Chapter : 100
The Demands of a Big Shot (1)
“Let’s hear it.”
Suhyun leaned back in his chair, settling comfortably. It was a signal that he had no interest in Bluebear’s proposal.
“You’re aware that a new path has opened in the mountainous region of the Euterpe area, right?”
“We’re the ones who captured that rock giant. We even documented the strategy in detail and distributed the reports.”
“Exactly.”
Robert smiled warmly.
“Thanks to that, everyone rushed in excitedly. The Dragon Slayer project made things a bit slow for a while, but that place is still enticing.”
“No wonder Euterpe is so popular. It’s practically flowing with milk and honey… But enough preamble—can we get to the main point?”
“People are impatient, huh? Oh, mind if I smoke?”
“No. Step outside if you want to smoke.”
“…Your company really does try to maintain good relations with other races strategically.”
“We do too.”
“Really?”
Robert asked with a hint of curiosity. There were a few places in the U.S. where companies maintained strategic relations with other races, but he had never heard of a Korean mercenary company doing so. At most, it usually ended with employment or trade.
“Look at our team—orc, elf, dark elf… at this rate, we might even bring in a dwarf.”
“Oh…”
Although unintentional, in Robert’s eyes—already impressed with Suhyun—this team composition seemed deliberately aimed at fostering interspecies relations.
‘Impressive guy!’
Robert thought that one of Cameron’s future strategies would involve affinity with other races. In fact, one of the dissenting votes in the Dragon Slayer project came from races they knew.
-Dragons are not meant to be captured.
Most dismissed these opinions as outdated and tradition-bound, but Robert didn’t.
The problem was that even if you wanted to maintain good relations with other races, it wasn’t easy. They had their own thoughts and suspicions; approaching recklessly often caused misunderstandings. Moreover, humans working as mercenaries didn’t trust these races easily. Putting someone like Suhyun on a team could easily disrupt team cohesion.
“Other races on Bluebear’s side… oh, it’s that dwarf, Muzak, right?”
“Yes. Muzak Ulstein. Not just him, but the village he belongs to has received full-scale investment—from facilities to study abroad. Right now, dwarf students are learning at American universities using our funds.”
“Does that make money?”
“Not immediately, but it’s a long-term strategy. Once those dwarves return after studying, they’ll hold high positions among their tribes. Who do you think they’ll favor? Those who did nothing for them? Or those who supported them fully?”
It made sense, though for a small mercenary company, it was an excessively long-term plan. Farming something whose harvest is uncertain isn’t something just anyone can do.
“So Bluebear has a lot of money, huh?”
“Comparable to other companies, but our circumstances are a bit different.”
“?”
“The point I wanted to make isn’t that. Back to the story… we’re quite friendly with other races. And they know we don’t invest blindly—we try to share as much information as possible.”
“So, what came out of the mountainous region of Euterpe?”
“Sharp as always. Information came in about ruins containing artifacts.”
Suhyun’s expression remained indifferent.
“An artifact doesn’t spark your interest?”
“There’s no need to get excited over a single artifact now.”
Rather, it was a situation where they had to consider how to dispose of artifacts. Even now, relics stolen by Luiril were piling up in underground ruins. Suhyun was still pondering how to handle them. Taking them out would immediately spread rumors and attract pursuit, yet letting them sit was wasteful.
‘Ah, this is really… needs laundering.’
“Are there ever too many artifacts?”
“Well… yeah. Normally we’d have gone, but things are so busy now. Surely you didn’t come here to propose a partnership over this, did you?”
“Exactly.”
“…”
Suhyun looked at Robert in disbelief. Two companies entering ruins with artifacts together? This was absurd. There would be an immediate dispute over artifact ownership.
“I thought you were talking nonsense…”
“I know this is usually not something we propose. Will you hear me out to the end?”
“Go ahead.”
“If we get information about an artifact, naturally, we’d want to monopolize it. Quietly retrieve it and leave. The problem is… it’s not an easy ruin. From the intel we received, sending four teams to the entrance left them half-dead when they returned.”
“Then why not just give up?”
For a company like Bluebear, an artifact wasn’t worth risking lives over—they could just buy it with money.
“Because we can’t.”
“?”
“Earlier I said we have money? We really do. That’s because a big shot is backing us.”
Not just a business investor seeking profit, but someone interested in what Cameron produces. Robert was referring to the latter.
“Lucky you. Wish we had someone like that.”
Suhyun had more non-liquid assets than cash, but in conversion, hundreds of millions could be mobilized. Real big shots, however, could spend that as if water. Their wealth, built and managed over centuries, was unimaginable.
“Everyone envies us, but it’s not all good. Thanks to Chairman Charles, we can do things others can’t… but there’s a catch.”
Robert explained who the sponsor was: Charles Carlos, heir to an American oil magnate family, now focused on Cameron’s business.
“Someone who even sends dwarf students abroad would allow anything. His money is practically endless.”
“That’s true. But it also makes it hard to refuse his proposals.”
“Ah.”
“Charles recently passed 150 years. He’s ambitious to live to 200. I think it’s possible—he surrounds himself with healers and takes all the good stuff from Cameron.”
Robert had complex feelings about Charles. Gratitude for his support, but also annoyance at Charles’ uncompromising demands.
‘The older he gets, the more irritable he seems.’
If it weren’t for this chaos, he’d have given up entirely.
“So the one who wants this artifact is him?”
“Exactly. And the intel is that it supposedly grants immortality… can you believe it?”
Robert was a realist. Having dealt with superhumans closely, he understood the limits of artifacts and abilities. Immortality was far-fetched.
“But Charles got obsessed upon hearing this. He insisted we acquire it, no matter the cost. No one can persuade him otherwise. What choice do we have? We have to get it.”
“You’re working hard. Stay strong. Fighting.”
“Ah, don’t start with refusal.”
“I’ve never received a single dollar from him. And you want to take our team to a place even Bluebear can’t enter?”
“Judging from the Karkrita Valley incident, your team’s abilities surpass even our first team in that regard. I mean that sincerely.”
“Give me the coordinates.”
“Huh?”
“Why? Don’t you want to?”
“No… but this is sensitive info. Even if you refuse, you understand what I mean, right?”
Robert emphasized several times how terrifying Chairman Charles could be.
“I’m not unreasonable. Give me the coordinates.”
Suhyun asked for the coordinates to recall which artifact it was. If it was related to immortality in Euterpe, he certainly knew it.
‘Ah, this place…’
Suhyun had to suppress a wry smile. The artifact here was related to health, specifically vitality—not immortality.
‘Definitely a tough place to tackle.’
His mind worked quickly. Every ruin with artifacts was a dream, but the ideal ruins were easy to enter with good artifacts. Compared to that, the ruin with this vitality ring was nearly the worst—traps and monsters interwoven, likely killing some intruders.
But there was always a solution.
‘Distance… if we go below that… it could work?’
“What are you thinking?”
“Just doing some calculations. By the way, if we clear this together, what’s in it for me? The artifact goes to your chairman, right?”
“Anything.”
“Really? Anything?”
“…Within reason. I can guarantee up to two artifacts. If you deliver that artifact to Charles, he’ll even show you the chairman’s artifact room. He’s generous with rewards.”
“No, that’s fine.”
The U.S. led in artifact analysis. Suhyun had even heard rumors they were creating artificial artifacts. Charles Carlos likely had experts and labs at his disposal.
“Could you handle an illegal request too?”
“What?”
Robert was taken aback—this was unexpected.
“How illegal are we talking? Sorry, but we can’t risk more dangerous actions for Charles’ sake. Murder, for example…”
“Not murder… Do I look like someone who orders killings?”
Suhyun’s bold challenge embarrassed Robert, who quickly apologized.
“Oh, I see. My bad.”
“Artifact laundering—can you do it?”
“…!”
Much less serious than murder, definitely possible. It was top secret, but Bluebear had previously laundered artifacts purchased on the black market.
Laundering artifacts required care. A rough alteration could destroy the artifact itself. Tens of millions could vanish with one misstep.
“So you obtained this via a… questionable route?”
“Yes.”
Laundering wasn’t just about changing appearances. It meant maintaining strict confidentiality. If Bluebear’s internal experts leaked info, Bluebear bore the consequences. If Suhyun’s experts leaked info, the complications multiplied.
“Hmmm… I need to ask about this. Sorry I can’t give a definite answer yet. That technician is personally assigned by Charles.”
“That’s understandable. Not an easy task.”
“Thanks. I’ll contact you immediately.”
Suhyun waited patiently. Clearly, the other party wouldn’t refuse. It was almost impossible to tell a man like Charles, who could acquire anything he wanted, to hold back.
Soon, a message arrived.
“Permission granted. You can borrow the technician, but only after the job is successfully completed. Is that okay?”
“Let’s be precise. We just need to retrieve the artifact, right? Doesn’t matter if it grants immortality or not.”
“Of course.”
Robert was surprised at how easily Suhyun agreed. Technically, his position didn’t require completing the mission to earn a reward; merely attempting it could suffice.
But Suhyun already had another plan.
‘No need to go inside and struggle unnecessarily.’
“Also, how is security handled for artifact laundering?”
“Simply put, two things—artifacts and chemicals. The technician won’t even remember exactly what he touched once the job is done.”
