The Knight King Who Returned with God-Chapter 11 A Merchant… Offering a Handshake?

Doojeong Group was one of the most prominent conglomerates in South Korea.

From instant noodles to guided missiles.

They had expanded into virtually every domestic industry. Some of their ventures failed, others succeeded, but their influence extended far beyond Korea—even globally, Doojeong carried serious weight.

After the appearance of the Gates, the most affected sector was the food industry.

Major grain-producing regions like the Huabei Plain in China and the Nile Delta in Egypt had to be abandoned due to mana contamination caused by dungeon breaks.

Thirty years ago, there weren't even magical tower reagents to purify mana pollution. The contamination led to permanent damage, which in turn triggered a global food crisis.

Governments around the world were forced to find new sources of food, and in this effort, they heavily supported domestic companies.

With the full backing of the government, Doojeong Future Foods became a major corporation that supplied nearly 30% of the domestic food market.

As such, Park Jongchan—Executive Director of this powerful company—was someone who could walk proudly with his shoulders back wherever he went.

He was not a man accustomed to being looked down on.

"A merchant... reaching out for a handshake?"

He thought he'd misheard for a moment.

A merchant? In today's world, corporate figures are some of the most respected elites in society.

The immense capital managed by business leaders moves power—and even changes laws.

Someone in Park's position at Doojeong, a key executive of a powerhouse company, was not someone even high-ranking Hunters or members of the National Assembly could treat lightly.

So what was with those eyes, that tone of voice, that utterly contemptuous way of speaking—toward not just him, but toward corporate figures as a whole?

Even the female association staff member looked stunned at such a shocking statement.

Yet Park Jongchan kept a calm expression and put on a business smile.

"Haha, it seems, Mr. Leon, that you're unfamiliar with modern Earth civilization. You see, in the modern age, a businessperson is quite different from the merchants of the old..."

"How dare a lowly merchant speak so freely to royalty? I did not give you permission to speak."

What the... is this guy insane?

Park Jongchan had met several survivors for business purposes before, but he had never once been treated with such utter disdain.

"Y-Your Majesty... In our world, businesspeople are a highly respected profession..."

Leon let out a sigh, his tone almost bewildered.

"Merchants, by their very nature, sell off their dignity and pride in pursuit of profit. They exploit the loopholes in the law and wear it like a badge of honor."

It wasn't something that could be easily denied. Doojeong Future Foods was, after all, frequently criticized for tax evasion, illegal collusion, and excessive profit-seeking.

Not that other corporations were any better.

"Even if the world is different, the nature and essence of a merchant do not change. So how can someone with such a base tongue and vile instincts stand face-to-face with nobility?"

"Hmph..."

"I have nothing more to hear."

That was the end of it.

After thoroughly humiliating and dismissing him, Leon casually walked past Park Jongchan.

Hari trailed behind him quickly. Park Jongchan stared at their backs in utter disbelief, speechless.

"W-What the hell...?"

"This will be Your Majesty's residence."

"Well... it's acceptable, I suppose."

In modern society, a 50-pyeong (roughly 1,800 square feet) officetel was more than enough for a single person. But to Leon, it was no royal palace.

Still, considering he was originally from Earth and had often slept in the wilderness during campaigns, he wasn't in the mood to nitpick.

"The association will be providing this place to you for one year, Your Majesty. Rent and maintenance fees will all be covered by the association, so you needn't worry."

Hari explained various things as Leon nodded along. There were even cleaning services paid for by the association, just in case.

Whew... Thank goodness.

From Hari's perspective, who was affiliated with the Hunter Association, it was fortunate that Leon had simply walked past Park Jongchan.

Information about survivors was usually classified. Like North Korean defectors, those who arrived from isolated societies were placed under a 3-month quarantine and given proper education.

But when it came to an entirely different world, the cultural gap would obviously be enormous. Normally, someone like Leon should have gone through quarantine and training first—but if they'd even tried to isolate him, there would've been chaos.

"But why did that businessman even come here in the first place?"

"What else? A merchant's nature doesn't change. He's probably chasing after profit."

Profit? What kind of profit could Doojeong's executive want from Leon? Then it hit Hari like a thunderbolt.

"The rice! It's because of the blessed rice fields in the Honam Plains...!"

The situation had been so urgent that information control had completely broken down. A livestreamer had apparently caught it all on camera.

"That farmer guy... Park something, wasn't it?"

She searched the video platform and found the footage uploaded by a Mr. Park. The association had definitely tried to take it down and issue a warning, but—

"Wait...? He uploaded it again!?"

Farmer Park was in a gloomy mood after his most recent video was taken down.

The footage had captured an unbelievable scene live from the Honam Plains Gate.

Land that had been contaminated with mana suddenly flourished before their eyes.

"D-Did you guys see that just now? The rice—it just whoosh! It grew all at once!"

-What the heck? What was that?

-Magic?

-Was that a blonde mage from the Magic Tower? Did they use some kind of rapid-growth spell?

-But even with magic, can you really grow crops on mana-contaminated land?

-Maybe it's some new tech we don't know about.

Crops had grown on land that was rotted and ruined.

As a farmer, Mr. Park knew just how incredible that was.

Even after the Magic Tower developed mana purification technology, it still took one to two years of pouring expensive reagents into contaminated land to cleanse it.

He gulped at the miracle unfolding before his eyes, recalling Mr. Jung from the neighboring village who had gone bankrupt trying to afford those reagents.

Yeah, but crops grown with magic aren't edible anyway.

Yep, the magic in them makes them toxic to regular people.

Even Hunters need to get their stomachs flushed after a few bites.

But then, something shocking happened. The association staff began threshing the rice with a machine—then actually cooked it and started eating it!

"Hey, you there! What do you think you're doing?"

Just as Park tried to get a closer look, still in disbelief that they were really eating the rice, he was spotted by the association staff and chased off.

That evening, in a rush, Park went looking for Mr. Kim—the owner of the field.

"Mr. Kim! Did you save what I asked for?"

"Yeah, but the association guys said absolutely nothing should be taken out..."

"What kind of rule is that? You own the field, don't you?"

"Well, yeah..."

"They said the land's completely healed, right? And the association folks were eating bowls of rice too."

"True enough..."

Park, a curious soul who even filmed himself eating wild animals for his YouTube channel, was buzzing with excitement.

The land wasn't just purified—it had produced fully grown crops in an instant. How could he possibly let this go?

This was YouTube gold. But before that, he wanted to run a little test.

"Let's cook up a bowl of rice and feed it to the neighborhood cat first."

"Hmm... not a bad idea."

The two of them cooked just a single bowl of rice to start.

The steaming, glossy white rice looked tempting—especially with a bit of kimchi on top—but they held back. Better to do animal testing first, just to be safe.

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Woof!

Just then, before the rice was even done cooking, an old dog came up to the door.

"Isn't that Dolsoon from the Chuns' place?"

"Looks like it. I thought she was on her last legs—what's she doing here?"

Dolsoon was a 12-year-old senior dog. Like most aging pets, she had arthritis, and her lack of exercise had led to obesity. She barely moved at home these days.

So why was she here, now?

Woof! Woof woof!

"Hey! You mutt! Get back home!"

Then suddenly, Dolsoon darted straight toward the rice table.

"Hey now!"

"Is this crazy dog out of her mind?!"

The two men were furious—until they saw what happened next.

"No, wait! You can't eat that!"

"What the hell's wrong with this dog all of a sudden?!"

This was bad. Even if she was old, Dolsoon was dearly loved by Mr. Chun. If she ate that rice and died...

"Spit it out! Come on, spit it out!"

Park tried to pry the rice from Dolsoon's mouth, but she scarfed it down like her life depended on it. And then—

WOOF! WOOF WOOF!

Dolsoon let out a powerful bark and leapt into the air like a grasshopper—then took off running straight toward her home.

"Uh... what?"

"W-What is going on...?"

This was the same dog who could barely walk due to arthritis. Just last week, they had seen Mr. Chun weeping, cradling Dolsoon, thinking her time had come.

And now? She looked... healthier?

"..."

"..."

Park and Kim looked at each other, thinking the exact same thing.

They started cooking another pot of rice.

"Gah! My chronic spinal curvature?!"

"It's like a weight's been lifted from my chest!"

In a rural village in the Honam Plains, the miracles that began to unfold spread quickly throughout the entire community.

Meanwhile, at Doojeong Future Foods' research lab—where a team had been sent to investigate the mysterious rice through the Phoenix Guild—similar phenomena were being observed.

"What... What the hell am I even looking at right now?"

"How can a single grain of rice hold such dense energy?"

The "Blessed Rice" that had been discreetly acquired through the Phoenix Guild was verified through multiple appraisers—it was without a doubt a rare-grade item.

[Blessed Rice]

◆ Grade: Rare

◆ Description:

Rice blessed by the divine power of Demera, the goddess of life and abundance.

Alleviates Tier-3 diseases. With continued consumption, it has a high chance of complete recovery.

"Blessed rice? Blessed by what, exactly?"

"Isn't it magic? What religion even worships this Demera goddess?"

"Tier-3 diseases? How serious are we talking?"

"Early-stage colon cancer, for example."

"Damn! Can we prove this? Run tests on lab mice!"

The results were clear.

The healing power of the Blessed Rice was real.

Lab mice that were on the brink of death actually recovered after consistent consumption of the rice.

"W-We've got to report this up the chain immediately! Tell them to secure as many seeds as possible!"

The lab report was quickly passed on to the upper ranks of Doojeong Future Foods, and Executive Director Park Jong-chan was personally dispatched to investigate.

Thanks to Doojeong Group's planted eyes and ears in the Hunter Association, tracking down Leon wasn't difficult.

"A businessman... reaching out first?"

But Leon coldly brushed them off, and Director Park came back seething with rage.

"That arrogant, savage bastard!"

His fury exploded like a volcano.

Researchers coming in to deliver their reports flinched as he hurled his nameplate across the room—but Park didn't care.

"Hey. That rice—are we sure it works?"

"Y-Yes, absolutely!"

"But you haven't done human trials. Just because it worked on a bunch of rats doesn't mean it'll work on people, does it?"

"Well..."

His secretary stepped in.

"We approached the owner of the field to secure as many seeds as possible. And there, we witnessed—"

The secretary went on to explain everything Park and Kim had experienced.

A dying dog that miraculously recovered. People whose chronic illnesses and allergies were cured after eating the rice. The entire village becoming healthy again, from minor colds to serious conditions.

"We don't have clinical trial data... but the effects are as good as proven."

"So it's the real deal."

Greed sparkled in Park's eyes. If he hadn't believed in the appraisers' evaluation, he never would've gotten involved himself.

That rice was a jackpot product.

No—a revolutionary commodity that could change the course of history.

"If only it weren't for that deranged lunatic..."

The problem lay with the survivor who held the secret to the rice.

That primitive brute had the audacity to look down on a Doojeong Group executive—calling him a mere merchant.

"Director... we must secure that rice no matter what. It holds limitless potential."

"I know."

A grain that could cure cancer just by eating it.

It wasn't just food—it was a complete game-changer for both the food industry and the medical field.

"We'll have to meet again... whether he likes it or not."

Leon was too unpredictable. Next time, they'd need to go through the Association.

The first visit had been a surprise move, before the Association could interfere—but it had backfired spectacularly.

"These savages think they can just mock corporate leaders in South Korea?"

Director Park made up his mind.

He would crush that barbarian's pride.

Just like so many other survivors before him—

Ignorant relics from primitive worlds who thought their way of life was superior.

They were always humbled when they witnessed the overwhelming scientific power and productivity of modern civilization.

"So he's acting high and mighty over some mystical rice?"

"Then I'll show him—the power of science, in the name of Earth."

Park smirked confidently.

He would overwhelm him with a culture shock.