Chapter 188: Chapter 188

“No, what...”

Ducoms had a dirty temper but not when up against someone truly powerful, like monsters who, rather than using any special skills, just overwhelmed and subdued people with their sheer presence. Having reached the peak of martial arts and becoming a constellation by surpassing his own existence, he had a stronger presence than monsters.

“I… I’ll eat.”

Ducoms averted his gaze and reached out his hand. He didn’t have much of an appetite because he was in the middle of an argument, but with a knife pressed against his neck, he was forced to eat.

Ducoms picked up Escargot with his hand and ate it. Escargot had always been his favorite dish, but this one was especially delicious. It was made with the finest snails cooked with unsalted butter, parsley, and top-notch wine, so it couldn’t be tasteless. Nevertheless, he felt as if he was chewing sand due to fatigue and lack of appetite.

“I... I ate.”

“Barely.”

Dumbfounded, Choi Yeonseung looked at Ducoms. Ducoms found it absurd.

“Didn’t I say that I don’t have an appetite?”

“Hmm. The snail dish isn’t bad, but I think it is a bit greasy. You should have some soup.”

“I-I don’t really like Korean food...” Ducoms squirmed. Hwang Gyeongryong had fed him spicy kimchi in the past. Ducoms misunderstood it as Hwang Gyeongryong’s revenge for his bad personality.

“Raw kimchi is too spicy.”

“What madman only eats kimchi? Did you go to some weird Korean restaurant?” Choi Yeonseung asked.

Ducoms involuntarily turned his head. Hwang Gyeongryong pretended not to notice it and avoided looking at him.

“Now, have a sip.”

Choi Yeonseung held out a bowl of spicy beef soup, which?Ducoms?accepted. He tried to refuse, but it seemed so good that he involuntarily stretched out his hand.

‘What... ’

The spicy smell tickled Ducoms’ nose. His stomach, which had hardened like lead, suddenly started to growl.

Gulp!

Ducombs unknowingly took a sip. As the hot soup ran down his throat, he felt himself relax. Ducoms wasn’t a hunter, so he wasn’t aware of it, but the spicy beef soup Choi Yeonseung had made contained various special effects. It was cooked using equipment made with orichalcum and adamantium, and it also had ingredients that originated from monsters. It was also made with Choi Yeonseung’s skills. Hence, it was impossible for it to not have magic power.

‘It’s meant to be eaten with rice. Why is he just drinking it?’

Ducoms?downed it in one go, which puzzled Choi Yeonseung. He also ate kimchi without pairing it with anything, making him seem weird.

***

Alex Parker, the chairman of the Parker family, wasn’t in a good mood. Hence, the people around him were forced to nervously wait.

“It’s unexpected, but Joseph Grant failed.”

“Th-that’s right.”

“No one thought Hunter Grant would make such a mistake.”

The Parker Group had heavily invested in Joseph Grant in anticipation of his success. However, Choi Yeonseung was the one who killed the boss monster and became the top contributor, giving only Dragon Industry an advantage. Hence, they couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable.

“No one? Isn’t that what I’m paying you for?” Alex said coldly.

"I-I'm really sorry."

Those present in the room lowered their heads. It was completely different from Hwang Gyeongryong’s dinner. In this high-stakes meal, one mistake could lead to all types of humiliation and expulsion.

“Let’s change the topic. I want to hear something good.”

“Yes, sir! I have great news.”

The CEO of Parker Artifact stepped forward with determined movements. Crises were opportunities. Alex Parker was arrogant and eccentric, but he rewarded those who brought satisfactory results. In this situation where everyone was so discouraged, he had to be more active.

“As you can see, a lot of hunters are on the move now that the Abyss realm is open. I’m sure only some of them have artifacts, so the demand for combat artifacts will likely surge for some time to come. In anticipation of that, we want to release a new artificial artifact, and I’m also thinking of lending our artifacts to hunters entering the Abyss. With this investment, we’ll be able to make up for the losses we suffered from the expedition.”

Artifacts were more expensive than new hunters. If they lent such artifacts, the hunters would be grateful to the company for the rest of their lives.

People were excited to explore the Abyss realm, which humanity had repeatedly failed to conquer until recently. Now that they had conquered one Abyss realm, they should be able to capture the next one as well! Considering this strategy, this level of investment was a worthwhile plan.

“Releasing new artifacts is a good plan, but lending them isn’t. You won’t gain anything by giving them to low-grade hunters since most of them will die or disappear,” Alex Parker argued. Only a few hunters succeeded and rose to the top. Although there were more hunters now than in the past, the pyramid structure was still the same.

“If you have the money for that, then just invest in top hunters.”

“I’ll do that.”

The CEO of Parker Artifact was relieved. He didn’t get cursed at. Considering Alex Parker’s personality, that was already a compliment. They continued the interview. The CEOs who achieved good results barely managed to return, while those who didn’t perform well were reprimanded until they shed tears.

“Jerry Kuber.”

“Yes...!”

Choi Yeonseung had recently discovered that Jerry Kuber, the CEO of Pask Food, had signed a contract with an evil god constellation. Sweating profusely, Jerry stepped forward. He felt so anxious that he couldn’t make eye contact with Alex Parker.

“Your performance is good this time. I heard that even slugs have a knack for rolling.”

“Thank you for the compliment! It is thanks to the chairman’s thorough guidance and encouragement!”

“Keep it up.”

Jerry Kuber managed to leave with a puffed-up chest.

Odaigon, who had been waiting, yawned. “How was it?”

“I… I think it worked out well.”

“Can I go now? I don’t know how long I have to escort you.”

“Don’t go! I don’t know who will target me,” Jerry Kuber complained, grabbing onto?Odaigon.

Contracting with a constellation was a double-edged sword. No one knew what would if they betrayed such a powerful being. Odaigon guarded him from the sidelines because of that.

‘Nothing has come up even though I’ve waited for so long already. Things have probably settled down.’

Odaigon, the wise goblin king from the Abyss, knew quite a lot about constellations. For one, they didn’t pay much attention to every mortal, especially those as insignificant as Jerry Kuber. If they planned to retaliate, they would have already done so. Considering nothing happened despite Odaigon’s long wait, the constellation had clearly forgotten or simply didn’t care about Jerry. Moreover, he went under Choi Yeonseung...

“I get it, so stop clinging to me. You’re such a nuisance. What a pain in the ass,” Odaigon grumbled.

He was supposed to be participating in glorious battles and defending his constellation. However, he was forced to act as an escort due to this man.

“Anyway, give me all the information you’ve gathered.”

“I-I’ve got it all sorted out here.”

“Well done.” n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Odaigon?had quickly adapted to the modern culture of Earth. He took out his smartphone and immediately called Choi Yeonseung.

“I find it amazing, though. Didn’t you complain that your company wasn’t doing well and that your boss has a dirty, rough, and terrible personality?”

“I-I didn’t say that!”

Jerry Kuber hurriedly looked around. Did someone overhear their conversation?

“You didn’t?”

“No!”

"I see. Anyway, I was very worried, but judging from the look on your face, it seems you did surprisingly well. Were you exaggerating before?”

Jerry Kuber hesitated to answer Odaigon’s question. “About that...”

“?”

“I tampered with the ledger.”

“......”

Odaigon?was shocked. Despite how timid Jerry looked, he was actually far crazier than Odaigon thought.

***

“Meals truly have the power to bring people together. I’m glad you became closer to them through your cooking. That’s really just like you.”

Hwang Gyeongryong nodded with satisfaction after his guests left.

“I just did it because it looked delicious,” Choi Yeonseung said, seemingly wondering what Hwang Gyeongryong meant.

“... Ah, I thought so too!”

The moment Ducombs started to eat the spicy beef soup as if he was possessed, hunger spread to the others as well. He looked so satisfied as he ate that they couldn’t stand it anymore. These people, who normally couldn’t go for a few minutes without arguing, shutting up and eating white rice with red soup was such a surreal sight to see. As a result, some of the CEOs thanked Choi Yeonseung for helping them eat to their heart’s content before leaving.

Ducoms had even seriously asked, “Why don’t you just go into the restaurant business instead of artifacts?”

“Don’t think about artifact development too much. Everyone is a bit worried, but failing a few times isn’t enough to ruin everything.”

“... You’re the one who looks a bit worried, though?”

“N-No. I’m not worried.”

Hwang Gyeongryong pretended to be calm, but deep down, he couldn’t help feeling anxious. Even the products created by the most talented individual could face fierce competition in a market where anything could succeed or fail. No matter how great his ability, Choi Yeonseung might not be able to sell a product he created.

“You don’t have to worry too much.”

“Yes, thank—no, why would I be worried? You should be the one worrying about it. ”

Thinking about it, Hwang Gyeongryong was dumbfounded. The new CEO said it was okay to fail, while Hwang Gyeongryong grew anxious.

“That aside, I heard a lot of hunters are on their way to the Abyss.”

“Yes. Hunters probably see this as an opportunity.”

All hunters wanted to be stronger. Dungeons were great, but they never knew when they would be able to return. Moreover, if they entered the wrong dungeon, they could even lose their lives. In comparison, hunters could move and fight monsters as they pleased in humanity’s first Abyss realm. If they were lucky, they would quickly get noticed by others. If they were even luckier, they could catch a constellation’s attention.

“Shouldn’t we stop them? The Abyss is dangerous.”

It wasn’t a closed place like dungeons, but the Abyss was just as dangerous. Although it no longer had a master, monsters would continue to come to the Abyss realm they had conquered. The hunters making a single mistake could cost them their lives.

“Yeonseung. Think about it. Have you ever listened to a hunter in your life?”

Choi Yeonseung didn’t know what to say. After all, Gyeongryong had a point.

“If we stop them, they’ll just curse us for hogging all the benefits.”

“Do you have any artifacts left? There must be quite a few that haven’t been used or have been damaged in experiments.”

“There should be. Why?”

“We should polish them and lend them to the hunters who want to fight in the Abyss.”

“As expected! Since we are occupying and leading in the first Abyss realm, you want to take advantage of this opportunity to change the perception of the hunters.”

“... Uh, sure, but I was hoping to lend them the artifacts to prevent them from getting into trouble.”