Chapter 193
Chapter 193
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 193
Chapter Title: Starry Heavens Launch
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“Guild, huh...”
*Chomp chomp.*
Floa muttered as she chewed her gum.
“Feels good, right? The boss was always meant for big things anyway, so the guild’ll grow like crazy.”
Demon King’s Army.
Oxford.
Heavenly Demon Cult.
The common thread among these three groups? Each one’s led by an absolute powerhouse.
“If the boss is heading it up, that group’s gonna reach the same heights—it’s a given. So we’re the founding members?”
“Sounds good to me.”
Gi So-yul chimed in from the side.
“Even just looking at the city already under construction, it’s clear this is no ordinary workshop.”
“I’m on board too. A guild? That’s cool.”
Ajae and Maxi nodded as well.
“Approved. Honestly, ‘Demir’ did feel a bit weak.”
Even the usually composed Kapu raised his hand in agreement.
Whoa.
Everyone’s this enthusiastic?
“What do you think, workshop master?”
Kim Jin-ah shot me a look, shoulders high from all the consensus.
The other hunters turned their eyes to me too.
Guess it’s my call.
“Hmm.”
Me, well.
I’m not really all that invested in stuff like this.
“Sure, let’s do it.”
I gave it the cool green light.
* * *
After some light chit-chat to break the ice, Demir’s members gathered in a cluster around the newly built pavilion.
At the fancy solid-wood table in the center.
*Whoooosh!*
A cool breeze blowing through.
And the rugged rock formations dominating the surroundings in breathtaking splendor.
“Alright!”
Kim Jin-ah clapped her hands from my right.
“Now we pick a guild name. As you all know, it’s gotta be simple and punchy, something that makes people go ‘wow!’ the second they hear it.”
It was a meeting to decide the new guild name.
“Yeah, ‘Demir’ was kinda meh, honestly.”
Kapu muttered.
Hey, what’s with that?
What’s wrong with our Demir?
A flicker of defiance rose in me, but I couldn’t step up.
The hunters were nodding along one by one.
“Right. What even is ‘Demir’? Ask anyone on the street, and no one’d have a clue.”
Maxi nodded solemnly.
“Hahaha! Yeah, it did feel off. ‘Demir’? Sounds like some dwarf’s name or whatever.”
“Huh? It is a dwarf name, though? Didn’t you know, Thunderclap? It’s the skeleton dwarf the workshop master commands.”
Even Rae-myeong and Kim Jin-ah’s back-and-forth.
“Oh really? Kyahahaha! Naming a guild after your own summon? Y-you, boss. Couldn’t come up with anything better?”
Floa doubled over, clutching her stomach in laughter.
She was cracking up hard—was it really that funny?
I furrowed my brow.
“Don’t diss our Demir, Floa.”
“Khk! Got it. Just kidding, kidding. Khk! Hic!”
“Whew.”
Words hurt.
I shook my head.
‘But still.’
Everyone agrees.
Time to change it.
She wasn’t wrong, really.
Like Kim Jin-ah said, if we became the world’s top guild, ‘Demir’ wouldn’t exactly scream it.
I wasn’t super attached to the name anyway.
Never been one to get hung up on details like that.
“Alright, let’s collect some ideas?”
And so, under Kim Jin-ah’s lead, we gathered suggestions.
First up: Rae-myeong.
“A guild name’s gotta sound strong. Like Demon King’s Army or Heavenly Demon Cult. Something with ‘Demon’ or ‘Heavenly,’ y’know? Hmm... We’re the strongest, so how ‘bout ‘Supreme’?”
She smacked her lips like she loved it.
“Sounds perfect, right? Supreme! Grrraaah! Nailed it!”
*Crackle crackle!*
Sparks flew from her body in excitement.
“......”
Everyone’s faces turned awkward.
Like, wanna laugh, but she’s a high-ranker, so can’t just bust out.
“Pfft!”
So I laughed for them.
Not because she dissed ‘Demir’ earlier or anything.
“What’s ‘Supreme’?”
Just stepping up for the others.
That’s leadership, right? Taking the lead on what no one else dares.
“What’re you laughing at? Supreme?”
“How ‘bout ‘Invincible’ or ‘Ultra,’ ‘Super’ instead?”
“......Ooh, nice?!”
“......”
This...
Just no.
My naming sense isn’t great, but.
Floa’s on another level.
I shook my head.
“Ahem.”
Gi So-yul cleared her throat.
“Ooh, got an idea, Dark Lady?”
Kim Jin-ah’s eyes sparkled as she asked, and Gi So-yul replied with a straight face.
“I think a guild name needs symbolism, y’know?”
Symbolism.
“Demon King’s Army and Heavenly Demon Cult—they both point to their leaders, Jack Smith and Hasera. My brother Ki Pa-rang went with ‘Parang’ for the same reason. Baekdon’s guild is just called Baekdon.”
Oh.
Yeah, come to think of it.
“So our guild should symbolize you, Dong-hoon. Ahem, so... how ‘bout Bone King?”
?
Hold up.
Bone... what now?
“Or ‘Graveyard’ or ‘Necropolis’ could work. Bones come from places like that...”
“......”
Look, I appreciate the thought.
But no.
A brief silence fell.
Then.
“Puhahaha! Bone King! Bone King! Kyahaha! Graveyard? Necropolis?”
Floa burst out first.
Tears welling up as she shook her head—this must’ve been hilarious.
Gi So-yul’s face stayed dead serious, which made it even funnier.
‘Sigh.’
And here I am, feeling conflicted.
Should we just stick with Demir?
“How about Utopia?”
Kapu suggested.
“Utopia?”
“Not every group names itself after its leader. Oxford Mage Tower symbolizes the tower itself.”
“That’s true.”
I nodded.
Kapu, the steady high-ranker always guiding me.
Reliable as ever.
“So I say we symbolize this paradise we’ve got here. ‘Muryeongdo-won’ in English is Utopia.”
“Oho? That one’s solid.”
Floa looked up from her laughing fit.
“Yeah.”
“Not bad.”
The other hunters seemed to like this one.
The city being built by Demir and Eldrin.
Even its framework alone was gorgeous enough to be the guild’s symbol.
“Vice workshop master.”
Kapu turned to Kim Jin-ah this time.
“No thoughts?”
“Me?”
“Yeah, since it’s your dream, figured you’d have something in mind.”
“Hmm, actually, I do have one.”
Kim Jin-ah gazed out at the stunning view beyond the pavilion.
“I agree with Kapu. A symbol doesn’t have to be a person... Every time I see this city like a painting, one word always comes to mind.”
Her voice, crisp in her suit, carried a resonance.
The kind that draws all eyes.
“Starry Heavens.”
“......Starry Heavens?”
Everyone stared blankly at Kim Jin-ah.
My heart skipped a beat when I heard it too.
“In modern terms, ‘star’ means a ranker.”
She said calmly.
“It means our guild will be filled with rankers, combined with this city’s scenery—Starry Heavens. What do you think?”
“......”
Everyone went quiet as mice.
No need to vote.
The result was obvious.
We all felt drawn to it.
“Perfect.”
I nodded.
“Starry Heavens it is. Doesn’t look like anything better’s coming up.”
“Workshop master approves, so that’s that?”
Kim Jin-ah glanced around.
Nods all around.
“Nice.”
She let out a relieved breath.
“Then starting tomorrow, we’ll register with the association and handle the official guild launch procedures. That okay, workshop master?”
“Go for it.”
With my crisp reply.
“Yes, looking forward to working with you! Guild Master!”
Her title for me changed too.
From workshop master to Guild Master.
* * *
[‘Demir Workshop’ Ditches Old Name, Reborn as ‘Starry Heavens’!]
[Skeleton King, World’s Spotlight, Launches New Guild. Will It Succeed?]
[‘Starry Heavens’ Tops Weekly Hot Topics!]
[Guild Join Req: A-rank Hunter+. Tough Entry, But Top-Tier Treatment!]
The name change alone blew up.
‘Honestly.’
Truth be told.
These days, if I just go out and say [hello], it makes headlines.
Kim Jin-ah timed it perfectly to ride that wave.
Do something while the spotlight’s on, and the whole world notices.
“Tsk tsk, see? What’d I tell ya.”
The old man I’d resummoned after cooldown chuckled.
“That girl’s got business savvy. She knew instinctively—push the group now, get global promo on the cheap.”
Kim Jin-ah, who’d held back till now.
Was swimming free like a fish in water.
[Another Korean Ranker Joins ‘Starry Heavens’!]
[It’s Rank 896 Druid and Rank 905 Asura!]
[Shock! Iron Fist Jumps from High-Ranker to 600s Overnight. Joins Starry Heavens Too!]
Kim Jin-ah took Iron Fist on without batting an eye.
She definitely sees the world differently.
I wouldn’t have touched a ticking bomb like Bong Jae-young.
“Tsk tsk, she must figure she can control him. Or maybe she spotted something else in that dumb hunk of metal. Grr, sharper than she looks.”
Kim Jin-ah’s strength is her intuition.
She bet on me back when I was E-rank—case closed.
What’d she see in Bong Jae-young?
[Parang’s Famous Archer: “Congrats on Starry Heavens.” Casual Support for Little Sis’s Guild.]
[Indie Jang Dae-woong: “Ju Dong-hoon, Hope You Build Something Awesome.”]
[Overseas Rankers Send Congrats and Wreaths.]
[Russian President: “‘Starry Heavens’ Relations Top Foreign Policy Priority.”]
Seoul’s Five Stars too.
Vladimir.
Rankers I’d met through trials.
All sent congrats or gifts upon hearing.
Partners, friends of our rankers...
The building in Apgujeong was buried in wreaths.
“You really are different from me.”
The old man, who’d watched it all, murmured.
“Thinking back, I was always a lone wolf. Fights, groups... carried it all solo. But people flock to you.”
“......”
“Not saying it’s bad, kid. I’m learning plenty from you.”
“C’mon, what’re you talking about.”
“Being alone ain’t all that. I knew it, but my stubborn ass wouldn’t budge.”
Hmm.
Humans are social animals, huh?
A hint of regret from his past colored the old man’s voice.
But that was it.
“However.”
Composed again, he said.
“To lead a group, you gotta give up a lot. Take your eye off even a bit, and it rots... Got it?”
“Yes, sir.”
Sure, I’m not super into the group thing.
But there’s such a thing as moral duty.
Climb to the top and then ghost? That’s irresponsible.
“Well, like I said last time, that Kim Jin-ah girl’s prime minister material. Low odds of issues.”
“Still. We started this—might as well run it right.”
“Yeah, stick to that. That girl’ll be stressed working under you, from the look of it.”
Hey, what’d I ever do...
Lately, her drinking’s ramped up, though.
No comeback there.
‘Anyway.’
My new guild.
Starry Heavens.
‘Nice.’
Loved it.