Dungeon Predator (WN)

As soon as he hung up on Jin Cheol, his phone rang again.

Dream Girl!

His ringtone was Soo Ah's recent drama OST! 'Hye Rim PD' was clearly written on the screen.

"Hello?"

"Mr. Jae Woo! Sell it to us! No, sign a contract with us! Yes!? Yes!? Why aren't you answering me? You haven't sold it to someone else already, have you? You didn't even let me know!" Hye Rim asked question after question.

"Please calm down. I haven't sold the footage to anyone yet. I've already decided to meet with GBS Producer, Park Jin Cheol."

"Meet with me too!"

"I'll see you in the afternoon."

"Understood. Let's meet at the cafe at six P.M. Is that alright with you?"

"Yes."

When he hung up on her, he got another call. It wasn't a number he was familiar with, but he assumed it was another gaming network.

"Hello?'

"Hello, this is VG Producer, Kim Hyun Seok. Are you Mr. Kang Oh?"

"Ah, yes."

"I'm calling with regards to your Despia footage. Have you signed a contract with anyone yet?"

"Not yet."

"Then I'd like to talk to you in person. Is that alright with you?" Hyun Seok asked.

"That's fine with me."

"Tell me when you're free, and where you'd like to meet. I'll be there."

"I'll text you the time and place."

"Ok, thank you."

Jae Woo hung up.

TGN, VG, and GBS.

Jae Woo had been contacted by the top 3 gaming networks. He would hear them out first. If he wasn't satisfied with any of their offers, then he'd offer his footage to the minor networks.

"Hoo. Man, I wanted to monopolize Despia some more."

He welcomed all the interest from the gaming networks, as they'd pay him a fortune for the footage. However, he didn't like the situation that led to this. A powerful competitor, the Storm Guild, had arrived.

* * *

Since he didn't leave behind any children, Geskal's mansion was completely empty following his death. The Storm Guild had bought his mansion to use as a home base.

"Tch, tch." Hernandez sat at the end of the long table, or the seat of honor, and clicked his tongue.

The Storm Guild had gathered around the table.

"The broadcast networks, who were ready to offer us the world, are starting to pull back one by one. They must've found an alternative." Hernandez looked around.

"I told you. That someone had to have been here before us," Han Seol said. She was sitting in the chair closest to him.

"I still thought we'd be first. How many people are skilled enough to find this place? You'd have to be part of the 5 great guilds or the Sword Mercenaries. However, it doesn't look like any of them have come here."

The guild members quietly listened to Hernandez's rant.

"I didn't think a player would be able to get here by themself and explore the area."

"He's not just any player. Kang Oh is a top player," Han Seol said.

"I know! I'd completely forgotten about the top solo players like Bart, Helena, and Kang Oh."

"Us coming here is a good thing. Even if someone's come here before us."

"You're right." Hernandez nodded his head.

"But it'll be an issue if Kang Oh tries to bring other players/guilds over here. No, what if Kang Oh gets scouted by one of the 5 great guilds?"

"Why don't you just go straight to the point? You want to scout Kang Oh first," Han Seol said, as if scolding him.

"As expected of my vice-captain. You know me too well." Hernandez grinned.

"It won't be easy. The other 5 great guilds have tried recruiting him already, but they all failed," a man sitting in the middle said.

People were unsure whether or not Helena, Bart, and Kang Oh were in a guild. Obviously, they were all players that you'd love to recruit.

"But we have to try. If things go well, then we'll get one of the Numbers on our side, and we'll lose a competitor too," Hernandez said.

"Indeed." Everyone around chimed in.

"If you find Kang Oh, then you have to bring him here no matter what."

"You can't just 'bring him here'. Respectfully ask him to come with you. You can't force him to come." Han Seol quickly clarified.

"Is that understood?" Hernandez looked at his guild members. They all nodded their heads and said 'yes'.

"Then that's how we'll deal with Kang Oh. Now, let's go over what we've learned. Let's start with Mr. Soonk."

Soonk stood up. "This area's official name is the Goddess's Land. The Great Temple of Death lies on top of the mountain and..."

The Storm Guild's meeting continued.

* * *

Jae Woo opened the door to his neighborhood cafe and went inside.

"Over here." Jin Cheol, who'd come early, enthusiastically waved his hand. "What would you like?"

Jae Woo had something he wanted, so Jin Cheol was even friendlier than usual.

"I want a sweet shake."

"Alright!"

Once they had their drinks, the two sat down. Jin Cheol stared at him with a smile. 'Don't you have something for me?'

"Did you bring a tablet?"

"Of course." Jin Cheol pulled out a tablet from his briefcase.

Jae Woo inserted the data chip into the tablet and set it up so that it'd be easy to see. Footage that he'd never shown before was beginning to make its way on the screen.

"Ooh."

It seemed like Jin Cheol really liked the footage. The dungeons and monsters being shown were clearly high level.

'Plus, if you factor in how popular Despia is nowadays...'

Despia had become well-known via Peking University Professor, Song Lee Shen's Arth is Bigger than China. The book described the most dangerous locations in Arth, and one of them was the Land that Borders Hell, Despia.

In other words, Despia was the most dangerous area in all of Arth! It would obviously be a hot topic amongst Arth's player base.

"This guy's called Diabol," Jae Woo said.

The final clip showed Mayane Diabol's imposing figure.

"Mm, he looks strong."

"He's not just 'strong'. He has quite the interesting story."

"What kind of story?"

"So..." Jae Woo briefly explained the goddess's quest, as well as the conflict between the Primordial Gods and the Mayanes!

"Mm! A story about gods that have never been heard of before, and an ancient race that was completely erased from history, despite possessing the God of Creation's power... This is quite interesting."

"Isn't it? Despia is already Arth's hardest zone. But if they hear about this, then people will become even more interested." Jae Woo grinned.

"May we include the story with the footage?" Jin Cheol asked.

"Of course you can. In exchange..."

"We have to pay you handsomely."

Obviously. Jin Cheol and Jae Woo stared at each other, both smiling similarly.

"How many clips do you have?" Jin Cheol asked.

"I have dozens of clips clearing dungeons, three killing raid bosses, and one destroying an evil organization in Despia."

The raid bosses he'd killed included Mayanes Diabol, the Great Lava Spirit, Magnium, and the Ruler of the Snowy Fields, Travium. The evil organization referred to humanity's worst, the Kalma.

"You have quite a lot." Jin Cheol stroked his chin, locked in thought. Jae Woo patiently waited for him to finish organizing his thoughts. "Buying the videos individually would be inefficient, and it's not what GBS is looking for either."

"Then?"

"We'd like you to sell all of your Despia footage to GBS from now on."

"So sign an exclusive contract with GBS until there's nothing more to see."

"That's right."

"How much are you willing to pay me?" Jae Woo asked. 'I'm pretty expensive, you know?'

"You had plans to meet with the other networks, right? Let me know what their offers are. I'll be sure to offer you a larger sum than them," Jin Cheol said confidently.

Perhaps it was because he'd worked with Jae Woo the longest, but he was the best at luring Jae Woo in.

"Are you sure about that?"

"Yes," Jin Cheol said confidently.

The reason a second mover like GBS was capable of reaching rank 3 was because its parent company was filthy rich! Moreover, GBS's director had told him he'd have his support, so he needed to get Jae Woo on board no matter what.

He also had this thought too. 'The other networks can get their footage from the Storm Guild, so they won't put everything on the line for Jae Woo.'

It was clear that the other networks would back off if Jae Woo requested too high of a price. After all, they could just go to the Storm Guild instead. All he needed to do was offer Jae Woo the appropriate price and reel him in.

"Oh, that's right!" Jae Woo smacked his palm with his fist. "I've been exploring Despia with Mr. Sephiro."

"Mr. Sephiro?"

"Yes. So if you sign a contract with me, you'll need to pay Mr. Sephiro too."

"Understood."

Jin Cheol calculated how much Sephiro was worth and then nodded his head. Sephiro was worth pennies compared to Jae Woo.

"Good. For some reason, I feel like I'll be choosing you in the end." Kang Oh smiled satisfyingly.

"Me too."

The two shook hands and left, both feeling like their time was well spent.

* * *

Jae Woo met with TGN Producer, Hye Rim, later that day. He showed her the same footage he showed Jin Cheol, and even explained the history between the Mayanes and the Primordial Gods.

'This is amazing!' Her eyes gleamed. Despia! A forgotten myth! A never-before-seen ancient race!

Her intuition was telling her that she needed Jae Woo to sign a contract with her. After all, people will come out in droves to see this content!

"We'd like you to sell all of your footage to TGN. That includes your future footage, and the myth too!"

"How much?"

"How does 1 billion won ($1 million USD) sound?"

TGN's director had ordered her to get Jae Woo's footage no matter what. 'Hye Rim, you have to get him on board. If all goes well, then we'll be able to sell it across the world. We'll also fill the programs with expensive ads too.'

"1 billion!" Jae Woo's lips slightly curled upwards. '1 billion won!?'

"1 billion is quite a hefty sum. And please remember that we can go to the Storm Guild too."

Hye Rim's warning made him think back to Jin Cheol. 'He said he'd give me more than the other networks. Can GBS really give me more than 1 billion won?'

"Thank you for the generous offer. I'll let you know after I've heard all of the offers," Jae Woo said politely.

Hye Rim furrowed her brow. She was willing to invest 1 billion won, yet Jae Woo's response was so lukewarm.

"Did you already meet with GBS?"

"Yes."

"What did they say?"

"They'd give me more than the other networks no matter what."

"Tch, they sure love throwing money at the problem." Hye Rim clicked her tongue.

"What's wrong with that?" Jae Woo grinned. 'All that money goes to me in the end.'

"Do you have a girlfriend?" Hye Rim suddenly asked.

"Where did this come from all of a sudden?"

"I have a ton of connections. I know stewardesses, models, and even actresses. Just say the word. If you sign a contract with us, then I'll introduce you to them. Ah, and it's not just a one time thing. I can use my connections to get you a..."

"I have a girlfriend." Kang Oh interrupted her.

"Hmm." Hye Rim furrowed her brow.

"Is there anything else you'd like to add?"

"You're going to meet with GBS again, right?"

"Of course."

"Let me ask you a favor then. When you hear GBS's offer, let me know. Don't sign the contract before you do! We'll prepare an even better offer in the meantime!"

"Sounds good to me." Jae Woo nodded his head.

"Thank you."

"I'll be waiting for your offer."

"Yes. I'll see you again soon."

"Take care."

Jae Woo and Hye Rim parted ways.

* * *

The next day, Jae Woo met with VG Producer, Kim Hyun Seok.

"We'd like to buy all of your current and future footage of Despia."

"How much are you willing to pay me?"

"100 million won ($100,000 USD) for signing with us. We'll buy your footage for a total of 400 million won ($400,000 USD). We'll pay you separately for each subsequent clip, around 1 million won ($1,000 USD) to 10 million won ($10,000 USD)," Hyun Seok said.

"So 500 million won ($500,000 USD) plus."

"Yes. If you're concerned about anything, then please let me know. I'll talk to my superiors and see what I can do."

"I don't like any of it."

"Pardon me?"

"Do you know what TGN and GBS offered me?"

"I don't."

"GBS claimed they'd offer me more than any other network, while TGN offered me 1 billion won."

"Mm." Hyun Seok briefly furrowed his brow, but his subsequent expression seemed to say 'Oh, well.'.

"Unfortunately, we'll have to withdraw our offer."

VG had already signed an agreement with the Storm Guild. They thought it wouldn't hurt to shoot Jae Woo an offer too.

"I understand. I'm sure we'll have another chance to work together," Kang Oh said politely.

"Yes, it was nice meeting you."

Even after Hyun Seok left, Jae Woo remained seated in the cafe.

'VG's gone, so now TGN and GBS will go head-to-head!'

Sip.

Jae Woo drank his hot coffee and thought, 'Who'll be the final victor?'