Chapter 36

Chapter 36. The Result of the Collaboration (1)

Taotie and Qiongqi.

News of Kang Yujin's group defeating two of the legendary Four Perils at the same time quickly spread far and wide.

"Wasn't it just a subspecies that looked like one of the Four Perils?"

"No. At the very least, they say Taotie was almost identical to the real one."

"That ability to open its mouth freely and swallow everything... It had to be the real Taotie."

"Then... are you saying they really defeated two genuine Four Perils? With only four people?"

"That's what I'm telling you."

"General, couldn't we just assume the Four Perils themselves were weaker than we thought?"

"That is possible. But compatibility probably played a role as well."

"Compatibility?"

"The Four Perils are terrifying creatures, but their bodies aren't particularly large. They're different from huge monsters the size of houses."

"Then..."

"If they had been two giant monsters, Kang Yujin's group would've struggled much more. But neither Taotie nor Qiongqi was especially large, so they could probably overpower them in close combat."

"Similar to the fight against Baphomet, then."

"Exactly. We'll know the details once the recorded footage is uploaded."

The Constellations who had missed the live broadcast eagerly waited for the recording of Kang Yujin's battle against the Four Perils.

And the moment a new video appeared on Constellation Tube, they rushed in to watch it.

"Whoa. They really killed them."

"Four unknown Contractors killed two of the Four Perils?"

"You can't call Kang Yujin an unknown Contractor anymore."

"But they're still the Four Perils. How did they kill them so easily?"

"It wasn't easy. Didn't you see Kang Yujin bleeding everywhere?"

"Nobody died. That counts as easy."

"Your Excellency, even I find this strange."

"Do you?"

"I understand how they focused their attacks on Qiongqi at the end and killed it. But how exactly did they defeat Taotie?"

"Yes. It shattered from a single strike. What happened?"

"I don't believe that was the real Taotie."

"You think it was only something that looked like it?"

"If it had really been Taotie, there is no way it would've been shattered by one blow. That Contractor named Kang Yujin didn't possess that kind of destructive power."

"That is true."

"If it really was Taotie, then that would mean the Four Perils themselves are far less impressive than we believed."

"But if they were really that insignificant, would they have become objects of such fear...?"

Debates broke out throughout the Spirit Realm.

Part of the reason was the mysterious nature of the Four Perils themselves.

As monsters from ancient times, the Four Perils were quite famous among Constellations from China and other parts of East Asia.

However, they came from such a distant age that very few Constellations had ever encountered them personally.

Because of that, no one actually knew how powerful the Four Perils were supposed to be.

There was no clear standard to compare them against.

That only made the confusion worse.

"Wait a second."

"What?"

"A video just got uploaded."

"Did the Unknown Constellation upload another one?"

"The last video already ended."

"No, not there. Somewhere else."

"What are you talking about?"

"Explain properly."

And just as the confusion reached its peak...

A new video appeared on Constellation Tube.

"Greetings, everyone."

A handsome man with long, curly black hair smiled into the camera.

"I am your eternal ally, your dependable supporter, your hero... the 'Leader of the Expedition.'"

The person who uploaded the video was the B-rank Constellation Jason, the "Leader of the Expedition."

And this time, Jason himself appeared on screen.

Of course, that alone would not have drawn much attention.

Jason was normally an object of ridicule among the Constellations.

"There was a battle recently that became quite the hot topic. A group of Contractors managed to defeat two terrifying ancient Eastern monsters known as the Four Perils at the same time."

But Jason's video was more than enough to attract attention.

After all, he was talking about the recent battle against the Four Perils.

"Since I come from Greece, I admit my knowledge of Eastern monsters is limited. So I did some research. The Four Perils are beings connected to a legendary Eastern king from thousands of years ago..."

Jason first explained Taotie and Qiongqi.

But most people watching already knew that information.

There was nothing particularly special about it.

The real content came afterward.

"The biggest mystery here is how Kang Yujin managed to destroy the terrifying Taotie in a single blow."

Exactly.

This video claimed to explain the most mysterious part of the previous battle.

"When I first saw it, I was shocked too. I couldn't understand it at all. But now, I know the truth."

Jason smiled at the camera.

"Today, I will exclusively reveal the reason Kang Yujin was able to destroy Taotie in one strike."

He paused dramatically.

"Kang Yujin destroyed Taotie in one blow because he used an Awakening Skill."

Jason laughed.

"I can already imagine your faces. You're probably thinking, 'What nonsense is this guy talking about?' But it's true."

"An Awakening Skill is something a Contractor obtains after reaching an extremely high level and gaining enlightenment. Normally, it takes a very long time to acquire one."

Jason spread his hands.

"So you're probably asking this."

"Has Kang Yujin already reached that level?"

"It sounds ridiculous, doesn't it?"

Jason smiled.

"But it's true."

He then gestured to the side.

"Now, allow me to introduce today's guest. This Constellation personally witnessed the very first time Kang Yujin used his Awakening Skill. Of course, he didn't know it was an Awakening Skill at the time."

"Let's hear what he has to say."

"Please welcome the C-rank Constellation, 'Prince Who Killed His Father.'"

The C-rank Constellation "Prince Who Killed His Father" appeared.

In other words, the Greek hero Oedipus.

The video immediately became even more interesting.

Jason spoke with Oedipus about events that had taken place before Kang Yujin's debut on Constellation Tube and explained to the viewers that Kang Yujin really had defeated Taotie using an Awakening Skill.

"Now, I'm sure another question has appeared in your minds."

Jason leaned forward.

"How did Kang Yujin manage to obtain an Awakening Skill this early?"

Then, near the end of the video, Jason gave a mysterious smile.

"We'll investigate that part next time."

"So, if you want me to bring you the information as soon as possible..."

"Please subscribe and recommend this channel."

The response was explosive.

In both good ways...

And bad ones.

"U-Unknown! Jason's video is getting even more attention than the first video we uploaded! What if he ends up overshadowing us?"

"Calm down."

I scolded Number 49 for making a fuss while checking Jason's video on Constellation Tube.

"Jason's video is only popular because of our fame. There's no chance he'll overshadow us."

"Oh. Is that so?"

"And we're the ones who made his video in the first place. If necessary, we can simply stop helping him."

"That's true."

The video Jason uploaded to Constellation Tube had been planned by me and edited by Number 49.

It was the reward Jason received in exchange for handing Joo Minha over to me.

"But Unknown, isn't Jason getting too much out of this? Making him a new star of Constellation Tube just to obtain Joo Minha seems a little..."

"No."

I shook my head.

"Even without Joo Minha, this arrangement benefits us."

"Huh?"

"I'd already been thinking that we needed something like this if we wanted to grow further."

"Something like what?"

"Videos that talk about our videos."

That was right.

There was a limit to how much we could grow by simply uploading videos of Kang Yujin's group and attracting Constellations ourselves.

"Have you ever watched the Constellations making all kinds of guesses and thought we should simply explain everything ourselves?"

"Ah, yes. I have."

"But if we upload explanation videos ourselves and reveal too much information, the Constellations might actually lose interest."

"Ah...!"

"We can't show them everything ourselves."

"So that's why you're leaking information through Jason!"

"Exactly."

I smiled.

"Jason's videos will keep people talking about our videos for longer. In the end, that benefits us."

I had expected that sooner or later, channels analyzing or explaining our videos would appear.

So instead of waiting for that to happen, I made a secret deal with Jason and created a channel I could influence.

That gave us the advantage of being first.

Even if similar channels appeared later, Jason's channel would already have the lead.

"Let's say someone uploads a video criticizing us."

"Okay."

"If we directly upload a video arguing against them, it wouldn't look very good, would it?"

"Well... no."

"But if Jason uploads the rebuttal instead, that problem disappears."

Number 49's eyes widened.

"We can use Jason to fight public opinion battles too."

"Oh! So he can be used like that too!"

Tasks that would be difficult for our own channel could simply be handed over to Jason.

Jason wasn't the kind of person who cared much about dignity.

He would happily play the role of a tabloid reporter if it benefited him.

"From now on, we just have to keep Jason under control and make sure his broadcasts continue benefiting us."

"But what if Jason starts plotting something else?"

"Then we'll deal with him."

I already had several methods in mind.

"But Jason is very good at calculating profit and loss."

I crossed my arms.

"As long as working with me remains profitable, he'll continue helping me."

"Then we need to keep the initiative and make sure he never has a reason to betray us."

"Exactly."

Number 49 chuckled.

"Hehe. I'm starting to understand how you think, Unknown."

Then he tilted his head.

"But if that's the case, Joo Minha doesn't seem that important anymore."

"No."

I shook my head.

"That's not true."

After reaching an agreement with Jason, Joo Minha had officially become my Contractor.

And Joo Minha herself had willingly accepted the contract.

"I took her from Jason because I believe she's someone we truly need."

"Kang Yujin, Seok Taejun, Lee Jukheon, and Joo Minha... So those four are now the Contractors chosen by you."

"For now."

I nodded.

"We'll stay with these four for a while."

If I increased the number too much, they would become difficult to manage.

For the time being, I had no intention of taking another Contractor.

"Then Unknown, how are you planning to use Joo Minha? She's a little different from the other three."

"Joo Minha is a rear-support type."

I smiled slightly.

"So I'm planning to give her a different role."

The plan was already complete inside my head.

"Hey, Kang Yujin."

"What?"

"What are you going to do about the clothes you ripped? That wasn't just normal clothing. It was armor with resistance to various elemental attacks."

"Then I'll take off what I'm wearing and give it to you. Wear this."

"I don't want it!"

"I was already planning to buy new armor. Don't refuse."

"I'm not refusing out of politeness! I genuinely don't want it! Buy me a brand-new one!"

While Kang Yujin and Lee Jukheon were arguing inside the lodging, the door opened.

Joo Minha and Seok Taejun entered.

"Kang Yujin. Lee Jukheon."

Joo Minha spoke calmly.

"I have officially signed a contract with the Nameless One. I look forward to working with you from now on."

"Good for you."

"I've also heard a rough explanation of the current situation from Seok Taejun."

After saying that, Joo Minha looked directly at Kang Yujin.

"Kang Yujin."

"What?"

"I have a proposal regarding what we should do next."

Kang Yujin silently looked at her.

Joo Minha spoke in a cold, steady voice.

"Would you consider driving Ma Taesu out and taking control of the central-western region yourself?"