I Have Too Many Money-Making Talents - Chapter 71

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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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Too Many Lucrative Talents — Episode 71
On the way to work.
I gripped the steering wheel and pressed the accelerator with practiced ease.
The monotonous drive I’d made countless times now felt strange, knowing I was about to quit.
“I won’t even finish the full contract period.”
I had one month left on my temporary dispatch assignment.
I was leaving two months early.
Part of me thought I should honor the contract, that it was the right way to wrap things up.
But I felt no real regret or loss.
“It’s just wasted time now.”
There was no point investing more hours as a bank security guard.
Not after I’d learned how precious time truly was.
I’d already informed the Branch Manager separately that I was leaving.
“He scolded me for not quitting sooner.”
I found myself laughing without meaning to.
A steadfast supporter.
During the entire Main Tournament, I’d found myself missing the Branch Manager’s backing so much I could almost see his face.
But more than that.
“Korea really is the birthplace of archery.”
Articles on archery I’d looked up last night came back to mind.
When the Archery talent updated, I gained all the related knowledge, but the system hadn’t told me the actual tournament records.
So I’d researched it myself.
Recurve — the foundational archery discipline.
The basic bow-shooting field that everyone knows.
The Olympics.
The World Championships.
The Asian Games.
Korea had swept medals at all three of the most prestigious competitions.
Team events, mixed events, and the women’s division were particularly dominant.
However, in the men’s individual competition at the Asian Games, there hadn’t been a gold medal in over a decade.
And across the seven Olympic Games held since the 2000s.
Korea had won gold in the men’s individual event only three times.
Clearly, it was world-class performance.
But absolute supremacy could never be guaranteed forever.
“There’s no certainty in competition. Global athletes’ competitiveness has risen.”
The landscape of world archery was shifting.
The system Korea had built.
Training methods, physical conditioning, mental management and strengthening.
Now overseas athletes were learning that system and growing rapidly.
Famous Korean archers who retired became coaches and went abroad, spreading their expertise without reservation.
Eventually, the competitive advantage that had belonged solely to Korea spread across the world.
And that resulted in raising the level of the entire global sport.
Especially.
“Compound archery is weak. In the men’s individual category, whether it’s the World Championships or Asian Games, there’s only one bronze medal. There’s not even a single player in the world’s top twenty rankings.”
Compound archery.
A precision bow that evolved from hunting.
An ordinary bow is pulled with force and shot through strength and feel.
But compound archery was a fusion of human and machine.
Pulleys attached to the bow’s limbs.
A telescopic sight mounted.
Instead of drawing the string, you pulled the trigger like firing a gun.
It was an entirely different discipline from the bows we knew.
“The reality is we’re even losing to India.”
America was the absolute power.
India, the Netherlands, and Denmark followed behind.
Korea was also showing competitive strength by recently adding medals.
But it was still difficult to say we’d seized the initiative on the world stage.
Still in a chasing position.
We were practically a latecomer.
“What’s interesting is that it was also adopted as an official sport for the next Olympics….”
Our country has recently begun investing in and nurturing the compound archery discipline.
With such an excellent pool of athletes, given time, we’ll certainly produce results.
But it won’t change overnight.
The entire foundational system is built around recurve.
Training methods, support systems, mindset—everything.
A new discipline.
A new approach.
It will certainly take time to shift all that.
“……Coveted it, did you?”
It’s a branch of archery we all know about, but in practice it’s an entirely different sport.
Distance.
Precision.
The sensation of firing a high-performance rifle.
A flawless comprehensive game where machine and archer must both reach perfection simultaneously.
And.
A territory our country has never touched a gold medal in.
An unwalked path.
National champion.
The country’s first gold medal.
My grip tightened on the steering wheel.
“I need to build my body first, quickly.”
Talent lies in instinct, but if I build my body as well, it will support that talent all the more.
Archery’s foundation is whole-body strength and balance, after all.
And I had plenty of time.
I was leaving my job as a bank security guard today.
Moreover, compound archery relies on mechanical advantage.
Precise form matters more than raw power.
Subtle sensation.
Iron mental fortitude.
An unshakable core is what truly matters.
And the body’s heightened sense, sensitivity, and acuity that rose with my S-grade Archery talent will support it all.
My final shift.
And yet.
It meant a new beginning.

* * *
“My goodness! If it isn’t our newly elevated Instructor Kim!”
The Branch Manager, who’d come in earlier than usual, beamed at me with a broad smile.
Newly elevated.
Instructor Kim.
Even those awkward, embarrassing titles rolled off his tongue as if nothing, spoken with genuine warmth.
“Good morning, Branch Manager.”
“You have no idea how much my heart was in my throat watching the second round. But then you went and beat it. Come on inside and have some tea with me. I have so much I want to talk about.”
I smiled quietly and nodded.
I turned away as the Branch Manager departed with his flushed, animated face.
“I’ll be stepping away from my desk for a moment. Is that alright?”
“Yes? Oh. Yes, of course.”
My successor stammered awkwardly in response.
Fresh out of university, his first job.
Like me, he’d said he was planning to balance work and studies.
‘I was like that too.’
I remembered my own first day.
An ill-fitting uniform.
An unfamiliar environment.
He looked nervous, cautious.
His eyes kept darting toward me—hesitating, faltering, his lips moving soundlessly.
“……Is there something you want to say?”
I asked quietly.
“Um, would it be alright if I asked for your autograph and a photo later?”
And there I was again—
Was she fishing for an opening to say this?
I smiled and nodded.
“Of course. I’ll help you before I clock out.”
“Thank you so much! Actually, I… applied to transfer to this branch. I want to be like you, Kim.”
“Like me?”
I was taken aback.
It wasn’t an answer I’d expected.
But my junior colleague’s face was flushed with excitement as he nodded.
“You’re the talk of the town these days. A bank security guard who won the world Go championship! I want to work here and absorb your success until I make it too.”
I could only laugh awkwardly.
Bank security guard.
It was a job that was always looked down on.
And that hasn’t changed.
And yet.
Someone in the same position, wearing the same uniform, was looking at me and dreaming.
A strange feeling.
After a moment of silence, I spoke quietly.
“I’ll root for you.”
My junior’s face brightened.
As I watched him, I added something more.
“But never put up with unfair orders or disrespect.”
My junior’s eyes widened.
It must have been unexpected.
But I pressed on firmly.
“Staying silent won’t solve anything. You have to speak up when necessary and hold your ground.”
Because I never did.
I wanted to say this one thing more than anything.
My junior hesitated for a moment, then nodded carefully.
“Yes, I understand.”
I smiled lightly.
I can’t explain everything in words.
But just knowing and preparing for it means you’ll hurt a little less.
“Get back to work.”
With that, I turned toward the Branch Manager’s office.
I could feel it.
His careful gaze following me from behind.
‘…Well, that’s not so bad.’
Knock-knock.
I knocked and entered to find the Branch Manager personally pouring tea into a tea set.
“Welcome. Have a seat.”
I smiled and sat across from him.
“This is really the last time we’ll be doing this as Kim the security chief.”
A wave of wistfulness crossed the Branch Manager’s face.
“We can still meet outside.”
At my words, the Branch Manager let out a low chuckle.
“You’ll really come see me?”
“Of course. You’re not just anyone.”
It was a pleasant joke.
We smile at each other.
“Right, Kim. Remember that Giwoehoe I mentioned back then? It’s been scheduled for next weekend, and I was wondering if you’d have time.”
“I’ll make time. Even if I can’t, I’ll make it work. Who could say no to that?”
An invitation to a Go gathering of the wealthy and privileged.
Being invited was the greatest gift the Branch Manager could give me.
And it was also a way to repay the face he’d saved for me.
There was no reason to decline.
“Thank you. And take this.”
The Branch Manager opened a drawer and handed me a fine leather case.
Rich dark brown leather.
A logo embossed in gilt.
Beneath it, the letters “Ciel Bank” were etched clearly in matte finish.
I quietly opened the case.
A premium card in dark colors.
At a glance, it looked elegant.
The Branch Manager smiled warmly as he looked at me.
“Congratulations, Kim Min-ho. You’ve become a VIP customer at Ciel Bank.”
I gazed down at the card without moving.
I’d heard about it from Jung Soo-yeon before.
That a special VIP screening was underway.
My deposit balance and annual financial assets fell short of the standard.
But the screening was proceeding with special consideration, and apparently I’d passed.
Not long ago, I’d been the one handing out waiting numbers to customers outside that office.
“I knew you’d make it, Kim Min-ho. You’re someone who’ll shine even brighter tomorrow than today.”
The Branch Manager broke into a hearty laugh.
“You’ve gotten quite a few additional CF offers too, haven’t you? Broadcast appearances and the like?”
“Yes.”
“The PB Center will handle your VIP account management, and the returns have been quite respectable. Don’t entrust everything, but trust them with some of it.”
The PB Center.
Private banking dedicated to VIP clients.
I’d been worrying about how to manage my money anyway, at least until I acquired Financial Management as a talent.
‘My balance is over five hundred million won.’
If the Branch Manager said so, it wouldn’t be unreasonable to trust them with some investments.
Or I could move to a new place and get my parents into a nicer home.
“Now that I think about it, there’s one thing I never got from you, Kim Min-ho.”
The Branch Manager rose from his seat and brought something over.
A Korean paper fan.
When he unfolded it fully, the front was covered densely with signatures from several professional baduk players.
Yu Jeuh-ha, Kim Min-ho, and even a signature from the Chinese player I’d faced at the main tournament drawing.
“I realized your signature wasn’t here.”
I examined the Korean paper fan.
“There doesn’t seem to be any space left for my signature?”
“No space? Of course there is.”
The Branch Manager carefully turned the fully unfolded Korean paper fan to the back.
A clean surface.
It was essentially a blank page.
“I left it empty because I wanted to get your signature.”
The Branch Manager handed me the Korean paper fan and an oil-based pen.
Empty white space.
I wrote my three-character name in large Chinese characters.
Scratch-scratch.
Whether it was the influence of the Chinese Language talent or not, the characters looked convincing.
No, they looked quite handsome.
And then I carefully added two more characters beside it.
Entering Divinity.
Entering Divinity.
As I set down the pen, the Branch Manager took the fan from me.
He unfolded it fully to admire my signature, then nodded with satisfaction.
“I’ll keep this as a treasured heirloom, Kim Min-ho. Or rather, Kim Seonbae.”
The Branch Manager carefully folded the fan and placed it in his desk drawer.
I bowed and left the branch manager’s office.
The bank lobby.
My eyes met Yeon-hee’s, who was preparing for her shift at the counter.
A brief exchange of glances.
‘Senior, you should buy us something delicious!’
While she regretted my last day of work, I was grateful that she’d cheered me on just as much as the Branch Manager had.
I answered with a short smile and took a step forward.
As I crossed the lobby.
Ha and Park, standing at a distance and chatting while drinking coffee, locked eyes with me.
……!
Their gazes fixed on the leather case in my hand.
The VIP Card.
‘There’s no way they wouldn’t recognize it.’
Not just anyone—these were people who spent the entire day scrutinizing their clients’ assets and credit ratings.
I felt their eyes harden slightly.
Discomfort.
No congratulations. No smiles.
Just watching from a distance.
Until not long ago, we’d occupied the same bank, the same space. And they’d been looking down at me.
But not anymore.
The distance had shifted.
The gap had widened.
The person they’d known me to be no longer stood in that place.
Now I had risen.
I was the one looking down.
Nod.
I gave them a brief greeting with a tilt of my head.
Confusion flickered across their faces.
I turned quietly and headed toward my desk.
Handover.
My last shift.
The longest final day of work in my life.

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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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