The Knight King Who Returned with Gods : Chapter 69
Translators: Nyx and Ririi Rain
Episode 69: Yappy Private Equity Fund
Yakt Spinner.
The nightmare of the Cheongju Gate.
An emotionless killing machine.
The final boss and survivor of a Red Gate, he now stands as
both a Holy Grail Knight and the financial brains of the Pantheon.
Yappy's duties were both complex and numerous.
Managing and monitoring the trainees. Building the
necessary facilities for the Pantheon. Constructing the infrastructure and
managing legal and administrative matters.
The machine's tireless nature, coupled with its strong
artificial intelligence, made it perfect for all of these tasks. However, there
were two most important tasks that were given to Yappy.
That was, promoting Pantheon and managing finances.
For the former, he had hacked into the core of YubTube
and social media to manipulate public opinion and control the media.
It is already being publicized on a global scale, and
among those who are interested, the biographical information, financial status,
and even relatives are being collected to find the suitable people.
Yappy had a perfect grasp of the people who would be the
ideal believers for Pantheon.
The latter was financial management. This was easier than
the former.
Yappy is already a stock market tycoon. Under the
principle of being a righteous thief, it had been disrupting the stock market
and screwing over all the operators who had been stealing from the public.
The downfall of one manipulators after another had become
a big news story even in overseas discussions, so much so that the phenomenon
of the stock market suddenly self-correcting was being described.
The stock market was becoming a virtuous cycle where good
companies were valued and bad companies were undervalued. This is because Yappy
is crushing the bad guys in real time.
Yappy, having accomplished these two tasks perfectly,
wanted to take the next step.
A profit-making evangelism system that combined the
former and latter tasks.
Yappy would showcase the miracles of the Pantheon to
attract more followers and maximize profits by seizing control of the food
market. The impact it would have on the world food market would be a bonus.
The plan was perfect.
Logically, rationally, according to public opinion.
The granaries in the Heilong People's Republic was a
stable country with no external threats.
Unless a neighboring country stages a coup or declares
war.
-Hey, there's a war up there.
-Up there? North Korea?
-It's been a while since they've been ruined. Further up.
-Can Russia afford to start a war?
Leon may be the owner of the Pantheon building, but it
does have basic utilities like internet and TV.
Thanks to the internet and the 100 signal amplifiers
Yappy recently built from junkyard junk, no one was unaware of the latest war
reports in the news.
"Sir Yappy, did you hear that? There's a war up
there. It's nothing to do with us, but the government's got their hands
full."
-.......
Yappy was watching the cadets practice swordsmanship.
More precisely, Yappy was watching the mechanical repetition of slashing,
blocking, and swinging for ten thousand times, recording the number of times
and the time it took.
Hari had been doing this for a week now, and she had
gotten pretty good at it, so she chatted with Yappy as she repeated the top
slash.
"But it's a big deal. I've heard that the granaries
of the Heilong People's Republic are where our country imports food. Rice is no
problem, but other crops are imported quite a bit."
-.......
"The United Nations and the United States are saying
that they will issue warnings and sanctions, but since they are orcs, a
prolonged war is inevitable──"
-Insufficient motion. Record number 1,397 deleted from
history. Do it again.
"Augh!?"
Hari shuddered from the sudden electricity, but Yappy was
unrelenting against the ignorant organism.
"Uhuhu... I've had a long day."
As Hari sobbed in exhaustion, Yappy closed in on her.
"Hic! Sir Yappy, didn't I finish my quota for
today?!"
Yappy poured a drink for the flustered Hari and kindly
offered,
-Drink it. Needs hydration.
"Uh, uhm... yes, thank you."
Hari awkwardly accepted it. It was awkward because Yappy
had never been this friendly before.
Yappy flashed a smiley emoji through the hologram.
“W- why are you being like this?”
-This is only for Hari.
"Just me?"
-Our private equity fund is currently in active
investment. It is a growing asset under a management organization.
It was true. Yappy's private equity fund, which started
operation two months ago, had hired an appropriate asset management company to
operate it. The rate of return was already reaching the highest level in the
country.
Of course. Without mentioning the fact that it had fell
sharply in the last three days.
-The financial well-being of Pantheon employees is in the
plan.
Yappy had read all the books on psychological warfare.
You don't get people to invest, you get them to beg you to let them in.
-This company will manage Hari's assets specifically for
employee welfare. Please sign up as of today.
With that, Yapppy distributed the sign-up sheets. Hari
stared at Yappy with wide eyes.
"Is this an investment recommendation?"
-The offer to 'manage' your asset.
"Sir Yappy. Do you also own stocks? Wow, you’re
really smart.”
Han Hari, who had never really thought about finance or
investments, looked at Yappy in amazement.
-Han Hari. Given your meager finances, you need a
professional asset manager.
"M, meager? N, no, it's not? I've saved quite a bit
for my age!"
To Hari's outburst, Yappy hit her with facts,
-Compared to the average financial situation of a class A
hunter, it is only 15%. Even if the period of activity is short, it is an
abnormal situation. Donating meager salaries and gate-clear bonuses is the
problem.
"W, well... except for living expenses, I'm donating
to the orphanage I grew up in......."
-The act of giving, being virtuous. However, in order to
provide more donations, financial expansion is necessary.
"I don't really need it──Ack!"
Yappy slapped the back of Hari's hand with a non-lethal
wire for repeatedly blowing out the candle.
-For modern people who are closely related to the
financial society, neglecting financial studies means giving up on life. This
represents your lack of knowledge. Be grateful.
"Uhhh... T, then, only 2 million won......."
-20 million won.
"That's all my savings!"
-It is multiplied ten times. Also subtract the rent for
the semi-subterranean apartment in Seoul.
"Aww......."
Hari cried and deposited the money into Yappy's account.
She hoped the machine wouldn't cheat her.
After receiving Hari's money, Yappy thought it was all
going according to plan and made an additional offer.
-Han Hari is now a ‘Silver’ member. I especially upgrade
you from bronze.
"Silver?"
-Bronze members are guaranteed 100% return, Silver
members 200%. Want to upgrade?
"T, then that’s good, right?”
-If you sign up five more members, I'll upgrade you to
Gold. That's 300% profit.
"Uh, really?"
Han Hari.
20 years old. A newbie thrown into society.
Naive enough to not realize that this is a typical
pyramid scheme.
"Suho, your sister found a good investment place──”
"Ah, Chief. It's Hari, it's just that──"
Hari is kind. No one who knows her will doubt her good
intentions. That's why.......
“Wow, Diamond member! So a 500% return is guaranteed?”
-Congrats. If you pay more, you will be upgraded to
3-star Diamond membership.
"I, if you subtract the deposit money...!"
Hari was a great pyramid scheme worker.
-Soldier Gu Dae Sung. This is a special recommendation
for you only.
-Old man Choi. Are you interested in investing for
retirement security? To the villagers──
And this movement spread out in all directions centered
around Pantheon. It didn't take long for the number of members to skyrocket.
And a week later.
"This is from the district court. An asset
confiscation warning."
A bailiff with a red ticket came.
* * * * *
[The Pantheon is on the verge of bankruptcy!]
[Unreasonable asset management. Is this a ‘foreigner’s’
investment failure?]
[The always bright survivor. Will the survivor success
story collapse like this?]
"......."
As Leon read the newspaper, he stared at Yappy and the
Pantheon staff in front of him.
In front of everyone, Yappy looked lost and sad, like he
was on trial.
"What happened? Summarize."
A confiscation warning was issued from the local court.
This was because the interest on a loan borrowed in the name of the Pantheon
Guild could not be repaid.
It wasn't all. Hari and most of the other workers in the
Guild, including Hari, had taken on debt, but the private equity fund they
invested in took a huge plunge.
-I shall explain.
Yappy began to recount the recent events in a logical
manner.
A private equity fund was established to expand the
Pantheon Guild and secure funds. The Guild borrowed as much bank loans as
possible and increased its investment by involving its employees.
Only to have the funds and farms of the Heilong People's
Republic they invested in to be reduced to rubble by the invasion of the Jilin
Republic.
"Sir Yappy... That 86 million won is my entire life
capital... I gave it to you after deducting rent..."
Hari cried out in frustration. The other employees were
the same.
"Huhu...! My money! I even took my wife's
savings!"
This was Kim Jin-Soo, a dispatched official from the
Association.......
"Ha, haha... My 5-year savings, which I saved up to
buy elixirs......."
The Men at Arms soldiers, including 1st batch cadet Gu
Dae-sung.
"I mortgaged my land......."
to local farmers.
The amount of money involved is actually 8 billion won!
They weren't the only victims. Investors in Yappy's
Pantheon private equity fund were making a scene outside the gates, and Leon
had just invited them in to hear their side of the story.
"So, Sir Spinner. How much is the loss?”
-At the current time, it is 878,954,340,000 won. It is
increasing by 49,853,655 won per hour. Loss approximately 72%
"Huh...?!"
Hari was shocked by the debt that went far beyond common
sense.
Leon also asked a question, as it was on a scale that was
so large that it made him wonder,
"The Pantheon doesn't have that kind of money, does
it?"
- Received a mortgage loan.
"The collateral?"
-130,000 hectares of rice fields in the Naju Plains. This
year's harvest. The Pantheon building. Sir Geobrick's hammer.
In short, not only the money of the victims of the investment,
but any money that the Pantheon could draw upon. If it failed, Leon would be
out on the streets too.
Yappy made an apologetic mechanical sound.
-The fund can be restored. This period is only a
temporary liquidity crisis. It's ignorant impatience to jump on the slightest
chart change.
"Are you sure it's going up? It looks like
everything we invested will disappear after the war!
-Yes... it will. Maybe. Stocks are about waiting.
Investing is patience. The Beidahuang granaries are the breadbasket of East
Asia. There's no way the international community would leave it alone──
"No, Russia just declared its support for the
republic, and it's falling in real time?"
-No way... not possible. Irrational conclusion. No reason
to risk international sanctions. Far more harm than good. That can't be
possible-- P*tin's a bastard.
""................""
The victims were left speechless by Yappy's brazen,
impudent remarks.
In short, the asset manager who lost over 70% of their
investment is now spouting off about how it's going to go up.
“Ahh! Give me my money!”
“Damn it, grab something!”
Not surprisingly, the investors in the private equity
fund, not to mention the employees, were livid.
"That, that, that! Pull that pole!"
"Dig through the trash! There’s bound to be
something there!”
"Open all those rice warehouses! The money's in
there!"
Leon watched for a moment as the investors were
scrambling to get even a penny. It was because he himself was a little shocked.
“What is this in the warehouse? It’s a knife, isn’t it?
This looks expensive, let’s take this at least!”
-Kkilug?!
It was then. An investor found the sword in the
warehouse. He'd found the blade of the Archdemon Androzin.
This Legendary-grade item, made of adamantite, was a
prized research material for Yappy.
-Stop, human. Don't take that... ! It is our private
property!
Yappy was about to retrieve the blade in a huff. Another
investor was about to reach for the hammer when he was interrupted--
"Don't make a fuss, you lowlifes!"
-Kkeuheub?!
-Heuheog!
Leon's roar made everyone present stop in their tracks.
As everyone froze in fear, he waited until they were
quiet enough.
Leon spoke,
"Sir Spinner."
-Yes, Your Majesty.......
The Yakt Spinner recognized the anger in Leon's voice and
approached cautiously.
“I believe that your intelligence will be able to resolve
this situation. How long will you need to do so?
-I will solve it by tomorrow.
Tomorrow? How? How can you fix hundreds of billions in
losses by tomorrow?
“Okay. Then I’ll leave it to you.”
However, the victims who regained their senses were
unable to argue against Leon's trust.
As far as they can see, the situation cannot be resolved
with ordinary means.
In the end, they must rely on otherworldly powers, and
who else but Yappy, the mastermind of this whole mess, can fix it?
"In the name of the Lionheart King, I hereby
guarantee your debt. Now, you guys, go back and go about your business.”
The investors had a lot to say. But none of them could
stand up to Leon's ferocity.
Especially since it was clear that even if they were to
file for foreclosure now, they wouldn't get back even half of what they
invested.
Just one day. Will there be a miracle that resolves everything
within that time?
Yappy went into the workshop and didn't come out for a
while, and four hours later──
[Emergency injection. Safety testing ignored.]
[Special exoskeleton integrated weapon platform MK.1
injected.]
A weapon that will change the history of human warfare
had been produced in the Pantheon building.
[Operation Code: Fund Recovery]
For a very lame reason.
* * * * *
A war sparked by the invasion of an orc dictator who rose
to power.
Hunters from all nations were mobilized for this war.
Hundreds of hunters and tens of thousands of soldiers. In
addition, a war in which even immigrant orcs from each country were mobilized.
Even though the continent was torn apart and collapsed
after the cataclysm, it is still a continent. The number of troops mobilized
was usually not large.
And modern warfare is a high-tech network warfare.
War is not only about killing each other with guns and
swords on the battlefield.
Each country's cyber warfare expands into a network war,
paralyzing the enemy's computer network or disturbing the missile's GPS
information.
In the first two weeks of the war, the intelligence
soldiers of the aggressor Jilin Republic also practiced cyber warfare in every
way they could.
"Huu... what a pain in the ass these damn orcs are
making."
"What a pointless war......."
Since the Cataclysm, many survivors have crossed over
from other worlds. Some of them are human, but many are of other races.
Martial artists from the Wuxia world. Elves, dwarves, and
orcs from the fantasy world. Even fairies of the spirit world and dangerous
demons.
Even more recently, there have been mecha from futuristic
world.
Meanwhile, orcs were the bane of modern life.
Initially, they were eagerly accepted by countries all
over the world to use their superior combat capabilities to attack the gates,
but problems quickly arose.
They were too violent and wanted to solve everything with
violence.
They'd dine in restaurants, then attempt to kill and loot
the owners; they'd challenge landlords to duels to take their favorite houses.
And for some reason, they're so needy, so their
population grew quickly. And within five years, the kids would be as strong as
most Hunters.
So what would be left of the countries that couldn't
handle the initial gates of the Cataclysm and were forced to accept orcs?
Africa was overrun with orcs, and orc coups were common
in Southeast Asia.
But then there was an orc coup in the Jilin Republic, and
they declared war on their neighbors in order to support their own poor people.
What kind of war is this?
If the United States and the West had stood up to Russia
and the United Nations had not opposed sending peacekeepers, it would have been
dealt with long ago.
But in the end, the man with the knife is the master, and
the intelligence soldiers of the Jilin Republic had to invade their
once-brotherly Heilong People's Republic.
“Damn it, let’s hope the war ends quickly.”
“How did we fellow China end up like this….”
Still, it was better than the socialist country of D,
with a Necromancer as the head of state. They were tapping away at the keyboard
with such resignation when──
-Beep beep!
A warning sound rang throughout the computer information
room. The intelligence soldiers of the Jilin Republic screamed in horror,
"T, the headquarters intelligence room has been
hacked? Firewall number three has been breached? It's been less than three
seconds since we detected it!
"Sir, the fifth firewall has just been breached!"
“What bullshit is that!”
Like many continental countries, the Jilin Republic was
once a military state that inherited the legacy of a superpower.
The country's information network was protected by
supercomputers and information assets that were still in active use, and the
system built by IT talents was also solid.
Moreover, the security capabilities of the military's
intelligence command were beyond the reach of the Heilong People's Republic, if
not the world's best.
But all those firewalls were breached in less than 5
seconds?
"GPS system down! TSA (Transportation Security
Administration) down!"
"Tactical radio network down! Looks like the
military satellites have been taken over!"
"It's not just the military radios, civilian networks
are down... No way! Even the banking system is down?"
"What the hell is going on?!" shouted the
general in charge of Intelligence Command.
"Did the Yangki1s set off an EMP or something?
There's no nuclear missile in orbit!"
No, an EMP from a nuclear missile in orbit wouldn't do
this. In addition, there were several computer crashes that could not be
explained by EMP.
As everyone watched helplessly as the disaster unfolded
before their eyes, the same phrase began to appear on their screens.
"Th, this is?"
"The culprit is......."
A phrase appeared on their screen. It was──
[I have come to end this war.]
***
Notes:
1 양키 (Yangki): Meaning western people or americans in korea. It' s racist word↩
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