Chapter 38: Trampling those with Gold Spoons (1)
A military adviser.
A window describing the position immediately appeared.
[If you have a competent military adviser then the operations of the base will become more effective.]
[Do you want to appoint Keirun as the military adviser? Yes/No]
The military adviser was the representative of the sovereign. He could summon troops and secure resources without Kang-jun present.
Naturally, Kang-jun wanted it.
Barrack upgrades, research institutes, mines, workshops, etc.
There were so many things to think about that he was started to get a headache. If Kang-jun installed a military adviser then they could do such tasks on his behalf.
Kang-jun only needed to receive the report.
"Okay. Keirun, you will be the military adviser from now on.”
Keirun bowed again and said with a thrilled expression.
"Keirun is Lord’s subordinate! I will faithfully perform my duties as Lord’s military adviser.”
[Keirun has become the military adviser.
[Strength of all allies has risen by 10%.]
Surprisingly, the strength of his allies was raised by 10%.
This also applied to Kang-jun.
That wasn’t all.
[The status of the sovereign has risen by appointing someone as the military adviser.]
[Charisma has increased by 1. This effect will disappear if the military adviser is fired.]
His charisma rose by one just because he promoted someone to the position of military adviser! This was called killing two birds with one stone.
"You should have asked me this sooner.”
Keirun just smiled and replied.
"A sovereign needs to be higher than Lv10 before appointing someone as a military adviser. This also goes for the supervisor position.”
It was due to the level.
Kang-jun was currently Lv12.
Kang-jun looked at his status window with a proud grin.
Lv.12 (Exp 00.00%)
[War] Beginner
Health: 310/310.
Black Magic Energy: 45/310
Strength: 15
Agility: 16
Intelligence: 13
Good Luck: 6
Charisma: 8 (+4)
[Additional Effects]
-Combat power increased by 10%.
He was so much stronger compared to when he was Lv1.
However, this was only the beginning. Kang-jun committed to focusing on his level even more in the future.
On the one hand, there was the Blue Stone Mine located on the roof of Sungkwang building.
Two sombre figures were using pickaxes in the mine.
Pak! Pak!
They were Cho Sang-jin and Hwang Seong-gil.
Their faces were blackened as they struck down with the pickaxes.
‘Ah, fuck! This is shit.’
'Ah! Fuck! What is with this scenario?’
They couldn’t understand why they were using pickaxes.
There was also a cave on the roof of a building.
‘Wahh! If this is a dream then please let me wake up!’
‘Fuck! It is a nightmare!’
However, they didn’t dare mutter these words out loud.
This was due to the cat monster Rodiam monitoring them.
At first, they had laughed when the guy with the face of a cat appeared. Then he turned into a giant monster and started to beat them up. Cho Sang-jin and Hwang Seong-gil naturally froze in front of the monster and couldn’t fight back.
The result was that they were now working.
“Don’t slack off. I won’t forgive it, nyang.”
Rodiam cried out. Cho Sang-jin and Hwang Seong-gil flinched before diligently striking down with their pickaxes.
Pak! Pak! Pak pak!
It was the first time they had used a pickaxe, but it felt strangely familiar.
Furthermore, the area around them was dark but spacious.
Cho Sang-jin and Hwang Seong-gil didn’t know it was the effect of having Rodiam as a supervisor.
After a long time had passed.
Clink.
At that moment, Cho Sang-jin uncovered a blue coin.
"T-this!”
Blue coins. Rodiam would give them a break whenever they found a blue coin. Cho Sang-jin quickly picked it up and handed it to Rodiam.
“Here is a coin.”
Rodiam took the coin with a laugh and said.
"Good work. You can rest for 10 minutes, nyang.”
"Thank you.”
Cho Sang-jin bowed and enjoyed the break. Hwang Seong-gil also dug out a blue coin and received a 10 minute break.
[1 node has been stacked in the base’s warehouse.]
[1 node has been stacked in the base’s warehouse.]
That’s right. The blue coins they dug up were nodes.
However, those words didn’t enter Cho Sang-jin and Hwang Seong-gil’s ears.
They were flopped down at the entrance to the mine.
‘Phew!’
'Dammit!'
There was a miserable air around them. Hwang Seong-gil glanced at Cho Sang-jin and said.
"Do you have a cigarette?”
"I don’t have any, Hyung-nim.”
Cho Sang-jin was also thinking about cigarettes. They stared ahead blankly.
"Eat, nyang.”
Rodiam handed something to them.
It was a small candy.
They placed it in their mouths as soon as they received it.
Chewing the candy would help with the boredom.
Chew chew. Jjap jjap.
The candy was sweet. At that moment.
[You have taken candy from Supervisor Rodiam.]
[The fatigue while working as decreased.]
[You have become motivated to work again.]
Cho Sang-jin and Hwang Seong-gil had no idea what was going on.
Their fatigue from working was reduced. That seemed to fit. Eating candy would help relieve some fatigue. But they also felt a desire to work again!
That really didn’t seem possible.
“Your 10 minute break has ended. Get back to work, nyang.”
Rodiam exclaimed. Cho Sang-jin and Hwang Seong-gil voluntarily jumped up and ran inside the cave.
“Ugh, it is strange! Why do I want to pick up a pickaxe?”
"My hand spontaneously moved towards the pickaxe.”
"That damn cat must be doing something to us, Hyung-nim.”
“I was thinking the same thing! Bloody cat! It can go to hell.”
Then Rodiam’s ears pricked up and he asked.
“What did you just say, nyang?”
"Ah, nothing.”
"I would never...”
At that moment, Rodiam changed to an enormous size.
“Kuooooh! Don’t lie to me! Do you want to die?”
Cho Sang-jin and Hwang Seong-gil freaked out.
“I-I did it. I was wrong.”
“Kuhuk! I was wrong. I won’t do it again.”
Rodiam returned to his original appearance.
"You will die if you do it again. Get back to work, nyang.”
“Yes. I understand.”
“I'll work hard.”
Cho Sang-jin and Hwang Seong-gil starting moving their pickaxes again.
Pak! Pak!
So a day passed in their dream.
Yugang building, 5th floor.
Like always, Jung Kwang-hyeon woke up at noon but he was in a bad mood.
Mission 5: Scout the neighbourhood to find a nearby, hostile sovereign.
-Compensation: Experience, 1000 nodes
He had failed to fulfill the mission.
Last night, he had raided a nearby building and lost some forces.
It was the six storey Rose building across from Yugang. He sent scouts to check if there was a hostile sovereign there but the 10 goblins and 10 orcs didn’t return to his base.
They were annihilated by the monsters lurking inside the building. He never thought there would be unidentified monsters inside the Rose building instead of a hostile sovereign.
Of course, Jung Kwang-hyeon didn’t directly participate in the scouting.
'A hostile sovereign can be dangerous.’
He would use his subordinates. If his troops were sacrificed then he could just summon more. Enough taxes were being collected form Yugang building to supplement his funds.
Thanks to that, he built a third barrack and a research institute last night.
Therefore, losing a few troops wasn’t a problem for him.
His troops composed of 30 goblins and 60 orcs would soon be completed. In addition, their combat capabilities were enhanced through the research institute.
It was important to build more barracks, causing his troops to increase even further.
The problem was the delay of the mission! It was disturbing that he couldn’t find the location of the hostile sovereign.
'Shit! Where is that person hiding?’
Individually searching every nearby building in Hwanmong to figure out the position of the sovereign wasn’t easy. Something else was required.
“Colt!”
The intermediate ghost wearing a black hood, Colt, appeared before him.
“Lord, did you call?”
"Did you find out anything?”
“No. I asked the ghosts again but none of them know who the sovereign is.”
Jung Kwang-hyeon frowned.
“There is something strange. If there is another sovereign nearby then the ghosts should know about it. But they don’t know? Does that make sense?”
Colt’s expression stiffened.
"Lord, then perhaps?”
"There is no doubt. The other sovereign has done something. Go and grab a ghost. Pick one that looks as timid as possible.”
"Yes, Lord. But what are you thinking?”
"I will question them myself. In the end, I will pull the truth from their mouths.”
Jung Kwang-hyeon smiled as he visualized the punishment field.
He killed inside the punishment field. He would do it until they spoke! A mere ghost wouldn’t be able to withstand pain like that.
Colt bowed with a pleased smile.
“Kukuet, as expected from Lord. I never thought of that. Now I will go and grab someone.”
Colt turned and disappeared into the shadows. After a while, he returned. His hands were clutching the neck of a young female ghost.
"I’m back, Lord.”
"Well done."
Jung Kwang-hyeon immediately used the punishment field. Then he summoned five orcs to the punishment field to brutally kill the female ghost.
“Sob sob sob! S-spare me. I was wrong. I will speak. Aang!”
The female ghost sobbed with fear.
Jung Kwang-hyeon nodded.
“Tell me. Speak honestly.”
“In fact...”
The female ghost told him everything she knew.
The look in Jung Kwang-hyeon’s eyes changed as he heard her words. Then a cold smile formed on his face.
‘Dafeng building! It is an old building where losers live in the goshiwon.’
He finally found it. The location of the hostile sovereign.
At the moment, he received a message stating that Mission 5 was completed.
He rose from Lv6 to Lv7.
1,000 nodes also piled up in his base back in Hwanmong.
Jung Kwang-hyeon immediately said to Colt.
"Don’t release that ghost. We can’t have the enemy finding out that I’ve discovered him.”
“Yes, Lord.”
Colt disappeared somewhere with the ghost.
Jung Kwang-hyeon pulled out his smartphone and called someone.
-This is Sky Realtor Office.
“It is me, Jung Kwang-hyeon.”
-Ah, Boss-nim! What is going on?
"I wanted to know about the Dafeng building in front of me. What is the price for it these days?”
-The Dafeng building? The price is three billion won.
“Three billion? That is cheaper than I thought.”
-Haha, rumours have spread about a ghost so people are reluctant to buy it. But that is just nonsense. Where is the ghost?
“A ghost. How funny.”
-Why? Do you want to live there? If you want to buy it then I’ll get you a good quote from the landlord.
“Please look for me. I will pay you a 100 million fee if you manage to reduce the three billion by 500 million.”
Jung Kwang-hyeon hung up and laughed out loud.
"I can avoid a needless war with money. That bastard doesn’t even know that he is dead.”
At that moment.
In the 3rd floor PC room, Hayun’s expression stiffened.
After being given an introduction by Kang-jun and Sang-min, Hayun received a five hours per day part time job at the PC room.
Thanks to her, the place was always crowded even during the day.
(What did you just say?)
(Seo-young has been taken. She hasn’t come back after going to the Yugang building.)
One of the ghosts hurriedly rushed to tell her the news.
The female ghost Seo-young was gone?
Hayun’s instincts warned her.
‘It is serious. Maybe he figured out this location.’
She wanted to go and rescue Seo-young, but the Yugang building was inaccessible to Hayun.
Hayun could only exert force in the Dafeng and Sungkwang buildings that Kang-jun occupied.
It would be dangerous if she went outside these areas.
‘I need to tell Kang-jun.’
Kang-jun came back from the market at 6.30 p.m.
After hearing the news from Hayun, Kang-jun immediately ran towards the real estate office on the 1st floor.
“Welcome. Haha! Are you hot? Sit and drink a cold coffee.”
Today the realtor was the kind Kim Seok-cheol. However, Kang-jun wasn’t in the mood to drink cold coffee right now.
"I won’t have any cold coffee. Instead, has someone made an inquiry to purchase this building?”
Kim Seok-cheol glanced at Kang-jun with surprise.
“Haha, you are very quick. You have already heard the news? I only just found out.”
“It is really being sold?”
“Yes. Probably.”
"Do you know who is buying it?”
"Do you know the Yugang building? It is the owner of that building.”
“......!”
Kang-jun’s expression became stiff.
'Jung Kwang-hyeon! Like Hayun said, he must have figured out my identity.’
There was no other reason for suddenly buying the Dafeng building. If Jung Kwang-hyeon owned the Dafeng building then all of Kang-jun’s work would go to waste.
'Shit! I have no money.’
He needed money to buy the building before the hostile sovereign did!
Was this the power of a gold spoon?
‘I won’t obediently step back.’
Those who were strong would win.
Kang-jun exited the real estate office and stared coldly at the Yugang building.