Chapter 21
Chapter 21
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 21
Chapter Title: Baekya Guild's Queen
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[Chapter 21]
"Just leave that bastard be."
"Pardon? But..."
"Even if that punk set it all up, my idiot son was the fool who fell for some weakling's petty scheme and died. What do you think the other three major guilds would say if word got out? Better to say he died honorably fighting a demon."
Go Cheonsu made a cold decision, true to form as the guild master and father of Go Seongjun, who never scrupled over his methods.
He chose to ignore the insignificant hunter for the sake of the guild's honor and his son's reputation.
"Besides, the Blue Dragon just issued a trial to subjugate that A+ grade demon. Nothing takes precedence over this. We don't have the luxury to waste energy on some weed not even worth that."
"Understood."
"Then let's start preparations to subjugate the A+ grade demon right away. Pull up a list of available B-grade and A-grade hunters first. And as for that guy's movements..."
On top of that, the guild's constellation, the Blue Dragon—a being who lived for conflict—had promptly issued a trial related to it.
The Blue Dragon Guild couldn't afford to squander resources on some lowly bottom-tier hunter.
And so, by the guild master's order, the meeting shifted to discuss subjugating Jeong Min-su, the demon of the Slaughter King.
***
At the same time, inside an E-class dungeon.
"Haa... haa..."
I'd trained for a month straight, nearly hit level 30, and boosted my stats overwhelmingly, but somehow training always left me like this.
Real combat was different after all. It hit me again how fighting was on a whole other level from regular work—exhausting in ways you couldn't imagine.
Sweat poured down like rain, my body felt heavy as lead, but I forced myself up and eyed the massive dragonkin knight standing before me.
"Y-you see, my choice was right after all. Haa~ haa~ I really am a scrub. Haa~"
[Master... still... you've improved a lot... Krokbane... praises you.]
"Yeah, thanks. I'll take a short break."
[Recommending hydration, Master.]
I plopped down on the ground for a breather, and Akaron handed me a chilled sports drink from the side.
Over a month in, I was clearing one dungeon a day, training inside with the knights to hone my skills.
"Still, your skills are improving at an incredible rate."
[Affirmative. Master's combat proficiency advances daily. Combat duration is increasing, and you're even scratching Sir Krokbane's scales.]
[I acknowledge... it.]
Krokbane, Akaron, and Seom-myeol each offered their praise.
Getting nothing but compliments like this was a first in my life—kind of embarrassing, but I didn't want to show it. I tossed the empty bottle into my inventory and sprang back up.
"Hyah, well~ it's all thanks to the skills I got. Whew~ Let's call it here for today. Gotta watch some lectures later~ Seom-myeol, handle the boss. Akaron, help me stretch..."
"Understood."
"I'll take care of it swiftly."
Stretching after grueling training was even more crucial.
It was about time to exit the dungeon, so I left the boss monster to them.
This routine—Monday through Saturday hitting dungeons daily for training and study, Sunday pure rest.
After training all day to the point of collapse, you'd normally crash at night, but thanks to the legendary-grade armor, Akaron's meal management, and my stats, stamina drain was minimal.
'That's let me make 100% use of my time—jackpot. Oh, but no skill for learning ability, so studying's less efficient than I'd like. Guess I have to rely on my original brain for that...'
At least my nine years at the Academia gave me a solid foundation from what I'd seen and heard, so progress wasn't bad.
Plus, awakener skills and abilities felt game-like, which helped even more.
I hadn't been a huge gamer back in the day, but the low "studying" vibe was the biggest perk.
"In the end, this is how it turned out. Haa~ Humans adapt, huh."
Plenty of chaos after awakening, but a month of calm life, and now it felt natural.
E-class dungeon earnings were low for a hunter but beat my exclusive staff salary—decent. With the knights handling chores and dungeon help, daily life got way easier.
Reaping full benefits from my SSS trait, everything was smooth sailing.
"Feels like I've truly become a hunter now. Still a long way to go, though..."
"No. Your prowess rises faster with each passing day, Commander. No need to worry."
"Glad to hear that. Alright, let's clear out and head home. Wipe 'em all!"
With today's training done, I issued orders to the other knights.
As expected, our overwhelming force—untouchable by E-class dungeons—crushed the demons inside.
[Grooooarrr!]
[Sir Krokbane, maintain formation.]
"Kh! Sir Krokbane! Trying to hog all the glory solo?"
"......"
Among them, the dragonkin knight Krokbane charged like a tank, swinging his halberd to turn monsters into minced meat.
His style was too barbaric for a knight, but he'd smash incoming dagger-wielding demons, shield arrows from Flesh Plunderers with his body to protect allies—that set him worlds apart from mere savagery.
[Heh heh heh, meat coming right to... Huh?]
[You... die.]
Crunch!
The boss monster was already a bloody pulp under Krokbane's halberd before we could even ID it.
Naturally, such dominance meant no real rewards, and my level had reached 28.
[Lv.28 Yoo Seongwon]
Stat Growth: 21/21/21/21
Str:1,190 Dex:1,188 Vit:1,190 Mag:1,176
[Held Skills]
Path of the Great Knight (SSS)
Myeong's Knight Grandel's Martial Talent (Unique)
Spirit Knight 'Silleion Forest Blade' Secret Art (Unique)
KMG TECH Master Device (Unique)
Dimensional Gate to the Sanctuary of the Nameless Knight Order (Legendary)
[Applied Effects]
Divine Beast's Power (All stats +1 rank (2x))
"Not even surprising anymore."
A wry smile escaped at my four-digit stats.
I'd expected this growth, but now it felt excessive.
Level 28 like this? Insane. If the association found out, it wouldn't end quietly—fierce recruitment wars from the three major guilds over these stats.
"Gotta keep it hidden no matter what. Getting stronger's a good thing anyway. Let's see... any messages?"
Bzzz! Bzzz!
Pulling my phone from inventory, texts and missed calls piled up, vibrating wildly.
Dungeon runs blocked signals, so this was par for the course. Checking messages, I got a call from Ayoung.
「SpaceStrongestAyoung: In a dungeon, right? Call me ASAP when you're out—head straight to our guild HQ.」
"What's this about?"
Smelled like trouble brewing.
Sparring had gone smoothly till now—what gives? Curious, but no ignoring a summons, so time to move.
'Wonder what they want...'
「Yoo Seongwon: What's up? Just exiting dungeon now, en route.」
「SpaceStrongestAyoung: Mom found out!」
「Yoo Seongwon: And that's a problem how?」
「SpaceStrongestAyoung: Kept hiring you secret from her.」
「Yoo Seongwon: Used your parents' money?」
「SpaceStrongestAyoung: No, my own cash. Obviously!」
Makes sense—a B-grade awakener gets fat government subsidies, Academia "upkeep" funds, plus Baekya Guild branch salary.
No money issues or conflicts—why fight over hiring an exclusive staff?
"Then what's the issue?"
Couldn't guess, so I tilted my head, looked up Baekya Guild's address, and headed straight to HQ.
Baekya's base stuck to the temple aesthetic I'd seen before.
A massive plot with multiple Greek-temple-style structures; inside, awakeners in Baekya uniforms or medieval armor milled about.
'That the reception desk?'
"What brings you here?"
"Ah, Shin Ayoung called me. Exclusive staff Yoo Seongwon."
"Ah! You've arrived. Right this way."
At what looked like reception, I flashed my guild card and followed the clerk through one of the temple buildings.
What greeted me was a bizarre scene.
"Ah, you're here?"
"This is... well... yeah, I get the gist."
Ayoung knelt before a jade throne; atop it sat a queenly figure.
Raven hair, golden eyes, skin nearly spilling from a daring white dress, wielding a massive staff-scepter, golden tiara crowning her mature beauty.
Legs crossed, arrogant gaze fixed on me—the word for her was queen, plain and simple.
No need to probe further; I slipped behind Ayoung, knelt, and bowed my head.
'When you spot someone high up, best to bow quick and smart.'
"Hmm~ Seems you know your manners."
"My apologies."
"Heh heh, good. At least you'll be reasonable unlike my daughter. We can talk through you."
'Daughter?'
I glanced sidelong at Ayoung beside me, then up at the queen.
Black hair and gold eyes aside, their vibes were polar opposites, but a closer look revealed subtle similarities.
Now it clicked why I'd been summoned.
'Precious daughter suddenly appoints a 30-something outsider as exclusive staff—enough to make any mom anxious! Wait...'
Then Go Seongjun tried poaching from a family-run guild?
The three guilds' arrogance ran deeper than I'd thought. Meanwhile, her sharp gaze pierced me from the throne.
Hmm, way too young-looking for a mom with a daughter.
Constellation blessings could halt aging, so no jumping to conclusions on age.
"Hmm, more than I expected..."
As I pondered, Mom spoke up. I snapped to attention, focusing on her words.
Having a private chamber with a throne meant she held a key position in Baekya Guild.