Chapter 23
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 23
Chapter Title: Threads of Fate Drawn Tighter
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Choi Si-jin rubbed his chin with his hand as he trailed off in response to Yang Jeong-hyun's question.
"Since the Chairman went to Han, we..."
Han Seung-woo picked up where he left off.
"How about Bit? In English, it's BIT, and the meaning of 'Light' should translate easily abroad."
"Sounds good. Oh, and Ru-ri's joining us too. But she's probably out cold right now..."
Choi Si-jin glanced at his watch as he spoke.
"The guild system updates at midnight, so claiming the name might get tricky if we're not quick."
"You're right. Sorry, but we might have to wake her up."
Han Seung-woo stood from his seat and continued.
"Let's all head over, get her approval, and crash in the empty room next to hers."
"Grab some beers. And restock the kimchi."
"Ugh, beer sounds great, but can we let the kimchi go this time?"
"Hey."
"Yes, ma'am! On it right away."
The three hurried toward the association's guest rooms.
They arrived quickly, but none of them could bring themselves to knock first.
After pacing the hallway awkwardly for a moment, Yang Jeong-hyun finally rapped lightly on the door.
Knock knock knock.
'Who could that be...'
Lee Ru-ri, who had been tossing and turning half-awake, dragged her heavy body to the door and opened it.
"Teacher?"
"Ru-ri, sorry to wake you when you're so tired."
"Oh, what's up, everyone?"
"The guild system updates at midnight, so we need personal approvals to meet the creation requirements."
"Ah! Come on in."
As they entered Lee Ru-ri's guest room, an enormous bag immediately caught their eyes.
"Ru-ri, what's this?"
"Oh, that's the bag I use for raids."
"You carry this around on raids?"
"It's mostly potions. I'm a healer who can't heal, so I rely on potions... Though I haven't been lugging it around much lately."
Choi Si-jin tried lifting the bag as she explained, but it didn't budge an inch.
"No way—you carry this thing around?"
"It's not that heavy!"
Lee Ru-ri hoisted it effortlessly to prove her point.
"Si-jin's just being weak."
Yang Jeong-hyun reached out to take the bag but dropped it with a thud.
"Whoa, it's insanely heavy!"
Han Seung-woo tested it by picking it up and setting it down repeatedly with one hand.
"See? Even Seung-woo can lift it like that. I told you it's not heavy."
"Definitely an impressive weight."
"Huh? It's just a few potions and raid supplies. No way it should feel heavy..."
"Ru-ri, I'm seriously baffled more and more. You did hide-and-seek with this?"
"How many potions do you even carry?"
"Hmm, roughly seventy of each type..."
"A healer's potions? Probably just stat boosters, right?"
"I carry top-grade HP and mana potions too. Three kinds each by duration, plus strength potions, and speed boosters just in case...?"
"Even ballparking it, that's gotta be around five hundred potions in there. Impressive."
Han Seung-woo spotted a shimmering box on the living room table and asked about it.
"What's this box?"
"Oh, that's an S-rank material box."
Something suddenly occurred to Choi Si-jin, and he chimed in.
"Right, there was that time an F-rank healer bought S-rank materials, and the association checked it out. Everyone was curious because it was such an odd history."
Before they knew it, midnight was approaching amid their lively chatter.
Han Seung-woo checked the time and asked Choi Si-jin,
"Everyone else is on standby, right?"
"Yes, Teacher Kwon and Teacher Lee are waiting together in Teacher Lee's room."
Yang Jeong-hyun asked,
"Who's the master?"
"Director Han. The teachers said they'd just provide support."
"That's plenty. Time's up."
Han Seung-woo sent guild invitations to the hunters they had discussed.
Everyone who received them approved without hesitation.
The activities of another major guild, <Bit>, set to rival <Han>, have officially begun.
"It's late, but should we go say hi to the teachers?"
"Speak of the devil—you're sending me on a coffee run. I'll grab some from the first floor. You all go ahead."
"Yeah, Si-jin. Thanks."
"Si-jin, I'll come with!"
"No need. Be right back!"
Choi Si-jin headed down to prepare coffee, while the other three went to the 37th floor.
Knock knock.
"Teachers, it's late—aren't you tired?"
Lee Sang-chun greeted them as they entered.
"Come in. Researchers don't know fatigue or day from night. Sit."
Kwon Dong-nyeon turned from the sofa, smiling at Han Seung-woo and Yang Jeong-hyun.
"Who's that with you?"
"Oh, this is Lee Ru-ri, who's joining us. Ru-ri, say hi."
"Hello. I'm Lee Ru-ri."
No one noticed, but Lee Sang-chun and Kwon Dong-nyeon's gazes flickered oddly as they looked at her.
"Alright, Director Han. What's the plan going forward?"
"The Chairman seems to be leaving guild management to me. Probably just a title—I'll monitor new guilds and handle any risks."
"If you're stuck with that... Eun-woo's tied up in Japan for now, and Jeong-hyun's busy with gate research. How many can even raid gates?"
"The father-son duo's focused on overseas for a while. I'll hand system management to Si-jin and start serious raiding myself."
"Ho, back in action at last."
"Yes. I'll max out our members' levels with high-rank gates, then figure out the Inex Gate strategy."
"With Han Guild snatching all the high-rankers, it's unavoidable."
Knock knock.
Choi Si-jin arrived laden with coffee and snacks.
Everyone sipped their steaming coffee in silence, lost in thought.
Lee Sang-chun spoke first.
"For now, split into raid and research teams. Let's go all out, day and night."
"Got it."
"Director Han takes raids, Dong-nyeon handles research."
Kwon Dong-nyeon widened his eyes at Lee Sang-chun.
"And you?"
"I'll slack off."
"You're insane?"
Everyone chuckled quietly at their bickering.
Choi Si-jin gawked at the guild system.
"Whoa, this is wild. Join requests are over six hundred already."
Curious, Lee Sang-chun asked Han Seung-woo,
"By the way, how big are you planning to expand?"
"Raid mains can control up to about twelve max. Right now, I'm the only raid main, so we'll stick small for now and scale with more A-ranks and up."
"Solid thinking, no gaps. No worries then. Dong-nyeon and I will join some subjugations too. With the Inex Gate open, we need proper internal research."
"Understood. I'll send the raid schedule right away."
"It's late—save the rest for tomorrow."
Lee Ru-ri's group returned to the guest room, sipping leftover coffee and chatting.
"We should book empty rooms if we're crashing soon."
"Huh? Just sleep here!"
"Won't that be cramped?"
"No big deal. A crowded room's new for me—I kinda like it."
The three stared at Lee Ru-ri, speechless.
"Wh-who says cheesy stuff like that so casually?!"
Yang Jeong-hyun playfully hugged her tight to lighten the mood.
"Anyway, bedtime. Ru-ri must be exhausted."
"You all sleep first. I have stuff to do..."
"No way. We know you're gate-bound. Rest up today—we move together tomorrow."
"B-but."
"Yup. Tonight's sleep night."
Yang Jeong-hyun flopped onto the bed still hugging Lee Ru-ri.
Han Seung-woo lay long on the sofa after watching them fondly, and Choi Si-jin took the opposite sofa.
The once-silent air filled with warm breaths.
Lee Ru-ri lay awake for quite a while, heart fluttering.
The next day.
Lee Ru-ri slipped quietly out, leaving the three deep asleep.
'Nothing beats hidden gates for stamina training.'
She checked new gate statuses near HQ.
'Twelve F-ranks, seven E-ranks total. Hope no boss-gate jumps this time... First, gather keys for training gates. Message Seung-woo.'
She messaged Han Seung-woo about training in low gates, then headed to the nearest F-rank.
Entering the gate opened her status window automatically, just like in the hidden gate lobby, activating her info.
Surprisingly, the stats boosted by random box potions applied not just in hidden gates, but regular ones too.
"It only excludes outside gates? That changes everything."
The F-rank monsters posed zero threat, so she cleared quickly for key materials, earning clear stamps.
The twelve F-rank gates took under ten minutes excluding travel.
Incredible speed.
But she hadn't encountered a single quasi-boss monster.
Fragments dropped at decent rates, but broken keys were another story.
She absolutely needed an ogre.
'Maybe E-ranks are better.'
E-rank clears were also drastically faster.
Six gates in three hours.
Still no ogre.
'Sigh, no luck today.'
She trudged dispiritedly to the last gate, only to find it already cleared.
"Tricky..."
New gate status showed all nearby low gates cleared.
"Guess I'll rest."
Back at the guest room, everyone was gone.
She scanned the empty space, then slumped on the sofa and opened her status.
With guild systems, autonomous crew recruitment had plummeted.
Some like-minded folks formed fixed parties, but most hunters raided with strangers by time and place.
Mismatches led to frequent accidents.
"Guilds might be different."
On the flip side, guild recruitment boomed.
Join requests for Han Ho's <Han> and Han Seung-woo's <Bit> hit twenty thousand.
B-rank masters' guilds overflowed too.
Hunters escaped the association's massive, oppressive fence.
They gathered under smaller, purpose-driven guild banners.
Issues from elite association management now shifted to guilds, spawning new problems.
Meanwhile, hunters lurking in shadows against association goals began emerging.
Ding.
[New Message]
[Han Seung-woo (A): Meeting starts soon—ends in about an hour. See you at Teacher Yang's lab.]
'Something up?'
Lee Ru-ri geared up and headed to Yang Jeong-hyun's lab.
Ding.
[New Message]
[Yang Jeong-hyun (B): Got the message, Ru-ri? Wait there—I'm coming to get you.]
'Huh? Already on my way... We're close, so we'll meet en route.'