Tomb Raider King
chapter-44

Translator: miraclerifle

Yoo Jaeha almost fainted.

Ju-Heon was glaring at Yoo Jaeha with a, ‘would you look at this bastard,’ type of gaze. Yoo Jaeha turned pale.

‘This bastard!

When did he!’

However, Ju-Heon didn't care whether Yoo Jaeha was shocked or not as he started to speak to the person on the phone.

“Aigoo, look who it is. Did the Chairman-nim call to get his artifacts restored?”

He already seemed to know who Yoo Jaeha was talking to.

It wasn’t very difficult to figure out. Chairman Kwon was the only person Yoo Jaeha would call ‘Chairman-nim’ and say that he would restore artifacts for him.

Was it because he heard Ju-Heon's shameless voice? Chairman Kwon couldn't speak as if he had received a great shock.

‘This voice is definitely...’

Chairman Kwon felt as if he was hit on the head after realizing that the voice was familiar.

‘Why is this bastard over there?’

However, Ju-Heon laughed wickedly and continued to speak without any care for Chairman Kwon who was at a loss for words.

“Oh my, I'm really sorry. Yoo Jaeha has already become my exclusive restorer.”

[?!]

Both of them were shocked but Yoo Jaeha was foaming at the mouth.

“Who became your exclusive restorer...mmph!”

Ju-Heon covered his mouth and hammered the nail in.

“Let me deliver Yoo Jaeha’s message for him. He said to go find yourself another restorer, you retard.”

Click.

Yoo Jaeha looked ready to cry as he grabbed Ju-Heon's collar after seeing him end the call.

“Hey! You crazy bastard! When did I say something like that?”

“You are about to say it right now.”

“What did you say?! Damn it!”

Yoo Jaeha tried to quickly call Chairman Kwon back to explain the situation. However, Ju-Heon who hung up the phone then erased Chairman Kwon’s number as well.

Ju-Heon looked at Yoo Jaeha who looked ready to cry and said something.

“It’s best to not mistake which rope you should grab.”

“What?”

“I'll have you know that Chairman Kwon's is a rotten rope. I am the rope you should grab.”

Yoo Jaeha became flabbergasted after hearing that comment.

‘Who is this bastard to say Chairman Kwon is a rotten rope?’

However, Ju-Heon was being serious.

He was planning on turning Chairman Kwon into a rotten rope from here.

‘You are the first card to do that. Yoo Jaeha.’

Ju-Heon who had prepared a carrot for this bastard started to chuckle.

However, Yoo Jaeha was not the only one who was going crazy right now.

It was the same for Chairman Kwon who had a restorer swiped from under his nose.

Duu- Duu- Duu.

Chairman Kwon couldn't close his mouth while looking at the hung up phone.

‘He already took Yoo Jaeha?’

Chairman Kwon felt pain at the back of his head as he thought about that.

‘But I need my artifacts restored right now!’

Most importantly, Edward had told him that a useful tomb seemed to have appeared in China. China who learned about the existence of artifacts had put out an announcement that they were recruiting for an excavation team who would be rewarded handsomely.

‘Based on the reward, the five artifact users Edward warned me about would move as well.’

That was why he needed to restore his conquest artifact right away to enter the tomb!

But that bastard Seo Ju-Heon was hindering his progress!

‘This damn thorn in the ass-type of bastard!’

Anyway, he had no time to find a different restorer and he couldn’t give up on Yoo Jaeha like this.

Although Ju-Heon had just hindered him...

‘It’s not hard to employee an artist with no backing.’

He didn’t know what Ju-Heon would offer, but there was no way that bastard could offer better terms than the Chairman of a major company.

That was why Chairman Kwon had his secretary send a message to Yoo Jaeha.

“Gather as much money as possible for Yoo Jaeha. Don't hold anything back.”

He then laughed. Money was what moved the world.

‘Does he think he is some kind of golden spoon?’

As Chairman Kwon expected, Yoo Jaeha was pouting as he looked at Ju-Heon.

‘No matter what you offer, Chairman Kwon is the answer.’

He could not paint his own paintings anymore. He was already buried with the false reputation as a copycat. All that was left for him was counterfeits and restorations that could potentially end up making him money in the future.

He would be able to have a decent level of support and money even without painting if he worked for Chairman Kwon.

But Yoo Jaeha decided to listen to what Ju-Heon had to say first.

“What do I need to do if I work for you?”

“First, stop the paintings counterfeiting and restore artifacts for me.”

Yoo Jaeha started to frown.

‘I was wondering what this bastard was going to say.’

“You speak more bullshit the more I listen to you. It’s not that I don't like restoring artifacts, but who are you to tell me not to paint?”

“Are such stupid counterfeits still considered paintings?”

Yoo Jaeha instantly turned angry.

“Hey! Watch your mouth! Stupid counterfeits?! Counterfeits are still works of art! They are still the results of hard work!”

Ju-Heon smirked as if he found Yoo Jaeha's response to be stupid.

“I guess you still have your pride as an artist even though you scam people with other people's paintings.”

“What?!”

“Well, it's not that you aren't talented. Why don't you stop the counterfeiting and draw your own paintings?”

‘This bastard.’

Yoo Jaeha clenched his fists. However, unlike how he had retorted everything until now, Yoo Jaeha just stood there without being able to say anything this time.

“......”

Ju-Heon chuckled.

‘As expected.’

Ju-Heon seemed to have thought about something as he handed a mini sketchbook the size of his palm in the air.

‘!’

Yoo Jaeha's eyes turned wide after seeing it. That his was drawing note that he had not shown anybody else.

“Who gave you permission!”

“Sorry, but I took a look. Well, it does seem like your style of painting is the same as Jean Richard’s that sells the best right now.”

“.........Hand it over!”

Yoo Jaeha who forced the sketchbook out of his hand ripped it up and threw it into the trash can. He then continued to shout toward Ju-Heon.

“Get lost before I get angry!”

However, Ju-Heon just disrespectfully continued.

“Do you want to be Jean Richard's ghost painter or something? How useless.”

Yoo Jaeha became angry and started to grind his teeth.

“Ghost painter? He was the one who stole my painting!”

Ju-Heon started to smile as if he got him.

Yoo Jaeha.

He didn’t ask in details when they worked together under Chairman Kwon, but Ju-Heon had some ideas about it.

He knew how Jaeha was stabbed in the back by a professor he trusted, buried from the art world and how desperately this bastard wanted to paint.

‘But he turned into a scammer after throwing away everything including his creed when he became broken.’

That was why Ju-Heon knew what this bastard wanted more than anything else.

Was that the reason? Ju-Heon who provoked him on purpose slowly asked.

“Stole?”

Yoo Jaeha shut his mouth as if he said something he shouldn’t have said, but Ju-Heon smiled wickedly.

"Are you saying Jean Richard stole your painting?”

“......”

Yoo Jaeha bit down on his lips so much that they might start to bleed at any moment. Nobody believed him and he had been blackmailed that his parents would not be safe if he publicised the issue.

Furthermore, his fame had been tarnished and he had already been buried and banished from the art world.

However, Ju-Heon sneered at him.

“I don’t know much about it, but I guess art is something that can so easily be copied. Then I guess your art was nothing much either.”

Yoo Jaeha exploded at Ju-Heon's intentional provocation. Even a gentle and rational person had that reverse scale. Ju-Heon knew this bastard’s reverse scale very well.

And lo and behold.

“Hey! Shut the hell up if you don't know anything! You're just a layman! Art is made of the artist’s techniques, values, and principles!”

“Oh, really?”

Yoo Jaeha was huffing and puffing as he seemed to recall the past events.

“That was why I also thought he won't be able to go far with a copy. But for some reason, that bastard was able to draw the things that I had only thought about. It was as if he could read my mind......”

Yoo Jaeha sighed after saying that.

“F*ck, there’s no way that’s possible.”

“No, it is possible.”

“What?”

Ju-Heon’s gaze turned serious as he smiled. There was more. Ju-Heon got to the point as if he had been waiting for Jaeha to get angry.

“Jean Richard, the professor who stole your painting is an artifact user.”

Yoo Jaeha was shocked at what he had just heard.

“W, what did you say?”

“He is able to completely transform into the person of his choosing. He is able to perfectly copy the person's knowledge and skills.”

“?!”

Jean Richard. There was no way Ju-Heon wouldn't know about him.

'Why?’

He was the bastard with Vidoq’s artifact, the < Vidocq’s Mirrormask >. Vidocq was the real person who Lupin was based on.

Chairman Kwon was the one who had won the War of Artifacts thanks to Ju-Heon's tomb raiding team, but there were other artifact users that caused quite the headache. One of them was Jean Richard.

He was called the < Transformation Expert >. The title of Expert were given to Monarch candidates who used unique artifacts.

‘Anyway, he used the artifact to perfectly copy Yoo Jaeha. Yoo Jaeha was a talented but nameless newbie.’

Whether it was a thesis or art, no matter what the truth was, the famous bastard would usually win and the poor weak soul would get buried.

Ju-Heon soon started to speak.

“You want to draw, right?”

Yoo Jaeha flinched at that question. Ju-Heon continued to smile as he watched Jaeha’s reaction. This bastard should be quite riled up by now.

That was why Ju-Heon showed a ray of hope to this thirsty artist.

“I will get that stolen painting back for you from Jean Richard.”

Yoo Jaeha questioned his ears at this statement. It made his heart beat faster, but Yoo Jaeha was not an innocent child who would so easily nod his head.

“Do you think that is possible?”

Yoo Jaeha sighed as if he didn't believe Ju-Heon but Ju-Heon could clearly see it. Yoo Jaeha’s gaze was telling him he was intrigued. He could also tell that Jaeha was being tempted even if his mind was telling him it was impossible.

‘It really was this.’

That was indeed the case. Ju-Heon wanted Yoo Jaeha’s loyalty. He needed this bastard to use his scamming skills for his benefit. However, he didn't need a scammer who was ready to betray him at any moment. This was especially true because Ju-Heon had tasted the bitter taste of betrayal once already.

‘Submission through force always brings forth evil intentions and betrayal.'

Then what could he do?

There was no need to worry about it too much. He just needed to make the person fall for him and drag them until the end.

This was something that Chairman Kwon who treated artifact users as tools would never understand even after death.

That was why Ju-Heon stabbed the nail into Yoo Jaeha’s mind with a stern gaze.

“You will be able to get your painting back if you follow me.”

This scammer named Yoo Jaeha seemed to be moved by money, but he was actually a genius artist. He liked art so much that he would paint these counterfeits as it was the only thing he could do right now.

That was the one method to convince Yoo Jaeha.

And lo and behold, Yoo Jaeha started to bite Ju-Heon’s bait.

“......Can you really make that happen? You?”

“Yes.”

“Before all of that, you... You believe that I had my style of painting stolen?”

“I trust you.”

Yoo Jaeha's gaze vividly shook at that response.

Nobody had believed him when he told the truth and had treated him as a criminal. But why would this bastard...

‘Is he pretending to trust me?’

However, Ju-Heon’s gaze was firm and seemed to be sincere. That was why Yoo Jaeha started to speak.

“I don’t know why you are doing all of this, but I am just a civilian. I am not a great individual for you to desire.”

“Don’t worry about that. I'm trying to buy the future you and not the present you.”

“!”

He then continued to speak.

“Jean Richard is well-connected with the upper echelon of society so people like Chairman Kwon who are wary of them cannot do it. But it is possible for me.”

‘I need to take care of Jean Richard anyway.’

That was for Ju-Heon's benefit, but Ju-Heon somewhat wanted this bastard to achieve his dreams in this life as well.

He was an annoying bastard who always caused trouble, but he was still one of his subordinates. Ju-Heon also trusted this bastard’s pride as an artist.

Yoo Jaeha blanked out after hearing this unexpected part.

‘This bastard, just who...!’

He could not figure out Ju-Heon's identity at all.

Yoo Jaeha had received a text message at that moment.

It was from Chairman Kwon.

[I am sending this message because I can’t seem to reach you. I want to personally chat with you regarding our support fund for you. I await your response.]

Yoo Jaeha read the message with shaking eyes. He then looked toward Ju-Heon.

It was now time to decide.

He then started to draft a response.