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“Yes, that’s correct. It’s not as big as the White Swine Corps, but it’s quite famous in the domestic workshop industry. You don’t seem to know much about it?”

“Ah, right. I’m not particularly interested in this industry.”

“Hmph, I see.” Ryu Jinho’s expression twisted slightly.

He probably thought I was trying to mock them, but I genuinely didn’t know…

Or maybe…

Even though my workshop has been getting attention lately, a small shop like mine not bowing before the name of a significant company like Ohsung might have irritated him.

Well, whatever.

“So what’s this issue about building occupancy?” I asked.

I could guess. Ohsung Group was where Shin Jongoh, the guy who tried to pressure me, was from. I had blatantly ignored his invitation, so this was probably their next move.

Doesn’t matter, though.

Whatever their approach, this was a battle I couldn’t lose. No matter how much capital they had, they couldn’t ignore technological superiority. If their weapons were like instant coffee, mine was like a premium roast.

“…”

After a brief silence, Ryu Jinho finally got to the point. “We’ve purchased this entire sector as of last week. As the new landlord, we need to notify you a few things that you should be aware of.”

“Like what?” Let’s hear it.

“It’s simple. Under the new contract, we either raise your rent more than ten times or you must vacate the premises. And I’m sure you already know that the workshop area in Gotomall isn’t covered under tenant protection laws.”

“Really?”

I wasn’t familiar with the law, but I knew many things had changed legally since the rise of hunters.

To sum it up, he was saying, ‘I own this place now, so get out.’

Not to mention that I had just recently finished the interiors. This was a classic case of landlord tyranny straight out of a drama.

“Oh, and you also need to stop hammering late at night. It’s disturbing the nearby stores. You understand that much, don’t you?”

That was absurd. Most workshops in Gotomall operated 24 hours a day.

Ryu Jinho was sporting a smug expression. He didn’t even notice the sudden change in Gi Soyul’s face beside him.

Her expression had hardened considerably. She lowered the hood she was wearing.

“Did you say your name was Ryu Jinho?” She stared directly at him as she spoke.

“Yes, but who are you… Eek?!” His breath hitched once he saw her face and recognized her. “D… Dark Empress?”

“What’s the Ohsung Workshop doing here?”

“Ahem, I didn’t realize you were here, Dark Empress. My apologies for the oversight.”

Ryu Jinho quickly regained his composure, faster than I expected, indicating the Ohsung Workshop was prepared for this. He might have guessed at my relationship with Gi Soyul to some extent.

“Ohsung is one of the top 10 groups in Korea… I didn’t expect them to stoop to such petty tactics.”

“Petty? No, this is merely a corporate matter.” Ryu Jinho tried to appear calm.

Seeing a regular person standing up to the Dark Empress impressed me.

But then he went a step too far.

“Even for someone like you, Dark Empress, you wouldn’t want to cross paths with the Ohsung Group, I’m sure.”

Even though Gi Soyul was a ranker, the Ohsung Group also had plenty of rankers under their employ. He was basically asking if she was willing to worsen the relations between Parang and Ohsung over some man.

“Hm.”

But Gi Soyul’s expression didn’t change. And that made her even scarier.

“In fact, I’d like to ask the opposite. Is the Ohsung Group eager to start a fight with us?”

“Th-That’s not the case. We haven’t directly targeted Parang. This is just a minor dispute between a landlord and a tenant.”

“Wars often start from minor disputes.”

Gi Soyul raised the dagger I had given her. Its aura was filled with unmistakable killing intent.

“U-Uh, huh?” Ryu Jinho panicked. “Wh-What are you doing? Are you really planning to fight the Ohsung Group? Do you think Parang’s finances can stand up to Ohsung?”

“No, why would I need to do that?” Gi Soyul looked at him with a pitiful expression. “I could just kill you right now and then assassinate the Ohsung Group’s executives. Honestly, I’ve been waiting for an excuse to do that.”

“Wh-What?” Ryu Jinho’s jaw dropped in disbelief. “A-Are you threatening me? No matter who you are, you wouldn’t dare…!”

“You really think I’d leave behind any evidence?”

“You… You’re insane.”

It finally seemed to dawn on Ryu Jinho that something was terribly wrong. His face turned pale, and his legs started to shake as he backed away.

Tsk.

I clicked my tongue inwardly.

In a world where power ruled, I wondered how he could stand so tall before a ranker. If it were me, I’d have immediately bowed down.

“Dark Empress,” I called out to Gi Soyul.

“Yes?”

The killing intent that had filled the space vanished in an instant. Her control over her emotions was extraordinary.

“This is my problem, so I’ll handle it. You only need to step in when someone beyond my abilities shows up.”

If I kept relying on others to fend off my challenges, I’d become nothing more than a sheltered flower, just like the old man warned.

I didn’t want that anymore. Anyone who challenged me directly, I wanted to crush with my own hands. And I wanted to do it in the most brutal and ruthless way possible. That was my new creed as a future ranker.

“This isn’t just your problem. Did Shin Jongoh visit your house recently and cause a ruckus?”

“…Huh? You knew?”

“I guessed after seeing today’s events. It isn’t the first time he’s pulled something like this. It didn’t matter to me back then, so I didn’t get involved. But I didn’t think he’d go this far with you.”

“Ah, so that’s what happened.”

I wondered why an heir to a major company would target me specifically, but now I knew the backstory.

Well.

I figured Gi Soyul’s beauty would attract attention. The problem was the lowly pest that had attached itself to her.

“…The Ohsung Group might be too much for you to handle. They’re one of Korea’s top 10 companies, which gives them global reach.”

I knew that. Korea was already the world’s second-strongest hunter nation, so a top 10 company from such a country was bound to be powerful.

But still.

I just found it amusing after witnessing beings like the Giant Magic Dragon.

Compared to a dungeon of Immeasurable difficulty, this seems like a piece of cake.

Even so, I wouldn’t refuse help when it was offered.

—Step, step.

I nodded and walked toward the pale-faced Ryu Jinho.

“Mr. Ryu Jinho?”

“Wh-What is it?”

“Go tell your boss this.”

“Huh?”

“Tell him I’ll vacate this place. If your group owns it, I’m not interested.”

They were sorely mistaken if they thought evicting me would cause any real damage. I had planned to move to a better location once I had enough money anyway.

“Oh, and let him know I received the ‘gift’ he sent last time. I’ll be returning it soon.”

Just you wait, Shin Jongoh. My counterattack begins now.

“…”

Ryu Jinho kept his mouth shut. He no longer looked as confident as he did before.

“Well, if you understand, you can leave now.”

“Y-Yes, understood.”

I watched as he hurried away.

So what if he was a secretary of the Ohsung Group? There was really nothing special about it.

“What did you just say?!”

—Bang!

Shin Jongoh slammed his desk.

“Gi Soyul said that?”

“Y-Yes, Director. Her eyes were terrifying. She said she’d assassinate anyone who messed with her…”

“Hah! Who the fuck is this Joo Donghoon guy to make Gi Soyul act like that? Is he her secret lover or something?”

“He said he’d vacate the place. But he didn’t seem too upset about it.”

“He’s gotten cocky because of all the recent attention, plus the Dark Empress backing him.” Shin Jongoh frowned.

This started because of his feelings for Gi Soyul. It was petty jealousy, and he couldn’t tolerate the idea of someone he deemed unworthy being close to her. It was his arrogance as a member of the elite.

But now, it was no longer a simple matter; his pride had taken a hit.

“That son of a bitch. Does he think the world is his just because a ranker’s taken a liking to him?”

Fine. After all, sending a staff member was just a warm-up before the real fight.

—Grip!

Shin Jongoh clenched his fist.

“So, he said he received the ‘gift’ and that he’d return it?”

“Y-Yes! That’s what he said.”

“Ha, it seems that punk was talking big because he was in front of a girl.”

“Y-Yes. He seemed quite arrogant and unpleasant.”

“Good. Let’s show him just how big the world really is.”

“How?”

“We’ll start figuring that out now.”

There were countless ways to crush a naive kid like him.

* * *

[Account Balance Inquiry]

[Account Holder: Joo Donghoon]

[Hunter Preferred Account (E-rank)]

[Deposit: 385,402,100 KRW]

I had accumulated about 380 million won*.

≈ $292,000 USD

It was a substantial sum, though whether it was large or small depended on perspective. But without a doubt, it was the most significant amount of money I’d ever had.

But it’s far from enough to start a business.

What I needed was a store. With Demir’s hammer, I didn’t really need a workshop, and I had enough materials in my bag, so there were no costs required for those. What I needed was trained staff.

“Haha, Master. Is there really a need to hire anyone?” Demir laughed heartily as he listened to my concerns. “I’ve got my summoning skills, don’t I?”

“Oh?”

“This may not be the case for the others, but my underlings don’t have any combat abilities anyway!”

“That’s true.”

Each skeleton had the skill Summon Skeleton (Lv. MAX). Demir could summon ten at a time and have them work as clerks. Since the workshop had already attracted media attention, using skeletons as staff could generate even more buzz.

But still.

“The problem is the money.”

“Hm, what about selling some of your minerals?”

“No way. Those materials are literally all of my assets. In fact, I need to buy even more.”

“True, selling weapons would be more profitable than selling raw minerals.”

“Exactly.” I rubbed my chin, thinking. “Honestly, the best option would be to get a loan from the bank.”

“A bank?”

“Yeah, a place where you can borrow money. Let’s go check it out.”

* * *

At the Gangnam branch of the Hunter Bank, Kim Jinah, the team leader of the loan department, was an extremely capable employee. Despite graduating at the top of her class as a Harvard economics major in her late twenties, she had chosen to work at Seoul’s Hunter Bank for one single reason.

To meet more hunters.

She had received countless offers from companies and guilds, but she had turned them all down.

Because none of them caught my interest.

People with talent lacked ambition, and those with ambition lacked character. Sure, there were a few decent ones, but they didn’t stand out. She was looking for someone she could fully dedicate her abilities to.

But.

Reality was bitter. While high-level hunters rarely came by, most of the clients at this branch were low-rank hunters full of insecurities.

“I’m sorry, but due to our current regulations, we cannot offer loans to F-rank hunters.”

“Oh, you’re an E-rank hunter! As an E-rank hunter, you’re eligible for a loan of up to 20 million won! What? That’s too little? I’m sorry, but those are the rules. You’ll repay it when you reach a higher rank? I’m sorry, but we can’t assist with that.”

“Please understand, dear customer. I apologize.”

Watching her subordinates tirelessly dealing with clients at the counter made her feel bad for them. It was a job where being courteous was a requirement, which only added to the stress.

After a short break, Kim Jinah stretched and sat back down at her desk. Given the number of customers, quick consultations were essential.

“Welcome, dear customer.”

As she greeted the next person with a bright smile, the man in front of her tapped his E-rank badge and asked a question.

“Hello. How much can I get here, at the most?”

“Pardon??” Kim Jinah looked up.

What’s this?

Despite being E-rank, he exuded a remarkable level of confidence, as if he was asking how much they could offer him.

She read the name on the badge.

Joo Donghoon?

It was a name she had recently come across.