Chapter 342
Chapter 342
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 342
Chapter Title: A Shocking Announcement
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Jinwoon's answer was half an acceptance.
"I won't put my name on the guild."
There was a reason for that response.
"Still, I have no intention of leaving this place."
To Jinwoon, this manor held more significance than just a home.
It was the place of his last memories with his daughter. Su-hyuk had told him not to live in the past, but it wasn't as easy as it sounded.
"It'll probably be hard for me to hang out with you all. Even if you secure guild housing, I'll stay here."
"That's a shame, but it can't be helped."
Su-hyuk understood him.
The matter with his daughter wasn't something Jinwoon needed to overcome. Whether to leave the past behind and move forward or cherish the memories was his choice.
There was no forcing it. So Su-hyuk wrapped up the conversation on a light note.
"If you regret it later and ask to hang out then, no take-backs, okay?"
Jinwoon burst into laughter at Su-hyuk's reaction to words spoken with some difficulty.
"That won't happen. When you get old, young people's passion just feels too intense."
And with that, Jinwoon decided to join as one of the guild's founding members.
That evening, everyone gathered in the middle of the manor's garden for a meal together.
The food was a wild boar that Ye-ryeong had somehow caught. They roughly stir-fried pre-prepared vegetables and seasonings into dishes and brought out liquor from the storeroom.
"You're really tearing through the household supplies."
A lavish spread, even decorated with the boar's head in the center.
Despite his grumbling tone, Jinwoon was the first to sit at the table. Latecomer Unhyang sat beside him.
"Have you been well?"
"I thought I was going to die from being busy. I can't even quit being a manager."
"Why? Is that guy working you to death?"
"Not me. It's been a while since I've seen Unhyang too."
Unhyang hurriedly nodded at Su-hyuk's indignant response.
"Right! It's not because of Su-hyuk-ssi. It's just hard getting back into training after so long."
"If you're busy with your own work, then it can't be helped."
Ye-ryeong, Si-woo, and Hyo-min joined next. Fortunately, the three of them had met Jinwoon occasionally before.
"Feels like I'm eating in the afterlife, surrounded by folks who were supposed to be dead."
"Should I spill the tale of our trip?"
"Tale? What's a 'tale'?"
"Pfft!"
Laughter erupted here and there because Jinwoon didn't understand Su-hyuk's words.
The meal was enjoyable. And there, Su-hyuk brought up one matter.
"Uncle has permitted us to use this place until the next guild battle."
"Are you joining the guild, sir?"
Jinwoon nodded at Si-woo's question. Unhyang's face beside him lit up at the answer.
At that moment, Su-hyuk added to Jinwoon's words.
"To be precise, not yet. We haven't officially registered the guild."
"What's so important about that?"
"Anyway."
Cutting off the lengthening small talk, Su-hyuk made a proposal.
"It's spacious here, and safe too. Before we properly start activities, I was hoping we could buy a bit more time."
"To build up our strength?"
Su-hyuk nodded as Si-woo immediately grasped the meaning.
"We have a lot ahead of us. And those tasks are all dangerous. Catching Guardians, meeting demon kings in the demon realm, you know."
Before dying, Gyeongseong had left Su-hyuk with words to meet the Three Demons.
How dangerous that was didn't need explaining. If it had been anyone else saying it, it would've sounded like a suicide mission.
But he couldn't keep putting it off.
If Gyeongseong said it, there had to be a reason.
After building his strength more solidly, Su-hyuk planned to head to the demon realm to meet them.
"I'm for it."
Hyo-min was the first to raise his hand, showing interest.
"If anything, I'm the weakest here. I needed time anyway."
"I'm sick of holing up..."
Ye-ryeong raised her hand while groaning.
"Not wrong, I guess."
Everyone raised their hands like that. But one person raised his hand while looking worried.
"I can already hear the team leader nagging."
Staying at the manor to build strength meant the streams would naturally pause.
Of course, he'd given prior notice.
That he might not stream for a while.
There had been backlash, naturally. Why stop now when momentum was building?
A long hiatus would naturally cool public interest.
But Su-hyuk had his reasons for this decision.
"Tell them not to worry. I'll come back even more spectacularly than now."
"Already said that. But what can we do? He's a worrywart."
"That guy's life must be exhausting."
"The problem is he's my boss. Sigh, energy vampire."
John Tail would've freaked out hearing that. Who's exhausting who? Listen properly for once.
"What made you think of this all of a sudden?"
Si-woo asked for the real reason.
Building strength was agreeable, but Su-hyuk had never needed such time before.
It was natural to wonder if there was another reason.
But this time, that guess was wrong.
"It's exactly as I said. I really need the time."
Crackle. A small spark danced at Su-hyuk's fingertip.
"I've been rushing too much until now. Not just this time, but before too."
Now, and in his previous life. Su-hyuk had charged ahead without rest.
His aspiration upward turned himself into kindling, burning until he was reduced to ashes.
It was a mistake from first wielding lightning. To avoid repeating it, he needed to pause.
Moreover.
"Lightning, thunder, bolts. Right now, I can't even properly use what I've gained."
The weight of his possessions was bending his back. At this rate, he'd repeat the same end as before.
So he needed time.
To properly wield what he had. To make it truly his own.
Fortunately, there was a way.
With Selfish Sacrifice's skill level raised and the Ring of Black Soul acquired, using them well would make him far stronger than before.
Of course, his own abilities were the most important.
"That's a refreshing change of pace."
Si-woo raised his glass.
As if by promise, they clinked glasses one by one.
The drinking continued under the night sky. Wind blew even within the formation.
Unlike the lonely days hiding indefinitely, he wasn't alone anymore.
The manor was spacious with plenty of empty rooms, more than enough for the group to stay.
The most drunk were Unhyang, Ye-ryeong, and Hyo-min. The women apparently hit it off, drinking through the night without end.
The next day, Su-hyuk asked Jinwoon to set up a formation. For training, they needed a much larger, more comfortable space than what they had.
Then, Unhyang, who woke late from her hangover and checked her kit, exclaimed in surprise.
"The Red Tower Lord is dead."
Her words drew the hungover group, crawling like zombies, together.
"Found dead in prison... Looks like poison."
"Suicide?"
"No signs of external intrusion. No visitors for Naira either."
From the circumstances, it looked like suicide. But the question was where the poison came from.
The Red Tower wouldn't have handled it so sloppily. No way they'd let her into prison without checking possessions.
"Someone else killed her."
"I think so too."
Naira was central to the incident.
Her death would make tracing Deep Sea's funds and usage much harder.
Given the situation, plenty wanted her dead.
"Il-su?"
Si-woo thought of Kim Il-su first.
It was well-known Kim Il-su was close to Naira. Su-hyuk already suspected his involvement.
If Naira died now, uncovering Blue Zone-Deep Sea ties would be tough.
"Possible."
"Ruthless."
"You knew that already, right?"
Si-woo nodded gravely at Su-hyuk's question.
"Red Tower must be in an uproar."
"If only Red Tower. Probably chaos across guilds."
Who took how much from where. How involved in Deep Sea crimes.
The guilty would hide, the innocent hunt them to clear suspicion. A massive mafia game beginning.
As the manor buzzed with the news, Jinwoon, setting up the formation in the courtyard, looked up.
"Lots of guests lately."
"Guests? Why look up?"
Unhyang followed Jinwoon's gaze, wondering if guests were in the sky.
Then.
Rumble-.
The manor shook.
Something huge impacted from outside. A powerful force was trying to breach in.
Su-hyuk sighed, rubbing his forehead.
"I told you not to come in like this..."
Su-hyuk seemed to already know the guest.
Unhyang wondered who, but soon found out. Impossible not to.
A shadow fell over the manor. Then a familiar roar echoed.
KYAAAHHH-!
It was Red Dragon Vulcanus's bellow.
Vulcanus covered the manor's sky, with Hielz riding atop. As if forewarned, Jinwoon and Su-hyuk weren't surprised.
Su-hyuk watched Hielz descend on Vulcanus toward the manor.
"You said there'd be something surprising. Guess that was it."
While Vulcanus flew overhead, Hielz came down. The courtyard was wide, but not for Vulcanus to land.
Descending on her staff, Hielz greeted everyone.
"Nice to see you all again? Some familiar faces, some new."
Familiar were Hyo-min and Unhyang; new was Jinwoon.
Jinwoon looked impressed at the famed Hielz's entrance. She seemed young, but her aura was extraordinary.
Su-hyuk approached Hielz, asking with a steaming face.
"Something surprising, you said?"
"Yes. You'll really be shocked?"
"If that's it, I already heard. Naira died."
He assumed it was that news, but Hielz tilted her head.
"Why's that shocking? Doomed folks die. Karma, whatever."
"Not that?"
"Nope."
"Thought you'd be busy with that."
"Investigators handle it. I just help if needed."
Surprisingly, Hielz had no thoughts on Naira's death.
Come to think, their "relationship" stemmed from Naira's one-sided jealousy toward Hielz. The jealous party held no interest in Naira.
Just saw her as a nasty, annoying auntie.
"Then what's the shocking news?"
"Really shocking? Ready?"
"Yeah, just spit it out."
Actually unprepared, but figured it was nothing big.
But.
"Um, oppa... I want to join your guild."
This was truly shocking news.