Telecommunications Business (1)
“Like always, Aunt’s bulgogi is the best.”
Seon Yul kept nodding as he picked up and ate the beef bulgogi cooked by Lee Hyun Ah.
After the Great Cataclysm, many people couldn’t properly eat decent meals, but at least Lee Hyun Ah lived thanks abundantly to Seon Yul consistently taking care of her.
Even now, Seon Yul, Lee Hyun Ah, and Jun Hyeok were inside Seon Yul’s Absolute Space, eating together.
With overflowing ingredients, Lee Hyun Ah prepared numerous delicious dishes, and thanks to that, Seon Yul and Jun Hyeok were truly feasting.
“You two are eating properly, right?”
“Mom, you know how good his cooking is. It’s not quite as good as yours, but his cooking is seriously delicious too.”
Jun Hyeok also answered while shoveling down the food Lee Hyun Ah made alongside Seon Yul.
“Isn’t that world dangerous? I heard that among the people who crossed over there, some have died…”
“We’re fine. I’m doing my best to make sure we adapt well over there in the safest way possible.”
To ease Lee Hyun Ah’s worries, Seon Yul replied with a smile.
“If she’s with him, Mom would be safe even if she went over to that world.”
Jun Hyeok, who was receiving such tremendous help from Seon Yul that he could practically be called an “absolute bus,” knew very well just how incredible a magic user Seon Yul was.
That’s why he was always grateful to him.
“You don’t have to worry about us. I’ll make sure to turn this guy into a proper human somehow.”
“Yeah, Yul-ah. I’m really counting on you.”
“Hey, why are both of you picking on me?”
“Anyway, Aunt, how are you? Are you really okay staying here like this?”
Ignoring Jun Hyeok’s whining, Seon Yul asked Lee Hyun Ah.
“I’m totally fine. Really, thanks to you, I’m not uncomfortable at all. These days I get bored, so I just exercise alone at home.”
Lee Hyun Ah also knew it was dangerous outside, so she rarely went out. As a result, her hobby naturally became riding a stationary bike indoors while looking out the window.
“Please hold on just a little longer. Within a year at most, most city functions will recover, and the world will stabilize to some extent.”
Seon Yul estimated that in about one to two years at most, South Korea would recover a significant portion of its national functions.
Once that happened, this world would become far more livable than it is now.
After finishing their meal inside Absolute Space, the three returned to Lee Hyun Ah’s home and continued talking over coffee.
Seon Yul also filled up various supplies in her house generously, and after catching up enough, he stepped outside with Jun Hyeok for a bit.
There were still many residents in Lee Hyun Ah’s apartment complex, but most lights were off due to the limited electricity supply.
In truth, thanks to Seon Yul, Lee Hyun Ah could use electricity freely, but in case others found it suspicious, she maintained a lifestyle similar to everyone else.
Standing out could make one a target.
In any case, the area around the apartments was pitch black.
“So, did you find anything out?”
“Yeah. I checked communities, and also looked into it through various personal connections I have.”
The task Seon Yul had assigned to Jun Hyeok was to find out the current status of other magic users.
Seon Yul was already grasping how the world was operating through communities, but he wanted more detailed information, so he had Jun Hyeok investigate separately.
“First of all, based on South Korea, Earth–001 is being called a land of opportunity among magic users. Other countries are probably similar, but especially in South Korea, they’re pulling in a lot of resources from Earth–001.”
“Are the expedition teams doing well?”
“They’re doing well, and on top of that, the Korean Management Bureau is responding so effectively that most magic users are either forming expedition teams or joining one.”
“Any negative opinions about Earth–001?”
“Everyone knows Earth–001 is extremely dangerous. But people see it as high risk, high return, so there’s a line of people trying to challenge it. There are even tons of project teams popping up, like the ones Woosung used to prepare in the past. Because of that, the Management Bureau is now strengthening the requirements for magic users who want to go on expeditions to Earth–0001.”
“Has a great age of exploration begun?”
“Pretty much. Other countries are probably no different. People are the same everywhere.”
As Jun Hyeok said, the situation on Earth–104 was largely similar.
Except for a few completely collapsed nations, the rest were doing everything they could to restore national functions, and as a result, they were pushing more expedition teams through the gates.
South Korea, being in relatively good condition, was discussing qualification requirements, but in worse-off countries, they were even capturing unwilling magic users and forcing them into expeditions.
“What about the prices of magic stones and soul stones?”
“They were rising sharply until recently, but now they’ve stabilized somewhat. Since supply is catching up with demand, it’ll probably stay flat for a while.”
“What about return stones? Are they being traded?”
“So far, there are only buyers… no sellers.”
Jun Hyeok had even investigated the trading status of magic stones, soul stones, and return stones. While listening, Seon Yul considered how to manage his assets.
“Should we start selling return stones?”
“Return stones? Hmm… for how much?”
“About 100 kg of magic stones. That should be enough to attract buyers, right?”
“Then, should we post it at 200 kg first and adjust the price?”
“Isn’t that too expensive?”
100 kg of magic stones was worth roughly 500 billion won at current rates. But now, magic stones had become the currency on Earth.
Old currencies like won, yen, and dollars were no longer recognized.
At worst, they were treated as mere scraps of paper.
In the past, humanity used a gold standard, but now, magic stones themselves have become the currency.
So everything was sold for magic stones, and even salaries were paid in them.
Every nation tried to prevent this monetization of magic stones, but none could stop the overwhelming tide.
“The initial listing price is important. If it’s high, people will think return stones are originally that expensive. Anyway, buyers will try to lower the price later, so we can just reduce it then.”
Jun Hyeok’s reasoning made sense, so Seon Yul nodded in agreement.
“Then I’ll leave selling the return stones to you.”
“How many are we selling?”
“Let’s try selling about 10 for now.”
“Okay, leave it to me.”
Jun Hyeok declared confidently. Watching him, Seon Yul felt like he had discovered one of Jun Hyeok’s talents.
***
This time, Seon Yul went to Earth–001 alone, leaving Jun Hyeok behind.
Jun Hyeok stayed on Earth–104 to sell return stones and handle several other tasks Seon Yul had assigned.
As usual, Seon Yul secretly passed through the gate connected to Earth–001 and headed straight to the Fortress of Freedom upon arrival.
Naturally, the one who welcomed him after he moved through Absolute Space was Cheon Li Yu.
“You came back faster than I expected.”
Li Yu had thought Seon Yul would stay on Earth–104 for about half a month, but he returned in just a week.
“I finished things quickly and left the rest to Jun Hyeok before coming.”
“Oh, so that’s why you came alone.”
“I’m planning to go back again soon, so I’ll bring him then.”
“Then, should we hire staff to work at this shop? Business has been good lately, and we might need to expand.”
“Hmm… let’s think about that.”
“Oh! And while you were gone, an interesting rumor spread inside the fortress.”
“What rumor?”
“They say a supernova climber appeared in the Tower of Life, breaking all kinds of records and climbing at a crazy speed.”
“That…”
“Yeah. Sounds like us.”
Cheon Li Yu nodded.
Seon Yul had thought no rumors would spread since it happened inside the tower, but it spread faster than expected.
“They must have some way to monitor what happens inside the tower.”
He quickly realized the existence of a record board.
“No matter how the rumors spread, it’s fine as long as our identities aren’t exposed.”
He ignored it, as there were more important matters.
“First, Li Yu. Let’s launch all the satellites.”
“You mean building a communication network?”
“Yeah. You could call it phase one.”
Seon Yul nodded and opened the entrance to Absolute Space toward the sky.
Like steps, portals opened repeatedly, and the two quickly ascended to the orbit designated by Cha Seong Hyeon.
The path to space was endlessly high, but Seon Yul’s heart was filled with certainty.
He was convinced this work would open a new era.
Upon reaching orbit, he installed satellites one by one, feeling a strong sense of accomplishment.
Realizing this wasn’t just a simple task, he moved beyond his past achievements.
A new era, a new challenge awaited him.
After completing the network, he gazed at the endless universe and smiled faintly.
“Space001 complete.”
After placing exactly 21 GPS communication satellites into precise orbit, Seon Yul named the network Space001.
Thus, Earth–001 now had a communication network built by him, preparing the world for change.
After installing all satellites and returning to the ground, Seon Yul carefully took out a magic-stone mobile phone.
Feeling its weight reminded him of his efforts, and he hesitated briefly.
With trembling fingers, he pressed the power button.
The screen lit up and operated smoothly.
Watching closely, he waited for a signal.
‘Please work properly.’
Expectation and anxiety crossed his mind.
Soon, a signal appeared, and a stable connection was established.
Seon Yul let out a sigh of relief.
Everything was proceeding as planned.
“It worked! Now we can start selling mobile phones on Earth–001.”
Excitement and anticipation filled his chest.
The possibilities this network would open overwhelmed his thoughts.
“So now we just sell those?”
Cheon Li Yu muttered, looking at the pile of disposable magic-stone phone boxes.
“Exactly. We’re going to sell them like crazy.”
Seon Yul smiled.
There was still more to verify, but just confirming the network worked gave him great satisfaction.
“How much per unit?”
“Considering Earth–001 prices, World Tree leaf costs, and production costs… about 5 kg of magic stones per unit seems right.”
He had about 10,000 phones.
Selling all at 5 kg each would earn him 50,000 kg of magic stones.
And this income wouldn’t be one-time.
“First, we need to let people know this exists, right?”
“Well… time will probably take care of that. But we can’t do anything, so let’s release about 100 units for free in the fortress as test units.”
“That sounds perfect.”
Cheon Li Yu nodded.
And so, Seon Yul’s telecommunications business on Earth–001 finally began.
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