‘What?’

Chairman Kwon questioned his ears after hearing the secretary’s response.

“The artifacts are all gone? All of the ones I let Yoon Shi Woo borrow?”

“Yes, yes sir. We searched through Yoon Shi Woo Department head-nim’s personal belongings but they're all……”

Chairman Kwon felt as if someone had punched him in the head.

“C, Chairman-nim. What do we do?”

Yoon Shi Woo supposedly had nothing on him when they found him.

He wasn’t robbed, he supposedly took his own clothes off in the middle of Las Vegas and started to throw money everywhere. Based on how all the artifacts he had on him were gone, he probably chucked the artifacts when he stripped and went crazy.

That thought made Chairman Kwon touch his forehead. He even felt his temples getting tight as his blood pressure went up.

Chairman Kwon was upset because they were all useful artifacts.

He was keeping Yoon Shi Woo around because he was one of the few artifact users with high dominance and had let him borrow the artifacts he had gathered.

This was because Chairman Kwon was more familiar with using people than doing things himself.

But they disappeared?

‘This stupid bastard!’

Chairman Kwon's anger pierced through the sky.

The secretary whose eyes were moving as she warily observed the Chairman said something to help him calm down.

“We’ve sent people to inspect the places the Department head-nim had been. We might be able to find the artifacts soon……”

However, Chairman Kwon who was massaging his tight temples had a different thought.

“No. That’s probably useless.”

“Excuse me?”

“Do you really think Yoon Shi Woo went crazy and threw away the artifacts?”

“……T, that.”

“It's more likely that the bastard who turned him like this stole the artifacts.”

That was the case.

They had to determine why Yoon Shi Woo turned into this stupid zombie in the first place. Yoon Shi Woo wasn’t an idiot who would have used the zombie powder artifact on himself.

Someone had turned him like this and gave the order to perform the strip show after stealing his belongings.

The secretary who thought artifact users were special became shocked.

"Then just who did this to the Department head-nim……!”

Who else would it be?

“It must be Seo Ju-Heon.”

It wasn’t like this bastard Yoon Shi Woo would have stopped to do something else after saying he would go get the tree.

He was probably stupidly defeated by an artifact because it was an isolated area.

However, the secretary became even more shocked after hearing Chairman Kwon’s response.

“T, then isn’t it even more of an issue?! There are no legal ways to deal with artifacts……!”

That was the case.

The world did not know about artifacts yet. Chairman Kwon had no thoughts about letting others know because he was greedy and wanted to monopolize them for himself.

So, it wasn’t like he could reveal the existence of artifacts to file a police report that they were stolen!

This was why he was going crazy.

“First, send someone to see if that Seo Ju-Heon bastard is at the airport.”

“How should we deal with him?”

Chairman Kwon debated for a moment before scrunching his face.

They could not use artifacts. It would become a major headache if the major communication companies learned about artifacts.

“Send the lawyer, Lee Jin-A. Tell her to take care of it quietly.”

Seo Ju-Heon.

He was just a spirited thug in his early twenties who didn’t know how the world operated.

This wasn’t the first time he saw a bastard like that.

He just needed to give a decently sweet candy or suppress them.

At least that was what Chairman Kwon thought.

“Stupid Yoon Shi Woo.”

Las Vegas McCarran International Airport.

Ju-Heon who was waiting for a flight to Korea was laughing while looking at foreign and Korean articles on his phone.

‘Chairman Kwon's face should be burning up right now.’

Ju-Heon knew better than anybody that a prideful old man like him would hate something like this quite a bit.

‘Yoon Shi Woo truly isn't useful.’

It needed to at least be Chairman Kwon’s left hand man for Ju-Heon to admit they were good.

That bastard possessed Zhuge Kongming’s Artifact, a Divine-Grade artifact which was said to be difficult to handle. [1] Although Ju-Heon and he were Chairman Kwon's left arm and right arm, they were not very close because of their different personalities.

‘There are a few people including him that I need to steal.’

However, those people would not appear yet.

So, there was nothing he could do about it.

He would steal Chairman Kwon’s weapons first. That was the reason he stole those artifacts from Yoon Shi Woo.

And lo and behold, the Oh Seung Woo group who were next to Ju-Heon were confused while looking at the new items next to them.

“Umm, hyung-nim.”

“What?”

“That……I'm sure there are reasons for everything you do, hyung-nim.”

“Stop beating around the bush and say what’s on your mind.”

The Oh Seung Woo group flinched at Ju-Heon's annoyed gaze and quickly asked.

“Then I will ask the question. Umm……can we ask why are carrying millet around in a bottle like that?”

They gulped as they asked the question because they thought they might get beaten up if they asked the question but they were too curious not to ask.

Ju-Heon's gaze headed for his phone. There was a small bottle accessory the length of two fingers dangling on his phone. Inside that bottle was one grain of millet.

It was understandable why they would find this to be odd.

Ju-Heon started to laugh.

“I bought it as a souvenir. It’s a Las Vegas talisman, a talisman.”

“A t, talisman?”

‘A talisman my ass, this is an artifact.’

That was the case.

This was the grain of millet artifact from the story. It was a wonderful wealth-related artifact.

The three artifacts he had taken from Yoon Shi Woo were the zombie powder, the millet, and Homer’s Eye Patch.

All three were items Chairman Kwon would be upset to have lost.

Not only was Chairman Kwon greedy for artifacts, the zombie powder was a good curse-type artifact to deal with people, the millet helped to bring in wealth and Homer’s Eye Patch was a S-Grade(Legendary Hero) artifact.

He was probably seriously upset that he might need to take some pills.

‘I'm sure that old bastard would come to retrieve his items.’

There was something he was disappointed about. The artifacts he took from Yoon Shi Woo were good but they were still second-rate artifacts. Yoon Shi Woo did not have any of the important first-rate artifacts on him. Of course, Chairman Kwon was not an idiot who would let others borrow his first-rate artifacts.

‘That's why…

I need to steal that bastard’s first-rate artifacts as well.’

The Chairman Kwon he knew would come at him with the first-rate artifacts to take them back.

That was what Ju-Heon was aiming for.

It was at that moment.

“Are you perhaps Mr. Seo Ju-Heon?”

A woman approached Ju-Heon who was sitting on a bench. She looked to be a fashionable career woman in her neat semi-formal outfit.

She looked pretty but also looked like a difficult person who didn't smile much. She was frowning while looking at the picture the auction house employee had of Ju-Heon and comparing to the real person.

However, Ju-Heon recognized her and started to smile.

‘Chairman Kwon’s lackey is here.’

“My name is Lee Jin-A and I am TKBM's lawyer.”

The woman who introduced herself as Lee Jin-A was sitting across Ju-Heon in a cafe.

Of course, he expected someone from Chairman Kwon's side to show up.

‘It wouldn’t be fun if they didn't take the bait when I purposely sent Yoon Shi Woo back like that.’

That was also why he let the artifacts release their aura so that it would be easy to find him. Lee Jin-A continued to speak as Ju-Heon squinted.

“I will get right to the point and ask. You're the person who took Mr. Yoon Shi Woo’s belongings, aren’t you?”

Ju-Heon smirked.

"And if I am?”

Lee Jin-A smiled as if Ju-Heon was wary of her and continued to speak.

“Please don’t get the wrong idea. Yoon Shi Woo is someone who has already smudged the Chairman-nim's face so I am here to make you a great offer. The Chairman-nim believes you are a talented individual.”

Ju-Heon scoffed at her comments.

“Offer? What kind of offer did that old grouch make?”

Lee Jin-A didn't seem to like what Ju-Heon was saying as she could not help but frown.

“Mr. Seo Ju-Heon. Please let me first give you some life advice as someone who has lived longer than you. It is best to watch what you say when you are around others. I understand you may be lacking societal experiences.”

“Who knows? It looks like you are the one who is lacking societal experiences.”

“Excuse me?”

Lee Jin-A asked in anger but Ju-Heon just smiled. Lee Jin-A felt upset that he was ignoring her but chose to hold back her anger as she continued to speak.

“The offer isn’t anything big. We won't even ask you to return the items. You are free to continue using those items but you will need to sign a contract with our TKBM excavation team.”

Ju-Heon started to smile. He had wondered how they would come at him but it was this type of plan?

“Are you telling me to sign a slave contract?”

“No, that is not our intention at all. The Chairman-nim knows the future value of these artifacts and thinks highly of people who can use these artifacts.”

“Then.”

"We will pay you 100 million dollars in advance. It is something we do when we try to recruit a talented individual with high potential onto our team. You don't need to show us any results and we won't interfere in your life at all. We will have you sign a proper contract and pay you a salary and give you some employee benefits as well. All you have to do is be a part of the TKBM team……”

“And if I say no?”

“Excuse me?”

Lee Jin-A was shocked after seeing Ju-Heon's cold smile.

It was hard for her to imagine anyone rejecting this offer without even hearing all of it.

Was this a young guy's foolishness?

“Excuse me. You seem to think that you are something. Mr. Seo Ju-Heon, things would get complicated for you if Chairman Kwon files a police report for theft.”

“And?”

“Can't you see that we are trying to let bygones be bygones in a way that benefits both sides since we can't reveal these artifacts to others?”

‘Does this guy not understand the situation since I'm being nice?’

“A small store like the Xiang Gallery can easily be closed if the Chairman-nim wishes for it with all involved parties suddenly dying from unknown illnesses. You are no exception.”

Ju-Heon scoffed at her comments.

“Have you ever thought that the person spewing such nonsense might be in danger?”

Lee Jin-A calmly smiled as if telling him to do it if he could.

"This is an airport full of people. Then you should not be able to use any artifacts either. Do you want others to know about artifacts?”

Ju-Heon chuckled at that question.

It seemed that this woman… was thinking she was safe because they were in a crowded area.

The artifact users of this time were trying their best to hide information about artifacts so that they could monopolize them.

It was understandable. That was why Ju-Heon answered in a relaxed manner.

“Let me give you a warning. It’s best for you to get lost while I'm asking nicely.”

“Ho. Let me be blunt about it since you seem like someone who will not understand if I beat around the bush. The conditions we are offering are not bad at all.”

She handed a contract to him.

“I'm sorry but please excuse the fact that I investigated you a bit. You are a high school graduate, have no backing, and to be honest with you, I don't see your future being in a company with those thugs. You’ll probably lose all your money because you won't know how to manage the money you earn with your artifacts. Didn’t you buy a useless Hollywood actor’s pumice stone at the auction house? Your future is obvious. We’re saying we will take care of everything for you. That’s not it. The Chairman-nim has made a secret deal with the other colossus of the world……”

“Are you deaf? I told you to get lost.”

Ju-Heon's words sounded cold but the stupid Lee Jin-A laughed in disbelief.

This damn young high school graduate thinks he can cut me off?

“Then let’s do it the legal way. Unfortunately, the bartender confirmed that you were with Mr. Yoon Shi Woo. I heard you tried to pour some weird powder on him. I don’t know how long you will last going up against TKBM, but…….”

“Hey, miss lawyer. Remember what I told you earlier?”

“Excuse me?”

“I said you seem to lack societal experiences.”

“Yes……excuse me?”

Ju-Heon eyes sparkled at that moment. Lee Jin-A could not help but gulp. She felt something suddenly choking her neck.

‘This is the zombie powder!’

Ju-Heon who was sitting with his arms crossed was smiling viciously.

“Anybody with a lot of societal experiences would have realized it right away. They would be able to tell if the person in front of them was a dog who could be controlled with a bone and whip method. If not, they would be able to tell if the person is a wild animal they should tuck their tails and run away from.”

Lee Jin-A looked around and shouted as she noticed the rising powder.

“……H, hold! There’s a lot of people here. It won't do you any good if people learn about artifacts……!”

It happened at that moment.

“Miss lawyer. You seem to have understood something completely wrong since earlier.”

Ju-Heon used his vicious dominance to activate the zombie powder.

“Unlike Chairman Kwon, I don’t care to keep artifacts a secret.”

Then there was a large explosion at the airport.

1. Zhuge Kongming is Zhuge Liang’s courtesy name.