Damn Necromancer - Chapter 43

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Wasteful Spender Necromancer (43)
Insane Value
The Awakener forums on Gate Network were burning up. Strange reports kept flooding in, one after another.
―(Verified) Got a crazy good Plus Item lol Ilseong had actual +weapons in stock lol
―Wait, they actually sell weapons like that? How much did you pay?
―9 million won lol Run to the equipment store right now lol They’re selling only 20 special items per location per day
―What? Is Ilseong trying to bankrupt itself? Those things start at 20 million at auction;;
(Verified) The armor is insane? Got it for 7 million lol Want to buy more but they limit one per person damn it.

―Ugh I ran right over but it’s sold out;;
―My store’s going crazy too. Must’ve had ten Awakeners come in the last five minutes;;
―Has anyone heard any news about Lee Seo-yoon lately? She’s been so quiet these days…….

―She’s probably tackling some hidden Gate lol Who cares about that right now? Plus Items are coming out!!
―Why are so many Plus Items flooding the market? Aren’t these the kind of items even craftsmen rarely manage to create?
―Yeah. I’m a blacksmith with some experience under my belt, and I rarely see Plus Items. You’d have to run crafting all day to maybe get two or three. It’s basically a lottery.
―That doesn’t make sense though? Ilseong has 100 equipment stores nationwide. If they’re releasing 20 each, that’s 2,000 items a day;;
―Are they really selling them? The person in front of me just bought a Plus Item;

―Where are they getting 2,000 units? Are they releasing everything they’ve been hoarding?
―Nah lol Just saw the notice on Ilseong’s website. They’re saying this event will run at least a month?
―……That’s 60,000 items a month, right? How is that even possible?
―No idea. But according to the notice, even after the event ends, Plus Items will continue to be stocked regularly, so please visit often, right? Making it feel like a treasure hunt and all lol
―……Are they seriously trying to go bankrupt?
―No, bankruptcy isn’t even the issue anymore lol The real question is how they’re supplying this many Plus Items lol Did they hire some famous craftsman?
―Honestly, I don’t know much about crafting, but even the top master craftsmen in the world couldn’t pull out Plus Items in these numbers. Best case they’d manage maybe 50 a day?
―Only 50 items a day and those are just regular grade items?
―I told you it’s a lottery lol You can’t just pump them out whenever you want.
―Yeah. And if there was a craftsman that good, why mess around making low-level items? That’s literally burning money lol
―???? Did anyone see the potions displayed in the corner? Those are Plus too?
―……What?
* * *
Dorim Group, ranked second in Korea’s business hierarchy, held a meeting of its subsidiary presidents. The group chairman Cho Chung-hun stared at his subordinates with a reddened face.
“……Report.”
One of the presidents, drenched in cold sweat, struggled to his feet with trembling legs.
“……This month’s home appliance sales have dropped over 50 percent. Export volumes overseas have also plummeted, and…….”
“Hey, President Kim.”
“……Yes, Chairman.”
“What do you think the problem is?”
“……Our analysis suggests the main cause is the advertising video from the Rogue channel. It’s garnered over 100 million views and hit big even overseas…….”
“No, I know that already. So you’re telling me you just sat back and watched our home appliance market share get completely wiped out? Not just domestically, but overseas too?”
“No, no! We’ve also launched a counter-offensive by deploying A-rank celebrities in our own advertising campaigns, and…….”
“You think slapping celebrities on an ad is going to catch up to that rogue’s NewTube view count?”
“Well, that…….”
The president’s face went corpse-pale.
One hundred million views couldn’t be achieved domestically alone.
It required capturing international attention.
Could A-rank celebrities possibly work overseas?
It was inconceivable.
That was just domestic advertising.
Advertising that works overseas?
If Dorim knew how to do that, it would already be the world’s number one appliance maker.
The reality was that while it ranked first in the domestic market, internationally it barely clung to seventh place.
“Can you catch up or not, you bastard!”
“I’m afraid not. The thing is, that video is remarkably unique…….”
The president’s expression crumbled into despair.
Ilseong’s advertising model was overwhelmingly strong.
The eldest son of the nation’s top conglomerate family.
Moreover, a world record holder.
He’d already built a massive fan base overseas with a mischievous-kid image, he’d heard.
Cedric, who appeared in the advertisement alongside him, had also become wildly popular under the nickname Ben Knight.
‘How am I supposed to compete with this?’
The ripple effect was already at a staggering level.
Rumors were already spreading that Ilseong’s brand was beginning to command a premium.
Kim Min-woo—the wastrel heir of a conglomerate throwing money around. When someone like that ran advertisements, Ilseong products became seen as something only the wealthy used, so the story went.
“What are we supposed to do about this? Those bastards at Ilseong are taking full advantage—they’ve even created premium versions of their own products and they’re flying off the shelves. So what exactly are you doing?”
“We’re, we’re trying to create premium versions ourselves to ride the current trend…….”
“If all you’re going to do is chase Ilseong’s coattails, why are you sitting in that chair at all? You’re supposed to come up with solutions!”
The president felt deeply aggrieved.
Ilseong was no longer an opponent he could simply grab and control.
To take them on, he needed some trump card of his own.
Their quality was slightly ahead, perhaps, but the gap in image was insurmountable.
Domestically, appliances had always been Dorim’s domain, but now Dorim was considered hopelessly outdated.
How was he supposed to overcome this?
Even if the founder himself came instead of the chairman, it would be nearly impossible.
The appliance division president wasn’t the only one trembling.
Kim Min-woo’s advertisements weren’t limited to one or two products.
Sales at related subsidiaries had been in free fall for quite some time now.
For now, the appliance president was merely the example—a sacrificial lamb to send a warning to the other presidents.
“Pack your things and get out. Now.”
“……Thank you for all these years, Chairman.”
The pallid president was thrown out of the conference room.
It was effectively a dismissal.
Chairman Cho’s rebuke didn’t end there.
He slammed a newspaper down on the table.
[Ilseong Group Surges Into Equipment Market! Massive Plus Item Release! Daily Visitor Traffic Up Over 1,000%!]
[Potions Also Launched in Plus Format—Long Queues Forming at Sales Counters…….]
“President Lee.”
“……Yes, Chairman.”
“You’ve heard about this, haven’t you?”
“Yes. They’ve made their move in earnest. They’re selling equipment at nearly half price, so there must be significant losses on their end.”
“Even accounting for that, once they’ve eliminated competitors like us, they’ll profit handsomely. Can’t you already picture it? Every other shop around will be utterly dead.”
“That’s right.”
“So what are we going to do? Are you another one like President Kim—just standing there and taking the hits?”
“No, sir! I’ve contacted craftsmen to produce budget equipment models as much as possible to secure Plus Items. And I’ve also been releasing the Plus Items we’ve stockpiled at discounted prices…….”
“Is that all?”
In that moment.
President Lee’s expression turned grave.
“……Chairman, the volume Ilseong is moving couldn’t be produced by multiple craftsmen combined.”
“Exactly. So?”
“There must be a special craftsman orchestrating this. Their skill is almost certainly related to Plus Item Crafting. We’ll recruit them, whatever it takes.”
“Yes! Now that’s how you think! A volume war is pointless. You need to catch the one running this operation.”
Chairman Cho’s expression finally eased. If he’d been simpleton enough to attempt a volume competition, he would have fired him on the spot. This wasn’t a quantity that could be extracted by harassing craftsmen.
It was certain that Ilseong had acquired a special card in their hand.
“Give him whatever he needs—even if it’s in units of billions. Just find that man and secure him.”
“Yes. We’ll find him no matter what. We’ll give him whatever he asks. Once we have that craftsman, it’s as good as victory.”
“That’s it! That’s exactly what I’m talking about! That’s the real Dorim spirit!”
Only then did Cho Chung-hun’s face brighten.
He had been charging forward like a bulldozer all this time.
Perhaps it was thanks to that relentless effort.
The past twenty years had been Dorim’s period of ascendancy.
They had narrowed the market cap gap—which had once been nearly double—down to a third of what it was.
He could see hope that with just a little more effort in his generation, they could reclaim the top position.
Chairman Cho had no intention of falling behind here.
‘This is the turning point.’
He had to break Ilseong’s momentum. If he didn’t, there was a chance he’d never be able to catch up again.
That’s how ominous Ilseong’s recent moves seemed.
Just then.
One of the presidents raised his hand.
“Ah, President Choi. You have something to say?”
“Chairman, the board is currently favoring Ilseong. The reason is simple: they’ve built a refined brand image through Kim Min-woo.”
“True.”
Kim Min-woo’s advertisements.
When you considered that he’d spread the Ilseong brand across the entire globe, its worth might well have reached tens of trillions.
The effect continued unabated. Every time he moved, the spotlight tracked him from the domestic market to overseas, relentlessly.
A walking superstar had upended the entire game.
“Then the solution is simple, sir. Why don’t we create such a star ourselves? And conveniently, you have an accomplished son like Director Cho…….”
President Choi stole a glance at Director Cho.
Cho Pil-wook.
An A-rank Achievement Awakener.
One of Chairman Cho’s two sons.
Yet despite his impressive accomplishments and a fairly high Level approaching 300, he hadn’t been entrusted with any major responsibilities—the reason was simple enough.
Cho Pil-wook belonged to the same Rogue division as Kim Min-woo.
He was affiliated with the Guild and given a respectable business card, but the company never truly relied on him for important work.
That was precisely his position.
“……Ahem! You’re saying we should use Director Cho?”
“Yes. Of course, Director Cho did have a somewhat impetuous side at one point, but what young man hasn’t gotten into some trouble when his blood runs hot?”
“Hmm…….”
Chairman Cho deliberated.
Ordinarily, there would have been no room for hesitation.
Blood runs hot?
Cho Pil-wook’s record of incidents far exceeded that threshold.
If money and power hadn’t smoothed things over, he’d have landed in prison long ago.
In those circumstances, putting him in front of public opinion would hardly have been wise.
But now, things were slightly different.
Kim Min-woo had already made a brilliant debut as the pioneer.
Why should success be impossible for Cho Pil-wook?
If public sentiment toward Rowdies was this favorable right now, Cho Pil-wook too might cleanly establish his name with a mischievous image.
Chairman Cho looked upon his son.
“……Think you can manage this without attracting scandal?”
“……Father! I’m very different now! If you just give me this chance, I’ll throw myself into it without hesitation!”
Cho Pil-wook’s eyes lit up.
He’d believed that, having been overshadowed by his elder brother, he could never return to the company.
But now an opportunity had emerged.
It was all thanks to the precedent set by Kim Min-woo.
“How are you planning to debut?”
“I’ll need to make a splash with something big. After clearing an A-rank Gate, I plan to open a NewTube channel. I’ll make sure Dorim’s name is properly known!”
“Hmm…… I’ll have a word with the Guild Master.”
“Thank you, Father!”
With those words, all the spotlight from the Gate conquest would shine down on him.
‘This is my chance to return to the company for good.’
Even a Level 1 nobody had generated such explosive public interest—surely he could do the same. Cho Pil-wook’s confidence swelled to bursting.
The one thing he hadn’t anticipated…….
* * *
[(Breaking News) Kim Min-woo Copycat Syndrome? Chaebol Rowdies All Opened NewTube Channels Together!]
[(Breaking News) Over 50% of Top 100 Chaebol Heirs Opened NewTube Channels! All of them selectively picked Rowdies, creating so-called “laundering channels”—criticism mounting…….]
[(Breaking News) You Can’t Teach an Old Dog New Tricks? Several channels engaging in shameless behavior to draw viewers—gambling-style giveaways, pouring fish sauce…….]
[(Breaking News) Catastrophic Backlash! Boycott movements erupting as companies whose heirs launched NewTube channels see sales plummet…….]
“What are these kids doing?”
Kim Min-woo let out a hollow laugh upon seeing the news feed.
They all followed the exact same pattern.
Have a respectable Awakener heir clear a Gate and debut.
And among them were scattered genuine Rowdies without exception.
You can’t teach an old dog new tricks—how could people whose very nature was rotten possibly succeed at NewTube?
It was absurd.
In the end, they all got lumped together and mocked, making matters worse than if they’d never tried.
‘Do they think you can just copy this?’
If it worked that way, every mutt would become a star.
The original and the counterfeit were worlds apart in class.
―Coo.
“Yeah, yeah. Complete idiots, right? Your old man thought so too.”
They were falling flat on their own—nothing could have been more satisfying.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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