Chapter 363

〈 Howard Industries (3) 〉

〈World’s first! What kind of place is ‘Howard Industries’, a company that claims to produce and supply goods from another world?〉

〈Reveal of showcase live broadcast schedule to show off Howard Industries’ technological prowess. Will there be anything to eat at the rumored feast? 〉

Various articles were poured out in all kinds of media.

There hasn’t been a big response overseas yet, but if what Howard Industries announced is true, it will only be a matter of time before this fire spreads there.

There were opinions that the reaction was excessive when only one company appeared, but that was only the brief view of someone who did not know much about the situation in this industry.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

-Is this true? So now I can buy magic tools too?

└I guess I can survive. The price may be very expensive, though.

└ㅇㄱㄹㅇ They said that stable supply would increase, but they did not say that prices would be cheap. Even if only cancer is produced, it will never be able to meet the demand.

-If I rob all my belongings, will I be able to live?

└How much do you have?

└890,000 won… haha

└ㄲㅈ

-I want to become an awakened person too! If not, I want to have a magic tool!

└He’s plastering this comment all over the place.

An item that can indirectly satisfy the admiration of ordinary people for their special abilities.

It is a luxury item for those who have it, and at the same time a safety device that can be a lifeline in a crisis.

A miracle device that helps you efficiently perform tasks that are impossible even with modern technology.

A guardian’s weapon that will enable him to more reliably subdue criminals by increasing his actual force, or, conversely, a secret weapon that can increase the villain’s crime success rate.

At the basis of all of this were the items that came from another world with the returnees, and now that they have become inseparable from daily life, the demand for them has never dropped.

Everyone knew that the supply was limited, so most people were just giving up.

But hasn’t a company now come to the fore that claims to have solved that problem?

Naturally, social attention was bound to be focused, and among those paying close attention to such changes were various villain organizations.

—And the world’s largest Beuncheonhoe was no exception.

“Howard Industries….”

A hidden world carefully prepared to escape the influence of Earth.

After waking up from temporary hibernation, Beoncheonhoeju frowned as he checked the information on the tablet containing outside news.

“…It’s a variable.”

That is also a fatal variable that could not even be predicted in advance.

Even he, let alone an oracle with the ability to predict the future, could not have guessed.

‘But still, I didn’t know something like this was possible.’

He already knew that the future was bound to be different from what he knew.

He has been actively involved for not a short period of time, but for more than twenty years.

It would be too greedy to expect that future information will be correct now that you have been doing as much as you want.

‘But I just can’t figure out how this is possible. It’s a difficult problem that even the Doctor, who can bypass Earth’s laws, has yet to find an answer to. Another problem is that Oracle did not notice this change.’

When she relayed this information to him, she also seemed quite embarrassed.

It may have been small things that weren’t very important, but it was a big mistake for her to miss an event of this scale.

But if you think about it carefully, it was something that happened not that uncommonly recently.

“Is it Korea this time?”

Korea, the center of change.

The variable that started with the appearance of Hahoe Mask continued steadily until Heinrich, the saint of the other world, and this time it only extended to Howard Industries.

Isn’t the actual owner of the place also one of the variables, Phantom Heinz?

‘It’s still too early to come to the forefront… but I can’t stay still now.’

Even so, the world is in an uproar and the organization is in disarray due to Heinrich’s public opinion.

To make matters worse, the secretary, who was a member of the Pantheon Steering Committee, was attacked by unidentified beings and disappeared, making the sense of crisis over the shadowy forces more prevalent than ever.

“Tsk, I was going to at least put it off until the Doctor wakes up again.”

If the Doctor, who went into hibernation immediately after resurrection to reform his weakened body, wakes up, he might find out something by analyzing Howard Industries’ technology.

However, if we continued to struggle with the excuse of lack of preparation, we might end up in a situation where there was no turning back.

‘First of all, we need to put the brakes on to some extent and gain some time.’

After making up his mind, his eyes quickly scanned the contents printed on the tablet again.

One video material that came to mind when I reached the last part.

As he indifferently played it back, a beautiful woman standing on a wide platform in front of the seats on an outdoor stage filled with reporters came into view.

-“Then let’s start the showcase. I will take questions later, so please be quiet for now…”

An event held just before the report was received from him.

It was the grand showcase of Howard Industries.

***

‘How did this get so big?’

Jin So-ran, ahead of the showcase, let out a deep sigh without realizing it.

Now she was on site for the event.

Not just as an official, but as a host in charge of hosting the showcase.

‘I was hoping to be able to confidently come out to the sun, but… this is too sudden, Lord.’

In fact, she was satisfied with the situation up until now.

The perception among the general public has not changed much yet, but among those in this industry, hasn’t the number of incidents of people being harassed by people calling them mine decreased significantly?

Recently, clan vampires have been recognized as vigilantes who secretly protect the streets, so it was natural that the morale of their members was greatly boosted.

They became vampires simply because they were trying to survive, but since they were originally ordinary humans, they were desperately seeking recognition from society.

“Time is up! “You can go up now!”

“…Yes, I understand.”

Jin So-ran took a deep breath again when he heard his name being called and slowly walked up to the stage.

As of now, he is not the spokesperson for Heterosis and a level 8 vampire from the first group of Earth’s God-Blooded Vampires.

To host the event as ‘Orchid’, an Internet broadcaster that is growing rapidly these days.

“Then let’s start the showcase. “I will take questions later, so please be quiet for now…”

Orchid, the English name for orchid, was taken from his own name.

Even though she was busy, she somehow managed to find time and did not give up on her personal broadcast. It was her only hobby and a channel of communication with the world that forced her to become disconnected from society after becoming a vampire.

‘But still, I’m not at the level to go to a place like this yet.’

Although Jin So-ran was also the person in charge of this event, she never intended to invite herself to this event.

However, the reason why this event was able to take place was entirely because of Lord Heinz’s orders.

“…Next, there will be an introduction to the product.”

“This is the lineup that we at Howard Industries are focusing on. Starting from subspace magic tools, there are various types such as strength enhancement, defense acceleration, etc., and their specifications are…”

As he was planning influencer marketing, he remembered her hobby and immediately inserted Jinsoran in its place.

As it was an important position, there was a purpose to dispatch the top person directly to the site, but it was basically an order based on goodwill.

As the world’s attention is focused, you will be able to make your name known just by appearing as a host, and then the broadcast will naturally grow further.

“Next is potions. These potions are products that have already been certified as safe by the Returners’ Association and the Extraterrestrial Industry Resources Division of the Ability Management Bureau, depending on their level…” I am

truly grateful for her willingness to take such care, but in reality, it was a burden for her.

Even though I’ve been doing personal broadcasting for quite some time, isn’t it all just sitting in front of a computer and talking to yourself while looking at the screen?

In the first place, it was just a hobby, so I had no intention of expanding it.

Click—click—

murmur—

No matter how recently she had grown into Korea’s only level 8 vampire, she couldn’t help but feel quite nervous in front of the flash barrage she had experienced for the first time in her life and the fiercely sparkling eyes of reporters.

I would have felt much more at ease if it had been a battlefield with blood splashing everywhere.

“Then let’s move on to the next step. Everyone, please be quiet. Question time is scheduled after all presentations are completed…”

“These are the highest-quality magic tools produced by Howard Industries! The things here are a kind of samples, and if the conditions are met, we can custom-produce items with similar specifications…”

However, thanks to the time he has spent broadcasting and the experience he has had in managing the vampires under his command as an assistant manager, Contrary to her worries, she was able to successfully finish the showcase without any major problems.

No, it would be a bit unfair to simply say that it was completed safely.

The reaction that erupted after that day’s showcase.

Because it was so effective that it far exceeded her expectations.

***

Immediately after the showcase, the activities of the newly launched Howard Industries began in earnest.

Although not all offline stores were fully equipped yet, in today’s world where the Internet is developed, online shopping was enough to operate immediately.

After all, doesn’t the real payment, involving money, end only after you receive the product through direct transaction after ordering?

Accordingly, related stocks in the stock market also continued to fluctuate.

Of course, Howard Industries was an unlisted corporation, but the influence of this industry was so deeply rooted in society as a whole that there were more than one field that was indirectly affected.

And along with that reaction, there was another place that started to boil over.

It was an internet community where people from all walks of life gathered together to chat.

〈Summary of the three lines of the Howard Industry Showcase〉

1. Both magic tools and potions have been certified by the Association and the Ability Management Bureau.

2. It is said that the signboard is a new company and has been distributed in small quantities for quite some time to verify its stability.

3. In particular, the one labeled ‘top class’ has such amazing performance that all the invited awakeners are drooling.

4. Nunnaaaa!

(Photo from the showcase)

-There are four lines?

└That’s not important right now, right?

└ㅇㅈ. In fact, the last line can be considered the most important.

-But who is this? It’s so damn pretty.

└Orchid

As many people were interested, the community heated up with talk about the showcase.

The content aspect was enough to attract interest, but the photos of specific people taken by reporters from various angles also contributed greatly to its power.

-Wow… I was told that my appearance during regular broadcasts was actually nerfed? I thought they used everything from makeup to lighting to filters, but it turned out to be the opposite!

-It’s not like the reporters retouched them separately, so how can each and every photo be a pictorial?

Such reactions spread beyond Korea and around the world through the Internet.

A showcase that has become a hot topic, creating a sensation that is as much as expected… or even more so than expected by establishing her as a signboard.

Her appearance in front of the public was so captivating that not only men but also women were captivated.

-Look at this girl’s charisma. I think I would fall in love with a girl.

└Something makes me mesmerized. I feel like I’m opening my eyes to a new world…

-Ouch!! sister! Take me!!!

In fact, the cause of such a reaction was not just her beauty, but also her newly acquired powers.

After Heinz II ascended to the new blood, the “Refined Blood Tablet” was additionally given to Jin So-ran for smooth organizational management.

It pushed her potential to the limit and at the same time allowed some of Heinz’s characteristics to sprout into her, as if inheriting his bloodline abilities.

Thanks to this, her existing blood-world ability, “Concealment,” not only became stronger, but a new ability called “Deception” was awakened, causing such a commotion.

“Ugh… I thought I had it under control. “I think I was a bit nervous and lost control.”

“Hmm, it won’t be a problem at this level though. “I don’t think the on-site reaction was too extreme.”

Jin So-ran, who saw the Internet reaction, buried his face in his hands and made a groaning sound, and Heinz II, who was sitting in his office chair and checking the showcase video, nodded slowly and answered.

“Delusion” is definitely a mental ability.

If it was shown indiscriminately to the general public, there was no choice but to get out.

However, her beauty, which was already outstanding, was upgraded again as she grew into a level 8 vampire, so even the awakened people at the scene passed on without noticing anything serious.

‘It’s not bad. No, if you just look at the results, it’s very good.’

He praised himself for his insight and looked at the screen with satisfaction.

Before I knew it, the video had moved on to the second half of the showcase, a demonstration of the highest level magic tools.

It’s shaky—!

Bright blue sparks flew out on the screen.

A phenomenon that occurred the moment the awakened person in charge of the demonstration held a hammer with a short handle.

It was so powerful that it could be felt even beyond the screen.

If a special barrier had not been installed at the scene, ordinary people would have fainted just from the indirect aftermath.

Qarring—!

Afterwards, lightning strikes the hammer.

Fired like a flash, it completely reduced not only the distant target but also the surrounding area to ashes before returning to the user’s hand.

It looks like a scene from a movie… or rather, a scene from Norse mythology.

For this purpose, the showcase was intentionally held on a large outdoor stage.

‘The design was intentionally designed a little differently, so there is no need to worry about copyright infringement.’

That hammer was a work of art that could be considered a masterpiece among the things Howard had painstakingly made in his workshop.

In fact, even if you make it exactly the same, who would dare say anything, but there is still no need to bring about unnecessary trouble, right?

‘Of course, since it was a bait product, I paid the utmost attention to it. The level of reward should be differentiated depending on the level of the elixir presented by the opponent. How many people actually have an elixir of such value?’

Still, it would be helpful if I received a reward.

With that thought in mind, as I quietly watched the showcase come to an end—.

“…Hey Lord? I just got a call from the association’s branch manager Yoon…”

Jiyoon Yoon, the transcendent thunder emperor who is said to be one of the top three in Korea.

A big catch was caught from the beginning.