Chapter 145: Contract 1
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Junhyuk eye's met Doyeol's, and he looked at Jeffrey, who shook his head, seemingly saying that he didn't say anything. Junhyuk knew that, and Doyeol was confident. It all depended on what Doyeol wanted, and Junhyuk had to make his mind up.
While talking to Artlan, Junhyuk learned one thing: the most important thing was his own life. If someone threatened his life, he had to kill that person without hesitation. He reminded himself of that and sat down. He could teleport, so sitting down meant nothing to him.
As he sat, he stared at Doyeol. It wasn't time to reveal his identity yet, and he wanted to listen to what Doyeol had to say. After Junhyuk took a seat, Doyeol looked at Sora.
"Now, it's your turn to listen. Have you heard of the Dimensional Battlefield?"
"No," she said, shaking her head.
Doyeol continued calmly, "The Dimensional Battlefield summons abnormal narcolepsy patients, and if they die there, they fall in a permanent coma. Their souls die."
"What?"
They had said that they didn't know anything, but Doyeol explained it all. They had to know a lot more about abnormal narcolepsy, and Sora became very nervous. The public didn't know anything. Only people like Doyeol knew, and people with powers similar to hers. Sora knew she had to keep that a secret.
Doyeol smiled brightly at her, and Sora realized what he was talking about. Doyeol knew it too.
"The Dimensional Battlefield is a hard place to survive for ordinary people, but you have activated your power and have a higher survivability rate. I want to propose a conditional partnership."
"What is it?"
"I'll give you information on the Dimensional Battlefield, everything I know. You stay alive in that place and, when you return, you bring back these items with you."
Doyeol showed her a mana stone and a bloodstone. Their sizes were about the same as a thumb. They were rather small. Junhyuk had one the size of a fist by comparison.
"What is that?"
Doyeol showed her the blue gem and said, "This is a mana stone. We were able to manufacture the prosthetics because of it."
Sora picked it up. The stone was shining blue, and she was mesmerized by it.
"What you are holding is used to fuel the iron soldiers. We can make one iron soldier with a stone of that size."
She was stupefied, and Doyeol continued, "We have plenty of money, but we can't purchase mana stones with it."
Sora carefully put the mana stone down, and Doyeol held the blood-colored gem.
"This is called a bloodstone. We are researching it for the Regeneration Project. If we are successful, we will open a brand new door in the field of medicine. However, we need more of them."
Sora listened to him and realized those weren't for her. She had just been attacked by zombies, and after the iron soldier rescued her, they ran tests on her. Events unfolded, and she got paid $10 million for signing a contract with an annual salary of $1 million. She had become one of Guardians' researchers and she wanted to live her life without being envious of others.
She had just heard about the Dimensional Battlefield, and Doyeol said he would tell her everything about that place if she agreed to gather the two gems and come back. She gulped.
"When I bring back these stones, what do I get?"
Doyeol saw that Sora had taken the bait and smiled.
"When you bring them back, we'll pay you depending on the stone's grade and we keep the stones."
"What is the going rate?" Sora asked carefully, and Doyeol showed her his fist.
"A mana stone the size of my fist goes for $100 million."
"What?"
A hundred million dollars was an astronomical amount.
"Each is them is $100 million?"
Doyeol looked very serious.
"Of course."
She gulped again.
"How do you know I will go to the Dimensional Battlefield?"
Doyeol put the stones away and answered, "Until now, we didn't know who would go. But you've activated your power, so they will summon you for sure."
"How certain are you?"
"You are the first one to activate a power in this world. The Dimensional Battlefield has a few who have activated their powers. They are summoned there on a biweekly basis."
"A biweekly basis?!"
"I'm sure of that."
Sora realized that there was a high probability that she would be summed, and she took a moment to think.
"I can't talk to anybody about this."
"Of course. Secret is key."
"But isn't it a good idea to tell people about the Dimensional Battlefield?"
Doyeol shook his head.
"If we tell, we will only create mass panic and confusion. No, it's not a good idea."
She sighed deeply and looked at Junhyuk. If it is a secret, why is he telling Junhyuk? She stared at him, and Doyeol also looked at him.
"I told you to stay because I have a proposal for you."
"What is it?"
Doyeol took out his his smartphone and said calmly, "I want to purchase your mana stone."
Sora looked at Junhyuk. If mana stones come from the Dimensional Battlefield, and he has one with him, that means that he has been there! Does that mean he also has powers?
As soon as Junhyuk heard what Doyeol said, he release his intent. Doyeol had a large soul, but it was not big enough to compare it to Junhyuk's. To begin with, a minion's soul couldn't be compared to the soul of champion, and he had been to the Dimensional Battlefield many times, activating powers and polishing his soul. Also, as an expert, he had died, and that had enlarged his soul as well.
When Junhyuk release his intent, Doyeol became unable to breathe. As soon as he felt Junhyuk's intent, his forehead started sweating, but he didn't relent.
"You have a mana stone. It's different from the other mana stones. We have to research it and bring about big advancements so that we can stop the monsters."
Junhyuk understood why Doyeol had wanted him to stay. Sora was still there, and Doyeol had spoken to him directly. He had two agendas. Doyeol wanted Sora to trust him, and he expected Junhyuk wouldn't do anything while she was there.
Junhyuk thought it over for a moment. Doyeol was confident in his assertion, so that meant that he already knew Junhyuk had a mana stone with him. Junhyuk didn't know how he had found out, so if he decided to refuse, he might have to use force.
Jeffrey and Sora were also there, and they were close. One Spatial Slash could kill them all. However, he would become a murderer, and they would chase after him forever. Also, Sora hadn't done anything, and he would feel guilty about killing her.
Junhyuk thought about the things he could gain and agreed. Doyeol was so nervous that he was shaking, but he didn't drop his smartphone.
Junhyuk looked at him and said, "If it's different from the other mana stones, you must know its price."
As Junhyuk spoke, Doyeol's expression eased, and he said, relieved, "Of course."
"How much will you give me for it?"
"The purity is different. For something similar to the previous one, I would have paid $100 million, but you must be paid five times that amount. So, $500 million. How does that sound?"
Doyeol was strong in delivering his proposal. Going by pure physical strength, Junhyuk would have killed him, but in South Korea, he overpowered Junhyuk. Still, Junhyuk knew his mana stone was totally different from other mana stones. Vera had given it to him personally, so he shook his head, and Doyeol smiled bitterly.
"Right now, I only have $500 million in liquid assets, but if you gave it to me, I would give you $200 million worth of ST Capsule stock shares."
He was willing to give him $200 million in shares, and Junhyuk' eyebrows twitched. He could become a shareholder of ST Capsule. The company's annual dividends were of 7 percent. If he held $200 million in shares, that would translate to $14 million in yearly dividends.
They would tax him like crazy, but he would still be extremely wealthy, and that was on top of the $500 million. He pondered his options seriously. If he had money, he wouldn't have to work. He needed more money to train to survive, and Doyeol's offer benefited him.
"I have conditions of my own."
"Speak."
Doyeol knew the contract was almost made because Junhyuk had come up with conditions.
"People are following me. Take care of them."
Doyeol frowned slightly.
"To do that, we must follow you around."
To protect him, they had to follow him around, but Junhyuk laughed out loud.
"Do it without following me. If you put surveillance on me, the contract is over."
Doyeol thought about it and answered, "I see. I will try"
"I'm selling my mana stone, but that doesn't mean I will be working for you."
Junhyuk looked at Jeffrey, and Doyeol nodded. Doyeol didn't need him. He needed his mana stone, and Junhyuk had decided to deal with him instead of making him an enemy.
"Of course, but promise me something."
"Please, go on."
"I want a monopoly on your mana stones."
"You don't have enough cash now. You even gave me stocks!"
Doyeol laughed loudly.
"If you agree, I will pay you the same price in the future."
Junhyuk stared intently at Doyeol. He was not the lying type. Doyeol was confident that he would come up with a way to pay him, and Junhyuk pondered about it.
"If you keep it a secret that you purchased it from me, I'll give you a monopoly."
"Thanks."
Doyeol operated his smartphone and showed it to Junhyuk. A notification appeared on Junhyuk's smartphone, and he looked at it. The $500 million had been wired to his salary account.
Doyeol smiled and said, "Don't worry about tax. I'll take care of it."
Junhyuk pulled the mana stone out. Vera had given it to him personally, and Doyeol's eyes beamed.
"You will get your shares by tomorrow."
Junhyuk knew that contract had changed his life forever.