Chapter 8: How To Ruin Someone Legally 101

At the word ‘stolen goods,’ Soo-hyuk flinched.

“Artifacts that are more than 30% damaged upon acquisition and cannot function properly must be registered with the Association.

After registration, a notice for restoration is opened, and a company is selected through evaluation.

Subsequently, the restored artifact seeks an owner through official auction, but the original finder holds the right of first refusal before the official auction.”

“…..”

“This is the Dungeon Acquisition Management Act.

Other by-products might be different, but registration is mandatory for artifacts.”

Artifacts.

Special items not made by humans, but which could only exist if some civilized entity had intervened in their creation.

When intact, their properties were unknown, but even when damaged, until restored and activated by an owner, one couldn’t even know what special skills they possessed.

Dungeon appearances were a global phenomenon, and every country strived not only to secure high-ranking Awakeners but also to possess these artifacts.

To prevent artifact leakage by any means, laws like the Dungeon Acquisition Management Act had been created.

Therefore, artifacts necessarily underwent a process of registration and research before returning to the original finder’s hands.

However, in the case of damaged artifacts, the original finder was only granted the right of first refusal after restoration.

The right of first refusal, simply put, meant giving back a portion of the restoration cost to society.

During restoration, the company bore all restoration expenses in exchange for exclusive rights to the artifact’s research data.

So, while the original finder had no obligation to pay the restoration cost, they did need to contribute a certain amount to possess it.

This law was created for the public good—to prevent finders of damaged artifacts from privately selecting a company and engaging in backroom deals for not just restoration but also modification, and to stop them from deliberately damaging artifacts and trafficking them as non-artifacts.

In fact, the clause granting the original finder the right of first refusal wasn’t without its aspects that encouraged black market artifact deals.

Because the part about returning a portion of research costs to society could be quite burdensome.

However, if they waived the right of first refusal, the proceeds from the artifact, if auctioned off to another Awakener, would go to the original finder.

Ultimately, the original finder could choose between money and the artifact.

“Do you know how astronomically priced stolen artifacts are traded?

What kind of money does Kang Jung-hoon have to buy something like that and hand it over to Tifone?”

It wasn’t just empty talk; Kang Jung-hoon could never have acquired an artifact on his own.

Not in terms of ability, nor financially.

This was something even non-Awakeners knew, so there was no way Lee Soo-hyuk was unaware.

There were quite a few unregistered Awakeners in the world.

It would be a mistake to think all Espers or Guides registered their status and legitimately bid on dungeons for their activities.

Not only were there all sorts of illegal activities, but power struggles were also frequent.

Since there were even Awakeners who committed contract killings, they would go crazy for unregistered artifacts unknown to the public.

Kang Jung-hoon, outmaneuvering such people, obtaining an unregistered artifact from somewhere and handing it over to Tifone?

That was a story not even a dog would laugh at.

“When acquiring a damaged artifact, the original finder must report it.

But… there are occasional cases where they don’t.

I was one of them.”

It was common.

Even if not for the purpose of selling it as stolen goods, people would sometimes hold onto it and report it only after saving enough money to exercise the right of first refusal.

Of course, that wasn’t Jin-yeop’s reason.

Even now, recalling the moment he acquired that artifact made his throat tighten.

He absolutely did not want to hand that object over to anyone else.

Even if it meant it would return to him after restoration.

Truth be told, he didn’t even want it restored.

Having it in its damaged state was enough.

Looking at the artifact brought waves of endless despair.

It felt like someone was grabbing his feet and dragging him into an abyss, making it hard even to take it out and look at it.

It was in this eleventh life that he discovered the artifact, which he had merely kept stored away, had vanished without a trace.

He learned that the crazy things these bastards had done and the reason for the divorce were all connected to the loss of that artifact.

“But that artifact disappeared without a trace.

I even heard it was restored at Tifone.

I never requested such a thing privately, so why was a restoration completion message sent to Kang Jung-hoon’s phone?”

“…..”

“And it came from you.”

“Look, so…”

“Didn’t you receive that damaged artifact from Kang Jung-hoon and submit it to Tifone?

Falsifying the original finder as Kang Jung-hoon.

And what did you get from Tifone for doing that?”

“…..”

“You wouldn’t have done something so crazy just to get a manager position, would you?”

“I, I believed that Kang Jung-hoon was the one who acquired it…

I’m just a, a store employee, I only connected him with the headquarters staff.”

“And the original finder registration?”

“…..”

“It can be done late too.

With just a small fine.”

Substantiating documents were also needed for original finder registration.

While preparing those documents, Jin-yeop had to fall into despair countless times.

Jin-yeop forced a bright smile.

“I’ve completed the registration for that artifact.

Soon, I’ll have to put out a notice for selecting a restoration company…

What do you think will happen if it’s revealed that Tifone has already completed its restoration?”

“…..”

“And in a stolen state, at that.”

“…..”

“Whether you knew this fact or not, an owner should have been established quickly.

Since it couldn’t even be put up for official auction, Kang Jung-hoon was probably supposed to buy it.

Where would that bastard have the money to buy it?”

Because the value wasn’t simply in the artifact itself, Kang Jung-hoon could probably buy back the restored artifact at a fraction of the official auction price.

Even so, it wasn’t an amount a mere B-class Guide could afford.

So where would that money come from?

Jin-yeop grabbed his forehead and started laughing.

‘Maybe that bastard actually wanted me to kill myself?

Or if not that, maybe he planned to demand money from me when I begged him not to divorce me?’

The truth, unverifiable because he died each time after desperate pleas, shimmered before his eyes like a mirage.

He couldn’t stop laughing.

Seeing Jin-yeop laughing like a madman, everyone froze, forgetting even to breathe.

“Were you planning to use this divorce to squeeze out some alimony and buy that artifact?”

“…..”

“Is that why you cut me off from the entrance, knowing all of this?

Like a thief whose conscience prickles…”

“…..”

“Was funneling all my purchase history to Kang Jung-hoon for the same reason?

You wouldn’t have done something like this without prior agreement.

That bastard knew I had that artifact even before marrying me.”

Noh Young’s face filled with horror.

Soo-hyuk couldn’t raise his head, and So-yeon remained silent.

That artifact he couldn’t bear to open, that whenever he looked at it, it stirred the abyss within him, whispering that he should have died.

Yet he couldn’t throw it away, couldn’t let it go—that artifact had saved him.

In the end, that artifact had killed him and brought him back to life.

What Jin-yeop discovered wasn’t just a simple restoration completion message.

Dozens of messages exchanged between Jung-hoon and Soo-hyuk.

Their contents mocking and ridiculing him.

Jin-yeop hardened his face and spoke.

“Bring me that artifact.”

“…..”

“No, sell it to me.

If you don’t want to die.”

***

Jin-yeop’s face as he entered the underground parking lot looked extremely tired.

With a weary expression, he waited for his car in the valet zone.

To be precise, it wasn’t Jin-yeop’s car, but one Director Im had lent him on his way out of the agency.

“Can you drive like this?

Want me to take you?”

“It’s fine, no need to go that far.”

At Noh Young’s worried voice, Jin-yeop let out a hollow laugh and patted his shoulder.

Just then, Jin-yeop’s car approached, and the staff loaded an enormous amount of shopping bags into the trunk and back seat.

“I’m off, I’ll call you.”

Jin-yeop climbed into the open driver’s seat, and an employee closed the door for him.

At that moment, Noh Young hurried over and tapped on the window.

“Call me if anything happens, anytime.

Okay?”

As soon as the window rolled down, Noh Young shouted.

“Got it.

Thanks for coming today.”

“I’m not joking.

Really call me, okay?”

“I said I got it.”

Only after securing a promise did Noh Young step back, and Jin-yeop, buckling his seatbelt, slowly turned the steering wheel.

[Ah, the artifact is currently in custody at headquarters…

I’ll, I’ll contact you at the earliest possible date.]

Jin-yeop recalled Soo-hyuk’s face trembling as he answered under his threat.

At that memory, Jin-yeop looked up and asked So-yeon, who had been standing quietly, to ring up the third item.

Without a word, she charged the World Tree item to his black card, wrapped it, and handed it over along with the other two watches he’d selected in the store.

After the exorbitant amount was promptly charged, Jin-yeop left the private room without hesitation.

At the store entrance, facing So-yeon, he lowered his voice and spoke.

[Thank you for today, Kim So-yeon-ssi.

As for what just happened…]

[I’ll keep silent.

Don’t worry.]

[No, you can disclose it.]

[Excuse me?]

So-yeon was shocked, wondering if she had misheard, but Jin-yeop just smiled.

He didn’t bother to explain that he had spoken in such detail, as if for all to hear, precisely for that purpose.

[There’s no need for a manager who causes problems with personal sales records to stay in the store, is there?

It would be excellent material to report to upper management…]

[…]

[If possible, I’d like you to convey it in detail.

If you do that, I’ll visit often.

I believe you fully understand what this means.]