Chapter 62
Chapter 62
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 62
Chapter Title: The First Six
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# 62
Fortunately, only a dozen or so Players were staying in Aachen.
Aside from Kang-seok’s party, Kim Kang-san, and Park Han-yeong, the remaining ten Players were all staying in different places.
The guards had caused quite a commotion when Kang-seok passed through the city gates, so there was a chance they had heard the news and would come flocking, but for now, he didn't run into any Players on the way to the inn.
However, something else was a problem.
“The Dark Destiny Lord!”
“Aachen’s savior!”
“The Incarnation of Black Flames!”
“Ah, the Master of Dark Destiny!”
The adventurers and ordinary citizens staying at the inn recognized Kang-seok’s party and cheered for them. The adventurers who had witnessed Andras firsthand were particularly favorable toward Kang-seok, but their goodwill felt painfully sharp.
It was goodwill. Definitely goodwill. There was even a hint of respect mixed in.
But every time he heard those cheers, his face burned. And what about Yang Jun-gyu’s adoring gaze? It felt like he was walking naked down the street.
Fortunately, Seong Yu-jin and Choi Yu-ra didn't tease him any further.
The two of them looked at Kang-seok with pity—though in Choi Yu-ra’s case, a hint of a smile still lingered—and Kang-seok, feeling all the more miserable, deeply engraved the word ‘patience’ into his heart.
“We’re back.”
After a knock and a short wait, Kim Kang-san immediately opened the door. His face was a mixture of welcome and doubt, but the welcome was clearly much stronger.
“Please, come in.”
As Kang-seok’s party entered the room, Park Han-yeong, who had been lying on the bed, pushed herself up. She didn't seem to have fully recovered her strength, as even sitting up looked like a struggle. Seong Yu-jin quickly approached the bedside to stop her.
“It’s okay. It’s fine, just keep lying down.”
“Yes, Yu… no, Yu-jin.”
Seong Yu-jin smiled warmly at Park Han-yeong’s friendly address. She stroked Park Han-yeong’s hair and neatly readjusted the disheveled blanket.
It was a single room with only one bed, so there were hardly any tables or chairs. Since they couldn't just stand and talk, the group found spots on the floor and sat in a circle.
Kim Kang-san was the first to speak.
“The World Quest that was announced last night… could you tell us what happened?”
Kim Kang-san’s face, usually serious, was now tinged with caution. When Kang-seok glanced around for a moment without answering, Park Han-yeong spoke from the bed.
“There’s no one eavesdropping. You can trust me; it’s my ninja skill.”
Just as she was skilled at stealth, Park Han-yeong was also skilled at detecting it.
Kang-seok nodded once and took a deep breath.
He brought up a topic that was slightly different from Kim Kang-san’s question but one that had to be addressed first.
“I’m thinking of creating a guild.”
“A guild?”
As Kim Kang-san repeated the unexpected words, letters of light appeared in his and Park Han-yeong’s minds.
The keyword ‘Player’s Guild’ had been triggered, just as it had for Kang-seok’s party before.
A Player’s Guild.
Various guild skills.
“I see… I suppose that makes sense.”
Kim Kang-san had played a guild master character, a ‘Lord,’ in the game Blood.
The power of an organization and an individual were fundamentally different.
There was a reason humans formed groups and factions.
To gather strength. To face challenges as an organization that were difficult for an individual to handle.
If various guild skills like those in a game were added to the mix, a guild would become not a choice, but a necessity. It was clear that many Player guilds would soon emerge.
Kang-seok said, “I don’t know what will happen later, but for now, I plan to gather trustworthy people and run a small, elite guild. I was hoping you, Kang-san, and you, Han-yeong, who overcame the tutorial with us, would join.”
Trustworthy people.
Suddenly, Kim Kang-san clenched his teeth. He placed a clenched fist on his chest and looked directly at Kang-seok.
“You saved my life not once, but twice. It is only right that I repay that debt. I understand. I will join you—no, the Guild Master.”
He was utterly serious, his voice thick with emotion. It seemed he was deeply moved by the guild invitation itself.
Having Kim Kang-san, who was at least ten years his senior, act so deferentially made Kang-seok feel rather awkward.
Left to his own devices, he looked ready to readjust his posture and swear an oath of loyalty at any moment, so Kang-seok quickly spoke.
“Thank you. And… just call me Kang-seok. I’ll call you by your first name, too.”
“But…”
“Please.”
In truth, a simple “It’s an order from the Guild Master” would have solved everything, but he just couldn't bring himself to say those words. It was too embarrassing.
As Kim Kang-san reluctantly nodded, Park Han-yeong spoke up from the bed, her tone quite cheerful.
“I feel the same as Kang-san. Please take care of me.”
Park Han-yeong’s demeanor had changed quite a bit from when they had met in the Labyrinthos dungeon. It seemed her travels with Kim Kang-san had brought about a change of heart.
Kim Kang-san and Park Han-yeong had expressed their intent to join.
At that, Yang Jun-gyu, who was sitting next to Choi Yu-ra, began to fidget, nervously glancing at Kang-seok.
Yang Jun-gyu was also a Player, so he knew what “overcame the tutorial together” meant.
Among the six people in the room, his own connection was the weakest. It had only been three days since he had met Kang-seok’s party.
He looked quite pitiful, fretting but unable to say a word, only watching their reactions. Choi Yu-ra suddenly threw her arm around his neck, and Kang-seok grinned.
“Jun-gyu, you’re coming with us too.”
“R-Really?”
“Have you been tricked your whole life?”
Choi Yu-ra giggled and ruffled Yang Jun-gyu’s hair. With Choi Yu-ra so close and having received a guild invitation from Kang-seok, Yang Jun-gyu’s face turned bright red, and he didn't know what to do with himself.
Kang-seok had two reasons for accepting Yang Jun-gyu as a guild member.
One was Yang Jun-gyu’s ability.
The other was a sense of responsibility for him.
Yang Jun-gyu’s driving skills were extremely useful. This was especially true since Kang-seok planned to use the riches from Andras’s lair to purchase an airship for the guild.
Without a proper means of transportation, they would be stuck wandering around their base. Acquiring an airship and securing a pilot were not choices for Kang-seok, but necessities.
Yang Jun-gyu’s name had also appeared on the list of discoverers for this World Quest.
While it was unlikely he would be harmed by other Players just for having his name on the list, there was always the possibility of an unforeseen event.
He had gained 4,000 Kron and experience just for driving Kang-seok’s party’s carriage, but if that put him in danger, the risk would far outweigh the reward.
Once Yang Jun-gyu had calmed down a bit, Kang-seok drew everyone’s attention again. He spoke with a faint smile.
“The six of us here will be the start of the guild. Now, before we create it, I’ll tell you what happened yesterday.”
* * *
“It seems the Captain of the Knights Templar has returned.”
Aachen City Hall.
Abigail entered the mayor’s office, giving a belated knock on the already open door as she spoke. Mayor George II of Aachen greeted her warmly.
Normally, there should have been many invisible walls between an adventurer and a mayor of noble birth, but that wasn't the case for these two. They had known each other for over twenty years and were more like friends who had transcended their social statuses.
After a brief exchange of greetings, Abigail got straight to the point.
“It seems Edward wasn't interested in Andras’s corpse.”
Edward Price.
Captain of the Knights Templar of Gawain, the God of Honor.
George II sank deep into the sofa and nodded.
“That's right. He only showed interest in the Dark Destiny Lord. He’s still young, so his fighting spirit is remarkable.”
Strictly speaking, the Knights Templar had no justification to lay a claim on Andras's corpse. But it was status and power that made such unreasonable demands possible.
Since the city of Aachen maintained a close relationship with the Cult of Gawain, it would have been very troublesome if Edward had insisted on being given even a part of Andras’s corpse.
But fortunately, Edward’s interest was solely focused on the Dark Destiny Lord—that savior of Aachen.
Abigail was also relieved.
“I heard the dismantling of Andras’s corpse is underway.”
“Indeed. It was a formidable monster to begin with, and its notoriety will allow us to fetch a handsome price.”
It was a world infested with monsters.
There was no shortage of people who wanted high-quality weapons, and the best ones were worth whatever the buyer was willing to pay.
The corpse of the earth dragon Andras was a top-tier material that any artisan would covet.
“As I mentioned before, I would appreciate it if you would set aside the payment for the Keyman Company’s airship separately. Thanks to that airship, myself and many others survived, and we were able to stop Andras.”
The money earned from selling Andras’s corpse was to be divided fairly among the subjugation party. But one way or another, the city of Aachen was in charge of that distribution.
They couldn't just pass the cost of the airship onto Kang-seok’s party.
Abigail valued that fact above all else, which was why she was now making her case, despite knowing it was impolite.
George II laughed good-naturedly.
“I know, I know. Am I the kind of man to harbor ulterior motives?”
“My apologies. Please consider it a needless worry on my part.”
George II was, of course, a down-to-earth and good man. But even the best of men could be swayed by the prospect of a sudden fortune.
“Tsk, tsk, I’m hurt. And don’t you worry. Even without you, I have another guardian to keep my conscience in check.”
Abigail blinked, as if asking what he meant. George II rose from his seat, walked over to his desk, and pulled out a document, handing it to Abigail.
“This arrived this morning.”
It wasn't a formal letter with a seal, but a temporary missive delivered by magic.
What was important was its content and its sender.
After quickly reading the letter, Abigail looked back at George II. He shrugged.
“Fame is like a horse with no legs. It can cross a country in a single day.”
A temporary missive.
It had been sent from the royal family of the Kingdom of Britannia.
* * *
“No way, no way. Are you crazy, letting Kang-seok name the guild? Do you even know what he named his horse? It’s Pony! Pony!”
Choi Yu-ra slammed her hand on the floor and raised her voice. Yang Jun-gyu’s eyes widened.
“Is that true?”
This was the same Yang Jun-gyu who had looked at even the name ‘Dark Destiny Lord’ with adoration.
More flustered than usual, Kang-seok hesitated before retorting as if shouting.
“W-Well, she’s a female! And Pony just means a small horse!”
But Yang Jun-gyu’s gaze remained icy.
“Even so… and by your logic, that’s like naming a dog ‘Dog’.”
“Khh.”
It was a flawless attack with no room for escape.
Kang-seok looked back and forth between Seong Yu-jin and Kim Kang-san as if pleading for help, but Seong Yu-jin had been on Choi Yu-ra’s side regarding the name from the start, and Kim Kang-san just scratched his chin, seemingly unable to think of anything to add.
Just when he thought he was isolated with no allies, Park Han-yeong, leaning against the bed, came to his rescue.
“What are your horses’ names?”
It was a fairly natural change of subject. Seong Yu-jin and Choi Yu-ra answered in turn.
“Mine is Alphonse.”
“Adamas.”
They were neither great nor terrible names. But after murmuring the two names to herself, Park Han-yeong suddenly tilted her head.
“Oh, Yu-ra. Do you mean Adamas, as in ‘unconquerable’?”
When the specific etymology came up, Seong Yu-jin and Yang Jun-gyu were simply impressed, but Choi Yu-ra was not. She nodded, her expression somehow awkward.
“Yeah.”
“If it’s Adamas…”
Trailing off, Park Han-yeong quietly turned her gaze toward Kang-seok.
Adamas, meaning ‘unconquerable,’ was the word believed to be the origin of ‘diamond.’
Diamond.
The hardest stone in the world.
In other words, the strongest stone.
“Anyway! Let’s think about the guild name a bit more. And the World Quest is urgent, right? The place and time are ambiguous for us outsiders. Have you found any clues? Kang-san, have you heard anything?”
Choi Yu-ra shot up from her seat, words pouring out of her. It was an undeniably awkward action, but it had a strange force to it.
Kim Kang-san found himself answering.
“W-Well, I briefly discussed the World Quest with Georg, who came to treat Han-yeong.”
A hint of composure returned to Choi Yu-ra’s face. She sat back down and casually slumped her shoulders.
“Just speak comfortably. You agreed to be casual with Kang-seok, too.”
“Ahem.”
There was an age gap of nearly ten years between Kim Kang-san and Kang-seok’s group. Continuing to speak formally would make them uncomfortable as well.
After clearing his throat a few times to calm himself, Kim Kang-san continued.
“To us Players, it was a riddle, but it seems that wasn't the case for the locals of this world. He told me the date and location as soon as he heard it.”
Correcting his speech mid-sentence, Kim Kang-san let out a sigh before resuming his story.
“First, the location… apparently, there’s a real flying island in this world.”
“A flying island?”
Everyone listening was surprised. Kim Kang-san held up his palm.
“The Duchy of Avalon. Its capital is on a flying island. It’s a nation located between the Kingdom of Britannia and Shangri-la.”
“Whoa, now that’s fantasy.”
They could accept airships, but a flying island was something else.
When Choi Yu-ra looked at Seong Yu-jin and Yang Jun-gyu with a fascinated expression, both of their eyes were sparkling.
Kim Kang-san chuckled softly.
“He said the date is roughly two months from now. Luminus and Selene are the names of a moon and a star, respectively, and apparently, there are a few times a year when they overlap. It’s already happened once this year, and the next time is in two months.”
Two months was more than enough time to prepare. If things went well, they might even be able to challenge the World Quest as a fully-formed guild.
“Speaking of which, I remembered something too.”
Park Han-yeong said, raising her hand slightly.
“The Demonic Beast Cimeries, the Demonic Beast Barbatos, the Demonic Beast Andras, and now the Demonic Beast Raum, revealed in the World Quest.”
As everyone turned to her, she shrank back a little shyly but enunciated each name clearly.
These were the names that had naturally come up as Kang-seok recounted past events.
“Don’t those names sound familiar?”
“Huh?”
At Park Han-yeong’s words, not only Kang-seok but also Seong Yu-jin and Choi Yu-ra tilted their heads, looking confused.
Seeming surprised by their reaction, Park Han-yeong hesitated for a moment before continuing.
“Uh, well. When I only heard Barbatos at first, I wasn’t sure, but with so many names overlapping, I think it must be right.”
Kang-seok knew the names of four Demonic Beasts.
And Park Han-yeong had heard the names of those four beasts in the world she originally came from.