Chapter 265
Chapter 265
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 265
Chapter Title: Dr-El Workshop (1)
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After slaying the Spear King, quite some time had passed.
If the rest up until then had been fake, this was true rest worthy of the name.
What I did was simple.
In the morning, I'd climb the mountain and pour my remaining energy into the Destruction Dragon's egg.
Then my energy would truly drain away.
My body would grow so languid that all I'd want to do was sleep.
I'd soak in the bath in the temporary building just like that.
Gurgle, gurgle!
In the steaming hot water pouring down, I'd take in the sight of the grand metropolis under construction.
"Groooah, yeah, you rascal! That's what real rest is!"
The old man nodded enthusiastically.
With my body warmed up, what else was there to do now that I'd sweated it out?
The answer was one.
Time to cool off nice and crisp.
And for that, I recommended this.
Click! Hiss!
A chilled can of beer, left in the freezer for thirty minutes.
Just touching it felt cold. Bringing it straight to my lips and gulping it down?
Gulp, gulp!
"Aaah."
Vitality surged through my languid body.
"Nice."
Truth be told, this was pretty much my first time relaxing like this.
I'd rested because everyone said I needed it.
Doing absolutely nothing but lounging around.
In other words, staying cooped up at home.
I hadn't even stepped outside Muryeong Paradise.
Movies?
I didn't watch them anymore, wary of getting dragged into some incident.
Resorts?
Was there any resort in this world more beautiful than Muryeong Paradise?
To celebrate becoming a ranker, I fully savored the fruits of my labor.
It felt something like this.
There's this towering, treacherous mountain called Ranking No. 1.
Try summiting it in one go, and you might die.
Muscles tearing, lungs shattering.
That's why.
To climb it, you need breaks along the way.
Cool your overheated feet, loosen your knotted muscles.
And replenish your energy, of course.
My mind wasn't entirely at ease, though.
There was plenty to do.
Unravel the secrets of SS-grade.
Train the Absolutes.
Plus, I was still just at the entry level of the Myriad Arts.
Magic, spear arts, swordsmanship, martial arts, dagger arts, archery, shield arts, and so on...
There was a mountain of things to learn and train.
"Shut your trap and rest first! If you don't rest, there's nothing left for me to teach! What would I even instruct a disciple who ignores his master's advice!"
If not for the old man, I might've picked up my weapons ages ago.
I'd probably be discussing and clashing with my subordinates right now, honing my skills.
And so three months passed.
In that time, many things changed.
My reputation in the community kept gaining flesh, turning into full-blown legend.
Accordingly, our group's popularity skyrocketed.
"Guildmaster!"
On the 91st day of rest.
Kim Jin-ah came to the bathhouse.
Since it was the weekend, she wasn't in a suit but a baseball cap and casual tracksuit.
"Here's the list of rankers who've applied since that recruitment post. Wanna take a look? It's insane, just insane!"
She beamed brighter than ever, looking thrilled.
Kim Jin-ah had this charming gap moe.
Dressed sharp in a suit with makeup, she was all girl crush as a career woman.
But in comfy casuals like this, she had this soothing, country-girl vibe.
Did the world know this side of Kim Jin-ah?
"Hmm, sure?"
Splash!
I pulled my hand from the water.
Whirr!
After drying it simply with a drying spell, I took the documents she offered.
There was a list of applicants, all rankers.
[Applicant List]
1. Ranking 80, Dragon Knight Matt Gerald
2. Ranking 107, Medicine Venerable Ji Do-ik
3. Ranking 110, Divine Eagle Witch Shan Shan
4. Ranking 245, White Magician Do Ha-rang
5. Ranking 460, Earth Witch Emily Strip
6. Ranking 601, Fighting Tiger Adrian Frankel
7. Ranking 720, Dual Blades Loren
8. Ranking 738, Spring Apostle Miyo Hana
9. Ranking 830, Gladiator Christian Gilliam
10. Ranking 850, Shadow Secret Nino Mae Noa
11. Ranking 930, Poet of Prague Agnes
"Wow, that's a lot."
I widened my eyes.
I'd expected some since she called it a jackpot, but not this many.
They say snagging even one ranker is like plucking stars from the sky.
Especially overseas rankers—they rarely leave their countries due to pressure from governments or citizens to join local groups.
'And.'
It was only because my level had risen that this was possible.
Back in the day, I couldn't even meet the eyes of a 900s ranker.
Forget rankers—even seeing a golden S-grade nameplate made me flinch.
There was a time when just making the rankings was my dream.
For eleven such rankers to apply?
How could I not feel a surge of emotion?
"Mostly rising stars. Heh heh heh."
Kim Jin-ah wore a blissful smile.
"It's unprecedented. Usually, some new rankers ditch their old groups for the Big 3? But applying here means they see huge potential in our guild. Better to be an early member here with growth prospects than a tail-end snake in the Big 3."
"Even high rankers, though..."
At the top of the list.
Ranking 80, Dragon Knight Matt Gerald—I knew him well.
He rode a dragon, but really, it was a drake.
"Heh heh heh, guess we've grown into a guild worth high rankers eyeing!"
"Familiar name here?"
Lower down, I spotted 'Miyo Hana.'
She was my peer?
"Yeah, she messaged about applying. See Ranking 850, Shadow Secret? Nino Mae Noa. Friends, apparently. Coming together."
"Huh."
I recalled her calm, precise healing during Delaila’s trial.
Yeah.
Miyo Hana was always welcome.
"Oh, and lots of mages, huh?"
"Yep."
White Magician Do Ha-rang.
Earth Witch Emily Strip.
"Do Ha-rang's a Korean mage. No idea how the rumors spread, but they both wanna learn magic in Byulcheonji over the Magic Tower?"
"Heh heh, sharp eyes on them?"
Sophia was amazing.
But our Arin was amazing too.
"And lastly."
Snap!
Kim Jin-ah snapped her fingers.
"Divine Eagle Witch Shan Shan's the issue. Dug into it—rumors of human trafficking, murders, etc. Thinking of filtering her out."
"Yeah, investigate and cut anyone with personality issues right away."
"Right? We're past taking anyone just for specs! Heh heh, what do we lack?"
She whipped out her phone and gleefully swiped away.
She must be thrilled about all the rankers.
Anyway.
She shared all the nitty-gritty on the rankers, getting my approval.
Ranker recruitment was a big deal, after all?
"Oh, and."
Finishing up, Kim Jin-ah looked up.
"You know tomorrow's the ribbon-cutting?"
"......Ribbon-cutting?"
"I told you! We finished the building in Uiwang City!"
"Oh."
I'd been in full homebody mode lately, so I'd forgotten.
Kim Jin-ah, Demir, and Eldrin mentioned it in passing sometimes.
It'd blow my mind.
Surprise, so get excited.
"Probably gonna be a crowd of reporters and people— just show your face briefly then. You haven't seen the building yet, right?"
"Haven't left the house much."
"Haha, Guildmaster."
"Yeah?"
"You can look forward to it. It's seriously grand."
* * *
The next day, early morning.
Around Baekun Lake in Uiwang City.
Crowds of people and reporters had gathered.
Click! Flash!
Shutter sounds battered the space nonstop.
Murmur, murmur.
Spectators who'd heard about Byulcheonji's ribbon-cutting waited for the event.
They packed the lakeside paths tight.
The reason for all this interest was simple.
About a week ago.
Kim Jin-ah had announced via article.
[Byulcheonji reopens the shuttered old Demir Workshop as the new Dr-El Workshop!]
[After the opening ceremony! Huge one-week promo—so come check it out!]
First off, the new workshop, 「Dr-El」.
News had spread that they'd bought the Uiwang site with state help.
But no updates since—no reveals on construction or anything.
Security reasons.
The design was done in secret.
The whole Baekun Lake site shrouded in mystery fog.
"What's being built in that fog?"
"Can't wait. Hurry up and reveal it...! Look at this crowd!"
"Everyone's here now! Clear the fog already!"
Some grumbled.
But here, the absolute authority was the group, Byulcheonji.
Until they unveiled it, the crowd had to wait.
"But how's it opening already? They just bought the land—too rushed 'cause Byulcheonji's business tanked?"
"Could be. Heard Demir's premium finished products got even pricier."
"Yeah, can't even buy Demir stuff anymore. Better to slap together a quick building and sell fast for profit."
"Nah, they're a world-class group now—would they build shoddy?"
"Guess we'll see. Starting soon."
Someone checked their watch.
Kim Jin-ah's announced opening: 9:00 AM.
Exactly one minute left.
But even with a minute to go, no word from Byulcheonji.
Just the fog drifting calmly.
But people knew now.
Byulcheonji's de facto leader, Kim Jin-ah—how meticulous she was, how she honored promises.
Was it faith in her?
"......"
"......"
No one told them to.
But as if rehearsed, silence fell.
"What, how long we gotta wait..."
"Huh? What's with the vibe?"
"Shh, shhh!"
Even the sporadic whispers hushed, sensing the mood.
Baekun Lake fell into dead quiet.
The lake's ripples lapped more rhythmically, more gently than ever.
And then.
Fwoooosh......
Exactly one minute later.
The fog cloaking the far side of Baekun Lake slowly parted.
"Whoa, whoaaa!"
"It's coming!"
"Ooooo!"
"Woooow......"
Hundreds of cameras fired at once at the majestic sight.
People gaped, watching.
What had been hidden.
The structure emerging slowly.
"Huh, huh?"
"What?"
It wasn't a building.
It couldn't be called one.
"D-Dragon?"
"A dragon outta nowhere?"
"Wh-What's that?"
Two enormous dragon statues filled the view before Baekun Lake.
Two dragons facing each other, locked in battle.
Their form was majestic beyond grandeur.
"That's......"
A hooded woman slowly removed her hood, eyes gleaming.
The woman who'd come to Korea to apply to Byulcheonji was none other than.
World Ranking 738, Spring Apostle Miyo Hana.
"Eeeeek? What is that? What dragon looks that realistic......?! Whoa, I just got chills. Amaaaazing!"
The woman next to her, blurting in shock, was her friend.
Shadow Secret Nino Mae Noa.
A rising star at World Ranking 850.
She'd named Dark Emperor Gi So-yul as her most admired figure—and she'd applied to Byulcheonji too.
"Aranbalon and the Giant Dragon......"
"Huh? What's that?"
"I'll explain later."
Gulp.
Miyo Hana swallowed hard.
The dragons' fierce gazes.
They evoked the raw realism of being at Delaila’s trial site.
The two dragon statues clawed at each other.
And at the point where those claws met.
Whirr!
A portal hovered.
The portal to Byulcheonji's home base, Muryeong Paradise.
And all around, beautifully styled buildings!
[Ding!]
[Admiring the great work 'Dr-El,' crafted by the Legendary Blacksmith.]
[Max stamina +100 for 24 hours.]
[Strength +10 for 24 hours.]
[Agility +10 for 24 hours.]
[Vitality +10 for 24 hours.]
[Mana +10 for 24 hours.]
[Technique +10 for 24 hours.]
Dr-El.
Byulcheonji's new workshop debuted to the world.