? Did he make a mistake in interacting with Kim Hyukjin?

'No. If I made a mistake, he would have punished me himself.'

Be it direct or indirect, his grandfather would have expressed his displeasure in one way or another. There was definitely a different reason why his grandfather met Hyukjin.

"He proposed an interesting trade."

What the young man was offering was information on the Gwanghwamun Dungeon's opening and the method within that dungeon to level up rapidly.

"Does it happen to be related to the Gwanghwamun?"

"How did you know?"

"One of my guild members has the ability to see the future. She sees the future in the form of precognitive dreams."

President Song Kiyoung looked at his grandson with amusement. "I see. What did she see?"

Kiyeol handed over a slip of paper.

"This is how the Precognitive Dreamer described what she saw in the precognitive dream."

The note was as follows:

Three doors. A king walks the King's Road.

In front of the king's path, he shall suspect the 'river of baptism'.

She saw the Gwanghwamun in her dream, and in that dream, the doors of the Gwanghwamun were pitch black. Past those doors was a great deal of ominousness.

It was all incomprehensible.

"King's path? King? River of baptism? Suspect?"

"Yes. We are also working on deciphering it."

"Fine. The precognitive dream aside, what kind of trade with Kim Hyukjin do you think would be best?"

Kiyeol tensed. He knew his grandfather already had an answer in his heart. This was a test for him.

"I believe the moment calls for investment rather than trade."

"Investment?"

"Yes. In light of the events so far, Kim Hyukjin is far from an ordinary Player."

"..."

"An eye that can see the future. Vast knowledge. Tactics making use of his eye and knowledge. Ah. By tactics, I mean his ability as a sovereign."

President Song nodded.

Sovereign. He was familiar with the term. He just didn't show it outwardly. After all, he hadn't told anyone that he was a Player. Not even his beloved grandson.

"There is a very high possibility that the information in his possession will elevate Sungshin to the very top in the new culture age. To be more precise, not Sungshin, but Taeguk Shield."

"His information can make Taeguk Shield the best guild?"

"That will be one of the major driving forces in pushing Sungshin to the top."

President Song let out a breathy laugh.

"And? Cut to the conclusion. What do you think should be done?"

"Kim Hyukjin is already getting most of what he needs through Taeguk Shield. But those are almost entirely things related to 'Playing'. I believe investment is still required in areas unrelated to Playing."

Areas unrelated to Playing. In other words, his day to day life.

"Kim Hyukjin does not currently have an office."

He lacked both an office and a car. Kiyeol knew that Hyukjin was experiencing some slight discomfort.

"I think that rather than just offering money, arranging things like an office and a car, matters he would find troublesome to deal with on his own, would make a good investment."

"You want to set up an office for him?"

"Yes. But it will require significant movement on Sungshin's part."

"How much?"

"It is my opinion that we must invest as proactively as possible."

An old, shabby building was out of the question. A nice, big structure—ideally an entire building—was best, preferably downtown. A building located smack dab in a place frequently visited by many people.

"That will be a token proving in the future that Sungshin and Kim Hyukjin's team have a close-knit relationship."

"A building? You want to invest a building for mere hunting information? Come to your senses, Kiyeol."

Feigning anger, President Song sent out his grandson. Then, he sat down. He acted like he was angry, but he was actually in a good mood.

'His scope has expanded.'

Kim Hyukjin wasn't a simple hunting dog. If he had to say, Hyukjin was a hunter whose skill had no equal. Even his keen eyes could not judge the extent of Hyukjin's dormant power.

'The fact that Kiyeol is that close to Kim Hyukjin means…'

His grandson was building up an excellent working relationship with Hyukjin, a man who wasn't just shocking, but downright terrifying. It was surely a feat to be praised.

'He might even be better than Junghye in some ways.'

He thought of his second-oldest granddaughter, who had a level mind and a straightforward personality. However she might be as a person, he believed she was certainly more suited to lead the company than Kiyeol. Sungshin would become hers.

…But that conviction began to shake a little in his heart.

'Kiyeol's insight. Taeguk Shield of the new culture age. And the huge variable called Kim Hyukjin.'

Even President Song did not know how those three things would influence Sungshin's succession. However—

'There's no need to settle on Junghye just yet.'

His grandson Song Kiyeol entered the running. As he sat on his chair, President Song Kiyoung heard a notice.

[The 'Merchant of Venice' has begun to focus on you.]

It was followed by another notice.

[The 'Golden-Horned Dokkaebi' is wary of Guardians from other servers.]

President Song Kiyoung's future also changed.

* * *

In the end, the Gwanghwamun Dungeon opened. The current situation was in line with what happened in the past.

'When the Gwanghwamun Dungeon opened, Players were reluctant to enter it.'

Dungeons were dangerous. Even if you managed to clear it, it didn't make you instantly rich. And in the past, the breaks of the Seoul Station Dungeon and U-Plex Dungeon caused a huge loss of life. It was natural to fear dungeons.

Hyukjin examined the front of the Gwanghwamun Dungeon's entrance.

'There's been far fewer deaths than back then, but…'

The Players were even more cautious. Not a single Player showed an inkling of desire to entire the Gwanghwamun Dungeon first. They were merely watching.

"Huh? Isn't that the Tutorial Ender's party?"

"Shin Yeonseo's also there!"

"Where? Where?"

The term 'Sword Empress crushers' hadn't been coined yet, but 'Shin Yeonseo crushers' was slowly picking up heat.

"Wow… Did you just see her smile? It was seriously a KO, man."

"Oi, oi. Watch your mouth. What'll you do if she sends you a PVP request?"

Yoohyun and Yeonseo became the talk of the crowd. Gong Jinhoon of Taeguk Shield and the 'Players Association employees' were blocking off the entrance.

"But did you hear? Apparently, there's someone who got a [No Talent] evaluation in that party."

"No way, as if."

"No, really. My friend saw it for real. He was there."

"Then he would've been cut from the party. If he's got no talent."

"You think so? Yeah, you're right, I guess."

The subject of their gossip, the purported [No Talent] Kim Hyukjin, faced his party.

"We're going in first. Don't forget what I told you. We're only clearing the Gyeonghoeru. Understood?"

Yeonseo smiled brightly. "Doing things with our boss is the best. When I raid with other parties, I often feel too anxious or frustrated."

"Shabam, don't even lie. You don't raid. Why're you pretending like you raid when you're off doing PVPs all day long? I feel like you hit me like three million times, seriously."

Hyukjin laughed. From the looks of it, Yeonseo and Sung-gu had a PVP match, too. In all actuality, the chance for Sung-gu to win a 1 vs. 1 PVP against Yeonseo was as close to 0 as you could get.

His party entered the Gwanghwamun Dungeon. They followed his lead and reached the Gyeonghoeru Pavilion in the same way he'd already traversed.

[Entering the Path of Harmony, where heat energy and cold energy converge in harmony past the King's Road.]

[Entering the 'Gyeonghoeru Pavilion'.]

[In 10 seconds, the 'Gyeonghoeru Scenario' will begin.]

It was exactly the same as last time.

[10]

[9]

.

.

.

[2]

[1]

[The 'Gyeonghoeru Scenario' has been opened.]

[The 'Gyeonghoeru Scenario - Polluted Banquet Hall' is beginning.]

What ensued was a battle between two groups. Hyukjin used the favor granted by the Conductor of Sound and cleared the field with his party mates.

'There's no doubt.'

It was easier than he thought. When he was alone, the Legolas' Rings were crucial, but right now, he was part of a party. They could defeat the horde even without help from his rings.

Yoohyun gave out a bellowing cry.

"Oryaa!"

A Polluted Lifeform's head was blasted to smithereens. Sticky blood gushed from the smashed head, followed by an incredible stench. Sung-gu and Sunghyun worked together to instantly clear out the zombies. The smell of cooking meat wafted up, clearing the disgusting stench.

After some time, Hyukjin heard the long-awaited notice.

[Level increased.]

This was the fastest leveling method in the level 30-40 Hell Phase. Right now, he wasn't directly hunting, but participating in the battle as an 'Observer'.

[Current level: 33]

He was now level 33. This could be considered an incredible leveling speed.

While they were grinding away, Senia began to distort with the tell-tale signs of server overload.

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