Somewhere Between Guilt and Responsibility
"No way, no it isn't."
I shook my head vigorously and began rationalizing it logically. Reason one it wasn't my fault. The Spirit King is a seriously powerful being that even dragons can't handle. But the one in front of me yesterday wasn't on that level.
Reason two it wasn't my fault. Hell, I didn't summon that damn thing! That chatty little sprite named Silpin went back to the spirit realm and called it over. If anything, I'm the victim here!
Reason three it wasn't my fault. None of this would've happened if Baek Hayeon hadn't shown up in the first place…
But as I kept justifying it, a wave of self-loathing crashed over me.
Sigh… Fine, I can't pretend I bear zero responsibility.
It was a weird feeling. Somewhere between guilt and responsibility, I guess?
I scratched at my messy hair. I'd just signed a contract with the Roijir Guild, planning to hide behind their safe shield and suck on the sweet honey of life forever. But now the whole beehive—no, the entire forest—was about to burn down. I couldn't just sit back and watch.
So I made a big decision.
"Screw it. Jermad hyung said we just need to hold out for 100 years until he gets here, right? Let's block it somehow."
It wasn't some grand mission to save Earth. I just wanted to live. Apocalypse worldviews were the worst.
I clenched my fists and started plotting how to deal with this system change.
The next morning, my trusty manager and exclusive slave No. 1, Taesoo hyung, rolled up to the hotel in his 20-year-old rustbucket.
"Hyung, when are you gonna get a new car…?"
"Huh? Already signed the contract, but they said there's a wait. Figured I'd just use this till then."
"Just rent one or something…."
"Oh, that's an idea!"
I pried open the creaking door and plopped into the passenger seat.
"Daesung-ah… you okay?"
After witnessing yesterday's spectacle and the update that followed, Baek Hayeon, Seo Ara, and Seo Ayoung might suspect me. But not Taesoo hyung.
"Kid, what's with that face?"
"Nothing…."
"Hey, you don't think it's your fault, do you?"
"……."
Then Taesoo hyung started rambling.
"Listen, I dug around online last night. Some American pumpkin vine guy or whatever? That professor succeeded in extracting gate mana for the first time yesterday."
"It's not pumpkin vine, it's Hobeck Duncan, hyung…."
"Whatever! Same difference. Oh, and that world No. 1 guy, you know who."
"Bill Kent…?"
"Yeah! Him! Broke through to SS-rank first ever! See? Not your fault, dude. It was bound to happen."
I couldn't help but chuckle. Man, what a good guy.
"For real? Bill Kent hit SS-rank?"
"Yeah, no joke. One punch and everything within dozens of meters got obliterated."
Was that really the cause? Who knows. But Taesoo hyung had definitely lightened my mood. He'd probably stayed up searching articles. Made me grin.
"Hyung, step on it. We're gonna be late."
"Ah, this thing doesn't accelerate worth a damn."
"Scrap it and rent something tomorrow."
We arrived at the Roijir Guild headquarters lobby on the first floor. Total chaos. Employees dashed around pale-faced, shouts and ringing phones exploding everywhere.
"How the hell did this happen all of a sudden…!"
The fallout from yesterday's system update was no joke. Every gate's difficulty had forcibly bumped up a rank.
Low-tier E or D gates weren't the issue. High-ranks were the problem.
"Team Leader Kim, heard about the Taeguk 3 raid team canceling? That S-rank gate they were set to hit tomorrow mutated into SS-rank overnight—making it impossible to clear."
"Crazy… What's the difficulty on SS even? No data exists."
"World Guild Alliance put every pending S-rank on hold. Obviously."
"So what now? Delay till they break?"
"What can we do? We're fucked."
The hunters' coffee-break chatter hit my ears. A dozen S-rank gates worldwide, Once timed for clear attempts, they’d all turned into unknown SS-rank hellholes. S-rank clearing talent was rare, and failure too risky—they'd postponed everything.
Shit really hit the fan.
Taesoo hyung and I pushed through the gloom to the top-floor guild master's office. Inside, Baek Hayeon and Seo Ara greeted us, dark circles like they'd pulled an all-nighter.
"You're here, Director Kwon. Atmosphere's awful, right?"
"Yeah. Guild Master, you must be exhausted. Heard the gist outside…."
Baek Hayeon fixed her bloodshot eyes on me.
"Sorry for the mess on your first day. As you see, total pandemonium…."
Her office screens flooded with update-related news.
"S-rank gates are the issue, right?"
Seo Ara chimed in from beside her.
"Yes. No clue on SS-rank scale. Consensus is monsters jump 3-5x from A to S…."
S-rank at 5x? Unimaginable power.
"Even basic math says we need 5x the manpower. But reality… impossible."
"That short on talent?"
"Sigh… More item shortage than talent. S-rank gear's scarce, so A-rank fillers need high-grade stuff to dent S-monsters."
I stroked my chin, thinking. Bare-handed S-rank hunters are limited. Modern high-grade weapons make A-ranks viable against S-monsters.
Wait… that means…
A lightbulb went off.
"Guild Master, aren't Great Cataclysm-era items in the museum?"
"Y-yes?"
"Could I repair the ones with zero durability?"
Baek Hayeon blinked rapidly.
"Pardon? That possible?"
"Not sure. Worth a shot, right? Could help with gates."
Her voice rose excitedly.
"Of course!! Museum pieces are legendary! If repairable…!"
But it might not work. I tempered expectations.
"Bring one, I'll try. Don't get hopes up."
"Got it! I'll track one down!!"
Post-meeting, I headed to my dedicated workshop one floor below the top—fully soundproofed, bulletproof glass, hundreds of pyeong huge.
Taesoo hyung left to tour the guild. Just me in the vast space.
Hmm… Call Ariel? But how?
Do you wish to summon the Spirit King 'Ariel'?
Oh, like this? Super convenient.
"Yeah, summon."
Dragon mana drained from my body. I panicked, throttling it back.
"Whoa, what! Stop taking so much!"
Summon Spirit King Ariel
A soft emerald glow bloomed fluffily on the workbench. No storm—just a gentle breeze tickling my cheek, not even snuffing a candle.
"……Huh?"
The light faded. No towering, overwhelming, mature seductress goddess from yesterday. Instead, a palm-sized fairy with translucent wings, puffed cheeks, glaring up at me cutely.
[Hmph, where's this? No scent of nature. Displeasing.]
The voice was yesterday's haughty, elegant Spirit King Ariel. I burst out laughing in disbelief.
"What the? Why're you so tiny?"
[You skimped on mana.]
"Oh? That's why?"
[Yes.]
"So for full descent?"
Ariel smirked cutely.
[Think you can?]
"Huh?"
[I'm nature itself in the spirit realm. Full descent means grasping this world's winds entirely. Mana needed?]
Er… all Earth's winds…? Sounded impossible off the bat.
"Anyway, not why I called. Ariel-nim, you know Jermad?"
[Yes.]
"He says he's heading to the spirit realm. Can you watch out for him?"
[Hmm…? Spirit realm? Tricky….]
"Said 100 years doable?"
[Dragons have entered before. None returned alive.]
"That's why I'm asking. Don't let Jermad hyung die if he crosses?"
Ariel looked troubled, adorable.
[For my contractor, sure. But others?]
"Others?"
[Obviously. The other Spirit Kings.]
"Ah…."
[Water and wind aren't aggressive. But fire and earth…]
Earth spirits are famously docile, right?
"Fire makes sense, but earth Spirit King?"
[Yes. Worse than fire, arguably. Fire loves fights. Earth hates intruders on spirit realm soil. Hard to convince.]
Damn. So Jermad hyung's Earth trip was toast?
As I pondered alternatives—
Multidimensional Secondhand Market system major update complete!
Please check updated notices and new features.
"Hm?"