Chapter 109 - The Money-Blowing Necromancer

Returning Home

Day two in Saudi Arabia.

The money arrived quietly and without a hitch. The fact that not only the king but the major royals had all successfully awakened must have played a large part.

'They certainly pay promptly.'

While Kim Minwoo was enjoying delicious food and relaxing in a hotel banquet hall, Ilseong's board members arrived at the palace. He had called them as soon as he secured the deal on the first day and told them to come. Fortunately, they seemed to have rushed over the moment they heard.

They ought to get a proper taste of oil money while they had the chance.

The directors cautiously entered the banquet hall, looking hesitant. He waved them over.

"Over here."

All the Saudi ministers were waiting near him as he spoke. They were royals who had benefited from awakening, and he had already discussed everything with them. He introduced the directors.

"These are Ilseong's board members. You can discuss business with them. I hope you'll take good care of them."

"Of course."

"You can count on us."

The ministers approached the directors with broad smiles. Their faces beamed with such fatherly warmth that they looked ready to give them anything they asked for.

And no wonder. Awakening had transformed their bodies overnight. Once they consumed a generous supply of elixirs, their physical abilities had improved so dramatically that it was almost like growing young again.

Their stiff backs and aching knees were gone.

The change was nothing short of revolutionary.

The king had also informed them that all this had been possible thanks to Kim Minwoo. On top of that, he had instructed them to give Ilseong first priority when awarding contracts.

'Time to shower them with money.'

'We should give them plenty of business.'

Ilseong Group was no two-bit company, either. It was a name known around the world. Entrust it with a job, and it would at least fulfill its part competently.

The ministers' eyes gleamed as they looked at the directors.

* * *

"... Good heavens."

Were they dreaming, or was this real?

That was how the directors felt.

Normally, landing even one contract in the Middle East required all manner of lobbying.

Now things were different.

Not only had those haughty ministers approached them first with bright smiles, but whenever they brought something up, the ministers dispensed approval like vending machines.

"Ah, you'd like a plant construction contract? Excellent. We happen to have a site that needs one..."

"We were just about to construct a new building. How would you like to take on a skyscraper project?"

"We're planning to develop a new residential complex..."

The Saudis wanted Ilseong to handle everything, from construction to appliances and furniture.

They could hardly believe this was real.

After wrapping up the brief meeting, the directors sought out Kim Minwoo.

"Y-young master. What on earth is going on?"

"Did it go well?"

The directors gulped before replying.

"... It looks as though the Saudi royal family will award us all their new construction projects. The estimated value alone is roughly two hundred trillion won!"

"Well, that's not bad. There's no need to pay any kickbacks. Just give them some courtesy gifts. I've already discussed it all with the king."

That was his compensation for awakening people besides the king. Since it was payment he had rightfully earned, there was no need to offer kickbacks.

Still, giving them a few simple gifts would only be common courtesy.

"Good lord..."

The directors stared blankly at Kim Minwoo as though he were some incomprehensible being.

When he first left for Saudi Arabia, they had wondered why he was even going.

In a single day, he had secured nearly two hundred trillion won in business. He was practically a god of sales.

With the royal family's protection as well, all the flies that might pester them over their projects had effectively been exterminated before they could even appear.

'Instead of becoming an awakener...'

'Shouldn't he have inherited the company?'

If Kim Minwoo led Ilseong, perhaps it could become more than a company that dominated Korea. Perhaps it could become a global corporation that commanded the world. The fact that they were even entertaining that thought said it all.

They had good reason to think so. Ever since he had begun his activities in earnest, Ilseong had grown at a positively dazzling pace.

Dominance of the equipment market.

Dominance of the home appliance market.

Even the newly released Ilseong phone was a massive hit, and now they had Saudi construction contracts too?

'... The problem is that he's too successful.'

If he were merely average as an awakener, he might have turned his attention to the company instead.

But he was so outstanding as an awakener that he seemed to spare the company little interest.

"I'll leave you all to your work. I'll be heading off now."

"A-already?"

"I need to level up and get stronger too."

He had brought the baby birds to the water's edge. Surely they could at least manage to drink.

Ilseong's directors weren't that incompetent.

If he left them here, they would secure the contracts and work hard on their own.

It was essentially a form of auto-farming.

'Time to go, then.'

He had received his money and made the introductions without a hitch.

There was no reason to remain in Saudi Arabia any longer.

* * *

Kim Minwoo's trip to Saudi Arabia.

Public interest in him had already been at a high thanks to the guild battle and the commercial.

News that he was meeting the king sent that interest soaring to its peak. Why was he suddenly meeting the Saudi king?

[(Breaking) Unprecedented Welcome with Five Fighter Jets! Kim Minwoo Makes an Overwhelming Impression in Saudi Arabia!]

[(Breaking) Saudi Arabia Rolls Out Special Welcome! Even King Abdullah, Known as "Mr. Everything," Personally Comes Out to Greet Him at the Palace...]

[(Breaking) Kim Minwoo Reportedly Visiting on Behalf of Ilseong to Discuss Saudi Business Opportunities...]

—Whoa, what's with the fighter jets? Are they spraying smoke in the Korean flag's colors?

—Looks like it. What's with the head-of-state treatment lmao

—Kim Minwoo definitely counts as an awakener representing Korea lol

—But why give him that kind of welcome just to talk business?

—He's representing Ilseong. And he's a successful awakener too. Isn't that enough to make this possible?

—Even considering that, it's overkill lmao. You think head-of-state treatment is a joke? Even Korea's President doesn't get a reception like that.

—Unless he discovered an oil field and told them about it, there's no reason to treat him like that.

—Seeing how he met directly with the king, they must have something to discuss. What on earth did he offer?

More breaking news soon poured in.

[(Breaking) Has Kim Minwoo Hit a Middle Eastern Home Run?]

(Photo of Kim Minwoo smiling brightly with an arm around King Abdullah's shoulders)

[(Breaking) Kim Minwoo's Insane Connections!]

(Photo of Kim Minwoo and the Saudi ministers gathered at the banquet hall, all smiling brightly)

—What? He built those connections in just two days there?

—Seriously? I thought he and the king were best friends. Holy shit.

—All the royals at the party are crowding around Kim Minwoo lol

—Is this what they call a super fucking social butterfly?

—What do you have to do to get that close to everyone in a day? Lmao did he hypnotize them?

—Is that really our man Mr. Everything? Compared to this, he looks way too friendly lol

(Photo of the chairmen of Korea's ten largest conglomerates waiting before the king with their hands respectfully clasped)

—Fuck lmao. Isn't that from when Mr. E visited Korea?

—Yep. He called them together on a day's notice, and all ten conglomerate chairmen showed up lol

—He even asked each of them individually what business they wanted to do lmao

—Even Chairman Kim is standing like that. Damn.

—(FYI) Our man "Mr. E" is a big shot who can move three quadrillion won. Holy shit.

—Way more than Ilseong's market cap lmao

—Four times Kimchi Land's national budget lmaooo

—So Kim Minwoo is smiling with his arm around a big shot like that?

—With all the royals flocking to him, looks like he's become a serious power player. Damn.

—He went there to talk business, and they're acting like that? Makes no sense lol. Ilseong's the one that needs the contracts.

—Kim Minwoo definitely gave them something. No idea what, though. Yep.

[(Breaking) Ilseong Construction Hits Mega Jackpot! Saudi Construction Contracts Worth a Total of 200 Trillion Won!]

—Two hundred trillion? Not twenty trillion?

—Is this for real?

—Didn't Hanmin Construction get thirty trillion in contracts after all those years working the Saudi market?

—Yeah. But Ilseong just bagged two hundred trillion in one go.

—How many construction projects did they give them lmaooo

—Skyscrapers, residential developments, plants... They really gave them everything lol. Looks like all the interior furniture and equipment went to Ilseong too.

—The royal family went all out to back them. Only explanation lol

—He did all this on a two-day trip?

—Yep. And Kim Minwoo didn't even stay any longer. He just left right away lol

—Normally you'd stay a few more days to strengthen those relationships. What's with him lol

—(Reason for leaving) Gotta level up. Later, losers.

—Cool as fuck lol

—Lmao, can't say no to leveling up.

By the time Kim Minwoo returned, the airport was already swarming with reporters.

"Mr. Kim Minwoo! We heard you had a private audience with King Abdullah! Can you tell us what you discussed?"

"As I said before leaving, I went to discuss business. Fortunately, the talks went well."

"What on earth did you discuss to land two hundred trillion won in contracts...?"

"We had plenty of good discussions."

Kim Minwoo spoke with a gentle smile.

The implication was clear enough.

Don't ask any further.

'Well, it'll come out eventually.'

The king and the Saudi royals had remained unawakened despite their advanced ages.

Then, after he visited, they all awakened?

People would have a fair idea of what he had given them in exchange for the Saudi contracts.

He had helped them awaken.

He could roughly imagine the stir that would cause.

For starters, every wealthy person in the world who hadn't awakened would be desperate to reach him.

If he had awakened not just one or two people but dozens, they would start wondering whether he possessed some special ability to discover awakening conditions.

It was bound to become a massive pain in the ass.

Unless they were as wealthy as King Abdullah, there was no point in meeting them one by one.

So he had reached an arrangement with the king.

The gist was simple.

Wait a few days after he left before announcing his awakening.

And have the royals hold off for a while, then gradually reveal theirs one or two at a time.

The king had readily agreed.

Of course, this alone wouldn't dispel every suspicion.

'But at least it'll be less of a hassle for a while.'

Perhaps picking up on his unspoken message, the reporters changed their questions.

"How was your meeting with King Abdullah?"

"He's a very kind, generous man. Thanks to him, I had a wonderful time."

Kim Minwoo glanced at his watch before speaking.

"I should get going. It's time to level up for my country. I'll be off, then."

Strictly speaking, it was for his own advancement rather than Korea's sake. Still, if he took first place, it would give Korea something to be proud of too.

'Time to grind some A-rank gates.'

He needed to reach level 251 before the selection tournament. For grinding levels, nothing beat running gates over and over.

[You have entered the A-rank gate, Scorching Earth!]

Scorching Earth.

True to its name, the place teemed with fire-type monsters.

'Plenty of mobs, too... '

Most importantly...

"Coo."

['Snowy' shares attributes with its master!]

[You can use the ice attribute!]

He could sweep away the monsters with an attribute that countered theirs. He had summoned his troops and was making his way through the gate, hunting, when messages appeared.

[Your skeleton unit's average level has reached 101!]

[Your skeleton unit is growing!]

[They have learned special techniques!]

[The effect of the title 'Master of the Dragon Knight' activates!]

[You are the first necromancer on 'Earth' to unlock the potential of skeletons!]

[The class advancement system is now active!]

'Huh?'

He tilted his head at the messages floating before him.