Ch.574Chapter 22. The Price of Labor (6)

A surprising yet obvious problem.

-Would Haeguneul really have paid taxes on money earned from selling blood bags?

Even before this crisis erupted, nine out of ten—no, 99 out of 100 people would naturally call that money “black money.”

When you illegally sell blood and receive payment for it, how could you possibly bring that into the realm of legality?

That money is just a bribe.

It’s black money obtained by illegally selling blood extracted from blood bags.

Therefore, tax reporting obviously wouldn’t have happened.

‘The investigation is already complete.’

The National Tax Service has moved.

While some tax officials are affiliated with Haeguneul, conversely, some are collaborators with the Syndicate.

The ratio might be barely 1 in 100, but thanks to the information they risked their positions and lives to obtain, I can wield my daegeum with confidence.

[Where’s the money?]

Whoosh.

I thrust my daegeum into the solar plexus of the Haeguneul security guard blocking the hallway.

He may be B-rank, but if he can’t handle my attack speed, he’ll just get hit by the daegeum.

[Where is the money you made from selling blood bags?]

“You, you lunatic…!”

[Always the same. Shouting at someone executing official duties. Of course, you’re formally employed by Haeguneul, so you’re earning your pay….]

Whack!

[But blocking me constitutes obstruction of official duties.]

“Kuhak!”

As soon as I strike the guard’s head, a massive explosion occurs.

Creating vibrations, generating a sonic boom, sending wind throughout the corridor.

Thud!

Another concussion.

The B-rank ability user tried to resist for a while, but soon fell to his knees.

“Y-you crazy…! What kind of monster are you?!”

[A monster of fairness.]

“What?!”

[A representative of public opinion, guardian of order, and executor of justice.]

I step over the fallen ability user, moving forward and pointing my daegeum at the one who called me a monster.

[Just a passing scholar.]

“Passing…? Where have I heard that…?”

Thwack.

I approach in one step and strike his head.

I deliver a roundhouse kick to the guard momentarily suspended in mid-air.

“Kuhak?!”

Another one falls.

‘All mediocre ones.’

Even though they’re guarding headquarters, not all security guards can be A-rank.

Naturally, there are B-ranks and lower ranks too.

Just as not every floor in an RPG can have boss monsters, there must be cannon fodder scattered throughout.

And I excel at fighting such cannon fodder, these mediocre ones.

‘Can’t resist easy prey.’

Thwack.

[Too slow.]

“Kuh, heouk…!”

I strike upward at the chin of another guard rushing from the front.

“Y-you bastard…!!”

[Oh, still resisting?!]

“How dare, how dare you!!”

The guard momentarily suffered a concussion.

But beyond his brain trembling, anger fills his head.

No matter how much you shake the brain, if there’s already a signal input and strong anger present, one won’t fall after a single hit.

“Wielding a sacred Korean instrument as a weaponㅡㅡㅡ!”

Ah, so that’s his issue.

[These ability users, really.]

I gripped both ends of the daegeum.

[All of you grew up pampered on Sejong Island, never disciplined with a danso.]

“!!”

Clang.

The guard’s three-section staff hit exactly the middle of the daegeum.

Crackle.

Current flows from the staff, spreading around.

Due to that momentary flash, I could immediately identify the true nature of the staff.

[Seems you’ve discovered a copper mine near Mount Geumgang.]

“!!”

[What, did you find mana copper there?]

After the appearance of Golden Mecha Lord of Radiant Wings.

Naturally, since mana gold was revealed, I thought there would be similar materials.

If there’s gold, there must be silver, bronze, and iron too.

The northern part of Gangwon-do and the Taebaek Mountains still have some remaining veins, and the will of Hwan is somehow squeezing out minerals to continue supplying resources to the Korean Peninsula.

It’s only natural that Haeguneul found mana copper while searching for gold mines.

But I never expected them to already use copper this way, as a weapon most lethal against ability users.

[Unfortunate.]

I pulled the daegeum and reached toward the guard’s solar plexus with my white-gloved hand.

[If you want to subdue me with electric shock, bring 10 million volts next time.]

“!!”

Crack!!

As I forcefully tore something from near the guard’s solar plexus, there was a sound of wires ripping, and light flowed from inside his shirt.

“Kuaaaack?!”

Simultaneously, current surged from the guard’s body.

Blue electricity fried the guard, and he collapsed sideways.

‘Thunder Empress would be horrified.’

What would she say?

She’d probably chuckle at the internal suit attached to the body, with copper wires connected to a long battery.

Connecting mana copper wires to a human body, and at the end of those connected wires—it’s strange to call it natural, but—

There’s a ‘cradle.’

Plop, plop.

From below, between the legs, comes the sound of something being forcibly torn, accompanied by an unpleasant burning smell.

[What a disgusting method.]

Magical electrification.

[Protecting the cradle with a copper net, while simultaneously converting mana into electricity to wield with a three-section staff.]

From an opponent’s perspective, it can only be described as hell.

‘Normally, I’d rip out the cradle along with the copper wires.’

It’s a shame I’m not the Goblin.

Right now, I’m just a passing scholar, wielding the justice club against the villain Haeguneul who committed smuggling and tax evasion.

Non-lethal.

I don’t kill.

“Ugh, aaaack!! Be careful!! Wire torn, kuhk!!”

“S-stop! I’m a woman, pwuhek!

[Making strange noises as you fall.]

I don’t kill.

“Hee, heek…! You’re S-rank or higher! Why would someone like you come here and do this! What’s your purpose?!”

[I told you. For justice.]

I stood with my legs together, pointing my daegeum at the man aiming his three-section staff at me.

[Who moved all that blood bag money?]

“!!”

[Obviously the guys at headquarters who handle the dirty work, right?]

“W-wait…! Do you really think that makes sense? Even if our group smuggled, do you think we’d keep that money somewhere in headquarters?”

[Of course.]

The passing scholar doesn’t kill people, but in exchange.

[If it’s not at headquarters, I’ll beat it out of someone in charge. There’s no company without dirt.]

He’s a bit inflexible.

“Y-you lunatic!! I thought you reminded me of someone, but you’re worse than that dead guy!”

[Oh? Who are you referring to?]

“Well—”

Whack.

Before hearing the answer, I strike his head.

[I don’t want to hear it anyway.]

He was probably thinking of the Goblin.

[It should be about time for them to arrive.]

“You bastard…!”

With a crackling sound, someone appeared at the end of the corridor.

“Can’t, let, you, pass…!”

[Persistent. Is it because you’re A-rank?]

The bald A-rank who blocked me at the entrance emits smoke from his entire body and aims a weapon at me.

Bang!

Something fires from the gun’s barrel, spiraling.

It’s a copper-colored ‘bullet.’

[Won’t work.]

Clang!

I immediately deflected it sideways with my daegeum.

[Should I call it a mana stone bullet? Do you think I wouldn’t know about weapons that can kill ability users?]

“Kuh, ughk…!”

[Seems you aimed for an ‘instant kill,’ but unfortunately, I already knew about all this.]

From reality to fiction.

[I already know that Haeguneul created mana copper bullets for modified K-5 pistols.]

“You, you…! What exactly are you?!”

[I told you, a passing—]

“What passing scholar would know all this?! Damn it, just pass by then!”

[You’re noisy.]

Whack.

I threw my daegeum.

Spinning around, it hit the bald man’s crown, bounced in the air, and returned to me.

[If you want to attack from a distance, you should do at least this much.]

“Throw…ing….”

The bald A-rank collapsed.

He fell forward on his knees, his forehead hitting the ground as he passed out.

Roll.

The K-5 pistol he was holding came to my feet.

I grabbed it with my hand opposite the daegeum, then infused my magical power into it.

[The grip still feels like copper.]

Ding.

The elevator arrived.

The wide elevator that opened sideways was empty, and I leisurely entered and pressed the top floor.

-Y-you crazy! Who are you!! What are you doing!!

Someone’s enraged voice comes through the elevator speaker.

-What’s with suddenly terrorizing this place! If you mess with us, all of South Korea will explode! Do you understand?!

[I do.]

If Haeguneul headquarters explodes, South Korea will immediately shut down.

More precisely, all data on Haeguneul’s servers would evaporate—a truly terrible outcome.

[But you know what.]

I aimed the gun at the speaker.

[With the black money you made from blood trafficking, instead of giving 500 in cash to those leeches, you could have given some bonuses to your server room staff.]

As always.

[If you’d given them even as much as you give those leeches, your server room would be safe.]

-What…?

[Anyway. Higher-ups never understand the importance of server rooms.]

So they turn off the air conditioning in the server room to save on cooling costs.

[We’ve taken control of the server room. Neither electrical signals nor magical signals will work.]

-W-what…!

[You should have paid server administrators more than those comment section leeches.]

What brings down a massive organization is internal betrayal from those dissatisfied with the leadership.

[We’ve agreed to hire your excellent server administrators for ‘10,000 dollars’ a month.]

Of course.

[After taxes.]