Chapter 286: Episode 286_The Art of the Scam (7)
9.
A 1-on-1 chat request popped up for Kenji.
The sender was Simin.
Kenji stared at the screen.
’Should I accept this or not?’
Kenji, too, watched Han Simin’s streams religiously. He didn’t particularly want to contribute to a competitor’s revenue, but if you were a player in Fantastic World, his videos were essentially mandatory viewing. The future political landscape of the continent depended on them; it was a crucial broadcast that would determine the fate of the world.
That was why even people who would normally balk at paying $200 were all tuning in. Even those who insisted that Han Simin’s streams were a waste of money—that they would rather use that cash to buy one more Gold and boost their stats—were now going back to watch his Demon World series from the very first episode.
There was a reason it was setting all-ti viewership records. The quality was flawless, the concept was fresh and gripping, and on top of all that, it was more important than the Main Quest. No, it was effectively a side quest that would determine the future Main Quest.
And to think, all of this had snowballed from a single user’s Story Quest.
In any case, Kenji agonized over the request for a long ti. His gut told him not to accept. In Simin’s latest video, he was attempting a base swap with the Demon King and had crossed over to Heaven—a situation that couldn’t possibly be good for him.
He was at a disadvantage.
Even if they sohow managed to swap bases, anyone who had played first-generation PC online gas knew who had the advantage in a base-race and how the match would be decided. In those gas, an elimination race was literally a fight to see whose main base got wiped out first. The number of remaining army units didn’t matter. The side with no buildings left lost.
But this wasn’t one of those gas. This was Fantastic World.
The Demon World and Heaven. Swapping them was essentially aningless. Residual forces left in the main base? It wouldn’t matter even if they were all wiped out. For the ga to end, the king had to die, even if every last building was destroyed.
In other words, the base swap was a fresh idea, but ultimately, it was a hollow decision made purely for the sake of content.
That was why he was hesitating. In such a disadvantageous situation, Han Simin—who never contacted him unless there was money to be made—had suddenly reached out. And it wasn’t as if they could make a deal right now. There was no way he had called at a ti like this just to say, “Let’s et up and talk business.”
’Maybe I just shouldn’t pick up.’
He seriously considered it. On top of that, the Kingdom Conquest War was tomorrow. He had no idea what Simin was going to say, but he had a feeling that if he accepted, all his luck would get sucked dry. There was always the chance he would ask for sothing outrageous again. He could always refuse, of course, but Simin had a terrifying knack for making it impossible to say no.
He was a wheeler-dealer whose skills even Kenji, a man who held the world in his hands, had to acknowledge.
“Hm.”
In the end, after all his deliberation, he decided to accept. He couldn’t help it; he was too curious.
That was the value of the na “Han Simin.” It showed just how much influence he wielded in Fantastic World that even Kenji—hailed as his only rival—knew he shouldn’t accept a one-sided call like this, yet still found his finger moving to do so.
And he couldn’t ignore the potential upside. This was a golden opportunity to learn what was going on in Han Simin’s head, sothing tens of millions of users and hundreds of millions of viewers were dying to know.
“Yes.”
Kenji succumbed to temptation, even though he knew it might be a shortcut to ruin. It was only possible because he hadn’t been floundering in Han Simin’s swamp for a while. And hadn’t he just recently, and proudly, paid full price for that
14 Enhancent Voucher from Simin?
He wasn’t going to be played anymore. This was an expression of that newfound confidence.
—“Oh, Kenji. Hello. I’ll keep this short; I’m a bit pressed for ti. Good luck with the Kingdom Conquest War tomorrow. If you need anything, just drop by Rich Territory and let them know. I’ll tell them to support you in every way, materially and otherwise.”
“...Why all of a sudden?”
’What is this?’
Before the confidence he’d felt just ten seconds ago could even solidify, Han Simin’s words continued.
—“And since you’ve got so ti today, could you swing by the Great Temple and pass on a ssage for ? To Hyegi. Tell her I don’t care how much Gold it costs, just dump all the Divine Power in and open a Heavenly World Transfer Gate. Thanks.”
“...What is that supposed to—”
—“I’ll leave it to you then. Take care.”
’What kind of bullshit is this?’
The 1-on-1 chat abruptly ended before he could even finish his question.
’What the hell is this bastard doing?’
Kenji’s face twisted into a deep frown. He didn’t feel so much angry as... wronged. Where on earth did this guy get that kind of confidence? He had spent his whole life ordering people around, never being ordered around himself. Being treated like so office intern told to go make photocopies was not a situation he, a man born with a petroleum spoon, was used to.
“Unbelievable!”
Once he processed what had just happened and realized how he’d been treated, Kenji decided to open another chat with Han Simin.
He was going to refuse. He had absolutely no intention of doing a favor for soone who had humiliated him like this.
Of course, he could simply pretend the conversation had never happened and ignore it. The request was so outrageous that even if it ca up later, he could just point out how unreasonable it had been and how rude Simin’s tone was, and he wouldn’t be the one in the wrong. More importantly, wasn’t the final objective of the Kingdom Conquest War Han Simin’s golden goose, Rich Territory? He had zero reason to cooperate. If anyone was going to exploit anyone, it would be him exploiting Simin.
He opened the hologram to start a 1-on-1 chat, but he didn’t get the chance.
He paused.
Another chat request ca in from Han Simin.
’Should I ignore this and call him instead?’
“Hello.”
He didn’t go that far. Instead, he accepted with a voice that was noticeably low and flat.
’I am not in a good mood.’
Anyone could hear it. Well, anyone except the one person in the world who remained blissfully unaware: Han Simin.
—“Ah, Kenji. There was sothing I forgot to ntion. It’s urgent, so if you could hurry, I’d really appreciate it.”
Kenji remained silent.
—“Thanks then.”
“Wait a second!”
Kenji finally exploded.
*
He was cold, calm, and when it ca to business, surgically precise. He may have been born with a petroleum spoon, but the fortune he had inherited had multiplied tenfold through his own ability. Even setting aside the fact that he was already the richest man in the world, with assets that would have grown several tis over on their own, his capabilities were still impressive.
His greatest strength was, without question, his way with words—his ability to persuade others, a strange charisma that put people at ease and made them like him.
He started speaking, trying to regain his composure and set the pace.
“Excuse . Just a mont.”
—“Yes.”
“Why, exactly, should I do that?”
—“...Pardon?”
He ca out swinging from the opening bell. Business was business. Even though Kenji had always been the subordinate party in their deals, he’d always maintained a confident attitude. That was what inspired trust in the other party. After all, while he might have been the one seeking the deal, he had more than enough financial power to satisfy any partner. He had nothing to bow his head over. He might want what the other side had more, but he was also the one who could pay the most for it.
Taking a strong stance was key to controlling the pace.
He could clearly feel Han Simin’s surprise. He pressed his advantage.
“I’m sorry, but we’ve already finished all our preparations for the Kingdom Conquest War, so I don’t think there’s anything we need help with. And we have to execute our schedule in the imperial capital early tomorrow morning, so I don’t believe we’ll have ti to go there either. I’m sorry I can’t do you this favor.”
He never forgot to keep his tone polite. He could have just spoken bluntly, but that would have been the rash move of a fool. If he was going to act like that, he wouldn’t have accepted the second call in the first place. Kenji had tried to call Simin back and had accepted the incoming call because this was not a relationship that would end with one conversation.
He might be refusing now, but next ti, there might be sothing he needed from Simin. When that ti ca, he might still be annoyed about today, but he could always smooth that over with money.
Separating business from personal feelings was the core principle. And that was why he was having this conversation.
—“Ah. You’re busy. I understand. But I really am in a bind, so I’m asking you as a favor. There’s literally no one else I can ask, and no one else who can approach Hyegi directly. If it’s too far, you can just call one of Hyegi’s attendants and have them pass it on.”
Kenji considered this.
Of course, it wasn’t going to be easy. Simin really must have been desperate to reach out like this. If he weren’t, he wouldn’t have bothered to contact a business partner like Kenji to ask for this kind of favor.
Kenji nodded to himself. It wasn’t actually that difficult a task. It was true he couldn’t go to the Empire in person right now, but making a call to the Great Temple in the imperial capital was nothing. And Simin surely had countless other ways to get a ssage through besides him. If he just threw money at the problem, he could find enough volunteers to fill a stadium.
The fact that he was asking Kenji directly ant it was that important.
So he asked the real question.
“What can you do for
in return?”
Compensation. Give and take. It was the perfect card to play in a situation like this. It wasn’t unfair. It wasn’t blackmail. It wasn’t a power trip. In fact, in this situation, the one in the wrong would be the person who expected a favor for free. From Kenji’s perspective, it was a perfectly reasonable demand. Especially since, as everyone in the world knew, he and Han Simin were not nearly close enough to be casually asking each other for personal favors.
—“Ah.”
But once again, it seed Han Simin was the only one who didn’t know that.
A flustered sigh ca through the chat at Kenji’s words. There was so much emotion packed into that one syllable that even Kenji, who couldn’t see his face, was taken aback.
It made him feel... like a complete scumbag.
Kenji genuinely felt that. The wave of hurt coming through the 1-on-1 chat made him freeze for a second and replay his own words in his head.
’Did I really sound that cold? Did I draw the line too hard?’
The funny thing was that he was even having such thoughts. Tone mattered in business, sure, but how much could it really matter?
“Um...”
—“Ah. I’m sorry, Kenji. I just suddenly felt really hurt. I thought we were pretty close, but I guess that was just .”
And then ca the words that made it impossible to tell if he was being sincere or not.
“Why on earth...”
Kenji wasn’t just going to sit there and take it. He knew Han Simin well enough. He had sensed it the mont Simin made that outrageous, one-sided request and hung up—this was a hustle.
He was going to protest. He was going to push back.
—“I guess it can’t be helped. I thought we’d gotten to that kind of relationship, so to celebrate your Kingdom Conquest, I was planning to give you so rare things I picked up in the Demon World when I got back to the continent. I was also going to offer you a chance to buy a
15 Enhancent Voucher—the kind I only give to my friends, the kind I don’t even sell to the Specialists...”
Kenji was speechless.
—“And, well, maybe a one-night, two-day trip with Hyegi... But if that’s how you feel, there’s nothing I can do.”
“What was it you needed again?”
Refuse? Like hell he would.
The fact that Han Simin could bulldoze through a situation that should have been an obvious no was a testant to his talent. Han Simin was a true con artist who did not tolerate resistance from his Fools.
*
Reviews
All reviews (0)