Chapter 371: Chapter 371

“Money doesn’t lose value over time,” Choi Yeonseung replied as though he found it absurd.

It was true that he was significantly wealthier compared to when he was a C-grade hunter a long time ago. He figured that if he just took into account the number of monsters he had killed since he had returned to Earth, he would still end up with more money than medium-sized clans and companies.

Even if he just estimated the monsters he killed since coming back to Earth, it could easily exceed the sales of the small and medium-sized clans and companies.

Regardless, Choi Yeonseung was also spending a lot of money. His goal wasn’t for him to live comfortably in the first place. At the moment, there were several companies under Dragon Industry that were in the red.

From new companies researching magic and technology to training hunters, Dragon Industry was pouring money into everything.

Of course, the company gained the profits from all the monsters Choi Yeonseung killed...

“Huh?! If money doesn’t lose its value, why bother with the shield?”

“Be quiet, your bastard! I’m sure Hunter Choi Yeonseung has his reasons.”

“Does he owe anyone?”

“Did the Korean government seize his property?”

“The Korean government can’t do something like that unless they are crazy.”

“But the Chinese government has done it a few times.”

“I-is that so? But that’s a different matter...”

Choi Yeonseung sighed at the ridiculous chatter of the Mount Hua Sect hunters. He said, “It’ll cost a lot of money, but it can’t be helped. So let’s put up the shield already.”

After the Abyssal gate opened on Earth and dungeons and monsters suddenly emerged in city centers, people started worrying about something. n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

‘Can we keep cities safe from monsters?’

They had come up with all sorts of creative ideas, and some of them had even been tested. In the end, shields had turned out to be the most effective defensive measure out of all the ideas. After all, there were more than a hundred types of spells to cast shields.

People could erect a magic barrier by placing magic artifacts around the city and then activate them with the cores taken from monsters!

Monsters had a really hard time breaking through such barriers, and even if they did, everyone would be alerted immediately. It was truly a great defensive system.

...Except for the cost of setting it up.

-So we have to put artifacts all over the place and constantly use monster cores to keep them active?

-Do you know how much power you can supply to a city with cores of that value? Keeping the barrier active for just one month is enough to bankrupt the entire city!

The cores, which contained the concentrated magic power of monsters, were being used in too many places.

They were being used the most in power plants! The magic power of these cores allowed for eco-friendly energy production, consequently replacing nuclear energy. Therefore, people were reluctant to use such a valuable material in order to erect a shield that may or may not be necessary.

It was only natural that some people opposed it.

“Aren’t shields being used for places like the US Capitol?”

“I’ve heard that people who are really rich use these kinds of shields to protect their mansions.”

“Last time I went to such a mansion I was told that there was a shield. But most of them usually have it turned off.”

The Mount Hua Sect hunters looked at Choi Yeonseung with worried expressions as they whispered among themselves. They were worried that their boss might go bankrupt for doing something righteous.

“H-Hunter Choi Yeonseung. We can just work twice as hard. The shield is a bit...”

“Isn’t it cheaper to use people?”

“People might die, but if we ignore the financial implications of the shield...”

“Shut up already! Go and stand guard!” Choi Yeonseung chased away the Mount Hua Sect hunters.

...Still, he couldn’t help feeling a bit uneasy.

“Am I overreacting?”

Choi Yeonseung asked Kwon Yeongseung and Han Seha, who were next to him, about this.

“It’s a bit expensive...”

“No? I guess you don’t mind other selfish bastards doing bad things for money?”

“...It might seem expensive, at least in my eyes, but I nevertheless consider human life infinitely more important than money!”

Kwon Yeongseung quickly changed his words. He realized that if he said the wrong thing here, Han Seha would treat him like a psychopath. In addition, she wouldn’t just swear at him here. She would also say things like “Kwon Yeongseung is a psychopathic bastard!” in interviews.

“Umm.”

Choi Yeonseung frowned. He wasn’t planning on shielding the city only because it was the right thing to do.

He concentrated on the matter of the shield, searching for different outcomes with Future Sight. Indeed, not installing the shield would result in too much damage. All sorts of facilities were in ruins, hunters passed out from exhaustion, and numerous civilian casualties...

[The ‘Goddess of Balance Who Walks Ahead’ tells you that your idea of putting up the shield isn’t wrong.]

-Thank you.

Choi Yeonseung was a bit moved. He felt reassured that the goddess supported him and considered his idea to be correct.

[The ‘Cat of Lava and Magma’ is tilting its head and wondering if this is really the case. Isn’t it better to risk a few humans dying...?]

[The ‘Manipulator of Dreams and Desires’ is also worried that the financial damage would be too much.]

-...Can you really speak like that when it’s not even your race that is in danger?

Choi Yeonseung was dumbfounded. It wasn’t their race that was at risk of being attacked!

***

[In regards to the reparations in New Oregon, Peleza reveals that it will build walls that no monsters will be able to get past...]

[Rumors of discord between Peleza, Raiden Holdings, and Klein? An anonymous source has testified that ‘heated arguments have been taking place!’]

[Are the so-called revolutionary cities in the Abyss truly safe?]

Hundreds of articles were being published every day, but the parties involved were too busy to care about them.

It wasn’t just Choi Yeonseung who was worried about the safety measures in the city made by Dragon Industry. All the companies who stepped into the Abyss were like this.

They knew that they could be buried if they didn’t handle things like this properly.

-Look. You’ve seen it on the news, right? If there are casualties due to poor management, you will never receive any support from anyone. I will go to Congress myself and denounce you if something happens.

-I-I understand, Congressman.

Given the recent fiasco, everyone from around the world was holding these revolutionary cities under the microscope. Everyone was anxious regarding them, and understandably so, as this was the first accident that occurred in a newly built city in the Abyss.

How companies overcame this situation could very well determine the direction which humanity would take in the future.

...However, the cost of dealing with this situation was something else entirely...

“Why don’t we put up a shield and activate it, at least temporarily?”

“Are you insane? Will money fall from the sky? How are you going to cover all the costs?”

[The ‘Greedy Owner of the Treasure House’ is pleased.]

Bonnefant was furious at the suggestion made by the general manager in charge of the site.

“Aren’t we currently reinforcing the city walls? It’s more than enough! Technically speaking, there shouldn’t be any problems!”

Of course, Bonnefant didn’t just oppose the installation of a shield without taking any countermeasures whatsoever.

Hearing that for the time being there was a risk that the monsters would go on a brutal rampage, Bonnefant had come up with his own countermeasures. One of them was to work on the vulnerabilities of the city, starting with its defense.

“The monsters aren’t very intelligent. Set traps everywhere to lure them and thoroughly reinforce the surroundings. This way, we can keep the city safe for a lower cost.”

“I... I understand.”

“Our new material isn’t ordinary. The presentation was a disaster just because a very powerful monster had disguised itself as a low-level monster, but it won’t happen again.”

Bonnefant’s countermeasures were much cheaper than protecting the city with a shield, and it actually sounded reasonable too.

Their newly developed material did boast an above-average defense. If nothing unexpected happened, no monster should be able to enter the city.

‘...But there can be other unexpected events...’

The general manager thought that this countermeasure wasn’t foolproof but decided to keep his mouth shut. He didn’t have the confidence to talk back to the overbearing Bonnefant.

‘It should be fine though...’

“We should use this monster rampage as an opportunity! Make sure they can’t break through the walls reinforced with the new material we’ve developed!”

“I understand!”

***

“But isn’t this too costly, Master?”

“I know it is, so save it.”

Odaigon had come to help with the shield work. Since he was essentially as strong as an S-grade hunter, Odaigon’s help was essential in many ways.

[Odaigon casts ‘Glyph of Magic Power Concentration’.]

[Odaigon...]

Odaigon wandered around and cast spells to make the magic last longer, which impressed Choi Yeonseung.

“Odaigon... You reminded me again how powerful of a subordinate you are.”

“...Uh... I-Is it just because I’m doing this?”

Odaigon was astounded. Choi Yeonseung was more impressed by this trivial magic maintenance spell than by the countless wise decisions he had made so far?

“This isn’t even very difficult magic!”

“But the humans who use magic aren’t good with it.”

“It’s because they don’t have as much magic power as other Abyssal races, and their technique is subpar too... No...”

Odaigon was both happy and uneasy. He was glad that Choi Yeonseung was finally praising him after managing his kingdom for so long, but he would’ve liked Choi Yeonseung to praise him for something more significant.

Was Choi Yeonseung happy with Odaigon because he was saving him money?

“I’ll write a spell book for them, so call in the human magicians to periodically strengthen the shields. That will reduce the magic power consumption.”

“Odaigon...!”

“...Master, it’s not a big deal!”

Odaigon was getting upset. He felt like he was being told, “Goblin King, you’re breathing so well! This is great!”

“By the way, Master. Have you finished installing the formation you showed me last time?”

“Um?”

“You know, the magic circle that gathers the power of human martial artists.”

Odaigon made various gestures as he explained skills such as the Six Channels Sword Display that Choi Yeonseung had shown him before.

“It looks like a magic circle, but with your ability, I think you can install it on a large scale around here.”

“...”

“Ah! You’ve already done it? I’m sorry. I said something I shouldn’t have...”

“No. I was actually just about to install it.”

The goddess of sloth, who was watching from the side, spoke to Choi Yeonseung as though she found him pitiful.

-No matter how much you’ve adapted to human society, how can you forget that you’re a constellation?

The goddess of sloth was right. Choi Yeonseung didn’t have to rely on human means; he also had the abilities of a constellation.

‘Yeah, I’ll reflect on myself.’

Choi Yeonseung admitted how short-sighted he was and proceeded with the preparations.

In fact, he didn’t really use formations when fighting. If he was weaker than his opponent, he would lure them into a trap or divert their attention. If he was stronger, he would just fight back.

However, a formation was actually pretty effective in this complex situation.

‘In the end, a formation is a skill that artificially controls the flow of energy to create an effect. There’s no point in overcomplicating it.’

[The ‘Five Elements Ecstasy Formation’ has been completed!]

[Five Elements Ecstasy Formation]

[Rank: C+

In the name of the Undefeated Incarnation of Training, establish a formation to confuse invaders.]

Choi Yeonseung deliberately created a formation that wasn’t particularly strong, and the reason for that was simple.

‘There’s a lot that goes into a strong formation.’

Just as a strong magic circle or magic shield required a constant input of materials and spells, a formation with strong effects also required constant maintenance. Therefore, it was better to have a lesser formation that could be active for a long period of time rather than a strong one that wouldn’t last long.

-The formation is quite large. Is it okay?

The goddess of sloth was worried. The larger a magic circle was, the more difficult it was to implement it. If the formation encircled an entire city, the difficulty level would be quite high.

“Make this design.”

“Yes!”

The technicians from Dragon Industry accepted Choi Yeonseung’s blueprints without any complaints. No matter how difficult it would be, they were paid a generous salary, so it was their duty to carry out the orders of the chairman.

Choi Yeonseung was impressed by the sight of technicians quickly running simulations with supercomputers and AI, and drawing 3D designs based on the city’s layout.

“Oh? They’ve done it faster than expected! I’m glad. Now I’ll get the Mount Hua Sect to place pillars in various places.”

-......

The goddess of sloth was bewildered as she watched the humans work on the formation. This... This was very different from the traditional defense preparations she had thought of.

This was cheating!