Chapter 167
Chapter 167
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 167
Chapter Title: World Ranker Announcement Ceremony (3)
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I stared blankly at the screen.
Fine, Floa aside—what were these people?
Mask Rider?
Mud Skippers?
Gold Lion? Grim Reaper?
They were all names I'd at least heard of once or twice.
They were rankers in the top 100, after all.
"Where have all the world rankers been this whole time? Some kind of ranker group hug?"
Kim Jin-ah muttered in disbelief.
"If this is real, it's huge! Our workshop master acknowledged by every ranker in the world...! Aaaah, now the Demir Workshop's reputation and fame will spread across the globe!"
She grabbed her cheeks with both hands and shouted [Holy!] just as—
"...Dong-hoon. Those are the judges."
Gi So-yul approached and whispered.
Quiet enough that Kim Jin-ah couldn't hear.
"I only found out later. The judges were watching parts of our ordeal."
"Ah..."
Was that it?
Is that why they'd cheered so enthusiastically?
"They said you broke records, and it must've really impressed them. I've never seen rankers rushing to act like that, no matter how amazing someone is."
"Man, posting that openly on SNS... They won't get hit with a secrecy violation?"
"Would they? It's not like they revealed ordeal details. They just praised you."
"True enough."
I nodded.
Praise from people I'd never even seen...
For some reason, it felt embarrassing.
Watching me from behind without me knowing.
And getting excited enough to publicly praise me.
'My comrades did great too, not just me.'
Come to think of it.
My classmates' rankings had already been revealed.
[Ranking 601, Spacian Vladimir Rodigin]
[Ranking 654, Adjudicating Spear Jang Wei]
[Ranking 740, Water Witch Olena Zelenska]
[Ranking 819, Spring Apostle Myoi Hana]
[Ranking 905, Absolute Invincibility Maximilian]
[Ranking 908, Guide Kapu]
Flashy epithets.
And updated rankings.
Especially, Vladimir and Adjudicating Spear had climbed into the 600s.
Olena at 740, Myoi Hana at 819.
Plus, Max and Kapu in the low 900s.
'In truth, I'm the impressive one.'
That was still insane performance.
Usually, even clearing the ordeal.
Only put you in the 800-900s on average.
'Kim Hyeok-seon, Dungeon Maniac, was typical.'
Suddenly, I thought of Kim Hyeok-seon, the Dark Lord.
A fellow necromancer my age, but a senior who'd gone through Delaila’s ordeal a class ahead.
'Debut ranking was 948, right?'
Looking back now, it was nothing special.
'Why was I so jealous back then?'
Envy for what I didn't have.
Ugly jealousy.
I decided to fully accept it.
'That was me too.'
Because of that me back then, the poison-filled me existed.
The tenacity and luck born from it brought me here.
"No fire without smoke."
The old man chuckled and muttered.
'...What’s that?'
"Exactly as it sounds. No smoke from a chimney without fire. No result without cause in this world."
'Good saying.'
Whether I made mistakes.
Or did something embarrassing.
That was me too, and the growth from it was me.
Once you realize the shame, just fix it afterward.
Far more mature than denying yourself.
"Uheheh! Workshop Master!"
Kim Jin-ah was still bouncing around excitedly.
I chuckled softly, watching her.
"Shall we launch the guild right now? Beer! No... beer won't cut it."
Not even family.
How many people would celebrate my achievements like this?
It felt wondrous.
'Hmm, basically family now?'
A family bound by the Demir Workshop community.
"Workshop Master! We gotta go hard with whiskey, right? Neat? Neat's blended, and enthusiasts don't love that—how about straight single malt? With how hard I've worked, high-end liquor is the least we can do!"
"Vice Workshop Master... You into booze that much?"
"I'm practically an addict! Nothing beats it for stress relief! Gulp!"
She sounded just like a dwarf.
A booze-crazed dwarf at that.
Huh.
At her young age.
What if she wrecks her pancreas?
As I looked at Kim Jin-ah with concern—
- Breaking news just in! Following the rankers...! Even ranking 5th place aired their thoughts on US broadcast!
- Ranking 5th... That's Delaila, the Mirage, right?
- Y-yes! She, who stands with the Demon King in America's legends, showered the new ranker Ju Dong-hoon with praise!
- Is that for real?
"Huhwhaaaa?"
Kim Jin-ah's jaw nearly dropped.
"What’s that?"
"Hm?"
"Huh?"
Gi So-yul and I also stared at the screen in shock.
What.
Even Delaila?
'These people really.'
It was absurd.
Were they dead set on turning me into some celebrity?
Others maybe, but Delaila, even you?
"Crazy! W-who are you?!"
Kim Jin-ah had apparently decided to treat me like a monster—no, an alien.
"You're not our workshop master! What insane crap are you pulling?! Delaila! The mysterious icon Delaila...! That's way over the line! I knew something was up when you said you had circumstances you couldn't talk about!"
"...Ugh."
It would've been fine if it stopped there.
Unfortunately, another update popped up on screen.
- Oh my god! Just now, Sophia Silverstone, tower master of Oxford, issued a statement!
- Silverstone is ranking 4th, right?
- Yes, that's right...?
- What did she say?
- W-well, translating... [This Ju Dong-hoon praise relay is trending, so count me in. Ju Dong-hoon, we at the tower invited you first. Better brace yourself.] Or something like that?
- Huh? What does that even...?
- Seriously... What kind of person is Ju Dong-hoon? I'm getting a bit scared now.
- Feels like watching chaebol rankers walk a tightrope! Like they're all trying to impress the Skeleton King... Am I imagining it?
- No, same vibe here. Amazing! Shocking!
"Kweeeee!"
Finally, Kim Jin-ah foamed at the mouth.
Thud!
She toppled backward.
"..."
First time seeing [faint from shock] in real life...
"She seems really wasted, so best leave her be for now... She's still breathing."
Gi So-yul watched quietly and murmured.
Though she looked shocked too.
'Ha.'
I sighed inwardly.
These rankers.
They were just teasing me.
Images of the smirking tower master and Delaila flashed in my mind.
* * *
"Waaaaah!"
"Hail Hasera! Hail Ju Dong-hoon!"
"New ranker! Ju Dong-hoon! Ju Dong-hoon!"
"Skeleton King!"
Korea cheered.
A new ranker had emerged.
But not just any ranker.
Supported by rankings 4 and 5 at once, and countless top 100s.
And that ranker was Korean.
That fact alone filled the public with euphoria.
"To the Demir Workshop!"
"Hey! Reporters, what are you doing? Streamers, move it! Interview now! First footage is a scoop for sure!"
"We want to see our hero's face!"
Crowds gathered in front of the workshop.
Reporters with cameras, internet streamers, onlookers...
Apgujeong-dong buzzed in an instant.
"Hmm. Ahem."
Kim Jin-ah, now recovered, watched them.
Behind her, Bone-chili—no, Dana was applying healing.
"Friend of our benefactor. You'll feel clear-headed soon."
"Ah, thanks. Yeah, the haze is lifting. Whew."
Had it been about 30 minutes since Kim Jin-ah fainted?
I'd used Dana to wake her quickly.
"Hail Ju Dong-hoon!"
"Hail Skeleton King!"
"How'd it happen?! What opportunity let you rocket to ranker?!"
Handling that mob alone was impossible.
"So..."
Kim Jin-ah grasped the situation instantly and took a short breath.
"Whew, Workshop Master finds dealing with them a hassle, right?"
"Honestly?"
I opened my mouth with a weary expression.
"More annoying and tough than any dungeon I've faced."
I'd only thought about becoming a ranker.
Not the flood of attention.
Attention's nice.
But not this intense.
Some distance was ideal.
'I haven't reached my goal yet.'
My goal was ranking 1.
Dealing with them would take half a day at least.
Endless questions, responses needed.
Get through today?
Tomorrow loomed, plus offers from companies and broadcasters.
In other words.
I needed time.
Time focused solely on getting stronger.
"Got it."
Kim Jin-ah bit her lower lip and said.
"This is why I took vice master. Thanks for telling me straight."
"You have a way?"
"I'll handle the thinking. Actually, let me ask you something."
That was when Kim Jin-ah looked me dead in the eye.
"First off. Sorry."
"Huh?"
"Past three months, I resented you a lot? Blamed my choices. Thought I picked the wrong master..."
"Ah..."
"But I didn't know how hard you'd worked."
That was when Kim Jin-ah's face crumpled emotionally.
"...No matter the methods, to become a ranker. To earn those countless rankers' approval—how much blood and sweat?"
"If you see it that way, thanks..."
"Just keep being Workshop Master like this!"
Kim Jin-ah thrust both hands forward and shouted.
"Be the 'light' just by existing! Train easy, raid dungeons freely! Vacation? I'll handle it. Guild? I'll build it!"
"..."
"Press conference? Statement? I'll take care of it all. Why, even the Heavenly Demon Cult does that? Ever see Heavenly Demon Hasera in the media? Issues? Cult handles it. No one badmouths them?"
"True."
Why?
Because it's Hasera.
The name Hasera grants carte blanche short of crime.
"Now Workshop Master qualifies too! Heck yeah! You're already VIP treatment worldwide! Just maintain that shining skill!"
Damn.
Solid.
So reassuring!
As expected.
Hired the perfect employee.
"Give me one week, I'll sort it all. Workshop Master!"
"Alright."
I glanced outside the terrace.
The crowd swelled.
"I'll trust you."
Swoosh!
Shadow Arts.
Thus, Gi So-yul and I vanished into the darkness.