Times Square (2)
Kim Minwoo returned home and met with Chairman Kim.
“I've finished negotiating with Dorim. They've agreed to give us some production plants, and as for the rest... Father, why don't you take this opportunity to invest in mana-stone batteries?”
“Mana-stone batteries? Of course, as you say, it's a field we need to enter, but... can we catch up with America?”
“Even a journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step. And we won't be starting from scratch. We're taking over Dorim's operation.”
“Hmm... What about the price?”
“The working-level teams will have to hash it out, but he won't try to rip us off.”
Chairman Kim tapped his fingers on the table, apparently deep in thought.
“Is it because we're short on cash?”
“No. Our products are selling like hotcakes these days. We can certainly afford it... But let's say the research succeeds. Can we withstand the pressure from the Americans?”
Chairman Kim was right. Even if Ilseong developed the technology, it couldn't handle the consequences alone. The pressure from America would be immense.
But...
With the Money-Blowing Guild involved, things would be different. They might not have enough influence to hold America in check now, but would that still be true in the future?
“I don't see why not. Developing a battery doesn't happen overnight. We'll have plenty of time to prepare.”
“True. I did hear that Chairman Jo poured money into it for ten years. Though even after all that, he couldn't beat American-made batteries...”
“Once we develop it, we can claim a share of that market too. It'll be a good cash cow for Ilseong.”
Chairman Kim nodded. His son was right. Developing the technology was the problem, but if they succeeded?
Demand was more than plentiful. From mana-stone-powered vehicles to smartphones, energy storage systems, submarines, all manner of electronics, and even satellites—they could sweep every market.
Even without that, simply being able to use the batteries in Ilseong's own products would be a major advantage. Given otherwise identical products, people naturally preferred one with a more durable battery that lasted far longer and charged faster.
Unable to provide that themselves, they currently used American-made batteries in Ilseong phones, paying a hefty price for every unit.
'If Minwoo specifically brought us this, there must be something to it.'
Dorim's battery division. Objectively speaking, it wasn't worth all that much. That was probably why Chairman Jo had so readily parted with it.
But Dorim had plenty of divisions of comparable value. And out of all of them, Minwoo had chosen batteries?
In the past, he would have dismissed it as another immature act by his wastrel son. But things were different now. After everything his eldest son had shown him, Chairman Kim had immense faith in him.
He had likely singled it out because he'd seen something—or, failing that, at least sensed something.
'All right. Let's give it a try.'
They couldn't let America keep them on a leash and drag them around forever, could they?
Besides, Ilseong had an EX-rank awakener and SSS-rank awakeners backing it. By the time the battery was actually developed, they might have grown so powerful that even America couldn't easily stop them.
“All right. I'll acquire it.”
“You won't regret it.”
“Good. By the way, what about the advertisement? Did they accept?”
“Yes. They're both in.”
“Haha. It was a rather generous offer.”
Kim Minwoo nodded. Five hundred billion won per person for a single advertisement. He figured only those at the very top of the world rankings could command a fee like that.
Chairman Kim seemed to be betting on their future rather than their present.
'Nothing wrong with that.'
Working together on advertisements could help friendships blossom. By building ties between the guild members and Ilseong one by one, Ilseong could be the first to approach them when their value skyrocketed later.
“I saw them on the broadcast. Your guildmates are truly remarkable.”
“They are SSS-rank, after all.”
“Do we need to worry about anyone overseas trying to recruit them?”
“Well, not for now.”
“All right. I'll trust you to handle it.”
They decided to shoot the advertisement the very next day. It was better to get the miscellaneous work out of the way quickly and get back to leveling up.
After leaving the study, Minwoo met Hyeongseok.
“Hey, little brother.”
“Hey, big brother. You were incredible in today's match.”
“Thanks for the compliment. Anyway, I've got a favor to ask.”
“A favor? What is it?”
“You're supposed to head back in about a week, right? Could you go a little early?”
“You want me to go back to America early? Why?”
“Skill books.”
“B-rank? Already?”
Hyeongseok's eyes widened as he asked. B-rank skill books had a level requirement of 251. That meant Kim Minwoo's level was already approaching that mark.
To reach such a level only about three months after awakening... He knew his brother was doing well, but this truly defied imagination.
“Yeah. I've been stopping by the auction house and buying them all up whenever I can, but there aren't enough available. It's nowhere near what I need.”
As a minor power in the awakener world, Korea simply didn't have enough high-level awakeners. Naturally, high-rank skill books were in short supply too.
But America was different. It was the world's strongest awakener nation, with huge numbers of B-rank and higher awakeners. With luck, gathering skill books in America alone might be enough to make a +9 B-rank book.
“You want me to go buy them all up?”
“Yeah. We're not talking pocket change here. If I entrusted it to some random bum, he might just take the money and run.”
“That's true.”
Hyeongseok nodded in agreement.
Enhancing a B-rank book to +9 would clearly cost trillions of won. Entrusting someone with even hundreds of millions would be unsettling, let alone trillions. It wouldn't be surprising if they simply vanished with the money.
That was why Minwoo had sought out his younger brother. He was the perfect purchasing agent. As the one who would inherit the company, he wouldn't run off over a mere sum like that. Besides, he was family.
'If I can't trust him, there's no one in the world I can trust.'
And he happened to be heading back to America anyway. He could go ahead, keep buying up skill books, and hand them over later. It was a beautiful arrangement. Minwoo wouldn't have to waste time waiting for more books to go on sale.
“Sure. You want me to get it to +9?”
“Yeah. I've already gotten it to +4. Here.”
“Wow. Just how much stronger are you going to get once you learn Summon Dullahan?”
“A lot stronger than before. Oh, while you're there, could you buy up some elemental items too?”
“Elemental items? Oh, you said that bird eats items, right?”
“Yeah. I'll send you plenty of money, so get as many as the budget allows.”
Now that the investment had come through, it was about time to raise Snowy's attributes. With so many high-level awakeners, America should have a fair number of decent elemental items.
“Got it. For something like this, I should definitely go early. Are you going to come to America yourself? Actually, never mind. I'll buy everything and make another trip to Korea.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yeah. For an awakener like you, time is money. A college student like me can spare some.”
“All right. Thanks.”
Thanks to him, procuring the skill books looked like it would be easy.
* * *
The next morning, Minwoo headed to the commercial set. He'd already heard a rough outline of the concept.
'An awakener performance, was it?'
The idea was to put on a nighttime show using their skills. As for the extras in the audience...
'Half human, half skeleton.'
That was the gist of it.
Well, it didn't seem likely to cause any major problems with broadcasting standards. Necromancers had appeared on network television plenty of times. They might be an unpopular class, but they'd been on TV often enough. The same went for the West.
Zombies or ghouls crawling with maggots might be another story, but skeletons were perfectly fine on TV.
Technically, zombies and ghouls were allowed too, but nobody wanted to see that while eating. For that reason, blurring out those repulsive undead whenever possible was standard practice.
You needed at least a skeleton's cuteness to escape the editing beam.
'They're dressing them up too, so whatever.'
He'd heard the plan was to put the skeletons in everyday clothes like real people, place one beside each human, and have them wave their phones around like concertgoers.
'This might actually work.'
It was certainly fresh. After all, what company had ever tried making a commercial with a necromancer's summons?
Usually, companies picked popular, attractive male and female awakeners and shot polished commercials. That approach might not produce a smash hit, but it wouldn't result in a spectacular flop either.
This approach, on the other hand? It was so fresh that it would either be a huge success or a complete disaster.
He suddenly remembered something Chairman Kim had said a few months ago.
[“Once you're famous, people will applaud you even when you take a shit.”]
It had been something along those lines.
'He might actually be right.'
His NewTube subscriber count, which had been climbing little by little, had reached a new high after yesterday's guild battle. It had passed seventy million.
Most of the comments were desperately asking for Cedric and Merhen. Incidentally, those two would also play starring roles in the commercial.
Before long, he arrived at the stadium. It was a more modest venue than Sangam Awakener Stadium. They needed to pack the place with skeletons, and filling somewhere like Sangam would have been out of the question. Instead, they'd rented a suitably sized stadium.
Seo Yerim and Park Siwoo were already waiting inside. He saw them reading their scripts over and over.
'Seo Yerim will do fine on her own.'
She was a fairly famous awakener and had shot a few commercials before. Park Siwoo was the concern.
'Well, he barely has any lines.'
The performance itself was simple. There was no singing or dancing. They just had to use their techniques to fill the stage with the most spectacular display possible. Then they'd hold up their phones and say one word: Ilseong.
“Mr. Kim Minwoo! You're here!”
The director rushed out to greet him. He was a famous director whose fee was among the highest in Korea.
“Siwoo, my summons, and I have never done a commercial before. Please go easy on us.”
“Oh, of course! Everyone has a first time! I completely understand. Haha. We can do dozens—no, hundreds of retakes, so don't worry about a thing.”
... Hundreds?
Well, surely it wouldn't take that many.
He summoned the skeletons.
“Go get dressed.”
While thousands of skeletons bustled about, Cedric put on his costume too: a pitch-black suit. Merhen remained in her usual dress.
The skeletons then received a brief lesson. There was nothing difficult about it. All they had to do was wave their phones at the same speed as the person beside them.
“All right, let's get ready to shoot! Minwoo! Please put the skeletons beside the audience members!”
And so the audience seats filled with an amicable mix of half humans and half skeletons.
“Let's start filming!”
Soon, filming began according to plan.
In the darkness of night, brilliant lights burst across the stage. Dolsoe was the first to appear, with Park Siwoo seated on the giant Bone Golem's shoulder.
Siwoo leaped into the air and summoned his holy sword. As he swung it in midair, it left a pure-white trail. Ilseong's logo blossomed along the sword's path.
The crowd cheered in response, and the skeletons began waving their Ilseong phones like fluorescent lights. Their movements were perfectly synchronized.
Next was Seo Yerim's turn. She summoned her Divine Bow and unleashed Rapid Fire into the sky. Hundreds of arrows soared upward, then descended to trace an enormous shape: an Ilseong phone.
A gigantic water dragon emerged through the screen of the phone formed by the arrows. It was the spell Merhen had recently revealed.
A floating camera captured Merhen and Cedric riding atop the water dragon without missing a moment.
Awakeners with telekinetic abilities were indispensable in commercial production. They made shots like that much easier.
Filming was taking place on the ground too. The skeletons and human audience members were busily using their phones to record the two undead riding the water dragon overhead.
When Merhen and Cedric descended, Park Siwoo was the first to speak, holding up his phone.
“Ilseon.”
Seo Yerim raised her phone.
“Ilseong.”
Next, Cedric raised his phone.
“Ilseong.”
Merhen's turn.
“Ilseong.”
Kim Minwoo held up his phone and smiled.
“My joy, Ilseong.”
A moment later came the call.
“Cuuut! Very, very good! Absolutely pee erfect!”
“Does that mean we're done?”
“That was sooo perfect! But I think it'd be wonderful to do just one more take, so we have something to compare it with. How about we take just two minutes off and try it again?”
“... Sure.”
“I knew you'd be easygoing! Great! Just one more take!”
During the brief break, Park Siwoo approached with a broad grin.
“This is my first commercial, but it's not that hard. We'll be done in no time, won't we?”
“Will we, though?”
“Huh? Why? The director said it was really good.”
“... Take a look over there.”
Where Kim Minwoo pointed, dozens of top-grade mana potions were piled up near the director's seat.
“Uh... What are those?”
“The mana we're going to burn through today, probably?”
Park Siwoo's face went deathly pale.
Well, he shouldn't have flubbed his pronunciation.
A hellish all-night shoot followed.
