REAPER SCANS
Monopolizing Skills to the 666th Floor
[Translator – Darkraider 2.0]
[Proofreader – Nine]
Chapter 45 - Cash Swing
Cash Swing became more powerful the more money you had in your bank account. However, the type of currency didn’t matter.
‘For example, exchanging dollars for won to inflate the zeroes doesn’t actually increase the damage.’
That had been thoroughly tested in my past life by the acolytes of the Merchant of the Century.
‘This is a perfect skill for someone like Oliver, though. As the son of a tycoon, he can literally shit out money.’
One thing of note was that assets like stocks, crypto, or gold didn’t count toward damage. The skill only counted your literal bank balance.
‘A skill that becomes stronger with money. Turning wealth into literal power.’
I had been amassing money with this skill in mind. It was the only skill of its kind, scaling higher the richer you became.
‘I finally have a reason to start earning some serious cash.’
Currently, I had $960,000, or roughly 1.6 billion won. That was a lot of money, but it fell short of demonstrating the true potential of this skill.
‘Cash Swing doesn’t truly start being effective until you have at least 10 billion won ($5.6 million).’
Once I collect my lottery winnings, however, I would have 20 billion won at the very least. Naturally, that would greatly enhance the skill’s damage output.
What would happen if I reached a billion dollars? Well, the damage would become utterly ridiculous.
However, there was no point in amassing anymore money beyond that point. The skill’s damage output was capped at a billion dollars.
‘I can fix that with Skill Upgrade, though.’
If I could raise the limit to ten billion or even a hundred billion dollars, no other skill would be able to match it in terms of single-hit damage.
Of course, I had to acquire that wealth first.
‘There are other cons to this skill as well. As powerful as it is, it’s only a physical attack. And it’s both slow and simple.’
Even though it was relatively easy to evade, there were few skills with as much destructive force as this one. That was why I couldn’t simply pass on it.
After finishing the strawberry sherbet that came out as a dessert, I turned to the Winterstone men.
“How was the meal?” I asked.
“It was excellent.”
“I was utterly captivated by it.”
They weren’t just giving me empty compliments. As proof, they had eaten every last morsel of food on their plates. If the food wasn’t to their liking, they wouldn’t have forced themselves to consume such a large meal.
“Should we head to the next item on our itinerary?”
I took them to Gyeongbok Palace next. After appreciating the elegant, traditional architecture of Korea, I took them to N Seoul Tower. Looking down from the observatory made it possible to take in the economic development of South Korea at a single glance.
“This is incredible. I didn’t know South Korea had advanced so much,” Lawrence commented.
“I’m ashamed of myself for underestimating South Korea because it was a small country,” Oliver said apologetically.
Although they expressed their amazement, today’s tour wasn’t quite over yet.
“I think we should grab some dinner,” I told them, guiding them to a Korean barbecue restaurant.
When we stepped foot into the restaurant, Joshua’s face lit up. “Nice, Tae-seong! I wanted to come back here again! Great choice!”
“Have you been here before?” Lawrence asked, taken aback by his reaction.
“Yes. Tae-seong brought me here during my last visit to Korea. I still daydream about the meat I had here.”
“Is it really that delicious?” Oliver asked.
“This place looks a little dingy for a restaurant,” Lawrence commented.
Although Joshua was brimming with praise, the two British gentlemen seemed skeptical. However, once the meat began to sizzle on the grill, they both began to salivate despite themselves.
“Hmm. It does smell pleasant,” Lawrence admitted.
Oliver couldn’t believe it. “Is this really that delicious?”
“Yes. This is Korean barbecue. Go ahead. Try it—”
I reined Joshua back in. “It’s not fully cooked yet,” I said, chastising him for his impatience.
Once the meat was properly cooked, I handed them each a piece. “There we go. Please try it.”
“Well, let’s see…” Lawrence took a bite. “Hmm?!” He scowled. It looked like he had just taken a bite of something inedible.
“What’s wrong, Father?” Oliver asked. “Does it taste strange?”
“It’s fine… It’s just not to my taste.”
Oliver looked disappointed by his father’s poor reaction. He let go of any expectations he had as he took a bite himself.
However, his eyes widened. “Huh? This is delicious!” He thought the rich meaty taste paired well with the fragrant sesame oil. “This is delectable.”
Oliver couldn’t hold back his praise. He had been tired of having steak day after day. The grilled pork belly had opened his eyes to a world of flavor previously unknown to him.
“I think I could have this everyday,” he said, scarfing down piece after piece.
Joshua gave him an intense glare. “Slow down. I won’t have anything left to eat.”
“Don’t worry, Joshua. We can always order more.”
Dissatisfied by the taste, Lawrence only took small nibbles. Meanwhile, Oliver threw away any pretense of class and demolished plate after plate.
“Pork belly is really delicious when you have it as a ‘ssam,’ or a ‘wrap’ as it could be called in English,” I explained.
“Ssam?” Oliver echoed.
“Yes. You wrap it with lettuce or perilla leaves like this.”
Once I taught him how to have it as a ssam, Oliver seemed delighted. He started wrapping every piece.
The meal went on.
Suddenly, Joshua’s face grew dark. “Um… Excuse me for a moment,” he said before heading to the bathroom.
As soon as Joshua left, Lawrence and Oliver’s eyes lit up. They were like beasts that had finally found the chance to pounce.
“Tae-seong, I have something I must quickly discuss with you.”
“What is it, Oliver?”
“Please sign an exclusive contract with us.”
I wasn’t surprised. I had expected them to make this offer.
“I already signed a contract with KozTech,” I said.
“Contracts can always be broken. Isn’t it only natural to pivot when a better deal is on the table?”
With how direct they were being, they must have felt rushed
“An exclusive contract you say… Hmm…” I expressed my hesitance.
Lawrence decided to step in. “If you give us exclusivity on higher-rank magic crystals, we will pay you double whatever KozTech has offered you. And if there’s a fine for breaking your current contract, we will gladly pay that as well.”
“Double you say…” I purposely delayed giving an answer. “Hmm…”
I pretended to think about it, dragging things out. Oliver and Lawrence both smiled awkwardly, sweating bullets.
‘I bet they’re wondering why I’m hesitating.’
However, that was only natural. Despite agreeing to this meeting, I was hesitating at a crucial moment.
“I’ll think about it,” I said eventually. “I’ll put a pin on it for now since Joshua is coming back.”
Lawrence cleared his throat. “I understand. Please contact us here once you’ve made your decision.” He handed me his business card.
When Joshua came back to the table, he frowned, sensing that the mood of the table had shifted. “What did you discuss while I was absent?”
“We didn’t discuss anything,” Lawrence lied.
“I was focused on eating,” Oliver said, pretending to busy himself with the food.
Contrary to their claims, it was obvious that things had become awkward. Nevertheless, Joshua decided against pressing further, continuing on with the meal.
* * *
Reaper Scans
Translator - Darkraider 2.0
Proofreader - Nine
Join our discord for updates on releases!!
https://discord.gg/reaperscans
* * *
Once everyone had their fill, all of us left the restaurant.
“Thank you for the meal,” Lawrence said.
“I don’t think I’ve ever been so immersed while eating,” Oliver praised, expressing his highest regards.
Joshua patted his full belly. “What did I say? I told you that Korean barbecue is the best.”
Even I couldn’t hold back my laughter after seeing his comedic expression.
Now that it was getting late, it was time to part ways.
“Thank you for guiding us around today,” Lawrence said. “I didn’t know that there were so many excellent dishes in Korea.”
“I ate well, Tae-seong,” Oliver chimed in. “Now that we know that the supplier is a reliable man, we can rest easy about any future magic crystal purchases.”
The father-son duo had a satisfied look on their faces. However, before leaving, Oliver sneakily gestured to me with a phone in his hand.
‘He wants me to contact him later, I see.’
Once the Winterstones had left, Joshua had a different look in his eyes.
“You guys really didn’t discuss anything while I was gone?” he asked me. “This doesn’t feel quite right…”
I decided to be upfront with him. “We had a little chat. They offered to pay double for the exclusive right to purchase higher-ranking magic crystals.”
“Wait, really?”
I nodded.
Joshua raged. “Argh! I knew they’d try something like this! That’s why I tagged along, and yet…!”
Suddenly, he stopped ranting and turned to face me. He must have realized that the most important thing of all was my decision.
“So… What are you thinking, Tae-seong?” He asked carefully, worried that I might partner with a different company.
However, I had no intention to do so.
“Don’t worry. I’m not going to change my mind now,” I said. “We already signed a contract. It’s too late for me to sign with someone else.”
“W-well, you could always just pay the fine and—”
“The fine isn’t the issue. What matters is trust. I will only work with KozTech.”
Joshua’s face lit up. “That’s such a relief to hear. I’ll be able to sleep peacefully tonight, haha!”
“I wonder if you’ll be able to say that after losing against me.”
He paused. “Wait. Are you going to spar with me again?”
"Why? You don’t want to?”
“No! Of course I do! I’ll gladly spar with you at anytime!”
“Let’s get going, then.”
We headed to the same schoolyard as before. I don’t know if it was just my imagination, but Joshua looked even happier than he had a moment ago.
“Same rules as before?” he asked.
“Yes. Feel free to use all of your skills. You can even use weapons.”
While I permitted him the usage of both weapons and skills, I barred myself from the same. Although I couldn’t disable my achievements, I gave him every handicap I could.
“Let’s see how strong you got,” I taunted him, signaling the start of the fight.
Joshua charged in, fiercely swinging a hobgoblin’s machete.
Fwish! Fwish!
The machete missed me by less than an inch, slicing through the air with a sharp sound. It might have looked like I was just barely dodging, but it was all an act.
‘I need to stay just barely out of reach or else he’ll lose motivation.’
Some might say that I was toying with him, but this match was meant to be instructional. Also, it wouldn’t be any fun if it ended too quickly.
While I was dragging things out by dodging, I noticed something interesting. Joshua's movements looked like he was trying to bait me into taking a specific action.
‘Aha. This must be the buildup for Time Reversal.’
I chuckled at the sight of him trying to force an opening out of me.
“What’s so funny?” he asked.
“I can read your intentions completely.”
He didn’t expect to be read like that, so Joshua likely triggered Time Reversal out of panic, but…
Thwack!
“Ugh!”
I didn’t miss the barely perceptible jolt that indicated that Joshua had reversed time, going in for a counter punch.
“That was a good fight,” I said.
“Ugh… You too,” Joshua said, laying on the ground and rubbing his nose. “Ow… I think you might have broken my nose.”
“Here. Let me take a look.”
I drew closer to Joshua and lifted a hand to his face.
‘Breath of Regression.’
With a flash of bright light, his dislocated nose went back into its proper position. With the pain gone, Joshua stopped groaning. Instead, his eyes grew wide.
“H-how did you do that?” he asked.
“Do what?”
“The pain went away!”
“And your nose is back to normal.”
Joshua fidgeted with his nose, gaping at me in astonishment. “You’re right!” he gasped. “What did you do? Was it a skill?”
“Yes. As you can see, it’s a healing skill.”
“A healing skill…? I didn’t know that the God of Time had a skill like that.”
Though it was Kairos’s skill, I decided to clear up this new misunderstanding. “The God of Time isn’t my only patron spirit,” I said.
“What? Then…?”
“Yes. Like you, I’m also an acolyte of the Triad.”
“Whaaat?!” After that exclamation, Joshua became too stunned to speak.
“I was already an acolyte of the Triad when we met. The Triad had been the ones to tell me that you’ve been promoted as their acolyte.”
“Ah…” Joshua then let out an embarrassed chuckle. “I’m an idiot. I don’t know why I assumed you wouldn’t be one as well when even a guy like me had managed it.”
“Don’t sell yourself short. I do have a question, though. Why aren’t you using the spear I gave you?”
“Oh. The spear…?” After hesitating for a moment, Joshua fessed up. “To tell you the truth… I gave it to a friend.”
“A friend?”
“Yes. He’s an acolyte of the Spear Master, and he desperately needed a spear. I thought it would fit him more, so I gave it to him. I’m sorry for giving it away without asking for your permission first.”
“It’s okay.”
“He’s one of my closest friends. We served in the same unit. Right! I forgot to mention, but I used to be in the special forces.”
“I see.”
I already knew about his background and his friend, but I feigned ignorance.
‘An acolyte of the Spear Master. He must be talking about Jason.’
I was very familiar with Jason. He was famous before I regressed, but not in a good way.
____
Join our discord for updates on releases!!
