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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 99
Chapter Title: The Beginning of All Disasters
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The next day, in the afternoon.
*Tap…*
Bong-gu, who was walking down the street, came to a stop.
“Huh?”
For a moment, his gaze was fixed on the ‘latest model smartphone’ visible through the display window of a mobile phone store…
Brand New! Special discount, today only!
※ Device is completely free!
The boss is going to kill me for this price!
After spotting the phrases plastered all over the window, hinting at a sale, Bong-gu…
…hummed thoughtfully and scratched his head…
“Welcome!”
…before finally stepping into the store.
A full day had passed, yet the world was still buzzing about the ‘Gate’ that had appeared in Oda City, Shimane Prefecture, Japan.
- Today, Japan's Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications released a list of the Hunters who participated in subduing the Cataclysm-rank Gate in Oda City.
- According to the report, Japan's number one S-rank Hunter, Nuclear Samurai, and all the Hunters from the Shogun Guild took part in the operation...
- ...along with Japan's number two S-rank Hunter, Genji of the Shadows, and his Umbral Shadow Guild, who were all reported to have died in the line of duty during the Gate's subjugation...
- And finally, the Korean Hunters, led by our own number one S-rank, Jeong Yun-chan, who miraculously survived the Cataclysm-rank Gate in New Delhi not long ago...
- Furthermore, Minister of Internal Affairs Taketa revealed during a briefing that the Korean Hunters' performance was particularly outstanding, sparking much discussion...
- In response, Bureau Director Seo Do-cheol hinted that Hunter Jeong Yun-chan's return date might be moved up, raising public anticipation...
Kang-jun, who had been staring at the TV news, scratched his belly and muttered.
“Looks like they handled it well…”
Just then, the doorbell rang…
“Kang-jun, can you get the door?”
Kang-jun mumbled, “Yeah,” and was shuffling toward the entrance when…
“Dada!”
Seol-i, who had been lying on the floor quietly drawing, spoke up, her eyes sparkling.
“Seori will get it!”
He realized Seol-i had grown quite a bit; she could now just barely reach the doorknob by standing on her tiptoes.
Since then, she'd taken a liking to opening and closing the door, always rushing to get it whenever a package arrived.
“Who is it?”
A reply came immediately from the other side of the door.
“It's Uncle Bong-gu.”
Seol-i immediately shouted, “Wow!” and swung the door wide open…
“Seol-i, have you been well?”
“Yesh, I missed you!”
As Bong-gu scooped Seol-i into a tight hug, Kang-jun let out a huge yawn and asked nonchalantly.
“What brings you here?”
At that, Bong-gu awkwardly shook the large paper bags he was holding in both hands.
“It's nothing much, but I was thinking of you and the family, so I bought some gifts.”
Lee Su-bin, who was washing dishes in the kitchen, saw this as she was taking off her rubber gloves and walking over. She spoke to Bong-gu, looking a bit abashed.
“You really didn't have to bring anything…”
“It's really no big deal.”
“I feel bad for always being on the receiving end…”
Kang-jun's eyes lit up as he asked.
“What is it?”
Bong-gu said, “Ta-da,” and pulled out four boxes, each containing a new smartphone.
“They're the latest models, released just a few days ago.”
At his words, Crabslie and Iriel, who had stealthily appeared in the living room, exchanged whispers.
“I saw this in a commercial recently…”
“I believe I've seen it as well.”
Bong-gu then handed two of the smartphone boxes, marked ‘Brother’ and ‘Sister’, to Kang-jun and Su-bin, adding.
“For you two, I just bought the devices, so you can just swap the SIM cards from your current phones and use them right away…”
Then, he handed the boxes marked 'Elder' and 'Young Lady' to Crabslie and Iriel.
“I figured it might be difficult for you two to get them activated under your own names, so I set them up under mine. You can start using them right away.”
Crabslie let out a low “Hah,” then gripped Bong-gu's hands tightly and replied.
“I've wanted one of these so badly but couldn't bring myself to say anything… Young man Bong-gu, I shall never forget this kindness for the rest of my life…”
Iriel was the same.
“You, human.”
“Yes?”
“Thank you…”
She gently caressed the box, evidently quite pleased with the gift, and managed to express her gratitude to Bong-gu.
“Bong-gu, thank you so much…”
Then she suddenly muttered, “Where are my manners,” and added in a hurried tone.
“Please, come inside.”
Just then, Seol-i clutched Bong-gu's sleeve, tugging it gently as she asked in a voice brimming with anxiety.
“What about Seori's…?”
Bong-gu immediately pulled a ‘Secret Princess’ phone—from one of Seol-i's favorite cartoons—out from his coat.
“Of course, I have one for Seol-i, too.”
And so, Bong-gu's ‘surprise gift’ brought a wide smile to everyone's face.
That…
…was the beginning of all ‘disasters.’
Kang-jun and Lee Su-bin were already smartphone users, so they didn't really need an ‘adjustment period’…
“You just dial the number like this and press the call button, and it will connect you.”
Crabslie and Iriel, however, were completely absorbed in learning ‘how to use a smartphone’ from Bong-gu.
“To think you can converse with someone no matter how far apart you are… Not even the Anux Empire had an artifact like this…”
Iriel muttered in amazement, then whipped her head around to face Crabslie and continued in a dead serious tone.
“Grand Duke, this ‘smartphone’ would be incredibly useful in a wartime situation.”
Bong-gu smiled warmly for a moment, watching the two of them marvel at every new feature he showed them.
“I think that covers all the basic functions of the smartphone. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me anything.”
Crabslie immediately jumped in.
“Ah, now that you mention it, the part-timer I work with seemed to enjoy some ‘entertainment’ on this device…”
“Entertainment?”
“I would have no other wish than to be able to partake in this ‘entertainment’ after finishing my duties…”
Murmuring, “Ah, games,” Bong-gu went straight to the app store and showed them a long list of downloadable games.
“You can pick any game you want from here, install it, and play whenever you like.”
At that, Crabslie muttered.
“Whoa, that's sick.”
Bong-gu, startled, asked, “Excuse me?” Crabslie replied triumphantly.
“It's lit, it's sick, let it go.”
“E-Elder?”
“The part-timer taught me.”
It seemed his Korean language patch was updating in an increasingly bizarre direction.
“Human.”
This time, Iriel asked.
“I wish to learn how to record memories…”
“Pardon?”
“I believe Her Highness Subin called it a ‘selfie’.”
Bong-gu immediately opened the camera app and taught her how to take pictures...
He even went on to download and install several ‘filter camera apps’ from the app store for her.
Bong-gu then checked the time.
“Oh, when did it get so late…”
After checking once more, he quickly got up from his seat and added again in a friendly tone.
“I've also saved my number in your phones, so feel free to call me anytime if you have questions.”
After Bong-gu left…
“Hmm…”
Crabslie seemed preoccupied with browsing the list of games in the app store…
“I shall retire for the night.”
...while Iriel was busy taking selfies with the filter camera app, “*Click, click*,” over and over.
“Well, well. Look at you all, having fun?”
Kang-jun began with a sneer, scolding the two of them.
“It's noisy. Go play in your rooms.”
“Why are you standing there in front of the TV?”
“Ah, my apologies…”
“Go play in your room.”
“Yes, my Lord. I obey your command…”
Crabslie went into his room, continuously swiping his smartphone screen with his index finger…
“Hey.”
Kang-jun now turned to Iriel, who was lost in her ‘selfie spree’, and spoke again in a chiding tone.
“Click, click. My ears are bleeding.”
“M-My, my apologies…”
“Hey, you go play in your room too.”
“I will obey the Lord's command…”
Then, Kang-jun's gaze shifted to Seol-i.
“Hewwo? Hewwo?”
Seol-i was also engrossed in ‘playing phone’ with her new gift…
Suddenly, Kang-jun cleared his throat, “Ahem, hem,” and spoke to Seol-i in a sweet, playful voice.
“Yes, is this the Seol-i residence?”
“Yesh it ish!”
“Could you put Seol-i on the line, please?”
Kang-jun replied in a singsong voice.
At this drastic change in tone…
Lee Su-bin let out a small smile.
That night, late.
“Well, I'll be.”
Thirsty, Kang-jun came out to the kitchen in the middle of the night and found the two of them sitting across from each other at the table, fiddling with their phones.
“Still at it, are we?”
Iriel, who had been taking selfies—“*click, click*”—was startled and replied.
“If, if we were being too loud…”
Kang-jun, thinking they must be really excited, just shook his head a few times and said, “It's fine, it's fine,” before asking Crabslie.
“Don't tell me you still haven't picked a game?”
To which Crabslie triumphantly replied.
“I just chose one a moment ago.”
Kang-jun asked, “What is it?” and checked the game installing on Crabslie's phone.
“Everybody's Marble?”
It seemed to be a mobile game based on ‘Blue Marble,’ a famous board game.
“How do the rules go again…”
Crabslie, excited by Kang-jun's question, immediately answered.
“Although I've only skimmed the instructions, it appears to be a thrilling form of entertainment that pits me against an opponent to see who has the greater acumen for commerce.”
“Is that so?”
“It must be a game where competitors use their given assets to purchase and develop land, seize the opponent's wealth, and the one who ultimately accumulates more riches is victorious.”
At that, Iriel asked.
“In that case, is that not the Grand Duke's area of expertise?”
Back when he served as the Minister of Finance for the Anux Empire, Crabslie was often dispatched to underdeveloped towns to open up commercial avenues.
This was because he had a knack for meticulously analyzing and comparing the conditions of backward regions to identify promising industries to focus on.
Even the heads of major merchant guilds would wait for months, sometimes years, just to seek Crabslie's advice on management and discuss their future…
“Yes, it is indeed my specialty.”
Kang-jun muttered, “Oh, you'll probably be good at it,” and they waited for a moment for the game to finish installing.
[ Installation complete! ]
As soon as the installation was finished, Crabslie launched the game and immediately started looking for a match…
“Please enter a nickname?”
“It's just asking for a screen name.”
After a moment's thought, Crabslie combined the slang terms he'd recently learned from the part-timer to create a nickname.
[ Welcome to the world of Everybody's Marble, ‘LitSickChoiDol’! ]
Crabslie muttered under his breath.
“Wait, I entered ‘LitSickChoiDolsoe’…”
But due to the character limit, it had been cut off at ‘LitSickChoiDol’.
Just then, Kang-jun said, “Hurry up and start,” so Crabslie pressed the start button.
[ Connecting to an opponent. ]
[ 3... ]
[ 2... ]
[ 1... ]
[ The game will begin shortly. ]
In that moment, Crabslie sensed something was wrong.
“Huh…?”
His character was shirtless, wearing nothing but a pair of shabby-looking boxer shorts…
…while his opponent's character was not only dressed in flashy clothes but also had a sports car parked behind them.
“It seems I have been matched with a foe who is not only well-versed in commerce but also possesses considerable ‘financial power’...”
Iriel grinned and replied.
“Even so, it cannot compare to the Grand Duke's experience.”
Kang-jun also chimed in.
“Yeah, think of all the years you've put in.”
Crabslie muttered triumphantly, “Indeed…” then added awkwardly.
“Compared to real-world practice, a mere game like this…”
Just then.
[ 'Opponent' rolls the dice first! ]
[ S-Rank Lucky Item 'Double Charm' has been activated! ]
[ Effect: Your first roll is guaranteed to be a double! ]
[ S-Rank Lucky Item 'Broken GPS' has been activated! ]
[ Effect: 99% chance to move backward instead of forward! ]
[ 'Opponent' has landed on World Tour! ]
[ S-Rank Lucky Item 'Airline Miles' has been activated. ]
[ Effect: You can use World Tour twice in a row. ]
Only a few minutes had passed.
“Uh, uhh…”
Crabslie's face grew dark as he was defeated by his capital-wielding opponent without even getting to roll the dice once, not understanding what had just happened…
“This bastard, all that experience was for nothing…”
Kang-jun returned to his room…
“Grand Duke, I am disappointed.”
Iriel also left her seat right after.
“J-Just one more chance…”
Just then, a pop-up appeared on the screen.
[ Feeling the sting of defeat? ]
[ We've prepared something just for you! ]
[ A spectacular package, the best value! ]
[ 55,000 Won, Starter Pack! ]
[ Available for purchase only right now! ]
Crabslie sighed and muttered under his breath.
“As expected, this dimension called Earth is a world completely steeped in ‘mammonism’…”
But contrary to his words, his gaze was fixed on the microtransaction-baiting phrase: ‘Available for purchase only right now!’
“Let's see, the money I've saved up so far is…”
Crabslie went to his room, opened a drawer, and counted the 10,000 won bills he had saved up.
600,000 won.
Crabslie's monthly salary was in the two million won range, but since Lee Su-bin was putting eighty percent of it into a savings account for him, he received about 400,000 won a month as an allowance.
It was a thoughtful gesture from Su-bin, so that he could return to his family with the money he'd diligently saved up if he ever got back in contact with them.
In reality, Crabslie's only expenses were the occasional snacks he enjoyed, so his allowance had just been accumulating.
“Fifty-five thousand won… that's how many bowls of oxblood soup…”
Then Crabslie suddenly muttered, “No…” and shook his head again…
“How can the Minister of Finance, responsible for the economy of the Anux Empire, admit defeat and back down from some riff-raff like this?”
Determined to secure a definite victory, Crabslie decided to spend exactly one hundred thousand won. He placed ten 10,000 won bills next to his smartphone and pressed the ‘Purchase’ button.
[ KRW 100,000 payment completed. ]
The message ‘payment completed’ appeared and the items were delivered, but…
For some reason, the cash he had placed beside the phone hadn't disappeared.
He opened the drawer and counted the remaining cash, but it was all still there.
“Huh?”
Crabslie started mashing the purchase button again.
[ KRW 100,000 payment completed. ]
[ KRW 100,000 payment completed. ]
[ KRW 100,000 payment completed. ]
[ KRW 100,000 payment completed. ]
No matter how many times he repeated the ‘purchase’, the result was the same.
His cash remained untouched, while the in-game currency was refilled.
“Oh?”
Crabslie began furiously tapping the purchase button.
“Hey guys, why are you even working?”
He muttered again as he diligently tapped away.
“Why am I working part-time at a convenience store?”
His fingers started to go numb.
“When money just duplicates itself…”
At the same time.
*Bzzzzzt.*
*Bzzzzzt.*
*Bzzzzzt.*
Bong-gu's phone was buzzing incessantly.
They were all ‘payment notification texts’…
“Hnnngh…”
…but Bong-gu was lost in dreamland.
