Chapter 359: Capitalistic Fanaticism (3)

Right after Saintess Han Siah left.

Having finished his full setting, Leo could not control that power and ran to the B-rank gate on the outskirts of Manhattan, Blood Canyon.

A hellish hunting ground where the original him would have been torn to death just by making eye contact with the monsters near the entrance.

However, the current Leo was different.

In one of his hands, a smartphone (broadcasting camera) was held.

“Haa, haa…….”

Leo let out rough breaths and swung his greatsword toward the empty air.

[Sword Aura Emission (C)+9 is activated!]

[The 〈Rune of Cutting II〉 and 〈Rune of Execution II〉 of the Dragon-made greatsword resonate!]

[The A-rank dragon tattoo explodes muscle strength!]

Peoeoeoeong―!

What would have been merely a C-rank skill's sword aura, heavily plastered with the power of +9 enhancement and item buffs, transformed into a massive slash that seemed to cleave a mountain range and shot forward.

“Kieeeek!”

Dozens of the B-rank monster Blood Wolf pack swarming from the front turned into lumps of meat and burst in all directions the moment they touched the single sword aura.

Just a single strike.

The perennial F-rank porter sliced away the B-rank gate's monster wave in a single breath.

“Kuhahahaha! Did you see?! Did you see, you irreverent things!”

Covered in blood, Leo roared like crazy toward the camera.

That evening.

The US board server of GateNet, the worldwide Awakened community, was driven to the verge of explosion because of just a single video.

[Title: (Verification) I'm a pathetic F-rank who carried luggage until just 2 weeks ago. Going to tell the story of solo clearing a B-rank gate today. AMA]

[Author: NY_Leo_DeathCult]

[Views: 25,410,200 times]

[Content: Hello, brothers and sisters. Watch the video first. This is a video of me just now grinding up the mobs in Blood Canyon (B-rank) on the outskirts of Manhattan in a single strike.

(Attachment: A solo clear video.gif of Leo grinding a pack of Blood Wolves with a single Sword Aura Emission (C)+9.)

There must be guys who think I was originally an S-rank or belonged to a large guild, but I'll cleanly verify my specs.

(Attachment 1: Photo of F-rank Awakened license renewed for 5 consecutive years)

(Attachment 2: 30-dollar receipt statement settled at an F-rank goblin gate just 2 weeks ago)

(Attachment 3: Screen captures of 5 years of lower-tier gate entry and party member history)

I'm the real pathetic F-rank Leo from Manhattan who dug through the trash can when you guys were cutting steak after hunting.

But you're asking how I geared up with those items and became a monster like that in 2 weeks?

You bastards who doubt it, leave a question on my post right now.]

The comment section was truly in a state of massive explosion.

―Wow crazy;; What did I just watch? Isn't that edited?

―What's that Sword Aura Emission in the video?? Looking at the effect, it's at least +9 enhancement??

―Hey, don't you see the tattoos on his body? Those are the Ilsung Group dragon tattoos the whole world is going crazy trying to get these days! The weapon even has runes embedded in it!

―Fact) 99% chance that's manipulated. How does a guy who was an F-rank Awakened for 5 years straight gear up like that in 2 weeks? Didn't Ilsung hire a part-timer?

At that time, familiar nicknames began to appear one after another in the comment section that was doubting manipulation.

They were the actual lower-tier Awakened of New York who were in the party member history Leo posted.

―……Holy shit. Hey. That's really Manhattan Leo. He's the guy I hired as a porter when going to a D-rank gate just 2 weeks ago.

―Crazy, it's really Leo? That loser who peed his pants and ran away first when the spider demonic beast appeared is that monster??

―Wow I know him too. He's the guy who always carried a rusty iron sword and survived a day on half a hamburger;; He came to my parties often too.

As the vivid fact-checking testimonies of past party members poured out, the atmosphere of the board flipped in a single breath from disbelief to astonishment.

―Crazy, party members' testimonies keep coming out;

―Hey what the hell are you? Are you getting sponsored by Ilsung from behind? Did you hit the lottery? Did you inherit around 1 trillion won?!

As questions mixed with jealousy and astonishment poured out like a waterfall, Leo began cyber evangelism in earnest.

―NY_Leo_DeathCult (Author) The only ones who bestowed this miracle upon me are the Death Cult and the great Kim Minwoo.

―NY_Leo_DeathCult (Author): I went to the Manhattan Headquarters, offered a sincere prayer once, got judged as a C-rank believer, and the Cult shot me a 100,000-dollar loan with no guarantor and no interest.

―NY_Leo_DeathCult (Author): The Saintess visited me personally and bestowed a full +9 skill book set, 3-rune equipment, and even dragon tattoos all for free.

A shocking bombardment of facts.

The board instantly became quiet as a dead mouse, and soon began to burn even more fiercely.

―Did you make a contract with the devil! Heretic!

―NY_Leo_DeathCult (Author): @Holy_Knight― Heretic? Devil? Has that petty god you believe in ever paid even 1 dollar for your potion cost when you were carrying luggage? The one who gave me a house, gave me food, gave me a 100,000-dollar loan, and gave me a weapon is the real god lol What's the point of believing in a god who doesn't even pay my rent?

Leo's madness-filled testimony perfectly struck the heads of the Awakened in the USA, a thoroughly capitalistic society.

―Honestly, isn't Leo right? lol He saves your life and showers you with items, so isn't a guy who doesn't believe a retard?

―Wait, you're saying money gets copied and they give you rune equipment just by having faith? I'm putting up a photo of Lord Kim Minwoo right now.

―Hey, is anyone in line at the Manhattan 5th Avenue Cult Headquarters? If I go now, can I get registered as a believer?

―I just arrived at the Texas branch and the line is over two blocks long lol They're all Awakened lol

The sudden success of an F-rank Awakened who was much worse off than them just 2 weeks ago.

The reason was merely one petty reason, that his faith was slightly ahead.

Outwardly, the public mocked and dragged him down, saying, 'Leo is sucking honey thanks to the Cult.'

However, underlying that shallow criticism was a bone-cutting jealousy and envy.

‘I want to suck that honey too!'

‘They even shower that F-rank trash Leo like that, so wouldn't they give me more if I believed?’

In a capitalistic society, there was nothing that stimulated the public's desire as much as the overwhelming success and wealth of another person.

The jealousy toward Leo soon led to a blind craving toward the Death Cult.

The result? 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

The number of believers across the USA caused a massive explosion once again.

Tens of millions of Americans flocked to Ilsung Stores and Cult chapels, placed their hands on the Faith Orbs, and praised Kim Minwoo. From Hollywood stars to Wall Street fund managers, a madness of scrambling to offer prayers to raise their Cult rank swallowed the American continent.

Tens of thousands of Awakened and citizens began swarming like zombie hordes to Ilsung Stores and Cult chapels all over the USA.

＊ ＊ ＊

Washington D.C., USA, Federal Reserve System Headquarters.

The heart of capitalism that holds and shakes the monetary hegemony of the entire world beyond the USA.

However, right now, the conference room of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC), the highest decision-making body of that heart, was truly in a state of panic beyond a house in mourning.

“Is this…… a figure that even makes sense right now?!”

The FED Chairman shouted, pointing at the graph displayed on the monitor with bloodshot eyes.

The line on the graph was soaring vertically as if climbing Mount Everest.

“The dollar liquidity circulated in the market over the past 2 weeks has skyrocketed by a whopping 15%! We haven't ordered quantitative easing, nor have we lowered interest rates, but dollars are pouring out into the market like crazy! The value of the dollar is turning into trash in real-time! Just what in the world is going on?!”

The influx of astronomical funds that even the central bank of the USA could not control. The resulting inflation figures were already smashing the common sense of economics.

“Th-that is…….”

The chief analyst in charge of the report flipped through his tablet with trembling hands.

“We also recognized the emergency and fully mobilized the National Security Agency and the Treasury Department to trace the source of the funds. The money was passing through tens of thousands of shell companies registered in third-world countries and being scattered like a bombardment all over the USA through Wall Street.”

“Third-world shell companies? Is it economic terrorism by the Chinese or Russian bastards?! If not that, are you saying they mass-produced counterfeit bills!”

At the Chairman's sharp yell, the analyst made a tearful face and shook his head.

“N-no……! They are not counterfeit bills! Starting from the serial numbers of the banknotes to the ledger records of digital dollars, they are perfect and flawless 100% United States dollars!”

“……What did you say?”

“What's even more terrible is…… that real cash on the scale of hundreds of billions of dollars (hundreds of trillions of won) perfectly outside our FED's control network is being forcibly injected into the market in just a few days! This is a figure that easily surpasses the 1-year national budget of an average developed country!”

“This is crazy!”

Curses burst out from the mouths of the economics scholars and board members gathered in the conference room.

What kind of ghost eating seeds nonsense was this?

To think that a massive scale of real dollars that the US central bank had never even printed was rolling around the market as if they had been copied in the empty air!

“Just where…… are these massive funds popping out from, and where in the US market are they flowing into?!”

Just before the Chairman foamed at the mouth and collapsed, the analyst flipped the slide on the main screen.

The panoramic view of a massive cross and the Ilsung Premium Store built in the center of Manhattan, New York was displayed on the screen.

“As a result of the tracking…… the source of the funds was tens of thousands of paper companies based in the third world. These shell companies are mobilizing near-infinite dollars to frantically hoard food, daily necessities around the world, and real estate within the United States.”

The analyst gulped down dry saliva and added.

“And the final destination those goods and buildings laundered with dollars head to is exactly that place. They are all being poured out in the form of…… free grocery vouchers, safe zone rental housing, and non-guaranteed loan subsidies for the Death Cult believers that are explosively increasing all over the USA recently.”

“……So you're saying right now the Death Cult is…… copying dollars in the empty air and scattering them to the poor in the USA?”

“Probably…….”

At those words, the board members including the Chairman dropped their jaws.