I defeated the final boss.
No, I made the final boss my drinking buddy.
In a speedrun with a one-month time limit, if you’ve defeated the final boss, there’s really no need to clear side quests. No matter what side quest you complete, it won’t compare to the achievement of defeating the final boss.
But here’s the thing.
“Do the other officials who borrowed money from Man Geum Battlefield really have to pay it back?”
Instead of spending my time clearing the remaining side quests, isn’t it a different story to have the final boss take care of it himself?
Dear final boss, please do us a favor. You can just hand over all the clear rewards to me.
I had no intention of asking to be drinking buddies. I didn’t want to ruin my relationship with the Head of Guards over clearing side quests.
So what should I do?
“The only person who reached out to the Head of the Branch wasn’t just Elder Gu Jook. Upon investigation, I found that many other officials rushed to Man Geum Battlefield during that time.”
If I change my request into something the Head of Guards needs, it would be just fine.
The ledger didn’t just have the Head of Guards’ name written on it.
From judges to subordinates under the Head of Guards, there were names of many officials involved, including the district magistrates and their assistants.
Many officials’ names were written down, mostly on similar days.
“That’s right. Once I borrowed money from the Head of Guards, the other officials also borrowed money from Man Geum Battlefield.”
The Head of Guards, whose hobby is accumulating illicit wealth, must have rushed to Man Geum Battlefield for the sake of the money. Naturally, the officials below him, even if the amounts varied, would have felt pressured by the debt.
“And that’s why I’m saying the other officials should also pay back their loans.”
“Are you saying I can’t be the only one to pay it back?”
I nodded, wearing a greatly concerned expression.
If they all borrowed for the same reason, then there should be just one way to make them pay back.
“Is the Inspector’s intuition ordinary? They must certainly think it strange that things wrapped up more blandly than expected, and they will act on their own. In that case, they’ll likely figure out in no time that I’ve been investigating Man Geum Battlefield for the last few days.”
Actually, I hadn’t done any investigating at Man Geum Battlefield, but hey.
“Uhm….”
“Of course, evidence of the Head of Guards borrowing money will vanish. Man Geum Battlefield treats information about customers more carefully than their lives, so it won’t be easy to access. But….”
“The ones who borrowed money this time will become the real issue.”
Exactly. The Head of Guards looked at me with wide eyes, as if the spirits from his drink had vanished.
“Yes. They will definitely try to find out and interrogate. Among them, there might be those who don’t know the hard work you’ve devoted to Hubei Province or those who, to save themselves, let their mouths slip. Or perhaps there are those who think that without you, they might suffer a bit but gain a great advantage.”
If the other party realizes the crisis, I ought to stoke the fire even more. Those who aim for the organization’s head will inevitably create competitors and enemies.
“I already have a few in mind.”
“We need to wrap this up before this matter is concluded. A wolf that has tasted meat will seek more before it forgets that taste.”
If you don’t act first, you’ll be the one to suffer.
Behind you is a wolf lurking for an opportunity. Beside you are competitors who are always smiling, waiting for a chance. I had truly stoked that fire.
“Indeed…! If you hadn’t advised me, I would have been in serious trouble! Thank you! Thank you!”
“Well, isn’t it better to drink together than alone?”
The look on the Head of Guards’ face as he looked at me was that of a strategist offering advice without any selfish motives.
Inspector, Head of Guards, officials. I was just offering pure advice for my drinking buddy without getting caught up in any political struggles.
Of course, all the rewards would go to me in the end.
“Right! Exactly! Drinking together is the best! Oh! Do you think we should repay the debt within a few days?”
“I’ll try several methods, but we’ll be lucky if we can hold out for ten days.”
“Haha! Yes! I’ll send my people to absolutely demand repayment! Tell them even if they have to sell their wives’ underwear, they must pay their debts!”
“If they bring it to me, I’ll take care of everything, even the underwear!”
“You’re very reliable! Where did I ever find such a drinking buddy! It must be the blessings from all the merits I’ve accumulated with Buddha! Now! Take a drink! I need to bring back the courtesans I was with earlier!”
I was able to successfully conclude my drinking session with the Head of Guards.
—————
“Two district magistrates! Hurry up and pay back the money you borrowed from Man Geum Battlefield!”
“Yes?”
The final boss started moving busily, but there was a small problem.
‘Will they really be able to collect everything within ten days?’
Time is tight.
What can I do? I just need to move a bit. Now that I’ve gone this far, I must take all the remaining rewards!
“Are you saying that I should visit Man Geum Battlefield and obtain a repayment confirmation? Didn’t we finish this last time?”
Since I had already set the final boss on my path, I should now make the hero move according to my wishes.
I immediately went to visit Inspector Jung Mun-won.
“Since I’m not someone working at Man Geum Battlefield, there was an oversight. It seems I need to obtain the repayment confirmation separately.”
“Ah, I see.”
“They said you have to come in person to get it, so I couldn’t go pick it up myself. I apologize.”
I bowed my head, looking exceedingly sorry as I spoke to Jung Mun-won.
“No! It’s between you and me! Why should you feel sorry about that? I’ll go as soon as I get off work today.”
“Thank you.”
That very day, the Inspector went to Man Geum Battlefield and obtained the repayment certificate.
“What? Master Kang. You want us to serve tea and stall as much as possible when the Inspector arrives? Yes. It’s not difficult.”
“Take him to the guest room and stall him as long as possible before issuing the formal certificate. I am counting on you.”
Un Yeop, the Head of Guards’ son, had taken my request, completely unaware that I had intentionally detained the Inspector at Man Geum Battlefield.
‘They don’t even know that the officials are watching the Inspector closely, yet they still went to Man Geum Battlefield.’
It was the equivalent of a fox entering a rabbit’s burrow.
“The Inspector really went to Man Geum Battlefield?!”
“That’s what I’ve been saying! Hurry up and pay!”
The rabbits’ great escape had begun.
“If we bring it to the Head of Guards, he’ll take care of everything, right?”
“Yes. Just bring it within three days….”
“Damn it! Get the property deed!”
“I was supposed to give it to my daughter when she gets married….”
“Doesn’t that matter? If you don’t pay back soon, my daughter will become an orphan!!!”
Various forms of entertaining dialogues filled my ears.
The Head of Guards was pressing from above, and news of the Inspector’s actions reached me. Soon, the Head of the Branch and those involved in the corruption would start bringing me money.
‘I thought just a few officials paying back would wrap this up.’
I completely underestimated the power of the final boss and the hero.
“What? The Inspector is investigating the debtors who haven’t repaid their loans at Man Geum Battlefield?”
“That’s right! The Head of the Branch seems unsatisfied with just being the Head of Guards and is now trying to take officials in another capacity!”
“Are they seriously arresting people just for a bit of unpaid debt?”
“Who knows? It’s Jung Mun-won, that wild-eyed man! He already detained the Head of the Branch—he wouldn’t care about anything else at this point!”
“We borrowed quite a bit from Man Geum Battlefield. What do we do now?”
“Tomorrow, your seat will not be in here but in the interrogation room.”
“Why do you even bother to say that?!”
“I only say it because it’s you! I’ve heard that judges and subordinates are also scrambling to pay up! There’s rumors that the Head of Guards is trying to sort everything out!”
“What, what did you say?!”
“I’ve heard that the Inspector will be moving within a few days! You need to move quickly too!”
When the entire organization begins to stir, rumors cannot help but spread.
The Head of Guards is acting. The corrupt officials below are trembling. With the Inspector moving too, other anxious officials are seeking help from the Head of Guards.
‘By the way, why did the martial artists running sects in Wuhan pay off the debts?’
How did the rumors spread so widely?
Me, Miss Zhuge, and Im Ha-yeon. The three of us created the Shadowless Thief, and now the corruption ledger of the Head of Guards has made such a big ripple effect with the Inspector.
In any case, thank you.
Thanks to the combined efforts of the final boss and the hero, a passerby with black hair is enjoying the sweet taste of honey.
—————
“Th-this can’t be happening!”
Pleasant shock echoed through the room.
“There must be some mistake!”
“The ledger they brought was not the corruption ledger but a different one!”
“But they just mentioned the positions! Judge, district magistrate, Head of Guards, and all!”
“What on earth! What happened!”
“Father! There must be some trickery involved! How can they collect from all those people listed in the ledger?”
There was trickery, indeed. The trick of getting everyone to happily pour me drinks, to be precise.
“I’ve verified everything. Not a single lie exists.”
Un Yeop, who had examined the documents I provided in advance, declared to everyone that there was absolutely no deception.
“What on earth….”
With merely one phrase, the noise vanished, and all gazes fixated on the massive rock.
Every one of us, including me, undoubtedly sensed it.
The solid rock was shaking.
A rock that stood tall after enduring the tempests of time was trembling. A rock symbolizing the enormous mountain that is Man Geum Battlefield was quaking.
The famous Man Geum-jeon’s mouth was agape.
“How, how on earth did this happen?”
The face of Man Geum-jeon before me was as amusing as the results of all my hard work over the month.
No need to go into detail.
No need for me to boast about the results.
What I promised Man Geum-jeon was just one thing.
“I will prove that I am worthy to be the heir of Man Geum-jeon.”
Therefore, the only thing I had to explain to Man Geum-jeon was this.
— My apologies will be substituted for this.
Instead of apologizing on behalf of his daughters, what Man Geum-jeon had given me was advice.
“I merely grabbed and shook something that I value even more than money.”
Because you taught me this, I have grown so much.
All I had to do was say that with a smile.
My site has received a lot of DMCA notices, lol. From now on, I will update the MTL on https://darkmtl.com/.
The site is fast and lightweight because there are no ads yet. However, the theme is different from Cybor-TL, so take some time to familiarize yourself.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.