Trash of the Count's Family Book 2: Chapter 372: One Sword (3)

“Human, they’re here!”

“Yeah.”

Cale gazed down impassively at the individuals stepping into the structure.

‘You handle it.’

The crown prince had handed everything over to Cale, being occupied with managing the Roan Kingdom’s matters.

RPOG along with Roan’s governance… Truthfully, the crown prince was already resting even less to manage everything.

“Human, did you realize that our Eden Miru’s healing progress has reached 80% already?! Don’t you believe he’ll emerge within the next week?”

Cale tuned out Raon and silently anticipated the arrival of those who would approach him.

‘It’s bothersome.

Let’s keep it relaxed.’

Such notions filled his thoughts.

* * *

The Transparent Corp.

The individual who remained a leading researcher yet planned to depart upon approval of his resignation…

Kim Sae Hyun appeared uneasy in his suit, which he hadn’t worn in ages, constantly adjusting his tie.

‘Damn.’

Click. Click.

He directed his gaze ahead.

‘… The Vice President.’

Vice President Lee Mi Jung stood before him.

‘You must perform excellently today.’

She had discreetly led Kim Sae Hyun and Park Jeong Gyu here this day and had firmly cautioned them.

‘Miss Rosalyn shared some details with me. She mentioned we’d encounter the key figure behind it all today.’

Gulp.

Kim Sae Hyun’s gaze scanned the surroundings.

The Sun Building.

This stunning edifice in an elite spot was rumored to bar any commercial activities within.

‘Yet this structure is owned by the Sun Corp?’

The Sun Corp.

As a researcher devoted to his work, Kim Sae Hyun held no knowledge about them.

He was utterly clueless.

‘Wow. Vice President, your support comes from the Sun Corp?’

However, it differed for Park Jeong Gyu, from the operations squad.

‘This seems promising to pursue.’

His junior, Park Jeong Gyu, had described the Sun Corp in this manner.

‘I’m not very informed about them, but…’

Folks aware of this firm typically discovered them as Park Jeong Gyu did. He’d learned via a buddy in investments.

‘They’re supposedly an inexhaustible source of wealth.’

Funds flowed without end.

Kim Sae Hyun then inquired whether they ranked as a big player.

‘A big player? Oh yeah. You could call them that.’

Yet Park Jeong Gyu shook his head with a peculiar expression.

‘But it doesn’t quite suit them to label as such.’

‘Why not?’

‘They’re not a big player in our everyday sense. They dominate even among the giants.’

‘So-’

‘If the Sun Corp decided to hoard their capital and demand repayments from debtors…or abruptly claimed major shareholder status to sway a firm’s funding choices- that would cause massive turmoil.’

Upon hearing that… Kim Sae Hyun posed another query.

‘Why isn’t a firm like this well-known?’

‘Hahaha. Because those uninterested have no reason to know. Even you were unaware, sunbae.’

‘True enough.’

Vice President Lee Mi Jung halted her steps.

“Welcome.”

“Good to see you once more, President Choi.”

President Choi Sun Hee of Sun Corp.

Kim Sae Hyun observed Lee Mi Jung’s greeting before trailing Park Jeong Gyu to do the same.

“Pleased to make your acquaintance, both of you.”

Choi Sun Hee welcomed them prior to pressing the elevator button.

“I’ll guide you up there.”

Kim Sae Hyun noticed Park Jeong Gyu’s startled intake of breath at her statement.

He shared the sentiment.

‘…The President herself is personally leading us to this person?’

Typically, companies dispatched at least executive directors to receive Choi Sun Hee elsewhere.

They were accompanying Vice President Lee Mi Jung now, but for Choi Sun Hee to guide them personally in such a scenario-

‘This is overwhelming.’

Boom boom. His heart raced wildly.

Kim Sae Hyun glanced at the bag in his grasp.

Within lay a tablet containing, ‘Step 1. Linking the Black Castle’s Portal.’ The outcomes of his collaborative research.

‘In theory-’

The models indicated feasibility.

‘Still-’

Mana.

They remained largely ignorant about this ‘mana’ present in alternate realms.

‘This aspect requires collaboration with Miss Rosalyn.’

Regardless…

‘At least I’ve arrived with findings.’

The elevator doors shut, and it ascended.

Kim Sae Hyun swallowed hard as he watched the levels rise sequentially.

Park Jeong Gyu mirrored his tension.

‘This is insane.’

The operations team’s rejected asset.

That defined Park Jeong Gyu’s present status. His footing was even more precarious than Kim Sae Hyun’s.

‘This is my opportunity.’

He had a part to fulfill too.

‘Stay embedded in the operations team by any means. We require you to uncover the proof.’

Vice President Lee Mi Jung had instructed him accordingly.

‘I don’t anticipate proof that would devastate the Transparent Corp. Just sufficient to inflict damage will do.’

Park Jeong Gyu, within New World’s various operations units…

Acted as if idle routinely while collecting diverse intel.

‘I relayed it all to Miss Rosalyn.’

Normally, he’d forward them to Lee Mi Jung, yet…

‘I’ll review them all.’

At Rosalyn’s words, Lee Mi Jung’s authority diminished.

‘That alone confirms Miss Rosalyn wields greater influence.’

‘Indeed. The individual they were set to encounter possessed the real authority.

“Huuuuuu.”

He exhaled deeply.

His breath came out louder than anticipated, yet no one glanced his way.

Park Jeong Gyu averted his eyes briefly before catching the intense stare in Lee Mi Jung’s gaze and recoiling.

‘No matter what.’

Lee Mi Jung sensed she was honing a weapon at present.

No matter what.

‘Either seize command of the Transparent Corp.’

If unsuccessful…

‘Secure the base to outstrip them.’

Having embraced Rosalyn’s proposal for inter-dimensional commerce…

Lee Mi Jung could retreat no further.

She had essentially defected from the Transparent Corp already.

‘Naturally, the Transparent Corp is prepared to release me anytime.’

Honorary Chairman Han Taek Soo.

That man trusted no one but himself.

‘He’d discard even his offspring, the present Chairman.’

Lee Mi Jung, rising from an ordinary staffer to Vice President, subtly eased her posture.

Ding-!

The elevator reached its floor.

“…….”

Vice President Lee Mi Jung cautiously trailed President Choi Sun Hee.

Click. Click.

Choi Sun Hee made no effort to conceal her aura.

The entire level stood vacant.

Glass walls allowed views in every direction.

Merely a desk and sofa occupied the floor’s core.

‘That figure-’

And upon spotting the man at the sofa’s head, observing them…

“……!”

Lee Mi Jung froze in place.

She instinctively struggled for air.

It seemed she’d momentarily lost the ability to breathe.

“!”

“!”

Not only her.

Kim Sae Hyun and Park Jeong Gyu halted too.

They couldn’t budge.

‘What’s happening? Why react this way?’

As the red-haired man with reddish-brown eyes regarded him…

Kim Sae Hyun sensed immobility.

‘…What’s this?’

He couldn’t comprehend the circumstance whatsoever.

Ability users emerged post-monster invasion. Kim Sae Hyun had amassed data on them, even interacted for New World’s creation, but…

He’d never encountered this sensation.

‘How-

How does he emit such an aura, no, I’m unsure.

I’m completely lost!

What’s this I’m feeling now?!’

The distant red-haired man…

Something radiating from him appeared to restrain him.

‘No.’

It transcended mere sensation; it was tangible.

A genuine feeling.

‘Is something like this feasible?’

Kim Sae Hyun had witnessed numerous oddities conversing with Rosalyn, a mage from another realm, and Black Castle beings.

It fueled his faith in a renewed, perfected New World, driving his relentless research.

Nevertheless-

‘Ah.’

This instant marked Kim Sae Hyun’s initial brush with otherworldly essence.

This anomalous…

This oppressive being that subdued with mere existence.

‘The Sun Corp’s strength isn’t funds.

It’s this individual.

No. Is he truly human?

Unclear.

Regardless, with him present, the Sun Corp remains formidable.

Damn!’

Park Jeong Gyu mentally cursed repeatedly.

‘We’ve aligned with the correct faction this time!’

He marveled.

Yet, Kim Sae Hyun and Park Jeong Gyu shared one sentiment presently.

‘I’m terrified.’

They sensed this man might dictate their very breaths.

Moreover, this primal dread, this encounter with an enigmatic intangible entity, gradually infiltrated his psyche.

It was subtle, yet the feeling originated from his feet, ascending.

Vice President Lee Mi Jung differed slightly from them.

Joy.

Joy gleamed in her eyes.

Cale caught Secretary Choi’s words.

“I’ve brought them, sir.”

“Thanks, Secretary Choi-nim.”

Secretary Choi.

Lee Mi Jung’s eyes dimmed hearing Cale’s address to the President.

“I’ll return downstairs then, sir.”

Secretary Choi departed.

Cale rose and gradually offered his hand to the trio.

“Pleased to meet you. I’m Cale Henituse.”

He smiled softly.

“Ah.”

Kim Sae Hyun felt his tension ebb away.

Breathing eased now.

The others experienced similarly.

“Pleased to meet you. I’m Lee Mi Jung.”

All three clasped hands before Cale gestured for seating.

– You certainly asserted dominance.

Cale disregarded the Super Rock.

He’d released a sliver of the Dominating Aura, sufficient to dispel all nuisances.

Why was a youth like Cale in such a role?

What’s your status in the Sun Corp?

Can we rely on the Sun Corp?

No need to clarify those…

‘Effortlessly.’

Cale intended the simplest path.

These three collaborated with them already anyway.

“Mr. Kim Sae Hyun?”

“Y-yes, sir!”

“You’ve devised a method to link the Black Castle’s portal?”

“Yes, sir!”

Kim Sae Hyun hastily unzipped his bag and retrieved a tablet.

“Everything’s documented here. Simulations yield favorable outcomes if we follow this, though I believe initial trials are essential.”

“Understood.”

Cale set the tablet on the table unopened.

‘Mm.’

As Kim Sae Hyun twitched and frowned faintly…

“You ought to entrust such matters to the specialists.”

Cale’s remark prompted Kim Sae Hyun to meet his eyes.

“I lack deep knowledge here. Thus, I rely on Miss Rosalyn and you, Mr. Kim Sae Hyun, for this.”

Cale appeared at ease in his statement.

“Conduct experiments freely and inform me of any requirements. And should remaining at the Transparent Corp become untenable, bring your team and resign. I’ll establish a laboratory for you.”

“Wow.”

Kim Sae Hyun zoned out briefly.

“I guarantee nothing will fall short of the Transparent Corp. And eventually-”

Cale turned to Lee Mi Jung.

“New World, the Transparent Corp… Their ownership might shift… Or a superior entity could emerge.”

Smile.

Cale grinned while speaking.

“That’s your view too, isn’t it, Miss Lee Mi Jung?”

He’d observed her unique response to his aura compared to others.

Thus, he posed an additional query before her reply.

“Vice President-nim.”

As she stood speechless, she beheld the entertained Cale.

“What did you perceive in me just now?”

“!”

Lee Mi Jung hadn’t anticipated the inquiry and recoiled before smiling in response.

“Have you encountered Honorary Chairman Han Taek Soo?”

“No.”

Cale denied.

Conversely, Kim Sae Hyun and Park Jeong Gyu regarded her puzzled.

Lee Mi Jung ignored and responded steadily.

“… Honorary Chairman Han Taek Soo-”

She resolved.

She’d contemplated forging her path upon meeting Rosalyn and Choi Sun Hee too, but…

Now, sensing a true patron…

‘I must play a hidden ace.

That’ll secure my place.’

She pressed on swiftly.

Honorary Chairman Han Taek Soo.

“…That entity.”

That entity.

Lee Mi Jung termed Han Taek Soo an entity before revealing a long-held secret from her junior days.

“He’s not human.”

Han Taek Soo wasn’t human.

“……!”

As Cale’s eyes widened initially…

“I learned you were probing the Transparent Corp’s scandals. Doubtless, the intel Deputy Section Chief Park Jeong Gyu uncovered will prove useful, but…”

Lee Mi Jung indicated Park Jeong Gyu, yet Park Jeong Gyu… Stared blankly at her.

Kim Sae Hyun mirrored him.

Lee Mi Jung proceeded undeterred.

“I lack facts, but I hold a theory. It stems from my observations. Naturally, it might be delusion since no proof surfaced in over a decade.”

More precisely, she’d glimpsed a silhouette.

Honorary Chairman Han Taek Soo.

She’d viewed his outline, but it wasn’t humanoid.

Undoubtedly a beast.

A beast gradually morphed into human form.

Lee Mi Jung concealed this sighting thereafter.

Proof eluded her, but…

‘Aura-’

Han Taek Soo.

The aura from that silhouette was overwhelming, choking Lee Mi Jung.

She confronted a comparable aura now.

That terrifying force evoking innate terror…

Yet-

‘This surpasses it.’

She faced an aura mightier than that ancient beast.

‘Not delusion.’

What transpired then wasn’t illusion.

If so, this indeed presented a chance.

“That entity is a monster.”

A monster.

The term on Earth 3 for intruders breaching Earth.

Most such monsters faced safe elimination now.

Kim Sae Hyun, Park Jeong Gyu, and Cale knew this, but…

Vice President Lee Mi Jung voiced what was necessary.

“An unidentified monster donning a human guise. Perhaps a demon or deity. That’s my conviction of him.”

Ding-!

The elevator sounded then.

Cale spoke.

“I initially intended to circulate tales of the Transparent Corp’s dark practices to drop their shares, acquire them to boost our sway, then rally shareholders for a forced vote. I meant to discuss such plans, but…

Haha-”

Cale chuckled and eyed the elevator’s open doors.

Secretary Choi Sun Hee bowed and announced.

“I’ve escorted him, sir.”

‘Another arrival?’

Lee Mi Jung whipped around astonished to spot the newcomer.

‘Mm.’

His presence displeased her.

He ranked as Earth’s champion.

The top expert in monster hunts.

“Discussing something intriguing?”

President Ahn Roh Man.

The figure poised to vacate his post in the upcoming vote stood there.

“I arrived upon hearing some captivating details too.”

He’d informed Alberu, Cale, and Rosalyn thus:

He investigated potential scandals at the Transparent Corp.

‘Every two months, crowds enter the Transparent Corp’s labs. Yet none exit.’

Alberu relayed to Cale they’d unearthed some corroboration.

“Eek!”

“Gasp-”

Kim Sae Hyun and Park Jeong Gyu inhaled sharply, stunned by the issue’s reach.

Cale greeted Ahn Roh Man cordially and pressed on.

“Indeed, it’s a riveting tale. Narratives enabling us to acquire the Transparent Corp and handle Honorary Chairman Han Taek Soo too.”

A grin formed on Ahn Roh Man’s features.

“That certainly sounds riveting.”

* * *

That evening, Lee Mi Jung summoned one of her subordinates.

“…Disseminate that the Transparent Corp kidnaps individuals for experimental use.”

“Pardon?”

“Start with the stock traders, no, the private equity groups. It’ll propagate organically there.”

“…Vice President-nim?”

The abrupt directive