Chapter 512: Solo Leveling 4

When I came out of the apartment, reporters flocked and started taking pictures and pouring out questions.

“Congratulations on becoming the 9th S-rank hunter in Korea, please say a word!”

“Please tell us about your current feelings!”

“Just one word, please!”

Then I pointed with my hand to the vacant lot next to the apartment and said.

“First, if we do this here, it’s a nuisance to residents, so let’s go over there and interview. If you don’t keep order, I won’t interview.”

When I said that, reporters moved to the vacant lot without a word.

“Then, those who have questions, please raise your hands.”

Then many reporters raised their hands, so I pointed at one.

“Before asking a question, I sincerely congratulate you on becoming an S-rank hunter. You became the 9th S-rank hunter in Korea, please say a word.”

“A doctoral degree is something I earned with effort, but becoming an S-rank hunter can be seen as good luck. I’m very happy as if I won the lottery. I want to have a party, but all the people I know are in the US, so it’s a bit disappointing.”

Then many reporters raised their hands again.

So I pointed at another one.

“You are known as mixed blood of Korea and US. Do you have any plans to go to the US?”

“No. I’ve lived in Korea for a long time, and although they are not here now, my parents also lived in Korea.”

I kept receiving questions.

“The association announced that you are the world’s first production-type hunter. Can you tell us what ability you have?”

“Okay. It’s not dangerous, so I’ll show you for a moment.”

I also this time simply made metal and showed it while explaining, and took out one mechanical soldier from subspace and revealed it to reporters.

Then reporters burst into admiration and kept pressing camera shutters.

Questions about mechanical soldiers also poured out, but I answered each one sincerely without showing annoyance.

“Then you are selling several mechanical soldiers. Does that mean you will establish a company rather than joining a guild and working?”

“That’s right. I already bought a building to use as a company building, and currently recruiting employees. We plan to officially announce corporation establishment soon. And our company plans to sell androids that help with household chores besides humanoids, so please look forward to it.”

Here, to simply explain the difference between humanoid and android, humanoid is a general term for robots with a body structure similar to humans, and android is a robot among them that mimics even human appearance very realistically.

“Is there no risk of a situation where humanoids or androids attack humans like in movies?”

“Honestly, no matter how elaborately you make rules, loopholes are bound to occur. But we plan to prepare several stages of safety devices such as restricting orders that harm humans, and immediately stopping operation if abnormal behavior is detected. We will design it so that it can be forcibly stopped from outside, so we will do our best so you can use it with as much peace of mind as possible. However, I have no intention of taking responsibility for illegally modified products.”

Then one reporter threw a somewhat out-of-the-blue question.

“Do you have any intention to install sexual functions as well?”

“That’s hard to guarantee. Korea is quite sensitive about such issues.”

As expected, when it comes to androids, such functions can’t be left out.

However, since there is a high possibility of controversy due to moral issues in Korea, it seemed I have to see whether it can actually be sold even if such functions are actually installed.

When the press conference ended, most reporters started to return without making more fuss.

But some reporters still remained.

As if trying to get more stories to write articles somehow, they started to hang around the apartment or approach residents and request interviews.

I answered questions as sincerely as possible so that residents would not be harmed, but it seems I couldn’t stop reporters who persistently clung.

Still, since I promoted the company and products and even announced employee recruitment, I should say I achieved my goal to some extent.

Actually, on TV, my story was flowing all day and noisy.

A few days passed after that.

During that time, I was recruiting employees to work at the company.

There were quite many applicants, but among them, I preferentially selected people who were sincere and had no particular problems.

But there was one interesting point.

Among applicants, there were one or two industrial spies dispatched from various countries including China, of course, and the US and Japan.

I expected to some extent, but I never thought it would be this much.

I thought each country would show interest since my ability and technology became known, but after directly confirming, I realized anew.

But even if technology is stolen, there was a reason it cannot be imitated.

First is the price problem.

Even a crude humanoid with only basic functions costs 200 million won.

But the mechanical soldier I made costs only 150 million won per unit.

Performance is incomparably superior, and price is even cheaper, so from the start, price competition is not comparable.

Moreover, precision of materials and parts used was also a big obstacle.

I was also utilizing matter obtained from other worlds, so there were materials that are impossible to obtain on Earth itself.

In addition, parts made with [Design] and [Matter Creation] abilities had precision from the start that was different.

With current technology, even if you get the blueprint, it’s close to impossible to implement the same.

So I could be at ease about technology leakage.

Most of the selected employees belonged to legal team, HR team, advertising team, and sales team, and production-related departments were only painting team and quality management team.

Since I was directly in charge of mechanical soldier production, it was natural that there were few people in production-related departments.

“President, preparations for company establishment announcement are finished.”

The person currently working as my secretary is ‘Laura Walker’, who was Thomas’s personal manager in the original.

She was a spy planted from the US side, and while I filtered out all other spies, I couldn’t filter out Laura alone.

Because she was a beautiful woman with blonde hair and blue eyes and a good figure.

Moreover, she worked quite well too.

It seems she is working hard to gain my trust, but for me, I was only grateful.

Since I got a competent secretary, there was no reason to refuse.

“Okay. But besides hunter guilds, orders came from other places too?”

“Yes, companies also ordered. But do you have no intention to sell to foreign countries?”

“Not yet. It seems export will be possible only after digesting all Korean volume. My mana is not infinite either.”

“A contact came from the US, asking to sell preferentially. They said they’ll pay up to 180 million won.”

As expected, like an industrial spy planted by the US, Laura sneakily brought up stories about entering the US market and local sales.

“But President.”

“Why, Laura?”

“Please stop touching my butt. Do you know this is power-type sexual harassment?”

At those words, I laughed and answered.

“If you don’t like it, you can quit. I’ll give you a generous compensation too. It doesn’t matter if you expose it to the press.”

“…Are you really saying that?”

“My head hurts because of design ability. So I need to divert my attention elsewhere in this way and cool my head. And when recruiting a secretary, I clearly said, right? Doing your best to reduce my stress is also included in work. I’m not giving you an expensive salary for nothing.”

“I never imagined it would mean this.”

“Then you mean you’ll quit. Just in time, the Chinese beauty who interviewed last time said she would provide various services, so I should look into that side.”

“…What?!”

Laura was extremely flustered at those words.

To the extent that it’s hard to believe she was the person who was confidently arguing just before about sexual harassment and abuse of power.

“Wh, who said I quit?!”

“You said you don’t like it?”

“I said I don’t like it, but I didn’t say I’d quit!”

“Isn’t that the same?”

“Completely different?! And is that Chinese applicant a trustworthy person? Did you properly check identity? What if an industrial spy is mixed in!”

When Laura argued like that, I quietly said one word.

“Laura, you are also an industrial spy.”

“Ahem!”

Laura coughed falsely and sneakily avoided gaze.

It seems her feelings inside were quite complicated when she was caught that she is an industrial spy.

It’s of course embarrassing that her identity was revealed, and since I’m talking as if it’s nothing, she must be at a loss what to react.

“I know you are an industrial spy, do you know why I’m leaving you alone? Even if you steal technology, you can’t replicate it. I have intention to sell products to the US later, so if you take it apart and analyze it then, you’ll know. So for me, whether there’s an industrial spy or not, it’s not much of a concern.”

“…Then why do you keep hiring me?”

“To use as a communication window with the US.”

“Communication window?”

Laura asked again with a puzzled expression.

“Yes. I can find out what the US is thinking, and it will help when selling products I made. I think it’s a mutually beneficial thing.”

“I, I see…”

“But it’s not only the US that wants our company’s products. China and Japan are also in an uproar. So if you don’t like it, you can leave. Even super beautiful women said they’d send secretaries composed of super beauties. So you can quit.”

I made Laura realize once again that I am a super A.

“I have no intention of quitting.”

“Okay? Then work hard.”

Then suddenly Laura started to take off her clothes with a disliking expression.

“Whoa, whoa, what are you doing?”

“You said to relieve stress!”

“Well, being so proactive is not bad, but today there’s a company establishment announcement, so there’s no time for this. You know I’m quite busy.”

“I see.”

I had no intention of doing anything that crosses the line with Laura Walker.

It was only to the extent of patting here and there on her body, being annoyed that she infiltrated the company with the identity of an industrial spy.

Anyway, our company officially announced establishment under the name ‘Millitech’.

At the same time, we also took procedures to register patents and related rights for various technologies we developed.

Thanks to the help of the Hunter Association, we could get product sales approval faster than expected.

“My goodness… Is it the thigh today? Anyway, the Hunter Association ordered 10 C-rank tanker types, 10 long-range types, and 2 mana chargers.”

“I see. Tell the painting team to engrave the Taegeuk mark on the arm nicely and hand it over to the association.”

“Understood. But your hand is gradually going up.”

“Tsk, you’re picky. Did you check the clothes to put on the android?”

“Yes, it’s a local company, but it’s fabric with less contaminants, so the price is there, but the design is already completed and it’s a bulk order, so they said they’ll give it a bit cheaper.”

“Rather than cheap, ask them to make it sturdy and pay attention to finishing. Since it’s an expensive product anyway.”

“I’ll deliver it that way.”

From now on, I also started android production.

Androids were not that difficult because I had a lot of experience making them.

Moreover, since they were not to be used for combat, high-output mana was not needed either.

Therefore, I thought to supply power using two E-rank magic stones.

With just this much, it could operate for more than a month without charging.

Of course, this also had its own problems.

I could directly make the internal structure of androids, but I couldn’t directly make artificial skin and hair needed for home androids, of course, and clothes or shoes.

I had to cooperate with other companies to procure necessary parts and materials.

Since I set the setting that I can only make metal as designed, this part was unavoidable.

After calculating various costs like that, even though I used E-rank magic stones, the selling price had to be set at 300 million won, which is more expensive than combat-type mechanical soldiers.

But an interesting thing happened.

Before I even started making products, reservation orders started to come in.

Honestly, at first I thought it would end at a few cases.

But the reaction was hotter than expected.

It seems there are quite many rich people in Korea who can lightly purchase a 300 million won android.

“A light sky-blue haired cute girl… Isn’t it made too much to your taste?”

“What do you know? When it comes to androids, of course, cuteness is life. And if I make it like this, resistance to androids will also disappear. Think about a pot-bellied uncle android saying master and cooking. Would you want to eat it?”

“Well… That’s true.”

And before releasing androids, I bought a little land here and there across the country and installed mana charging stations.

So that androids can freely come and charge mana when needed and return.

Of course, it’s not free.

The charging cost was a system that automatically charges the android’s owner.

It’s easy to understand if you think of it as a similar concept to electric vehicle charging stations.

The difference is that it charges mana instead of electricity.

Of course, I also prepared a method for people who have charging stations far away or find it annoying to visit every time.

After purchasing a dedicated charger and just putting in mana stones, you can easily charge at home.

In the end, if you have money, maintenance of androids wasn’t that difficult.

“Which celebrity is hot these days?”

“Hmm… These days, Yoo Soo-hyun is hot.”

“Really? Contact the PR team and tell them to make an ad nicely.”

“Understood. And the registration of Hummer EV, Lamborghini Revuelto, and Zeelander 8 yacht you asked for last time is finished.”

“You worked hard.”

The vehicles chosen in this world were Hummer EV, Lamborghini Revuelto, and Zeelander 8 yacht.

Hummer EV was prepared because it seemed there would be many times to run on rough terrain due to the characteristic of the worldview where gates occur regardless of place.

Because I needed a vehicle that could move without difficulty even on rugged terrain.

Zeelander 8 yacht was a model of the Zeelander series famous as the most beautiful yacht in the world.

In short, it was convenient to think of it as the Ferrari of the yacht world.

Among them, the model with number 8 attached was the largest yacht in the series.

Finally, Lamborghini Revuelto was purchased for daily use.

You can ride Hummer EV in rough terrain, but that doesn’t mean you need to drive only large vehicles in daily life.

Of course, I had no intention of using all these vehicles and yacht as they were just purchased.

After perfectly restoring with [Restore] ability, I finished modifying this and that to make it convenient for me to use.