Chapter 558: Rebellion (6)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 558: Rebellion (6)
The Twilight Guild’s stock price was soaring by the day.
Of course, since we weren’t a publicly traded company, it wasn’t like our actual stock was rising.
“Daeshin Corporation has requested a meeting regarding a collaboration.”
“Not interested.”
“Understood, I’ll turn them down. Next is a meeting about a merchandise-related business…”
“I don’t want to do that either.”
“Then I’ll turn this one down as well.”
To be precise, our reputation had grown.
It had grown to the point where the corporations and individuals who had been so prickly at the behest of other major guilds when I first established mine were now desperate to meet me.
The disadvantages of a small, elite guild?
That notion was shattered a long time ago.
We had two S-rank Hunters.
And when Seo-yeon applied for her promotion match, our stock price skyrocketed once again.
If she passed her match safely, our guild would have a whopping three S-rank Hunters.
An S-rank Hunter was an exceptional being, powerful enough to build their own faction.
As such, a guild possessing three S-rank Hunters was a rarity, even on a global scale.
Yoon Ji-an, who had quit the Association to join my guild as my exclusive secretary, asked me, “Are you really going to turn down every single offer?”
“We’ll see.”
I don’t think of myself as a petty person.
Of course, if you were to ask if I was magnanimous, that would be an awkward question in its own right.
In any case, I don’t consider everyone who once turned their backs on me an enemy.
So why was I refusing?
Because nothing piqued my interest.
“There aren’t any particularly tempting offers. They all feel like things I could take or leave.”
If I were short on money, I’d probably take something, but that wasn’t the case.
After hearing the news of my guild members’ exploits in the Blood Sanctuary, the Saintess’s interest in the Twilight Guild had only grown.
It was to the point where anything I wanted would be granted in an instant.
The Saintess’s wealth was immense.
So much so that even the chairman of a major corporation wouldn’t dare to casually hand her his business card.
With a sponsor like that, was there really a need to struggle and scrape by?
I’d rather spend that time training than wasting it on pointless ventures.
“That is certainly true, but…”
Her eyes turned sharp.
“I feel like it’s not just because the offers aren’t to your liking.”
“……”
This is why I hate having a perceptive secretary.
She was right.
Right now, my mind was preoccupied with other things, leaving me functionally inert.
And it was obvious what was preoccupying me.
“Hunter Im Na-eun… are you going to bring her back?”
“I have to, don’t I?”
The final image of her back as she walked away was seared into my memory.
She looked like she was desperately trying to sever all ties.
Like someone trying to erase the very fact that she ever existed in this world.
As if she planned to isolate herself completely and then disappear.
But that couldn’t be it.
She wasn’t pessimistic enough to take her own life, nor was her life in any danger.
If that was the case, there was only one answer.
That facade of a “family” must be suffocating her.
She spoke again.
“Your opponent is the Mirae Group.”
“Yes, I know.”
“And you know that you can’t predict what will happen afterward?”
“Of course, I do.”
I don’t overestimate my own power.
Nor do I underestimate the power Mirae Group wields.
Thinking about it objectively, I was probably at a slight disadvantage.
They seemed to possess not only wealth but considerable military strength as well.
Last time I saw, their vice president’s driver was an S-rank.
“And yet, you’re willing to step forward.”
Her cool, subdued voice flowed into my ears.
I asked her, as she maintained her stoic expression, “You don’t want me to do it?”
“To be honest… yes, that’s right.”
Yoon Ji-an seemed to hesitate for a moment before nodding.
“Looking at it objectively, the risks far outweigh the potential gains.”
“That’s true.”
“More than anything, I… don’t want you, Guild Leader—no, Do-jin—to get hurt.”
Her affectionate gaze was fixed squarely on me.
Gains, risks.
She said all that, but her only concern was for me.
She didn’t want me to get hurt.
She hoped I wouldn’t get caught up in something dangerous and meet a bad end.
Clutching a chest bursting with worry for me, she opened her mouth again.
“My head tells me I should stop you, but my heart says otherwise.”
A conflict between reason and instinct.
“Because I like that about you.”
A single smile bloomed on her face, which was contorted with worry.
“I like that you cherish your people above all else. It gives me faith that if anything were to ever happen to me, you would come to save me.”
“Ji-an…”
Her expression returned to its usual stoicism as she continued.
“So, do as you wish. Use whatever means necessary and bring Hunter Im Na-eun back.”
However, a blush she couldn’t quite hide remained on her cheeks.
“If you bring Hunter Im Na-eun back safely… I’ll give you a re-reward.”
Oh?
Suddenly, I’m feeling incredibly motivated.
“What kind of reward?”
“Th-that…”
Her face now completely red, Yoon Ji-an struggled to speak.
After fanning her face with her hand several times, she managed to continue.
“Th-the thing… you mentioned… last time…”
“The thing I mentioned last time…?”
What was it?
I felt like I’d mentioned more than one or two things.
As I tilted my head, unable to get my bearings, she squeezed her eyes shut and shouted.
“The… the office desk…!”
The office desk?
“I’ll… I’ll get under it… and service you…!”
“Gasp.”
I shot up like the wind and left the guild leader’s office.
“I’ll be right back!”
Just you wait.
My fantasy!
* * *
The walls and floor looked as if they were made of rough-hewn stone, crudely carved and fitted together.
She walked blankly down a path where torches flickered at regular intervals.
-“Yes, this way. It’s not much further.”
Something whispered incessantly in her ear.
-“This way, sis!”
Sometimes in the voice of an innocent boy.
-“Kikiki… Come, child.”
Sometimes in the voice of a benevolent grandmother.
-“Ohohoho! How utterly enchanting…!”
Sometimes in the coquettish voice of a haughty woman.
A diverse array of voices, regardless of age or gender, constantly tempted her.
At first, it was simply terrifying.
She was filled with nothing but fear for the unknown entity that lurked at the end of this long path.
But not anymore.
Now, she just wanted to know.
‘Who could it be?’
The identity of the being calling to her with so many voices.
The reason it was calling for her so desperately.
What kind of future would she face when she reached the end of this path?
An intensely powerful curiosity burned away even her fear.
Im Ji-hoon, walking ahead, kept looking back to check his sister’s expression.
He was curious.
When she finally encountered the unknown, something that surpassed even the boundless limits of human imagination…
What kind of expression would she make?
Regardless of his thoughts…
‘Just a little more.’
Im Na-eun walked on without stopping.
The voices whispered in her ear.
-“It’s almost time.”
-“We can finally meet.”
-“Just a little more effort, child.”
A young man, a child, an old man—they all reminded her that the destination was not far.
Soon, the end of the long path came into view.
At the end of the path, which resembled a cave or a tunnel, stood a massive temple.
Giant stone pillars reminiscent of ancient Greece.
A massive roof resting on top of them.
And in front of it all stood statues of every shape and form.
Children, adults, the elderly.
Men and women.
Each statue, all with different appearances, was accompanied by a single book.
In a child’s arms, on an adult’s hand, under an old man’s arm.
As she approached as if in a trance, the great, tightly shut doors of the temple began to open on their own.
Krrrrr…!
The interior, as massive as its exterior, was slowly revealed.
Long pews made of stone.
Various statues standing beside them.
Torches that cast a soft glow on the surroundings.
She stepped onto the red carpet laid between them and walked gracefully to the end of the temple.
Upon a massive throne, a certain being sat in a languid pose.
Yes.
An unknown entity that could only be described as… a certain being.
It rose to its feet.
A height that easily seemed to exceed three meters.
Long lace adorned its puffed shoulders and wrists.
Its attire was made of colorful fabrics, like something royalty from the Middle Ages would wear.
Above the large frill at its neck rested several human faces.
“Welcome, child.”
A captivating young woman.
“Hohol… You’ve finally arrived.”
A benevolent-looking grandmother.
“Nice to meet you!”
A mischievous-looking child.
“Did you take a nap on the way? Why are you so late!”
An impatient old man.
“But it’s alright. You’re not too late.”
A handsome young man.
Heads of various genders and ages rotated one by one, welcoming and scolding her.
An eerie chill ran down her spine.
Facing this bizarre entity, she remembered the fear she had momentarily forgotten.
“Ah……, uh…, ugh……”
Crushed by terror, she couldn’t even speak properly.
And yet, wasn’t it strange?
The more frightened she became, the more curious she grew.
What in the world was it?
What was the true identity of this being that evoked such primal fear in humans?
Her deepening curiosity suppressed her fear.
Finally, she asked.
“Who…, who…”
An answer came to her unfinished question.
“I am the Seeker of Knowledge,” said the captivating woman.
“I am the Devourer of Knowledge!” shouted the impatient old man.
“I can read the minds of humans!” chirped the innocent child.
“And I am also the one who holds this world’s past, present, and future in my grasp,” added the handsome man.
“Finally, I use that knowledge to bring great benefit to humanity,” finished the benevolent grandmother.
They each introduced themselves in their own way.
After each face had completed a full rotation, another face met her gaze.
“My name is Dantalion.”
A middle-aged man with a crown resting on his voluminous hair.
He.
“I am the savior who shall lead ignorant humanity to eternal, boundless prosperity through knowledge.”
Concluded his existence.