NOVEL NEXT Chapter 4
Chapter 4: Negotiation
It was the first time Jin Beom-Min had heard of it.
If similar incidents had occurred consecutively in the past few days, it would have been impossible for them not to be in the news.
“Yes. It seems the Russian government is still completely controlling the media. Well, each country’s intelligence agencies would know roughly, though.”
“Is that so……”
“But Russia’s situation was a bit different from the United States.”
As Lee Sang-Jun pressed the remote, photos and videos of a large, reptilian humanoid creature appeared on the screen.
“They say guns and bombs were ineffective against these.”
“……Lizardmen……”
“As expected, you know this monster?”
“Yes.”
Lee Sang-Jun asked again with an intrigued look.
“Then do you also know why weapons were ineffective?”
“Because of magic.”
“Ma……gic?”
Jin Beom-Min paused for a moment, then slowly began to explain.
“The goblins that appeared in the United States are the lowest-grade monsters. These things die just from being hit by a sword or a gun. They’re no different from slightly stronger beasts. However, Lizardmen are different.”
“Do they use……magic?”
“They can’t use it directly, but……they cooperate with other monsters that can use magic. They were probably covered in defensive magic.”
The High Orc he had defeated yesterday also had defensive magic.
Otherwise, no matter how large a High Orc was, it couldn’t have remained unscathed under the military’s attack.
While guns were understandable, the High Orc wasn’t a monster strong enough to withstand a fighter jet’s bombing and remain unharmed.
As Jin Beom-Min was thinking this, Lee Sang-Jun asked,
“Then, does Mr. Jin Beom-Min also use magic?”
“Well……it’s similar. Even if it’s not magic, attacks infused with Mana can bypass defensive magic.”
“Then we’re back to the conclusion we reached earlier. That Mr. Jin Beom-Min is the only one who can deal with monsters……”
“Yes. Well, that’s true.”
It wasn’t entirely true. There were ways to deal with monsters protected by defensive magic without using Mana.
However, Jin Beom-Min didn’t bother to add a detailed explanation.
Since he didn’t know the National Intelligence Service’s purpose in contacting him, there was no need to reveal all his cards from the start.
“Anyway, considering the incidents so far and the Seongsu-dong incident a few days ago……”
Lee Sang-Jun paused with a serious expression.
Then, Jin Beom-Min, who had grasped his intentions from the flow of the conversation so far, spoke first.
“Are you saying that something similar……will happen again?”
“Judging by the pattern so far, that’s likely. Somewhere will be attacked again within a few days. It would be fortunate if it wasn’t the case, but……”
“Hmm……”
“Given the situation……we need Mr. Jin Beom-Min’s help. After all, you’re the only one on Earth who can handle monsters.”
However, Jin Beom-Min shook his head with a troubled expression.
“That’s a bit……difficult. I have work to do……”
During the Seongsu-dong incident, he had to abandon his work and lost half his daily wage.
He couldn’t continue working on-site while dealing with monsters that attacked every few days.
As if anticipating this, Lee Sang-Jun spoke in a confident voice.
“Of course, we’re not asking you to do it for free. We should naturally compensate you accordingly.”
“……Hmm……”
Realistically, there was no one else who could step up.
It was Jin Beom-Min’s desire to hide his powers and live like an ordinary person, but he wasn’t heartless enough to just watch people die in droves.
Therefore, if his livelihood could be secured, there was no reason to refuse.
From the beginning, the reason he acquired all that knowledge and skill was to deal with monsters.
Lee Sang-Jun asked Jin Beom-Min, who was contemplating,
“……How much should we offer you? Per incident? Per monster?”
“Well……”
Jin Beom-Min hesitated for a moment. He couldn’t grasp how much would be an appropriate amount.
If he accepted the NIS’s request, he couldn’t accept a small sum.
If it was a special task that only one person on Earth could do, it was only natural.
Moreover, it was a life-threatening job.
Of course, Jin Beom-Min wouldn’t be threatened by goblins or Lizardmen, but no one knew what kind of monsters would appear in the future.
Then, suddenly, he remembered something his son Seong-Gyun often said.
“You should make an offer.”
“……Yes?”
“I mean, you should suggest how much you can offer first.”
Seong-Gyun, who was deeply engrossed in computer games, had said something like this.
When selling game items to avoid losses, you should ask the other party to suggest a price first.
At the time, he thought his son was being too clever for his own good, but he didn’t know it would be helpful in this situation.
After racking his brain for a while, Lee Sang-Jun slowly began to speak in an uncertain voice.
“……How about 100 million won per day……?”
It was incredibly difficult to keep the corners of his mouth from rising.
******
Walking out into the lobby across the spacious office space, Jin Beom-Min glanced back.
〈Inbiz Trading Company〉
The lobby, with its sophisticated logo, even had a proper information desk.
In every way, it looked like the office of a fairly successful trading company.
But in reality, it was a disguised office of the National Intelligence Service.
Perhaps all the employees working there, from the lowest-ranking to the president, were disguised NIS agents.
‘……Should I have asked for more?’
Looking around the luxurious lobby, Jin Beom-Min reflected on what had just happened.
100 million won per day, based on 8 hours of work.
Overtime pay 1.5 times, night and holiday work pay 1.5 times.
For business trips to local areas or overseas, another 1.5 times on top of that.
Not bad……no, actually, it was a fantastic offer.
He could earn more money by working just a few hours a day than by carrying and attaching tiles all year round.
Therefore, Jin Beom-Min suppressed his rising smile and signed the contract.
That wasn’t all.
The mysterious magic scroll he had obtained in Seongsu-dong.
Lee Sang-Jun said he would buy that too.
It was a deal Jin Beom-Min had no reason to refuse.
He didn’t know what kind of magic was contained within, and it was an item that ordinary people couldn’t use anyway.
However, this time, Lee Sang-Jun cunningly asked him to suggest a price first.
After a moment of contemplation, Jin Beom-Min casually suggested 10 million won, and Lee Sang-Jun immediately brought him 200 50,000 won bills.
‘Alright, let’s go with this for now……There will be other opportunities.’
It was a monopoly business anyway. There was no way competitors would emerge in the monster-slaying business.
So, it was more rational to observe the situation and demand a raise later, rather than being overly greedy and ruining the contract now.
As long as monsters continued to appear, his value would increase several times, even dozens of times over.
Thinking this, Jin Beom-Min turned around.
The wad of cash in his pocket was quite heavy, but his steps were incredibly light.
******
Lee Sang-Jun’s words about contacting him soon were not a lie.
Just two days after Jin Beom-Min returned to his daily life, he received a call. Naturally, it was a restricted number.
[Mr. Jin Beom-Min, do you have some time?]
“I’m working.”
Jin Beom-Min replied indifferently, stirring the tile adhesive to prevent it from hardening.
[Unfortunately, you’ll have to stop work for today.]
“What? Why?”
[It’s difficult to explain the details over the phone, but to summarize, there are two things. One, as of today, you, Mr. Jin Beom-Min, have become a special designated agent of the NIS.]
“What? Special……what?”
However, ignoring his question, Lee Sang-Jun continued.
[And the other is that monsters have reappeared.]
“Where? In Seoul?”
[No, in Vietnam. You have a passport, right?]
******
Actually, a passport wasn’t necessary.
There was no such thing as immigration control on a journey via military transport plane from Seongnam Seoul Air Base, which was used as an Air Force base.
Naturally, there was no security check either. It was impossible for the lethal weapons carried by the fully armed soldiers sitting inside the transport plane to pass through a security checkpoint.
Of course, the same applied to Jin Beom-Min’s sword and armor.
“What on earth is going on?”
Jin Beom-Min asked Lee Sang-Jun, gesturing toward the soldiers.
However, the roaring engine noise of the military transport plane, which didn’t consider soundproofing in the slightest, completely drowned out his voice.
“Wear this!”
Lee Sang-Jun shouted, handing him a helmet and putting on a headset himself.
What he handed him was an expensive-looking military helmet, the same as the ones worn by the soldiers sitting on the other side.
As he put on the helmet and covered his ears with the headsets attached to both sides, the engine noise of the transport plane subsided as if by magic.
“Wow, this is nice.”
“Can you hear me now?”
“Yes. I can hear you perfectly.”
Even with the headset covering his entire ears, Lee Sang-Jun’s voice could be heard clearly.
“It’s a military headset with noise reduction function. It reduces the sound of gunshots and explosions, and can also be connected to a communicator.”
“Wow, the world has really changed. This would be great to use at construction sites.”
“Haha, feel free to take it.”
“Really? Isn’t it expensive?”
“I prepared it for you, Mr. Jin Beom-Min. You have all your armor, but you don’t seem to have a helmet.”
“Ah……Yes, thank you.”
Originally, he also had a helmet……no, a helm. The strongest helm imbued with powerful magic.
However, when he regained consciousness on Earth, he wasn’t wearing it.
He didn’t know how it happened, but it seemed he was transported to Earth without his helm.
Fortunately, his armor, sword, and other miscellaneous tools were still there.
Anyway, it was pointless to dwell on it now. Besides, Jin Beom-Min quite liked the helmet he was currently wearing.
It was light and comfortable, a world of difference from the so-called ‘High Bar’ he wore during his military service.
“Anyway……so what about those soldiers?”
“You can call them Ghost Squad. Well, they’re a kind of insurance, you could say.”
“Insurance?”
“It seems the higher-ups……”
Lee Sang-Jun pointed a finger towards the ceiling and continued.
“……don’t completely trust you yet, Mr. Jin Beom-Min.”
“So they’re here to monitor me?”
“Rather than monitoring……think of them as witnesses who can prove your abilities, and bodyguards.”
“Hmm……”
As Jin Beom-Min groaned uncomfortably, Lee Sang-Jun added,
“They won’t be a hindrance. They’re veterans with plenty of combat experience.”
Jin Beom-Min glanced at the Ghost Squad members sitting in the transport plane seats. Four men, one woman.
Their thick bulletproof vests were laden with magazines and various combat gear, and although their faces were hidden behind black masks, their eyes were quite sharp.
“……They don’t have name tags.”
After observing the soldiers for a while, Jin Beom-Min suddenly spoke.
“It’s confidential. In fact, Ghost Squad doesn’t officially exist. Let alone their identities.”
The uniforms they wore had no unit insignia, name tags, or even national flags.
A secret unit deployed only for top-secret, undisclosed operations.
If, by any chance, they were killed in action, the NIS, or even South Korea itself, would deny their very existence.
Therefore, they couldn’t even wear their country’s flag.
“……So such a unit really exists. But is it okay to expose them to me like this?”
“It’s alright. You, special designated agent Jin Beom-Min, are also a classified existence.”
“Ah, now that you mention it, what exactly is this special designated agent thing?”
“Well, it’s like a temporary draft, you could say. It’s about temporarily designating civilians with unique skills or knowledge that can contribute to national security as NIS agents.”
“That exists?”
Lee Sang-Jun replied with a hearty laugh.
“Haha, it was in a very old regulation. It took a lot of effort to find it.”
“Why go through all that trouble?”
“Well, there’s a possibility that paying NIS funds to a civilian could become a problem later. Also, in the case of overseas operations like this mission, diplomatic issues could arise……”
“Hmm……I see……”
“That’s how important you are to us, Mr. Jin Beom-Min.”
“Us? You mean the NIS?”
“No.”
Lee Sang-Jun replied as if it were obvious.
“South Korea.”