Chapter 66: The Private Debt Apocalypse of Yoo Hajin (2)

‘Is he saying he has known the noble one, the Demon King for a long time?’

Rebecca, the team leader of the Golden Dawn Society, was stricken with terror. 

She knew exactly what "Noble one" meant in Korean. In English, it translated to "Demon King." It was a term that signified the ruler of spirits.

However, despite understanding the gravity of the term, Rebecca had no choice but to feign ignorance and ask again. It was simply too unbelievable.

"Are you saying the 'Noble one' you mentioned really means the Demon King?"

"It's the truth."

Stagger—How could a human possibly have known a being that signifies the very extinction of humanity for so long? 

Rebecca felt her legs wobble beneath her.

‘Even the place I once lived was destroyed because of the Demon King.’

A terrifying specter that could blanket continents with supernatural power and permanently alter maps with sheer force.

These beings, often called gods because there was no other fitting term, were each responsible for destroying a nation and turning it into a twisted, hellish landscape. 

That was the Demon King—The noble one. Rebecca knew that fear all too well.

And now, someone claimed to have been acquainted with such a being for a long time.

"···."

But Rebecca couldn't afford to give up now. 

Number one in debt recovery.

Golden Hands Rebecca.

She couldn’t just abandon that title.

"But isn't the Demon King humanity's enemy? If you claim to have been acquainted with him, doesn’t that present a significant problem?"

It was a sharp observation.

Rebecca smiled once more after making that pointed remark.

But Yoo Hajin's next words wiped that smile right off her face.

"I said I’ve known him for a long time, not that we were friendly. He and I have always fought. Recently, I met him again and beat the crap out of him—totally wrecked his face. I should've killed him then."

"Wha, What?"

Rebecca staggered again, her disbelief overwhelming. 

Had he really fought the Demon King numerous times? 

And even beaten him so badly that he crushed his face?

"It's the truth."

An artifact confirmed the man’s words as truth.

Hearing this, Rebecca collapsed to her knees. It was so natural, as if it was the only possible response.

‘If he’s strong enough to fight the Demon King, just how powerful is he...?’

Rebecca was terrified of the man standing before her. But more than that, she was terrified of her reputation being shattered. 

As someone who had risen to the position of team leader despite being an ordinary person unable to awaken supernatural abilities, the thought of her downfall was horrifying.

She feared losing herself more than anything else.

So she spoke humbly, yet with a touch of dignity.

“Hajin-nim, no matter how much the world has changed, humanity has not crumbled into barbarism; we have maintained our civilization. And civilization is, after all, a society of trust.”

“So, what are you saying?”

Thank goodness. Yoo Hajin might be a transcendent powerhouse, but he seemed like one who would listen to reason. 

It meant he wasn’t the kind of Shaman King who would massacre without a second thought.

“If Hajin-nim uses his powers to nullify the Dawn Society’s debt, the Society would suffer great damage, and many people would die. But I assure you of one thing: it would be quite troublesome for you as well.”

Rebecca lowered her head.

“That’s why, as a civilized person, I want to resolve this matter peacefully.”

Desperate but firm.

Rebecca behaved like a gentleman on the brink of death

.

Yoo Hajin watched her and nodded.

“A peaceful solution, huh…? I prefer peace too. Okay. Thank you.”

“Then let me introduce you to the second mode of this Oparts. I’ll show you the credit measurement mode.”

Snap—As Rebecca snapped her fingers, the other women in suits immediately began tinkering with the Oparts.

“This Oparts is designed for debt collectors. The Dawn Society always collects for legitimate reasons, but debtors often lie for unjust reasons. They claim they have no money when they do, say they don’t have goods when they do, and insist they have no people when they actually do.”

Rebecca continued.

“To deal with such debtors, we needed a machine that would always speak the truth. So, we commissioned the Omega Tech, who research ultra-ancient technologies, to restore this Oparts.”

Yoo Hajin quietly observed the speaker.

Was this also a product of Omega Tech?

A place that researches ultra-ancient technology.

A technology that doesn’t use supernatural abilities at all.

He was honestly a bit interested.

But that wasn’t the important thing right now.

“And the Dawn Society is civilized enough to apply technology wisely. By combining our credit evaluation system with this truth-telling Oparts, we can measure creditworthiness on the spot.”

Before he realized it, a massive machine had been set up beside the speaker. With its radar spinning around, it looked like some kind of military system.

“With this credit measurement system, there’s no longer any need to spill blood like savages. We just measure who has the higher credit, and follow the words of the one with higher credit. This is the true civilized way of resolving things. Unlike the primitive methods of a Shaman… ahem.”

Yoo Hajin tilted his head, signaling that he didn’t quite understand.

Seeing this, Rebecca spoke again.

“In simple terms, when the Dawn Society and Hajin-nim face off, it’s about comparing the connections each side can call upon.”

“Ah, I see.”

Yoo Hajin immediately grasped the meaning behind her words.  

So, this was essentially a machine-mediated showdown of connections—a system that would shout out, "Hey, do you know who my big brother is?" on your behalf before the actual fight even started.

‘Connections, huh.’

Yoo Hajin thought about his own connections.  

Could he win this?

“If you manage to beat the Dawn Society in terms of credit, we’ll write off all the interest and even cut the principal in half. However, if you lose, you’ll need to follow the Dawn Society’s acquisition process. Of course, we’ll carry out the acquisition as gently as possible.”

Hearing this, Yoo Hajin nodded.  

The Heavenly Demon Cult was drowning in debt. He needed to do whatever he could to reduce it. And losing in the credit evaluation wouldn’t increase the debt anyway. 

It was a fight with nothing to lose. Not fighting in such a situation would be foolish.

“Deal. Then, let me start. Our Dawn Society has contracts with several shaman guilds across Europe, the most famous among them being Hexenacht and Hexenjäger…”

Rebecca spoke quickly, almost as if she were rapping.

Beep beep beep beep-

The Dawn Society’s credit score rapidly increased.  

The final score they achieved was 100,000 points.

Even to Yoo Hajin, who knew nothing about this system, that seemed like a pretty high score.  

Now it was his turn to speak.

“I’m acquainted with the Demon King.”

But the score didn’t change. Rebecca, smiling as if she had already won, spoke up.

“Hostile relationships don’t count towards credit. Only those who would come to your aid in a battle can be considered creditworthy.”

“Ugh…”

So that’s how it worked.  

Thinking it over, it made sense.  

After organizing his thoughts, Yoo Hajin continued speaking.

“All of the Qigong Cultivation sects.”

Beep beep beep beep-

As soon as Yoo Hajin spoke, his credit score began to rise.

“W-Wait, all of the Qigong Cultivation sects?! Are you saying every single Qigong Clan will fight for you?!”

Rebecca exclaimed as the score climbed, but Yoo Hajin wasn’t concerned with that. He kept going.

“And the Anomaly Response Headquarters!”

“The Anomaly Response Headquarters? You mean that agency, which is practically synonymous with the Korean government, will move on your behalf?”

The rising score answered her question.  

Yoo Hajin racked his brain.  

Who else would fight for him?

“Jinari, the young master of the Jin family.”

“The House of Jin? The noble house that ranks among the top two in power?”

Yoo Hajin continued.

“All current disciples of Cheonji. A portion of the Mireuk Cult members who know my identity. And… the Am-Mak forces. I was commissioned by the Am-Mak’s leader, and I can resolve that commission immediately.”

Yoo Hajin had once been tasked by the leader of the Am-Mak at Mount Jeonryun to uncover the identity of the Mireuk Cult’s leader. And Yoo Hajin knew exactly who that leader was.

And yet, Yoo Hajin's list of connections hadn’t run dry.

"Ancestor Kirieon. If I leverage Kirieon, even the other Sect might lend a hand, right? And of course, the Heavenly Demon Cult should be counted towards my credit as well."

Rebecca stared blankly at the Oparts. The entire class of Cheonji disciples, a massive cult like the Mireuk Cult, and a superhuman criminal organization as powerful as Am-Mak—could the Oparts possibly acknowledge all these connections as true?

Indeed, it did.  

The resulting score: 170,000 points.  

A figure that far surpassed 100,000.

Yet, even so, Rebecca didn’t lose her composure.

"That’s quite an impressive credit, Yoo Hajin-nim. Truly admirable. I wouldn’t have guessed that one person could hold such high credit."

"Without my connections, I’m nothing but a corpse. So, now…"

"But the Dawn Society still has a bit of strength left. Please add the credit of the Holy Sword Order, the Order's leader, and the Saintess."

Beep beep beep beep-

With that, the Dawn Society’s credit soared to 200,000 points.  

Yoo Hajin’s expression twisted as he saw the score.

"Now, do you see? If the Dawn Society and Yoo Hajin-nim were to go head-to-head, our Dawn Society would have a slight advantage. So, shall we proceed with the acquisition…?"

"Wait!"

Yoo Hajin interrupted Rebecca.  

At this point, it was all or nothing.  

When it came to matters involving money, Yoo Hajin had no pride to lose. He would name-drop every person he could possibly think of.

Heavenly Demon Divine Skill: Cheonji Connection Sale.

"I-I haven’t finished yet. People who would fight for me… Let’s see, my younger sister Harin, and that little rascal Gujeon who just entered Cheonji Academy. Oh, and there’s the tiger Baek Yoorin, one of the Cheonji Immortals. She might fight alongside me, and there’s also the lady who runs the side dish shop I frequent—she might lend a hand too, though she’s just a regular person. And, well, there’s Jamsuni—she doesn’t have any particular powers, but she’s amazing at causing chaos online. And our Nayu, she’s a top-tier shaman."

"Nayu credit, booming!"

"And even though it might not be much help, the guy next door would fight with me too. Also, there’s a place I go to rent e-scooters—my relationship with them got a little strained after I wrecked a scooter on Mount Jeonryun, but since I’m a regular, they might still help. Plus, there are people I met while working part-time who…”

Yoo Hajin continued listing names for five more minutes. 

Rebecca, staring at the runaway credit score, was at a loss for words.  

300,000? How in the world did it reach 300,000?

"It has surpassed 400,000, Team Leader."

"…Shut down the program."

And then Rebecca suddenly dropped to her knees, trembling as she bowed deeply.

"S-Spare me, please."

– – – The End of The Chapter – – –

TL: You can support the translation and read 5 chapters ahead of the release here on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Bill94 

Support Author

Join Discord