Chapter 56

Chapter 56: Rise in War Capabilities (3)

This was an unexpected situation. 

Yoo Seung-hwan had suddenly appeared. 

He couldn’t be sure yet, but Kang-jun suspected that Yoo Seung-hwan was Hardis who attacked his base a while ago. 

Yoo Seung-hwan had 100 billion in stocks so it wasn’t difficult for him to mobilize such an army in Hwanmong. Yoo Seung-hwan must have grasped Kang-jun’s identity. 

Of course, that didn’t mean that Kang-jun would tolerate it. 

He was the one who attacked first! 

If the red moon hadn’t risen then either Kang-jun or Hardis would have died. 

Therefore, if Yoo Seung-hwan was really Hardis then he would be Kang-jun’s first target. Once the red moon disappeared, he had to take care of Yoo Seung-hwan first. 

Yoo Seung-hwan also knew this fact. Why did he come so suddenly? 

He had showed up at the market. 

“What is your purpose?” 

Yoo Seung-hwan smiled awkwardly when Kang-jun stared at him coldly. 

“Ah, it seems like I haven’t introduced myself. I am called Yoo Seung-hwan.” 

"I am Lee Kang-jun. Rather, why are you here?” 

"This isn’t the place to talk about it. It seems like you’ve already guessed the reason why I am visiting. Don’t you want to know what I have to say?” 

Kang-jun laughed. 

"As you can see, I am doing business right now.” 

"So how about seven o’clock tonight? I would like to have a talk with you in the evening.” 

“Okay. Then the place?” 

"There is a quiet and tasty place in Cheondam-dong. 

“Then we will meet there.” 

Kang-jun nodded. Originally he would have been very anxious. 

He didn’t know Yoo Seung-hwan’s ulterior motives. 

But now it was the red moon period. 

Disputes between sovereigns were forbidden so he couldn’t do anything at the moment. 

As  Lawyer Han Yeon-soo said, this was a period where trading was available. 

‘Does he mean to negotiate with me?’ 

Anyway, he would think about it when they met. 

Now it was time for reading. Kang-jun turned his attention back to the book. 

It contained information about marketing. 

It was about the 4P and 7P. 

In the end, it was essential to think of a plan to satisfy the consumers, not sellers. 

If things didn’t sell well then think of new features or low prices. It should be packaged as beautifully as possible. 

It should be something that the consumers wanted. 

In some ways, a lot of the practices were common sense but many companies became bankrupt. There were many related cases. 

‘Um. I see. Think about what the consumers want.’ 

It was enlightening for Kang-jun who had the Draw In Customers skill. 

At that moment, a message appeared. 

[You have gained enlightenment while reading about marketing.] 

[You have got the management skill Eyes of Preference (Inferior).] 

[Eyes of Preference (Inferior)] 

-Can check the preferences for that product. 

-One black magic energy will be consumed. 

‘Oh! This is?’ 

Kang-jun was pleasantly surprised. He had received a skill in reality, not Hwanmong. 

It was just by reading. 

Keirun had said it but it was amazing. Rather than fighting monsters and risking death, he could easily get a skill through reading. 

‘Eyes of Preference. Shall I use it once?’ 

It cost one black magic energy to cast but that wasn’t a huge burden. It was easy to fill up black magic energy in reality. 

‘That one will be good.’ 

Kang-jun looked at one of the women’s underwear on the side. It was one of the most popular underwear here. 

‘Eyes of Preference!’ 

Then the information about the underwear appeared. 

[Mulberry Beige Bra] 

-Rating: A 

-There is a 20% increase in purchases when Draw In Customers (Inferior) is used. 

[This is the current preference information. It might vary depending on the time.] 

[As the skill rating increases, you can see more detailed information including gender, age and price preferences.] 

‘Oh! Amazing!’ 

The rating was low so only brief information was available. However, if he sold products with an ‘A rank preference’ then the sales volume would be much higher. 

Kang-jun continuously looked at the other underwear. 

Draw In Customers wouldn’t have an effect on items with a C rank preference or lower. 

He also took a walk and looked at the other stores in the market. 

It was the same. 

Most of the items sold were A rank and there weren’t many that were lower than C rank. 

Even though some items had E or F rank preferences, the dust that accumulated showed they had been there for a while without being sold. 

‘Too good. It would have been nice if I had received this skill sooner.’ 

But he had obtained it now. 

It would be quite useful when doing business in the future. 

‘It has worked out well. I need to order the underwear for tomorrow.’ 

Kang-jun excluded anything with a B rank preference or less, and only ordered A rank underwear. 

If the ratings information was true then tomorrow’s sales would be much better than today’s.

‘Huhu, this is what I’ve obtained from reading.’ 

Of course, it was impossible for ordinary people to acquire the skill no matter how much they read. This was only possible due to the power of Hwanmong. 

Kang-jun became more interested in reading and immersed himself in the book again. 

At six in the evening. 

After finishing the job at the market, he returned home for a shower before changing into a neat suit. 

Yoo Seung-hwan. 

He would die if Kang-jun killed him in Hwanmong, but this was reality. He could at least give him the basic courtesy of a face-to-face meeting. 

He drove to the promised meeting place. 

Yoo Seung-hwan had sent the address to his smartphone so Kang-jun was easily able to reach it with the navigation system. 

The restaurant had a spacious parking area and the building was gorgeous. The parking lot was filled with luxury cars so the Venta S class Kang-jun was driving looked ordinary. 

It was clearly an expensive restaurant for rich people. 

“Welcome. Do you have a reservation?” 

An employee greeted him with a bright smile and a bow. 

"Yes, in the name of Yoo Seung-hwan.” 

“Ah! Then please come this way.” 

The employee became even more polite after hearing Yoo Seung-hwan’s name. It seemed like he was a regular here. 

"This room please." 

The employee guided him to a room where Yoo Seung-hwan was waiting. 

“Haha. Welcome, Chief. Sit over here.” 

There was no title but Kang-jun was referred to as Chief. Kang-jun was already accustomed to names like this. Kang-jun sat down and said. 

"It seems like you come here quite often, Chief Yoo-nim.” 

Yoo Seung-hwan smiled. 

"It is quiet and has delicious food, so I usually use it for important meetings.” 

Colourful dishes including sashimi were set on the table. 

A banquet! 

His mouth watered at the sight. 

He often saw tycoons and high ranking officials meeting like this in movies and dramas. 

It was kind of funny sitting in a place like this. Until recently, he had been living in a 250,000 goshiwon room and eating ramyun. 

He wouldn’t have even dared come to a place like this if it wasn’t for the power of Hwanmong. 

At that time, Yoo Seung-hwan poured a drink for Kang-jun and said. 

"Drink this.” 

Kang-jun received the glass of wine from Yoo Seung-hwan. 

However, he didn’t drink from it. He wasn’t comfortable enough to drink with Yoo Seung-hwan. 

Yoo Seung-hwan was like a sly snake. 

It wasn’t good to show any gaps in front of such a person. 

"Are you ready to speak now?” 

Yoo Seung-hwan nodded and said. 

"I want you to feel comfortable.” 

Unlike Kang-jun, he easily spoke while drinking alcohol. 

"I will get straight to the point. No, let me apologize first.” 

“Apologize?” 

“Hardis. That is my sovereign name. Your name is Sovereign Lucan.” 

Kang-jun frowned. 

It was as expected. 

In the meantime, it had only been speculation. But after hearing the name ‘Hardis’ come out from his mouth, Kang-jun couldn’t help feeling angry. Kang-jun sneered. 

"Do you have a reason to apologize? Once the red moon is over, we will have to fight again.” 

Yoo Seung-hwan laughed. 

"That isn’t why I am apologizing. To be honest, you received no damage. Only two of my men died.” 

His words weren’t wrong. At that time, the only victims were Yoo Seung-hwan’s two berserk minotaurs. 

Yoo Seung-hwan continued. 

"Of course, I know that isn’t an excuse. You didn’t have any losses on your side so I want you to accept my apology.” 

Kang-jun laughed coldly. 

"It is meaningless. I will strike as soon as the red moon is over.” 

Yoo Seung-hwan was shocked. He recalled the scene of Kang-jun fighting the tentacle monsters in last night’s battlefield.

The other armies were unknown, but in the 439th army, Kang-jun’s strength was absolutely the best. He was an existence that the other sovereigns couldn’t overcome. 

Zenith and Avia didn’t want to admit it, but Hardis or Yoo Seung-hwan was different. 

He had started from the ground up in the stock market until he became rich. He was someone who recognized his limits. 

His limitations. 

No matter how much effort he put in, he wouldn’t be able to beat Kang-jun. 

He wasn’t a genius. 

Of course, if he worked hard then he might be able to catch up with a genius. 

To Yoo Seung-hwan, Kang-jun belonged in that category. 

A genius at killing! 

His foundation in reality might be scarce, but his ability to fight and gain strength from monsters in Hwanmong was unrivaled. 

Of course, powerful subordinates along with the sovereign were required to win the war. 

Yoo Seung-hwan should have taken care of him before the red moon rose. 

Now the red moon was shining. 

Kang-jun was like a fish that met water, and would continue to grow. 

Yoo Seung-hwan realized that he couldn’t beat Kang-jun. 

The gap between them would keep increasing. 

In front of an overwhelming force, having large numbers might not be enough. 

Therefore, Yoo Seung-hwan decided to use considerable effort to improve his relationship with Kang-jun. 

He put the cup down and smiled at Kang-jun. 

"Perhaps you might be able to win if you attack me. However, I won’t just obediently allow it. I am different from Jung Kwang-hyeon.” 

“I recognize that.” 

Kang-jun nodded as Yoo Seung-hwan kept drinking. 

“So I’m saying. Do we need to fight? Even if someone wins, their losses would do more harm than good. The winner will take all of the loser’s belongings, but they might be eaten by other sovereigns in the meantime.” 

"So are you proposing an alliance?” 

Yoo Seung-hwan had an smarmy smile on his face at Kang-jun’s question. 

“An alliance is burdensome. Let’s just agree not to catch each other’s ankles.”