15 - 27

"W-welcome Customer-nim."

The ajumma in her 50s was selling tteokbokki in a tired voice. (ajumma = middle-aged lady/auntie)

'Business isn't good.'

It was no surprise.

There were quite a few compet.i.tors around. There were three more stalls nearby selling tteokbokki, and even snack restaurants.

Besides, the location was wrong. There was a floating population in the area but accessibility wasn't good since it was located in an inner alley. In other words, the customers would pa.s.s the compet.i.tion first.

It would be hard to have frequent guests unless the ajumma's tteokbokki had great word of mouth. But the tteokbokki just looked normal.

One serving of hot pepper paste tteokbokki for 2,500 won.

500 won for one steaming skewer of odeng.

2,500 won for one small serving of soondae.

2,000 won for seven pieces of twigim.

It was a common price menu.

'I won't know until I taste it.'

If the taste was normal then there would be no reason to come here. Customers would eventually be pushed elsewhere.

"Customer-nim, what can I do for you?"

He would have a taste. He was also hungry. It was necessary to a.n.a.lyze the menu before using the management skill, so he could determine the true power of the skill.

"One small serving of tteokbokki. And two odeng skewers. Oh and also a plate of twigim."

"Yes, Customer-nim."

The ajumma's hands became busy.

A bright red plate of hot pepper paste tteokbokki. An odeng broth with two skewers in the bowl. Followed by small slices of soondae.

Chwack –

And seven b.a.l.l.s of squid, vegetables and seaweed were fried in oil.

"Please enjoy."

"Yes."

Kang-jun's mouth watered as he picked up the toothpick.

First, the tteokbokki. The rice cake covered with hot pepper paste was placed in his mouth.

Chew chew. He licked his lips.

The hot pepper paste tteokbokki was quite good. The rice cake was chewy and tasted good. It was a little bit sweet, but that was a complaint that depended on a person's taste.

'Above average.'

Kang-jun continued with the twigim and soondae.

'The oden is average. Soondae inferior. Twigim average.'

Kang-jun ate the tteokbokki, odeng, soondae and twigim and instantly reviewed them.

"The tteokbokki is delicious. But a little sweet."

"Hoho! Thank you. I hear that a lot. Please come often, Customer-nim."

"How is your business?"

"As you can see, I don't have a lot of customers. There are other businesses selling tteokbokki, so this location isn't good."

The ajumma knew that this location wasn't good. Nevertheless, this was the position she got.

Kang-jun naturally wasn't interested in such matters. The important thing was determining the effect his management skill would have.

'Then should I use the skill? Draw In Customers!'

Kang-jun inwardly shouted the skill name.

[Draw

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In Customers (1) has been used.]

[10 black magic energy is consumed.]

Finally. Would consuming 10 black magic energy really attract customers?

[Please specify the target.]

A new message appeared.

'Target?'

It meant the destination for the skill.

'The target is this ajumma's tteokbokki.'

Then another message appeared immediately.

[The target has been designated as Kang Young-cha's tteokbokki.]

[All people within 40 metres of Kang Young-cha's tteokbokki will be affected by the skill.]

[Some of the people within the radius of the skill will be interested in Kang Young-cha's tteokbokki.]

[Duration is 20 minutes.]

'Ohh!'

Amazing. It meant that people in a 40 metres radius would be brought here. It would last for the next 20 minutes.

But then a few more messages appeared.

[The power of the skill will greatly increase if the target if located within your territory.]

[Sometimes a skill's critical hit will occur, and in some cases, a special ability will be activated.]

[A skill's critical hit will be affected by the good luck stat.]

If the target was located within his territory?

It was talking about Kang-jun's own business. In reality it was a contract, but it was his base in Hwanmong.

Currently, there was only one such place. The gos.h.i.+won's Room 406. He had a contract with Room 413 but his only base in Hwanmong was Room 406.

Then expanding it would allow the power of his management skills to greatly increase. But to do business in a cramped room? It was unfortunate but it was irrelevant to him right now.

However, the skill's critical hit was different. It was a.s.sociated with the good luck stat so it could occur anywhere.

Kang-jun had six points in the luck stat.

Sure enough.

[The skill's critical hit has occurred.]

[The radius of the skill has extended to 80 metres.]

[You have received the buff skill Art of Communication for 10 minutes.]

[People will become interested in Kang Young-cha's tteokbokki when they hear you talk about it.]

'Oh! Critical hit!'

The radius of the skill increased. In addition, he received a communication buff.

It was at that moment.

"Oppa! We should go eat the tteokbokki over there."

"Really?"

A couple exploring the neighbourhood started to walk towards Kang Young-cha's tteokbokki.

That wasn't all.

"Hey! Should we have something to eat?"

"Tteokbokki!"

"I want soondae!"

"Shall we go to a snack restaurant?"

"No. How about this place?"

"Okay!"

"Hihi! Run! The one who arrives last will have to pay."

"Hey! There was such a rule?"

"Hahaha! I'm the first!"

"Ajumma, one tteokbokki please!"

Four high school students wearing uniforms rushed up to Kang Young-cha's tteokbokki stall.

'Ohu! The skill is really working?'

Kang-jun's heart pounded.

The skill alone attracted customers?

It seemed like a ridiculous story. But the customers were really coming.

Unfortunately, it was only two groups. There were quite a lot of people walking within 80 metres, but most just walked past. Sometimes people would look over here.

Perhaps the power of the skill was still too weak. Inferior. In other words, it would be different if it was an intermediate or advanced skill.

'Anyway, it can't stay like this.'

Right now he needed to experiment with the buff Art of Communication. Kang-jun clapped his hands and cried out.

"Now, have some tteokbokki as a snack. Come eat tteokbokki!"

The moment that Kang-jun shouted, the people walking nearby stopped like they had been struck by lightning. At the same time, their gazes were fixed to Kang-jun and the plates of tteokbokki in front of him.

That wasn't the end. Some of them started moving naturally towards the plates of tteokbokki.

"Shall we eat tteokbokki over there?"

"Yes. I suddenly want to eat tteokbokki."

"Hoho! Somehow that seems tasty."

A total of 10 people. They seemed possessed while the rest of the people pa.s.sed by like nothing had happened.

'I did that!'

In fact, Kang-jun just wanted to test the power of the buff.

However, 10 people came flocking at once. It was clear that the buff had a stronger instantaneous power compared to Draw In Customers.

More people would continue to flock if Kang-jun called. But Kang-jun had no intention of doing that. He was just trying to figure out the management skill.

"I ate well. Sell a lot."

"Yes, Customer-nim. Please come again."

Kang-jun paid for the food and left the tteokbokki stall. Kang-jun left but more customers were flocking. And the ajumma completely forgot all about Kang-jun due to the other customers. She thought it just happened by chance.

"Two servings of tteokbokki over here."

"Yes, Customer-nim."

"A small serving of soondae please. Quickly!"

"Yes, hoho! It is just a short wait."

She was working hard to get the food out to the customers.

Meanwhile, Kang-jun moved to the second floor of the coffee shop on the opposite side. Kang-jun sat at a window table with a cup of americano and watched her.

The Draw In Customers skill lasted 20 minutes. There seemed to be a steady supply of two or three customers every minute.

Kang-jun watched the situation and found one unique point.

'Not all the customers will order. A lot of them just leave.'

The skill drew in customers, but that didn't necessarily mean they would order. All it did was attract the attention of the customers. But even that was huge. If the menu was at a moderate level then it would never fail.

'Orders would increase if there was a more appetizing flavour. The patrons would then become frequent.'

Guests were attracted until the duration of the skill ended.

Kang-jun drank all his coffee but continued investigating the tteokbokki stall. Not surprisingly, people continued to rush past.

Kang Young-cha was still busy making food for the customers who ordered. However, new customers didn't come anymore. After 20 minutes, the stall returned to its original state. Still, the stall was briefly crowded so the ajumma's face was much brighter than before.

'The skill only has an effect in the time limit.'

Kang-jun left the coffee shop. He was no longer interested in Kang Young-cha's tteokbokki store. He didn't care about other people's business.

'Now I need to find an item to make money.'

He was originally planning to find a part time job, but the management skill changed that.

His current bank balance was 1,332,821 won. The convenience store owner had deposited the money she owed to him today.

He needed to pay 180,000 won in rent money for Room 413. Earlier he had already paid a down payment of 20,000 won.

So he would have approximately 1,150,000 won remaining. If he excluded the cost of living, that would be approximately 800,000 won.

This money wasn't even enough to become a street vendor. He needed at least a few hundred thousand more as capital.

'There has to be something.'

Kang-jun returned to the gos.h.i.+won and looked up street stalls on his laptop. He had some knowledge about market stalls due to his previous part time jobs.

'This is it.'

One of the posts caught his eyes.

t.i.tle: Street stall vendor needed!

Writer: Oh Young-sik / Views: 39

Contents: The location

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is at K Traditional Market.

There is a good floating population.

Prohibited items: Fruits, vegetables, side dishes, phone cases, toys, accessories etc.

Available industry: Underwear, socks, taiyaki, etc.

Per Day: 40,000 won [Prepaid]

Per Month: Consultation (Offer good prices)

Phone: 0XX-38X-33XX

It was a method where someone could pay one month's rent in advance. But sometimes there were contracts on a daily basis.

He took note of the prohibited items. It meant there was other compet.i.tion nearby. If such things were ignored then it would become a fight of available stock.

The available businesses were underwear, socks or taiyaki. It was a little too early in the summer for taiyaki.

It would be a little awkward for women to buy underwear from a man. Of course, if he used the skill then women would flock to buy panties and bras from Kang-jun, but it was embarra.s.sing. Even female high school students wouldn't choose it as a part time job.

'I'll just choose socks.'

Kang-jun had been to K Traditional Market several times so he knew the atmosphere. He could take advantage of Draw In Customers to attract the floating population and generate some revenue.

Kang-jun made a decision and called the number.

"Are you Oh Young-sik?"

-Yes, I am Oh Young-sik.

"I saw your post and decided to contact you. Has the stall been rented out yet?"

-Not yet. How long do you want it for?

"One week starting from tomorrow."

-350,000 won for 10 days, if possible…

Then it will be 35,000 a day. Kang-jun contemplated for a moment before saying.

"I decided to go. Please tell me the location."

Kang-jun immediately made a contract with Oh Young-sik.

In fact, the stall wasn't in a very good location. Originally, he probably wouldn't have sold even 100,000 won worth of goods. However, Kang-jun could draw in people within a 40 metres radius. If there was a critical hit then it would be 80 metres as well as the magic Art of Communication!

He already knew a place to obtain wholesale socks. Kang-jun obtained information about the area.

Kang-jun ordered children's socks, adult socks, hiking socks etc. He booked a quick delivery for tomorrow morning and went to bed early.

The next morning. Kang-jun headed to K Traditional Market.

9 a.m. He waited in front of the stall for the order.

There were six large boxes. They were filled with a variety of socks. All of it was worth 400,000 won. Even those with seasoned business skills wouldn't find it easy to sell that much in one day.

However, such common sense didn't apply to Kang-jun. As soon as he displayed the socks, customers started coming in from everywhere.

"How much is a pair of adult socks?"

"10,000 won for seven pairs."

"How about the hiking socks?"

"10,000 won for four pairs! Isn't it cheap?"

"What about the child socks here?"

"It is five pairs for 3,000 won!"

Of course, this was due to the power of Draw In Customers.

[All people within 40 metres of you will be affected by the skill.]

[Some of the people within the radius of the skill will be interested in the products you are selling.]

[Duration is 20 minutes.]

Some of them left without even asking the price, while others left after asking the price.

But some stayed.

Kang-jun continued to use the Draw In Customers skill every time the 20 minute duration ended.

Two hours pa.s.sed.

He refilled his black magic energy on a semi-regular basis. This was an area with plenty of people so it was easy to find targets.

After some time.

[The skill's critical hit has occurred.]

[The radius of the skill has extended to 80 metres.]

[You have received the buff skill Art of Communication for 10 minutes.]

[People will become interested in the products you are selling when they hear you talk about it.]

'Ohu! Critical hit!'

He had been waiting for that moment. He had six points in good luck so a critical hit wouldn't happen every time. How could he miss this golden time of 10 minutes?

"Come, cheap socks! Cheap! Luxury socks! Hiking socks! Come and check it out once!"

Kang-jun vigorously exclaimed. The people in the vicinity started staring at Kang-jun's stall. Their eyes flashed.

It was like using a taunting skill in a game. It wasn't surprising that people came up him.

"Young man! How much are those hiking socks?"

"One pair for 3,000 won. Four pairs for 10,000 won."

"What about a pair of adult socks?"

"2,000 won."

Kang-jun energetically welcomed the people.

The buying rate was low, but Kang-jun continued to gather people and succeeded in selling all six boxes by the time it was evening.

"Hahaha! Everything was sold!"

Kang-fun felt tired but proud as he gazed at the empty boxes. The boxes full of socks were gone. They had changed into money that entered Kang-jun's pockets.

1.26 million won.

Excluding the value of the goods and other expenses, he earned approximately 800,000 won. This was in just a single day.

When he was working part time at the convenience store, Kang-jun only earned 50,000 won a day. Now he earned 800,000 won.

'Huhu, I can increase it further in the future.'

Kang-jun's eyes shone as he clenched his fists.

'This is only the beginning.'

The next day, Kang-jun continued selling socks at K Traditional Market.

He managed to sell eight boxes by the time it was evening. It was around 1.2 million won in profit. He made a huge two million won in just two days.

'Huhu, I'm sweeping in all the money.'

He might be able to make 10 million won in the 10 days he had the contract for. This was due to the power of the management skill.

He was capable of making money and no longer needed to live in poverty. Was this the happy end after a hard life of suffering?

The problem was that he needed to survive in the world of Hwanmong to benefit from this happiness! Even if he earned billions, no, tens of billions of won, it would be useless if he was defeated in Hwanmong.

He needed to win. His tension wouldn't be released until he pa.s.sed through 100 missions.

But the two million won was rea.s.suring. Kang-jun deposited the money he made into a bank via ATM and headed back to the gos.h.i.+won with a proud heart.

'The door to Hwanmong will open tonight.'

Upon entering Hwanmong, he would have to fulfill the third mission of constructing a barrack in Room 413.

'I have to retrieve the key.'

He signed a temporary contract two days ago. The formal contract started tonight, when the door to Hwanmong would open.

Kang-jun finished eating dinner and had a shower before visiting the management office to hand over the remaining 180,000 won to Kwon Myeong-cheol.

"I don't know why you want the room, but be careful. And you should sleep in Room 406 if possible."

Kwon Myeong-cheol said with a worried expression while handing over the keys to Room 413. Kang-jun grinned.

"Did you really see a ghost?"

"I did. Anyway, I warned you. Don't blame me later."

Kang-jun thought he was being honest. He had never seen a ghost before…but it wasn't without merit.

It reminded him. Just days before, he had seen a corpse underneath his bed. The shock and horror from that time! It was indeed beyond imagination.

Of course, it was thanks to the black magic purification power of Hwanmong. But even that was extremely unusual. Kang-jun couldn't dismiss the idea of a ghost as nonsense.

'Where is the ghost? It might appear in Hwanmong but this is reality.'

And even then, he didn't feel afraid. He had the black magic powers.

Ttalkak!

Kang-jun opened the door to room 413 and turned on the lights. There was a chill in the room but he didn't see anything like a ghost.

So why did Kwon Myeong-cheol tell him to watch out? Was there something to see here?

'Perhaps?'

Kang-jun searched underneath the bed.

'There isn't anything here either.'

He thought it was futile. There was n.o.body else here.

It was at that moment. All of a sudden, the lights turned off and it became dark.

'What? This is?'

He hadn't touched the switch to turn the lights off. Perhaps the lights stopped working? He decided to go check it.

However, that wasn't the problem.

Something suddenly appeared in front of Kang-jun. An existence that could be clearly seen even in the darkness!

A female in white mourning clothes with tidy black hair. A pretty woman in her early 20s with a smile on her face.

She wasn't human. Kang-jun could instantly tell that she was a ghost, not a human. It was obvious to his senses.

A chill ran through his body. Even though a real ghost had appeared, he was calm and confident.

"What are you?"

Kang-jun asked while staring at the ghost. Then the ghost spat out.

"Get out of this room."

It was a creepy feeling that penetrated deep into his soul. The ghost was smiling but her voice caused a lot of fear.

"M-me?"

"You! Don't come back."

A ghost. She seemed to imply that she would hurt him if he didn't leave.

What should he do? An average person would flee as soon as they heard that. Kang-jun also felt like instantly running away.

But there was no way he could do that. He had contracted this room for 200,000 won. It gave Kang-jun the right to use it exclusively for one month. How could he be pushed out by a mere ghost? He could never do that.

"This is my room. You should get lost!"

The ghost silently

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glared at Kang-jun. The ice in her eyes!

Kang-jun felt like his heart was sinking down.

'Euh! d.a.m.n!'

But he couldn't lose to the ghost. In that case, he would use his black magic!

'Disappear right now! You evil ghost!'

Kang-jun cursed the ghost with his power.

He expected the ghost to lose her strength and collapse. At the same time, Kang-jun would absorb the black magic energy. However, the situation was different from what he expected.

[The target has resisted.]

Unbelievable! Resistance!

The message wasn't new but it was still surprising.

[You can open the battle field and compete in a fight against the target.]

[If you win, you can absorb a large amount of black magic energy. However, your black magic energy is currently full and you can't absorb any more.]

[A large amount of black magic energy will be consumed if you lose.]

[Would you like to open the battle field? Yes/No]

[Opening the battle field will consume 1 black magic energy.]

It was impossible to absorb the black magic energy if he won. On the other hand, he would be deprived of black magic energy if he lost. Then it would be foolish to open the battle field.

The face of the ghost distorted. She noticed that Kang-jun had tried to do something.

"You dare!"

The ghost leapt towards him. Kang-jun reflexively kicked up and hit the ghost's chin.

Bam!

The ghost's head shot backward. Kang-jun jumped up and his feet slammed against the chest of the ghost.

Bam bam!

The ghost fell to the floor.

'She isn't a big deal.'

The ghost had a spirit body, but he managed to succeed in kicking her twice.

However, Kang-jun didn't feel good. Was the ghost originally so weak? It couldn't be.

Sure enough.

Suuok!

The ghost jumped up and gave Kang-jun a menacing glare.

'Heok!'

The previously white clothes had now turned black. Her neat hair unfurled into a wild mess. But was that all? Her eyes turned red and bloodshot.

Beondduk!

Blood started pouring down from the black hair!

'Euh! d.a.m.n!'

Kang-jun flinched back.

The momentum had changed. Just looking at her was difficult.

'A-avoid it!'

Suddenly, the ghost's arms stretched out and grabbed Kang-jun's throat.

Kwack!

The ghost held Kang-jun by the throat and lifted him into the air.

'Ouch!'

He couldn't breathe. Kang-jun urgently tried to remove the ghost's hands but it was like they were made of steel.

"Kikikiki. I'm going to kill you."

The ghost removed one hand and pulled out a knife.

'Ohh! s.h.i.+t!'

He was mistaken. He should have just left earlier when told to.

Kang-jun could see why people were afraid of ghosts. But it wouldn't matter at this rate.

Kang-jun shook his body while suspended in the air and used the rebound to kick the head of the ghost.

Bam bam!

The body of the ghost stumbled slightly. At the same time, the grip of the hand clutching Kang-jun's neck weakened.

Kang-jun used that moment to swiftly pull away from the ghost's hands, and he bolted straight for the open door.

'I need to escape.'

Where could he run when being chased by a ghost? Kang-jun instinctively ran towards Room 406.

He would be safe if he entered there. He didn't know the reason. But now wasn't the time to think of a reason. He would think about such things later.

Tadadada!

The distraught Kang-jun ran down the corridor and arrived in front of Room 406. He opened the door and involuntarily turned around.

Suuk.

The ghost that was at the end of the corridor arrived in front of Kang-jun in the blink of an eye. The incredible speed seemed like teleportation.

'Heok!'

It was like a memorable scene from a horror movie. Kang-jun entered the room as fast as the wind and closed the door.

Kw.a.n.g!

He immediately locked the door and took deep breaths.

'Crazy! There was a real ghost.'

In addition, the ghost turned out to be an enemy. A ghost who tried to kill Kang-jun.

Kw.a.n.g kw.a.n.g kw.a.n.g!

Something violently knocked on the door. It was obviously the ghost. Kang-jun jumped with surprise inside the room.

Kw.a.n.g kw.a.n.g kw.a.n.g kw.a.n.g!

The door seemed to be in danger of breaking. Kang-jun watched it with an uneasy expression.

'Strange. Why isn't the ghost coming in?'

There was no reason for the ghost to break down the door. She could come straight through the door. But the ghost didn't enter and just continued knocking.

Knock knock!

In addition, the knocks now seemed like light taps.

"Excuse me. Just a minute. Could you open the door?"

That wasn't all. The ghost was asking in a beautiful voice for him to open the door.

A sweet voice. The voice was so pretty that he almost unwittingly opened the door.

But Kang-jun didn't give in. His subconscious was sending danger signals! He couldn't open the door no matter what happened.

And the door to Hwanmong would open once he fell asleep. So that he could live! Would the ghost be chased away if the door to Hwanmong opened?

Knock knock!

"Just for a moment. Please open up."

Her voice was endlessly heard. Kang-jun blocked his ears and lay down on the bed.

'I have to sleep. Go to sleep now.'

However, it wasn't easy to sleep with the ghost disturbing him. He couldn't sleep when he knew there was a ghost at the door.

Still, Kang-jun continued to lie under the covers on the bed. At some point, he was barely able to fall asleep.

And then a dreamy voice was heard.

[The door to Hwanmong is open.]

[You have entered the world of Hwanmong.]

'This place?'

A strange but familiar area. It was Kang-jun's room in Hwanmong. But unlike before, the internal s.p.a.ce was now expanded by several more times.

Fortunately, he couldn't see any ghost. The door was open but the gos.h.i.+won's corridor was empty.

It was natural. This was Hwanmong, the dream world. The ghost in reality couldn't come chasing him into the dream.

'By the way, why is the room so much bigger?'

The large interior s.p.a.ce was obviously due to the completion of the base.

It was impossible in reality, but this was Hwanmong.

[This base is the headquarters of the territory that you control.]

[The base headquarters acts as a safety zone that protects you in reality.]

'Safety zone?'

Kang-jun realized why the ghost had to knock from the outside.

[Now enter Room 413 and remove all obstacles.]

[Then the threat in reality will disappear from Room 413.]

'The threat in reality?'

It was obviously the ghost. If Kang-jun removed the obstacles from Room 413, then he didn't need to be afraid of the ghost anymore.

'Then I can't hesitate.'

Anyway, he needed to absolutely complete Mission 3.

Kang-jun left the base and headed towards Room 413. The doork.n.o.b that was impossible to use last time now turned and the door opened.

What was inside? Was it infested with the rat headed monkeys called ratians?

Kang-jun nervously entered the room.

Susususu.

But dark clouds covered Kang-jun when he entered and cleared to reveal an unknown cave.

[Ratian Dungeon]

[Get rid of all the monsters in dungeons.]

'What is this?'

There was a cave in the small gos.h.i.+won room. This was only possible in the dream world of Hwanmong.

Then the ratians? They were the opponents he faced last time. The rat head monkeys!

Sure enough. Once he entered the dungeon, three ratians wielding clubs came running up.

"Kiaaah!"

"Kikikik!"

He had been quite surprised when he first saw them, but now they were nothing.

Kang-jun calmly tackled the one in the lead. He dropped down to avoid the club and finished it off with a kick to the head. And he picked up the club. The club was used to break the skull of the second monster.

He subsequently acquired experience and nodes. Soon the three ratians were puddles of blood on the ground, while Kang-jun kept staring straight ahead.

'I need to be careful of the ones shooting bows.'

The dungeon s.p.a.ce was wide and incomparable to the cramped gos.h.i.+won. In addition, there were plenty of places where archers could be hidden.

Kang-jun moved forward while studying the rocks in

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front of him.

"Kiaaah!"

"Kikikiki!"

As expected, the ratian archers were exposed. They shot their bows as soon as they saw Kang-jun.

Piyok! Piyok!

Kang-jun swiftly hid behind the rocks to avoid the arrows. At the same time, he picked up one of the ratian corpses on the ground and threw it towards the archers.

Hwiik!

The ratian archers were freaked out by the blood. Kang-jun swiftly ran out and slammed the club into a ratian archer.

Papapak! Pak!

"Kuwek!"

"Kuweeek!"

He took care of three ratian archers. Then he saw something s.h.i.+ny near one of the bodies.

'Potion?'

[Minor Health Potion]

[40 health will be restored when taken orally.]

'A potion isn't necessary at the moment.'

Kang-jun placed the potion in his pocket. The pocket could comfortably hold five potions.

Kang-jun continued by picking up a bow and arrows. His accuracy with the bow was low but it would be useful to scare the ratians.

'When will those other ones appear?'

There should be some giant ratians. Kang-jun prepared the bow and arrows.

"Kuweeeh!"

"Kuaaaah!"

It was as he expected.

A two metre tall rat head monkey holding a large log. The appearance of a giant ratian.

Two of them emerged at once! But 2vs1 wasn't that much more difficult that 1vs1.

Kang-jun waited for one to approach before firing the arrow towards the face.

Pak!

"Kuweek!"

The arrow embedded in the left eye of the giant ratian. Kang-jun jumped up and mercilessly smacked the club into the head of the one staggering.

Bam! Bam! Bam bam!

"Kuwaaack!"

Exactly four hits! The giant ratian was laid out. Meanwhile, the other giant ratian moved towards Kang-jun and brandished the log.

Sswiing!

'Ick!'

Kang-jun bent at the waist to avoid it and pushed his feet against its chest. Then successively struck with the club.

"Kill!"

Bam bam bam! Bam!

"Kuwaaack!"

Thus, he took care of another giant ratian without being hurt.

'Are these guys weak? Or have I become stronger?'

The giant ratians were straightforward to deal with.

In fact, Kang-jun's combat power had become much stronger since he reached Lv3. His strength and agility increased, so he could deal much more damage to the ratians.

There were s.h.i.+ny items around the corpses of the giant ratians.

[Minor Health Potion]

[Minor Health Potion]

Two potions!

This meant he had a total of three potions. It was rea.s.suring.

Kang-jun placed the potions into his pocket and moved inside the dungeon.

"Kuwaaah!"

A giant ratian showed up again.

Kang-jun dealt the first blow with the arrow before using the club. At that moment.

[Your level has risen.]

Kang-jun rose to Lv4.

'Yes! Level up!'

His level rose after dealing with three giant ratians.

Dudududu.

But then all of a sudden, the ground vibrated. A s.p.a.cious area was revealed behind the giant ratian.

There was something in the middle similar to an altar. There was a gigantic statue erected on top.

"Kukukuku!"

The stone statue started to move with a dismal laugh.

'What is it?'

A moving stone statue. At first glance, it had a height of two metres and was similar to the giant ratian. However, it had body armour and was holding a sabre.

"Kukukuku!"

It let out a dismal laugh and moved towards Kang-jun.

's.h.i.+t! Boss monster?'

He was certain that it was a boss monster. Something that he couldn't avoid! He needed to fight to unconditionally win.

Kang-jun tried to shoot the bow at the statue.

Piing!

The arrow flew straight at the head of the stone statue. However, there wasn't even one scratch. The stone statue quickly jumped towards Kang-jun.

Swiik!

There was an eerie sound as the stone blade descended.

Kwakw.a.n.g!

Kang-jun quickly avoided it, but the floor shook violently like there was an earthquake.

"Ugh!"

A huge shockwave!

Kang-jun fell backwards before standing up painfully. His whole body was throbbing.

It was obviously due to the shockwave attack. Was it a ranged attack?

This wasn't a normal opponent.

Health: 102/150.

His health dropped by nearly 50 points from just one attack. Kang-jun quickly drank a potion and refilled 40 points.

Health: 142/150.

It was a relief that he had the potions.

"Kuaaaah!"

Meanwhile, the statue roared and the sabre descended again.

Kwaang!

At the same time, shockwaves occurred all over the place! But Kang-jun had withdrawn far away.

'I won't be hit by it twice.'

The stone statue had a dreadful appearance and strength. Still, it didn't move as quickly as the giant ratians. If he paid close attention to the actions of the long ranged attacks then he could withdraw to avoid them.

Kwaang!

It occurred again but it wasn't difficult to avoid at that range.

'The attack pattern is simple.'

It was like victory was already in his sights. Kang-jun was sure of his victory. He needed to focus and not become careless. Being hit by even one attack could ruin him.

Piing!

Kang-jun shot the bow towards the statue.

Pak!

It bounced off the statue but succeeded in making it flinch for a moment.

Piing! Piing!

Kang-jun continued to fire the bow at the stone statue. He spun clockwise and then suddenly turned anti clockwise!

"Kuooh!"

Sswiing! Hwing hwing hwing!

The stone statue moved from side to side but couldn't keep up

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with Kang-jun's movements. It stumbled as it tried to chase after Kang-jun.

Kang-jun didn't miss that moment.

He immediately rushed in and knocked against the chest of the statue. Then he furiously struck its head.

"Kill!"

Pak! Pak! Paak!

'Ugh!'

His arm trembled as it hit stone. The club also cracked. But the statue seemed to receive a big shock.

"Kukukuku!"

The statue staggered around and tried to recover.

'This won't do!'

Kang-jun whacked the statue's right hand.

Pak! Pak!

The right hand couldn't hold onto the sabre and it fell to the ground. Kang-jun threw the club away and instantly picked it up.

"Hiyahh!"

Kang-jun swung the sabre back and put all his weight into it to increase the strength. A strike with literally all his power!

Swiik!

The stone head received the exact hit.

Kwajak!

The head of the statue was soft like tofu. The statue stopped stiff.

Jjejejejeok!

Then the body literally crack and broke.

Pusususu!

It turned to dust around Kang-jun.

'Phew!'

He barely won. Kang-jun sighed with relief and looked around.

'Is it now finished?'

There weren't any other monsters nearby. Kang-jun had removed all the monsters in the dungeon.

'Oh! There is a scroll.'

Kang-jun found the flas.h.i.+ng scroll through the broken fragments of stone.

[A stone statue that is the guardian of Ratian Dungeon. It has strong power and be careful of the ranged attacks…]

At the same time, the scroll turned into dust and disappeared.

[You have gained inferior knowledge of the golem ratigers.]

'Ratigers?'

The name of the stone statue was ratigers.

[Combat strength against the ratigers has risen by 10%.]

[The likelihood of acquiring items from the ratigers has risen by 5%.]

Knowledge. After the ratians, he now learnt about the ratigers.

[All obstructions have been removed from Room 413.]

At the same time, an empty box appeared on top of the altar.

'What is that?'

The box opened by itself as Kang-jun reached out.

There was a book, a large brown bead and s.h.i.+ny blue coins inside.

[Skill Book – Aura of the Earth has been acquired.

[One Essence of the Earth has been acquired.]

[100 nodes have been gained.]

'Oh! Amazing!'

Unbelievable! It was a treasure chest.

In particular, a skill book! He could finally get a skill?

The t.i.tle Aura of the Earth was written on the cover in hangul.

Kang-jun picked it up.

Flas.h.!.+ Hwaaack!

At that moment, a brilliant light wrapped around his body.

[Through the Aura of Earth, you can confront powerful physical attacks from the enemy. It will exert a more powerful strength as your level rises…]

[Aura of Earth skill has been acquired.]

[Aura of Earth (Active)]

-Additional earth property damage will be added to all attacks.

-Physical defense has increased significantly.

-Consumes 5 black magic energy.

-Duration is one minute

-Wind, fire, water and earth can't be used simultaneously.

5 black magic energy will be consumed to use this skill to increase physical attack and defense for one minute.

'A skill specialized in defense rather than offense.'

He didn't know how much his defense and attack would increase but it was still his first skill.

'But what is this bead? I think it was called Essence of Earth?'

Kang-jun picked up the big brown bead inside the box. There was a description the moment he picked it up.

[Essence of Earth]

-Rating: Rare

-One of the four elements, earth has been condensed into a bead and can be used as building materials or summoning monsters.

The bead in Kang-jun's hands disappeared. In addition, the blue coins in the box also disappeared as Kang-jun touched them.

At the same time, a new window appeared in front of Kang-jun.

[Resource Status]

Money – 167 nodes

Essence of Earth – 1

This was the amount of property Kang-jun currently owned. Of course, this property was only in Hwanmong.

Susususu.

Then the black cloud s.h.i.+fted and the dungeon faded away.

[You can build a barrack in Room 413.]

[Resource required is 100 nodes.]

[Would you like to build a barrack? Yes/No]

Finally, he could construct a barrack. He could accomplish Mission 3.

'Yes! Construct the barrack.'

A brilliant light shone in the room the moment Kang-jun gave the command.

[Stage 1 barrack construction.]

[Degree of Completion: 0%]

Just like the base, a little bit of time was needed to complete the barrack.

[Stage 1 barrack construction: 10%]

Fortunately, the construction of the barrack was very fast compared to the base. He only waited a few moments.

[A barrack was built in Room 413.]

The cramped area of Room 413 expanded and it looked just like an army barrack.

'This is a barrack.'

He finally achieved Mission 3.

Sure enough.

[Mission 3 has been accomplished.]

[As a reward, enough experience will be given to increase your level.]

Lee Kang-jun

Lv.5 (Exp 20.00%)

[War] Beginner

Health: 170/170.

Black Magic Energy: 80/200

Strength: 8

Agility: 9

Intelligence: 6

Good Luck: 6

Charisma: 8

His level rose. His health recovered and the black magic energy capacity also rose.

'My muscles have hardened.'

There was a clear difference. The rise of strength and agility! Thanks to that, his body felt much lighter and

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stronger. Kang-jun gave a satisfied smile as he felt his body becoming stronger.

In addition, his head also felt clearer. It was thanks to a rise in intelligence. In the future, it would be useful when studying or reading a book. He would have to try it out at least once.

In the meantime, a new message appeared.

[Now that a base and barrack have been built, you can earnestly partic.i.p.ate in a full-scale war.]

[Gather troops to scout.]

[Everybody else besides you will be the enemy.]

[Remove all threats that you see.]

[Your army will become more powerful through invasion and plunder.]

Kang-jun was surprised.

'Full-scale war?'

Furthermore, everybody except for himself were enemies!

Invasion and plunder?

A new message appeared while he was having doubts.

Mission 4

-Occupy the Dafeng building.

-Compensation: Experience, 200 nodes and 3 Essence of Earth.

What was this?

Occupy the Dafeng building.

'The Dafeng building is this one.'

That's right. Dafeng was the name of the building containing the gos.h.i.+won. The gos.h.i.+won was on the 4th floor, the 3rd floor had the PC Room, the 2nd floor was a coffee shop and karaoke, 1st floor was the real estate office, while the bas.e.m.e.nt contained a karaoke bar.

The mission given was for him to occupy the Dafeng building.

'How do I occupy it?'

Was it simply through scouting? Or did he need to use money to purchase it in reality?

The latter option wasn't simple.

The building was old but it was still in Gangnam. It was in s.h.i.+nsadong, the administrative area of Gangnam. He could go to the real estate office but he already knew the market price of the building would be huge.

'Crazy! Surely the mission doesn't require buying this building.'

[This area doesn't belong to you in reality so you can capture it through invasion.]

'Such a thing is possible?'

Kang-jun finally understood the contents of the mission.

In other words, the mission didn't require purchasing the building with money in reality. It was a mission that required occupying Dafeng through force in Hwanmong.

If so, there was no need to hesitate. There might be tough enemies hiding.

'I need to produce some troops.'

Kang-jun looked directly at Room 413.

[You can summon monsters you've obtained knowledge about in the barrack.]

[Available to Summon]

-Ratians

-Giant ratians

-Ratigers

Kang-jun had gained knowledge about three types of creatures so he could summon them. It was possible to summon the boss monster ratigers!

The stage 1 barrack had a capacity for 10 troops. Of course, it wasn't free. Resources such as nodes and the Essence of Earth were required.

Ratian infantry

Resources: 10 nodes

Ratian archers

Resources: 10 nodes

Giant ratians

Resources: 20 nodes

-1 charisma is required to summon

Ratigers

Resources: 100 nodes, 1 Essence of Earth

-3 charisma is required to summon

In the case of certain monsters, summoning was impossible if his charisma was too low.

Fortunately, Kang-jun had eight charisma. He did well by rolling the dice again to increase charisma during the reconstruction of his body.

Currently he had 67 nodes.

Kang-jun summoned two ratian infantry, two ratian archers and one giant ratian.

[Stage 1 Barrack]

-Capacity 0/10

[Ratian infantry summoning: 1%]

[A ratian infantry is scheduled to be summoned]

[A ratian archer is scheduled to be summoned]

[A ratian archer is scheduled to be summoned]

[A giant ratian is scheduled to be summoned]

The summoning was time consuming but took place immediately. Only one could be summoned at a time so it took a while for all five monsters to arrive.

'It will take a while if I wait.'

Kang-jun decided to move alone instead of waiting for his army. He should occupy the gos.h.i.+won on the 4th floor first. In reality, he only had a contract for Rooms 406 and 413, but he could occupy the rest through invasion.

He started from the next room on the right. First, he stood in front of Room 405.

[Room 405]

-Invasion is possible

[Would you like to invade? Yes/No]

It would be frightening if he received this question in reality.

This room wasn't empty in reality. Kang-jun knew who was right next door. Kim Hyun-soo was an office worker in his 20s who had stayed in that room for many months. Their only relations.h.i.+p was light greetings when seeing each other. But now Kang-jun was invading his room!

It was something he would never do in reality. But this was the world of Hwanmong. Common sense and the laws in reality didn't apply to this world.

'Yes! Invade.'

Kang-jun didn't hesitate to initiate the invasion. He needed to invade all of Dafeng, so Kang-jun had to hurry.

[Attack and destroy the door.]

Kang-jun immediately swung his bat at the door to Room 405.

Kw.a.n.g! Kw.a.n.g kw.a.n.g!

A red durability gauge appeared.

[Door to Room 405: 92%]

It meant his attacks only caused the durability to fall by 8%.

"Eeit!"

Kw.a.n.g! Bam bam bam! Kwakw.a.n.g!

Kang-jun attacked with the club as well as his two feet. The durability fell in a flash.

[Door to Room 405: 0%]

The message stating that the door reached 0% durability appeared the moment the door faded away.

[You have captured Room 405.]

The inside of Room 405 was immediately revealed. It was an empty room without even a bed or a desk. Something was s.h.i.+ning on the ground.

[Solid Wooden Stick]

'Oh! Weapon!'

Kang-jun instantly looked at it.

[Solid Wooden Stick]

-Lightweight yet durable, it won't break easily.

-There is a 1% chance to stun enemies with a blow.

The light and durable stick was incomparable to the ratian's club. In addition, it had an option attached that gave a 1% chance of stunning the enemy.

'I can change weapons.'

Kang-jun immediately abandoned the club for the wooden stick.

'Next is Room 404!'

He broke the door in an instant.

[You have captured Room 404.]

[3 nodes have been gained.]

Room 404 gave him three nodes. But that wasn't the end. Kang-jun attacked and occupied Rooms 403, 402 and 401.

He didn't get money or items in every room. In some cases, he literally just smashed the door.

However, each room had an updated information window.

[Room 401]

-Occupied territory

-Territory effect: Construction of a research inst.i.tute is possible.

[Room 402]

-Occupied territory

-Territory effect: None

[Room 403]

-Occupied territory

-Territory effect: None

There was something like this.

Kang-jun needed to consider the effect of each room so he could decide if he should form a contract in reality. For the most part, each of the rooms had no effect. But in the case of Room 401, it was possible to construct a research inst.i.tute.

'What is a research inst.i.tute?'

[Through the research inst.i.tute, you can create more powerful monsters to make the war situation more favourable.]

So, building a research inst.i.tute meant his monsters would become stronger. If so, he needed to build it by any means.

He would need to sign a contract for Room 401 in reality, just like Rooms 406 and 413. The manager Kwon Myeong-cheol would think he was crazy, but it would be beneficial to Kang-jun in Hwanmong.

Money wouldn't be a burden. Right now, Kang-jun

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had the ridiculous ability to earn one million won a day.

[A ratian infantry has been summoned.]

One ratian was finally summoned to the barrack.

Ratian infantry No.001]

Health: 70/70

Strength: 2

Agility: 5

Intelligence: 1

Dexterity: 1

"Keket! Rod! Please give a command. I will do whatever you want."

Surprisingly, the ratian could speak. It also spoke in Korean!

"Come and attack the target with me."

"Kikikik! It is exciting."

The ratian infantry came to Room 407 and started attacking the door mercilessly with Kang-jun.

Kw.a.n.g kw.a.n.g kw.a.n.g!

Bam bam! Bam bam bam!

Thanks to that, the door to Room 407 was broken at a much faster rate.

[You have captured Room 407.]

[4 nodes have been gained.]

'It is easy to understand.'

Although it was an ugly monster with the head of a rat and the body of a monkey, it was still somewhat rea.s.suring to have it as a subordinate.

"Next is Room 408!"

"Kekekeke!"

Kang-jun occupied the gos.h.i.+won rooms at a fast pace thanks to the ratian infantry. Another ratian infantry was summoned by the time he took over all the rooms and headed towards the kitchen.

48 nodes.

Two Minor Health Recovery Potions.

One Solid Wooden Stick.

Those were the loot he obtained in the meantime. It was quite good.

Kang-jun headed for the gos.h.i.+won's management office located near the stairs of the 4th floor with a satisfied smile.

"Okay. Now it is time for the management office. Attack!"

"Kukakat! I understand."

"Keket! I will follow you."

But unlike the small rooms, the door to the management office wasn't easily broken.

[The Dafeng gos.h.i.+won's management office: 92%]

Despite three people hitting at it, the durability only decreased by 8%. In addition, sometimes the door would swing open to attack.

'Ugh! This won't work. Aura of Earth!'

In that case, he would use his skill!

Aura of Earth consumed five black magic energy to increase defense for one minute.

Kw.a.n.g! Kw.a.n.g!

Due to that, Kang-jun wasn't hurt by any attacks from the management office's door.

On the other hand, the ratians had no defense and their health continued to decrease.

[Ratian infantry No.001]

Health: 38/70

[Ratian infantry No.002]

Health: 32/70

'Ah! It would be a shame if they are killed.'

Kang-jun hastily moved them back.

"I will attack this alone while you retreat."

The ratian infantry waited in the back.

In the end, Kang-jun was forced to attack the door of the management office alone. However, Aura of Earth couldn't fill in the gap from the missing attacks of the two ratians.

[A ratian archer has been summoned.]

Then a ratian archer with ranged attacks was summoned, so reducing the durability was even more straightforward.

[The Dafeng gos.h.i.+won's management office: 0%]

He finally managed to break down the door of the management office.

[You have occupied the management office.]

[The gos.h.i.+won in the Dafeng building has been entirely captured.]

He looked inside the management office and saw a scroll.

Kang-jun examined it.

[Inferior gos.h.i.+won knowledge has been acquired.]

[The power of the management skills inside the gos.h.i.+won will increase.]

'Inferior gos.h.i.+won knowledge?'

Occupying the gos.h.i.+won gave him some knowledge about it. Of course, this knowledge wasn't normal knowledge but a.s.sociated with the skill. In other words, Kang-jun's skill Draw In Customer would become much stronger inside the gos.h.i.+won.

'Will occupying something generate knowledge?'

Then taking control of the PC rooms on the 3rd floor might give knowledge about the PC rooms. What about the coffee shop and karaoke on the 2nd floor, real estate office on the 1st floor and karaoke bar in the bas.e.m.e.nt?

'My guess is probably right.'

This was the world of Hwanmong!

It wasn't simple knowledge. In reality, money was power. In other words, he could earn money easier when occupying new territory.

He would do whatever it took to occupy the building.

It was at that moment.

[Your time in the world of Hwanmong is over.]

[The door to Hwanmong is closed.]

Kang-jun heard a dreamy voice and the area in front of him became hazy.

"Um!"

He was on his bed. It meant he had woken up from the dream. He came back to reality from Hwanmong.

'I've only occupied the 4th floor.'

Unfortunately, he had only started the occupation of the 3rd floor when the door to Hwanmong was closed. He glanced at his watch and saw that it was 7 a.m.

'I need to hurry up and prepare.'

Today he would go and make money by selling socks.

Kang-jun opened the door without thinking.

"Heok!"

What was this? The ghost was standing at his door.

'This!'

Kang-jun tried to quickly close the door, but the ghost had already rushed inside.

"Kikiki! I'm going to kill you."

The wild black hair. The b.l.o.o.d.y light in her eyes!

Why was she still haunting him? It clearly said that the threat in reality would disappear. Furthermore, the momentum of the ghost didn't seem to have changed at all.

The cold eyes of a virgin ghost. They were as cold as the north or south pole. Any man looking into those eyes would feel himself wither. If this continued, the ghost really would kill him.

's.h.i.+t! I won't obediently let her kill her me.'

Kang-jun desperately decided to resist and threw a punch towards the ghost's face.

Hwik!

It was naturally a reckless attack. The ghost wouldn't budge even if Kang-jun managed to hit her.

However, the actual situation unfolded differently from his expectations.

Peok -!

Kwatang!

The ghost was like a scarecrow in front of Kang-jun's fist. Both Kang-jun and the ghost were surprised that he managed to knock her down.

"You dare do something like this!"

Hwiing!

The ghost hurriedly jumped up and grabbed Kang-jun's neck with both hands.

Bam!

At that moment, Kang-jun's right foot struck the ghost's chest. It was followed by his left foot that had his full weight behind it.

Bam bam!

"Kkiaaak!"

The ghost was blown down the corridor with a sharp scream.

"Ohh…"

The ghost staggered up with confusion on her face. Her eyes showed that she couldn't accept this situation.

On the other hand, a relaxed smile appeared on Kang-jun's face.

'The ghost's power has clearly weakened.'

The words stating that removing all obstacles in Room 413 would make the threat in reality disappear wasn't total nonsense. The ghost was definitely weaker compared to before. She no longer posed a threat to Kang-jun.

'Then I can't leave it alone.'

Kang-jun needed to stop the ghost from coming near him ever again.

"You took it well today. I'll give you some more."

Kang-jun approached with a ferocious expression, causing the ghost to flinch back.

"D-don't come."

But Kang-jun ignored those words and continued moving forwards. Then the ghost rushed into Room 413.

Kang-jun immediately tried to open the door to Room 413. However, the door didn't open easily. The door k.n.o.b wouldn't turn, like someone was holding it on the other side. Of course, that person was the ghost.

Sure enough.

"Don't come in. Please! It is a request."

The ghost said in a pitiful voice. It no longer wailed and sounded like the normal voice of a woman. Appealing to his pity?

But Kang-jun wouldn't be moved by such a thing.

Kw.a.n.g!

Kang-jun punched the door and said coldly.

"I am telling you nicely to open the door."

Then the force holding the door shut disappeared. Kang-jun who was holding the doork.n.o.b opened it.

"Please! Don't come in."

The ghost begged, but Kang-jun ignored her and entered the room.

Instead of the black clothes and wild hair, the ghost was wearing a white dress and straight hair and was staring at Kang-jun with an uneasy expression.

She looked quite pretty. No, she wasn't pretty but beautiful. But she was still a ghost.

Kang-jun reached out and grabbed the collar of the ghost.

"What are you?"

"Ha…Hayun."

The ghost fearfully made eye contact with Kang-jun before replying.

"Hayun?"

"Hayun is my name."

Her name? The name of a ghost? Although it was natural. She

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would have had a name when she was alive.

Anyway, that wasn't important right now.

Kung!

Kang-jun roughly pushed her against the wall.

"Why would I ask about your name? I'm asking about what you are!"

Hayun replied feebly.

"You already know that. You know what I am."

Of course he knew. However, Kang-jun couldn't help wondering if Hayun was really a ghost. Especially a virgin ghost.

"Are you really a virgin ghost?"

Hayun glared at Kang-jun.

"Is there any need for me to answer?"

"Of course. Tell me! Are you really a virgin ghost?"

Hayun struggled for a moment before opening her mouth with a sigh.

"Yes. I am a ghost. But I'm not a virgin. Is that a problem?"

Kang-jun was lost in thought for a moment.

'So she is a ghost but not a virgin?'

This! Kang-jun was afraid that Hayun had misunderstood him. She seemed to think he would have more sympathy if she was a virgin.

There was no such thing. He was simply asking if she was a virgin ghost. According to legend, the most terrifying ghost to be haunted by was a virgin ghost. And to Kang-jun, the meaning of virgin was just an unmarried woman.

But Hayun seemed to have misunderstood.

His face started to become hot. He wasn't expecting such an honest answer. He hadn't even been curious about such a thing.

Kang-jun looked at her with an awkward expression.

"Anyway, I am right that you are a ghost."

"Yes."

Hayun obediently nodded. Kang-jun sneered and said.

"If you are dead, why don't you go to the afterlife instead of scaring people in this room?"

"This is my room. I don't want anyone else in this room."

"What does that mean?"

Kang-jun couldn't understand why the already dead Hayun was clinging to Room 413.

"And why are you here? Did you die in this room?"

Hayun nodded as tears dripped down.

"Will you listen to my situation?"

"Leave this room right now. And don't come anywhere near me again."

"It is a request. Please don't drive me out. I will be quiet. If you listen to my situation…"

"Why should I listen to your circ.u.mstances? I'm not curious at all! Just get lost!"

Anyone watching the scene would think Kang-jun was an unscrupulous landlord kicking out his poor tenant Hayun.

"I can't. I will never leave."

"Do you want me to hit you? Or will you leave?"

Kang-jun raised his fists in preparation to hit Hayun. Hayun closed her eyes.

"Hit me. I will be alright. Instead, just let me stay here."

Hitting her. He could just hit her. But how could he hit her when the ghost didn't even resist? He somehow felt dirty.

"Then I will make you leave."

Kang-jun lifted Hayun up and prepared to throw her out the door. Hayun hurriedly exclaimed.

"I've scared people but I never actually harmed them."

"Lies! Then why did you try to kill me last night?"

"You threatened me first. I never really intended to kill you."

Kang-jun had used the black magic attack first.

"Apart from that fact. Why are you talking to me now?"

"If I leave this room, I will gradually lose my memories and become a wicked spirit. I don't want to hurt people. Please don't drive me out. Please!"

He had to believe this.

'Dang…this has become complicated.'

Kang-jun placed Hayun back in the room.

"So you have to stay in this room forever?"

"I can't leave before my grudge is resolved."

"Grudge? What is it?"

Hayun gazed at Kang-jun with expectation.

"Then you will release my grudge?"

"I didn't say that. But I will listen to your situation."

Kang-jun flopped down on the bed and said.

d.a.m.n! It was too unexpected.

He now needed to listen to the circ.u.mstances of a ghost.

However, he couldn't just drive out Hayun if it meant she would turn into an evil spirit and harm others.

"Tell me. What is your grudge?"

He guessed that Hayun was killed by a bad guy. Kang-jun decided to listen to Hayun's grudge.

"Tell me. What is your grudge?"

"That is… Oh my G.o.d!"

Hayun was about to tearfully explain her grudge when her body suddenly trembled.

"Oh my G.o.d! Why is this happening…? I really can't believe it."

"What?"

What was she suddenly talking about? Kang-jun couldn't understand Hayun's att.i.tude.

But then Hayun jumped up and started bowing towards Kang-jun with an expression of respect?

"What are you doing?"

"Thank you very much. My grudge has been released! I will never forget this."

Kang-jun couldn't move. What were these absurd words? Her saviour!

"When did I free you?"

"I only knew now. My grudge seemed to be released the moment I was about to tell you."

"I'm glad but that doesn't matter to me."

"Regardless, think about it. You are the reason why my grudge is released."

Hayun said with confidence. Kang-jun figured it out the moment he heard it.

'Did removing the obstacles from Room 413 also affect Hayun?'

It seemed like it. This wasn't Kang-jun's intention, but he somehow managed to release Hayun's grudge.

"Come to think of it, I might have released you during the night. But that's it. Isn't it just releasing the grudge?"

Hayun said with tears dripping down her face.

"No. Both things can't be separated. Due to my pent-up grudge, I have never been able to escape from these constraints. Originally I wanted revenge. It made me turn bad… I would never have been able to get rid of the pent-up feelings."

"But why were the feelings released?"

"I don't know. I can't understand it but I am now free. I no longer have anything remaining on my mind. Yes. Does that mean my revenge is gone? The pent up feelings are disentangled. I really feel free."

"That's great. So now you can relax and go to the afterlife."

"How can I repay the favour if I go to the afterlife? I will help you."

"Help me?"

"I don't understand, but my instincts told me that you can access both dreams and reality! If you allow it, I can follow you in both worlds."

Kang-jun was surprised to hear it. How did Hayun know that? A ghost had managed to figure out Kang-jun's secret!

Then Kang-jun suddenly laughed.

'Ah, that's right. Isn't she a ghost?'

Kang-jun nodded as he thought about it.

"But can you really enter the dream world of Hwanmong?"

"Perhaps. But you probably need me more in this world. I will protect you when you fall asleep."

That's right. Even if Room 406 was called a safety zone, he still couldn't feel any peace of mind. For example, the building might fall due to a natural disaster. If Hayun was guarding him then Kang-jun would be protected from such situations.

"Please accept me. My strength is absolutely not weak. I will be very helpful."

"Hrmm."

Kang-jun was locked in thought for a while.

Hayun was a ghost, but that wasn't something he would be fearful of now. Was there any need to reject when she was offering to help him so eagerly?

'I might be able to summon the ghost as a subordinate, just like the monsters.'

Kang-jun made a decision and nodded.

"Okay. I will accept."

Hayun replied with a stunningly pretty smile.

"Thank you. I will be sure to repay the favour."

Kang-jun was taken aback. Despite knowing that she was a ghost, his

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heart was pounding from her smile. She had a killer smile. He had to resist the impulse to kiss her on the mouth.

'Crazy!'

Well, it didn't matter. Even if she had resolved her grudge, she was still a ghost!

He wouldn't be lured by a ghost. He wouldn't! He restored his mental state.

Kang-jun gave Hayun a mock disapproving expression.

"Don't smile like that in the future."

"Why?"

"Just because. Anyway, don't smile in front of me."

"I'm going to smile. I will smile with all my heart."

Hayun leaned her face closer to Kang-jun. Kang-jun turned his head away.

'Dangerous.'

Then a message appeared in front of Kang-jun.

[Hayun has joined your household.]

[The skill Summon Hayun has been created.]

A skill. It was also a skill with a very unusual name.

'Summon Hayun?'

She joined his household and there was even a summoning skill?

Kang-jun quickly looked at the skill window.

Summon Hayun

-You can summon Hayun to a particular place.

-5 black magic energy will be consumed.

-It is possible to summon her to the punishment field, battle field and the world of Hwanmong.

'Unbelievable! It is real.'

It was like Hayun said. Kang-jun was now able to call her to the world of Hwanmong.

She was also available for the battle and punishment fields. It would be quite useful when meeting an opponent stronger than Kang-jun.

Kang-jun stared at Hayun and said.

"By the way, I said I would listen to your circ.u.mstances. How did you die?"

The grudge was released but he was still curious about the circ.u.mstances. Hayun grinned and shook her head.

"I don't remember at all."

"What does that mean?"

"Originally it was a very painful day, but now I don't have any memories of it. I don't know why I died."

That was possible. The memories disappeared along with the grudge.

'Indeed. It is better not to know what happened. Remembering would be too painful.'

Hayun watched Kang-jun and said.

"But can I use this room?"

Kang-jun nodded.

"Of course. This is your room from now on."

"Thank you."

Despite not having the grudge anymore, Hayun seemed more comfortable with Room 413. Anyway, he only signed a contract for Room 413 so that he could construct a barrack in Hwanmong.

'That's right. Research centre! Should I find out if Room 401 is empty?'

His subordinates would become much stronger if he built a research inst.i.tute.

Kang-jun left Room 413 and headed straight to the management office. But Kwon Myeong-cheol was absent.

'Where did he go in the morning?'

Kang-jun went to the kitchen but he wasn't there either. Then he heard some male voices near the stairs.

"Is the ghost still there?"

"I don't know."

"Hyung, take a look. Kang-jun hyung might be dead by now."

"C-crazy. I should call the police to come."

"Won't the police think we are crazy?"

"f.u.c.k! Why don't they believe in ghosts? Sang-min, I think I will give up the manager's position."

"I will find another gos.h.i.+won. Look! I am too frightened to even pee at night."

The familiar voices were none other than the manager Myeong-cheol and PC room worker Sang-min. They were talking with stiff expressions. Then their eyes widened as they saw Kang-jun.

"Eh? Kang-jun! You are alive?"

"Kang-jun hyung! You are safe?"

Kang-jun was puzzled.

"What are you talking about?"

Then Myeong-cheol and Sang-min's expressions changed.

"Didn't you see the ghost standing in front of your room?"

"I saw it, Kang-jun hyung. A female ghost wearing black clothes! She was standing in front of Hyung's room all night."

Kang-jun laughed. They were acting like obnoxious children because they saw Hayun last night.

"A ghost? I haven't seen it. Look. Where is the ghost?"

Kang-jun pointed towards Room 406. Myeong-cheol and Sang-min's expressions turned uneasy.

"Perhaps she went into the room?"

"That's right. She is probably in Hyung's room."

They were convinced of their words. Kang-jun opened the door to Room 406 and showed them.

"Eh? She really isn't here."

"Where is the ghost?"

"This is becoming dull so I'm going to make ramyun. It is morning so I am going to eat."

Kang-jun headed towards the kitchen with them. However, someone was already there boiling the noodles.

Straight hair that came down below the shoulders. Slender legs stretched out under the short dress.

Only the back of the woman could be seen but she was obviously a G.o.ddess.

The girl turned her head.

Brightly sparkling eyes. s.h.i.+ny pink lips. Black hair that seemed to fall over a radiant face.

Myeong-cheol and Sang-min's mouths dropped open.

'Heok! Amazing!'

'F-female!'

A G.o.ddess that seemed to come from a movie was boiling noodles in the kitchen. Time seemed to stop as they stood there blankly.

On the other hand, Kang-jun was looking at the woman with a dumbfounded expression.

Of course, the female was Hayun. Why was Hayun quietly boiling ramyun here? The ghost was openly revealing herself.

Kang-jun wasn't alone so he couldn't talk to her. Kang-jun immediately grabbed Hayun's hand and dragged her out of the kitchen.

"What are you doing right now?"

"Boiling ramyun."

"I already know that! Why are you crazy enough to reveal your appearance in front of others?"

Then Hayun laughed.

"What's wrong? They don't know that I'm a ghost."

"But you are a ghost. You should remain quiet like a ghost. Acting like this will just cause trouble."

Hayun looked grouchy at Kang-jun's words as tears formed in her eyes.

"So what if I am a ghost? Should I just stay curled up in my room if I am a ghost?"

"It is better than being seen by others."

"Why? Do you think I will harm people?"

Kang-jun couldn't think of anything to say.

Hayun hadn't wanted to hurt anyone even when she was still filled with resentment. Moreover, she wasn't a vengeful spirit anymore. Besides, she didn't need to use the powers of a ghost unless Kang-jun was in danger.

The boat had also sailed. Hayun was seen boiling ramyun in the kitchen.

"I was so bored in the room. So I went to the kitchen. Is it wrong that the ramyun took a long time to boil? Huk!"

Hayun burst into tears. Kang-jun was dumbfounded.

"But can a ghost even eat?"

"Ghosts are still the same. I can boil ramyun or walk like a normal person if I wanted to. Even ghosts have feelings."

Kang-jun sighed. He honestly couldn't say that it was wrong. Kang-jun somehow understood the feelings of the ghost.

"Now stop crying. Eat ramyun or take a walk if you want. Rather, you can roam around during the day?"

"It is wrong that ghosts can only haunt people a night. We can go anywhere in broad daylight. However, we don't have distinct forms like humans."

"You have a distinct form."

"It is only available for a limited amount of time every day. But now that doesn't apply."

"No?"

"Those restrictions are gone. An amazing thing."

"What? Then you can live like a real human?"

"It happened the moment you accepted me."

It meant Hayun changed after joining Kang-jun's household. In other words, the power of Hwanmong gave Hayun the capabilities of a human.

"No way! So you are just like a human."

"Yes but it is only possible within the gos.h.i.+won."

"What does that

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mean?"

"Gos.h.i.+won. No, I lose my form the moment I step out of the 4th floor of this building."

"Why is that?"

"I don't know. But you should clearly know."

"I should know?"

Kang-jun thought about it.

'Perhaps?'

The territory that Kang-jun occupied in the Dafeng building was the 4th floor that contained the gos.h.i.+won. Hayun could live like a human in the territory that Kang-jun occupied.

'Is it really like that? However, this is too ridiculous!'

Despite the s.p.a.ce being limited, it was still the ability for ghosts to live like a human! He wouldn't have believed it if it wasn't occurring in front of him.

On the one hand, Myeong-cheol and Sang-min finally leapt out of the kitchen to look for Kang-jun and Hayun.

They exclaimed with surprise as they saw Kang-jun and Sang-min.

"Kang-jun! What are you doing?"

"Kang-jun hyung! Why do you have a girlfriend like that?"

They ran towards Hayun with wide smiles.

"Hahaha! Nice to meet you. I am the manager of the gos.h.i.+won, Kwon Myeong-cheol. I would have prepared more things for Room 413 if I knew that Kang-jun had such a pretty girlfriend. If you lack anything in the future then just tell me."

"Heheh! I am Sang-min. I am Kang-jun hyung's friend…no, I am a very close dongsaeng (younger sibling). Ah, you are really pretty. I thought you were a celebrity."

They were two men who lost their minds. Hayun's beauty had reduced them to this. Hayun blankly stared at both of them.

'Girlfriend? Me?'

In other words, they were sure that Hayun was Kang-jun's girlfriend. Hayun smiled brightly and nodded.

"Nice to meet you. I am Hayun."

However, Kang-jun frantically waved his hands.

"No. What girlfriend… Don't talk nonsense."

A ghost as his girlfriend. It was a big deal. Hayun was a member of his household, not his girlfriend.

But Myeong-cheol and Sang-min didn't believe Kang-jun's words. Hayun had nodded. It was sufficient.

'She really is his girlfriend. I'm so envious!'

'Wah! Amazing! Amazing!'

They were crazy with envy.

'Sob! Buying a wig is a good thing. Kang-jun managed to snag a tremendous beauty! I should buy a wig.'

'Ah, I'm really envious. Envious! Okay! I should ask her to introduce some friends.'

Myeong-cheol and Sang-min were determined to make a good impression on Hayun so that she would set them up on blind dates.

Meanwhile, Hayun walked back to the kitchen in order to boil the ramyun. Sang-min rushed after her.

"Wait! A G.o.ddess like you should sit at the table while I boil it.

"T-that's right. Water shouldn't land on a G.o.ddess' hands."

Myeong-cheol and Sang-min volunteered to be Hayun's slaves.

Kang-jun thought it was ridiculous.

What would happen if they knew Hayun's real ident.i.ty?

'They would definitely be stunned.'

It didn't matter whether they believed it or not.

Anyway, Hayun had hidden her ident.i.ty well so he decided not to worry about it.

'I need to eat quickly or else I will be late.'

Today he needed to diligently make money. He had the ability to make money, so he wouldn't keep staying at the gos.h.i.+won. He would make enough money to buy a nice house.

That wasn't all. He would even buy the Dafeng building.

Kang-jun quickly ate his bowl of ramyun and headed to K. After a while, he arrived at K Traditional Market.

However, someone was already selling socks in his location. It was the s.p.a.ce that Kang-jun had signed a contract for. But there were still eight days left in the contract.

'What is this?'

Kang-jun immediately stepped forward.

"Now~! Cheap socks! Cheap! Luxury socks! Hiking socks! Baby socks! Buy it now or never!"

Kang-jun watched as a man in his 30s sold socks.

'What is going on? That is obviously my spot.'

The fact that the man was selling the same types of socks as Kang-jun was even more absurd. Even the way the socks were displayed was similar.

Of course, the socks weren't very special. Kang-jun had ordered his from an internet wholesale site. In addition, his method of advertising the socks was the same. But why was he doing business in Kang-jun's location?

"Look here."

The man in his 30s, Lee Bong-cheol thought that Kang-jun was a customer and welcomed him.

"Now, take your pick. Everything in front of you is 2,000 won! That is cheap for such luxury socks. Adult socks are 7,000 won, hiking socks…"

"This is my place."

"What are you talking about?"

"This spot. I signed a contract for it."

Lee Bong-cheol's expression hardened in an instant. He looked Kang-jun up and down with a look full of scorn.

"I truly don't know what you are saying. I have signed a one month contract for this place."

"One month? Perhaps it starts after my eight day contract ends?"

"It is from today. Shall I show you?"

Lee Bong-cheol pulled out a contract and showed it to Kang-jun.

'What? Isn't this a contract?'

According to the contract, Lee Bong-cheol had every right to set up business here.

'There's no doubt about it. It is a dual contract.'

Something ridiculous had happened! In that case, this problem wouldn't be easily solved through talking to Lee Bong-cheol. Kang-jun had signed a contract with Oh Young-sik first. But now it was rented to someone else. He didn't even receive a phone call.

The products Kang-jun preordered from the internet arrived. 10 boxes. The total price of the socks as 600,000 won. But now he didn't even have a place to leave the boxes. Lee Bong-cheol became angry after seeing the boxes.

"Hey, what are these boxes? Aren't you going away?"

But Kang-jun had no intention of obediently leaving.

"This double deal is obviously the fault of the owner. His phone isn't working right now so please wait."

"So? Will you be responsible for s.c.r.e.w.i.n.g up my business? Eh?"

"I won't take responsibility for Oh Young-sik. Rather, I'm not deaf so please speak more quietly."

Lee Bong-cheol flinched back as Kang-jun stared at him coldly.

A height of 187cm. The short sleeves revealed muscular

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forearms. Tough eyes stared out from below silver hair.

Lee Bong-cheol somehow felt numb from Kang-jun's glare.

It was at that moment. Two men heard the commotion and surrounded Kang-jun.

Lee Bong-cheol's face was triumphant as they appeared.

"Hey b.a.s.t.a.r.d! Won't you move these boxes? How long are you going to interrupt my business? If you think there is an unfair contract, go to the owner."

Pisik.

At that moment, there was a strange smile on Kang-jun's face. He thought something was strange, but now it made sense. They clearly saw the excellent business in the last two days and aimed to steal this position.

'They heard about what happened.'

His business had gone too well. But in fact, this location originally wasn't very good. It was a remote spot where it was hard to make even 100,000 in one day. Kang-jun wouldn't have been able to sell the socks without the Draw In Customers skill.

However, Lee Bong-cheol's group thought it was the location. They schemed together with the owner of the location.

In the meantime, Lee Bong-cheol gave him a meaningful smile and handed over a coffee from the vending machine.

"That's okay."

Kang-jun declined the coffee. Lee Bong-cheol didn't offer twice. He just laughed while slurping the coffee.

"What else is there to talk about?"

"What do you mean?"

"I know very well that Oh Young-sik is travelling overseas and won't be back for 10 days."

"So?"

"Just look at this situation. I'll pay for those eight days so look for another spot."

"Why are you giving money to me?"

"Huhu, don't worry about it. I'll get it back when Oh Young-sik returns. Instead, you will get the money if you sign these waivers giving up the contract.

Lee Bong-cheol held out some papers with a smile.

These doc.u.ments had even been prepared in advance. It was 10,000 won a day, for a total of 80,000 won.

"Hyung! You have resolved it nicely."

"Why aren't you signing?"

The men standing behind Kang-jun urged him on. Meanwhile, the number of people had increased to four. And they continued to create a threatening atmosphere while Kang-jun and Lee Bong-cheol talked.

It was like they were going to stab him in the back. The words seemed to be encouraging. Of course, they were lies. They were trying to scare Kang-jun.

'These fools.'

Kang-jun didn't panic under such intimidation. He would use these guys to fill his black magic energy!

Just then, a familiar voice was heard.

'Where did I hear this before?'

Kang-jun turned his head for a look.

'What? Why is he here?'

It was Cho Sang-jin.

The one who always drank at the karaoke bar in the bas.e.m.e.nt of the Dafeng building. Not long ago, Kang-jun had given Cho Sang-jin a horrifying punishment.

'Heok! T-that guy?'

On the other hand, Cho Sang-jin's complexion turned pale as he saw Kang-jun. Kang-jun's face was similar to someone he knew.

'It can't be. That guy was lame…'

Cho Sang-jin's mind was troubled. The silver hair must be a wig. However, a lame foot couldn't be fixed in just a matter of days.

But why did he feel numb? Cho Sang-jin recoiled as he felt an ominous feeling. He was frozen in his position.

"Where are you going, Cho Sang-jin?"

Kang-jun pointed a finger towards him.

Cho Sang-jin freaked out at Kang-jun's words.

'Wahh! It really is him.'

He was instantly stunned.

A really tough man! He would rather meet a ghost then see that man twice! A human that he would avoid even more than ghosts.

Cho Sang-jin's legs trembled and he could barely stand as he thought about the incident with Kang-jun a few days ago.

It wasn't a dream or reality. He clearly remembered it, no matter how insane it seemed. His body remembered it vividly. The pain of having his fingers broken one at a time and that horrifying moment when he died.

A fantasy! He didn't want to suffer that gruesome fantasy again! No, maybe it wouldn't be a fantasy but reality this time.

"Ohh!'

Cho Sang-jin's eyes shook like a madman as he stared at Kang-jun. Then he immediately gave a 90 degrees bow to Kang-jun and shouted.

"H-Hyung-nim! I deserve to die for my sins. A hyung I knew asked me to fill in the numbers for some pocket money."

"R-really. I didn't know Hyung-nim was involved. Please forgive me."

Cho Sang-jin had retreated to another karaoke bar since that day. There was only one reason. He feared encountering Kang-jun again. He never dreamed that he would meet Kang-jun again here. Cho Sang-jin was very unlucky.

Then Kang-jun sent a look to Cho Sang-jin and said.

"You should live life nicer. Don't enter groups to intimidate people."

"Yes, Hyung-nim. I will live a nicer life."

"Stop now that you know."

"Yes, Hyung-nim. I will really live a nicer life."

Cho Sang-jin obediently followed Kang-jun's words. He immediately sat down like he didn't have any strength.

It was natural. Kang-jun had already absorbed his energy. Thanks to that, he had four points in black magic energy.

That was enough. Kang-jun absorbed black magic energy from Cho Sang-jin. He didn't hesitate to absorb the energy every time he encountered bad guys.

This was how he gained the black magic energy. He wouldn't use it against anyone good.

A person wouldn't be able to change themselves so easily. Despite receiving the punishment field, Cho Sang-jin wasn't someone who could become good overnight.

Kang-jun no longer had any interest in Cho Sang-jin. In addition, he didn't want to fight with Lee Bong-cheol's group. Usually Kang-jun would be afraid of them, but now they were just nuisances flying around.

'I need to start selling quickly. I need to make 1.5 million won today.'

In the meantime, Lee Bong-cheol was shocked when he saw Cho Sang-jin cringing in front of Kang-jun. It was the same for the other people next to him.

The boss of Cho Sang-jin's gang, Hw.a.n.g Seong-gil grabbed him by the shoulders.

"Cho Sang-jin! Are you crazy?"

"Seong-gil hyung-nim, I will fall. Hyung-nim should also be careful."

"What are you on about?"

"I'm sorry. I can only do this much."

Cho Sang-jin got to his feet and quickly staggered away. An awkward gait like a man who was in a hurry. He didn't look back as he disappeared.

'Is that guy really crazy?'

He couldn't understand Cho Sang-jin's behaviour. In addition, he had cringed away and called that other person Hyung-nim. But

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something even stranger happened. Lee Byeong-cheol standing in front of Kang-jun literally collapsed to the ground.

"W-why am I so dizzy?"

"Euh! My leg cramped all of a sudden…"

Flames burned in Hw.a.n.g Seong-gil's eyes as he stared at Lee Bong-cheol and his men collapsed on the ground.

"You b.a.s.t.a.r.d! What did you do to them?"

"There was only a small number of you. It is nice. I'm glad that you resisted."

"Resisted?"

"But something really scary is going to happen to you now."

Kang-jun smiled coldly at Hw.a.n.g Seong-gil.

He had absorbed the energy from the annoying Lee Bong-cheol gang. So everyone had fallen to the ground.

Hw.a.n.g Seong-gil was the only one who was okay.

[The target has resisted.]

[Would you like to open the battle field? Yes/No]

It meant Hw.a.n.g Seong-gil had considerable combat capabilities.

This fight was inevitable.

'Yes! Open the battle field.'

Kang-jun exclaimed while looking at Hw.a.n.g Seong-gil.

Susususu.

The s.p.a.ce around them started to distort.

[The battle field is open.]

[1 black magic energy has been consumed.]

In contrast to Cho Sang-jin, Hw.a.n.g Seong-gil had a st.u.r.dy body and fought well.

He had a small services office doing lucrative jobs. There were things like demolition services, forced evictions, illegal debt collection and taking care of petty disputes at the market like today.

In Lee Bong-cheol's original request, he would have finished the work and gone back by now. The situation had become strange.

'Where is this place?'

A dark s.p.a.ce. However, he could see clearly in front of him.

A youth with silver hair. His silver hair was moving like wind was blowing through it, and a cold light seemed to be coming from his eyes.

Hw.a.n.g Seong-gil's body trembled with foreboding.

"You b.a.s.t.a.r.d! What are you doing? Where is this place?"

"This place. It is the place where you are going to die."

This was the first time Kang-jun had used the battle field.

The time limit was five minutes. If he didn't win then it would be a defeat. And then Kang-jun's black magic energy would be given to Hw.a.n.g Seong-gil.

Therefore, he had to win no matter what.

Having a large amount of black magic energy taken would incapacitate him.

[You can summon your household to the battle field.]

[Available to Summon]

Ratian infantry: 2

Ratian archer: 1

Hayun

He already knew Hayun could be summoned, but he didn't know about the creatures from Hwanmong. Summoning the ratians would only consume one black magic energy, while Hayun would consume five. But now wasn't the time to save his black magic energy. He needed an unconditional victory.

'Summon all!'

The ratians appeared right in front of Kang-jun.

"Kekekeke!"

"Kikikik!"

The ratian infantry were armed with clubs while the archer had a bow.

It wasn't just them.

A girl in a white dress and neat black hair.

Suuk.

Hayun posed naturally like she had always been there. But Hw.a.n.g Seong-gil was spooked as he stared at her.

Kang-jun didn't need to explain to Hayun why she was called here. Her resentful feelings came back the moment she entered the battle field.

Of course, the target was Hw.a.n.g Seong-gil. Entering the battle field itself gave her hostility.

At this moment, Hw.a.n.g Seong-gil was completely Hayun's enemy.

"I won't forgive you!"

Hayun's hair became wild and her clothes changed colour. Her eyes subsequently turned red.

"Heok!"

Hw.a.n.g Seong-gil flinched back with shock.

Syuok – bam!

Meanwhile, something flew out of nowhere and embedded into his thigh. The pain of something sharp digging into his flesh?

'Ugh! A-arrow?'

Hw.a.n.g Seong-gil wasn't in a normal state.

A ghost suddenly appeared! And a rat head monster shot him with a bow.

Where was this place? What on earth was going on?

"Ohh!"

Hw.a.n.g Seong-gil couldn't even resist and started to flee.

Syuok- puhak!

The arrow flew with an eerie sound!

Hw.a.n.g Seong-gil reflexively rolled his body, but another arrow hit his right shoulder.

"Ugh!"

He was struck by an arrow.

It wasn't just one or two!

The ghost! Monsters he had never heard of! As well as arrows! This was an absurd situation.

A dream? It had to be.

It was a situation he couldn't understand, so Hw.a.n.g Seong-gil was sure it was a dream. The situation was so ridiculous that it couldn't be real.

But it felt real.

Blood was flowing from his shoulder and thigh where the arrows were embedded.

The pain wasn't a joke. He never felt terrible pain like this in a dream.

Anyway, he started to run away again. However, he couldn't even move a few steps before stopping.

The ghost was right in front of him! The ghost was staring at him furiously.

"Ohh!"

Hw.a.n.g Seong-gil felt like all the air was gone from his lungs as he sat down.

In fact, he hadn't been afraid since he was young. He wasn't afraid of things ranging from a s.h.i.+p or even a knife. It was the same for pain. He could somehow endure the two arrows.

However, there was only one thing he was afraid of in this world. It was none other than ghosts.

He didn't know the reason. Ghosts were just scary. Even as a grown man, he had never seen a ghost movie.

But now a ghost was right in front of him.

She was also one of the most frightening, a virgin ghost!

The wild hair! The b.l.o.o.d.y eyes filled with resentment! The long fingernails at the end of her arms.

"Ooh! H-help me!"

This was a nightmare. Please let the dream end quickly.

His body was stiff like a frog encountering a snake. He wanted to escape but his feet wouldn't move.

The ghost approached with both hands stretched out.

Chwaack! Chwack! Chwaaaak!

The razor sharp nails dug into his body.

"Aaaaah…!"

The pain wasn't the problem. The fear was more terrible than the pain.

"Aaack! Ack! Help me!"

Hw.a.n.g Seong-gil would rather just die.

However, the ghost didn't let go of him of his neck. The mocking eyes just stared at him as he struggled on the floor.

"Kikikik!"

"Kekekeke!"

The rat head monsters also struck down with their clubs.

Bam bam! Bam bam bam –

His flesh and blood flew everywhere. Hw.a.n.g Seong-gil's body became a wreck due to the ruthlessly flying clubs.

"Ooh…!"

However, he was still alive.

Jil jil jil.

Her white hands moved through his hair. The ratians surrounded him.

"Sob sob…!"

Hw.a.n.g Seong-gil started sobbing. He was captured by a ghost. And escorted by monsters.

Flop.

The ghost threw him. Kang-jun stood in front of him with a frosty expression.

"S-spare me. Please!"

Hw.a.n.g Seong-gil howled. Kang-jun had a grim expression on his face.

In fact, he didn't want to kill Hw.a.n.g Seong-gil. There were many people who used threats in the world but they didn't all deserve to die.

However, he had to unconditionally kill Hw.a.n.g Seong-gil once the battle field was opened.

This was the condition to win in the battle field. And Hw.a.n.g Seong-gil was already completely terrified.

He needed to move before Hw.a.n.g Seong-gil's spirit recovered. At this moment, Hw.a.n.g Seong-gil didn't look much tougher than Cho Sang-jin.

Kang-jun was strong in the battle field. He couldn't accept any surrender or retaliation. Kang-jun had opened the battle field, so he needed to kill Hw.a.n.g Seong-gil. It wasn't pleasant.

'I need to finish it this time.'

Kang-jun's eyes shone eerily.

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Hw.a.n.g Seong-gil's fear had already reached the peak thanks to Hayun and the ratians. Now he just needed to give the finis.h.i.+ng touches.

"I will kill you."

"Aaaaah! Please spare me!"

"I want you to remember this moment. Especially if you don't want to die."

Kang-jun made a fist.

Bam! Bam bam!

"Aaack!"

Hw.a.n.g Seong-gil let out a horrifying scream.

[You have won the battle in the battle field.]

[18 black magic energy has been gained.]

18 points.

This amount usually corresponded to half a dozen people.

He used one point to open the field. Eight points to summon Hayun and the ratians. It was a total of nine points and he gained 18 points, making a profit of nine points.

Susususu.

Meanwhile, the dark world disappeared.

Hw.a.n.g Seong-gil's nightmare seemed to last for a long time, but only two minutes had pa.s.sed inside the battle field. And in reality, not even one second had pa.s.sed.

However, the memory of what happen in the battle field still remained in Hw.a.n.g Seong-gil's mind.

"Aaaah!"

Hw.a.n.g Seong-gil gave a frightened scream and flopped down.

'T-this is?'

He was sure that Kang-jun, the ghost and the monsters killed him. Yet now he was alive.

A dream? Was it just a dream?

'Ohh!'

He could still feel the terrible pain through his entire body.

Ssik!

Kang-jun laughed at him.

'Heok!'

Hw.a.n.g Seong-gil's heart sank.

It was the same eyes that he saw in that strange s.p.a.ce.

A devil who controlled ghosts and monsters! That's right. Kang-jun looked like a devil to Hw.a.n.g Seong-gil.

Teol teol teol.

His body trembled. He didn't dare meet Kang-jun's eyes.

Chagrin? Fury? He couldn't think of anything. Emotions rose inside him.

"S-spare me. I-I didn't recognize who you were."

Hw.a.n.g Seong-gil lay flat on the ground.

Lee Bong-cheol watched with a startled expression.

Kang-jun absorbed his energy, but he would never guess that it was due to Kang-jun's power. He just thought it was strange that there was no more energy in his body.

"Boss Hw.a.n.g! What are you doing? Are you sane?"

"Hyung-nim!"

Hw.a.n.g Seong-gil's subordinates were watching with priceless expressions.

However, Hw.a.n.g Seong-gil didn't have any room to worry about them. Kang-jun was his main priority.

"P-please spare me! Sob!"

Kang-jun just laughed.

"Don't forget that moment."

Hw.a.n.g Seong-gil trembled.

"Yes, I will never forget."

He didn't know what was going on. But he couldn't forget that moment.

Hw.a.n.g Seong-gil felt like he had been thrown into h.e.l.l. He felt even more afraid of Kang-jun. He just wanted to escape this place as quickly as possible.

And Kang-jun gave him just what he wanted.

He needed Hw.a.n.g Seong-gil to organize the situation. Kang-jun didn't want to waste more time in futile arguing. He was only interested in making 1.5 million won today.

"Then I will go now."

Hw.a.n.g Seong-gil carefully said. Then Kang-jun glared at him.

"Go after cleaning this up."

"Cleaning? Ah, yes yes! Don't worry about it."

Hw.a.n.g Seong-gil remembered why he came here in the first place.

Seuk seuk. Sak sak.

In an instant. Kang-jun's store was neatly emptied. Hw.a.n.g Seong-gil then glared at Lee Bong-cheol.

Lee Bong-cheol awkwardly stood in front of Kang-jun and said.

"I-I'm really sorry. Yesterday I saw that the socks were selling well and was blinded by greed."

Lee Bong-cheol had excellent instincts. Kang-jun raised a hand.

"I hope something so annoying will never happen again?"

"I-it won't."

Hw.a.n.g Seong-gil started sweating. He bowed a few times before fleeing with his subordinates.

'Then shall I get started?'

Kang-jun displayed his socks and immediately started selling.