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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 42
Chapter Title: A Meal with Ma Kyung-rok
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'Spotless.'
The scene, once filled with blood, had become spotlessly clean as if by magic.
Jang Seok-hyun's body was also nowhere to be seen.
It was all thanks to the common skill he had just learned.
[Common Skill – Erase Traces]
-Effect: Erases all traces from the scene, including corpses, blood, fingerprints, and footprints.
'The performance is certainly impressive.'
Just as the skill description said, the scene was as clean as new.
It was hard to believe a murder had even taken place here.
The 20,000 gold investment was worth it.
'Cleaning up should always be this neat.'
There was no need to think about how it was possible.
After all, skills were capable of resurrecting the dead.
'This is why Players can run so wild.'
Erase Traces was the perfect skill for cleaning up after a crime.
It was almost as if the skill was designed to encourage crime.
Later on, Players would even emerge who offered to erase traces for others.
'Though they demand items in return.'
It wasn't free, but the demand was high.
Because paying with an item to have traces erased was cheaper than saving up 20,000 gold to learn the skill.
'There are probably some now, but later, the number of Players offering their skills as a service will only increase.'
At level 40, the [Trade] function becomes available.
It's a function that allows trading items or gold with each other.
That's when Players who make a business out of gold will start to appear in earnest.
They would use common skills like Tracking or Erase Traces to find people or clean up murder scenes for others.
'I have no intention of making a business out of gold like that, though.'
Tracking and Erase Traces would be very useful in the future.
For Ryu Min, buying the skills was a better choice than hiring a service.
'Besides, I don't want to get involved in someone else's crime just to earn a few coins.'
He had already thought of a way to earn gold anyway.
A method that involved using Ma Kyung-rok's company.
'We're supposed to meet for lunch tomorrow, right?'
Recalling his lunch appointment with Ma Kyung-rok, Ryu Min left the abandoned factory after cleaning the scene.
He didn't spare a single thought or worry about the murder.
'I should buy a suit for tomorrow.'
His only thought was of meeting Ma Kyung-rok.
Any thoughts of Jang Seok-hyun had long since been erased.
* * *
The next day at lunch.
Ryu Won couldn't help but be surprised to see his brother dressed up in a suit.
It was the first time he had ever seen him in one.
"Bro, you have a date this weekend?"
"A date? What are you talking about?"
"Well, you're suddenly wearing a suit."
"It's for an important appointment."
"Who are you meeting?"
"A business partner."
"Huh? You're going into business?"
When Ryu Min nodded, his younger brother looked worried.
As he watched him, his brother's thoughts inevitably flowed into his mind.
-Last time he went all-in on stocks, and now he's getting into business? What if he fails? He'll be so disappointed.
His brother was worried he would suffer a mental blow, regardless of the money.
'I've been so successful, yet he's still worried. Then again, I guess it's normal for him to be anxious.'
A smile touched Ryu Min's lips.
"I'll tell you the details if things go well with my business partner. Don't worry too much. You trust me, right?"
"Of course! Who else would I trust?"
"Then wait quietly at home. It's dangerous outside because of the Players."
"I saw it on the news. They said it's a huge problem because Players are using their abilities for crime. I heard criminals even escaped from prison overseas?"
"Criminals become Players too, without exception, as long as they're of age."
It was a given that the world would change rapidly.
With the population decreasing every month and Players growing stronger, it would be strange if it didn't.
'This is nothing. An era is coming when Players will hunt ordinary people and enslave them without a second thought.'
An age where the law means nothing, where Players are supreme.
Before it becomes such a lawless society.
'I need to become overwhelmingly powerful and further enhance the reputation of the Black Scythe.'
Ryu Min said as he put on his dress shoes.
"Anyway, be careful when you go out. Most Players got a class in the third round, so their overall level has improved. That means it's gotten that much more dangerous."
"Okay. But when are you going to tell me what your class is?"
"It's a secret."
"But I'm curious."
"I'll tell you soon, so stop pestering me."
"Really?"
Leaving his brightening brother behind, Ryu Min opened the door.
"I'm going out for lunch with my business partner. Don't wait for me, eat by yourself. Get yourself something nicer than the usual takeout for once."
* * *
Oseong, the mega-corporation known to every citizen of South Korea.
Ryu Min stepped into the lobby of a hotel under the Oseong Group.
It was none other than Ma Kyung-rok's hotel.
'I knew he'd want to meet here. It's always advantageous to play on your home ground, after all.'
However, the fact that Ma Kyung-rok owned the hotel was a closely guarded secret.
Furthermore, Cheonma Consulting was not part of the Oseong Group either.
It was a company Ma Kyung-rok had secretly established to gain his father's recognition.
'Among the general public, I'm probably the only one who knows this.'
At most, only Ma Kyung-rok's close relatives would know.
Therefore, he had to use this information to appeal to Ma Kyung-rok as much as possible.
To prove his own value.
'But first, image management.'
Ryu Min looked around, approaching the front desk with a naive expression.
"Uh, hello. I'm here for an appointment. I was told to speak to someone at the desk when I arrived…"
"Ah, are you perhaps referring to your appointment with the CEO of Cheonma Consulting?"
"Yes."
The employee touched their earpiece and spoke kindly.
"The CEO will be arriving shortly. Would you mind waiting in the lounge over there? We will guide you when he arrives."
"Yes, thank you."
After a slight bow, he walked awkwardly to the lobby lounge and sat down to wait.
While waiting, he stared up at the chandelier on the ceiling, his mouth agape like a fool.
This was all part of his image management, just in case.
Just then, he saw Ahn Sang-chul enter through the lobby doors.
'He's here.'
Trying his best not to show any recognition, he looked around the hotel's interior with an expression of awe.
Ahn Sang-chul, who had been speaking at the desk, walked over.
"Are you Mr. Ryu Min?"
"Ah, yes! Hello…"
Ryu Min pretended to be startled.
Even the poker-faced Ahn Sang-chul showed a hint of surprise.
It was because they had met before.
"We've met before, haven't we? At the Galleria Foret."
"Ah… yes. I think I saw you when I was giving housewarming gifts to my upstairs neighbors. You were the one next to actress Seo Ah-rin, right?"
At Ryu Min's words, Ahn Sang-chul also recalled the situation.
"That's right. Are you perhaps the major shareholder of Cheonma Consulting?"
"Yes."
As soon as he answered, Ahn Sang-chul bowed a full ninety degrees.
"I apologize for my rudeness last time."
He was apologizing on the outside, but his inner thoughts were different.
-This kid, who doesn't even look twenty, is the major shareholder who invested 280 billion won? That doesn't make any sense.
He maintained a blank expression, but inwardly, he was suspicious.
A faint hint of wariness could even be seen in his eyes.
'Well, it's a natural reaction, I suppose. Someone my age couldn't possibly have that much money.'
Still, he had no obligation to convince Ahn Sang-chul right now.
The person he needed to talk to was Ma Kyung-rok.
Of course, there was a set reaction he needed to show.
"Oh, it's alright. You didn't know. I also had no idea the CEO of Cheonma Consulting lived upstairs…"
"Ah! Please don't misunderstand. I am not the CEO."
"Pardon?"
"My apologies for the late introduction. I am Manager Ahn Sang-chul. The CEO is scheduled to be a little late, so I came ahead."
"Oh… I see."
He knew everything but deliberately pretended not to.
This was the correct reaction for someone who supposedly didn't know Ma Kyung-rok.
"Let's go inside and wait for the CEO."
"Ah, yes."
He followed Ahn Sang-chul into the hotel restaurant.
As expected of a hotel owned by South Korea's top corporation, the restaurant's interior was magnificent.
"Wow."
He gaped and looked around the restaurant like a country bumpkin who had just arrived in Seoul.
He could see Ahn Sang-chul glancing at him from the corner of his eye.
'Such a distrustful gaze.'
It wasn't just his gaze; his overheard thoughts said as much.
Well, that was the intention.
"Let's sit here and wait comfortably. The CEO will be here soon."
"Okay."
While they sat blankly in the private reserved room, Ahn Sang-chul fiddled with his phone by the door.
-Sir. Having met him, he seems like a proxy someone put forward. He doesn't have the caliber to have invested such a large sum himself. Please be cautious, as he may be acting on someone's orders.
The content of the text message was transmitted directly into his mind.
He could read his thoughts even while looking at the back of his head.
'I knew it. He sent Ahn Sang-chul ahead as a scout.'
He had expected it.
Someone as meticulous and self-disciplined as Ma Kyung-rok would never be late for such an important appointment.
A moment later.
*Slide—*
"Good afternoon."
A tall man with handsome, masculine features appeared.
It was none other than Ma Kyung-rok.
Unlike Ryu Min, who was short and looked awkward in a suit, this man wore his suit perfectly.
"I am Ma Kyung-rok, CEO of Cheonma Consulting."
"Ah… I'm Ryu Min."
He hurriedly stood up and shook the hand Ma Kyung-rok offered.
"Please, have a seat."
"Yes…"
"Manager Ahn, you sit next to me as well."
"Yes, sir."
He had Ahn Sang-chul join them at the table without asking for permission.
'He's trying to subtly take control.'
As if sensing Ryu Min's gaze, Ma Kyung-rok smiled as if asking for his understanding.
"Manager Ahn is an employee I trust more than anyone. It should be fine for him to sit with us and listen, correct?"
"Ah, yes. That's fine."
"Thank you. Before we talk business, let's eat first. I've prepared a traditional Korean set meal, but I'm not sure if it will suit your palate."
"Anything from a high-class hotel like this is bound to be delicious."
A moment later, the food prepared under Ma Kyung-rok's direction was served.
Soup, cold appetizers, fish porridge, grilled Hanwoo beef, braised short ribs, stone pot rice, bibimbap, and so on.
As they were served the course meal, each dish exquisitely plated,
the three of them focused only on eating, saying little.
"This is really delicious."
"I'm glad it's to your liking."
Only occasional conversations like this were exchanged.
But for Ryu Min, who could read minds, it was not a meaningless time.
'Reading his thoughts, his mind seems complicated.'
He could grasp what he was thinking even without words.
'He's racking his brain, thinking I'm acting on someone else's orders.'
Just as he expected.
-Manager Ahn was right. He's too young to have invested a massive sum of 280 billion won. He looks to be around twenty at most, right? He doesn't look like he has that kind of grit, either.
Looking at Ma Kyung-rok, his complex thoughts were transmitted.
-He must have a backer. Someone must have set him up as a puppet. Who's pulling the strings? My brothers? My uncle? What do they plan to do by taking over our company's management rights?
On the outside, Ma Kyung-rok sipped his tea leisurely, but his inner thoughts were anything but calm.
-Whatever the case, I have no choice but to talk to him and dig for information.
Unaware that his thoughts were being read, Ma Kyung-rok broke the silence.
"I was quite surprised when I first saw you, Mr. Ryu Min. To think our major shareholder is so young. If you don't mind my asking, how old are you?"
"I'm twenty."
"Twenty?"
Ma Kyung-rok looked surprised, but his eyes were calm.
-Young, as expected. So he is acting on someone's orders?
His reaction confirmed he'd expected him to be young.
-Still, I can't let my guard down. The fact that he's survived until the end of the third round means he's skilled, despite his naive appearance. Well, he might have just been lucky.
Ma Kyung-rok didn't underestimate him just because he was young.
Ryu Min was inwardly impressed.
'That's Ma Kyung-rok for you. Just like the talented prodigy who survives until the fifteenth round.'
Unlike Ahn Sang-chul, he didn't rashly ignore or look down on his opponent.
He watched with the sharp eyes of a hawk, on guard until he could grasp his true capabilities.
But Ma Kyung-rok, with his perfect poker face, revealed none of his inner thoughts.
"Twenty years old. I'm twenty-nine. It's nice to meet someone else in their twenties. Haha."
"Yes… It's nice to meet you, too."
"How did you come to possess such a large sum of money at such a young age? Are you perhaps from a wealthy conglomerate family?"
'He's being quite direct.'
Ryu Min waved his hand dismissively and replied.
"A conglomerate family? No. And just as you're concerned, there's no one behind me. Until recently, I was nothing more than an ordinary student."
"Until recently?"
Feeling it was time to get to the main point, Ryu Min opened his mouth.
"Have you seen the news article?"
"What…?"
"The one about the person who became rich overnight by winning the lottery five times in a row."
"Ah, yes. I have."
The corners of Ryu Min's mouth lifted as he spoke.
"That was me."
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