Chapter 222: Ganesha 1
Junhyuk was trying very hard to gather his thoughts when the phone rang. When he answered, he heard Sarangâs voice.
âBig brother! Have you returned?â
âYes, Iâm back.â
âBig brother, I had heard youâd been killed, and you didnât come out. I was so worried!â
He comforted her cries, âIâm fine. I was waiting to revive, but the battle mustâve ended, and I woke up here.â
He didnât want to worry her, but he pressed his temple with thumb and middle finger, trying to withstand dizziness.
âThatâs a relief. But how many times did you die in the last battle?â
âThree times.â
âAre you OK?â
Sarang had died once, so she knew what it was like and sounded worried.
âDonât worry. Champions can die five times, which means a champion can endure that many deaths,â Junhyuk said things he only guessed at without thinking.
âYou were killed today for the first time, so you must be tired. Get some rest.â
âSure, big brother.â
âGood.â
âTake me out for a meal sometime this week.â
âSure. Tomorrow?â
âYes!â
Sarang sounds excited, and Junhyuk smiled and said, âGet some sleep. Iâll call you tomorrow. Letâs do lunch together.â
âOK. Go to sleep.â
Junhyuk hung up the burner phone and opened his Spatial Bag. He pulled out the bloodstones, and the seeds and the fruit given to him by Diane.
Artlan had given him a bloodstone worth $100 million, and he had picked up thirty more smaller ones. Looking at all the things gathered there, he clicked his tongue.
âCrap! I didnât bring the mana stones from the Dragonâs Valley.â
While fighting dragon, he had been focused on the probable appearance of his enemies and had forgotten to pick up any mana stones.
âIâll get some next time.â
He didnât have the $700 million mana stone, but had brought back a $100 million bloodstone and the seeds and fruit, whose price he didnât know yet. There were also thirty bloodstones, and if he got $10 million for each, that would be a total of $300 million.
âItâs about the same amount as the Dragonâs Valley mana stone.â Then, Junhyuk put all the things bag in his Spatial Bag while saying, âThis should be enough for a while.â
He had purchased a building and a supercomputer and had spent all of his money, so he was relieved that he would have some more money. He lay on the bed and complained.
âIâm dizzy.â
The feeling hadnât passed, so he closed his eyes.
He felt like he had only slept for a little while when his cell phone rang. Junhyuk woke up covered in cold sweat and frowned, shaking his head and looking at the caller ID on his phone. Then, he picked it up.
âItâs so late! Whatâs up?â
âCan we talk?â
âIâll be there on Monday. We can talk then.â
âI canât wait. Iâm standing in front of your house right now.â
Junhyuk looked outside through the interphone monitor and saw a Mercedes-Benz SLK 350 parked there. He could see Eunseo sitting inside of it.
âWait a second,â he said and teleported to the bathroom to have a quick shower. After that, he teleported out to dress himself and went outside.
He looked at Jeffreyâs house and saw the lights were out.
âNow, everyone knows, so it doesnât matter!â
Only Eunseo knew he was a champion, but many people knew he had been to the Dimensional Battlefield. Now that others knew about it, it was important for him to become strong so that they wouldnât be able to control him.
That was what he was thinking about as he walked outside and toward her car. She opened the door and said, âGet in.â
He did so without speaking as he felt the need to talk to her anyway.
Eunseo started driving while remaining silent. She looked puzzled, and Junhyuk leaned back on his seat without speaking. He could endure the physical exhaustion, but his soul had to rest at that point. The window was open, and the cold wind on his face made him feel more relaxed.
Eunseo drove somewhere secluded. There was no one around and no lights. He looked up and gazed at the sky full of stars, smiling at the fact that it was not purple. He was enjoying the ride when Eunseo stopped the car.
He turned to her, and she fixed her glasses and looked at him.
âI want to hear it from you.â
âWhat do you want to hear?â
âI want to hear everything about the Dimensional Battlefield.â
Junhyuk laughed and asked, âWhy must I tell you about it?â
He felt Eunseo shaking and he looked into her eyes and said, âWe went to the battlefield together, and I felt the need to save you and helped you out. But I donât feel like telling you about the Dimensional Battlefield.â
He knew information was power, so Junhyuk couldnât budge now.
Eunseo stared back at him, inhaled deeply and said, âRight. OK.â
She relaxed, and her gaze looked different. She was much calmer then, looking like a businesswoman.
âDo you want money for that information?â
âInformation is power. You know that.â
âRight, and I also know what it means to get the information first.â Eunseo fixed her glasses and added, âHow much do you want for it?â
Junhyuk stared at her silently. The car sat two people, and they are looking at each other at a distance of about fifty centimeters. The conversation was cold and distance, and he said while staring at her, âItâll be more expensive than you think.â
âDonât forget I have more money than you imagine.â
He laughed. How much money she had or was willing to spend wasnât important to him. Doyeol could pay him $500 million, and she probably didnât have that much to spend at once.
He looked at her calmly and said, âI want you.â
Eunseoâs eyebrows twitched. Her haughty expression crumbled, and she avoided his eyes.
âWhat, what are you talking about?â
Junhyuk knew sheâd misunderstood the situation, but he did not correct her.
âI want you.â
Eunseo gathered her breath and looked at him. While hiding her blushing face, she said, âYou already have Catherine.â
She had not heard her real name, but Eunseo knew the two were close. Nevertheless, he looked at her and replied, âI want someone with power.â
âWhat?â
Eunseoâs demeanor crumbled, and he thought she was cute.
âEarth already has people with powers. There are those who control them, and I donât want to be controlled by others.â
He looked intently and piercingly into her eyes and spoke the truth, âSo, I need you.â
Her heart was pounding, but she hid it and looked at him. His eyes were drawing her into him, and he felt bigger that any monsters to her. With three powers and the strength to go against a hero, he was at a higher level than any other she had met before.
She looked at him and said, âI need time to think about it.â
âWhen you make up your mind, weâll talk.â
Junhyuk had laid bare his intentions. He had revealed a lot, but he still wanted Eunseo.
Up until then, he had just been an employee, but now the dynamics would reverse.
He leaned back on his seat, and she started driving. With the cold wind on his face, he closed his eyes. She drove fast, and the ride ended quickly, and soon he was back to his house. When he got out of the car, he looked at her.
âThen, Iâll see you Monday.â
She stared at him without speaking. Behind her glasses, her eyes were shaking, and Junhyuk entered his house without uttering another word. After closing the door behind him, he heard the car leaving and felt that he had earned the friendship of another novice.
He changed his bedsheets and lay down.
After rolling on his bed for a while, he teleported to the basement and started training. He summoned his swords and moved around to get rid of the thoughts in his head.
He couldnât rest just because his soul is tired; it was not his style. His swords moved in a light rhythm.
Saturday.
Junhyuk had made a promise to Sarang to meet her, but before that, he went to Guro district to see Sungtae. He hadnât been starving himself. The floor was full of empty ramen noodle cups.
Junhyuk went inside the room, but Sungtae continued to mash on his keyboard busily, so he waited a while.
Sungtaeâs hands suddenly stopped, and he got up from his seat and started dancing like a madman.
âWhat are you doing?â Junhyuk asked.
âAhh!â He was surprised and landed on his butt. After collecting himself, he said, âYou scared me!â
âI asked you what you were doing.â
Sungtae smiled and got up.
âThe installation is over.â
âIs it operable?â
âYes.â Sungtae was still smiling. âLook!â He cleared his voice and said, âGanesha.â
Junhyuk looked and heard a slightly husky, but very attractive womanâs voice.
[Did you call me, master?]
Sungtae started dancing like a madman again, and Junhyuk looked at him and asked, âIs that an AI?â
âHow did you know?â Sungtae asked after he stopped suddenly.
âWhy are you its master?â
âI made it, so itâs only natural!â
He laughed hard, and Junhyuk walked closer to him.
âI am your employer.â
âSure.â
Junhyuk turned to look at the monitor and said.
âGive me all of the rights.â
Sungtae smiled and said, âCertainly! I programmed Ganesha, but I needed a supercomputer to do it.â Then, he said, âGanesha, this here is Max. He has full rights and clearance to use you.â
[Everything?]
âCorrect. The same as me.â
[Wait a minute.]
Ganesha stopped for a moment, and all of the information on Max showed up on the monitor. Then, Ganesha said, [Please, tell me your name.]
âMax.â
[Your voice has been recognized. Max, you are now my master.]
Junhyuk laughed and looked at Sungtae.
âWhat is Ganeshaâs capability?â
âAnything you desire. At least as far as worldwide information goes, it should be the best.â
Sungtae was very confident, and Junhyuk smiled. He had underestimated Sungtaeâs abilities.
Junhyuk had wanted Zaira badly, but it was possible he possessed something better now.