Chapter 80: The Price of Betrayal

When he heard the news that all the highly paid, top-tier Operators he’d hired had blown up and died—

Even Chairman Park Gyeongjae, famous for his boldness, couldn’t help but feel a chill run down his spine.

He was filled with fury at Changlu Salt and Chairman Yong Jeo Ran, who had used such a barbaric method, but at the same time, an intense terror swept over him.

He was deeply troubled.

By temperament, he wanted to curse out Changlu Salt, even if it cost him a little.

But as a businessman,

the fact remained that Changlu Salt was the only channel to buy salt at the lowest price.

Park Gyeongjae spent the whole day wracking his brain over the problem.

It was then that Yuseong came to see him.

Yuseong showed up unannounced, holding a red jewel.

When he found out that it was rock salt mined from the Salt Desert, right from the center of the Salt Desert itself, he was stunned.

To top it off, Yuseong said he had been at the scene when the Operators had met their end.

Yuseong discreetly explained that he had caught the culprit and handed him over to Dae-gak Special Forces.

“The culprit confessed that Changlu Salt, BioKizen, and even you, Chairman Park, were being targeted. He said this isn’t the end. It’ll turn into terrorism.”

“W-what…? How…”

“Also, when I went to Dae-gak, they mentioned something about a bomb.”

“A bomb?”

“Yes. It looks like they might try to bomb the Energy Bar factory.”

“That’s ridiculous! They’d have to be out of their minds to do something so absurd. This isn’t just our problem—it’s an international issue!”

“Still, there’s no harm in being prepared. Janggang Guryonghoe is a den of lunatics.”

That was the gist of the information Yuseong had passed on.

Park Gyeongjae couldn’t remember ever being so moved.

They’d only shared a few meals and drinks together, hadn’t they?

Whether the information was true or not, he appreciated Yuseong’s concern.

On top of that, Yuseong even provided information about the Salt Desert.

A salt sample he’d brought from there.

Methods for dealing with salt bandits.

A more effective way to tame Cold Skin Camels.

If he followed Yuseong’s suggestion to make enormous wagons to transport the salt, then in the long run, costs could be lowered significantly.

Of course, that’s something for the distant future.

If he tried to supply all the salt using Operators who could get to the 16th layer, he’d end up in the red, not in profit.

But as the Conquest progressed, the cost of hiring Operators was gradually dropping.

For now, he would just purchase salt from other companies besides Changlu Salt and gradually proceed with the Conquest of the Salt Desert.

And when mining resources in the Abyss, didn’t the Nation exempt you from taxes?

Once his decision was made, he acted quickly.

He signed a new contract with Indian Asian Salt, whose prices were a bit higher than Changlu Salt.

Until the 16th layer was conquered, he’d receive his salt from them.

Then, he sent a direct email to Yong Jeo Ran telling him to get lost.

After that, he did as Yuseong had advised.

First, he ramped up security to the highest level at domestic production plants.

Yuseong, unusually, recommended using Magic Detectors rather than conventional methods.

Park Gyeongjae, though puzzled, decided to trust Yuseong’s advice.

And then, three weeks later.

His faith paid off.

“H-h-how…!”

“It worked out, didn’t it.”

Park Gyeongjae felt as if he had seen a ghost.

He’d been half-skeptical at first, but now, he trusted Yuseong completely.

“To think there really was a bomb installed at the Wonjoo factory…”

Yuseong’s warning had been true.

The newly reinforced security team discovered the bomb at the Wonjoo Energy Bar production facility.

The intruder who planted the bomb never even realized he’d been found out.

Thanks to the Magic Detector, they found the bomb and confirmed it only after the fact.

If not for Yuseong’s advice, and if that bomb had exploded—

How great a disaster would have happened?

Not only material loss but countless BioKizen employees would have died.

Park Gyeongjae slammed his desk in rage.

Bang!

“Dammit, I knew they were lawless bastards, but to hatch a plot like this…”

“You know about Janggang Guryonghoe, don’t you? Since they’re connected with Heuksahoe, they’re basically no different from the Mafia.”

“Yuseong, I owe you a huge debt.”

Park Gyeongjae grabbed both of Yuseong’s hands tightly.

Truly, meeting Yuseong at the start of the new year felt like receiving a gift from heaven.

“I only did what needed to be done, sir.”

Yuseong also smiled with a sly glint.

He, too, had gotten something out of this.

Something of immense value.

Chairman Park Gyeongjae carefully took out a metal case and set it on the desk.

“It’s supposedly completely disarmed, but still, it’s a little nerve-wracking.”

He brought his trembling finger to the fingerprint scanner.

As the security lock released, the case opened.

Clunk, shuuuu.

Inside was a gray lump of clay, as thick as an adult’s forearm.

The clay emitted an odd bluish tint, and a unique, potent magic could be felt from it.

“See? It doesn’t look that dangerous, does it?”

“No. This is incredible.”

Yuseong felt the hair on his body stand on end, a shiver running through him.

The dense magic emanating from it was perfectly refined.

It was something you didn’t see every day.

“Oh-ho, since you’re a top-notch explorer, I figured you’d notice something. This is Bomb Demon’s bomb.”

“With this much, you could easily blow up an entire factory.”

This plain-looking lump of clay was the legendary Bomb Demon’s bomb.

The anti-Communist terrorist Bomb Demon, an infamous headache for the Communist Party of China.

His Gift was none other than bomb-making.

Each day, he could produce a small amount of explosive clay, capable of detonation—a Gift of exceptional utility.

It didn’t get caught by normal security checks, only by Magic Detectors.

It was light, yet immensely powerful, with a variable detonation time, and could be freely shaped and stuck to walls or anything else.

“After the explosion, once the investigation results are out, they’ll say it’s Bomb Demon’s doing. It’s a cunning ploy. A few years ago, Bomb Demon was active in Korea, too.”

“Who could have known Janggang Guryonghoe had Bomb Demon’s bombs.”

“Anyway, as promised, I’ll hand this over to you… But take care, Yuseong. If you’re caught with it, you’ll be prosecuted under the National Security Law.”

Yuseong had already made a deal with Park Gyeongjae.

If a bomb was actually discovered, he wanted it turned over to him.

And now, it had truly been found.

It was none other than Bomb Demon’s explosive clay—Blue Lightning.

Park Gyeongjae believed that Yuseong wouldn’t do anything reckless with it.

“Thank you. I’ll accept it gratefully.”

Yuseong barely held back his grin.

The value of Blue Lightning was beyond imagination.

Most importantly, it could be brought into the Abyss.

With this much, it must have taken Bomb Demon at least a year of hard work to make.

If he’d had this during the Serpent Subjugation, Yuseong could have defeated it alone.

“Otherwise, I’d have had to hand it over to those bastards at Dae-gak. I’d much rather give it to you, Yuseong, than to those rude pricks.”

Park Gyeongjae grumbled as he said it.

He believed all this information had come from Dae-gak.

In other words, he concluded that Dae-gak, despite sensing the possibility of a bombing, kept their mouths shut.

Yuseong felt a twinge of guilt for letting that misunderstanding linger.

“Ahem, well, I suppose they couldn’t be sure either.”

“Still! Do you know how much tax I pay, huh! Damn public officials…”

“By the way, about that other matter I mentioned last time…”

Yuseong quickly changed the subject.

“You mean the international auction?”

“Yes, I’m really looking forward to it.”

Thanks to recently becoming a full member of the Council, he was now eligible to participate in the International Ingredient Auction.

No less than the world’s biggest auction house, Sotheby’s, would be hosting, with the finest ingredients up for bidding.

But what Yuseong was after was something more.

“Even so, to think of submitting a product… I mean, they said submitting it is possible, but whether Sotheby’s will allow something made with magic…”

Yuseong planned to submit an item there.

Naturally, it would be made from materials gathered from the Abyss.

“It’ll be fine. It’s not just food—it’s alcohol.”

“Alcohol?”

Chairman Park’s eyes sparkled.

Park Gyeongjae, recognized by all as the Council’s top connoisseur, was the biggest drinker around.

There was a reason Yuseong first told him about the plan to submit a product.

“Alcohol, you say? What kind?”

“Tequila.”

This was an idea he’d had after getting tequila from Hwang Rian.

He wanted to try making an even tastier, higher-quality tequila.

“Well, tequila, huh. Are you thinking of using Abyss cacti?”

“Something similar.”

But Park Gyeongjae shook his head with a hint of regret.

“I know you’re a brilliant chef, Yuseong. But cooking and brewing are completely different realms. Tequila is especially tricky. Do you have the right ingredients?”

“Actually, it’s not cactus, but the ‘Dragon’s Tongue Agave, agave’ plant. You process and ferment the starch from the agave, then distill it. I’m planning to blend it with ingredients from the Abyss.”

When Yuseong’s knowledge turned out to be more detailed than expected, Park Gyeongjae fell silent, slightly taken aback.

“Ahem, but there’s still a problem.”

But some things are impossible, after all.

“To make tequila fit for an auction, you need time, especially for fermentation and aging. Even if a tequila master came, you couldn’t make it in under a year.”

That was the key problem.

For premium tequila, like the Anejo grade, at least one year of aging was required.

If that was the case, Yuseong wouldn’t even be able to enter this year’s auction.

But Yuseong replied confidently.

“I’ll make it happen, no matter what.”

“W-what?”

“I’ll bring you tequila that’s fully aged to perfection.”

His confidence was so absolute that Park Gyeongjae couldn’t refute him.

“If I succeed, please taste it and see if I can join the auction.”

With that much confidence, he surely had something up his sleeve.

“Fine!”

Once again, Park Gyeongjae decided to trust Yuseong.

And he asked something that had been on his mind.

“Um… will you make snacks to go with it too?”

When Yuseong nodded, Chairman Park beamed with delight.

***

Ever since he captured the Blackbeard,

Yuseong had taken a break from the Conquest.

As he told Hwang Rian, he needed some time for self-discipline, and he was also busy preparing various things.

While Yuseong was going back and forth between Dae-gak and BioKizen, playing a key role in stopping the bomb terror,

and finally, with Park Gyeongjae’s help, getting wild Mexican Dragon’s Tongue Agave and studying the newly obtained Blue Lightning—

What was Jang Dojin doing during all this?

Amazingly, he was weighed down by self-loathing and guilt.

Though he was timid, he had always been positive, so this was a rare thing for him.

Not since middle school, when his first crush dumped him, saying, ‘You’re too tall, it scares me.’

He was sitting absentmindedly on the balcony of his home, muttering to himself.

“Sansevieria, Stuckyi, Tillandsia, Scindapsus…”

They sounded like names of monsters found in Europe, but those were just the names of the houseplants on his balcony.

Jang Dojin’s family, despite appearances, was quite well-off.

His father was an executive at a major corporation, his mother a capable partner at a large law firm.

Their apartment was a high-rise in downtown Seoul.

It was a spacious place, with a big balcony that could be called a garden.

Jang Dojin had been sitting on that balcony for over an hour.

“You guys are better than me…”

He’d left the window to the outside open, but the balcony was still thick with smoke.

The smoke was coming from the Bruce Tea in front of him.

Just moments ago, he’d been grilling Metal Pig pork neck he’d gotten from Yuseong.

He was so depressed, he thought he’d cook something to lift his spirits before a family meal.

He’d even learned the recipe from Yuseong, but distracted, he’d burnt it completely.

Amidst the acrid, billowing smoke, Jang Dojin just stood there, as if repenting.

“My brother must be disappointed too.”

The reason for his deep gloom was the incident in the Salt Desert.

“I was nothing but a burden…”

The sudden explosion and terror attack.

Jang Dojin hadn’t been able to do anything.

Even though he’d noticed a suspicious person and was on alert, when the blast erupted, there was nothing he could do.

All he did was get kicked away by Yuseong and pass out disgracefully.

Yuseong had only kicked Dojin to save him from the flames.

By the time the collapsed Dojin came to and scrambled up the embankment,

he finally saw Yuseong again.

His exposed skin was red and blistered all over.

His suit was melted and stuck to his body, looking painful even from a glance.

But Yuseong didn’t show his pain.

Instead, with a cold tone, he ordered Jang Dojin to hold the position.

And while he dragged the assailant into the salt mine, Jang Dojin waited for him among the burnt corpses.

Feeling utterly powerless.

Maybe if he hadn’t been there, Yuseong wouldn’t have been hurt at all.

That seed of self-loathing, planted in him, only grew as he spent more time outside.

“Maybe I should just quit everything.”

Jang Dojin was on the verge of thinking about giving up.

Creak.

Just then, the balcony door opened.

“Oh my, all this smoke! I thought there was a fire.”

It was the housekeeper who helped with chores.

“Young master, your parents are here.”

“Okay!”

His parents had arrived.

Jang Dojin looked down at the half-burnt meat and hesitated.

“Well… I’ll just throw it out.”

He picked up the frying pan with the charred meat and stood up.