Chapter 139 – Patent (3)
The safe house provided by the association was very comfortable.
A good hotel for a temporary stay.
All curtains in the room were closed.
Just then, as I was dismantling the equipment, Mr. Heo Ju-ah, who was showing signs of anxiety about the road, asked me with his hand shaking.
“The material you purchased from me… Did you really release it to the world?”
“Yes.”
“Did you really need to do that? It’s definitely a great skill…”
I decided to leave the role of the lengthy explanation to Blanche.
“Main frame. Play final simulation results.”
[All right.]
Being conscious of Heo Joo-ah, Blanche, whose tone was much more formal than usual, immediately uploaded several materials to the tablet PC.
She hesitated at my choice of words.
“A simulation?”
[Simulation of the world situation after the gate closure, reappearance begins.]
What she will see now is a simulation that I specifically ordered from the company.
It’s been 20 years since the gate incident broke out.
Humanity has been using magic without any hesitation.
We used magic to defeat monsters, achieve technological advancements, and revolutionize the medical field.
But… Everything has an end.
The very situation that I have been worried about since the moment I met Yeriel is approaching right in front of me.
[If new dungeon creation decreases as the current trend, new dungeon creation will completely stop in about 117 days.]
“Ahhh…”
Heo Joo-ah also knew this much, as he was a hunter technology researcher.
Isn’t that why the technology she developed in the first place has such great value?
She decided to calmly listen to the explanation.
In fact, the American Association would have run a similar simulation.
[There is no problem until 14 days after the complete suspension of new dungeon creation. However, the problem starts from the 3rd week, the 21st day.]
“Problem?”
[Starting on the 21st day, previously created dungeons will be completely consumed. The collapse of the gate drastically lowers the concentration of magical energy across the globe. Powerful countries, including the United States, are staring at dungeons in Africa and South America, but these are only temporary measures.]
Blanche announced the end of the Great Hunter era with a calm mechanical sound.
[Currently, the magic power stockpiled in the United States is only for eight months. If used sparingly, it can last up to 24 months.]
“Now, wait a minute. The American association’s data is much more than that…”
“That’s too optimistic a figure. It doesn’t properly calculate the drop in magic concentration due to the collapse of the gate.”
Instead of Blanche, I answered Heo Joo-ah.
When the gate collapses, the mana flow from another dimension is cut off, and the concentration of mana in the air drops dramatically.
Hunters who are more dependent on ability than others or who have already undergone body transformation will be like fish out of water.
[The situation in other countries is even more serious. 4 months in Europe and Japan. China can’t even last two months.]
“No matter how much you don’t have enough stockpile?”
“It was too late to recognize the situation.”
It is a long-standing bad habit of humans to be overly optimistic about everything.
Until now, mana has been nothing short of infinite energy.
Instead of being invaded by monsters, humanity deserves a right!
This is a major premise that has been followed without fail for the past 20 years.
By the way, if the countries in question use up all the mana resources they have stored up belatedly…
[The price of magic power skyrockets, and trading is prohibited after a while. Hunters whose income has dropped sharply due to the suspension of new dungeon creation are expected to naturally turn to crime.]
“…”
[Hunter crime is exploding in various places, and the hunter medical system completely collapses due to the lack of magic power. Currently, about 5% of hunters cannot survive without regular magic power intake and treatment. Other hunters will also suffer big and small bad effects.]
Heo Joo-ah couldn’t even walk anymore.
Having accumulated her knowledge of her as a researcher, she knows that Blanche’s explanation is not wrong in the slightest.
[It’s only about a month since the exhaustion of the magical power source. Social chaos intensifies, and the hunters’ terror breaks out. First, hate crimes and genocide are caused by refugees and hunters who flowed in from collapsed countries. There have been dozens of scenarios in which an all-out war has occurred between countries.]
I didn’t say let’s start by killing all the hunters from the beginning.
However, it is no longer necessary to do so.
With a catalyst developed by Heo Joo-ah, she can create magical powers just like drawing electricity from her power plant her.
“Heo Joo-ah, thank you for saving the world. The research was done with the money of the American Association.”
“You don’t have to emphasize that… Did you really spread it to all countries?”
“Yes.”
“… Detective, there’s something I left out earlier.”
“Did you miss it?”
As I puzzled, she typed a simple formula into her tablet on the fly.
“It’s a key process for catalyst manufacturing. This was only known to me in the lab.”
“Did you take 1 billion without taking out the most important part?”
Heo Joo-ah flinched and apologized for being a little dumbfounded from this side.
“Because I didn’t know how the investigator would use this technology.”
“You did very well.”
“Yes?”
“It’s more reckless and stupid to just blindly reveal everything. It’s just that I wasn’t lucky enough to notice the wiretapping by the American Association.”
I filled in the missing parts and resent the mail.
This time, it was sent in the name of Heo Joo-ah.
When I showed her the screen, she freaked out.
“Now, wait a minute. This email… Isn’t anonymous, is it?”
“Thank you, right? Now Mr. Jua is a hero who saved the world. Sooner or later, one or two books of great men might come out.”
“Yes?”
Yeriel smiled uncharacteristically when she saw her flustered.
Heo Joo-ah looks a little pitiful right now, but…
This way she can live.
I explained a little more to her devastated woman her.
“Actually, the Korean Association probably didn’t intend to release this for free. Even if it did, it would have done it after making some profit.”
The technology to create a catalyst for converting magical power is just as powerful.
However, there was one problem with the Korean Hunter Association’s plan.
They did not consider the safety of Heo Joo-ah very much.
“However, the longer the technology remains undisclosed, the more dangerous Heo Ju-ah’s life will be. The American Association will think that killing Heo Ju-ah may prevent the technology from being disclosed.”
“Then shouldn’t it have been sent even more anonymously?”
“No.”
She regained her composure, albeit a little, at her stern answer her.
I quickly reassured her of her tear-stained face of her.
“Think about it from the perspective of the American Association. The technology has already been released anyway. Besides, it is known that Joo-ah Heo distributed the data.”
“… Yes. So?”
“Even if we kill Jua Heo now, we won’t be able to stop the leakage of technology. Rather, we will be suspected of murdering the savior of mankind.”
It was neither confidential nor anything special that Mr. Heo Joo-ah was a researcher affiliated with the American Association.
A little research will reveal that quickly.
It was now unprofitable for the American Association to kill Jua Heo.
There is no gain, only a loss.
Now, rather than murdering Heo Joo-ah, they are in a situation where they have to raise a spoon.
“Of course, it’s not completely safe though, so stay with us for a while. When things calm down, then you’ll be independent. That’s fine, right?”
“Yes, yes…”
“Okay. Then we will ensure maximum convenience for you.”
Only then did Heo Joo-ah look a little relieved, and asked a small question.
“By the way, the chances of my technology being abused are slim, right?”
In fact, she already knows the answer.
But you want to be assured of me.
This is what women often say empathy.
I decided to satisfy that with a rare courtesy.
She was a great person who deserved this kind of treatment.
“Of course. Magical energy has existed for 20 years, and will continue to do so. World War III does not suddenly break out because of the disclosure of this technology.”
“All, I’m glad. And… Thank you! You made the decision for me…”
“Nothing. This is actually a decision made by Mr. Heo Joo-ah. I just pushed a person standing on top of a cliff…”
“The investigator is talking really strangely!”
When Heo Joo-ah finally gave up her anger, Yeriel tightly closed her eyes.
I gave her a blessing for her.
“By the way, I wish Mr. Heo Joo-ah good luck.”
“Luck? All of a sudden?”
“Yes. In fact, people who chose the same path as Heo Joo-ah did not have a very good ending. Wilhelm Roentgen, who discovered X-rays and gave up patent applications for the public good, died almost financially bankrupt.”
“Profit…”
We left the room to avoid Mr. Heo Joo-ah, who finally regained his energy.
In fact, Wilhelm Roentgen is a bit unlucky…
Among those who gave up their patents, like Heo Joo-ah, there are not a few who are respected socially and have achieved financial success.
Our world isn’t that bleak yet.
In addition, Heo Joo-ah received 1 billion won.
“Didn’t you think you should have given another one billion won? The money the bereaved family received from the last insurance fraud case was about two billion won.”
“Wouldn’t one billion be enough? Heo Joo-ah is a very talented researcher.”
“Is that right?”
“Anyway, I want to go sightseeing in New York with Mr. Seo in my free time.”
“Look at me, please.”
I went into our guest room while praying to Yeriel.
