Chapter 173 – Results Briefing

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Translated by Pratt

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net
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Paju, Samhan Empire.

Jeong Yeon-hui too was watching the live broadcast.

The giant mirror gate.

The unidentified creatures coming out from inside it.

And the aura swords slashing and stabbing them.

‘Ahhh!’

The swords unfolded precise techniques as though they were alive.

Among them, several were extremely familiar.

Precisely the Demon-Subduing Sword Art.

‘…Master.’

To think she could see the essence of the Demon-Subduing Sword Art on a screen.

‘As for the Chairman… ah! He’s there together with him.’

Chairman Kim Tae-ju’s face did not appear on screen.

But every now and then, his hidden weapons and black metal ingots flashed by.

Could she keep this to herself?

Maybe they were already watching, maybe not.

She sent the channel link to the TJ Guild members too.

‘I want to send donations too.’

What was the maximum amount?

‘Let’s do as much as I can.’

The Imperial Palace of New Seoul, Samhan Empire.

The Emperor and Geum Su-ho were also watching the live broadcast.

“He isn’t human. Not as a figure of speech. He truly cannot be human.”

“That is right. I felt that way too from the first moment I saw him.”

“Phew, Chairman Kim at least has a human side.”

“Is that so?”

“…At least for now.”

It was certain that that old man too was a soul linker.

He had denied it at the police station, but how else could one explain that terrifying ability?

Anyone would think so.

“Anyway, a gate. Vincent Moretti, that bastard must have been the one who did it, right?”

“It is almost certain.”

“I see now how dangerous a mad scientist can be.”

The Emperor shook his head repeatedly.

Where in the world had that bastard called those creatures from?

Would he be able to handle them?

Not a chance.

It would already be hard just to deal with even one creature.

If Chairman Kim and that old man who did not even seem human, the two soul linkers, had not been there?

The very thought of it made a chill run down his spine.

“But the European Empire is demanding an explanation.”

“What explanation?”

“They say they suspect Chairman Kim Tae-ju of intervening in the Sahara steppe incident…”

“Tell them we don’t know. And even if it were true, what would they do about it?”

“They said that if Vincent Moretti is spirited away, they will not let it pass.”

In truth, they said they wanted to arrest Vincent because he was connected to the Emperor’s death, but more than that, they were likely concerned that enchant magi-engineering would pass into the Samhan Empire’s hands.

“Isn’t Emperor Julian, who succeeded Alex Caesar, an ambitious bastard too?”

“Hmph! Bullshit. If he wants to die, what is there he can’t do?”

At any rate, the live video was a huge hit.

└ Amazing, amazing.

└ That old man is a soul linker too, right?

└ Then what, did you think he was an awakened one? Can’t you tell just by looking?

└ At that level, he’d probably handle even a beyond-elite magical beast.

└ He’d tear it apart outright.

└ I wish he’d catch some for us too.

└ But why isn’t the replay video going up?

└ If we wait, it’ll probably come up.

But that was where it ended.

People waited for the recorded edited version to be uploaded, but it never went up.

* * *

Tae-ju briefly stopped by New Seoul, then returned to Gurye.

He had caught Vincent Moretti, and now something like that gate would no longer appear, so he finally breathed a little easier.

There were also plans to mass-produce raid-use doping potions, and to research hair-growth medicine too… especially the hair-growth medicine seemed like something he had to hurry with.

The Great Sage Equal to Heaven’s clones were practically a strategic weapon.

You could call them a hidden card that reversed even the worst situation in an instant.

But he had used them all up.

He needed stockpiles.

‘At the next delivery, even just one handful…’

The hair-growth medicine was the hair-growth medicine.

For now, he should start by checking the spoils.

Tae-ju took out the subspace bags Vincent Moretti had possessed from the Infinite Space.

However.

‘They won’t open.’

They were locked.

Originally, the subspace bags sold on the market came without locks.

There were not that many cases of putting locks on them.

Because it was inconvenient to go through an authentication procedure every time you put something in or took something out.

Tae-ju too had used them without locking devices.

‘It’s awkward to take him out and tell him to unlock them too.’

If he took him out for no reason, there was no telling what he might do.

Among the villain soul linkers he had met until now, this bastard was the most dangerous one.

‘Let’s send all of it to the Immortal Realm.’

The Poison Immortal had requested that too.

If it was confirmed that Vincent Moretti could enter the Infinite Space, he had asked Tae-ju to be sure to send him to the Immortal Realm.

Apparently there were very many people who wanted him.

‘I can roughly tell why, but…’

Vincent Moretti was a gate specialist.

Also, enchant magi-engineering had unexpectedly many similarities with formations, spells, and treasures.

‘They want to open a door that leads to Earth.’

That was what Tae-ju wanted too.

If the immortals could travel back and forth to this place, Earth would become safer.

At that moment.

Bzzzt.

A delivery signal came up right then.

He took things out of and put things into the shared storage.

Vincent Moretti and the golem Daniel he had made, along with the 10 locked subspace bags too.

‘Right, I should put in the mango bingsu too.’

Before coming to Gurye, Tae-ju had stopped by the Baekdu Hotel in New Seoul and packed 100 mango bingsu that the Sword Immortal had eaten, then put them into the Infinite Space.

Because it was obvious he would return to the Immortal Realm and brag to the immortals, Tae-ju was planning to let them taste it too, and along with that, even one new motorcycle that had been in the Baekdu Hotel parking lot.

Tae-ju knew the Sword Immortal’s personality well too.

How annoyed would the immortals be?

Now to check the items.

First he took out the letter.

As he slowly read downward.

“Hm?”

It contained content he had not expected at all.

‘Wow! As expected, our Poison Immortal works on a big scale.’

Celestial New City construction, it said.

He could understand as far as the Immortal Realm World, but a large-scale officetel complex?

But he was not going to look at the plan lightly.

It had to be viewed from a long-term perspective.

Starting from architectural design drawings, construction materials, equipment, there was not just one or two things to do.

‘I can’t do it alone.’

So he decided to accept Tang Gun-ak’s advice written in the letter.

The suggestion that if one wanted to become a true chaebol in the Samhan Empire, one should at least have a construction company.

He had already been thinking about it anyway.

Medicines like Saenggi-bulgeun and the like were selling like hotcakes, and since the supply volume was insufficient, the construction of a new factory was necessary.

On top of that, the development of the Paju territory, expansion of shipyard docks, additional port construction for the shipping business… the more he thought about it, the more construction was essential.

‘Is there any decent company?’

Tae-ju met with Baek Seo-yeon.

“We need a construction company.”

As if she had been waiting for that, she welcomed the idea and agreed.

“It’s a good idea. I had been feeling the need too. Should we found one? Or go with acquisition?”

“Founding one takes too long. Acquisition would be better, right?”

“Do you have a company in mind?”

“No. At the moment I don’t. At the very least, I’d like it to be of a size that can independently push through something like a large apartment complex…”

“Hmm.”

Baek Seo-yeon hesitated for a moment, then cautiously spoke.

“It’s a big chunk, but… how about Fuji Construction?”

“Fuji Construction?”

“Yes, right now it’s wavering badly enough that management is difficult.”

“Tell me in detail.”

From what he heard, it was a butterfly effect caused by the trouble the Sword Immortal had caused after coming to Earth.

The Arabia Octagon incident.

The fellow who had gotten beaten by the Sword Immortal there was the son of the representative of Fuji Construction.

There was no way Geum Su-ho would just let it go.

Apparently the Samhan Empire’s Ministry of Land was carrying out special safety inspections on Fuji Construction’s work.

Evidence of shoddy construction had also come out, and some apartments were said to be at risk of collapse, so residents had been evacuated while damage-compensation lawsuits had been filed too.

On top of that, a tax investigation and short selling.

Fuji Construction’s stock price had been plunging endlessly to the bottom.

“Do we have enough capacity for the acquisition?”

“It’ll be tight, but it’s worth trying.”

“Then let’s get to work.”

* * *

Immortal Realm.

A large placard was hung in front of the multiplex.

One entire movie screening hall had been rented out.

The theater was filled with immortals and Netherworld officials, including Yama Kings.

“What, he had such a grand experience that he’s even holding a results briefing?”

“What could there be? He probably just took a few pictures of buildings and watched people walking around.”

“Or maybe he just went to some famous restaurants and took pictures.”

“Do they think we’ll get jealous seeing something like that?”

“Well, let’s pretend not to know better and humor him.”

Honestly, they were curious.

About Earth’s vivid, raw civilization, not the version seen in movies or dramas.

The first video was one of him swiping a black card around.

Ahh, the Sword Immortal’s confident expression, how irritating it was.

– In one payment.

– …The amount is considerable.

– Do not worry. It will absolutely go through.

Stopping by a motorcycle store and buying the latest model in one payment, going to a hotel and eating expensive mango bingsu, then shopping mindlessly in the luxury section of a department store…

“Ahem.”

“…As expected, it’s nothing special.”

“We have things like that in our shopping mall too, don’t we?”

“So the thing he does after going to Earth is shopping?”

“We’ve already brought a bingsu machine into the Immortal Realm cafe. We’ll be selling Immortal Peach Bingsu as a new menu item, so come often.”

The immortals belittled it on purpose.

Because if you got jealous, you lost.

The Sword Immortal came up onto the podium prepared on the movie theater stage.

“This is the black card Grand Hero Tae-ju gave me. I don’t know if you’ve heard of one with no spending limit.”

He took out the physical black card and showed it.

“My, my! Why did he bring it without returning it?”

“It’s not even his card.”

“Do you know how troublesome it is to report it lost and get a new card?”

“Tsk tsk, what a nuisance, a nuisance indeed.”

The next video was the scene of boarding airplane first class, being treated with utmost care by a flight attendant while cutting into the finest wine and steak.

And on top of that, an actual photo, even a passport stamped with the Hangul name Dongbin and an English name.

“…”

“…”

“Phew.”

“Tch.”

“Damn it.”

It was infuriating.

First class aside, they were a little jealous of the passport.

You could not get it just anywhere.

A rare and unique item.

Would that not make him a dual national?

With ties placed on both Earth and the Immortal Realm.

Even so, the immortals gritted their teeth.

“Couldn’t we ask Grand Hero Tae-ju? It feels like making passports should be more than possible…”

“Right. It’s not as though we couldn’t go to Earth.”

“Let’s make a proposal to the Poison Immortal.”

The Sword Immortal smiled slyly.

The atmosphere was gradually taking shape.

To think they were shaking over a mere passport.

‘The real thing is separate.’

So he played the video from the Arabia Octagon club.

The psychedelic lighting and Earth’s youths frantically shaking their bodies.

The screening hall holding the results briefing was thrown into complete uproar.

“Sword Immortal! Are you in your right mind? A club, at your age?”

“No, you use rejuvenation just to enter a club? Even if you’re crazy, you’re completely crazy.”

“Tsk tsk tsk, as a fellow immortal, I’m too ashamed to face Grand Hero Tae-ju.”

“Heo, you even spent 5 million won just to get a room?”

“You have no sense of shame.”

“This is what you’re bragging about?”

“You didn’t actually even do booking, did you?”

He did booking too.

The club waiter brought pretty women of Earth into the room.

– Everyone, please sit comfortably.

– What’s with this oppa? Why does he talk like that?

– We came into the wrong place. Let’s stay a bit, then leave quickly.

– Then you can make him your boyfriend.

– Want to die?

Then the immortals sneered.

“Heuheu, I knew it would be like this.”

“Even if you rejuvenate, where is your original face going to go?”

“Exactly. If he’d gone to the fish market, the merchants would have welcomed him.”

“Kikikik, as expected, the girls of Samhan have good judgment. You can tell at a glance he isn’t it.”

“It was the funniest thing we’ve seen so far.”

The Sword Immortal hurriedly stopped the booking video and played the next one.

But this one was no joke.

A young woman was being carried away on a waiter’s back, dead drunk.

– It seems she took some kind of drug. I will handle it.

A little later, when the door opened, two punks were visible grabbing the woman by the hair and making a scene.

Then the Sword Immortal’s punishment began.

Peokpeokpeokpeok! Peokpeok!

The punks were beaten senseless.

There was no mercy in his fists.

The immortals frowned.

“Even so. An immortal beating people…”

“The affairs of the human world should be left to humans.”

“This time it was too much.”

“Something that could have been handled with gentle admonition…”

But when the woman’s identity was revealed.

“Heoeok! Th-that woman, actress Lee Yun-mi, who ap-appeared in Strange Judge Yoon A-yoon?”

“Wh-what in the world happened?”

“Are you saying he really met a celebrity?”

“If you go to a club, you can see celebrities?”

The immortals were shocked.

And jealous too.

An actress they had only seen on TV and screens.

To the immortals, they were the object of admiration.

The Sword Immortal grinned and showed the smartphone too.

“Here is the proof photo we took together. I even got her phone number.”

It was impossible to believe, but it was real.

The Netherworld officials in particular were so shocked they nearly jumped out of their skins.

The Yama Kings were the same.

“Those bastards dared to do that to actress Lee Yun-mi!”

“No, Sword Immortal! Did you only beat them? You should have cut something off.”

“Why didn’t you kill them?”

“They should be thrown into hell immediately.”

“Heoheo, I thought things like that only happened in dramas, but how could such things happen in reality…”

The police arrived, and even handcuffs were put on.

“My, my, those constable bastards are the same wherever you go.”

“They must have taken bribes.”

“No, why not run away?”

“Is the next video a prison break?”

By now the higher-realm beings, including the immortals, had completely fallen into the videos the Sword Immortal was showing.

Cursing, feeling refreshed, and erupting in anger too.

This time, another video.

It had not been filmed with a smartphone.

The image quality was poor, and the voices heard and the movements of people’s mouths did not match well either.

But the content was anything but simple.

The police trying to pin the blame on actress Lee Yun-mi and the Sword Immortal, powers of Earth barging in claiming to be victims when they were actually the perpetrators, him exercising the right to remain silent…

“D-damned bastards!”

“No, why exercise the right to remain silent?”

“Did you boil black soup and eat it? You should cut off their heads in one stroke.”

“How frustrating, how frustrating. What should become of our actress?”

“I can’t watch any longer.”

The immortals’ palms were sweating.

They could not collect themselves in the face of the story driving forward dramatically.

At last, our side appeared.

The owner of a great merchant guild, an acquaintance of Grand Hero Tae-ju, and a power figure of the imperial palace.

The police and villains held their breath and flattened themselves.

In the end, a strong burst of catharsis exploded.

Every single person in the screening hall leaped to their feet and applauded.

Clap clap clap clap!

The Sword Immortal waved in response to the enthusiastic reaction.

It was like an awards ceremony at a film festival.

The applause did not stop and kept going.

Clap clap clap clap clap clap…

“That was refreshing all the way to my insides.”

“As expected, there was a trick to it.”

“I knew I could trust him.”

“He really landed a blow. I acknowledge it.”

“I lost. It’s worth bragging about.”

“Is there no end-credits scene?”

It had been a real situation with no script.

It was far more entertaining than a drama.

They had thought it would be nothing, but that had been a huge mistake.

The Sword Immortal too closed his eyes slowly as he recalled that time.

After living the lives of both human and immortal, had there ever been another moment that made his heart swell more than this?

The video was over.

Because the afterglow remained, not a single person got up from their seat.

What all the immortals now had in common.

They were insanely jealous of the Sword Immortal.

No, he had only gone to Earth for a few days, and yet he had experienced things like that too?

If only I too could go to Earth.

If only such an opportunity would come again.

The Yama Kings were the same.

‘A door to Earth…’

To be honest, he had no thought at all of opening it.

That is, until he watched the videos the Sword Immortal had filmed on Earth.

But now his thoughts had changed.

What was there to stop him from going to Earth too?

‘I absolutely have to open it.’

At any rate, the results briefing on the visit to Earth ended in great success.

There was no need to say that the Sword Immortal’s purpose had been achieved.