Chapter 1405: Side Story 14
Chapter 1405 - Side Story 14
The sales of Ilhwa Groceries were increasing daily. Ilhwa Ramyeon, which fell short of being number one in domestic sales, regained its position as number one and even took the number one spot in the overseas sales ranking.
Athenae Cooperation’s Team and Minhyuk had made many people at Ilhwa Groceries eat their words. He demonstrated the power of his team by creating significant ripples and generating substantial sales growth whenever he made a hit.
Their sales had increased by 400%. This was their all-time high. Even the value of Ilhwa Group’s shares had hit its highest in history.
All of the companies were envious of them. These were what they thought:
‘Ilhwa Group will continue to maintain its number one title as the best company in the domestic business community!’
‘Ilhwa has gotten a huge bag of wealth and fortune!’
‘This is the birth of Minhyuk, the successor who will surpass Kang Minhoo!’
Meanwhile, the chairmen and presidents of South Korea’s leading companies had all gathered together. There were around thirty of them in this meeting and all of them sported serious expressions as they talked. “How about giving Athenae a try, too? I’m already sick and tired of playing golf.”
“Athenae, huh? Given that Ilhwa Group’s Athenae Cooperation Team had already made a huge jackpot with the game, Athenae will probably be a part of our businesses soon.”
“It’s not a bad idea. These days, you will hear conversations revolving around Athenae everywhere we go. I also want to get involved and talk about the same things as my granddaughters and grandsons.”
“It’s the same for you, too, huh? I also want to try hunting with my cute little rascals.”
“But my knees always hurt…”
“Oho. My dear friend, you’re clueless, huh?” Chairman 1 shrugged. “Athenae is a virtual world. There’s no such thing as pain in that world.”
“O… oooooh? Is… Is that so? Then does that mean that we can also grow our hair there?”
“Yes. That’s what I heard.”
“These days, my vision is getting a bit blurry…” Chairman 3 mumbled.
Chairman 1 stood up and said, “You won in an archery competition before, right?”
“Well, what’s the point of that? My eyes are too blurry now to see the target.”
“Ah. You can definitely see well there!”
“Heok?! Is that true?”
The thought of being in their prime was enough to leave them all in delight.
Just then, one of the chairmen suddenly grew sullen. He said, “Don’t you think it’s too much for old guys like us? Hoho. Who will even teach us, old fogeys, the ropes?”
“Our grandsons? Or maybe our granddaughters?”
Ha…
They could not help but sigh.
“They’ll probably tell us off and ask why us grandpas always forget what they teach us, no?”
“Will we even be able to do a good job…?”
At that moment, the chairman of Hanguk Group and the central pillar leading these old men, Kim Han-Sik, stepped forward and said, “That’s why I called a friend. He’s someone we all know.”
“A friend that we all know?”
“Who is it?”
As if on cue, the door opened, and a man entered, offering his greetings.
“Hello, chairmen and presidents.”
It was none other than Kang Minhoo. His appearance brought joy to all those present in the room.
“Come to think of it, there’s someone who already has a success story here!”
“Boy, you’re doing well there, right?”
“I saw you in a commercial for red ginseng just recently. Wait, was it red ginseng? I remember you saying something like, ‘The red ginseng in my body is going berserk!’, right?”
Chairman Kang Minhoo actually did not have any permanent enemies. It did not matter whether they were friend or foe; he had the power to win them over and turn them into his allies.
Kang Minhoo was delighted to see these chairmen and presidents ask him questions like this, even though most of them were older than he was.
‘How long have I been waiting for this?’
No one understood him and his love for those cool lines! The young and lively friends who surrounded him told him that he had a chuunibyou syndrome. Regardless, he would prove to them today how cool those lines were!
To the rational, Kang Minhoo should never have been allowed to lead these chairmen and presidents. However, from this day forward, he would be the one to lead them… astray.
“Hey, come on. Say something!”
“How should we do this? What do we have to do in Athenae?”
“First, you have to make your character. The most important thing when making your character is your character name.”
“Character name? Is that the name we use there?”
“That’s correct.”
“Then, boy. What’s your character name?”
“Black Dragon. It means it’s a blazing black dragon.”
“Oooooh… oh… Th-that’s really cool. It means a blazing black dragon?”
“Boy, that’s amazing! I heard that you can get rare items these days, right?!”
“That’s right. To be honest, I envy all of you.”
Of course, Kang Minhoo swallowed the words “chuunibyou syndrome” down.
“Anyway, your character name is the name you use there. Therefore, please exercise caution when selecting one. Make sure that you create the coolest and most amazing name that everyone will look up to.”
“I see. What should I do? Oh! I’ll go with Captain Awesome Chun-Sik.”
Everyone turned to look at Chun-Sik.
“Wh-why?”
There was awe in Chairman 1’s eyes as he said, “My god! Captain Awesome Chun-Sik? That sounds very cool, no?”
“Eyyy! I was going to use that! What should I do if you use it?!”
“Haha. Is that so? Do I sound like one of the younger generations?”
“If it’s like that, I think the kids these days will give you a like. No?”
“Keuhahahahaha!”
Kang Minhoo smiled wryly. ‘Captain Awesome…’
It was a name that lagged far behind Black Dragon. Not only that, it was also a word that was popular around twenty years ago. Of course, it wasn’t that bad either.
“I will tell you all of the things that you need to know today. However, I have some conditions.”
“Conditions?”
“What?”
“I want you to join the Beyond the Heavens Empire. Also, please take good care of my dear Minhyuk.”
“Hohoho! That much is obvious!”
“Ah. I’ve known Minhyuk since he was this big!”
“Don’t worry. I treat your son like he’s my grandchild!”
Not long after, Chairman Kang Minhoo began to dye these chairmen and presidents in his color.
‘All of you! Become a black dragon! Keuhahahahahaha!’
***
Beyond the Heavens Empire’s novice village, Denz.
The chairmen and presidents, whose ages ranged from 60 to 80 years old, began to appear one by one. Surprisingly enough, if a person beyond sixty years old played Athenae, they were given a special privilege of becoming younger. Their age would be approximately sixty years old.
Chairman Im Min-Seob was ninety-three years old this year. These days, he had nothing to do but lie in the hospital bed. At his age, no part of his body didn't hurt. So, when he entered Athenae, Im Min-Seob was shocked to feel no pain at all.
“Did I get rejuvenated? I’m young again!” He rejoiced loudly as he stretched his hands out to the sky.
‘My god! I have returned to my sixty-year-old body!’
“I’m back to my youth! Wahahahahaha!”
Then, he suddenly covered his mouth.
Seeing this, Chairman 5 asked, “Hyung, what’s the matter?”
“If I laugh this loud, then my dentures will fall out. Heoook?!”
Min-Seob was shocked to see that his teeth were not dentures but his real teeth!
“Me too, my youth has returned to me.”
One by one, the chairmen and presidents arrived.
“Min-Seob hyung, what’s your character ID?”
“It’s Pyongyang’s Kim Du-Han. A man should talk with his fist, no?”
“Ah. Hyung, you’re from the north?”
“Well, there was a time when I was called Pyongyang’s Kim Du-Han. Hoho.”
“Heooook! My head! My head!” Chairman 3 shouted in delight.
“My… My eyes! I can see clearly with my eyes! My god. Was the world this bright?!”
The chairman, who said that his knees were bad, also jumped around and said, “My body feels so light! I feel as if I’m flying!”
The players, who saw them like that, stopped in their tracks.
“What’s that? Huh? Did the Elderly Association come here to play games?”
They perked their ears up and listened to the conversation between the various chairmen and presidents.
“Boy, did you end up using Captain Awesome Chun-Sik as your character ID?”
“Of course! How about you, hyung?”
“I used Flaming Arrow. It’s a name that Black Dragon recommended.”
“Flaming Arrow?! That’s so cool, hyung!”
“How about you?”
“Mine’s Runaway Train.”
“Oh! That name sounds so cool.”
“Kghhk! It’s a name that reminds me of the old days! Back in the day, I used to lie down on top of a moving train~”
“Heook! Hyung! My hair! My hair is back!”
“Heok! Congratulations! You finally got your hair back!”
One of the chairmen and presidents ran around the area like crazy. While the other stroked his head full of hair for several minutes. Another one also did push-ups.
“I’m rejuvenated! This is rejuvenatioooon!”
The Athenae community immediately obtained information on these men.
[These old men should go to the Senior Center. But they went to Athenae instead. Lolololol.]
[Don’t you think those grandpas look familiar?]
[Aren’t they the chairmen and presidents?]
[In the end, chairmen and presidents are grandfathers too.]
[Hey! Take care of the grandpas. Make sure they don’t get hurt!]
[Old f*cking fogeys! FU! Lololol.]
[The commenter above does not have any concept of manners at all.]
[Hey, you f*cker! You have to treat the elderly with respect!]
Except for a few who lacked manners and etiquette, many people were concerned about the old presidents and chairmen. They worried if they would be able to play the game well and enjoy themselves.
[Our cute grandpas… Will they even be able to hit the scarecrows…?]
[Their backs probably hurt. Maybe they won’t be able to…]
[You crazy bastards! Lolol. Athenae does not have that!]
[No. Just looking at their appearance… I don’t think they’ll be able to hit the scarecrows.]
[That… Well, I agree.]
Whether they were a child, a young man, or an old man, the initial basic stats of players in Athenae were all the same. For some reason, the sudden appearance of the group of old men raised concerns among the people.
At that moment, Conir, the young and energetic boy, appeared.
“I am Conir! Grandpas! Conir welcomes you!”
Whenever Conir got bored, he would run to the novice village and teach players.
“Grandpas! Please be careful! Conir doesn’t want you to get hurt!” Conir led the group of old men gently and carefully to where the scarecrows were.
“Hoho. Kids these days are uncharacteristically polite and well-mannered, huh?”
“Boy, you look like my grandchild.”
They all stood in front of the scarecrows.
“Grandpas, you can pick whatever weapon you want. Then, hit the scarecrows. The scarecrow will change depending on your weapon. If you get a score of thirty, you will get ten loaves of bread, ten bottles of water, and 10,000 gold. If you get a score of ninety, you will get stats, and if you get a hundred, you will get more stats!”
The scarecrows that were now being hit in the novice village were different from the scarecrows when the game just started. It was very easy to score a thirty just by hitting the scarecrow, whether it was for children or old men.
“We can get stats?”
“Yes! Nonetheless, while many hit the scarecrows and get a score of ninety in the novice village, only a few can score a hundred!”
“Hoho. Is that so?”
“What do you guys want to use?”
Pyongyang’s Kim Du-Han grabbed the gauntlet. “Hoho! A man talks with his fists!”
“What about you, Flaming Arrow?”
“Of course, I’ll use the bow.”
“What about you, Godly Marksman?”
“Naturally, I’ll use the gun.”
The chairmen and presidents chose their weapons one after another. The players watching them spoke up.
“Grandpas, you might get hurt.”
“Haha. Will those grandpas be able to hear you?”
“Quiet! Conir is angry!” Conir growled, shutting everyone up.
“Hoho. Kids are like that these days.”
“Well, why should we bother with them?”
Some of the chairmen and presidents did not care about them. Still, there were a few who thought differently.
“You punks!”
“Do you not have any grandfathers or grandmothers, huh?!”
At that moment, one of the chairmen stepped forward.
“Oho. Chairman Kim. They’re just kids.”
Chairman 8, the chairman who stepped forward, looked at them and said, “You guys must think that we can’t hit those scarecrows, huh?”
Dozens of people in the crowd answered him.
“Of course! That’s only natural!”
“Grandpas, I think you should go to the Senior Center!”
There were polite and well-mannered children like Conir these days. Alas, there were still many who acted rudely and improperly.
“Alright. How about you make a bet with us?”
“Ah. Wait. Chairman Kim. I told you to let it go.”
Chairman 8 ignored his friends. He said, “If five or more of us can hit the scarecrow and get a score of over ninety, then you should give us the 10,000 gold that you will get here. Of course, you have to give us your bread and water too!”
“And if you grandpas can’t do it?”
The chairmen and presidents clicked their tongues in disapproval.
“That punk! He’s doing it again!”
Chairman 8 just laughed.
“If we can’t do it, then I promise to send our company’s TV to your house. I’m a man of my word.”
The chairmen and presidents all shook their heads.
“He was a member of the National Assembly before, right?”
“Ah. Yes, of course~ Whether it was in the past or the present, he’s still the same. As for his promise? Well, we won’t know if he will keep it or not. Let’s just sit back and watch~”
“That guy still hasn’t gotten over this bad habit of his~”
“As usual, that guy made a promise~ Haaaa… After all, he’s the bastard who sucks the blood and money of the people.”
They could only joke around and scold each other like this because they were close.
“Alright!”
“For real? Are you for real, grandpa?! Alright. I will remember your face, chairman!”
“Ah. Of course, of course. When have I ever reneged on a promise?”
“Alright. Then, let’s do it!”
The chairmen and presidents were all skinny and emaciated. Although anyone could make themselves grow fat or slim in Athenae, they could never make themselves grow healthy. It was something that the game could not do.
Chairman 8 returned to his friends with a smile on his face. “Alright. The people… No, those punks have taken the bait!”
“Who will go first?”
“I’ll go first.”
“Ho? You’ll do it?”
Chairman 6, or Godly Marksman, stepped forward. He said, “I’m seventy-three years old this year. Hmmm. I don’t know if I’ll be able to do this well.”
The weapon of his choice was none other than a gun.
“Wait, grandpa. Can you even see with those eyes?”
“Grandpa, that gun is tough to handle.”
“That rifle is cruder than the rifles used in the Korean War. Will you be fine?”
“Goodness, you brats~ Don’t say anything. These grandpas won’t even have the strength to pull the trigger~”
“Hahahahahaha!”
The presidents just stared at their cute young friends who were making rude remarks about them. At their age, they had already met many children with the same attitude. Unbeknownst to these inexperienced youngsters, the chairmen and presidents were once the best in the world.
‘Hoho. I wouldn’t be able to live if I were defeated once.
Clack!
A rifle could only shoot one at a time. One had to load the bullet after pulling the trigger.
Chairman 6, Park Tae-Soo, a veteran who fought in the Korean War, was a sniper who was awarded three medals and had a record of slaughtering an entire company of North Korean soldiers by himself.