Chapter 99: A Scammer’s Winning Strategy (1)

A young man with neatly pomaded hair hung his head in despair in a neatly arranged office. “Is there really... no other way?” “Of course, there may be alternatives," Park Geon-Woo replied. "However, to take control of the association as quickly as possible...” “A sacrifice is necessary. Is that what you’re saying?” Cheon Woo-Seong clenched his fist with a bitter smile. Park Geon-Woo continued to persuade his liege. “You must act quickly, Mr. Woo-Seong. If you hesitate... that old viper, Han Tae-Ho, will strike back.” Han Tae-Ho, the association's chairman, had shown little outward activity recently. However, rumors were circulating from several branches of the Black Star Society that he'd been spotted moving with special agents, clearly working to uncover the connection between Cheon Woo-Seong and the Black Star Society. If Han Tae-Ho managed to find corresponding evidence, the plan to take over the association would collapse. “That’s true,” Cheon Woo-Seong muttered, biting his lip. “A sacrifice... must be made.” “It’s all for the will of the Black Star.” “I understand that. But when I think of the innocent lives that will be lost because of this...!” Tears welled in Cheon Woo-Seong’s eyes, and his breath grew heavy. Veins stood out on his clenched fists as he smacked the table. Bang! The table cracked in half under his strike. “I don’t care how many Awakeners perish... but this time, the ones who will die are...!” Cheon Woo-Seong grimaced, deeply sorrowed. “Mr. Woo-Seong...” Park Geon-Woo looked at him with pity, knowing how badly he despised Awakeners and also how deeply he cherished non-Awakeners. “This is a noble sacrifice for the greater good. If you succeed in taking over the association, you’ll save the lives of countless non-Awakeners.” Cheon Woo-Seong pressed his lips tightly together and nodded. “I understand. No matter how much it tears my heart out... this must be done." He sighed as he pulled out a black chalice from his coat. "This is the Astral Relic that will allow you to control the demonic beasts.” Park Geon-Woo accepted the chalice with a deep bow. “Yes, sir!” “You know not to cause casualties outside Guro-dong, correct?” “Of course.” “I trust you’ll handle it well, Geon-Woo.” With a pure-hearted smile, Cheon Woo-Seong lightly patted Park Geon-Woo’s shoulder. “Haha. Leave it to me, Mr. Woo-Seong! Just give the word, and I’ll carry out the operation immediately!” “The time will come soon. I’ll leave it to you then.” “Yes, sir!” Park Geon-Woo confidently bellowed and stood up. “For the grace of the Black Star.” “For the grace of the Black Star.” The two exchanged a brief salute, and the scene then reverted. A blue message window appeared before Kwon Oh-Jin. Ring! [Some of Awakener Park Geon-Woo’s records have been inherited!] [Kwon Oh-Jin’s understanding of spearmanship has deepened significantly!] [Pyxis Spearmanship has reached Lv8.] “Phew.” The spearmanship used by Park Geon-Woo flowed into Kwon Oh-Jin's mind. But that’s not what's important right now. Sharpening his gaze, he organized the information he had acquired from the memories. “They attacked Guro-dong to seize control of the association?” How does unleashing demonic beasts on non-Awakeners relate to that?If Cheon Woo-Seong's hand in this was exposed, he'd just lose everything he built up so far. Is he planning on framing the chairman as the mastermind instead? No... forget taking over the association, it would bring the entire organization to ruin.Imagine if it were revealed that a massacre had been carried out in the heart of Seoul under the direction of the chief of police—the entire police force would be ruined. Even if the association didn’t disappear entirely, it would lose most of its authority, including its public enforcement power. Taking over the association would be meaningless then. What good would it do to inherit a pile of ashes? “That means these guys are planning something else.” Kwon Oh-Jin squinted, stroking his chin thoughtfully. Wait a minute. He recalled the conversation he'd overheard back at the tteokbokki restaurant. “Originally, they were going to set up centers in both Guro-dong and Daerim-dong, but the chairman’s opposition forced the board to fund the Daerim-dong center out of their own pockets.” The Non-Awakened Security Management Center was a protective facility for non-Awakeners, directed by Cheon Woo-Seong. Kwon Oh-Jin snapped his fingers. “Ah, I see what this is about. He’s planning to create a fabricated scenario, isn’t he?” For reasons Kwon Oh-Jin couldn’t fully understand, the chairman had opposed the construction of a center in Guro-dong. It’s probably a budget issue. He remembered Han Jun-Man mentioning how tight the board's finances were. No matter how noble the cause, you can’t exceed the budget to make it happen. That's like taking out a loan when your account's empty just to donate to charity. Individuals might do so based on their beliefs, but the head of an organization as big as the association can’t make such a choice. In addition, Daerim-dong and Guro-dong were somewhat close to each other. The chairman likely argued that a center in Daerim-dong was sufficient. Cheon Woo-Seong must have spread the narrative that this was just stubbornness on the chairman’s part. The non-Awakeners Kwon Oh-Jin had met at the tteokbokki shop had been quick to criticize the chairman, oblivious to the internal circumstances. Cheon Woo-Seong had clearly manipulated information to paint the chairman in a bad light. And if the demonic beasts only run wild in Guro-dong? The aftermath is obvious. The press will publish articles like “The Chairman's Cancellation of Guro-dong's Non-Awakened Security Management Center Has Led to Hundreds of Casualties.” That was why the attack had been limited to Guro-dong. Kwon Oh-Jin chuckled in disbelief. “So that’s why they spouted all that nonsense.” To seize control of the association, they had trampled on hundreds of lives like they were mere insects. and called it a “noble sacrifice.” “Pfft... Hahaha! These bastards are hilarious.” He covered his face with one hand as his shoulders trembled from laughing. Through the gaps in his fingers, eerie blue flames glinted in his eyes. “So fucking hilarious.” Frankly, the deaths of all those people didn’t stir any particular emotion in him. It didn’t matter how miserably or gruesomely they’d died. “He’s getting on my nerves, though.” What he couldn’t stand was Cheon Woo-Seong himself. What a manchild. Yet he's the one leading the Owl faction with the grand name "King's Proxy"? “The Black Star Society doesn’t seem like all that much now.” Kwon Oh-Jin could finally understand why it was the Heavenly Demon who had destroyed the world in the first timeline. At the very least, the Owl faction didn’t seem capable of achieving such a monumental feat. He rummaged through Park Geon-Woo’s belongings and pulled out a black chalice half-filled with black mana. “This must be the Astral Relic.” Stop the battle, he commanded via thought. Woong! The black mana rippled outward, spreading in all directions. He climbed to the rooftop of a nearby building, where he confirmed that the monsters battling Lee Woo-Hyuk, Song Ha-Eun, and Han Jun-Man in the distance had all frozen in place. The bewildered Awakeners glanced around, stunned. “An Astral Relic that controls monsters, huh?” It was difficult to determine the exact star the Astral Relic was connected to, but the sheer volume of mana it contained made it clear that it was of exceptionally high grade. Should I absorb it? He hesitated for a moment. No, I might need it in the future. He tucked it into his pocket. “Now... what next?” Returning to where Park Geon-Woo’s corpse lay, he crossed his arms, lost in thought. This situation is the worst. It's already checkmate. If Cheon Woo-Seong stepped forward, shedding a few crocodile tears and proclaiming, "I knew this would happen," the chairman’s entire lineup would be finished. It was game over as soon as there were casualties. The issue wasn’t how many casualties there were, but the mere fact that there were any in the first place. Someone had to be held responsible for this incident. At this rate, the chairman’s faction will be wiped out, and the association will fall into Cheon Woo-Seong’s hands. It's impossible to overturn this... through normal means, that is. “Pfft... hahaha!”. He rummaged through Park Geon-Woo’s belongings and pulled out a fist-sized marble—a fairly common communication-based Astral Relic that allowed seamless transmission, regardless of whether the recipient was inside a gate or on the other side of the planet. And it's much more secure than phones. It transmitted messages through a specific mana frequency, leaving no records of the content. “Well then...” He faced the association building in Yeouido, where he pictured Cheon Woo-Seong proudly standing at the top, utterly convinced of his victory. “Do you think it’s all over?” Kwon Oh-Jin smiled slyly. “No, no. That's not how it works.” If that was your plan, you should have killed me first. The communication marble in his hand vibrated. Buzzz. There was no need to check who it was. Transformation. A man with a scar running down his right eye raised the bead and respectfully bowed toward the King’s Proxy. “Yes, Mr. Cheon Woo-Seong. The operation was a success.”