Chapter 58 — How About This, Oppa?
Chapter 58 — How About This, Oppa?
Translation: GodTL
"Lord Rokan, are you saying you'll personally establish a guild?"
His bombshell statement jolted me wide awake.
I'd been agonizing over whether to join a guild or not, but for Rokan to consider founding one himself?
That possibility had never even crossed my mind.
Though I'm not well-versed in this field, wouldn't managing a guild require an overwhelming amount of attention?
If I were in Rokan's position, I doubt the thought of creating a guild would have occurred to me at all.
Yet Rokan, as if anticipating my reaction, explained the reasoning behind his decision.
"First, I've occasionally entertained the idea that running a guild myself might prove interesting. Before crossing over here, I'd indulged in many amusements, but never experienced the life of an administrator."
Dragons inherently enjoy experiencing diverse things through play, he explained, so while humans might question the necessity, from a Dragon's perspective it could be considered an entertaining diversion.
Seeing I still didn't fully comprehend, Rokan added, "Don't you humans have management simulation games among your pastimes?"
Hearing that, I realized from Rokan's standpoint, it truly might seem that way.
Just on a slightly grander scale than simulation games.
"I'd vaguely considered trying it someday, but what finally moved me to act was your earlier dilemma."
Seeing me agonize over whether to join a guild had reminded him of that long-held thought.
"In your case, following the training regimen Sia and I design would be most efficient. But as we've discussed before, that doesn't mean you should neglect real combat."
Rather than endless training alone, honing Dragon powers through actual combat would be far more effective.
Yet as I grow stronger, finding Gates to conquer without guild support will become increasingly difficult.
Stuck between a rock and a hard place.
"So I thought, why not seize this opportunity to establish a guild? That would eliminate your dilemma entirely."
Rokan was absolutely right.
Joining a guild founded by Rokan himself would allow flexible Gate raids with his support.
Moreover, under favorable circumstances, I might even access A-rank Gates with his backing rather than being limited to B-ranks, gaining far greater experience.
"You're right. Really... truly, thank you."
"Didn't I say? I'd considered guild management even before meeting you. This serves dual purposes, so no need for special gratitude."
Dismissing it as nothing significant, Rokan smiled warmly.
But then—
"Lord Rokan, about your guild plans... have you told Sia yet?"
"No, not yet."
"Then perhaps..."
I suddenly recalled our last phone call, when Sia had desperately wanted to personally share news about her dungeon renovation participation—news she wanted to deliver herself rather than have Rokan relay.
When I mentioned I'd already heard from Rokan, her visible disappointment had been palpable.
"No, I haven't told Sashia yet."
"Then I'll pretend I never heard this. Could you perhaps... let Sia be the one to tell me?"
"You've got quite the romantic streak yourself, don't you?"
Though unaware of our previous exchange, Rokan seemed to grasp my intention as he nodded approvingly.
"Very well. You must be exhausted—go get proper rest."
After seeing me home, Rokan departed. Too drained to even wash up, I collapsed onto the floor.
We'd left around noon, yet the clock showed it was already well past 9 p.m.
My stomach growled with hunger, but I didn't even have the energy to eat—proof that today's training had been hellishly brutal by any standard.
No doubt this would become the norm from now on whenever I trained.
I just wanted to collapse straight into bed, but I couldn't skip washing off all the sweat, so I took a quick shower before lying down.
And just as I settled in to sleep—
A thought suddenly struck me.
Wouldn't it be nice to have our next date at the very place where we sparred today?
If Sia had personally designed that space, then it must hold special meaning for her.
Plus, it'd be a good chance to hear more of her stories.
Though we'd shared many conversations since reuniting, I realized I hadn't properly listened to the details of her life as Dragon 'Shasha.'
Guess I should call her real quick before bed and ask if we can adjust this week's plans.
It wasn't even ten yet—she wouldn't be asleep.
The moment I dialed, Sia picked up.
[Oppa! Grandpa told me you trained together today! How was it?]
She must've already heard from Rokan, because she jumped straight into asking about the session.
"It made me realize hell is a real place," I grumbled, exaggerating as I recounted the day's events. "Though, calling it 'hell' feels unfair when the scenery was so breathtaking. Where else would you find a hell that beautiful? It's a shame I barely got to enjoy it—just trained nonstop."
[Hmm, I see... Did Grandpa mention where he took inspiration for that place?]
"Nope. Do you know?"
Technically, Rokan had told me the moment we arrived, but I wanted to hear Sia excitedly explain it herself—so I lied.
I'll just ask Rokan later to back me up.
[Ooh, he didn't? Wanna guess, Oppa?]
When I played dumb, Sia immediately turned it into a quiz, clearly hoping I'd figure it out.
"Hmm... Well, there's a mountain range in China that looks similar—maybe he drew from that? Or... wait, is it somewhere you used to live?"
[You got it! How'd you know?]
Sia gasped and clapped in surprise, while I smoothly spun my lie without missing a beat.
"Just a lucky guess."
[They say love makes minds connect—guess that's true! So, what did you think? Tell me everything!]
Eager for more details, she pressed me to describe the scenery, and I shared every impression I'd had.
"...Which is why I started thinking—wouldn't it be nice to go there with you? Not for training, but for a date. Imagine how perfect that'd be."
[Why didn't I think of that? Oppa, should we switch this week's date to there?]
It was exactly what I'd planned to suggest, but Sia beat me to it, clearly loving the idea.
"What about the plans we already made for this week?"
[We can do those later! If you're okay with it, we can postpone them. Or keep this week's plans and go there for a picnic next week instead.]
She left it up to me, saying she'd respect my choice.
Our original date itinerary wasn't bad, but sometimes, you just have to seize the moment.
"Let's do it this week, then. We'll save the other plans for later."
[Yes! I'll pack kimbap and sandwiches to make it picnic-perfect!]
"Then I'll handle the blanket and fruit."
[Oh, Oppa—bring tteokbokki too!]
"No problem."
Seeing Sia's giddy excitement, I knew I'd made the right call.
I was already looking forward to it.
Finally, the long-awaited day arrived.
Right on time, I stepped into the training grounds—though 'training grounds' hardly did justice to the stunning landscape, an exact replica of Sia's homeland.
Though it was a virtual space connected to the Imperial Tomb—which sent a slight shiver down my spine—this place was truly beautiful no matter how many times I saw it.
So much so that I could almost completely forget what this place originally was.
I didn't know if it was possible, but I found myself wanting to someday visit the world where Sia had been born and raised as a Dragon.
Not right away, of course—only after I'd fully mastered the power of a Dragon.
From the perspective of Sia's parents—well, her current-life parents—if their precious daughter went to another dimension and brought back a mere human as her future spouse... that would be a bit awkward, wouldn't it?
So it would probably be better to bring it up with Sia only after I'd become Dragon-like enough to earn the recognition of other Dragons.
Though, whether crossing over to that world was even possible remained a question in itself.
Even if Sia knew how to use Dimensional Movement Magic, traveling alone and bringing someone else along could be entirely different matters.
In any case, after slowly taking in the scenery, I laid out the picnic mat in a spot with a good view before Sia arrived.
Just as I was plating the tteokbokki I'd prepared in a nice dish—
"Oppa! I'm here!"
Sia appeared.
A beige sweater and ivory-colored pants.
The outfit itself was simple, but whether it was because of how well it suited her, her natural charm was unmistakable.
As always, the moment she saw me, Sia rushed over in a single stride and hugged me. I held her tight and gently patted her back.
"I missed you."
"Me too. I don't know why a week felt so long."
"Right? And with how hectic this week was, I think I missed you even more."
As Sia had said, ever since we reunited, so many incidents had happened that both of us had been completely swamped.
"Plus, you must've been busy helping Grandpa renovate this place."
"Yeah. I even ran final checks to make sure there weren't any issues. After everything was done, I took a proper look around, and... it really is beautiful."
"It is. I think I mentioned it last time, but it's seriously pretty. Just imagining you growing up in another world with scenery like this makes me happy."
How many places on Earth could boast such breathtaking beauty?
"I felt the same way when I first saw it, you know? When I first stepped outside the Lair, I never expected the front yard to be this gorgeous—my jaw literally dropped."
Perhaps because she was reminiscing about the past, there was something wistful in Sia's gaze.
"You know what I thought when I first saw it?"
"What?"
"I wanted to show this beautiful scenery to you, Oppa."
With a calm expression, Sia stared at the landscape.
Even though this wasn't the actual front yard of her Lair, standing here with her in a place that perfectly mirrored it seemed to stir up a lot of emotions.
With one arm wrapped around my shoulder, Sia gazed at the view before finally snapping out of her thoughts and pulling a picnic basket from her Subspace.
"But I guess half of that dream has come true now. I never imagined I'd get to have a picnic with you here and enjoy this view together."
One by one, Sia took out the homemade dishes she'd prepared.
But—
I was supposed to bring the fruit, yet Sia pulled out a mandarin orange from the basket.
"Mandarin oranges?"
"Yep. My Lair is on Jeju Island, right? And what's Jeju Island famous for? Mandarin oranges. So I bought some. You can take the leftovers home."
How long has she even lived on Jeju Island to act like a full-blown local now?
I took out the things I'd prepared separately from my Subspace—the fruit, drinks to share, and the tteokbokki Sia had asked for.
Once everything was laid out, it really felt like we were on a picnic.
"It's been so long since we've done something like this, hasn't it?"
"When was the last time...? That picnic by the Han River. That was really nice."
Lost in old memories, we began unpacking and eating the food we'd brought.
Completely unaware of what the future held for us.