Chapter 63
Empty, deserted shopping buildings.
Through the desolate atmosphere of half-abandoned structures, Do-yoon and his group pressed forward.
From early morning, real estate brokers had rushed out, their faces betraying both excitement and suspicion.
“How big of a deal is this, that you had to drag me out here?”
Keiron, a veteran with a nose for money.
With his expertise in real estate, he grumbled while scanning the surroundings.
“…I mean, avoiding the prime real estate of this district is one thing, but why would anyone bother with a run-down dump like this?”
Even without an expert’s eye, it was obvious.
Too old and too neglected for the warmth of development to seep in.
Seo Hye-jin was too young to care much about real estate, so she looked clueless, while Han Sang-il scanned the area with an uneasy frown.
‘Even I can tell this is worthless land. Well, Do-yoon hyung will handle it somehow.’
At that moment, Do-yoon’s steps stopped.
Instantly, all eyes turned toward him.
“From here.”
In silence—
Do-yoon, like a general commanding the battlefield,
snapped his fingers and swept his hand across the row of decrepit buildings.
“Do-yoon?”
“C-customer?”
Following the direction of his pointing finger, the brokers all turned their heads at once.
“From here to the end of the block, as much as possible.”
It was beyond the scale of a chaebol heir sweeping up luxury stores in a drama.
No one could tell if this was a ridiculous joke, or the beginning of a reckless plan.
Then Do-yoon’s voice, serious to the point of awe, hammered down.
“Buy it all.”
“…P-pardon?”
The brokers’ eyes widened.
Seo Hye-jin and Han Sang-il’s mouths dropped open.
Keiron let out a sharp puff of air in disbelief.
“Hey, hold on a sec. We need to talk.”
Keiron dragged Do-yoon off to the side.
“Just asking here, but you do know that the profits from <Future Rotem> aren’t enough to buy even one building in this area, right?”
“What do you take me for?”
“Good, as long as you know… But more importantly, remember we agreed not to touch the New Humanity Association’s funds?”
Keiron added,
“I’m not drawing a line, but you said it yourself—that’s DY’s principle.”
“I did.”
“Well, it’s your principle, not mine. If you want to overturn it, go ahead. But if you’re going to dip into our funds, at least consider the location and development prospects first…”
His rapid-fire lecture suddenly stopped short.
[Current assets of Hyun Do-yoon]
-₩69,231,068,517
Keiron’s pupils dilated.
Do-yoon had shoved his phone screen in front of him.
‘Millions, tens of millions, billions… six hundred and ninety billion?!’
Keiron’s brain spun furiously.
The app UI? A crypto account.
The profits? Most likely leveraged futures trades.
But even so, you don’t make this kind of return from Bitcoin.
“…Don’t tell me you dumped everything into some scam-level altcoin?”
Keiron clicked his tongue in disbelief.
“I applaud the insanity. A heart of a beast, that’s what you’ve got!”
“Something like that.”
“…I can’t even. You leave me speechless. Watching you is a mix of shock, awe, and wanting to call you insane.”
In truth, it had been the result of betting on the guaranteed crash of “Awakening Day.”
No different from withdrawing a fixed deposit.
No need to explain that.
And especially not the 260 billion still sitting dormant in his options account.
“Six hundred billion… Fine. Eat it. You deserve to.”
Keiron muttered blankly, eyes losing focus.
“C-customer? You really mean to buy this entire street?”
“Do I look like I came here to joke around?”
“N-no, of course not.”
“Exclude any properties with complicated ownership. Start with the clean ones. If the price is right, draft the contracts immediately.”
The brokers exchanged panicked glances.
One started frantically dialing his phone, another whipped out a tablet to crunch numbers.
“Here, sir, if you’ll look at this screen…”
They presented a tentative total purchase price.
The figure was one that ordinary people would never even glimpse in their lifetimes—hundreds of billions.
“You’re not seriously saying you’ll commit on the spot, are you?”
“The sooner, the better.”
“Hey, you…!”
Keiron groaned, rubbing his throbbing temples.
“I’m not opposing just for the sake of it. I’m saying, think this through. Just once more. Please.”
Leaning close to Do-yoon’s ear, he lowered his voice.
“With that money, you could buy multiple towers in Gangnam’s prime districts. Why—why dump it here, in a place with no prospects or hope?”
Do-yoon turned to glance at him.
His eyes—unwavering, immovable.
“Why?”
Deep within his gaze burned the conviction of a man who had witnessed the future twelve times over.
“Because this place will rise dozens of times over.”
At a nearby café’s outdoor table.
Still reeling from the aftershock of Do-yoon’s shopping spree, the group cooled their nerves with cold drinks.
Then, a few passersby spotted Do-yoon and stopped in their tracks.
“Excuse me, are you Hunter Hyun Do-yoon?”
He nodded calmly. The young man’s face lit up.
“I really enjoy watching the news about you! Please don’t lose that upright conviction of yours.”
Around the same age as Do-yoon perhaps.
His eyes sparkled with pure respect and admiration.
“I’m a huge fan! If it’s not too much trouble, could I get an autograph…?”
“…?”
Do-yoon’s cold stare landed on him.
Han Sang-il looked away, and Keiron clicked his tongue.
‘Tsk, poor kid’s about to walk away heartbroken. Not watching this.’
‘Congrats, fanboy. You’ve just leveled up into a hater.’
But against all expectation, Do-yoon didn’t refuse.
“Your address.”
“…S-sorry?”
“Where do you live?”
“Oh, uh, Daebang-dong.”
At that answer—
The icy mask on Do-yoon’s face melted into the faintest of smiles.
“Thanks for the support.”
He scribbled an autograph on a napkin and handed it over.
Hyun Do-yoon
Always be happy ^^
“What the… Did the sun just start rising in the west?”
Keiron gaped, only for Do-yoon to answer flatly,
“Resident satisfaction management is important.”
“…You’re not planning on running for office, are you?”
“Seo Hye-jin.”
Ignoring him, Do-yoon turned to business.
“How many applicants do we have now?”
“Too many to handle. The new staff can’t keep up.”
“And the ones who passed the initial screening?”
“Two hundred fifty. Mostly Awakened. We’re holding interviews, but final decisions are yours.”
“The number will keep growing. That’s why I want to earmark two of the buildings. One for guild member dorms, another for applicant housing. Thoughts?”
Her eyes shone.
“Of course I wouldn’t object.”
Compared to the massive guilds backed by corporate sponsors and investors, DY’s welfare system was practically nonexistent.
It had always weighed on her mind.
“But… are those NPC folks really funding us?”
She glanced at Keiron, whispering.
The shabby alley now filled with foreign luxury cars—the NPC Association members.
She seemed to think of them as guardian angels moved by Do-yoon.
“…Think what you like. Just tell me which buildings to assign. Next, Han Sang-il.”
“Y-yes?”
“There’s vacant land across the block. Perfect spot for <Sang-il Gate Tech> headquarters. What do you think?”
“If you say so, hyung, of course I’ll do it. Expanding business? I’d be crazy to refuse.”
“Good. Get started. Also, give Viktor a research space. If he asks, provide him with monster byproducts too.”
Finally, Do-yoon turned to Keiron, who looked thoroughly unamused.
“You start with demolishing the old buildings.”
“Why do you sound like there’s more to it?”
“Because there is. Once the land’s cleared, build missing facilities for residents. A small park, daycare center, maybe a community center.”
“…So now you’re cosplaying as a philanthropist? Seriously, are you planning to run for office?”
“Cut the jokes. Just tell me if it’s doable.”
“Well, I do have strong construction industry connections.”
“Then it’s yours. Draw up the budget and bill me when it’s all settled.”
Shin-yeok began to transform into a massive construction site.
Blueprints hung across the area reflected Do-yoon’s vision.
Not hyper-realistic, but intentionally idealized images—to plant hope in residents’ hearts.
“All these gates spawning, the neighborhood’s been hell for ages.”
“Yeah, but ever since that DY group came in, things feel different.”
“They say this redevelopment’s DY’s doing too?”
“Maybe the neighborhood really will return to its old self.”
[Shin-yeok Management]
Do-yoon checked the status screen.
With new investment and jobs flowing in, Shin-yeok’s indicators were shifting.
[Shin-yeok Information]
Influence: Dongjak District 10㎢, Population 203,428
Shin-yeok Rank: Level 1
▶ Overall Indicator: “Uneasy”
Cleanliness: Neutral
Resident Satisfaction: Normal (↑1)
Order: Stable
Security: Safe
Prosperity: Maintained (↑1)
Development: Stagnant
-(Locked)
Do-yoon’s investment had boosted prosperity.
Despite the expanded territory, DY members’ activities kept cleanliness and order stable.
The improved living environment raised resident satisfaction another step.
And then—
[A shift in the air is detected.]
[The gray fog clears, and sparks of recovery rise.]
[Residents begin to speak of hope once again.]
Rumble—
The earth itself seemed to sing.
[▶ Shin-yeok’s Overall Indicator improves. ‘Uneasy’ → ‘Recovering’]
[You have achieved a feat! ‘End of Anxiety, Beginning of Recovery’]
[Description: At last, recovery begins after prolonged danger. Your hand has breathed a new heartbeat into Shin-yeok.]
[Rewards granted.]
50,000 Shin-yeok Points
A new Blessing acquired.
[Lingering Stability (B)]: Auspicious energy of renewal envelops Shin-yeok.
Effect of [Territory Stability] under ‘Shin-yeok Enhancement’ increased by 2%.
Conditions for decline in ‘Overall Indicator’ are relaxed, allowing more stable maintenance.
“Good. Another safety net.”
The hardest part of Shin-yeok management was the “Expansion Dilemma.”
To grow influence, one had to expand territory.
But instability on the outskirts could spread inward and topple everything.
Goya, shall we stop here?
This expansion… let Pungbaek decide.
Heh, passing responsibility onto me again, are you?
For millennia, this same dilemma had made the Three Guardian Gods tear their hair out.
‘Yeah, every year it was the same—always shoving the burden on each other.’
A faint smile touched his lips.
‘Expanding too soon always led to crisis.’
But opportunities always wore the mask of crisis.
If Shin-yeok’s Overall Indicator falls below “Uneasy,” it will be blocked once. (Remaining uses: 1)
He still had the [Blessing of the Starting Line] from when he opened the Land of Dawn.
With no hesitation, Do-yoon opened—
[Shin-yeok Enhancement]
Territory Expansion / Reward Amplification
Territory Stability / Growth Acceleration
Resident Support / Efficiency Maximization
Production Increase / Cost Reduction
His eyes locked on “Territory Expansion.”
[Territory Expansion]
Expand influence to undeveloped regions.
If a “controller” exists there, a Holy War will commence.
Expanded region’s indicators affect Shin-yeok’s Overall Indicator.
[Expand Shin-yeok? Y/N]
“Expand.”
His voice, quiet but heavy with weight.
Vmmm—
In response, a translucent map spread before him.
From Daebang-dong outward, threads of light stretched like a web, ready to spread.
Without delay, Do-yoon swept his hand across the map’s edge.
[‘Entire Dongjak District’ selected.]
[Expansion Cost: 194,850 SP]
[Discount applied → Cost Reduction Lv.4, Blessing of the Starting Line: 175,365 SP]
[Pay expansion cost? Y/N]
“Pay.”
It was not only a declaration—
but also a lonely soliloquy, spoken to his old friends who had once locked themselves away in darkness for the sake of this land and its people.
‘Are you watching, Pungbaek… and Jimo?’
Fwoooosh—
Light spread in an instant, engulfing the undeveloped land.
“…This is my ‘13th round.’”
[Level-up condition achieved!]
[Overall Indicator reached Recovery, Influence expanded to all of Dongjak District.]
[Shin-yeok Rank has increased!]
[Level 1 Small Outpost → Level 2 Autonomous District]
