Chapter 195: Chief Song (5)
“Two hours? Aren’t we the ones who need their cooperation? Is that really okay?”
“It depends on the value of the dungeon. Why do you need Japan’s dungeon? I’d like to know in advance.”
“I’m not here for the dungeon itself. Stop trying to subtly extract information from me.”
“It’s impossible to negotiate without knowing anything, wouldn’t you agree?”
He wasn’t wrong, but still, what nonsense. I abruptly stopped walking. There’s no way he “forgot.” He’s obviously doing this on purpose, trying to create a rushed situation so I wouldn’t be able to respond properly.
“In that case, let’s properly finish this conversation before heading over.”
“Weren’t you just complaining about making someone wait for so long?”
“Two hours or three hours, what’s the difference? If you’d like to increase your share of the deal, then please elaborate on your investments and results in this negotiation. There needs to be sufficient value to justify giving you more.”
Seong Hyunjae turned to face me. As expected, standing and looking directly at him wasn’t a pleasant experience. Even without anything like ranks, he was the kind of person who could easily make others feel intimidated. Thanks to Fear Resistance, I was fine for now, but when I thought about the day I’d have to face him without relying on it, it felt like a far-off, almost impossible goal.
“First and foremost, I’d like to emphasize that officially transferring dungeon rights to a foreign individual is unprecedented.”
“It’s only been three years since everything started, so of course it’s unprecedented. Besides, in countries with unstable systems, high-value dungeon black markets are probably rampant. Even in our own country, wasn’t an illegal dungeon recently uncovered? It must be even worse overseas. Illegal dungeon transactions aside, official transactions will become common soon enough.”
I spoke in a tone that suggested he shouldn’t overstate things; this was merely happening a bit earlier than expected. In reality, state-level transactions of dungeon rights would become commonplace in two or three years. As the number of dungeons increased, they became harder to manage, leading to instances where ordinary dungeons were sold off at dirt-cheap prices.
“Japan isn’t exactly unstable, though.”
“But it’s not entirely stable either, is it? For a developed country, the Hunters hold far too much power.”
“Even so, getting to the negotiation table itself was a challenge. Particularly if a specific dungeon is desired, there’s bound to be suspicion regarding the reasons, which required significant effort to address.”
He went on to detail the efforts involved in getting the negotiations to this point. Listening to him, it seemed like a considerable amount of work had indeed gone into it—though, of course, most of the legwork was likely done by his subordinates rather than Seong Hyunjae himself.
“Future management will also be difficult. Once they realize the true value of the dungeon, they’ll undoubtedly try to take it back.”
“Or it might just be an ordinary dungeon that Japan won’t care about.”
“I won’t bother stating things that don’t need to be said.”
Ah, yes. Of course. What he’s implying is that there’s no way I’d go through all this effort for an ordinary dungeon. Thanks for the confidence in my judgment.
“Now it’s your turn, Han Yujin.”
“Sixty-forty. Naturally, with sixty on my side. This is under the condition that you handle all future management perfectly.”
“Even though Sesung will be taking on most of the actual work? If it were the other way around, I might consider it.”
“This dungeon is for me. It appeared at my request.”
To be precise, it was a dungeon that was already scheduled to appear, but I’d simply moved up the timeline. Not that Seong Hyunjae needed to know that.
“In essence, you could say it’s my property. And what can be obtained from the dungeon are ingredients for Stamina Potions.”
“Stamina Potions, you say.”
“In simple terms, they’re recovery potions for fatigue. They allow someone to return to peak condition even with only a short rest. One of the primary risk factors during extended dungeon raids is the depletion of stamina and mental energy. It’s not easy to rest comfortably inside a dungeon.”
You had to fight your way through monsters everywhere. Hunters often found themselves exhausted after clearing out regular monsters, only to face the strongest boss monster while already worn out. Even high-ranking Hunters couldn’t avoid fatigue when engaging in long, continuous battles. While they could set up watches and rest, the circumstances made it impossible to enjoy truly refreshing sleep.
For mid— and low-ranking Hunters, the situation was even worse. While the length of the dungeons they tackled was relatively shorter, they became fatigued faster than high-ranking Hunters and recovered more slowly. Even if they managed to find a safe spot to rest inside the dungeon, the constant anxiety often negated the effects of resting altogether. In the case of new, inexperienced Hunters, many spent their time nervously looking around before getting up again. Even with experience, it was harder for mid— and low-ranking Hunters to shake off such feelings of unease compared to their high-ranking counterparts.
“However, using Stamina Potions significantly reduces accumulated fatigue and maximizes the effects of resting. With just one or two hours of light sleep, it’s as if you’ve had over eight hours of deep, refreshing sleep on a comfortable bed in a peaceful environment.”
Of course, that didn’t mean you could avoid sleeping altogether by using Stamina Potions. Rest was still absolutely necessary. According to the experiments, even when high-dose Stamina Potions were used, the maximum amount of time a Hunter could maintain their usual condition without resting was about one week for an F-rank Hunter. After a week without rest, the potion’s effects ceased to manifest, and the body’s condition deteriorated rapidly.
It was strongly recommended that Hunters take at least one or two hours of rest per day and maintain as normal a lifestyle as possible when outside of dungeons.
“Depending on the concentration of ingredients, the potion can also act as a stimulant, with effects unaffected by poison resistance. And its effects are significantly stronger than usual. It enhances combat focus, making it a must-have before fighting boss monsters. It’ll establish itself as the third essential potion alongside the other two always carried in inventories.”
As I explained, I started to feel like some kind of shady salesman. Maybe I’d been getting too many spam calls lately.
“Most importantly, this potion can be exclusively monopolized for at least six months to a year. I don’t need to elaborate on how much profit can be gained from monopolizing a useful Hunter consumable.”
The next dungeon with materials for stamina potions wouldn’t appear until about a year and a half later. Even if the pace of dungeon appearances sped up, it would still take at least six months.
“Well, technically, it’s not a monopoly.”
“That depends on how you handle it. It’s nothing that can’t be resolved with a simple agreement with Haeyeon. A quasi-monopoly, if you will.”
I locked eyes with Seong Hyunjae as if asking for his thoughts. Once the stamina potion’s value became known, Japan would undoubtedly cause a stir. Sesung would have to step in to block them, which was why I was generously giving them 40% instead of 30%.
“Additionally, the fact that I can make dungeons appear also means I can prevent them from appearing. Don’t get any ideas about taking it away.”
Even the mistimed dungeon that Noah and Liette cleared had been erased by the Filial Duty Addicts. That meant the stamina potion material dungeon could be eliminated too.
“This is only possible because of me. While I do acknowledge the effort you’ve put in, I won’t tolerate greed.”
With that, I pulled out a contract. It was an Association-certified Hunter contract, prepared in a pair so both parties could retain a copy.
“Honestly, even at 30%, it would’ve been an attractive offer. The payoff would more than make up for the effort.”
Seong Hyunjae extended his hand.
“It seems like there will be quite a few pesky bugs to deal with. It’s going to be a bit of a headache.”
“A fruit with no pests is just a poisonous fruit that only looks good on the outside.”
He accepted the contract and pulled out a pen. After skimming through the contents, he smiled faintly, signed it without further comment, and handed me one of the copies.
“As you said, even at 30% or less, it would’ve been too valuable to pass up. Yet, the contract already specifies 40%. Did the call we had the other day make you feel uneasy?”
“I was being generous. After all, you’re a business partner I’ll be working with for a long time.”
Truthfully, I had been intimidated. But it was also true that Seong Hyunjae, as a partner, was worth conceding an extra 10%.
When I looked up at him, silently asking if he had any complaints, he chuckled softly. Was he laughing at me?
“By the way, it’s not like Japan sent a non-Awakened representative, and it’s unlikely to be an S-Class Hunter, right? Chief Song has already been working plenty of overtime, so we can’t give him more work.”
No matter how impressive Sesung’s guild leader might be, there’s no way an S-Class Hunter would endure being ignored for two hours.
“It’s an A-Class.”
“Well, that’s a relief. Still, please handle it with some care. Ever since someone’s birthday party, Chief Song hasn’t even been answering your calls.”
“He’s not answering?”
Seong Hyunjae, who had been about to move, stopped in his tracks.
“Yes. He seems very busy. Didn’t some overseas A-Class Hunters also cause trouble recently?”
“That doesn’t sound right.”
“What doesn’t sound right? Chief Song being overworked isn’t exactly a new development. And I’d say at least half of that is because of a certain Mr. Seong.”
“Is this because of that day?”
Seong Hyunjae, lost in thought for a moment, slowly curled the corners of his lips into a smile.
“Chief Song Taewon really does have a surprisingly cute side to him.”
…Chief Song, run. I don’t know what’s going on, but it’s probably best to avoid him for now.
“Whatever you’re thinking, stop it.”
“I’ve noticed that you care quite a bit about Chief Song, Yujin.”
“Because I have a normal sense of conscience. Just leave the poor, overworked man alone, will you?”
When it comes to Chief Song, my conscience is already like a pincushion—riddled with guilt. Would tonic medicine even work on him? Something healthy, maybe… except the law won’t let me. Why is Chief Song the way he is? Even stamina potions would be expensive in his case.
“You mentioned that Japan is suspicious about why we’re interested in the dungeon, right?”
I checked the time on my phone as I spoke. I wished I had a wristwatch to glance at instead.
“They suspect we’re targeting the dungeon to capture Monster Mounts.”
“Monster Mounts? Is there a noteworthy monster in it?”
“I hear the stats are average, but the spawn rate for juveniles is high.”
Apparently, juvenile monsters frequently appeared among the ordinary ones. Seven juvenile monsters had been discovered during the dungeon raid. Most of the monsters were rated B-Class or below, but occasionally A-Class ones appeared, suggesting that the juveniles might grow into A-Class monsters.
“They seem to think it’s a good dungeon for acquiring juvenile monsters of an ordinary riding beast type suitable for upper-level dungeons.”
They wouldn’t be suitable for combat alongside S-Class Hunters, but they would make decent mounts for team members ranked A-Class or lower. Since juvenile A-Class and S-Class monsters were notoriously difficult to obtain, a dungeon with so many appearing at once was certainly appealing.
Of course, without me, the dungeon would lose much of its value. That’s likely why it hadn’t been noticed before my regression.
“Still, I appreciate them giving us a reason. So, what conditions are they asking for?”
“A trade for the slime dungeon. They seem to think it’s a fair exchange.”
“Without me, it’s just an ordinary dungeon. What nonsense. I was planning to use the slime dungeon as bait, but now I’m feeling a bit offended.”
The stamina potion material dungeon was far more valuable than the slime dungeon, but the trade proposal still left a bad taste in my mouth. Still, I needed to get my hands on it.
“Well, I suppose I should show myself as a proper partner of the mighty Sesung Guild Leader, even if it’s a bit out of character for me. Would it disappoint you if I played too soft?”
“As I’ve said before, I’m not pushing you to change overnight. Besides, even if Han Yujin were to show a different side of himself now, the world wouldn’t easily accept it. Your publicly established image is far too solid.”
My external image was that of an innocent and frail victim. It had been quite convenient in many ways. As Seong Hyunjae pointed out, unless I suddenly gained S-Class stats, it would be difficult to overturn that image in one go.
“Well then, let’s use it one more time.”
You use what you can while you can.
“And, my dear business partner.”
I raised my gaze, narrowing my eyes to make my tone as firm as possible.
“It’s highly inappropriate that you failed to inform me about the progress of the Japan dungeon matter, let alone the arrival of the Japanese representatives. This is a matter of mutual cooperation, yet I was completely left out of the loop. Such behavior is extremely rude, don’t you think? Please make sure this doesn’t happen again.”
I mean, come on—we’re supposed to be partners. It makes no sense for me to only be notified after the fact.
“I’ve made a mistake. I’ll be sure to keep that in mind, dear partner.”
That smiling face of his—was he teasing me, or was this just how he normally looked? I couldn’t tell.
“Shall we go then, Chief Han?”
“We’ve kept them waiting long enough, Guild Leader Seong.”
With a nod, we began walking side by side. The atmosphere of walking next to him still felt deeply awkward.
Two hours and forty-one minutes. That was the amount of time from when the Japanese representatives were shown to the meeting room to when the closed door finally opened.
Nakajima, the A-Class Hunter from Japan, looked at the two of us as we entered the room, his gaze less than friendly. However, his expression remained calm, and he rose politely from his seat. The Hunter sitting next to him did the same.
Even after such a long wait, the opponent was an S-Class Hunter. For Hunters, rank outweighed nationality, so bowing one’s head wasn’t difficult for them.
“Pleased to meet you, Guild Leader Seong of Sesung.”
“I kept you waiting.”
The low voice resonated. Thanks to a translation item, there were no issues with communication. Beyond that single sentence, Seong Hyunjae neither expressed regret nor offered an apology. It was a rude demeanor, but the two Japanese Hunters accepted it as if it were nothing unusual.
“This is Han Yujin, the Chief of the Monster Breeding Facility. You must have heard of him.”
At Seong Hyunjae’s words, Nakajima lifted his head. Standing next to the towering figure of Seong Hyunjae, who was well over 190 cm with an imposing build, was a much smaller young man. Though I was actually above average in height, my misfortune was to be compared to someone like him.
To make matters worse, my F-Class stats screamed vulnerability. In the eyes of an A-Class Hunter, I must have seemed utterly insignificant.
“Of course, I’ve heard of him.”
Nakajima smiled broadly as he looked at me. I was standing obediently between the two towering figures, not daring to interrupt or step forward.
–TL Notes–
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