WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: DereKimchi

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ The Abandoned Tank is a Disaster-class Awakener ◈

Chapter 17

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Chairman Miller called me to his office.

Chairman Miller said there was something important to discuss.

When I entered, a thick file was already sitting on his desk.

“You’re here, Mr. Kang.”

“What is it?”

As I sat down, Miller tapped the file with his fingertips.

“The nature of the requests coming in from various countries has changed a little recently.”

“How so?”

“At first, most of them were requests for approval.”

The 25th floor.

The 26th floor.

Requests asking for Throne Approval so they could challenge the hidden Guardians.

It was something I had expected.

Now that Guardian Authority was known, there was no way other countries would simply sit still.

But.

“Now, there are far more inquiries about how to clear them than requests for approval.”

“...How to clear them?”

The corner of Miller’s lips curled slightly.

“Every one of them is asking how you defeated the Guardians.”

Most of them probably thought they could defeat a Guardian as long as they managed to make one appear.

But that was a mistake.

Even Karganon, the Guardian of the 25th floor, had a special ability called Disarmament.

And what about Verderaum?

A gigantic body reaching twenty meters in height. Overwhelming mass and destructive power.

Even if relics could be used, they would have no choice but to fail repeatedly unless they formed a strategic party capable of ranged attacks.

“But... even if they ask, there isn’t much I can tell them.”

“That was my thought as well.”

I killed Karganon in a barehanded fight.

I climbed onto Verderaum’s body and destroyed its core.

I had not countered any particular pattern or used a special item.

There might be a standard method I did not know about, but at least the methods I used were not grand enough to be called a strategy guide.

“But it seems others don’t see it that way.”

“...?”

“Mr. Kang is a Novice. A Novice couldn’t have subdued them through sheer force. Therefore, there must be some method of clearing them.”

Miller said it calmly.

Then he turned a page in the file.

“They seem to want to believe there is some secret.”

“I suppose that would put their minds at ease.”

Rather than believing that I possessed overwhelming strength, it was far more hopeful to believe there was a hidden weakness or a special sequence.

“Japan is particularly proactive.”

My fingers stopped.

“...Japan?”

“Yes.”

Miller casually pulled out the next document.

“They want information on how to clear the Guardian of the 25th floor. They say there is virtually no limit to what they are willing to offer. Elixirs, relics, they want us to name our conditions first.”

“They must be desperate.”

“That would be understandable after meeting the Guardian in person.”

Japan was an Awakener powerhouse.

They must have used a tremendous number of consumables to reach the Guardian.

“...”

As Miller said that, Miller glanced at me.

It was an odd look.

I watched his face for a moment before asking.

“By the way.”

“Yes?”

“Is that why you called me all the way here?”

The corners of Miller’s eyes crinkled slightly.

Just as I thought.

This man had something else in mind from the start.

“I didn’t think you held particularly positive feelings toward the country called Japan, Mr. Kang.”

“...”

Feelings.

No, they certainly weren’t positive.

Japan was the country that had used Kim Yeong-jin and Han Seo-jin to extract information from me.

“So you called me here on purpose?”

“Japan brought a very attractive offer.”

Miller shrugged playfully.

“If I decided the price on my own, Mr. Kang might feel slighted.”

“You usually decide it just fine.”

“That’s when the matter can be calculated in money.”

He smiled.

“If I start putting price tags on people’s feelings at my own discretion, that would be crossing a line.”

I understood what he meant.

Miller had brought me the fact that Japan wanted negotiations first.

It was not merely to squeeze more Elixirs out of them.

Miller was asking first how I wanted to use the negotiation itself.

I leaned back against the sofa.

“Japan...”

I thought for a moment.

Han Seo-jin and Kim Yeong-jin would eventually go to Japan and begin new lives there.

If that was the case.

“That certainly sounds interesting.”

Miller’s eyebrows rose slightly.

“Does it?”

“Will you put me in touch with them?”

At that moment.

Miller gave a brief grin.

“Of course.”

Miller immediately pulled the telephone on his desk closer.

“I’ll contact them right away.”

Riiing-

As the line rang, Miller’s smile deepened.

“I believe it will be a good negotiation.”

I snorted.

“For whom?”

Miller raised the receiver to his ear.

Then Miller answered calmly.

“We’ll have to see once the negotiation is over.”

* * *

Kuroda Masanori, the standing executive director in charge of strategy for the Japanese Awakeners Association.

He and two other senior officials crossed the Pacific in person.

They had no choice.

For information on clearing a Guardian, any country would first suspect the possibility of wiretapping or eavesdropping.

More than anything, the more time passed after contact was made, the greater the chance that I would change my mind.

It seemed Japan did not want to take even that risk.

American Awakeners Association conference room.

Miller and I sat on one side.

The three Japanese representatives sat across from us.

Miller spoke first.

“You’ve come a long way.”

“Thank you for making time for us.”

Kuroda bowed politely.

Miller smiled and waved a hand.

Though our countries spoke entirely different languages, the interpreter scroll allowed the conversation to proceed smoothly.

“We’re fine. What matters is Mr. Kang’s time.”

Miller was drawing the line from the start.

The owner of the information was not the American Awakeners Association, but me.

“However, I believe it would be best to clarify a few things before we get to the main matter.”

Kuroda nodded.

“Please proceed.”

“The information provided today may only be used internally by the Japanese Awakeners Association for the purpose of clearing the Guardian. It may not be provided to a third country or sold commercially.”

“I agree.”

“It would also be difficult for you to copy or redistribute the original without prior consent from the American side.”

“We accept that as well.”

“And.”

Miller leisurely interlaced his fingers.

“Providing the information does not guarantee Japan’s success in clearing the Guardian.”

Kuroda’s eyes shifted slightly.

But then.

“Of course.”

“Good.”

Miller smiled in satisfaction.

“It would be tiresome for both sides if someone later said, ‘We bought the strategy guide, so why couldn’t we defeat it?’”

Miller’s tone was gentle, but the association president left out none of the necessary safeguards.

“Then I’d like to hear exactly what the Japanese side wants.”

Kuroda spoke as if he had been waiting.

“We want the complete record of the battle against Karganon, the hidden Guardian of the 25th floor.”

“Specifically?”

“A video.”

Modern electronic devices did not function properly inside the Tower.

However, there was a separate recording item that could be obtained there.

【Video Recording Scroll】

When activated before a raid began, it recorded the user’s field of vision and the battle around them with magic, allowing it to be played outside the Tower.

It was a consumable almost essential for elite Raid Parties or the Vanguard to analyze battles.

Kuroda continued.

“If possible, we would like to see the original footage from the moment Mr. Kang Seong-un fought Karganon until the moment he killed it.”

“...”

Miller did not answer immediately.

Instead, he looked at me once.

Then he turned back to the Japanese side.

“You are asking for highly valuable material.”

“I understand.”

“At present, there is only one party that has defeated Karganon.”

“I understand that as well.”

“A record of the battle after Disarmament would be material every other country desires most.”

Kuroda drew in a short breath.

Miller did not name a price.

The association president only kept raising its value.

Then, as expected, Japan had no choice but to speak first.

“We will pay an appropriate price.”

“How far are you prepared to go?”

“We can discuss Elixirs.”

Miller’s smile deepened slightly.

“How many bottles?”

The Japanese official beside him looked at Kuroda.

Kuroda answered.

“If the content of the video meets our expectations, a considerable quantity is possible.”

“What about relics?”

“...They can be included in the negotiations.”

“Rare relics as well?”

A brief silence followed.

“We will consider them depending on the item.”

Miller nodded.

“Good.”

Elixirs.

Relics.

Even rare relics.

Japan had placed on the table just how much they could offer.

Only then did Miller look at me.

“Mr. Kang.”

As though it was finally my turn.

“What do you think?”

I looked at Kuroda.

“Let me say one thing first.”

“Yes.”

“Even if you watch the original footage, you may be disappointed.”

Kuroda’s eyes narrowed.

“What do you mean?”

“There is no remarkable strategy.”

“...”

“I did not exploit a particular weakness or use a hidden device.”

Miller chuckled quietly beside me.

Miller already knew what the footage contained.

At that moment, a subtle change passed over Kuroda’s face.

He did not seem to believe me.

That was understandable.

Japan’s elite had risked their lives to escape that monster.

If all they heard was that I defeated such an opponent with strength, anyone would assume there was another secret.

“Do you still want to see it?”

“Of course.”

The answer came immediately.

“If it is original battle footage, we are willing to pay any price.”

“Understood.”

I opened my inventory.

Then I took out a small scroll.

A Video Recording Scroll tied with a black cord.

Thud.

The moment I set it on the table, the eyes of all three Japanese representatives focused on it at once.

Gulp.

Kuroda swallowed dryly.

Miller slipped into the conversation with a smile.

“Now, all that remains is to discuss the price.”

The Japanese side grew tense.

“Please tell us.”

“I will take ten Elixirs.”

At my words.

“...?!”

They could not hide their surprise.

They knew I had received seven bottles in exchange for Guardian Approval.

Yet I was asking for the same ten bottles for the more important information on clearing the Guardian, including the original material?

Kuroda looked doubtful.

“Is there something else you want?”

As expected of a negotiator who had seen it all, he sensed there was a hidden condition.

“Only one thing.”

The conference room fell silent.

I slowly said two names.

“Han Seo-jin and Kim Yeong-jin.”

A favor for a favor.

Hostility for even greater hostility.

I had no intention of forgiving the two people who had given me such a deep sense of betrayal.

Especially because I never wanted to feel again the bitterness and self-reproach I had felt whenever, before my regression, I heard that they were living comfortably in Japan.

“...”

“Those are the people Japan contacted, correct?”

There was no way the Japanese side did not know the two of them.

That was why Kuroda asked carefully.

“What do you want concerning those two?”

“It is simple.”

I pushed the Video Recording Scroll on the table once with my finger.

“Do not take them in.”

“...Pardon?”

“You must have promised them many things in exchange for extracting information. Will you cut all of it off?”

Silence settled over the conference room.

“You only need to make sure they cannot think of Japan as a new place to settle.”

At my repeated words, Kuroda remained silent for a while.

Not Elixirs.

Not relics.

Certainly not money.

A completely unexpected demand.

Only then did Miller quietly interject.

“Director Kuroda.”

Miller’s voice was gentle.

“It seems Mr. Kang has offered a very low price.”

“...Low?”

“Is it not?”

Miller pointed at the scroll on the table with his fingertips.

“This is the only video in the world of the defeat of the 25th-floor Guardian.”

Then he looked at the Japanese side.

“A moment ago, you said even rare relics could be negotiated.”

“...”

“Compared to that.”

A faint smile returned to his lips.

“I do not believe severing your relationship with two people would be a great loss to the Japanese side.”

Miller’s smile deepened further.

“Isn’t it simple? This is the only chance to make your relationship even slightly friendlier with Mr. Kang, who will conquer countless floors and ascend to become a Guardian.”

Perhaps those words were decisive.

Kuroda spoke quietly with the other two for a moment.

It did not take long.

There was not much to calculate in the first place.

“Understood.”

Even his voice had changed.

“As of today, the Japanese Awakeners Association will end all support for Ms. Han Seo-jin and Mr. Kim Yeong-jin.”

I listened without speaking.

“We will also terminate all ongoing employment arrangements, settlement support, connections with Awakener-related companies and institutions, and financial support.”

That was not the end.

“We will notify not only organizations under the Association, but also major Awakener companies and guilds in Japan to end their cooperative relationships with the two.”

Kuroda spoke firmly.

“From now on, no one in Japan will support or protect them.”

“What about the government?”

He did not hesitate at my question.

“I will take responsibility for handling that as well.”

“...”

“If any assistance planned for the two regarding residence support, long-term settlement, or naturalization exists, I will formally request that the Japanese government withdraw all of it.”

And finally.

“As you said, we will make sure that the two cannot make Japan their new place of settlement.”

Only then did Miller smile in satisfaction.

“That is very clear.”

Kuroda nodded.

“We must show at least this much sincerity for it to be called a transaction.”

He paused for a moment.

Then he rose slightly from his seat and bowed to me.

“And I would like to apologize for what happened before.”

Having clearly decided on his approach, he bowed to me.

I looked at him.

“What incident are you referring to?”

“The matter of collecting information about Mr. Kang Seong-un through those two people.”

The conference room fell silent.

“At the time, Japan was also desperate for information in the Tower competition with South Korea.”

Kuroda did not drag out his words with excuses.

“We placed national interests first. But I have no intention of denying that Mr. Kang Seong-un was harmed in the process.”

He bowed once more.

“I apologize.”

I watched him for a moment.

“I do not mind.”

I answered briefly.

Of course, that did not mean I truly did not mind.

My ex-wife and the friend closest to me had been sleeping together behind my back while selling information, and Japan had accepted it.

But I did not pursue that here.

Japan would continue to pay the price for it from now on.

Miller lightly tapped the Video Recording Scroll on the table with his finger.

“Then all the terms of the transaction have been settled.”

Miller’s voice was as playful as ever.

“Japan will sever all ties with the two and take responsibility for cutting off even government-level support.”

He looked at Kuroda.

“Is that correct?”

“That is correct.”

“And the American side will provide the promised material.”

Kuroda nodded.

“I agree.”

“Good.”

Miller smiled.

“We should put it in writing so that neither side remembers things differently later.”

“We will do so.”

I took my hand off the Video Recording Scroll.

Kuroda carefully took it.

The eyes of the three Japanese representatives were filled with anticipation.

They likely believed there was something special inside.

Karganon’s weakness.

A way to counter Disarmament.

A special movement.

Or a hidden clearing sequence.

But what Japan obtained at great cost was not a strategy guide.

It was merely proof of just how vast the gap between them and me was.

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