Chapter 8
“Anyway, where am I supposed to spend all this massive amount of money?”
It was a realistic worry that came to me after finishing a delicious meal.
Normally, with such an amount, depositing it in the bank first would be the standard thing to do.
“Absolutely not.”
I shook my head.
Could a 22-year-old Unawakened, and an unemployed orphan without a decent job at that, suddenly have billions deposited into their bank account?
This would make me definitely a target for investigation.
Especially if the National Tax Service were to ask about the source of the funds, an Unregistered Awakener like me would have no way to defend myself.
“You’re asking where I got this money? My Retainer ground up Dark Guild members and robbed them?”
It wasn’t like I could tell them the truth like that.
And of course, I didn’t know any professional money laundering methods either.
The answer was already clear. Just use the cash exactly as it is.
First… should I spend a little to decorate My Room?
I opened the notepad on my Smartphone and wrote down the shopping list I had always dreamed of.
I really just wrote down everything that came to mind, as if I were brainstorming.
I now had more than enough money to do so.
[Top-of-the-line gaming PC tower, 4K monitor, H-brand luxury chair, 100% Blackout Curtains, 1++ Hanwoo (lots of Korean Beef Blood Sausage!), premium mattress, and women’s-sized clothes …]
“Katarina.”
“Yes, Master.”
I showed her the Smartphone screen and spoke sternly.
“Go and gather the finest tributes befitting my Territory.”
“I shall follow your command.”
Katarina took in my shopping list as if scanning it, grabbed the bag of cash, and headed outside.
* * *
A department store is located in the middle of Gangnam.
A beauty with unreal beauty appeared in the place where the luxury boutiques and premium home appliance stores were located.
A beauty wearing a Maid-style uniform, with a two-tone ponytail mixing black and pink hair.
“Wow… She’s so pretty. Is she a celebrity? An influencer?”
“Are they filming a drama?”
Murmur, murmur.
People’s attention was drawn to her unique outfit and incredible appearance.
Her red eyes callously swept over the top-tier items on display.
“W-Welcome, customer. Are you perhaps looking for something specific?”
A store employee, startled by Katarina’s unapproachable aura, approached her.
Katarina opened the bag she had brought instead of answering.
As the zipper opened, the wads of 50,000 won bills packed tightly inside revealed themselves.
“Gasp…?!”
“I shall recite a list, so gather the most precious and excellent items. Deliver them to my Master’s Territory at once.”
The employees' eyes widened.
Not a bank transfer or a black card, but slamming down this much cash at a Department Store?!
Furthermore, her condescending tone was so natural, accompanied by a high-handed and haughty atmosphere.
‘W-Which conglomerate’s Young Lady is she?!’
“Is she the proxy of an S-rank Hunter?!”
Even the Department Store branch manager came running down in a flurry and bowed at a 90-degree angle.
“We will serve you with the fastest and safest VVIP premium delivery!”
That afternoon.
An extraordinary scene unfolded in front of Yu-Jin’s Studio Apartment building, with several box trucks lined up in a row.
* * *
“Whoa…!”
I marveled as I buried my body into the freaking awesome, top-of-the-line chair.
The luxury gaming chair from H-brand costs millions of won and is known as the final boss of the chair World.
With this chair, it felt like my back wouldn’t hurt even if I gamed for a super long time.
It wasn’t just the chair.
On the desk, a 4K monitor and a ten-million-won high-end PC emitting brilliant LED lights from its tower were set up.
100% Blackout Curtains were hung over the windows, and a premium bed was placed on the floor.
The pretty new refrigerator was filled with 1++ grade Hanwoo and fresh Korean Beef Blood Sausage.
Since it was originally a cheap Studio Apartment, it didn’t even have an air conditioner, but I went ahead and installed one with my own money.
Beep-!
Enjoying the cool breeze from the latest model air conditioner, I popped a piece of premium raw Hanwoo beef into my mouth.
‘It’s delicious!’
Is this the taste of Capitalism…!
This is crazy, just crazy. Money is the best. It’s always new. It’s thrilling!
As I, soaked in emotion, swung my legs back and forth on the chair, Katarina, who was standing stiffly beside me, asked carefully.
“Master, is it to your liking?”
“Hmph. Well, it has become a rather usable nest.”
Thanks to [Exalted Dignity], a very arrogant and haughty voice flowed out on the surface.
Even though on the inside, I was repeatedly shouting, “Katarina is the best! I really love you!”
Katarina smiled faintly, seemingly relieved even by my arrogant praise.
“It is infinitely insignificant compared to my Master’s nobility, but this Creature is simply delighted that you say so.”
“Yes, yes. You have worked hard. You should get some good rest now too. Watch some Nutube if you’re bored.”
“I shall obey.”
I put on my headset and happily turned on a game.
Now I wouldn’t have to enter the Tower of Trials for the next week.
My money problems were solved too.
Enjoying my Unemployed Life with top-of-the-line equipment was absolute heaven.
I hoped this peacefulness would last forever.
* * *
However, contrary to Yu-Jin’s wishes, there was no way the World would let things go so easily.
The next day. This was the Headquarters of the “Black Cow”, the supreme rulers of the Seoul Underworld.
“Boss! We found them!!”
The organization’s Chief Sorcerer rushed in urgently.
The eyes of the boss, who was sitting at the head of the table chewing on a cigar, flashed.
“Did you find their Base?”
“Yes! Fortunately, among the stolen slush funds, there was an item I had placed a Location Tracking Curse on. It’s a Top Secret Sorcery that even an S-rank Hunter would have a hard time detecting, hehehe!”
“Ooh, well done! So where are the bastards who attacked us? Another Dark Guild? Or the Government?”
The Sorcerer brought up a map on his tablet screen.
A place where a red dot was blinking.
“Well, it’s an old Studio Apartment Area on the outskirts of Seoul.”
“…What?”
The brows of the executives gathered in the conference room furrowed simultaneously.
A shabby Studio Apartment Area?
It was far too insignificant a place to be the Base of the bastards who robbed a Giant Dark Guild’s slush fund and tore apart forty members in under a minute.
The Executives expressed their doubts.
“Their Base is over there?”
“Are you sure about this?”
But the boss immediately let out a cold snort.
“Tsk tsk. You stupid bastards. Obviously, it’s a Decoy Base.”
Startled by the boss’s words, the Executives nodded.
“Indeed…!”
“Even if it looks that shabby on the outside, there must be a massive barrier set up inside.”
“Whose name is the place under?”
When the boss asked, the Sorcerer quickly replied.
“On paper… a 22-year-old Unawakened male named 'Yu-Jin' lives there.”
“Hmph. It’s a Ghost Name, of course.”
The boss scoffed.
“It’s highly likely that the monsters who ground up forty of our boys without a trace yesterday are hiding inside that cramped Decoy Base.”
Not just one person, but multiple elites.
That was the most rational deduction they could make within the bounds of common sense.
“They were holed up nearby, fully intending to tear into us. Since they struck first, we have no choice but to bring out our real power too.”
The Executives held their breath at the boss’s vicious killing intent.
“Deploy the “Black Calf”, all five of them.”
Black Calf.
The elite 5-person Assassination Squad was secretly raised by the Black Cow, who knew no failure.
“The opponents are monsters. Do not let your Guard down for a second; ambush them and sever their windpipes in one fell swoop.”
* * *
It was a few days later.
A silent dawn.
Five pitch-black shadows silently appeared at the old Studio Apartment building on the outskirts of Seoul.
They scaled the wall with their presence completely erased.
These were the Black Cow’s elite 5-person Assassination Squad, the “Black Calf”.
Each and every one of them was an expert with skills rivaling an A-rank Hunter.
They were confident that if they all ambushed together at once, they could even kill an S-rank Hunter.
Their target was only one place.
A closed window with curtains drawn in one corner of the third floor.
At the rear of their group was a girl with the smallest build, a slender figure, and short black hair.
An expression devoid of even the slightest hint of emotion.
Her black eyes had lost their light.
She was a killing weapon who had been kidnapped into the Underworld at a very young age and subjected to horrific Brainwashing to function solely as a machine that kills people.
When an order comes down, she follows it.
That was the only rule put into her head.
No matter how painful it was or how much she didn’t want to do it, it didn’t matter.
The girl thought as she crawled up the wall.
She was told that this time, the targets were the monsters who had smashed a large branch of the organization in under a minute.
It was a deadly situation where she might lose her life if she made a single mistake.
However, there was neither fear nor tension in the girl’s empty eyes.
Only a deep resignation lingered.
-We enter on the count of three.
Upon arriving near the window, the Leader of the Assassination Squad sent a signal and unfolded three fingers.
Right before throwing the window open.
“Please.”
The nameless girl with short black hair quietly murmured from the deepest part of her heart.
Her one and only wish.
“…Please, let someone kill me during this mission.”
She wanted to escape from this Hell-like life.