Arena

Chapter 69 – The Turning Point

The smartphone vibrated and Min-jeong instinctively reached out her hand in her sleep.

Next to her was a deeply sleeping man who gave her a very expensive gift.

Still blurry, Min-jeong opened her eyes and stared at the screen and for a second, didn’t believe what she was seeing.

[Chairman Park Jin-seong]: $1 million every day, the amount is too big so keep it separate in a Swiss account]

The sleepiness instantly disappeared. Only then did she realize that this wasn’t her own phone.

Min-jeong quickly turned off the phone screen and put it down. She covered herself up and pulled the blanket over her head.

Her heart was pounding relentlessly. Her chest was shaky and she couldn’t calm down. Min-jeong dug herself into Hyun-ho’s arms.

‘I have to erase it from inside my head. That is Hyun-ho oppa’s business.’

But she couldn’t help what stays occupied in her mind.

A million dollars a day?

From chairman Park Jin-seong?

A Swiss account?

The men from Jin-seong group that he said he had a skirmish with, she recalled the events of that night. Then really, is it that Park Jin-seong chairman?

‘Just what kind of person is oppa?’

She looked at Hyun-ho’s face, peacefully sleeping, and felt anxious.

She dug deeper into his arms.

“Hmm....”

Hyun-ho hugged her in his sleep.

‘Oppa, you can’t.’

Min-jeong felt Hyun-ho’s warm embrace.

‘I want to take back what I said back then. Please be an everyday ordinary guy.’

The reason she became interested in Kim Hyun-ho was because she thought he was a man unlike other men.

But now that was what frightened her.

Because he might be a guy that she can’t handle. Because to be near him, she might not measure up.

Now, it wasn’t just interest anymore, she genuinely liked him.

Expensive presents, a rose-lit future, she didn’t need any of that. She just wanted to be with him always.

Min-jeong truly only wanted that.

***

I opened my eyes to the morning sun light, Min-jeong was already awake and looked unusually tired.

“Did you not sleep well?”

“I must not have. I woke up in the middle.”

“Yeah?”

I washed and put on clothes and check the phone, and I see a text message from chairman Park Jin-seong.

‘$1 million every day? Then every week that’s $7 million.’

That means that the effects were that good.

Anyhow, that’s $7 million a week!

It is too much money for a single individual.

Like chairman Park Jin-seong said, it was probably a good idea to put it in a Swiss account. Since Swiss banks effectively protect client information, or so I’ve heard.

‘Was Switzerland close to Denmark?’

Might as well go to Denmark and meet up with Odin while I’m over there in Switzerland.

Speaking of, I should contact Odin too.

“Oppa, eat breakfast.”

“Oh, thanks.”

I sat down at the table and got ready to eat the meal Min-jeong made. Today was wonton soup with beef and eggs and tofu and other things.

“Wow, this looks tasty.”

“Eat lots.”

“This must have taken a lot of work to make. Aren’t you working too hard?”

“I tried it as practice, so.”

I just stared straight at Min-jeong.

Min-jeong was startled by my gaze.

“What is it?”

“Oh, just wondering why you seem down today.”

“Me? Not at all.”

“Really? Then okay.”

Min-jeong was unlike her usual cheerful and joking self and it was weird.

‘Did she?’

A thought occurred to me.

I thought possibly not, not that I suspect it, but it also explains why Min-jeong looked so tired.

Should I check it?

I raise my smartphone and pretended to check something. My eyes were pointed towards my screen but I was observing Min-jeong’s reaction.

Indeed.

Min-jeong kept glancing over at me. I had conveyed my concern over my smartphone.

‘Min-jeong...’

And I got all confused.

Regardless, I pretended not to notice and ate my meal. The wonton soup was delicious. She has good cooking skills.

Suddenly, Min-jeong carefully opened her mouth.

“Oppa.”

“Yeah?”

“I’m sorry, oppa.”

Min-jeong came right up next to me and spoke.

“What?”

She hung her head down low.

“Last night in my sleepiness, I accidentally saw your phone. I thought it was a text to my phone.”

“Whew.”

I actually let out a sigh of relief. I grabbed Min-jeong in a huge hug.

“Op, oppa?”

“Thanks for telling me.”

“Oppa...”

Then Min-jeong realized the situation and sniffled.

“I’m sorry I looked at your phone.”

“No, it’s okay, it was just a sleepy mistake.”

“I’m sorry. Hiing (crying noise). I couldn’t sleep after that.”

“Did you worry a lot about it?”

“Yes.”

“Min-jeong stuck to my body and whispered.

“Oppa, you don’t hate me do you?”

“Ayy, of course not.”

I stroked Min-jeong’s hair.

I gave her a simple explanation for the text from chairman Park Jin-seong.

“I have a business relationship with chairman Park Jin-seong. I made a small business with my friends but it happened to catch the interest of chairman Park Jin-seong...”

This time too of course, I spit out some bogus story.

It kind of overlapped with the business deal with friends story I gave Hyun-ji so I think it’s a good idea.

“Then oppa, when your business succeeds you’ll become a millionaire?”

“Yeah, I already am.”

“So that’s why you brought that expensive gift yesterday?”

“Um, that’s because I’m a pushover.”

“Hehehe, no. A capable man isn’t a pushover.”

“It’s already too late. I’m a pushover.”

“Aw, oppa.”

Min-jeong acted cute next to me throughout the whole meal.

***

Min-jeong had a morning class so I dropped her off at school and I headed straight for the mountain lodge.

Like always, I gave chairman Park Jin-seong a flame of life.

“Like I mentioned, I think I’ll go take a trip to Switzerland.”

“Go ahead.”

“I’ll be gone for 2 nights 3 days.”

“What 2 nights and 3 days for setting up a bank account? I can’t go with you this time.”

“I want to tour around and visit Denmark too.”

“Oh you bumpkin, that damned tourism...”

“It must’ve been nice for you having travelled all over the world. Anyway, you’ll have to miss your flame for a day or two.”

“Ay, when will you be going?”

“I’m not sure. First, I’ll give Odin a call.”

“Do what you want. I can skip a day or two.”

“Wow, really?”

“I got an exam yesterday and the cancer cells have definitely shrunk. The doctor says if they continue to shrink at this rate, I might be in complete remission in about 20 days.”

“That’s good to hear.”

“When I hit remission, I’ll give you another big sum so don’t worry about that part.”

“I don’t worry about that. You are the republic of Korea’s richest man, I’m sure you’ll compensate accordingly.”

“Haha, you turd. The ways for you to make money are endless.”

I looked at him with a ‘what does that mean’ face.

Chairman Park Jin-seong spoke.

“Chairman Han Man-Young from Future Auto is also in poor health these days. When you get to our age, we all end up breaking I suppose.”

“Ah!”

It’s true, amongst the rich people there are handfuls that are aged and ill.

‘This will make me an incredibly rich person.’

Not tens of millions, but thousands, no, I could accumulate all the won in the world.

But on second thought, I wonder if there’s a need for any of that.

“Please keep it a secret, my skill.”

“Why?”

“What do you do with all that money? I think it’ll become annoying and burdensome.”

“Then again, that is true too. Oldies might come from here and there and bother you while you prepare for exams and they might distract you.”

“True.”

“Understood. I will keep it a secret.”

“Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it, I’m thankful you saved me.”

That day I passed the day practicing two skills, the teleport and transmission.

I teleported next to a tree and then used transmission to just pass through the tree.

At the beginning, I felt a little dizzy, but with the 1 hour cool down time and practicing it over and over, I got used to it.

In the instance of the transmission skill, I threw a rock up in the air and used the skill to test it. The rock passed through my body and fell to the floor.

‘I should be careful with this one.’

The transmission skill is 3 seconds.

Everything passes through my body in those 3 seconds. But after those 3 seconds, if something doesn’t complete its pass through?

Then I get the grotesque incident of having that something remains in me.

‘I really shouldn’t use this unless I have no other option.’

Like in a very dangerous situation or to use when I am sure that it is completely safe.

Or if the skill level increases and the effect time gets longer. Because if the effect time gets longer I would feel like it would be safe to use.

I was training like this when it happened.

As if he’d been waiting, I got a call.

“Mr. Kim Hyun-ho?”

“Yes, Mr. Odin.”

It’s Odin from the Nordic exam group.

-I called you back as soon as my exam was over. Thank goodness you are well.

“Did you just finish?”

-Correct. I was in the Arena for 40 days. Did you clear your exam?

“Yes.”

-Whew! Thank goodness, indeed! I am sorry I could not help you.

“Huh? What do you mean?”

-Oh? Did you not know? The suppression was unsuccessful.

“A fail?”

-That is strange. Wasn’t your 4th exam, this past one, to do with the lycanthropes?

“It wasn’t completely unrelated. But I had no reason to fight with the lycanthropes. But a failure, was the silver clan strong enough to counter the army you sent?

-It was not the silver clan. Loyalty and skill, I sent 300 trustworthy knights and soldier. Those lycanthropes were no problem.

“Then what is it that happened?”

-Do you remember Bastian?

“Yes, uses violence to oppress the citizens....”

-We were defeated by those bastards. Hearing from a knight who survived by the skin of his teeth, they had entered the death forest when Bastian’s army surprise attacked them.

“...!”

I began to tie the silver clan with Bastian.

It began to explain a lot of the situations from the Arena.

-How about we meet and talk about this?

“Will do, when can I come see you?”

-It doesn’t matter, any time works. Oh, right, I guess I’ll need a separate time to practice.

“Practice time?”

-I wasn’t able to keep my promise. I want to compensate you for that with something else, is there by any chance an item you need?

“Huh? No, theres no need to go that far...”

-There is the money I received from chairman Park Jin-seong and most importantly, I broke the promise so it’s a matter of my honor. Because I couldn’t keep my promise, you could have died.

Well, I’m sure that wouldn’t have happened.

I didn’t say it out loud but I spent a leisurely time in the elf village.

-Within 1000 karma, I will comply no matter what it is so just say the word.

“A, a thousand karma? That much?!”

-It is not a small amount, but to me it is not all that burdensome an amount either.

“How so? And still. No matter how small the amount, karma is of all importance. There is no need for this. If I need your help later, I can come to you again.”

-Just try and say something. I might already have it or I can acquire it in the Arena and I might not have to use the karma at all.

“Um, then...”

At the end of pondering, I carefully say.

“Can you acquire a rifle?”

-Rifle?

“Yes, I have a Mosin-Nagant but due to a lot of things, it has a lot of uncomfortable factors.”

-A Mosin-Nagant, it is a rather old rifle. I’m sure it is uncomfortable.

“Of course, it is difficult to get a gun without using karma to itemize it, isn’t it?”

After saying it all, I ask out of embarrassment.

But surprisingly, Odin replies with a laugh.

-No, if it is just that, there is a way to get it in the Arena. Without using any Karma.