Dungeon & Commander (190)
Sweat dripped steadily onto the floor.
I never imagined training could make my heart race like this. Maybe it felt precious because I'd nearly lost it.
Ever since becoming guild master, I'd spent so long just watching the guild's raiders train. Sometimes my blood boiled. I wanted to jump in myself, but I had to hold back.
Not anymore.
The vicious curse of dungeon sickness... was lifted.
The urge to plunge back into a dungeon surged up again and again. Each time, I reminded myself of my position. If the master shirked his duties to focus on raids, the guild wouldn't run properly.
An engine's exhaust rumbled.
Today, as always, Hwang Myeong-su arrived first at the guildhouse. Spotting Go Cheolmin drenched in sweat, he asked,
"Did you sleep here or something?"
"Too lazy."
Go Cheolmin brushed it off vaguely. He couldn't bring himself to say he'd pulled an all-nighter because martial arts training was so damn fun—it was too cringeworthy.
Choi Muhyun, Yoo Min-jeong, Skyla, and Yeom Sang-taek arrived soon after, along with the Roulette team. They'd added six more simulators yesterday, so no more bickering over turns.
Instructor Jang Man-ho pushed open the guildhouse doors. Right—today was his first day on the job.
Go Cheolmin clapped his hands to gather everyone.
"This is Instructor Jang Man-ho. He was a teacher at a martial arts school, so hit him up with any questions. Even if you're magic users, grasping martial principles will boost your spells too. It'll help everyone."
After a quick self-introduction, Jang Man-ho dove straight into instructor mode. He wandered among the trainees, his sharp eyes scanning everything before jotting notes in his pad.
It was a shame Kim Jun wasn't here, but Go Cheolmin couldn't stop grinning at the guildhouse's feverish energy.
"You're not even trying to hide how thrilled you are."
Turning, Go Cheolmin spotted Choi Min-su.
"When did you get here, sir?"
"Just now. Care to talk?"
Go Cheolmin headed upstairs to the master room with his senior. He brewed some instant coffee, handed a cup over, and sat down.
Choi Min-su took a sip and quipped,
"You make damn good coffee. Nice and strong. Might have to drop by more often just for this. So, what's the plan going forward?"
"What do you mean...?"
"Time to return to active duty."
Go Cheolmin flinched. That hit the nail on the head—he knew exactly what he wanted.
Returning as a tanker.
The insane rush when stepping through the gate into that dark world!
But he was the guild master.
The raiders sweating it out downstairs had joined Uramata because they trusted him. He couldn't betray that.
"I'm Uramata Guild's master."
"I've been dying to say this for ages. No chance back then, so I held off. You're not cut out for master. Hell, you're sorely lacking the talent. As a raider—especially a tanker—you're solid enough I'd recruit you for my team in a heartbeat. But as a master? No."
Go Cheolmin had to concede the point.
A master needed vast networks.
You had to leverage your charisma to meet all sorts of people and pull in their support. Strangers still made Go Cheolmin uneasy.
Planning, finances, operations—the whole guild management side was the same story.
Truth was, for a guild to function, its admin and support backbone had to be rock-solid.
Uramata's was paper-thin right now. Devils Day had driven off most of the staff, and even before that, admin had been shaky.
"How about pulling double duty as master and raider? People do it."
"I don't have the chops. Like you said, even one role stretches me thin."
If he could swing it, he'd run the guild by day and raid dungeons when gates opened.
Choi Min-su's eyes gleamed.
Go Cheolmin knew the real pitch was coming.
"I want to recommend someone to take over Uramata for you."
"Can't do that."
Uramata's vibe was too unique—an outsider could shatter the tight-knit feel. Building a culture took ages, but wrecking it? One wrong move. Go Cheolmin knew that all too well.
"What if it's Yoo Wan-seop?"
"......"
Go Cheolmin couldn't believe his ears.
Yoo Wan-seop? That legendary dealer?
"Losing an arm doesn't erase a monster like that. Wan-seop's a free agent right now—FA market. But he holed up in Jirisan, so no other guild can touch him. Word is, some sent recruiters, but they couldn't even find the guy. Makes sense—that mountain's huge."
"No way he'd come to a place like this."
Go Cheolmin couldn't mask his excitement.
If Yoo Wan-seop joined Uramata, he'd hand over the master seat in a heartbeat and return to tanking.
"I'll bring him."
Choi Min-su said it lightly, like a joke, but it rang dead serious to Go Cheolmin.
"What's really going on?"
"Balance is tipping. Could turn into a bloodbath if we're not careful."
Choi Min-su crumpled his empty paper cup.
Go Cheolmin got it.
The awakening test fiasco, villain break-in, lockdown, Operation Vacuum—Jushin's whole conspiracy had flopped. Hell, they'd even publicly endorsed Kim Jun.
No one said it outright, but Jushin's screw-up was a punchline everywhere.
Proud as they were, Jushin wouldn't sit idle. They might not touch Kim Jun directly, but shaking up Uramata was a safe bet.
This wasn't just Uramata's headache.
Cheonhondan was still reeling from internal fractures—prime Jushin target.
Touch Cheonhondan, and even with their dip in form, one of the Big Four wouldn't roll over. Raiders like Choi Min-su would hit back hard, sparking all-out war fast.
Miracle and Brave would get dragged in.
Hundreds of guilds would splinter into allies and enemies, fighting tooth and nail.
There'd been three guild wars already.
Uramata could light the fuse for a fourth.
"Got specifics?"
"Ghosts are stirring."
Go Cheolmin was at a loss for words.
Ghosts meant Phantom Knights—Jushin's ultra-secret order. No one knew the members or ops.
They'd only surfaced three times: during the third guild war. Phantom moving meant Jushin was gearing for battle.
The tale of Yoo Wan-seop captaining Phantom was legendary. Never confirmed by Jushin or him, but most raiders bought it.
"If Wan-seop joins Uramata, they won't move easy. They know his power better than anyone. Hoped the arm loss turned him into a has-been, but that monster? No chance."
"...I'm in."
Go Cheolmin said it with conviction.
"Figured. Let's roll."
Choi Min-su stood.
"Roll where?"
"Gotta fetch the new master."
"You can't mean—"
"Dungeon sickness beaten. Let's sweep Jirisan together."
The gates of hardship creaked open.
Go Cheolmin sighed but dove in willingly. He rounded up the team, said he was off on urgent business, and handed the guild to chief team leader Jang Geon-ho.
Instructor Jang Man-ho would back him up.
His senior's Hummer was loaded with hiking gear.
Go Cheolmin just needed to bring himself.
Sliding into the passenger seat, Choi Min-su grinned.
"Takes me back. Lost in the Canadian Rockies, ran into that grizzly."
"...You ditched me and bolted."
Go Cheolmin ground his teeth. Still pissed thinking about it.
Huge bear, but fresh off his awakening test, he'd charged in with rookie pride. His attacks bounced right off.
Those claws nearly ended him multiple times. He'd run till his lungs burned just to survive.
Found out later it was a contaminated mutant grizzly. Choi Min-su had known and bailed first.
"Swing by a mart en route, grab some canned goods."
Ignoring him completely, Choi Min-su hit the gas.
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