42
Chapter 42
I got the chance to go back in time from my first challenger box, and the skill that had belonged to Number Six of the Eight Virtues had come out of my second. I did not care as long as the skill belonged to the Eight Evils and Eight Virtues, as their skills had been the best of the best.
[You have opened the challenger box.]
What will my third challenger box give me? The almost blinding light from the opening of a challenger box was welcome to me.
[You have gained the insignia ‘Revival.’]
While everything had been bright, I could see that the light had gathered instead of spreading, and had landed on my chest. And a ray of light was now connecting me to the opened box, and I took off my jacket and shirt the moment the light vanished. While my hurry to see it actually slowed me down and I ripped my shirt and popped some buttons taking it off, it was nothing compared to what I saw in the middle of my chest.
While it looked like only a tattoo a bit bigger than my thumbnail, I was overjoyed at having received an insignia from a challenger box. While many lower-grade boxes gave out insignias, I had never heard of one that merited a challenger box, and it was even called ‘Revival!’ I could guess what the insignia’s effect was and checked to see if I was right.
[Revival (Insignia)
Effect: One time only, it will revive the bearer from death.
Class: S]
“All right…”
Insignias had been special even for civilians because even the Unawakened could bear them. They could be sold on the market, and the prices had been astounding. This meant that I could protect anyone I wanted from a fatal injury once, and my joy was soured by my past hardships. I had hunted thousands of times and waited for a cruelly long time to finally receive an insignia.
I did not think that this had been too easily acquired this time but in fact I had been thinking of my parents when the Revival insignia came out of the box.
***
[Will you open the dungeon?]
I refused, as it was too early. Opening the dungeon would endanger those living in the village, despite that the possibility of monsters coming out was extremely low due to this dungeon being a Class-F.
Like the infinitesimal possibility of my paper companies being discovered existed, the danger of monsters coming out of an open dungeon also existed.
I took the fishing lines that I had bought on the way here and used four 100 meter fishing lines and some stakes to designate and mark the areas before taking out my cell phone. I breathed in deeply to calm myself down.
Choi came back and entered the area I marked with the fishing lines, but he did not see any System notifications. If he had seemed surprised, it meant that he was a prior awakened, but they had been very rare, especially in Korea.
“It seems about a thousand square meters. You will need to flatten the ground to raise a building, so when will you do it? What is the scale of construction?”
He spoke in a desperate voice.
“This request from the company is something that you probably have not done before, and I don’t know whether or not you can do it.”
“Tell me about it.”
“We require that you not touch the ground at all, and we have to raise a building with the walls built where they’re marked, according to the fishing lines.”
“Without a floor, or basement…? It will work. We will find a way.”
“The problem is the walls. The firm wants the strongest ones made of steel reinforced concrete at least five meters thick.”
Choi was at a loss for words, as I had said I wanted walls that were used for Bank Vaults.
“The plan is to raise another concrete wall around the mountain after the building is complete, and we will use multiple layers of wire mesh fences and CCTVs to prevent the village people from entering at the base. As I told you, the scale is quite big.”
“…Why?”
“I beg your pardon?”
“What’s the purpose…have you come from the government?” Choi whispered the last word.
“Would I have come to you if I did? I do not know the specifics, as I only follow orders.”
“Has this been approved? It seems to be a dangerous facility.”
“Yes, the company is going over relevant laws at the moment.”
“I can do anything you want. Please let me do it. I will make sure you need worry about nothing, and I will bet my life to give you a masterpiece.”
“Do you have a plan?”
It was then Choi let out the words he had been holding back.
“I only have friends. Please listen to me. Every firm I know is tipping over, and when the big firms are nearly dead, for the small firms, our situation is much worse.”
He seemed as if he would haunt me and wander the grounds if I denied him the contract.
“I know many people who would have done much better if they had been born in better times. They would have built apartments and companies, and there are truckloads of such people. If you help, I’ll gather them.”
“You worked like that for flattening the mountain, right? However, the next construction is too big in size. I don’t think gathering subcontractors will work.”
“Which is why I’ll act as the head.”
“You’re saying that you’ll come in with more people? What will you do when things go haywire? I’m not in a position to bear the blame.” I had to maintain the pretense of reporting to higher-ups obviously, to preserve my cover as a worker drone, and not the big boss.
“No matter what happens, I will not blame you and I will owe you until I die. This is the truth.”
“You know that the big firms you mentioned are crumbling like this, right?”
“Yes.”
“I’m saying this because you remind me of my father, so don’t misunderstand my intentions.”
“Yes.”
“I know what you’re thinking and the emotions behind it. You’re about to buy your colleagues’ firms with borrowed funds, but don’t you know the interest rates now? You’ll be bled dry, and you won’t be able to repay it. The debt will go into billions of Won if this fails.”
Choi did not blink and even became more determined. This was the first time I had seen such a gaze after my return since it belonged to those desperate enough, who had risked their lives for a single point or a single F class monster.
This would not be the last construction project that I would fund, and projects like this were difficult to proceed by buying a pre-existing construction firm. The bigger the size, the more people involved, which meant that secrets were hard to keep.
But…oh. I seemed to be weak against such people, as I kept thinking of excuses. I had not been like this before…
People who reminded me of my father made me remember what he had been like a friend and a teacher, especially after being fired.
I suddenly remembered the family picture that had been placed in Choi’s truck.
“You are all right with the risks?”
“I will take responsibility.”
“Umm…let’s do it like this.”
“Yes?”
“I know a foreign firm and I will introduce you and endorse you, so you can borrow as much as they’re willing to lend to you.”
Choi rushed and hugged me, and he smelled like wet ground. However, I could not push him away, as he was now crying in earnest. I felt his weight, which reminded me of the burdens he carried with him. Damn, Father had cried like this with Mother on the day he had been fired.
“Hey.”
“I…apologize.”
“I have not finished talking. That foreign firm will ask for a share of more than 51% in return for the investment. Your management rights will not be guaranteed, and this is up to you. Of course, everything will be decided after the firms you will buy pass the investment firm’s standards.”
“Just having this chance…”
“I hope it works well and wish you luck.”
“Yes! I won’t forget this until the day I die. Really!”
Choi could not finish his words, as he could not stop his tears from falling.
Edited by Userunfriendly