Monopolizing Skills to the 666th Floor - Chapter 45

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Skill Devouring to the 666th Floor Episode 045

45. Money Bundle Swing

Money Bundle Swing is a skill whose power increases the more cash you have in your account.

The cash can be in any country’s currency.

‘Converting to a country’s currency with favorable exchange rates doesn’t increase the damage.’

This is an already proven fact.

Before regression, the Apostles of the Merchant of the Century had experimented countless times with this result.

‘It’s truly a perfect skill for Oliver. As the son of a conglomerate, he’d have money overflowing from his garage.’

However, physical assets like stocks, bills, and gold bars are not included in the skill.

Only cash deposited in accounts serves as the basis for damage calculation.

‘A skill that gets stronger the more cash you accumulate. What you have becomes your power.’

I’ve been saving money with this skill in mind all along.

This is the only skill that gets stronger the more money you earn.

‘Now I have a reason to save money.’

The money currently in my account is $906,000, about 1.6 billion won in Korean currency.

Still an insufficient amount to unleash the skill’s potential.

‘You need at least 10 billion won for Money Bundle Swing to show its true value.’

What if I add the lotto first prize winnings to that?

I could easily accumulate over 20 billion won.

The skill damage would become incredibly powerful, needless to say.

‘What if it gradually accumulates to reach the upper limit of 1 trillion won?’

From that point, overwhelming damage would emerge.

However, money beyond that amount is meaningless.

The damage output is only set up to 1 trillion won.

‘But the story changes if you enhance the skill.’

What if the upper limit could be increased to 10 trillion, 100 trillion won?

No skill could match it as a one-shot skill.

Of course, the condition of having a lot of money is attached.

‘It’s not without drawbacks. Even though it’s strong, it has the limitation of being a physical attack, and the skill is slow and simple.’

It’s entirely possible to counter, but skills with this level of destructive power are rare.

So in the end, I had no choice but to select it.

After finishing the strawberry sherbet that came out for dessert, I asked the two wealthy men.

“How was the food?”

“It was truly the best.”

“It was so delicious I ate mindlessly.”

They weren’t empty words.

Both Lawrence and Oliver had cleaned their plates completely.

If the food hadn’t suited their taste, they wouldn’t have forced themselves to eat all that much.

“Shall we move to the next course?”

The place I took them to was Gyeongbokgung Palace.

After appreciating the elegant architecture containing Korea’s traditional beauty, we visited Namsan Tower.

Looking down at the brilliant skyline, we could truly feel Korea’s economic development.

“This is truly amazing. I didn’t know Korea was this kind of country.”

“I’m ashamed of myself for looking down on it as a small country.”

The two wealthy men were impressed, but today’s schedule wasn’t over yet.

“You should go have dinner, right?”

The place I chose for tonight’s dinner was a pork belly restaurant.

As we entered, Joshua’s face clearly showed excitement.

“Tae Seong, nice! I wanted to come here again! Excellent choice!”

“Have you been here before?”

Lawrence asked with a puzzled expression.

“Yes. When I came to Korea before, Tae Seong brought me to this place. I still remember the taste of the meat I ate then.”

I heard praise beyond expectations, but.

“Is it that delicious?”

“For a restaurant, it looks a bit messy.”

The two wealthy men were still skeptical.

However, as the meat sizzled on the grill, they naturally began to salivate.

“Hmm, it smells good.”

“Is this what’s supposed to be so delicious?”

“Of course. This is Korean barbecue. Now, try some…”

“It’s not even fully cooked yet.”

After stopping the hasty Joshua, I cooked it thoroughly and distributed it.

“Here, try some.”

“Hmm, let me see….”

Lawrence picked up a piece and put it in his mouth.

“Hmm?!”

He suddenly frowned deeply.

As if he had eaten something inedible.

“What’s wrong, Father? Does it taste strange?”

“Hmm… it’s not quite to my taste.”

Oliver, who had been eagerly anticipating Lawrence’s reaction, couldn’t hide his disappointed expression.

“Should I try just one bite though?”

Oliver put a piece in his mouth without much expectation.

“Huh?”

His eyes widened in surprise.

“This is delicious!”

The savory oil aroma and meat juices spread throughout his mouth, creating a rich flavor.

“This is totally my style!”

Oliver had grown tired of meat from eating steak every day.

He had found pork belly, the meat of his life.

“I’m a pork person! This is so delicious!”

He was so excited by how delicious it was that he started eating frantically.

Joshua watched him with a displeased expression.

“Please eat a bit slower. At this rate, there won’t be any left for me.”

“That’s right. We can order more meat, so please eat slowly.”

Lawrence ate slowly since it didn’t suit his taste, but Oliver literally devoured the meat ravenously.

“Pork belly is originally meant to be eaten wrapped in ssam to taste good.”

“Ssam?”

“Yes, you wrap it like this.”

When I taught him how to eat ssam wraps, Oliver found it fun and started continuously making and eating wraps.

While the meal was in full swing, Joshua’s expression darkened.

“Excuse me… I’ll go to the restroom.”

As soon as Joshua left his seat, the father and son’s eyes changed.

Like predators who had seized an opportunity.

“Tae Seong, I have something urgent to discuss.”

“What is it, Oliver?”

“Please sign an exclusive contract with us.”

The proposal I had expected.

It wasn’t particularly surprising.

“I already have a contract with Costech though?”

“Contracts can be broken. If there are better conditions, you can switch, can’t you?”

He must have been quite desperate to speak so directly.

“An exclusive contract… hmm.”

When I delayed and didn’t give a clear answer, Lawrence stepped forward.

“If you give us exclusive rights to the superior magic crystals, we’ll offer twice the amount Costech proposed. If there are penalty fees involved, we’ll pay those as well.”

“Twice the amount….”

I deliberately delayed my answer.

“Hmm….”

As I pretended to think and dragged out the time, both men smiled awkwardly while breaking into cold sweats.

‘They must be puzzled why I’m hesitating to answer.’

That made sense.

I had agreed to meet them, yet I was avoiding giving a definitive answer.

“I’ll think about it more. Joshua is coming back.”

“Ahem, understood. Please contact us here when you decide.”

Lawrence hurriedly handed me his business card.

Shortly after, Joshua returned.

Perhaps sensing the atmosphere was quite different from before, he frowned slightly.

“What did you talk about while I was gone?”

“Talk about what.”

“We just grilled and ate meat.”

The father and son tried to make excuses, but anyone could see how awkward they were.

Eventually the situation ended inconclusively, and only after eating our fill did we leave the restaurant.

“Phew, that was really delicious.”

“I’ve never eaten so passionately in my entire life.”

“How was it? I was right, wasn’t I? Korean barbecue is the best.”

Seeing Joshua praising the pork belly and patting his stomach made me smile too.

But as the night grew late, it was time to part ways.

“Thank you so much for treating us today. I had no idea Korea had such wonderful food.”

“I enjoyed it as well, Tae Seong. Now that I’ve met a reliable supplier, I feel confident about purchasing magic stones in the future.”

The father and son smiled with satisfaction.

Then, before leaving, they made a phone gesture with their hands.

‘They must want me to contact them.’

After the Winterstone father and son left, Joshua’s expression changed.

“Tae Seong, really nothing happened while I was away? Something seems strange…”

I spoke honestly.

“There was. They made me an offer. They said they’d pay double the contract fee for exclusive rights to the superior magic crystals.”

“Really?”

When I nodded, Joshua burst out in frustration.

“Argh! I knew this would happen! This is exactly why I came along to keep watch!”

After venting his emotions for a moment, he looked at me with a serious expression.

He seemed to realize that my decision was more important.

“So… what are your thoughts, Tae Seong?”

His cautious question revealed his worry that I might join hands with another corporation.

But that wouldn’t happen.

“Don’t worry. I won’t change my mind now. We’ve already finished the contract, so how could I change it?”

“But, but you could just pay the penalty fee…”

“It’s not a matter of penalty fees. It’s a matter of trust. I will only contract with Costech.”

Was it because he heard a definitive answer?

Joshua’s face visibly brightened.

“I’m so relieved to hear you say that. I’ll be able to sleep soundly tonight, haha!”

“I wonder if you’ll still say that after losing in a duel?”

“Huh? You’re going to spar with me again?”

“Yes. Don’t you want to?”

“No, no! I want to duel. Gladly!”

“Then let’s go.”

We headed to the school playground where we had dueled before.

Was it my imagination that Joshua’s face looked even brighter than before?

“Are the rules the same this time?”

“Yes. Feel free to use your skills. Use weapons too.”

Skills and weapons allowed.

Meanwhile, I didn’t hold anything.

I also limited my skills.

Well, I couldn’t completely forbid them because of Achievement, but this was about all the handicap I could give.

“Let’s see how much stronger you’ve gotten.”

The duel began.

Joshua unleashed threatening attacks, wielding the Hobgoblin’s Machete.

Swoosh! Swoosh!

Sharp sounds grazed my ears, and the machete barely missed my body.

It looked like I was barely dodging, but I was actually doing it on purpose.

‘He needs to feel like he might hit me to maintain his fighting spirit.’

A kind of hope torture.

This was a teaching duel from the start, and it wouldn’t be fun if it ended too quickly.

While I was just dodging and killing time, I caught something interesting.

Joshua’s movements seemed to be trying to induce a specific action.

‘Ho. Is this a buildup to use Time Regression?’

Seeing him constantly trying to create an opening made me smile.

“Why are you laughing?”

“Because I can see your intention clearly.”

“…”

Joshua looked slightly flustered, not expecting to be caught.

In desperation, he used his Time Regression skill, but.

Whack!

“Gah!”

He took a counter and it ended with my victory.

“Good work.”

“Ugh… good work.”

Once again lying on the ground looking at the stars, Joshua rubbed his nose.

“Ugh… I think my nose bone is broken.”

“Let me take a look.”

I approached Joshua and placed my palm on his face.

‘Breath of Regression.’

A bright light spread as his nasal bone returned to its proper place.

As if the pain had disappeared, Joshua no longer groaned.

Instead, his eyes widened in surprise.

“H-how did you do that?”

“What do you mean?”

“The pain is completely gone!”

“Your nasal bone is back in place too.”

Joshua touched his nose and his eyes widened again.

“Really? How on earth did you do that? Is it a Skill?”

“Yes. As you can see, it’s a Recovery Skill.”

“A Recovery Skill… Does the God of Time have such Skills too?”

It is indeed a Skill from the God of Time, but he seems to have misunderstood something.

I should clear this up now.

“The God of Time isn’t my only Sponsoring Spirit.”

“What? Then…?”

“Joshua, I’m also an Apostle of the Three Gods like you.”

“What?”

I added an explanation to Joshua, who couldn’t continue speaking with his eyes wide open.

“I’ve been an Apostle of the Three Gods since we first met. I heard from the Three Gods that Joshua was promoted to become an Apostle of the Three Gods.”

“Ah…”

Joshua, with a dazed expression, soon tapped his own head.

“Haha, how foolish of me. Even someone like me became an Apostle of the Three Gods, yet I thought Tae Seong wouldn’t be one. My thinking was too narrow.”

“Don’t worry about something like that. More importantly, why aren’t you using the spear I gave you?”

“Ah, the spear…?”

Joshua hesitated before confessing honestly.

“Actually… I gave it to a friend.”

“A friend?”

“That friend is an apostle of a Transcendent Spirit called the Master of Spearmanship, and he really needed a spear. I thought it would be more suitable for him to use it than me, so I gave it to him. I’m sorry for passing along the gift you gave me without saying anything.”

“It’s fine.”

“That friend is someone I really care about. He’s from the same unit as me. Oh, I didn’t mention this, did I? I’m from the US Special Forces.”

“Ah, I see.”

I actually knew this, but I nodded as if I didn’t.

I also knew about his friend.

‘If it’s the Master of Spearmanship, he must be talking about Jason.’

I know Jason quite well too.

He made quite a name for himself before my regression.

In a bad way.

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