Chapter 527: Chapter 527

Choi Yeonseung confidently greeted the Warrior With a Hammer when he came to talk to him about the Fourth Kingdom.

‘It doesn’t matter what kind of household members there are in the Fourth Kingdom. I can win if I personally go there and fight.’

-You have a knack for making bold statements.

However, what the Warrior With a Hammer told him took him by surprise.

“...What do you want me to do?”

[The ‘Warrior With a Hammer’ complains that the ‘Greedy Owner of the Treasure House’ is a very strange guy.]

‘What...?’

It wasn’t about fighting the household members or killing boss monsters... It was about becoming the richest person in the kingdom. It was quite a peculiar challenge.

-But it might be more advantageous for you, Successor. Compared to other constellations, you have a knack for raking in gold.

-What are you implying...?

The goddess of sloth was right, but Choi Yeonseung didn’t look happy.

‘There will be more competitors.’

Choi Yeonseung had already raided the Abyss several times and knew just how troublesome it was to have more people involved!

His prediction turned out to be true. As word of the Fourth Kingdom spread, companies that normally wouldn’t have dabbled in high-risk gambles like the Abyss raid started to drip in.

***

Every day in the United States, tens of thousands of new companies emerged and disappeared, and this hadn’t changed in the raid era. If anything, it actually got worse. This new era had inspired not only hunters, but also numerous start-up companies.

-How about the shared artifact business? The biggest problem for rookie hunters is...

-I have acquired a new magic skill in the dungeon! Please invest! The field of magical medicine will be revolutionized ten years from now!

Most of them were swept away by the waves, but a few of them managed to stay on the surface and thrive.

The growth rate of companies that survived the raid era was different from companies in other fields. Dragon Industry had started like that, and Parker Group had also made a big impact in the raid era.

Brian Banks was a businessman who had been making a name for himself in the media in recent years. He hadn’t just participated in huge projects of building cities in the Abyss. He had also managed to increase the value of his company tenfold by announcing new technologies and projects one after another.

The media admired Banks’ achievements and showered him with praise, labeling him as “a new entrepreneur who will lead this era” and “Dragon Industry’s adversary.”

Now, Banks was meeting up with Isabella Meyer by himself.

“It’s an honor to meet you, Ms. Meyer.”

Banks couldn’t afford to take Isabella Meyer lightly. Besides being an A-grade hunter, she also came from a huge family of politicians. However...

‘I heard she got into a fight with Huntsman recently.’

Huntsman had run for president of the United States, but the conclusion of that campaign had been nothing short of a black comedy.

Politicians often faced setbacks, but it was rare for the people of a camp to fight and put the blame on each other. Rumor had it that Huntsman nearly died after verbally abusing Isabella Meyer, an A-grade hunter, which divided the camp in two sides.

If those things had actually happened, it was clear that both of them had a screw loose.

“What happened with Mitt Huntsman was unfortunate. Who knew he was such a lunatic?”

“I don’t really care about that,” Isabella Meyer replied indifferently.

Her demeanor prompted Banks to think, ‘Many people claim that A-grade hunters aren’t human, and I’m starting to think it’s true...’

It was often said that in order to become that strong with a human body, something would inevitably break. And now that Banks was actually face-to-face with an A-grade hunter, he thought that maybe it wasn’t just a rumor. n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

There was a distinctive madness in Meyer’s eyes.

“I’ve heard that you’ve set your sights on the Fourth Kingdom.”

“Oh, you’re very fast.” Banks was surprised, but he didn’t deny it. He hadn’t announced it, but it wasn’t strange for someone of Meyer’s level to find out.

After all, many companies shared the same attitude.

-I’m really jealous of Dragon Industry!

The S-grade hunter had personally gone to the Abyss to reap even more rewards, so other companies were naturally envious to death. They wanted to push the hunters below them, but the difference between them was so great that it was impossible.

Therefore, the Fourth Kingdom was bound to attract companies interested in the Abyss.

-This is an opportunity!

Banks knew how valuable this opportunity was.

He had announced new technologies and projects to be implemented in Abyssal cities and gained various investments, but that kind of money wasn’t enough. It was extremely difficult to fully commercialize a new technology, no matter how much the spectacular media play raised stock prices and gained investments for him.

It was extremely rare to come up with a new technology like Dragon Industry and complete it within a year while saying something like “It was nearly impossible, but we managed to do it.”

It all boiled down to money.

More money was needed.

-We will take control of the Fourth Abyss Kingdom at all costs. Even if you can’t capture it, secure as many interests as you can!

“I would like to join you.”

“!”

Banks was taken aback.

Having not just any A-grade hunter but Isabella Meyer assisting him would be really helpful. An alliance with her would be great for promotion in many ways and would attract even more investments...

However, Banks wasn’t a fool. He was well aware that nothing came for free.

“I’d be grateful for that, but... I need to ask why.”

Banks was going to refuse right away if Isabella Meyer asked him to help her in politics in exchange for her help in the Fourth Kingdom. The momentum of the ruling party, supported by Choi Yeonseung, was so strong that one tiny mistake could lead to an explosive aftermath.

Fortunately, that wasn’t what Isabella Meyer wanted.

“We just need someone to effectively attack the constellation, and I figured that Banks International would be able to take such an aggressive approach.”

“Uh, but how come you didn’t go to Dragon Industry for that?”

Isabella Meyer frowned and thought about it for a bit before answering, “I respect Hunter Choi Yeonseung’s ability as a hunter, but... he’s too moderate.”

If Choi Yeonseung had heard this, he would’ve been so frustrated that he wouldn’t be able to sleep at night. He was the one directly consulting with the constellations, and yet he was... moderate?!

But Isabella Meyer didn’t know that. She judged him like that only because he had rejected her proposal to wipe out all the constellations on Earth.

He was a great hunter, but he lacked boldness.

“But Hunter Choi Yeonseung’s character is quite unique.”

Banks didn’t know much about the world of hunters and nodded.

From what he had seen in the media, he could tell that Choi Yeonseung wasn’t like other hunters. After all, he had managed to convince all the countries in the international committee to unanimously bestow upon him the symbolic title of S-grade...

“I don’t think he’ll do anything aggressive.”

In Banks’ eyes, Choi Yeonseung wasn’t the kind of person to trick Abyssal races or build a factory in the Abyss.

‘He doesn’t need to because he has everything he could possibly want,’ Banks thought to himself before telling Isabella, “I get why you’re here, but I’m worried.”

“?”

“Ms. Meyers, I’m afraid that if I join hands with you, Dragon Industry will misunderstand it and set its sights on me...”

The media kept releasing over-the-top headlines like “Dragon Industry should watch out,” but Banks wasn’t delusional. As it stood, Dragon Industry would crush him if they went toe-to-toe.

Most clans, as well as political and business circles, would side with Dragon Industry...

“I don’t intend to attack or keep Dragon Industry in check. You don't have to worry.”

“Is that so?”

“Instead, I’m willing to attack somewhere else.”

“...Where?” Banks asked nervously.

“Parker Group.”

“!”

Banks was taken aback, but then he chuckled.

“Parker Group, huh... I’d say it’s worth a shot!”

***

[The ‘Chef of Endless Gluttony’ complains that he is very irritated by how loud a household member is.]

-Huh?

For a moment, Choi Yeonseung wondered what the chef constellation was talking about, but he quickly understood. There was only one new human in the household of the chef constellation—Jacob Parker, the eldest son of the Parker Family.

Surprisingly, he was one of the humans who had cheated the Greedy Owner of the Treasure House and ran away when his life was threatened.

-What do you mean he’s loud?

He grumbles that he has no authority. Why do all humans do this?

The Chef of Endless Gluttony was fed up with Jacob the moment he entered his household. Any other Abyssal creatures would be executed if they didn’t prove themselves, even if they were of noble blood.

However, this human household member was not only physically safe but had also managed to keep all his assets. It was just that his authority within the company had disappeared, but that was enough for him to grumble incessantly.

The goddess of sloth cocked her head.

-Should you really leave that human be?

-I thought he would be useful when dealing with Parker Group later.

Parker Group had been steadily trying to take over Dragon Industry’s territory. They were demoralized and struggling because of their recent consecutive failures, but it was still natural for Choi Yeonseung to prepare for them.

And Jacob Parker was one of the weapons he would use against Parker Group. Even if he didn’t have any distinguishable abilities, the fact that he was the chairman’s son made him useful in all sorts of ways.

‘Hmm... Shall I take care of him now?’

Choi Yeonseung had been putting it off because of how many crazy things had been going on, but...

-For that matter, I think he took revenge immediately...

...Now might be the right time.

Parker Group would also be participating in the Fourth Kingdom raid. It wouldn’t hurt to nip the troublesome competitors in the bud.

“Alright, let’s do this.”

[The ‘Chef of Endless Gluttony’ says he is very curious about the strategy of the ‘Undefeated Incarnation of Training.’]

“Adaquaniel! I need your help!”

...

The chef constellation looked at Choi Yeonseung with a blank expression, but Choi Yeonseung felt proud without any shame.

***

“Believe in me! I’m sure I can do it this time.”

The atmosphere within Parker Group had been fierce those days.

Jacob Parker had basically been kicked out for trying to raise money with near-fraudulent items, several affiliates had been sold for a penny, and Alex Parker grew angrier by the day.

Naturally, the executives underneath him felt like they were dying.

“You said that last time too. If you fail this time, are you going to jump out the window?”

“Huh? Th-that...”

“I’m joking.”

“Ha, haha... You’re joking...”

The executives were sweating profusely.

“We’re probably the only ones who have done the most analysis and invested in the most Abyss races.”

“As other companies are struggling, we will move quickly and lock them down with a contract.”

Even though things were bad, the executives had a reason to be confident in this Abyss raid. They had mobilized various scholars and experts and invested a large amount of money to complete a manual on how to approach and deal with Abyssal races. It was a truly massive undertaking as they had to gain information from hunters and constellations.

Dealing with Abyssal races was like walking on thin ice; one wrong gesture could lead to disaster. As other companies would struggle to interact with the relatively strange races in the Fourth Kingdom, Parker Group would be one step ahead!

‘No corporation will be able to deal with Abyss races better than us!’