CRT Ch 0

As the vehicle jolted, Kim Chansik snapped back to his senses. The darkness before him was absolute, and he fumbled with his eyes. He recalled that he had been blindfolded and had passed out the moment he boarded the yacht.

The car carrying Kim Chansik drove on for quite some time before stopping at a sloped area. The damp smell of the forest was followed by the fishy scent of the sea. The men sitting on either side of him pulled him out of the car and scanned his entire body with something resembling a metal detector. His brows tensed with discomfort. Judging by the fact that they even confiscated his phone, their security measures were as thorough as he had heard. After the body search, the men dragged him again and seated him on a hard chair.

At that moment, someone rudely removed the blindfold Kim Chansik was wearing. Squinting, he saw a dimly lit interior. It was a cabin with nothing but a wooden dining table and tall partitions.

Across the table sat an unfamiliar man. Under the pin lighting descending from the ceiling, only the man’s lips and upper body were visible. It seemed as though he had calculated to expose just that much of himself. Could this be the broker that Representative Oh had mentioned?

When Representative Oh first told him about the Guardian Stone, Kim Chansik had thought it was nonsense. A humanoid Guardian Stone that grants its owner all sorts of miracles—wealth, fame, power, beauty.

A hand emerged from the darkness, sliding a pen and paper toward him.

“Please sign the confidentiality agreement.”

The agreement was chillingly ruthless. It was a threatening document that held not only the contracting party but also their family, entire assets, friends, and relatives as collateral. As proof, the back of the paper listed all the information about Kim Chansik and his family. Though the broker’s tone was insolent, Kim Chansik obediently signed the agreement.

This secret workshop could only be accessed through an introduction from someone who had already made a deal, with a system to ensure anonymity. Ordinary people were forbidden from approaching the workshop, and it was said that anyone who did would vanish without a trace, like a rat or a bird.

“What kind of gem do you want?”

The broker’s tone was bored and annoyed.

“I absolutely want to win the upcoming congressional election.”

Kim Chansik clutched his hair and groaned.

“For twenty years, I endured all kinds of humiliation, holding out for this moment, thinking this time I would finally wear the congressman’s badge…! But then some young upstart from the opposing camp showed up and turned everything upside down! There’s not much time left! Please, save me!”

The broker tossed out a cold voice.

“I recommend a diamond for you, sir.”

Kim Chansik swallowed hard.

“A, a diamond? If I have a diamond, will I win the election?”

“It’s the ultimate kingmaker.”

A shadow fell across the corner of the broker’s mouth.

“But don’t even think about handing it over to some experimental group or corporation. Absolutely not.”

“Why would I do something so stupid after going through all this trouble to get it…?”

“There are fools who break the rules and end up with their bones crushed, their blood drained, and suffocating to death.”

“I swear on my wife and children, I would never do that!”

Kim Chansik clenched his fist and glared. After a brief silence, the broker’s scoff echoed.

“There are things you need to prepare. Your blood, your bones, and your breath.”

The bones would be substituted with fingernails. These bizarre materials were needed for the “binding ritual,” which had to succeed for the Guardian Stone to recognize its owner and fulfill their wishes.

The binding ritual, conducted a few days later, was hundreds of times more painful than he had prepared for. He faced near-death moments multiple times, and the urge to give up was overwhelming. But through sheer tenacity, Kim Chansik finally became the master of the diamond.

Five years later, Kim Chansik had become a political titan, a leading contender for the next presidency.