I Conquered the Tower with the EX-Class Character That I Raised - Chapter 65

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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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Chapter 65
I decided to monopolize the supply of artifact-grade essence.
It was the obvious conclusion—after all, only I could produce the essential nutrient, the White Elixir.
Happy, unable to contain her excitement, asked with gleaming eyes.
“Would an auction be best for sales?”
“It’s not optimal.”
Kang Hyo-jun assessed coldly.
“It would be better to design it so we inherit the brand identity the essence originally possessed.”
In other words, here’s what he meant:
Sell it at an even higher price to the “wealthy elites” who were already obsessed with essence!
These were people who’d always paid premium prices for essence anyway—once we announced it had become an artifact, they’d pay even more.
The essence’s original identity as a “luxury good” only the upper echelon could afford would solidify further, driving prices even higher.
“So you’re saying we maximize profit this way?”
“Precisely. The Foundation will require enormous Points to operate.”
Kang Hyo-jun’s logic was sound.
To revitalize a nation on the brink of starvation with a single Foundation, we’d fundamentally need an astronomical amount of Points.
But…
I wasn’t satisfied with it.
“That approach will take too long.”
The upper echelon’s bureaucratic processes moved at a glacial pace.
Seeing my lukewarm reaction, Happy quickly chimed in from beside me.
“Right. We’ll need to set up meetings and negotiate prices, so it will take time. But since this is our first market introduction, narrowing our target is far safer and more reliable. So… I’d appreciate at least a week.”
Happy continued explaining that since this was a first-time market introduction, there were many more details to consider.
“And after we sell it that way, how long until the next batch?”
“Once a month would be appropriate.”
Too slow, as expected.
“That won’t do.”
I firmly rejected both Kang Hyo-jun and Happy’s proposal.
Then the Saint, who’d been mentally calculating beside me, smacked her lips.
“Ah, Kabi… we could make a fortune selling it that way…”
The Saint voiced her regret, but I deliberately ignored her as well.
“Close your mouth, Saint.”
“…You only do this to me.”
Watching her pout and grumble like that, she resembled a thoughtless cousin I’d meet during holidays.
Perhaps that’s why I kept wanting to tease her without thinking.
‘Is it because of the gap between her appearance and personality?’
Now that I thought about it, someone came to mind who displayed a paradoxical gap in the opposite way.
Han Seol-ah.
170 centimeters tall, white hair, blue eyes.
Despite possessing the appearance of a cold, aloof ice princess that anyone would recognize,
When actually experienced, she possessed an endearing and upright aura—much like a small creature clutching sunflower seeds.
I wondered if her training was progressing well.
“How quickly would you prefer the process to advance, then?”
Kang Hyo-jun asked.
“First, your premise is flawed.”
“Pardon?”
The Foundation’s objective is to save South Korea.
Points? They’re merely a means necessary for that salvation.
Kang Hyo-jun views this holy water solely as a tool to convert into points.
That was the trap he’d fallen into from the beginning.
“With just this one item, how much would a tank’s survival rate increase?”
“!”
Kang Hyo-jun’s eyes widened dramatically.
His reaction resembled someone struck from behind after failing to consider something obvious.
Of course it would be that way.
Earning points to operate the Foundation.
That’s all he’d been thinking about.
‘Kang Hyo-jun. And Happy. You two aren’t ‘saving’ anything at all.’
But what truly matters isn’t ‘Foundation operations’.
‘Saving South Korea’ is.
“I have three objectives. First: as quickly as possible.”
“…Yes.”
“The reason is simple. We don’t know when a Tower Break will occur. And when it does… it will become a true catastrophe this time.”
“….”
“Therefore, we must elevate the tanks’ survivability as rapidly as possible.”
Ideally, we’d complete our ‘preparations’ fast enough to avoid being blindsided by the Tower Break.
That’s why I’m preparing as quickly as I can right now.
But it might still be too late.
If it is, a true disaster will unfold.
‘I have to prevent game over, at least.’
“Second: as cheaply as possible.”
“Yes.”
This Foundation exists to save South Korea.
It wouldn’t make sense to strip the nation bare in the process.
However.
“Third: charge foreign nations premium prices.”
“…Pardon?”
I am absolutely no fool.
I have no intention of suddenly overflowing with humanitarian spirit and distributing holy water across the entire globe at bargain rates.
Operating the Foundation requires an enormous amount of points, after all.
So, I’ll turn to foreign countries.
Extensively, and without mercy.
‘You’ve been plundering our nation all this time anyway.’
My lips curled up with a bitter taste.
‘You bastards. I’ll make you spit out far more than what you’ve already stolen.’
The moment I laid out my plan, a strange silence descended over the Reception Room.
Kang Hyo-jun swallowed hard as if seized by a chill, Yereche stood with her mouth slightly agape, overwhelmed, while Happy couldn’t hide a peculiar excitement despite the cold sweat beading on her forehead.
Breaking that silence, Happy boldly raised her hand.
“I understand. Then I’ll take charge and handle it!”
Happy raised her hand confidently.
“?”
What are you talking about, Happy?
“Have you lost your mind, Happy?”
“…Pardon? Oh, no. I’ve been handling the Holy Maiden all this time…”
“That was back when you were with the Black Market.”
“The existing distribution networks are also in my hands…”
“Ha ha.”
Happy. You still don’t understand.
“Happy, you need to help Kang Hyo-jun build the Foundation.”
“…Then, who’s going to take charge of selling the Holy Maiden? Yereche?”
“….”
Yereche fell silent. More than that—she leaned back into the sofa as if trying to bury herself in it.
She clearly wanted to get as far away from this table as possible.
When our eyes met, she shook her head vigorously.
“That one only knows how to save money, not how to make it.”
Happy raised her voice as if this was absolutely unacceptable.
“She definitely sold it at an absurd price and the Orphanage…”
“Happy!”
Yereche, who had been crouching, suddenly burst out with a shout.
“Ah. Um. Please pretend you didn’t hear that.”
Happy stammered in confusion and hurriedly wrapped up the conversation.
‘The Orphanage?’
Was the Saint actually running an Orphanage?
‘So you were actually a good person all along?’
Noticing my suspicious gaze, Yereche frantically waved her hands and cried out.
“…No, that’s not it! That was all for… for tax evasion!”
‘That makes sense.’
I clicked my tongue inwardly. These wealthy types always resort to such tricks.
As I nodded in understanding, Yereche finally let out a relieved sigh and quietly averted her gaze.
In any case, I now knew that entrusting this to Yereche was out of the question.
‘If someone is naturally talented at something, they’re bound to be lacking in something else.’
I hadn’t expected much from that direction either.
“There’s a gentleman in our country who’s famous for being exceptionally skilled at commerce.”
“…Golden Mine?”
“Yes. That man.”
He seemed intent on entrusting me with his entire fortune and retreating into seclusion…
I could tolerate taking on my own work.
But I was someone who could never forgive others for dumping their responsibilities on me.
“Bring him in. As the sales director for the Holy Water.”
Kang Hyo-jun’s face brightened noticeably.
“You’re planning to have him handle only sales?”
Behind his glasses, the ravenous hunger of a workaholic gleamed.
His expression was transparently dark—as if he intended to separate Golden Mine’s bones from flesh and grind even the bone dust into the Foundation.
“That will be entirely up to the chairman who will lead the Foundation going forward.”
“Heh… heheheh.”
* * *
“Happy. Come here for a moment.”
Happy, who had been dragged along by Kang Hyo-jun with eyes wide and gleaming, received a summons from Special One as she exited the reception room that had become the Saint’s quarters.
‘Lucky!’
‘Damn it.’
Happy’s lips twitched with delight, while Kang Hyo-jun’s brow furrowed sharply at losing his catch.
The contrasting expressions of the two crossed in stark relief.
Happy followed Special One with lighter steps into a small room adjacent to the reception room.
Her joy at escaping the work hell, even if only briefly, was short-lived…
As Happy settled into the seat beside Special One, who naturally claimed the place of honor, she belatedly realized one crucial fact.
‘…This seat is anything but comfortable!’
A private audience with Special One was an ordeal far more grueling than the work hell itself.
“…What is this about?”
“Hmm.”
Special One simply gazed at Happy without uttering a word.
‘….’
Happy felt her breath gradually tightening.
‘What is this? What does it mean?’
Happy lowered her gaze.
Those eyes—fathomless abysses devoid of any readable emotion.
Confronting that pitch-black abyss, I felt my spine prickle with dread, as if my very deepest secrets were being excavated and laid bare.
I lacked the courage to meet those eyes directly.
Instead, I stole sidelong glances to gauge Special One’s mood.
‘…Could he be angry? Because I just volunteered to supply the Holy Water?’
That was certainly a possibility.
‘No, this is Special One’s intention—to make me doubt myself and panic alone.’
Summoning the other party and maintaining silence to establish psychological dominance and steer negotiations in one’s favor.
From my experience closing countless deals, this was unmistakably a power play.
‘I can’t let myself be drawn in.’
Damn it. Happy swallowed a curse along with her dry saliva.
The moment I averted my gaze, I’d already lost the psychological battle completely.
‘I was too frightened.’
…Though it would be impossible not to be frightened by those eyes.
Steeling myself with that thought, Happy composed her expression.
I prepared myself not to panic, no matter what he probed into…
“Is Yereche an orphan?”
“…Cough!”
Caught off guard by the unexpected question, Happy choked.
“Hack, cough! Cough! Cough!”
‘W-what?! What on earth is he talking about?!’
While we’d been locked in a power struggle over the Holy Maiden as merchandise, we were adversaries in business who despised each other—but…
Happy was like an older sister to Yereche, someone who’d been with her since childhood.
For such an insult to be leveled at my sister…!
“Ah, I apologize. I didn’t mean to startle you. You mentioned the orphanage earlier, so I was simply curious and asked.”
“….”
But Happy’s anger dissipated quickly. She sensed sincerity in Special One’s immediate apology.
As Happy regained her composure, Special One continued in a measured tone.
“Was it for tax evasion purposes, as Yereche mentioned earlier?”
“…No, it wasn’t.”
“You said it yourself—she knows how to earn money but not how to spend it for herself. So what is it?”
“W-what difference does it make if you know that?”
“More than you think. So answer me.”
Realizing there was nowhere left to run from that gaze, Happy finally opened her mouth.
“…Yereche’s parents both died during the assault on Italy Tower. The orphanage… she runs one, so I mentioned it.”
“Why is she running an orphanage?”
“That’s… something I can’t discuss without Yereche’s permission.”
At this firm refusal to divulge secrets, Special One actually let out a quiet chuckle.
“I think I can guess without asking. She’s pouring all that vast wealth earned from selling the Holy Maiden into the orphanage.”
“….”
“While resenting the Tower that took her parents, she ultimately takes in orphans and supports them to climb that very Tower again—the one adults have abandoned. Training them as Italy’s future climbing team. It’s a terrible contradiction, and an suffocating sense of responsibility.”
“…!”
Happy’s lips trembled.
Yereche’s guilt-ridden plan to send children into the jaws of death for her country.
This man had grasped it all.
“There are many orphans in South Korea as well. Did you know?”
“…I suppose that’s true.”
Italy’s situation was dire enough.
But South Korea’s circumstances were so catastrophic that even calling them terrible would be an understatement.
“I was thinking of making the Orphanage the Foundation’s first project…”
“….”
Special One smacked his lips thoughtfully.
“Don’t you think it’s wasteful to have the Saint only producing holy water?”
“….”
‘This man, surely he’s not…’
“We’ve even dangled nutritional supplements as bait to keep her hooked. It would be a shame to waste such elite talent on idle work.”
“…I, see.”
“What if Yereche took charge of the Orphanage?”
Happy quickly ran the calculations in her mind.
‘Since I’m already leashed by this devilish man anyway, it’s better if Yereche takes on work she can do with peace of mind. She’s happiest when she’s with the orphans, after all.’
The best decision I could make for my beloved younger sister.
“She’ll do an excellent job.”
Special One nodded in satisfaction.
He pulled out a sheet of paper and a pen, beginning to write something.
Curious about what he was writing, Happy glanced over cautiously, and he deliberately slid the paper toward her as if to say, “Go ahead and look.”
[Golden Foundation Organizational Structure]
[Chairman Kang Hyo-jun]
[Secretary-General Happy]
‘…Secretary-General? Me?’
It was such a lightning-fast promotion that I couldn’t believe it was a position given to a mere manager who hadn’t even become a director.
‘And this Foundation… isn’t it capitalized by the entire fortune of Golden Mine, that point millionaire?’
This wasn’t even a mom-and-pop operation. The capital itself came from the entire fortune of the so-called point millionaire, Golden Mine.
And the founder of this Foundation was… this enigmatic man of unknowable depths, Special One.
Unbothered by Happy’s bewildered reaction, Special One continued writing with fluid strokes.
[Director of Special Operations Division Lee Hyung-je ‘Golden Mine’]
‘Special Operations Division… that’s a fitting name.’
It was easy to predict that he would start by overseeing holy water production, then eventually manage all of the Foundation’s operations.
And with Lee Hyung-je, the legendary merchant known as Golden Mine.
There couldn’t be a more suitable choice.
‘Hmm, well. Placing me as Secretary-General and all… he certainly has a good eye for people.’
[Director of Orphan Business Division Yereche]
‘…Orphan Business Division?’
The naming was catastrophic.
But it was equally straightforward.
‘Given Yereche’s personality… if the title had sounded grandiose and sacred, she would have refused no matter what.’
If it had been something like Strategic Director or Holy Sanctuary Operations Chair, Yereche would have absolutely bristled.
But if it’s the ‘Orphan Business Division’, that would certainly pique Yereche’s interest.
She genuinely adored orphans, after all.
“What do you think?”
“I believe it’s perfect.”
Happy’s assessment carried no trace of flattery—it was her honest conviction.
“However…”
As Happy examined the organizational chart again, her eyes caught on an empty space.
“What about Special One’s position?”
Special One had placed a dot beside [Chairman] and drawn a line extending outward.
And there, in that space.
[Inspector General]
“This is it.”
“…I see.”
This too was a flawless arrangement.
A role overseeing whether the Foundation operated properly.
‘But that wouldn’t be all.’
Just as the heresy inquisitors had been, this person held absolute power over life and death—the authority to execute summary judgment should any unholy signs emerge.
The Inspector General would certainly embody that meaning as well.
Happy naturally reached out to gather the papers.
“Wait.”
“?”
Special One stopped her in her tracks.
Then he tapped a specific spot with his pen—tap, tap.
It was where [Secretary-General Happy] was written.
“Why…”
“Happy.”
“Yes?”
Tap. Tap.
Ink bled from the pen’s tip at measured intervals, gradually staining the [Secretary-General Happy] entry with an ominous darkness.
At the sound like a noose tightening, Happy’s shoulders flinched as she watched the ink spread with foreboding.
“I hear you use quite an impressive graphics card.”
“…Yes, that’s true.”
“Once you’re busy with duties as Secretary-General of the Foundation, you won’t have time to use it. Isn’t that right?”
“…?”
Work and hobbies were separate matters.
Happy was the type who made every effort not to sacrifice work-life balance, no matter how hectic things became.
Her graphics card was indispensable to that hobby….
‘Wait….’
Why was he asking about that at this particular moment?
Tap.
Special One tapped the pen a bit harder against the desk.
“Then, it would be fine to lend it to me, wouldn’t it?”
That gesture felt like a threat—as if to say, ‘Hand over the graphics card, or I’ll erase your name from the records entirely.’
‘After all the effort I put into acquiring this equipment…!’
My heart bled, but Happy, who had no bargaining chips like Yereche, had only the Golden Foundation as a lifeline to replace the Black Market.
“Answer.”
“Understood!”
I had no choice but to respond with my eyes squeezed shut.

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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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