Past Life Returner

Side Story 37. The Second Day of the Auction - Seon-Hu and Joshua

「[Editorial] The Need for a Special Law is Urgent.

The ‘Artifact,’ a trace of Him, has been traded. According to sources, the auction, in which many international auction houses participated, was conducted in utmost secrecy. The fact that the trace of Him was traded in the capital market shocked all of us.

Furthermore, it was revealed that an Asian female billionaire bought all the classic and modern works traded that day alone, confirming the concerns of the public.

◇ Inflation – The Market's Defenders

Since the Day of Advent in April of this year, global inflation has shown a strong upward trend. Especially since late July when Jonathan Hunter's hearing took place, this trend became even more pronounced, raising concerns among experts.

Experts have indicated three reasons for the strong inflation trend globally. First is the inevitable price surge in the face of unprecedented threats. Second is the side effects of the intentional economic growth policy by the US Federal Reserve. Last is because the global economy is mired in a quagmire of excessive cash due to the assets cashed on the Day of Advent.

Among them, experts have been particularly concerned about the third reason. Thus, the so-called market defenders, the top ten global investment companies, agreed to sell their stakes to address the excessive liquidity and the severely tightened capital market on the 4th.

Yesterday, the Asian female billionaire who collected art is known to have spent over one billion dollars. This can be seen as a prime example of the flood of cash from the Day of Advent.

Although central banks are tracking the scattered cash, they are currently unable to find answers. Excessive liquidity can pose a new threat to humanity.

The global market share of the top ten investment companies is officially over sixty percent. In reality, their role has become as crucial as governments. The stake sale agreement on the 4th is a strong solution to excessive liquidity.

It is not relevant to discuss the funds that will be stored in their warehouses at the moment. The governments worldwide, especially the US where Jonathan Investment Group is based, and the Isle of Man where the Gillian Investment Group is headquartered, must provide genuine support to ensure the "good faith" agreement continues.

Our government should also find ways to assist them and put them into action.

◇ 1 Trillion Dollars – Our Government

Recently, a unique collection, including the year 00 graduation album of Shin-Eung Middle School, three classroom nameplates, and a dozen plywood pieces retrieved from the classroom floor, found its way to the auction block as an exclusive set.

The winning bid remains shrouded in mystery. The identity of the individual or entity that secured the trace of Him is yet to be revealed, as is the final amount of the winning bid. The starting bid was set at a staggering fifty billion dollars. Industry insiders have since speculated that the closing bid reached, or perhaps exceeded, the one trillion dollar mark.

Such a valuation places the worth of the artifacts, tied to His middle school days, in the ballpark of one trillion dollars. To put that figure into perspective, one trillion dollars is equivalent to approximately one thousand two hundred quadrillion Korean won. Given that South Korea's annual budget hovers around four hundred quadrillion won, this auction's revenue could theoretically sustain the nation's finances for a whopping three years.

Furthermore, this substantial sum could not only cover the country's national debt, estimated at six hundred quadrillion won, but also leave an equivalent amount in surplus.

While the final bidder's identity remains under wraps, the motive behind acquiring the trace of Him is equally elusive. An intriguing twist to the tale is that major players such as Jonathan Investment Group and Gillian Investment Group have confirmed their non-participation in this bidding war. This revelation leads to the assumption that the bidder might not be an individual.

Instead, speculation arises that a formidable organization or even a national alliance, capable of handling over one trillion dollars in liquidity, stands behind the historic bid.

This bold move is the result of a long-term vision, tantamount to staking the nation's destiny. Such risks are typically reserved for global economic powerhouses like the United States, China, Germany, and Japan.

It is evident that one of these leading global economies is willing to risk economic instability by betting on just a trace of His middle school years.

Regrettably, our own government allowed this invaluable trace of Him, which holds immense economic and cultural significance, to be exported abroad through a delayed response.

However, there is still hope. After all, our nation is home to the birthplace and elementary school where He was born and raised, making us His biological homeland.

It is paramount that we recognize our duty to protect and preserve the trace of Him from being tainted by capitalist agendas. Those seeking personal gain from His legacy must be strictly punished. While we can't reverse the items that have already been exported, special legislation can be enacted to recover profits gained through illicit means, channeling them back into the national treasury.

***

"It's China, sir."

The president was certain that every intelligence agency in the world would be on high alert about the cargo's destination, not just the National Intelligence Service.

Nonetheless, the destination of the cargo was not what mattered.

The president said this while covering his forehead, "We are all ashamed now."

There was a constant flow of applications for rallies and protests at police stations nationwide. If the fact that China had received the shipment became known, the scale of the protests could explode, expanding to a national impeachment situation.

Of course, the way to resolve this would be to heed the demands of the people. But it wasn't that simple.

Then, the president received a call he had been waiting for.

<Thank you for the call.>

The president respectfully listened to His father. The following conversation was reassuring for the president. It was said out of not wanting to restrain the son, and his son felt the same. He had no intention to interfere with the country's affairs. It was exactly the answer the president had hoped for.

How grateful I am…𝗯𝐞𝗱𝐧𝗼𝐯𝐞𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

The president called in the floor leaders of both the ruling and opposition parties.

<Alright. Bring the draft immediately.>

The draft included not only the confiscation of the current controversial profits but also regulations on His birthplace and any later discovered traces of His whereabouts.

"I can't recall the last time both parties were in such agreement. Submit it."

***

「[Breaking News] "Urgent introduction of 11.7 Confiscation and Management Special Measures Act. The president's address to the nation is scheduled in an hour. 」

Seon-Hu swiped away the breaking news notification. He was analyzing the role of the jungle while watching a tutorial video from a famous pro gamer. After the review, Seon-Hu was ready to enter the battlefield. The nickname used was the same as always.

[gamer_ethan has entered.]

Seon-Hu couldn't help but be conscious of Joshua. Joshua's competitive spirit was immense, but his loyalty was even greater. That was one of the main reasons he switched to the Korean server. At least Joshua would be free from the gamers' trash talk, as they'd be using Korean, a language Joshua didn’t understand.

"Looks like we're ready."

"Yes, Master."

It was now time for the real action. Seon-Hu chose the jungle, while Joshua took the top lane. Regardless of the situation in the other lanes, Seon-Hu planned to focus on helping Joshua grow.

"I'll come to assist soon. Avoid engaging until I arrive..."

As soon as he said that…

[gamer_butler has been killed by YourFaceBaclan[1].]

"No!"

Seon-Hu shouted when Joshua was about to slam the keyboard in frustration.

However, something was different. Instead of rage, shock reflected in Joshua's eyes, surprised by the unexpected skill level of his Korean opponents.

[MongMongi[2]: What are you doing? Typical useless top.]

It felt like the defeat in Berlin was repeating itself. Seon-Hu felt infuriated by the trash talk against Joshua, but he couldn't let Joshua know it.

"That guy is saying that it's okay."

Joshua replied with silence as always.

"I'll bait the opponent and come back for you."

Joshua’s eyes glistened with guilty conscience and determination to redeem. He had studied a lot. All he had to do was put it into practice, taking extra care not to engage. He needed to carry out the Master’s instructions while suppressing his emotions against an opponent who was winning.

However, old memories from Act Two, Stage One kept haunting him.

"Discard your emotions. Abandon your humanity. We are beasts, solely focused on survival."

In that memory, his old unit members were looking at him. That was the last time they remained as humans. They bit monsters like beasts and filled their stomachs with their corpses. Although the monsters’ blood and flesh caused negative hallucinations, the situation they were in back then was worse than hell.

From one point, the number of Awakened dying from heart failure surpassed the number being killed by monsters. The nightmare started when they started touching the corpses of their deceased fellows. The corpses of their dead comrades and monsters were treated the same. Only after losing a number of squad members did the System mockingly grant the remaining Awakened the privilege, ‘Plague.’

Joshua’s eyes filled with murderous intention. But it was when he realized that the System, the so-called Old One, was already dead.

“Now is the time,” Seon-Hu said.

Joshua snapped back to the present, focusing on the game. The Master was aiming at the back of the opponent. The two charged at the guy.

Die, die, die!

Click. Click. Click!

The opponent's health rapidly decreased.

[gamer_butler has killed YourFaceBaclan.]

Hot breath passed under Joshua's nose.

"This is the scenario we envisioned. Well done, Joshua."

"It's all thanks to you, Master."

But then, it was immediately after...

[InvincibleCaliber has killed MongMongi.]

[InvincibleCaliber has killed PatriotFist.]

While Seon-Hu supported Joshua and successfully took down an opponent, the opposing jungle, Seon-Hu's rival, massacred their entire bottom lane.

[MongMongi: What's our jungle doing? Their jungle is living in the bottom.]

[AwakenedWhyNot: Look at the difference in jungles.]

"Even though we were dominated in the bot lane, I still have high hopes for your growth."

"From now on, please support the bot lane. I was complacent at first."

Joshua's gaze had clearly changed. He was deeply focused and seemed to be leaning into the monitor, with his pupils rapidly reacting to the in-game movements.

[gamer_butler has defeated YourFaceBaclan.]

Another victory was announced. This time, Joshua achieved it without Seon-Hu's support.

Joshua! Fantastic!

Seon-Hu was even ecstatic. Achieving this in the Korean server, which was the original home of the game, held significant meaning. Although the smile on Joshua’s face disappeared immediately, he was clearly enjoying the game.

Seon-Hu had put lots of effort into seeing such a smile! However…

[InvincibleCaliber has killed MongMongi.]

[InvincibleCaliber is unstoppable.]

The enemy jungle attacked our bot lane again.

[MongMongi: Does our jungle have hands? He must be playing with feet.]

The subsequent swearing from MongMongi was too vulgar to even mention.

"Korean gamers must be polite."

That assumption was completely wrong.

***

[gamer_butler has defeated YourFaceBaclan.]

[Battlefield Dominator, gamer_butler!]

[gamer_butler has destroyed the first tower.]

[InvincibleCaliber has dominated gamer_butler.]

[InvincibleCaliber has killed gamer_ethan.]

[Legendary InvincibleCaliber!]

Joshua had grown strong, but the opposing jungle was even stronger. In no time, the enemy jungle had the power to dominate both Joshua and Seon-Hu. Whenever Seon-Hu went to support the bot lane, the enemy jungle appeared, dominating in the massive battles involving both allies and enemies.

The first game that started with such determination ended in defeat. After the game, the chat was filled with comments about gamer_ethan, overflowing with disparaging remarks from both teammates and opponents.

On the other hand, Joshua was calming his anger with different feelings. He had something important to say to his counterpart in the same attack line, even if their team lost.

[gamer_butler: I WIN ]

He not only overwhelmed the strong opponent, but he was also the first in the entire battlefield to destroy that person's tower. Joshua was convinced that the team lost, but he didn't.

I won.

Seon-Hu stood up and said, "I'm worried about Yeon-Hee. I should go."

Frustration and regret boiled within Joshua, but he couldn't stop the Master. Despite His calm words, the twitching muscles beneath the Master's eyes revealed his true feelings.

Then, a cheerful notification sound came from Joshua's speaker.

Ding!

[InvincibleCaliber has sent a friend request.]

[Accept / Decline]

[InvincibleCaliber: Want to duo?]

"He's asking if you want to duo. Seems your play impressed him. You really were impressive. I'll call you later."

Watching Seon-Hu leave felt foreboding.

I'm sorry, Master. I'll improve until we meet again.

The notification kept ringing.

[InvincibleCaliber: Respond, please.]

[InvincibleCaliber: If not, just say.]

Joshua only put his hand on the keyboard after Seon-Hu had completely left.

[gamer_butler: I can’t speak Korean. I’m a foreigner.]

[InvincibleCaliber: foreigner? really? really? no problem.]

[gamer_butler: no problem?]

[InvincibleCaliber: of course. no problem.]

Joshua clicked the accept button.

[You have accepted the friend request. ]

[InvincibleCaliber: good! it’s my second ID. You are a very very lucky guy.]

[InvincibleCaliber: do you know speakerphone?]

[gamer_butler: speakerphone?]

[InvincibleCaliber: yes. do it]

1. 니얼굴바클란 = ni-eol-gul-baclan = “Your face looks like a Baclan.” ☜

2. 몽몽이 = Mong-mong-i. I don’t even know what that means. Probably ‘puppy?’ ☜