Published at 5th of March 2023 8:45 am

Chapter 206 D&L Bio

This chapter is updated by NovelFree.ml

Translated by: Ddomigan

“This is a sample.”

Said Kim Hayeon, the head of the legal team. The object placed on the table was none other than a doll of Peace. Although it hasn’t been that long since the design came out, samples of it were already made. The first ever release of the doll will be at the size Peace was in after Fluidization which is also just right for holding in one’s arms.

“It’s cute.”

“It would be better to shorten the space between the eyes a little and make the ears bigger. How about reducing the size of the horns and making the tail fuller?”

Kim Hayeon spoke seriously, and Yoojin nodded calmly. But, he did think the doll is cute just the way it is. Seated apart from Kim Hayeon was Suk Simyeong who also had an expression that conveyed, ‘Just do as you wish.’

“Also, Director Han, I recommend that you change the terms and conditions for taking on rearing request.”

“Terms and conditions?”

"Yes. As far as I know, the exact price for the rearing requests has not yet been determined. Can Director Han suggest a price that’s on your mind?”

“There are too many types of monsters to quantify the exact price, so I would like it to be different each time.”

Actually, money wasn't that important. It's not like Yoojin had a huge greed either. He thinks different terms and conditions should be specified depending on the situation. Most of the clients requesting high-rank mounts are from large guilds, so rather than a lump sum payment, it would be better to receive a contract that can be used in the future.

As Yoojin briefly explained his opinion, Kim Hayeon nodded solemnly.

“I think rearing is a good way to make connections with the large guilds around the world. But how about setting basic terms that are more systematic? Let’s put aside the price, and focus on the essential requirements that are just as is.”

Kim Hayeon calmly explained.

“I recommend that you take 1% of profits from dungeon raids that utilized mounts and also the character copyright of the mounts as the basic terms.”

The latter condition felt like it had been mixed in with some self-interest.

“A high-rank mount is equivalent to an S or A-class hunter, and currently only Director Han can raise them. Nevertheless, having the rearing price being a simple lump sum payment would be undervaluing the mount’s worth. 1% is easily acceptable when we consider the share ratio which high-rank hunters would have gotten on dungeon raids. Of course, this will only apply to A-class mounts, for S-class mounts, I think setting the terms at 3% to 5% should be sufficient.”

She's not wrong, but 3% is a big deal. S-class mounts would mostly be used for S-class dungeons, and if the item drops were good, one run could easily rake in tens of billions of won. 3% of 10 billion won will still be 300 million won.

The mounts will raid once a month, and if there were 10 of them, that would be 3 billion won per month. And that’s just the minimum, so in actuality, the monthly income would be more than 10 billion won. Comet and the unicorns will stop growing soon, and if obtaining stamina potions is regularly commissioned, then two or three of them could be raised every month... Yoojin wondered if that meant his monthly income would constantly be at ten billion won even if he were to do nothing for a year.

Wow, that was hard to believe. Yoojin felt embarrassed, it seemed as if he was making money just by pampering his kids. Surely, there wouldn’t be guilds that treat precious high-class mounts poorly, right? Yoojin couldn’t be certain about it.

“Can the conduct towards mounts be included in the basic terms and conditions? Like something akin to animal protection or animal welfare.”

“Of course it can be done. Since this is an absolute monopoly, Director Han, you can fix the terms and conditions however you please, as long as they are not unreasonable.”

After discussing the terms of the rearing contract for a little while longer, Kim Hayeon said that she will arrange for the draft of the contract to be sent to Yoojin, and then left.

According to her, character copyrights can be a much bigger gold mine. Since the mounts are animal characters that can be present all over the world without having to create a story for them, various profits can be easily generated.

While Yoojin’s mind was being occupied by the various contract terms, hunter-related laws, foreign hunter customs and other cases, Suk Simyeong took out a thick wad of paper. It made Yoojin want to escape.

“This is the current financial statements of Director Han Yoojin.”

“It seems you aren't very interested”, Suk Simyeong laughed. There probably wasn't much to see on the report. Since Yoojin didn’t have a lot he needed to buy with his money. Then, one thing led to another and payments thus far have been made with either Sung Hyungjae’s or Yoohyun’s card, and recently, Yerim had also paid off all her debts, so Yoojin couldn't see himself spending any money.

Moon Hyuna also said ‘Because I’ll be indebted to you, so I am indebted to you’ and didn’t let Yoojin take his wallet out. Kang Soyoung was also like ‘But, you’re taking care of Comet!’ and then asked to be called up if there was anything Yoojin needed. Myeongwoo has been like ‘I owed a lot to you’ and was constantly bothered by it, and even Noah would be like ‘Would it be alright if I paid?’ while staring blankly, and Yoojin could not resist him.

'At least I got to spend my money on Do Hamin and Kim Minyui.'

But of course, most of the money still went into Suk Hayan’s team. Lately, magic stones worth millions of won were spent to extract field test records every day. But this was already on the inexpensive side, the tests used to eat up a lot more money before.

…Hmm, could it be that there is a deficit in his bank account? When Haeyeon said that they’ll take care of the tax management, Yoojin had simply left it in their hands. Though if there was a shortfall, they would have let him know.

“Omitting the lower digits, Director Han currently has 133.3 billion won in possession.”

Wow, that’s a lot. It almost didn’t feel real. When Yoojin asked why was there so much, they said that it was the funds that Haeyeon, Seseong, and Breaker had provided for entrusting the mounts to him. Yoojin had heard they’d make a monetary contribution, but he thought it would only be about 10 billion won since he did also receive a building. They sure are generous.

While Suk Hayan’s team had spent a lot, Yoojin was told that the expenditure was almost nothing compared to the cash they had.

“Also, there was an investment in the stocks of a company. The company isn't that big, but it's already on the verge of closing due to various problems.”

“...What?"

Stocks…? Ah, right, that hair loss treatment company! Come to think of it, it’s been three months since, but there's still no news of them. There should have been a commotion about the company a month ago. But instead, the company is on the verge of closing rather than having hit the jackpot.

“…The company did say that the development of new products couldn’t be proceeded, right?”

“It’s said that their drugs were developed from the by-products of dungeons, but their supplier for those by-products was MKC. With MKC keeping a low profile, and then collapsing altogether after the kidnapping of Director Han, development seemed to have stopped.”

“Ah... I see.”

Ah... That, umm, hmm... Yoojin had nothing to say. So, that was what happened. Their supplier just had to be MKC of all things... Come to think of it, there’s a possibility that all the other jackpot stocks Yoojin remembered would fail too. Since the establishment of the Awakening Center has been delayed, the S-class hunter-related domestic and foreign stocks that would have appeared later have also become obscured. It’s still some time before that, but still.

It is unknown how the other stocks related to dungeons and guilds would change in the future, but Yoojin didn't really need to make money with stocks anymore.

“It may be a small amount, but I would recommend to not be concerned with stocks if possible.”

“...Right, I won't.”

Yoojin nodded, but those stocks he was guilt-ridden of did not leave his mind. It didn’t really matter how the other things ended up, that is, except for the cure for hair loss... It wasn’t Yoojin’s fault that MKC collapsed, but he couldn’t deny he played a part in it. However, if development was suspended only because the company couldn’t receive supplies of dungeon by-products, then...

‘...Couldn’t I just be the supplier?’

Since Yoojin has plenty of money, it won't be difficult to obtain dungeon rights even if he didn't know what they were. That’s right, he couldn't leave things as it is.

“Would you like to come along on a short trip with me?”

It's embarrassing to say this right after hearing the news of a stock crash, but there are good investment products out there.

D&L Bio. Its company building located in Gyeonggi-do, outside of Seoul, was unexpectedly large. In order to carry out experiments related to dungeon by-products, no residential houses could be in the vicinity and safety facilities had to be set up, which meant hunters had to be hired. In other words, it costs a lot of money.

“They may be hired hunters, but they are D-class or lower.”

Suk Simyeong said. He is a B-class hunter who seemingly has an A-class hunter for a bodyguard. But in actuality, Noah was following Yoojin.

The president of D&L Bio was quite young. And the staffs that came in were also young people.

As they sat across the president Cho Sungsoo, they were asked why they came.

“I came here because I wanted to know more about the product you are developing. From what I've heard, you've been working with the MKC Guild.”

“Ah, yes.”

Cho Sungsoo nodded with a dark expression. The matter of MKC going into a state of desolation after the guild’s collapse have been similarly explained to Yoojin by Suk Simyeong. As such, there was no need to talk at length. So, Yoojin just kept it simple.

“We will support you on behalf of MKC. We will provide the dungeon by-products necessary for development and also invest in the development funds.”

They were a company that’s within the reaches of success as long as they had access to materials and development funds. Since there was no reason for Cho Sungsoo to hesitate, his face immediately brightened up at Yoojin’s offer.

“Thank you! You won't regret it! Everything is already in the state of being made.”

Yoojin promptly signed a contract with Cho Sungsoo, who had appealed for their trust. The B-rank dungeon where the necessary by-products came from was under MKC’s management, so currently, it’s temporarily assigned to the Hunter Association. Since it’s still an ordinary dungeon, buying it shouldn't be difficult.

Cho Sungsoo later showed them around the laboratory. The director of the well-equipped laboratory was none other than Cho Sungsoo's wife.

“To be precise, it is a plant that mimics the hair of living things.”

Song Eunjin explained.

“It can be adjusted to take on a variety of colors, and transplanting it is also very simple. Through a simple adsorption growth on the skin, the human body won’t be harmed. The natural richness of the hair can also be maintained by lightly washing once every two days and allowing it to carry out a certain rate of photosynthesis. However, there is a limit to the length, so it’s impossible to cut it short more than once.”

...They called it a cure, but was it a plant transplant all along? According to Song Eunjin, no healing skills could bring back lost hair. But by receiving the transplant, the original appearance and function of the hair can be perfectly imitated, she further explained.

“Given enough investments, a variety of outcomes can be produced even in the near future. The possibilities of by-products and items from dungeons are endless.”

At the words of the twinkly-eyed Song Eunjin, a thought popped up in Yoojin’s mind.

“Then, how about something like this? An item that can film the insides of a dungeon.”

“A filming inside of a dungeon? But we're in the bio field...”

“It utilizes a kind of plant that’s part of a common species.”

Electrical signals of the surrounding sights and sounds? Electrical wave? It’s said that those data can be stored within the plant. If the plant with data stored in it were to be taken outside and safely transferred to a machine, a footage of the insides of the dungeon can be obtained.

This method was originally developed overseas. So, Yoojin wasn’t familiar with the finer details of the technology, but he did get to learn about its general idea on TV. Song Eunjin smiled broadly at his explanation.

“It sure is a strange plant. However, it seems that our laboratory alone is not adequate enough to conduct the research. We don’t know much about video machines, after all.”

“Shouldn’t it be done if people can be saved by this? We will provide the support in whatever way you see fit.”

As filming inside of dungeons became possible, a variety of shows related to them popped up and a lot of things changed. Favorable attention given to hunters had also increased significantly. It also aids in crime prevention, since evidence of the crimes committed in the dungeon can be recorded.

…Of course, the fact that low-ranking hunters are the ones burdened with the cost of the filming items would become nobody's concern. But if the filming item were to be developed in Korea, it should be possible for a low-end, but inexpensive version of the item to be sold. This way, Yoojin could provide some aid to the low-ranking hunters.

“Maybe someday, I will have a chance to find out more about Han Yujin-ssi.”

Suk Simyeong said as he left D&L Bio.

“As will the guild leader and some others too.” Yoojin remarked.

To Yoojin, it seemed as though Yoohyun and the people around him have become suspicious of his methods to find out about strange information. Yoojin has only ever spoken to Sung Hyunjae about the regression, while Sung Hyungjae still doesn’t remember the conversation, he was able to properly pinpoint things when it came to the Immoral.

“...Maybe someday that could happen.” Yoojin added.

Yoojin thinks he gets along pretty well with Suk Simyeong, but Yoojin was a human being too, so he did have considerable hesitation when interacting with him. But since the current Suk Simyeong did nothing to him, Yoojin ignored those thoughts. Even so, it was a little difficult to treat Suk Simyeong with a pure mind like as though nothing had really happened. And, to be completely open about it was still hard for Yoojin.

With a little more time, Yoojin might be able to loosen up more than he can now.

“Team Leader Suk, I do believe in you, but I just think it's too early.”

“Well, thank you for at least thinking so.”

Suk Simyeong’s smiling face was soft, Yoojin felt a little sorry, but bore it.

***

Fruits harvested from a dungeon were lined up on the large windows on the first floor of Myeongwoo's smithy. Yoojin would rather do this in someone else's workshop, but he couldn't help it since Sorok favored the dried fruits here.

“I’m ashamed to face Ismoire, really.”

At an appropriate distance away from the kiln where Ismoire dwells, a window was right there. And in that space was where the heat of the fire elemental would gently graze, through which the dried fruits there boasted a taste perfect enough to make a lazy fawn move.

"Don't worry about it. It's not like I’m drying anything else. "

Myung-woo said while handing over a basket of well-baked dried fruits. But, what’s even worse...

“Shall we dry monster meats in here too? The other beast cubs might like it better like that.”

“Fruits aside, I think it would look and smell bad if raw meat was hanging around.”

"If it's just the smell, then Ismoire could swallow it up."

…The flames in the kiln seemed to have thrashed a little just now. Was it really okay?

“Be nice to Ismoire.”

“I am nice to him. He likes it the most when I’m forging items.”

So that’s why Myeongwoo said he’d come to the smithy almost every day even for just simple work.

Yoojin left the smithy with a basket of dried fruit and headed for the rearing center. He made use of the fruit’s effect, and succeeded in applying the keyword on Sorok. It would be nice if Sorok could do well in the training, but was it going to be exhausted again now that its full. Was it impossible to raise Sorok as quickly as he did with the other kids, Yoojin wondered.

As Yoojin entered the building of the rearing center, his phone rang. It was a call from Suk Simyeong.

"What? Already?”

It was regarding the news that Yoohyun and Peace had finished the dungeon raid. Has it only been four days?

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