Chapter 68: The Private Debt Apocalypse of Yoo Hajin (4)

With thick files tucked under both arms, I returned to the Heavenly Demon Cult. I had scraped together every visible document from the Heavenly Ordeal Sect.

I pulled out one of the files and tossed it to Rebecca. It contained confidential information about the Heavenly Ordeal Sect. I couldn't just hand over the VIP information since it had to be sold at a high price.

"Take a look."

Rebecca, who had been wearing a gloomy expression, began to review the document I threw at her. 

Gradually, the corners of her lips started to curl up.

"W-Where on earth did you get this data?"

"It’s material I obtained from a place called the Heavenly Ordeal Sect."

"Heavenly Ordeal Sect!"

I placed the stack of files on a nearby table. Rebecca's gaze followed the pile. Her eyes were clearly filled with greed.

"That… that's quite a large volume. Could there be client information from the Heavenly Ordeal Sect as well? No, no way."

"If you're curious, buy it and see for yourself."

I said. Rebecca hurriedly responded.

"No, no. Information from the Heavenly Ordeal Sect... Whew. Our Dawn Association will purchase that information."

"At what price?"

"Wh-What?"

"I mean, how much are you willing to pay?"

For some reason, my hands began rubbing together on their own. And before I knew it, an evil smile had crept onto my face. ‘Business Mode ON’.

"Don't tell me you think you're the only ones I can sell this information to? Didn't you see my dazzling network earlier?"

"B-But the Heavenly Demon Cult and our Dawn Association are in a debt relationship…"\

"Do you think this file might contain information about someone high up in the Dawn Association? How do you think they would react if they found out they missed out on this information?"

‘Hehehehehehehehehehe’

What is this endless scent of money? My laughter morphed into something strange on its own.

"No, information about the Dawn Association… It absolutely must not fall into the hands of another faction. Is it really true?"

"I told you, if you're curious, buy it and see for yourself."

I kept the contents of the file bundle as hidden as possible. Truthfully, I hadn't even gone through the entire stack myself. Plus, it seemed like there was a lot of unimportant information in there. Information about the VIPs would be valuable, but I didn't know how much it would sell for.

Usually, if you hire a detective agency, they’ll dig up all someone's personal information for about ten million won. So, if you commission a super detective agency for a billion won, wouldn't they expose all the VIP information too? Even with a hefty fee, I figured a super-ultra detective agency would only cost ten billion won.

Ten billion won per person… Even though it's a staggering amount of money, it’s still far from enough to pay off the Heavenly Demon Cult’s debt. So I had to bluff as much as possible.

"So, are you not going to buy it? This is a real bargain sale. It’s information from the Heavenly Ordeal Sect, after all."

Rebecca’s eyes spun in circles.

"T-The Dawn Association will invest in the Heavenly Demon Cult."

"To what extent?"

"First, with this amount as a non-repayable support and interest-free loan…"

Rebecca subtly handed me a tablet. An ambiguous sum was listed.

"Is this the best you can do?"

"Y-Yes… As a mere team leader, this is the best I can offer."

It was a lot of money. But somehow, it still seemed unsatisfactory.

Damn, this amount would be enough for someone to live comfortably for life, yet it feels lacking. It’s your fault my sense of money is so warped—take responsibility.

"Hey, bring out that speaker."

"S-Speaker?"

"You know, the artifact that always tells the truth."

I gave an evil grin.

"Shall we see if what you said earlier was true?"

"A-Ah. Suddenly, I feel like the artifact might be broken."

"Really? Well, why don’t you bring it out anyway?"

"Y-You want me to strip? Are you really just looking for an excuse to see my nude dogeza…"

She’s spouting nonsense again. I ignored her words and subtly reached out toward the box where the artifact was stored. 

The women in suits rushed to stop my hand, but it was an impossible task.

"A-All right!!! Wh-What conditions do you want?"

Only after hearing those words did I allow myself to smile.

"My conditions? Nothing too demanding. First, the Heavenly Demon Cult’s entire debt…"

****

It wasn't until the afternoon that we were able to reach a satisfactory agreement. The terms were as follows:

1. The Golden Dawn Association will repay all of the Heavenly Demon Cult’s debts.

The Heavenly Demon Cult, which was practically a welfare foundation, had a structure where debts kept piling up. I had confirmed this last time by checking the ledgers.

The accumulated amount was truly dizzying. But the Golden Dawn Association agreed to pay it all off.

As soon as she received the document, Bishop Oh Seol-hwa shoved her fist into her mouth and began to weep, whimpering as she did so. Impressive how she can perform such a feat even while wearing a mask.

2. The Golden Dawn Association will support the Heavenly Demon Cult.

Simply put, this meant they'd cover some of the operating expenses for the facilities. Upon reading this clause, Bishop Oh Seol-hwa let out a strange noise and collapsed.

3. Rebecca receives my contact information.

For some reason, Rebecca was desperately eager to get my contact info. So, I just gave it to her.

Wow, I sold it for way more than I initially thought. After seeing off my precious customer Rebecca, I went over to where Bishop Oh Seol-hwa lay.

Bishop Oh Seol-hwa was still sprawled on the ground, overwhelmed with joy. I was happy too. 

I finally managed to pull this wretched Heavenly Demon Cult out of its miserable state. Perhaps the day will come when the Cult even turns a profit? When that happens, I’ll start enjoying a life of passive income with dividends as the cult leader.

I stifled a grin and spoke, "Hey, Bishop."

"Yes, Lord Hajin."

As soon as I spoke, the bishop sprang to her feet.

"Can you take care of these kids?"

I introduced the mini-Nayus standing behind me.

"Who are they?"

"They're unfortunate children. If left out in the world, too many people would take advantage of them. I’d like you to take care of them."

Bishop Oh Seol-hwa gently stroked the hair of one of the mini-Nayus.

"I see. These children are also victims of the spirit world. Since it is the will of the Lord, we will follow it."

"Ugh, I told you, stop with the 'Lord' talk."

I scratched my head as I spoke.

"Please take good care of them. And by the way..."

"By the way?"

"Do you have any records on the previous Heavenly Demon? I'd like to read up on it."

I was curious about how the previous Heavenly Demon trained and what abilities they possessed. I also wanted to know where the other restless spirits might be.

But Oh Seol-hwa gave a disappointing response.

"There are very few records about that individual. The previous cult leader ordered that information on the Heavenly Demon be kept from contamination. However, there is someone who knows the former cult leader better than any document could."

"Who might that be?"

Oh Seol-hwa answered my question.

"The Grand Guardian of our sect, Master Mumyung. He is the only person who has seen the previous cult leader in person."

Mumyung, huh? That's a pretty cool name.

But to think he met the previous Heavenly Demon in person…

I heard the previous Heavenly Demon lived 500 years ago. Could it be that he’s lived for over 500 years?

"When he returns, I will inform him to meet with you, Lord Hajin."

"Yeah, sure. Tell him to take his time."

I can’t exactly rush an old man to come quickly. I nodded and then looked at Nayu.

Nayu was gazing at the mini-Nayus with a somewhat wistful expression. When the mini-Nayus waved, Nayu, on the verge of tears, waved back.

"Nayu, are you crying?"

"Nayu not cry, that's lie."

"My Nayu. You even know how to lie now. You’ve really grown up."

"Nayu not child."

She turned her head away as if she was sulking. Oh no, maybe I treated her too much like a child.

I couldn't let Nayu stay upset. I took her hand in mine and said,

"Let’s come back to visit the kids. Together, you and me."

"With Nayu?"

"Yeah. And while we're at it, we can grab something delicious to eat. But if we eat without Jamsuni, she’ll throw a fit, so we might need to bring some back for her too."

"Nayu nods... in agreement..."

As soon as I said that, Nayu seemed to perk up, the sulkiness disappearing as she looked at me again. Her eyes, still filled with tears, murmured something softly.

"Nayu's heart is pounding."

"What was that, Nayu?"

"N-Nayu said nothing."

Her face turned bright red. Maybe it was the setting sun making it look that way from a distance. But one thing was clear—if we didn’t leave now, we wouldn’t be able to have dinner in Louisville. And if that happened, Jamsuni would definitely start whining.

I couldn't let that happen, so it was time to head out.

****

Rebecca sipped her whiskey as she reviewed the documents.

"What the... there's VIP information in here. Why did he hand over such valuable intel for so cheap?"

She thought about the man who had given her these documents.

Yoo Hajin. A monster strong enough to survive a confrontation with the Demon king, and with an extraordinary network to boot. Yet, despite being such a terrifying individual, he had a kind heart.

If Yoo Hajin had the typical nature of a Shaman Lord, Rebecca wouldn't be alive right now. And if she had begged him for her people’s lives, he would have cruelly mocked her.

But Yoo Hajin had listened to her story with compassion, as if he understood the plight of the powerless refugees. And in the end, he had brought her these documents—these incredibly valuable documents.

"VVIP information? I can’t believe the data is of this caliber. This is… truly..."

As Rebecca examined the Heavenly Ordeal Sect’s documents at her hideout, she felt tears welling up in her eyes. The VVIP records from the Heavenly Ordeal Sect—this was beyond incredible.

"This is such precious information. Why…?"

There was no way a man like Yoo Hajin didn’t understand the value of these documents. And yet, he had given them to her. There could only be one reason for that.

"Did he… pity our people?"

With this information, she could aim for a higher rank within the Dawn Association. She might even have a shot at becoming a Master, one of the top leaders.

If she could reach the rank of Master, she might be able to save her people—those who were sold as slaves or suffering within the anomalies.

These documents were nothing short of salvation. Salvation for herself and her people.

At that moment, Rebecca felt a surge of self-loathing. She had intended to use Yoo Hajin, but he had saved her and her people without expecting anything in return.

She had always believed this world was a cold, heartless place. But to think there existed someone who would silently offer everything to save another...

She couldn’t believe such a miracle existed. Rebecca fought back her tears. She held them back for a long time.

And she made up her mind.  

She would rise to the position of Master.  

She would become a Master and repay this miracle.

Rebecca thought this to herself, fighting back her tears.

****

By evening, we managed to arrive in Louisville. As soon as we reached, I spotted a familiar little figure. It was the kid known by her nickname, Jamsuni, though her real name was Kim Sojin.

Jamsuni stood there with a sassy stance, her voice sharp as she spoke.

"Where have you two been?"

– – – The End of The Chapter – – –

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