Chapter 168
Chapter 168
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 168
Chapter Title: A Peach Blossom Paradise Like No Other
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[ A New Legend to Succeed Hasera—Is It Born? ]
[ E-Rank Hunter from a Year Ago Now a World Ranker? Who Is the Skeleton King Who Became a National Treasure Overnight? ]
[ Demir Workshop Rejects All Interviews. 'The Skeleton King Plans to Continue Dungeon Activities Only,' They Announce. ]
[ Some Worry That Excessive Attention Might Burden the Hero. ]
....
Rustle!
I roughly scrolled through the articles that had popped up with my thumb.
Thud!
I tossed my phone aside.
"Still, it looks like everything's been neatly wrapped up in just one day."
Kim Jin-ah handled things swiftly.
She sent away the reporters swarming the workshop upon hearing I wasn't there.
She even fed info directly to the press for a concise official statement.
On top of that, she stirred up public opinion on the Hunter boards, spreading lines like [True support for a hero means cheering from the shadows!]
'Nice.'
Meeting the old man, becoming a ranker—
All incredible luck.
But Kim Jin-ah finding her way to me on her own? That was luck on par with the rest.
I subtly placed my left hand over my chest.
Thump, thump.
Even now, after the darkness passed and the new year dawned, my heart raced.
Me, at 78th...?
Not just a ranker, but a two-digit high ranker...?
The thrill hadn't faded yet.
"So that's why you're out here in this empty lot, moping around like this?"
The old man muttered, floating in midair.
Right.
After getting Gi So-yul's permission yesterday, I'd come here alone to space out.
More precisely, I'd put off everything I needed to do and was just resting.
I'd earned it.
I'd worked so hard.
Just for today, I wanted to do nothing but relax, no thoughts at all.
"Even a guy who's made a ton of money—why sleep rough? Why? Your world's full of shiny buildings. If I were you, I'd hightail it to the fanciest inn, order up a feast, and soak in a steaming bath till I was all comfy!"
"It's just... full of memories, this place."
The back mountain clearing where I'd trained without fail for three years.
A forgotten state-owned plot in the natural settlement zone—no one paid it any mind.
"For me, this spot calms my body and soul more than anywhere else."
"Well, yeah. With you, roughing it is daily life, so the ground probably feels comfier than a bed."
"You know what's funny?"
"What?"
"The time I spent training here as an E-rank Hunter—three years—was shorter than the time after I met you, up to reaching rank 78."
"Tsk tsk tsk. Of course it was."
The old man smacked his lips with a laugh.
"A greenhorn trying to cross a pitch-black mountain night alone—how could they not wander? With someone to guide you, it's a straight shot, but you went in circles for nothing."
"And that someone had to be an expert. The top expert, like you."
"You got it."
The old man nodded, looking pleased.
Come to think of it, I'd grown really attached to him.
We used to bicker a lot before.
Now, if I had a tough problem and he wasn't around, I'd feel psychologically uneasy.
Wasn't my skill, Ten Thousand Arts' Teaching (SS-Grade), my greatest weapon?
"Ah."
The old man clapped, his face lighting up like he'd remembered something.
"By the way, I've got a question."
"A question?"
"That stone. Shouldn't you use it quick?"
"The stone..."
The dungeon artifact from Delaila.
Technically a necklace accessory, but it looked exactly like a plain rock.
"Right. I should try it."
I pulled the artifact from my pocket and fiddled with it carefully.
[Item: Delaila's Dungeon Artifact]
[Grade: SS]
[Type: Artifact]
[Description: The Dungeon Maker connects an 'empty world' found on the galaxy's outskirts to reality.]
[Effect 1: You can use the 'empty world' as a personal space.]
[Effect 2: Others can enter with you. Using 100 stamina creates a 'portal' at the location for 24 hours.]
[Effect 3: Shares spacetime with the user's world.]
"SS-Grade...?"
My eyes went wide.
I knew it was valuable, but SS-Grade?
The Tower Master's words suddenly flashed through my mind.
- You got that stone?
- Whoa, I hoped but no way. She gave you that?
- That Delaila...!
- When I asked to trade, she sweated bullets hiding it!
- She just handed over top-shelf stuff with a grin?
- Looks two whole grades better than mine?
A rank 4 hunter had lost it like that.
How amazing could it be?
"The more you look, the wilder the power seems, right? Roaming the vast universe at will, even linking it up. What're you waiting for? Let's see it in action."
"Yeah."
I gripped the stone and closed my eyes.
'Like this?'
I gently channeled my energy.
Ssssh!
Stamina drained out just like using a skill.
['Delaila's Dungeon Artifact' (SS-Grade) is used.]
[100 stamina used.]
Woooong!
A golden oval door appeared before me.
The space inside twisted unnaturally, like it was folding in on itself.
['Portal' created at this location.]
[Enter the 'portal' to move to the 'empty world.']
[Caution! The 'portal' will vanish after 24 hours.]
'A portal.'
A bit scary, but excitement won out.
What lay inside?
What kind of world had Delaila so confidently gifted?
Step.
I boldly stepped forward into the space.
Fzzzt!
My vision flickered.
* * *
[You have reached the unnamed 'empty world.']
[Please name this 'world.']
"Hm?"
I opened my eyes to blinding sunlight.
"Whoa."
Beside me, the old man stuck out his tongue in awe.
"You're mad. Truly mad! The Peach Blossom Paradise I'd only heard tales of—it's laid out right here!"
....
The space felt similar to Earth.
A sun of just the right brightness shone down.
The air's scent and gravity matched Earth's.
I stood on high ground.
Below stretched endless meadows and streams.
Far off, vast plains where streams converged into rivers.
And that was just the start.
All sorts of fruits and herbs.
The scent of grass.
Bird and beast calls like Earth's.
Even the temperature was pleasantly cool.
"Hmm."
I savored the blowing wind.
"Whew, you're right, Elder. No separate Peach Blossom Paradise needed."
I murmured, exhaling toward the sky.
Then.
[Name this 'world' 'Peach Blossom Paradise'?]
A message appeared.
'Peach Blossom Paradise?'
I nodded.
Whatever.
Nothing special came to mind.
I never put much stock in names anyway.
['Empty world' named 'Peach Blossom Paradise.']
['Peach Blossom Paradise' has no intelligent lifeforms.]
[Please make good use of it as personal space.]
"Seriously cool."
So.
This stunning world was all mine?
My own private space?
"Delaila must've known you trained in that shabby back-mountain lot. How else explain gifting a spot just like this?"
"I get why the Tower Master flipped out now."
Could use it as a training ground.
Plus, every resource here was mine!
'Huh? Resources?'
That moment.
[The Essence of Wood smiles softly.]
[The trees and grasses in this space grow even greener.]
[A withered sapling regains vitality.]
"Essence of Wood...?"
[The Essence of Metal awakens.]
[Minerals abound around you.]
"Whoa!"
I blinked.
'Right, minerals...!'
Demir had come to mind the instant I saw this place.
'Should I call Demir?'
No, bring Kim Jin-ah too.
She wanted a guild—this knowledge would let her use it better.
[100 stamina used.]
['Portal' created at this location.]
I made another portal and hurried out to the clearing.
"Tsk tsk, this guy's... loses his mind whenever minerals show up."
Leaving the chuckling old man, I headed to the Demir Workshop.
"Huh? Master? What brings you here in broad daylight?"
"Oh, Boss! You're here!"
Demir and Kim Jin-ah were chatting in the second-floor VIP room.
"Hold on."
[100 stamina used.]
['Portal' created at this location.]
I opened a portal right there.
"Wh-what is this all of a sudden?"
She panicked at the portal's eerie look.
"Uh, bit complicated to explain. Wanna step in first?"
"Inside there?"
Kim Jin-ah looked uneasy.
Fair enough—even I was scared at first.
"Think of it like a dungeon. A safe one, no monsters. If you're worried, I'll go first—follow me?"
....
No response.
I had to dangle the bait she'd bite.
"Could really help with the guild down the line."
"Really?!"
Her eyes lit up.
"Th-then scary or not, I'm going in now!"
Hooking someone with clear goals is this easy.
* * *
[You have reached 'Peach Blossom Paradise.']
"Insane! Insane! Totally insane! All this is really ours? Just need a portal to come and go freely, time flows the same—another living world?"
"You got it pretty much perfect."
"How... This has to be it, right? The Delaila artifact!"
Oh.
Figured it out in one.
Her intuition was always top-notch.
"How'd you know?"
"Who doesn't? Wow, Master. How much more are you gonna shock me...?"
"Like it?"
"Like it? Love it! Know what's key for starting a guild? A base. A base! And one with ironclad security!"
Fair.
For security, nothing beat this.
A space only I could control access to.
'One downside, though.'
Only I could make the portals.
And they lasted just 24 hours—mess up, and you'd be stuck inside.
"Not an issue. Just time it right to exit. Truth is, since you hit world ranker status, problems piled up too."
"Problems?"
"Yeah. More customers from fame is great, but... too famous is the problem."
Kim Jin-ah muttered, eyes gleaming.
"You're 78th, sure, but the world's full of powerhouses. Can't guard the workshop yourself every day."
"Terrorism risk, huh."
"Exactly. It's only been a day since it leaked, no attacks yet... but I'd bet near 100% chance."
Spot on.
That old Shadow Squad boss, Nick Jakan, was world rank 92, right?
And the assassin Shin Jong-oh sent was a world ranker too.
"But with this space, we can prep for it. Oh, mind fetching Demir?"
"Demir? Sure."
I swung my staff-weapon.
[Skill: 'Skeleton Lord Summon' (S-Grade) used.]
[10 stamina used.]
['Demir' appears.]
"Hm, Boss?"
The lone-bones Demir appeared mid-swing with his hammer.
"Been a while since you summoned me direct. But this place..."
He lowered his hammer, looked around, and gaped.
"Whoa, what a spot. First time in my life seeing such vast beauty. Minerals reek like back in our Titan days."
The hidden rock clan city.
Titan, the dwarves' holy land.
"Demir."
Kim Jin-ah pointed seriously at the vast plain.
"Could you build guild base buildings and workshops out there?"
"Out there?"
Demir's eyes sparkled.
"With your permission, Boss—just the chance to build there would honor me and all dwarves."
I could feel the emotion in that gaze.
Excitement.
Demir was thrilled at the prospect of new creation.